Title: Right Before Your Eyes

Author: Wereleopard
Rating: PG

Pairing: C/A
Email: Angst
Summary: Up to pregnant Darla it is AU, Angel's thoughts and questions about himself, his friends, his redemption and the love he has for Cordy.

Disclaimer: The characters in the Angel verse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made I am just poor and the song doesn't belong to me either.

Distribution: FSB! Yes please!

A/N Ok this is AU duh! LOL. So instead of Spike making Buffy feel something it was Angel, but Spike IS still in love with her and we know whom Angel wants.

Chapter 4


Middle of Nowhere, USA

Cordy stared at Lindsey in amazement. "You are kidding, marry you." She couldn't believe he actually said that. They had grown to become good friends as the months went by and they talked about their joint past and why they did what they did, but one night something had happened, it had been a party with lots of drinks and the next thing she knew she had woken up in the bed, in the arms of Lindsey. He was as shocked as she was; memories of that night were still coming back to her and from what she could remember he had made it very enjoyable.

Cordy blushed at that thought and Lindsey's face was suddenly covered in a very masculine smile, she had once made the mistake of telling him that, they had started to talk about what had happened and they both told what memories they did have and she opened her mouth before her brain kicked in and told Lindsey that from what she remembered he was very good.

"Why not Cordy we are friends." He said with a smirk, the lawyer didn't love her but had grown to care for her; she was his first real friend that he had ever had.

"Exactly we are FRIENDS, I don't love you I never will. Not like that" She told him honestly.

"I know that, I know you will always love Angel, but I don't want our, my child raised without a father." His blue eyes glittered with honesty Lindsey did want his kid whatever it maybe to have the best start of life, to have the opportunities he never had.

"You'll be around, you'll see you child grow up." Cordy said smiling at him.

They just stared at each other for a moment longer before the both started to laugh; it was so surreal they were going to be parents, together of all things

Lindsey reached out and touched her swollen baby, he was in awe, inside of there was his child, and he was going to be a father. It still didn't really sink in, he was not sure if he would ever get use to it. He looked up into Cordy's hazel eyes shining with happiness but there was still the sadness deep down. He saw how she missed her friends, her family and especially Angel.

As much as he had problems with Angel Investigations especially with the vampire, their first drink together had be full of tension but they were both lonely and they kept meeting up and gradually as the days an weeks went by and it surprised both of them that they did become friends and care for each other.

Lindsey smiled softly at her, she deserved to be happy he had never seen her have a vision before and the first time he saw one it scared the life out of him, how they hell did she manage to deal with them time and time again and also he had understand Angel more and why he was so protective of her, why they all were. He reached out and took hold of hand.

"Let's get you something to eat." Lindsey waited for her nod he turned and headed into the kitchen to make her some food.

Hyperion Hotel, LA

Angel held the small child against his chest; he was so tiny he never had anyone that relied on him as much as his son, Connor did. He gently stroked the smooth check amazed that he had a son, two vampires had a child it should have been impossible.

The vampires mind went back Darla, how she had been so upset and annoyed when she came to him almost to term but she had to start to act differently and then he found out, his child had a soul and Darla was sharing it with him and for once in her life she did something right, she sacrificed her life for their unborn child, she staked herself and all that was left in the dirty wet alley was a child on the hard, dark ground.

There was a knock at the door Angel looked up and smiled. "Come in!" He called out and in walked Fred with Connor's bottle she walked to the bed and handed it to him.

"If you need anything else just call ok?" Fred said with a bright smile as she gently brushed the babies head, she laid her hand on Angel's shoulder just for a minute before she left.

Angel took hold of the bottle and started to feed Connor. "Oh Cordy if only you could see this." He whispered tears forming in his eyes, it had been 8 long months since she had been gone and the only thing he knew was that she was alive, he had no idea where she was or what she was doing and everyday he woke up and waited and prayed that she would be back, she would walk through the hotel door and smile at him, forgive him and tell him she loved him as much as he loved her.

There was another knock at the door but he could already smell by her perfume that it was, Buffy. She had been ignoring his child, and ever since Connor had been born she had started to wear the skimpiest of clothes and was up here more often. It seemed that the slayer had forgotten what she did, killed vampires and was now trying to have a normal life with a vampire. Angel shook his head he was going to have to have a talk with her and soon.

"What is it Buffy?" He asked.

"Angel can I come in?" Buffy asked from the otherside.

"I'm trying to feed my son." The vampire told her patiently.

"Can't someone else do it?" She whined.

Angel turned to the door and stared at it incredulously glad that the blonde was on the otherside of it right at this moment, if they were face to face he had no idea what he said but the one thing he knew was that she would definitely get the idea that she wasn't wanted not by him and hadn't been for a long time.

"No I can't Buffy this is my son." Taking a deep breath he smiled down at Connor. "Shouldn't you be back on the hellmouth doing the slayer thing?"

The slayer frowned. "But I thought that you and I, you know." She shrugged her shoulders at the door this would be so much easier for here if she could see her boyfriends face.

"There is no you and I" He called back.

Buffy opened the door without asking, her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the bare chested man on the bed with a baby curled up on it gripping one of his fingers and sucking on the bottle.

"Look Angel now that we are back together." She started to say and never noticed the look of horror on the vampire's face.

"Woooo, hold it right there back together Buffy I don't mean to be cruel you've been through a lot but this has got to stop, we are NOT back together. I have told you so many times I have moved."

Buffy raised her hand to stop him talking. "I'll go back to Sunnydale and give you sometime to think and then we'll talk." With that she flounced out of the room.

Angel sat there staring. "Son she's not listening to me, Cordy is, was, just like that but I didn't mind." He was going to have to talk to Wes maybe they could call Sunnydale and maybe one of them could make Buffy see that they were not getting back together in any shape or form.

Middle of Nowhere, USA

Lindsey watched the young woman who had curled up on the sofa and had fallen asleep, he grabbed a blanket and covered, he chuckled ever so slightly if only the partners at Wolfram and Hart could see him now? What would Lilah say? But the truth of the matter was that he was happy, he had a home, a friend and a child. He wished that the child could have been a woman he was in love with but you never know he could fall in love with her but Lindsey knew that it would get his heartbroken.

He turned to walk away when he heard her start to sob and one word escaped her lips. "Angel." It said in a breathy whisper.

"That's it I've had enough." Lindsey grabbed the phone this might cost him his life but that amazing woman didn't deserve to be this sad.

"I'd like to speak to Angel about Cordy, it's Lindsey McDonald." He told the woman who had answered the phone.

Hyperion Hotel, LA

"Angel, Lindsey McDonald is on the phone he says it's about Cordy." Gunn yelled up the stairs as soon as Fred had told him.

Buffy had come down with her bags packed trying to talk the rest of AI into talking to Angel about where their relationship was going but they all had ignored her.

Angel came down the stairs as quickly as he could with his son in his arms whom he quickly passed to Gunn who was waiting at the bottom of the staircase. The vampire glanced at the ex-watcher all both their faces has the same questions. Why was Lindsey calling them to tell them about Cordelia? And what had he done to her?

"What is it Lindsey?" Angel asked and he listened to the reply that was coming.

The rest of AI knew that something was wrong as the hand that gripped the counter, his knuckles were getting whiter and whiter and he squeezed and squeezed. Something had happened to their friend and Angel was not happy.

He placed it back onto the cradle and turned to them his eyes wide with confusion.

"Angel?" Wes asked grabbing hold of Buffy as she made her way to the vampire.

"It's Cordy she…."Angel shook his head still not believing what he had heard.

Middle of Nowhere, USA

Lindsey smiled down at Cordelia he hoped that she understood and he hoped that he would live through this, if not he wanted a quick and painless death. With all the vision pain and everything she has to suffer she did deserve to be happy and Angel didn't deserve her but that is whom she wanted.

Hyperion Hotel, LA

"Angel?" Wes repeated again and watched as the vampire focused his gaze onto the rogue demon hunter.

"Cordy's fine, she works as a waitress her and Lindsey have become, uhh friends." Angel couldn't believe he was saying this but if Lindsey had lied he would hunt him down and hurt him, slowly and painfully it had been 8 very long months without her.

"Friends?" Wes said doubtfully but there was something else, something that Angel had not yet told them and he was not sure he wanted to know. "What else?" He said reluctantly.

"Cordy is pregnant and Lindsey is the father." Angel told them softly Lindsey had told him that the two of them were not in love it was just one night and they had no idea why but the vampire was jealous the lawyer had managed t touch her and hold her in a way he never could.

Fred dropped the cup she was holding but no one moved as it shattered on the floor.

TBC