Disclaimer: All characters from ANGEL belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. If they aren't on the show they belong to me.

Summary: A different turn of events after Season 1 Episode 12 "Expecting". A/C pairing.

CHAPTER 7

Cordelia pushed the second baby out and looked up at Angel waiting for him to tell her if it was a boy or girl. She watched the smile fade first from his face, then Gunn, Wesley, and Dr. Everets as well.

"What's wrong?" Cordelia asked.

"Gunn..." Angel said as calmly as he could. "Go get two swords from downstairs..."

"Swords?" Cordelia asked, still in pain with five more babies to go. "Why would you need-" Cordelia watched as her second child, the demon spawn jumped out of Dr. Everets hands and onto Wesley, sinking its teeth into his shoulder.

"Damn it!" Angel jumped and ripped it off of Wesley, chucking it to the floor and using the chair to beat it to death.

Cordelia moaned in pain. "Why is it...Ahhh!" Five more babies weren't waiting.

Cordelia pushed the rest of the demon spawn out, and watched Gunn, Wesley, and Angel kill them all one by one. When the last one was dead on the floor Angel looked back at Dr. Everets.

"Why...why was that one..." Angel pointed to the baby girl who was squirming around in the nurse's arms. "Why is that one human?"

Dr. Everets shrugged and made his way over to the child. "Let me examine her."

Angel nodded and sat down next to a tired and teary-eyed Cordelia. "Hey...you did good."

Cordelia cried. "They were all demons, all evil little demons..."

"No, not all of them." Angel wiped the hair from her sweaty forehead. "One wasn't." Angel smiled and tilted his head to the beautiful baby girl in Dr. Everets' arms.

Cordelia smiled at her daughter. "But why wasn't she-"

Dr. Everets looked over to Cordelia and Angel with a smile. "Because she isn't the demons spawn."

"What?" Angel asked.

Dr. Everets handed the baby to the nurse and then walked up and cut Angel's arm with his nail.

"What the hell?" Angel asked looking at his blood on the doctor's nail.

Dr. Everets sniffed the blood and then looked at Angel. "Angel, do you have any cuts on your hand by chance?"

Angel looked down at his hand to see the fresh slice the vampire had given him earlier that night. "Yeah. Why?"

The Doctor took the baby from the nurse and handed her to Cordelia. "Cordelia and Angel, I'd like to present you with your beautiful baby girl."

"My what?" Angel's mouth dropped.

"You're daughter. You see, when you delivered her your blood, from the cut on your hand, mixed with hers. It acted like a sponge and absorbed the demon's blood and replaced that with yours, so she is 100 percent your daughter, Angel." Dr. Everets explained.

Angel was in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was a father. Something he told he would never get the chance to be. This was almost... "Impossible." He said out loud.

"No, completely possible. What I don't understand is why the Powers would let this happen." Dr. Everets said. "But I'm going to have a word with them now to see what they think."

Angel nodded and Dr. Everets left, with Gunn, Wesley, and the nurse following him out. This left Cordelia and Angel all alone with their daughter.

"Angel..." Cordelia voice was quiet as she held her daughter in her arms.

Angel turned back to Cordelia with a smile. "I have a daughter. We have a daughter, Cordelia."

"But I don't understand...how-" Cordelia started.

"You heard the Doctor, it was my blood, our daughters blood. Mine and yours." Angel said running his hands through his daughter's dark curly hair.

Tears began to form in Cordelia's eyes. "You saved her, Angel. If you hadn't helped me she would have been a pile of evil demon guts like the rest." Cordelia took her eyes off her daughter for the first time since she had been given her. "She's a miracle."

"Our miracle." Angel told her.

Cordelia turned her attention back to the baby in her arms. "What are we going to call her?"

"You pushed her out, so she is all yours to name." Angel grinned.

Cordelia studied her daughter for a moment. "I think she looks like a Jessica. What do you think?"

"Jessica Lynn." Angel said.

"Perfect." Cordelia wrapped her fingers around her daughter's fists. "What do you think, baby, you like Jessica?"

The baby cooed at her mother and Cordelia thought she was about to burst with love for her new family.

"I think she likes it." Cordelia told Angel.

Angel nodded. "She's beautiful..."

"She's got your eyes..." Cordelia told him as she looked deeply into her daughter's large dark eyes.

"And your smile." Angel said. "She's perfect."

"She is..." Cordelia smiled.

"Angel?" Gunn stuck his head in the door. "I don't mean to interrupt but the doctor wants to talk to you downstairs."

"Is he back from the powers?" Angel asked as he stood.

"Yeah, that's why he needs to talk to you." Gunn told him.

Angel turned back to Cordelia with his daughter. "I'll be right back up."

"Take your time. I think she's hungry anyway." Cordelia said as she moved her daughter to her breast.

Angel nodded and followed Gunn down the stairs.

Dr. Everets was sitting at the counter with Wesley when Angel and Gunn made their way into the lobby.

"Dr. Everets." Angel said shaking the doctors hand. "Thank you so much...for everything."

"Cordelia's feeling alright then, I assume?" Dr. Everets said.

Angel nodded.

"Good. That's good." The doctor said. "So, I went to have a word with the powers-"

"And?" Angel asked quickly.

"Well, she is most definitely your daughter." The Doctor told him.

"We know that." Angel said.

"Also," Dr. Everets stood. "She is a very special girl."

"Damn, I'd say so." Gunn said.

Dr. Everets nodded and continued. "The powers have great plans for her."

"What kind of plans?" Angel raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the visions that Doyle gave to Cordelia are now your daughters." Dr. Everets explained. "It seems, if your daughter wasn't born the visions would have eventually killed Cordelia because they are not meant for humans. Your daughter is, however-"

"Part demon." Wesley butted in.

"Exactly, because she is part vampire." The Doctor said. "So she can handle them. She also will be very strong Angel. And live far longer than most humans."

"How much longer?" Angel asked.

"She is immortal. Just like you." Dr. Everets told him. "She will do great things for the Powers. She will be your right hand. You no longer are the Powers one and only champion, Angel, this child, your child, is also."

Angel smiled at the thought of his daughter being a great hero. "This is all just...too much..."

"Angel, the Powers also wanted me to tell you to be sure you keep her safe, and Cordelia. They care deeply for both of them." The Doctor said.

Angel nodded. "I understand." And with that he made his way, two at a time, back up the stairs to Cordelia and Jessica.

Angel entered Cordelia's room to find her feeding their daughter. She looked up at him with a smile. "Back so soon?" She asked.

Angel nodded with a smile. "Cordy, I've got so much to tell you. This baby...she...she's a hero."

Cordelia laughed. "She's not even 3 hours old, how is she a hero?"

"The Powers, they have great plans for her. Huge plans." Angel was excited until he saw the happiness drain from Cordelia's face. "What's wrong?"

"I wish the PTB would stay out of my life! It's bad enough they drive me crazy with the visions, but now they want to wreck my daughter's life too?" Cordelia snorted.

"Cordy...I..." Angel was not expecting this response from Cordelia. "Cordy, your visions. She has them now. They belong to Jess." Angel said as he rain his hands over his daughters.

"They what!" Cordelia was outraged. "She can't take that kind of pain! She's just a baby!"

"Actually, she can take it. She's part demon. You're not. These visions are made for her." Angel explained.

"Really? Then how is she actually going to tell you what the visions are of? She can't exactly talk yet, you know!" Cordelia snapped.

Angel was stunned by a few things. One was Cordelia's temper; he couldn't believe she was so angry about their daughter being a champion. The other was how beautiful Cordelia was when she was angry. And the last thing was, that even with Cordelia screaming Jessica didn't even let out a cry. She continued eating and watching her mother scream with almost a look of boredom. When Angel came back in he realized Cordelia was crying. "Cordy, what? It's ok." He held her.

"Angel, why would the PTB do this to our daughter?" Cordelia sobbed.

"Because she is a champion. She is meant for this Cordelia." Angel explained and then he took Cordelia's chin in his hands. "You know that..." He kissed her slowly on her lips.

This time, Cordelia pulled away. "Angel...I want to-" She saw the look of confusion on Angel's face. "I want to kiss you and be with you, but I just..." Her eyes began to tear. "I can't right now. Not with everything that's just happened. I need to sort this all out in my head."

"But Cordy..." Angel argued. "We have a daughter together now." He pointed down at Jess.

"I know..." Cordelia looked down. "And I have all these feelings for you, Angel. I just...I need to think for a little while."

Angel nodded. "I understand." But he didn't. He didn't understand any of it. He was in love with her. She seemed to care for him. Now they had a daughter together. It's like they were meant to be. He could see that, so why couldn't Cordelia? He sighed and left the room leaving Cordelia and Jess alone.

Cordelia looked down at her daughter in her arms. "You think Mommy just made a big mistake, don't you, sweetie? I love your dad. I do. But I don't know if he really cares for me or he is just doing this because he now feels obligated to you. He's like that, you'll learn that soon enough. He always has to do what's right." Cordelia sighed and held the baby up to burp her. "It will all work out, even if it just ends up being me and you, Jess."

Angel pounded his fists on the walls of the lobby as he entered. Gunn and Wesley were by the TV playing video games and were both startled to see Angel in such a mood.

"Whoa, what's going on bro?" Gunn asked.

"Cordy...she..." Angel was clearly frustrated.

"She what?" Welsey asked.

"I don't know. She seems to be in love with me one minute and then the next she doesn't know what she wants!" Angel said.

"And that fact that she just gave birth has nothing to do with that, I'm sure." Wesley said sarcastically.

Angel was in Wesley's face in less then two seconds. "Wes...I'm not joking around."

"Clearly..." Wesley said weakly. "Would...uh...would you like me to talk to her?"

Angel suddenly relaxed. "You think that would work?"

"Worth a shot. Don't you agree, Gunn?" Wesley asked.

Gunn had focused back on the video game. "Huh? Yeah...sure...whatever..."

Welsey nodded. "Very well then. I'll go do so right now."

"She said she wanted to be alone, Wesley." Angel told him.

"Maybe she just didn't want to have you there right now. I'm sure it adds a little more stress. Let me go see." Wesley made his way up the stairs.

Angel sighed and sat down next to Gunn. "I want you to know that back in my day I never had this many problems with women."

"That's because back in your day the only woman you almost got with vamped out." Gunn pointed out.

Angel had to laugh at his. "Shut up, Gunn." He said and picked up the other controller. "Now let me see if I can kick your ass in this game."

Gunn grinned. " Oh, you on dead boy!"

Welsey entered Cordelia's room slowly, not wanting to disturb her. He found her sitting up in bed with a sleeping Jessica in her arms. "Cordy?" He whispered.

Her eyes shot up to the door and a smile broke across her face. "Come on in, Wes. Jess just fell asleep."

Wesley sat down on the bed next to Cordelia. "So that's what you decided to name her? Jess?"

"Jessica." Cordelia corrected, turning her attention back to her sleeping daughter. "Jessica Lynn."

"Beautiful name." Welsey told her.

"Thank you..." Cordelia smiled.

"Cordelia, I wanted to talk to you..."

"Sure. About what?"

"Well, Angel came downstairs before and he was rather upset." Wesley fixed his glasses.

"Oh..." The smile faded from Cordelia's face. "Did he say why?"

"Something to do with you, actually."

"Wes..." Cordelia looked up at him. "I can't...I love him. I know I do, but I don't think he cares about me...not like that."

"What makes you think that, Cordelia?"

"Because, he's in love with Buffy, he always has been. He just feels like he owes it to me because this is his daughter, and trust me he doesn't owe me a thing-"

"Oh yes he does." Angel said as he leaned against the frame of her door. "He owes you more then you could know." Angel slowly walked in and Wesley took his cue and left the room. Angel sat where Wesley had previously been and took Cordelia's hand in his. "Cordy, I don't feel like I need to love you because you are the mother of my daughter. I love you because of who you are. Because you're Cordelia Chase. And Buffy, yeah, I loved her-"

Cordelia looked down at these words but Angel lifted her face back up and continued speaking. "I did love her. But things with her, for some reason, just weren't meant to be. I can see that now more then ever. I do love you because you are the mother of my daughter, but also because you're my funny, and loving, and my best friend. And..." Angel moved his face closer to Cordelia's. "The women of my dreams." And with that he kissed her.

The kissed lasted for several minutes. This time Cordelia didn't pull away. She held Angel as close as she could, with their daughter sleeping between them. When they finally did pull apart it was only so Cordelia could catch her breathe. She smiled at Angel and he thought his unbeating heart was going to burst out of his chest.

Then Gunn and Wesley ran into the room.

"We hate to break up whatever is going on in here, but we got trouble." Gunn told them.

Angel perked up. "What kind of trouble?"

"Faith." Wesley told them. "She's alive and well."

"Not exactly well." Gunn butted in. "From what Wes said anyway. She definitely isn't right in the head."

Angel nodded. "No, I know." He stood. "Is Buffy-"

"She's fine, Angel." Wesley said as he saw the hurt in Cordelia's eyes at the mention of the slayers name. "That's not the problem."

"Then what is?" Angel asked.

"Faith is here. In L.A.." Wesley stated.

Angel's face dropped and he looked back at Cordelia to see she had the same reaction on her face.

"This is bad." Cordelia said flatly.

Wesley nodded. "Yes it is." He turned his attention back to Angel. "You understand why she came here. What she is after?"

Faith stepped off the bus at the station in downtown L.A. "Oh Angel. I'm coming for you. And your little English friend." She threw her head back with an evil laugh and knocked the guy out behind her, grabbing his wallet and house keys. "I think I'm starting to like L.A. already..." She smiled and began walking down the street, humming to herself.