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 13
When Angel came to he stood quickly, taking in his surroundings. "Damn it..." He muttered to himself as he felt the bump on the back of his head. That had hurt, and whoever did that was going to pay. His first thought was Lindsey, but no, that couldn't be right. Whoever had hit Angel was strong, very strong, because they hit him extremely hard.
When Angel gathered himself he smelt the air. It was familiar. Darla's scent hung about him, of course, but something else was there. Something he knew very well. He thought for a moment and then it hit him like a ton of bricks. It was Drusilla. She was the one that had hit him, and she was the one who had saved Darla from him.
Angel was about to follow his two old friends trail, when another scent mixed in.
"You killed her." Lindsey said weakly from behind Angel. "After I let Cordelia go, you killed her!"
Angel spun around to see the lawyer, and almost felt sorry for him. "No, I didn't. Yes, I was going to, but Drusilla came in before I had the chance, and knocked me out." Angel told him, rubbing his head.
"Drusilla?" Lindsey asked. He had heard the name before, and if he had done his research correctly, that was one of Darla's old friends. "The vampire Drusilla?"
Angel nodded. "Isn't she who turned Darla?"
"No. I hired somebody."
"Then how did she know to come here and get Darla?"
Lindsey shrugged. "I don't know. But I'm glad she did."
"No, you aren't." Angel told him. "You want Darla, right?"
"Like you don't know..." Lindsey smiled.
"Then you want her away from Dru, trust me. Those two together are not good news."
"Well, I work for Wolfram and Hart, we don't usually like good news."
"They'll terrorize you. Drink you for a snack. Drusilla's thrust is almost as insane as she is, and Darla loves to join in the massacring." Angel looked away. "I would know. Darla taught me, and I drove Dru over the edge."
Lindsey thought for a moment. "So what are we supposed to do?"
"Find them."
"Together?" Lindsey snorted.
"I guess..." Angel said with a sigh as he rolled his eyes.
Cordelia stood over Jessica's crib as her daughter slept. Cordelia could not believe she had almost lost her daughter the pervious night. She never thought in a million years she could love someone as much as she loved Jess. Every time she thought about her three month old's future role in the world Cordelia could feel her heart break. She didn't want her daughter to have to see all the evil the world had to offer. She didn't want to bandage Jessica's wounds every time she got beaten by a demon. Cordelia wanted to take her daughter for prom dresses, and mall runs. Cordelia sighed as she thought about Jessica and Angel being together, immortally, until Angel reached his Shanshu. Cordelia would probably be dead long before that and when Angel became human he would eventually die too. They would both leave Jessica with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Cordelia didn't want that. She rested her arms on the side of crib as she took in the image of her sleeping daughter.
Jess had a thumb in her mouth and a fist of curls in her hand. Cordelia touched her daughter's curls. Curls she had clearly gotten from her mother, Cordelia thought with a smile as she touched her own hair. "I think it's time for a change though." She said out loud as she made her way into the bathroom to find a pair of scissors.
"I don't think we should have come here." Angel told Lindsey as the descended the stairs to the club.
"Why not? You lost their scent." Lindsey shot back.
Angel rolled his eyes. "They left hours ago and paced the same block a few times, it wasn't easy to stay on one trail."
"Exactly why we are here." Lindsey said as she searched the club. "The owner can help us, trust me."
"I know. He helped me find her last time." Angel said with a sigh. Seeing that there was obviously no other way he decided to help Lindsey search for the demon owner.
Lindsey spotted the demon first. "There he is." He told Angel as he pointed over the crowd to the green demon. "Lorne!" He called.
The demon's head shot up, and he raised a glass to Lindsey and Angel before making his way over to them. "Well hey there, boys!" Lorne smiled. "What can I do for you?"
"Looking for a girl." Lindsey told him.
The demon raised an eyebrow at Angel. "Same girl as last time, cupcake?"
"Yeah." Angel sighed.
"Well ok then." Lorne said. "One of you has got to sing and I can help you out."
Lindsey and Angel looked at each other.
"Trust me, you don't want it to be me." Angel told him.
Lindsey nodded. "Fine, I'm pretty decent."
Lorne chuckled. "More then decent. And what happened to your hand?" Lorne asked pointing to the place Lindsey's hand should have been.
"Long story." Lindsey said as he took the stage and began a rendition of the Goo Goo Dolls "Bullet Proof". When he was done he jumped off the stage and made his way over to Angel and Lorne.
Lorne pulled both men into the back room. "Whoa boys..."
"What?" Angel and Lindsey asked at the same time.
"First off, the hate you have for each other..." Lorne raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, we know." Lindsey told him.
Lorne nodded. "Well, they girl you're looking for, you're going to find her downtown. An old gas station. Now, she won't be there for two more nights, and she'll be with another girl."
"That's it?" Lindsey asked, angrily.
Lorne nodded. "That's all I've got."
Lindsey rose and turned to Angel. "I'll meet you in two nights then. Your place. And if you tell a soul from Wolfram and Hart-"
"Relax Lindsey." Angel said. "I won't."
Lindsey nodded and turned out of the club.
"Be careful." Lorne told Angel. "This girl you're looking for isn't that nice."
"I know." Angel told him. "Thanks."
Lorne smiled up at the souled vampire "Anytime."
When Angel entered the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel it was barely morning, but that didn't stop his family from being up. Gunn was sprawled out on the couch with an ice pack on his still swelled eye, while Wesley was standing at the counter with his head down and a cup of coffee in his hand. Cordelia was pacing the room, tiredly, with a screaming Jessica in her arms. She had cut her hair, short, a little below her ears, and she had lightened it a little. Angel was in shock.
"Cordy, you're hair!" Angel said as he walked over.
At the sound of Angel's voice, Jessica stopped crying.
"Thank God!" Gunn called out from the couch. "The kid hasn't shut up for two hours!"
Cordelia smiled up at Angel and kissed him. "Yeah, I cut and dyed it a little." Cordelia touched her hair. "Do you like it?"
Angel smiled. "It looks good." He then turned his attention to Jessica. "How's my little girl?"
Cordelia rolled her eyes with a smile and talked in a baby voice down at Jessica. "She's had mommy and her uncle's up all morning, hasn't she? She missed her daddy."
"Well, her daddy missed her." Angel said as he took his daughter from Cordelia.
"How'd it go?" Wesley asked, his head still resting on the counter.
Angel shook his head. "Not so good."
"What do you mean?" Cordelia asked as her voice filled with worry.
"Drusilla knocked me out before I could stack Darla." Angel explained as Jessica threw her tiny fist at her father's chest. She was strong, Angel could tell already.
"Drusilla?" Cordelia's voice lowered.
"Yeah." Angel said. "She's back and with Darla."
"Who's Drusilla?" Gunn asked.
"A vampire." Wesley said picking up his head. "One Angelus had sired."
"Not before making her completely insane." Angel shuddered at the memory.
"So this is bad?" Gunn asked.
"Yeah." Angel told him. "But the good news is, I'm going after her in two nights. She'll be at some old gas station."
"How do you know?" Cordelia asked as she took Jessica back from her father.
"I went so a demon club. The owner can read futures." Angel explained.
"Lorne?" Wesley asked.
Angel nodded. "Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Heard all about him and his club. Many of our clients go there." Wesley told him.
Angel nodded. "Well, that's the guy I went to. So in two nights, I'll go after Darla."
"We will." Cordelia said as she sat down on the couch opposite Gunn, preparing to feed Jessica.
"No, I will." Angel told her. "And Cordy, don't do that in here."
"Do what?" Cordelia asked, and then realized what Angel meant. "Well, where do you want me to feed her?"
"In your room. I don't know. Just don't let everyone see you-" Angel started.
"Relax man." Gunn said. "My eye is swollen shut, and with some of Cordelia's outfits she's worn me and Wesley used to be able to see a hell of a lot more then her boobs."
Cordelia's mouth dropped in disgust. "Excuse me? You can't talk about me like that anymore, I'm somebody's mother."
"And somebody's girlfriend." Angel smiled slyly at Gunn.
"And I'll go do this upstairs, thank you very much." Cordelia rose from the couch and made her way up the stairs.
"Well, there goes our show, Wes." Gunn joked.
Angel punched him playfully in the arm. "Knock it off."
"Yeah, yeah..." Gunn laughed.
Angel entered Cordelia's room to find she wasn't there. "Cordy?" He called out.
"In here!" Cordelia's voice came from the bathroom.
Angel entered the bathroom to see Cordelia giving Jessica a bath. "Hey."
"Hey." Cordelia looked up with a smile. "Jess here decided she didn't want breakfast after all so she spit it all over herself."
Angel laughed and knelt beside Cordelia. "I want to take you and Jess out to eat or something, tonight. Just the three of us."
Cordelia tilted her head slightly. "I'm not going to complain, but why?"
"Because I missed you both. The past few weeks have been crazy."
Cordelia nodded, but kept her attention on Jessica as she picked her daughter up and began to dry her off. "I agree, but do we really have the money for that right now, Angel? We can barely afford the rent on this place, plus things for Jess, and not to mention Wesley and Gunn's paychecks."
Angel followed Cordelia out of the bathroom, and wrapped his arms around her waist as she placed Jessica on the bed and began to dress her. "One night out won't kill us. We can worry about money tomorrow. Tonight I want a night out with my girls."
Angel and Cordelia walked hand in hand down the street. Cordelia had Jessica nestled close to her chest and to anyone walking by on that beautiful L.A. night, Cordelia and Angel looked like every other normal couple in the world.
"Where are we going?" Cordelia asked with a smile across her face.
"You'll see." Angel smiled back down at her.
They turned and corner and Cordelia immediately felt Jessica tighten to her mother's chest. Cordelia couldn't help but show the unease she felt from her child. Angel could tell something was wrong.
"Cordy? What is it?" Angel asked her.
Suddenly Jessica screamed and Angel felt the vision hit him like a bus. "Darla..." He managed to get out.
"What?" Cordelia asked frantically as she held Angel's back to offer him support.
"He said my name, you prissy bitch." Darla hissed from behind Cordelia.
"Cordy...get out of here." Angel said, regaining his footing.
"I'm not going to leave you, Angel!" Cordelia told him desperately.
But Angel didn't hear her desperation. He didn't hear her concern. He didn't hear the love in her voice. All he heard was the coldness in Darla's. "Go!" He hissed at Cordelia. "I said get out of here!"
"Angel!" Cordelia pleaded as she grabbed his arm.
"I said go!" Angel vamped out and pushed Cordelia backwards and into the brick wall. "Go!" He screamed at her.
Cordelia gathered herself up, tears and all, and took her daughter with her down the cold street.
By the time Angel focused back on where Darla had been she was gone. "Damn it!" He muttered as he took off after her scent.
"Angel's been gone two days." Gunn told Wesley as they sat at the counter of the hotel. "And Cordelia hasn't stepped foot out of her room since. She won't even let me in to take Jessica from her."
"I know." Wesley nodded. "Something must have happened the other night."
"You think?" Gunn asked sarcastically. "But I don't get how. I mean, Angel was in such a good mood leaving here that night. Remember?"
Wesley nodded again. "We should talk to Cordelia."
"But how? Like I said, she isn't exactly coming out of her room."
"She does, late at night. Probably to eat and do some laundry." Wesley told him. "I hear her."
"Well, then we wait."
And they did. Gunn and Wesley sat in the lobby quietly for almost the entire night. It was almost two o'clock, and Cordelia still hadn't come out of her room. Then the two friends heard a door open upstairs, and watched as Cordelia descended the staircase with Jessica in her arms.
"Cordy!" Gunn jumped up happily.
Cordelia was shocked; normally Gunn and Wesley weren't downstairs at this time. "Uh, hey guys." She said weakly as she made her way down the stairs.
"We weren't sure what happened to you. You've kind of been missing in action the past few days." Gunn said.
"Yeah..." Cordelia smiled nervously as she put one hand over her bruised back. Bruises she had gotten from the wall Angel had slammed her into. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately."
Wesley nodded. "We understand. If you want to talk-"
"No." Cordelia said, avoiding their eyes as she looked at her daughter. "I'm ok. Is...is Angel around?" Cordelia asked holding her breath.
Gunn shook his head. "No. Hasn't been in a few days."
"Typical." The voice of Lindsey came from the door. "I knew he wouldn't wait for me."
"Lindsey, what the hell do you want?" Cordelia asked angrily.
"Just looking for your undead lover." Lindsey told her. "He isn't here is he?"
"No." Gunn said, stepping defensively in front of Cordelia and Jessica.
"Great." Lindsey snorted. "He went without me."
"Went where?" Wesley asked.
"We had a mission, him and I. One I've got to leave for now if I ever intend on catching up with him." And with that comment Lindsey exited.
Angel stood in front of the old gas station, waiting for Darla and Drusilla. He had chased Darla throughout the city two nights ago, only to find that she was nowhere to be found. Tonight would be different though. Tonight she would be there and he would finish her. He heard the footsteps behind him and the familiar smell. He turned to face his old lover and her friend.
"Angel..." Darla hissed with a smile. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Yeah, well I like to surprise people." Angel said.
"Goody..." Drusilla clapped her hands like a child.
"Yeah, not for you." Lindsey said from behind the female vampires, with a crossbow held high in his only hand.
"Lindsey..." Darla turned with a smile. "Good to see you. I owe you."
Lindsey nodded. "We'll talk later."
"How about now?" Darla said as she vamped out and began to walk quickly towards Lindsey. Her fangs glistened in the mood light as a smile made its way across her face.
What had started off as passion quickly turned to fear in the young lawyers eyes, and Angel could smell the change. He hated Lindsey, but he would not let him get killed, not like this anyway. Angel quickly leapt over Drusilla and tackled Darla. He looked up at Lindsey who was in shock.
"Lindsey, go!" Angel told him.
"No." Lindsey was stubborn. "I'm not going to let you kill her."
"Then she'll kill you." Angel rose and picked up Darla, throwing her into Drusilla. He then got into Lindsey's face. "Go. I'm giving you the chance to live here, now take it."
"Thanks, but no thanks-" Lindsey started.
Angel shook the young lawyer by the collar. "Get the hell out of here! Get the hell out of LA. Don't come back. You do, and I'll kill you myself, but right now just go!" He let go of Lindsey and watched the lawyer stagger away. Once Lindsey was out of sight he turned back to Darla and Drusilla. Again, he had lost them.
The hotel door swung open and Angel slowly made his way in. It was late, almost 4:00 AM, but Angel could not wait. Darla and Drusilla were out there and he had to be able to handle them alone. He had to keep his family out of it. Protect them at all cost, no matter how much it hurt them or himself, he had to do what was right. He quickly made his way up the stairs. Knocking fiercely on Wesley and Gunn's door, then making his way into Cordelia's room.
"Cordy?" Angel shook the woman he loved until she had wakened up.
"Angel?" She said groggily. Then realizing it was in fact Angel she quickly shot up. "What do you want?"
"You. Downstairs. Now." Angel told her.
"Not a chance, buddy. Not until you apologize." Cordelia said, holding her own ground.
"Now!" Angel hissed and exited quickly.
Cordelia sighed and made her way to Jessica's crib, surprised to see the three month old wide awake. "Hey there, sweetie." Cordelia said, gathering up her child. "Let's go see why daddy's in such a bad mood."
Gunn, Wesley, and Cordelia, who was holding Jessica, sat silently on one side of Angel's desk. Angel sat silently, leaning back, with his hand's folded in front of his face on the other side of the desk.
"So." Angel broke the silence. "We need to talk."
"Damn right we do!" Cordelia spat. "You pushing me? Lindsey coming here because you two are now buddy-buddy? Something is seriously-"
"Cordelia, shut up." Angel said simply and watched, as his words seemed to cut Cordelia like knives.
"Hey-" Gunn went to defend Cordelia, but he too was cut off.
"This isn't about me." Angel told them. "It's about you. All of you. Truth is, I can't work with any of you anymore. I don't need you." He lied.
Cordelia's mouth hung open wide. "Angel..." She said softly.
"No, Cordy." Angel snorted. "There's nothing to say. I don't want you, I don't love you. There's nothing between us. Just some DNA in a child I didn't even really help you conceive. Oh, big deal! I did a favor and tried to help you deliver the baby and what do I get from it? Just extra bills and another mouth to feed!" Angel could tell his words were hurting Cordelia, but they were killing him more to say. They were lies, all lies. Lies he had to say to keep her safe.
"Angel..." Wesley said as he patted Cordelia on the back and watched the tears form in the young woman's eyes.
"Look." Angel smiled. "Clearly you're not getting this so let me make it simple. You're all fired." Angel stood. "Now get out." And with that he exited leaving his family and friends behind him.