Disclaimer: All characters and things from ANGEL and BUFFY 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 24
Angel sat next to Buffy in the field, with his head in his hands. "I…I don't understand…"
"What's there to understand?" Buffy asked him.
"Why you're here…why I'm here…" Angel looked around. "Where is here exactly?"
Buffy smiled. "Higher plane. I thought you'd like it here because you can be in the sun."
"I'm…dead?" Angel was shocked. What about Cordelia? What about Jessica? What about the fighting good fight?
"I thought you always were." Buffy laughed, but stopped when she saw Angel didn't get the joke. "You're not dead."
"Then why am I here?"
"I've been talking to the Powers while I'm up here. I got them to give me a favor."
"You're coming back?" Angel was hopeful. He hated seeing the pain everyone in Sunnydale had been in because of her death.
Buffy shook her head. "No. My time was up, Angel."
"That's not true, Buffy. Our time is never up. People like us keep fighting. We have a gift for the world-"
"Death was my gift, Angel." Buffy told him. "I know that. I accept that. I've moved on from that." She smiled softly and looked around. "It's so peaceful here."
Angel nodded in agreement. It was peaceful, but he wasn't ready for it yet. It wasn't his time just yet. "What am I doing here, Buffy?"
"I told you. I called in a favor with the Powers." She smiled at him.
Cordelia sat next to Angel's body, laying in his bed. He had been in his coma for two days now. Lorne had tried to read him but said he got nothing. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. She was drained, with dark circles in her eyes. She had barely slept the past two days, and if she had it had been in the chair right next to Angel. Everyone understood what she was going through and helped as much as they could.
Wesley had been working non-stop on how to get Angel out of whatever he was in. Lorne had been working all his clients and demon friends to see if they knew anything about mystical comas. Gunn had been patrolling constantly, and helping any cliental that came in, and Fred had been helping Cordelia with Jessica. In fact, for the better part of the past two days, Fred had seen more of Jessica than Cordelia had.
Cordelia leaned forward, taking Angel's cold hand in her warm one. "Angel, if you can hear me please just let us know you're okay." She closed her eyes for a second hoping that when she opened them she would see his beautiful eyes locked on hers. She didn't, of course. She sighed, kissing his hand gently.
Gunn sighed from his spot at Angel's door. He had been peaking in on Cordelia to see how she was. As he watched the seer kiss Angel's hand and beg him to let her know he was okay he felt the frustration he had gathered over the past two days come to a boil. He turned away from the door, hands clenched, and made his way down the stairs.
Lorne was the first to tell Gunn was in a bad mood as he entered the lobby. "What's wrong, cupcake?"
Gunn shook his head. "Where's Wes?"
"In his office." Fred smiled weakly up at Gunn as she watched Jessica learning how to sit up. Fred was tired. She had no idea how Cordelia had the energy to be a mother, let alone a mother, and a seer, and still want to go shopping any chance she got.
"He's in a not so sun shining mood." Lorne told Fred as they watched Gunn march into Wesley's office.
"Is anyone?" She asked him.
Gunn entered Wesley's office swiftly, causing the ex-watcher to look up.
"What is it?" Wesley asked.
"It's Angel." Gunn told him.
"Is he up?" There was hope in Wesley's voice.
"No." Gunn squashed the hope quickly. "It's just…Cordy…she's a mess."
"She has every right to be. Finally things with her and Angel seem as though they are working out and then this happens."
Gunn nodded. "I know. She doesn't deserve that."
"I agreed with you on that." Wesley told him.
Gunn was in Wesley's face in a flash. "Good. Then you better work your English ass off in here until you find a way to bring Angel back. Cordy's like my sister and I'm not watching her fall apart. You get me?"
"I feel the same way, Gunn. What do you think I've been doing in here for two days?" Wesley grew angry.
Gunn shook his head. "It just ain't good enough. Nothing any of us are doing is good enough."
Wesley nodded in agreement. "Angel will get through this. I know him."
Angel was still a little shaky on why he was sitting next to Buffy on a higher plane, in the bright sunlight, but he had given up trying to make sense of it as he basked in the sunlight for a moment. "What kind of a favor is it?" Angel asked.
"I've been watching you." Buffy told him. "Watching you with Cordelia and Jessica. And so have the Powers."
Angel smiled at the mention of his family. "What do the Powers want with my family."
"It's not so much them as it is you." She smiled at Angel. "I can see how much you care about them. How much you care about Cordy."
Angel looked away, the subject of his love for Cordelia being ackward for a topic of conversation with Buffy.
But Buffy grabbed his arm and jerks his face back to her. Their eyes locked. "You love her." A pause. "I know that. I can see that. She means the world to you."
Angel nodded slowly. "She does."
"I know." Buffy smiled. "And I'm happy for you. That's why I called you in the favor."
"What favor?"
"Your soul."
"My what?" Angel was confused.
"The Powers That Be owed me something for me giving my life up with that whole Glory thing. They asked me what I wanted and I told them to give you your soul. Permanently." Buffy explained.
Angel shook his head. "Buffy, you don't have to do this for me. This is something for you."
"I know." Buffy told him. "But this is what I wanted." She stood. "Treat Cordelia right, Angel, or I'll come and break you in half."
He smiled up at Buffy. "Are you sure this is what you want."
Buffy kissed his cheek lightly. "You deserve it." She pressed her hand on Angel's forehead and he gritted his teeth as he felt his soul secure in his body.
Cordelia jolted up from her sleep at the light movement of her hand. Her eyes focused in from her seat next to Angel's bed to see Angel smiling slightly at her.
"You're awake!" Cordelia practically jumped on him, holding him as close to her as she could. "I thought you weren't coming back."
Angel smiled at her. "And leave you." He pulled her in for a long, passionate kiss, that was only broken when Gunn, Wesley, Lorne, and Fred with Jessica in her arms entered.
"Good gumdrops! He's alive!" Lorne said giddily.
Angel nodded. "Back and solid." He stood and took Jessica from Fred, giving his daughter a kiss on the forehead.
"Right man…" Gunn slapped Angel on the back. "Just as long as you back."
Angel nodded. "I am."
"Alright then. Let's leave them alone for a little?" Wesley gave Angel a nod and led the group out of the room leaving Angel, Cordelia, and Jessica alone.
Angel turned to Cordelia. "Cordy, I've got news for you." He kissed her passionately again.
When the broke apart she was breathless. "Whoa…well I can't wait to hear it." She took Jessica from him and walked her down the hallway to her crib in Cordelia's room.
When she came back she found Angel sitting on the bed, his shirt off.
"Well…I won't complain." She smiled.
Angel didn't say anything. He just pulled her waist close to him and kissed her passionately. He slid his hand up her shirt looking for her bra clip. She pulled away quickly.
"Angel…" She said nervously. "We can't…" He kissed her again. "Angelus…" She managed out between kisses.
He pulled away and grinned at her widely. "Is gone."
"What?" She was in shock. Had she heard him right?
"It's what happened while I was on my little mind trip outside my body."
Cordelia smiled sweetly. "Does that mean…"
He didn't answer her with words. He just kissed her again and placed her gently on the bed. Much more gently then he had the last time he had done this with Darla.
Cordelia woke the next morning to feel Angel's cool skin against hers. She smiled at the thought of the prior night. Their first real night together. She owed the Powers. She got up, quickly slipping on a robe, and made her way down the hall to see how Jessica was.
She entered her own room to find Jessica sitting up, gnawing at the bar of her crib. "Jessica! Stop that." Cordelia went to pick her daughter up, but staggered back suddenly as she felt the pain rip through her body. She fell on the floor screaming.
Her screams must have woken the entire house because Angel, Gunn, Wesley, and Fred were all at her side. Angel held her until the pain ceased and she could sit up. She gripped onto his chest tightly and cried.
"Cordy?" Angel's voice was full of worry. "What happened?"
"Vision…" She said weakly as she grabbed at his chest.
"What? But they shouldn't hurt anymore." Angel looked up to Wesley, Gunn, and Fred. "Right?"
Wesley nodded. "She's part demon now. They shouldn't."
"Guys…" Fred said, pointing to Cordelia's exposed shoulder. "She's bleeding."
Angel reached for the stretched out neck of Cordelia's robe and pulled it down to expose gash marks all down her arm. "What the hell?"
Cordelia looked at her arm and cried harder. "It's what I saw. A demon. Huge claws…"
"And the demon gave you those?" Gunn asked.
Cordelia shrugged. "I don't know. I guess."
Angel picked Cordelia up and moved her to the bed. "Fred and Wesley, I want you downstairs looking this crap up in books. Anything you can find on seers and visions and physical marks…and Gunn, go get Lorne. I think we are going to need him."
Fred, Wesley, and Gunn nodded before going their separate ways.
Angel grabbed Cordelia's hand, and sat on the side of her bed. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "Fine. It's just some scratches." She sat up.
"Cordy, I don't think you should-"
"Angel, I'm fine." She stood and made her way over to Jessica's crib. "Someone should get on my vision."
"What exactly was it of?"
Cordelia thought for a moment and then her mouth dropped as the realization hit her. "Nothing. Just that demon."
"That doesn't make any sense." Angel told her.
Cordelia nodded. "I know…" She leaned against Jessica's crib and then suddenly screamed again, collapsing to her knees.
"Cordy!" Angel grabbed her and picked her up, as he watched burn marks appear on her arms and face. "Cordy?"
"A fire…that's all I saw." She cried and looked down at the state of her arms. "Oh God…"
Angel got her back in her bed. "It's not that bad, Cordy."
"Angel…" Cordelia's lips quivered as she spoke. "What's happening to me?"
Angel grabbed her hand and kissed it, burns and all. "I don't know. But we are going to figure it out." He brushed away a tear that was falling from her eye. "You trust me right?"
Cordelia nodded. "With my life."
Lilah sat in her office with a huge grin on her face. Finally, she had found a way to get to Angel. Through Cordelia. She had hired a man who could send Cordelia visions, like the Powers could, except, unlike the Powers, this man could make the visions come with physical manifestations.
Lilah smiled at the man sitting across from her. "Did you do it?"
"Fire and all." The man smiled. "What else will it be, Miss Morgan?"
"Let's give our hero some time to react."
Lilah was hoping Angel would be able to trace the visions back to Wolfram and Hart. If he did then she could cut a deal wit him. Cordelia, or the child. Angel would have to choose. If he didn't trace the visions back, then Cordelia would just die, and Lilah would really win either way. She loved her plan.
Angel sat next to a sleeping Cordelia. He couldn't believe what was happening to her. She was being so strong and brave, when this shouldn't have even happened in the first place. He wondered why the Powers would let this happen.
He thought, and after a beat, felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach. Had this happened because he had shared a night of love with Cordelia? It shouldn't have. The Powers had secured his soul, so what was going on? He remembered how Wesley explained that if Groo and Cordelia had had sex then she would have lost the visions. Angel was demon too, just like Groo. Maybe when he and Cordelia had made love something happened to the visions and now they were…he looked at her. They were killing her.
Angel stood swiftly. He had to stop what was happening. He thought it was all his fault.
Wesley shook his head as he watched the vampire pace around his office. "Angel, it's not your fault."
"How do you know?" Angel asked, angrily. "That was the first time we…you know…and now look what is happening to her."
Wesley sighed as he looked at Fred who was reading passages from books sprawled out all over the floor. He knew Angel was wrong. After hearing what the Powers had given Angel and what he had done with Cordelia the night before Wesley knew whatever was happening to Cordelia was not Angel's fault. He just had to convince the vampire. "The Powers wouldn't give you a permanent soul so you could be with Cordelia to kill her. This has nothing to do with that."
"But Groo-" Angel started.
"Nope." Fred shook her head, looking up from a book. "It says here that the kind of demon that the Grooslaugg is specializes in taking visions from seers. It doesn't say vampires can."
"Anything else?" Angel asked, hoping Fred had found more on the topic.
Fred nodded. "It also says that the visions come directly from the Powers, nothing the person does can change that, so you…well what happened last night with you and Cordy couldn't have done this to her."
"Well then at least we know who is sending them. Damn Powers that Be…" Angel moved to the door.
"Where are you going?" Lorne asked, as he entered with Gunn and both men watched Angel walk to the basement.
"To talk to the Powers." Angel told them.
Lorne chuckled. "You're kidding right?"
"Do I look it?" Angel asked, seriously.
"Why you gonna go do that?" Gunn asked.
"They are sending Cordelia the visions." Angel told them. "They are killing her."
"Well maybe they aren't the ones sending them." Lorne suggested. "And if they aren't, trust me, you don't want to make them mad."
"Fred said that they came directly from them." Angel said.
"Well…" Fred entered, followed by Wesley. "I said the visions come from there and nothing the person did could stop that, I didn't say that the visions couldn't have come from someplace else."
"Where the hell else would they come from?" Gunn asked.
"We're not sure." Wesley said. "But before you go and get yourself killed Angel, let Lorne read Cordelia first. Maybe he can trace where they are coming from."
Angel sighed, running a hand through his gelled hair. "Fine."
They all entered Cordelia's room to find the young seer now awake, but still in bed. All but Angel winced at the burn marks on her body, and Cordelia felt embarrassed of the condition she was in.
"Lorne's going to read you." Angel said, quickly taking a seat next to Cordelia and holding her hand.
"Why?" Cordelia asked weakly.
"So we can see where the visions are coming from." Angel told her.
"We know where." Cordelia said.
"We do?" Gunn asked.
"The Powers." Cordelia told them.
"Maybe not, Cordelia." Wesley told her.
"Who else would send me them?" Cordelia asked, her voice horse.
"Someone who can hack into brainwaves." Fred explained, picking up Jessica from her crib. "I'll be downstairs with this one."
"I'll come!" Wesley and Gunn said at the same time and then looked at each other.
"You both can." Fred told them.
"Thank you, Fred." Cordelia called out weakly.
Fred nodded. "Jess isn't a problem." She smiled down at the child in her arms and walked out of the room followed by Wesley and Gunn, leaving Angel, Cordelia, and Lorne alone.
"Alright, so let's see if this works, cutie." Lorne sat on the side of Cordelia that Angel wasn't on. "Ready?"
Cordelia looked at Angel who gave her a nod and then she turned back to Lorne. "Ready."
Lorne placed his hands on her head, prepared to read her when suddenly Cordelia's body started convulsing, and huge bite marks appeared on her neck.
"Vampire…" Cordelia managed out, grabbing hold of her wounded neck.
"Damn it!" Angel ripped a piece of his shirt and held it to her neck to stop the bleeding. He then looked over at Lorne who was now on the floor, thrown off when the vision had hit Cordelia. "What did you see?"
Lorne held his head. "I'm not sure. Those visions aren't coming from the Powers, I can tell you that much."
Angel looked helplessly at Lorne and then focused on Cordelia who had now moved and was crying softly in his shirt, holding her neck. This didn't make any sense.
"Lorne." Angel said. "Watch Cordelia for me, okay?"
"Where are you going?" Cordelia looked up, tears flowing from her eyes. "Angel, don't leave me." She begged.
"I've got to go figure this out, Cordy." Angel said, cupping her face in his hands. "I've got to stop whatever is happening to you."
"Angel…" Cordelia whimpered.
"You trust me right?" Angel asked her. "Right?"
She nodded.
"Good." Angel kissed Cordelia gently. "Lorne will be here, I'll be back soon." With that the vampire exited.
The man who had been sending Cordelia the visions, stood from his seat in Lilah Morgan's office. "Anything else, Miss Morgan?"
"No. Not here. Continue at home until you get a call from me." Lilah smiled. "That should do it. You're paychecks in the mail."
The man nodded. "Pleasure doing business with you."
"You as well." Lilah told him as the man exited. She then sat back in her chair, a smile wide across her face. "So, now all I do is wait for the soulful vampire to make his appearance." She couldn't wait for the chance to tell Angel he had to pick between Cordelia and Jessica. The woman he loved or the miracle child he had. What a choice.
"Lorne said the visions aren't coming from the Powers." Angel told Wesley and Gunn, as Fred entered with a sleeping Jessica in her arms.
"Well, where the hell they coming from then?" Gunn asked.
Angel shook his head. "I don't know."
"Well…" Fred butted in. "If someone or something can transmit or intercept brain waves then the frequency to Cordelia's from the Powers could be all messed up." Fred pondered for a moment. "It would have to come from something as powerful or more powerful then the Powers That Be, but seeing as how there are physical marks and she is in a lot of pain I don't think they would come from something good."
"Of course." Wesley said, clearly showing in his expression that he would have never thought of that in a million years. "But who is remotely close to as powerful as the Powers That Be and would use that power in an evil way?"
Everyone knew the answer at once, their eyes darting back at forth at one another.
"Wolfram and Hart." Angel said angrily, making his way over to the weapon's cabinet.
Lilah Morgan sat at her desk. She had been ready for this moment all day, so when Angel barged into the room, she was far from startled.
"Took you long enough, champion." Lilah mocked from her seat.
Angel had her by the throat in the blink of an eye. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I don't know what you're talking about…" Lilah struggled to get out.
Angel threw her down back into her seat and punched the wall right above her head. "I know you're the one sending the visions to Cordelia, and you're going to knock it off."
"Oh, I am?" Lilah raised an eyebrow, clearly not scared of the vampire's threats.
Angel got so close to Darla he could feel the panic coming off of her; regardless of how calm she acted. "You are."
"I can't."
"What the hell do you mean you can't?"
"A demon we hired." Lilah explained. "He's the one sending Cordelia the visions, I only signed the paycheck."
"So what do I have to do to get him to stop?" Angel asked, angrily, but desperation was starting to creep into his voice.
Lilah smiled. This was the part of her plan she loved. "You have to decide. I can stop the visions, and you can save Cordelia, or you can let the visions continue and keep Jessica."
"What?" Angel asked.
"You have to decide. Let Cordelia die or give us Jessica."
"You bitch!" Angel growled. "I don't have to pick, you're just going to fix this."
Lilah shook her head. "It's out of my hands."
"I'll find whoever's doing this, and he'll pay, and so will you." Angel threatened as he made his way out of her office.
Once Lilah was alone she picked up the phone, dialed the man's number and waited for his voice.
"Hello?" The man asked.
"Lilah Morgan here, I want you to send the seer another vision." She smiled into the phone.
The knock on the door startled Cordelia from her sleep. She sighed. Lorne had left, and her body ached all over, the scratches, the burns, the bite marks. Everything hurt.
"Come in." Cordelia said hoarsely.
Fred entered with Jessica in her arms. "She wanted to see her mommy, I think." Fred sat down on the bed so Cordelia could see Jessica's face.
Cordelia ran a burnt hand over her daughter's head. "Is she being a good girl?"
Fred nodded. "She is. How are you feeling?"
Cordelia had to laugh at this question. How did she look like she was feeling? "Look at me. I'm a mess." A tear slide from her eye. "I mean, look at me."
"Cordelia…" Fred started, but was cut off as Cordelia screamed out in pain. A vision slashed through her mind of a demon with long nails. Suddenly, puncture wounds appeared all over Cordelia's stomach.
"Oh dear…" Fred said, moving Jessica to her crib and calling Wesley, Gunn, and Lorne upstairs.
Angel couldn't believe how stupid Lilah was. Had she forgotten what he was? A vampire. What was one of the strengths a vampire processed? Great tracking skills. He had picked up the scent of the demon in Lilah's office immediately, so he had no problem following it out of the building and to an old abandoned apartment complex. He sighed as he looked up at the door in front of him. He decided to give the demon the benefit of the doubt and he knocked.
The door swung open and standing in front of Angel was a small man, well almost a man, Angel could tell his was the demon he was looking for.
"Can I help you?" The man asked.
Angel didn't say a word he just lunged at the man and beat him to the ground. All the anger and hostility Angel had built up to Lilah was now coming out of him. He could feel his fangs come through his gums as he beat the man more.
"What is it Fred?" Wesley asked as he ran into Cordelia's room, followed by Gunn and Lorne.
"She had another one…" Fred motioned to Cordelia who was holding a bleeding stomach.
"Crap." Gunn was the first to react, moving over and placing a hand on Cordelia's abdomen to cut off the pressure.
"Gunn?" Cordelia called out weakly as her eyes filled with tears.
"Yeah, Cordy. I'm right here." Gunn told her.
"I'm dieing…" She managed out.
"No. Not dieing." Gunn almost begged. "You're not Barbie. Angel's gonna to fix this."
"I love him…" Cordelia said as her lips quivered. "Tell him I was brave. Tell Jess how much her mother loved her."
"No." Gunn argued. "You'll tell her yourself. You ain't dieing like this, you hear me?"
"Gunn…" Wesley pleaded. He didn't want to make Cordelia feel guilty about what was happening. He looked at the blood splattered on her shirt and could tell she wasn't going to make it.
No one looked each other in the eye. There was silence in the room as they heard Cordelia's last few breaths slip out of her.
Angel barged into Lilah's office with the demon's head in his hand. He threw it on the desk and startled her. He then moved around and leaned over her chair, so he could feel her breath on him.
"The next time you come after Cordelia again and I'll rip you apart like I ripped him apart." He pointed to the severed head on her desk. "You got me?"
Lilah just nodded and watched as Angel walked out the door. "Damn it…" She muttered to herself, clearly defeated again.
Cordelia's heartbeat had picked up again. Lorne could tell, he felt the warmth of her soul fill the room. She hadn't died.
"Princess?" Lorne asked, looking up to see a fully alive and completely healed Cordelia sitting in her bed. "You're okay!"
Cordelia smiled in amazement. "I am. What happened?"
No one understood it. Wesley, Fred, Gunn, and Lorne just looked at her in amazement as Cordelia stood and took Jessica out of her crib, holding her daughter tightly.
"Well that sucked." Angel entered with a shirt full of demon guts on it. He smiled as he saw Cordelia, completely healed, with their child in his arms.
"What happened?" Fred asked, clearly flabbergasted.
"Lilah had a demon working for her. I killed it." Angel smiled and made his way over to Cordelia and Jessica.
Wesley took Angel's cue and led, Gunn, Lorne, and Fred out of the room, leaving Angel alone with Cordelia and Jessica.
"Come here." Angel pulled Cordelia in for a hug. "I thought I almost lost you."
Cordelia cried into her chest. "But you didn't."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Angel told her.
She looked up at him. "I almost gave up. I wanted to."
"Cordy…"
"Angel, I thought I was going to die. I was going to leave Jessica." Cordelia's eyes fell on her daughter. "Because of those visions."
"But it didn't happen. I would never let it happen." He pulled her even closer. "I thought it was my fault."
"Your fault?"
Angel nodded. "Because I got my soul back, I thought because you and I…"
She smiled up at him. "Well, I can guarantee it wasn't because your soul is permanent." She kissed him gently.
He wished he could have thanked Buffy for giving him her gift. Even if it had been a crazy day, he owed the Slayer. He just wish he would have the chance-
Wesley charged in the room, out of breath. "Angel?"
Angel turned around to face him. "What is it?"
Wesley held the phone up. "Willow called. Buffy…she's alive!"