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 47
It had been two weeks since Angel Investigations had agreed to take on Wolfram and Hart. Everything seemed to be running as smooth as possible. Not a lot had happened, mostly just everyone moving their things in and getting used to their new surroundings.
Cordelia sat on the couch in the penthouse the Senior Partners had set up for her, Jessica, and Angel, eating potato chips and watching TV as the baby inside of her decided to play the drums on her insides. She wouldn't deny it, the penthouse was absolutely gorgeous, with amazing views, and expensive furniture, but it didn't feel like home for Cordelia. No part of the Wolfram and Hart building did. Her office was actually the only one still the way it was when they first came to Wolfram and Hart. Everyone else had moved themselves in and gotten settled. Even Angel had made himself at home. Cordelia on the other hand, stayed away from her office at all costs, and for the most part, stayed away from the business part of the building and the people in it. She just wasn't ready for everything that had been thrown at her.
She sighed, rubbing her stomach as the child inside continued to kick. She looked up at the clock, it was already way past dinner. She stood, running a hand through her now dark locks. The blonde had grown out of her hair sometime when the Beast had been around.
"Well…" She said to her enlarging stomach. "Looks like we are going to have to go downstairs and get some dinner since no one has stocked our refrigerator yet."
Cordelia sighed, making her way the elevator that led to Jessica's office. Jessica had promised Cordelia that some workers would bring food up to the penthouse so they didn't have to keep ordering out or eating from the small cafeteria. So far no workers had showed up, and Cordelia and the baby were both hungry.
Cordelia entered Jessica's office to find her daughter in her big, leather chair, with her feet up on her desk, fast asleep.
"Jess?" Cordelia called out.
No sign of movement came from Jessica.
"Jess?" Cordelia pressed again, a little annoyed.
Still Jessica did not move.
Cordelia huffed, walking over to her daughter and slamming her fist down on the big desk.
"Wha…what?" Jessica awoke with a start, tipping back, and falling right out of her chair. She quickly sprang to her feet, her eyes focusing to see her mother standing on the other side of her desk. "Jeez, what?"
"Well, its good to know you take your job so seriously that you'll fall asleep on it." Cordelia said, crossing her arms over her rather large hump of a stomach. For being only five months pregnant she was already huge.
"I worked late last night." Jessica narrowed her eyes, making her way to the front of her desk, leaning on it, and crossing her arms across her chest like her mother. She had on a dark button up shirt and black pants, and looked very much like Angel as she stood there.
"I know." Cordelia shot back. "I heard you come in sometime this morning. Can't say I love you out all night."
"Can't say I care." Jessica turned away from her mother, shuffling some papers together on her desk. It had been a long two weeks for Jess, especially since what she had done to Connor. She was the only one who remembered her brother, and it chilled her to the bone to know that. She was not, by any means, ready to deal with one of Cordelia's mood swings at the moment, and yet she sensed that's exactly what her mother had brought her.
"No one came to bring up any food for the kitchen." Cordelia said.
Jess rolled her eyes. "I told you I'd get someone on it."
"And yet you haven't." Cordelia said, seeming annoyed.
"I've been busy."
"Yeah, running this place. A place we shouldn't even be in I might add."
Jess sighed. "Mom, look there are reasons you don't understand that made me agree to take this job."
"You took it to save me." Cordelia said softly, her mood swinging.
"Not just that." Jess said. "Sure, it started off as that but there's so much more to it now."
"Like what?"
Jessica just shook her head, knowing she couldn't tell her mother that another reason she had taken the job was to save Connor. Cordelia didn't even remember Connor, but Jess felt she had done the right thing. Connor was safe, Jess had checked on him two weeks ago. He was happy in his new family and seemed so full of life, and that's all the matter to Jess.
"Fine, you want to be all broody like you're father, that's just fine." Cordelia threw her hands up in defeat. "I'm going to grab dinner." She then swiftly made her way out of her daughter's office.
Fred, Wesley, and Lorne were sitting at a table, eating, when Cordelia entered. They all rose to greet her, and she quickly took a seat between Fred and Lorne.
"Good to see you, Cordy." Fred smiled. "Feels like I haven't seen you in days."
Cordelia nodded. "I know."
"You settle into your office?" Wesley asked.
Cordelia shook her head, smiling slightly, and rubbing her swollen belly. "Not a chance. I just don't feel comfortable in there."
"It is a lot to take in." Lorne rubbed Cordelia's back.
Cordelia nodded. "And Jess is just…so into it. She worked so late last night."
Fred laughed. "We all did. Stupid clients…stupid employees…"
"What do you mean?" Cordelia raised an eyebrow.
"We spent all last night going over all the clients and employees." Fred said.
"Yeah, and today I've got to read them all." Lorne rolled his eyes. "Well, the employees anyway. Just to make sure they're not evil and out to get us."
"You all did it last night?" Cordelia asked.
Fred nodded.
"Why didn't anyone come get me?" Cordelia pouted, feeling left out.
"Well, Angel just said you were probably tired, and we shouldn't bother you." Wesley said quickly, knowing how sensitive Cordelia's pregnancy had made her.
"What did I say?" Angel entered in a black suit with a smile on his face and Gunn at his side. The vampire had let his hair grow out a little, and now wore it slicked back, almost parted.
"That I was too tired to be apart of this team." Cordelia snapped.
"I never said…" Angel searched the group at the table to try and figure out what Cordelia was talking about.
"We just were telling Cordelia that you felt she was too tired to help us go through the employee and cliental list last night." Wesley stood. "That's all."
Angel nodded; also know how Cordelia's pregnancy had made her super sensitive. "Well, Cordy, I went up last night and you were asleep, I didn't want to wake you up is all."
"Right." Cordelia huffed, struggling to get to her feet.
"Cordy…" Angel went to help her but she quickly pulled her arm away from him.
"It's fine, Angel, obviously you think this place is a little more important then me." Cordelia said.
"Cordelia, you know I don't think that. It's just, we need to be on top of this around here if we are going to run this place." Angel said.
"He's right. We need to be on our toes." Gunn said. "I'm not exactly comfortable here."
"So why don't we just leave?" Cordelia asked.
The rest of the group avoided eye contact with the angry seer. No one was ready to admit that they really wanted to see the real reason the Senior Partners had brought them here, no one was ready to admit they were intrigued by their new position.
Luckily, no one had to answer as Eve made her way into the cafeteria.
"Sorry to interrupt." Eve smiled at Angel. "But the boss wants you all in her office, immediately."
"Thank you, Eve." Angel clenched his jaw at the young woman. Sure, she was pretty, but so far, he had found her far more obnoxious then cute. The only reason he didn't break her nose was the fact that Jess had told him Eve was their link to the Senior Partners. Angel knew they would need her in the long run.
Angel, Cordelia, Fred, Gunn, Wesley, and Lorne entered Jessica's office, followed by Eve to find their boss spinning in circles in the rolling-chair she had behind her desk. She stopped, however, when she realized everyone had entered.
"And to think, she's the one in charge of this place…" Gunn tried not to laugh at what they had all just seen Jess doing.
"Hey, it's a fast chair." Jess stood, straightening out her shirt. "And I'm still a teenager."
"Who just happens to runs a business." Cordelia added. "Does anyone see something wrong with that?"
"Well, if they do, they should speak up." Jessica said. "Because it's about time we all had a talk about what this place is, and what we are going to be doing around here."
"Good idea." Eve grinned at Jessica.
"I thought so." Jessica moved to stand directly in front of Eve. "And Eve, you can go now."
"You don't order me around…" Eve started.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "And here I thought I was in charge."
"You thought wrong." Eve said back.
Jess just nodded, turning and moving to her phone, putting it on speaker, and paging her front desk. "Get security in here."
"No need…" Eve put up her hand. "I really don't care what you talk about in here." Eve then exited the office.
"So, what are we here to talk about?" Fred asked.
"Progress." Jessica said simply. "We're turning this place inside out. They gave us this part of the law firm to do whatever we want with, and that's exactly what we are going to do. We're inside the beast now, we might as well take advantage of it."
"We've been fighting them fine from the hotel." Cordelia pointed out. "And how do we fight our own clients?"
"We do what we have to." Jess said.
"We make deals with them." Wesley rationalized.
Jess nodded. "We do what we have to."
Before anyone could get another word in, however, a familiar voice filled Jessica's office.
"Oh bossy, I was wondering if you still needed security in here since I saw Eve leave your office." Harmony smiled at Jess, holding out an envelope.
"No, it's okay, Harmony." Jess said, taking the envelope from Harmony. "What's this?"
Harmony shrugged. "I don't ask questions, I just take the letters."
Jessica nodded, tossing the envelope onto her desk.
"Harmony?" Cordelia and Angel said at the same time, both completely shocked.
"Oh my God! Cordy!" Harmony squealed, hugging the brunette. "Look at you, all chubby and…" Harmony eyes just grew big at the sight of Cordelia's stomach.
"I'm pregnant not fat." Cordelia defended herself, and then the seer's eyes grew wide as she turned to the rest of the group. "I'm not fat, right?"
"Um no…of course not." The rest of the room seemed to cough and throw out all at once.
"Gee guys…thanks." Cordelia said, folding her arms and taking a seat on one of Jessica's couches.
"Someone want to tell me why Harmony is here?" Angel asked, changing the subject before Cordelia started crying.
"She's my secretary." Jess said simply. "I thought you knew."
"Why would I know?" Angel asked.
"Because she's kind of your secretary too." Jess said.
"I have a secretary?" Angel was impressed for a moment but quickly shook the thought out of his head. "Why is Harmony still alive?"
"Why do you have a problem with her?" Jess was confused.
"How about because she tried to sell you to Wolfram and Hart when you were a baby." Cordelia said.
"She did?" Jess was shocked.
"It's all the past now, boss." Harmony said nervously. "And in the end I helped save your life anyway."
"She did." Angel said, almost regretting it.
"Plus, totally not evil anymore!" Harmony smiled. "Well, technically I am still evil, but I'm on the pigs blood now, and I really need the money."
Angel sighed. "Whatever."
Harmony smiled. "Well, Angel if you ever need anything just ring me at the front desk, I'll be in your office as fast as lightening."
Angel just nodded, as he watched Harmony leave.
"Alright, well I think this is just all a lot to take in. Why doesn't everyone call it an early night?" Jess asked. "We can start fresh in the morning."
"Sounds like you're singing my song, darling." Lorne said. "See everyone in the morning."
Everyone exited Jessica's office expect for Jess, Angel, and Cordelia, who took the elevator up to their penthouse.
Wesley and Fred walked side by side down one of the hallways of the law firm. Their offices and little living quarters were rather close to each other, and they both seemed to enjoy each other's company. Walking in the law firm alone seemed too creepy.
"So you think we are doing the right thing, staying here?" Fred asked Wesley.
Wesley sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. Why do you ask?"
"Just everything Cordy's been saying lately. Maybe she is right, maybe we shouldn't be here."
"Well, I guess we'll just have to stick around and see. We've already taken the deal, it seems a little to late to back out now."
Fred nodded in agreement. "I guess your right." She then turned to the door to her room. "Good night, Wesley."
Wesley smiled. "Good night, Fred." He watched as she closed the door behind herself. She was beautiful, his vision of the perfect woman.
Gunn knew everyone else had gone to bed, but he had other plans for the night. He had to head down to the hospital wing of Wolfram and Hart to finish what he had started two days ago. The law firm was loading his brain up with anything and everything he would need to be a lawyer. He knew it when he saw the cat in the white room. He knew what he was meant to do.
He sighed, knowing a long night lay ahead of him, but come morning, he would be one of the best defensive lawyers the firm had ever seen.
Cordelia peaked into Jessica's room to find her daughter sprawled out on her bed, fast asleep. She sighed, entering the room and pulling the blankets up tight around Jessica. She then gently ran a hand over her daughter's face, as the other one rested on her still growing stomach. Jess had changed so much in two weeks. Cordelia could see it in her daughter's eyes. It was as though Jessica had lost apart of herself.
Cordelia sighed, standing and making her way to the door to find Angel standing in it. He let Cordelia pass him before checking in on Jessica himself and then making his way to his own bedroom to find Cordelia already in bed.
Angel slipped into bed next to Cordelia, trying to pull her close to him, but she kept her face away from his.
"Cordy…" Angel started.
"I'm tired, Angel, I just want to go to sleep." Cordelia sighed.
"Look at me for a second, then you can get all the sleep you want."
Cordelia turned to face her husband. "What?"
"I know your upset about the situation we are in right now but…"
"Upset? Upset isn't even the word. My daughter is running an evil law firm and you all think its just fine and dandy!"
"As long as we have control, it's not evil. We all gained something by coming here, Cordy, even if you don't want to admit it. Just please try and give this place a chance?"
Cordelia sighed, nodding as she buried her head in Angel's chest. "I'll try."
"Good, now get some sleep." Angel said, kissing her forehead and wrapping his arms around her huge belly.
Wesley entered Jessica's office the next morning to find his young boss dressed in a red button up top, and black dress pants, swinging one of her new swords around.
"Jess?" Wesley interrupted.
Jess nodded, putting the sword back in its cabinet. "Wes, what's up?"
"A certain case." Wesley held up the file. "The clients here, rather upset, Harmony went to go bring her in."
"What's the case about?"
"Erica Jones, personally I'd rather see her run over by a truck then defended in a court of law, but she is a client."
Jess nodded for Wesley to continue.
"She's up for fifty years to life in prison. She's done it all, murder, torture, kidnapping, drug trade…"
"Great." Jess sighed, leaning against her desk. Even though she knew she had to be at Wolfram and Hart because she had to keep Connor safe, Jess was already getting fed up with the work. She wouldn't let anyone know it, but she hated the law firm probably more then Cordelia did. "So we are expected to get her off?"
"Damn right you are!" A tall woman with dark hair, black eyes, and really expensive shoes entered Jessica's office with Harmony trailing behind her. The woman was rather pretty, and seemed to be no older then thirty. Around her neck she wore a red jewel on a string.
"I take it you're Erica?" Jess asked the woman.
"Boy, you are smart." Erica scoffed. "Now, let's get down to business. I'm going into trial tomorrow and I need to get off."
"But you're guilty?" Jess said.
"What does it matter? You're my lawyers. You work for me, remember?" Erica was getting angry.
"Well, I don't exactly see any of my lawyers with you." Jess shot back.
"That's because I had the one you people originally gave me killed. He wasn't doing his job." Erica said.
"Or he just couldn't win your case." Jess smirked.
"Look, either you get me off. Without a conviction or none of you will be alive in a few hours." Erica threatened.
"Why am I not scared of you?" Jessica asked.
"Well you should be, I say the word and you can kiss California good-bye." Erica said, and then quickly stomped out of the office.
"What the hell did she mean by that?" Jess turned to Wesley.
Wesley shook his head. "I don't think it can be good."
"You think she meant it literally?" Jess asked.
Wesley sighed. "One of our clients? Why wouldn't she mean it?"
Jess nodded, turning to Harmony. "Harmony, get everyone in here."
Harmony nodded. "Right away, boss."
Cordelia, Angel, Fred, Lorne, and Gunn all shuffled into Jessica's office to find Wesley and Jess already sitting there.
"What's going on?" Gunn asked, still sleepy, considering he had spent most of the night getting all of his legal upgrades.
"One of our clients, Erica Jones, her trial should be wrapping up today. If she loses, I think we're all dead." Jess said bluntly.
"Dead?" Fred questioned.
Wesley nodded. "We aren't exactly sure how, but she did threaten us, in fact the whole state of California, and with the resources she has-"
"Because she is one of our clients." Cordelia sighed.
Wesley nodded. "I don't think we should take this threat lightly."
"So what's the plan then?" Gunn asked.
"We pull up everything we can on this case, see if we can find what she was talking about." Jess said.
"Fred, you should check the files in the lab, see if we can figure out if we built her anything." Angel said.
Fred nodded. "I'll get Knox and get right on it."
"And Wesley, check this file out, nothing slips by us. Make sure we understand everything on this case." Angel said.
"Or what the magic word could be." Jess realized. "She said all she had to do was say the word and California was gone."
"You think its something mystical? Some kind of password?" Wesley asked.
"Could be." Jess said.
"Lorne, you take Cordy to the court room, call us if it's going bad, and Cordy, see if you can get a vision off of her or something." Angel told them.
"Will do." Lorne said.
Cordelia nodded. "I'll see what I can do." She was going to do what Angel said, and give this place a chance, plus it seemed like they would actually get to take some evil out of the world on this case.
"And Gunn, you just hang for now. If we need to disarm whatever this is that's coming, you'll be the first guy I call." Jess said.
Gunn nodded, a slight smile. "I'm sure I can find a way to help."
"Alright, and Dad and I are going to keep an eye on anybody who could know anything about this. Call us, if any of you find out anything." Jess said.
The group nodded, and quickly made their way out of the office, all on there own, separate missions.
Lorne and Cordelia got comfortable in the back of the courtroom. Lorne had on a hat and sunglasses, trying to hide his green skin and horns, while Cordelia was in a gray long sleeve shirt, and black pants, both stretching over her huge abdomen.
From what the demon and seer could see and hear, the case was not going in favor of Erica at all. When the court went into recess, Erica stood, looking over the crowd, and catching Cordelia's eye.
The vision hit Cordelia the minute her eyes connected with Erica's penetrating ones. Cordelia gasped, holding onto her chest, trying to catch her breath.
"What did you see, princess?" Lorne asked.
"We need to call Angel, we need to…" Cordelia's voice trailed off.
"Okay, okay relax." Lorne said, helping Cordelia up and outside of the courtroom.
The phone on Jessica's desk rang suddenly, causing both Jessica and Angel to jump.
Jess quickly picked the phone up. "Hello...yeah…yeah…damn it…yeah, okay, no stay there, keep an eye on things…okay…bye."
"Who was it?" Angel asked.
"Lorne." Jess said, anger rising in her voice. "Mom had a vision. Erica got a hold of a virus, she put it in a container to keep it safe, until she says the magic words, then the container blows and well…"
"The virus leaks out." Angel realized.
Jess nodded, furry in her dark eyes.
"So we just destroy the container." Angel told her. "Easy enough."
"She put the container inside of her brother." Jess said. "Call Fred, tell her to get on the virus, it should be in Erica's files, and tell Wes what's going on."
"What are you doing?" Angel asked.
"I'm going to figure out a way to save the boy."
Angel nodded, exiting the room.
Once her father was outside, Jessica immediately began punching the way. She was so angry she didn't even notice Eve enter her office.
"Calm down there, champ. I doubt you want a hole in your wall, your clients probably wouldn't like it very much." Eve said.
"She put a damn virus in her own little brother. Her brother!" Jess turned around, rage in her eyes.
"Seems to be hitting you extra hard." Eve smirked. "But hey, if I had given my brother up to save him then I guess this would hit me hard too."
"How did you…"
"Know about Connor?" Eve grinned. "I know everything."
"You don't mention Connor, you don't even think about him, do you understand me?" Jess said, clamping her hand around Eve's throat. "Do you understand me?"
Eve nodded slowly and then Jess released her, grabbing her coat.
"Where are you going?" Eve asked.
"To get the boy. He'll need to be contained if the virus does get out." Jess said, swiftly making her way out of the office.
Angel had left the lab two hours ago, and Fred had put everyone straight to work after hearing they were dealing with a deadly virus. Knox had narrowed the strain down, but there didn't seem to be an antidote.
"This is hopeless…" Fred sighed.
"No, we'll figure it out." Knox assured her.
"And if we don't then we are all dead." Fred was facing the facts. "There's no antidote on these files, no nothing. You people designed this virus for her and yet you don't even know how to stop it! Do you know how ridiculous that is?"
"We didn't design it. We were hired the same time you were, we're trying here." Knox told her.
"Well try harder!" Fred snapped back at him.
Angel and Wesley sat in Wesley's office, their heads buried in books. So far, neither of them could figure out what the word was to release the virus.
"Maybe it's not a word. Maybe we are looking in the wrong places." Wesley suggested.
"Where else would we look?" Angel asked.
"Point taken." Wesley sighed, Angel was right; they had no place else to start from. "You think we're in over our heads here?"
"I think if we make it through this we know we can handle this place." Angel said.
Cordelia and Lorne made their way back into the courtroom. Cordelia eased into the seat, rubbing small circles on her stomach, absentmindedly. Cordelia knew that if Erica was convicted everything was going to go to hell. She would never get the chance to have the child inside of her, never get a chance to watch Jess get any older, not physically of course because Jess was immortal, but mentally. She would never get the chance to be with Angel while he Shanshued. Her life would go to ruins.
Lorne could tell thoughts were flying across Cordelia's mind because the demon gently took the seer's hand. "It's going to be okay, Cordy." Lorne told her, although he didn't believe himself.
Suddenly the courtroom door swung open and Gunn entered in a suit. He smiled over at Cordelia and Lorne.
"Gunn? What are you doing here?" Cordelia was confused.
"I'm about save our asses, and this case." Gunn told them, before making his way up to Erica's side.
Lorne and Cordelia watched in awe as Gunn shot out all of these different legal terms, and ended up overturning the case. He had won Erica her trial.
Everyone entered back into Jessica's office with the relief of knowing Erica wasn't going to use the virus any time soon.
"So Gunn saved the day?" Wesley smiled at his friend. "How?"
"The Senior Partners upgraded my brain." Gunn smiled. "Every legal case, word, law, I know it."
Angel nodded. "Because we need a lawyer."
Gunn nodded back. "That we do."
"I'm just glad we aren't going to have to deal with a virus any time soon." Cordelia said, leaning into Angel. It had been a long day for the mother-to-be.
"I think we are going to be okay here. We proved ourselves today." Angel told them.
Fred nodded in agreement. "Just, what are we going to do with the virus or Erica?"
"She is our client." Wesley said.
Just then Erica entered the room, a big smile on her face. "Well, I'd like to thank you all for getting me off."
Jessica rose to meet Erica. "I bet you are. You know who I bet is really happy we got you off? You're little brother."
Erica grinned. "Well if you know about him, you know what I'm capable of."
Jess nodded. "Yeah, killing your family."
"We do what we have to." Erica smirked.
"I know. I've done my fair share of killing, but your family?" Jess questioned.
"It's only blood, nothing more between us." Erica said, stepping into Jessica's face.
"Yeah, and I bet yours is bitter as hell." Jess vamped out. "Care if I find out?"
Before anyone could move, Jess sunk her teeth into Erica, and then dropped the girl's lifeless body on the floor. Jess then moved to the doorway. "Harmony, get someone to clean up a mess in my office."
"Right away!" Harmony yelled back.
Jess then turned back into the room.
"Are you kidding?" Gunn asked. "You just killed a client."
"An evil client." Jess reminded him.
"Why didn't we just do that at the beginning of this?" Gunn asked.
"Because I wasn't sure if her death would set off the virus. Turns out, the only way to activate the virus is to kiss his necklace." Jessica ripped the rope with the small, red jewel on it off of Erica's neck.
"How do you know?" Wesley asked.
"Because I went to go find her brother, incase I had to contain him. He knew the virus was in him all along. He told me how to stop it." Jess said.
Angel nodded. "I see…"
Jess made her way to her desk. "So, I think its safe to say we are going to be okay here. We just need to work together, everyone agree?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good." Jess said, picking up the envelope Harmony had handed her the day before. "I just want us all on the same page. We're doing the right thing." She then ripped open the envelope and watched the amulet Eve had given Angel that Angel had given to Buffy fall out onto the floor. "What's that?"
"Oh boy…" Angel said under his breath.
Suddenly a hug swirl of wind and particles flew out of the amulet.
"Angel?" Cordelia said, worried.
The particles began to form something, a person, a…
"Spike?" Wesley's eyes grew wide as the platinum blonde haired vampire's form stood in the middle of the room.
Spike looked at Angel, then at the amulet on the ground. "Oh bloody hell!"