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 62

Cordelia made her way down the hall to Angel's office. Erin was in her arms, babbling to herself, and Jess was at her side, carrying a cup of blood. They entered Angel's office to find Angel at his desk and Wesley and Spike sitting across from him. All three men were deep in thought, looking over files and books.

"Hey." Cordelia broke the silence of the room, causing Angel, Spike, and Wesley to look up quickly.

"Hey." Angel smiled warmly at his family. "What are you guys doing down here?"

"Well, you left to come down here so early this morning that Erin was looking all over for you." Cordelia smiled at Angel as he pulled her and Erin close to him, giving them both a kiss.

Erin seemed to enjoy her father's company because a smile crept across the babies face as she grabbed at Angel's collar.

"Here." Jess handed Angel the cup of blood, shooting Spike a cold glance. She had thought about it, and she was sick of Spike and all the problems he brought with him. She deserved better. She wished Kyle would call her, although she wasn't even sure she would be able to last with him. He was too much like Connor, too much of a reminder.

"Thanks." Angel smiled at her daughter, trying to ease the tension that filled the room. He could tell she hated being this close to Spike. He looked over at the blonde vampire to see he was equally edgy.

"So…" Cordelia took a seat on Angel's lap, allowing him to wrap his arms around both her and Erin. "How'd my vision go last night?"

"We saved the young man." Wesley told her. "He and his family are coming in today."

"Why?" Jess asked.

"Well, as lovely as this story could be, I'm going to be on my way." Spike stood, avoiding eye contact with Jessica.

"Oh, and a what a tragedy it will be for you to leave..." Jess mumbled to herself as leaned on Angel's desk with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Excuse me?" Spike narrowed his eyes. He had heard her.

"I said, see you later." Jess smirked at the blonde vampire.

Spike clenched his fists, and if he had a pulse it would have sped up. He had heard what Jessica had said and "see you later" was not it. "Right." He spat as he turned and made his way to the office door.

"Spike." Angel called after the blonde vampire. "Stay around here today, okay? If that young man's family comes in, I want you around. You talked to them last night and they will probably feel comfortable if you're here today."

"Fine." Spike nodded. He wasn't going to compromise an innocent persons life because Jessica was being a bitch to him. "I'll be around." He then turned and exited the office.

Once Spike was gone, Jessica turned to her father, a look of outrage on her face. "YOU LET SPIKE TALK TO THE CLIENT LAST NIGHT?"

"He came up with an excuse to get the kid and his family in here faster then Wesley or I did." Angel shrugged.

"Why do we even need to get the family in here?" Jessica's tone seemed to cause Erin to grow jumpy, as Cordelia felt the child shiver in her arms.

"Because the boy wasn't human." Wesley said calmly.

"How do you even know that?" Jess asked.

"He took a demon down, no problem." Angel told her. "He was strong. Too strong. No human could fight like that or move like that."

"So, he's part demon." Jess shrugged. "Who isn't these days?"

"I don't think he knows, or at least his parents don't seem to." Angel sighed.

"Impossible." Jess told him. "They would have to be part demon if he is. One of them at least."

"Not necessarily." Cordelia concluded. "Not if he was adopted." She bounced a now much calmer Erin in her arms.

"Exactly." Angel said, smiling at Cordelia. "So when the family comes in today, whenever they call, we are going to see what the kid is, and why those demons were after him."

"Well, it doesn't matter because the demons are dead." Jess said.

"More could come." Wesley told her. "He might be a target."

Jess nodded, just as Harmony entered the office.

"Bossy!" Harmony squealed, and then a huge smile broke across her face as she saw Cordelia and Erin. "Oh! The baby is down here!" Harmony made her way over to Cordelia, taking a peak at Erin. "She's beautiful, Cordy!"

"Thanks…" Cordelia said a little uneasy, as she pulled Erin close to her chest. She didn't trust Harmony so close to Erin, not after what Harmony had tried to do to Jessica when she was younger.

Erin, on the other hand, seemed amused by Harmony, as she gripped a piece of Harmony's hair and pulled on it.

"Ouch!" Harmony's game face appeared, but quickly faded as she saw Jess and Angel straighten up. "That kids got some grip." She fixed her hair.

"That's my little part demon." Angel cooed at Erin who smiled at her father.

Cordelia rolled her eyes at Angel, trying to hide her smile. "Harmony, what do you need?"

"Oh, that's right." Harmony remembered why she had come into the office. "That family you said would call, Angel, well they did. They will be here in an hour."

Angel nodded. "Thanks Harmony."

"Yup." Harmony smiled at her boss. "Anything else I can get you?"

"Fred, Spike, Gunn, and Lorne in here." Angel told her as Harmony nodded and exited.

"Why everyone?" Wesley asked.

"This case will be top priority right now." Angel told him. "The Powers sent Cordelia a vision about that young man and I want to make sure he stays safe. The Powers want us to protect him so that's exactly what we are going to do."

Lindsey smiled as he made his way into his kitchen after his shower to find Eve sitting at the table. His smile quickly faded, however, as he saw the frown on Eve's face. He sat down next to her, taking her hand in his.

"What's wrong?" Lindsey asked. He didn't know why Eve looked so upset. She should have been happy. He was happy. The night before they had just wrecked Angel's life by allowing him to remember his son. Lindsey could only imagine the shape the vampire was in right now. He smiled at the thought.

"It didn't work." Eve told him.

"What didn't work?" Lindsey was confused.

"The demons we sent after Connor, well they didn't kill him." Eve told him.

"What happened?"

"Angel stopped them. Actually, Angel killed them all, except one who didn't get out of the van. He hid out in the back, no one even knew he was there." Eve explained.

"How did Angel know to go save Connor?" Lindsey was confused.

Eve shrugged. "I don't know. The demon who lived said that Angel didn't seem to even know who Connor was though, and that he gave Connor's family a business card, so he'll probably be by the office today."

"Connor will be?"

"Yeah."

Lindsey smiled, as it all seemed to click. "So we reverse the contract while Connor is there."

"What?" Eve raised an eyebrow.

"We get rid of the contract, allow everyone to get their memories back while Connor's there. Sure, he won't be dead, but I'm sure that guilt will drive them all equally as crazy as they see the wonderful life Connor had without them, and Connor will be back to the way he was before Jess signed that contract." Lindsey grinned widely. "Plus, don't you think Jess will go crazy when Connor walks into the office today? She's the only one who remembers him."

Eve nodded, a smile breaking across her face as she realized just how perfect Lindsey's plan was. "I love it." She kissed him quickly. "Come on, let's get over to the office."

Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Spike made their way into Angel's office to find Angel, Wesley, Jess, and Cordelia with Erin clinging to her already in there.

"Wow, looks like a party in here." Gunn said as he entered.

"We've got a case." Angel told them simply.

"Really?" Fred asked as she took a seat on Wesley's lap, mimicking Cordelia who was still perched on Angel's lap. "What's it about?"

"The guy in Cordy's vision from last night." Angel told her.

"Did you guys save him?" Lorne asked.

Wesley nodded. "We did. We have a feeling however, he is part demon. He and his family are coming in shortly."

"So, what's the plan?" Gunn asked.

"Plan is, we talk to them." Spike said, seeming to know the plan.

Angel nodded. "I don't want that family leaving here until we all understand what that boy is and why those demons were after him, is that understood?"

Everyone in the room nodded.

"Alright, so what time is the family coming in?" Jess asked, looking at everyone, except Spike.

"About a half hour." Angel said, checking his watch. "Everyone meet back down here then."

Everyone nodded, exiting the room, except Cordelia, Angel, and Jess. Spike was the last one to leave however, shooting a glance at Jessica, only to realize she really wasn't paying attention to him, as her back was turned to him. He sighed and left the room.

Just as everyone else left, Erin became fussy, squirming in Cordelia's arms and beginning to cry.

"Oh boy, somebody is hungry." Cordelia smiled down at Erin, trying to calm the child. "Come on, baby, we'll go get you fed." She stood, giving Angel a kiss and making her way out of the office.

"Jess? Go with her." Angel told his daughter.

"Why?" Jess asked. "I can't help her feed Erin, you know with her nursing her and stuff, nothing I can do for mom there."

"I know that." Angel said awkwardly. "I just need to go over some stuff in here, and I need you to go get changed."

"Why?" Jess looked down at the black tank top and jeans she was in.

"Because you need to look professional for these people. You're a teenager, and the boy might not respond well to anyone but you, so I need you to be ready to work today." Angel explained.

"Fine…" Jess rolled her eyes at her father and shuffled out of his office.

Angel reclined back into his chair as he watched Jessica leave the room, a small smile breaking across the vampire's face. His daughter had grown into one hell of a woman and he was so proud of her. She was a survivor. She had survived her birth when the rest of the demon spawn Cordelia had carried died, she had survived multiple attacks on her life from Wolfram and Hart when she was just a baby, she had survived Pylea and Holtz and Quortoth, and she had survived the Beast and Angelus. She was strong, just like her mother, Angel decided as he went back to reading a file.

Jess let out a grunt of frustration as she tore through her closet. She didn't know what to wear. She had some of her shirts and pants from when she had run Wolfram and Hart, but her new position rarely called for much more then a tee-shirt and jeans. She sighed, throwing a black button up and black pants on her bed, and then jumping on it as well, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Something wrong?" Cordelia's voice filled the room.

Jess looked at the door to see her mother standing there with a smiling Erin in her arms. "I don't know what to wear."

"What do you mean?" Cordelia took a seat next to Jess.

"Dad said I needed to look professional." Jess explained. "I just don't feel like digging for any clothes."

"So you were going to wear this?" Cordelia looked over at the black shirt and black pants on Jessica's bed, a small smile on her face. "You're definitely your father's daughter."

"Well, black always looks professional, right?" Jess asked as she grabbed onto Erin's little fist, allowing the child to get a firm grip of her hand.

Cordelia laughed. "You'll look fine."

"Thanks." Jess gave her mom a quick hug.

"What was that for?" Cordelia asked, still smiling.

"For putting up with me." Jess sighed. "I know I haven't made your life the easiest thing. So…thanks."

"Sweetie, I wouldn't change you or the time I have had with you for the world." Cordelia gave Jess a quick kiss on the head.

Jess sighed, thinking of Connor. For some reason unknown to her, Connor had been on her mind lately. "Mom, I've done some things…things you probably wouldn't be so proud of." Connor was the only thought in Jessica's mind as she spoke those words to her mother.

"Jess, we all make mistakes." Cordelia told her. "Whatever you did, I don't care. You're still my baby and I love you very much."

Jess nodded, feeling a little better. For some reason, she didn't know why, she had a feeling that the situation with Connor was going to eventually blow up in her face, she just didn't know when.

Angel, Gunn, Wesley, Spike, Lorne, and Fred sat in Angel's office waiting for Connor and his family to arrive.

Angel checked his watch, sighing. "Where are Cordelia and Jessica? This family is going to be here any minute and neither of them are down here yet."

"Fashionably late." Lorne stated. "You know our Cordy…"

"You know, Angel, I was thinking, and no offense to Lorne, but maybe he shouldn't be here when this young man and his family arrive. I mean, how would we explain him?" Fred asked.

Angel thought for a moment. "Good question."

"Well, I have some clients I could have phone meetings with if you don't want me around." Lorne offered. "I totally understand, and I need to get some work done anyway."

Angel nodded. "Alright, I'll give you a call if we need you."

"Sounds good, boss." Lorne smiled, making his way out of the office.

Angel sighed again checking his watch. "Where is that family of mine."

"They'll be here." Gunn told him. "Relax."

Just then Harmony entered the room with Connor and his parents following behind her.

"Boss, your clients are here." Harmony said.

Angel stood. "Thanks, Harmony." He then turned to Connor and his family. "Please take a seat."

Connor and his parents complied and sat down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get your names last night." Angel said to Connor's parents.

"Alan." Connor's dad shook Angel's hand.

"Susan." Connor's mother also shook Angel's hand.

"Well, Alan, Connor, Susan, I'd like you to meet my staff." Angel said, pointing around the room as he spoke of everyone. "This is Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Charles Gunn, Fred Burkle, and Spike."

"Nice to meet you all." Alan said.

"You too, sir." Gunn nodded at the man.

"So, let's get to business." Angel said. "Connor was attacked last night."

Alan nodded. "Yes, we know. Do you know why?"

"Well, it seems that your son may be different." Wesley said as gently as he could.

"We are well aware of that." Alan told them.

"You are?" Angel raised an eyebrow.

Alan and Susan nodded.

"Things like this have happened before." Susan said.

"They have?" Spike looked surprised.

Susan nodded. "Well, never creatures trying to kill him, but things…"

"What kind of things?" Wesley asked.

"Well, last month, Connor fell off the roof trying to clean out the gutters with me." Alan explained.

"And I was fine." Connor added, seeming bored. "Not even a scratch."

"I'd say you're lucky." Angel told him.

"Or not normal." Connor said.

"Falling off the house and not getting hurt doesn't mean you aren't normal." Spike told him. "Just means you didn't get bloody hurt."

"My mom's car had a flat tire two weeks ago and I picked the whole car up so my dad could fix it." Connor told Spike.

"Yeah, that's not normal." Fred concluded.

Connor nodded. "I know."

"So, then your not normal." Angel stated the obvious.

"We heard you specialize in this sort of stuff." Alan said.

Angel nodded. "We do. We could run some test on Connor, see what he is."

Alan and Susan nodded.

"We might need some of your blood samples too." Fred added.

"Oh, ours won't help." Susan told her. "We adopted Connor."

Angel nodded. "My wife had a feeling you did."

As if on cue, Cordelia entered with Erin who was wide awake in her arms and Jessica right behind her.

"And there is my wife now with my two beautiful daughters." Angel smiled.

"Sorry we are late." Cordelia apologized to the room.

"Not a problem." Angel told her, getting up and giving her a kiss, blocking Jessica's view from the clients.

"Cordy, Jess, I want to introduce you to our clients." Angel said. "This is Susan and Alan, and this is their son, Connor."

Jessica watched as if the scene in front of her was happening in slow motion. Angel had said Connor, and she watched as the young man in the seat turned around to face her. She knew it was him, she'd have recognized his hair from anywhere. It was her brother. The boy sitting in front of her was her brother, the brother who did not remember her. It was her Connor.

"Connor…" Jess whispered to herself.

"Nice to meet you." Connor shook Cordelia's hand and then Jessica's, forcing Jessica to snap back into reality.

Jessica studied Connor for a moment and could see he truly had no idea who she, or Angel, or Cordelia was. His memory had been written over, and Jess wouldn't risk him getting it back. She knew what she had to do.

"I'm sorry. We can't take your case." Jessica told Connor's family before quickly making her way out of the office.

Alan, Connor, and Susan all turned back to Angel, their mouth's opened wide.

"Was it something I said?" Connor asked.

"Uh, no." Angel shot Cordelia a confused look. "I don't know why she did that, Connor."

It clicked in that moment for Spike. Connor. Jessica had spoken to him about her brother quite frequently, and as he watched Jessica react to the Connor in the room, Spike realized something. He looked Connor over and saw all the similarities the boy had to both Angel and Darla. He knew in that instant that the Connor standing in front of him was indeed Angel's son, only no one remembered him except Jessica.

"I'll go talk to her." Spike offered, moving toward the door.

"You really think that is a good idea?" Gunn stepped in front of Spike, not wanting the vampire to even look at Jessica, let alone talk to her.

"Just trust me." Spike said, pushing Gunn out of the way and following Jessica out the door.

"I'm sure everything is fine." Angel said, sitting back down, and looking at Alan, Susan, and Connor. "Now, let's talk about running those blood tests on Connor."

Spike followed Jessica's scent down the hall and into her office. He could see her from the hallway, sitting with her feet up on her desk and her head reclined back. He noticed her eyes were closed, as he entered the office, not bothering to knock.

"Get out, Spike." Jess sighed, her eyes still closed. She could sense him in the room.

"No." Spike said simply. "I know who he is."

"Who?" Jess asked, still not looking at Spike.

"Connor." Spike told her. "I know."

Jess immediately shot up in her seat, studying the blonde vampire's face hard, as if to dare him to continue.

Spike continued. "It's him, isn't it? I saw it in his eyes. He looks so much like Darla, he has your father in him too-"

"Shut up." Jess's voice was low and threatening as her eyes narrowed at Spike. "Just shut up."

"I get why you don't feel you can help me." Spike pressed. "I get why it's hard for you to look at him, but Jess, regardless of if he knows it or anyone else in the room knows it, he is your brother. Connor will always be your brother, you can't turn your back on him."

"Just shut up, Spike!" Jess growled, fighting back the tears that threatened her eyes.

Spike moved, gathering Jessica in his arms just in time for her to completely break down. She didn't think she had ever cried this hard before, she didn't even know she could cry like this, she had to get herself together, but her body wouldn't allow it as she felt her hot tears smear onto Spike's black tee-shirt.

"What if he remembers?" Jess asked, trying to get herself together as she pulled out of Spike's grip. "What if the thing Wolfram and Hart did doesn't work?"

Spike looked hurt as he felt her body heat leave his side. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her, but he knew it wasn't the right place or time to do so. "They re-wrote history. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that Connor won't remember."

"What about everyone else?" Jess asked, wiping her eyes.

"I doubt they'll remember either." Spike told her. "Jess, you have to help him, he's in danger. If something bad happened to him you wouldn't be able to live with yourself. You saved him once already, now you have to do it again."

Jess nodded, allowing the vampire's words to soak into her mind. She knew he was right. The Powers had sent her mother the vision of Connor for a reason. Jess had to protect him. "I just hope I can."