Rated: M

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just like writing about them

Chapter Fifteen

As kisses went, Jason's mouth moving with hers started somewhere along the lines of spine tingling and danced gleefully toward life altering in a matter of seconds.

The things the man could do with his mouth should be outlawed, truly. He should not be allowed to walk the streets with this threat against unsuspecting women in his hands. Or lips, she would probably say if she weren't currently returning the fiery caress. And tongue, goodness must not forget his tongue. Or that wicked nip of teeth that was just made so very sexy by those fangs he was sporting. So, as soon as she cleared her head and found some semblance of balance, she was going to report Jason Morgan to the proper authorites.

Or drag him to the nearest bed.

The knowledge that they were standing in the cold just outside where their friends and family waited, completely absorbed in each other, slipped Cordelia's mind as she moved her hands from the silk of Jason's hair to the thick muscle of his chest needing to feel him. Heat slithered through her body, into her achy breasts drawing her nipples into taut points to rub against the soft cotton of her tunic.

A matching moan of pleasure purred from Jason's throat, his tongue dipping into her mouth coaxing hers into a sensual tango, the hand on her hip clenching just a bit tighter, so she slid her leg along the outer side of his, so she could inch closer to the thick length of his erection. Despite everything, this moment was just a bit of paradise and she desperately wanted it to last.

"Cordelia," he snatched his mouth from hers, breathless, and her sigh of complaint quickly turned into one of pleasure when he trailed moist heat along her jawline to nip sensually at her ear. The tiny bite was quickly soothed by the warm swirl of his tongue before he moved on to the length of her neck. "You're so damned beautiful."

Arching eagerly into his touch, her fingers clenched at sinewy muscle, straining against him as he continued his tormenting exploration of her skin. She wasn't disappointed when he lifted his head to stare into her eyes again. They were clear now, just that gorgeous sky blue but he still looked so very naughty with the tips of his fangs there. He licked his lips, his eyelids heavy and languid as he drew in a long breath, savoring her taste she realized.

"More," and then his mouth was back on hers, with a hunger that left her mouth burning, that her tired and lonely soul melted into. How long had it been since she felt anything near this sweet intensity? Felt desire like this? As much as she loved Angel, they had never truly experienced this, never had the chance to before he was lost to her.

Somehow she wasn't surprised that she would with Jason.

"Stone Cold, your mother is- holy crap!"

They reluctantly broke apart, chests heaving, to turn toward the voice that had interrupted. She hadn't heard Spinelli come outside, but given the shock on his face he had certainly caught an eyefull. Judging from the way he adverted his gaze, fidgeting nervously, he didn't know what to say.

Cordelia chanced a look at Jason's face, and he certainly looked rather savage. She placed a calming hand to his face and felt her stomach clench with dreamy tenderness when he automatically leaned into the caress.

"I, I'm sorry, most Commanding One," Spinelli stuttered, running a shaky hand through his hair and dislodging the cap on his head. "I, I meant no disrespect to you or the Most Delectable One there, nor did I mean to interrupt what looked to be a very seismic moment."

"Just get to the point, Spinelli," Jason growled and the young man quickly nodded.

"Of course, um, y-your mother is looking for you." It was probably the first time she had ever heard him speak simply. Then his head jerked up and down again as if he realized that was all he wanted and he rushed back inside.

"Poor Spinelli, I hope we didn't scar him for life. You're going to have to tell me how you met that guy," she chuckled, laying her cheek against his. "Somehow I just don't see the two of you hanging out in a bar tossing back a few beers."

"You'd be right," he grunted, "Lets get inside and see what Monica has to say." When he removed his hand from her hair, she grabbed his hand, threading their fingers together. Jason met her gaze and the hint of vulnerabilty in his eyes making her smile. No matter what happened next, she wanted him to know they would take those steps together.

xx

"Your young man is going to be fine."

At the calm announcement, Jason felt the tension Cordelia had been holding on to gradually drain away. The fingers holding his squeezed for a moment before she seemed to melt against him. Despite the passion that had erupted between them, he knew she was worried about Connor, he was just glad that the boy would be okay.

"It's actually quite amazing," Monica began, and Jason had a pretty decent idea of what she might have seen. "The wound wasn't as bad as we thought it would be given the amount of blood he seemed to have lost. Luckily no damage was done to any of his internal organs. All we had to do was stitch him up."

Cordelia's wide eyes betrayed her thoughts. The wound was horrible, she knew it and he had caught a good glimpse of it himself. It seemed he wasn't the only one who had some healing abilities. Given that this Connor was supposed to be the son of a vampire, he wasn't surprised.

"I'd like to keep him overnight, but he was already complaining about leaving. Epiphany gave him a mild sedative to calm him down before he tore his stitches." Monica smiled, "I'm certainly familiar with that." She should be, everytime he was ever in the hospital the last thing he wanted was to extend his stay longer than necessary. "So I was wondering if he was going to be staying with you, since you brought him in?"

"Yeah," he told her, then caught the curious glances she was sending, "I'm sorry, Monica this is Cordelia Chase, Cordelia, this is my mother, Monica Quartermaine. Cordelia is Connor's mother."

If Monica thought the news bizarre she kept it from her face, only giving Cordelia a welcoming smile and shaking her hand, "It's nice to meet you Cordelia."

"You too, Mrs. Quartermaine, thank you for what you've done for Connor."

"It was nothing really," Monica turned a warm smile to him, "I'm pleased I could help. If you want to sit with Connor for a while," she gestured toward the doors leading to the other room.

"May I?"

"Of course. He's still a bit groggy but he should be awake again soon."

Cordelia looked at him and he nodded for her to go ahead. When he was alone with his mother, the warmth in her eyes shifted to concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured her, his kitsune had long since healed any injuries he had sustained while fighting. "I'm grateful that you could do this. I know I was asking a lot tonight, coming to you and expecting you to help."

"I'm glad you felt you could trust me Jason," she placed a hand on his arm, "You're my son, if I can ever help you, of course I will. So, do I want to know what happened tonight?" At his silence, her mouth twitched with mirth, "I didn't think so. You don't have to worry, I don't believe any of the others will mention what happened tonight to anyone else."

"Thank you," he said again but Monica shook her head.

"I have a bit of advice though," she tilted her head to the side, "You might want to call Carly in the morning and tell her something before Bobbie does. I mean, she wouldn't tell Carly everything, but Bobbie would definitely mention seeing Kady tonight."

"You're right," he sighed, knowing his mother was correct. He could trust Bobbie, but Kady was her Granddaughter as well, of course she would speak to Carly. For tonight, all he wanted was to get his daughter home, safe, and just pretend for a few hours that everything was slightly normal. And perhaps further explore the burst of heat between him and Cordelia."So is it safe to take Connor home, or do you really think he should stay overnight?"

"If he's kept still for a while, I don't see any reason why he shouldn't be allowed to leave," she leaned in, her voice lowering to a murmur, "I tried to keep Epiphany from seeing much of it, Jason, but I watched that boy healing himself from the inside out. Now given that, he should be up and around in two days at the most."

"You can't-"

"Can't tell anyone," she released a heavy breath, "I already knew you were going to say that. I don't know what's going on, but Jason, please be careful. I've lost AJ and Alan, I don't want to lose you. I just don't know if I'm strong enough to handle that."

He gathered her into a hug, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek, "I promise I'll be careful," he told her, "But you're very strong, one of the strongest people I know, don't ever doubt that." When they broke apart, she touched a hand to his face and her smile trembled with emotion.

xx

Time ceased to exist, as she sat next to the young man who held her heart in a firm grip. Her emotions were certainly riding a roller coaster tonight. First the little Zen conversation with Kady, then passion with Jason and now this poignant joy with the son she had lost so many years ago. If the Powers were trying to keep her on her toes, well, they were doing a great job.

Even asleep, Connor seemed animated, as if braced for a movement or possibly an attack. Cordelia figured that came from living in a hell dimension for most of his life. She had to wonder if Connor had ever had a moment of peace, or if his entire life had been about fighting and warding off evil.

He resembled Angel a little, and there was very little of the infant left in his handsome face. He had the same dark hair as his father, though Connor's was long, just a bit shaggy and unkempt, which made her wonder how Angel had survived without his hair products. That made her smile. At least she hoped that Angel had survived to see Connor grow up. Given that Connor had called her Mom, had known Faith's name, Angel must have played some role in his life.

His color was good, that was supposed to be a good thing, right? She had no idea, but given how much blood he had lost, the fact that his chest was rising and falling easily was more than enough for her. She would help him through the rest and make sure he healed.

A little on the thin side, she appraised, they would definitely fix that. She couldn't cook worth a damn but that didn't mean she wouldn't find some way to get decent meals into her son. And some clothes that looked like they weren't made of animal skin, she mentally added.

Maybe Sam would be willing to loan Connor something until she could get to a store. Sam was taller, but wiry, so that would be the best fit. Dean was muscular, much like Jason, so those clothes would probably be too big. Spinelli, well, his clothes were too big on his thin body, they would probably be the same for Connor. And Spike's leather certainly wouldn't do.

Nervous, she reached a hand out, let it hover over his for a moment before slowly letting it fall and hold on. The second their skin touched, he moaned. His face contorted, probably in pain, but he shifted in her direction, long lashes fluttering as he struggled to open his eyes. Connor flinched, as he gazed around in confusion his body already tensing.

"It's okay," she whispered, and those dark eyes focused in on her face. "It's okay, you're safe."

"Where," he tried and had to swallow to clear his throat, when he spoke again, his voice was scratchy, "Where am I?"

"The hospital, we had to bring you here to see a doctor to stop the bleeding from your wound."

"Hospital?" He frowned and she could almost see him thinking, "Dad told me about those I think. The place sick people go, right?"

It was an overly simple explanation, but close enough to fact. It didn't make much difference anyway, this would probably be the last hospital Connor was in anyway. "That's right." And she was almost too afraid to ask, but she had to know one way or the other. Was Angel stuck in that hell dimension still or was he gone? "Connor, why did you call me Mom?"

"Because that's who Dad said you were," he whispered, "He always told me stories about you, but he called you Cordy. He told me about everybody. Even some people he called Scoobies, though I still don't understand why anyone would want to go around calling themselves a dog name. He drew a lot of pictures of too, of you and Faith, Fred and Gunn. He even drew some of Spike and Wesley, said after all the years he had to think, being mad at them was a waste of time."

She was glad that Angel had found peace with what Wesley had done, she would be happy to tell Wes that Angel had forgiven him for his part in Holtz taking Connor. Maybe now he could put it in the past where it belonged once and for all.

"And Angel?"

Before he could answer she saw the grief in her eyes and it hurt, but not as badly as it once had. "He died about two years ago, when we first found Gabriel. We were working on a way to get back here and thought we found a way, but then Gabriel came through and well, things just got really crazy after that."

"How did you know about the door?"

"We were killing these Galla demons when we heard whispers of Nahemah preparing to bring her cambion through. They would age differently over there because they were part demon. Dad figured we should stop her and we found Gabriel," he shrugged as if that simple explanation was enough. He definitely had his father's lacking vocabulary.

"So all this time you've been there?"

"No," he drew in a deep breath and she knew he was getting tired, "We took this talisman from another demon that made it possible for us to jump dimensions, but we couldn't figure out how to get home. He wasn't exactly alive to tell us how it worked."

"And Angel, how did he-"

"Die?" And she nodded sadly, "He was providing a distraction so that I could get Gabriel away. At first I thought Nahemah killed him, but it wasn't. It was something else, I don't know what," his voice choked off painfully as he squeezed his eyes shut. When he looked at her again the ferocity of his anger was startling. "It destroyed the talisman, so I couldn't jump anymore, so I had to figure out another way to get me and Gabriel back home."

Connor's eyes were glassy with tears and she knew he was still hurting over his father's death and she was sorry that she had forced him to relive that horrible moment. "Dad told me if there was a way, you would know I was coming and he was right. Before he went," he paused and she squeezed his hand comforting the young man who seemed so much a little boy at this moment.

"He made me promise I would tell you that he loved you and he was sorry that he wasn't going to make it back. When I found out that Nahemah was planning to open the door again, I hoped you'd be there waiting for us just like Dad said you would be."

He looked down at their joined hands and then back to her face, his shaky smile was exactly like Angel's. "And you were."