Chapter Nineteen
"I still don't understand why we couldn't go back to that little diner for lunch again."
Cordelia smirked at Faith's grumbling but noted she wasn't getting up from her seat. They received more than one speculative glance from the patrons of the MetroCourt resturaunt as they had crossed the room to sit. Granted Faith was sporting a few choice brusies on her face and they were new to Port Charles but the obvious stares were starting to get annoying.
Because of the size of their party, two tables were brought together near the rear of the resturant to accomadate them making them the center of attention. Faith had tossed her jacket on the back of her seat rather than having it checked and sat down. It probably would have been difficult to explain the stake in the inside pocket.
This afternoon was originally Faith's idea. A couple hours shopping to buy Connor and Gabriel clothes before they headed back to Jason's house. They were sitting around the crowded breakfast table devouring the delicious breakfast Miranda had prepared when Faith mentioned taking the day off.
As expected the men were the hardest sell, wanting to jump right into the demon hunting stuff, but Faith was determined. It took a little convincing to get Miranda to agree, but knowing that Gabriel needed clothes and he would be well protected at Jason's house was the only reason why she agreed.
Now here they were numerous shopping bags later having a late lunch at the hotel where they spent their first night in Port Charles. This was about more than mere food. It was about forming a bond between all of them. One that would be strong enough to face anything. A bond they would need to face Lamashtu if they were going to survive and succeed. "I want more than a hamburger," Cordelia told her, as she glanced through the extravagant menu, silently addding numbers and knowing this little outing was way off Angel Investigations budget.
The money really started adding up as she bought clothes for Connor. What had surprised her most was Kady's total aborhance for shopping. Fred and Miranda were over at another rack sorting through underwear and socks for Gabriel. Faith and Lulu were looking through men's t-shirts and holding them up to each other, probably contemplating a personal purchase. As she tossed pairs of jeans to the side, Kady would roll her eyes and release a long huff of breath.
"I can't believe you don't like shopping," Cordelia finally said after several more minutes of that behavior. "Look at your clothes. That demin skirt screams designer, that's a cashmere sweater and those boots are Italian leather. Believe me, I know Italian leather."
"All bought by my mother who has a clothes fetish. They're just clothes," Kady reasoned from her spot on the floor where she sat fiddling with her necklace. "There are more important things than clothes."
"Of course there are," Cordelia agreed, noting the size of the blue shirt she had in her hands and figured it would be a good color for Connor. "I mean, we fight demons and stuff everyday. Helping the helpless is our deal."
Kady's eyes widened as she glanced warily around, "Not so loud," she warned through her teeth.
Cordelia lifted a brow and looked down at her charge. Kady Morgan was extremely intelligent, insightful and brave. But she was still only eleven years old and had a lot of life left to live. "Kady, we could scream demon at the top of our lungs and it wouldn't make any difference."
"What?"
She adjusted her own jeans, making sure not to tilt precariously on her heeled boots as she squatted down to face the Seer prodigy. "I lived on a Hellmouth all of my life. You know what those are right?" At Kady's nod, Cordelia wondered why she even asked the question. Of course the kid knew what a Hellmouth was. "And it wasn't until I was in high school that I realized why Sunnydale had such a high mortality rate. People see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear. If it's too much for them to handle," she waved a hand, "They pretend it doesn't exist."
"Still, people around here know my Mom and Dad, and seeing me with someone talking about Demons would get back to them. We don't need the attention."
"Okay, I get that," Cordelia conceeded. Port Charles was a bit smaller than Sunnyhell. Not by much but given what little she knew about Jason's previous line of work, she could understand why Kady didn't want more speculation aimed in Jason's direction. "But really, they would probably think you're talking about a book, or a movie or something like that. No one likes to believe the things that go bump in the night could be real."
From the look on her face, Cordelia could see Kady already knew that. "Now, just because we're fighting the good fight, doesn't mean that we can't look good while we're doing it. There is no rule that says we Seers can't enjoy the little things in life."
"Shopping isn't a necessity. They're just clothes."
Cordelia shook her head, now why she could hear those exact words coming from Jason's mouth. "Hopeless, at least tell me you like to do something other than read demonology."
"I do stuff!" Kady actually sounded offended, "I take gymnastics."
"Oooh, I was a cheerleader," which made Kady snort with laughter. "Hey! I'll have you know I was the cheerleader."
"You were one of those girls," Kady drawled.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Most popular, mean to everyone beneath you, loved expensive clothes." Kady ticked off on her fingers. "Queen Bee everyone wanted to be but were terrifed of."
"That's Queen C, I'll have you know. Someone had to set the standard," Cordelia interrupted her, yeah she was a bitch in high school. It was a good cover for and empty life with parents who thought a credit card could replace actual love and attention. "Those were my bait girl, pre-Seer days but I eventually learned there were more important things. That doesn't preclude a love for pretty clothes. So other than a love of bouncing around in a leotard, and a bizarre distaste for shopping, what else?"
It took her a moment to think about that. "I read," she blurted out with bright eyes.
"Nerd."
"I'm popular, I'm very popular. I have a lot of friends."
"I'm shopping with Mini-Willow."
"Who is that?" Kady frowned, momentarily baffled.
"Major Wiccan I knew in high school. Sounds suspicously like a certain half pint Seer I know. Smart, liked to read, an horrid taste in clothes."
"Just because I don't like shopping doesn't mean I have no taste," Kady pointed out. "I am wearing Calvin Klein you know."
Cordelia allowed the radiant smile she had been holding back to spread across her face. In that moment, she could see where Faith had made the comparison between the two of them. "There just might be hope for you yet."
The rest of the afternoon went by much like that, a friendly back and forth bantering between the two of them. It was much better than the animosity of their first few conversations. Good thing, because if there was going to be anything between her and Jason, then having Kady not hate her would make things proceed a lot smoother. By the time they parked in front of the MetroCourt, Cordelia would even say Kady liked her after all.
"My Mom and Jax own the MetroCourt, and my Dad has an unlimited tab, so we don't really have to pay," Kady pointed out quietly, "Lunch is my treat."
"I don't know," Miranda started and Cordelia had to admit to being a little hesitant about being treated to lunch in an extravagant resturaunt by an eleven year old.
"It's okay, really," Kady reassured her. "Dad doesn't care about money like that, and the staff here know me, so we probably wouldn't even see the bill anyway."
"Must be nice," Faith grinned over the top of her menu. She might have said something more but one of the waitstaff arrived to take their order. The woman proved Kady correct, greeting the young girl by her name with a respectful smile.
Kady returned the hello and introduced them as friends of her father and said they would be having lunch. It was done with a ease that Cordelia could remember from when she was younger. Only Kady showed that Jason didn't use money as substitution for his presence in her life and that was never more clear than in the young girls attitude and kindness.
"So what do you think the men are back at the house doing," Faith asked, after the waitress took their selections and left.
Kady was surprised at how different it was being here today with Cordelia and the others. Lunch with her mother was usually punctuated with some drama, brought about by someone in Port Charles that didn't like her, or worse Uncle Sonny. She wasn't blind, there were a lot of people in Port Charles that didn't have nice things to say about her mother or her father and never resisted the opportunity to say so. That wasn't so bad, she was used to ignoring stuff like that. Mom just seemed to be a magnet for trouble.
If she had lunch with her Grandmothers, it was usually quiet and always focused on her. That was boring, considering she didn't like talking about her self a lot and she couldn't tell them about being a Seer or fighting demons. She usually kept to school and her gymnastics as safe subjects. She had a feeling her Grandmother Monica was getting suspicous given what happened last night.
Lunch with her Aunt Emily was okay. Usually at Kelly's and sometimes with her best friend Elizabeth but nothing like today. Today she was being given a little glimspe of how adult women friends were together and it was great. Not just because she was experienceing something new, but because everyone at the table knew what her life was like. For the first time she felt free to be herself with someone other than her Dad and not have to worry about what she might say or keeping their secrets.
And even more so, they all liked each other.
"They're men," Fred began, taking a sip from her glass of water before continuing, "What do you think they're doing? They're either bragging about how many demons they killed or talking about weapons.The bigger the better."
"Or cars," Miranda added with a small smile, "Let's not forget cars. Dean adores his car. I'm surprised he lets Sam drive it, he almost had a heart attack the other day when I mentioned driving it to the store."
"They're corrupting poor Connor and Gabriel," Cordelia chuckled, but unfortunately that made Miranda's smile fade a little. "Oh, don't even feel guilty. He's fine. I know you probably feel like you should be right there with him since it's his first day back but he's okay."
"I should be with him," Miranda murmured, "He's been gone for two years and I'm here having lunch."
Cordelia reached across the table and took Miranda's hand, "I know. You probably want to grab him and hold on and never let him out of your sight for the next thirty years. It's only been two hours and he needed the things you bought him right?"
"I could have sent Dean for them," she refuted.
"True and given how Dean looks at you, he probably would have gone." Cordelia smiled softly, "Faith was right this morning, we need to take this time, all of us, because things are going to get really tense soon. Connor and Gabriel have been away in a hell dimension together. And that was horrible but I think keeping things as normal as we can for them will help them adjust to being back here faster. Being with Dean, Jason, Sam and Spike will be good for them. Dean knows to call if something happens with Gabriel, right?"
"Right," Miranda nodded once, the look of panic in her eyes slowly fading away. "If Gabriel was afraid or needed me, Dean would call."
"And we're going home right after lunch to torture them both with trying on clothes and smother them." Cordelia reassured her.
"I've been handling it alot better than I thought I would," Miranda admitted, "I don't know how I would have made it through this without Dean."
"Miranda and Dean sitting in a tree," Faith began in a teasing sing-song voice making them all laugh. Kady knew she was merely trying to lighten the mood a bit and it worked. Then again, whenever Dean's name came up Miranda glowed. She might just be eleven but she knew what love looked like. "Dean would probably walk through fire for you and I swear, when Spinelli called you two the Pale Rider and his Saving Grace this morning, I almost spit pancakes across the table."
"I'm Madam Mina," Fred smirked fondly. "Spike has been deemed the Impaler." At the others confusion, she released a pained breath, "Did none of you watch Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder in Dracula?"
"Spinelli and his nicknames," Lulu grinned, "He drives Jason crazy calling him Stone Cold, but I think he secretly likes it."
"So says the Blonde One," Cordelia put in, "You do realize Spinelli has a massive crush on you."
"I know," she lowered her head sheepishly, "We're just friends though."
"Sure," Faith drawled out, "Friends. Come on Blonde One, fess up. You can tell us the truth. When looks at you with those puppy dog eyes, don't you want to scratch him behind the ear? He's cute in a nerdy kind of way."
"He's a good friend," Lulu emphasized but a smile lingered around her mouth. "So what name did he come up for you?"
"He said nothing is better than the Slayer. Though he loves putting adjectives in front of it. The kick-ass Slayer is his favorite I think. He can't seem to get over that I beat Jason in a fight. Let's not forget the little Warrior Princess over there," Faith added, "The little sister he never had."
"I-" she hadn't wanted to say anything for fear they would remember she was here. This was the closest to a grown up conversation she had ever been allowed to listen to.
"It's okay kid," Faith gave her a wink of understanding. "Though we probably should have rescued you from Cordelia and her shopping addiction. You'll have nightmares about Dolce and Gabbana for months."
"Hey!" Cordelia sputtered.
"Queen C bought out the store. I can see Connor now," Faith scrunched her face into a deep frown of contemplation, "Now why do I need three pair of boots again? It would have been better to buy something useful like a new sword or a knife or something. What difference does it make what kind of boots I wear when I'm slaying demons?"
They all burst into laughter over that. Given the small time they spent around Connor, it was almost a perfect imitation. Connor had been quiet but the few words he spoke were blunt and to the point. When he wasn't eating in small efficent bites quickly clearing his plate, his dark eyes were observing everyone around him. His movement were all with purpose with nothing extraneous. There was a stillness in him that Kady knew came from being on guard at all times. He reminded her a lot of her Dad.
xx
The man currently being compared to the newest arrival glanced around at the men in his basement and did his best to hold back a laugh. After the women piled into his truck and drove off they had all sat in the living room looking at each other in silence. Connor sat in his large chair in loose clothes borrowed from Sam favoring his wound. Gabriel sat on the floor next to him watching. It was expected that the boy would stick close to Connor given everything they had been through together.
Gabriel had spent most of the morning telling his mother he would be fine if she went shopping. When Connor asked what shopping was after the truck pulled away, Gabriel answered with a few quick words. "Torture disguised as clothes and bad mall music," making them all nod in agreement. It seemed the boy hadn't forgotten that much during his hell dimension experience.
Sam tried to break the silence first but it trailed off after a few quips between him and Dean. They were used to dealing with each other, had developed a rhythm, even a way of speaking without using words. Spinelli kept looking at him as if he would make things right. No master of conversation here, he wanted to point out. Talking was definitely not his forte.
As it turned out, Spike was the one who finally broke through with a bit of sarcasm aimed at Connor. "So you're Peaches son? Tell me, did he ever get over that brooding bit he did so well?"
Rather than anger, Connor actually smiled a little, that expressionless face softening in a rare moment of humor. "Dad told me all about you. Yeah, he did. Said there wasn't much time for brooding when you were trying to stay alive."
Jason would rather endure an interrogation by the PCPD than admit he was curious about this infamous Angel. He wanted to know what type of man, vampire, had inspired such love and devotion in Cordelia. Soon they would have to talk about the people who had been in their lives, but he wanted an unbiased opinion first. Only he didn't want to look like he was trying to get it.
"He's gone?" And the hint of sadness in Spike's voice came as a suprise. Before Connor could confirm, he simply nodded, "Figured as much. He would have been right there last night scraping if he were still alive. Went down with a fight right?"
"Yeah."
"So," Spike stood and shook himself like a wet dog, "Enough of the morbid, we can't just sit here like bumps waiting until our women come home. Besides, they're going to have bags of stuff and want to show it off."
They all visibly shuddered.
"And if we don't oh and aww in the right places, we'll never hear the end of it."
"I don't get it," Dean sneered.
"You're not supposed to," Sam empathized, "It's shopping, they're women."
"But it's just clothes. Not something useful like a new set of brakes for the Impala or even a new hacksaw or something. Now that's something to get excited about. Man, I took down a demon once with one of those babies, it was brand new steel perfection." Dean closed his eyes and hummed with pleasure, "Butter."
And that's how they ended up in his training room eyeing his collection of weapons he had collected over the years. Spinelli had Gabriel occupied with a new game on the PSP over on the other side of the room with the practice mats. Every so often a little giggle would fill the room and Dean would look back with an attentive eye. Whether Dean knew it or not, he had already taken responsiblity for Gabriel, the next step to father would be easier than Dean might believe.
It was strange talking about his work so freely and watching a vampire with one of his swords was completely bizarre but despite all of this unfamiliar it wasn't so bad.
"I don't know Jason," Dean spoke up, "I just might have to take these babies off your hands. They feel right at home in my hands, practically sing to me." Dean had been enamored of his guns since he had placed them in the man's hands last night.
"I can get another pair. Or," he shrugged them off. Then lifted a brow in question, then walked over to another case and pressed the combination to release the secret wall. As the panel slid away he didn't bother to hide a grin at the awe on Dean's face. Considering his fascination, Jason figured Dean would get a kick out of this collection. "You could pick a pair from here. All of them are fitted for the UV and silver bullets. That's the kicker, I'd have to give you the information for my source and you can give him a call when you run out of ammunition."
"Sammy, look at this," Dean's voice sounded young and excited. "Damn man, he has a Mauser Winchester, and a Browning Winchester Magnum. I think I just hurt myself." He turned around and batted his eyes with his hands folded beneath his chin, "You feel like adopting a son. I'm house trained and everything."
"You're a little too old aren't you?"
"Never too old to appreciate a good shot gun and you have some choice stuff here."
"Must have come in handy during those mob enforcer days," Spike pointed out. Considering he had told Cordelia, Jason wasn't surprised to hear those words come from Spike. When the attention swung in his direction Spike shrugged completely unrepentant. "The women talk, and Win talks to me."
"You mean like cement shoes and sleeping with the fishes?" Sam asked and Dean rolled his eyes.
"You watch too much television."
"I'm starving," Dean rubbed a hand over his stomach, "I bet they're out there having lunch while we're here having sandwiches."
Given the amount of roast beef he was piling on that roll, Sam figured his brother would be just fine. He was missing Faith a little. Waking this morning with Faith nibbling at his neck was just a small slice of paradise. Her face bare, just a bit pale and giving him everything that lay behind her usual defenses had him tumbling for her all over again. They had made love in so many different ways the night before, as he rolled her beneath him and took them deep, it stunned him just how sweet this next time was. Made him wonder what their next time would bring.
When they went down for breakfast a while later, he didn't miss his brother's smirk and the gleeful promise of future teasing in his eyes. Probably deserved it given how he pushed Dean and Miranda together but his instincts about them had been right on, hadn't they?
"That's your second sandwich isn't it," Sam asked, dishing out a small portion of the tuna salad that Miranda had made the day before. The things she could do with food, he released a small groan of pleasure as he stuck the spoon in his mouth and closed the tupperware container.
They were all enjoying the fruits of Miranda's labor around the table in the kitchen. Jason's refrigerator was already packed with the various deli meats and makings for subs, but Miranda put together various salads yesterday. Dean was currently devouring the remainder of the potato salad while Connor and Jason divided the cole slaw between them. Spike had the bowl of egg salad on his lap, though Sam still wondered how vampires ate food. Spinelli and Gabriel were sharing a chicken salad she had made just for Gabriel that they had all been giving an eye.
The boy and the computer geek had bonded over video games, made sense considering Spinelli was practically a big kid himself. Though Gabriel was never too far from Connor's side. It was a little surprising to see Dean keeping a watchful eye on Gabriel. As someone who had been under Dean's protection so long, he was able to observe him in action over someone else.
The mild awkwardness, the way Gabriel looked at Dean in return was interesting. Much like the first time they met, neither were quite sure what to make of the other but were willing to wait and see because of the woman they shared in common.
He'd never thought of Dean as a father but now that he was given the image, Sam wasn't sure why he never had. Behind the gruff exterior, the smart comebacks and attitude was a heart of boundless love. His brother would make a wonderful father.
"Have to fortify myself somehow," Dean smirked, shoving some meat into his mouth. He split the sandwich he just made in half and placed one portion of it on Gabriel's plate to which the boy simply picked up and started eating. "Miranda's going to come back with all that stuff, I figure if I put myself in a food induced coma she won't be able to torture me for long."
"And that's why you're stuffing the kid?" Spike asked with a grin of his own.
"Yup, gotta look out for the younger generation. She'd have this kid surrounded in crap in no time, you see that spread she put on this morning. Not that I'm complaining mind you because hello, damned good, but she's going to want him trying on stuff and the women will be oohing and cooing over him."
Dean raised his voice to a feminine falsetto, "Oh, he's so cute."
The men shared another collective grimace.
"I don't understand the purpose," Connor bit into his own turkey and ham sandwich and chewed thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again with a mouthful that would have earned him a reprimand from Cordelia, "Clothes are merely a tool to cover the body. We fight demons, they become stained and torn so they must eventually be replaced. And like these pants," Connor tugged at the jeans he had loaned him, "They are sturdy but not quite as animal hide. Why does Mom make such a big deal out of how they look?"
"If you can answer that question, I think you'd have the answer to the mysteries of women and one of the wonders of the universe," Dean snorted. "It's not supposed to make sense."
"You just nod, and agree with whatever they say," Spike told him.
"And perhaps you'll be able to escape sooner rather than later," Jason finished.
The other men turned to look at the mild comment, one of few the man had given for most of the day. Jason Morgan didn't speak much, barely laughed though he had been caught smiling more than once, but when he did sometimes it was with great insight or a rare zing of humor that no one was expecting.
And this one was no different as laughter erupted throughout the kitchen.
XX
If the women in question had been privvy to the conversation currently involving them, there might have been a few knocks to the head in retailiation. Instead they were currently walking through the lobby of the MetroCourt Hotel for their truck so they could return to the cottage and inflict the torture the men were anticipating with more than a touch of horror.
Each of them had bags in their hands, a smile on their face and seemed to the casual observer as if they were the best of friends or even more, family.
Which is what caught Jasper Jacks' eye as he stood at the front desk discussing a change in the housekeeping schedule with his fiancee and business partner, Carly. The women were unfamiliar, except for Lulu and Kady, so he wondered how the two knew them. Each were quite beautiful in their own way indivdual in their styles, from the long mahagony dress of the willowy one. The other walking next to Lulu with her hair pulled into a pony tail wore all dark leather which truly suited her. The danity one had a short cropped bob and casual cargos and blouse but still managed to look graceful and feminine.
The last and obviously the forerunner of the group wore her long dark hair in a straight fall to her shoulders dressed in all black jeans and a stylish silk blouse with french cuffs, she carried herself with a confidence much like his fiancee's, seeming aware of the glances in their direction but unlike Carly not giving them much consideration.
"Jax did you hear me? What are you looking at?" He turned his gaze back to the blue impatience of Carly's and wasn't surprise that she had caught the objects of his attention. "Who are they?"
He waited the few seconds that he knew it would take for Carly to spot her daughter and wasn't surprised by the burst of anger. Carly and Kady might not be as close as some mothers and daughters but with Kady Carly behaved as she did with everything she considered her personal domain, with a possessiveness that could drive a saint to distraction. Though he thought he saw a bit of the vulnerability in her gaze. Turning to see what could have caused the reaction, he watched as the woman he had compared to Carly ran a hand over Kady's head affectionately, who looked up and graced her with a bright smile.
Kady must have said something funny because she raised one of the bags in her hand and shook it, making the woman release a ripple of laughter that echoed through the room.
"Why is my daughter off with some strange woman? What is Jason thinking?" Her voice that started in a whisper quickly gained volume and strength. "And Lulu? What is going on in that house over there!"
"Carly maybe you should calm down," he tried and she looked at him as if he were insane.
"Calm down," she blinked several times, "Calm down? Jason is allowing my daughter to go off with who knows and you expect me to calm down? When I went over yesterday to take Kady shopping and for lunch with her family, Jason tells me that Kady doesn't want to go, but today all of a sudden she wants to with some stranger she's known all of ten seconds? I will not allow some bimbo to come along and try to push me out of my daughter's life."
And Jax finally saw the source of that hurt. Watching her snatch her purse from the counter and stomp off to her office, he wondered if he should call Jason and give him a heads up on this coming implosion. Then he lifted a shoulder, maybe the two of them needed to have this confrontation.
XX
By unianimous decision the occupants of the Morgan cottage decided to remain in for the evening instead of venturing out onto the streets of Port Charles. Not that any of them truly cared, in fact they prefered the privacy.
So Miranda volunteered to cook dinner for the motley crew, though Jason certainly offered to order in, but she waved the offer aside. Given the people there and how much they had risked to bring her son back, it was the very least she could do. Besides, she loved cooking anyway.
Miranda certainly earned a smile from Fred when she suggested Mexican for the night. Winifred Burkle certainly loved her tacos. Lulu took Spinelli, Connor, Kady and Gabriel into Jason's den for a movie marathon. Dean followed Miranda into the kitchen, under the guise of helping, but it didn't take a genius to figure out he was hoping for a sneak bite or two. Spike was showing Fred the finer points of pool, while Faith and Sam curled into a private corner whispering.
Cordelia looked at her friends and couldn't help smile.
Walking from her corner of the room, she went to the man who had been watching her from the moment she had come through the front door. How on earth did he manage to look so gorgeous without even trying?
This morning she thought it might have been adrenaline left over from a life or death situation that had caused her to practically throw herself at Jason. Imagine her surprise after a few hours of the most restful sleep she had in quite a while, she had been twenty seconds from jumping the man all over again.
Well that shot that theory to hell, didn't it?
Instead she had curled into his arms, wonderfully content with the sense of safety and rightness his embrace provided and kissed the man senseless. By the time they pulled away, their positions had somehow switched with her beneath him, his hands beneath her gown cupping her ass, her legs clenching his waist and the full hard length of him pressing against her. A very nice way to start the day.
Without a word, she took Jason's hand and led him outside to the front porch, wanting a moment alone but knowing they would probably need the cold to keep them aware of their surrounds. It would be a close thing. He walked to the porch swing and sat down, pulling her into his arms and they watched the moon rise higher in the sky.
"This is nice," she murmured, turning her head slightly so that she could rub her nose against his neck and draw his scent into her lungs. There was something amazing about how he smelled. A mixture of leather and spice and something slightly wild. It went straight to her head like a glass of the finest cognac and warmed the belly.
"You're not too cold?" His arms closed around her tighter and she shook her head. His body heat was more than enough to keep her warm. "So how was shopping?"
That made her snort considering the looks on every man's face when they walked through the door earlier. Most of them looked as if they would prefer to face a firing squad. "Are you asking just to be polite?"
"Yes." Making them both laugh, "But really, you and Kady looked like you were getting along."
"Despite the fact that she's picking up your horrible attitude about shopping?" Lifted her head to pin him with a trade mark Cordy stare and he merely raised his hands. She tried not to let her shock show, used to people reacting more to that look, only to find Jason practically impervious to it.
"Kady makes up her own mind about stuff like that. In fact, Carly tried to get her shopping and Kady backed out of it. Maybe she just wanted a chance to get to know you and used shopping as the opportunity."
She hadn't even thought of that. It made her feel a little squeeze of warmth at the knowledge that Kady might want to get to know her better. "You think so?"
"It would be like her," he told her, "Kady's like that, she would have seen behind that wall you have and found exactly what I did."
"And what's that?"
"A woman I want to know." He shifted, so that they were facing each other, brushed a strand of hair away from her face so that he could trace a finger against her cheek. "A woman with a big heart, who is fiercely loyal and understands our world. I see someone I don't have to hide part of myself from and I realize how rare that is. And perhaps I can trust all of who I am with someone for the first time."
Cordelia swallowed the heart that had leapt into her throat. What she and Angel shared was precious but never had he spoken to her like this. They trusted each other, they knew the best and worst of each other but never had they spoken of the feelings that had developed between them, for fear of ruining the relationship they had.
Jason wasn't holding anything back and she wanted to give him the same. "Jason, I should tell you about me and Angel."
He looked at her for a long moment, then nodded slowly, "If that's what you want."
"I do. Because I don't want to make the same mistakes with you that I made with him." So she told Jason her story. Starting with those bad days on the Hellmouth. How she had been a bitch in high school and how her life would be changed forever the year Buffy Summers came to Sunnydale.
She confided the secrets she had only told Angel, how her parents had been neglectful, using money to take their place in her lives only to lose it all her Senior year. How she had hid behind a mask of arrogance and attitude to keep anyone from finding out the truth. She told him of Xander, the boyfriend who had betrayed her with Willow Rosenburg of all people, ultimately causing her to be impaled through the side by a rebar. But it was Xander who had suspected something after finding out she was working after school in a boutique so she could afford to buy a prom dress. Xander who had cared.
Then she ran to LA after graduation, trying to find some semblance of life, under the guise of wanting to become a famous actress. It seemed her destiny was always this world and it had led her right back to Angel. The vampire with a soul who had been madly in love with Buffy Summers through most of her high school years and a few afterwards as well.
She told Jason about Doyle, funny wonderful Doyle, the half demon who sacrificed himself and passed the visions along to her. A human who wasn't intended to be a Seer for the Powers.
It was hard telling him about those years in LA, especially the Angel/Darla drama. How he had practically abandoned them in his pursuit of Wolfram and Heart. Somehow that time drew her, Wesley and Gunn closer and they managed without him until he came back. Forgiveness had been hard earned but perhaps she had known even then how much she loved Angel.
She certainly hadn't hesitated to become a half-demon so that she could keep the visions. To help Angel find his Shanshu, his redemption. Because she had loved him yes, but even more because she had finally become a woman she could respect and be proud of. A woman who understood the meaning of help the helpless.
"When Angel jumped into that hell dimension, part of me hated him. I understood. If I could have gone after Connor, I would have. But he left me, left all of us, and we were finally a family. And I hated him because it hurt so badly." She blinked back the tears that had filled her eyes, "I never told him how much I loved him, Jason. I don't want to make that mistake with you."
She lifted his hand and placed it to her chest, "You make me feel," and broke off because she didn't quite know how to explain how Jason made her feel. "It's so big, and it's so strong, these feelings I have for you. I was afraid of them, because of what happened with Angel and I tried to pretend that I didn't feel anything for you. When I couldn't deny I was attracted, I said fine, doesn't mean I have to do anything about it."
She looked down at the strong hand in both of hers, noting how it was larger, then back into the cerulean eyes that always tugged at something deep in her heart no matter how hard she tried to deny it. "I want to be myself with you as well. I know you see me, all of me, and for the first time I'm not afraid to risk reaching for more. Right here, I feel safe enough to want everything. With you."
For a long time he said nothing, just looked as if he were absorbing the things she had told him and coming to a decision. "Everything," he murmured, as a small but beautiful smile curved his lips.
She released his hand, which immediately reached to cup her face. The contrast of his heat against her cool face, slid seductively through her. She could see just a hint of his fangs in that smile, a hint of something wicked in his eyes as they flickered and her body reacted accordingly.
Her breasts grew heavy, achy for his touch, heat pooled wet between her legs in anticipation. Trying to stave off the swiftly rising hunger, she grabbed the front of his t-shirt, only to moan at the muscle beneath her fingertips. "Will it always be like this?"
"Damn, I hope so," he whispered as he lowered his mouth to her neck. Arching into the caress of his mouth, loving the warm touch of his tongue on her skin, the brief nip of his teeth. It made every erogenous zone on her body hum with desire.
"Jason, you-" but the last of her words were smothered on his lips as he claimed her mouth with a demand she was only too happy to answer.
Heat burned wild and rapidly out of control as their mouths moved together. Savoring each taste, lingering over a suckle of lips and when his tongue traced the soft fullness of her lower lip seeking entrance, enticing her own to join his sensual dance, she drowned in him.
"Cordelia," his breathless groan against her mouth, made the fingers that had slipped from the powerful muscle in his chest and into his hair to pull him closer tighten.
Both of them heard the sharp gasp seconds later, jerked in surprise because they had been so absorbed in each other they hadn't noted anyone approaching. Jason pulled back first, and from the near snarl on his mouth, he wasn't happy about the interruption.
"Carly."