February 5, 1999
Everyone was relieved when Angel and Cordy returned after apparently making up. Buffy noticed the way Angel kept his hand at the small of Cordy's back as she walked towards the table. Cordy smiled at Faith who she noticed had joined the meeting while she and Angel had been talking in the stairwell.
"We should patrol," Buffy suggested to Past Angel as the others sat at the table looking through texts. She needed to just get some time away with her Angel.
"That's a good idea," Cordy said and turned to her Angel. "Maybe you should take Faith."
"I'm fine on my own," Faith replied.
"Buffy's going to have Angel's help why shouldn't you," Cordy said with a shrug.
Cordy and Future Angel exchanged a look. He wasn't thrilled by Cordy's suggestion. After being separated for the last few days Angel didn't want to leave Cordy's side, but he understood what Cordy was trying to do. Wesley probably wouldn't approve of messing with the time line, but Angel wanted to try to save Faith before she crossed the line if he could. Faith deserved a chance to start over.
"Let's go," Angel said walking out with Faith.
"We need to come up with a nickname so we can tell apart the Angels," Cordy suggested.
"Dead boy's always good," Xander offered.
"How about Gus?" Willow suggested.
"He'll hate it," Cordy said and then smiled as she said beside Wesley.
"It's perfect," Cordelia replied with a wink in Cordy's direction.
Cordy smiled at her counter part, "So we'll call Present Angel Gus and my Angel well we'll just call him Angel."
"Your Angel," Xander noticed.
"Well he's from my time," Cordy explained.
"So tell me about you and Wesley?" Cordelia replied.
"I'm sitting right here," Wesley replied.
"Okay than you can tell me about you and Cordy," she replied. "When do I meet the present version of you?"
"We're here to research Jacob Smith," Giles said. "This isn't the time for gossip."
"There's always time for gossip," Cordelia said.
Cordy agreed, "The end of the world could come, and we'd still make time for it."
Xander shook his head, "Two Cordelias, Giles. You can't win."
--
Angel returned to the mansion at the same time Buffy and Past Angel returned.
Angel growled slightly, "She's upstairs alone."
He had expected to find Cordy surrounded by the others in the library but not alone in the mansion. He wanted better protection for her. He didn't bother exchanging words with Buffy and the other Angel but went to find Cordy lying down in one of the spare rooms.
"Why aren't you at the library with the others?" Angel demanded. He'd been annoyed to find the library empty when he and Faith returned from patrol
At the sight of him she immediately leap off the bed and checked for injuries.
"It's 2am Angel. Everyone's home in bed by now," Cordy said.
Angel took off his coat, "You shouldn't be alone."
"Jacob has no idea where I am. They would have stayed with me but fortunately I'm more stubborn than they are." Cordy could see the large gash in his side and frowned.
"I've got to find the first aid kit," Cordy said leaving the room with Angel following close behind.
Buffy and Gus as Past Angel had been dubbed by the others were in the living room.
"First Aid kit?" Cordy asked.
"First drawer in the kitchen," Angel replied.
Cordy went to get it as Angel sat down in the living room.
"How was patrol on your side of town?" Angel asked.
"Quiet," Gus replied looking over Angel's bloody appearance. "Not so quiet on your side of town."
"Faith and I found a vamp nest," Angel replied.
Cordy returned with the kit and looked over at Buffy and Angel, "You guys don't need patching up?"
"The other Angel and Faith got all the fighty fun tonight," Buffy said watching Cordy take off Angel's shirt. 'Why exactly does she have to take his shirt off for him? It's not like his arms are injured.'
"Well Angel did you get to kill something?" Cordy asked. "I know that had to brighten your evening."
Angel just smiled at Cordy as she patched his wounds.
"How was Faith?" Cordy asked and looked at Angel intently.
"Charming as always," Angel replied.
Cordy knew what that meant. It hadn't gone well.
"Yeah well there's always tomorrow," Cordy said.
"Let's hope so," Angel replied getting up.
Buffy took note of the exchange, "Is there something we should know about Faith?"
"I was just trying to reconnect with a friend," Angel replied. It wasn't a lie even if it wasn't the whole truth.
"Mind if I steal one of your shirts for my Angel, Gus?" Cordy asked with a smile.
"Gus?" he replied.
"It's our new nickname for you," Cordy said. "I wish I could take credit for it, but it was Willow's suggestion."
"There aren't any new nicknames for me are there?" Angel asked looking genuinely concerned.
"No, but I can think of a few if you like," Cordy said smiling at him. She just loved being around him again.
Angel smiled back at her and asked, "Where's Wes?"
"Crashing at Giles's place," Cord said and before Angel could ask. "He didn't stay here with me because he could be more help looking over musty texts with Giles."
"You look tired," Angel observed.
"It's been an exciting couple of days," Cordy replied. "Goodnight all."
Cordy began walking upstairs with Angel. Buffy watched them until they were out of her eye sight.
"We should make up the couch for your future self," Buffy said.
"I don't think that's necessary," Gus said.
"But you told me you only had one extra room for Cordy," Buffy said. "Where is Angel supposed to sleep?"
"With everything going on I don't think Angel's going to leave Cordy's side tonight. He clearly wasn't happy when he walked in the mansion and found out Cordy was here alone. He'll stay close to her until this is over," Angel said.
"So they're roommates now. Cordy'll love that," Buffy said.
There were things Buffy wondered; things she was worried about after seeing Cordy and the future version of Angel. She wanted to talk to her Angel but the words couldn't come out of her mouth.
--
Angel was close behind Cordy as she entered her room. They both stared at the bed. They had shared a bed a couple of times before, but Connor had been between them.
"I'm going to get cleaned up," Angel said walking into the bathroom.
Cordy changed into the nightgown Willow had loaned her and was in the bed when Angel reentered the room. She had her back to him when he got into the bed beside her. He was surprised when she turned to face him.
"It's weird being in someone else's body," Cordy said. "Is it weird for you to see me and it not be me?"
"Yeah, but I know when it's you," Angel said. "You've got this spark in your eye. It's yours no matter what body you're in."
Cordy smiled at that and then turned on to her side away from him, "It's good to know you 'll always see me no matter what package I come in."
Angel was swamped with guilt. He thought of Anna and how she tricked him into believing he finally had Cordy when it was all counterfeit. He blamed himself more than Anna now. He should have known Anna wasn't Cordy. He wasn't lying when he said he could recognize Cordy. Now he could see Cordy in Anna's eyes. And in Cordy's eyes after he knew the truth he could see the spark he loved missing. It was Anna in Cordy's Place.
Anna couldn't fool him forever, and she shouldn't have fooled him at all. If he had just paid attention he wouldn't be feeling the weight of his betrayal. But at the time he was too distracted by the prospect of finally being with Cordy to realize he didn't have her at all. He felt as if he violated Cordy and more than anything he never wanted to do that. And to make it worse he was too selfish to tell Cordy the truth. It would hurt her, and he was terrified of losing her.
He was a comforted when Cordy slid towards him so her back would rest against his chest. She reached and found his arm which she wrapped around her so she could hold his hand.
"Goodnight Cor," Angel said.
"Night, Angel," Cordy replied with a yawn as she drifted to sleep.
--
February 6, 2002
When Lorne woke up he was a bit disoriented but then he remembered where he was. Anna was asleep beside him on the couch in Buffy's living room. She rested her head on Lorne shoulder. She opened her eyes and for a moment smiled at him. But that didn't last. Suddenly she jumped from the couch screaming. It was like when they first meet all over again except this time her reaction bothered Lorne a lot more. She knew him now and he'd thought they were friends.
"I thought the green and the horns didn't matter to you," He said.
"Lorne?" Anna asked suddenly coming to herself. "I think I just had one of Cordy's visions."
She rushed to the phone and took out the Angel investigations calling card Fred had given her. Lorne stayed close as Anna relayed her vision to Fred.
"Do you need anything?" Lorne asked after Anna finished talking to Fred.
Anna shook her head and sat on the couch, "So that's a vision. Poor Cordy. They're horrible. This demon was attacking this woman. I could feel it. I could see it. It was like I was her. How does Cordy handle it?"
Lorne came to sit beside her, "Cordy's a tough one."
"I'm sorry I screamed. It just took me a while to realize I was having a vision and not being attacked myself," Anna said shivering and then hugging herself
The vision brought on a flood of memories she didn't want to focus on. There was a time when she was like that woman in the vision. Helpless and at her father's mercy. Anna hoped those days were over and pushed the thoughts away.
Anna got up from the couch, "I don't think anybody else is awake yet. You want breakfast?"
"Sure," Lorne said watching Anna enter the kitchen. "I'll just go upstairs to check on the little dumpling."
Lorne entered Willow's room and was surprised to find Buffy standing over the crib. Connor confused and scared her. Imagining Angel as a father was difficult and imagining herself a mother was impossible. Buffy felt overwhelmed by Dawn who could take care of herself but a baby was a greater responsibility.
"I was waiting for him to wake up," Buffy said. "I wanted to try holding him again."
"He'll be up soon. It's almost his breakfast time," Lorne said. "He'll be fussy when he wakes though."
"He'll miss Angel," Buffy assumed.
"Yeah, plus he misses Cordy," Lorne said. "For both of them to be gone is hard for a little one to understand."
"I didn't think Cordy and kids mixed," Buffy said.
"I think before Connor came along she might have agreed with you," Lorne said with a smile. "But she's a natural. I think it comes from her taking care of all of us over the years."
"Cordy with a baby is definitely something I've got to see," Buffy said smiling and then thinking to herself that if Cordy could be mother type than any woman could.
"I never really thought I'd ever be a mom when you consider slayer life span and all," Buffy said. "I always thought I'd die in battle before I could have a child. I certainly never thought having a baby with Angel was an option. But I look at Connor and ..."
Lorne frowned, "Life is full of surprises."
Lorne didn't like the hope in Buffy's eyes. In some ways, he could tell she needed something to latch on to, but Angel wasn't the right thing. He wanted to prepare her for whatever Angel decided to tell her when he returned.
"Do you want to give it a go? Sing for me," Lorne suggested.
Buffy hugged herself, "There things I don't want to talk about."
"Sometimes it's easier telling all to a stranger. Plus I'm a former bartender. We're like priests but with more alcohol," Lorne said.
Buffy thought it over as Connor woke up with angry tears, and Lorne began to tend to him.
