Chapter 17
Dr. Martin was the first to get up. Angel had started the water heater last night so she was able to take a nice warm bath and soak her left leg. The strain of having to constantly work at controlling it was very draining. The muscle in her hip was often very sore at the end of the day. When she heard Spike and Angel starting to move around she got out and got dressed. When she was done she went and knocked on Angel's door.
"Angel can you braid my hair for me please?" Angel came and opened the door. "Sure, do you want to do it here or in your room?" "All of my pins are in my room so do you mind coming over there?" "I'll be there in just a few minutes." Angel said as he put his shoes on and tied them.
It only took him 20 minutes to braid her hair and style it the way she wanted. Spike had come in a few minutes after he started and was watching him. "This sure reminds me of watching Angelus do Darla's hair." When Angel was done he stood back and looked at his work.
"How do you like it?" "It's perfect, thank you very much. It's still hard for me to raise my arm up to style my hair. I can shampoo it okay now but to do intricate work is still beyond me. When I go to the convent I'll see if I can talk to the physical therapist to see if she has any ideas to help me get better control over my arm and hand." Dr. Martin got up then and took her robe off. For a second Angel and Spike made a move to run out of the room.
"It's okay Angel and Spike. Did you think I was naked underneath my robe?" Both of the men hem hawed around their answer. "Well no we uh didn't uh think uh."
"I had my robe on to protect my clothes from any hair that was falling." Dr. Martin was almost completely dressed and only had to slip on her skirt over her head. When she was done and checked the mirror to make sure that everything was in place she said "You know Spike and Angel when I was a nun I never looked in the mirror." "Why, what did you think it was going to do to you, steal your soul away?" Spike said jokingly.
"No Spike. Have you noticed how Angel looks in the mirror a lot now that he can see his reflection?" Dr. Martin said as she pulled out a long black wrap and tied it around her shoulder. "As a matter of fact I do. Any day now I expect to see him kiss his own reflection, he is so in love with himself." "You're just jealous that I can see myself and you can't." Angel said.
"What I am trying to get at is he suffers from the sin of pride and worst of all vanity. Have you ever read the Imitation of Christ Angel?" Dr. Martin asked. Angel realized then that she was in full teacher mode right now.
"Yes, it just so happens that I read it last year. It's now one of my meditation books." "Very good, I couldn't have chosen a better one for you. Do you remember what the author says about vanity?" "Yes." Angel turned to Spike and quoted from the book "Vanity, vanity all is vanity except to love the Lord thy God." Angels face was red.
"That's okay Angel after all it's been over 250 years since you saw your own reflection. I am sure that Christ will make allowances for that. To get back to your question Spike, vanity is the reason I never looked at my own reflection. Otherwise I would busy myself with how I looked and not with God's work. Just as a new bride has her mind constantly on her husband so it is with the brides of Christ." Dr. Martin started for the door then and Angel and Spike took it as a signal that class was over.
Before they had left L.A. Spike had asked Hunter if he could borrow her ring so that he could walk out into the daylight. It felt nice to walk out into the daylight for once.
Since it was now 11:45 they walked directly to the entrance of the convent. Before Dr. Martin opened the door she stopped and said "Be good you two or I'll make you suffer for it when we get back home." Both Angel and Spike said "Yes Mam." Dr. Martin knocked at the door and little Sr. Cecil opened the door. It wasn't quiet 12 noon yet so Dr. Martin knew that they were still observing the morning silence. Sr. Cecil greeted Dr. Martin by pressing her cheek against hers on each side. Since Sr. Cecil knew Angel she put her hand out to shake his. As usual though Angel took her tiny little hand in his and kissed it. Sr. Cecil blushed. She didn't know Spike so she just smiled and nodded to him and he did the same. Sr. Cecil took them over to the waiting room and she whispered to Dr. Martin that Mother Superior would be with her in a few minutes.
They all sat down then and waited. In a few minutes Mother Superior and her assistant came in to greet them. Dr. Martin stood right away and greeted her in the usual manner. She let her go after a minute and let Angel greet her. When he let her hand go he stepped back. In a low voice she said "And this must be Spike or would you prefer Dr. Summers?" As Spike took her hand and kissed it he said "Spike will be fine Mother Superior."
"Let's go to the guest dinning room the Sisters have already taken in the food." As they were walking Mother Superior noticed Dr. Martin was having a problem with her left leg but she didn't say anything. She walked into the dinning room and went to the end of the table. Angel took the chair on her right side and Dr. Martin and Spike went to the left. Mother Superior remained standing and so did the others. She offered a prayer of thanks giving and they sat down. Angel held Mother Superiors chair out for her and Spike took care of Dr. Martin. Mother Superior pointed out the pitcher next to Angel. She didn't say what was in it she just pointed it out. Angel opened it and looked inside and smiled.
"Give me your glass Spike." Angel poured him some blood and then filled his own glass. They took a sip of the blood. "Lamb and it's made the way Cordelia makes it." Both Angel and Spike drank the blood greedily. They hadn't had any since the day before and they were both hungry for it. Everyone started to make themselves a sandwich then. When they had finished their lunch Mother Superior started the conversation.
"How are you doing since your stroke Mary?" "I am doing pretty good Mother. I still have a problem with my left leg and I can't quiet lift my left arm to do things like fix my hair. Angel helped me a lot when he created a link between our minds and he taught me how to speak correctly again in a much shorter time then it would have normally taken me. Sometimes when my therapist or Giles is making me exercise my leg I get tired and uncooperative and that's when Angel gives me, what Cordelia calls the look, and I start cooperating." Dr. Martin smiled at him.
"What is the look?" "It's Angel's way of telling someone that he isn't very happy with them. Show Mother Superior Angel." Angel gave her the look then smiled. "Actually I didn't develop the look it just came into existence when my daughter started giving us problems. I used to have a link with her but I had to end it because of certain problems. I guess that was when the "look" came into existence. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I tried it on Mom and it worked. I gave her the look and she started to perspire and she started shaking all over. It was pitiful. I was so embarrassed for her that I had to close my eyes and turn away." Dr. Martin threw her napkin at him. "I did not you little liar."
"Okay she is right I am over exaggerating. She was just perspiring heavily." "Try it one more time Angel." "Okay, okay. She was perspiring heavily because she was working hard at doing what her therapist said." They were all laughing by the time Angel finally gave the whole truth.
Angel gave a large document envelope to Mother Superior. "What's this?" She asked. "In your hands you have a picture of everyone at Angel Investigation and Buffy's Sunnydale gang. Best of all Mother is a picture of my daughter, Mary Kathleen Martin.
We have two more people that have joined us recently but I was unable to get one persons picture because he just joined us 2 days ago. I thought you would be interested in seeing how God is guiding my group to be able to continue on without Vampires. One of the two newest members to join our group is a girl named Louis D'Chambeau. Two days ago her brother Tom D'Chambeau joined us when their father Daniel Francis D'Chambeau died in an accident when a cougar attacked him and pushed him over a cliff. Daniel D'Chambeau was a Vampire and he fathered Tom and Lou with another Vampire. They have many of their father's powers just like my son Connor has many of mine and his mother's powers. Lou and Connor fell in love from the moment they saw each other. Have you ever heard of the Italian thunderbolt hitting a man when he sees the woman he is going to marry?" "Yes I have, my family is Italian and my father always told us about the thunderbolt hitting him when he met my mother." Mother Superior said.
"Time is getting short Angel and I am sorry to interrupt our talk but we will have to talk about your little girl later if we have time. Right now I need to know what it is that you would like to talk to the Sisters about this evening." Mother Superior asked as she made herself another cup of tea.
Angel proceeded to tell her all about Billy and Dawn and how he would like to ask the Sisters to pray for them. Through all of the time that Angel was talking Spike was silent. When Angel was done Mother Superior looked at Spike. "Spike is this something that you want for Billy?" "Yes Mother I do. Billy is all that Angel said. He is what you would call an Innocent. When you hear him speak you'll understand. As for Dawn, it's like they say, it doesn't hurt to try and next to Buffy I love Dawn. I think of her as my younger sister. She would always come and keep me company whenever I was depressed because Buffy had rebuffed me. Best of all she always tells me what to do in order to get back into her good graces. She is the little sister I used to wish I had. Mother Superior if you knew Dawn you would never suspect that she wasn't one hundred percent human."
"Okay Angel and Spike tonight after supper we will all be gathered in the recreational room and you can make your requests to the Sisters at that time. Spike I want you to think of what you would like for yourself as well. I haven't heard you ask for anything for yourself yet. Even Angel asked us to pray for him. If you think about it Spike I think you will believe in the power of prayer when you look at all of the good things that have happened to him since he came here. Nothing that you could possibly request could be beyond Gods capacity to give.
Dr. Martin and I will leave now she has requested that she be allowed to visit with the Sisters. At 3 o'clock we will be having Vespers in the chapel if you would like to attend." Mother Superior and Dr. Martin left then. Before they could walk out of the door though Angel called to her "Mother Superior I brought a gift for Sister Cecil could I give it to her as I leave here?" Angel pulled out a large Hershey Chocolate bar to show her. Mother Superior smiled. "Yes Angel and tell her that you showed it to me and that I gave my permission." Angel and Spike were free to do as they wanted now except to go into the convent beyond the hallway that led to the dinning room.
"Let's go back to the guest house. I think I can do with a nap." Angel said as he walked to the door. As they passed Sr. Cecil's desk Angel thought he would make her day and visit her for a few minutes.
Angel sat on the edge of Sr. Cecil's desk. "How have you been doing since I last saw you Sr. Cecil?" "I have been doing ok, thank you. My arthritis is getting worse but I can still be the porter and still serve the community." Angel picked up one of her hands and held it in his. The joints in her hand were swollen with Rheumatoid arthritis. He knew that every movement must be very painful. He kissed her hand then turned it over and placed the chocolate bar in it. "This is for you Sister. I already asked Mother Superior if I could give this to you and she said yes." He closed her hand around it as far as it would go. Sr. Cecil's eyes grew to the size of saucers.
"Oh thank you Angel. I will put it in the desk and save it for when my arthritis is hurting real bad. Then I will think of you and say an extra Rosary for you. Now I have something to share at Recreation and the other Sisters will be so jealous."
"Sister! Would you really do that?" Spike asked. "Oh yes." Sr. Cecil held her finger to her lips and said "Shhhh don't say anything though, I'll save it for one of the long winter nights when everyone is tired then I'll bring it out that I was given this chocolate bar by Angel. It will give me something to talk about for a long time to come."
Angel stood up and gave her a final kiss then they left.
Angel and Spike walked quietly back to the guest house until Spike said "I wonder what a person like Sr. Cecil could have possibly done during her lifetime here." "What makes you say that?" "She seems so child like; I was wondering if she was mildly retarded." "Sr. Cecil isn't retarded she is just old. Mom told me that Sr. Cecil just seems retarded because she sleeps a great deal and because of that her brain is starting to shrink and that is what makes her child like. Her thoughts don't consist of anything more than greeting people, taking their coats during the winter time and praying. When the mind doesn't have any challenges it tends to stagnate and becomes complacent with life. It's a classic example of the saying 'The spirit is willing but the body is weak'."
Angel and Spike entered the house and didn't say anything more. They both went to their rooms and took a nap. Their Vampire blood still called to them to sleep during the day light hours even though they didn't live as Vampires. Even though Spice had borrowed Hunters ring for their little trip he still found an aversion to the daylight and it seemed unnatural to him.
At 2:30 that afternoon Dr. Martin returned to the guest house to rest for awhile before the evening meal. Even though she had only been up for a few hours she was already tired. She had been spending the last couple of hours with Sr. Francis who was the hospitals head pharmacist. Sr. Francis was the one that Dr. Martin had asked to check into a drug that would allow Angelus to be free for 24 hours. The five year mark that she had agreed to with Angelus wasn't to far off in the future. She had also stopped in and visited David Williams father who had suffered a stroke five years ago. He was still alive and had improved somewhat. She was happy to see that he remembered her.
When they returned to the convent for Supper they saw a limousine in the front of the convent. Dr. Martin had an idea who it might be but she didn't say anything to Angel and Spike. When they entered the front door Sr. Cecil took them to the waiting room. John Williams and Bishop Jack O'Connel rose from where they were sitting. Both Angel and Dr. Martin were surprised to see them both. Dr. Martin went to John and hugged him and Angel went to the Bishop. When they all separated Angel introduced Spike as Dr. William Summers. Spike shook Johns and Jacks hand.
"So John I understand that you're the one that decked Angel with one punch. I sure would have liked to have seen that." Spike said with a big grin on his face.
John's face turned red. It was clear he was embarrassed about the way he acted back then. "Please believe me Mr. Martin when I say that I am very, very sorry for acting in such a childish way. I am truly very sorry that I did that. I had no right to do it." John offered his hand in friendship this time and Angel took it.
"Apology accepted John besides you need to save your arm for her husband." Angel said with a grin and Dr. Martin gave him a dirty look which made him smile even more. John looked at Dr. Martin. "Don't tell me you're married already."
Fortunately Mother Superior came in to save the day. "Bishop O'Connel what do we owe this visit to." "When John called his father to check on how he was doing he told John that Dr. Martin was here. So of course I had to come along with him." "You are all welcome to come and have Supper with us. I have to let the Sisters know that we have two more people for Supper. I'll be right back." While she was gone John started to drill Dr. Martin about her new husband. Jack, Angel and Spike stepped away from them so Jack could drill Angel as to what had brought him here. Angel proceeded to tell him all about Billy and what they were going to ask the Sisters for.
"Since John doesn't know anything about you I'll get him to leave after Supper. If you don't mind I would like to join you when you go to talk to the Sisters." Angel turned to Spike. "Do you mind Spike?" "No not at all." Spike answered. Mother Superior came back and called them all to join her.
They all had a nice peaceful Supper. Mother Superior had, had the foresight fortunately to have the Sisters remove the pitcher of blood from the cart. It was too late though to change the large rare steaks the cook had made for Spike and Angel. John and Jack just looked at them. "Well I guess we know who the favorite around here is." Jack said. "Oh I'm very sorry Your Grace, would you like a steak also?" Mother Superior asked. "No, no Mother I was just pulling Angels chain. This is just fine." To show how much he liked his fish he dug in.
Dr. Martin in the mean time was telling John all about her stroke and how everyone at the hotel had helped her to recover to the point that you could barely tell that she was still having a problem with her left leg. She pulled out her wallet and showed him a picture of Giles. "But Mary, he looks like he is about my age. I thought you didn't want to be with me because I was so much younger than you." Everyone looked at the other end of the table. Dr. Martin looked to Mother Superior for help. When she saw the smile on her face she knew she would have to go it alone.
Dr. Martin stood up. "Excuse us everyone but John and I have to have a long talk." Dr. Martin pushed her chair back in and turned to leave. John didn't get up though. "I would follow her if I were you John she has ways to make you sorry you didn't do what she said." John got up after taking just a few seconds to think about Angels warning. He didn't move fast enough though because just as he was apologizing to Mother Superior they heard Dr. Martins voice again. John quickly left then. Everyone laughed when he left.
"Poor John, he has been in love with Dr. Martin ever since his mother tried to commit suicide and she talked her out of it. He was really hurt when she left to go to Los Angeles." Mother Superior said. The rest of the meal was eaten in a lot more quiet atmosphere. When she was done Mother Superior stood and said "If you would excuse me gentlemen I am going to make sure that the Sisters are ready for you. I think it would be best if John left Your Grace since we don't want him to know about Angel and Spike." "I'll take care of it Mother." The men all stood up as she left the room.
They felt freer to speak now that the others had left. "So what have you really been up to Angel since I last saw you?" "Oh nothing much. Just making babies and becoming human again." "Becoming human again, how are you accomplishing that?" "A lot of suffering and a lot of hard work." "I thought you boys were dead so how in heavens name are you able to make babies." "Well you'll never believe it Jack but that is what Mom came to help me with. She was sent to help me learn how to deal with my peculiar problems and as a side benefit she has proven to me that we don't die our bodies are just super efficient. Best of all Jack she has brought not only me but everyone but two of our people either back to the Catholic Church or converted to the Catholic Church. I can now go out into the sunlight for at least four hours and I can now look in the mirror and see my handsome face look back at me. The first thing I did when I saw my own reflection was to say 'No wonder Cordelia fell in love with me'." Angel smiled when he said that. "Yeah you should see all of the lip marks on the mirrors because he is constantly kissing his own reflection." Spike said.
"When did you start calling Dr. Martin Mom?" Angel laughed at Jacks question. He was wondering how long it would take for him to catch that.
"Dr. Martin and I came to fulfill something in each other that was missing and that we both needed. I guess you could call it a mutual adoption. I told her that I thought of her as my mother because she had more or less given me life again when she proved to me that I never did die. It's just that when we are turned our body's slow way down and become super efficient. She helped me to understand that my demon Angelus and I are two entirely different entities and that everything that happened when he was in control was not my fault but his. Plus since Sr. Margaret died Mom is now the one that tells us what God wants us to do. We kind of get our life altering orders from her now. Sr. Margaret visits me once in a while but mostly she talks to Mom."
"Tell me you're going to write about your life Angel, because I'll be the first one to buy the book." Jack said. "As soon as I get the chance I'm going to start that book and one on demons and such." Angel said. Dr. Martin came in at that time. "Lets go they're waiting for us. Bishop O'Connel, John has left but he said he would call for your own chauffeur to come for you." "How is he doing?" Jack asked. "I think I was able to make him understand my feelings for him were strictly platonic and that our difference in age had nothing to do with my feelings for him." "You know that he was very much in love with you?" "I know but I just couldn't return the kind of love he wanted."
They entered the large recreational room where all of the Sisters were sitting. As the Monsignor walked in they all rose. He stopped and signaled for them to all sit. While Mother Superior was telling everyone what they were here for Spike took his jacket off and rolled up his sleeve so Dr. Martin could give him a shot to make him sleep. They had brought in a special chair for Spike to sit in while Angel was talking to Billy. When Mother Superior was through talking she gave the mike to Angel. Since Spike was going to be incommunicado for awhile Angel used the time to tell them about Dawn and requested their prayers for her that God would grant her a soul. When he was done he heard his name being called.
"Angel, what are we doing here?" Billy asked. He sounded scared. Angel turned and sat next to him and put his arm around him. Billy had his head down and when Angel sat next to him and put his arm around him Billy turned and hid his face in his arm.
For the next hour Angel talked to Billy and made him relax. At first Billy was afraid of the Sisters. He didn't know why he was afraid; he just knew that he was afraid. As Angel continued to talk to him though he slowly lost his fear of them and Angel even got him to talk to one of the Sisters. After an hour of talking to Billy he thought that the Sisters had seen enough. "It's time for you to go to sleep now Billy. Is there anything you would like to say to the good Sisters?" "Yes there is but I don't know if it would be okay for me to say it." "Just go ahead and say it and if I think it's inappropriate I'll stop you okay?" "Okay. Thank you for letting me come and visit with you and can I have one of those string of beads to play with?" One of the older Sisters stood up and walked over to Mother Superior to request permission to give her rosary beads, that she had hanging from her belt, to Billy. She was given permission and she walked over to Angel and Billy. "Here Billy you can have mine." Billy looked at Angel to see if it was okay to take it. "Go ahead Billy. Don't forget to thank her." "Thank you Sister. Are you sure you won't need these?" "No you can have these. Most of the Sisters don't wear their rosary beads any more because they make a lot of noise so you can have these. Take care of them now." "Oh I will Sister. I don't think my master will like me having them but Angel said I could and he won't let anyone take them away from me will you Angel." "No Billy I won't and when I'm not there then Buffy will be there to prevent anyone from taking them away from you." That got a smile out of him. Billy hugged the beads to his chest."
"It's time to go to sleep now Billy. I'll see you in another month when I come to read you another book. Good bye Billy." Angel placed his hand over Billy's eyes and Billy went back inside of Spike. Angel continued to hold Spike while he slept and proceeded to tell the Sisters why he had brought Billy to see the Sisters. When he was done and the Sisters all left Angel continued to hold onto Spike while Mother Superior and Dr. Martin left. Mother Superior asked her secretary to call for the Bishops limo then she sat down with Dr. Martin and discussed what had just happened.
After thirty minutes had passed Spike started to wake up. "How did it go Daddy?" Spike said as he struggled to get his mind going again. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"How did it go Daddy? Is he just being sarcastic or does he really call you Daddy?" Jack asked. He wasn't used to Spikes little games to bug the hell out of Angel.
"He's being sarcastic, just ignore him and he'll eventually go away." Angel said in answer.
"Angel would you mind leaving us for awhile so that I can talk to Spike privately?" "Sure Jack, be a good boy Spike or you know what Daddy will do to you." "Yeah you and who else?" Angel just slapped Spike on the back of his head and left the room. He went to the waiting room and took a seat. He was very tired for some reason so he just let himself go to sleep while he waited for Dr. Martin.
Thirty minutes later Dr. Martin came looking for Angel. She had checked the recreation room and found just Spike and Bishop O'Connel. Her next stop was the waiting room. She knew he had to be here since he was told before that men were not allowed to go anyplace in the convent without an escort. She was surprised to find him sleeping. She shook his shoulder gently. "Angel wake up baby. Angel wake up." Angel opened his eyes and looked at Dr. Martin. "Are you ready to go now?" "Yes, let me go get Spike and Jack." Angels back was hurting him and he knew exactly where it was coming from.
He called Cordelia to check up on her. He heard the phone ring 5 times before she answered it. "Hello." Angel knew something was wrong now. "Cordelia this is Angel. How are you feeling?" "My back is killing me Angel and your not here to rub it for me." "Why don't you get Buffy to do it for you?" "I would but she went out with Lou." "Well its night time over here baby and were getting ready to go back to the guest house. Our return flight is at 5 p.m. eastern time. So try to tough it out until I get home. Isn't Mike or Hunter there?" "No, there staying at Mike's tonight. I asked Wesley to do it but he turned 3 shades of red so Fred tried it but her hands aren't strong enough. Can't you come home sooner Angel?" "I already tried but they don't have any flights until the one were scheduled for." "Okay I guess I'll just have to try and tough it out. Good bye." "Good night." Angel hung up his cell phone and got up from the couch. He thought he better get up and walk around or he was going to fall asleep again.
Dr. Martin, Spike and Jack came over to the waiting room. "Did you have a nice little talk with Spike Jack?" "Yes I did Angel and that's all you're going to get out of me."
"Let's go everyone the Sisters have all gone to bed which is where we should be." Dr. Martin pushed them all out the door as she locked it and closed it. The Bishops limo was outside waiting patiently for him. The Bishop promised that he would be out to L.A. next year for his vacation. They all said good bye and he got in his Limousine and left while Angel, Spike and Dr. Martin started back to the guest house.
The next day Dr. Martin left early to visit with the Sisters. Mother Superior had made it a special day where they would dispense with the days silence so that they could talk to Dr. Martin. Many of the older Sisters were calling her Sister Mary and Dr. Martin took it in stride. She was enjoying herself immensely. They had their last meal with the Sisters instead of having it separately in the guest dinning room. Angel and Spike were feeling a little weak from the lack of blood but just in time Sr. Pauline brought a pitcher of lamb's blood out for them. Both of them quickly drank their first glass of blood then filled up their glasses again and drank this one more slowly.
Mother Superior had chosen 10 Sisters to eat at the same table with them. Among those that were chosen were some of the Sisters that performed the more menial tasks of the convent and rarely saw anyone outside of the convent doors. Three of the Sisters were Doctors, some were nurses and one of them was Sr. Cecil. She was just beaming she was so proud of the fact that she knew Angel.
For once Spike was a perfect gentleman. He knew he had better be or else both Angel and Dr. Martin would make him suffer for it later. Besides which he was the center of attention for the Doctors and Nurses. They were asking him all kinds of questions on how things were done back when he was going to medical school. They found him to be endlessly fascinating. Many of the things they had today were unheard of when he was going to school. The Sisters usually had a rest period after lunch but today the Sisters at Mother Superiors table were allowed to linger. The other Doctors and nurses were pulling up chairs also as they finished their lunches. Spike was just beaming with pride that he was the center of the Sisters attention and not Angel for once.
Today it was Angel that had to end the lunch. At 2 o'clock he got up and said, "I'm sorry Sisters but it's time for us to leave now. Our flight is at 5 and we have to be at the airport at least an hour before we take off and I also have to return the van I rented." Angel went over to Dr. Martin and pulled out her chair for her. Everyone said their goodbyes and Angel and Spike thanked the Sisters for letting them come and make their requests of them. Dr. Martin and Mother Superior were crying when they said good bye. They didn't think that they would see each other again. Angel took Mother Superiors hand and kissed it and Spike did the same. Angel was having a hard time getting Dr. Martin out the door and it was getting late. To her and everyone else's surprise he picked her up and walked her out of the door. Dr. Martin waved good bye to everyone as he took her out of the convent. He continued to carry her because she was crying.
"You can put me down Angel I'm alright now." He put her down gently and held her hand as they walked back to the guest house. "Don't worry Mom you'll see them again." "No Angel I won't." Angel didn't ask her how she knew.
They had all packed before they went to the convent so all they had to do was load the van and leave.
They had to take a small plane in Manchester and then a large airline in Boston. They made it to the one in Boston just in time. Half way through the flight Angel started feeling uncomfortable. He looked at his hand. He thought he had fallen asleep for a minute and had dropped his drink in his lap. The drink was still there so he knew it wasn't that. He got up and looked at his seat, but it was okay. Dr. Martin was sitting next to him and she asked what was wrong.
"I don't know but I just had the strangest feeling that I was all wet. I thought I had fallen asleep and dropped my drink. I guess I must have been dreaming." He sat back down again and then it hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew right away that Cordelia had gone into labor and the feeling of being wet was her water breaking. He hid his face behind Dr. Martin. She leaned forward a little until the pain was over and he straightened up.
"Cordelia's in labor isn't she?" Dr. Martin asked. "Yes, her water broke and that's why I thought I had spilled my drink. Before I left she said that she felt as though she would have the boys early." "Well were all prepared. I rented a couple of incubators just in case we needed them. If she is just starting she should be okay until we get their." Angel looked at his watch; they had about 90 minutes to go before they were supposed to land. He went over to Spike who was across the aisle from them. "Spike Cordelia has gone into labor so as soon as we land I am going to get the car. I'll come around and pick you and Mom up. It's a good thing we didn't bring very much so we won't have to wait for any luggage." Angel sat back down again and pulled out a large Hershey chocolate bar and started to eat it. He was feeling nervous and eating the chocolate bar helped him to calm down.
As soon as they landed and the elevator was attached to the plane he was out of the door. Spike saw the look on the stewardesses faces. "He wife just went into labor and he wants to be there." They gave him understanding looks.
Spike and Dr. Martin arrived over at the pickup area just as Angel pulled up. They arrived at the hotel just 20 minutes later. Angel didn't even bother to park the car he just pulled up at the back and ran into the Hotel and up the stairs, three at a time. He burst through his bedroom door to find Cordelia removing the sheets from the bed. Fred was in there helping her.
As soon as she saw him Cordelia went to Angel and they kissed and hugged. "How are you feeling?" "Not to bad, except for that first contraction I haven't had another one." "Did you contact Mike or Hunter?" "I left a message at his office and his house. I didn't see any reason to call his pager yet." Fred was pulling the rest of the sheets off of the bed and threw them on the floor to take downstairs later. She was removing the plastic sheet off of the bed that Cordelia had put on the mattress when she felt that she might go into labor soon. Angel helped Fred to make the bed up again then took Cordelia downstairs.
"I thought you might be here." Angel said to Dr. Martin who had gone directly to the clinic along with Spike. She had been washing her hands when they came in.
"Okay Cordelia you know the routine." Angel helped her to get up on the examination bed. He pulled the stirrups out of the end of the bed. Dr. Martin examined her cervix while Spike took her blood pressure, temperature, and pulse.
"When was your first contraction Cordelia?" Dr. Martin asked. "About 6:30 this evening. My water broke first then I had the contraction. "That sounds like the same time you felt it Angel." "Yeah, I thought I had dozed off for a second and dropped my drink on myself then when I felt a sharp pain I knew what it was." "I had to lean forward so he could hide his face behind my back. That would have been funny if his face had changed and someone saw him. I would have had a heck of a time convincing the person that they had been dreaming.
Well Cordelia your cervix has barely opened. I could barely get one finger in it. You know this is going to be rough since your water broke so early." "Yes I know." "What does it mean?" Angel asked as he helped Cordelia to sit up.
"It means it's going to be a dry birth. Also since her cervix hasn't opened very much yet it means it will probably be a long night and perhaps day." Dr. Martin took Cordelia's hands in hers. "If you want a Cesarean Cordelia we can do that. There is no shame in taking it the easier way. I know you are a strong woman but this might be a long labor. It could be anywhere from 6 to 19 hours. Hopefully it will be less than 10. Once the first one is born the second one should come comparatively fast. I know your real tender right now so if Mike comes in within the next couple of hours I'll ask him not to examine you again okay?" "Okay Mom that will help a lot. Can I get down now?" "Sure honey try to keep yourself busy. Take a walk around the hotel. If you're hungry get something to eat, your going to need your strength. Sleep if you can. When your contractions start occurring every hour make sure you stay inside where we can monitor you. Now let me ask you something. Do you have any plans for Kathleen to be associated with your labor or delivery?" Cordelia looked at Angel.
"I really haven't given it any thought, but I think she is too young to see her Mother in pain. I don't want this to have a negative impact on her mind. I think I'll ask Lou to keep the children busy up in there room or do you think we should let Lou see what it takes to bring another life into the world?" Cordelia asked. "I think she should see what you're going through. She has absolutely no idea as to what happens except for what I gave her to read. She is totally innocent when it comes to such things Cordelia. I know she has learned a lot from you but most of it has been the psychology of marriage or as Angel and Connor see it, 'How to control the men in your life'." Dr. Martin said. Cordelia looked at Angel and blushed. She didn't know she was being so obvious.
"Yeah, that reminds me Missy. Connor asked me to tell you to stop telling her how to do such things because Lou is getting so good at it that he can barely keep from jumping her." Dr. Martin and Cordelia laughed. "It's not funny ladies it hurts for a man to get an erection and than not be able to do anything with it, especially the way you used to get me going before we got married. That's why we always take cold showers to cool down." "I'm sorry Angel; I promise I'll tell her to let up on him. Help me down now please." Angel lifted her up easily and put her on the floor.
"Lets go for a walk outside in the back." Cordelia asked as she put her arms around Angel's waist. "Angel I want you to break the link with Cordelia right now before you leave the clinic." "Yes Mam." Angel put his hands along side of Cordelia's face and he reluctantly severed the link. When he was done he lowered his hands and looked into Cordelia's eyes. "How do you feel?" Cordelia asked him. Angel lowered his eyes and took her hands in his and kissed them. When he looked up he had a blood red tear running down his cheek. "Alone. I feel like God just turned away from me." "I love you Angel and that is truly the tie that binds. We are bound together and not even death will separate us." She pulled down his head to hers and kissed him lightly.
"Let's take that walk so that Mom can go and see Giles. After putting on that little display for her she is going to go and jump his bones." "Get out of here and let me clean up in here." Dr. Martin said as she shoed them out the door.
Angel walked slowly so that Cordelia wouldn't have to try to keep up. After only one trip around the back yard she had to sit down. "Would you rub my legs for me Angel they're hurting a lot." "Let's go inside first and you can lie on the couch in our bedroom. Would you like me to carry you?" "Would you please my big strong stud muffin?" Cordelia asked as she held out her hands to him. Angel picked her up and took her inside and put her on the couch. He gathered up some lotion and a towel. When he came back Cordelia was sleeping so he just sat down and started to rub her feet. They were swollen with all of the water she was retaining. Her legs showed a few varicose veins. He had heard that they were painful.
"My poor baby you have suffered so much to bring new life into the world." Angel kissed her foot and continued rubbing them. He turned the TV on and found something to watch. After a while he fell asleep also. Two hours later he was awakened by Cordelia's next contraction. He held onto her hands and talked her through the pain as he had heard Buffy do when Kathleen was getting ready to be born. When the contraction passed she lay back down and took several cleansing breaths.
"That was a strong one." She said after she regained control of her breathing. Angel wiped her face. He could see that it must have been very painful because he had to wipe away tears. "Cordy you know there is still time for a Cesarean." "No Angel, not unless I absolutely have to. Like our little miracle upstairs says, 'We Martin women are strong'. Although I just might threaten you with something terrible but I won't mean it."
Kathleen came running into the room and over to the couch and to her Daddy. "Daddy how come you didn't come and say hello to me when you came home?" "I was kind of busy with your Mommy. Besides what are you doing up so late? You're supposed to be sleeping." "I was sleeping but then I heard you downstairs. What are you doing?" "I'm rubbing your Mommies legs and feet because they are all swollen and are hurting." "Can you rub my feet too?" "Okay but lets go back to your room okay?" "Okay Daddy. Can you carry me?" "I don't know your getting pretty big you know. You might break my back." Angel got up and picked up his daughter with a lot of grunting and groaning. He picked up the lotion then took his daughter upstairs. Angel took his time rubbing Kathleen's feet and before long she was sleeping again. Her daddy covered her up again and kissed her goodnight. "Good night Daddy." "Good night sweet heart." He left then and went back to Cordelia.
Mike and Hunter were in the room when he got back. "Hi Mike, Hunter." Angel said as he came over to the couch. "She seems to be doing okay. We saw Mary when we came in and she explained what she had done already. Unless you start picking up the pace a little it looks like your going to have a long labor. Why don't you go to bed and try getting as much sleep as you can. Give us a call when the contractions start getting to 1 hour apart okay." "Okay." Angel said. Mike and Hunter said goodnight and left to go to their own room. They had been working all day and had gone to his house first but when he listened to his recordings they thought they better spend the night at the hotel. Mike was getting more tired these days and was seriously thinking of giving up obstetrics since all of the late night deliveries were the reason he was so tired. He was close to Mary's age and when she had her stroke it made him realize how old he was getting. He wanted to be around to at least see his child turn 20 so he knew he had to cut back on his work schedule. Working out every other day was enabling him to keep up with Hunter but he knew eventually he was going to start having to slow down.
When Angel returned to his bedroom he found Cordelia in bed and sleeping. He took his clothes off and crawled into bed with her. He couldn't sleep. His mind kept racing along a road that had signs on the side telling him about all of the possible problems that could occur with the delivery. Angel reached over and put his hand on Cordelia's stomach. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his sons. To his surprise his sons moved their heads under his hand. "Hi my boys, I don't think you want to come out yet do you? You just hold onto the sides and don't come out no matter how much your Mama tries to push you out okay?" Angel heard a very soft voice say "Okay Daddy." He moved his hand away then and reached for Cordelia's hand.
"I don't think they are going to be born today Cordy." "What makes you say that?" "Because they are moving around freely and answering to my call." "I don't think so either. I think it's going to be at least another week. Come back to me Angel. I feel lonely and cold when we're not linked together." Angel reached up and established the link again. Since he was almost one hundred percent sure that their would be no birth day today he didn't see where it would be dangerous for him.
Now he was able to sleep, Cordelia went back to sleep also. At 11 A.M. the next morning Mike, Hunter and Dr. Martin came in to check on Cordelia. What they found was Cordelia and Angel sitting up at the table and having a breakfast of soft boiled eggs on toast. "Good morning everyone." Both Angel and Cordelia said.
"I guess this means there won't be a birth day today." Mike said as they all took a seat. Hunter poured them all some coffee and started another pot going.
"No, no babies today. Early this morning I put my hand on her stomach and the boys moved their heads under my hand. When I did that with Kathleen she didn't respond. Mom said she was probably concentrating on what she had to do to come out."
"In other words 'Mrs. Martin', the contractions have stopped." Mike said in a bit of a sarcastic way. "That's correct. No babies today." Cordelia answered with a smile. "Okay then this is a good thing then. Hopefully we can keep them in there for another month. Then they'll be full term and have a much better chance of survival. I think what would be best is for you to stay in bed until you deliver okay?" "Okay, I can use a rest anyway. It's very tiring carrying these boys around. Besides we still haven't chosen names for the boys and we'll have time now. It won't be long before you'll have your own baby to choose a name for Hunter." Cordelia said. Mike put his arm around Hunter and said, "Tara had a miscarriage. We received a call from Willow yesterday morning. Tara started bleeding and no matter what the midwife tried it wouldn't stop. After an hour of heavy bleeding they knew she had lost the baby." Cordelia held her arms out to Hunter and she went to Cordelia.
"I'm so sorry Hunter." Cordelia held her while she cried in her arms. This was the first time that she had the chance to share her pain with another woman.
"Uh, Mike and Hunter, Lou told me something that I thought you might be interested in. I didn't tell you before because you had Tara pregnant with your child, but when Wesley and I went to pick up Tom Lou told us that her father had told them that when their mother was pregnant with them she was warm as a normal human. After she delivered Lou and Tom she became cold again and their father thought that this sudden change is what made her so sick."
Hunter had stopped crying and sat up when Angel had told them that Lou's mother was warm while she was pregnant. She looked at Mike. "Do you think it could be possible?" "We could try but the first thing you have to do Mickey is gain some weight to see if your period would start again once you have enough body fat. Remember when I did the test everything looked normal." Hunter jumped up into Mikes arms and wrapped her legs around him. "I will Mike, I will. I'll eat a meal at night like Cordelia had Angel doing when he was recuperating. I'll do my best Mike I really, really will." She kissed him over and over again. "Okay then you better start now because you didn't eat anything last night." They left then to go downstairs. Dr. Martin left with them. She had stayed quiet through the conversation between them. She was thinking to herself that she hoped for Hunters sake that she would be successful and soon because Mike wasn't getting any younger.
For the next 3 weeks Cordelia was a good girl and stayed in bed while Angel waited on her hand and foot. At the end of the 3rd week Cordelia was in her room while reading a book to Kathleen and Junior. Angel had stepped out to take care of a client and was due back any minute. Lou was sitting and listening to Cordelia as she read the story. She liked listening to Cordelia because she made the people and animals come to life as she changed her voice for the different characters.
"And the Prince lifted the princes onto his beautiful white horse and they rode off into the sunset. The end." "Okay you two it's time for you to go to bed." Lou said as she took the book from Cordelia so she could put it away in the kid's room. Kathleen climbed up to the couch so she could give her Mother a kiss good night, then she pulled her blouse up so she could see her stomach. She put her ear to her mother's stomach and listened then she added her hand. She had a look of concentration on her face like Angel did when he talked to his sons. She lifted her head then and kissed her Mommy's stomach and said "I'll see you tomorrow." "I'll see you tomorrow to." Cordelia thought Kathleen was talking to her. "No Mommy I was talking to my baby brothers." "How do you know they will see you tomorrow?" "Because they told me." "How did they tell you since they can't talk yet?" "They gave me a picture of you and Daddy holding them." "But how do they know what we look like?" "I told them. Good night Mommy. Tell Daddy I said good night and here is another kiss you can give him okay?" "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." Junior climbed up and gave Cordelia a kiss good night also. "Good night Mrs. Martin." "Good night Junior." They both ran off then and to the stairs with Lou.
Angel came in a few minutes later. He didn't come near her because what ever it was that he killed left a funky smell on him. After he took a shower and took his clothes down to the basement he came back and crawled into bed next to his wife. Cordelia took her usual position with her head on his arm.
"How did it go? Do we have another satisfied customer?" "I think he'll be happy with the results of our encounter." "How did you do tonight?" "I had a nice quiet night. I read a girlie story to Kathleen and Junior. At least that's what Junior calls them. Something else peculiar happened also." "What happened?" "Kathleen gave me a kiss goodnight then she lifted my blouse up and put her ear against my stomach then she put her hand on it and she had a look on her face like you do when you're trying to communicate with the boys. When she was done she did as she usually does and kissed my stomach and said 'I'll see you tomorrow'. I thought she was talking to me. When I asked her about it she said that her brothers told her they would see her tomorrow. I asked her how they could tell her that because they can't talk yet. She said they gave her a picture of you and me holding them. I said how they know what we look like. Our daughter said that 'she' told them then she gave me another kiss that I was to give to you." Cordelia gave Angel a kiss then and said that was from Kathleen.
"I'm glad that we talked to her so much about her baby brothers. I was so afraid that she would be jealous of your time with them. Maybe that trick that Willow pulled made her feel more secure." "I hope so. Well I guess I better get to sleep if the boys are going to be born tomorrow. Good night Angel." She gave him a kiss and snuggled up more closely to him and went to sleep. Angel laid awake for awhile then finally went to sleep also. It was now 11:15 p.m.
At 6 in the morning Cordelia rolled out of bed. She had to go to the bathroom so bad. While she was sitting on the toilet she started to feel the baby's head coming down. She quickly got up and went to the bed and shook Angel.
"What's the matter?" Angel asked as he rubbed his eyes. "Angel I was sitting on the toilet and I could feel the baby's head coming down. Call Mike." A powerful contraction took hold of her at that time. She sat down on the bed while Angel held onto her. He knew it was going to hit him any moment. He let her go when he felt her pain. The pain felt like a red hot poker had been shoved through his groin. When it finally passed and he regained control of his breathing he called Mike and told him what had happened and that he was taking Cordelia to the clinic. When he hung up he quickly broke the link with Cordelia. Then he pulled on his pants and picked her up. He had her downstairs within a minute. As he placed her on the bed she had another contraction. This time though she screamed with the pain of the contraction.
"Angel help me I can feel the baby's head crowning. He quickly helped her to scoot down and placed her feet in the stirrups. When he checked her he could see the baby's head crowning. Mike and Hunter came in just in time. Mike saw Angel at the end of the table. "The heads crowning Mike." "Your doing fine Angel. Go ahead and push Cordelia." Hunter went to the other end of the bed and held Cordelia up so she could push. "Okay Cordelia keep pushing until the count of ten. Cordelia gave it all she had and Hunter started counting. It seemed that it was taking a long time for her to get to ten.
At the other end Mike was coaching Angel. "Okay Angel put your hand under the babies head as it comes out." As Cordelia pushed the babies head came out. "I got his head Cordy." "Give it another push Cordelia and we should have your first son out." Mike told her. "Okay one more time Cordelia." Hunter said as she lifted her up again. As Cordelia gathered her strength again she gave it another push and Hunter started to count from 1 to 10. As Cordelia pushed the babies shoulder started to appear. "Run your finger around the babies shoulder Angel. If it's too tight then gently turn him counter clock wise. Angel did as he said and was able to get one shoulder out and then the other slipped out easily and his first son was born. From out of no where his mother was there to help with a clamp for the umbilical cord and a pair of scissors. "Here you are Angel." Angel looked at her and took the scissors. He cut the umbilical cord between the two clamps. While he was doing this Mike was clearing the baby's nose and mouth of any fluid. As he cleared the baby's throat the baby let out a loud cry. Angel laughed and showed their first son to Cordelia. "Let me have him Angel so I can clean him up and check him. Then I'll bring him back." Dr. Martin said as she took his first son from him.
While Angel was delivering his first son everyone else had heard the commotion and came downstairs.
"Do you have a name for him yet Angel and Cordelia?" Spike asked as he did the paper work and Dr. Martin cleaned the baby up and weighed and took measurements.
"Charles Nicholas Martin." Gunn was beaming he was so happy that they named the first one after him. "Good choice for a man." Gunn said.
Angel went to wash his hands before he touched his wife again. When he came back to her she had her eyes closed. He gave her a gentle kiss. She opened her eyes and wiped the blood red tears falling from his eyes.
"He is beautiful Cordy. For as long as I live Cordy I won't ever forget that moment when he came out and I actually received him in my hands from you. I, Angel Liam Martin actually delivered my own son." "Well I did have something to do with it you know." Cordelia smiled as she wiped away his tears.
"Here we are Cordelia and Angel. Here is your first baby, Charles Nicholas Martin, 5 lbs. 6 oz., 21 inches long. And everything is where it is supposed to be." Dr. Martin put their baby in Cordelia's arms. They only had a few minutes to hold him when the second baby made its presence known. While they were waiting for the second baby Mike had put monitors on Cordelia's stomach so they could listen to the second baby's heart beat. He didn't like the sound of the heart beat.
"Cordelia we have to get the 2nd one out now. I know you don't feel like it but see if you can push it out. Dr. Martin took the baby and put him in the incubator and went back to help. Angel helped Cordelia to sit up while she pushed and Mike counted to 10. Her efforts didn't produce any baby. Mike pulled over the Sonogram while Hunter put gel on Cordelia's stomach. He didn't like what he saw.
"Angel see if you can get your son to turn around so that his head is pointing down. Right now his behind is on Cordelia's cervix. I don't want to do a Cesarean at this stage but if you can't get him to turn around then I will." He didn't want to tell them that the baby's heart rate had slowed down a little.
Angel put his hand on Cordelia's stomach and concentrated. They could see the baby move his head so that it was under his hand. Very slowly Angel moved his hand until it was just above her cervix. He kept it there while Cordelia had her first contraction.
"Okay Angel you can remove your hand, he's pointed the right way now and has started down the birth canal." Mike pushed the Sonogram away and Hunter wiped Cordelia's stomach. Since the birth canal was already stretched from his brother being born the second baby came a little faster which suited Mike just fine? It took another 20 minutes before the head could be seen. With the next contraction Cordelia let out a blood curdling scream but she still gave it her all and the baby's head started to crown.
"Come on Angel you want to deliver your next boy." Angel went to the other end and sat down on the stool that Mike vacated. When he saw all of the blood coming out of Cordelia he had an overwhelming desire for the blood of his son that was being born.
"I can't do it. There is too much blood." Angel stood up and backed away. Spike went to his side as Angel fell backwards and turned away from everyone as he crawled to the corner of the room. "What's wrong Angel?" Spike put his hand on his Sires shoulder.
"Spike I suddenly had an overwhelming desire to pull my son out of Cordelia and drain him dry just like Angelus would do when he had control of my body." "Stay where you are Angel, you have your Vampire face on. I'll be right back." When Spike stood up Mike and Dr. Martin were looking at him. As he looked at them he put his Vampire visage on. He quickly turned it back to normal when he saw understanding on their face. Cordelia was in between contractions and she saw what was going on.
"Angel get your butt over here and help me deliver your son." "I can't Cordelia Angelus is trying to tell me to kill him and take all of his blood." "I don't give a shit, tell him to shut up and get over here or you and Angelus will be in dry dock longer then 2 months." Angel was able to get up then after doing what she said. Spike gave him a large glass of blood that he had heated up in the microwave. After drinking it in two gulps he went over to stand by Cordelia. He held onto her as she gave another push to deliver their son. When she was done she looked at Angel and in front of everyone she yelled at him. "I swear Angel if your penis didn't help to give us such a good time I would pull it and cut it off right now." She didn't have time to say anymore because another contraction hit her and she gave the final push to deliver her son.
"Here we go guys we have the 2nd boy." Hunter put the clamps on and then she gave Angel the scissors to cut the final physical tie to his mother. Hunter was busy cleaning the baby's air way when he gave a loud cry to tell everyone that he was here. Mike gave him to Dr. Martin to clean up and perform the usual measuring and weighing. "What are you going to name this one Angel and Cordelia?" Spike asked.
"We couldn't come up with a second name yet so we were going to let Kathleen name her little brother. Connor would you go and get her please." While they waited for Kathleen Cordelia successfully expelled the afterbirth and Mike started to clean her up so that Kathleen wouldn't have to see or smell the blood. Just as he finished up Connor came in with Kathleen. Angel came and took Kathleen from him.
"Good morning Mommy and Daddy." "Good morning sweet heart. We have a present for you." "Where are they Mommy?" "What do you mean where are they?" "My brothers, they said they were coming out today and I know that must be the present." Hunter and Dr. Martin brought the two incubators over so she could see them.
"These two babies are your little brothers, what do you think?" Angel said as he walked over to the incubators. Kathleen looked at them carefully. "Eww their ugly." Everyone laughed. "Give her to me Angel." Angel gave Kathleen to her mother and brought their sons over so that they were right next to the bed.
"Your brothers look like that because they just came out of Mommy and it was crowded in Mommy's tummy. I think maybe they kept on hitting each other with their elbows and fists accidentally. You wait though in a few days they'll look as pretty as Aunt Fred and Uncle Wesley's boys. What we wanted you to come down for though was to help us name one of your little brothers. This one here was born first and his name is Charles Nicolas. Now we want you to name the second one that was born just a few minutes ago. Can you think of two names?" Kathleen took this very seriously.
"Can I think about it for awhile?" Kathleen asked. "Yes you certainly may. After all it took your Mommy and Daddy almost a month to come up with Charles Nicolas. When you decide on a name I want you to go to Grandma or Uncle Spike and tell them what name you have chosen because they are the ones that are filling out the birth certificates and then they are going to put the name on a bracelet that they will put on this one. See the one that Nicolas has." "Okay Mommy I think I'll go and have breakfast and think about it real hard. Can I show them to Junior and Joyce?" "Yes you sure can."
Junior was being held by his father who was standing at the door with the others and Buffy was holding Joyce. They both put the children down and Kathleen took Joyce's hand and Junior just followed. Kathleen was acting very grown up as she took them over to the incubators. Junior was the only one that was tall enough to see the babies.
"Can you pick us up Daddy?" Angel picked both of the girls up so they could see.
"See Joyce and Junior these are my new baby brothers. This one is Charles Nicolas and this is the one that I have to name." "How come you have to name him?" Junior asked. "I think my Mommy and Daddy don't want me to feel like I am being left out." Angel almost dropped the girls. "Put us down now Daddy please?" As soon as he put them down Kathleen took Joyce's hand and said "Lets go and have breakfast and you guys can help me decide on a name for my brother." As Kathleen led her little gang out and to the dinning room everyone just watched them and laughed.
"Our daughter never ceases to amaze me. She is a born leader." Angel said as he watched Kathleen take her two partners in crime to have breakfast. When Angel looked at Cordelia her eyes were half closed.
"Can I take her to our bedroom now Mom?" "Yes I think she has earned some sleep. She has been working very hard this morning. We'll take care of the boys. Are you hungry Angel? I can bring up something for you." "Yes I think I could do with 3 scrambled eggs and 2 slices of wheat toast." "Okay I'll bring them up in about 20 minutes."
Angel wrapped up Cordelia and picked her up. "Come on Mommy you've already had a big day." Everyone else had left to go and have their breakfast. Angel took Cordelia upstairs and put her to bed. Since he had severed the link between them when she went into labor he wasn't tired like he had been when Kathleen was born. Dr. Martin came up later with his breakfast. She had brought up her own breakfast as well. She wanted to talk to him about what happened when his 2nd son was being born. She waited until they were done eating.
"I wanted to talk to you about what happened when Mike called you to deliver your 2nd son. Do you want to tell me what happened?" Angel put his fork down and took a sip of his coffee. "When I saw all of the blood coming out of Cordelia Angelus hit me with demands that I take my son and drain him dry like he used to do with babies when he was in control of my body. It took all that I had to resist him and crawl away."
"He seemed to back down when Cordelia yelled at you and threatened you with being in dry dock for over 2 months." Angel laughed. "Yeah he enjoys the sex just as much as I do. Cordelia has become a very good sex partner. You can guess at how well by how fast Angelus backed down." They both laughed at that last remark.
Angel grew quiet after awhile. He had a serious, pensive look on his face.
"You know Mom I was just thinking that for all of us, our time together is starting to wind down now. All we have to do now is to raise children, fight demons, and save damsels in distress, or so the saying goes."
"There is something that I think Lou would like for you to do before her memories of her father become dim." "I think that we are thinking of the same thing. Before they, and I forget, I think I would like to draw and paint a picture of their father. That way then they can have a picture to show their children what their grandfather looked like." "Yes that is exactly what I was thinking also." Dr. Martin got up to get some more coffee and poured some more for Angel. She could see that he still had something on his mind. She just sat down and didn't say anything.
"I was thinking yesterday about the differences in the ages between Connor and his sister, brothers and the Price boys. I think that we will all stop being able to fight long before our children are able to take over. Since God has granted me my wish to become human I won't be able to continue that much longer. Have you been told yet how this will all work out?"
"Yes Sr. Margaret has explained to me how this will all work out. I cannot tell anyone though until the proper time. I can tell you one thing though. You've seen how Kathleen, Joyce and Junior are almost inseparable when Buffy and Spike are here?" "Yes, I think it's so cute the way Kathleen holds Joyce's hand and takes care of her." "Who do they remind you of?" Dr. Martin asked. Angel thought about it for awhile then she saw his face brighten.
"Kathleen, Joyce and Junior are like Buffy, Willow and Xander." "Yes exactly what I thought also. Anyway something catastrophic will happen to Sunnydale in the future and the Scooby gang will come to L.A. I cannot say what will happen nor when and that's all you're going to get out of me." She got up then and started putting the dishes in the sink and started to wash them. Angel got up and dried the dishes as she finished with each then put them back on the tray. When they were done Dr. Martin went to check on Cordelia. She felt her pulse and found it to be nice and strong.
"Why don't you go and take a nap with your exhausted wife now. We'll bring the boys up for their first meal tonight." Angel bent down and gave his mother a kiss. "You get some rest also there are more then enough people here to take care of the boys and I'll take the tray down later." "Yes I think I will go and take a nap also I'll see you tonight."
As his mother left and closed the door Angel closed the drapes, turned the kitchen light off, removed his clothes and slipped in beside Cordelia. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead as she turned towards him.
Downstairs Kathleen, Joyce and Junior had gone outside to play but never stopped talking about what name they would give the youngest of Kathleen's brothers. Connie and Lucinda were listening to them as they were playing. Connie had grabbed her video camera when they started listening.
"I like Toby." Joyce said as she filled one of the toy buckets full of sand. "Yeah that's a good name. We all like Toby. He takes care of us all of the time and doesn't tell anyone that we're doing something that we're not supposed to do. Now we need to think of only one other name." Kathleen said. Then she put her index finger under her chin and turned her head sideways. Connie and Lucinda were having a hard time controlling their laughter.
"You know what I think?" Kathleen said. "What?" Both Joyce and Junior asked.
"I hear Daddy and Grandma talking to St. Michael all of the time. I think we should call him Saint Michael Toby. What do you guys think?" "That's good." Both Joyce and Junior answered. "Let's go tell Uncle Spike." Kathleen said as she picked up Joyce's hand and helped her up. Since she was covered in sand she brushed it all off and took off her shoes and shook it until she didn't get anymore sand out. Although Kathleen was taking care of Joyce and making sure she didn't have any sand on her she forgot about herself. As they went into the hotel Connie saw Kathleen leaving a trail of sand behind her.
"Kathleen you forgot to clean the sand off of yourself. Please go outside and brush it off of your clothes." "Okay Mrs. Sanchez." Kathleen and her gang members helped her brush off the sand an cleaned her shoes off. When they were done they all took off looking for Uncle Spike. "How come we're going to Uncle Spike and not Dr.Martin?" Junior asked as they made their way upstairs to the 2nd floor. "Cause Uncle Spike is more fun."
Kathleen knocked on Spike and Buffy's room. Spike opened the door. "Come in everyone. Who's this cute little girl you have with you Kathleen and Junior?" "It's me Daddy. " "Who's me?" Spike asked as he picked his daughter up. "We came to tell you the name we chose for my baby brother." "Okay let me get my paper. Come over here to the kitchen table." Spike put Joyce down and pulled out the birth certificate and a blank piece of paper.
"Okay what name have you picked?" "Saint Michael Toby." Kathleen proudly announced. Spike didn't even crack a smile. He knew how serious Kathleen was taking this.
"Okay that is a very good name for a boy but the title Saint isn't a name it's a title like for instance you've heard us say that your Daddy is a champion but we don't call him Champion Angel, we just call him Angel. The title Saint is a description just like Champion is a description. It tells you what kind of person Angel is. Do you understand?" Junior and Joyce shook their heads and said no while Kathleen said yes.
Kathleen proceeded to explain to Junior and Joyce. "Uncle Spike is saying that Saint isn't really a name. Well just call him Michael Toby then Uncle Spike." "Okay then your new baby brother will be called Michael Toby Martin. Wait a minute now, you know what?" "What?" Kathleen answered. "I think maybe we should put down on the birth certificate Tobias so that his name will be Michael Tobias Martin. That way then his friends won't be able to tease him and say 'Ha, ha, you were named after a dog, ha, ha'." Kathleen conferred with her two compatriots. "Okay Uncle Spike we agree that Tobias will be better, but we are still going to call him Toby, okay?" "That sounds good to me then he will be able to tell his friends 'My name is Michael Tobias. Toby is short for Tobias'." Spike turned around then and wrote the name down on the birth certificate as Michael Tobias Martin. He got up then and shook their hands.
"Congratulations Mary Kathleen, Joyce and Junior. You did a good job. Tonight I will give the birth certificate to you're Mommy and Daddy Kathleen." He went to the door then and opened it for them. "Are you going to go and play downstairs now or up in your room?" "I think we will have lunch now. Thinking up names is very tiring. Bye Uncle Spike." "Bye Daddy." Kathleen and Joyce said as they went to the elevator to go upstairs to their room. Spike laughed to himself as he closed his door.
Later that evening at 7 o'clock Cordelia finally woke up. She stretched her arms and legs. Angel had been up since 5 o'clock and was sitting on the couch and reading. Cordelia carefully got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. It took her awhile to relieve herself since she was so sore and everything had been pushed out of their usual position. When she was done she started the shower. "Angel would you come and help me take a shower?" Cordelia called out as she took her clothes off. After a few minutes Angel came in and joined her in the shower. He carefully washed her hair and the rest of her body since she said she was too sore to bend down and her stomach was still large and wouldn't go down for awhile.
When he had her dressed in a clean nightgown again he helped her back into bed and dressed himself. Just as he was pulling his pants on he heard a light knocking at the door. "Come in Mom and Hunter." "How is Cordelia doing?" Dr. Martin asked. "You can ask her yourself she's awake. We just took a shower and she's all nice and clean again." Hunter and Dr. Martin came in and went over to the bed.
"How are we doing Mommy?" "I feel a lot better now that I'm all clean once again. How are my boys doing?" "Your boys are doing just fine. They've been sleeping all this time also. I don't think they'll be ready for their first meal until tomorrow morning. Are you two hungry?" Dr. Martin asked. "Yes, I'm starving." Cordelia said. "Okay then I'll be back in about 30 minutes with your dinner." Dr. Martin and Hunter left then.
"How are you and Mike doing Hunter? I heard about Tara's miscarriage." "We're doing okay. Did you hear about what Angel told us about Lou's mother?" "Yes I did. I also heard that Mike said you had to work on gaining weight to see if your period would start again so how are you doing?" "Well it's been hard. I've always been thin but I am trying my best. I started eating more and I set my alarm at night so that I'll get up and eat. So far I've been able to gain 5 pounds but I feel terrible. I feel so sluggish and just tired." "Well, give yourself some time Hunter your body needs to get used to the extra weight. I would say that you need to gain at least 20 more pounds before your body will kick into high gear." Hunter just moaned and sat on the steps. Dr. Martin sat next to her. "Mom it's been 3 weeks and all I've gained is 5 pounds and I feel so terrible. I don't know if I can do this."
"Mickalub Thompson, do you want a baby or not?" "I do but I've never weighed more than I do now." "Now you've had more than enough experience to know how to gain weight. I notice that you don't exercise like the others do so if your feeling bad then start exercising to turn that extra weight into muscle instead of just fat. Let's go now I have a dinner to make for my two favorite kids. Cordelia needs her calories so she can start making lots of milk for her two boys. Poor Angel, with two babies to nurse Cordelia won't have anything left for him. I hope he doesn't start sucking his thumb." The two women went to the kitchen laughing at the picture that put in their heads.
Dr. Martin made the usual rare steak for Angel and warmed up some rice and chili beans for Cordelia. Before taking up the tray she made sure she had the bottle of Beano on the tray. When she arrived at there door Angel opened it before she could knock. "She's sleeping again." Angel whispered. "Okay here are both of your dinners. Why don't you just put a plate over her food and put it in the refrigerator for later. I'll see you tomorrow morning." "Thank you and goodnight." Angel said as he took the tray from her and closed the door.
At 2 in the morning Cordelia woke up again and was ravenous. After going to the bathroom she warmed the food that she found in the refrigerator and sat down in front of the TV to eat her dinner. She was falling asleep half way thru her dinner so she just put it on the coffee table and lay down.
Across the street in the abandoned building there were two humans with high tech listening devices. Five mikes were pointed to the Hotel that contained Angel Investigations, one for each floor. The two men were a team that traded off every eight hours with two other men and they in turn were relieved by two others. The six men had replaced a three man team that had started listening 45 days ago. When Cordelia's water broke and she had several contractions they had been quickly replaced by the 6 men. Wolfram & Hart new when each contraction started and how far apart they were. They had heard Dr. Thompson tell Cordelia to stay in bed. They had heard everything and they had reported everything each morning to Lila.
"This is Douglas Mam. Mrs. Martin had the two boys this morning. Apparently she is going to be resting the rest of the day. It's quiet in their room right now. Dr. Martin had told her to rest. Do you want us to do anything right now Mam." "No Douglas we won't take them for a couple of days. They need to nurse at least for a couple of days. Then we will make our move. Continue to monitor the Hotel and give me reports as usual." Lila hung up with a smile. She went to her desk to write her report to the Senior Partners.
TBC……………………………………………………………………………….