A/N It's lovely to be back :) thank you for your reviews.

Chapter 16

Our last full day in Los Angeles started early, with knocking on our bedroom door and our sons rushing into the room asking if they could have one last visit to the leisure centre to say goodbye to all the scantily clad girls they met. Obviously they didn't mention 'scantily clad,' but I was their mother, and I knew.

"Mum can we go, can we; we won't be long, can we, can we? Please?"

"Ask Beth if she will go with you." I replied.

"She's gone out with Wesley already."

"Where to?"

"Don't know," answered Finn, "So can we go?"

"What about Kate?"

"She's training with Angel, a last session for Potentials only."

"I'm sure you could join in." They could, I could tell, but they didn't want to, as they wanted to go to the Leisure centre.

"I could come with you." I suggested, I knew how that would go down with our boys.

"Mum! No! We'll be alright, Please…." Begged Liam.

I turned to David, who had a wonderful ability to sleep through any minor crises to do with our children. He was great at major crisis management, but his brain must pick up minor problems and go into ignore mode.

"So, what do you think?"

"They should be alright, three hours max. and they have to be home."

The boys beamed.

"Thanks, Dad, you're brilliant."

"What about me?" I said indignantly.

"You wanted to come with us, Mum, you're lame."

"You see how lame I am!" And I jumped out of the bed. The boys shrieked with laughter as they did when they were small and rushed out the room, slamming the door behind them.

"Will they be alright?"

"Of course, give them a little bit of freedom on their last day, what trouble could they get into?" soothed David.

What trouble indeed.

By the time I got showered and dressed and went downstairs, Cordy was just making coffee.

"Did you see Liam and Finn leave?" I asked.

"Yes, about fifteen minutes ago. They were really excited about going to the Leisure Centre to say goodbye to all their new friends – I think they were going to exchange email addresses."

I sat down with her and drank the coffee.

"I will miss you all," I said, "It's been such an amazing visit."

"We'll miss you too. It's been so good to see you all and see how Angel has really loved having you all here. Finding you has made such a difference to him."

"Despite all the complications we brought with us; the visit from Wolfram and Hart, Kate being a potential and seeing Buffy again…"

Cordy looked at me. "You don't realise that this is all part of Angel's life. It's how we all live; we are used to the unexpected and the fact that danger is always close."

I stared back; yes, I didn't really understand. I knew our lives were going to be different after meeting up with Angel, but when we went home, we were going to be protected by two powerful spells. Kate was a potential and we would deal with that when we needed to. Beth would start her new job and Kate, Liam and Finn would return to school. David and I would resume work, expecting to be safe. However, Angel, Cordy, Wesley, Fred, Gunn and Lorne were not safe. They faced threat every day in the work that they did. It never really occurred to me that what we had experienced in our two weeks was their way of life. They were all truly remarkable. I was really honoured to know them. Team Angel were heroes; they dealt with peril every day, just as normal people crossed they road. Wow.

"I think I've just had a minor revelation." I said looking at Cordy.

"I assumed so, with the expression on your face." The twinkle in her eye told me that she understood.

"I had that eye-opener about two years after knowing Buffy…" she whispered the next bit, "but I kept it to myself. I didn't want the Scoobies to know what I thought of them!"

"I love you, Cordy." I laughed.

"And I love you too!" she grinned back with such a wonderful smile that I wanted Angel to appreciate what a stupendous person she was. I knew he did, I just hoped he would do something about it…and soon.

It was no good; I couldn't put the evil task off any longer. I had to pack.

Two hours later, I felt as if I was on top of things. Surprisingly the bags that I finished with all seemed to close without too much difficulty.

During my packing frenzy, Beth and Wesley returned. They had been to a magic shop and Wesley had helped Beth buy a couple of supplies that Willow had suggested, to help bring a feeling of well being and for helping to calm the nerves down. I wondered if it was for the start of her new job, or to calm me down when she started her new job, to alleviate my worry. Fat chance, mothers know how to worry – we thrive on it!

Kate and Angel appeared from the basement after what seemed to be a good training session.

Kate was hot and sweaty, but had a very satisfied expression on her face. Angel was very complimentary about her improving skills and reminded her to keep her training up. She nodded her head and said that she would. Beth and Kate both finished their packing – only leaving out what they would need for the rest of the day, and for our journey back to England. David too, was packed and was talking to Wesley about something and looking through some of the books that Wesley suggested we bought for the home.

"So that just leaves you know who, to finished their packing." I announced.

"They have a little time yet," pointed out Beth, the eternal peacemaker, "You did say that they had three hours, so it is still half an hour to go, let's have some coffee and doughnuts, Wesley and I bought some on the way back from the shop."

"Did I hear doughnuts?" Fred's voice asked from behind the counter, where she had been doing some work on the PC.

"You heard correctly," Beth answered. "It will be our last coffee and doughnuts session for a while." Over the two weeks we must have tried out every flavour of doughnut in Los Angeles a truly senusual taste experience and one much appreciated by the Kerrigan family - that is except for David; he couldn't understand our devotion to this cullinary masterpiece. I would certainly have to work on him!

Everyone seemed to gather in the foyer and we all sat round chatting – mainly about the journey and travel arrangements and when the taxi would be at the Hyperion to collect us from the airport. We then started recounting Kerrigan travel tales – followed up by various members of the group adding their disaster stories. By the end of the session most of us were crying with laughter over the stories.

I looked at my watch, the boys had been gone for well over three hours.

"I wonder where they are?" I spoke with a combination of annoyance and concern.

As if by telepathy, the phone began to ring. It was the main office phone and Cordy had clicked it onto answer phone.

It was Liam's voice. He was scared I could hear it in his voice. The hairs on the back of my neck began to rise and I looked round for David. He was sitting bolt upright, obviously recognising the panic in our son's voice.

"Angel. You need to come. She has Finn. And if you don't come…" he was now trying to keep calm and stop the sob that was building up inside him," … if you don't come alone, she said she would... Angel please….No!"

And the phone went dead.