Disclaimer: It's all Joss', none is mine. I just make stuffs up, cause it's fun. No infringement meant!

Spoilers: A few, anything past season 3 and the episode Waiting in the Wings

Pairings: A few, but do you want me to spoil it?

Feedback: Loving it!

A/N: Okay so getting some fun reviews, just going to answer a few of them.

Grace: I already did the math for Quor'toth. Not exactly the same as the show so no worries on ancient Cordy! But that's all I'll say.

Mendenbar: "The Father Will Kill the Son" doesn't really work for the son killing the father, but no worries! I will deal with Holtz!

Sheshe21: It's getting to the point where I'm disappointed if I don't hear from you! I'm so glad a writer who I enjoy is enjoying my writing as well! I both love and hate crossovers so here's hoping I do the charries I want to bring over justice!

Chapter Six

"They are running out of time."

"As long as the balance is kept."

"The children."

"Yes."

"And our champion?"

"He has a choice to make. He needs the seer, he needs the children. If he can not claim them. . . "

"Another is coming. Another champion."

"There are many that would gladly take the seer, and the light."

"There is one. . . "

"If he survives. . . "

"For now. . ."

"Yes."

With that and a small nod to each other, a book fell, a noise heard, and a smile shared.

AA

Gunn was pacing, he had come in early, and had been reluctant to talk to anyone. He had his own problems and had spent the last three nights out with his old gang. Fred was worried, because they had been spending their nights together. She felt pushed aside but had no where to turn. Angel was barely coherent as he searched for information on this dimension. She missed Cordelia most then and felt guilty for it. So she assuaged that guilt by helping Wesley. They'd all tried getting the man to go home, to rest, even Angel had tried. Albeit it was a half hearted try. Wesley seemed driven. Fred realized that Wesley and Cordelia had a past, that they knew each other almost the longest, but she hadn't realized how important they were to each other. She had done a lot of thinking on that. On the group, over the last few days. After all, she had told her family she was home, this was where she needed to be. What she hadn't realized then, was that they were a family. At first it might have been that Angel needed them as a family. It might have been that Cordelia needed to take over as a mother hen and have a family to care for, but over time, there had been this settling. This comfortable settling into roles that no one seemed upset over. They were a family, all doing their part, all worth just as much as the other. It wasn't just them all fighting for Angel's redemption anymore. It was all their mission, their life. And they needed their whole family back.

Even more so now that they had a secret. It wasn't a good thing, secrets. It had happened very casually. She had started helping Wesley look for information when Lorne came in with his own information. He'd 'read' Cordelia when she came back that day. He wasn't sure even she knew, but he did and it worried him. After a discussion with Wesley over the way time changes from one dimension to another the two men, well man and demon, had decided telling Angel would be a bad idea. Especially in his current state of mind. The fact that they were having this conversation the same day they'd had to deal with Wolfram and Hart come for Sahjahn's body didn't help. Fred hadn't really been part of the conversation, just sort of in the room. Stunned and more worried, she just stepped things up. Helping with research, trying to get through to Angel, but the harder she tried, the farther apart they all felt.

So Fred had given up. At least on trying to take Cordy's place. She couldn't get through to Angel, she couldn't tell Gunn what to do, and she sure couldn't get Wesley to take a break. So instead she let Gunn have the distance he seemed to need as he pushed them all away, she let Angel rush around for answers, and she made sure to bring food and tea to Wesley as he worked. She would stop and look at his notes when she could, he was in his own world and often jumped if she tried peeking over his shoulder. Lorne had tried to keep himself busy at Caritas. Still looking for information himself but getting more and more nervous around Angel and having a hard time keeping things from him.

The door slammed open and Wesley lifted his head for only a moment before he went back to his book and notes. With a sigh Fred grabbed his empty tea cup and headed out to the lobby. Angel walked through the doors, face darker than usual. Hands deep in the pockets of his coat. She tried, she never gave up because she knew Cordelia wouldn't want her to.

"Hey Angel. I was jus' gettin' some tea for Wesley. Want me to heat up some blood for you?"

"No. Thank you Fred. I, ate."

Before she could ask there was the sound of something falling, then Wesley letting loose a string of what might be swearing. They looked at each other then went to the office where Wesley was rubbing his head and staring at the offending book.

"You took the sling off."

"Well yes, while you were off searching for answers to this portal mess I was researching ways to call them up, it got in the way."

"Wes the doctor said. . . "

"We don't have time!"

It went suddenly still. The two men staring at each other and Fred standing there looking a bit frightened. She had never seen Wesley so upset. His face twisted into a snarl that faded and his eyes softened, one look showed a matching look in Angel's eyes.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I, know Wes. that their running out of time that they might have already -"

"No. I, I know he's your son Angel, but their our family as well. I refuse to believe it's too late, not when . . . "

His voice trailed off as he looked at the book in his hand. The argument forgotten as he opened it and flipped through and slowly sat down to look at the book and then his notes.

"Wes?"

"Give me a moment."

Fred looked at him then Angel and nodded backing out slowly. Angel glanced to Gunn who looked at them and then gave a nod.

"I need to go check in with my crew."

He was out the door before Fred could say anything, but Angel saw her face fall and tried to help. Putting a hand on her shoulder and giving a small smile.

"How about I help with that tea?"

She nodded, giving a thankful smile as they headed to the kitchen.

AA

"Eureka!"

It was the moment they were waiting for and Angel was at the door so fast that Wes nearly ran into him as he walked out with his book and notes. Fred wasn't far behind.

"The portal?"

"No, no, there is nothing on this Quor'toth or how to get to it."

Faces fell but Wesley rambled on as he walked into the lobby and set the book down on the counter.

"It's a summoning spell. Combining it with this vision spell and it should work."

"What should work?"

Angel was almost vibrating and Fred put a hand on his arm looking at Wes to explain. He didn't disappoint, a large grin on his face.

"We summon them, with things of theirs, and we can see them, there in that world. All we have to do is get them to step through the protective circle and they end up here. Of course the reverse is that if we cross the circle from our side then we end up there. Once a balance is restored the circle will close."

"Wait, what balance?"

"I, assume that means once we get them back to their proper dimensions."

Fred had her own theories on balance but kept them to herself. Angel was ready to grab this chance with both hands.

"What do we need?"

Wesley looked at Angel, then down to the notes again.

"A few things, I'll gather these, we should arm ourselves just in case something else tries to come through. Also, something personal of Connor's and of Cordelia's."

They nodded, Angel volunteered to get the personal items, Fred called Gunn, and Wesley went to get the materials and set up.

AA

Two hours later and they were all in the lobby. Gunn was prepping the weapons with Angel as Fred helped Wesley finish the large circle that needed to be drawn in the center of the lobby. Lorne was shakily drinking the last of his sea breeze, a cross boy in hand, just in case. He was a passive creature, but he'd defend himself if he needed to. Once Wesley and Fred finished he gave the man a look and waited for him to join him at the desk.

"Not wanting to be a downer, but. . "

"I know. It's been a week. Almost exactly seven days, by my calculations that means it's been either seven months, or, decades."

Lorne's red eyes widened and he set the glass with ice down. He hadn't known what the time difference would be but he knew that those options were not good ones.

"What? Are you telling me she could be . . ."

Off of Wesley's look he lowered his voice again.

". . . she could be dead and the baby an old man?"

"Or, he could be merely a year old instead of a few months and she could be. . ."

"Obvious!"

Before they could finish arguing Angel looked at the two with a frown.

"Is there a problem?"

Wes shook his head and he and Lorne both pasted on smiles. Wes' smile was small and careful, Lorne's too big.

"Not at all Angelcakes, we ready to go?"

They took their places, everyone with a weapon except for Wesley, who laid his aside while he began the incantation. The circle lit and an all too familiar swirling energy gathering. Everyone shifted, from foot to foot, careful, eyes on that swirl worried it would be just another portal, but then it settled. Slowly shapes took form and there was a strangled sound that came from Fred as she almost dropped her weapon.

What they saw inside the circle was a piece of Quor'toth. A crude bed, or half of it, the rest outside the circle. Some sort of pile of blankets, and Holtz. He was standing over a small boy, just barely standing on two chubby feet. Looks were exchanged around the circle, but Angel had his eyes on the boy.

"Connor."

It was barely above a whisper but it had caught the attention of the man inside the circle and Holtz' head snapped up. He squinted as if looking in the distance then growled and swept the boy up in his arms, Connor screaming and crying immediately. Angel's hands tightened on his sword and glared. Then his eyes flicked behind Holtz and his face changed. Stepping into the circle out of seemingly nothing, Cordelia. Hair long again, and unkempt. Her face hollowed out and eyes pleading as she ran for Connor.

"Give him to me!"

"So you can tell him more lies! I should have killed him as soon as we arrived."

Connor was now reaching for Cordelia, trying to scream 'Ma' but it came out too fast and on top of each other, ending up almost like a hum. Finally she grabbed him and pulled him from Holtz.

"You swore you'd leave him alone!"

She hadn't noticed the others yet. She didn't realize that if she looked, she could see home. They noticed and edged closer, all aware they couldn't cross the circle otherwise they'd all end up in another dimension. Shaking his head, Angel was dumbstruck, he could see Cordelia's bulging belly, and his son and all he wanted was to get them out of there.

Holtz backhanded Cordelia and then bent over her.

"Missed our audience did you, mother?"

At this she finally looked up, eyes gone wide. Wesley dropped the book and tossed it aside.

"Cordelia! Grab Connor and run! Come through!"

She didn't understand how, but she trusted them enough and ran. Holtz grabbed her by her hair and pulled out his knife.

"Found a way out did you? Should have listened to me."

He stared at Angel and smiled. Knife raised.

"Now I have no choice but to kill your whelp. Couldn't save him anyway."

Cordelia froze, barely two feet from the edge of the circle Angel went to reach for them, stopped only by Wesley. Cordelia didn't know how far, she had no clue, but her eyes met Angel's and she nodded. He answered and dropped the sword. Unspoken communication, they still knew each other enough to know that it was Connor that needed saving. She kissed the top of his head and threw the boy forward as Holtz knife came down.

The rest was confusion, screaming. Angel grabbed the crying toddler and held him to him, eyes closed, inhaling his scent. It was his son. Older, but it was him. He smelled it then, blood, and turned, his back to the circle as he cupped Connor's head and tried to calm him. Unaware the boy saw over his shoulder and began screaming for 'ma'. He couldnt' move, he didn't dare, until Fred was grabbing for Connor. Suddenly the world sped up around him. He heard Wesley screaming at him.

"Angel! Give the boy to Fred he shouldnt' see this! Lorne call an ambulance now! Please, Cordelia please you can make it, you just need to, just beyond the circle, reach please!"

Angel could hand him over, couldn't let go of Connor, and the smell of blood was now overwhelming. He smelled death in it and couldnt' turn to see. Finally Fred pushed him towards the stairs.

"Go! Angel take him upstairs! He can't see this!"

He ran as if hellhounds were after his son and took him to his room. The crib still set up, the rocking chair and worked to calm the boy. He ignored the sirens downstairs, he ignored the yelling, and when Lorne snuck into his room, greener than usual, he raised his eyes to ask. Lorne shook his head and sat on the edge of the bed, hands in his head, as Angel rocked. Connor fell asleep finally, as the Hyperion descended into silence. Sniffling tears he freely shed, Angel kept a hold of him, staring at nothing and refusing to shed his own tears.

AA

A/N: Okay, believe it or not, the best place to end this. Dont' worry, someone will be explaining what all happened and who we have to thank for it! There will be surprise consequences for everyone. Good and bad.