BTVS and Angel characters do not belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Spoilers: Up until the Season 5 episode The Body (just to be safe).
Author's Note: This fic is set in Season 5 before the episode The Body. Giles owns the Magic Box and Riley is gone already. I'm a little murky on the Angel series timeline, but I'm guessing Season 2 of Angel is at the same time as Season 5 of BTVS? Anyway, Cordelia, Gunn and Wesley are back working with Angel and are at the Hyperion but their relationship is still somewhat strained. Also, for the purpose of this story, Cordelia's visions aren't necessarily of things happening at that moment but more of a general future, ie could be hours or days before events transpire.
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce sipped at his tea while surveying his small office as he pondered the recent changes at Angel Investigations. On the surface things had returned to what passed for normal at Angel Investigations. However, Angel had yet to make amends for their abrupt dismissal and was still acting moody, even for him. Wesley checked his watch. Lunchtime. He was about to call out to Cordelia to see if she wanted to order lunch when she screamed in pain. He rushed to where she had collapsed near her desk and by the way she was clutching her head he could tell she was having a vision.
"Sunnydale. Giles with a group of children. Oh no. Giles! He's tied to a chair and someone is beating him. A lot of men. Watchers maybe." Cordelia gasped and then slumped back against her desk.
Once he was certain the vision had ceased, he left a shaking Cordelia in search of aspirin and a glass of water. He knew better than to question her before she'd had some pain killers. He was only gone for a moment so he was completely unprepared for what he found upon his return. Instead of the twenty year old seer he found a little girl of about four, crying softly with her thumb in her mouth. He blinked and called out, "Cordelia?"
The little girl turned her watery brown eyes to him and cried a little harder. When he looked closer at the child, he realized she was wearing Cordelia's clothes. The much too large outfit slipped from her tiny body as she crawled over to him and reached out her arms. He closed his eyes and picked up the now mostly naked child and exclaimed, "Oh dear!"
Angel emerged from his rooms looking like someone who had not had a restful night. "Did Cordelia have a vision? Where is she? And whose kid is that?" He looked irritated.
"Uh, Angel. Cordelia had a vision, about Sunnydale and Giles. And when I went to get her some aspirin, well …"
"Sunnydale? Buffy? Is Buffy in danger? Where the hell is Cordelia?" He shouted, startling the child that he did not recognize. "And where's the kid's mother?"
"Angel. Cordelia is right here." Wesley indicated the child he was trying to calm. He had managed to wrap her clothing around her like a blanket but they would have to get her some proper clothing until they could figure out how to change her back.
"That is Cordelia? What the hell happened? Was there anyone else here? Did you see a flash? Damnit Wes. Buffy may be in danger and I don't have time for this." He stormed over to the phone and tried to call Buffy. When there was no answer at her dorm he slammed down the receiver and grabbed his overcoat. "I'm going to Sunnydale. Buffy is not answering her phone."
"Angel wait! I think we should go with you."
Angel scoffed, "You and a kid? Wes, have you lost your mind? Buffy could be in danger. It is no place for a child."
"Angel, Cordelia's vision had Giles with a group of children and then Giles tied and beaten by a group of men. Watchers maybe. Giles was the one in danger. And clearly since the vision showed him with children then he might be the best answer for getting Cordelia back to her normal self."
At the mention of Giles, Cordelia whimpered, "Giles."
"Not to mention it is still quite a few hours until sunset, so you need me to drive if you want to reach Sunnydale by nightfall."
Angel grunted. "How are you going to hold the kid and drive at the same time? I don't have a car seat."
"I thought we could take Lorne or Gunn."
"Lorne," Cordelia giggled. "He nice."
Both men looked astonished. "Fascinating. She recognizes the names of people she knows. Cordelia, do you know who I am?"
"Wes" she said as she nodded before sucking on her thumb again.
Angel hurried over and demanded, "Did you see Buffy in your vision? Was she hurt?"
Cordelia shrunk back and clung to Wesley tighter.
"Angel, you're frightening her."
"Fine." He threw up his hands, snatched up the phone and demanded Lorne get over to the Hyperion immediately. He slammed down the receiver without waiting for a reply.
Wesley sighed. He was going to spend the next few hours in a car with a singing demon, a four year old and a cranky vampire. Well, at least the vampire would be riding in the trunk.
During one of the numerous stops so Cordelia could "go potty", Wesley convinced Angel that their first stop should be Giles' place. Wesley knew the Magic Box was closed on Sundays and he didn't think Buffy would appreciate a flaming vampire storming her dormitory. When they finally arrived Angel wasted no time in running from the car to the Watcher's door. He flung open the door that never seemed to be locked only to be thrown back by an invisible barrier. "Damnit Giles! It's Angel. Invite me in! Now!" He bellowed as the ends of the blanket he was using to shield himself from the sunlight started to burn. Hustling the vampire back to the car before the neighbors called the police, Wesley drove to the mansion on Crawford Street.
"What are we doing here?" Angel demanded.
"Angel, I'm going to drive over with Cordelia to the Summers' house and I think you should remain here. I will call you as soon as we find Buffy or Giles."
"What? No. I'm going with you. Buffy could be in danger." Angel paced, still clearly agitated, but Wesley needed to make him see reason.
"Angel, Joyce Summers is recovering from brain surgery. She doesn't need to be upset in her condition."
"I'm not going to upset Joyce. I need to make sure Buffy is okay. I think her daughter in danger would upset her more than seeing me!"
"Angel. Joyce Summers is not going to invite you into her home. And it would upset her if you make a scene like you did at Giles' place." He then used the only argument that had a chance at working, "Buffy would not want you to upset her mother and after your last encounter with Buffy I'd think you'd not want start off on a bad note."
Angel growled but relented on the condition that Wesley call him within the hour, no matter what.
They pulled into the Summers' driveway just as Joyce was unloading large shopping bags from her jeep. Ever the gentleman, and since Lorne was holding the napping Cordelia, Wesley jumped from the car and offered to help her with the bags. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Summers. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. I used to work with your daughter and Mr. Giles. May I help you with the bags?"
Joyce blinked and stood frozen. It was still daylight so he wasn't a vampire. But she thought Buffy had said that Wesley had been fired by the Council and was now working with Angel. She peered into the car looking for the vampire and was startled to see a green man holding a small child. She looked back to Wesley who was smiling and holding out a tentative hand for her bags. "What is going on here? I thought Buffy said you'd been fired by the Council and now work for Angel. Is he here? Who is that 'man' holding the child?"
"I do work with Angel and he did make the drive to Sunnydale with us, but I had him wait at the mansion on Crawford Street. The 'man' holding the child, is a friend of ours named Lorne and the child, well this is going to sound somewhat peculiar, the child is Cordelia. She's somehow been turned into a four year old."
Joyce stopped any further explanation and sighed. "You three better come inside. Rupert is there with the others."
A relieved Wesley motioned for Lorne to bring Cordelia and followed Joyce into the house. He gasped. Rupert Giles was lying on the floor with two children sleeping on his chest, two children cuddled against his legs and two more sleeping on the ground next to him. Joyce covered her mouth to suppress a giggle and fished out a disposable camera from one of the bags. The flash woke the napping Cordelia who squirmed out of Lorne's grasp and leapt onto the dozing Watcher. "Giles!"
"Oomph!" The Watcher exclaimed as he tried to accommodate the new addition without disturbing the others. "Cordelia? Oh Dear Lord!"
TBC