Part 3
Angel stood on the doorstep waiting impatiently for the door to be answered. The familiar sound of Cordy’s heartbeat had got closer as he strode purposefully up the garden path and, to his delight, he heard it speed up the moment he announced his arrival by knocking on the front door.
His body taut with anticipation, the vampire drew in an unneeded breath as the door slowly opened; Cordy smiled shyly at him in greeting.
“Hi!” Her voice was low and breathy and her cheeks tinged lightly with pink.
Angel let out the needless air in a rush, and just stood there drinking in her familiar appearance, his deep brown eyes sweeping the length of her body. Cordy was dressed relatively casually, but her clothing clung to her curvy form so that she radiated femininity and sex appeal. She was wearing the necklace he’d given her and his eyes were drawn down to the creamy cleavage exposed by the low neckline of her sea-green top.
Look how it brings out my breasts. The memory of Cordy’s voice suddenly sounded in his head. The vampire may not have actually been thinking it back then, but he sure as hell was now.
The faint scent of feminine arousal reached his sensitive nostrils and he lifted his gaze back up to Cordy’s pretty face; her cheeks were now flushed a more pronounced pink and her breathing had noticeably quickened.
A knowing smile crept slowly over Angel’s angular features and he laughed as she blushed even deeper in reaction. He finally stepped towards his seer and engulfed her in his strong arms, breathing in her heavenly scent as he did so.
“Hi!” His deep voice came out smooth and gravely.
Cordy let out a quiet gasp as her soft curves were crushed against Angel’s broad solid chest; her arms automatically rose to encircle his back, and her fingers kneaded the hard ropy muscles she discovered there.
The seer was shell-shocked; Angel had been checking her out. There was absolutely no mistaking the look of carnal desire in his eyes, as they roamed leisurely over her body and lingered on the valley between her breasts. The vampire’s dark-eyed gaze had left goose-bumps in its wake and triggered a deep throbbing sensation between her thighs.
Cordy gasped again as Angel’s hands dropped to the small of her back and he pulled her closer, bringing their respective groins into delicious contact. The tips of his fingers rested on the curve of her butt as he held her tightly against him, seemingly unconcerned that she could feel the urgency of his arousal pressing into her hip. Her nipples tightened to hard buds and another rush of wetness flooded her panties as her body reacted to his closeness.
Realising that they had an audience, Angel reluctantly stepped back and released Cordy from their embrace. He hadn’t intended to reveal anything about his feelings for the young woman until she returned to LA, but seeing her standing there in the door frame, after being denied her company for so long, had completely overwhelmed him and he’d just acted out of pure instinct.
Keeping one arm around Cordy’s waist, Angel turned to greet the others.
“Buffy.” He nodded perfunctorily at the petite slayer.
His gaze fell on Willow, who had his small son perched on her hip. Angel’s heart contracted inside his chest, his focus shifting away from the beautiful woman at his side to the baby boy in the redhead’s arms.
“Connor.” He breathed and moved towards the witch, holding out his hands for his son as he did so.
Connor crowed with delight, lifting his arms towards his father as he approached. Angel cuddled the tiny boy against his chest and let his son’s familiar scent touch his heart.
“He’s gotten so big.” he said to Cordy, as he lifted the baby above his head and blew raspberries on the child’s stomach. Connor let out a stream of giggles at this and batted his tiny hands against the vampire’s smiling face.
Cordy didn’t answer; she was still trying to recover from that hug. Although to outward appearances it had probably seemed innocent, the seer knew better. Angel had been letting her know, in no uncertain terms, that he wanted her.
The seer didn’t know how she felt about that – was it just about sex? She needed so much more; she loved Angel with everything that she was and wanted him to love her back with equal intensity. She just wasn’t prepared to settle for a casual fling, no matter how drop-dead gorgeous he was.
Taking advantage of Cordy’s momentary distraction, Buffy moved to Angel’s side. “That’s cus he’s a little guzzle-guts, aren’t you Connor?”
The slayer reached out to stroke the baby’s soft cheek with the back of one finger. Connor studied the blond woman carefully for a few moments, before screwing up his little face and beginning to cry.
“Whoa – what’s with all the noise, little guy?” Angel said, jigging about on his feet to calm the suddenly screaming baby.
Hah! Should have made more effort with Connor before now, shouldn’t you, Buff? Cordy thought bitchily. Don’t you know babies can spot fake sincerity a mile off?
Out loud she said, “I think he’s just over-tired, it’s way past his bedtime. I’ll go and fix his bottle.”
Cordy went through into the kitchen and went about making up Connor’s formula on autopilot. She could hear the murmuring of voices in the other room, but couldn’t concentrate on what they were saying; her confused mind was too busy trying to make sense of the events of the last few minutes.
As she warmed up Connor’s milk, the seer mulled things over in her head and came up with a three point plan to test the strength of Angel’s feelings for her.
Number One (and most important) – She would avoid all bodily contact with the vampire. Cordy just couldn’t rely on her mental willpower to resist, or trust her traitorous body not to succumb, if Angel physically turned up the heat with her.
Number Two – Even though it was obvious that Buffy intended to make herself the centre of Angel’s attention while he was here, Cordy wouldn’t follow suit. If the vampire had truly meant what he said about moving on from the slayer, then he wouldn’t have any trouble resisting her come-ons, would he?
Number Three – Before she would even consider moving their relationship onto the next level, Cordy needed to hear Angel say (without any prompting) that he loved her, as well as reassuring that it was her, not Buffy, who now owned his heart and soul.
Satisfied that she’d got things straight in her head, Cordy made her way back into the other room, her emotions now firmly under control. Angel sat on the sofa with a much happier Connor in his lap and Buffy was curled up on the cushion next to him. The dark-haired vampire looked up and smiled warmly at Cordy as she held out the bottle of formula towards him.
“Thanks.” Angel said, settling Connor into the crook of his arm and putting the bottle to the baby’s rosebud mouth. The little boy began to suck rhythmically on the teat, his tiny fingers curling tightly around his father’s much larger ones, as he greedily drank down his supper.
Angel frowned when Cordy, instead of sitting down in the empty space next to him, moved to the other side of the room to perch on the arm of the chair that Willow was ensconced in.
“I hope you don’t mind the sofa to sleep on; there’s no other room at the inn right now.” Buffy said, putting her hand on Angel’s forearm in attempt to draw his attention away from Cordy.
“Cordy and Connor are in the main bedroom, aren’t they?” the vampire replied absently, his deep brown eyes still on his seer, who was studiously avoiding his gaze. “I’ll be fine in there with them.”
“But, there’s only one bed.”
“So, it’s not like we haven’t shared one before.”
“*What?*”
“It was only to help him look after Connor when he was first born; there was no funny business.” Cordy jumped in to explain, when it became apparent that the vampire wasn’t going to elaborate any further on his inflammatory statement. “I’ll sleep on the sofa – Angel should be with the baby.”
“Don’t be so stupid. It makes no sense for one of us to be uncomfortable down here, when there’s room for two upstairs.” Angel cut in, his tone sharp and frustration evident in his voice. “You’ll share with Connor and me.”
“Angel, I don’t think …”
“Cor – Look at me.” Angel deliberately softened his voice aware that, in his desperation to be close to her, he had probably come across as extremely overbearing. This was madness though; he only had twenty-four hours here and he intended to spend every moment with his family. There was no way in hell that Cordy was sleeping anywhere but in that bed besides him tonight.
Cordy finally met his gaze and Angel was shocked at the emotional turmoil he could see swirling in her expressive brown eyes. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” Cordy insisted, but her troubled expression told him a different story.
“Look if it makes you uncomfortable, then you don’t have to.” Angel backtracked a little, perturbed that he had managed to upset her so much; sharing a room wasn’t exactly an unusual occurrence for them.
Cordy’s heart clenched at the worry and concern she could see on the vampire’s face. He was completely unaware of her decision to keep her physical distance, so this must be totally confusing for him, especially as she hadn’t raised any objections to staying with him before.
Although she wanted Angel to prove his love for her, Cordy didn’t want to play games with him – that was Buffy’s field of expertise. Her relationship with Angel was based on honest friendship and they had always been straight with one another; his beige period and her vision thing were the exceptions to the rule, rather than the norm.
There’d not been that much physical contact when they’d previously shared a bed, so she could still stick to her action plan. He was only here for a day – did she really want to sleep down here on the sofa away from him?
“It’s all right; I was just being silly. We’re responsible adults after all – of course, it’s stupid for one of us to sleep down here.” Cordy smiled at Angel, watching as a look of relief washed over his handsome features.
“I’m going out to patrol later – wanna come along, for old time’s sake?” Buffy tried once again to commandeer the vampire’s attention.
Angel shook his head and smiled down at the suckling baby in his arms. “Thanks, but no. I don’t have much time and I want to spend every minute with my family.”
“But he’ll be asleep soon.” Buffy pointed out irritably.
Angel laughed, a rich deep sound. “That doesn’t really make a difference, Buffy. He’s my baby boy – just holding him in my arms is enough.”
Cordy just happened to be looking directly at the slayer as Angel spoke, and she finally understood why Buffy hadn’t made that much effort to get to know Connor.
The slayer obviously thought that she would always be number one with the vampire, therefore hadn’t viewed his son as a rival to that position. The pinched expression on Buffy’s face, as she realised this wasn’t the case, pretty much said it all.
Cordy was amazed that Buffy actually believed that Angel’s life would continue to revolve around her after the birth of his son – didn’t she know what kind of man he was? This baby boy was his flesh and blood, his child – how could the slayer think that Connor would be anything but the most important thing in his father’s life?
Cordy, in contrast, understood that Angel and Connor came as a package, but that didn’t matter in the slightest because she wanted them both. The little boy had captured her heart as much as his Dad had, and although she wasn’t his mom, she truly wanted to be.
Her three point plan suddenly seemed ridiculous; she needed Angel to be honestly in love with her yes, but she could see that not fighting for him and Connor was complete folly.
Buffy’s indifferent attitude towards Angel’s son only strengthened the seer’s resolve to go for what she wanted; Connor needed a mom to love him, not someone who would just tolerate his presence because it was necessary.
Cordelia Chase was *so* not the kind of girl to sit back and let another woman take her manpire – what the hell had she been thinking? Had she completely taken leave of her senses?
She quickly got to her feet and crossed the room to sit next to Angel as he burped a sleepy Connor. She bent to fondly kiss the baby’s head and was rewarded with a smile from both father and son. “I think it’s his bedtime. Shall we take him up?”
Angel nodded in agreement, relieved that her stand-offish attitude seemed to have vanished. “Yeah, I’m kind of beat too – it’s been a long day.”
Cordy gave him a look that told him that she knew he was lying through his teeth. She was fully aware of the human/vampire hours he kept; he hadn’t emerged from his room until late morning.
Angel didn’t care what anyone else thought though. He’d been apart from Cordy and Connor for two whole weeks and he desperately wanted some time alone with them.
He and his seer needed to talk.
***
Connor protested loudly about being put in his cot, so Cordy took a shower whilst Angel gently coaxed the baby to sleep. The vampire sat next to the cradle, and rubbed his fingers in soothing circles on his son’s tummy until the tiny boy could no longer keep his eyes open, despite his best efforts to the contrary.
Once Connor was sleeping, Angel removed his boots and socks and changed into a pair of comfy sweatpants and a fitted white t-shirt. He sat on the bed with his back against the headboard and his long legs stretched out in front of him, as he waited for Cordy to emerge from the on-suite bathroom.
When she re-entered the bedroom, the seer was dressed in her night things. The blue cotton pyjamas were low-slung, showing off her tattoos, and the accompanying white strappy vest-top fit snugly over her full breasts.
The outfit wasn’t inherently sexy, but Angel decided that Cordy somehow possessed the unique ability to make any item of clothing she wore a turn-on. The lower half of his body was certainly in agreement with that conclusion, that’s for sure. He held out his hand to her, silently inviting the young woman to sit besides him on the bed.
Cordy’s stomach was doing somersaults, unsure of how to handle the situation. What if she was reading it wrong and ended up making a complete fool of herself? The anxious brunette crossed the room and took Angel’s hand as she settled herself cross-legged on the mattress facing him.
Now that the moment was here, Angel didn’t know where to start. He squeezed her fingers gently and lifted their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand, and raising his brown eyes so that they locked with her hazel ones. The caramel orbs were wide and her pupils were dilated in nervous anticipation of what was to follow.
“I missed you.” Angel said then, a world of meaning behind those simple words.
“I missed you too.” Cordy whispered in reply, her voice shaking with her nerves, but her eyes never once leaving his.
Angel closed his eyes and cleared his throat, trying to gather his thoughts into some semblance of order, so that he could say what he wanted to say.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my soul.” he began haltingly. “I didn’t in the beginning because … well, I guess you know why.”
Cordy nodded – Angel had been right on the phone earlier; she hadn’t been that approachable back then. That was mainly because she was still so angry and hurt over the whole Darla business. This reasoning still didn’t explain why he hadn’t told her once that wound had healed though.
“Connor and the whole Wolfram and Hart situation have got in the way recently, and before then, I guess I was just so confused about my feelings for …”
Angel broke off and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, frowning as he tried to articulate his complicated emotions.
“There was Buffy’s death to deal with, which I handled better than I expected – I told you that at the time.” Angel tried again after a few moments of strained silence. “When she came back, although I needed to see her, I didn’t feel the desperate need to rush back to Sunnydale to be with her. I didn’t understand why then – I mean for so long it was all I ever dreamed of. I do know for sure now though.”
Angel looked down at their entwined fingers and smiled ruefully to himself. “I’m not convinced that this is the best time for this. I’d intended to wait until you got home, but we’re here now and I …..” The vampire trailed off again and shook his head in frustration. “I’m so bad at this.”
Cordy held her breath waiting for him to continue, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She realised that Angel was trying to tell her that he loved her, but she needed to hear him actually say the words before she could commit herself to returning the sentiment. The seer was terrified that her dream would be snatched away at the last moment, and she just didn’t think she could handle that.
Angel took a deep unneeded breath, gathered his courage and exposed his fragile heart to the risk of rejection.
“I love you.” he blurted out all at once, his fingers tightening painfully around hers as he waited for her response to his hesitant declaration.
Cordy’s eyes filled with tears of joy and a wide beautiful smile spread across her pretty face, causing overwhelming relief to flood through the vampire’s tense body.
“I love you too.” Cordy’s whispered confession was barely audible, but Angel’s enhanced hearing caught every single heartfelt word.
Angel moved to sit cross-legged in front of her, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of dark hair behind her right ear as he did so. Cupping the side of her face in his large hand, he bent down towards her, his callused thumb brushing over her cheekbone. Cool lips met warm ones in a slow sweet kiss.
“Cinnamon.” Angel murmured when their mouths eventually parted. “You taste like cinnamon and apples.”
“Is that good?” Cordy asked with a shy smile.
“Well duh!” Angel rolled his eyes at her, laughing when she thumped him lightly on the chest.
“Lie down baby.” His voice was low and husky.
Mesmerised, Cordy did as the vampire softly instructed, gazing up at him with trusting eyes as he shifted to lie alongside her. His gentle fingers traced her delicate facial features with a feather light touch, causing her to moan quietly at the eroticism of the contact.
“You are so beautiful.” he whispered reverently as one finger dipped into the hollow of her throat, then continued on downwards to trail back and forth along the neckline of her top.
“Ang … Mm.” Cordy’s words were cut off as Angel’s mouth swooped down to capture her lips again, this kiss much more passionate than the first. His tongue darted out to run along her plump lower lip, begging admittance into the, as yet, unexplored cavern of her pliant mouth.
Cordy’s head was reeling and her limbs felt heavy – she had never been kissed like this before in her life. She slowly opened her mouth under his to allow his insistent tongue entry.
Angel tunnelled his fingers through her hair to hold her in place, while he thoroughly explored every crevice of her hot mouth with his questing tongue. Finally, when her need to breathe became paramount, he reluctantly lifted his mouth away from her sinfully inviting lips.
Hooking one arm around Cordy’s waist, Angel pulled her underneath him, separating her legs with his knee and settling his solid muscular form over her warm soft body.
Cordy felt his weight press her into the mattress, and she clutched at his back as he rocked his lower body into the cradle of her thighs, his hands either side of her head.
“Oh Angel!” she moaned quietly and pushed her hips up into his in response.
Angel dropped his head to the curve of Cordy’s neck and latched onto the pulse point there, while she fisted the fingers of one hand into his hair. The vampire could hear the rapid beating of her heart thumping against his torso and pulsing under his mouth. He slipped his tongue out to taste the sweetness of her skin and savoured the sensation of her blood pumping wildly through her veins in arousal.
Angel repeated the thrusting action of his hips, pressing his hard throbbing erection against her liquid centre, and Cordy cried out vociferously in passion, unable to stop herself. “Oh God Angel!”
The seer’s ardent exclamation sounded extremely loud to her own ears, and she tensed underneath the vampire, awareness of where she was suddenly crashing in on her.
“Angel – Stop!” she pleaded frantically, tugging at his hair and pushing insistently against his chest. “Please Stop!”
Part 4
Angel froze as Cordy’s soft pleas penetrated the haze of his arousal; he lifted his head and looked worriedly down into her flushed face. Her lips were red and swollen from his kisses and her expression dazed with passion, but she was also biting her bottom lip in disquiet.
Angel’s gaze focused on the red mark that marred the golden skin of her sleek neck, and his stomach suddenly burned with nausea – God, she must have thought ….
“No!” Cordy caught his upper arms in a firm grip as she saw his brown eyes darken to black with guilt. “That’s not why.” She immediately knew what the horrified vampire was thinking and rushed to convince him that he was wrong.
“You sure?” Angel choked out, his voice shaking.
“Oh course, you dumbass!” Cordy reassured him in her own inimitable way. “I know you would never hurt me – your neck fetish is fine by me, broody boy.”
Angel could see the honesty of her words in her teasing gaze and he relaxed. “I came on too strong – I’m sorry, I just want you so much and I’m kind of … well … frustrated!”
Cordy grinned cheekily at him, her hazel eyes twinkling. “A hundred years of celibacy does that to a guy, huh?”
“Tell me about it.” Angel replied in mock seriousness, his tone self-depreciating.
“You didn’t come on too strong though. I do want to, so much, but it’s just …” The seer stopped and blushed.
“It’s just what?”
Cordy lowered her long lashes, avoiding his questioning eyes. “I might be kind of noisy.”
Angel laughed, tickled pink by her embarrassment. “And this is a problem how?”
“We might wake the baby.”
“Connor could sleep through a hurricane.” Angel pointed out matter-of-factly.
“Buffy and the Scooby Gang are downstairs; they’ll hear us.” The seer was forced to voice her real objection when the vampire quickly refuted her first statement.
“So?”
“Angel!”
Angel laughed at her shocked exclamation. “Come on Cor – what exactly do you think they’re going to do? Rush up here and demand that we stop?”
“Well, considering they don’t know your soul is permanent yet, I think that’s a distinct possibility.”
“Point taken.” Angel agreed, with a slight nod of his head.
“If Buffy finds out about us, then she’ll make my life complete hell.” Cordy continued, her face turning serious. “It’s hard enough being away from you and the rest of the guys as it is, without having to deal with your jealous ex as well. I’m sorry; I don’t mean to be a tease, but I’m not comfortable making love with Buffy downstairs. It’s eww!”
Angel considered her reasoning. “All right – I do agree it’d be a bit weird. Let’s get one thing straight though Cordy. What I do with my life is non of Buffy’s business anymore, she doesn’t own me.”
“You know that and I know that, but does she? I don’t think so. Little Miss Slay-Happy still regards you as her property, that was more than obvious from her behaviour towards you tonight.”
The vampire looked at her blankly and Cordy’s face split into a wide smile. “I *so* love you. You didn’t even notice her coming on to you earlier, did you?”
“I was too busy noticing you to pay much attention to anyone else.” Angel confessed brusquely, then wrapped his large hand around the nape of her neck, crushed his mouth against hers and forced her lips open with the pressure of his kiss.
Unable to resist the temptation, Cordy locked her arms around his head and returned his ardent embrace with fervour, her tongue parrying with his as her fingers curled tightly into his dark spiky hair.
Angel groaned and reluctantly tore himself away as their shared passion for each other began to escalate out of control, for the second time that night. His whole body was throbbing with unassuaged need.
“Noo, don’t want you to stop.” Cordy whined in frustration. “I’ve changed my mind. Forget about Buffy.” She tugged his face back down to hers, her tongue seeking to tangle with his again.
Angel caught her hands in his and pressed them firmly down on the pillow next to her head, somehow finding the strength to spurn her advances.
“Do you really mean that or is it just the hormones talking?” he growled, his voice hoarse with arousal. “Because if we go any further Cordy, there *will* be no going back – trust me on that.”
The seer looked up at him with passion-drugged eyes, her chest heaving with every intake of air as she struggled to think clearly. She loved him so much and wanted desperately to express those feelings physically, but Angel would be gone tomorrow and she had to continue to live in this house, with people who barely tolerated her presence, alone and away from everyone she loved.
The vampire’s eyes widened in alarm as Cordy’s beautiful hazel eyes suddenly welled up with shiny tears. “Hey – what’s wrong?”
“I don’t want you to go back to LA and leave me here alone again.” Cordy cried, tears rolling unchecked down her cheeks as her determination to remain strong and steadfast in the face of adversity disintegrated. “I just want to come home.”
“Ssh baby, ssh.” Angel murmured soothingly, brushing the wet strands of her hair off her cheeks and peppering her damp face with brief consoling kisses. He rolled onto his side and gathered Cordy close in his arms, his fingers stroking up and down her back as he continued to whisper nonsensical words of comfort in her ear.
The seer buried her face against his chest, crying quietly. Angel could feel the warmth of her tears against his cool skin as they soaked through the cotton material of his t-shirt. Cordy’s distress tore at his heart, but he hadn’t a clue what to say to make her feel better. The pain of separation was getting to him too, but at the moment he couldn’t see any alternative to the situation.
The team at Angel Investigations were stretched to the limit trying to cope with everything that Wolfram and Hart were throwing at them; so until he found a way to protect them whilst he wasn’t around, it simply wasn’t safe for Cordy and Connor to return to LA.
Wesley had devised a series of clever diversions to enable him to slip away unnoticed to Sunnydale tonight, but Angel knew it was too dangerous to repeat that ruse on a frequent basis. The vampire couldn’t risk making the trip to visit them too often because he was scared of revealing their location to his enemies.
It had taken a week, but Wolfram and Hart had eventually discovered that he had sequestered his family into hiding. Although it seemed obvious, it so far hadn’t occurred to the lawyers and their cronies that he’d placed Connor and Cordy under the protection of the slayer, but it was only a matter of time before they worked it out.
“I’m sorry for being all pathetico-girl.” Cordy hiccuped as she attempted to choke down her sobs. “I know this is necessary to stop Wolfram and Hart getting their evil hands on our baby.”
The seer shuddered as she remembered the grotesque mother and baby cages that they’d discovered on their return to the Hyperion, the night Connor had been born. “We have to be strong for our son.”
Angel cupped her tearstained face in his palms and kissed her softly. “I want you both to come home too. I promise I will do everything in my power to make that happen as soon as possible. I just don’t know how long it’s gonna take. Until that time Connor’s going to need his mommy to be strong for him, can you try and do that for me baby?”
“Okay, I’ll try.” Cordy sniffled and snuggled against his chest.
Angel turned onto his back, keeping one arm looped loosely around her bare shoulders. The seer’s fingers traced patterns on his cotton-clad torso as he ran his hand through her dark silky hair. “I’m not Connor’s mom.” she informed him quietly.
Angel dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “You were the one who called him ‘our baby’ and ‘our son'” he pointed out.
“I did?”
“Yep, I think so.”
Cordy smiled to herself. “I guess I did. Is that a problem?”
“Not for me, it isn’t. I certainly have no objection to him viewing you as his mom.”
“Really?”
“Yes really.” Angel assured her. “Darla’s dead and, although I’ll tell Connor the truth about his biological mother when he’s old enough to understand, she can’t be there for him as he grows up. You can be though – if you want to that is.”
“Of course I want to – I love you *and* Connor, Angel.”
“Next time I visit – we’re staying in a hotel right?” Angel said, his voice gruff with the emotions her affirmation of love had stirred within him. “I’m gonna go mad if I can’t make love to you soon.”
Cordy giggled at the sexual frustration that was also clearly evident in his tone. “Sounds like a plan to me.” she agreed wholeheartedly.
***
“Angel!”
The vampire groaned and pulled the pillow over his head to drown out the shrill shriek; it wasn’t time to get up yet.
“Angel! Get yer fat butt in here now!”
Angel sighed, pulled his head out from under the cushion, and carefully opened his eyes one at a time. Connor lay gurgling on the bed next to him, clad only in his diaper. The baby boy had a quizzical look on his cute little face.
“I think Daddy’s in trouble with Mommy.” he told Connor in a low singsong voice. If Angel didn’t know better, he could have sworn his son smirked at him.
Cordy appeared in the doorway of the on-suite bathroom, wearing just her underwear and an outraged expression on her pretty face. The violet silk bra and panties set she wore left very little to the imagination. Angel was suddenly wide awake. What the fuck is she trying to do – kill me?
“You gave me a hickey.” The seer pouted and pointed to the purple bruise-like mark on her neck. “I haven’t had a hickey since High School.”
The curtains in the bedroom were shut for obvious reasons, but Angel could tell it was past dawn because the filtered light illuminated the room without the aid of electricity. “What time is it?” he grumbled petulantly, ignoring her remonstrations.
“About 8am.” Cordy told him absently, her attention still focused on her own dilemma. “Do you know how difficult these things are to cover up?” She screwed up her nose in disgust and went to study herself in the bathroom mirror again.
Angel rolled out of bed, placed up a few pillows around his son so that he couldn’t roll towards the edges of the bed, then followed his girlfriend into the bathroom where the disgruntled seer was still fussing over the mark on her neck.
“Do vamp hickeys take longer to fade?” Cordy asked worriedly when she sensed his presence behind her, despite not being able to see his reflection next to hers in the mirror.
Angel began to chuckle – the look on his seer’s face was priceless. “It’s just a normal hickey Cor.” he reassured her, touching the mark he’d made with two cool fingers.
He gently turned Cordy to face him then and looked her up and down, his eyes darkening with desire. “Did you wear this just to torture me?” he growled, tracing the edges of her bra with his forefingers, raising goose bumps on her golden skin.
“No, I was getting dressed when I noticed the – Angel!” The seer gasped when his large hands began to slowly map the curves of her body and he bent to nuzzle behind her left ear with his cool lips.
A sharp knock on the bedroom door a few moments later caused them to spring apart.
“It’ll be Willow.” Cordy hissed in panic. “She brings me up a cup of coffee every morning.”
The seer pushed Angel firmly away and turned back to the mirror. “Go and answer it. Tell her I’m in the shower or something. I can’t see anyone until I’ve covered this up.”
Angel sighed; he wished they could just be honest about their relationship, but he respected Cordy’s choice to keep things a secret. The seer was the one who had to live here though. Angel knew that Buffy could, and would, make things difficult for Cordy if she found out the truth about the two of them.
The vampire, therefore, reluctantly did as Cordy had asked and went to let Willow in; his heart heavy with the knowledge that they wouldn’t be alone again until the slayer left for her shift at the Doublemeat Palace later on that afternoon.
“Don’t you have to go to work yet?” The question came out a lot sharper than Angel intended, but Buffy was getting on his nerves big time. Ever since he and Cordy had ventured downstairs with Connor that morning, the slayer had been hovering like a bee round a honeypot and it was driving him insane.
Cordy had told him the previous night that it was time to introduce some solid food into Connor’s diet, and because she recognised that it would kill Angel to miss out on such an important milestone in his baby boy’s life, she had suggested that he try Connor on some mushed up baby cereal for breakfast that morning.
Buffy, who obviously had no concept of how important an event this was in his son’s development, had interrupted Angel’s creative efforts to feed his son, with a request for the vampire to help her reorganise her training area in the basement. The slayer seemed genuinely surprised when he refused to hand over the job of giving Connor his breakfast in order to help her out.
Angel wouldn’t have missed the spectacle for the world though. Most of the baby food ended up anywhere but in the little boy’s mouth, but Connor seemed to enjoy himself immensely and was all sunny smiles and happy giggles afterwards. Cordy had insisted on taking a polaroid shot of Angel holding his sticky food-spattered son for him to take back to LA to show the others, because ‘you both look so cute and adorable.’
“I’m not going into work today.” Angel’s thoughts were drawn back to the present when Buffy answered his question. “I swapped shifts with one of my colleagues so we could spend some time together. It means doing a double-shift tomorrow, but I don’t mind.”
Cordy resisted the urge to scream when she heard this; she’d been looking forward to the time when she’d have Angel and Connor to herself again, and now it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.
Connor began to cry then, his little sobs for attention sounding tinny through the baby monitor that stood on the mantle. Cordy automatically got to her feet to go see to him, and grinned as Angel immediately did the same.
“We’ll both go.” Angel decided, taking her hand and firmly leading her out of the lounge and up the stairs to the main bedroom.
Angel reached over and turned the monitor off, before scooping Connor up into his arms to find out what was wrong. The less than pleasant smell emanating from the baby indicated a diaper change was in order, so the vampire reached for the changing mat, and settled himself cross-legged on the floor to change his son.
Cordy flopped dejectedly across the bed, her chin resting in her cupped hands. “I can’t believe she’s not going to work.”
“Me neither.” Angel gave her a tight smile. “I thought we would get the place to ourselves for at least a few hours. I really need some time alone with you and Connor before I go back to LA. We’re going out as soon as the sun goes down okay? I don’t have to leave until about midnight, so we’ll have a few hours to ourselves at least.”
Cordy nodded. “I predict I’m going to have a sudden craving for ice-cream.” she decided.
“Connor will need some fresh air too – he’s been cooped up inside all day.” Angel added to their plausible excuses for escaping the confines of the Summer’s house.
“Just as long as Buffy doesn’t decide to invite herself along with us.”
“If she does, then I’m going to tell her that she’s not welcome. I know you want to keep our relationship a secret, but there’s only so much I can take. I’ve been as patient as a saint with her all day.” Angel replied, as he expertly secured a wriggling Connor into his clean diaper.
“Yeah I know. I have to say your avoidance tactics to her come-ons have been truly masterly. It’s just a pity Buffy is so thick-skinned and can’t take the hint.”
Cordy pursed her lips, as she tried to think of a way to avoid letting the cat out the bag with regard to the new development in their relationship.
“We could sneak out while she’s not looking.” she suggested a few moments later, a conspiratorial twinkle in her eye. “The rest of the Scoobies usually land on the front doorstep around dinnertime, so they won’t notice us slip out the back.”
Angel laughed. “You are a devious woman Cordelia Chase.”
“I like to think so.” Cordy agreed with a wicked grin, then she suddenly gasped, her hazel eyes going wide. The seer touched her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes as she involuntarily levitated a few inches off the bed.
Recognising the signs of a vision, Angel quickly pulled Connor’s little sweatpants up and his small t-shirt down, then moved to sit next to Cordy on the bed with his baby son in his arms.
Connor’s rosebud mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ when he saw Cordy floating and he pointed at her with one tiny finger as he tugged on his father’s hair with his other hand to get his attention.
Angel winced; his son had a strong grip. “I know little guy; it’s a new skill she’s just acquired. As you grow up, you’ll realise that your Mommy and Daddy are not exactly normal human beings.”
Once the vision was over, Cordy dropped back down onto the bed, but lay still and kept her eyes closed.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Angel asked, a trace of panic in his voice at her silence.
Cordy rolled over onto her back and finally opened her eyes to reveal hazel orbs that were glistening with unshed tears.
“Baby – what is it?” Angel asked concerned, reaching out a comforting hand towards her.
Cordy laced her fingers through his and finally spoke. “Fred – some kind of big grey demony thing was attacking her. It’s gonna happen tonight – you have to leave as soon as possible.”
Angel shook his head. “I’ll call Wes and Gunn to warn them; they’ll be able to handle it. I don’t have to go back until later.”
“No Angel. Why would the powers show me what was going to happen if you weren’t needed to rescue her? The visions are meant for you.”
Angel didn’t reply straightaway; he knew she was right, but didn’t want to face the inevitability of leaving her and Connor behind again. “It’s too soon.” he said brokenly.
“I know.” Cordy replied, her voice was thick with tears. “But we can’t let anything happen to Fred, you know we can’t.”
Angel took a deep unneeded breath and tightened his fingers around hers as he cuddled Connor close to him. “What time is it?”
“Three pm.” Cordy said, glancing at her watch. “Do you know what time sun down is?”
“About seven.”
“Four hours then.” The seer’s voice was quavering with suppressed emotions.
“Yeah.” Angel whispered, his own eyes now also full of tears. “Four hours.”
***
Cordy sat on the bed and watched as Angel packed his stuff into his backpack. She was desperately trying to keep her feelings in check, but was failing miserably in her efforts. She looked at her watch – six forty-five – it was nearly time for him to leave. Oh God! What am I going to do without him?
The seer had willingly taken on the responsibility of caring for Connor, but it was still a daunting task for the young woman. She had essentially become a single mother overnight and that wasn’t something that had been on her list of things to do before she was twenty-five.
Neither was falling in love with a vampire of course, but Cordy wouldn’t change either state of affairs for anything. She just hoped that the three of them would be back at the Hyperion and living together as a proper family very soon, because she wasn’t sure how much longer she could cope alone.
Angel secured the straps on his bag and looked down at Cordy, who was gazing up at him with sad liquid eyes. “God, I’m going to miss you so much.” he croaked out as the emotions overwhelmed him.
Cordy flung herself into his waiting arms and buried her face against his throat; the vampire could feel the silent tears shaking her body. He tugged gently on her hair, and forced her eyes to meet his before their lips came together in a series of desperate and frantic kisses.
When they eventually drew apart, they stood enclosed within each other’s arms, their foreheads touching. “I love you.” they both whispered at the same time.
Angel placed another soft kiss on her full lips, then turned to look down at his sleeping son in the cradle by the bed. He stroked a finger down Connor’s warm cheek. “Goodbye little guy – be good for Mommy okay?”
He bent to kiss the baby’s forehead, then straightened, picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. “I guess it’s time.”
Cordy nodded, not trusting herself to speak for fear that she would break down completely and beg him to take her and Connor back to LA. Angel didn’t need that burden of guilt placed on him. It wasn’t his fault; they’d all been forced into this situation by Wolfram and Hart.
Angel wrapped an arm around Cordy’s slim waist and pulled her close to kiss her again. “Goodbye.”
“Bye.” Cordy whispered in a barely audible voice as he released her and turned to open the bedroom door.
The vampire glanced back over his shoulder as he stepped out onto the landing. “I’ll call you.” he said softly.
The two of them exchanged a long lingering look and then he was gone.
Cordy lifted a blanket-wrapped Connor from the cot and lay down on the bed with her son in her arms. When she heard Angel’s car pull away a few minutes later, the seer couldn’t stop herself from bursting into tears of anguish.
How long will it be before I see him again?
