Part 10<\/b><\/p>\n
Angel\u2019s Mansion <\/em> Angel crouched next to the old fireplace in the lobby of the old mansion. This place didn\u2019t hold many fond memories. It was here that he, Drusilla, and Spike tried to unleash hell on earth.<\/p>\n It was in this very room that Buffy told him to close his eyes. Then she buried the blade in his chest. It was with that blow that Angel\u2019s destiny was sealed.<\/p>\n The memory of the vampire with a soul could have faded into a distant memory. The ally and lover turned enemy could have been dismissed as a battle fought in the past, long since won, having no more effect on those who survived. But that isn\u2019t what happened.<\/p>\n He was released from the hell in which he was housed, for reasons he wouldn\u2019t understand until much later. He was to be a warrior. He was to protect those who couldn\u2019t protect themselves. Funny how at one time they would have all needed protection from him.<\/p>\n For so long he had believed that his goal had been redemption with the promise of humanity. But now Angel saw it clearly. This child he sought to protect was his reward. She was not only his redemption, but also all of humanity.<\/p>\n Angel carefully removed a pair of bricks from the back of the fireplace. He dipped his hand into the hole and removed a rag-covered object. It was the palm pilot. His ticket back to his family. With a sigh, he stood up to make his goodbyes.<\/p>\n The Scoobies all lined up to say their farewells. Xander was first in line. After a quick handshake and a muttered \u201cGoodbye\u201d, Xander stepped a more comfortable distance away. Buffy gave him a quick hug, all the while trying to hold back the tears. \u201cGo back to your family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBuffy, I\u2019m sorry things won\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you go, all this will be forgotten. And for a while, at least, I can hold on to the fairy tale.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were my first love,\u201d Angel said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you were mine.\u201d<\/p>\n Angel smiled at her before moving on to Willow. The redhead looked adorable in pigtails and overalls. Angel thought back to when he first woke. A relationship with this girl would have been a lot healthier for him.<\/p>\n After a moment of debate, Angel made his decision.<\/p>\n To say Willow was shell-shocked when Angel laid the deepest, most passionate kiss she\u2019d ever experience on her would be an understatement. Right before Willow could actually summon up her wits to do something, like slap him or go with the flow, Angel broke the kiss off. Angel grinned wickedly as Willow stared into space in a daze.<\/p>\n Oz was the next in line. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d the vampire said. \u201cI had to do that. But on the bright side, in a few minutes you won\u2019t remember any of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s your only saving grace,\u201d Oz deadpanned. He shook Angel\u2019s hand before turning to his girlfriend. \u201cWillow, baby, you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAngel\u2026smoochie\u2026wow.\u201d<\/p>\n Giles was next. The Watcher wore an amused look as Oz tried to give Angel an evil glare. The young werewolf looked constipated. \u201cGood luck to you, Angel,\u201d Giles said. \u201cTake care of Cordelia and the little one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will,\u201d Angel said as he shook Giles\u2019 hand. \u201cI\u2019ll do whatever it takes to protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Giles said, \u201cso I\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, it was Cordelia\u2019s turn to say goodbye. Angel would have to convince his Cordy to grow her hair out. The young teenager wore a look of contentment on her face. It was the look of someone who knew good things would be in their future. If Angel could look in a mirror, he was sure he\u2019d see the same expression on his face.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not real sure what to say,\u201d Cordelia admitted. \u201cGoodbye doesn\u2019t sound right, because we\u2019ll see each other when you go home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow about \u2018See you in a few\u2019?\u201d Angel smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019ll work,\u201d Cordelia smiled back. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be good parents, aren\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you kidding? We\u2019ll kick ass.\u201d Angel leaned in and softly kissed her cheek. Giving her hand a light squeeze, he then unwrapped the palm pilot. He then walked into the center of the lobby and took a deep breath.<\/p>\n Angel pressed the necessary buttons to begin his journey. A cold wind began to flow throughout the mansion. Electricity began to crackle along the walls and moved to converge at a spot above the center of the room. A loud tear was heard, as the fabric of time was ripped open. Angel tucked the palm pilot into his jacket.<\/p>\n \u201cTime to go home,\u201d he whispered. With a running start, Angel leapt into the vortex. Like a rubber band, the vortex snapped shut.<\/p>\n The timeline was preserved.<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n Hyperion Hotel <\/em> Papers were whipped from Cordelia\u2019s desk as a cold wind picked up in the hotel. Cordelia shot up from her seat and rushed into the lobby as fast as she could. \u201cHe\u2019s coming home!\u201d she shouted in glee.<\/p>\n In moments everyone had raced to the lobby. Fred and Gunn were the last to arrive, but they did so in time to see the vortex open up. Angel dropped, this time to his feet With a slight smile, he greeted the room.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n ***********<\/p>\n Hyperion Hotel <\/em> I remember when Connor was born. I was so nervous, so fearful, that I couldn\u2019t appreciate the magnitude of the miracle before me. So concerned was I in the threat to my son\u2019s life, that I couldn\u2019t marvel in the tiny bundle I helped create. It took some time before I would fully understand what Connor\u2019s existence meant.<\/p>\n He was a life. A tiny, miraculous life. In my existence, I had excelled in destruction. Particularly, the destruction of life. But in that moment of realization, it struck me. I had created life. A beautiful, pure life. He was something that I devote all of my love, and I discovered that I had the capacity to devote my soul to a being.<\/p>\n And when I held my little angel in my arms, I discovered that feeling again. My beautiful Aileen. My second miracle. With her mother\u2019s perfect eyes, and her mother\u2019s perfect mouth. My beautiful Aileen.<\/p>\n Looking at the scene before me, my heart swells with a pride more powerful than I\u2019ve ever felt. Resting gently in a rocking chair, my love holds OUR miracle to her breasts, singing a lullaby slightly off key. She smiles sweetly down on our little creation.<\/p>\n She feels it too. That overwhelming sense of love. Not the blazing, inferno type of love. The type that burns and consumes, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake. But the warm, enveloping type of love. Like a comforter surrounds you on a chilly night. Surrounding you with warmth, and safety, and contentment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d she asks me. I smile as I walk over and place my hand gently on her cheek. She leans into my touch, as I kneel to place my other hand by the head of our child.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m thinking about Aileen,\u201d I say. \u201cAbout all the good things she will do. About all the hope she will bring. Can you feel it?\u201d I ask Cordelia. \u201cCan you feel her soul? Can you feel the love that she already holds?\u201d I can see that she does.<\/p>\n \u201cI do,\u201d Cordelia said. \u201cShe will bring love to the world. She won\u2019t hesitate to make the needed sacrifice. The sacrifice to save us all.\u201d<\/p>\n I silently agree with her. I lean down to kiss Aileen gently on the forehead. The tiny life yawns as sleep tries to overtake her. I then kiss my Cordelia softly on the lips. Even though we know that our daughter\u2019s destiny is the sacrifice of her life, we accept this. Because we can feel that she does.<\/p>\n \u201cI love you,\u201d I say softly.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I love you,\u201d Cordelia answers.<\/p>\n \u201cSleep well,\u201d I whisper in our miracle\u2019s ear. \u201cYour destiny awaits.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nSeptember 24, 1998<\/em><\/p>\n
\nOctober 19, 2003<\/em><\/p>\n
\nDecember 8, 2003<\/em><\/p>\n