***<\/p>\n
As Gunn pulled the car to a stop in the driveway at 1630 Revello Drive, Cordelia felt anxious. For the first time since leaving the hospital, she realized this was going to mean a reunion with the Scooby Gang.<\/p>\n
Knowing Buffy was alive was one thing, but actually seeing again was quite another.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis place gives me the wiggins,\u201d she grumbled and climbed out of the front seat.<\/p>\n
A hand closed over hers, the touch cool, familiar and supportive. \u201cC\u2019mon, they don\u2019t bite. Though I suggest you don\u2019t turn your back on Dawn,\u201d Angel joked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHa! Dawn likes me,\u201d Cordelia smirked as she remembered the way Buffy\u2019s younger sister used to try to get her attention by asking for fashion advice and makeup tips. \u201cOr she did until I started dating Xander, her hero by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot anymore,\u201d Angel told her as they moved closer to the door. A little worry crept back into his tone, \u201cSpike\u2019s got that honor for the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEew! Well, there\u2019s no accounting for taste,\u201d Cordelia\u2019s nose crinkled. \u201cThen again, living dangerously runs in the family. Lucky thing you\u2019re invisible; I can\u2019t tell if you\u2019re pouting over it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel apparently stopped in his tracks because he tugged her back toward him. \u201cI don\u2019t pout.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPfft!\u201d Cordelia reached up to pat his invisible shoulder. \u201cYou own the patent on it, Mister Broods-a-lot. If it\u2019s any consolation, you\u2019re my hero.\u201d<\/p>\n
His pleased, \u201cReally?\u201d was followed by Cordelia rolling her eyes.<\/p>\n
Gunn stepped up beside them, a look of wry amusement on his face. \u201cWe goin\u2019 in any time soon?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before she could answer, Cordelia saw the front door open. Dawn stepped onto the threshold. After staring at them in wide-eyed silence for three or four seconds, she yelled over her shoulder, \u201cThey\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia watched as Gunn walked past them into the house. She squeezed Angel\u2019s hand, trying to bolster her courage to get this reunion over with. As soon as she dropped Angel\u2019s hand, she felt his fingers slide up her arm until his palm cupped her cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cAm I being a dork about this? Geez, I am.\u201d Cordelia wished she could see his face. Those dark eyes often told her so much, when she could read them at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever,\u201d he indulged her before saying what was on his mind. \u201cThank you again for doing what you did for Connor.\u201d The depth of his sincerity sounded as he added, \u201cAs heroes go, you\u2019re mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAng\u2014.\u201d She started to protest that anyone would have done the same, but felt the brush of his lips across hers. Like a whisper across her mouth, the soft caress was there and gone.<\/p>\n
A squeal sounded from the doorway, startling Cordelia whose heart was suddenly pounding in her chest. Fred ran out, arms open wide to engulf Cordelia in a tight hug.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow are you? Obviously you\u2019re okay since the doctors released you, but are you sore, achy, in pain? That bruise looks painful. I could make you a poultice I used in Pylea\u2026 except I don\u2019t have the ingredients. You need jangaroot and bushelberries and I just don\u2019t know what would substitute for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Cordelia finally got a word in, she promised, \u201cI\u2019m fine, Fred. Where\u2019s Connor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Anya.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia gaped, \u201cYou left him with Anya? Fred, she\u2019s a former Vengeance Demon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, well, hmm,\u201d Fred bit her lip. \u201cI-I\u2019ll be right back.\u201d<\/p>\n
She rushed past Dawn who assured them, \u201cAnya won\u2019t hurt the baby. She\u2019s trying to talk Xander into giving her one for Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Snorting, Cordelia tried to imagine Xander as a father. Realizing it wasn\u2019t quite such a funny thing as she originally thought, she commented, \u201cAs long as Anya doesn\u2019t think they come gift-wrapped and placed under the tree.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I\u2019m pretty sure she knows where babies come from,\u201d Dawn sighed deeply. \u201cIt\u2019s not like we don\u2019t hear about it every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPoor you!\u201d Cordelia laughed as she hugged Dawn. \u201cHi, Dawny. Maybe it\u2019s better that I don\u2019t ask for the details.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dawn assured her, \u201cIt\u2019s very\u2026educational.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that Dawnster?\u201d asked Xander as he pulled her out of the way to get to Cordelia. Then he saw the dark bruise on her cheek and his smile faltered. \u201cOh, God! Your face. It\u2019s\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
A low rumble of discontent sounded next to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not so bad,\u201d corrected Xander quickly, \u201chardly noticeable. The good thing about bruises is that they go away. And you\u2019re a girl\u2026girls can use makeup.\u201d<\/p>\n
His backpedaling had Cordelia laughing, her smile so wide that her face did ache a little. \u201cNice try.\u201d<\/p>\n
They walked into the foyer where Wes greeted her with a smile and a long hug. \u201cYou look like a squirrel has been making a nest in your hair,\u201d Cordelia told him. \u201cYour Rogue Demon Hunter look is edging on scary Mountain Man. Did you sleep at all last night?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so, for a couple of hours,\u201d Wesley didn\u2019t look too sure about it. \u201cResearching this problem has proven rather interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy piped up behind them, \u201cYou\u2019ll have to wait a minute for the rest of us to say hello.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning around slowly, Cordelia stared for a second before saying, \u201cHello, Buffy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHi.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, I\u2019m glad you\u2019re alive,\u201d Cordelia commented awkwardly. When she felt Angel\u2019s fingers threading through hers again, she leaned slightly into him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, you, too,\u201d Buffy looked just as pained by the conversation.<\/p>\n
Cordelia saw the Slayer\u2019s eyes drop down to where her hand seemed to curl up against the air. When Buffy looked up again, she was staring at the open space that Angel filled with his invisible form. It was obvious that she knew Angel was standing next to her. Cordelia waited for Angel to say something, but he remained silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were in the middle of making dinner so, I\u2019m just gonna\u2026,\u201d Buffy pointed toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo?\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy moved so rapidly, Cordelia only saw a flash sweeping out of the room as Willow took the opportunity to say hello. She reached in to hug Cordelia only to knock into Angel first. \u201cOh, Angel, you\u2019re here. Of course, you are. Here, I mean. Just hugging, honest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s Connor,\u201d Fred called out behind them.<\/p>\n
Anya stood next to her looking rather perturbed. \u201cThere was no harm done. I was just holding him. Can I help it if the baby seems to like troll stories? He seemed very alert and interested in hearing about the end of the battle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chuckling, Xander pointed out, \u201cHe\u2019s a little young for that, An.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia figured her stories couldn\u2019t be any worse than the ones Angel made up for Connor when he thought no one was listening. She held out her arms toward the baby, simply telling Fred, \u201cGimme.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe first,\u201d Angel complained and reached in to lift Connor from Fred\u2019s arms. \u201cThere\u2019s my brave little man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gunn, Fred and Wes walked back into the living room, quite used to the spectacle of the vampire cooing over his child. The fact that he was invisible and Connor seemed to be suspended in midair gave them a moment\u2019s pause, but there were other things on their minds now that Cordelia and Conner were back in the fold.<\/p>\n
Cordelia nodded at Wes when he motioned toward the dining room where his research was set up. His haggard appearance and impatient body language suggested whatever he had to say was going to be a doozy.<\/p>\n
The sound of baby talk coming from the former Scourge of Europe caused quite a different reaction from Willow, Xander and Dawn. Slack-jawed, they stood staring at the sight as Connor bounced in the air. A toothless smile brightened his face, little legs kicking happily at the sound of his father\u2019s voice. Cordelia had to laugh at their stunned faces and was suddenly sorry that Buffy had left the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my turn, you greedy vampire,\u201d Cordelia complained as she motioned with her hands. \u201cGive me Connor and let\u2019s go see what Wes has to say to you before he has a coronary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia snuggled the baby in her arms and closed her eyes for a moment. Relief at having him back safe washed over her like a rainfall. He\u2019d come into their lives so suddenly. While Cordelia hated his mother for her influence on Angel, she never once resented Connor\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n
Maybe there was a slight twinge of jealousy or a little bit of hurt when Angel was so over-protective that he wouldn\u2019t accept any help, even from her, but that hadn\u2019t lasted long.<\/p>\n
The nape of her neck prickled as Cordelia got the sensation of being watched closely. It didn\u2019t take much imagination to figure out who it was. \u201cWhat is it, Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n
A hasty, \u201cNothing,\u201d returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cPfft! Yeah, right,\u201d Cordelia\u2019s disbelief was apparent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just\u2026 thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moving to take a seat at the dining room table, Xander cut in, \u201cDon\u2019t strain yourself, Dead Boy.\u201d<\/p>\n
A responding growl sounded so low that Cordelia was certain she was the only one to pick it up. Xander\u2019s old nickname for Angel was a reminder of graveyard patrols and long nights of research in the library.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what\u2019s on your mind? It\u2019s obviously not the nothing you say it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it\u2019s something,\u201d he admitted. \u201cJust something that should wait.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it should.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wes cleared his throat. \u201cPerhaps this is a good time to move on to the important topics of the day?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m back,\u201d announced Buffy as she arrived carrying a tray of sandwiches and a bag of potato chips. \u201cWhat\u2019d I miss?\u201d<\/p>\n
Xander and Willow chimed in, \u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia suspected it was a lot more than nothing. She wasn\u2019t alone in that thinking, either. Before Anya, Dawn or Fred could correct them, Wesley informed Buffy, \u201cI was about to tell Angel and Cordelia the findings of my research.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust in time, then. Dealing with the Trio, I missed most of that myself,\u201d Buffy said as she put the tray down on the only clear spot on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s to know? Just uninvisiblize<\/i> him, already,\u201d Cordelia gestured toward the ray gun that lay upon the table.<\/p>\n
Adjusting his glasses, Wes looked toward Fred who smiled encouragingly and then shrugged, switching to a nervous frown. Cordelia wasn\u2019t sure what all the silent signals meant, but it had to be trouble. Nothing was ever as simple as pushing a button.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid I have to recommend we delay reversing the invisibility process,\u201d Wesley said as he squared his shoulders.<\/p>\n
Less than pleased, Angel demanded. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhilst I have every reason to believe that another exposure to the light beam will restore you to a visible wavelength,\u201d Wes informed him, \u201cI am concerned that doing so will have further side-effects.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFurther effects?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wes touched his hand to the metallic casing as he explained, \u201cThe power source for the Invisibility Ray is actually an ancient mystical stone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJonathan found it in a junk shop,\u201d Cordelia offered up what little information she had gleaned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe magick from the stone overloaded the electro-mechanics of the ray gun.\u201d Fred reached for one of the sandwiches. \u201cA new circuit pathway was accidentally created during the overload, turning the destructive laser beam into diffused lightwaves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xander, munching on a handful of potato chips, gave a dramatic shout, \u201cPresto! Invisible vamp.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat other effects, Wes?\u201d Cordelia had heard the concern in his voice just as Angel had and wasn\u2019t about to let it drop.<\/p>\n
Telling them of the trip to the carnival and their meeting with the old gypsy fortune teller, Madame Bosha, he further explained, \u201cWe were told to look for the Eye of Dakronn to reveal the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTruth about what?\u201d Cordelia had to ask.<\/p>\n
Fred shrugged cluelessly in response. \u201cShe was kinda cryptic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the power source,\u201d Angel concluded, \u201cis the Eye.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Wesley nodded, \u201cthough it took me ages to verify it. The Eye of Dakronn is an ancient relic of the Kalderash Romany.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia\u2019s eyes darted toward Angel. She could feel his tension despite not being able to see him. Across the table, Buffy squirmed in her chair as she remembered, \u201cJenny Calendar was Kalderash.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWes has a theory,\u201d Fred\u2019s excitement showed in her eyes as she met Cordelia\u2019s gaze across the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, you might say that it is Lorne\u2019s theory,\u201d corrected Wes. \u201cAngel, do you remember Lorne\u2019s reaction to you before we left for Sunnydale? He said\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was something different about me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia gestured in Angel\u2019s direction, \u201cHello, invisible!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, he said it was something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wes and Fred exchanged glances again, which drove Cordelia to demand, \u201cJust say it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLorne believes Angel\u2019s soul is now permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Cordelia heard her own question echoed several times over. Nobody except Fred was in on this part of the discovery, apparently.<\/p>\n
Angel sounded just as surprised, \u201cHow? Are you saying the Trio\u2019s ray gun did this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot precisely,\u201d corrected Wes rubbing a hand across his mouth and stubbled jaw. \u201cI believe Lorne knows what he\u2019s talking about. He wouldn\u2019t say it if he hadn\u2019t given it a lot of thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got but-face,\u201d Willow pointed out to Cordelia suggesting that was a bad thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut,\u201d Wesley added ignoring Willow\u2019s interruption, \u201cwe remain uncertain as to the cause. Madame Bosha hinted that the Eye of Dakronn would reveal truth. She said nothing to indicate that it would have this kind of effect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel let out a harsh laugh, irony weighing heavily in his voice as he asked, \u201cWhat is it that really has you worried?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Eye did nothing more than shed it\u2019s proverbial light on the subject of your curse,\u201d Wes shrugged, \u201cthen using the ray gun to reverse your invisible condition will mean nothing. We could reverse the process without any untoward effects.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia realized what Wes was going to say next. The idea of it frightened her as much as the other news had given her hope. Wes held up a finger in point of case, \u201cHowever, if the Eye\u2019s power had something to do with cementing your soul in place, I fear exposing you to its power again might strip the soul away entirely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Angel has to stay invisible,\u201d Cordelia took in a deep breath and let it out in one short huff. \u201cThere are worse things to be. Just think of the perks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel\u2019s mouth was close to her ear, \u201cHave some in mind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDuh!\u201d Cordelia slapped at his chest. \u201cNo more Angelus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley\u2019s quandary had kept him searching for other clues, but his resources here were limited. Combined with what he had back at the Hyperion, they might provide some extra data.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, he had to tell them, \u201cThe fact is that we know very little about the methods the Kalderash used to invoke the original curse. We have only a variation of it that Willow has used before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about this Madame Botox?\u201d asked Cordelia as she switched Connor from one arm to the other. \u201cShe seems to be a know-it-all. Maybe she can tell you more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLorne called about an hour ago,\u201d Fred told her ruefully.<\/p>\n
Then Wesley revealed what he had to say, \u201cMadame Bosha<\/i> has closed up her shop on the boardwalk. There was an envelope taped to the window, addressed to Angelus.\u201d<\/p>\n