Summary: The title explains it all
Pairing: B/A, A/C, and unfortunately F/R
Rating: PG to NC-17
Distribution: You want it? Just tell me where!
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss and ME except for Ana and
Ali, they belong to me!
The mid June weather was really starting to show in the middle of
Michigan. A few hundred of girls were getting off their buses and
receiving their cabins. All the screaming eleven to thirteen year
old girls were starting to migrate to the duffle pit. The latest bag
was tossed into the center. Suddenly a medium sized girl with long
brown hair popped up from behind the duffle pit.
"Okay, found my duffle!" she tried to grab it but then
several other councilors tossed some other duffle bags into the
pit. "Now the question is, how do I get it out?"
Another girl around the same age with short dirty blonde
hair came up beside her and set her duffle on top of the pile.
"You're new aren't you?"
"How could you tell?" she asked sarcastically.
"You didn't know how to snatch your bag, before the other
apes tossed others into the pit." The girl informed her new friend.
She tried to pull it out, but found difficulty as well. They looked
over at a tall girl with long blonde hair who easily just snatched
her duffle from the bottom.
"Now that's my kind of woman!" the brunette spoke her
thoughts.
"Yo, overall-girl!" the dirty blonde called.
The tall blonde looked over and saw their troubles.
"Could you grab my duffle, it's the orange one buried way in
there."
"Oh, that, no problem." Over-all girl easily just pulled it
out. She looked at the brunette's name tag that read: SUMMERS,
ALEXIA
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
"Hey, you're from California? Do you live in Hollywood? Do
you like, live next door to a movie star?" Over-all girl asked very
intrigued.
"Well, aren't you just Curiosity Gal. No, I don't live in
Hollywood, I live in a town about three hours away from LA, called
Sunnydale and I don't have neighbors."
Just then, the counselor called, "Summers, Alexia!"
Alexia looked up, raised her hand and called, "Right here!"
"Arapahoe!"
"That's what I am!" the other two girls called.
"Stellar." Alexia called walking to their bunks. "So, any of
you guys know how to play, poker?"
Both of the other girls said in unison, "No, never played it
before."
"Really? Gee, what a shame." Alexia replied with heavy
sarcasm.
On the other side of camp, another young girl was being
dropped off by a 1954 black, Pontiac convertible.
"So, you're sure, your dad packed everything?" the male
asked the teenager.
"No, that's why I had Fred help me." The girl joked.
"We're going to miss you, Ana." The male replied giving her
a hug.
"I'm really going to miss you, Uncle Doyle. Make sure Dad
doesn't go too crazy." Ana gave him one more hug and watched her
uncle get back in her father's car and drive off.
Later that day, after all the girls had settled down in
their cabins, the lunch bell sounded and all the girls rushed to eat
some food. As the girls ate, the two main counselors came up to the
podium and the elder started to read from her note cards.
"Alright, girls! Listen up! Welcome to Summer Camp! The real
reason I'm up here is to inform you that Saturday Night, we are
having a dance with the boys camp that is just across the lake."
The whole camp cheered at this news! Every girl in the place
couldn't wait for Saturday to come so they could maintain some kind
of girlish quality while at camp.
After lunch, Ana and the friends that she had made in her
bunk were in the fencing area. Ana was the reigning champ and had
just beaten another girl.
The counselor walked over, raised Ana's hand and
announced, "Looks like we have a new camp champ Ms. Anastasia
O'Connor. Do we have any challengers?" No one moved. "Oh, come on
ladies! Let's not be DID's!"
"DID's?" the other girls questioned looking confused.
"Damsel's in Distress?" the counselor confirmed.
Alexia "Ali" walked by and asked, "I'll take a whack at it."
"Okay, we have ourselves a challenger! Suit up!"
Ana was giggling with her friends over something as Ali
suited up. She turned around, put on her mask and walked over to the
center to face off with her opponent.
The two girls circled each other and proceeded to fence when
told to start. The battle was not easy and each girl was both losing
and gaining ground. Finally, things were turning around for Ali and
she cornered Ana and poked her, "Touche!" she called accidentally
pushing Ana into a water trough.
"Sorry, let me help you up!" Ali called from above, lending
her hand to help Ana out. Instead, Ana just took her hand and pulled
her in as well.
"What did you do that for?" Ali asked the girl.
"Me? You pushed me in!" Ana cried.
"I didn't mean to!" Ali tried to defend herself against the
obviously rude girl.
The two teenaged girls pushed themselves out of the water
and stood facing away from each other.
"Alright girls. Shake hands." The counselor ordered. They
didn't move. "Come on girls." She was being a little more stern.
Ana and Ali turned around at the same time to find
themselves looking at a perfect mirror of themselves. The only
difference being the length of hair. The other girls started to
stare and chatter about how much they looked alike. Ali didn't
pretend to notice.
"Why is everyone staring?" she asked innocently.
"Don't you see it?" Ana asked not believing that this girl
couldn't see it, when it was so blatantly in front of her.
"See what?" Ali still didn't want to admit to the striking
similarities.
"The resemblance between us."
"Resemblance? Between you and me?" Ana nodded. "Let me see,
turn side ways." Ana did as she was told. "Now the other way." Ana
complied and looked straight back at the mirrored face. "Well, your
eyes are much closer together than mine, your ears, you'll grow into
them, uh! And that nose! Don't worry dear, those things can be
fixed."
Ana looked appalled. How dare this girl start insulting her
like this! What was, her problem?
"But you want to know the real difference between us?" Ali
continued.
"Let me see, I have class and you don't?" Ana asked as
innocently as she could muster.
"Okay, girls! That's enough!" The counselor broke in now and
was getting confused as to who was Ana and who was Ali. That just
further annoyed and angered the girls.
At night, all the girls were in the Arapahoe bunk sitting
around Ali who had just laid down a two pair. "Sorry ladies." She
collected her money and put it all together. "So that's it? No more
takers?" She called as all the ladies groaned. Just then, the screen
door opened and a voice called in mock imitation, "I'll take a whack
at it."
Ana walked in with her shades covering her eyes and a sock
full of coins and a wad of money.
"Take a seat. O'Connor." Ali replied in a nasty tone.
"Deal me in." She just equally replied.
The game was getting interesting. Both girls were risking
big, thinking that they couldn't be beaten.
"Tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make a deal with
you." Ana proposed while flipping her cards.
"Excellent." Ali agreed with a triumphant smirk on her face.
"Loser jumps into the lake after the game. Buck naked." She
let it out.
"Even more excellent. Start unzipping O'Connor. Straight in
diamonds." She laid her cards on the table and just waited for the
horror to sink in Ana's face.
"You're good Summers. But, you're just not good enough." The
smirk on Ali's face instantly disappeared. "In your honor, a royal
flush." Ana just smiled.
Outside, the girls were all holding candles in their hands
as Ali walked up to the dock in her birthday suit and took one last
glance at the group. She took a deep sigh, turned around and dove
into the water.
"Grab her clothes!" Ana yelled as they ran off leaving Ali
with nothing to wear back to her bunk.
Walking back to the beach and seeing her clothes gone, she
vowed, "Right. Fine, if that's the way you want it, then let the
games begin."
The next day, Ana was riding on the back of one of her
roommates talking with the other as they were coming back from a
very exhausting day of playing soccer.
"I swear, you're evil clone's clothes were all over the mess
hall this morning." The girl walking beside the other two said while
laughing.
"I am so tired. I am going back to bed, and sleeping `til
lunch."
"That is not going to be a possibility babe." The girl
carrying Ana let her down and stared in awe.
"Why not?" Ana asked confused.
"That's why not." The girl pointed to the top of the cabin
and saw that all of their beds, clothes and other belonging's.
"No way." Ana stared on in disbelief. `Payback is such a
bitch.' She thought as a plan formulated in her head.
That night, while all the other girls were sound asleep in
their bunks, as Ana and her bunkmates crept up to the Arapahoe
cabin.
They quietly set up the cabin in a series of traps and
tricks to the girls back for their humiliation this afternoon. They
filled a bucket full of chocolate syrup and Ana muttered, "Got
milk?" which caused the other two girls to chuckle at the evilness
of their plan. They covered one girl in honey and they left the
chocolate and a little extra surprise to Ali and her pathetic
attempt to try and mock Anastasia "Ana" O'Connor. Her father wasn't
Angel "Angelus" O'Connor, the Scourge of the free world for nothing.
She'd learned a few tricks on how to mess with people. Granted she
didn't learn them from him directly, she more or less stole volumes
of Wesley's Watcher Diaries. Still, it came in handy when it was
needed; like now.
The girls finished their job and left the cabin with giggles
in their throats. Tomorrow morning was going to be fun. They were
sure of it, and they were going to have front row seats.
As Ana drifted off to sleep back in her "oh-so-comfortable"
bed, she thought of her father and how being away from him only for
a few days wasn't what she thought it'd be. She missed him so much
and the way he'd always make her feel safe, protected, loved. Not to
mention she knew that he was out having adventures and she missed
having him come home to tell her about them.
She fell asleep with thoughts in her head of previous
adventures he'd had that he told her about. Her daddy was such a
hero in her eyes. Nothing and no one would ever make her see or
think differently.
In the morning, she woke earlier than the horn and woke the
other girls as well to catch the best show of their lives. They
quickly dressed, fixed their hair for the day and ran out the cabin
to the Arapahoe's.
Reaching to see through the window, the horn started to blow
and the flag's were raised. All the girls woke up and in the
Arapahoe bunk, it was a mess of screaming girls.
Jumping out of her bed, Ali accidentally triggered a line to
cause water balloons to fall from above.
"Ah!" She screamed as each of the small water packages
missed her as she jumped out the way. Unfortunately for her, that
was exactly what Ana and the girls planned for. She was right where
they wanted her when the biggest water balloon of them all fell
right on top of her blonde hair.
"AHHHH!" She screamed and covered her head with her arms
hoping to avoid her face. "That girl is definitely the horrid little
person on the planet!"
"Thank you, thank you very much." Ana praised herself in her
best Elvis impersonation.
"Surprise inspection! Arapahoe's!" The counselor called as
they walked up to the nearest cabin.
The girls outside went wide with shock and panic. They
surely hadn't planned for it to go that far. They just wanted to
humiliate their rivals the way they had done to them. All was fair
in respect and war.
"No, no. Do not go in there. One of the girls got sick last
night and it is majorly disgusting." Ana stalled, trying to get the
counselors to move on to another bunk.
"Well, if someone's sick, I must go in." The older woman
said handing the bullhorn to her daughter.
Ali looked out the window to see the girl who had her face.
"Actually, we're all okay in here. Unless Ana O'Connor knows
something we don't know." Ali said as she looked up for a moment and
saw the real reason why Ana was not wanting the older woman to
enter. The giant tub of chocolate syrup hung over the door and when
opened would spill everywhere.
"Stand aside Ana." The older woman said as she pushed Ana
aside and opened the door causing the chocolate to cover her. Her
daughter pushed her ahead to get her out of the way. But, Ana and
the girls had that set up too. They'd put vegetable oil on the floor
so the woman went sliding through the thread filled cabin.
"I told you it was disgusting." Ana said while looking
guilty.
"She should know. She did it!" Ali informed the counselors.
"You!" She pointed to Ana, "And you!" she also pointed to
Ali, "Pack your bags!" She yelled.
Later that afternoon, the entire camp of girls was walking
into the forest with Ana and Ali in the front.
Finally, when they reached their destination, the women
shouted in her bullhorn, "Alright girls! The rest of you, back to
your activities!"
The trail of girls cheered their loudest and practically ran
back to the main camp ground.
"As for you. The isolation cabin!" The woman said as she
pointed up the deserted cabin on the hill.
Later that night, Ana was sitting on her bed, writing in her
journal, and writing her father a letter, when Ali just couldn't
take it anymore and flipped the light switch by her bed.
Annoyed, Ana just flipped it back on.
Ali shut it back off, and the two went back and forth for
awhile.
A few days later, the rainy weather was catching up with
them and the girls were housed in for the afternoon.
Ali sat on her bed playing a game of solitaire as Ana was
pinning up pictures of cute guys.
Just then the wind started to pick up and started to blow
all of Ana's pictures off the wall.
"Let me help you." Ali offered as she jumped off the bed and
helped Ana close the window causing all the mess.
With both of their inherent super-strength, they closed the
window easily. To them, it went unnoticed.
"Thanks." Ana offered her condolences for the help.
"You're welcome." Ali replied as she bent down to help her
pile up Ana's pictures. Turning around, she saw a small, stuffed pig.
"Here's your-" Ali offered Ana her stuffed animal.
"Mr. Gordo." Ana explained to Ali. (And for you, so you
don't get confused, it gets explained later)
"Any of `em trashed?" Ali asked as she looked around the
mess of pictures.
"Only the incredibly hot Colin Farrell." Ana said dreamily
as she held up a picture of the object of her affection.
"I just don't see what's up with him. Sure he's cute, but, I
guess I just don't go for that whole bad-boy thing." Ali shared her
opinion with this girl who was her enemy but strangely becoming a
friend.
"Where do you live?" Ana asked Ali as she settled down easier.
"I live in California. You?" Ali asked also feeling much
more at home with the girl.
"I live in New York. Actually, I have a picture of the Hotel
that my dad owns. Want to see?" Ana asked excitedly.
"Wow, it's gorgeous." Ali commented on how beautiful the
Hyperion really was.
"My dad bought it when I was little. He doesn't work it as a
hotel, he uses it for his detective agency. It's really cool. But,
my Uncle Doyle has a house outside the city and most of the time,
I'm there."
"Want one?" Ali asked happily as she ran over to her chest
and dug out a couple of Hershey's Chocolate bars.
"Oh yeah. I love Hershey's. At home, I dip them in peanut
butter." Ana admitted shyly.
"You do? That is so bizarre. So do I." Ali said as she
pulled out a jar of JIF smooth peanut butter.
"Most people find that really gross. I just love the taste."
Ana said as she dug into the bar of tasty chocolate before her. "So,
what's your dad like? I mean, is a `stay-at-home' dad or is he one
of those work-aholics that says he'll talk to you later but never
does? I really wish my dad would do that." She muttered the last
part to herself.
"I don't have a father actually. I mean, I came from
someone, but he left a long time ago. My mom doesn't mention him.
When I bring the subject up, she just says that it's not important
or that she'll tell me when I'm older." Ali said as she finished a
piece of chocolate.
"How old are you?" Ana asked quickly.
"I'll be thirteen on November 8th."
Ana almost choked on her food as she heard the girl say her
birthday. "So will I."
"You're birthday is on November 8th?" Ali asked
shocked. "How weird is that?"
"Weird doesn't even cover it." She said and then looked
outside and saw that the rain had finally stopped it's down pour.
"Hey! It's stopped raining. You want to go the mess hall and
get a popsicle or something?" she asked suddenly feeling very
uncomfortable.
As she stepped outside, Ali immediately followed her. "Ana,
what's your mother like?"
"I don't know. I've never met her. She and my dad split when
I was a baby, maybe even before. He doesn't like to mention her
either. I know she was really, really beautiful." She said happily.
"How?" Ali asked confused as to what Ana was talking about.
"My dad had this old picture of her hidden in one of his
books and he caught me looking at it like, all the time, so he gave
it to me to keep. Are you sure you don't want a lemonade or
something?" Ana said offhandedly.
"Will you stop thinking by your stomach at a time like
this?" Ali shouted.
"At a time like what, Ali?"
"Can't you see it?" Ali asked as she turned back around and
walked back into the cabin. "I only have a mother. You only have a
father. You've never seen your mom, and I've never seen my dad. You
have one old picture of your mom and I have one old picture of my
dad. Though just my luck yours is probably a whole picture. Mine's
this pathetic little thing all crinkled and ripped right down the
middle-" she paused as she noticed Ana had moved to her trunk to
retrieve something from inside. "What's that?"
"This is the picture of my mom. And it's ripped too."
"Right down the middle?" Ali asked nervously.
"Right down the middle. "Ana clarified to the other girl.
Hearing this startling news, Ali frantically went over to
her drawer and pulled out her scrapbook. She took the picture of her
father out and held it tight to her chest as Ana was doing to hers.
"This is too freaky." Ali said. "On three, we show them to
each other, okay?" she more demanded than asked.
"Okay." Ana whispered.
"One." Ali said.
"Two." Ana finished.
"Three." They both said at the same time as they flipped the
pictures of their parents to reveal their mother in a pinkish/purple
dress and their father in a strapping tuxedo.
"That's my dad." Ana said shocked.
"That's my mom." Ali finished as they looked at each other
and saw their sister staring at them.
"So, if your mom, is my mom, and my dad is your dad, and
we're both born on November 8th, that makes us sisters." Ana
couldn't believe it.
"Duh. Ana, that like, makes us twins." She said with her
eyes glowing with happiness and her California attitude slipping out.
They both just couldn't believe that they weren't only
child's. They had a sibling. They weren't alone in the world.
Later that night as both girls were lying in their beds, now
moved next to each other, they started talking about their missing
parents.
"Tell me, what's mom like?" Ana wanted so desperately to
know her mother.
"Well, you know that she's the Slayer or she was until they
did that spell letting all the potential's become slayers. Mostly,
she just hangs around the school as one of the guidance counselor's.
But, we have fun. She trains me to fight to be like her so if a vamp
attacks me, I'm ready." Ali said proudly of all the progress she'd
been making lately.
"Really? That's cool. Dad trains me a little. When I see him
he mostly just wants to talk and see how I'm doing. Typical parent.
Which always amazed me cause he was a vampire for two hundred plus
years. You wouldn't think he'd be like most fathers." Ana said as
she realized the way her father was.
"Dad was a vampire?" Ali asked a little taken aback that her
mother hadn't mentioned this to her.
"Well, kind of. He's not human now. But he wears this
enchanted ring called the Gem of Amara, it allows him to go in the
sunlight so he can go out during the day if needed. But once he
fulfills this one prophecy about him he'll be completely human. The
ring allows his soul to be bound so he'd not prone to turn evil and
murder the world at any possible second any more." Ana said
positively serious.
"Moving on. You know what's interesting? Neither one of our
parents ever got married." Ali noticed. She wondered even if their
parents were married. "Has dad ever come close?"
"Never. He always says I'm the only girl in his life," She
paused, "Well, next to Fred, but they're just friends."
"Mom's never been close. Not even to her last boyfriend who
lasted for like two years. Riley Finn. Man that guy got on my
nerves." Ali said as she rolled her eyes at the ex-commando.
Lying in bed, Ana looked up at the ceiling and thought for a
moment. Suddenly, she had an epiphany!
"Oh my god!" She said as she shot right up off the bed. "I
have a brilliant beyond brilliant idea. Einstein would be jealous."
"What?" Ali demanded with urgency.
"You want to know dad, right?"
"Right." Ali confirmed. Of course she wanted to know her
father.
"I'm dying to meet mom. What I'm thinking is: We should
switch places!" The idea flowing right out of her mouth like wine.
"What?" Ali scoffed at the idea.
"At the end of camp, I'll go to California as you, and you
go to New York as me." Ana beamed at her idea.
"Ana, we're totally and completely different." Ali weakly
argued. They really weren't unless you looked at the way they talked
and other miniscule things.
"We can pull this off, Ali. We're twins." Ana egged her
sister on and finally she caved. Ali agreed to her Ana's idea.
"The truth is you know, if we switch sooner or later they'll
have to un-switch us." Ali started to put the puzzle pieces together.
"When they do, they'll have to meet again. Face to face."
Ana couldn't hide the happiness and giddiness in her eyes.
The girls went to sleep then, thinking of the promises the
next few weeks held as they taught each other of their daily
routines, who was who and other things like that.
"This is Doyle, Gunn, Lorne, Wesley, and Fred." Ana pointed
to each other the pictures of her Aunts, Uncles. She drew a diagram
of both the Hyperion and Doyle's house so if she went there, she
knew where to go.
"This is Xander, Willow, Anya, Tara, Oz, Giles, Faith, and
of course, Aunt Dawn, mom's sister." Ali pointed to their pictures.
She drew Ana a picture of the Magic Box, and the Summers home.
The last few days were just review on everything and
quizzing each other on people and places. At long last, the last day
was among them and making sure they were dressed in the other's
clothes and not their own, they tightly hugged each other when Ana's
or Ali's car pulled up. It wasn't Doyle; she guessed it was someone
who had been entrusted to bring Ana home safely.
"When do you leave?" Ali asked quickly.
"Not for a couple of hours. Remember find out how they met."
Ana reminded Ali of her mission.
"And you why they broke up." Ali said seriously as she
hugged her sister.
Running to the car, she quickly hopped in and they were on
their way. Ana stood there alone, crossing her arms and her fingers,
wishing her sister good luck.
Ali was in the airplane before she knew it and was looking
out of the window, muttering to herself. She wanted to impress her
father so much, and yet couldn't because he would think she was Ana,
when she wasn't.
"God I hope he likes me. Please like me. Please."
Inside the terminal, she looked around to find the man that
she knew as Doyle and finally found him waiting for her with a small
bouquet of flowers for her.
"Ana!" He called with his heavy Irish accent.
"Doyle!" She ran to him and he picked her up in a big hug.
"Have you gotten bigger?" he asked as he sized her up taking
her in his arms.
"Where's Dad?" She asked suddenly wondering why her father
wasn't present.
"He had a case and he'll be done with it before we arrive.
He's taken today, tomorrow and the rest of the week off to spend
time with you." Doyle happily informed the little girl as she took a
hold of his waist, as it seemed natural and walked out of the
airport and into the 1954 Pontiac convertible.
The ride to the hotel was amazing. She'd never been in a big
city. Except LA, and it was only the once. She looked up at the
incredibly, unbelievably tall buildings in exasperation. Her eyes
were wide and Doyle just looked on in an amused fashion.
Finally they pulled up to the Hyperion Hotel and Doyle told
her not to worry about her bags. He'd get it. She eagerly walked
inside, feeling like she knew this place like the back of her hand.
She came into the spacious lobby area and looked around and saw her
father working at what would normally be the check-in desk.
"Dad. Finally." She whispered and ran to her father as he
looked up at his daughter and smiled that she was back home.
He lifted her up and swung her around grateful to feel her
in his arms again. He hadn't stopped worrying about her since he'd
agreed to let her go to the summer camp.
Letting her down, "Oh, you are never going back to that
summer camp, I missed you too much." Angel's voice filled the room
and it brought such ease her whole body.
"So, what's up dad? Doyle said that you're taking the rest
of the week off?" Ali perked her eyes up at him in hopes that it was
true.
"Yep. Once I finish filing this case, we are going to go to
Doyle's and spend time together. I thought we could go riding? I
know you'd been itching to get me to go and I'm sorry I didn't
before you left. But, I would like to go now, and I have a surprise
for you." His smile on his face was so happy.
Doyle walked in and set Ana's (Ali's) suitcases down and in
came the cavalry. Fred came down with Lorne arguing about a
theoretical question: If cavemen and astronauts got into a fight,
who would win? The astronauts didn't have weapons either. Fred was
arguing that the cavemen had fire, so the astronauts should have
some kind of weapon.
"Fred! Lorne!" Ali called as she excitedly ran to Fred and
enveloped her in a big hug.
"Don't give Fredikin's all the love. Save some for the green
guy too." Lorne said as Ali let go of Fred and hugged Lorne as well.
Letting go of Lorne, she looked around and asked, "Where's
Gunn?"
"He's going to meet us at Doyle's. He's out working a case
and said he'd meet us there when he was done." Angel informed them,
not being able to keep the grin off him. He grabbed his coat and the
gang was on their way out to the countryside.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to an incredible
looking mansion. Ali couldn't help as the gigantic grin came over
her face and she ran inside the house.
She looked around in awe and thought, `It's even better than
the pictures. They do this place no justice at all'.
She vaguely heard giggling coming from outside and saw the
back of a woman sitting on one of the patio chairs with a white
outfit and short brunette almost black hair.
"Did you tell her?" The woman asked Angel as he sat down
next to her.
"No." He replied.
"Angel," The woman whined at the man in front of her.
Ali started to grow suspicious. She had never known her
father, but already knew instinctively that this was odd behavior
for him.
"Tell me what?" She asked Fred who was standing beside her.
She ran upstairs to what was considered "her room" in the house and
started to unpack her things from camp.
She looked outside through the big French door balcony and
saw her- Ana's family life and noticed that it was a lot like her
own back in Sunny-d. She smiled to herself and realized just how
lucky both her and her sister were to have that strong sense of
family, even though they'd never met the other parent before.
Fred started to help Ali put her clothes away and talk about
the mystery woman downstairs who was currently drooling over Angel.
"Ana I can't stop your father from seeing someone, he's a
big boy." Fred's sweet Texan voice flowed into Ana's room with Ali
putting away her camera.
"Well, who is she?" She demanded. She wanted to be prepared
for this woman before they met. She didn't want to go in with eyes
closed.
Fred ran a few fingers through Ali's hair and said, "Her
name is Cordelia Chase. She was a client that your father helped out
about a week after you left. I have to wonder what a bomb-shell like
her sees in a vampire with a soul that fights crime at night. Then I
realized there's about three million reasons and they're all sitting
in accounts around the world."
Ali remembered Ana saying that her father was rich, but
would never touch any of it unless he was forced to.
"You're saying that you think she doesn't even like him?"
Ali wondered as she got a closer look out of her French door
balcony.
"All I'm saying is that they do everything together. They ride
together, they swim together, they go out to dinner every night.
But, meet her for yourself."
Hurrying she ran to the bathroom and changed her clothes. She stuck
on her bathing suit and before she knew it, she was getting ready to
jump into the pool.
Angel stopped her before she cannon-balled in.
"Ana? Could you come here for a minute?" Angel asked as he
set his coat on the lawn chair.
"Yeah?" She turned back around and saw a beautiful looking
brunette sitting there.
"Ana, I'd like you to meet Cordelia Chase. Cordy, this is my
Ana." He introduced the two women.
"Hello. Wow, I can't believe I'm finally meeting the famous
Ana. You're father can speak of nothing else." Cordy said nicely.
"Thanks." Ana said off-handedly.
"The way Angel talks about you, I expected a little girl,
but you are so grown-up." Cordy charmed the young girl.
"I'll be thirteen soon. How old are you?" Ali asked as Angel
placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Twenty seven." She said proudly.
"Only fifteen years older than me. How old are you again,
dad?" she joked knowing that his real answer would have him
committed.
"Wow, suddenly you're so interested in math. I'll be right
back with drinks." He kissed Ali on the top of her head and headed
off inside the house to get them drinks.
"I know you and Angel are close-"
"We're close than close. We're all each other has." Ali
replied as she jumped in the pool causing water to be splashed all
over Cordelia and her dress. Coming back up for air, she mock
apologized, "Sorry, did I get you wet, Cor?"
"Just a little Ana. Hey! Guess what, your dad took me riding
the other and let me ride your horse. I hope you don't mind." Cordy
informed the child that she was starting to dislike.
"Oh, sure. Sandy's used to strange women riding her. Not
that you're strange or anything. Actually compared to the others,
you're relatively sane."
"Others? What others?" Cordelia asked curious as to how many
women Angel had been in a relationship with.
"You want the 411?" Ali asked leaving the decision up to
her.
Nodding her head, Ali couldn't help but think that she was
digging her own grave.
"I don't blame you. I'd want to know if I was number-" she
paused not really knowing how many women her father had been with.
He probably didn't even know. "Well, I don't know how many. That's
how many there are."
"There are so many that you can't even count?" Cordy asked
with disbelief in her voice.
"Even I can't deny that my dad's a looker. Why do you think
they nick named him, the `one with the angelic face'? With the
women, it's always the same routine. Saves the damsel in distress,
horseback riding, bottle of expensive wine, moonlight swims�" She
trailed on as Angel walked out carrying a bottle of wine.
"A bottle of Merlot from 1928." He said as he set it down on
the table. Ali just looked at Cordy in a knowing fashion, saying
with her eyes, `I told you so'.
Cordy just seethed at the little brat in front of her,
realizing that it wasn't going to be as easy as she thought it was
going to be to get along with this girl. If things didn't work out,
and the little juvenile delinquent started messing with her plans,
well, she'd just have to take drastic measures.
The day carried on in a boring fashion. Gunn arrived and he
and Ali spent time talking as well as the rest of the gang. Angel
was out in the sunlight with Cordy flipping the burgers and flirting
shamelessly with her.
Ali looked around and wandered the mansion in her own
thoughts. She remembered Ana telling her that if Angel was starting
to neglect her or if she was feeling ignored that she could call him
on it and to not just let it go.
Determined that if she didn't tell him how she felt that he
or the others might get suspicious, she ran back downstairs and
called out to him from the empty living room.
"Dad! Could you come here?" She called.
Looking into the living room, he saw his daughter and the
look on her face was not pleasant. Asking Gunn to watch over the
burgers, he excused himself from Cordy and walked the death walk
into the living room.
"Yeah?" Angel asked growing worried.
"Dad, what's up? I've only been home for a few hours and
aside from at the hotel and introducing me to Cordy, you've barely
spoken two sentences to me. While I'm glad you made a new
friend, `cause god knows you need to, I'm your daughter. I haven't
seen you in eight weeks. It's been eight weeks of torture not to be
able to hear your adventures at night. I miss you." She said as
closely as she could to how she felt herself and how she knew that
Ana would feel.
"God, sweetie, I'm so sorry." Angel apologized for his
assholish behavior and hugged his daughter. She was right, he was
just so used to her being gone that he didn't remember that was why
they were here.
"What do you say we go riding after we eat huh?" Angel asked
with hopefulness in his voice.
"Dad? She does know that you're a vampire?" Ali quietly
asked him not looking in his eyes.
"Yes. She was a client that came in looking for help with a
haunted apartment. She knows." Angel clarified that the woman
outside did know his deep dark secret.
"Okay." She sighed and started to get up. She already knew
all this information thanks to Fred, but she wanted to hear it from
her father as well.
"Why do you ask?" his insatiable hunger for asking questions
getting the better of him.
"Well, dad, it'd be a little weird when you have your daily
cup of blood."
"Right, that." Angel looked at her quizzically and then went
back outside with Ali around his side and enjoyed the rest of the
meal with his family and friends.
In Sunnydale, Ana was walking off the airplane at the
Sunnydale Community Airport. Ana walked off and saw her mother
waiting for her. As soon as she was safely on the ground, she looked
at her long lost mother and was tremendously overwhelmed. She'd been
dreaming of this moment her entire life and now it was finally here.