ct9

Chapter nine

�Angel you go over there and talk to them.� Cordy pushed the vampire toward the corner where their friends had settled themselves. Angel looked at them questionably.

�I�ll stay with Cordy, go.� Willow shooed at him. They watched as Angel made his way over to the guys holding their breath.

Cordelia spotted Lindsey sitting with the blonde, looking like a man being subjected to a fate worse than death. It didn�t seem his date stopped talking, when she did she�d laugh at something she had said, a noise that cut through the bar, and made everyone in the room wince. He can�t even stand her, a small voice said in the back of her mind. Cordelia couldn�t help but hope that her observation was on the money.

�Look at her Cordelia, she doesn�t even compare to you. She dresses worse than I did in High School, hell even Xander had better sense of style. But I must say doesn�t he look yummy in jeans and a tee shirt.� Willow watched the slight curve to her friend�s mouth.

Willow drew her attention from Lindsey back to Angel, in time to see the reactions of Gunn and Wes. She bit back her laughter, only because she had been there a little over a month ago.

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�Angel. Dear lord what are you doing here?� Wesley stammered.

�Man, not that I�m thrilled to see you, but why the hell are you here? How did you find us?� Gunn shook hands with his friend from the past.

�Long story. I�ve come bearing gifts.� Angel turned and pointed to two girls standing near the bar.
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�Just look at those two. They�re dressed like hookers.� Lindsey�s date snickered. �I mean who wears leather? And those tops barely cover anything.�

Lindsey looked in the direction that his date was making snide comments to, and his blood ran cold. Cordelia. She was standing nervously talking to the little redhead at her side. She looked anything but cheap. Occasionally she�d glance around he bar then back at Willow.

�Lindsey.� A deep voice said from behind him. Lindsey jumped and turned in his seat.

�Angel? What�s going on? Why�s Cordelia here?� Lindsey turned back in her direction and watched in awe as Gunn and Wes made their way to her. The smile that brightened her face was blinding. She yelped and jumped into their embraces.

�I�ll explain later. It�s good to see that you�re still on the right path.� Angel admitted.

Lindsey stood, ignoring his date�s questions and headed to Cordelia. With every step he felt his heart beat faster. It was her, really her. She turned and saw him approaching and froze. Lindsey closed the space between them and reached out to take her in his arms. He had played this scene in his mind a thousand times. He�d hold her to him, she�d cry. They�d share a long heated kiss, and the years that separated them would melt away. What he hadn�t planned on was her stepping away from him. Pain etched onto her face.

�L-Lindsey. Wow you look... it�s great to see you.� Her smile was forced, and she looked ready to break down.

Had he been wrong? He thought that he had meant something to her. �Darlin� I�ve missed you.� He tried to smooth over the uncomfortable tension between them. He saw her eyes flicker in the direction he had been sitting and groaned. She had seen him with that ditz and got the wrong impression. It was settled, Wes and Gunn were going to die.

Lindsey snaked out his hand and pulled Cordelia up against him, covering her mouth with his before she could protest. It was still there, that little electrical current that went through him and pumped his blood through his veins. He thought he had died and gone to heaven when she returned the kiss and ran her hands up his back.

Her mind started to clear as she heard the others clearing their throats. Blushing she pulled away. �So who�s the bleached blonde with the bad perm?� Cordelia asked in her old Cordy style and flare.

~~~~~~~~~~~

�I�m going out.� Buffy muttered as the door slammed behind her. Giles didn�t even look up from the book in front of him.

Sighing he removed his glasses and cleaned them, as was his habit when something truly bothered him. He hated what life had handed him. His life once had purpose, a goal. Now he supported two self absorbed brats. He had expected more from Buffy, always had been proud in how long she had lasted compared to the past slayers. It had been her friends, the slayerettes that had kept her alive. They had given the weak girl motivation that she needed to keep on her path, to act human. Giles got to see what the pathetic girl would have turned out to be if she had never become the chosen one. It was sad, truly sad.

Giles reflected over the misconceptions of the past. He had always assumed that Angel had been sent because he and Buffy were linked somehow. Destined to fight the forces of evil. But now he saw that the dark vampire was only there to keep her interested in the evil that lurked at night. To add the extra melodrama that any young girl desired to make their life interesting. Buffy�s young friends, that he had once thought of as hindrances were actually the ones that were the driving force of the team. Pure of hearts, anchor of souls. God he prayed all was well with them.

Sipping his tea he tried to choke it down over the disappointment that clogged his throat. He Rupert Giles had failed, at the one thing that meant more to him then his own life. He had been proud of being a Watcher, that his father had been a Watcher, and his father�s father. None of them had failed at their duties, so how was it that after having had the longest living slayer he had still failed?

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�I want to order a little boy. Brown hair, Xander�s eyes. Maybe a little taller than Xander.� Anya swung her legs as she sat on the edge of the examination table. It was her first visit to her OB GYN. The doctor laughed at her request, Xander sputtered.

�Aren�t you going to write that down?� Anya�s eye brows raised at the amused doctor.

�Anya honey, you are the funniest.� Trying to send her a �We�ll talk about this later.� look.

�I don�t find anything funny about picking our child.�

The doctor looked perplexed. �Mrs. Harris?�

Xander jumped from his chair and helped his wife from the table. �She�s a kidder, aren�t you honey.� Placing a kiss over her mouth before she could say another word, he started to half push half pull her out the door.

�Xander he didn�t write any of that down. What if he forgets?�

�Anya I think it�s time we had a small talk about the birds and the bees.�
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Stories were shared, laughs echoed through the room. Angel watched as Willow and Cordelia struggled to stay awake. It was four in the morning, the guy�s dates had been returned to their homes and now they were sitting around Wesley, Gunn and Lindsey�s apartment.

Willow was sitting on the couch, her feet tucked under her. Every now and then her eyes would close, only to be snapped open again. Cordelia and Lindsey sat on the other end of the couch, sending shy glances in one another�s direction. Wes and Gunn were laughing about the small jobs they had all taken at one time. Angel smiled. He could feel the connection with these people, even after years of separation. After talking with one another for hours, Angel started to feel that he could take on the demon world again. He had no idea why Cordelia was getting her visions, or what the out come would be. He just knew that these people were filling in the holes in his soul that had been empty and cold. A certain redhead more then filled a part of his being, she also gave him warmth and comfort.

�So what now?� Wesley asked seriously.

Angel shrugged. �We really don�t know. Cordelia�s visions only tell her where friends can be found, nothing more. We assume that TPTB are sending them, and we know how vague they can be. We have a house in Maine.� Willow smiled at the �we�, fully knowing the house was Angel�s. That he considered her more than a houseguest made her want to jump for joy. �You�re all more than welcome to come with us.�

Cordelia squealed. �You guys have to come, the house has it�s own beach, we�re near this little town that�s so cute. Though Angel will force you to eat crappy food, you�ll love it.� She held her breath as she waited for the three guy�s answers.

�Are you telling me that the three of you have been living it up, in a fairy tale house, while were pumping gas and eating beans out of a can?� Gunn snorted. �I don�t know about these two, but I could use some pampering.�

�You don�t have to ask me twice.� Wesley nodded.

Cordelia turned to Lindsey. He flashed her his heart-warming smile. �You know that there�s not a chance in hell that I�m letting you leave my side again.� Cordelia�s heart skipped a beat and she hugged Lindsey to her.