| Chapter Four "Angel!" Cordelia shouted as she rushed through the hotel's entrance doors. "ANGEL!" Walking past Wesley, Cordelia peered into Angel's darkened office. "Cordelia did you have a vision?" Wesley questioned following Cordelia around as she searched for the dark vampire. "No, I need to find Angel though. Where is he?" "He's in the kitchen warming up his bloo- dinner." Wesley was concerned. Cordelia never behaved like this unless there was something horribly wrong. Absently nodding her thanks to Wesley Cordelia practically ran to the kitchen. "Angel!" "I'm right here Cordy, no need to yell." Angel walked out of the kitchen, sipping his meal from a coffee mug. "You have to do something about Sophie. I know she's in danger and if don't we don't do anything to help her she could get hurt." Cordelia twisted her hands in front of her, and started pacing. "I'd bet a years salary that he's not her father." Angel watched Cordelia, his mug frozen half way to his lips in confusion. What had happened since the last time they talked in the phone of the unfairness of her having to be the one to get office supplies to now? "Well, don't just stand there. We have to do something." Cordelia snapped. Angel looked to Wesley for help. The former watcher shrugged. "I'm lost here Cordelia, you need to slow down. Who is Sophie?" "This beautiful little girl. She's four, and has the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen. And the lashes on that girl go one for miles. When she smiles she gets two cute dimples on her chubby little cheeks." Cordelia smiled at the image of the little girl in her mind. "And what is the danger this girl Sophie is in?" Wesley questioned. Cordelia turned from Angel to look at the Englishman. "I know that there is *no* way that he is her Father. I mean I know that evil can reproduce. But there is no way someone that vile could have had such a perfect little girl." "Who?" Both males nearly shouted, frustrated that they had to pull the information out of Cordelia. "Lindsey. Haven't either one of you been listening?" Cordelia started pacing again. "We need to find out what he's up to. It has to be no good. We can't let him hurt Sophie." "Cordy I think you need to start from the beginning." Angel led her to the office, listening as his friend and Seer told the story of how she met Sophie when the poor girl had scraped her knee on the mall fountain, to the confrontation between herself and Lindsey. "So you see we need keep her safe." Cordelia pleaded to her friends. "We could look into Lindsey's past. See if indeed the little girl is his, or perhaps find out why he has her." Wesley suggested. "We could get Willow to come here. She's a whiz at stuff like that." Cordelia sat forward in her chair reaching for the phone. Angel placed a hand over hers, stopping her. "I'm sure that Willow is busy. They have their own demons in Sunnydale and she's needed there. Plus didn't the semester just start?" Angel reminded Cordelia. "I'm sure that they can manage without Willow for a day or two. She could come for a weekend." "Angel's right. We've been doing fine without their help." Wesley shifted in his chair. "You two are being such ninnies. Anytime Sunnydale the slayer or any of the others are mentioned you two get all defensive. This is Willow we're talking about, the one person we all like. And face it, between the three of us we can barely turn the computer on, much less hack into secure places." Seeing that the two males were close to caving, Cordelia did what she knew she must. She cried. Big fat tears fell from her face. "If you guys could've just met Sophie you would've fallen in love too. Please?" Angel looked over at Wesley and sighed. Releasing Cordelia's hand he let her make her call. Not giving either the chance to change their mind, Cordelia snatched the phone off the cradle and made her call. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lindsey pulled into the parking garage and looked over to the passenger seat to where Sophie was sound asleep. He couldn't help but smile at the small angel curled up asleep in the seat next to him. It had been a rough day for both of them, and what they needed was a good nights sleep. Opening his car door, and walking to the trunk he grabbed a few bags. The rest could wait until tomorrow. Circling to the other side of the car he opened the passenger side door as gently as he could, so not to disturb Sophie's sleep. Shifting the bags to his newly regenerated hand, Lindsey reached in and unbuckled the seat belt, pausing for a moment when Sophie started to stir. Convinced that she was asleep, Lindsey scooped the tot up with his free hand cuddling her up against his body. Sophie shifted a little to get comfortable, and placed a thumb into her mouth. Lindsey smiled slightly, remembering that his little sister used to suck her thumb until she was seven. Stepping into the elevator, and barely pushing the button to his floor, Lindsey started to recall his own childhood. His parents may not have been the most competent of humans, but there had to be one or two things that they did right. But the problem was that he had made himself forget about his years with his parents that it amazed him how he had to struggle remembering the basic everyday things that he had lived through for seventeen years. So there was the basics. Breakfast in the morning, lunch at noon, and dinner at night. He could do that. Then there was daily baths, and teeth brushing. Check not a problem. The elevator stopped on his floor and Lindsey stepped out, still outlining the basics that Sophie would need. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard. Hell he had made Jr. partner in five years, he could take care of one little girl. Stopping at his door he placed the bags on the ground, and fished in his pockets for his keys. 'With some careful planning and perhaps a Nanny, I can do this.' Lindsey unlocked the door to his apartment. Feeling once again in control of his life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Willow paced her dorm room. A magnitude of feelings swarming inside her. Never in her life had she felt this way. She was Willow, Nerd extraordinaire. She was supposed to love school, researching through ancient tomes finding the secrets that were hidden within. Doing extra credit homework was supposed to give her a rush. But she no longer felt any of this. Not even helping Giles with his research was giving her the sense of accomplishment anymore. Everyday seemed to bleed into the next. Go to school, study, help Giles and Buffy, kill a demon or two. Blah Blah Blah. Maybe it was because she really hadn't had a social life since Oz left over a year ago. Sure she occasionally went out with Buffy, Riley, Xander and Anya. But was being the perpetual third wheel wasn't really having a social life. It was barley four months into the semester and Willow knew that she hated it. Hated the inept teachers at SU, the students that she didn't feel connected to at all anymore. She felt as though she and Spike had more in common than her peers. Stopping she walked over to her desk and looked at the packet that had arrived that day. It was an information packet from Boston University. She could put in her application now, and if she got excepted she could start after winter break. So here she was trying to decide what path she should take. Not an easy decision when so many counted on her. That was when Cordelia called. Willow saw it as her way out, maybe for just a few days. But maybe this was the break she needed. |
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