Author: Angelalias

Posted: 02-22-2002

Spoilers: All season 3 + speculations on season finale.

Author’s note: 1) This is set after the season finale. This is taking into account the kidnapping of Connor, the numerous prophecies surrounding the child. In this fictional world, Connor was kidnapped by W&H but Angel and the Gang managed to save him and get him back. Cordy is not with Groo, though the guy is still in LA and did not go back to Pylea. Cordy and Angel sort of have not voiced their growing feelings to one another yet. So let’s assume season 3 ends like that. This is set right after, so sometime at the beginning of season 4. 2) I tried to stop myself and to wait a little before starting another fic, but writing just consumes me. I couldn't help it. There seems to be a little trend on Time Traveling fics these days, and I've had this idea in mind for a long time, except I decided to take a slightly different approach to Time Traveling. Hope you guys like.

Rating: PG 13 just to be safe

Summary: With the future in chaos, The Powers That Be make a bold and risky move. What will Angel and Cordelia do when they come face to face with their decision?

2025 – Hyperion Basement

The moonlight came in through the small window and cast a small shadow across the wall. The basement of the Hyperion bathed in a calm, uneventful glow. One a closer look, the place seemed to have been left in a pitiful state. Weapons were scattered across the floor while old dust settled on the furniture. An old picture of two small children – a boy and a girl – rested, with the frame broken, on one of the tables.

No one in sight.

Just silence.

2002 – Street of LA

Angel was thrown in the air and against the side of a building by the strong three-headed beast. Wesley and Cordy hit the demon with their swords, desperately trying to tire the beast, but in vain. Angel came back full force when he saw the demon heading straight for Cordelia. He grabbed his sword and stuck it into the beast’s stomach with all his strength.

2025 – Street of LA

The sword sliced Gunn’s flesh, making his insides bleed helplessly.

“Gunn!!!” Buffy’s frightened voice rang into the night as Gunn fell to his knees.

“Buffy, behind you!” A young man in his early twenties warned.

Buffy turned in time to kick one of the demons chasing them. The young man went to help her while Gunn managed to lean against the wall, hidden from the rest of the large demon troupe. Jumping from the shadows, a teenage girl wearing an old denim jacket grabbed a piece of metal and stabbed the demon that had been fighting Buffy. The three of them desperately tried to fend off the growing hungry crowd, but they soon found themselves struggling.

“Ally, look out!” Gunn screamed from the ground as the teenage girl spun around just in time to avoid a sword.

Outraged at his miss, the demon turned and grabbed the young man by Buffy’s side and disarmed him, tightening its claws around his throat.

“Connor! No!” the teenager yelled out of breath.

2002 – Street of LA

“Angel! No!” Cordy gasped as Angel was tackled to the ground.

An unconscious Wesley lay sprawled across the floor while Angel struggled to free himself from the beast’s grasp.

A second demon burst from the shadows and headed straight for Cordelia. She straightened her new denim jacket and took a deep breath. She began to fight him off with a sword but he soon disarmed her, wounding her arm and leg with its sharp claws. Blood began to roll down on the side of her leg as she began to step back.

2025 – Street of LA

The demon sliced Connor’s throat with its claws, making the blood spill from his neck with dangerous speed. The teenage girl began to head for the beast but Buffy stopped her. With one swift, anger-filled move, Buffy chopped the demon’s head off. The teenage girl immediately threw herself by Connor’s side, desperately helping her up. Meanwhile, Buffy ran to Gunn, wrapping her arm around his waist to help him stand up. Once he was up, he noticed the army of demons approaching them.

Panicking, Buffy turned to the two young people and yelled.

“Run!!!” she shouted, pleadingly. “Ally, run!!!!” she repeated at the top of her lungs.

2002 – Street of LA

“Go! Cordy go! Run!” Angel yelled at the top of his non-functioning lungs, as Cordy began to run for her life.

Her feet savagely hit the ground as the streetlights flew by with the scenery. She could hear the second demon pursuing her with vicarious speed. She shot a few glances over her shoulder as she kept on running as fast as she could.

In her hurry, she tripped and fell face down on the ground, groaning in pain.

2025 – Street of LA

In their frantic running, Connor tripped and crashed onto the ground, as did the girl that was helping him. The girl grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up as the two of them kept on running towards shelter.

Connor was getting weak. She could see it. She could see the door. Just a few more seconds and they’d reach it.

2002- Street of LA

Cordy ran as if the fate of the world rested on her last sprint.

2025- Street of LA

The young teenage girl ran like a mad woman, out of breath, knowing that the fate of the world rested on her last sprint.

2002 – Street of LA

Cordy fell onto the floor once again and spun around just in time to see the beast jump in the air to attack her. In one split-second, the world stopped turning. And then, Bang! A sword pierced the demon’s flesh and the beast crashed onto the ground beside Cordy, revealing the handler of the sword.

Angel.

2025- Hyperion Basement

Buffy and Gunn blocked the door with tons of furniture. On the other side of the dark room, Connor laid down on the floor in pain, while the young woman leaned over his body with tears in her eyes as she tried to stop the bleeding of his neck with her bare hands.

Buffy turned around and saw the heartbreaking scene and tears sprung from her eyes. The pounding on the door kept pressing them. Gunn immediately went to a drawer and took out an enormous book and some crystals, which he handed to Buffy immediately. Connor was fighting to breathe and the girl was fighting to stop the bleeding.

“No…no…” she breathed through her tears. “Not you too….not now. Look at me…stay with me. Don’t you dare die on me now…” she cried.

“A…Ally…” Connor managed to speak as blood leaked from his wound like a fountain.

At that moment, a bright light flashed and revealed a frantic Skip staring at them.

“Oh my God…” he exclaimed at the sight before him.

“Skip, we have to do this now.” Buffy urged him while Gunn placed the crystals in a circle on the floor.

“Yes, and they agree.” Skip said motioning to the heaven – the PTB. “But he can’t go.” He said referring to Connor.

“What?!?” the teenage brunette nearly spitted through her tears as Connor’s body shook in her arms. “He has to go! They chose him to go! Can’t you do something here? Do something!!!” she shouted.

“Ally…” Connor whispered again.

She looked into his helpless, dark eyes as he spoke to her.

“Don’t give up…” he told her out of breath. “Make this right…you can make this right…” he begged of her.

After a long silence, she got up and turned to face Buffy, Gunn and Skip, a determination imprinted in her hazel eyes.

“Are you sure?” Gunn painfully asked and she nodded.

“Ally…” Buffy whispered taking her hands into hers and intensely looking at her with tearful eyes. “She would be proud of you…remember that.” She whispered, embracing the young woman with such love.

Buffy pulled away and she and Gunn stood back while Skip joined the girl in the middle of the circle.

“You remember what you have to do?” he asked her with concern. One look at Connor and she nodded again. “Don’t let go of my hand.” He warned her.

Gunn and Buffy recited a chant and a warm light enveloped them. In one flash of light, Skip and the girl vanished from the trashed training room.

2002- Outside the Hyperion

Angel’s car stopped in front of the hotel

“How did Gunn and Wesley get back here before us? You know for a champion, you could use a more champion-y car.” Cordy mumbled, holding her bruised forehead.

“Hey! This is a very good car! Gunn is a reckless driver.” Angel defended himself as he got out of the car and walked to her side to open her door.

He saw the wounds on her legs and stomach and grimaced.

“Okay, so what’ll it be?” he asked, looking down at her in her seat. “The damsel in distress entrance or the Champion piggy back ride?”

Cordy raised an eyebrow and stared at him.

“What? I’m not letting you walk.” He grinned sweetly.

--

Inside the Hotel

Lorne stood there holding Connor as a freshly patched up Gunn and Wesley chatted around the counter with Fred. Interrupting their casual conversation was the sudden bright light that swept into the room. After the initial shock, the blinding light disappeared, dropping the body of a weak teenage girl onto the floor. A few seconds later, Skip’s body came crashing down the flight of stairs while everyone stared, jumping into defensive mode.

“Oh God…” Fred whispered, looking down at the girl who lied on the floor, covered in blood.

The girl weakly lifted herself up on her knees and looked up. When her eyes met Fred’s, Wesley’s, Gunn’s and Lorne’s, she caught her breath and froze.

“What the hell….” Gunn muttered while Skip pulled himself up.

“Time Travel’s a bitch. Can’t we just use the freeway next time?! Sweetie, I told you not to let go of my hand…you could have come face to face with…” he began, lifting his eyes to see the emotional, dumbfounded look on everyone’s faces, especially the young brunette. “Oh…”

There was a long silence as they all stared at one another. The loud voices coming from the door finally broke the silence. Angel burst through the door, carrying Cordy on his back, as they two of them laughed out loud.

“Okay. Put me down you big caveman!” she laughed, hitting his shoulder playfully.

Their teasing quickly stopped as they saw the scene before them. As soon as their voices had been heard, the girl had froze, holding her breath, her mouth slightly agape, her eyes welling up with tears.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned around and looked at the two people standing in the doorway.

It was them.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stayed glued to the sight of Cordelia.

“What’s going on? Who are you?” Cordy asked, looking at everyone, especially the stranger in front of her.

Skip stood still, unsure what would happen now.

“Mom…” the girl whispered to herself, unable to move, speak, or breathe.

“What did you just say?” Cordy asked, confusion covering every inch of her face.

All she could do was stare at Cordelia. She looked exactly as she remembered. Every line on her face was the same, though a bit younger. It was exactly as she remembered it. The way Cordelia and Angel had laughed when walking in the hotel. The sound had enveloped her as it had done so many times when she was a child. The look of utter confusion on Cordy’s face right now was also one she recognized. Cordy’s hair seemed shorter and lighter but she remembered seeing pictures of that hairstyle in her parent’s photo albums. It suddenly overwhelmed her and she began to stammer.

“I…I…I thought you were someone else.” She lied, finally finding her voice.

There was an awkward pause; one which Skip knew probably broke the girl’s heart in pieces.

“Skip.” Angel then interjected. “What is going on here?”

“We are in very big trouble is what is going on here.” Skip answered with a sigh.

“Oh my God…you’re covered in blood.” Fred said, looking at all the blood covering the girl’s clothes and skin.

“It’s…It’s not mine.” She replied softly…regretfully as tears welled up in her eyes.

“It’s human blood…” Angel observed, smelling it off of her and sensing some sort of familiarity in its smell.

Skip nearly choked at the idea that it was Connor’s.

Cordelia sort of lost track of the conversation for a little while, being captivated by the strangely familiar young woman. There was something about her. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it though. Cordy was startled, just like everyone else, when the girl suddenly jerked and turned to Skip in a panic.

“You have to go back!” she exclaimed as if she suddenly remembered something important. “Skip, you need to go back and save him!” she almost begged him, grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Sweetie…”

“No! You have to go back and get them somewhere safe…” tears welled up in her eyes. “Skip…he can’t die…”

“Sweetie…” he said, holding her by the arms to calm her down. “That’s your job. That’s why you’re here, remember…I can’t save him, but you can.” He said in a low voice.

Angel saw the young woman stand still and lower her eyes momentarily.

“Save who?” he asked, but neither Skip nor the girl looked at him in the eyes. “Save who, Skip?” he repeated.

“All of you.” Skip soberly stated as he let go of Ally’s shoulders.

“Am I the only one completely lost here?” Gunn interjected, as everyone stood silent around him.

“We are from the future, and she was sent here to change it.” Skip replied as they all stared at him blankly.

--

Lilah sat at her desk, thinking of new ways to get to Connor and destroy Angel forever. They had failed once but they wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, she vowed.

She stared at a file blankly, in silence, until a blinding light took over her office. She closed her eyes for several seconds and then reopened them only to find a tall, dark man standing in front of her.

“You…” Lilah mumbled, recognizing a much older version of Groo standing in front of her.

“I have come to help you, my lady.” The future Groosalug spoke as he stared at her from his place in the doorway.

--

Once again, Cordelia found herself losing track of the conversation that followed. She absent-mindedly heard Skip’s explanation of the situation: how the future, which was once a promising one, was now filled with darkness, danger, heartbreak and evil, thanks to something that could have been avoided. She didn’t pay much attention as he warned Angel of what was going to take place in the next couple of days. How, in the original outline, Connor was going to be kidnapped by Wolfram & Hart, and how the little boy was the link between good and evil in all dimensions. Wolfram & Hart would need Connor and his innocence for a certain ritual that would unleash the forces of hell onto earth, allowing them to create evil as they please. Angel and the gang would be able to rescue Connor, but only too late. Wolfram & Hart were going to acquire tremendous power through that ritual, allowing them not only to blur the lines between the fires of hell and earth, but also to create brand new species of evil. Create, being the operative word here. It would take years for the full effect of this ritual to be completed, fuelled by Connor’s presence in this world and his lack of training in controlling his inner force – his energy.

Cordy caught bits and pieces of Skip telling them how the Hellmouth would finally open and the invasion and massacre would begin. Or how he warned Angel that it’s a decision he would have to make that would determine the fate of the world. The first time around, Angel made the wrong, selfish decision, with all the best intentions, but the Powers were powerless to change it. That’s why they sent this girl to change what would bring the ruination of mankind.

Cordelia heard Angel pressing Skip for more information on that decision he’d have to face, but Skip refused to answer more for now.

“First things first. We have to protect Connor and stop Wolfram and Hart from getting their hands on him. Then we’ll worry about the rest.” Skip answered.

Meanwhile, Cordy inspected the girl who stood by Skip’s side, covered in fresh blood, looking exhausted but mostly, looking like she needed a hug. The girl’s shoulder length messy brown hair hid a couple of blonde highlights; her eyes were tired, wise beyond their 19 years, dark but determined. Cordy saw the traces of blood on the side of her cheek and all around her clothes, as if she’d actually bathed herself in a blood bath. The girl wasn’t very tall, but there was something intimidating in her posture.

That’s when Cordy noticed something that struck her. The girl was wearing the same exact jacket that she was wearing. That blue denim jacket. Cordy felt her heart skip a beat. Of course, there are millions of jackets like this one, but it was a gut feeling. Something was up. Could it be? Could it be possible?

“Buffy must have pronounced something wrong because we’re here 3 days early.” The girl said, looking at a newspaper on the counter, careful not to touch it with her bloody hands.

“It’s good. Gives you more time.” Skip replied.

“Buffy?” Angel asked, a bit surprised by just how casually she had said Buffy’s name.

“How do you know Buffy?” Cordy asked reluctantly.

The girl paused and looked at her silently.

“Who are you?” Cordelia asked, taking a few steps forward. When the girl hesitated, Cordy pressed her for answers. “Who are you?”

“My name is Alessia…” she answered reluctantly.

“Alessia who?” But Alessia didn’t reply. “How do you know Buffy, and why did you think I was someone else when I walked in….who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter…”

“It matters to me.” Cordy’s tone was both slightly fearful and firm.

“Cordy, what are you doing?” Angel asked, concerned by her sudden attitude towards Alessia.

Cordy didn’t stop. What WAS she doing?

“Where did you get this jacket?” she finally asked as her voice shook under her every word.

Alessia found herself at a loss for words, which was an event in and out of itself. Cordy walked towards the girl and reached out to touch the blue denim jacket with her fingers. Alessia nervously took a step backwards and all of a sudden Cordelia knew what she was hiding. Cordy took another step forward and this time grabbed the jacket and looked at the inscription on its inside.

C.C.

Cordy froze and suddenly shook her head in disbelief. This wasn’t happening. It wasn’t possible.

“This is mine…” Cordy whispered almost to herself as it became her turn to step back. “Where did you get this?”

Skip stared at the scene expectantly. His eyes went back and forth between Cordelia and Alessia, and he waited for a reply.

“It was given to me.” Alessia admitted, carefully.

“By who?” Cordy let out as she kept on stepping back.

They both stared at one another for a long time before Alessia could speak.

“It was my mother’s.” Alessia whispered, almost reluctantly, but everyone heard her.

They all froze. Angel’s eyes bore into Cordelia’s face as she just stared in front of herself, completely taken aback by the revelation. Angel felt his un-beating heart both break and lead for joy at the same time. Cordelia’s daughter.

Cordelia had a daughter.

And it dawned on him, joy and sadness all at once. Cordelia would have a daughter.

“This…this isn’t…it’s not possible…” Cordy mumbled, on shock.

“You gave it to me…” Alessia added, finding her voice. “My name is Alessia.” She repeated, but this time didn’t stop there. “Alessia Chase.”

“Oh dear Lord…” Wesley couldn’t help but say.

Cordy stood in the doorway, silent, and slightly awkward, and watched as Alessia turned off the water and slowly dried her hands and face. There was something so eerily calm about Alessia Chase. Something very quiet and poised stemmed from her actions, and Cordelia found herself examining the girl from a small distance, holding clean clothes in her hands. Alessia looked up and saw Cordy standing there, looking at her, and the two shared a long pause.

“I, uh…I got you some clean clothes if you want…” Cordy managed to speak comprehensively as she handed Alessia a pair of worn-out jeans.

Alessia, who had taken off the infamous denim jacket and placed it on the counter near the sink was now standing there in a white, bloodstained t-shirt.

“Thanks…” Alessia said in a quick breath as she took the pair of jeans slowly from her mother’s hands.

“And, here…” Cordy said, also handing her a black sweater. “I didn’t have any here, so this is one of Angel’s. It’s a bit large, but…I mean…if you want to change…” she found herself rambling out of nervousness.

“It’s perfect.” Alessia replied, with a reassuring nod. “Thank you. Really.” She said in all honesty as the emotions on her face became clear for all to see.

“No problem.” Cordy whispered, not knowing what else to say.

They both looked at one another awkwardly at first, but then Cordy regained control of herself and smiled nervously.

“I’ll let you change. If you need anything…I’ll…I’ll be right outside.” She said, swallowed back the millions of questions that sprung in her mind.

Cordelia walked out and shut the door, quietly, behind her. Once she was out and standing in Angel’s bedroom, she let out a deep sigh, almost forgetting that she had been holding her breath all this time.

Inside the bathroom, Alessia closed her eyes and clutched the sweater to her chest. Swallowing back a couple of tears, she looked down at the piece of clothing in her arms and took a deep breath. She slowly brought the sweater to her face and smelled it. It smelled like him. It smelled like Angel. Alessia closed her eyes again and placed the sweater on the counter. After a few seconds of regaining her composure, she dug into the pocket of her pants and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Slowly, she unfolded it, revealing a small, torn out family picture that seemed to have been to hell and back. On it were the smiling faces of two small children, Cordelia, Buffy, Angel, Gunn, Fred, Wesley, Xander, Lorne and Skip. Cordy was holding a little 3-year-old girl in her arms while Buffy had her arm wrapped around Fred’s shoulders.

A small tear rolled down Alessia’s face as she looked at Angel holding Connor on his lap. After a moment, she took a deep breath and folded the picture back, placing it on the counter beside the sweater. She looked up and saw her reflection in the mirror and found herself on the verge of tears.

“I can do this…I can make this right…” she whispered to herself, leaning forward against the counter, emotionally.

--

Angel’s eyes were glued to the stairs, where Cordelia and Alessia had disappeared a few moments earlier. He, Skip, Wesley and Gunn were going over some plan of theirs to prevent Lilah and Gavin from starting the ritual. And even though they knew they had to think fast, their minds were all elsewhere.

On the two women that had walked up those stairs.

“She’ll be fine.” Skip said, noticing Angel’s constant glancing toward the stairs.

Angel turned to face Skip, suddenly snapped out of his own thoughts.

“They both will be.” Skip continued, as Angel lowered his eyes for a moment. “But I think there are some things that they need to talk about. I know it’s a shock, but…”

“That’s an understatement.” Wesley chimed in, looking up from his book.

“It is an unusual situation, but Angel, you don’t have to worry.” Skip tried to reassure the concerned look on Angel’s face.

“I know, but I’m just…” Angel began and trailed off.

“…worried about Cordelia. I know.” Skip said as a matter of factly. “But I think it’ll be easier for Alessia to open up without having a crowd of people surrounding her. She’s been through so much already…the things she’s seen and lived…” Skip said shaking her head slightly. “Let’s just say that she needs this time with Cordelia.” He added, as Angel glanced at the stairs once again. “Don’t worry. They’ll both be fine.” Skip smiled.

--

Cordelia was sitting on the edge of Angel’s bed when Alessia finally emerged from the bathroom, wearing the new clothes that belonged to Cordy and Angel. There was a long silence as the two of them tried to think of what to say to one another.

“Are you alright? Do you need anything…?” Cordy ventured, hesitantly.

“I’m okay.” Alessia answered simply.

The young woman then took a long hard look at her surroundings. Angel’s bedroom. She remembered it so vividly. It was practically the same, except for the lack of windows, which Angel would have install later in the future, she assumed. This room was much darker and the furniture was disposed differently, but overall, it was just like she remembered it.

“Wow.” She said in awe and smiled as she glanced around the room. “This is so surreal.” She smiled to herself.

“What?” Cordelia asked, looking around to see what she could be referring to.

“I was born here.” Alessia confessed after a short pause. “In this room.” She then added, finally looking at a stunned Cordelia. “I mean, not that I remember – obviously. But I’ve been told the story often enough to still get that funny feeling.” She let out a little laugh as she walked and sat beside Cordelia on the bed.

“You mean, you were actually born in Angel’s bedroom? Your moth…I mean I gave birth to you here?” Cordy raised an eyebrow and waited for the girl to answer.

“Yeah…” Alessia said, staring at the bed she was sitting on. “Right on this bed. Or so you always told me…” she said touching the top of the covers with one hand.

As she did so, something around Alessia’s wrist caught her attention; something she hadn’t noticed before. Alessia seemed to be wearing a thick, metal bracelet tightly around her wrist. If Cordelia didn’t know better, she’d have sworn that it seemed to hurt the girl. Impulsively, Cordy reached out and touched Alessia’s wrist, tracing the contour of the bracelet.

As impulsive as her mother, Alessia jerked her hand away immediately.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” Cordy swallowed with difficulty, startled by the fact that Alessia had been startled herself.

“No, I’m sorry.” Alessia apologized.

The two shared a long silence before Cordelia gathered the courage to ask.

“What is it?” she asked, referring to the piece of metal around her arm. “It looks like one of those things they had in Pylea…do you know about Pylea?” Cordy then frowned, not sure what this girl knew or didn’t know.

“Yeah…”

Cordelia took a closer look at the bracelet and saw an inscription on it.

P:02

Alessia saw the puzzled look on Cordelia’s face and pondered whether to tell Cordelia the truth or not about the identity of this bracelet and what exactly it was used for.

“It’s nothing.” Alessia calmly reassure Cordy. “It’s just something I’m stuck with. It does look like those collars in Pylea, and its use is kind of the same.”

“What?!” Cordy exclaimed all of a sudden, remembering what those collars were for in Pylea.

“Mine is deactivated. Don’t worry.” Alessia quickly affirmed. “It’s a long story and it involves Wolfram and Hart, but it’s not important.” She said.

Cordelia wanted desperately to pry for more information but the far away look that came over Alessia’s eyes as she looked down at her bracelet was enough to warn her not to. They once again shared a rather long, awkward silence, which Alessia broke with a very caring tone.

“You know if this is too weird for you…I’m sorry…” Alessia genuinely said, but Cordelia shook her head.

“No…I mean yes…it’s weird…but…it’s just mostly confusing.” She admitted and Alessia couldn’t help but smile to herself, nodding. “Can I ask you something?” Cordelia then hesitantly asked.

“Sure.”

“Skip said that he prays to God we never see the things you’ve seen. What does he mean by that? What happens in the future?” She asked and sensed that Alessia hesitated to answer. “Alessia…what…What did you see?” Cordelia finally asked, her curiosity taking the best of her.

“I saw you die.” Alessia finally whispered after a very long moment of reflection. “All of you.”

Cordelia gasped as the words came out of Alessia’s throat. She had to remind herself to breathe as she stared into the eyes of the girl sitting beside her. It seemed unreal that she was sitting there with a girl who claimed to be her daughter, and yet she knew nothing about her. It seemed unreal; then again, most things in her life felt that way nowadays.

“Tell me about you.” Cordy then asked, carefully.

Alessia took a deep breath and looked down at her hands.

“Well,” she began, thinking about where to start. “I’m 19 years old…I've never been in love...though I'm not a virgin...” she said and noticed Cordelia’s wide eyes. “I don’t know what to say!” she then laughed out loud. “I hate broccoli…” she tried with a raised eyebrow.

Cordelia couldn’t help but smile.

“I was born and raised in this hotel.” Alessia suddenly continued, in a much lower and reminiscing tone and Cordy stopped smiling and listened. “I know every inch of it. Every dark corner and every spot of light.” She paused and then looked at Cordelia for a long while. “You always said that I had my father’s eyes. I think it was mostly the eyebrows. And he always said that I had your smile. I remember sitting in the courtyard, watching the sunrise with him…” Alessia said, remembering herself sitting on her father’s lap at 5 years old.

Cordelia felt her mouth getting dry as a horrible thought crossed her mind.

“Yes he did.” Alessia promptly answered, even before Cordy could even ask it out loud. “He died too.”

“How? How did you know what I was thinking before I even…?” Cordy asked, clearly puzzled and taken aback.

“I am half-demon too, you know. And I do have about twenty something years of technology, practice and evolution on you. It’s one of my powers…and one of yours that you have yet to discover.” Alessia said with a smile.

Cordelia stared at her and her heart sank a little. She was half-demon. For some reason, Cordelia had almost forgotten about that; about the fact that any child of hers would also have demon blood in her.

“I was born with my powers and I developed them pretty quickly.”

“So you read minds?”

“Sort of.” Alessia said. “When I was little, you and dad refused to listen to Skip and bind my powers. He said that it wasn’t good for a child to be able to peak into people’s head on the street or anywhere. But you didn’t want to do that…though you eventually taught me how to control it – thank God!” Alessia laughed.

“Why? What happened?” Cordy asked, intrigued.

“I think it was the sex talk at the dinner table that prompted the decision.” Alessia said with a grin and wider eyes. “There are just some thoughts parents shouldn’t want their kids to read!”

“Oh…OH!” Cordelia said, realizing exactly what Alessia was referring to.

“Yeah…after that, you trained me to control my power. And we kind of struck a deal. In honour of preserving a certain normalcy in our mother/daughter relationship, we agreed that I was never going to read your mind, and you would never read mine.” She said simply. “And after that, I never did.” Alessia confessed and then paused. “Except once…” she said as her eyes grew sad and she looked away from Cordelia.

“What is it?” Cordy asked, concern filling her voice.

“It’s nothing.” She dismissed but Cordy didn’t buy it.

“Alessia, what is it?”

“It’s just…nothing….it’s being here…it’s just hard, remembering.” She said, tears filling her eyes. She then turned to face Cordy and began to speak again. “I remember the last time that I saw you…” Alessia whispered with tears in her eyes. “We had lost so many people already…and you were trying to hide us – me and Connor. I remember that you took us to this abandoned building, because you knew that they were coming to get you. I can remember it so clearly…” she continued, getting up from the bed and walking around the room. “That night, I watched you from the bed where I was tucked in, and I saw you standing by the window. You knew what was going to happen, and yet there you were, smiling.” She added, amazed at the memory herself. “I didn’t understand at the time how you could be smiling, watching the rain pour outside. I can still see it…I remember that in the middle of the night, you sat by my side on the bed, with tears in your eyes, and I will always remember what you said to me.” Cordelia was listening to Alessia tell her the story of that night and chills ran through her entire body, as if she was living it. “You looked into my eyes and took me in your arms and told me never to be afraid of who I was or where I was from. You said that I could do anything and that I could be anything, and that no matter you would always be with me. You kissed my cheek and hugged me for a long time without saying anything, and then you smiled through your tears and told me that you were proud of me.” Alessia said, her voice shaking under her tears. “You asked me to never let anyone convince me otherwise. You asked me to be a strong and brave little girl. And I know I asked you why you were crying, but you smiled and said that it was because you loved me.” Alessia paused, taking a deep breath and wiping a few tears from her eyes. “You let me read your mind that night. You held my face and you kissed my forehead, and you passed on the visions to me. You stayed with me that night and held me until I fell asleep. And in the morning, when they came you asked Connor to take me with him and you hid us in a huge closet. I can still see you bend down on your knees in front of me and take my little hands and kiss them, and you said ‘you can change the world Alessia. You changed mine.’” She whispered, reciting Cordelia’s words. “I heard everything in there. The cries and the yelling and the fighting…Connor held me and we stayed in there. You had made us promise that we’d stay hidden. But I heard them drag you out into the rain…And even though I had promised, I burst through the door when I heard you scream. I remember going to the window and I saw them beat you up and shove you into a car. You weren’t crying. You weren’t even fighting anymore. And I stood there and watched…” Alessia breathed heavily and swallowed back the trembling in her voice. “And that was the last time I ever saw you…until now.”

Cordelia was speechless. Tears were rolling down her cheeks involuntarily as she stared at a shaken Alessia. What was she to say now? What could she possibly say to that? Her heart broke at the thought of what this little girl had to see and endure.

“You gave your life, just like dad had done, to save me and Connor.” Alessia said in a stronger voice.

There was that question again. Her father.

“Your father…” Cordelia began but Alessia cut her off.

“I can’t tell you who he was. Is…will be…” Alessia said, now confusing herself with her verb tenses. “I like to believe that you don’t need me to find him…I like to think that some things are just meant to happen…”

Cordelia nodded, a little disappointed but at that point, a bit too emotional too care. She cleared her throat and spoke again in a weak voice.

“Were we at least happy?” Cordy said with tears in her eyes. “I mean, were you happy, just for little while at least?” Cordelia desperately needed to know that not everything had been horrible and tragic. She needed to know that with all her heart.

Alessia sat back down on the bed and smiled through her teary eyes.

“Very.” She whispered. “You were happy, and most of all you were loved.”

Cordelia felt a sigh of relief escape her throat at the sound of those words. She was loved. That thought seemed a bit foreign right now, but she held on to Alessia’s words.

“My father loved you with all his heart, and gave his life for you…never doubt that.”

They both took deep breaths and stood silent for a little while. After wiping the tears from their eyes, Cordelia raised an eyebrow, and looked at Alessia sheepishly.

“Can’t you…like…give me a little hint? Just a tiny little hint…” she grinned.

Alessia pondered that question and smiled.

“You always told me that it was pouring rain when you realized that you were in love with him.” Alessia grinned back.

“That’s the hint? That’s all?” Cordy said with wide eyes.

“It’ll be enough, you’ll see.” Alessia whispered.

Angel stood in the doorway, unbeknownst to the two women, with tearful eyes, as he watched them. He saw Cordy tentatively reach a hand up and place it on Alessia’s shoulder. The scene made his un-beating heart tremble. They never saw that he was there, but he had been there long enough to hear everything from Alessia’s story. He swallowed back the lump in his throat and closed his eyes, unable to take the image of Alessia and Connor in a closet out of his mind.

“Angel?” Cordy’s voice made him open his eyes quickly and he saw the two young women stare at him from the edge of the bed.

Angel looked up from the doorway and met the glances of the two women sitting on h is bed. Not before this moment had he realized how alike they both looked. Alessia’s hair seemed a bit darker than Cordelia’s but the highlights brought on a striking resemblance to her mother. Her tone of voice was just like Cordy’s. The way she raised her eyebrow, questioningly or teasingly. The way she just sat there.

Angel found himself at a loss for words for a moment. He then cleared his throat and took a few hesitant steps into the room.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt…I just…” he said motioning to the open door.

“You didn’t.” Alessia quickly reassured him, giving him a weak but bright smile. “Besides…it’s…your bedroom.” She made a gesture toward the room.

“It’s alright.” Angel softly smiled back. “You can use it…” he offered her.

“So what’s up? You guys concocted us a real full-proof plan?” Cordy said, with fake joy and hope filling her every word. At the look on Angel’s face, her face fell back to normal and she mumbled. “It was worth a shot…”

“Wesley is trying to figure out how to stop the ritual if we get to the point where Wolfram and Hart starts it, and Skip is helping him, giving any tid-bit of information he can remember about the whole thing.” Angel sighed. “It’s one thing to know what’s going to happen, but it’s another to actually stop it.”

“But you will.” Cordy half-stated, half-asked.

Angel’s eyes bore into hers, in that way that allowed her to read him to perfectly.

“I won’t let them touch Connor…I don’t care what I have to do…Nobody will get their hands on my son.” He said in a low, threatening voice that Cordelia strangely found comfort in.

“Good. Good.” Alessia interjected from her place on the bed. “Good plan so far. I like this plan. That’s a very good plan.” She repeated with a thumb up.

Both Cordelia and Angel turned to face her as she nervously spoke.

“Did your parents….” Angel began but then stopped himself mid-sentence. “I mean…Did Cordy ever tell you details about the ritual that would help us?” he softly asked.

“I know that there’s a book….It’s a very complicated and demanding ritual and they have millions of rules to follow and chants to do, and it’s in this book that Wolfram and Hart keeps somewhere…” Alessia said, trying to remember something. “I just can’t remember where…” she said through her teeth, grabbing her head and desperately trying to remember.

The events of the last hour or so were still weighing heavy on her and it seemed the more she wanted to remember the details that her parents had told her about the ritual, the more she forgot them. Angel quickly placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that it was alright. They would find a way.

At the moment he placed his hand on her, Alessia’s heart stopped beating. She held her breath and stared into his dark, comforting eyes and she froze. She couldn’t help herself. She watched him intensely for a few seconds, before reminding herself to breathe normally.

Angel then got up and walked towards Cordelia, slightly brushing her arm with his hand. The gesture seemed to send shivers throughout her body and they just stared at one another with such intensity that Alessia found herself feeling out of place. But she still watched the scene before her eyes, her heavy heart breaking into pieces.

“You look tired…” Angel whispered to her.

Cordelia began to assure him she was fine but he didn’t let her finish. The look in his eyes silenced her and they both knew that yes, she was tired, and still hurt from their earlier fight with demons, but that no, she wouldn’t go home.

“Gunn and Fred went to warn Dennis that you were here and not to worry…” Angel then said.

“Thanks.” Cordy whispered back.

At the sound of Dennis’ name, a soft giggle came from behind them. They turned around and saw Alessia with a huge smile on her face as she sat on the bed still. The girl let out a small sigh and looked up at Angel and Cordelia.

“What’s so funny?”

“Why don’t you guys use the phone?” Alessia said, clearly amused.

“You do know that Dennis is a ghost right?” Cordy raised an eyebrow as she questioned her future daughter.

“Hello? I lived with him for most of my life. I do know he’s a ghost.” She replied tenderly. “A very skilled one at that too…” she added in a very low, reminiscing sigh. “But the ghost can still hear the machine pick up…” she began to explain and then felt stupid. “I guess that’s just a tactic you guys will begin using in the near future…” she nodded and got up from the bed.

“So I still have Dennis in the future?” Cordy asked, clearly happy at that thought.

“Of course.” Alessia smiled. “Dennis and I are like this.” she said, crossing her fingers. “We used to have the most awkwardly interesting conversations…among other things.” Alessia grinned, looking at Cordelia and Angel as if she knew a secret they didn’t.

“What do you mean?” Angel asked.

“Oh, let’s just say I was probably the only child in LA whose talk about the birds and the bees also involved a loofah.” She said, obviously amused by the way this conversation was turning out.

Cordy’s eyes grew wide and she stared at the girl, shocked, for a moment. Angel looked back and forth between Cordy’s shocked and flushed face and Alessia’s wicked grin and he found himself completely clueless.

“A loofah?” he said, confusion crystal clear in the way he questioned Alessia. “What is she talking about?” he turned to Cordelia who seemed a bit nervous now.

“You know, it’s probably not good to give out too many details about the future…” she told Angel, trying to change the subject. She laughed nervously and faked obliviousness. “I have no idea what she’s talking about!”

Alessia successfully tried to repress a little giggle. It was nice.

This.

This was nice. After the emotional talk she’d just had with Cordelia, and before all the heavy 3 days that lied ahead of them, it felt nice to have a light moment like that, even at the expense of her mother. She couldn’t help but smile.

Angel nodded, still not understanding the inside joke between Cordy and Alessia, but he decided not to pursue it. Then, a deep silence fell between them and Angel finally remembered why he had come up in the first place. He looked back and forth between Alessia and Cordy, sensing the remaining tension, the awkwardness even, but also the kind of understanding that seemed new between the two.

“Well…” Angel broke the silence calmly. “I just came up to get Connor’s teddy bear…” he said.

As soon as Connor’s name was mentioned, Alessia’s face turned mournful and her heart sank. She had to struggle with herself not to let her eyes well up with tears once again. Cordelia also reacted to Connor’s name, but differently. She looked back and forth between Angel and Alessia, knowing that the two probably needed to talk as well. This girl…this beautiful, emotionally drained young woman who stood before them and who claimed to be her daughter, had come all the way over here for Connor. It automatically built a connection between Angel and the girl; a connection Cordelia suddenly acknowledged.

“I’ll take it to him.” Cordy said, taking the stuffed animal from the desk and looking back at Angel.

She gave him a knowing nod and began walking to the door. Just before she stepped out, she stopped and quickly turned around, facing Alessia with fearful mother-y eyes. She wasn’t a mother and clearly had no idea what it was like to be one, but Alessia recognized that look. She knew that look.

“You didn’t…I mean…the loofah…with Dennis…you didn’t…?” Cordy tried to ask, dreading the answer.

Alessia repressed an amused smile. Okay, admittedly, it was a weird conversation to have.

“The curiosity would have killed me…” Alessia grinned, trying not to laugh at the shocked expression on Cordelia’s face.

“O-kay!” Cordy gasped and then turned around and left the room. “I am so going to kick his ass…” she said taking a deep breath while walking out.

Once Cordelia was gone, the light-hearted mood seemed to vanish with her. There was a long silence that wrapped around Angel and Alessia as the two of them looked everywhere but at one another. They were alone. What was she going to say to him? How was she going to look in his eyes, knowing what the future held for this man? She swallowed back the lump in her throat and waited for him to say something first. That had always worked with him in her past…his future…Gosh she was confusing herself with those time things.

“So…” Angel said, finally looking at the young woman in front of him. “You have the visions now?” he asked, knowing already the answer.

“How long had you been standing there?” Alessia asked in a quiet voice.

Angel stared into her eyes and saw the hidden sadness and pain in them. It distracted him for a moment but not too long for him to forget what had been the question.

“Long enough.” He admitted.

Another awkward pause interrupted their equally awkward conversation.

“Thanks for the sweater.” Alessia then honestly spoke.

“No problem.” Angel replied, his voice nearly choking for no reason at all.

All he could do for a moment was examine the person in front of him. Standing on her 19 years, she seemed much younger than that, yet in other ways, like when she spoke, her voice seemed wise beyond her years. The lines on her face indicated the many things she probably had to survive, but there was still this innocence in her eyes. An innocence Angel found remarkable. Behind that innocence was a darkness, that he also found himself relating to. Whatever that girl had seen and lived, he could see how it had shaped her life. How it had nearly broken her many times.

Angel found himself watching her, mesmerized by the light and shadows in her eyes, by the playfulness and seriousness in her words, by how lively yet emotionally drained she appeared to be. Such contradictions.

Contradictions that mirrored Cordelia’s, but also his at times.

Suddenly, Angel felt self-conscious, and Alessia realized the change in his posture as he stopped his inner conversation with himself.

“I’m not reading you.” She promptly reassured him. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I wasn’t.” Angel lied, knowing that the thought of Cordy’s daughter reading his thoughts and feelings had momentarily startled him.

After a moment, Angel could not repress the questions that were taunting him.

“I heard what you told Cordy about your life…about your father.” Angel spoke, looking at her.

Alessia Chase. Cordelia’s daughter.

The thought once again made Angel’s undead heart flutter. A part of him wanted to smile at the thought that Cordelia had been loved and had loved in return in the future. Yet, there was another part of him that slightly broke his heart, knowing that he could not be the one to give that to her.

Alessia lowered her eyes, not only because she didn’t want to look at him, but also because she didn’t have the strength. She had meant it when she’d told Cordelia that she didn’t want to tell her who her father was. She had meant it…but would she still mean it for 3 whole days?

“Was he a good father?” Angel asked.

Alessia was slightly surprised by the question as it was not exactly the one she was anticipating. She looked up into Angel’s eyes and nodded tenderly.

“Yeah…” she whispered. “The best…”

“Good.” Angel whispered back, his eyes boring into the bedroom door where he had seen Cordelia disappear earlier. “It’s good to know that…” he said, unable to hide the emotions in his voice, as he got up and began to walk towards the door.

Alessia felt bad for the vampire sitting beside her.

“Will I give him a hard time?” Angel then asked, and Alessia smiled.

“Definitely.” She answered with a nod. “I think it was hard for you to look at him sometimes…” she answered softly. Angel lowered his eyes as she continued. “But you liked him.” She smiled.

“Really?” Angel seemed a bit surprised.

“Yeah…”

“On a scale of one to ten, how much did I actually like him?”

“I’d say a solid 8.” Alessia smiled and Angel found himself giving her a gentle smile back. “Sometimes 9.”

"Impressive." Angel admitted. "I really will like this guy..."

Alessia looked at Angel and took in all his features, her heart skipping a beat.

"I like to think that you did."

Angel gave Alessia one last look. There was something about this girl. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“I hope your father knew just how lucky he was to have you as a daughter…I hope he got the chance to tell you.” Angel whispered.

“He just did…” Alessia whispered to herself as a small tear rolled down her face.

“What did you say?” Angel asked, turning around as he stood in the doorway.

Alessia held her breath and looked at him. She lowered her eyes and shook her head, remembering the rules of the PTB.

“Nothing.”

She heard Angel walk out and just as she was about to sit back down, something came back to her. She was hit by a flashback and she found herself bolting for the door and stumbling into the corridor.

“Wait!!” she called out to Angel, who immediately turned around and ran back towards her. “I know where the book is…”

The whirlwind around her seemed to wind down a little, and she found herself staring at the stairs impatiently. Connor lay asleep in Fred’s arms across from her and she absent-mindedly nodded from time to time when the ex-Pylean refugee spoke to her. Skip stood nearby, examining Cordy’s expression and posture.

She didn’t seem to mind – or even notice for that matter – as she was too busy thinking back to her conversation with Alessia. She could still hear the soft, heartbreaking whispers; see the small tears in the girl’s eyes as she told Cordelia parts of her story.

“Are you okay?” Skip’s voice broke her out of her own thoughts.

Cordy took her eyes off of the staircase for the first time and looked at Skip, who was now standing in front of her, looking concerned.

“Yeah…” she managed to speak, after pondering the question silently.

“Listen,” Skip said, making sure his voice was low so she would be the only one to hear him. “I’m not sure what she told you, but I have a pretty good idea it wasn’t easy to hear.” He took a deep breath. “Cordelia…Ally…she’s…There is just so much more…” Skip began and then stammered. He lowered his eyes and sighed. He couldn’t do this to Alessia, not after he had promised. “It’s…”

“What?” Cordy’s eyes grew concerned, and Skip glanced at the stairs, silently.

“Nothing.” He finally spoke.

“They’ve been up there for a really long time…” Fred then chimed in from beside them.

Cordy’s eyes immediately went to the stairs and she put down the teddy bear on the counter.

--

With slow and hesitant steps, Cordelia pushed the door to Angel’s bedroom open and walked in, surveying the room with her deep hazel eyes. Alessia’s bloodstained clothes remained on the chair by Angel’s bed.

“Angel?” Cordy asked in a quiet voice as she made her way around the room.

She looked into the nursery, but no one was to be found. With a frown, she called out Angel’s name one more time.

“Angel?!” This time, a slight fear and panic took over her words.

Angel and Alessia were nowhere to be found. The room was completely empty. She stood there for a few seconds, until Skip walked into the room behind her.

“They’re not here.” Cordy informed him in a fearful tone. “Skip?” she pressed him for an explanation, even though she wasn’t sure he had any.

“They’re gone.” Skip said, taking in the situation.

“I got that part already – thank you.” Cordy gritted through her teeth. “How did they leave without any of us noticing?! And why?”

Skip took a deep breath as he looked around the dark bedroom.

“I think I know where they went.” Skip’s voice was filled with warning and resignation.

--

The loud sound of the door crashing down onto the floor broke the intense silence that swept through the Wolfram and Hart office building. The weighed of Angel’s feet sent the piece of wood flying open and Angel stepped in, followed by a very alert Alessia. The two of them looked around the room in silence before Angel turned to her.

“I don’t like this…” Angel mumbled, as if they’d had this discussion before. “You shouldn’t…” he began but Alessia’s exasperated sigh stopped him.

“Oh would you please stop it?” she mumbled. “I’ve seen worse than Lilah’s office, believe me.” She added in a softer and kinder tone, raising an eyebrow.

The two of them searched the dark room quickly with their eyes and stepped inside. Angel walked towards the desk and began looking through the drawers but Alessia stopped him immediately.

“Not there. Here.” She said pointing to the wall.

Just as Angel was lifting his eyes from the desk, a look of darkness overshadowed his eyes. Alessia noticed it instantly and her eyes turned to what Angel was staring at.

“So it is true.” A voice was heard from the doorway.

Alessia stared, a dark, almost dangerously disturbing look invading her young hazel eyes. Angel instinctively, and protectively stepped beside Alessia. For a moment there, he was almost taken aback by the expression on her face. So intense. So dark. So reminiscent of his own inner darkness, and it pained him to see such an expression on her face.

“You did come all the way over here to save the world.” Lilah spoke, leaning against the doorframe, staring at Angel and Alessia.

Angel moved to step in front of Alessia, trying to threaten and intimidate Lilah, but he was shocked when Alessia stopped him. The girl grabbed his arm forcefully and took a few steps toward Lilah herself. There was a long and intense silence between the three of them and Angel almost cringed at Alessia’s stubbornness. Why was she acting this way? What was prompting it?

Angel watched as a tiny smirk appeared on Lilah’s face. The woman took a few steps towards Alessia, whose eyes begged Angel to stand back.

“How do you know?” Angel growled, working really hard on not ripping the woman’s head off with his bare hands.

“I have my contacts.” She said, amused. “What a nice family portrait.” Lilah grinned and then looked around herself with a frown. “Where’s mommy?” she asked but Alessia only clenched her jaw and stared at her dangerously. “Awww…don’t tell me she left you to fend for yourself once again…” a wicked smile brushed her lips. “At least you’re not in a closet this time around.”

That was it. In a burst of rage and anger, Angel stepped passed Alessia and grabbed Lilah by the throat, shoving her against the door frame. He held her there, nearly chocking her to death as he gritted through his teeth:

“Give me one reason not to kill you.” His voice was low, scary, threatening…making the demon in him proud and cheerful.

He was almost stunned when he saw her smile. Here he was, nearly strangling her and she was smiling at him. The next thing he knew, Alessia’s firm grip was on h is shoulder and she was begging him to let go. The sound of Alessia’s voice confused him at first but the girl kept tugging on Angel’s shirt, pleading for him not to do this.

“Come on, do it.” Lilah challenged Angel.

“Angel don’t!” Alessia begged of him.

“Yeah…you wouldn’t want to traumatize poor little Ally here…” Lilah laughed as Angel let go of her and backed away slightly. “What kind of father would kill in front of his own child?” she spit out as the entire room became silent. "Although...maybe she's used to it by now..."

Angel literally froze, finding himself unable to move, or think. He turned to face Alessia, who was now lowering her eyes painfully. Angel opened his mouth to say something but at the sight of the heartbroken teenager, no word came out.

He had heard Alessia’s words back in his room. At first, he had not been sure what she had meant, and even though he had wanted to ask about it, he had seen that deeply shattered look in her eyes. That look. Those eyes. It had stopped him from asking her. And it did not as well. That guilt and helplessness on her face was silently begging of him not to say anything.

He stared at the young woman in front of him, realization dawning on him for the first time. Alessia Chase.

Cordy’s daughter. Cordelia Chase’s daughter.

And he sucked in an unnecessary breath.

His daughter.

“Was it something I said?” Lilah smirked, sensing the obvious intensity and shock that invaded Angel’s undead body.

“Shut up.” Alessia’s words were the only ones breaking through the silence.

Her voice was low, shaky and immensely threatening. Her eyes focused on Lilah’s face and stayed there, never wavering, never blinking. Angel was too numb to think coherently at the time. All he could do was stare at the girl beside him. There was something in Alessia’s eyes that made him painfully aware that he wasn’t supposed to know the truth. He had not been meant to know. But now he did.

“What is it, Ally. The truth too painful to hear? Or maybe you just wanted to let ‘fate’ take its course? Was that it?” Lilah’s condescending tone wasn’t lost on Alessia but the girl remained silent. “What are you doing here, huh?” she then asked, shaking her head.

Alessia and Angel knew that she wasn’t talking specifically about her office.

“Do they know? Do they really know what you are giving up here?” Lilah asked as Alessia simply stared with tears in her eyes. “They don’t know you. They don’t love you.” Alessia felt her heart break inside her chest as the words rang into her head. “They can’t love you.” Lilah spit in Alessia’s face. “You’re willing to give up your life for these people?”

“Shut up…” Alessia repeated through her teeth as tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily.

“You’re willing to give up everything that you have, for people who don’t even care about you?”

“Yeah…yeah, I am.” Alessia spoke, tearfully but firmly.

Angel felt his un-beating heart break inside his chest at the sound of Alessia’s emotional voice.

“I don’t care if they don’t know me. I don’t care if they can’t remember me…” she continued, trying to hold back her tears. “I don’t care if they don’t know who I am, or what I did, or what my life was. I don't care if i don't exist here...I don’t care if they can’t love me…” she said, her last words ending in a heartbreaking whisper. Angel closed his eyes in pain at the sound of her words. “If you come anywhere near them, or if you hurt them, I will make you pay…I will…no matter what.” She threatened her.

“How heroic of you…” Lilah muttered, staring at the strong, tearful girl. A long ad painful silence stood between the three of them before Lilah spoke again, obviously pleased by the effect her words had on both Angel and Alessia. “It’s too bad that when you look at her, you see your mother. When she looks at you, all she sees is a stranger…”

A small tear rolled down Alessia’s face and she slowly glanced at Angel. There was no need for words. Behind the tears and the emotion, a determination and a darkness that mirrored his own shone through. With one look, Angel knew exactly what Alessia was silently telling him.

As if they both knew what the other was thinking, Angel headed straight for Lilah while Alessia skipped passed them and headed towards the wall. Angel grabbed Lilah firmly and banged her head on the doorframe, knocking her out so fast she barely even noticed. In the meantime, Alessia stood in front of the large, white wall, staring at it intensely. She carefully placed her hands on it and moved them, slowly, while Angel watched. He wasn’t sure what she was doing but she seemed so concentrated that he didn’t say a word. After a few quick seconds, Alessia stopped moving, her eyes piercing through the wall, and with one painful move, she threw her fist into the wall. A small cry escaped her throat as her fist went through the wood and built a large hole into the wall. She clenched her jaw in pain and reached further down in the hole, pulling out a thick black book with her bloody hand.

--

Cordelia, Skip and the others jumped when they heard the front door of the Hyperion slide open. Cordy found herself springing off her chair and nearly running into their direction. She saw the worry-filled expression on Angel’s face, before noticing the quieter, subdued, and emotional look in Alessia’s eyes.

Something had happened. She knew it.

Angel glanced at a silent Alessia and his thoughts went back to Lilah’s words…to the truth. Not a word had been spoken during the ride back to the hotel. Even if it killed him not to say anything, he could see in Alessia’s behavior that she’d rather he did not mention it. And now, as he stood beside her, seeing the painful way in which she looked at Cordelia, he knew that Cordelia didn’t know.

And he silently agreed not to be the one to reveal the truth.

“Oh my God!” Cordy exclaimed, seeing the cuts and bruises on Alessia’s hand. “What happened to you?” she asked, grabbing her daughter’s bleeding fist in her hands.

“We got the book from Wolfram and Hart.” Angel said, tossing the book on the table.

He turned and watched as Cordelia grabbed a first aid kit and began taking care of Alessia’s injuries. He didn’t pay much attention to Wesley and Gunn’s talking in the background. His eyes were resting on the two women on the big couch. This time, he was painfully aware of the hurt and sadness in Alessia’s eyes. The young girl could barely look Cordelia directly, and that’s when Lilah’s words came back to aunt him.

“What is wrong with you?!” Cordelia said, glaring towards Angel as she continued clean Alessia’s wounds. “Are you nuts!? Going off like that….”

“It was her idea…” Angel answered in his boyish, puppy dog voice of his that Cordelia knew way too well. “It was!” he tried to defend himself.

“So what? You agreed.” Cordy replied.

“Well, she is your daughter…” Angel said as if that said it all, and Cordelia raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like she would take no for an answer.”

“Wonder where she got that from?” Gunn said in an amused voice, as he and Fred smiled.

Throughout all of this, Alessia had remained strangely silent. She looked down at the floor while Cordy finished putting the bandage on her cuts. Alessia swallowed the big lump in her throat before looking up to Cordelia and thanking her. Skip noticed the invisible tears hidden in Ally’s eyes and he knew that there was more to it than meets the eye.

“What’s wrong?” Cordy asked just as Alessia looked up to her, finally.

“Nothing.” Alessia answered in a sad voice. “We went, we got the book, we’re back. It buys you time.”

Cordelia looked back and forth between Angel and Alessia and suddenly got this weird sensation that there was more to it than what Alessia was willing to let on. Cordy’s eyes bore into Angel’s and her heart skipped a beat.

“What happened?” she asked with determination.

Angel opened his mouth to say something but no word came out.

“Nothing.” Alessia spoke again, standing up. Her voice was soft and gentle. “Nothing…” she repeated, as she looked at her mother’s concerned face.

Deep down, Lilah’s words rang true. She was a stranger to the. To all of them.

“I’m…I’m really tired.” Alessia whispered in a heartbreaking tone as she glanced at an equally emotional Angel.

“You can take my room. That’s okay.” Angel said, avoiding Cordelia’s intense stare.

With that, Alessia walked up the stairs.

"Ally?" Skip called out and she turned around to look at him. "That was really brave of you..."

Alessia lowered her eyes and let a small tear rolled down her face.

"No it wasn't." she whispered before turning back and leaving.

Cordy waited for her to be out of sight before she walked up to Angel and pressed him to tell her what had happened.

“Angel, look at me.” She said, forcing him to look at her.

He looked at her with tears in his eyes, getting lost in the confused and worried look on Cordy’s face. They both stood there, staring at one another in silence, and Angel lowered his eyes once more. He felt the warm touch of Cordelia’s hands on his as she tenderly wrapped her fingers around the coolness of his skin.

“Angel…tell me…” she whispered, a mixture of emotion filling her voice.

--

Alessia helplessly let herself slip onto the floor, crying and bringing her hands to her head in pain. Her tears were silent but her face twisted. She grabbed her head and sat with her back against the door of Angel’s bedroom.

She cried like that, in the dark, as her body shook in pain. Her body jerked around a couple of times and she tried to hold her breath, willing the pain to go away.

The bracelet on her wrist lit up a few times and each time, she felt herself tremble, helplessly. Salty tears rolled down the side of her face as she bit her lower lip, repressing the sound of her cries.

After a few minutes, she gasped, took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around herself, closing her eyes. She sat on the floor in the dark bedroom where she had been born, where she had slept so many nights before. The metallic bracelet finally stopped flashing and she regained a more normal breathing.

She comforted herself in the darkness and silence of the room, until a few whimpers startled her. She looked up and saw the door to the adjacent nursery open, hearing Connor’s tiny little noises fill the room.

--

Cordelia stood there, speechless. Angel had told her about what had happened at Wolfram and Hart. Everything.

Everything except the most important part. The part, which Alessia had purposely kept secret thus far.

The part where he was a father.

That secret wasn’t his to reveal. That secret wasn’t his; it was Alessia’s.

Angel had told Cordelia about the things Lilah said to Alessia and how it seemed to have affected her deeply. As the two of them stood there, processing Lilah’s words, Skip walked up to them and placed a hand on Angel’s shoulder.

“Okay.” Skip sighed heavily and gave them a very disturbingly intense look. “I shouldn’t be doing this…and Ally would probably kill me if she knew that I was about to do this, but I have to…” he added in a low voice. “I think it’s time the three of us have a little conversation.” He spoke with a grave expression on his demonic face.

Angel and Cordelia both looked at him with concern in their eyes.

“About what?” Cordelia asked, almost dreading his answer.

“About that girl who just walked up those stairs…and about all the things that she’s been keeping from you.”

Connor’s tiny little hands and feet flew in the air, aimlessly, as he shifted his weight from one side to the other in the crib. A soft blue blanket lay on his stomach, and the familiar teddy bear sat at the end of his small bed. A few little cries escaped his throat, demanding some attention.

Alessia stood still in front of the crib for a few minutes, staring down at the child with wide, teary eyes. A part of her wanted to reach down in the crib and that the small infant in her arms, but another part of her was petrified at the sight of Connor. After a few moments of hesitation, she reached down and touched Connor’s little hand with her fingers, trying to calm the baby down. When that didn’t seem to be enough, she swallowed back the lump in her throat and took a deep breath. A small tear rolled down her cheek as she picked up Connor and brought him closer to her chest, holding him tenderly in her arms.

“It’s okay…it’s okay…” she whispered, trying to comfort the crying child. “There you go…” she said, her breath catching in her throat as the realization of the situation dawned on her. Connor slowly stopped crying, staring childishly into Alessia’s face. “Hi…” Alessia’s emotions were all over the place by that point. “Hey you…wow…you’re so small. I remember you heavier.” She smiled through misty eyes.

She looked at him for a moment, struck by the beauty of this little guy, and Connor began to play with her hair.

Lorne stood in the doorway, having gone out of the nursery for a little while. Connor was to be left alone for no reason whatsoever. Order of Angelcakes and the Princess. Lorne smiled, watching Alessia and Connor.

“Whoa…one day, you’ll probably get how weird this is.” She whispered, bringing the child towards the bed, unaware of Lorne listening to her. “This is usually your job.” She smiled. “Holding me, I mean. I guess it’s my turn to play the big sister, huh?” her voice was full of emotion as she looked at the baby’s face. “Yeah…”

Lorne froze in the doorway after hearing her last tender words.

“Oh my god…” he whispered to himself, able to sense the vibes coming from her with such intensity.

--

“Come on…Come with me” Skip said a little while later, leading both Angel and Cordelia up the stairs, towards Angel’s bedroom.

“What are you doing Skip?” Angel asked him, his concerned expression mirroring Cordy’s.

“There’s something I need to show you.” Skip answered, slowly opening the door and leading them into the bedroom.

Angel and Cordelia walked into the room and quickly found themselves looking down at the bed in front of them. There lay a sound-asleep Alessia, her arm protectively around an equally tired Connor. The two of them rested above the covers, Alessia still fully clothed in Cordy’s pants and Angel’s sweater.

Angel stopped in his tracks, his eyes taking in the beauty of this sight. If his heart had been beating, it would have pounded against his chest like a hammer right at that moment. He swallowed back his initial awe-struck feeling and took an unnecessary deep breath, while Cordelia stood still by his side. Her face softened as she looked upon the two sleeping bodies. Two children, from two different worlds…two different realities.

“I’m a big believer in miracles, but even I never thought I would see that.” Skip confessed in a hushed tone. “But more importantly, I never thought the two of you would ever see that again.” He added, his demon heart trembling beneath all that metal.

“Skip…” Angel began but was cut off.

“When you look at that, what do you see?” Skip asked as they both stayed silent, not knowing how to answer that. “As much as Lilah’s words probably stung, they were true. She’s a stranger here. When you first laid eyes on her, she was a stranger to you.” He told them both. “But when she saw you, I know for a fact that it killed her not to be able to run into your arms.” He added, looking at Cordelia. “But she didn’t. And she probably won’t. Because she doesn’t want to hurt anymore than she has to, but more importantly, she doesn’t want to hurt you.” Skip continued and then paused as he stared at Cordelia and Angel’s captivated faces. “She’s not going to tell you the truth. Not all of it. She’s not going to tell you how your refusal to let Connor go brought all of this upon her.” He said, shooting a glare at Angel. “She’s not going to tell you, how you almost lost her, and how you almost died giving birth to her in this very room.” He shot at Cordelia, his anger over the situation rising within him. “She’s not going to mention how you were stuck here to give birth to her, with only Buffy and Faith to help you!”

“What…?” Cordelia managed to ask, completely stunned by Skip’s revelation.

“That’s right. Unlikely trio if you ask me… You remember a couple of years ago? You had an accident – pretty nasty one involving an abandoned building and a rebar?” he asked, referring to the time when she was impaled by a rebar, and Cordy nodded numbly. “The doctors thought you would never be able to carry a baby to term. Not only were seers never supposed to bear their warrior’s child, but it could have killed you both. Did you care? No…because you wanted her. But of course, Ally’s not going to tell you that. ‘Cause she doesn’t want to hurt you.” He added before turning to face Angel. “She’s not going to tell you how she came home from school one afternoon, when she was 10, and found you slaughtered on the floor, bleeding to death, dying in Cordelia’s arms. She’s not going to say how Fred got gutted in the middle of the street when Ally was five. Or how Faith gave her life to save your parents Cordelia…Ally’s not going to tell you how she only met her grandparents when she was 7 years old, or how she watched as Connor bled to death in her arms, Or…” he began and then stopped himself at the thought that was going to be verbalized.

Angel stood, mouth slightly opened, pained by Skip’s harsh tone and words, while Cordy’s eyes welled up with tears.

“Or what?” she chocked up.

“Close your eyes.” Skip told the two of them.

Angel and Cordy were about to protest, but Skip pressed them with a threatening tone.

“Close your eyes. Both of you. I would normally not do this, but in this case, I find visuals to be a lot more effective.” He said.

After a few moments, Angel and Cordelia closed their eyes, reluctantly, and Skip placed his hands over their heads, sending bolts of lightening through them. Just like a vision, Cordy and Angel found themselves staring at a scene in front of them, unable to move or speak. All they could do was watch.

scene

A ten-year-old little boy held a tiny, scared little girl in his arms as they hid behind a car. Cordelia heard herself scream into the night while Angel jumped in front of the two children. Moving at a frightening speed, Wesley jumped over the car and stood in front of Angel and Cordelia.

Wesley’s face quickly changed, fangs appearing and yellow eyes glowing into the darkness. With his vamp face on, he leaped in the air, aiming for Connor and Alessia, who sat, bundled up on the floor. Cordy’s scream rang into the night and she threw herself in front of Wesley. Angel grabbed him by the shoulders, throwing him onto the ground. A battle ensued…one, which Angel found himself losing rapidly. Just as Wesley was about to snap Angel’s neck, a tearful Cordelia swung a stake in the air and staked Wesley.

Wesley turned to her, his face now human, and Cordelia fell to her knees as he turned to dust in front of her.

Bolt of lightening

Cordelia holding Angel’s dead and bleeding body in her arms, crying.

bolt of lightening

A grown up Connor stood strapped to a large wooden cross, screaming in pain as experiments were being done on him. Across the room, closing her eyes in pain, was a 16-year-old Alessia, chained to the wall, forced to watch Connor’s torture.

Bolt of lightening

Willow and Buffy wrapped their arms around a weeping Connor, gathering him close and whispering to him as they cried with him.

“It’s going to be okay…It’s going to be okay…” Willow whispered in his ear. “You and Ally will be okay.”

“She loved you…just like her own. It’s not your fault.” Buffy cried as she held the young man in her arms.

end scene

One last bolt of lightening shot through their body and both Angel and Cordelia found themselves gasping, opening their eyes quickly.

Skip stood in front of them, in Angel’s bedroom, staring at them with a serious expression on his face. Cordelia brought her hand to her face and closed her eyes as tears rolled down her face. They had felt it. All of it. They had not just seen it and heard it…they’d felt it. Angel’s face twisted in pain as Skip’s voice was heard once again.

You want to know the truth?” he asked them.

After a moment of pondering his question, Angel clenched his jaw and said though his teeth:

“Yes.”

“After the ritual, the Powers That Be wanted to take Connor into a safe place. His absence from this world would have lessened the chances of the ritual actually working to its full capability. But you refused.” Skip confessed, finally. “The years went by and Connor grew up, and the Powers never offered to take him again. Just like on your Birthday Cordelia. It had to be your choice. They couldn’t do anything, unless it was your choice. So Connor grew into a little boy. You Shanshued.” He looked at Angel and took a deep breath. “Cordelia gave birth to Alessia…and then everything became sort of a blur. Friends and family began to die. You died.” He said, once again referring to Angel. “And then Cordelia died. Ally told you about that…But the thing is, you didn’t die right away. And even though, you had made Ally and Connor promise to leave and run away…they didn’t. They tried to find you…but Wolfram and Hart kidnapped them. Why they didn’t kill them I will never know, but I’m not sure what they did to Connor and Ally is any better than death itself.” Skip told the story in a hushed tone, glancing at Connor and Alessia once in a while.

Skip then moved towards the bed, motioning for Angel and Cordy to come closer.

“You see that bracelet?” he asked.

“She said it had something to do with Wolfram and Hart…she said she stuck with it.” Cordelia remembered, her voice shaky and emotional.

“She didn’t tell you what it does? I’m not surprised. You see, Connor had a similar one. These things are connected to their DNA. It was part of the experiments that Lilah and her little group of merry men did on the two of them.”

“What?!” Angel exclaimed, a little louder than he wanted.

“Drugs…pointy things…chains…programming…DNA experiments, testing…” Skip said and then raised his metal eyebrows. “Do I have to keep going?”

“No.” Cordy nearly chocked on the words as she and Angel looked down at Alessia and Connor’s sleeping forms.

“What the purpose of it was, I don’t know. All I know is that no one should endure that kind of torture. What they put into their blood, Alessia will never get rid of. She has set backs some times…like aftershocks. Headaches, trembling, seizures. They were stuck there, for 2 years. And when they finally escaped, there was no way they could get rid of what W&H had done to them. It’s in their DNA. That bracelet will never come off. She’ll never be free of that.” Skip said, his voice trembling as well. “And after she and Connor escaped, they went to the only people they had left. They went to Sunnydale. I’ll skip the details…you saw some of it.”

There was a long silence in the room as Skip paused and examined Angel and Cordelia’s expressions. Heartbreaking. Pained. Sad.

Guilt.

“Take a good look at this image.” Skip whispered, pointing to Alessia holding a sleeping Connor. “Not to go big on the Harry Potter rip-off here, but he’s the little boy who lived. And she, the girl who survived. I saw them grow up, laugh and cry. So many times, the PTB thought that was it. That they would break. And they came close…but every time…every single time, they got back up. They lived for you. The two of you. Everything that they did, everything that they faced…every time they got back up…it was for you. And that girl, sleeping there, she may be wise beyond her years, she may be a young woman, a 19-year-old young woman…but she’s still the girl who wants to be hugged. Who needs to be comforted. Who gets scared at night…she’s still so very little in so many ways.” Skip said, tearful himself. “I just want you to take a really good look…not just at them, but at yourselves. That’s the only way this is going to work.” Skip said and then headed to the door.

Angel spun around and called out to him.

“There is one thing you have to understand.” Skip at last mentioned. “When all this is over and Alessia succeeds in changing the present and the future – and I know she will – the world as she knows it will disappear.” He informed them. “She will have nowhere to go back to…her world will cease to exist to make room for a new one.”

“So what? She’ll just….disappear?” Cordy said through her tears. “Like she never existed?”

Skip paused, not answering that. But Cordy and Angel needed no answer. They knew, and it killed them to be confronted with the brutal truth.

“I have to go. You take care of her until I’m back.” Skip said and then disappeared.

A breathless Cordy turned to face Angel, who simply looked at her with pained, tearful eyes.

--

Lilah slammed the ice pack on the conference table in front of her, sending all the little ice cubes scattering over the polished wood. A stern, not shaved, Groo stood in font of her, on the other side of the table.

“I want the book, and the boy, and I want them now. We can’t waist any more time with this.” Lilah spitted out.

Gavin shot a glare at FutureGroo, who then turned to Lilah and ventured:

“What about the girl.”

“Get the damn girl too while you’re at it!” Lilah said, her head throbbing and her patience thinning.

“And in exchange…” The older Groosalugg began, letting his voice trail.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…we get you back to your own time.” She said.

Groo nodded and steadily walked to the door, but was stopped by Lilah’s shrieking voice.

“Oh!” she gritted. “And make sure not to bump into your old stupid, Rambo-wannabe present self while you’re out there.”

“What do you think I am, dumb?” Groo frowned.

“Well, I only have the present version of you to base that on. Do you really want me to answer that?”

With that Groo, left and Lilah let herself crumble into a chair.

--

Cordelia and Angel were sitting on the floor, their backs against the wall, a couple of feet in front of the bed, watching them. Connor. So little, so tiny, so innocent. Alessia. So exhausted, so young, so old. Angel and Cordy had been sitting like that, in semi-complete silence for about half an hour now, mumbling a few words here and there, but mostly just looking – and processing every word of Skip’s.

The two sat close to one another, their arms brushing with every movement. Angel leaned his head back a little, noticing a tiny scar on Alessia’s neck that he hadn’t noticed before. It was more near her chin than her neck, and he just stared at it.

His daughter.

The simple thought brought on so many questions that he knew he should not – and could not – ask. It somewhat pained him not to share that knowledge with Cordelia, but he also knew better. There were reasons why Alessia had not blurted it out in the first place, and even though he knew that the girl was her to change the future, some things are better left unknown. Some things are better left to fate.

“You don’t think…” Cordelia’s tentative hushed voice broke the silence. “I mean…Alessia and Connor…you don’t think that they’re…you know…” she said with wider eyes.

It took Angel a few seconds to realize what she was referring too and he looked at her with a slightly shocked expression on his tired face.

“No…” he shook his head.

“Right…” Cordy said, not certain but mostly trying to believe Angel. “Because, that would be…that’d be way too weird…right?”

“Oh…” Angel sighed deeply. “Weirder than you think…” he whispered, almost to himself.

His comment didn’t seem to register with Cordelia, as her mind was already on something else. She paused and then lowered her eyes, which Angel noticed since he had been staring at her pensive face by now.

“Angel?” she asked, hesitantly.

“Hmm?” he said, as fatigue seemed to overtake him a little.

“Am I going to be a bad mother?” she then asked, with misty eyes.

“What?!” Angel straightened himself and looked at her profile, while she stared at the bed where Alessia and Connor still slept.

“All these things that happened to her…I mean…I left her in a closet…and…I mean…will I do something wrong? Will all these things happen to her because I’m not a good mother?” her worries were genuine. Calm, but genuine.

“Cordy…” Angel said in a reassuring tone. “I don’t think she would have come all the way back in time to save you, if you had been a bad mother. If anything…it means you’ll be a great mom.” He said and she looked up into his face.

“Thanks.” She whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder as they admired the view. “Do you think she looks like me?”

Angel smiled to himself as he looked at Alessia’s sleeping form.

“Cordy…she doesn’t only look like you, she acts like you, talks like you, thinks like you, which is slightly scary, and at the risk of sounding gross, she smells like you.” He said and Cordelia lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh…and eewww…” she softly expressed, scrunching her nose.

“Well, it’s not like I can help it. I can smell things.” He grinned, looking down into her beautiful face. “You have a particular smell…a good smell…and she smells just like you.” He whispered, which made Cordelia smile.

“Really?” her face lit up, almost childishly, and Angel couldn’t help but smile at the somewhat excess of enthusiasm over this smelling thing.

“Wow…” Angel then marveled after a few minutes. “I’ll shanshu…”

“We’ll stake Wesley…” Cordelia tone was less enthusiastic and much more somber. “You know what the most disturbing thing about what Skip showed us was?”

“Wes being a vamp?”

“That too, but no. It was how I could feel it. Not just see it or hear it…I could feel what it would feel like…scary.” She whispered.

They both fell silent again and Cordelia leaned back a little. They stayed like that for a few minutes, taking deep breaths, sighing heavily, and mostly just enjoying the calmness of it all. As Cordy’s eyes momentarily rested on the little baby on the bed, her heart grew heavy and her eyes tearful. Skip’s words came back to haunt her, and even though she didn’t want to ruin this moment, the worries got the best of her.

“Angel…what if they ask you to give him up?” she ventured, looking at him with deeply concerned eyes.

“Cordy…”

“No, Angel, what if that’s the choice. What if that’s the trigger…that’s the decision that set it all off. What if they come and ask you the same thing all over again…” she was talking so fast, Angel could barely hear the words she was speaking. “I mean…I heard Skip’s story and I can see Alessia and what the future did to her…but if it means losing Connor…”

“Cordy don’t talk like that.” Angel whispered, holding back his tears as he cupped her face to calm her down. “Don’t say that…”

“You know I’m right.” She whispered back through her tears. “Changing the future will change everything…it will change her.” She said pointing at Alessia, noting that the Alessia of the new future could possibly not by the girl that stands in front of them if they change the course of history. “On one hand, you could lose Connor…”

“And on the other…you could lose your daughter.”

Cordy lowered her eyes but Angel still cupped her face, holding her close.

“I don’t have her…how can I lose her.” Her words were filled with sadness and regret.

“You could lose your chance to one day have her…” he said, almost reading her mind.

Cordelia looked up and Angel rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.

“We’ll make it work…we’re going to make this right…we’ll find a way.” He whispered, his cool hands holding onto the sides of her face as if it was his lifeline.

“Why do things have to always be this complicated around here?” Cordy sighed.

Angel opened his eyes and looked into her deep hazel. Their eyes locked and Cordy felt her heart skip a little beat, maybe out of confusion, maybe out of nervousness. Maybe out of anticipation. Slowly, Angel lowered his lips on hers and moved into a slow, long-overdue kiss. They marveled at the touch of their lips and then stilled. Cordelia pulled back slightly enough to look into his eyes and breathlessly spoke.

“What are we doing?”

Angel stared at her lips, and then up into her eyes before speaking.

“Complicating things.” He answered as their lips met once again, willing and needing.

The kiss was more emotional. Deeper, more passionate, more intense. Their mouths moved in a slow, sensual rhythm, Cordy’s hands moving up to meet Angel’s wrists, and the whole world faded for a little while, leaving them to the sudden beauty of the moment…

All the lights were out, except for a tiny little lamp in the corner of Angel’s bedroom, making small vacillating shadows dance across the wall. Sitting on the floor, their backs against the wall were Angel and Cordelia, literally half asleep. Cordy’s head rested on Angel’s shoulder as they mumbled in nearly incoherent slumber, not really listening, not really speaking. His right arm lay still, wrapped around her shoulders as they surrendered to their mutual exhaustion.

“Her father…did she tell you anything about him?” Angel whispered, his eyes closed, leaning his head back against the wall.

He could feel her warmth on his shoulder; hear her deep breathing and the beautiful, comforting sound of her heartbeat. It’s all that filled the room in that instant.

“Nope…” Cordy sighed, half-asleep. She paused and took a deep breath before mumbling some more. “Is it supposed to rain anytime soon?”

Angel raised an eyebrow and looked down at the resting woman in his arms, before closing his eyes again.

“Why?”

A smile crept up on Cordelia’s face as she remembered Alessia’s words. A glimpse of hope and anticipation appeared across her tired features.

“Oh, no reason…” she yawned before closing her eyes again and getting comfy on Angel’s shoulder.

The two of them soon drifted farther and farther away into peaceful sleep, unaware of the moving shadows around them.

Creeping from the shadows, two strong, menacing hands traced the side of the bed where Connor and Alessia slept. The fingers lingered on the mattress, slowly moving up to the pillows. The two strong, human hands then hovered above little Connor’s body, casting a menacing shadow across his peaceful face.

A tiny growl was heard in the room, coming from nowhere, and in one quick, unexpected movement, the two hands launched for the two sleeping forms on the bed. One hand grabbed Connor’s fragile face and made him suffocate while the other savagely began strangling a helpless Alessia. Connor’s cries were heard into the night as the two moving hands aimed to kill.

Cordelia opened her eyes in a panic, startled beyond belief, sweat covering her forehead and a gasp escaping her throat. Her heart was beating a hundred miles a second and she struggled to regain a more regular breathing pattern. She frantically searched the room with her eyes as she sat up straight, lifting her head from Angel’s shoulders.

In the darkness, nothing.

Nothing.

Alessia and Connor were still sound asleep on the bed in front of her. Cordelia inhaled deeply, her eyes still conveying the panic and fear of her nightmare, and she turned to take a look at Angel, who still had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. She paused for a moment, slipping out of her dream state and back into reality. She looked back and forth between the bed and Angel’s sleeping face and a strange gut feeling invaded her.

It had felt so real. Much too real.

She ran her hands through her hair, wiping away some of the sweat on her forehead and took a long hard look at Angel’s sleeping form. The lines on her face softened as she watched him, remembering how they had ended up sitting on the floor, asleep, in his dark bedroom. A quick flashback of that kiss – that long, emotional, unforgettable kiss – came back to her, and a small, almost invisible, smile came to her lips. She was confused, unsure, glad, happy and even more confused, all at the same time. She wasn’t sure if either of them really knew what or why they had done what they had done. At this point, her mind was on overload – not to mention her emotions – and she had trouble discerning which was real and which wasn’t. All she knew was that in that one moment, she had felt safe. In that one moment, she had felt…uncomplicated…even if in theory, she knew as well as he did that that kiss had complicated things even more.

Careful not to wake Angel, she gently lifted his arm and slipped out of his cool embrace. Slowly, she pulled herself up and walked towards the bed, where Connor had stirred a little and Alessia slept with a grave expression on her face. As she watched them, Cordy couldn’t help but wonder when was the last time Alessia had slept well. When was the last time that girl had had a good night sleep? As she approached the bed and stood there to admire the two, she wondered what Alessia would look like without that grave, fearful expression on her face. It broke Cordelia’s heart to realize that even in sleep, Alessia Chase wasn’t free. Even in sleep, she wasn’t safe or peaceful.

Careful not to make any noise, Cordy took a deep breath and reached on Angel’s desk to pick up a blanket. She walked back towards the bed and proceeded to cover the sleeping young woman with it.

At the second the covers touched Alessia’s body, the girl jerked awake, violently grabbing Cordelia’s hand, jerking her away. Cordy’s heart skipped a beat and she stared down at the girl who held her wrist tightly in her hand. It took Alessia a few seconds to realize what she was doing and she quickly released her mother’s arm, closing her eyes in embarrassment. Cordelia was frozen. Her eyes rested upon the distraught girl who had suddenly jerked herself awake and her heart broke at the sight of the painful look in Alessia’s eyes.

“I’m…” Alessia began in a soft whisper that betrayed all her confidence. “I’m sorry…”

“No…no, I’m sorry…I shouldn’t…” Cordy managed to let out, pulling back a little, still a bit on shock.

The sight of danger and alert in Alessia’s eyes had taken her by surprise, and she mentally forced herself to recover from the incident.

“I was just going to put Connor down…” Cordy admitted, swallowing the awkward lump in her throat.

Alessia finally looked up, now sitting up, and her apologizing eyes met her mother’s.

“I’m so sorry…” she whispered once again.

Cordy gave her a warm, genuine smile before carefully picking up Connor in her arms and turning around towards the nursery. Alessia found herself getting up and following her in silence. She watched as Cordelia gently put Connor down into his crib and whispered sweet nothings to the little baby boy. Alessia walked to the crib where Cordelia was still admiring the little baby and they both stood like that in silence, watching Connor for what seemed like forever.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Cordelia then found herself breaking the intense silence. She turned to look at the young woman standing beside her and silently pleaded for answers. “Why didn’t you tell us?” she whispered.

Alessia had to struggle to keep control of her trembling voice and she lowered her eyes as she spoke.

“Skip talked to you, didn’t he…” It wasn’t as much a question as it was a realization.

“Alessia…”

“Look,” the girl began, taking a deep breath, “Skip is a melodramatic guy, okay. I’m willing to bet anything that he skipped over all the good stuff and gave you his own little tear jerker version of history.” She said in a calm but somber tone. “He did, didn’t he?”

Alessia then looked up and saw Cordelia’s tearful eyes staring back at her.

“If you knew that he would, then why didn’t you give me your own version…?” Cordy whispered, in a barely audible voice.

Alessia paused, unable to answer that at first, but then gathered her strength and gave Cordelia the truth.

“I just couldn’t…I knew it would hurt you…and I couldn’t bring myself to do that.” She honestly replied.

Carefully, Cordy reached out and placed her hand on the bracelet worn by Alessia. The two of them fell into a deep, painful silence as Cordy examined the bracelet for a moment.

“So he told you everything, huh?” Alessia said with misty eyes. Cordelia nodded, unable to speak. “It doesn’t hurt.” She then promptly added, seeing the concerned expression on Cordy’s face. When Cordy looked up with a suspicious look on her face, Alessia caved in. “Not much.” She added with a slight reassuring smile.

After taking a deep breath, Cordelia finally retrieved her hand and turned back to the crib to watch a peaceful Connor. Mother and daughter stood still like that for several minutes. Thoughts, worries, questions and concerns filled Cordy’s head, and she managed to dismiss most of them.

Except one.

“Can I ask you something?” Cordelia ventured, not turning around to look at Alessia. “I mean, I don’t want you to lie to me. I want the truth, no matter what it is…I need you to tell me something…” she whispered in a fearful voice.

“Ok…” Alessia nodded, waiting for Cordelia’s question.

It took a while for Cordelia to formulate the words, and even more so to utter them in a coherent manner.

“When you were little…did I…” she began and then closed her eyes momentarily. “When you were a little girl…did I hug you?” she finally spoke, tears filling her eyes, but she never turned to look at Alessia’s stunned face. "Did I...Did I show you that I loved you?"

In that instant, with those spoken words, time seemed to stand still. And a painful realization dawned on Alessia concerning Cordelia. When the girl didn’t answer, Cordy turned around, her eyes filled with tears as the question still lingered in the air.

“All the time.” Alessia finally spoke.

“Good…good…” Cordy found herself sighing in relief, despite herself. It was like years of fears and worries had been suddenly lifted off her shoulders with these three small words.

“You know…Skip is wrong. And so is Lilah.” Cordy then said, taking a deep breath and facing Alessia. “I may not know you the way that you know me…and I may not remember you the way that you remember me…but when I look at you, I don’t see a stranger.” She whispered, seeing the emotionally surprised look on Alessia’s face. “Looking at you is overwhelming, yes. It’s a bit scary to tell you the truth. But most of all,” she added softly, “It’s reassuring.”

Off Alessia’s questioning look, Cordelia continued.

“Up until yesterday, I lived with this fear…this constant fear that I was never able to get rid of.” Cordy quietly explained. “When I was very little, like all little girls, I had dreams about meeting the man of my dreams, the perfect wedding, having children…the great big old little girl fantasy. And then I took a long hard look at my parents…so…detached. So not there. And I could never understand how someone would be given the chance to be a mother and not take it. How someone could be like that. And all my life, I became afraid that someday I would be like that. I would be like her.” Cordy said as a tear rolled down her face. “It scared me to death to think that I could grow up and be that kind of person…it petrified me to think that one day I would be given that chance to be a mom, and I would make the same mistakes that she did. That I just…wouldn’t be able to tell my child that I loved her or him…that I wouldn’t be able to show it…” Cordy swallowed back her tears and emotions. “That I would be given the chance to be a mom…and I wouldn’t take it. That petrified me.” Cordy looked up into Alessia’s face and smiled through her tears. “And here you are…” she whispered in a shaky breath. "And for the first time in my life, I'm not afraid...I'm not afraid of turning out like them." she confessed. “Because I see who you are and how you turned out...and you're here... And maybe that should scare me out of my mind, but if anything it’s made me less afraid.”

They both looked at one another in silence for a moment.

“You’re nothing like them.” Alessia then whispered, making sure that Cordelia understood just how great a mother she had been to her in her world. “I always knew that you loved me…” her voice trembled a little as the words were spoken. “Never doubt that.”

Cordy took a deep breath and sighed, wiping away a few tears and letting out a little chuckle.

“Well, look at us!” she smiled. “Skip is melodramatic?” she said with a raised eyebrow.

Alessia softly laughed in return, shaking her head.

“Yes, well, maybe I am too…just a little. Not so much that I would give Angel a run for his money, but just enough to drive you insane once in a while.” Alessia grinned, trying to lighten up the mood.

Cordelia smiled in response. The nice silence was then broken by a sleepy voice from the other side of the room.

“Is this a mother/daughter thing? So you think I'm melodramatic too?”

Cordy and Alessia turned around to see Angel standing there, watching them with a slight smile on his face.

“Well, you kind of are.” Alessia said as a matter-of-factly.

Angel took a few steps towards them before his eyes locked with Cordelia’s. There was a quick moment of awkwardness between the two as they looked at one another, remembering the kiss they’d shared before falling asleep. Alessia lowered her eyes, a slight grin appearing across her face. A slight, knowing grin.

“Hi…”

“Hi…” Angel replied in a soft, barely audible voice.

They hadn't talked about the kiss yet. Fatigue and exhaustion had prevailed, and to be honest, neither of them really knew what to say. At this point, their emotions were all over the place, with Alessia and Skip and their stories from the future and the problems, and the danger, and the terrible weigh that had fallen on their shoulders regarding Connor...

“How long have you been standing there?” Cordy then asked, already knowing the answer to that question.

“Long enough.” He replied, softly.

“So…” Alessia said after a long silence. The smile on her face brought a questioning look to Cordy’s face while it brought a slightly embarrassed on to Angel’s.

“So, anybody hungry?” Angel asked and off Cordelia’s raised eyebrow and funny look, he continued, “I meant that in a very normal, human way.” He grinned, and she smiled back.

“I’m starved.” Alessia chimed in.

“We have pancakes all warm and ready waiting for you downstairs! Whoa! The energy in this room is on overload kiddies…careful...” Lorne exclaimed, walking into the room.

The sound of his voice woke Connor up so Angel went to pick him up while Alessia brightened up at the sound of the menu.

“Pancakes?!” she exclaimed, as if she was 5 years old again. “Gosh…I haven’t eaten that since the impromptu Las Vegas wedding!” she said shaking her head as everyone came to a halt.

Angel froze with Connor in his arms, while Cordy and Lorne stared at the young woman with wide, questioning eyes. Alessia looked up and saw their confused, and slightly fearful looks and burst into laughter.

“Oh no!” She exclaimed. “Not me! You thought it was me, right? You thought I was talking about my wedding…”

“No…no, of course not.” The three of them all sheepishly said as they glanced at one another, embarrassed.

“Good, ‘cause me? Married? Now that would weird.” Alessia sighed.

“Right…weird…” Angel nervously agreed.

“No, it was Gunn and Buffy’s wedding.” She casually spoke, nearly giving Cordelia a heart attack.

“What?!” Angel and Cordy exclaimed at the same time.

“Yeah, Gunn and Bu…Did I just say that out loud?” she grinned, knowing that she probably gave a little too much information there.

Just as Cordelia was about to say something else, Cordy and Alessia fell forward and fell onto the floor in pain. Alessia gasped, while Cordelia grabbed her head in pain. Lorne and Angel threw themselves on the floor in front of them, not exactly knowing what was happening.

“Cordy! What’s going on?” Angel demanded, panic sweeping through him.

Alessia and Cordelia crashed down onto the floor in pain as the vision hit them.

“The visions are supposed to be painless!” Angel spoke, glaring at Lorne, in need of an answer.

“I said the energy was on overload in this room. Not good. Two seers with the same power, getting the same vision, from the same source at the same time, and yes, via the same energy wave is not normal by any means and the signals probably got mixed up between the two princesses here, creating some bad reception.” Lorne offered as he and Angel quickly helped Cordy and Alessia to sit up.

“Oh my God…” Alessia whispered in a rusty voice as the vision finally stopped.

“…We so need to get out of here!! Now!” Cordy added in a warning voice and she and Alessia jumped to their feet so quickly that they startled Angel and Lorne.

“Cordy…”

“Out! OUT!” she yelled at him, pushing him and Connor towards the door.

--

“It seems that the book is indestructible. According to the prophecies, only the Powers That Be can destroy it. So as long as Wolfram and Hart don’t get their hands on it, it buys us time.” Wesley explained to Gunn and Fred as the three of them walked on the sidewalk towards the Hyperion with bags of food in hands.

“Where is the book now?” Fred asked, as they neared the hotel.

“My office…” Wesley spoke, as began walking towards the front door.

Just as the words left Wesley’s mouth, a loud explosion was heard, propelling them backwards into the air. Wesley, Gunn and Fred crashed onto the cement ground and looked up just in time to see a second explosion, making the windows shatter into millions of tiny pieces. Wesley shielded himself from the flames as he, Gunn and Fred crawled away from the burning and exploding building. A loud ‘No’ escaped Fred’s throat as the horror in front of them intensified, leaving them helpless as the hotel burned into flames.

The thick book-cover whacked him over the head, catching him off-guard and sending him bending forward. A gasp escaped his throat before he swallowed back an impulsive growl.

“What are you, insane?!” Lilah shouted at the top of her lungs, glaring at him.

“I prefer the use of the word efficient, but if you choose to see it that way…” Groo glared at her with darkened features. “We got the book back, my lady.” He affirmed in an emotionless tone.

Lilah let an annoyed sigh escaped her throat before she threw her hands in the air and exclaimed.

“You blew up the building!!!” she emphasized through her teeth as if trying to explain a mistake to a child.

“Yes, and we retrieved the book.” He repeated, obviously not listening to a word that Lilah was throwing at him.

“And what good is this book going to be to us if you just go and kill the kid?!” she yelled at him, leaning on the table in front of him. “We need Angel’s son, and we need him alive. You may just have destroyed all our chances to…”

“The kid is not dead.” Groo then stated, determinedly.

“How do you know?”

“They are alive. Angel, his son and his crew are very much alive, but also slightly distracted at the moment. Isn’t that working in our favor? We have the book, now all of this will keep them occupied long enough for us to get this ritual under way and retrieve the child from Angel and Cordelia…” Groo informed Lilah, his voice growing darker at the mention of the seer’s name.

Lilah noticed, and somehow managed to repress the urge to ask why he was so hell-bent on destroying them.

“So, they’re alive?” As lame as it was, it was all she found to say.

--

The door to Cordelia’s apartment came flying open, bouncing back on the wall behind it, revealing a sight that made even Dennis shiver. Loud voices filled the room…panicked voices.

Cordelia, carrying an agitated Connor, was the first one to barge into the apartment as if she was running for her life. Following her were Angel (covered in a blanket) and Alessia, who struggled to help a wounded Lorne through the threshold. The green demon seemed to mutter all kinds of whining, warning and disapproval over the impromptu plan that had been hatched on the way over there.

Thankfully, they had managed to escape the explosions and fire just in time – barely making it out of the hotel alive. They had escaped through the sewers, and in a blind panic, a plan that seemed doomed from the beginning was hatched. They needed to hurry up.

Cordelia held Connor closer to her chest, making sure the baby wasn’t hurt. His cries filled the apartment, while Angel and Alessia dropped Lorne safely onto the couch.

“Call Wesley’s cell phone and tell him we’re alive…” Angel said, not even bothering to finish his thought.

Reluctantly, Lorne looked up into Angel’s fearful eyes and didn’t bother to argue. His reluctance wasn’t aimed at letting Wesley, Gunn and Fred know that they had escaped from the hotel; it was mostly aimed at the escape that had yet to happen. One, which he didn’t seem too keen on.

“Angel, I’ve got some of Connor’s stuff in the kitchen!” Cordelia quickly informed him as he rushed through the apartment in direction of her kitchen.

Meanwhile, Cordy nearly ran to her bedroom, where she safely placed Connor on the bed. She faintly heard Alessia’s voice in the background as she argued with Lorne to stop whining. She faintly heard the sound of Connor’s cries anymore under her heavy breathing and her pounding heart. She threw herself on her knees and reached under her bed for a small backpack and then hurried to the closet where she blindly grabbed some clothes – some of hers and some of Connors that Angel had forgotten at her place – and she proceeded to shove them into the bag.

“It’s okay…It’s okay…” she desperately tried to reassure the little boy as he screamed and cried on her bed while she tried her best to hurry up.

She heard the crashing sounds of utensils in the kitchen, but didn’t even bother to think what Angel was doing. In his hurry, he was probably doing the same thing she was. Cordy stopped long enough to try to console the crying child on the bed, whispering sweet and soft nothings to him. She knew she was failing miserably at it, but she still tried to hide the fear that crept into her voice.

In the background, she could make out some of what Lorne was saying to Wesley on the phone. She glanced at the door just in time to see Alessia heading to the kitchen to help Angel with some of Connor’s things and then she turned her attention back to the baby.

“It’s alright…I’m here…everything’s going to be alright…” Cordy let out, out of breath, as she quickly searched the room with her eyes.

Running like that wasn’t the greatest idea, granted. She knew that. Angel knew that. Heck, Lorne knew that and made no excuse of letting them know that he disapproved. But at this point, it was the best option they could think of.

“Dennis!?” Cordelia spoke, looking upward. “A little help here…” she sighed as a warm blanket flew in the air and came around the little agitated child, wrapping him up to keep him warm.

Cordelia then got up on her feet again and spun around, and gasped. A tiny, stunned noise escaped her throat as she came face to face with a dangerously serious Skip. His eyes held a warning, and his posture held a menace that momentarily frightened her.

“You can’t do this.” He spoke, his voice determined, dangerous and dark.

He stood between her and the door, preventing her from walking out of the bedroom.

“Skip…” Cordelia began, almost pleading with her eyes.

“You cannot do this.” He warned through his teeth again.

Cordelia paused before glaring at the metallic demon against her will.

“Skip,” she ventured again, her voice lower this time around. “Get out of my way.” She added in a slightly threatening tone.

Just as the words left her mouth, Angel and Alessia came barging into the room. Angel was carrying a plastic bag with various things of Connor’s that he would need while Alessia simply followed. The two of them walked in and then froze at the sight of Skip’s threatening pose.

Connor’s loud cries were the only thing that broke the intense silence shared by the four of them. Whether the boy’s cries resulted from the panic and fear that emanated from all the people around them or not had yet to be determined, but something was troubling the little guy. Something wasn’t right.

“You can’t do this. You can’t run like that.” He said, now addressing all of them.

“I will not stand here and let them harm my son! They got the book back…and I will not let them get their hands on Connor.” Angel said through his teeth as he glared at the demon from the future.

“This is not the solution!” Skip exclaimed, desperately trying to stay empty of emotion.

“They can run!” Alessia’s voice filled the room as she took a few steps towards Skip. “They can take him and just run. They can go as far away from here as possible, and protect Connor!” she said, her eyes begging Skip to tell her she was right. “If they just take him and get the hell out of here and as far away from Wolfram and Hart as possible then the ritual won’t happen…They can just…” she went on and on but Skip stopped her with his loud, dominating growl.

“No they can’t!” he shouted.

Angel and Cordelia were almost startled by the harshness in Skip’s tone. So far, all they had seen was tenderness, fondness and protectiveness from the demon when it came to Alessia. All of a sudden, there seemed to appear a deep darkness between the two of them.

“They can!” Alessia argued, but Skip didn’t let her go on.

“Alessia Chase,” Skip began, as his voice grew more and more threatening. Her full name. Not a good sign, they all thought respectively. “You know as well as I do that running away is not going to change anything.” He added, taking a few steps towards her. “They cannot run from this!” he roared.

“You said that it’s Connor’s participation in the ritual that set a chain reaction and destroyed everything…” Cordelia gritted, taking a few steps towards Alessia, but staring at Skip. “If we take him away from…”

“It won’t change anything!” He threw back at her in a loud crushing tone. “If you run, you may by yourselves some time, but not a future.” He warned all of them and then looked back at a misty-eyed Alessia. “They will catch up with you. They will take your son. And they will kill each and every one of you…is that what you want?” he asked, glaring at Angel.

“Skip…” the girl whispered in a pleading voice. “There has to be a way…”

He hated to do this. He hated himself for bringing this void in her, but he had to do it. He had to make her see.

Skip took a deep breath and then grabbed Alessia’s arm violently, jerking her away from the door and towards the bed.

“Hey!!” Angel and Cordelia both shouted as they witnessed the gesture.

Skip threw Alessia on her knees in front of the bed.

“Look at him Alessia!” he ordered her, but Alessia bent her head down, unable to look at the little boy restlessly lying on the bed. “Look at him!!!” he yelled at her, pressing her but she simply closed her eyes, tears rolling down her face.

“Get your hands off of her!” Angel yelled, grabbing Skip from behind.

Skip barely spun around, a bright light emanating from his hand as he threw Angel across the room, sending him crashing against the closet door. Cordelia rushed to him, making sure he was okay and they both looked up to see Skip forcefully grab Alessia’s head with both hands and forcing her to look at Connor.

“I said look at him!!” he forced her. She tried to fight him, but she couldn’t. He held her head firmly in his hands and forced her to look at the bawling baby. “Take a long hard look at him Alessia!” he warned through his teeth as the girl watched, in tears.

“Shut up!” She threw back, desperately trying to move her head.

“Look at him and tell me what you see!” he savagely ordered her.

“Stop it…” she pleaded, but he didn’t.

Skip jerked her even closer to the bed and forced her to look down at Connor’s little body and tearful face.

“Running away will not change his fate!” Skip shouted in her ears, while Angel and Cordelia got up and stood still on the sideline, watching with fearful eyes the scene that took place a few feet away from them. “Look at him Alessia…Do you see the man he will become? Do you see him?!”

“Please stop…” Alessia quietly cried.

“The man who screamed in pain as you watched, helpless….The man who made you promise that you would make this right…” Skip said, his voice shaking against his will. “The man who bled to death in your arms…”

At the sound of those words, Alessia jerked away from his grasp and turned to look at him with a tear-aged face.

“You can stop it now…” she said in a barely audible voice, staring back at him in silent pain.

“If you run, he will become that man. Isn’t that what you came here to prevent?” he asked, trying to get his point across.

“What the hell is wrong with you!?!” Cordelia shouted, throwing herself at Skip and shoving him against the wall.

What Skip had just done to Alessia had taken her and Angel by surprise, and most of all, it had confused them.

“Don’t you ever touch her again…” Angel warned in a low voice as he stepped between Skip and Cordelia.

Skip stayed silent as the two unlikely parents glared at him, stunned and confused. Skip’s undead heart took a beating as he met Alessia’s eyes once again. It killed him that he had to be so forceful and so blunt, but he knew that’s what needed to be done. And the look in Alessia’s eyes told him that she knew he was right. His eyes reverted back to Angel and Cordelia and he stayed silent.

“What is wrong with you…God!” Cordelia repeated, almost disgusted now. “You say that you care about her?! I thought you were on the same side…Why are you doing this?!” Cordelia’s stare begged him for answers.

A small tear rolled down Cordy’s face as she and Angel stayed facing Skip.

Skip lowered his eyes and then moved away from the spot in which the vampire and the seer had frozen him. He took a few careful steps towards a completely silent Alessia and then look at her.

“Don’t you think I know how hard this is?” he asked as the three people in the room just stayed silent. Skip then turned to look at an angry Angel and Cordelia. “She hasn’t seen you in years.” He spoke, his voice trembling and less dark. “And I know that she came here to do the right thing, and to save you…and to help the Powers That Be. I know that’s part of why she’s here. But I also that a part of her wanted to come back here because of you.” He said, looking back and forth between Alessia and Cordelia. “Because here you are…she can see you, and she can hear your voices…and reach out to you.” He said and then turned back to Alessia. “Ally…I know how tempting it is to want to stay here forever. I know how tempting it is to want to just run away with them, but you and I both know that that wouldn’t help.” He whispered, touching the young woman’s cheek. “I know it’s difficult to erase the bad, because it also means erasing the good. But you know what you have to do.” He whispered again.

Angel once again saw the caring, loving side of Skip as he watched him with Alessia. If he had a heart, it would have stopped beating by then. Angel felt his eyes fill with invisible tears as he stared at Alessia’s painful face.

“So what are you saying?” Angel asked, finally founding his voice. “That there’s nothing we can do? That we won’t change the future?”

“That’s not what I said.” Skip answered, turning around and walking towards Angel. “Only the PTB can stop the ritual, and that is by destroying the book. The only way to do that is by staying here and fighting.” He paused and then looked at the calmer baby in Angel’s arms. “You can run away for so long before the past catches up with you…you of all people should know that.” He quietly spoke.

“What if we can’t prevent the ritual? Then what?” Angel asked, fearing the answer to that.

“Just pray that you do.” Skip replied, lowering his eyes.

Cordelia then moved passed Skip, almost elbowing him out of the way as she rushed to Alessia’s side. The young girl was silently looking down at the floor as tears rolled down her face. Cordy stopped, not exactly knowing what to do, but before she could even form a thought, Alessia looked up, unable to control her tears now.

Angel watched, holding Connor to his chest, and swallowed back his tears. His hand still clutched one of their bags, and Skip noticed.

“So what is it going to be?” Skip quietly asked, leaving it all up to Angel.

Angel looked down at his son, and then back to Alessia and Cordelia, holding one another in front of the bed, and he closed his eyes.

The bag slipped from his fingers and fell onto the floor.

It’s all or nothing.

“I’m sorry…” she cried, holding her breath. “I’m so sorry…”

Cordy felt her heart break as tears sprung from her eyes as well. Without thinking or hesitating, Cordelia wrapped her arms around her daughter as they both sunk to their knees on the floor.

Right then, the front door flew open, allowing Wesley, Fred and Gunn to frantically run in. They had rushed here as soon as they had gotten Lorne’s phone call, reassuring them that they were all alive and safe. Or as safe as it was possible to be in a situation like this one. They stood there, speechless, unable to move, as they watched Alessia break down in Cordelia’s arms.

--

The night was dark and the sky had lost its stars. The moonlight came in through the living room window, casting dancing shadows on the wall. Not a sound was heard.

Gunn and Fred sat on the floor, Fred’s head resting on his shoulder as they slept. Fred’s hands rested on a stake while Gunn held a sword in his sleep. On one of the small couches, Lorne recuperated, his eyes closed, a weapon of his own resting on the small table beside him. In a tiny wooden chair, Wesley sat sound asleep as well.

On the larger couch, Alessia laid down, clutching a crossbow to her chest as if her life depended on it. How she had ever fallen asleep was a mystery, but Skip, who stood in the doorway, wide-awake, thanked God that she did.

A tiny whimper was heard from Cordelia’s bedroom. There, the young seer sat on her bed, finishing changing Connor, while Angel sat beside her. They seemed to have been pulled into a deep silence for over an hour now. Cordelia took a deep breath and finally allowed herself to speak in a bare whisper.

“You know…maybe…someday…this could be her.” She said as Angel looked at her tenderly.

“Maybe…” he whispered back, knowing whom she was referring to.

“Do you think she can feel it?”

“What?”

“The future, beginning to change…” Cordy whispered, turning to look into his deep comforting eyes. “I mean, they just blew up the place where she was supposed to be born and…” her voice trailed off, unable to finish that sentence.

Right at that moment, Angel felt his undead heart sink. In that instant, something inside of him just wanted to take her in his arms and tell her the whole truth. As he looked into Cordy’s calm eyes, he got lost into her beauty, into her comfort and her warmth.

“Cordy…” Angel began, taking her hand into his, sitting in front of her. “There’s something I need to tell you…” he ventured and then paused, pondering his words. “There’s something you need to know about Alessia…her father…”

“Angel…” Cordy said, lowering her eyes for a moment.

“Cordelia, I need to tell you…” he began but she abruptly stopped him, placing a few fingers on his lips.

“Angel, wait! Don’t…” she scrunched up her face, as if she wasn’t even sure why she was interrupting him. “I mean…” she began but stopped, staring intensely into his dark eyes.

“Don’t you want to know?” he asked in a tiny, hesitant whisper.

“Yes!” she exclaimed but quickly changed her mind. “I mean no…yes…I do…but…”

“But you’re afraid…” he whispered.

“What if knowing makes it not happen?” She asked him, her eyes boring into his with such intensity as they both paused and stared at one another. “To tell you the truth, I’m a bit scared of who it would turn out to be…but more of who it would turn out not to be.” She added in a bare whisper, as she avoided his eyes.

“Cordelia…about last night…” He tried to broach the subject of the kiss but she stopped him once again.

“Let’s not…” she quietly spoke. “Not now…” her tone was soft, caring, and evidently tired, and Angel knew that right now was probably not the best time to analyze their midnight kiss.

He nodded and Cordelia carefully lied down beside Connor, watching him sleep. Angel sat there, looking at the two of them for a little while, before beginning to stand up. Suddenly, Cordy’s hand gently grabbed his arm, preventing him from standing up.

“Don’t go…” she whispered, looking up to him.

Angel took an unnecessary deep breath and sat back down onto the bed. The touch of Cordelia’s hand was so warm and so tender that he felt himself relax immediately. Without saying a word, she gently tugged on his arm, and Angel lay down on the bed beside her. Never letting go of his hand, she brought his arm around her and held his hand to her chest as he held her, hugging her back against his chest.

Clutching his hand to her, she closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. A crossbow safely rested on the nightstand, just in case.

whatever happened, it couldn’t hurt to be prepared.

And as Connor finally drifted to sleep, so did Angel and Cordy, still holding one another.

The moonlight cast waltzing shadows across their naked, intertwined bodies. Muffling their heavy breathing, their lips explored each other in the heat of the night. Her hands traveled with a sensual intensity across his bare back, making their way up, brushing over his tattoo before nesting in his wet hair. The small touch of her hands sent chills through his entire body. The feel of her skin against his made him come alive, elbowing any rational thought regarding how they’d gotten into that position in the first place out of the way. His tongue sought hers feverishly as their sweaty bodies clung fearlessly to one another. He felt the soft smile creep up on her lips and her breath on his face in between long, passionate kisses.

For a split second, everything became dark…and then the images reappeared. Cordelia dug her fingers into Angel’s messy hair as they moved slowly under the sheets.

The intense kissing continued until everything became dark again.

Angel stirred on the bed before sleepily opening his eyes. He took a deep, unnecessary breath, probably out of habit, and realized where he was: on Cordelia’s bed, completely dressed, his left arm still around her as she slept. He closed his eyes for a moment; trying to chase away the dream he’d been having only moments before. The images had been so vivid. The feelings so intense.

The touches….so real. Like a memory he never experienced. A memory he never lived.

A memory from the future.

Carefully, Angel took his arm away from Cordelia and sat up on the side of the bed. He noticed Cordelia’s hand gently resting on Connor’s stomach in their sleep and he smiled to himself. He listened carefully and did not hear a sound coming from the living room. Curious, he got up and walked around the apartment, finding everyone still asleep, clutching weapons, in their respective nests. All except one.

Angel noticed that Alessia was missing from the scene. He walked towards the couch, carefully avoiding the early rays of sunlight, and through the window, he caught a glimpse of the girl outside.

Outside, Angel silently stayed in the shadows behind Alessia, watching her as she stood in the sunrise and admired the view. The separation between father and daughter was unmistakable. He his in the shadow of the tall building, silently, while she stood, arms crossed, breathing in the early sun. Slowly, Angel reached out a hand and carefully stuck it into the light. The pain was immediate, though, whether it stemmed from the burning feeling on his hand or the deep realization in his heart remained uncertain. He then quickly pulled his hand back.

In that instant, this all became clear to Angel. In that instant, he understood. In that instant, she represented everything untouchable, unattainable to him. She represented a dream – his dream. She represented all the things that he wasn’t. How could this girl be his? Her, in the sun; him, in the dark. A step behind. As always. But she also embodied the one thing he never thought he had – a future. A future in which he could step out of the shadows. A future in which the demarcation between the two of them wasn’t so obvious.

His daughter.

“You were smiling in your sleep, you know.” Alessia spoke up without even turning around to face him, and a grin appeared on her face.

Angel was a bit surprised at how easily she sensed him, and mostly at how easily she just knew it was him standing behind her.

“I’d like to tell you something witty, like, ‘It’s all that demonic blood running through my veins’, but I’m afraid it’s much simpler and boring than that. I just…”

“Saw me come out?” he asked, a bit amused.

“Yeah.” She smiled, finally turning around. “You almost told her, didn’t you?” she then softly asked before lowering her eyes.

“She stopped me.” He said, almost regretfully.

“I know.”

“She’s afraid to know…and I can’t really blame her…” he admitted.

Alessia smiled to herself, looked away and back at the beautiful sky.

“When she’s supposed to know – when she’s ready to know – she’ll know.” She kindly offered.

In that moment, Angel noticed the sad irony of the situation here. The truth is, he never really watched the sunrise anymore. Even from the shadows. Too tempting. He could do it, but he chooses not to. Except for now.

And there stood a girl who embodied the promise of hundreds of sunrises to come for him. This was just one of the firsts. His first in years, even if he couldn’t feel it. And while it should rejoice him, it also sadden him, for while it was his first, it would be her last.

This was the third day, whatever that meant. The day.

“I need to tell you something.” She spoke, not able to look at him right away. “It may sound strange to you. It may not even make sense to you…but I need to say it. I’m sorry.” She whispered, but he still heard her from a distance.

“Why?”

“One of the last things you ever said to me was ‘Please don’t forget me’, and I didn’t. I haven’t! …But sometimes, I’d close my eyes, and I couldn’t see it.” She paused and then faced him. “I had trouble remembering your smile…or that curve in your brow when mom made you laugh. And I didn’t realize it until I came here and saw you again…that I had begun to forget. Even if I never meant to.” They both paused and a soft smile spread across Ally’s lips. “I guess it’s not ‘I’m sorry’ that I’m trying to say, it’s ‘Thank you’. For reminding me.” Her smile grew bigger and brighter, just like her mother’s, and Angel found himself returning the lovely gesture from his spot in the shadow.

--

Cordelia stood near the counter in the kitchen, holding up a cup of coffee to her lips, when she heard the sound of the front door. She turned around just in time to see Angel walk into the kitchen, alone. Their eyes met and after a split-second of awkwardness, a secret smile appeared on their faces.

For a moment there, Angel had to swallow back the emotions of that dream, as they flowed through him again. Was it a dream? The reality of it still felt so vivid…he could still taste her lips, fell her hands…Angel shook his head, walking into the room.

“Where’s Alessia?” she asked while Fred sat at the table with Connor in her arms.

“Bathroom.” He simply noted, pointing at the closed bathroom door.

Cordelia nodded nonchalantly, paused, and then froze as if horrified by some peculiar thought only Cordelia Chase knew how to conjure. She looked up at the ceiling with a frown that confused both Angel and Fred.

“Dennis?!!” she called out, her frown growing even more threatening. “Dennis!! Get your translucent butt in here!” she ordered just before she saw an object on the counter move by itself. Cordy sighed in relief. “Good. I catch you anywhere near that bathroom – or a loofah – and you will be one deader than usual ghost, let me tell you…” she muttered, sitting down at the table and meeting Angel and Fred’s worried glances.

A slightly confused Angel decided to just humor her.

“And we all know if anyone can pull that off, it’s you.” He smiled.

“You betcha.” She grinned back.

At that particular moment, Gunn, Wesley, Lorne and Alessia walked into the kitchen, ready for whatever was going to be thrown their way. The night before, they had settled on a plan B: a much more dangerous, but probably wiser plan than running away.

“Just for the sake of democracy here, I don’t like this plan any more than the first one.” Lorne pitched in, sitting down at the table.

“Lorne!!!” everyone gritted at once.

In the meantime, Alessia just smiled and hopped on the counter, as if she’d done it all her life, and let her legs dangle in the air. Just then, she noticed an apple floating in the air and smiled wholeheartedly.

“Hey Dennis!” she cheerfully exclaimed as she caught the apple that was tossed her way.

Cordelia frowned and muttered something about The Exorcist and Madonna in the same sentence, which seemed to get a reaction from the ghost as he obviously left the room.

“Man, we can’t pull this off.” Gunn worriedly spoke. “We’ll need back up. Lots of it.”

Angel and Cordy looked at one another and the seer shook her head and sighed.

“Well…” she unenthusiastically began. “You know…we could…you know…Sunnyhell.” She finally said, pointedly.

“No.” the determined voice came from Skip, who stood in the doorway.

“Why not?” Wesley asked, his heart clearly not into the whole Scooby Gang idea either, but still…

“They would need explanations. They would need answers we cannot give them. They would need the truth and I really don’t think it’s wise to reveal too much of a future that may still happen. God knows you two know way more than you should already…” he mumbled as he addressed that last part at Cordy and Angel.

“Well, fine.” Gunn said. “Someone’s always ready to call them when there’s trouble anyway. What’s so special about that Buffy chick anyway, huh?” he yawned.

Angel and Cordy caught the tiny, amused grin on Alessia’s face as she played with her apple. There was definitely a story there…one they knew Alessia probably wouldn’t tell, but it still intrigued them.

“Well, it’s too bad. I kind of looked forward to seeing Xander.” Alessia smiled, a dreamy smile that made Cordelia look confused.

“Oh please!” Skip rolled his eyes.

“What? I have an invested interest in his future.” She teased.

“Yeah…more like your hormones have interest in his offspring…” he threw back at her with another eye-rolling face.

“What?!” angel and Cordelia both exclaimed, looking at Alessia, who quickly took a big bite of her apple and grinned.

A certain desire to kill both Dennis and Xander overcame Cordelia.

“Oh my god…if I hear any more I think I’ll turn into a homicidal killer…” she sighed to herself, making a tiny disgusted face.

“Oh please.” Skip said again with an exasperated sigh. “It’s like a curse. It’s the dork factor! Like mother, like daughter.” He told a horrified Cordelia and a slightly embarrassed Angel.

Alessia had trouble repressing her laughter when everyone turned to look at her, so she just went in for another huge bite in her apple. She looked down at the apple and all of a sudden wanted to burst into laughter. Could she hit them with a metaphor more obvious than that one?

“So…still worried about the curse nowadays, huh?” she asked, her mouth full as she looked at a stunned and speechless Angel.

“Wow, you have to admire the Cordy-ness in that subject changer…” Fred whispered to herself.

“Alessia…” Skip tried to interject calmly, but Angel answered in a louder tone.

“Not exactly a cure for that…” his voice was a bit regretful actually.

“Well, you know…you should definitely look into that.” She said with a raised eyebrow that seemed to convey more than she should. “You never know…”

“Alessia.” Skip stopped her.

“What?” she innocently responded, staring at the demon. “I’m just trying to save some unnecessary groveling here…” The look Skip gave her made her shrug. “Alright, so this plan again?” she changed the subject.

“Uhh…Can we go back to that curse thingy for a sec?” Cordy innocently tried to plead but Skip didn’t listen to a word she said.

“So about the plan…” Gunn pressed, not really wanting to discuss Angel’s possible sex life at breakfast time.

Cordy shot Angel a little girlish, embarrassed look that made him smile softly. They had to think of the plan. Of course…the plan. Whatever Alessia had implied would have to wait. Yet, they were still looking at one another…until Skip’s voice broke them out of their gaze.

“Right. This will take place by the park three blocks away from here, at midnight. This will be your only chance to stop this, otherwise, we’ll be majorly screwed.” Skip said as everyone stared at him.

“Gee, thank you. Because we all know we needed all that added pressure here sweetie…” Lorne mumbled from his seat.

“But, Gunn’s right, we’ll need back up.” Angel agreed.

“Something a la Sunnydale graduation day?” Cordy asked and he nodded softly. “Man, I knew not mingling with my stupid neighbors would come and bite me in the ass one of those days. Now we have, like, zero friends, and we’re supposed to find this back up army where exactly?” she asked, giving everyone a glimpse of the good old Cordy.

Everyone pondered her words for a minute until Alessia broke the silence.

“The list.” She said, attracting all kinds of questioning look. “You guys have a list of all your clients, right? I mean, one that hasn’t exploded?”

“Yeah…I have a copy here…????” Cordy answered, still waiting for an explanation.

“Well, you may not have legions of friends, but you’ve got hundreds of people who owe you their lives…” she didn’t need to say more, they all nodded in agreement.

“Gunn?” Angel spoke up.

“I’m on it.” Gunn replied as he and Fred walked out of the kitchen.

“What about the weapons?” Wesley asked.

“Let me take care of that.” Angel assured him and Cordelia and Alessia nodded, agreeing to help him with that.

“Lorne, you know what you have to do, right?” Cordy asked as a reminder.

“Yep, princess. I got Connor’s back.” He said, holding the child now.

They all began to head out, except for Alessia, who stood in the middle of the empty kitchen. She looked around for a bit and sighed. Cordy came back in and watched her for a moment. The girl seemed lost in a maze of memories, good ones and bad ones, as her eyes traveled through the apartment.

“Are you coming?” Cordy finally asked when Alessia noticed her.

Ally took the small picture she always carried out of her pockets and placed it on the counter, carefully, before turning back to Cordelia.

“Yeah.” She smiled and followed her out of the room, but not before one last look at the familiar kitchen.

One last look.

This was it. Probably the biggest battle of their lives…and if they only knew what would come after. Alessia knew telling them was wrong. So she just gave the place one last look, knowing she’d probably never set foot in here again, and breathed in all its stories.

One last look.

--

That night, 11:34 pm

Lilah and everyone from Wolfram and Hart – including an aging Groo from the future – stood in the middle of the empty street, surrounded by hundreds of demons of all kinds. A few drops of rain fell from the sky, but appeared barely unnoticeable as of yet.

Lilah grabbed the book and looked at the future Groosalug.

“Let’s get this thing going.” She spoke up. “I start the chant, you manage to get the kid away from them, so we can get this thing over with.” She muttered turning the pages of the book.

“Over my dead body.” Angel’s voice rang into the night, very much aware of the irony of his words.

“That could be arranged…”

Lilah and her army turned to face the intruder, and the female lawyer immediately gasped at what she saw in front of her.

“What the hell…” she let escape under her breath, as her army of demons took a step forward, menacingly.

Clouds and thick fog slowly embraced the night. The stars had disappeared, vanished from the sky, leaving the blurry glow of the moon to light the night. Raindrops lightly fell, barely making a sound, as they bounced off the street.

Lilah stiffened and tightened her jaw at the sight of Angel. What stood before her eyes momentarily froze her. There, standing before her, icy stares in their eyes were Angel, Cordelia, Alessia and Skip. The quartet formed a perfect line in the middle of the street, almost reminiscent of the powerful force they represented. Angel, dressed in his usual black duster, glared at her with an emotionless expression on his face. His fist tightened and he had to mentally restrain himself from leaping forward and killing her on the spot. Right by his side, Cordelia, who usually served as his reasonable calming force, now shared a common darkness with the vampire. Lilah took her time to observe the seer. The denim jacket fitted her perfectly, and her shoulder-length hair masked the threatening traits on her face. The lawyer quickly spotted the crossbow that was attached to the woman’s back before her eyes shifted to the person standing next to Cordelia. Wearing a similar bloodstained jacket (or the same), Alessia stood tall beside her future mother. The similarities between the two were not lost on Lilah. Those eyes, that icy stare, the posture…in each of the women’s hands were large swords, waiting patiently to defend a future that seemed inevitable at that point.

Finishing the row of pissed off warriors, Skip stood with a stoic expression on his face. His glare was less threatening than the others’. He seemed determined, but also mournful. Behind them marched an impressively large crowd of men, women, demons, warriors…all ready for the fight of their lives. The looks on their faces foretold how they were aware of their fate.

Some would live. Many would die.

Yet, this overwhelming force, translated by sheer determination and acceptance of their fate, emanated from all of them. Armed, ready and dangerous, they all stood behind Angel and Cordelia, filling the street rapidly. Some faces Lilah recognized; many she didn’t. She hugged the indestructible book to her chest and noticed how Groo had managed to hide himself behind the crowd of demons hired by Wolfram&Hart. She then turned to look the other way and noticed another crowd circling them from the perpendicular street.

Leading the pack was a muscular Gunn, a motionless Wesley, followed by Fred and present Groo. When they had suggested enlisting Groo’s help, who had been staying with a friend of Lorne’s since his relationship with Cordelia had ended, Alessia had stayed silent. In true Chase fashion, she had cracked a joke and some witty line, flashing a bright smile, but Angel saw the hidden sadness in her eyes. Initially, Alessia felt a little fear in her stomach, but soon replaced it by relief. The Groosalug that Angel and Cordelia knew wasn’t the same she had grown up to know. And she had just smiled, looking at Angel with a little nod.

Trailing behind Gunn was his entire crew, street kids, all impatiently waiting to kick some demon ass themselves. Mixed with Gunn’s former gang were dozens of Pylea’s greatest warriors and demons, who clutched their own weapons. All divided by lifestyles and worlds…all joined in the same purpose.

To right a wrong.

In this one instant, it didn’t matter who the person was beside you, or whose back you were covering. All that mattered was this. Their beliefs in a better place….a better future.

The excruciating silence seemed to last a lot longer than it actually did. Minutes? Or maybe just seconds…but during those seconds, the world stood still, waiting with bated breath for its fate to be determined.

“There’s nothing you can do now, Angel…” Lilah spoke while several demons surrounded her and the other lawyers to protect them.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that if I were you.” Angel replied through his teeth.

“You can’t stop us. This is suicide and you know it.” Gavin replied from behind Lilah.

“Is it?” Angel faked innocence.

“You leave us no choice then…we can’t let you stop this…” Lilah sighed as various demons and vampires walked towards Angel and his crew.

One of the demons, who led the pack, stopped a couple of feet in front of them, staring at Alessia. He smirked as he looked back and forth between Cordelia and Alessia. His wildly evil smirk grew into laughter and he shook his head.

“Foolish little girl…” he growled at Alessia. Alessia just smiled while Angel and Cordy looked on. “You think you can take me on?” he laughed again. “You have no idea what’s coming at you…”

Alessia paused, her eyes never leaving the demon and she grinned.

“Bring it on.” She let out, holding up her sword.

It didn’t take much more to convince the demons. Cordelia fended off the demon that threw himself at Alessia, while Angel beat up a couple of vampires on his own. Soon enough, everyone was engaged in fighting.

“Cordelia! Behind you!” Skip shouted, seeing Cordy turn around just in time to avoid one of the vampires.

All around them, people who had once come to them for help were now the helpers. Young men and women grabbed their weapons and threw themselves into battle. Things seemed to happen so fast that Angel barely had the time to realize what was happening. Bodies fell to the ground, screams were heard into the night, blood was shed…People he had once saved were thrown in the air and left to die on the sidewalk, while the rest of them struggled.

While the battle raged on, future Groo managed to escape. He stood in the alley nearby and watched the scene before his eyes before disappearing into the shadows.

“The book, Angel!” Cordelia shouted, pointing towards Lilah, who was running in the other direction.

Running through demons and humans, both alive and dead, Lilah made her way to the middle of the park, on a platform, where a large circle had been drawn. She threw herself on her knees and opened the book quickly. She glanced over her shoulder and saw how some of her demon guards had stopped Angel and Cordelia from getting to her. She didn’t have much time, so she hurried.

Skip was hit over the head with a large metallic object and before he knew it he had been thrown in the air. His body fell helplessly onto the ground, making a loud resounding noise. He opened his eyes in pain and gasped at what he saw.

Things were going in slow motion…he saw the faces…he saw them all…and tears welled up in his eyes. The horror of what he was seeing made him ache inside, as memories from his future came back to haunt him.

There, a few feet in front of him, he saw Wesley throwing a sharp knife into a demon’s stomach, letting out a loud gasp.

2012

Moving at a frightening speed, Wesley jumped over the car and stood in front of Angel and Cordelia.

Wesley’s face quickly changed, fangs appearing and yellow eyes glowing into the darkness. With his vamp face on, he leaped in the air, aiming for Connor and Alessia, who sat, bundled up on the floor. Cordy’s scream rang into the night and she threw herself in front of Wesley. Angel grabbed him by the shoulders, throwing him onto the ground. A battle ensued…one, which Angel found himself losing rapidly. Just as Wesley was about to snap Angel’s neck, a tearful Cordelia swung a stake in the air and staked Wesley.

Wesley turned to her, his face now human, and Cordelia fell to her knees as he turned to dust in front of her.

Fred rushed over to help Wesley, smashing one of the vampires’ head with a piece of wood, and Skip stared with tears in his eyes as the images plagued him again.

2014

The sharp and pointy sword pierced through Fred’s stomach several times before the girl fell to her knees, helplessly. Her face hit the sidewalk as she was stabbed one more and a painful scream escaped her throat. Her fist tightened around the material of her sweater while blood covered the ground, and there, into the night, she was left to die.

Skip couldn’t move. Everything was happening so fast, yet so slowly in his mind. His eyes moved to Angel, who now had both hands around Lilah’s throat. Two vampires threw themselves at him, pulling him off of Lilah’s weakened body and punched him to the ground. Skip noticed Cordelia rushing to Angel’s side, helping him up. Skip saw her lips move as if she was desperately shouting something at Angel, but he couldn’t hear. All he saw was the slow-motion horror movie before his eyes.

Lilah got herself up and grabbed Cordelia from behind, shoving her against a huge decorating rock and pulled a gun on her. Angel, who had been stabbed several times, looked up with tears in his eyes as Lilah threatened to shoot Cordy.

2015

Tears ran down Cordelia’s face as she wrapped her arms around Angel’s bleeding body. She tried to lift him up but she couldn’t, falling to her knees on the Hyperion lobby floor. She buried her face in Angel’s neck, holding on to his lifeless body for dear life. Angel’s blood covered the floor, and now her, as she cried his name quietly several times. The place was almost destroyed, and all that was left was her, cradling Angel’s body in her trembling arms, while a horrified Alessia kicked and screamed to get passed Gunn and Willow and run towards the scene.

Moving at a speed that would have made Angelus proud, Angel knocked the gun out of Lilah’s hands and threw her down on the floor. Cordelia got up and reached out for the gun when she saw Angel struggling to retrieve the book from Lilah and her goons. Skip saw Cordy hesitate for a mere second and then a loud resounding gunshot was heard in the night.

Time seemed to stop and Skip gasped, seeing the scene in painful slow motion.

Lilah’s body crashed down onto the grass, motionless.

Angel leaped over the body and rushed to Cordelia’s side as rain poured on them. Skip saw them exchange a few words from afar and witnessed the tears in the young seer’s eyes as she hurried the vampire to grab the ritual book. Angel reluctantly let go of her arm and began chasing the demon who now had the book in hands. Angel tackled him and the two of them fell to the ground in an intense and deadly struggle.

Meanwhile, Cordelia felt a hand quickly grab her shoulder and she spun around to see Alessia standing beside her, sword in hand, small cut on her cheek, looking worried.

Skip felt a lump in his throat as he saw the two young women stare at each other.

2020

The baseball bat smashed onto Cordelia’s head savagely and she fell down upon her knees. She could taste the blood on her lips as four masculine hands grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her out the door screaming. Cordelia barely had time to glance one last time at the closet door where Connor and Alessia were hidden before she felt a punch in her stomach. The next thing she knew she was outside, being dragged like an animal in the pouring rain. They shoved her into a car and before they could close the door, Cordelia looked up, seeing the painfully panicked little girl banging on the window with tears in her eyes. Alessia.

Skip managed to lift himself up on his knees and saw Alessia being thrown to the ground while Cordelia struggled to get the vampire away from her. Wesley, Gunn and Fred ran towards them and managed to pull the vampire away from Alessia just before he could bite her.

Alessia got back up and shouted something that Skip assumed was “Mom!”, and threw a stake in the air. Cordy grabbed the piece of wood and stuck it into the vampire’s heart, instantly turning him to dust.

It’s at that moment that Skip saw Alessia grab her chest in pain and fall down on her knees. This time, there was no demon except her own. Her past. Cordelia and Wesley rushed to her, all speaking at once and Skip swallowed painfully from a distance as he saw the glowing bracelet around her wrist. Gunn and Wesley had to restrain Alessia as she began to convulse and shake on the grass. Skip saw the tears in Cordy’s eyes as she tried to talk to the girl, holding her face between both of her hands.

2025

On the other side of the dark room, Connor laid down on the floor in pain, while Alessia leaned over his body with tears in her eyes as she tried to stop the bleeding of his neck with her bare hands.

Buffy turned around and saw the heartbreaking scene and tears sprung from her eyes. The pounding on the door kept pressing them. Gunn immediately went to a drawer and took out an enormous book and some crystals, which he handed to Buffy immediately. Connor was fighting to breathe and Alessia was fighting to stop the bleeding.

“No…no…” Alessia breathed through her tears. “Not you too….not now. Look at me…stay with me. Don’t you dare die on me now…” she cried.

“A…Ally…” Connor managed to speak as blood leaked from his wound like a fountain. “Ally…” Connor whispered again.

She looked into his helpless, dark eyes as he spoke to her.

“Don’t give up…” he told her out of breath. “Make this right…you can make this right…” he begged of her, drawing his last breath.

The present and the future struggled against one another in Skip’s mind and all he could do was stare at the painful scene.

Angel ran towards them with the indestructible book in hand as Alessia began to calm down. Skip joined them, barely able to stand up.

“I got it!” He spoke, looking down at the young girl in pain. “Let’s get her away from here and back to Lorne and Connor before…” he said as Gunn, Groo and Wesley helped Alessia get up.

“Put the book down.” A loud, familiar voice was heard from behind them.

In that instant, all fighting stopped. Demons and humans alike just stood still and stared, horrified, as Angel slowly turned around. He firmly held on to the book as he stared at the man before him.

When her eyes met his, Cordelia gasped, in fear and disbelief. Everyone seemed to freeze for a moment, especially Groo, who stared with an open mouth at none other than himself.

“Oh my God…” Cordelia barely whispered, out of breath.

There, in front of them, stood future Groo, holding a knife to Connor’s tiny little throat while a beat up Lorne sat tied up on the floor. Groo placed the blade of the knife even closer to Connor’s infant head as he repeated his words.

If Angel’s heart had been beating, it would have broken into millions of pieces. His eyes went back and forth between Lorne and Connor and he felt Cordelia’s hand grab his arm, probably trying to keep her balance.

“Angel…” Cordy whispered, her voice sounding as frightened as he felt.

“I’m so sorry…” Lorne’s weak voice was heard in the night. “They just came in before the furies could finish the spell and…” he had trouble breathing and talking and his voice trailed off into the stormy night.

“I said… Put. The. Book. Down.” Groo spoke again in a threatening tone as he stared into Angel’s dark eyes. “Now.”

The quiet sound of the rain crashing down to earth was the only sound that followed those words.

A dramatic pause crept between all of them. The increasingly annoying sound of the rain flopping down on the asphalt was the only noise heard through the stormy night. Around them, the crowd of fighters began to disperse. Humans and demons alike either hid in the shadows or simply decided to run off.

Angel’s dark and menacing eyes were glued on the Groosalug, who held the little boy as if it were a toy he had gotten utterly bored with by now. The blade of the sharp dagger hung dangerously close to Connor’s infant throat while the two warriors stared at one another.

“Oh my God…Groo…” Cordelia managed to let out, fear and growing disgust quickly overpowering every other emotion in her body.

“Aww…I’m hurt,” Groosalug spoke with a boyish sigh. “I remember a time when those exact words were met with a lot more enthusiasm – and dare I say it – satisfaction.” He smirked and Cordelia suddenly felt nauseous.

“Shut up!” Angel growled despite himself at the implications of the Groosalug’s words.

Cordelia had to force herself to look at a stunned, alarmed Groo standing beside her, eyes riveted on his agitated double. This was, for lack of better word, disconcerting.

“If I were you I would be careful in how I speak to me,” Groo replied, glaring back and forth between Angel and the squirming Connor. “Now, put the book down before I decide to shut this baby up right here, right now.”

“You wouldn’t.” Angel said through his teeth, never letting go of the ritual book.

His eyes momentarily softened as they rested on Connor, and then darkened again as they met Groo’s.

“You want to try me?” the future nemesis challenged.

“You need him. The book is of no use to you if you kill Connor.” Angel gritted, clutching the book cover and quickly glancing towards Alessia.

“Quite right.” Groo nodded, pensively, as he squeezed Connor’s whimpering body in his hands. “But the way I see things…if I don’t get what I want, then why should you?”

There was a long silence between the two men as they stared at one another, motionless. The inner turmoil in Angel was increasing in intensity by the second. He looked back and forth between a painfully silent Alessia and his crying baby. His hands tightened around the book and Angel clenched his jaw, trying to think reasonably.

“He’s serious,” Alessia’s voice was what finally broke the horrifying silence. “He would do it.” She said, never looking at Angel and always staring at the Groosalug with invisible daggers in her eyes.

Angel turned to look at her, his body and soul struggling to choose here. When his eyes fell upon the beautiful but beaten young woman between him and Cordelia, he felt the need to take a quick breath. He could see the pain in her eyes, but most of all, he could see the knowledge.

The knowledge of what lied ahead. The knowledge of just how far Wolfram and Hart – and Groo – would go.

“He’s not kidding.” She said through her teeth, in a barely audible voice, as the rain traced small curvy lines on the side of her face.

“Yes, listen to the little one, Angel.” The Groosalug spoke with a lighter voice. “After all, she’s experienced first hand just how far…” he began but Alessia’s harsh and threatening voice stopped him.

“Shut the hell up!” she gritted through her teeth, holding her breath.

Cordelia turned to face her daughter and it broke her heart to see the dark look in her eyes. That darkness. That pain. That anger. It wasn’t a weakness that Cordy saw in the young woman; it was strength. A frightening strength. And the more she observed Alessia, the more she realized where she had seen such darkness before.

Angel.

“Alessia…” Groo almost sang in the air. “Alessia Chase.” He repeated, shaking his head, as if he had trouble believing it himself. “You always were a feisty one, just like your mother.”

“And that was always the problem wasn’t it?” Skip said, speaking for the first time since the world had stopped turning. All eyes turned to him as he stared at the future Groo with such hatred and coldness in his eyes that it made Wesley’s skin crawl. “She reminded you too much of her…”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about…” Groo almost spit back.

“I reminded you too much of Cordelia,” Alessia spoke again, going off of Skip’s statement. “That’s why you never killed me.”

Tension seemed to rise in that instant, and silence grew deeper and deeper. Cordelia could feel her heart pounding in her chest and, by the look on Angel’s face he could sense it. The two exchanged an intense, emotion-filled look that spoke louder than words ever could.

“What is it?” Alessia threw at him, fearlessly. “You don’t like what you see?” she spit out as he looked at her weak body. The bracelet around her wrist stopped glowing and Groo saw the painful look in her eyes. “You don’t like what you and Lilah did?”

There was a long silence and everyone waited for Groo’s response. He looked back and forth between Cordelia and Alessia and realized what Skip had said may have been true. She did remind him of Cordelia. Cordelia Chase. His princess…

“I won’t make the same mistake twice.” Groo said, now sounding both annoyed and angry by the young woman. “Now you,” he then said, waving the dagger in Angel’s direction before placing it right back on Connor’s throat. “Put the book down right now. I hate repeating myself.”

When Angel seemed to momentarily hesitate, Groo grabbed Connor’s head and jerked it back, the dagger pressing against his flesh.

“Now!” he yelled at the vampire.

“Angel, do not obey to this delusional man!”

Now all eyes turned to present Groo, who had been impressively silent up to now. But his voice filled the atmosphere so quickly that everyone jumped.

“Oh God!” Future Groo let out in disgust. “I really did talk like that.” He added, noticing the way present Groo spoke. “I’m growing very impatient here…” he then said, threatening Connor still.

“Okay…” Angel finally spoke, his eyes never leaving Connor. “Okay…I’ll put the book down, but only after you let go of my son.” He said, trying to reason with him.

“What do you think I am? Stupid?” Groo said and heard Alessia snort in the back. “Not a good idea to mess with me right now little girl!” he then yelled at her.

“Hey!!” Cordelia exclaimed at the threatening words of the warrior, and she stepped in front of Alessia.

Groo, growing all the more impatient and annoyed, took the knife and with one swift move, cut Connor’s cheek, lightly. The gesture brought on a chorus of gasps from the gang and a loud, frightened growl from Angel. Mere seconds passed before Angel savagely threw the book down on the ground.

“There!” he growled again.

The ritual book lied on the ground a few feet in front of Angel and Groo smiled that wide, toothpaste-advertising smile of his.

“I have a better idea, why don’t you read it…” Groo then spoke, evil thoughts running rampant in his brain.

Angel froze and he swallowed back the threatening tears in h is eyes as he heard Connor’s cried under the rain. He looked aside to Cordelia and Alessia, who were looking at him for answers he simply did not have. His eyes locked with Alessia’s and he saw the pain of failure in her eyes. He could almost feel the apology imprinted on her face.

And then the memory of his conversation with Cordelia came back to him. Connor or Alessia…On one hand, Angel could lose his son…on the other, Cordelia could lose her daughter…Angel closed his eyes in pain and forced himself to take a deep breath. Under the pouring rain and the intense crying of Connor’s, Angel bent down on the ground and picked up the book, slowly shielding it from the rain and turning the pages.

“Read it!” Groo ordered him as he played with the dagger near Connor’s throat.

Angel looked one last time towards Alessia and Cordelia and that’s when he saw it.

A nod.

Alessia nodded, and the look in her eyes told him to do it.

To save Connor.

Angel looked down at the page with tears in his eyes and began to read.

“Louder!” Groo commanded and Angel obeyed against his better judgement.

But at this point, his wasn’t thinking with his head. He was thinking with the invisible heart he had learned to feel in his chest.

The words rolled off Angel’s tongue with difficulty as the ground around them began to tremble. Fred grabbed Gunn’s arm for support while Cordelia caught Alessia’s already weak body and held her close. Skip felt warmth inside him and realized what was actually happening. He lifted his head up just in time to see Angel finish the incantation and to see Groo place Connor down on the ground in the middle of the circle.

At the second Connor was out of Groo’s hands, Angel leapt in the air and landed on the warrior. Punches were thrown and blood was shed while the earth kept on shaking beneath them.

“Angel!!” Cordelia found herself yelling when she saw the blinding blue light coming from Connor’s body and shooting straight up in the air.

Angel turned around and saw Connor crying on the floor. He turned around to go and get him but Groo grabbed him from behind. He heard the sound of a sword being pulled out and Angel closed his eyes, expecting the feel of the sharp piece of metal piercing through his skin.

But it never did.

He felt the grip on his shoulder loosen and he opened his eyes quickly. Everything seemed to happen to slowly – yet so quickly – that he barely could comprehend it. He spun around and came face to face with Groo’s wide eyes and open mouth. The look of terror was imprinted on the ex-Pylean face from the future, and that’s when Angel lowered his eyes and saw a large sword piercing through the Groosalug’s chest. The man grabbed his wound in pain as blood filled his hands and he fell to his knees with a resounding noise. The fall of his body revealed the man behind him – the one who had killed the time traveling warrior.

“Groo…” Angel let out in a barely audible whisper as he stared at him.

Present Groo stood there, blood on his hands….his own blood…and stared down at his double, lying on the floor. Everyone froze for a moment. Angel’s eyes went back and forth between the two Groosalugs, in disbelief. He noticed the small tears in Groo’s eyes as he looked down at his future self.

“How could you…?” Future Groo spoke before letting out his last breath and closing his eyes.

Shocked didn’t even begin to describe what everyone was feeling at the moment. Groo took a few steps back, silently, while Angel turned back to Connor. He ran towards the little boy but was blinded by the blue light that emanated from him.

Before they knew it, the light formed a bubble around them, shielding them from any outside forces. Angel was thrown in the air, back to where Cordelia, Alessia, Skip, Wesley, Fred and Gunn were standing. Groo joined them after untying Lorne, all expecting the worse.

Just when they thought the ritual was going to take its course, Connor stopped crying and the light stopped coming out of him. The large blue bubbled stayed around them, but a strange peacefulness came like a breeze into the night. Skip looked up and a soft smile crept up on his face. Not wasting any time, Angel rushed to Connor and picked his son up in his arms, desperately trying to protect him from whatever was happening.

Suddenly, appearing from nowhere, ten figures took form in front of them, all brilliant in their glowing and matching auras. The Oracles formed a perfect line in front of the shaken group, as a warmth and light made their way to them.

“Oh my God…Are they…?” Fred whispered, unable to even finish her thought out loud.

“It is afraid. It is weak. It is stubborn.” The voices spoke all at once, while they looked at Angel and Connor. “It is emotional.” One of them added in a reluctant tone.

Everyone seemed motionless, except for Alessia, who dared to take a step forward.

“Angel…” She whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.

“We have come to take the son.” The lead of the Oracles spoke, stoically.

“No.” Angel refused immediately.

Alessia stopped walking, standing on the side, looking back and forth between Angel and the Powers.

“The ritual has begun.” The voices spoke again. “The son will die. It is not cooperating. It is afraid.”

“I will protect Connor…my son will not die.” Angel argued, emotions taking over him.

“Angel…” Cordelia’s voice stopped him and he turned to see her tearful face.

She didn’t need to say more. Angel looked at her and then shifted his eyes towards a painfully silent and t earful Alessia. The images of what Skip had showed them filled through his mind once again. The stories Alessia had told them haunted him. He closed his eyes and held his son tight in his arms.

“The son will be protected. He will be trained and loved.” The voices said again and this time in a much softer tone. “It will be returned.”

Angel looked up at that last statement, his un-beating heart breaking inside. He looked at the circle on the floor, surrounded by the fires of hell and he saw the book lying on the ground nearby. If Connor stayed, the ritual would be completed and everything Alessia had told them would happen. If he left…

Angel swallowed back his tears.

“The son will be returned in time. It will be safe. It will be his mission.” The Oracles informed a heartbroken Angel.

“When?” His voice chocked on the single questioning word.

“When the son is ready.” Was all they could answer.

Angel looked again at the circle on the floor, and then back towards Cordelia. She took a few steps towards him, tears rolling down her face, and she put a hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before lowering his face to his son and placing an emotional kiss on his forehead.

Cordelia took the little baby’s hand into hers and held her breath for a moment.

When she looked back up into Angel’s eyes, she didn’t need to ask what his decision was. Between watching his son die or letting him go, his choice was an easy one. Painful, but easy. Angel walked towards the oracles and slowly handed the child to them, after whispering a tearful “I love you”. Connor settled beautifully in the female Oracle’s arms and the two stepped away from Angel.

“It should be proud of itself.” She spoke to him in regards to his decision.

Cordelia took Angel’s arm and held it tight, as they both realized what Alessia and Skip had known all along. The ritual wasn’t what mattered in order to change the future. This was.

This decision.

One by one, the Oracles began to disappear. All except one. One of the male Oracles took a step towards Alessia. The young woman had reached down and picked up the ritual book, handing it over to him silently.

“You should be proud of yourself, my child. Courage is within you.” He whispered to her, cupping her face with his warm hands. “The heart of your mother; the strength of your father. We owe you, Alessia Chase.” He smiled and whispered before lowering his head and kissing Alessia’s forehead softly.

Angel, Cordelia and everyone watched the uncharacteristically tender gesture from the male Oracle with awe and sadness. When Alessia opened her eyes, the Oracle, as well as the blue screen bubble had disappeared. They found themselves standing in the rain once more, the magic being gone.

Angel, Cordelia and Alessia looked down at the Groosalug’s dead body and after a few seconds, the man disappeared into thin air.

Alessia then turned to face her parents, speechless for the first time in her life. Angel and Cordelia were standing side by side, looking back at her, thinking the exact same thing that she was. they had dreaded this instant, and Cordelia had even chosen not to think about it until now. But the look on Alessia's face told them what was coming next. they had thought that changing the course of history was going to be the hardest thing they ever had to do. But now, as Alessia looked at the two faces she loved most in this world, she realized she had been wrong.

Saying goodbye would be the hardest.

There are moments like that when you wish you could just freeze time and make the instant last longer. Forever. Moments that you can’t really describe, for they go beyond words. Moments that you pray to God you won’t forget. This was one of those moments.

Cordelia ran a hand through her dripping wet hair and wiped the rain from her face, trying to see Alessia’s face more clearly. The girl was standing a couple of feet in front of them, looking away in the distance at the tall buildings of L.A. as if they held the most precious secrets. A daydreamer she was, Cordelia thought. The look on her face was once she recognized: dreamy yet realistic, hopeful yet resigned.

Angel, standing beside Cordelia, immobile, observed Alessia intensely, repressing the urge to say her name out loud. It came over him like a flood, carrying the weight of the last three days heavily. He felt the need to say her name…his daughter’s name…for no particular reason, if only to just see her reaction. He had known for a little while now, but it didn’t hit him completely until now. Alessia Chase was his daughter. He wanted to just say it out loud. Once. But he didn’t. He just stood there with Cordelia, in silence, looking at her. The rain made Alessia’s face look much younger than she actually was. Like a little girl. It gave her a childish quality that almost made Angel smile.

“Wow…” Alessia finally let out, looking around her at all the familiar faces. “I had thought about this, and prepared for it, and planned it…I thought about it all, up to now.” She smiled sadly. “I never really thought of what I would say once it was all over…That was Connor’s job.” She chuckled to herself, shaking her head at the memory.

Her eyes locked with Angel’s and the softness on her face made him smile softly. A part of him wanted to feel broken up inside. A part of him wanted to find that comforting darkness within him, but for some reason, he didn’t. The sadness was soothed by a strange warmth he could not describe. Peace. He could feel that Cordelia was feeling the same way.

“Alessia…” Skip’s voice came from the sidewalk where he was waiting, his tone holding a warning as to what was to come.

“I know…” Alessia nodded, lowering her eyes to the ground for a moment.

Cordy felt like someone had squeezed her heart too tight all of a sudden. It’s strange how quickly you can become attached to someone you never even knew existed…or would exist. It’s funny the instinct that rises within you in the face of something larger than life: your future.

“I wish you had more time…I…” Cordy felt her voice trail off into the darkness.

“I don’t.” Alessia replied in all simplicity, which shocked everyone.

“What?” Angel’s voice seemed strained…as if he had to force the word out of his mouth.

Faced with their seemingly hurt faces, Alessia quickly rectified what she had meant.

“I mean, I do…but I don’t at the same time.” She added quickly, looking back and forth between Angel and Cordelia. “There’s this voice in the back of my head that keeps saying ‘God, I wish I had more time!’” Alessia smiled gently. “But then, there’s this other voice – this thump inside my heart – this louder voice, that keeps telling me to just look in front of myself…” They all listened in silence as Ally’s gentle words continued. “When you lose someone, you spend the rest of your life wishing with every breath you take that you could just see them one last time…just one more time.” She paused and smiled through misty eyes. “How many people can actually say they got that chance?” she asked, as everybody sighed and nodded, taking in the meaning of her words.

After a short pause, during which everybody seemed to ponder the value of her words, Gunn cleared his throat.

“How did you get to be so deep? You didn’t get that from Barbie here…” he grinned, avoiding Cordelia’s icy glare with amusement.

Alessia laughed softly.

“Well, try hanging around this guy every day,” she pointed at Skip with a chuckle. “It’ll rub off on you.”

Cordy and Angel couldn’t help but smile wholeheartedly.

“So, what happens now?” Fred asked in a tired voice.

Alessia thought about that for a second and tenderly looked at the bookish woman.

“You guys get to live your lives.” She answered very simply. “You get to write your own future…one that’s not been chosen for you.” She said, turning to Cordelia with a sheepish, childlike expression on her face, and grinned. “And maybe, you know…not putting any pressure here or anything…you know…but maybe, just maybe…you kind of bring me into the picture at some point in time…just maybe.” she emphasized the maybe once again with a grin. “That sounded like I was campaigning for my birth, didn’t it?”

“You sold it pretty well.” Cordelia replied softly while Angel repressed a laugh. “Then again, I’m guessing you father, whoever he will turn out to be, will have a say in that little matter…” she added.

“Well, at least you can narrow the list down now, ‘cause we all know who it isn’t.” Lorne unintentionally let slip out, holding his bruised head with one hand.

He realized the impact of his words too late, unfortunately. An intense silence befell them and uncertain eyes hesitantly turned to Groo. No one spoke until Alessia walked towards the uncomfortable Pylean Warrior. She stood close to him and searched his innocent face for a moment.

“Groo…” she began as everyone else watched, slightly feeling out of place.

“I apologize…” He whispered in a strained voice, unable to look into Alessia’s face.

Groo was taken aback when Alessia reached out to place a hand on his arm, and he finally looked up to see her facial expression. There, he found a mixture of pain and pity, but most of all understanding. He instinctively reached out and traced the bracelet around her wrist with his fingers.

“I did this…” His words were stating and asking at the same time.

“No.” she said as Cordy and Angel watched her and Groo intensely. “Groo…” Alessia took a deep breath before continuing. “It would be a lie if I didn’t say that you and I, we were never friends…I grew up to despise your face…but it wasn’t you.” She admitted. “It was him…someone you are not yet.”

“How…why? Why did I do those things…” he asked in disbelief.

“Love hurts.” She whispered. Groo glanced over to Cordelia, who lowered her eyes. And it can make you do some pretty stupid things.”

Groo had known that Cordelia’s heart wasn’t free, but a glimpse of hope had kept him in L.A.

“Go home Groo.” Alessia then spoke quietly. “Just go back home before you do things that I know you don’t want to do…before you become someone I know you don’t want to become. Just think about it.” She almost pleaded with him and he nodded.

She squeezed his hands and smiled before turning away from him and facing Angel and Cordelia again. She and her parents shared an emotion-filled silence before Alessia shook her head with an awe-inspiring grin and turned to Gunn.

“Gunn, would you do me a favor?” she asked and he quickly agreed. “If these two go into broody mode or do anything that doesn’t involve a smile once I’m gone, knock some sense into them would you!” she said, handing him her sword and everyone laughed softly.

Cordelia then saw the look on the girl’s face and knew something had happened in the back of Alessia’s head. She looked like she had just remembered something important.

“What is it?” Cordy asked her.

“I just remember something you told me when I was little…and I never understood it until now.”

“What did I say?”

“That beginnings are always a little scary, and endings always a little sad…but it’s what’s in the middle that counts.” Alessia whispered.

Right at that moment, Alessia turned to face Skip, as if asking him permission to do something. The time traveling demon nodded silently, as Alessia turned back to her mother, taking a deep breath.

“Close your eyes.” Alessia gently spoke and Cordelia frowned, confused.

“Why? What are you going to do?” she asked.

“I wasn’t lying when I told you that it hadn’t been all bad.” Ally whispered. “Before you left, you let me read you….you let me see your memories. Now it’s my turn. It’s my turn to give them back to you along with some of mine.” She said, sounding like a child too tired for her young age.

Cordelia exchanged a glance with Angel before closing her eyes. Alessia placed on hand on her mother’s forehead as the rain poured on them. She closed her eyes as well and concentrated as the images passed from daughter to mother, slowly.

Connor’s little feet hit the sand in slow motion as he ran on the beach, the sun dancing across his young boyish grin. He was laughing and after a moment he ran into his father’s arms as the waves brushed Angel’s ankles. The sun cast colors on his slightly tanned skin that Cordelia had never seen before

Slowly fades to…

Sweat covered Cordelia’s face and neck as she let her head fall back onto the pillow, exhausted to a point she had never reached in her entire life. A slightly relieved Faith and a dishevelled Buffy held their breaths as the Slayer placed the tiny little naked child in Cordelia’s arms. Cordy’s trembling hands held the fragile little girl to her chest as tears filled her eyes. Buffy and Faith smiled through their own tears – which had stemmed from panic, fear and joy – as they leaned closer, wrapping a tiny blanket around Cordelia and the baby. The two Slayers brushed a few drops of sweat from their faces, respectively, as they watched the awe, exhaustion and emotionally drained expression in Cordelia’s eyes. And the tearful smile. The slow-motion in which the images appeared conveyed the intensity of the painful delivery perfectly.

Slowly fades to…

Cordelia kneeling besides the bathtub, wearing a man’s shirt with the sleeves pulled up, while a little girl splashed water all over her with her toys. The smile on Cordelia’s face and the sound of laughter filled Cordy’s ears as the image seemed to freeze on that image for a few seconds.

Slowly fades to…

Flash Forward to Fred, Willow and Cordelia sharing a high five in the middle of the Magic Box, laughing for no particular reason.

Slowly fades to…

A slightly older Cordelia leaning down and kissing the forehead of her mother, who was lying asleep in a hospital bed.

Slowly fades to…

A Connor all grown up and an Alessia in her late teens stood in the middle of Buffy’s kitchen while Tara tried to teach Connor how to cook. Alessia watched with a rather amused grin from her seat at the counter.

Slowly fades to…

Alessia, Buffy, Gunn and Connor standing in a beautiful church while Gunn and Buffy said their vows. The images lingered on the happiness on Connor and Alessia’s face as they fell into their roles of Best Man and Maid of Honor.

Slowly fades to…

Cordelia crashed onto the couch, holding a giggling one-year-old Alessia in her arms, while laughing hysterically. Angel came running from the other side of the hotel lobby, carrying Connor on his back and he flopped down beside her, allowing the little boy full range to tickle Cordy. The laughs echoed in the entire hotel and the images slowed down considerably as Angel and Cordelia’s eyes met and locked. Slowly, Angel bent down, placing a long, soft kiss on Cordy’s lips…

Slowly fades to…

A hand tenderly came around Cordy’s waist, pulling her closer. There she stood, wearing a simple white man’s shirt that fell right above her knees, while Angel stood in only a pair of grey sweat pants, bare-chested and smiling that sexy smile of his. With one hand around her waist and the other entangled with hers, they began to dance to a music only they could hear, in the middle of the courtyard, under the sunset. Angel rested his forehead against hers as they moved slowly into a simple dance. Beautiful dance.

Slowly fades to…

An image of a full-grown Connor carrying an equally grown-up Alessia on his back while walking through the sewers, teasing one another slowly melted into an image much more familiar. An image of Angel carrying Cordelia on his back while entering the lobby and finding Alessia and Skip standing there, covered in blood. The images were shown through the eyes of Alessia, as she had seen them.

Slowly fades to…

Back to Cordelia and Angel dancing in the courtyard, sharing one of those secret smiles.

Slowly fades to…

Cordelia, Wesley, Angel, Fred, Gunn, Lorne, Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, Tara, Connor and Alessia all gathered around a table where a birthday cake waited. They were all singing as young Connor blew out the candles.

Slowly fades to…

Four figures sound asleep on a bed, all cuddled up to one another…Angel on his back, with an infant Alessia sleeping on his strong chest. Cordelia with her arms around him, while Connor lied by her side, his head resting on her stomach as if it was the most comfortable pillow ever invented. A perfect motionless image that disappeared too quickly.

Slowly fades to…

Back to Cordelia and Angel kissing, this time in the rain, in the middle of a street somewhere, laughing between kisses.

Slowly fades out…

When Cordelia opened her eyes, she found Alessia looking at her with a soft, loving expression on her face. Cordy opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She held her breath, feeling her heart racing in her chest and turned quickly to look at Angel. Not a word was spoken as she looked at him, awe, surprise and realization hitting her all at once.

Angel met her eyes, knowing what Alessia must have silently revealed to her and he waited for her reaction. In those eyes Cordy saw something she’d never seen before…so much more than she’d allowed herself to see before. And suddenly, voices from the past filled her head.

Alessia: “You always said that I had my father’s eyes. I think it was mostly the eyebrows.”

Skip: “Not only were seers never supposed to bear their warrior’s child…”

Angel: “There’s something you need to know about Alessia…her father…”

Alessia: “Most of all you were loved… My father loved you with all his heart, and gave his life for you…never doubt that.”

Angel.

Cordelia felt her heart skip a beat as it hit her, and she felt all the emotions she had felt while seeing the images in Alessia’s mind.

Alessia smiled to herself and Cordelia, still speechless for one of the very few times in her life, turned back to look at her daughter. Small tears welled u p in Cordy’s eyes. She had felt it. She hadn’t just seen the images inside Alessia’s mind, she had felt them. The feel of a newborn child in her trembling arms for the first time, or the touch of Angel’s lips…the love that she felt for him…Alessia looked up at the rain and smiled, looking back at Cordelia.

“I told you it’d be pouring rain.” She whispered, not needing to say anything else.

With her heart pounding in her chest, Cordy wrapped her arms around the precious young woman standing before her. They shared an emotional hug, one which Cordelia had trouble pulling away from. Alessia took a few steps back and they both smiled through their tears.

“It’s the middle that counts.” She whispered again and Cordelia’s smile grew even wider.

“Alessia, it’s time…” Skip said in a strained voice from behind her.

Alessia nodded and prepared to turn away but then stopped herself. She slowly turned around and locked eyes with Angel. She held her breath for a while, looking into his deep dark, reassuring eyes. Without giving it a second thought, she took a few hasty steps forward and wrapped her arms around his neck so tightly that she could have chocked him had he been human. Cordelia felt small tears roll down her cheeks when she saw Alessia burry her face into Angel’s shoulder. Angel instinctively held the girl close to him.

“I was always the lucky one…and I never got to tell you that…” Ally whispered against her father’s shoulder as her tears mixed with the rain.

Angel took a deep, unnecessary breath.

“You just did.” He whispered back with a soft smile.

Alessia closed her eyes, his words having more meaning to her than anyone could ever understand. She didn’t seem able or willing to let him go, but Skip’s voice pulled her back to reality.

“Ally…”

Alessia pulled away and proceeded to walk away. She then abruptly turned around and called out to them.

“Mom? Dad?” she called out. “In that new future of yours…if I ever…you know…if I ever turn out to be – God forbid – a boy…” she sighed. “Please. Not Angelo, ok?” she flashed a bright smile that made both Cordy and Angel smile back and nod.

And with that, she disappeared. They all stood still, looking at the empty space she’d left behind, until Cordelia noticed something on the ground. She saw the object and bent down to pick it up. She felt her heart beat faster and a genuinely peaceful smile came across her face as she looked at the bracelet she was holding in her hands.

“She’s free.” Skip said. “She’s finally free now…And so are you.” He added before disappearing as well.

Cordelia then felt Angel’s hand on hers, touching the bracelet slowly. She looked up into his eyes and words seemed useless. Their silent conversation was enough. A part of them felt sad, but strangely enough, a bigger part of them felt good. At peace. Hopeful.

Safe.

Angel wrapped his arms around her without saying anything and they just held each other under the rain, while the others stood aside in silence.

--

Back in Cordelia’s apartment, silence filled every room. In the kitchen, Dennis slowly picked up the picture that Alessia had left on the counter and he noticed the faces slowly vanishing from the print…disappearing, as history was being re-written. And all that was left were a few written words in the back of the picture by Alessia.

“Make the best of what you know.”

They could hear the rain falling on the top of the car as they all sat in silence, exhausted. Wesley and Groo sat in the front while Gunn, Fred and Lorne filled the back seat. The young ex-Pylean girl sat with her head resting on Gunn’s shoulder, eyes closed, listening to the rain outside.

“How long has it been?” Gunn asked, his voice tired all of a sudden.

“A little over half an hour.” Wesley replied with a deep in-take of air as he rested his head back slowly.

Fred opened her eyes and glanced at Lorne, who was silently looking out the window, probably trying to see Angel and Cordelia through the rain.

“Do you think they’re going to be alright?” she asked in a strained, sleepy voice.

“Yeah sweetie…they’re going to be alright.” Lorne softly spoke, managing a tiny exhausted smile.

“Not exactly the happy ending I was lookin’ for.” Gunn whispered, leaning against t he cool window, an arm wrapped around Fred’s shoulders.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that…” Lorne answered after a moment.

“What do you mean?” Fred asked, glancing out the window to see what he was looking at.

“Tonight, Princess and Angelcakes let go of the two probably most significant people who will ever come into their lives…but from where I stand, I don’t see any pain or sadness.” He said, staring at the two figures standing in the rain. “I see relief…peace.” He whispered.

“How can we be certain that the future will not turn out to be just as horrible? How can we be certain that life will be better now?” Groo mused, speaking up for the first time in a long time.

“Faith.” Wesley answered, as simply as possible.

“Who knows how things will turn out now…Who knows what the future will bring…” Fred sighed, listening to the rain.

“Only time, sweetie…” Lorne whispered, his eyes never leaving Angel and Cordelia’s shadows. “Only time…”

--

They had been sitting there, on a bench under a little roof at the bus stop, for what seemed like hours. In silence. Side by side.

Angel looked at her and almost forgot that his heart could not beat. In that instant, he was certain he heard at least one tiny beat inside his chest. Her damp hair and soaking wet clothes made her look like a playful little girl, a teenager. Strands of hair stuck to the side of her face and she didn’t seem to care. After a moment, Angel turned his eyes away, looking at the street where ambulances and police cars had previously roamed the place.

“She called me mom…” Cordelia finally let out in a strained whisper, awe filling her every word.

Angel turned to face her once again and their eyes locked. The rain had also had its effect on the vampire’s face, Cordy thought. He looked much younger then usual. He looked vulnerable.

“I know…” Angel smiled, hearing Alessia’s voice once again in the back of his head.

Cordelia paused, capturing the glimpse of happiness and wonder in his eyes as she looked at his handsome face.

“She called you dad…” she then added, in a bare whisper.

Her voice was almost hesitant, shy. Uncertain. But there was this relief and light on her face as she spoke them. Angel opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t. The words simply did not come to him, and even though he was not prone to engage in long meaningful conversations, this time, Cordelia could not blame him. Speechlessness seemed very appropriate at the moment.

“Wow…” the word escape Cordy’s lips after a long silence and she just looked down in front of her, grabbing the side of the bench gently with both hands.

Angel looked at her, waiting for more of that awe-filled comment.

“I saw her…” she continued, looking up into his eyes, knowing that he understood everything she was implying, all the things she didn’t know how to describe. “When she let me look into her…I really saw her…” Cordelia swallowed back her emotions as a small tear of joy rolled down her cheek. “I saw her heart…” she whispered. “I felt…everything, as if I had been there. It wasn’t like a vision, it was more like a dream…but the things that I saw…and felt…” she couldn’t even express them with words.

She didn’t have to. Angel understood it perfectly.

“I know.” He replied, tenderly, as he took a deep unnecessary breath. “I’ve been having some dreams recently too that have felt so very real…” he confessed.

“What kind of dreams?” Cordelia asked, turning to him with the softest expression on her face.

“Uh…well…” he looked a bit embarrassed for a moment, if that’s even possible for a vampire. “Just…dreams.” He said, trying to hide the glimpse of a smile on his lips.

Cordy raised an eyebrow, smiling nervously, and then felt a little flushed for a moment.

“Oh.” She simply said, smiling to herself, feeling a little embarrassed by Angel’s confession, but also strangely amused.

The two of them sat there in complete silence for a few more minutes, before Cordy spoke again.

“You were alive…” she said, as if still not believing it, and Angel looked at her. “In her memories…you were alive…you had…” she stopped and then frowned, as if noticing something for the first time. “Facial hair??” she surprised herself by saying it out loud.

“What??” Angel looked at her suspiciously, and she suddenly let out a small chuckle as she remembered one of the images Alessia had let her see.

“You had this…thing…like you hadn’t shaved in a couple of days…it looked…Well…” she laughed, remembering it perfectly now.

“From the look on your face, I’ll throw a wild guess and say ‘Funny’?” Angel said in a quiet voice.

Cordy looked at him with that smile of hers that he loves so much.

“Well, I was going to say handsome, but if you insist.” She said throwing her hands in the hair.

The two of them smiled at one another softly and fell silent again. Angel heard Cordelia’s rhythmic heart beat in his ear and found it somewhat comforting. After everything they had lived in the past three days – the things they’d seen and learned about the world and about each other – it almost seemed unreal that they would be sitting there feeling this way now. Angel had just let his son go, and Cordelia had watched her daughter disappear, and yet, there wasn’t horrible pain, or deep sorrow. He didn’t feel like staking himself or taking a walk into the sunlight. He felt…

Good.

It baffled him a little until he realized that Cordelia was feeling the same way. There was this warmth, this relief, peacefulness that overcame them. Faith in the future. Faith in the decisions they had been forced to make.

Suddenly, Angel felt Cordelia’s fingers on his forearm and stood still. Her hand slowly traveled on his damp coat and finally found his cold hand. At the feel of her gentle, yet tentative touch, he slowly turned to look at her. She wasn’t looking at his face. Her eyes were glued to their entwined hands and she held his gently.

“This thing…” she hesitated, as if looking for the right words. “These feelings…” she whispered, her voice strained and hopeful. “They were there long before Alessia came, weren’t they?” she asked him, finally looking into his eyes.

Angel wrapped his fingers around hers and held her hand tightly into his and looked down. He simply nodded in response, finding it hard to capture his own voice at the moment.

“Angel…” Cordelia’s voice was soft and sweet in his ears.

“Cordelia, I should have told you as soon as Alessia told me…I know this is probably not what you expected, or wanted…this is…” he quickly rambled on and on.

His words were cut short when Cordelia let go of his hand and grabbed his face tenderly, bringing his face down to hers in one long, emotion-filled kiss. The instant surprise of her gesture quickly wore off and all thoughts of what he had been about to say left him. The kiss seemed to last forever, happening all in slow motion.

When she pulled away, slightly enough to rest her forehead against his, she held her breath, despite the fact that she needed the air. She still cupped his face in her hands and finally took a deep breath, keeping her eyes closed. She felt Angel brush away the dripping wet hair from her face and tuck a few strands behind her ears. The two of them stood like that, speechless, for several seconds, lips inches apart.

“I was wrong you know…” Cordelia finally whispered, sending her warm breath brushing against his face.

“About what?” He softly spoke, holding the side of her face as well now.

“Things don’t feel so complicated anymore…” she whispered, opening her eyes to look into his.

Their eyes locked and in that instant, they knew. With one kiss, they had once felt like they were complicating matters even more. This time, it felt so simple. So…right.

Slowly, their lips met again in a slow, deep kiss that grew both in intensity and depth as the seconds flew by. Their lips moved together perfectly, and Cordelia suddenly got a flash of those kisses in Alessia’s visions. That love. That sense of belonging. It was there, with every touch and every kiss…she could feel it now.

“You always said it was pouring rain when you realized that you were in love with him…”

Angel wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him and Cordelia smiled and laughed softly through the kiss, as the sound of the rain all around them echoed into the night…

--

And as it always was, time went by. The events of that night, and Alessia’s brief presence in their lives, would surely shape the years to come and the lives of everyone involved. That night, Angel and Cordy came to a silent realization. After that, one would have had to be blind not to see the connection and feelings between the two. Love. At first it felt strange on Cordy’s lips. She never thought she would fall in love with a vampire…much less with one named Angel. But as the months went by, loving him became the easiest thing she’d ever done. It came naturally.

Lilah recovered from her gunshot wound, and never pressed charges against Cordelia for firing the gun. It probably would have made things too easy, not satisfying enough. But after many trials and errors, Wolfram and Hart became a mere threat to Angel Investigations.

And as it appears, Alessia had been right. A year later, Angel’s soul was anchored permanently. And as the years went by, Angel and Cordy often saw glimpses of the future Alessia had known and described. Some good things, some bad ones. Faith’s released from prison did not equal the end of her redemption, but slowly, she regained the trust of the people around her. And slowly, but surely, lives changed, became entwined, got pushed apart and then back together…the ups and downs of life, really. And somewhere along the line, friendships were reaffirmed, some grew deeper, love stories began and ended, some lasted…

Life went on. A new life. A new future.

2006

“You!” Cordelia gritted through her teeth, her voice low, strained, and filled with pain.

Sweat rolled down her forehead and around her intense frown as she repeated her accusatory ‘you’ one more time. She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, noises and voices slowly coming into earshot around her.

“You…” said again, this time letting her head fall back on the bed with a huge thump. “This is all your fault!” she said through her teeth, breathing heavily.

Angel gathered her into his arms but she pushed him away, obviously in pain and not knowing how to position herself anymore. Angel looked like a lost boy by her side, not knowing when or where to touch her, or when to speak.

“Alright, Cordelia…you’re doing great…” Willow’s voice was heard from the edge of the bed.

By her side stood two very horrified, twisted faces: Faith and Buffy. The two slayers seemed to flinch every time Cordelia did. Who would have thought giving birth would frighten the two probably most powerful slayers Cordy had ever met. Granted, they were the only two slayers she knew, but still…Willow, now a doctor, had rushed to Cordelia’s apartment as soon as Cordelia had begun to have her contractions.

“Why didn’t we go to a hospital?!” Faith let out, hurting for the woman lying on the bed before them.

“They tend to specialize in full 100% human babies…we never know, with Cordy being part-demon and all, what this baby will…” Willow started, looking up from her task.

“Willow!!” Angel and Cordy yelled at once and glared at her.

“Right. Perfectly human-looking it will be!” Willow corrected herself with an embarrassed grin. "We'll get them to a hospital once the perfectly normal and human looking baby is born." she emphasized the description of the child strongly.

Buffy and Faith had been looking in amusement for the last half hour at Angel and Cordelia’s behaviors. Cordy had pushed Angel’s tentatively comforting hands away from her several times. One second she was clinging to him and the other she was ordering him to stay silent and to not touch her. Both, Buffy and Faith, had to repress a smile at the baffled and concerned look on Angel’s face.

“Don’t.!”

“Cordy…”

“Don’t…don’t talk…don’t say word…”

“But…”

“It’s getting on my nerves…Angel…don’t say a word!”

“What, they can talk to you but I can’t?”

“Yes!!”

“Cordy…”

“That’s a word!” she said through her teeth as she let her head fall back on the pillow with exhaustion and pain.

“But…”

“Another one!”

“Cor…”

A loud groan escaped her throat and Angel fell silent instantly, while Buffy and Faith burst out laughing on the other side of the bed.

“Hormones.” Buffy simply told him, trying to reassure him.

“Next time, you get to carry it for nine months…” Cordy then said, breathing heavily and Angel nodded.

“Okay.” He agreed instantly.

What was he? Stupid? Like he was going to argue with her now!

“You go through all the pain.”

“Of course.”

“You give birth to him or her!”

“Whatever you want.” He nodded again, agreeing to every single word she was saying in her delirium.

“Why don’t they make drugs for part-demons, huh?!” she then gritted and Angel squeezed her hand and swallowed back as he stood by her side.

Buffy, Willow and Faith exchanged an amused and envious glance as they watched and listened to the couple. One second they were arguing and the next they were whispering sweet nothings to one another. It brought a smile to the three women looking on.

Cordelia felt another contraction and grabbed the side of the bed, trying to hold back the painful groan inside her throat. Angel grabbed one of her hands, wiping the sweat away from her face, trying to say comforting things to her even through his awkwardness and nervousness.

“This is all your fault!” she said again, pointedly looking at him with an accusatory glare.

“That’s right! Go Woman!” Faith exclaimed and Buffy elbowed her quickly. “What? I’m encouraging her…we’re the pep-squad team…isn’t that what we’re here for?” she looked at Buffy as innocently as Faith possibly could.

“My fault?” Angel defended himself, still grabbing her hand. “May I remind you that you were quite active in this…in fact, you were…” he said with wide eyes.

“Okay!” Willow exclaimed suddenly. “Do we really need to hear this?” she asked.

Cordelia lifted her head and looked at Willow with a raised eyebrow.

“You’ve got both hands in placenta at the moment, are you really going to start getting prudish on me now???” Cordy breathed out.

“Right.” Willow responded. “Point taken. Please feel free to continue.” She pointed towards Angel, who suddenly felt embarrassed.

“You were up to the part about the juicy details of your hot and passionate sex lives...” Faith said when he didn’t speak.

Buffy glared at her as if she was a child who had done something terribly wrong. Faith shrugged, bummed she didn’t get her juicy details, but didn’t have the time to respond. Cordelia painful scream alerted them all.

“Alright, Cordelia…I’m going to need you to push now…” Willow informed her. “You can do it…you’re doing great…just a few more pushes…” she repeated.

“I’m pushing!” an irritated Cordy said through her teeth.

Cordy was obviously in pain and Angel wrapped his arms around her, holding her and grabbing her hand with his. He looked into her eyes and saw the sweat and the tears and the love and the fear…

He looked at a loss for a moment there, looking at her silently.

“Can I speak now?” he asked, his voice sounding like that of a child.

“Yes…” Cordy whispered, clinging to his hand.

Angel placed a long, loving kiss on her forehead, whispering to her, as the voices around them became a bit blurry. Cordelia heard Willow guide her through the very difficult delivery, with Angel right by her side through it all.

Outside, waiting impatiently, were the rest of the Scoobies and Fang Gang, as well as Cordelia’s parents, whom Cordy was still estranged with, but both sides were making efforts. It was a beginning.

Hours later.

The small cries of a baby were heard in the room, while Cordelia almost limply fell back into Angel’s arms, completely drained of strength and energy. Alessia had warned her the delivery was going to be tough, but this definitely had been worse than what she’d anticipated. She tried to catch her breath as Angel stroke her wet, sweaty hair with both hands, placing gentle kisses on her cheek.

“You did it…” Willow let out, emotionally drained as well. “Wow…” she whispered, looking down at her arms.

Cordy found the energy to lift her head as tears welled up in her eyes.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” she asked, expectantly.

“Whoa…nice tail…” Willow said her eyes growing wide.

Cordy and Angel jerked up with a loud: “What?!” and Willow burst out laughing. At the look on Angel’s face, she realized the joke may have been too much.

“Where’s the humor…” she smiled and then looked up to see Cordelia’s exhausted face.

Willow carefully placed the baby in Cordelia’s arms.

“You have a beautiful little girl…” Willow said, stepping back and joining Buffy and Faith near the door as they all watched the scene before them.

Angel felt his heart stop and held his breath as he looked down at the precious child in Cordelia’s arms. Cordy’s trembling hands wrapped around the tiny baby and a tear rolled down her face. She felt Angel’s lips on her forehead as he held her in his arms.

A baby girl.

Their baby girl.

--

Hours later…

Cordelia was woken by the sound of a small, child-like voice filling her ears.

“Is that her?” she heard the voice of a little boy whisper. “Is it?” he repeated, excitement filling his voice. “She’s so little…” he said in wonder. “Can I touch her? Can I hold her?”

Cordy slowly opened her eyes and frowned at her surrounding. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in Angel’s arms as their newborn little girl slept beside the hospital bed in her little crib.

When she opened her eyes, everything around was white. She was lying on a large white bed with white sheets. The walls around her were white, through the windows came a white light, the floor was white…And then here eyes traveled to the other corner of the empty room and that’s when she saw them.

Skip and a little boy were looking down into the crib where baby Alessia was sleeping.

“She’s so tiny…Is it really her?” the boy asked excitedly.

Cordelia slowly pushed the sheets off of her legs and stood up, wearing a white hospital gown. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Awe and disbelief swept through her, as well as slight confusion. She carefully walked towards the two figures, silently.

The boy then turned from the crib and saw her. He escaped Skip’s gentle hold and stood in front of Cordelia with a wide grin on his face. Cordelia felt her heart stop.

“Six months early…” Skip finally spoke, looking at her lovingly.

Cordelia knew what he was referring to and she smiled back. In this new future, Alessia had been born six months earlier…

“I was never one for patience.” She confessed and then looked down at the little boy who was staring at her.

“Are you Cordy?” he asked and Cordelia bent down in front of him, in awe of the little boy.

Cordelia was suddenly speechless as she realized just who this little boy was.

“The one and only.” Skip answered him.

“You’re pretty.” The boy smiled and Cordy laughed softly.

“And you’re all grown up…” Cordy whispered in an emotion-filled voice as tears filled her eyes. “We don’t have much time…but the Powers wanted to give you a little congratulatory gift…” Skip spoke softly as Cordy’s eyes went back to the little boy.

This was a glimpse of what they soon would have. One day. When? Who knew…but someday. Maybe not now, but one of these days, this little boy would run on that beach and into his father's arms, just like Alessia had shown Cordelia. Just like it should be.

“Is this her? Is this Alessia?” the boy asked with such excitement in h is voice Cordy couldn’t help but giggle.

“Yeah…” she whispered, happily.

“She’s so little…” the boy laughed.

“She’s going to have big shoes to fill.” Skip said as he looked down at the tiny baby.

“No.” Cordy informed him, taking a deep breath. “Just her own.”

If there was one thing she and Angel had always agreed on, it was that whoever this baby girl turned out to be, they never would try to make her into someone she wasn’t. They knew she would not be the girl they’d met years ago. They never tried to recreate the future….they just lived it.

There was a long pause between the two as Cordy looked at the boy’s face. He had the same features as his father. She could see Angel’s eyes in that little face of his. Then, Connor did something that took Cordelia by surprise. The boy reached out and let his small fingers run across her face. He slowly traced the lines on her forehead and then lingered around her eyebrows as if he was marvelling in the feel of it. The look in his eyes was one of pure innocence, as if touching a stranger’s face was something completely ordinary. He continued to travel down her cheek, and then he touched her nose gently…

Cordy let him, unable to take her eyes away from him, holding her breath.

“You look a little like her…” a four-year-old Connor whispered to her as he stilled his hand on her left cheek.

“Who?” Cordy found herself asking.

“My guardian angel…” he grinned.

Cordy felt her heart skip a beat as she looked up to find Skip looking down at them.

“She gave me a message for you…” Connor then spoke.

“What is it?” Cordy tenderly inquired.

Connor quickly wrapped his arms around her neck and place and tiny gentle kiss on her cheek, hugging her like only children know how to do. Cordelia closed her eyes and held the little boy tightly in her arms and then a warmth swept through her and she saw a huge flash of white light sweep through the room.

Cordy opened her eyes and found herself lying down on the hospital bed, with Angel’s arm wrapped around her protectively and lovingly. She looked around at the dark room and then at the crib beside the bed where a tiny Alessia slept soundly. She shifted her eyes to a sleepy Angel as he stirred by her side. A smile came across her lips as she realized what had just happened. The PTBs weren’t known for nice gestures, but they always seemed to have a soft spot for Alessia. They’d witnessed it that night in the rain.

“Cordy?” he asked, his voice rusty and filled with sleep.

“Shhh….” She said, leaning forward and giving him and soft kiss on the cheek.

“What was that for?” he asked with a sleepy smile.

“That was from a friend…” she smiled in the dark, wrapping her arms around his neck. “And that’s from me…” she said as she slowly captured his lips with hers, enjoying the feel of him kissing her back.

A tiny little voice spoke to her from the heart as she nestled in Angel’s arms.

”It’s what’s in the middle that counts…”

END