Title: Mirage
Author: Shirley (TopazAngel)
Posted: 03-27-2003
Email:
Rating: PG13
Category:
Content: Cordelia/Angel
Summary: Cordelia has revealed her secret to Angel and the rest of AI, when someone comes in claiming to be the real Cordy they don’t know who to believe.
Spoilers: Season Four, anything that has aired, plus some mild speculation for future episodes, but nothing solid after “Orpheus”
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: Acts Of Fate, Silverlake, Losing Grip, Nothing Fancy, Shippers United, anywhere else, feel free to ask, I’ll say yes!
Notes: Denial rocks.
Feedback: Please!
Dedication: To all the C/Aers out there that refuse to lose hope, no matter what Joss and the rest of the MEanies throw at us. I know there aren’t many left, but to those that are still around, this is for you. And Tonnie, because now that I have my hope back, I am more determined than ever to get yours back! Tonnie thanks for the beta and the title!

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Part 1

“Cordy?” Angel asked, as the brunette walked down the stairs.

“I know…I should have said something, but I didn’t know until we decided to go through with the whole Angelus thing, and we had bigger problems than this me being, well, with child,” She answered.

“Did Connor,” He looked to his son, “Did you know about this Connor?” He turned back to Cordelia, who was now at the bottom of the stairs, “It is his, isn’t it?” He asked her, not really wanting to hear either answer.

“Yes. Duh. Why do you think I have been locked in that room all week. I was scared to tell you guys. I mean, its growing so fast…I just…I didn’t know what you would think,” She said, as if she was terrified, “and I just…I mean, I guess I was scared.”

“Its okay Cordelia. You should sit down,” Wesley said, motioning towards the couch.

“Thanks,” She said, with a smile, moving towards the couch.

“Let me get you a glass of water,” Fred said sweetly.

“Thanks.”

Angel walked over, and sat down next to Cordelia on the small couch in the lobby of the Hyperion. He should have been angry. But he just couldn’t be. He was more scared than anything. He had only been gone for a little more than a week, and before he had left, she hadn’t been, or at least he didn’t think she had been showing any signs of pregnancy. Which seemed impossible, because here he was sitting next to her, and she looked as if she was almost ready to go into labor.

“Are you feeling okay?” He asked.

“Do I look like I’m feeling okay?” She snapped, “I am as big as a house…My feet are swollen, I can barely get out of bed…Yeah, I am perfectly okay!” She said sarcastically.

“I know, dumb question, is there anything I can do?” He asked her.

“Yeah. You can promise me you won’t do anything to hurt my baby. I know you probably want to kill it or whatever you think is necessary…But its my baby. And Connor and I, we are going to have a family.”

“Cordelia…I…” Angel couldn’t get words to form. This is the woman he had grown to love, and here she was, telling him she was having a child with his son…And that they were going to be a family…Not to mention it was irrational to think there weren’t going to be negative repercussions from this entire situation. Just two weeks ago…She was…It was too much for Angel.

“Fine. You want to have this baby…You don’t want me interfering? You want to raise it with Connor…Then I can’t watch. You’re smart enough to know that this baby probably isn’t human and that it’s a huge mistake to go into this blindly, but if you want to, be my guest. But you won’t do it in front of me. Now, take my son…Your lover or whatever the hell he is, and get the fuck out of this hotel. I am not going to watch you do this to yourself.”

“Fine. You want me gone, I’m gone.” She said, getting up, “Come on Connor!” She demanded.

He gave Angel a look of pure hate, and followed Cordelia out.

“What are you doing Angel? You could get them both killed,” Wesley said rationally.

“The beast is gone. Connor can take care of himself.”

“And Cordy? What if this child, if it is a child at all, harms her, will you be able to live with yourself?”

“Wesley, stay out of it, okay? Cordelia is a grown woman, and she can take care of herself. She’s the one that screwed up. Let her figure it out and clean it up for herself,” He said, walking upstairs.

Fred walked up to Wesley, glass of water in hand, “Do you think Angel’s being a little irrational? I mean, sure, Connor is his son, and Cordelia was the closest thing to a mother Connor ever had, and…Okay…not being irrational,” Wesley smiled fondly at Fred’s rambling, but quickly remembered the problem at hand.

“Fred, Angel has to work things out. He loved Cordelia, and it has to get used to the idea that she is with Connor, as we all do, but she is with Connor. The pregnancy thing, is another issue all together. Angel is right about that. We have no idea of knowing if that child is even good or evil. And neither does Cordy. The part where he was wrong was kicking her out. The last thing she and Connor need right now is to have to deal with this themselves.”

“Do you think we should maybe go talk to him?” She asked Wesley softly. Fred spoke soft, almost childlike. She had a sweet naivety about her that Wesley had always loved.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea Fred. Angel probably needs to be alone,” Gunn said cutting into their conversation.

“Gunn is right. Angel needs to gather his thoughts. Cordelia is pregnant with his sons child, that’s not something he is going to take lightly.”

“WHAT!?” The three heard an easily recognizable voice from the front of the lobby. They all spun around at the same time. “I didn’t just hear you say what I *think* I heard you say!” The girl said to Wesley.

“Cordelia?”

“You’re damn right Cordelia! Who the hell do I look like?”

“Well, umm, its just…” Fred trailed off.

“Its like this,” Gunn began, “We already have a Cordelia…And you ain’t her, so you’d better get your ass out of the hotel now.”

“And just who do you think you are Gunn? I don’t know who you have…But its not me! You believe me, don’t you Wesley?” She asked.

“Well,” He said looking at her, “She does talk like Cordelia.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Fred started, “We *have* a Cordelia. I mean, not here…But we have one. They can’t both be Cordy.”

“No we can’t. Which means that I *am*!!!” She screamed.

“I thought I told you to get the hell out?” Angel said, walking down stairs to hear her voice. He didn’t think to look up at her.

“That’s what I am trying to tell these guys…I have no idea what the hell you all are talking about…You can’t have told me to leave because I just *got* here!!!”

Angel looked up. It took a second for him to realize that she was different than the woman who had just left the hotel. She looked how Cordy had looked a year ago, before any of this had happened. He looked like had seen a ghost.

“Angel? Are you okay?” She asked, walking over to him.

“What? Who the hell are you?”

“Are you all blind? Its me! Cor-Del-I-A! CORDELIA! You’re best friend!” She said. She couldn’t see why they wouldn’t accept her, and why the hell did they keep going on about already having a Cordelia.

“No. You’re not. I won’t believe it.” He said, going back upstairs.

“What the hell is *wrong* with everyone?” She said.

The rest of them just stared.

TBC