Cangel Appreciate Week Day 2
Author’s Note: I apologize for nothing
Tuesday - Family
“You know what I think we should do this year?” Fred asked, her teeth biting down at her lower lip with delight. She paused, perhaps for dramatic effect, perhaps waiting for someone to ask her ‘what’, but no one looked up. Cordelia glanced at her from where she was typing up an invoice. She arched a brow in silent question.
“Christmas!” She was met with silent stares.
“Think about Connor. He should have Santa. And a tree, and presents!”
“Pretty sure Angel is not a practicing Christian, Fred,” Cordy offered.
“I mean, at this point isn’t Santa pretty much secular anyway,” the young woman tried.
“Is that some kind of Buddhism?”
“Secular means, non-religious, Cordelia,” Wesley offered from his place at the bookshelf.
"Whatever," Cordelia said. "I don't know about that argument…"
"What about the argument that Connor deserves presents and a tree and Christmas joy as much as any other kid?" Fred entreated, not to be dissuaded.
"That might work…"
After all, Angel was always bemoaning wanting his son to have a 'normal' life, which - face it- he didn't.
"You'll just have to broach the subject with him once he and Gunn return from destroying that nest of Hal'toth demons," Wesley suggested with an encouraging smile.
Beaming, Fred decided to do just that.
~~
“I don't’ know, Fred,” Angel said, wiping blood off the last of his swords before carefully storing it away. “I don’t really do… you know, religious stuff.”
“But Santa!”
“A bearded stranger who sneaks into the house while everyone is sleeping is not exactly a story I want to be telling my son.”
“He’s leaving gifts! Not stealing things,” Fred insisted.
“He demands payment in cookies and milk.”
“To be fair I don’t think the cookies are required,” Wesley offered.
“Once Connor starts school all the other kids are going to be talking about Santa, and presents and all the fun toys they get,” Fred put in.
“She does have a point,” Cordelia agreed.
“Not all the kids, surely there might be some Jewish kids or Muslims…” Wesley considered. Fred shot him a look of shock at his betrayal and he hastily added. “But they do have their own celebrations and gift exchanges! Of course.”
Angel frowned, weighing the thought of his son feeling envious of these schoolmates who didn’t even exist yet, with his own desire not to celebrate this particular holiday which held so many mixed emotions and memories for him - most of them poor.
“Don’t you start brooding about the past over there, Mister,” Cordelia said, poking him hard in the shoulder. “No one is going to drag you to a Catholic Mass to repent your yearly sins, roast a goose on the open fire or demand you start singing caroles.”
“Ooooh, caroles would be nice though,” Fred sighed.
“No, you’ve heard them sing,” Wesley hissed and she quickly wrinkled her nose.
“Actually, yeah, no carolling.”
“We can make our own traditions,” Cordy continued, ignoring the byplay. “Like gifts of expensive jewelry and a catered dinner.”
“I don’t think Connor is going to want expensive jewelry, Cordelia,” Wesley said. “We could have a tree!” Fred said. “It would look so festive in the lobby. And decorations. A…and a family dinner sounds nice, actually.”
“We’re not ordering in from Taco Barn,” Cordelia told her.
“I thought Chinese food was the Christmas tradition,” Gunn put in.
“I’m pretty sure a home-cooked meal is the tradition at holidays,” Wesley corrected. Gunn shrugged. “But no one here except Angel can cook something more complicated than a Hungry Man Meal.” “I am not cooking a Christmas dinner,” Angel groaned. “I don’t want a tree and decorations. Enough with this Santa stuff.”
He walked off, mind made up.
~~
“How did I let you talk me into this?” Angel complained for the tenth time as Cordelia surveyed his clothes with a critical eye.
“I didn’t. Fred showed Connor that stop-motion Santa movie and he was so delighted with it you caved like a wet paper bag.” She smirked, humming under her breath as she straightened his jacket.
“I didn’t want to do a tree, and decorations….” “And yet, the lobby is covered in so much tinsel it’s like elves threw up down there,” she responded cheerily.
“You’re not being very sympathetic.”
“Nope, not at all.” She grinned at him. “I’m loving every minute of this. I’m taking pictures.” “Cordelia,” he warned.
“You don’t look very threatening with that thing on your face,” she laughed, tugging the white whiskers.
“It’s itchy.”
“Hush,” she said, placing the Santa cap atop his head to hide his hair. “Connor will love it.”
Grumbling he practically had to be dragged from the room and shoved bodily down the stairs with his sack of toys flung over his back. “You’re glowering,” she hissed, elbowing him.
He spotted his son’s wide, innocent gaze, wary and curious, and forced himself to look neutral.
“You’re supposed to say Ho, Ho, Ho,” Gunn told him with a smarmy smirk on his face. He was definitely going to play Santa next year. Or better yet, an elf. In tights, with curly-toed shoes.
“Hey there…. Connor,” he said, trying to make himself smile, without being terrifying. Pretend to be jolly. Remember that time you played that annoying Vampire in the loud suits, he told himself. You can act. You’re better than Cordelia by a mile! “Merry… er, Christmas!”
“Smooth,” Cordy whispered, rolling her eyes at him.
“Look, Connor!” Fred said. “Santa has some presents for you!”
“Santa?” Connor beamed, then looked at him with those big eyes and Angel couldn’t help but smile now for real, wide and genuine. His love for his son overriding his embarrassment of the situation.
Maybe it was worth it all.
“Let’s see what you got,” he said, kneeling down by the toddler to pull the first of (too) many gifts from the overloaded sack. He would admit that a fair amount of them were from him, but Connor’s honorary family, the people here who loved him, had contributed more than plenty themselves.
~~
Later… when Cordelia cornered him under the mistletoe she found him scrolling through all the photos she’d taken, smiling at every childhood joy. She tugged off that scratchy beard and kissed him, whispering a Merry Christmas and he thought maybe new traditions, with his new family, weren’t such a scary thing after all.
~Fin
