Guardians
© Kylie
Sometimes in life things are revealed to you slowly -- over time you come to a realization.
And sometimes realization hits you like a lightning bolt, leaving you shaken and unsure of where to step next.
For the big lug it was a combination of the two. My favorite. Sort of a combination of a gender reversed 'Pride and Prejudice' and the instant attraction in 'Titanic' -- a movie that drives Christy nuts. Christy lost one of her charges on that ship. Now every time she even *hears* about 'Titanic' she starts muttering about stubborn Captains who can't take a hint.
Perhaps I should explain things a little. Christy and I are Guardian Angels... kinda. We're not really angels, but we *are* guardians.
Of a sort.
I'm not really explaining this well, am I?
*Sigh* I'll try taking it from the top. Bear with me, I failed this part of the course at the academy. Twice.
I was once human. Just your everyday run of the mill teenage girl growing up during the late 1100's. Yes, that does mean I'm waaaay old. I died in a horse riding accident -- which is to say that my mother at least had the comfort of being able to say she told me to stay away from Thunder, but did I listen? No.
Death.
Heaven is nice. Really, really nice. But after a couple of hundred years I got bored. And being stuck perpetually at the age of 19 -- just young enough to still get a kick out of creating havoc, and old enough to know better -- I started creating my own fun.
For future reference, shaving Mike's head while he sleeps and the tye-dying the Oracle's togas bright fuchsia and neon orange does not put the authorities in a good mood.
The PTB's in charge up there decided that they had better find something constructive for me to do. So they sent me to ... well I'd say Hell, but I'm sure that Hell has more comfortable furniture.
Actually it was Guardian School. Think the most restrictive private boarding school you can imagine and you'll be halfway to understanding what it was like.
I finally graduated -- two years after the rest of my class, don't ask -- and with my newly signed certificate that qualified me to Guide and Guard mortals, I was given my first charge.
It was a qualified disaster.
The PTB's weren't very impressed that I'd somehow managed to Guide and Guard my mortal into becoming a serial killer. That situation was brought to an end when a more senior guardian managed to guide my charge's wife into killing him. I'm still a little smug at the fact that the wife was caught, tried and convicted, while my charge was never caught.
Needless to say I wasn't given another charge for almost a hundred years. And was only given this charge because the boss was scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to find someone for the job.
So I came into the picture with Cordelia Chase a little later than was normal. She was eight when I first laid eyes on her, standing hands on hips in the middle of a sand pit, telling a young boy off.
I liked her immediately. There was just something about her that I could identify with. Maybe it was the stubborn streak a mile wide, her intelligence, courage, or the way she could cut someone off at the knees with nothing more than a look or a few carefully chosen words -- an ability I've tried for years to cultivate, with no success. I tend to babble too much.
In any case I couldn't figure out what it was about the young girl that kept sending the other guardians running. Until high school, where both she and I discovered that vampires, demons, etc, etc were real.
Mike had a huge smirk on his face during my tirade about being left out of that particular loop. I later found out why when I discovered that someone had taken pictures of me red faced, pissed off, yelling and gesturing like a mad woman. When I find out who...
But I digress.
There are times of course that things haven't gone the way I'd like. We Guide and Guard our mortals, we can't impose our will on them, no matter how much easier it would be if we could. Cordelia's stubborn streak doesn't help much in that area I'm afraid. I can send her all the suggestions I've got, but ultimately it's up to her.
Things like Xander.
Ok, so maybe he was more of a joint decision. What can I say? I liked the guy. Right up to when we caught him kissing Willow, where he promptly became Numero Uno on my 'Kill, Maim, Torture' list.
Yes. I'm more than a little obsessive in my loyalty.
Ok, Ok, so I admit that if I'd been paying more attention to Cordelia and less attention to how much I wanted to wring the young boy's neck, then maybe Cordelia wouldn't have ended up with the rebar through her stomach. I thought I'd be raked over the coals for that slip, but no. For some reason the boss just took it in stride with nothing more than a satisfied nod.
Which should have been my first clue that something was up.
LA.
When Cordelia met Angel again, I was surprised. He had a different Guardian than when I'd first seen him. I guess the trip to Hell was a bit to much for old Percy. Christy however is much more... adventurous than Percy was. Which is a very good thing considering Angel's current activities.
I have Christy to thank for Cordelia being alive now and not Russell Winter's dinner.
Compared to those first few months in LA, Sunnydale and the Hellmouth was a picnic. Do you have any idea how tiring it is being a Guardian for a beautiful woman in LA? Especially one trying to break into acting? Especially a increasingly desperate would-be starlet?
So while she climbed into the limo for her 'date' with Russell, I was getting some much needed sleep. I figured that not much could happen that she couldn't handle on her own.
Again, the boss taking this in his stride should have told me something. By now flashing neon warning signs should have been going off, complete with alarms and bells.
But no.
After Angel (and Christy) rescued Cordelia from Russell Winters things got better. With three of us -- myself, Christy and George -- hanging around the new Angel Investigations, at least we could sleep in shifts.
Until Doyle sacrificed himself.
Have you ever gone a full week with no sleep?
I don't recommend it. Even for us Guardians it's a bitch.
Not that I got much sleep for the next couple of weeks after that either. And it was all Zach's fault.
I like Wesley, really I do. However, his Guardian left something to be desired. Actually his Guardian left almost everything to be desired. I've taken a peek into English's head, I know how he views his father, and I gotta say that Zach was almost a carbon copy.
Not only was almost nothing Wes did good enough, but the bugger wouldn't even help looking after Angel and Cordy!
We wanted George back, after all, he had to be reassigned to somebody, right? So me and Christy ganged up on Zach. Finally pissed him off enough that he quit. Unfortunately we didn't get George like we'd hoped, however we like John much better than Zach.
And so it seems, does Wesley. It's amazing what not having a disapproving bastard constantly whispering in your ear will do. Even better, what having friends will do.
And so our little guardian family has grown as AI has.
Myself, Christy, John, Jack, on occasion Catharine and now Alicia.
It's us against pretty much everyone else. Including our boss, who doesn't really like the idea of us getting all clique-y, but can't do anything about it. Aside from Angel's beige period -- which still has Christy cursing the 'free will' part -- our record stands for itself. Our group is all still alive... er... whole and safe. Mostly. We've managed to work out a routine that works pretty well for the day to day things, leaving us plenty of spare time.
A dangerous thing around me, as I've already told you.
Me and Christy have spent quite a bit of time over the last few months watching Angel watch Cordelia.
It was kinda romantic how he was suddenly poleaxed with the realization of just how important she had become to him. Ok, so I didn't get so see that, being on the other side of the portal as I was. Hell beast? Very scary. But Christy gave me a blow by blow description of everything I'd missed.
John and Jack just shake their heads at us when we start talking about Angel's changing feelings for Cordy, they don't get it. Alicia isn't too sure of us yet, but she seems to think the whole thing is amusing.
It's our very own version of a soap opera.
He's been slowly realizing that he *love* loves Cordy.
And she's been oblivious.
Which has me beat, because I can't figure out how Cordelia, who had no problem identifying interested males in high school, is so blind to it now.
It was Alicia who put forward the idea that makes the most sense to me now.
After Wilson Christopher -- Numero Duo on my 'Kill, Maim, Torture' list -- Cordelia stopped seeing herself as someone who could have a romantic relationship. A romantic relationship implies a sexual relationship at some point and Cordy doesn't see herself in that kind of relationship anymore. She's said it herself; '"Sex is bad."'
In that respect, Angel was safe. As far as she was concerned he was a 'no bone', effectively a eunuch because of the curse.
Until recent developments meant that realization hit her like a lightning bolt.
Angel has a son. Angel slept with Darla. And yes I agree with Alicia's assessment of *that*; EWWW!
But it's forced Cordelia to reassess her view of Angel. He isn't a eunuch. And despite being a vampire he *is* male.
Which is going to make things *very* interesting around here over the next few months. Not to mention that now that they have a little tyke to take care of, we're going to be getting another addition to our Guardian family. Which means somebody else to annoy, plot with, bet with and generally help around here. I have the feeling were going to need all the help we can get in the next few months.
******
"Two years, and you *still* haven't gotten them together? What good are ya?"
Ekaterina knew that Irish accent.
"George?"
"I get reassigned for two lousy years and ..."
"*You're* assigned to the little tyke?" Christy splutters as stares at the familiar form of Doyle's old Guardian.
"Yep. Managed to convince the boss that you needed help from someone who actually knew what they were doing."
"Hey!"
"Ok. I admit you haven't done too badly." George grinned. "Especially when you consider Kat's last assignment."
"Hey!"
George just grinned at his two old friends, then turned to study their charges.
Kat narrowed her eyes suspiciously as George contemplated the scene Angel, Cordelia and the baby made. What was he up to? If he thought he was going to do anything to Cordy other than protect her, he was badly mis... Hang on.
*Still haven't got them together?*
Ohhh.
She shared a grin with Christy. "Wanna bet we can get them together by Fourth of July?"
"Puh-lease." George sounded insulted. "You're talking to an experienced Guardian, darlin'. Before New Year."
"Second week of February." Alicia called out, dangling by her fingertips from one blade of the overhead fan.
John and Jack rolled their eyes and shook their heads. After a couple of moments; "Easter."
Christy grinned. "One week after her birthday."
"Oh ye of little faith...."
End.