Title: Unexplored Depths Author: Ped (sturdevk@calweb.com) Couple: Willow/Lindsey Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: All things B:TVS and A:TS belong to Joss Whedon... and he doesn't know I'm playing with his toys, but if I'm very quiet and put them back where I found them, he won't find out for a very long time. Spoilers: This is post TSIL *and* Restless... so the whole season is up for grabs Summary: While visiting LA and her friends there, Willow finds more than just peace of mind Distribution: My Site, http://www7.50megs.com/pedfic/, and anyone else who wants this little puppy just needs to tell where to find it so I can come a visitin' Notes: Character thoughts are contained in [ ] Notes2: This just sprang to mind while I was brainstormin' where to take the three W/Gr pieces I'm working on... my long running C/P/7 series in the ST:VOY fandom... and my KINK story over in the H/X fandom. Dedicated to: Tienco (aka Angela) for inspiring me properly all weekend Willow Rosenberg glances around the club, sighing to herself. [I can't believe I let her drag me here... and on my first night in town! But I *am* supposed to be having fun, it *is* my summer vacation after all.] Willow watches as her friend, and current roommate dances back to the table. Cordelia Chase smiles at the red head sitting at the table. She sits in a chair and snags the cola waiting for her. "War, are you or are you not here in LA to forget life in good old Sunnyhell?" Willow raises an eyebrow at her friend, deciding to find out where Cordelia was going to take this conversation. "I am in LA to help Angel rebuild the agency and to escape, even in the smallest measure, the hell that has become my life in Sunnydale. Why do you ask?" "Because you're acting like you did back in High School. Sitting at the table, ordering drinks for those of us out dancing, and basically trying to blend into the woodwork." Willow glances down at the outfit Cordelia had talked her into wearing that night. A short black skirt, a Jade green crop top, and black sandals. She looks back at her friend. "I highly doubt I'm blending into the woodwork in *this* outfit, Lia!" Cordelia shakes her head. "War, this is LA, not Sunnyhell. You and I *both* know that what you're wearing is considered very tame by the standards here. But my point still stands about they way you're acting. Aren't you also here to forget about the failure of your latest relationship." Cordelia nearly kicks herself when she sees her friend's face crumple.   She gets out of her chair and rushes around the table, enfolding the other woman in her arms. "Goddess War! I didn't mean to say that, you know that right?" Cordelia looks into her friends now watering green eyes. Willow has to smile at the genuine apology she can see in Cordelia's brown eyes. [Who would have thought that Cordelia Chase would ever apologize for not having tact?] She nods her head, and wraps her friend back into a hug. "You're forgiven, for now. But if I agree to dance the night away with you, will you let off the 'Tara is a skanky ho who doesn't deserve my tears' talk for tomorrow? I've had plenty of those kinds of talks the last few days with Buffy and Spike, if you can believe that." Cordelia pulls her friend out of the chair and heads onto the dance floor. They start dancing and Cordelia has to smile at the attention they're getting. She leans towards her friend, "Spike but not Xander?" "Yeah! Xander is all upset that his threesome dreams with me and Tara aren't going to pan out. Plus he never really accepted that I was dating her anyway!" Willow manages to yell back. "Well next time he calls for you at the office, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!" Willow simply chuckles at the threat she can hear in Cordelia's voice. [Watch out Xander, the May Queen is on the warpath!] She happens to look towards the bar and notices a brunette guy staring intently at her. [No wait, he's staring at Cordelia, but not in a good way. Maybe he's someone she's turned down in the past few months. I should check.] She dances closer to Cordelia so she can yell in her ear. "There's a total hottie checking you out by the bar." Cordelia doesn't even glance over, but smiles at her friend. "Male, female, or other?" Willow snorts at her comment, knowing that the club they were at was a known hot spot for the demon population of LA. She opens her senses and scans him, surprised at the mental shields he had. [DAMN! Most humans aren't capable of that level of shielding. He's too strong not to have regular contact with mind readers.] Willow looks at her friend, a smirk on her face. "Human, but definitely familiar with *other*." "Describe him. I'm not going to look until I'm sure it's me he's interested, rather than being jealous that *I* am dancing with the most desirable woman in the club," with shared laughter Cordelia pulls Willow closer to her, and the pair of women begin to dance more intimately with each other. Willow manages to keep part of her attention on the man she has spotted earlier, and grins again. "He just about lost his drink when we started to dance together. So he's definitely watching us, which one he's watching I can't be sure. I *think* he might recognize you, an ex-client perhaps?" Cordelia begins to run her hands over Willows back and rocks their hips together. "Trust me when I say that *if* we'd had any hot clients I would have dated them already. Keep up the description." "Nice suit, conservative tie, cufflinks. His hair is brown with sun highlights, or he has a really good hairstylist, although I doubt it from the way his hair seems to flop into his face. I can't tell what color his eyes are, we're a little too far away for that. But they definitely look intense, like if he wanted to he could look into your soul. He's cradling his right hand near his stomach, like he injured it recently." Cordelia breathes in sharply when she realizes who it might be. She finally dances behind Willow to give herself a good view of whomever Willow was describing to her. She gasps in recognition. [SHIT! I was right.] Instead of reacting, she merely pulls Willow more snugly against her and begins to run her hands down her friends arms, linking their hands and pulling them over their heads. Willow glances back over her shoulder at her friend. Her expression clearly saying, "What in the world are you doing?!?" Cordelia smiles and licks her lips. "That's that lawyer from Wolfram and Hart I told you about a few weeks ago... you know when the Scooby Gang had that not so little fight, and we needed to de-crypt some files?" Willow nods her head, and glances back at the lawyer, who is still watching them. She grins and winks at him, grinning when he straightens slightly at her action. "Sure, I remember you telling me about him. Isn't he a junior partner there now?" "Yeah. After his attack of conscience, and saving those blind kids he decided to stay with the firm." Cordelia manages to turn Willow to face her, but keeps their hands locked together over their heads. "From what Angel told me, he lost his right hand in that battle around over the scroll thing." "The one that mentioned him, and helped him free you from your visions?" "Yeah. I'm way more accepting of my visions now because of it... Angel no longer has the Oracles to go to, I'm his only link to the PTBs." "A bit mind numbing, don't you think?" "Well sure, but I accept it... now." Suddenly a broad grin spreads across her face. "Want to have some fun?" Willow returns her smile. "Sure. What do I have to do?" Cordelia leans in to whisper her plan to her friend. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Lindsey McDonald, junior partner at Wolfram and Hart, couldn't understand why he was sitting in a dance club of all places and watching a woman who was dancing with one of his firm's greatest enemies. [God! I think that crisis I had a few weeks ago effected me more than I thought.] He straightens when he notices the little red head wink at him. [I'm pathetic. I'm now one of the richest lawyers in LA, and I'm lusting after some random female at a dance club. My life is officially in the toilet.] He turns back towards the bar, sipping more of his whiskey rocks. Willow walks right up beside him and says, "I'd like two cokes, and light on the ice this time." Lindsey snaps his attention from his drink to the red head standing next to him. He blinks as her green gaze lazily roams his body from his head to his toes and back to his face. He swallows when he sees the look in her eyes. [If that's not disdain, I don't know what is.] The bartender places the two glasses in front of Willow, and she moves her skirt aside to get the money from the garter belt on her right leg. She hands him the five bucks he wants and turns to face Lindsey, then she grins at him. "It's a lot more fun to participate, Lawyer boy. But then, you know that don't you?" She leaves holding the glasses above her head as she dances back across the floor to hand Cordelia her drink. Lindsey watches as she leaves. [Well that was, interesting. Wonder who she is.] With that thought, Lindsey finishes his drink and leaves the club. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The next morning, Willow walks into the offices of Wolfram and Hart dressed in a suit she never thought she'd wear and carrying a briefcase containing her laptop and all the paperwork she needed from Spike. [I still can't believe Spike talked me into this. Goddess! What I do for my friends.] She lifts her head as she notices the security guards watching her. She walks directly over to them and smiles. "Hi! I was wondering if you two could help me?" The senior of the two guards glances at the young woman before him, and notices she does not register on their scanners as demon. "With what Miss?" Willow bites her lower lip nervously, wondering how to phrase her request. "Well, I'm here to start an account, but I've never done this before... so I'm not entirely sure what I should do." The guard smiles at the girl before him, his fatherly instincts kicking in at her nervous gestures, especially when she tries to tuck a non-existent stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Well, first we need to have a form of picture ID, and we'll issue you a visitors pass. Then we call up to new accounts and they'll send someone down for you." Willow breathes a sigh of release, places her briefcase on the ground, and opens her purse, handing over her driver's license. She watches as the guard runs the magnetic strip through a machine, and nearly smirks at his look of surprise. "Miss Rosenberg?" "Yes?" She smiles sweetly at him. "Did you know that you are on our list of potential allies?" Willow raises an eyebrow at *that* little piece of news. [Interesting. This is something that I bet even Buffy would want to hear about.] She shrugs when the guard glances at her. "No, but that doesn't surprise me. So, can I get that visitors pass from you?" The guard hands her a clipboard, her driver's license and a visitor's pass. Willow fills out the information she needs to and signs her name, clipping the visitor's pass to her left lapel. She puts her drivers license back into her wallet and goes to sit in the chairs, to wait for whoever was coming for her. About fifteen minutes later a well-dressed woman approaches the waiting area and says, "Miss Rosenberg?" Willow first thought is to say, [No, I'm actually the Queen of Sheba.] But she reigns in the impulse and simply smiles as she rises to her feet, bringing her briefcase with her. "Yes. Who are you?" Jade green eyes meet eyes nearly the same shade, and Willow raises her eyebrow at the brunette woman standing in front if her. "My name is Lilah Morgan. I'll be leading you up to the your lawyer's office. Please follow me," Lilah indicates the bank of elevators behind her and Willow resists the urge to stick her tongue out at the lawyer's back. Willow notices the guard that had helped her earlier fighting his laughter and she winks at him as she passes, that cracks him up. His laughter follows her into the elevator and she merely smiles at the look Lilah gives her. "Something I can help you with, Ms. Morgan?" Lilah hears the strength in the young woman's voice, and has to stop herself from reacting. "I was merely wondering what Harold was laughing at." "I'm not really sure. But probably some random though he had. So, whom am I meeting with?" "Our newest junior partner, Lindsey McDonald. For some reason he requested your account when the call came up to our floor. I'm not really sure why, he's usually sent into the court cases. You don't look like someone who needs criminal representation." "Looks can be deceiving, Ms. Morgan. I would recommend you keep your opinions to yourself. I don't take well to people trying to run my life for me, especially not lawyers who don't have the good sense to research who they're trying to hire." With that parting shot, Willow exits the elevator before Lilah. She walks to the floor receptionist and says, "Where's Mr. McDonald's office? I *refuse* to be escorted any further by Lilah Morgan." The receptionist blinks up at the red head standing in front of her desk, then she glances over to the shocked face of Lilah Morgan. [Well, well. Looks like this little lady got to the barracuda.] She smiles at Willow. "Of course, Ms. Rosenberg. Mr. McDonald is expecting you. Take the left corridor and go to the end, you'll see his name on the door." "Thank you," Willow looks down at the nameplate, "Connie." With that Willow follows her directions and knocks on the door. From behind it she hears, "Enter." She takes in a deep breath and opens the door, prepared to face the man behind it. She walks into the office and smiles as he circles around his desk to shake her hand. She shakes his hand firmly and says, "It's good of you to meet with me, Mr. McDonald. I thank you on behalf of my employer." Willow moves to sit in the chair in front of his desk, setting her briefcase on his desk and opening the catches. Lindsey is momentarily stunned at her completely business-like attitude and has to smile at it. [*This* is Willow Rosenberg. The little red head who taunted me so thoroughly last night? This *will* be fun.] He moves to sit behind his desk, closing his blinds with a button push. Willow merely raises an eyebrow at the action. But she licks her lips and shakes her head. "Neat little toy. Bet your vamp clients appreciate the effort you go to for them." "You know about the special clients we have here at Wolfram and Hart? You don't look like the type, Ms. Rosenberg." "Of course I do... I'm here on behalf of my employer, one of those "special clients" you have. And don't patronize me, Mr. McDonald. Harold was kind enough to inform me that I'm on your list of potential allies, a thought that greatly amused me. Now, shall we get down to business, or exchange pleasantries all morning? I can do either, but I bet your schedule is a bit more structured than my own." Lindsey sits forward in his chair, stepling his fingers under his chin. "Very well, what brings you to W&H, Ms. Rosenberg?" "I am here on behalf of my employer, as I have stated many times already." She hands Lindsey a manila envelope addressed to her and bearing a London postmark. "Inside that envelope you'll find just about everything you need from his solicitor's office in London. Mr. Haversham was kind enough to send *me* the documents for review before I brought them to your offices. I protect my employer in many things, and will not see him endangered by documents that should *not* be sent anyway but by fax." Lindsey opens the envelope and takes out a surprising large blue folder. He reads the filing tab and finds it only reads, "Asherton, W". He opens it and his eyes widen at the name that appears at the top of the first page. He looks over and sees the smug grin on Willow's face. "I see you recognize my employer's name, good. That will make this transaction much more agreeable." "You work for William the Bloody?" "You're behind the times, Mr. McDonald. He's been going by Spike for the last 100 years. But it has amused me to deal with that stodgy solicitor of his the last few weeks. Always having to call him 'Mr. Asherton' caused me quite a few giggles when he would sit across his apartment from me and make faces while I was on the phone." "Why is he looking for representation here in the States? His London solicitor could help him just as well as we can." "Perhaps. But you're only a few hours drive from where he lives now, and London is a day's journey by plane. Besides, I think Spike has another reason to hire you folks as his attorneys." "And that would be?" "It would, and I quote, 'piss off that bloody poof of a sire'. Besides, don't you think Angel would be less than pleased that his favorite childe is represented by the bane of his existence?" Willow smirks as she crosses her arms over her chest and leans back in the chair. Lindsey smiles for the first time in weeks, and unconsciously rubs his left hand around his right wrist. "I think upsetting Angel would greatly encourage us to take on Mr. Asherton as a client." He looks the file over and glances up after reading the notes contained on the second page of the file. "Did you know that he has listed you as his primary beneficiary, as of November 1999?" "Of course. *I* was the one dealing with his solicitor to make the changes. Spike decided that since they were no longer living together that he should remove Dru as his primary beneficiary. I'm the only being he could think of leaving everything too... even when he was trying to kill me, that bleached blond vampire *loved* my spunk. He won't admit it most of the time, but I'm the only reason he hasn't greeted the sun since the *incident* last fall." "But why make you his primary beneficiary? You're more likely to die before he does." Willow snorts at his comment. "Not likely. I may be the mortal, but he takes the crazy chances. If you'll notice his secondary beneficiaries are his sire and the Church of Latter Day Saints." "Why the Mormon church?" "Because it amuses him to leave his money to a church only a few years younger than he is. Plus he thinks Mormons are 'right tasty folks', so why not give them money? I learned a few years ago that trying to figure out Spike's thought processes is like trying to keep a wave upon the sand... damn near impossible. So are you taking him on a client or not?" "I'll talk it over with a more senior member of the board and contact Mr. Asherton of our decision." "No, you won't." "Excuse me?" "If you had bothered to read further than the second page, you'd notice that *I* am listed as the person to contact about any matters relating to legal action. Along with his primary beneficiary status, Spike also gave me his power of attorney. Thus giving me the power to make his smaller legal decisions for him. I still need his notarized signature for the bigger stuff and sometimes he has to actually talk to you lawyer types, but for the most part you deal with me. My e-mail address and cell phone number are listed as the ways to contact him. If it's an absolute emergency then I can get a hold of him in under twenty minutes most of the time, but that usually involves calling Anya and having her track him down." "Who is Anya?" "Her full name is Anyanka, and up until eighteen months ago she was the demon for scorned women. But she got called to Hellmouth, and well it backfired on her. So now she's human and a pretty good friend of Spike's. Usually if *I* can't find him, she can." "You actually know Anyanka?" "Well sure. I've met D'Hofreyn too. He wanted me to be a vengeance demon, said that my anger and vengeance were powerful forces to be reckoned with." Willow glances at her watch and closes her briefcase with a snap, then she rises from her chair. "It was a pleasure talking you with this morning, Mr. McDonald. If you have any further questions, or need to contact me about anything, especially your decision about my employer, please use my cell phone number. I'll be in Los Angeles for the next few months for an internship. Good day." Lindsey doesn't have a chance to respond to her parting remarks as the door shuts quietly behind her form. [That was exhilarating. I think I found myself a challenge for the next few months.] Reading the file she had given him, he soon puts his plans for Willow Rosenberg at the back of his mind.

Willow manages to reach the ground floor of Wolfram and Hart without running into anyone in the hallways. [Which is a good thing, because I'm just as likely to start giggling as *MAIM* the next person I see. The *nerve* of these people, assuming that because I'm only nineteen I wouldn't be able to meet them on a level playing field. I think that line from the original "Parent Trap" movie applies here, "I'm so mad I could just... spit."] She gets to the security kiosk in the main lobby and returns her visitor's pass to them. Harold takes it from her and smiles, "Will we be seeing you again, Miss Rosenberg?" Willow smiles at the man. "Only if you play your cards right." She grins mischievously at him, then walks out the main doors. Harold watches her leave and shakes his head. He files the visitor's pass back into its proper place and sits down next to his companion. "Why do I get the feeling we'll be seeing a bit of Miss Rosenberg, Larry?" Larry looks up from the monitors he was just checking, his eyes slightly glazed. "Because she went and saw Mr. McDonald, and *no* one ever goes to see a junior partner their first time here." "Makes you wonder what kind of connections that little girl has, doesn't it?" "That or who she's working for that does." Harold laughs at his young friend's observations. "Sometimes I wonder how you got to be so pessimistic, Larry. Then I remember that you work here." The two guards grow silent and go back to their work. Willow is walking down the street, heading for the parking lot she had left her car in. [*MY* car! It was *so* cool of my parent's to buy me a car for completing my first year in college. Although, I think the fact that I was going to LA for a summer internship probably helped them make the decision. At least they asked me to choose the car, and didn't just give me one.] Willow deactivates her alarm and climbs into the gray interior of her Blue Saturn Sedan. She starts the car up and leaves the lot, paying the slight fee she needs to. Driving on the Five, heading towards Cordelia's place the temporary home of Angel Investigations [For only another three days, thank the Goddess!], her cell phone begins to ring. She quickly grabs it and activates it, saying "Rosenberg." The voice that answers her sounds greatly amused. "Hello, Pet. You're so business-like in your answering of your personal cell phone. Should I be worried?" Willow smiles, and signals as she changes lanes to exit the freeway. "Nope. Why are you calling, Spike?" "Because I just got another bleedin' call from that poof I call a sire, wondering what kind of business I sent you out on this morning. He thinks I've brainwashed you somehow into helping me take over the world. But I told the wanker that taking over the world was *his* gig, and that I was rather fond of this place. Reminded him of my attachment to Manchester United." "Not to mention Joyce Summers and her hot chocolate." "Her too." Willow can practically hear the smile in Spike's voice, and she waits for him to continue with his thought. "So, Pet, do I have a new set of human bloodsuckers to deal with?" "I think you will... Lindsey McDonald was acting *way* too intrigued to not take you on as a client. It would also be a feather in his cap if he gets 'William the Bloody' as a client of Wolfram and Hart, under his guidance. Also, and this gave me a slight wiggins, *I* am on their list of potential allies. Why would they have *me* on a list of potential allies, Spike? I mean I'm a minorly talented Wicca who's going to be a sophomore at UC Sunnydale in the fall. I've also assisted the Slayer since I was fifteen, shouldn't that give them the hint that I fight for the opposite team?" "Lawyers are funny people, pet. They may just be after you for your computer skills, and remember no matter now much I may tease you about those... you're quite good at that hacking thing." "Good to know you're not just using me as a buffer between your lawyers and yourself." "What? I would *never* use you like that, Pet. Chubs or the Slayer, sure but you're my only halfway ally right now. Should I mention that the Slayer and her Farm boy are becoming almost as nauseating as Chubs and the Nympho?" Willow snickers as she pulls into her parking space outside the apartment complex. She grabs her briefcase and purse off the passenger seat, then locks her door and arms her alarm once again. "I don't see why not. I've made it back to Lia's place, so I won't be talking about W&H anymore, okay?" She opens the door to Cordelia's apartment and walks directly towards her bedroom, ignoring Angel, Wesley, and Cordelia as she does so. She continues speaking to Spike, "So what's the lowdown in Sunnydale, Spike?" "Well, that Blond witch you dated for awhile has been sniffing around again. Apparently she doesn't realize that you're gone for the summer, we aren't going to tell her where you went, and that the relationship is over. Can I hire someone to kill her?" Willow laughs as she closes her bedroom door, so she can change out of her suit. She throws the briefcase on the bed and quickly strips down to her underwear, moving to hang the suit back in the closet. "No, Spike, you can't hire someone to kill Tara, or even hurt her a little bit. It's *her* fault we broke up, and when I get back to Sunnydale in September I'll deal with her then." She opens some drawers and quickly puts on a pair of cut off jean shorts and a sleeveless button up shirt. "Right. Well, I need to go now Pet, Passions is almost on." "Bye Spike. Give my love to everyone." She pushes the deactivation button on her cell phone and moves to open her briefcase. She removes the laptop from within it and brings both cell phone and laptop into the main room with her. Taking her customary place on the couch, she curls her legs up underneath her and opens her laptop, connecting it quickly to the second phone line Cordelia had installed. Wesley clears his throat and looks at Willow. She raises her head from the laptop and raises an eyebrow at him. "Where did you go this morning, Willow?" "None of your business. It was part of my duties as Administrative Assistant to the CEO of AE. It in no way had anything to do with my duties as your summer intern. So just lay off, okay Wes?" "Hostile much today, War?" Willow rubs her temples and looks over at her friends. "Sorry, that was rude. But honestly, you people don't have to so protective. I was just doing my job." "What possible job could you be doing for my childe, Willow?" "I run his international corporation, for the most part. It's called Asherton Enterprises or AE, and we're quite successful. Today I was transferring some of our power to here in the States. It doesn't do Spike any good if he can't access his money because his company, and banks are all based in London. I mean the vamp is worth more than Bill Gates, but he couldn't access his money for a while because Dalton was too good at keeping paper trails away from Spike." Cordelia, Angel, and Wesley all turn surprised looks on each other, then turn back to look at Willow. Cordelia sits down next to Willow. "You're telling me that Spike, the man who charged Giles for help, and frightens people for money is worth *more* than the founder of Microsoft?" "Well sure. AE was in on the ground floor of Apple, Intel, *and* Microsoft. Plus they've been prime investors of both IBM and Sun Microsystems for years. Also Spike owns like most of AOL, under dummy corporations of course, and he's got lots of money tied up right now in some of the more promising Internet corporations." Willow logs onto the Internet and begins to update a few things on her spreadsheet. Before anyone can respond to her most recent bomb, her cell phone rings. She picks it up and greets the other person with a simple, "Rosenberg." She waits for the answer as she obviously begins to open some different documents on her computer. "Yeah, we're moving his personal accounts, and some of the corp accounts to the new firm, Nigel. Hey! You're *just* the president of the company... I'm Mr. Asherton's AA, don't mess with me, okay? I'm sure if we talked to most of our clients and contacts they'd remember me more than you. So get that attitude out of your voice, and let's speak on business. You got those updates from the Exchange for me? Yeah, I'm all connected just send them to me. Huh? Sure, I'll let him know. Now you're *sure* that it's the 15th? All right. All right. Calm down, Nigel. You know what your doctor said about stress. What do you mean, how did I know? I'm the AA of the CEO, it'd be pretty bad if I weren't aware of things like that. Give my love to everyone there... and if it works out well, I'll see you in August at the stockholders meeting. Give my love to Patricia and the boys, bye Nigel." Willow hangs up her phone, keeping it within reach as she begins to work on updating the files with the new information she had just been sent. That completed she begins to work on the Angel Investigations work she found waiting for her on the coffee table in front of her. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A few hours later, everyone breaks for a late lunch and Willow volunteers to go and pick up the Chinese food for the humans. She drives the couple of miles to the restaurant and goes inside. She goes to the counter and smiles at the boy behind the counter. "Hi John. The order ready?" "Afternoon, Willow. Not just yet, another few minutes. We had a *huge* order come in from some law firm and so we got a little behind in the other orders. Even for ones of such good customers like yourselves. This going on the tab?" "Yup! We're in the middle of research and packing, so this is a business lunch." A male voice speaks from behind her. "I'm here to pick up the order for Wolfram and Hart. Is it ready?" Willow and John both turn to the new person, and Willow merely smiles in recognition at the person. John moves behind the cash register and says, "Yes it is. That'll be $124.56." Willow looks at Lindsey as he pulls out a bundle of twenties to pay the bill. She can't resist saying, "Is that a wad of twenties in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me, Lindsey?" Lindsey turns to look at Willow as he hands over $140 to John, while saying, "Keep the change." He leans against the counter as the order is brought out to him. "I think it's a little of both actually. It's surprising to see you here, Ms. Rosenberg." "Oh please, do call me Willow. Especially when I'm wearing cut offs and athletic sandals." Willow looks down at her now tan legs, then back at Lindsey. "So what got W&H interested in this local restaurant?" "They aren't. The colleagues on my current case and I, are. One of the younger associates used to live in this neighborhood and swore by their Mu-shu Pork, so we tried it a few weeks ago. Now we order from here every once and a while." "So why not set up a corporate tab? They *do* allow those here, Lindsey." John finally brings the last of the bags to the counter and Willow moves to help Lindsey carry them out to his car. She raises an eyebrow at the Mitsubishi he walks towards. Lindsey notices her look and smiles. "What? You thought I drove something like a Jag?" "Well you *do* work at a law firm, and are probably one of their youngest junior partners ever. The assumption is natural." "Maybe for someone else... but I've always liked the way the Eclipse looked with it's spoiler. And besides for the options I wanted, the 2000 Eclipse was extremely less expensive than a similarly stocked and sized Jaguar." Willow smiles as she places the bags she was carrying on the floor of the passenger's seat. "You don't have to defend your choices to me, Lindsey. You're looking at a girl who had the choice of getting any car she wanted for completing her first year of University with a 4.0 GPA, and she chose a Saturn sedan with stick shift and manual windows." Lindsey chuckles as he places his bags in the car, then closes the door and leans against it. "That's an interesting choice. I take it your parents and friends were a little confused about that?" "Yup. But then I made my parents help me buy a better radio and a really good alarm system. I don't really need the car while I'm in school, I rarely leave the campus... so the alarm will be armed most of the time. Plus I'm here in LA this summer, and despite it being a new car, it's not very tempting to thieves when I work in an area rife with Beamers and Jags." "Then it sounds like we're both mavericks in our car choices, at least to those around us. The rest of the population would see our choices as logical." Willow smiles at Lindsey. "Something like that. Well, I should let you go, you've got to get back downtown with that food before they send hunters after you." Lindsey circles around his car and opens the driver side door, just before he gets all the way he looks over to Willow. "Willow?" "Yes, Lindsey?" "What are you doing tomorrow night at eight?" "Nothing I can think of right now, why do you ask?" "Because we're having a cocktail party to celebrate our recent successes. I can't think of a bigger success than becoming the lawyers for the American endeavors of 'Asherton Enterprises', can you?" Willow smiles at the message in his statement. "That's good to hear. If you like, I can get Mr. Asherton to LA for the party... maybe even get him out of his jeans and t-shirts for it too." Lindsey smiles at her and winks. "I think that having my newest client show up at the cocktail party would be appropriate, and having him dressed well even better. But I would not dare to dictate such things to a client. Shall I send a car for you both?" "That's a bit much, don't you think?" Willow smiles at him, her green eyes sparkling in amusement. "Simply met us *yourself* in the lobby at eight, and I promise to keep Spike in line." "It's a deal. See you tomorrow night at eight." Willow heads back inside the restaurant to get her order as Lindsey's Eclipse pulls away from the sidewalk. She shakes her head slightly as she realizes what she had agreed to. [Goddess! Spike may just kill me, a cocktail party with lawyers, *and* he has to wear a suit.] She gets her order from John and with a smile and promise to return again, she leaves the restaurant and heads back to Cordelia's. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * After everyone had been feed and they were settling back in to packing up the office supplies and researching the latest case, Willow suddenly jumps up and ran to the phone. She quickly dials a number and waits for the other person to pick up. Angel looks at her and raises an eyebrow. "Who are you calling? And in such a rush?" "Spike. I totally forgot that I got a call on my cell phone while I was out getting lunch. He needs to come on up to LA tonight, so he can sign some papers in person tomorrow night." Willow turns her attention to the phone and smiles when she hears a groggy voice say, "'Alo?" "Spike? It's Red. Got some news on the legal front, wanna hear it?" Willow hears the phone drop to the floor, followed by Spike's curses in a few different languages. Finally his voice comes back through the line clearly. "What's the news, Pet?" "They'll take you on as a client. They want you and I to show up at some cocktail party tomorrow night at eight. Your lawyer will meet us in the building's lobby to escort us there. I'm sure they'll also have you sign some paperwork while we're there too. Also, it's formal, so no jeans and t-shirts." "Is my suit clean?" "It is unless you've worn it since I left, or decided to drag it through the mud. Bring that new shirt I bought you last week, and then you won't have to wear a tie. But don't forget the matching vest this time, or I won't claim you as my anything." Willow hears Cordelia snicker behind her, and sees Wesley shoot Angel a confused look. Spike sighs. "Fine, Pet. I'll remember the bleedin' vest this time. Do I have to give myself poof hair?" "Only if you want to make them think you're all soul having, like your sire." Angel indignantly says, "Hey!" Willow ignores his interruption and speaks to Spike again. "So, you're coming up here tonight?" "I'll be there about an hour before dawn. I promised the Slayer I'd go on patrol with her tonight, since the farm boy has more of those debriefing meetings." "Okay, I'll book your usual suite at the Carlton then. Anything else you need?" "Besides you coming home with me tomorrow night, to act as a shield between the Slayer and myself? Nothing at all, Pet." Willow chuckles. "It's only another three months, Spike. Go visit Nigel and his family if you're so desperate to get away from Buffy." "I'll think about it. See you tomorrow, Pet." Willow waits for the dial tone to sound, then she enters the number for the Carlton. She waits for the reservation desk to pick. "Hello, I'm calling on behalf of William Asherton. Yes, is his regular suite available for the next couple of days? It is? Excellent. Yes, please do reserve it. He'll be arriving there just before dawn and probably won't surface until mid-afternoon. Please make sure the normal amenities are available for him. Just him this time. He'll be driving himself, so please be sure and add the parking to his bill. Yes, do send the bill to the usual place. Thank you." Willow hangs up the phone and turns to face the others. "What?" Cordelia smiles at her friend. "You sounded every inch the efficient secretary, War. I'm glad you're just interning, so you won't have a chance to spoil Angel with your talents." All four begin laughing at her comment as Angel stands up to hug her. "No one could ever replace you, Cordy. Where else am I going to get such a 'humanizing influence', huh?"

At 7:55 the next evening, Willow's Saturn pulls up in front of Wolfram and Hart. She can't help smiling at the awning stretched over the main entrance. [Looks like they want to make sure that their vamp customers aren't affected by the last of the sun's rays.] Willow watches as Spike gets out of the rear seat (where he had been hiding under a thick blanket), and begins to smooth his suit out. The valet moves around the vehicle and helps her out of the car. She grabs her purse and wrap from the front passenger seat and accepts the ticket from him. She watches as someone else drives her car away from her, for the first time since she bought it. Spike walks over and places his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about Bitsy, Red. She'll be fine. I'm sure a swanky law firm like this wouldn't hire valets of Chubs' caliber." Both of them laugh as they recall Xander's short but memorable career as a valet parker earlier that year. They're still laughing as they walk through the doors of the building. Willow glances around the lobby and spots Lindsey just getting off the elevators as they get to the middle of the room. She signals him over and knocks Spike's arm off her shoulder. She ignores the vampire's sub-vocal growling at smiles at the lawyer. "Good evening, Lindsey. You look incredibly dapper in that suit." Beside her Spike begins to snicker and she elbows him. He manages to whisper to her, "I think you hang out with the Watcher too much, Pet." Willow merely glares at him, then she turns to smile at Lindsey. "Lindsey McDonald, I'd like you to meet William Asherton. Spike, this is Lindsey, your latest 'human bloodsucker'. You boys play nice, I'm going to powder my nose." Spike watches *his* Red walk away and turns to see the human watching her as well. He waits for his lawyer to turn his attention to him, a smug grin on his face. "So I take it you're under her spell as well, huh mate?" Lindsey straightens his shoulders and looks at his newest client. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Asherton." "The name's Spike, mate. Or didn't you pay attention to how my little Red introduced us?" Spike grins at the human standing in front of him. "Or were you too busy being distracted by her charms?" Lindsey nearly blanches for a moment, then he repeats his earlier statement. "I don't know *what* you're talking about, Spike." "Keep telling yourself that, mate. Just remember, she's the person in control of one of the most powerful corporations in England... and is in charge of my personal accounts as well. If you hurt her, she'll likely have you killed and probably in the most gruesome fashion she can think of." Willow returns to the pair of men, and has to stop herself from smiling at the nearly green color of Lindsey's face. She laces an arm through Spike's and smiles at Lindsey. "Well? Shall we get to this party?" Lindsey motions them towards the elevator banks and pushes the button. Spike and Willow share a grin, both knowing the other is likely to cause some mayhem at the party. Willow licks her lips and begins the game. "Spike?" "Yes pet?" "How's Buffy?" "The Slayer is just fine, pet. She and her farm boy are probably having a celebratory pelvic meeting right about now." "That's nice. How about Xander and his 'orgasm friend'?" Lindsey begins to choke at their conversation. Spike looks over at him. "You all right, mate?" Lindsey's face is slightly red, but otherwise he looks fine. "Just peachy, Spike." "Well good. I'd hate to have to find myself a new lawyer. It's a long and boring process that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Actually, I'm sure Maggie Walsh is probably having to deal with lawyers of all kinds where she is." Willow snorts, and elbows Spike. "It's not polite to speak ill of the dead, Spike." "I can speak about the Evil Bitch Monster of Death anyway I choose to, pet. We're both dead, therefore she's fair game." "You never answered my question about Xander, how is he?" "Chubs and the Nympho were doing fine when I saw them last night. Oh, Chubs sends you his love, and wanted me to remind you that 'Deadboy only has the power you give to him'. Whatever that cryptic statement means." "Just a reference to something from our childhood. Any other Tara sightings?" "Fortunately, no. That ex-girlfriend of yours finally left town. Hopefully the silly chit won't be back until September. I still think you should let me kill her, pet." Willow sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "And as I keep telling you Spike, you have to let me deal with her myself. Don't you remember what happened when *you* tried to deal with Dru?" Spike shudders at the memory. "Point taken, pet. Let's not bring up Harmony for the remainder of my trip." "That's fine with me, Spike." The elevator pings, signaling they've arrived at the requested floor, and Willow pulls Spike out of the elevator. Lindsey follows them shaking his head. Spike turns to look at him. "Hey, mate. Who should we be wary of?" Lindsey smiles then. "Everyone, Spike. Be wary of everyone." "Even you, Lindsey?" Willow says softly from next to Spike. Giving her his best predatory smile, Lindsey replies. "*Especially* me, Willow. Now, let's get Willow's purse checked and go on in and face everyone." Willow shakes her head but hands the woman Lindsey indicates both her purse and wrap, finally letting Lindsey see the short red cocktail dress she was wearing. She smiles at the way he reacts to her dress and she licks her lips. Wrapping her arm back around Spike's and says, "Lead on McDonald!" Just before they enter the room, Spike leans towards her and whispers, "You are *not* to leave my side until I give the okay, Pet. I won't have you get hurt while I'm around. I'll leave the patented Slayer guilt trips for you being injured to the Grand High Poof." She snorts but smiles innocently up at him. "Yes, Spike." Spike leers at her and pats her hand. "That's the Red I adore and like to see." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Willow is standing at the large picture window sipping a glass of ice water, when Mr. Holland approaches her. She barely acknowledges him and continues to stare out over the city. Holland has to smile at the young woman standing with her back to the party. [By doing so she is stating that nothing in the room frightens her enough to need to keep her guard up. I think our young Mr. McDonald has quite a challenge on his hands. This simple college student is more than she seems.] He clears his throat, and Willow turns to look at him, simple curiosity evident in her eyes. Holland smiles at her. "How are you enjoying Los Angeles, Miss Rosenberg?" Willow's face is light with a genuine smile and she takes another sip of water before answering. "LA is about how I expected it. Thin facades to hide the seedier parts, and normally unacknowledged sinister beings. Why? Were you expecting me to wax nostalgic about my time here with my parents when I was little?" Holland laughs at her, thus bringing attention to their conversation because Holland rarely laughs at cocktail parties. "Why no, Miss Rosenberg, I wasn't. You do not seem the type." "You only know a little bit about me, Mr. Holland, and I can assure you that I am *exactly* the type. I simply promised Spike I'd be on my best behavior tonight, but only if he would be." Holland smiles at her. "I was wondering how you got him to not try and kill everyone in the room. I must say the betting pool has it that you were threatening to withhold sexual favors for his good behavior." Willow's delighted laughter spreads across the room, and Spike has to shake his head at the way people react. [That lawyer of mine better be careful, or he'll be under her thrall before the month is out.] Then he turns back to the conversation he'd been having with a Polgara demon. Willow cocks her head sideways and smirks at Holland. "There is *nothing* remotely sexual in my relationship with Spike. We're friends, and I basically run his business for him. Other than that? The jury's still out." "I must say your honesty is refreshing, Miss Rosenberg." He looks at her beverage glass. "Would you tell me why you're drinking water?" "Because it's still rather warm, and I spent most of my day outside getting stuff done for Spike. Besides that I'm the driver, and underage. Both of which are good reasons to not be drinking alcohol. Wouldn't you agree, Lindsey?" Willow turns her gaze on the lawyer that had just stepped up behind Holland. Lindsey nods his head at her. "Yes, yes I would, Willow. Holland, I was wondering if I could steal Miss Rosenberg away from you. Tehtonkah wishes to speak to 'the young mortal that has Spike wrapped around her finger'." Willow takes another sip of her water and glances around the party. She spots Spike talking with a Polgara demon, Lilah Morgan not-so-subtly shooting daggers at her from the corner, and a Blue skinned demon smiling at her. [That must be this Tehtonkah. He looks relatively harmless, and doesn't register on my 'threat radar'. Should be fairly safe to speak to him.] She turns a radiant smile on Holland. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Holland. Perhaps the next time I am in the offices dealing with Lindsey, we'll see each other?" "I look forward to it, Miss Rosenberg." Holland nods his head and wanders off. Lindsey watches his boss walk off and leads Willow over to Tehtonkah. "I don't think I've ever seen him react so well to a client before. I must say Willow, your methods are quite entertaining to watch." "What methods? I simply act like myself, and let others respond to that." "That may be, but it's effective. I think I see why Spike has you as his AA now." They reach Tehtonkah's side and Lindsey bows in greeting. "Tehtonkah, this is the young lady you wanted to meet, Willow Rosenberg. Willow, may I introduce to you Tehtonkah, owner of the Beverly Center." Willow dips into a low curtsy, and smiles at the demon. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Tehtonkah. I understand you wished to speak to me?" "Yes, my dear I did. But I think we'll talk without the lawyer present. Come, walk with me." He offers his elbow to her. Willow takes it and the pair walk away from Lindsey. "You're manners are exquisite. I can only assume you came of age in either the 17th or 18th centuries. Am I right?" Tehtonkah laughs at her question. "That you are, young lady." He steers her out onto the balcony that wraps around the floor, and they begin to walk its circuit. "So tell me, why does a Wiccan of your immense power work for a scoundrel like William the Bloody?" Willow laughs and shakes her head. "I *told* Spike that someone here tonight would know what I was. But he told me not to worry, and that he'd kill anything that tried to tell the 'human bloodsuckers'. You're not going to tell, are you Tehtonkah?" "Not my place, young lady. Besides it would serve Wolfram and Hart right for not being able to detect one of your immense talent when she is right under their very noses." They share a laugh and Tehtonkah happens to catch site of Willow's necklace. "So, tell me why are you wearing a medallion of D'Hofreyn, Willow?" Willow reaches to the medallion resting against her breastbone and smiles at her companion. "Well he gave me this last November when he asked me to become a vengeance demon. I was able to make it smaller and suspend it from this chain. I wear it about ninety percent of the time to remind myself to be more careful before casting spells." "So *you're* the one he choose to replace Anyanka. I'd heard about you. It's definitely nice to meet you then, Willow. Do the 'human bloodsuckers' know who you are?" "I mentioned to Lindsey earlier that D'Hofreyn made the offer. But I could tell he didn't believe me, and I *know* it wasn't recorded on the tape of our conversation," Willow says with a wicked grin on her face. "You were blocking the video? Ion spell?" "Yep! I activated just before I reached Lindsey's office." "Don't you think it's dangerous to tell me this kind of information? I could be a spy for Wolfram and Hart." "But you aren't. Your aura would have warned me about something like that. They can't use their little mind readers against either of us to see who's telling the truth, and I'm adept enough to manipulate my own aura. So really they won't be able to tell which of us isn't lying." "So true." Tehtonkah notices they have circled back to the balcony exit they had taken. "Shall we rejoin the party?" "Sure.   It was a pleasure talking with you, Tehtonkah." "Same here, Willow. Why don't you and Angelus come and see me sometime soon? I miss that old reprobate." Willow stares in shock after the demon, and barely reacts when Lindsey hands her another glass of water. She downs about half of it in one gulp, then turns to look at Lindsey. "Goddess! Why didn't you warn me he knew Angel?" Lindsey doesn't let himself react, but files the information away in his mind. "I wasn't aware of any relationship between them. Tehtonkah has been one of our most loyal clients, been with us since the founding of the firm." "Mmmmmmmm." Willow mumbles, half-heartedly. She happens to glance at the clock on the wall and sighs. "I need to get Spike out of here. He's already been drinking and mingling for five hours, and much longer and I'll have to drag his unconscious body down to the car." "I still need him to sign some paperwork." "Send it to his suite at the Carlson. He'll be there until tomorrow night," Willow calls over her shoulder as she walks towards Spike. She stops directly next to him, and places an arm around his waist. Spike returns the gesture and glances at his AA. "Tired pet?" "Yeah. It's been a long day, and having to keep myself safe from the advances of all these males has being taxing. Can we jet now, boss?" "Sure. Let's go get your purse and wrap, then leave. I was only waiting for you to signal your readiness." They move to collect her things and exit the party, heading for the elevators. "So, pet, how was your discussion with old blue britches?" "By that last bit, I assume you mean Tehtonkah?" "Yeah, him." "It was fun. I was able to speak about a few things with him that no one in Wolfram and hart knows about, which they honestly should. Also, he wants to have dinner sometime soon with Angel and I." "Do it. Peaches gets along famously with him, and it'll give my sire a better standing in the local community. Just make sure you warn Tehtonkah that Peaches doesn't know about my being a client of W&H." Willow and Spike exit the elevator and head for the front exit. She hands her ticket to the valet waiting for them, and turns to looks at Spike. "There's a conversation I want to have. 'Hey Angel? You know that law firm that's been giving you so much trouble, and that lawyer you absolutely hate? Well Spike is his client now, and I'm the person he'll be talking to most. But don't worry nothing will happen because said lawyer wants my body.' Oh yeah, that'll occur in my lifetime." Spike laughs and moves to stand next to the now arrived car. Willow circles around and accepts her keys from the Valet. She unlocks Spike's door, then gets into her seat. Spike stops laughing and climbs inside. "You worry too much, pet."

When they arrive at the Carlson, Spike looks over at Willow. "Pet?" "Yes, Spike?" "Let the little valet parkers take the car for a little bit. I need to talk to you about something." "Okay." Willow shuts the car off, and climbs out with Spike. She hands her keys to the valet who had walked over, and accepts her second ticket for the night. Not giving in to the need to watch her car be driven away, Willow follows Spike into the hotel. He walks over to the counter and smiles at the woman standing there. She smiles back and says, "Good evening, Mr. Asherton. How may I help you?" "Any messages for me?" She checks in the message bin, and shakes her head at Spike. "No, not right now. But be sure and check the phone in your room. Someone might have left you a voice mail message." "I will, thank you." Spike places a hand at the small of Willow's back and steers her towards the elevator banks. Once they reach his room, Spike's first action is to remove his coat and vest, then unbutton the first few buttons on his shirt. He flops onto his couch, kicking his shoes off as he does so. He looks over and spots Willow hovering near the door. "Are you coming inside, pet?" Willow rolls her eyes but joins Spike in the sitting room area of his suite. She sits indian style on the ground, slipping her high heels off, and draping her legs with her wrap. "Okay. I'm here, I'm sitting down. What's so important that you couldn't wait until tomorrow to talk to me?" Spike grins at her. "You are, pet." "Meaning?" "Meaning you aren't acting like yourself. You are not the Red I know and love to torment." Willow practically deflates before his eyes and Spike feels a momentary twinge of sadness, then he brushes it aside. Willow licks her lips and stares at a spot on the ground a few feet in front of her. When she finally speaks, her voice is nearly a whisper. "I thought you'd be proud of the more confident, non-drunk version of me." Spike gets off the couch and kneels in front of her. "Oh pet." He lifts her chin with a single finger, and frowns when he sees tears streaming down her face. Willow begins hiccupping as her tears start falling faster. Spike cradles her to his chest, and begins to pet her hair. "Everyone's always telling me I need to stand up for myself, and become more confident. Then, when I do? They shoot me down telling me, it's not Willow-like." She raises her head from Spike's chest. "Why can't anyone be happy with who I am, Spike?" "I think that lawyer of mine is *very* happy with who you are, Red. But you need to remember that everyone else you know has known you for years... and despite evidence to the contrary, we all still see the shy, fearful, hacker you were back in High School." "I think that sucks." "That it does, pet. But it's a fact of life, only outsiders can see the changes that *should* be evident to those closest to us." Spike begins to rub soothing circles on her back. Willow sniffles, signaling the end of her crying jag. She pulls back from Spike, and smiles at the large tearstain on the front of his shirt. "I'm sorry about your shirt." Spike looks down, then back to Willow. "It's a piece of cloth, Pet. It'll wash." He pulls her to her feet, and leads her to the couch. "Now, tell Uncle Spike all about it." Willow sighs, and cuddles up to Spike's chest. [Who would ever believe that William the Bloody is comforting the Slayer's best friend? Probably no one. My life is too strange sometimes.] She looks up at him. "You sure you want to hear this?" "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't. Now, as the Slayer likes to say, spill." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Lindsey stands outside of Spike's hotel suite hoping the vampire doesn't hurt him. He glances at his watch. [It's four in the afternoon, hopefully he's awake.] He's brought out of his thoughts as the door swings open. Willow steps back from the door and wipes her eyes as she says, "Just put it on the table." Willow turns to look at Lindsey and blinks at him. "You're not from room service." Lindsey lets his gaze drift from the top of Willow's head, taking in her sleep-tousled hair, down to her wide eyes staring in surprise at him. He notices that she's dressed seemingly only a man's button down shirt. [I thought she said that her relationship with Spike was non-sexual.] He smiles at her, noticing the slight blush staining her cheeks when she notices his gaze on her bare legs. "I would say not, Willow." Spike's voice can be heard from further back in the suite. "Pet? Just sign for it, and don't forget to tip the man." "Yes, Spike," her voice is saccharine sweet, letting both Lindsey and Spike know that she's just humoring the vampire. "It's not the room service guy, Spike, it's your 'human bloodsucker'." She smirks at the title she *knows* Lindsey won't be able to escape from now. Spike walks out of the bedroom, with only a towel slung around his hips. He smiles at the looks Lindsey is shooting between he and Willow. [Looks like my lawyer thinks something is going on between Red and I. Should I play it up? Or give the poor human some peace of mind? Play it up.] He stops right behind Willow, and pulls her against him, resting his hands on her stomach. "So I see, Pet." Spike begins to nuzzle her hair. Willow smiles at the look of shock that passes briefly over Lindsey's face. [He's not sure what to make of this... and Spike for some reason is trying to make him think we're 'pelvic with each other', as Xander likes to put it. Despite the fact that I just slept here because I was too tired to drive back after that long crying jag Spike let me indulge in last night.] Willow leans her head back against Spike's chest. "Pet, I think you should go put some clothes on your delectable little body. It was one thing to get the room service wearing only my shirt. It's quite another to give my *lawyer* a free show." Willow turns and swats Spike's arm. Then she turns back to face Lindsey, while shaking her head. "Forgive Spike, Lindsey. He thinks with his 'teeth' more often than not." Before either man can comment, they all hear a knock on the door. Willow smiles and goes to answer it. She looks pointedly at Spike's towel, and he moves into the bedroom with a rakish smile. The hotel employee wheels in the covered trays, and hands Willow the receipt. She easily signs it "William Asherton" and hands it back to him. Then she moves to Spike's suit, and hands it and a generous tip to the man. "Please make sure this gets laundered soon. Mr. Asherton is leaving early tomorrow morning, and won't have time to collect it then." "Very good, Ma'am. Please tell Mr. Asherton that we hope he enjoyed his stay here at the Carlton, and that we look forward to seeing him again." The man leaves the room, closing the door behind him. Willow removes the covers from the various foodstuffs, and has to smirk at the amount of junk food Spike ordered. She grabs her breakfast and moves it to the table. She sits down and begins eating, ignoring Lindsey completely. Spike walks back into the room wearing only his jeans and smiles. He walks over to her, and places a kiss on the top of her head. "I like having breakfast with you, Pet. We should do it more often." Spike then grabs the mug of warm blood waiting for him among the items he had ordered from Room service. [I *love* human establishments that know about vampires. Gives 'Room Service' a whole new meaning.] Willow smiles at him as he vamps out and begins to drink. She spears another piece of fruit from her bowl and pops it into her mouth. "That's not likely to happen and you know it, Spike. I live on campus remember? And then there's the whole internship thing." "Ah yes... how *is* Peaches?" "About the same. Still can't believe I work for you, and totally didn't understand why I wasn't at work *today*." "I've always told you he was a wanker, Red. When are you going to start believing me?" Willow shrugs. "About the same time I begin believing that Xander isn't in deep denial." Spike nearly spits blood and glares at her. Willow just smiles sweetly at him. Spike turns to look at Lindsey. "Sit your arse down, mate. Don't I have some documents to sign?" Lindsey finally recovers some of the calm he is renowned for and moves to sit at the table, nearer to Spike than Willow. He opens his briefcase and pulls out a manila folder. He opens it on the table and removes a pen from his shirt pocket. He turns the papers towards Spike. "Just sign 'William Asherton' everywhere I've indicated, and initial the last page." Spike raises his left eyebrow at him. "You *are* going to give me time to read these bleedin' documents, aren't you mate?" "I wouldn't think of denying you time to do so. Which is one of the reasons I am here now." Willow finishes her 'breakfast' and rises from the table. She smirks as Lindsey stands as well. She circles around the table to kiss Spike on the cheek. "Well I'm going to hop in the shower then head out. I'll see you in three months, Spike." Spike grabs her around the waist and pulls Willow into his lap. He threads his fingers through her hair and brings her face close to his. "You behave this summer, Pet. I don't want anymore phone calls from Peaches telling me you're acting non-Willowy, and that somehow it's *my* fault." Willow snorts at his statement. "Well, if he tries it... remind him that I'm an adult that can think for herself. Or better yet, give him your patented response, 'Sod off, you bloody wanker.' Either of those would let him know you can't control my behavior." She grins and leans in closer, until their lips are almost touching. "Not that you ever could." She kisses him softly and leaps off his lap, running into the bedroom before he can react. Spike sits back in his chair, grinning broadly. [Well, Red certainly has more fire than those bloody twits back in Sunnyhell give her credit for. I wonder how Lindsey will react to the softer side she usually shows the world? Guess I won't find out for a little while.] Spike picks up his mug and begins reading the documents in front of him. Willow walks out of the bedroom wearing a pair of cutoffs and a t-shirt about fifteen minutes later. Her dress and shoes from the night before are slung over her left shoulder. She walks into the dining area with a concerned look on her face. "Spike?" "Yes, Pet?" he responds without looking up from his reading. "Do you remember where I put my keys last night?" "Before or after you went down to the car for your spare clothes?" "After of course, stupid vampire." "Have you checked the front room yet?" "No... but I thought I put them into my purse." "Check the front room, pet. *Then* get nervous." "Fine." Willow walks away muttering about Victorian England and its effect on him. Spike chuckles but yells, "No bringing politics into the discussion about me! You *know* I'm just a North London lad." Willow walks back into the dining room, carrying her keys, and scowling at him. "Shut up, Spike. Anyway, I *really* am leaving this time. You got any messages you want me to relay for you?" "Tell Nigel I'll be calling him this week to talk about the stockholders meeting in August. Also, can you call Lo-san and talk to him? You know my Japanese sucks, and that wanker won't speak English to me. I think he does it just to piss me off. And don't forget to tell that pillock who runs my PR department I won't be held accountable for that crap he's trying to pull." "Got it. Anything else, oh Exalted One?" "No, that should do for now. I think of anything else, I'll just give you a ring." "Will do, Boss-man. Enjoy the drive back to Sunnydale, and tell Riley to 'sod off', just for me, okay?" "You got it, Pet. Let the weasel know that Rupert found that book he needs, and should be calling him about it soon." "Okay. Bye!" Willow bounces out of the room, the door automatically locking behind her. Spike chuckles at the high spirits his AA, and closest human friend, has as she leaves his hotel suite. He turns back to his reading, and chuckles when he reads one of the lines in the document. He looks up at Lindsey. "I really can't react if Angelus, Favorite Childe of Darla, interferes with some matter related to my company? Why the hell not? My poof of a sire wouldn't *dream* of interfering with my financial matters... mostly because he's afraid I might let someone know where to find *his* money. Not that I could find it all, that wanker has so much money hidden around the world I don't even think *he* knows where most of it is hidden these days." "That's a standard clause in any contract for vampires, when we are also associated with their sire. Mostly because we don't want to get involved in Childe/Sire struggles." Spike nods his head. "I can see that. Bit annoying though, seeing as my sire hates you folks. He'd probably hate you even more if he knew you had his sire in the building somewhere." Lindsey freezes and looks at Spike with a blank expression on his face. "What are talking about, Spike?" "Come off it, mate. The second I set foot in that building of yours I could sense my Grandsire. She felt *much* more powerful than the last time I saw her, over a decade ago. But that's to be expected when one returns from the demon realm, isn't it?" "What do you plan to do with this knowledge, you *think* you have, Spike?" "Nothing. But I will warn you, if my Red gets caught up in whatever you have planned for Poofy... I will have to react. Maybe even call in the family." "What family?" "Come off it, mate. You don't honestly think that Angelus had only three childer, do you? Because I already know about the demise of the eldest among us... heard about that one from Poofy himself. That blond cop that's decided to declare war on our kind killed Penn, by staking him through Angelus' stomach. Haven't heard from the middle two in awhile, and Dru is still happy down in Brazil with that slimy Chaos demon of hers. Besides, there's always the other childer of Darla, I'm sure a few of them would be interested to hear that she's back among the undead." "Is that a threat, Spike?" "It's a bloody promise, mate. So, let me finish reading this document, and you can tell me grandmum that Spike sends his love." Spike sits back and begins to read the legal document again.

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