Author: Ann of Midnight
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the shows I borrowed characters from…
Rating: R
Feedback: Of course.
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Lilah was almost happy. For the first time in a very long time she could see a light at the end of the tunnel. She set something up, and made sure all the ways it could end be beneficial for her. She didn’t have to bank on one easily foilable outcome. The higher ups at Wolfram and Hart approved the new plan 100%, whichever way it went. It was rare that this happened at all, usually, she was left to her own devices and bound by red tape, and her head went on the chopping block every other week. Now, Gavin was left out in the cold and she was sitting pretty.
She had moved her office to sub-level 6 of the neighboring courthouse and was enjoying having Angel so close by. It was like poetry. If nothing else it was worth looking up from her work and seeing him through a large 2-way mirror, knowing there was no escaping, and no one to come to the rescue.
The idea had come to her in a dream, but playing it out was simply sublime.
She had a team of researchers at her disposal, a team of trackers to make sure no one would come after the vampire and a room full of monitors, with people transcribing what was being said, while everyone could listen in. She herself only had to press one single button to hear everything that went on in the room.
She flicked it on.
Angelus is crouching next to me, big paws stroking my face. He’s telling me it’s time to wake up, and all the movement is making me want to do is fall asleep. I guess he knows we’re being watched.
I slowly ‘come to’ and jerk up. I try to look confused and scared. Nice little setup this is, and I know we’re going to have to act our way out of this.
“Angel?” I ask, furrowing my brow. I wipe my eyes for effect.
“What is it?” He counters soothingly, looking like he’s trying to push back my finding out about what’s going on.
I almost smile when I throw it back to him: “So what’s going on here?”
“You don’t remember?”
“No.” I say, puzzled mask firmly in place.
“You remember you were walking on the beach, and I asked for your help?”
“Yes. What were you doing there, I don’t understand?”
“I was on a small boat, it sank,” he said sadly.
“Are you all right?” I ask. Yes, I’m making him do all the work; may as well have a little fun in here.
“Yes. I’m fine. What’s your name?”
“Adam.”
“Yes, that’s right. Do you remember what happened at the hotel, Adam?”
I smile and look up at him through my lashes. “You kissed me.”
“Yes,” he says, a little embarrassed, looking down. Not a bad actor.
“If I recall correctly, it happened against the door,” I remind him for the hell of it.
“Yes, I- I wasn’t really myself,” he stammered, “but do you remember what happened later?”
I look up, furrowed brow and everything, and then I let my jaw slack and feign recognition.
“You were showing me your sword,” I say in wonder, and I see Angelus wince at the pun. “Then something happened. People, they wanted to… Bring us here?”
“Looks like it.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“I’m a detective, maybe I have something they want. Don’t worry though, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I thought I was going to die. You saved my life,” I throw in, even though it’s so not true.
“You held your own,” he reassures me… at least his eyes convey that that is the understatement of the year.
He’s crouching in front of me, and his hands are resting on my upper thighs. I gotta say that that’s distracting. I have to talk myself out of this situation quickly and without conspiring aloud with Angel. Oh, right: I held my own…
“Eternal student, I am. I’ve been fascinated with swords and daggers recently and I’ve taken quite a few self-defense classes. Good thing that, not that it helped any.” I was going to explain that maybe knowledge kicked in, that I don’t remember, but the vampire in front of me cuts me off.
“Swords and self defense?”
Angel absentmindedly licks his lips. Slowly. I’m drawing a blank. All I can think of are those wet lips on mine. Damn. I have to answer… “I play Dungeons and Dragons?” I end up blurting out.
The vampire doesn’t even flinch, just says ‘oh’ like it explains everything. “So you’re a huge nerd.” I take offence to that.
I rise and walk past him. He comes to stand beside me.
“So explain this,” I continue, sounding irritated, looking around for the first time. It’s an apartment. A small one with what looks to be all the amenities. No windows anywhere, as I’d suspected, too many mirrors, and bugs. I’ve already spotted three while scanning the room.
Bugger. Bugger. Bugger.
Lilah had to smile. Everything was working out better than she had hoped. She never imagined Angel liking men, but it was certainly part of the vampire culture. The way they looked at each other, she might have to have the air conditioning turned up in her room. She wouldn’t dare hope that after all this time Angelus would be turned and be served to her and hers on a silver platter, but it would be fun to see him try to resist…
She went over her plan every which way, but it still delighted her to no end.
Angel, newly free from his underwater prison and weak from not feeding, was to be picked up and locked up in vault-like underground apartment. Check. She was to watch him suffer, just for the fun of it… The whole set up wasn’t exactly necessary, but it was full of personal touches that made it that much sweeter for the lawyer.
No matter how long he resisted, no matter how long it took, Angel would eventually have to kill his companion. And she had a cushy front row seat.
“What are we doing here?”
“It’s my fault,” he says, and it’s true. He touches my arm. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know any of this would happen.” Blimey, he is a good actor; bloke’s got me all misty-eyed with the wounded puppy routine.
“Why,” my voice cracks in a most precise way, “why is this so nice?”
“There are no exits, and no means of communication with the outside world…” He said not answering my question.
We both sort of explore the room, dancing around each other.
Not since a certain Scotsman have I witnessed such depth of brooding. It would warm my heart if it weren’t so annoying. While he’s sulking, I’m dying of hunger.
I dare to go to the refrigerator. Wow, this is the way to be sequestered. There is so much food, and good food at that, that I don’t know where to start. I feel like thanking Angelus for a moment, but I only turn to smile faintly at him before pulling out what I want.
“These people,” I ask, because they may think I’m acting a bit cavalier, “we’re sure they’re not trying to kill you right? Because I’m starved.”
“No, should be safe.”
“You want something?”
“No thanks Adam. That’s nice of you to ask.”
I have all the ingredients for a feast, and it’s not hard to figure out why. Must have planned to keep a human in here with him. Just a matter of time before he needs to drink me.
Oh. And there’s my plan.
It was such a brilliant plan.
Lilah had her feet on her worktable and an insidious grin on her face. These two had already given her more than enough material to back up her story. She would go to the boy Connor, who himself looks to have a stellar future good or evil, and show him a tape of Justine killing Holtz, then of the agonizing minutes leading up to Holtz jumping through the portal with him, Angel’s crying. She would then explain what happened, and try to keep a straight face. Lay it on thick.
Have the little bastard, confused, full of guilt and rage and desperation try to find his father. Help him in any way. Feign confusion when the coffin turns up empty.
If Angelus hasn’t turned by then, have Angel ingest doximall (a happiness-inducing drug she read about in one of Wesley’s diaries) and watch him turn into leather-pants again. Give him plenty of humans to play with. Get it all on tape, especially the very human rapport these two seem to have...
Angel is so considerate I almost call him on it. He tastes the food on the table, like he used to taste the tea Drucilla would bring me. Checking for poison, like a gentleman, and it’s seems sort of sad the way my heart swells. I almost grin but now he’s bending down to get something in a cabinet. I bet I’m leering. Ah. What a view! You’d think I’d be over checking people out at my age, but it seems no matter how old you are, you still appreciate a nice posterior.
I dig into my food while Angel locks himself in the bathroom after he shows me he’s found a lady bic, some plastic scissors and *cringe* hair gel. How does he do it if he can’t even see himself?
I eat my fill and eat some more. No beer, to my dismay, but wine, and that suits me just fine, as long as I get out of here soon. I have the whole bottle, because that would explain the lack of nerves. I’ve been in much worse situations that this, and I guess I don’t care enough to get into a more hysteric human reaction. I’m going for denial.
Angel is still in the bathroom. I want to get this plan started as soon as possible, but I can’t do it without him. I turn off the lights and lie on the cot.
Lilah was looking over her checklist. She wanted to cackle.
She couldn’t wait to explain to Connor that all this happened because of him. That Angel really was a good man before and what his son did to him turned him into a calculating murderer again. Maybe she’d go so far as to present him with findings that say he kept the apartment himself expressly for the purpose of being able to kill freely and keep up appearances. Ah, she’d go by ear, but Connor will be firmly and forever under her thumb.
If Angelus wanted to stay out, he’d get a lifetime supply of drugs if and only if he works for Wolfram and Hart and if he ever turns Angel again, they’ve still got his son as a bargaining chip.
“Life is so grand sometimes. It really is.” She told the incoming typist.
“Miss Morgan?” The young woman asked unsteadily.
“Go on.”
“Yes, well, here are the transcripts of what has been said so far. Also, the hackers and field teams both have had no luck tracing this man. He seems to be a tourist and if he’s paid his hotel stay, it might take a few days. As you know, there were no papers on him of any kind.”
“Keep on it, anything else?”
“Well, the only thing that gives anyone pause, is that the sniper reports he saw this man kill at least two of our agents with a sword. No one else can confirm or deny that. The last foot soldiers came in after the pair were hit with the tranquilizers.”
“I see. Wasn’t the sniper in place from the beginning?”
“That would be a no, ma’am, he got called several minutes into it, and he wasn’t paying attention to the fight as he was setting up.”
“Well, isn’t he incompetent...”
Lilah muttered. “Would you like this gentleman to be removed? Should we go with who we planned to bring in originally?”
“No, but keep her on stand-by.”
I wake up from my nap when the water stops running. I watch him step out of the bathroom a new man; a very clean-shaven, spiky-haired version of Angelus that is beyond appealing. We watch each other without saying anything.
Suddenly, I feel very dirty and I lock myself in the bathroom. I shave with the pink plastic razor and shower off the itchy blood. I try my best not to sing in the shower because I’m sure there are bugs, cameras or both around the small room. When I step out, I wrap myself in a towel and carry my clothes out with me.
He’s taken the couch and is probably feigning sleep. I take my place on the cot again and try not to slumber for too long. I can only imagine what they already know about me, and fear what they could easily find out, thanks in large part to MacLeod’s big mouth.
“Miss Morgan?” She heard over the intercom.
“Yes Lizzie?”
“The clerk at the Regent Beverly Wilshire recognized the picture. We have a name, one Adam Pierson.”
“Did you check his room?”
“He checked out two days ago, and took a cab.”
“Where?”
“We haven’t found the cab yet.”
“Keep looking, and don’t give up on Hotels either, he may have rented at a different one last night.”
Lilah signed off. She wanted to leave, but didn’t feel like missing anything important. She locked her door and lay on the couch, keeping the live feed on.
An hour or two later, I begin tossing and turning. I start with the ‘no’s’ and the ‘help’s’; mostly ‘no’s’. I don’t hear Angelus making a move towards me so I shoot up, screaming loudly. I’ve even managed to make myself slightly sweaty to add credence to my act. If he didn’t have preternatural speed, we would both have a huge lump on our cabezas. He plays his part well, full of concern. The soul is definitely coming in handy here. Angelus had emotions, but he could never play this out without smirking and scoffing.
“Are you all right?” He asks sincerely.
“I, before at your hotel… Oh, my god,” I say, like revealing more would make me sick. I run my fingers through my hair and shake my head.
“What is it?”
“I killed people,” I whisper with wonder and look at him like I want him to tell me it isn’t true.
“Yes.” Bastard, he could have refuted it. What if I really was this normal guy? Where’s the tact?
“How am I going to live with myself? What got into me? I’m not a violent person; I’m just a man who likes books and board games. Oh, God what have I done!” I so deserve an Oscar. I start to weep. It isn’t hard, when you’ve lived 5000 years, there are plenty of images and feelings you can call up that will start the waterworks. It’s not pleasant because yes, I do have real feelings, but my first priority is as always my survival. I need to and I will.
He’s not sure what to do next. He’s stroking my hair.
He pulls me to him and I realize he’s at least half naked. That makes it easier.
“You’re cold,” I say, and wrap the cover around him. He wraps himself around me and we’re hugging. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know what I want him to do. I try and look shy.
“Will you, sleep here with me?”
He looks shocked. I’m not sure if he’s acting, if he just figured out what I want him to do or if he’s, well, shocked.
He stammers. “I- I- I- I’m not supposed to get close to anyone.”
She laughed out loud at that remark. Lilah had been awakened by the man’s distressed shout and was throughoutly enjoying the show. She toyed with the idea of sending a clerk for popcorn, but she was supposed to be professional. She settled for the bag of corn chips she had left over from lunch.
“Please, it’s getting hard not to be frightened. I would really appreciate it.”
“I might take advantage of you,” he whispers getting closer. “It’s been so long.”
I want to kiss him so badly. Bloody Hell, it’s like I’m barely 1000!
“Please stay,” I repeat, mesmerized by his blackened eyes.
“I’m hungry,” he states, looking at my neck. I get a chill. I know he’s not really hungry, because he had his fill of me mere hours ago, but he is salivating. I hope the cameras get an eyeful of that. Make everything that much more credible.
“You can eat, there’s plenty of food in the refrigerator.” I make a move to go to it, but Angelus drags me back down.
He lays on the cot to sleep and I spoon up behind him. It would look better the other way around, but I need those people behind the walls to believe this, so it works out well. Plus, I get to touch the vampire. He’s tall, lean, all muscle; he looks even better than when I met him.
This is where I let myself go. I’m not acting; I’m doing what I want to be doing right now. I’m just playing a little game to fit my plan.
“Oh, my.” She whispered, mesmerized. “There might be a God after all.”
I start with feather light touches all across his hard body. I take several deep breaths, like I’m memorizing his scent, even though I’m remembering it. I nuzzle his neck.
I know his eyes are open. I know he’s trying not to touch me.
