SquidgeWorld Archive

Old Faces, Old Feelings
by Ragna

It was just one of those days, Lindsey decided, as he walked into the lobby of Wolfram & Hart. The car didn't start, his stump of a hand was irritated so he couldn't wear the good prosthetic hand and had to settle for the itchy rubber one, and to top it all off, the one date he'd managed to get in three months would have to be canceled because of an impromptu board meeting.

The only thing keeping him sane was muttering the words to Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff" under his breath. At least someone felt the same way.

"There you are! Lindsey..."

Lilah could only make the day worse, so Lindsey pasted his fake smile on his face, turned around, and looked at her. "Yes, Lilah?"

She had her similarly fake smile on. "How's the hand? I see you don't have the robotic one on."

"It got misplaced," he said. "I probably left it in my office last night, when I took a cab home. I was in a hurry."

"Ah," she said, condescendingly. "Well, anyway, Holland told me to take Darla off your hands for your client meeting this evening."

Lindsey nodded. "Fine."

Lilah looked at Lindsey, trying to come up with another insult, but decided against it and simply walked into the boardroom where Darla was. Lindsey walked to the office next to it, tossed his briefcase on the desk and turned his back on the door, looking out at the impressive LA skyline.

"Lindsey McDonald. Junior partner. How much did your soul cost, anyway?"

Lindsey knew that voice anywhere. He didn't even have to turn around to see the face that accompanied it, the face that had haunted him ever since he was in high school.

"Christine," he said softly.

"Yeah," she replied. "Going to turn around and take a look, or should I walk in front of you and block the pretty view?"

He turned, and was floored, just as he had been every other time he'd ever seen her. "Words don't do justice."

Despite the serious look on her face, she cracked a smile, albeit a small one. "So how much did your soul cost?"

"Who said I sold it?" he said, in an acidly tinged voice. Much as he still cared about the beauty in front of him, there were times where whatever she said irked him. It normally wasn't her fault, but he couldn't admit that.

She shook her head. "I don't want to fight. We did enough of that." She looked up and down, taking in every visible inch of him. "You look good, Lindsey. Even without the hand."

Lindsey stood up.

"Yeah, you look really good," she amended.

Lindsey smiled slightly, but didn't move towards her. "What are you doing back in LA?"

"My band's got a concert here, plus we're recording at a nearby studio. I thought I might as well say hello to my ex-husband. The rest of the band said hello."

Lindsey nodded. "It's been five years since the last time we talked."

"Well, when you chose the firm over me, there didn't seem to be anything more to say." She sat down in a chair across from his desk. "Was it worth it?"

"There's days I honestly don't know." He sat down, staring intently at her eyes. "We were together so long..."

"Let's see...we started dating when I was thirteen and you were fifteen. Upon my graduation, we got married, and stayed together...five years?"

"Almost six," Lindsey said. "Enough for me to almost get out of law school."

"I should have realized money and power would come between us." She yawned slightly. "We flew here from across the Pacific, so I'm a bit jet lagged." She looked at him, and he knew the awkward pause was killing her.

She stood up and headed for the door. On second thought, she set a ticket down on his desk. "Well, I'll let you get back to defending the rich scum of the earth. Tomorrow night at eight. You'll get backstage if you show that ticket."

Lindsey looked away. He didn't want her to leave, but he couldn't ask her to stay, either. "I know."

She sighed, pausing at the door. "You know, I still love you."

He nodded, then turned to look at her. "Christine..."

"Yeah?"

"I think of you every night."

"You never could admit you still love me," she said sadly as she left the office.

"No, I never could," he said, looking at the ticket she'd left. He got on the phone, dialing his secretary. "Yes, do I have anything going on tomorrow night? Reschedule it. I want the entire evening free."

-----------------

Christine's next stop was Angel Investigations. Her Mom, who loved to gossip, told her that her old friend Cordelia Chase worked for a private investigators office in LA. It'd be nice to pay a visit...even when she was a
bitch, Cordelia had been one of her favorite people, probably because Christine knew she could be better.

She pulled her long brown hair up into a knot at the nape of her neck, smoothed out the white tank top she wore under the black button down shirt. She was always in casual wear when she wasn't up on stage.

She knocked on the door to the hotel, where their offices were. She could faintly hear conversation, and the females voice grew louder as she got closer to the door.

"...And I really want those tickets! I know you won them, but my friend's the lead singer, and..."

Cordelia opened the door, and the look of instant shock on her face turned into happiness. "Chrissie!"

"Cordy!" Christine said, hugging her old friend. "God, it's been a while. How are you?"

"I'm good. You know Mom keeps comparing us. The successful singer versus the down and out actress working at a PI office." Cordelia smiled. "Let me introduce! This is Gunn," she said, pointing to the man in the corner. "He's okay."

"I'm just okay?" Gunn said. "Girl, you have a lot to learn."

"And not from you. Chrissie, this is Wesley, the man with the tickets."

Wesley looked up in shock. "Uh, yes, hello there."

"Smooth," Gunn muttered from the corner. Wesley blushed slightly.

"Pleased to meet you," Christina said, shaking his hand.

"Who's this? A client?" Everyone's head turned towards the stairs, where Angel was walking down slowly.

"No, it's my friend Christine. Lead singer of the band Midnight Sunlight." Cordelia smiled. "She doesn't bite."

Gunn and Wesley both stifled laughs as Angel finished walking down the stairs. "Hello."

"Hello," Christine said, giving the man a strange look.

Angel stared at her for a while. "Which side of the family?"

"My mother's. She was Greek...how did you know?"

"It's in your speaking voice, just a little."

"Can someone clue us in?" Cordelia asked.

"I'm...I'm partly siren. My voice hypnotizes men, enough to get them to buy my music."

"Oh. Cool," Cordelia said.

Christine's jaw dropped. "And you don't care?"

"As long as you don't hurt anyone with it." Cordelia smiled. "So how long are you in LA for?"

-----------------

Lindsey spent the rest of the day in a daze, going through the motions of working. He met with clients, wrote out briefs, even went to court for a few hours. Everyone seemed to think he was perfectly fine in his normal routine.

Everyone except Lilah.

"Will you give it a rest?" Lindsey finally snapped.

"Who was that beauty that walked out of the office this morning?" Lilah continued. "She isn't a client...who could she be?"

Lindsey ground his teeth together. "Nobody important."

"I mean, I recognized her. She's a singer, for that band Midnight Sunlight. I think she was recently on the Grammy's as a performer. Or maybe an award winner, I'm not sure."

Lindsey didn't bother to correct her, knowing his Christine had performed and won two Grammy's that night. He didn't let her know he had taped every performance she had on television, he had copies of all her interviews...

He had their wedding picture in his desk.

Amazingly, they kept their past life together an almost total secret, except for when someone was able to find out she had been married. But then she used her skill, that voice of hers, to get them to change the question or drop it entirely.

"And she is a beauty. So why would she be seeing you?"

Lindsey had had enough. "We went to school together. She wanted to see if I was as successful as I'd said I'd be."

Lilah nodded, not entirely accepting it but not disputing it either. "You must have been close friends."

"Yes, we were," he said as a cab pulled up outside the courthouse. "And you'll excuse me. I have to go home and change for the dinner meeting." He slammed the door shut and gave the cabdriver directions, glad to get away
from Lilah and her constant quest for dirt on him.

He shut his eyes for a moment, then got hit with some sort of divine inspiration. "Change that. Head out towards the old Hyperion. There's should be a private investigators office there."

"So, you're part siren?" Gunn asked.

Christine nodded. "My family's really strange. There's a daughter born in every generation, not always a son. The son never carries on the trait, just the daughter. And every daughter ends up pregnant." She smiled slightly.
"Even me."

Cordelia squealed. "When? What's the name?"

"She's four, and her name is Jennifer Cordelia. I always did love your name, Cordy."

"Have a picture?" Cordelia said as Christine pulled her wallet out of the bag she was carrying.

"You know, she looks a lot like someone I know," Cordelia said. "I can't put my finger on it."

"Lindsey." Angel said it loudly, getting everyone's attention except Cordelia's.

"Not him," Cordelia said, finally looking up to where everyone was looking.

"Angel," he said, walking in. "Christine," he added, the expression on his face changing slightly.

"Lindsey," she said, putting the wallet away.

"You named her Jennifer."

"After your sister." Christine lifted her head up. "Not that you ever asked."

"Pardon me a moment," Wesley asked, "but what are you two talking about?"

"Our daughter," Christine said quite calmly. "Cordelia, I'm surprised that you didn't remember Lindsey from the last time you met him."

Cordelia thought for a moment. "You...you two were at that big dinner Mom hosted. Everyone was talking about your first CD and your husband getting signed to a large firm," she said, her eyes growing wide. "I...I can't
believe I forgot."

"How did you know I'd be here, Lindsey?"

Lindsey shrugged. "Lucky guess. I figured you'd see Cordelia if you could." He motioned to the bag. "Can I see her picture?"

"Man has a kid and doesn't even know about her," Gunn said. "Almost makes me feel bad for him."

"I knew about her," Lindsey said as Christine handed him her wallet. "I just knew she'd be better off with Christine." He looked at her picture. "She's beautiful."

"She has your eyes," Christine said softly.

Lindsey shut the wallet and handed it to her. "I just wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier," he said. "I'll leave you now."

"Wait...are you coming tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"I'll bring her." Christine smiled sadly. "I've made sure to let her know you're her daddy. She always asked why she couldn't see you, and I never knew what to tell her." She handed Lindsey a piece of paper. "Meant to give this to you earlier." Lindsey nodded, then silently walked back out the door.

The others looked at her in shock. "How long?" Angel asked.

"Nine years. The firm snatched him up when he went into law school. They paid for it. But I never liked them. We fought about it, and I finally just left. And that was five years ago." Christine sat down, looking at them. "I need to know...what has he done?"

Cordelia sat next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "It's not good."

"I didn't think it would be."

Wesley and Angel sat across from them, Gunn hovering between them. "We only know what's happened the last two years. Before that, you'll have to ask him."

Christine nodded. "Go on."

--------------

Lilah sat at the computer, typing in the set of passwords she'd obtained from a hacker. They'd cost her dearly, but if they didn't work, he'd be dead by dawn.

"Johanson, Byron. Johanson, Catherine. Johanson, Cathy. Johanson, Christal. Whoever named that woman should be shot." She scrolled down until she found Christina's files. "Got you."

She double clicked it and got the password prompt. Using the first password on the list, she entered it, amazed that it worked. She continued, pulling up various documents, looking for one thing in particular: a marriage license. She'd read somewhere that the woman had been married and divorced.

After countless password prompts, she finally hit paydirt. "Got it!" she squealed, pulling up the document. Taking a look at it, her eyes got wide and a sudden wicked smile crossed her face. "My Lord," she muttered. "Wonder what other secrets she has..."

She made a mental note to pay the hacker extra. This information just might get her that promotion to Junior Partner that Lindsey had stolen away from her.

-------------

Lindsey stared at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. No matter how hard he tried, his mind was thinking too many thoughts for him to be able to fall asleep. He'd walked around the beach area for hours, trying to clear his mind of these exact thoughts. He'd come home, hoping to just go right to sleep.

He got up and put on one of his CD's, hoping the music could clear all the thoughts away. He set the CD player to search, and sat back in his bed, hoping to get some sleep.

Her skin is salty sweet, she wore sandals on her feet

Side by side we fell asleep in her mother's bed

She stepped inside of me, she said don't ever lie to me

This heart of mine can be yours

Yea that's what she said

But I just played the role, broke the heart I stole

Cause I was young and dumb and fucked up in the head
No such luck. He always skipped this song, just because it was so true to what had happened to him.

That wasn't exactly true. Lindsey really did love her. He never told her that much, and even when he did he'd had a hard time forming those three little words. For some reason, he could never tell her what she needed to hear from him.

Maybe that was why he lost her in the end. He couldn't give her what she wanted. What she wanted and what he wanted were two different things found on two different paths of life.

Do you want to be loved for real, do you want to be loved for real

Do you want to be...loved, (Yes, I wanna be loved for real)

For real, (Do you want to be in love for real)

(Yes, I want to be in love for real)
He thought about his daughter. Christine had to have been a few weeks pregnant when she left, and he had no idea. She told him before the divorce was finalized, but he made no fuss over who should get custody.

He was too busy for a family. But he always had a soft spot for children, nothing could change that. And his softest spot was for the little girl who he'd never met, the one who knew he was her daddy and wondered why she never got to see him.

Somehow, he'd make up for that. He'd tell the world she was his daughter, he'd be as proud of her as humanly possible...if Christine could stop keeping the fact that they had been married a secret.

Now, I'm down by the river, taking off my shoes

Jump in the water, wash away these blues

Now out into the ocean, the current takes hold

Words already been spoken, tales already been told

Heart's already been broken, wounds already been healed

Do you wannabe loved, do you wanna

Do you wannabe love for real.
He pulled a pillow over his head, hoping to block out the light, the song and his thoughts in one fell swoop. It wasn't all her fault. None of it was all her fault; he had his blame as well. But he, being the more stubborn of the
two of them, just couldn't admit it.

She was doing what she had to do after he did what he had to do.

Do you want to be loved for real, do you want to be loved for real

Do you want to be...loved, (Yes, I wanna be loved for real)

For real, (Do you want to be in love for real)

(Yes, I want to be in love for real)

Do you want to be loved for real, do you want to be loved for real

Do you want to be...loved, (Yes, I wanna be loved for real)

For real, (Do you want to be in love for real)

(Yes, I want to be in love for real)
He got up again, pacing. All this thinking was just running around one main issue. The life he had, the one he gave up for power, was now staring him back in the face. He needed to talk to her, he needed to figure out what he wanted now...

He needed time to deal with it all. But he had no idea how long Christine was in town or anything. His hand lingered over his pant pocket where he'd tucked her phone number. Maybe he should call her...

Her eyes were hazel brown, she laughed the sweetest sound

And I just loved the way she lit up when she spoke

She help to ease my pain, she stayed through pouring rain

And I gave her all that she could take till she broke

She fit me like a glove, she taught me how to love

And for some ass I watched it all go up in smoke
Lindsey turned the song off. It had only made things worse. Turning on the television, he flipped to the news.

"And in entertainment news," the reporter said, "the identity of the father of Midnight Sunlight's lead singer Christine Johanson's daughter has been revealed. In an anonymous fax sent to KTLA, the father is Johanson's ex-husband Lindsey McDonald, a Junior Partner in the local law firm Wolfram & Hart."

Lindsey sat bolt upright. What fax? Who had found out?

"Christine Johanson released the following statement." The picture switched to Christine outside her hotel room, holding Jennifer. They looked like they'd been on their way in after some sort of activity.

"Yes, he is the father," she said. "We were married for five years and divorced because of irreconcilable differences. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to put my daughter to bed."

He flipped off the television, pulled out the piece of paper Christine had given him, and dialed the number.

"Hello?" a somewhat sleepy female voice asked.

"Christine?"

"Lindsey...you heard." Her voice had a slight accusatory ring to it.

"I didn't send the fax."

"I didn't say you did."

He thought for a moment. "I'm glad it's out, though."

"Why?"

"Because it's a part of my life I shouldn't have tried to hide."

There was a pause on her end. "I shouldn't have done it, either. Look, I need some sleep." The was a sound on the other end, and Lindsey could hear Christine say "Go back to bed, honey."

"Was that Jennifer?"

"Yes. Do you want to talk to her?"

"I...well..."

"Or you could always wait until tomorrow."

"Let's wait."

"All right."

"Good night, Chrissie."

"Good night, Lindsey. From both of us."

He hung up, the thoughts having left his head. He looked at the phone for another moment before laying back, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

-------------

The night was cold, the fog was settling in. Lindsey waited outside the club. The crowd was huge...he had never dreamed so many people would be there to see Chrissie. He felt a strange sort of pride.

"Are you Mr. McDonald?" the bouncer asked. Lindsey nodded. The bouncer opened up the velvet roped entrance and nodded at Lindsey. "Go on."

He walked into the almost empty club, wondering at how the bouncer knew who he was. He looked around, trying to find Chrissie.

"Lindsey!"

He turned around. "Justine," he said, a smile on his face. Justine had grown her hair out from the last time he saw the petite bassist, and it was now a lovely shade of strawberry blonde. Other than that, she looked exactly the
same way she had five years ago.

She hugged him impulsively. "Missed you." He hugged her back, unable to think of a suitable reply. When they let each other go, she inclined her head towards a hallway. "They're back there."

Lindsey nodded. "Okay."

"Need help moving one foot in front of the other?" Justine said, a slight smirk on her face.

"No, I'll be okay," he said, lying through his teeth. He started to walk in the direction of the hallway. "I'm just..."

"Nervous?"

"Yeah."

Justine took his hand, not realizing it was artificial. "What happened?"

"An accident," he said.

She nodded, still holding the artificial hand and leading him to the dressing room. Opening the door, she let go. "Chrissie?"

Christine looked up, a beautiful little girl sitting on her lap. "Lindsey, you came." She tapped the little girl on the shoulder and pointed. "Jenny...it's your father."

Jennifer looked at Lindsey for a few minutes before sliding off her mom's lap. "Daddy?"

Lindsey bit back a sob, nodding. "Yeah."

Jennifer smiled. "Where have you been?" She opened her arms and he swooped her up, engulfing her in a hug.

"It's not important," he said quietly, looking at Christine, who sat there with a smile on her face. "I'm just glad you know who I am."

"Mommy always talks about you."

"She does, does she?"

Jennifer nodded. "She says you work. What do you do?"

"I'm a lawyer. I help...people," he said.

She smiled. "I missed you."

Lindsey sat down, having Jennifer on his lap. "I missed you, too."

---------------

Christine had watched Lindsey and Jennifer for the hour before she had to go on stage. They bonded quickly, and Lindsey let his guard down completely with the daughter he'd never been able to see before. It was a touching scene.

She knew that Lindsey could hear the concert from backstage. She'd planned to sing just her band's songs, but Justine talked her into reciting a poem, one she hadn't touched in over five years.

"Well, Justine said I should say this poem. Normally I sing "Tenderness" and bring Jenny out, but tonight, she's a bit busy." Christine smiled. "And since I don't like singing that song without my beauty here, I decided I'd do a
poem."

The audience went wild, and Christine felt more comfortable. "It's called The Rose That Withered In My Hands." She cleared her throat, shut her eyes, and began.

"The rose in my hand withers,

It's petals floating from an unknown heaven,

Traveling down like rain from the sky,

A fiery red rain sweetly perfumed.

I look at it, and see nine lone petals,

Clinging to the stem, moving with the wind,

Playing a game with me, smiling.

I set it down and leave it alone,

While the other flowers in the vase

Swing back and forth in the breeze

Of the balmy evening,

Like clouds floating in the sky.

The red roses, gleaming like fire,

The yellow sunflowers, opened for innocent eyes,

The blue bluebells, making a silent song,

The purple lavender, dotting the air,

The white babies breath, so fragile, so sweet,

And the orange poppies, looking like they were

Stolen from the sun by

Angels up above.

Now, glancing to my side,

The rose that once had nine, like the Muses,

Now has three, like the Fates.

One is Birth,

One is Life,

One is Death.

I pick it up, and they fall freely

Back to earth, in the cool, calm moonlight,

Leaving only a slight perfumed smell,

And a new sadness, like that of a loss

Of a love, or of friends.

But the perfume is lovely,

And it pulls me into an innocent bliss,

Bringing peace back into my

Tired, innocent heart.

The rose that withered in my hand

Is on the floor,

Out of my sight, but not

Out of my mind."

Christine opened her eyes, watching the crowd go wild. And then she caught a movement at the side of the stage, where Lindsey stood with Jenny in his arms, both of them looking at her. For the first time, Christine could
clearly read his emotions.

He had been crying, but he was smiling at her. And he mouthed the three words she'd wanted to hear for so long.

"I love you."

------------------

"What?"

Holland Masters looked at the lawyer in front of him. "What do you mean, you quit?"

"Exactly that. I quit. My ex-wife and I decided to reconcile, and that involves me leaving the firm. It's something she insists on, and I'm going to do it."

Holland looked Lindsey up and down. "You do know Lilah will be taking over your position as Junior Partner?"

Lindsey shrugged. "Let her have it. She's probably the one who leaked the news about my marriage anyway, in an attempt to get me to leave or something like that."

Holland stared at him for a long time. "Very well," he said finally. "Get your belongings out of the office by five PM, and give me your pass cards."

---------------

"And that was it! I said I resigned, and he let me go." Lindsey held the Barbie so Jenny could brush her hair better.

"I don't know..." Justine said. "I mean, you said they shot Lee right in front of you when he tried to leave."

"But I wasn't trying to take clients with me. I just wanted out." He looked critically at the Barbie. "I think you have one little knot left, right...there," he said, pointing it out to his daughter.

"Thanks, Daddy!" Jenny beamed at her father before she started brushing that last knot out.

"Well, just be care--" Justine began when the lights in the hotel room went out. "This is strange."

Suddenly the door burst open, and in the dim light of the hallway, Justine could make out three very large figures. One barked a simple "Get him!" order and the other two went to Lindsey's general direction.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Jenny screamed, and Lindsey grabbed her quickly and maneuvered his way around one of the burly men.

"Justine!" Lindsey yelled, plunging his hand into the darkness and waiting for her slim hand to grasp his. When she finally got it, he pulled her out of the way of an incoming man making a grab.

The three of them raced into the hallway, down towards the lobby and to the safety of a crowd. Lindsey thought for a moment. "We need to go somewhere, safer than here."

Justine looked at Lindsey. "I know you hate him, but..."

Lindsey looked down at Jenny, and then nodded. "Let's get a cab."

---------------

There was an insistent pounding on the Hyperion's door. Cordelia grumbled slightly as she walked to the door, muttering things like "stupid idiot" and "don't they know this place isn't a hotel anymore?"

Pulling the door open, she looked in shock as she saw a breathless Lindsey holding a beautiful, sobbing little girl. "Angel's here?"

"Yeah..." Cordelia said, moving aside. "Where's Christine?"

"Right here," she said, running towards the door. "Please, can you lock it?"

"Well, Wesley's coming back soon..."

"Please?" Christine asked, on the verge of begging.

"Cordelia, what's going on?" Angel asked from the office.

"You have some clients," Lindsey said softly, stroking his daughter's hair. "It's okay Jenny. We're okay. You'll see."

"But...but I dropped my Barbie!" Jenny said, more sobs escaping.

"No, you didn't, honey," Lindsey said, pulling her Barbie out of his pocket. "We just lost her brush, that's all."

"That...that's o...okay," Jenny said, trying to stop crying.

"I have a brush she could use," Cordelia told Lindsey. Something about the scene almost broke her heart. "I'll go get it right now, sweetie, okay?" she added, talking to Jenny this time. The little girl nodded.

Angel walked out of the office. "Lindsey..." he began menacingly, before he noticed the two terrified females. His voice softened as he added, "What's wrong?"

Lindsey handed Jenny to Christine. "In your office."

Angel nodded and turned back around. Lindsey followed, hearing Cordelia come back to Christine. He cleared his throat when he entered the office. "They're out to get us," he said simply.

"Who?"

"Wolfram & Hart. I quit today."

Angel looked shocked, but only for a second. "Why?"

"I was stupid."

"That's not a valid reason to quit."

"Yes, it is." He looked out the window of the office and watched Jenny sitting on one of the couches, quietly brushing her Barbie's hair. "I was stupid to give up on Christine. I was stupid because I wasn't there for Jenny. I missed...a lot."

"So you quit?"

Lindsey nodded. "Christine said that was the only way she would give us another chance. Angel, I want another chance." He sighed, sitting down in a chair and burying his face in his hands. "I should have known they wouldn't let me go so easily."

Angel nodded, staring at Lindsey. After a few minutes of silence, he said, "We'll help you. But only if you help us."

Lindsey raised his head and nodded, extending his hand. "Deal. Anything to keep them safe."

Angel took his hand and shook it. "Now, where were you staying? I'll see if I can get Wesley to go there and get some things."

"If the creeps who came after us didn't wreck the room, Christine and Jenny were at the Hyatt. I'm pretty sure they're waiting for me at my place. Maybe at the hotel."

"I can get some things for you guys," Cordelia said. She stood at the doorway. "Did you really quit?" she asked Lindsey.

"Yeah."

"Do you regret it?"

Lindsey didn't even have to think. "No."

-------------------

Later that evening, there was a room prepared for the three of them. Cordelia had offered to let them stay at her apartment, but Christine argued that the firm may have followed them to the Hyperion, and she didn't want Cordelia to get hurt because she helped them.

Cordelia, in turn, had laughed and said if anyone was going to get hurt, it'd be the idiots who showed up at the Hyperion, looking to take any of them away.

Now, however, Christine was downstairs making some phone calls. Lindsey was upstairs with Jenny, reading a book of fairy tales that Angel had found among Wesley's collection of old books. Lindsey carefully skipped over the gorier parts of a few of the stories.

Jenny looked up at her father. "Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you read me stories before?"

"Well," Lindsey said. He thought for a moment, then set the book down. "Jenny, your mommy and I had some problems. We couldn't work them out, so we took a break. But I didn't know that I was going to have a wonderful little girl when we decided to take a break."

"But when you found out, why didn't you come back?"

Lindsey sighed. "I worked with some bad people, sweetie."

"The ones that wanted to take you?"

Lindsey shook his head. "They work for the same bad people that I worked with. And...well, honey, I didn't want them to know about you. So your mommy and I kept a big thing a secret. But then someone found out."

Jenny looked at him and nodded. "Okay."

Lindsey smiled. If only it had been that simple... "Honey, I do love you. I always have."

Jenny reached up and hugged her father. "I know. Mommy told me you did."

"You have a smart mommy," Lindsey said, hugging her back and inhaling the scent of bubble gum shampoo.

"I have a smart Daddy, too. 'Cause he came back. And he stopped being with the bad people." She pulled away and smiled at him. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too," he whispered, on the verge of tears. He picked up the old book again. "Should I finish Cinderella?" Jenny nodded. "Okay then. While Cinderella was crying, her fairy godmother appeared..."

"What's a fairy godmother?"

"Well, she's a person who watches over you. Sort of like a guardian angel. Except she makes wishes come true."

"Oh." She put a finger to her chin, and then smiled. "Then I must have a fairy godmother."

"Why?"

"'Cause I asked to see you, and now you're here."

Lindsey nodded. "Then, I guess you do have a fairy godmother."

"Good."

--------------

Christine and Lindsey were in their room, sorting through what few documents Gunn was able to get when he had some friends of his sneak into Lindsey's place. Lindsey had been right; the place was being watched.

None of the people watching the apartment had been able to make a report afterwards, though. Gunn's old friends had no problems killing demons, and that was what the firm had sent to watch the apartment.

Jenny had insisted it was bath time, though. She wanted her Mommy and Daddy to fill up the big tub in the bathroom and play with her.

Cordelia decided it may be time to step in, so she offered to let Jenny pick any bathroom in the hotel to take a big bubble bath in. She sent Wesley out for some bubble bath, and while the two females waited patiently, Jenny started to tell Cordelia all about her Barbie.

"Her name is Cordelia. That's your name too. Mommy said it was a nice name. Why does everyone call Daddy Lindsey? Isn't that a girl's name?" She had a joyous but questioning look on her face. "And aren't you hungry? We'll have to get Wesley to get some food. I'm *starved*"

Cordelia hadn't been able to keep up with the conversation and just let the little girl ramble. While Jenny talked, Cordelia's mind drifted to the realm of the "what-if's" and wondered if she'd ever have a child of her own.

And then that nasty voice from high school added "Cordelia Chase? With children? Yeah, Right. She'd be worse than her own parents..."

It was the insistent tug on her hand that alerted her to Wesley's presence with bubbles, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and some tub toys. Cordelia smiled at him; it seemed he, too, had fallen under the little girl's spell.

"And," he said to Jenny, saving the best for last, "I thought that Cordelia might like a playmate, so I got..." He pulled out a Barbie wearing a silver and blue ball gown. "Cinderella, just for you."

Jenny squealed in delight. "Now Cordelia and Cinderella can go shopping together and have sleepovers and keep each other company."

Cordelia went to Wesley and hugged him. "You're very sweet."

"I tried to think of what might make her less lonely," he had said. "I didn't know if it would help."

Cordelia had kissed him on the cheek, causing Wesley to blush a bit. "I think you just made her day."

-----------

Cordelia didn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun at bath time. And she wasn't even the one taking the bath!

Jenny had demanded to wear a bathing suit, which Wesley had gone out and bought, allowing Cordelia to play with Barbies for the first time in ages. And it was fun, she realized, letting her hair down and just acting like a child.

When Wesley returned with three different bathing suits and a fluffy robe, Jenny was super pleased. She grabbed the sparkly pink suit that she said reminded her of the bathing suit Cordelia had come with and dashed into the bathroom to change.

After a quick change and the setting up of the bath, Jenny was happily splashing suds all around. Cordelia washed her hair and even piled it on top of her head in funny designs. Jenny and Cordelia played with all the toys and had a blast.

It was amazing how much this child could brighten a life, and for a moment she felt so sorry that Lindsey had missed as much as he had.

"Hey, Cordelia?"

"Yes?"

"Do you like Wesley?"

"He's a friend of mine."

"Yeah, but do you like him?"

Cordelia blushed. "Maybe a little."

"Okay," Jenny said, as if a decision had been made. She lifter up the boat she had been playing with. "I'll just have to make you two happy like Daddy made Mommy happy."

"How?"

"Daddy agreed to stop working for the bad guys. Maybe Wesley can agree to stop working for the sour faced man?"

"You mean Angel?"

Jenny nodded. "He's nice and all, but he never smiles."

"I'll bet you could make him smile."

"Maybe I should try!"

Cordelia laughed and didn't give her an answer, instead holding up the robe. "It's bed time, Princess. I bet your Mommy and Daddy want you to be all warm and tucked in before they say goodnight."

Jenny stuck her tongue out. "I wanna stay in."

"Jenny..."

"Five more minutes?"

Cordelia sighed. "Okay, five more. But I'll be playing with Cordelia and Cinderella."

Jenny stood up, soap suds clinging to her suit. "Never mind. I think they're tired."

"I bet they are." She held up the robe again. "Come on. It feels really warm."

"Okay."

-----------

Cordelia watched from the doorway as Lindsey and Christine snuggled with their daughter on the bed, reading her "The Three Little Pigs." She smiled, a little bit sadly, as she watched the scene unfold.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to turn. "She's like an angel," Wesley said.

Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. They're lucky."

"You know, I was wondering. A little bird told me you may be hungry." He held up two cartons of take-out. "Are you?"

"You bet," she said, closing the door on the happy family and following Wesley down the stairs.

--------------

In three months, Angel Investigations had become the most child friendly detective service in the area. Jenny, while staying behind the scenes, learned the rules very quickly: if it looks like it can hurt you, it will. If Angel's locked it up, it's not to be touched. If Wesley's reading it, it's probably old, unless it's a can of ravioli or something. Cordelia has bad headaches and needs quiet time after she has one.

But her favorite rule? Make Angel smile and you get chocolate.

She didn't mind the blood he would drink as she bit into the chocolate he'd give her. She knew he had a box in his desk drawer, but she didn't touch it, even when she wanted chocolate really really badly. It was much more fun when she got it from Angel, because then she'd get to practice all the jokes she was learning from the books Gunn had gotten her.

And as she sat behind his desk, trying to look all serious and important, and a little broody like Angel, she saw him crack a smile.

"You trying to make fun of me?" Angel asked, heading for the desk.

"I'm not trying," Jenny said, puffing her chest out a little.

Angel laughed as he reached for the box of chocolates. "Bet you're going to get a creme one."

Jenny made a face. "I hate creme ones. Try for a caramel? Please?"

Angel shook his head. "Jenny..."

-----------

Later that evening, Angel sat in his office, looking across the desk at Lindsey. "You know, I don't think moving from LA is going to solve your problem. It'll just make things worse."

"How so?"

"Cordelia will track you down and murder you if you take Jenny away."

Lindsey laughed. "Yeah, she would, wouldn't she? And I bet Gunn and Wesley would be right behind her..." Lindsey stopped smiling and sighed. "They've tightened up, Angel. I don't think there's a way in. And...well, having us here makes it dangerous for everyone else."

"It's been three months. Maybe they gave up."

Lindsey cocked an eyebrow at Angel. "Have you not been paying attention the last year or so?"

"Explain."

"Holland won't give up. And, if by some miracle, he does, Lilah will just pick right up where he left off." He leaned back in his chair and stared at Angel. "You don't know her like I do."

"And how well do you know her?" Christine, who had appeared in the doorway, asked.

"Well enough. But no, carnal knowledge isn't among what I know about her."

"She always did creep me out." Christine walked in and stood behind Lindsey, leaning down until she was hugging his neck and shoulders. "When did you think about us leaving?"

"Recently." He tipped his head towards Angel. "He brought up three good reasons to stay, though."

"And they are?"

"Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn would kill us if we took her away."

"Ah." She rested her chin on Lindsey's head and looked at Angel. "I feel like a mooch. I want to help."

"You could always help Wesley research. Answer phones when Cordelia can't." Angel shrugged. "Cook so I don't have to hear Gunn complain about ravioli one more night."

Christine laughed. "Then I guess I'm off to make dinner." She turned away and Lindsey watched her leave, a smile settling on his face again.

"You're lucky, you know," Angel said. "Not many women would give up everything to be with someone."

Lindsey nodded, still watching his ex-wife. "Hey, Angel?"

"Yeah?"

"Think I could set up a studio for her upstairs?"

Angel thought for a moment. "Why not?"

----------

Holland threw the pencil across the room, watching as it bounced off the cream colored wall. It had been six months since Lindsey had left the firm and there had been no way to get to him.

Holland knew Lindsey and his family was still in the Los Angeles area; his wife had recently released her solo debut yet no one knew where she had gone to record it. All that was known was that, since the attack on the hotel room where the McDonald family narrowly escaped, Christine had decided to take a break and work on her solo album in an undisclosed LA studio.

If this was the best Wolfram & Hart's intelligence could do, then he was sorely disappointed.

Holland was jarred from his thoughts as his door flew open and Lilah walked in, waving a piece of paper. The expression on her face could almost be described as a giddy one.

"Do you remember the detective I hired to stake out that hotel Angel keeps himself holed up in?" she asked excitedly.

"Do you remember the rule about knocking before entering?" Holland replied tersely.

"Sorry. We got confirmation of something you've been wanting to know about."

"What?"

She handed him the paper, which turned out to be an 8 x 10 picture of a woman and her child playing with a doll on a small patch of grass inside the gated area of the hotel.

It was Christine and a brunette child, presumably Lindsey's daughter, Jenny.

Holland set the picture on the desk and tapped his fingers on it, leaning back and staring at Lilah. "Fine job, Lilah. Fine job."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now what's your plan?"

Lilah looked lost. "My plan?"

"You tracked him down. You should take him out."

Lilah nodded. "And his family?"

"Do what you will with them."

-----------

Gunn shook his head at the television. "No, Stanley, you do not need the Great Big Book of Everything to figure that out! It's a penguin!"

Jenny looked at Gunn strangely. "What's a penguin?"

Gunn shifted the little girl on his lap slightly. "It's a bird that doesn't fly, but it swims. It lives in Antarctica, where it's cold. Maybe sometime we can go to the zoo and see one."

Jenny beamed. "Cool!"

Gunn looked over at Christine, who was watching the two of them, and he saw her frown slightly. "Jenny? I promise you you'll get to see a real penguin someday, okay? My treat."

"Okay." She shifted her attention back to the show and bounced a little on Gunn's lap as the cat and the dog in the series starting singing the mildly annoying song they usually sang when the Great Big Book of Everything was used, even though Stanley was using a computer.

Christine walked into the office, where Lindsey was looking over some documents Wesley had tracked down the night before that had to do with some changes that had been made at the firm.

"Still planning on taking them down?"

"It's the only way we'll all be safe." He closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "It's been too quiet."

"You mean out in the lobby? Gunn's about to go jump into the TV the next time the dog in 'Stanley' comes on. I think it annoys him."

Lindsey shook his head, smiling. "No, I meant at the firm. They've got to be planning something."

"Sure you aren't being paranoid?"

"No, not anymore."

Christine went to him and pulled a chair next to him, sitting down in it when she was done. "I have something to tell you."

"Yeah?"

"I'm...pregnant."

Lindsey's eyes bulged slightly as her stared at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "I've been off the pill for a few months now, since I ran out, and I was about three weeks late, so I asked Cordelia to get me a pregnancy test. It was positive." She held up an EPT tester. "See?"

Lindsey hugged her tightly. "This is great, Christine. God, I'm so happy."

"I am too, but..."

Lindsey pulled away. "But what?"

"I'm going to have to go see a doctor. And I...I don't want to have to look over my shoulder for a hit man. I got used to doing it for paparazzi, but someone wanting to kill me..."

"What are you saying?"

"I think we should take the firm out now. Like, very very soon. And then we could start a new life, without needing to worry."

Lindsey nodded. "You won't be involved with taking the firm out. It's too dangerous. But you're right; we need to get it done and move on with our lives."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well...I've been thinking of staying with Angel and everyone and helping clients who have legal issues. So it'd be a more legitimate setup here."

Christine smiled. "I was hoping you were thinking about something like that. We'd be murdered if we took Jenny away from everyone."

Lindsey grinned. "So...how long till you think we'll be parents of an infant again?"

-----------------

Wesley held Cordelia from behind as Cordelia tried to move around the kitchen. Her laughter could be heard throughout the lobby.

"Be serious, Wesley!"

"I am. I think we should see about going a bit further in our relationship."

Cordelia twisted around until she was face to face with him. Thanks to the subtle influence of the others at the Hyperion, the relationship had moved progressively and quickly from friendship to love between the two of them. Cordelia was grateful to be with someone who understood her and how she lived her life. Wesley accepted her as she was, and that had made it perfect for her.

"How much further?"

"I think you should move in with me."

Cordelia blinked. "No way."

Wesley let her go. "Well, then."

"No!" Cordelia said, grabbing his arm and holding it. "I just meant...I thought you meant we should..."

"What?"

"Never mind."

Wesley arched an eyebrow. "So, do you want to move in?"

"Yes, but...I love my place." Cordelia thought for a moment. "You could move in with me. My rent's cheaper and my apartment's bigger. And Dennis likes you."

Wesley smiled and leaned toward her until his nose touched hers. "Then it's settled. I'll move in with you and we'll see what happens next."

Cordelia took that opportunity to steal a kiss. "Yeah. We'll do that."

-------------

Angel kept the sword in his hand, keeping it lowered by his leg. The silver flashed brightly against the black of his pant leg. The demon they'd been after was toast, and he could finally call it a day.

Thank goodness the demon needed darkness to eat, he thought to himself, slipping back through the sewer lines that lead to the hotel. The demon was a menace and had needed to be taken care of, but the only time it was vulnerable was when it was eating, and it only ate in the daytime.

He was eager to wipe the glowing blood off his sword so he wouldn't get his all his clothes dirty. For all the blood the demon had shed, he'd only gotten some on his pants, and it didn't look like it'd be coming out anytime soon.

Then he heard something. It was a faint sound, but to a human it'd have been undetectable. It was also in the direction of the hotel.

Angel took off at a run. Something was wrong.

----------

The power blinked off. "What the hell?" Gunn muttered, staring at the now blank screen of the television. Jenny had just been put upstairs for her nap, and he'd settled down to watch some non-children's television.

He could make out Wesley and Cordelia emerging from the kitchen and Lindsey and Christine coming out of the office. "What's going on?" Christine asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Wesley said.

"Maybe Angel forgot to pay the electric bill?" Cordelia asked weakly.

Lindsey was the first to hear the shattering of glass. "Shit!"

"What?"

"Cordelia, Christine, get upstairs with Jenny! Now!"

The two women grabbed hands and ran towards the stairs. Wesley went to the weapons cabinet and brought out the first things he could grab: a lochabar ax, a mace and a long sword. "Let's be prepared." He handed the ax to Gunn and the mace to Lindsey.

----------

Jenny was beginning to cry when the two women got to her. "Sweetie, we have to be quiet," Christine whispered in her daughter's ear.

"But...but Mommy, it's dark!"

"I know, honey. But it'll be okay." She looked at Cordelia. "Closet?"

Cordelia nodded. She scooped up the Barbie named after her as she and Christine got Jenny towards the closet. "Here, Jenny. I got Cordelia."

"But what...what about Cinderella?"

"Do you know where she is?"

"Under the bed."

Cordelia shut the closet door and walked towards the bed. Suddenly, the windows crashed open and two men in black using rappelling ropes came through. Cordelia tried her best not to scream but she failed, letting out a small squeak.

Christine clamped her hand over Jenny's mouth, but the little girl was too frightened to scream; she had fainted in her mother's arms. So Christine decided to listen.

"You got the woman?"

"Yeah. Where's the girl?"

"Doesn't matter. As long as we have one of them, McDonald will come running."

"Lilah's going to be pissed."

"Those were her orders, you idiot."

Christine grit her teeth. So it was all Lilah's fault. The bitch. Then, suddenly, she realized the men thought Cordelia was her! She heard the men move to the window, crunching glass from the window as they went. She started to pray, and wait for complete silence.

------------

Angel hit the last man about to enter through the sewer entrance. When he entered the basement, he saw another man by the fuse box. It was dark, so he assumed that the man had turned off the lights in the hotel. Angel walked up stealthily, took his sword and hit the man in the head. The man slumped down with a small gurgle escaping his lips.

Angel flipped the fuses back on and watched through what he realized was the open basement door as light flooded in. He heard people running, most towards the front door. He decided this was the time to head upstairs; Wesley and everyone would have made sure they were safe, Angel thought to himself.

Right?

----------

"Christine!" Lindsey yelled, not caring about the fact that his fake hand had gone missing at some point during the fight. He held the mace in his good hand and headed straight towards Jenny's room. "Jenny!" He shoved the partially open door hard with his shoulder.

"Daddy!" he heard from the closet. A quiet "shh" sound followed.

He flung open the closet door and saw his two loves sitting in a heap. They were alive, they were here. His heartbeat slowed a little, and he regained some of his composure. He dropped the mace and then dropped to his knees, taking Christine and Jenny into a tight embrace.

Three sets of footsteps pounded up the stairs. Wesley entered first, followed by Gunn and Angel. Gun was holding his side and blood seeped through his fingers, while Wesley had lost his glasses and had the beginnings of a black eye.

Christine peeked over Lindsey's shoulder, looking at the other men. "They...they got Cordelia," she said quietly.

Wesley nodded and left the room. He took only a few steps down the hall before he turned to the wall and punched a hole through it before sinking to the floor on his knees, sobbing into his hands.

---------------

"You idiots! This isn't Lindsey's wife!" Lilah glared at the men in her office. "It's the ditz of a secretary!" She looked out the window. It looked as though it would start to rain at any moment, bleak weather to match her bleak mood.

"I'd watch who you're calling a ditz, lady," Cordelia muttered, struggling to get out of the iron grip of the two men.

"And why should I do that?"

"Because..." Cordelia began to tell Lilah off, but the blinding pain that came with her visions suddenly hit.

Wesley was dead...shot in the back or stabbed or something. Jenny was limp; whether dead or not, Cordelia didn't know. Lindsey and Angel were nowhere to be seen, but Christine was crying over Jenny and Gunn was heading out the door of the Hyperion.

She fell limp in the men's arms.

"Oh, did you have a vision?" Lilah asked lightly. "Tell me what you saw."

"Never," Cordelia ground out.

"That's too bad." Lilah shrugged. "Hope they like the surprise we left."

"What surprise?"

"A little bitty bomb. It'll bring that whole place down to the ground." Lilah shrugged again; the simple movement of her shoulders made Cordelia immensely irritated. "And it should go off in, oh, an hour."

Cordelia started to cry.

-----------

"Here, Daddy," Jenny said, bringing Lindsey his prosthetic arm.

"Thank you, honey." He reattached it and felt something strange hit the stub. He looked down at it. "Angel..."

"Yeah?"

"This isn't my arm."

-----------

They were safely in the sewers when the bomb went off. Jenny had wanted to stay in the basement because the sewers were dark and smelly, but Lindsey told his daughter that if Angel gave her a piggyback ride she'd be okay.

"I'm going to kill her," Christine said, her footsteps so hard she sloshed muck around.

"Kill who?" Gunn asked weakly. He was leaning against Wesley, still holding his side. There hadn't been enough time to bind his wound properly.

"Lilah," Lindsey said, and Christine nodded.

"I want first crack," Wesley said.

"We don't we just--" Gunn began, then stopped when he saw Jenny cover her ears. "Just stop talking about it and get me to a doctor. Okay?"

Everyone else nodded. "I'll wait in here until nighttime. Where should we meet?"

"I know the perfect place..." Christine said.

---------------

Cordelia woke up on someone's couch, her head still pounding. There was a glass of water and two aspiring on a table in front of her.

"So. You woke up," a male voice said.

"Who are you?"

"Holland Masters." He motioned to the water. "Drink up. You must be very thirsty."

She took the glass of water, her hands shaking, and took a drink, then popped the aspirin in her mouth and took some more.

"It appears your vision was wrong."

Cordelia almost dropped the glass. "I didn't tell her anything about my vision."

"We have mindreaders here. The bomb did go off. In fact, it went off about two hours ago. But your friends are unharmed." He got up from his desk and started to pace. "All we really want is Lindsey. He knows too much. He needs to be dealt with accordingly."

"Screw. You."

Holland stopped pacing. "What a vile mouth." Holland shrugged. "We'll find them. Then it won't matter how badly you talk. We won't need you anymore."

----------

Justine stared at the people at her door. "Oh my God. I thought you had disappeared, Christine..."

Christine set Jenny down and gave her bandmate a hug. "We need to stay here until tonight."

Justine nodded. "Of course. Come on in." The group hustled their way in, moving quickly with Gunn staying in the back, scanning the street before everyone went in. "Introductions?"

"This is Wesley and Gunn," Christine said, indicating the two men.

"Oh, they worked with Cordelia." Justine looked carefully at them, and then started to notice the wounds. "What the hell happened?"

"A fight and a bomb," Wesley said hoarsely.

"Oh my God! You guys were at that hotel that blew up?"

"Yes," Lindsey said.

Justine reached out to Jenny and picked the little girl up. "Christine, go grab the first aid kit. It's in the bathroom." Christine went towards the stairs of Justine's house. "Gunn? You sit down."

"I'll bleed on your sofa."

"Screw it. I'll buy another one." She set Jenny down and went to Gunn's side to help him to her sofa. "Wesley? There's ice in the fridge for your eye." She pointed to a hallway. "Down there."

"I'll wait a moment."

Justine shrugged and helped Gunn sit down. "Okay." She looked over at Lindsey. "Get some towels out of the kitchen?"

Lindsey nodded and headed towards the kitchen. "I'll get you some ice," he told Wesley, and then he was down the hall.

"Is he going to be okay?" Wesley asked as Justine peeled Gunn's T-shirt off. "Doesn't he need to see a doctor?"

"That why I brought us here," Christine said as she came down the stairs. "Justine was a nurse practitioner before she joined the band."

Wesley nodded, watching Lindsey come back down the hallway trying to carry a lot of kitchen towels and a Ziploc bag full of ice in his good hand. "Ah."

"Look, why don't you and Lindsey try and get some sleep before Angel comes? I need to talk to Justine and then settle Jenny in for her nap again."

"We'll take Jenny," Lindsey said, letting Wesley take the bag of ice and then handing the towels to Justine. She immediately tucked two under Gunn's bleeding side.

Wesley shook his head. "I'll stay down here. We still aren't sure what the firm knows, or if they followed us." He put an arm on Lindsey's shoulder. "Go. Take your daughter and get some sleep. We'll need to be alert tonight. I'll get some sleep when you wake up."

Lindsey nodded and took his yawning daughter by the hand. "We'll be in the guest bedroom," he said, leaning towards Christine and kissing her cheek.

"Is Gunn going to be okay?" Jenny asked.

"I'll be fine, sweetie," Gunn said. "Take a nap, okay? We can watch Cartoon network or something when you wake up."

"Okay."

Justine watched as father and daughter walked up the stairs. "Good thing I have cable, or we'd have one disappointed child on our hands." She turned back to the first aid kit Christine had set down next to her, opening it up and digging through it until she found the antiseptic cleanser. "Gunn? This is gonna sting like hell..."

---------------

"I'm going, he's staying," Justine said, her arms on her hips. She glared slightly at Angel. "Christine's like my sister, and Gunn...he can't go. So he's staying. I'll make sure Lindsey gets back alive."

Angel had been arguing with Justine over what her role in the plan to rescue Cordelia and take down this part of Wolfram & Hart was to be, and finally he just gave up. "Fine. Only so I don't have to hear you argue anymore."

"Besides, chief, I'm well enough to keep Christine and Jenny safe," Gunn said, sitting up. His side hadn't required stitches, luckily, but there was a massive amount of gauze and medical tape holding the wound closed for the moment.

Angel nodded. "Wesley, give him your gun. I think that'll be all he needs if they come looking."

Wesley handed Gunn his gun and then stood up again. The ice he'd had on his eye had helped keep the swelling down, and while his eye was black and blue, it wasn't swollen shut.

Lindsey stopped pacing for a moment. "Let's get out of here before I make the call. I think we'll be able to keep them safer."

"I agree," Wesley said. "In case they are tracking the call."

Angel nodded. "Well, let's head out." He, Wesley and Justine headed for the door while Lindsey lingered behind for a moment.

"Christine?" Lindsey asked.

"Yes?"

"Will you marry me again, when this is all over?"

"Of course." She kissed him softly. "Keep Justine safe."

"She can take care of herself. I've seen her hold her own in a bar fight."

"But...this is more."

Lindsey nodded. "I'll keep an eye on her." And then he headed out the door and was gone, too.

------------

"I knew you'd call," Lilah purred.

"Not because I have any real affection for you, Lilah, but because I want Cordelia back in one piece."

"Why would you want that? I mean, you have your wife back."

"Yes, but Cordelia's a friend. And not only that, but if getting her back is going to hurt you, then by all means will I trade."

"Well, the trade's gotten a bit larger. You and Angel for the bitch."

"Fine. Meet us outside the building at nine."

"I'll be there."

Lindsey hung up the pay phone. "Slight change of plans. Justine and Wesley are going to have to sneak in with the explosives, Angel. They want both of us."

Angel nodded. "Then I'm going to call in some back-up..."

-------------

"You want what?" Lorne asked. It was a busy night at Caritas, and he almost had to shout to be heard of the noise. "Of course I know some reliable guys. What are you doing? Taking down the firm? I see. I'll make sure you have some back-up."

The green-faced demon hung up the phone and scanned the crowd before letting out a shrill whistle. The entire crowd turned to face the bar.

"Anyone here willing to help destroy Wolfram & Hart tonight?" A boisterous cheer went up among the crowd, and Lorne smiled. "Be outside the building at 9:05 this evening."

He wasn't surprised to see Caritas almost completely empty as soon as the doorway out was clear again. "Hope that helps, Angel," Lorne muttered to himself, moving away from the bar to help the waiters pick up the empty glasses left behind.

--------------

Nine o'clock in the evening is normally a dark time in Los Angeles, but the outside of Wolfram & Hart was lit up like a Christmas tree. Every light in the building was on, as was every light outside.

And Angel and Lindsey were outside, waiting.

Lilah walked out, surrounded by the firm's security service, men in commando outfits and Holland. She pushed Cordelia, bound and gagged, in front of her.

"So," Lindsey said, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking on his feet slightly.

"Lindsey. So nice to see you again," Lilah purred.

"Sure. Let's cut through the bullshit. Cordelia walks over to Angel's convertible, facing all of us as she walks, and drives off. No one follows. When she disappears from view, we come over to you."

"When did you get the upper hand, Lindsey?" Holland asked.

"When I brought Angel. My terms, or we walk and you do what you want to her."

Cordelia's eyes bulged slightly until she saw Wesley and Justine enter the building, their arms filled with explosives. No one was inside, Cordelia knew, because everyone was out there expecting World War III.

She would have breathed a sigh of relief if she wasn't gagged.

And then she saw it. She was first, since everyone else was staring at each other. She was scared at first, since most of her encounters with them hadn't gone well, but...

The large, large group of demons heading down the street towards the confrontation made her feel somewhat more pleased.

The grip on her shoulder tightened, and she realized Lilah saw them as well. "You bastard! Holland, inside, now!"

Only at that moment, the offices of Wolfram & Hart started to explode. Wesley and Justine were running from the collapsing building as fast as they could, Justine holding her arm and wincing in pain. Cordelia had no idea who the woman was, but right now she was ready to kiss the ground she walked on.

Everyone took cover. Angel ran to Cordelia and picked her up since Lilah had shoved her to the ground. Lindsey had run after Lilah and Holland.

The final fight of Wolfram & Hart had begun.

------------

"I almost didn't think we'd make it in time," Wesley whispered to Justine.

"Angel told us we had a minute."

"At least Lindsey knew where the weak spots of the building were."

"Thankfully." Justine looked at her arm, and then at the ensuing battle. "Angel and Cordelia are headed to the convertible. How about we take me, you and my broken arm over, too?"

"Gladly. This is one battle I think I'd prefer to stay out of."

"Hey, Wesley?"

"Yes?"

"Where's Lindsey?"

Wesley looked around, but when he finally spotted the former Wolfram & Hart employee, all he could say was, "Shit."

-------------

Lindsey could feel the blood coming out of his side. He knew Lilah carried a gun. He should have expected her to use it.

"A bitch to the end," she muttered, blood leaking out of the corner of her mouth. She'd sent off two shots wildly, one straight into Holland's heart. He lay crumpled on the ground beside the two dying people.

The demons had avoided this area of the front of Wolfram & Hart, either fighting or eating, in a few cases. Lindsey didn't want to see what some of the demons were eating, but from the screams he was hearing, he could tell.

Lindsey had gotten one shot of his own gun off before the pain in his side overwhelmed him. He'd stayed silent while Lilah talked, using her lasts breaths to either utter an apology or defend herself. Lindsey didn't know and didn't care; he'd started to ignore her the minute her mouth started moving.

He didn't want to spend his last moments on Earth listening to her.

He looked up a little and saw Lilah's eyes glazed over. The blood stopped trickling, and she had gone slack. She was dead.

Good riddance, he thought to himself before he completely lost consciousness.

---------------

Angel got to him right before Wesley did. "Your shirt," Angel barked, and Wesley ripped his T-shirt off, handing it to Angel. He held it to Lindsey's side. "Not enough," he muttered.

Then Cordelia got to them. Quickly scanning the situation, she peeled off her outer shirt. "I'll strip down to my bra if you need more," she said, handing Angel the first shirt.

"I may need you to," He said, picking Lindsey up. "We need to get him to the hospital."

"What about this?" Wesley said, indicating the fighting behind them.

Angel glanced at the fighting, noting absently that the demons were winning. "They can figure out what to do. Demons are a lot smarter than given credit for when it comes to cleaning up their own messes."

----------------

A day later, Lindsey woke up.

That fact surprised him the most; he thought he was a goner. But waking up, even though it hurt, was wonderful.

Christine was asleep in a chair next to his hospital bed, and he could hear Wesley outside the door, talking to someone. He assumed it was a doctor.

"Chris?" he said weakly, He lifted up his arm and patted the top of her head lightly.

Her eyes snapped open. They were red, like she'd been crying for some time. "Lindsey?"

"I think so," he said, smiling at her. "Did I get shot in the side?"

"Yes."

"Then it's me."

Christine hugged his neck tightly, then eased up when he winced. "I thought you were only shot in the side," she said, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Lilah had a mean right hook," he said first.

Christine pulled away and nodded. "They're gone," she said simply.

"Good."

---------------

ONE YEAR LATER

Wesley and Cordelia got back from their honeymoon the day after Christine, Lindsey, Jennifer and their new son came back from a visit to Christine's parents in San Diego to show off the newest addition to the McDonald family. It was a chaotic time at the new offices of Angel Investigations, built on what had been the rubble of Wolfram & Hart.

"I want to see Wesley," Angel said.

"I'm right here," Wesley said from the doorway.

"Not you. Wesley Liam Charles McDonald," Lorne said. "We've been waiting for them to bring him by again so Angel can work on those nonexistent paternal instincts."

"No offense to you, Wesley," his new wife said, "but I think the baby's going to be the center of attention around here."

"At least until you have our baby," he reminded Cordelia.

"True," she said simply, reaching to her two-month pregnant belly.

Christine smiled at the newly married couple. She was still having the combined new mother/newly married glow herself, she and Lindsey having been remarried months ago. She handed her son to Lindsey to hand to Angel. "We can always call you Wes to avoid the confusion," she said.

"Actually," Lindsey said, "I thought using Liam to distinguish them wouldn't be a bad idea. Angel doesn't answer to it anymore, and it is Wesley's middle name."

"I have no problem with that," Angel said, taking the baby from Lindsey's arms. He then turned to Jennifer. "So, Jenny, what's it like being a big sister?"

She looked at Cordelia. "She better have a girl. There aren't enough of us."

Cordelia laughed. "Oh, Gunn has a surprise for you, sweetie."

"Really?" Jenny squeaked.

"That's right," Gunn said. "Angel and Lorne are going to watch your brother while the rest of us go to the zoo today."

Jenny clapped and smiled, running over to Gunn, who lifted her up and gave her a big hug. "Finally! The zoo! I get to go to the zoo!"

"Didn't I tell you I would take you?"

"Yes."

"Well, I keep my promises."

Jenny kept smiling as Gunn set her down. "Good. Cuz I hate liars."

"I hate them too."

The others laughed and slowly began to file towards the front door of their offices. When everyone was gone, Lorne and Angel stood over the bassinet where they'd put Wesley, watching the little baby smile and reach up at them.

"It'll be interesting having the kids around," Lorne said.

"Yeah, I think it will be," Angel said. He reached a finger down into the bassinet and felt Wesley grab it firmly. "It's a good new start, right?"

"Right."

The End