SquidgeWorld Archive

Major Redemption Time
by Angel S.

{} = Willow's thoughts; ~~ = Lindsey's thoughts

Part 1:

{Ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrap...} Willow repeated the mantra in her head as she hurried to the Magic Box. She hadn't realized she'd spent so much time at her computer redeveloping her hacking skills. Now, she was walking after sunset. {ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrap-}

"Didn't your momma tell you not to walk alone at night, little girl?" The vampire, already in game face asked with a leer as he stepped into her path.

"Oh, crap." She said quietly. Then, she took a step forward, holy water gun in her hand, which was currently in her jacket pocket. As she looked up at him and green met gold, she said: "Actually, she also told me not to talk to strangers. But, that's all shot to hell, isn't it?"

The vampire looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. Before he could say anything, she removed the water gun filled with holy water, from her pocket and aimed it at the not-too-smart vamp. "Now, less than 5 months ago, I came this close to destroying the world with nothing but my witchcraft. I damn near killed all of the people I love. Do you honestly believe that this is plain old water in this gun?"

Before he could answer, she proceeded to prove to him that it wasn't just 'plain old water'. The vamp howled in pain as Willow grabbed her trusty stake and headed towards it. Just then, a figure tackled the vamp and the two rolled on the ground exchanging punches. He then produced a stake out of nowhere and thrust it home into the vamp's unbeating heart. It exploded into dust and the figure stood.

{Not very tall to be out here fighting vamps alone on the Hellmouth...especially since it's *not* the slayer} She thought as she took a step towards him.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" He yelled. The redhead arched an eyebrow and smirked at the man as he moved into the light. {Holy shit! What a complete and total edible hottie!} She thought as she stood frozen and mesmerized by deep dark blue eyes.

"Don't you know what goes on out here at night?" His question brought her out of her perusal of his beautiful face. She finally let her mind focus on what he had just said.

"Just a minute, mister!" She started. He looked at the redhead and saw knowledge, pain, and sadness in her eyes, underneath the anger that was bubbling to the surface. He also noticed how incredibly beautiful she was. "I've been fighting vamps and demons since I was 15 years old-right here on the Hellmouth-and now you, the newcomer is going to bitch at me about walking outside alone! Hell, you're smaller than I am!" She was standing toe to toe and nose to nose with him now.

"Am not!" The stranger replied.

"'Am not' what?!" She yelled back.

"I am NOT smaller than you are!" He yelled.



Part 2:

"I am NOT smaller than you are."

"I'm 5'8 and I'm looking down at you." She replied.

"Yeah, I noticed." He said as he looked down. "Nice heels."

Then, a thought occurred to the redhead. "Wait a minute! I don't care how tall you are." She said as she started to leave. "It doesn't matter when you're horizontal." They both mumbled under their breaths at the exact same time. {Whoa. Where did THAT come from?} ~Wait, where did THAT come from?~

Willow continued to walk towards the Magic Box.

"Hey!" The stranger yelled. "Where are you going?"

"What do you care?" She yelled over her shoulder without stopping her departure.

"We were in the middle of a discussion, here!"

"No," She stopped and turned to him. "YOU were in the middle of disturbing my walk to my destination."

"I believe the vampire did the disturbing, Red." He said with a smirk.

{Oh my goodness. I may have found someone who's as much of a hottie as Spike!} She thought. However, she replied: "Whatever." Then she turned and started walking again.

"Wait!" He yelled.

"Look, I really don't have time for this." She replied. "I'm already late...And you may want to get inside." She said with a smile. "You never know what goes bump in the night around here."

Lindsey watched the redhead walk away and decided to leave that firecracker alone. ~I've been through too much with women who know about or actually IS 'what goes bump in the night'. Stay away from her, McDonald. This time in Sunnydale is about evening the odds against the monsters.~ He thought to himself as he headed in the opposite direction.

Ten minutes later at the Magic Box...

"Hey Wills. What took you so long?" Xander asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She replied with a sigh as she sat down.

"Oh, this sounds good!" Buffy said excitedly as she pulled a chair next to where the hacker sat. "Spill!"

"Spill what, Buffy?" Willow asked.

"Someone attractive got to you, didn't they? Male or female? How'd it happen? When did you meet them?"

"Buffy!" The redhead said. "No one got to me. I spent too much time on the computer. Then, I ran into a vamp on the way here, alright?" {And then one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen in my entire life showed up and staked said vamp.} She finished mentally.

"Why don't I believe that that's all that happened?" Buffy asked.

"Because you'd be right." Said a voice from the door leading to the back of the store.

"Spike!" Willow shrieked. "W-wh-what did you s-s-see?"

"Do YOU want to tell them, or should I?" The sexy vampire asked with a raising of his scarred eyebrow.

"Okay, okay!" The redhead confessed. "Before I could stake the vamp, the most beautiful man I've ever seen-I'm talking 'Spike-type-beautiful'-- showed up out of nowhere and tackled the vamp. Then, he staked it and bitched at me for being outside alone after sunset. So, I left and hurried here and you had no idea WHAT happened before I got here, did you?" She asked Spike, as realization dawned on her.

"No, but you tend to fall for it every time I do it." Spike replied with his trademark smirk and a chuckle.

"That was...evil!" Willow declared.

"Told you a soul didn't change that, Red." Spike replied with no hint of malice in his face or voice. The hacker glared at him. "I'm sorry, Will. I just think it's so cute when you babble." Then, his mind replayed the babble. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Why me?" The redhead asked no one in particular as she sat down again and put her head on the table.



Part 3:

The next day, Lindsey decided he needed more supplies for his fight against the demons. He knew that certain herbs or small spells could completely incapacitate a demon, when brute strength could not. He walked over to the kitchen table of his new, sparsely furnished apartment and grabbed the phone book. "The Magic Box. Sensible name. Not very original, but, it'll do."

He stood and headed to his bedroom after writing down the address and phone number. He couldn't get the redhead from last night out of his mind, though. He'd worked out, done all of his unpacking in the apartment, and even went to his new job to try and set up an easy work schedule. But, the little redhead was not letting his mind focus completely on any of the tasks at hand. So, he decided to do something to relax himself. He picked up his guitar on the way to his bedroom, where he played and sang for the next 2 hours.

"Hey Wills."

"Hey Buff. What's up?"

"Why are you almost an hour late ...again?" The slayer asked with a smirk. "Did you run into Mr. Tall, Dark, and Mysterious again?"

"First of all, he's so not of the tall genre." The hacker replied. "Second, no, I did NOT run into him. The reason I'm late didn't have anything to do with him." She said with a satisfied smile.

"So, Miss Mysterious, why WERE you late?" Buffy asked in a motherly tone.

"Oh, Buffy! I love my new apartment!" Willow answered excitedly. "I stayed an extra 45 minutes just sitting there today. Apparently, my new next door neighbor is a musician, with the voice of an angel."

"Let's hope it's not the voice OF Angel." Buffy muttered.

"I knew it!" Willow laughed after a moment. "I knew there HAD to be something wrong with Angel! I mean, except for the whole vampire thing." She added.

"Oh Wills," the slayer replied sadly. "It's the most horrible thing I've ever witnessed in my entire Slayer life. I wouldn't wish Angel singing on my worst enemy." The young women then erupted into fits of giggles.

When the giggles finally stopped, Buffy looked at Willow. "Are you saying that Mr. Mysterious is short? Like…Jonathan short?"

"Buffy, NO ONE is Jonathan short." They started their giggles again. "Actually, he's about 5'9."

"Oh." The two were silent for about 3 seconds when Buffy asked with a smile. "So, you think Spike's a hottie, huh?"

"Will you people NEVER give me a break?!?!" Willow yelled, as customers looked at the two women by the counter.

Once Lindsey finished his shower, he threw on a pair of jeans and a royal blue t-shirt. He felt refreshed. The applause that he heard after his private performance still had him on a natural high. He had no idea the walls were so thin. So, when he heard the applause and shouts of 'More! More!' coming from his upstairs, downstairs, and next-door neighbors, he blushed the color of that girl's hair. ~And here I am again, thinking about her.~

Lindsey decided to drive his truck to the Magic Box so that he wouldn't have to carry all of his supplies in the dark. The sun would be down before he would make it home. He grabbed his keys, and headed out the door.

"I can't believe Anya picked a Saturday to take the night off." Willow whined.

"Tell me about it." Buffy replied. "I'd rather be fighting nasty demons out on patrol than fighting off these people." She said as she gestured to the crowds of evil beings, known as customers. The slayer then headed back into the throng of people while Willow stayed behind the counter.

The sound of the bell above the door turned Buffy's attention to the door where there stood one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen in her life. "Wow." She said aloud as she headed to the handsome man with the blue eyes. "Hi! Welcome to the Magic Box. How may I help you?" she asked, trying not to seem too overly eager.

"Actually, I have a list." The beautiful man with the awesome body-which you could see even with the tight jeans and blue t-shirt, replied. He handed her the list while she still stared at him. "You gonna look at it?" He asked with a playful smirk.

Buffy turned even redder than the shirt she was wearing and looked down at the list. "Damn!" she muttered. Unfortunately, it wasn't low enough.

"Oh, do you not have this stuff?" He asked. "I thought that since this was a magic shop…"

"Oh! No!" She interrupted. "We have it. I'm just not as good with the magic stuff as Will." She said with a reassuring smile.

"So, he'll be able to help me?" He asked hopefully.

"Follow me." She replied as she headed to the counter. "Hey Will! I need you to help get this gentleman some supplies. I have no clue what any of this stuff on the list looks like."

"Sure!" The redhead said as she stood and looked into the deep dark blue eyes of her mystery guy. "Um..."

"You!" He said with a surprised smile. "Your name is Will?"

"Short for Willow." Buffy said absently. "You two know each other?"

"Not really." Willow replied. "He just kind of got in my way last night." She said with a sweet smile.

"That was you!?!?!" Buffy exclaimed.



Part 4:

"That was you?!" the slayer shrieked.

"What are you doing here?" Willow asked, ignoring the blonde.

"What, you think I'm following you?" Lindsey asked. "Nice ego, Red."

"That was you?!" The slayer asked again in complete shock.

"You know, you're the one who shows up in MY town and proclaims himself the 'slayer of evil'-that job is taken, by the way. You have no idea who I am or what I'm doing, so keep your opinions to yourself until you do."

"That wa..."

"Buffy, if you ask that same question again, I'll turn you into a frog." Willow interrupted.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" A voice behind the blue-eyed ex-lawyer asked. "There are customers walking around all over this store and you two a-are standing here f-fl-flirting with th-the 'cute boy'?"

"No offense, sir." Lindsey said with his hypnotizing smirk. "But you're a little too old for me. Besides, I'm straight. But, thanks for the compliment." Giles glared at the man.

"Giles, it's not what it looks like." Buffy managed to say before her watcher pummeled this beautiful man and messed up his face. "You and I will tend to the customers. The store is closing in an hour, anyway. Then, I'll fill you in." Next, the slayer turned to Willow and Lindsey. "You two: go to the workout room and talk. Let me know what the hell is going on." Lindsey and Willow didn't move. "Shoo!" Buffy said while gesturing to the door that leads to the back.

The two walked towards the workout area without argument. "Damn, Wills. He is totally of the wicked hot tribe." She muttered under her breath.

"What did you mean when you said 'that job is already taken'?"

"Why don't we start from the beginning and work our way through to that?" The hacker replied.

Lindsey sighed. ~Who the hell is this girl? Why am I so interested?~ "Fine. You ask a question, then I'll ask a question."

"Okay, who are you?" Willow asked.

"My name is Lindsey McDonald." He replied in a business-like tone. "What's your full name?"

"Willow Rosenberg." She replied. "How long have you been in Sunnydale?"

"About a week and a half." He answered.

"THIS is as exciting as the questions get?" an accented voice said from the door that led to the basement before Lindsey could ask another question.

"Spike, what are you doing in here? The sun's down." She said. Spike looked at her and arched his scarred eyebrow, silently questioning her choice of people to give that kind of information to. "Oh, it's okay. He knows about vampires and demons." Then, she thought for a moment and turned to Lindsey. "You DO know about demons, right?"

"Why are you talking to a vampire like he's your best friend?" He asked, completely dumbfounded.

"He IS one of my best friends. You see, Spike is different from other vampires." Willow replied as the vampire smirked at the bloke who had Red a little on edge.

"If you tell me he has a soul, I swear I'll kill myself right now." Lindsey said in a serious and defeated tone.

"Ah, you know Paingel the Pouf!" Spike said with total amusement.

Willow turned back to Spike. "You. Out. Now." Spike was about to say something when she 'shushed' him. The bleach blonde vampire gave the redhead sad puppy dog eyes. "Now, Spike." Spike walked towards the door that led to the front of the store. She turned back to Lindsey. "Well? Your question?"

"What the hell is going on?"



Part 5:

"Okay, so this IS kinda weird." Willow responded.

"But, how do I know you won't use the information I'm about to give you against me?"

"Do I look like the CIA?!?!" Lindsey asked.

"Well, you've got that whole James Bond good looks thing going..." She said shyly. "Oh, that was out loud, wasn't it?"

"You think I'm good looking?" He asked with a wide smile.

"You didn't answer my question." She replied, ignoring him. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"I'll go first." He said as he captured her with his gaze.

Willow tried to look away and focus on the subject at hand. However, she could not look away from Lindsey's deep blue eyes. After a what seemed like an eternity swimming in the cerulean blue, she let her eyes travel to his perfect nose, and his oh-so-kissable lips. That's when she noticed he was talking. She tried to focus on what he was saying.

"So, what do you think?" He asked.

"Huh? Oh!" She remembered. "That's acceptable." Then, she turned and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Trust me." She replied. "You'll want the others here, as well. Follow me."

Forty minutes later had the store closed and locked up, as well as Spike, Dawn, Giles, Xander, Anya, Lindsey, and Willow sitting around one of the tables. No one had said a word until the store was closed. Even Spike had sat quietly, albeit with a smirk on his face.

"So, how did you know Spike has a soul?" Buffy asked. Spike had told her that much when he walked into the store.

"I know a vampire with a soul." He deadpanned. The slayer's eyes widened. "I'm guessing you do, too."

"Okay, we'll start, because we knew him before you did." Willow said. "Spike?"

"What?"

"Start."

"Why me?"

"You've known him the longest." Willow replied in a voice that one would reserve for talking to child.

"Why doesn't Slutty start?" Spike asked. "I'm sure their time together made it SEEM like longer than 122 years. Besides, she likes it when everyone is focused on her, anyway."

"Do you REALLY think I won't stake you because you have a soul?" Buffy asked sweetly.

"Whatever." Spike said.

"Fine! I'll start." The slayer said to no one in particular.

"I'm a slayer."

"The one he used to date." Lindsey said to himself as things started clicking into place in his mind.

"We moved to Sunnydale when I was a sophomore in high school. I met Xander, Willow, Jessie, and Cordelia."

"Oh shit." Lindsey whispered as he remembered how he almost burned the Scrolls of Anitole and almost killed her.

"So you know Cordelia, too?" Willow asked.

"You guys didn't used to date did you?" Xander asked. Anya elbowed him in the ribs. "Ouch!"

A glare from the Slayer shut everyone up. Then, she proceeded to sum up the years until Angel left for LA. ~I can't believe I put Faith through more than she'd already been through.~ He thought to himself. That was actually one of the many thoughts that went through his mind. He was now sure, more than ever that he belonged in Sunnydale, helping to fight the 'good fight'. Willow noticed how uncomfortable he seemed to be getting during the course of this trip down Memory Lane.

"Are you okay?" The redhead asked. Lindsey shook his head no. "I know it's a lot to take in, but we need to know...."

"Oh, I've seen worse." He replied, as he stared into space. "I've done worse." He said with a sigh as he proceeded to tell the tale of Wolfram & Hart vs. Angel Investigations.



Part 6:

Lindsey started with his first meeting with Angel in Russell Winters' office, went through some of his more evil schemes. With glassed over eyes, he went into detail about how he met Faith, and what happened with her in LA. Next, he told them about how he went to Angel for help so that those children wouldn't be killed. He told them how Angel and the others didn't even try to give him a chance.

"So, I went back to Wolfram and Hart when they offered me a promotion and a raise." He said. "I figured with everything Angel had done that he'd have some compassion for anyone else on the road to redemption."

"He obviously did for Faith." Willow said. "Why didn't he do it for you?"

"I don't want to dwell on it." He replied. Then, he went on to explain the incident with Vocah and what it did to Cordelia. He also explained how he tried to burn the Words of Anitole so that Angel would lose his connection to the Powers That Be. He described the efficient way Angel handled the situation. There was a collective gasp from everyone in the room.

"Any one of you would've done the same thing to save your friend." He said. "I understand that now. He really didn't have a choice. It didn't stop me from hating him, though." Spike chuckled and Xander smiled a sad, knowing smile.

Next, came the Darla/Dru situation and how Angel went on an obsessed rampage. He also explained about the wine cellar disaster at Holland Manners' estate. Finally, he finished it up with Angel's epiphany, the reattachment of his hand, and how he decided to leave Wolfram and Hart.

"After a little 'soul searching', I decided that I needed to do something that would make a difference; kind of even up the odds against the bad guys." Lindsey said. "And since I used to be a bad guy, why not go straight to the source and use what I know?"

"So you picked the Hellmouth." Giles stated knowingly.

Lindsey looked away, but nodded. "Look, I don't know what's going on in everyone's mind right now, but I'm sure it can't be full of warm and fuzzy thoughts." The handsome ex-lawyer announced. " So, I'm going to go home and let you all figure out if you want to hate me. I'm too tired to deal with it right now."

"It IS rather late." Giles said as every one stood. "Why don't we continue this tomorrow. Same time?"

"Um, sure." Lindsey answered in obvious shock. He didn't think they'd even want to acknowledge his existence after that story.

"Do you need a lift?" Xander asked. He was sure he'd get to like the guy. Hell, he hated Angel. What's not to like?

"No thanks, I drove." Lindsey replied. "Actually, I could give someone else a lift if you're headed towards Corley Ave."

"I live on Corley Ave." Willow stated.

"Great! You can ride with me." Lindsey replied.

"Then, it's settled." Everyone headed out of the magic shop with different thoughts rolling around their minds. Lindsey gave Giles his number in case anything important came up. The group dispersed to their respective vehicles. Spike hopped on his motorcycle and waved as he rode off. Xander and Anya got into the carpenter's car and drove away. Buffy and a very sleepy Dawn followed Giles to his car and left.

Lindsey showed Willow to his truck and opened the door for her as she stepped inside. "So, where do you live, exactly?" Lindsey asked as he started the truck.

"1681 Corley Ave. I live in apartment 118." Willow replied.

"Ooops."

"Ooops?" She asked.

"I live in 119." He said shyly.

"That was YOU singing earlier?!?!" He nodded.

"Oh, wow."

A few minutes later found the two parked outside the apartments. "What?' Lindsey playfully asked when he noticed the beautiful redhead staring at him.

"You don't look like a lawyer." She said innocently.

"I'm not a lawyer. Anymore." He replied. "Ask Angel how much of a lawyer I wasn't when we were enemies." He sighed. "I did some really horrible things, Willow. Hell, I may as well have been one of those soulless demons I helped defend. It's so much worse knowing that I still had my soul when I did everything that I did."

"I know exactly how you feel." Willow said, more to herself than to Lindsey.

"Willow, I seriously doubt that you've done anything as remotely horrible as I have."

"You sure you wanna make that bet?" The redhead asked.



Part 7:

Willow told Lindsey about Tara. She was very happy to see that he didn't leer at her the way other men do when they find out she's bisexual. As a matter of fact, after the story of Warren, Jonathan, and that other guy, and how she handled it, Lindsey's eyes softened even more.

"Oh God, Willow." He said softly. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. Losing someone you really love is worse than having a limb cut off."

"I wouldn't say worse." The hacker replied with a smile as she wiped her tears. "Possibly just as bad, though."

"That's why you continue to have a zero tolerance for evil around here." She nodded.

"Thank you for listening to me." Willow said as she turned to face the brown haired man. "I know that my friends are there for me and understand. But, it's nice to talk to someone who wasn't there, so I can get an omniscient point of view."

"You had to listen to me whine about how much I hate Angel..."

"Xander did that on a regular basis up until Angel left Sunnydale." She interrupted with a mischievous smile.

"I guess so." He said as he chuckled. "What about the whole 'whining about my lost hand' thing?"

"I'm gonna go with 'good reason to whine'." She laughed. Then, the two just stood facing one another smiling.

"Well, you'd better get inside." Lindsey finally broke the silence. "You've had an exhausting day. Plus, you never know what might be lurking around at night."

"You mean BESIDES my new next door neighbor?" She asked.

"Hey! But I'm reforming!"

"Right." She said with playful sarcasm. "So, you gonna sing and play some more tomorrow?"

"Trying to make sure you'll be out of the apartment if I do?"

"More like, I'll have a beer ready and maybe invite Buffy over to listen with me." She said with a giggle.

"I wouldn't even mind if my audience consisted of only one." He replied with a smile. "Kind of a 'private performance'."

"Goodnight, Lindsey." The redhead said as she blushed..

"Sweet dreams Willow." He whispered as he kissed her forehead and turned to put his key in the door. He looked back once more before entering his apartment just in time to see Willow closing her door.

{Oh. Wow.} She thought as she leaned against the inside of the door. {He is so amazing! I can't believe he was ever evil. And Angel...Since when does Mr. Broody Pants decide who's worthy or not worthy of redemption? How dare he treat Lindsey that way after he tried to stop those kids from getting killed?}

She walked over to her bedroom and started changing into her light blue tank top and blue boxers with white fluffy clouds on them {Blue like his extraordinary eyes. Big sigh. Wow. I like Lindsey. Who would've thought?}

~I can't believe I was such an idiot!~ Lindsey thought to himself as he got ready for bed. ~For crying out loud, she just lost her girlfriend. I have no couth. No sympathy. No, I'm just going to invite over to listen to me play. What's next, McDonald? You gonna ask her to throw her underwear at you like a groupie?~ The ex-lawyer sat down on is sofa with a heavy sigh. ~Maybe she'll still want to talk to me, even though I made a complete ass of myself.~



Part 8:
The next morning, Willow awoke refreshed and well rested. {Maybe all that talking last night did everyone some good. Poor Lindsey. He's been through so much. I wonder if he's awake yet…If not, maybe I could…Ooops! Naughty Lindsey thoughts! Stop it Will! You just met the man! } She chided herself as she headed to the shower.

~I hope it's not too early. What if she's still asleep? Well, there's only one way to find out.~ Lindsey thought as he picked up the breakfast he'd made for himself and Willow, and headed out the door.

Willow had just turned off the water when she heard knocking at the door. "Just a second!" She yelled out. She quickly put on her bathrobe and ran to the door, dripping water everywhere. As she opened the door, she said: "Jeez, Buffy, what happened to calling before coming...Lindsey!"

"I didn't have your number?" He said.

"Oh! No! Not you! I was talking about Buffy." She explained. "It's kind of a running joke. Please, come in." She stepped aside as he carried the food into her apartment. "Wow, that smells wonderful!"

"Thanks! I know it's a little presumptuous. But, I wanted to know if you'd join me for breakfast."

"I'd love to." She answered with a smile. "What's the occasion?"

"The real one? Or the rehearsed one?" He asked with that smirk she'd come to love so much in just a short time.

"Both." She said before she motioned for him to sit. That's when she noticed it. "Omigosh! I'm so sorry Lindsey! Let me go put on some actual clothes instead of walking around like a-a wet...floozy."

"Trust me, Willow. You will NEVER look like a floozy to me." He said smiling at her embarrassment. "But, I understand. I'll be here when you get back." She blushed more-if possible-then made her way to her bedroom to change. ~She's even beautiful just out of the shower. Too bad I didn't catch her in a towel. Dammit! This is why I'm here with the breakfast! To apologize for coming on to her! I really need to get my libido in check.~

"So, what are the occasions?" The hacker asked as she emerged from her bedroom in a pair of jeans and a pale green peasant blouse.

"Huh?" He asked, brought out of his reverie.

"Come on, don't back out now." She replied playfully as she fixed herself a plate of eggs and hash browns.

"I want the real one AND the rehearsed one."

"Oh, right. Well, the real one is: I'm sorry for coming on to you like a drunken sailor last night. I mean, I know you just lost someone extremely important to you and I had no right. So, I was hoping breakfast would make up for that?"

"You were coming on to me?" Willow asked, completely confused. "I know I'd been out of boys town for a while, but I didn't notice you coming on to me."

"Oh, well, never mind!" He replied.

"Not so fast, mister!" She said sharply. Then, her tone softened to one of complete flattery. With a huge grin, she asked. "You were coming on to me?"



Meanwhile, in Los Angeles...

"Hey, how'd it go?" Cordelia asked.

"Killed the demon." Gunn said.

"Saved the girl." Connor added.

"No one noticed a thing." Angel finished.

"Good, because I've got bad news and really bad news." The seer replied.

"What's the bad news?" Angel asked.

"We're going to Sunnydale to because Willow's in danger."

"What's the really bad news?" Gunn asked.

"Lindsey McDonald's there." Cordelia replied. "And he's in danger, too."



Part 9:

"Well?" Willow asked after they'd finished breakfast and sat on the couch.

"'Well' what?" Lindsey asked.

"What's the rehearsed version?"

"Oh, come on! You're not serious!"

"Uh-huh." The redhead replied.

"Willow…" Lindsey started as a blush crept onto his face.

"See this?" She pointed to her face. "This is my 'resolve face'. No one can get past this. Not the Slayer. Not the vampires I know. Not even Xander. No one. So, talk."

"Okay, okay." Lindsey said ash he stood and gathered his breakfast containers and headed to the door. Willow looked on surprised. Lindsey walked out and shut the door behind him. Next, Willow heard a knocking on the door. She smiled, stood and went to open the door. "Hi Willow. I thought that since we were neighbors and all, maybe we'd get to know each other over breakfast. That way you wouldn't be hesitant to borrow anything like a cup of sugar, an egg, some of my time..." He finished with his eyes shining and a huge grin.

Willow took the containers, sat them on the table, and turned to Lindsey. "I think I'll take you up on that." She replied as she stepped up to him and brushed his lips with her own. At that moment, they felt an electricity flow through each of them and slightly pulled back, just staring at one another.

"Wow." He said in total wonder.

"That sounds like something I would've said. So, I'll go ahead and agree. Wow."

"I guess this is a little more than some physical attraction, huh?" The blue-eyed man asked.

"You could say that." She answered. "Lindsey, I'm thinking maybe..."

"...we should slow way down because this is going to be really intense?" Lindsey finished.

"Exactly." The redhead replied with a smile. "But, it's nice to know that it's not just me that's interested."

"Try minute one." He stated.

"Huh?"

"The first minute I saw you in the park, I was hooked." The hacker blushed and thanked the Powers that the phone rang at that time.

"Excuse me." She walked to the phone. "Hello...Hey Cor...of course I check my email...I just woke up about half an hour ago...Here? Why?...Oh boy. Cordy, listen. There's something...Oh...How is he taking it? ...He's not coming here, is he?...Yeah, so tell him to behave...I'll call Giles and let him know. We can all meet at Buffy's at around 8, okay?...Oh goodie. That was sarcasm in case you missed it...I'll see you tonight, Cordy." She hung up the phone and looked at Lindsey. "Three guesses and the first two don't count."



Meanwhile, in LA...

"I told her we'd leave as soon as the sun sets." Cordelia said as she hung up the phone and turned to Angel.

"Fine." Angel replied. "He'd better stay away from her until then."

"Well, that'll be kind of hard to do since he was there when I called."

"What?!?" The vampire growled.

"Would you chill, Angel? He's a good guy now." Cordelia stated.

"Whatever. Connor!" The young man walked in. "Pack some things. We're leaving as soon as the sun sets."



In Sunnydale...

The Scooby gang had gathered at the same park that Willow and Lindsey met. They decided to loosen up and have a picnic-courtesy of Buffy and Dawn-while Lindsey and Giles brought their guitars and sang.

"Oh my gosh!" Buffy exclaimed to Willow in a quiet whisper "He really DOES have the voice of an angel."

"Told ya." Willow said as she smiled proudly. "He's amazing."

"Somebody's smit-ten." Buffy sang into the hacker's ear.

"Your point?" Willow asked.

"Lucky girl." Buffy replied as the two men finished another song.

"So, I figure as long as we all stick together until we get more details, we should be fine, right?" Xander asked after the applause.

"Yeah, I don't see why we should do anything different." Buffy replied. "Hey Lindsey, you wanna patrol with us tonight?"

"Sure! I'd love to." Lindsey answered. "That is if I'm not already hospitalized."

"Lindsey, he won't do anything to you." Willow stated. "If he does, he'll wish he was back in hell."

"Jeez, Will. That's just cruel." Xander replied.

"Good job!" He finished with a smile. Anya elbowed Xander for the 4th time that day. "Ouch! I'm sorry, okay. But, I'll never like deadboy."

"Deadboy?" Lindsey asked as he laughed.

"Oh, my new friend, you don't know the half of it." Xander said.

"So, Lindsey." Giles said, trying to break up the 'we hate Angel' fest that was approaching. "What do you do with your daytime hours?"

"Well, I was going to start working for this small law office, but I really don't want to get back into law again. I think I may rather do something more 'hands on'."

"Like construction work?" Xander asked.

"Now, THAT I'd like to see." Anya whispered to the other females, who erupted into giggles.

"Or, teaching, perhaps?" Giles asked.

"Both excellent suggestions." Lindsey replied. "Can we talk more about this after this mess is over?"

"Definitely." Giles answered.

"My teachers NEVER looked like that." Buffy said sadly.

"Well, that makes me the lucky one!" Dawn replied with a big smile.



Part 10:

At sunset, the group decided to meet at the Summers' home to get ready for the Q&A session with the AI crew. Dawn and Spike were playing cards. Buffy and Xander were putting the remains of the picnic supplies away. Giles, Anya, Lindsey, and Willow were sitting around the coffee table discussing different demon texts.

"How hard do you think it would be for someone to kill a Veramte demon?" Willow asked.

"About 10 seconds." Spike replied from his card game.

"For a normal human." Willow added as she rolled her eyes at the vampire.

"Well, for one of us," Lindsey started. "There is a little secret about them. They're severely allergic to cinnamon, of all things."

"You're kidding, right?" Buffy asked as she and Xander walked out of the kitchen. "I've seen a Veramte demon. Hell, a Veramte demon kicked my ass before finally cut its head off. And now you're telling me that all I needed was cinnamon?"

"Yup." Lindsey replied with a smile.

"I'll be damned." Giles added.

"How did you know that?" Willow asked Lindsey.

"Evil lawyer, remember?" Lindsey stated.

"*Ex* evil lawyer." Willow replied with a smile as she kissed the tip of his nose. Of course, that's about the time Angel chose to open the door.

"What the hell is this?" Angel asked. "Willow, get away from him."

"No." She said.

"What?"

"I said no, Angel." The redhead repeated.

"Now, stop being an ass and get in here."

"Told ya!" Cordelia said as she strolled past a stunned dark haired vampire. "Hey Will!" She said after hugging the redhead. She then turned to face Lindsey who stood as well. "Born again boy."

"Hi Cordelia."

"Well, isn't this cozy." Spike said. "You coming in, Grandpa? It's really rude to leave the door open like that."

"Not now, Spike." Angel growled. Spike smiled a 'cat that just ate the canary' smile to his grandsire, but remained silent. "Willow, he's evil."

"He WAS evil." The redhead emphasized. "So were you."

"She's got a point, deadboy." Xander agreed.

"It's not the same." Angel said. "I was soulless."

"When you locked us all in the wine cellar with Darla and Dru?" Lindsey asked. Angel began to charge the ex-lawyer until something unexpected happened. Buffy tackled him.

"Buffy?" Angel asked. "What are you doing?!?"

"You're not going to hurt him, Angel." The slayer said as she stood and held out her hand to help the vampire up. "Now chill until we find out about Cordy's vision."

"I was wondering if we were ever going to get to that." Cordelia said.

"I think we should set the ground rules first." Willow said in voice that left no room for argument. She turned to Angel. "You. Don't touch him. I know you two have got some bad blood between you."

"He tried to kill Cordelia. And me!" Angel accused.

"He knows that was wrong." Willow said. "You chopped off his hand!"

"Willow, let's stay focused." Giles intervened.

"Angel, we know everything that's happened between you and Lindsey. Now obviously we need to work together right now. So, why don't you remain quiet until we figure out what's going on?"

"Did you know he..." The dark vampire was about to ask

"Came to you for help and you pushed him away?" Willow asked sweetly.

"Hey, that was..." Angel started again.

"After you had already decided to help Faith on her road to redemption, and before you decided to slice his hand from his body." Willow interrupted once again.

"God, Angel." Dawn said. "Are you sure you're one of the good guys?"

"Enough!" Giles screamed. "Everyone calm down. Now Cordelia, please tell us about your vision."

"Connor." Angel said as he looked at the doorway.

"Is everything okay?" Connor asked.

"Who is he?" Anya asked.

"My son."



Part 11:

"You wanna repeat that?" Xander said after a long silence.

"He's. My. Son." Angel replied.

"That's impossible." Buffy exclaimed. "How? When?"

"In other words, 'why isn't it hers?'" Spike deadpanned.

"Is he a vampire?" Willow asked tentatively.

"No, he's human." Angel replied.

"But...how?" Giles finally found the ability to speak.

"Who is the mother?"

"You two better sit." Cordelia said as she looked pointedly at Lindsey and Buffy. The two took their seats. Willow sat next to Lindsey and he grabbed her hand. Buffy sat next to Giles. "Connor, you plan on standing out there all night?" The teen walked in and shut the door before he leaned against it. "Okay." Cordy said with a big sigh. "I assume 'Born Again Boy' told you guys the basics of his time in LA. Well, the reason why Angel had an 'epiphany' was because he'd just had sex with Darla and decided he couldn't get any lower than that."

Buffy gasped as Giles put a comforting hand on her arm. She started to speak, but Cordelia stopped her. "Save the 'how could you' for after the explanation, please. Anyway, Darla left town right before Lindsey did. When she came back last year, she was 9 months pregnant. No one knows how or why two vampires had a human child, but it happened. Anyway, she killed herself so that he could be born. We all took care of him until Holtz kidnapped him and brought him to a hell dimension. A couple of months later, he came back...like this."

Next, Cordelia explained Holtz and his history with Angel, as well as the deep-sea incident.

"Wow." Dawn said. "All of this happened in the past year and a half?"

"You really locked him up and put him in a tomb?" Spike asked the young man. Connor nodded. "Way to go, Uncle C!"

"Spike." Willow warned.

"Oh, c'mon Red. I've gotta have some fun." The blonde vampire whined.

"So, Darla's dead?" Willow asked. Angel nodded.

"Again." Both Spike and Xander chuckled. "Are you okay?" The redhead asked as she turned to Lindsey.

"Sweetheart," Lindsey began as he caressed her face. "Darla is my past. I mean, yeah, it's a shock. And I did love her, so I'm sad about it. But, that's all it is: the past."

"Oh, PLEASE tell me you people aren't falling for this crap."

"Angel, what did we talk about in the car?" Cordelia asked the dark haired vampire.

"But, Cordy..."

"Don't 'but, Cordy' me Mister!" Cordelia replied. "Even though I hate to say it, 'Born Again' looks like he really cares for Wills. Don't screw it up." She then addressed the entire group. "Well, is it vision telling time or not?"

"Sorry Cordy." Willow said. "Go ahead."

"I saw Willow and Lindsey getting ambushed by a bunch of vamps and other demons. I saw them locked up in a cell with some kind of shaman trying to take Willow's magical abilities. And, I saw guys in suits." The seer finished.

"Guys in suits." Angel said. "As in Wolfram and Hart?" The seer nodded. "They're coming after Lindsey." I knew this was all your fault!"

"Hey. Dumb ass. If they were coming after me, why were they trying to take Willow's powers in Cordelia's vision?"

"Good point." Anya said. "So, we just have to make sure that Lindsey and Willow are never alone."

"Excuse me?" Willow protested. "That's not going to happen."

"Are you guys having sex already?" Anya asked.

"What?!" Angel screamed.

"Good for you!" Anya finished.

"No, we're not." The redhead said. She was, of course, blushing furiously. "Not that it's anyone's business." She added.

"So, who's up for patrol?" Cordelia asked, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Anything to get out of this tension-filled room." Anya said.

"Who's going and who's staying?" Xander asked.

"Whatever happens, don't put Angel and Lindsey together tonight." Dawn suggested.

"Amen to that." Cordelia replied. "How about we separate into 2 groups?"

"Who is going to stay with Dawn and Connor?" Buffy asked.

"I'm going." Angel's son replied.

"Don't argue with him, Buffy." Cordelia said. "He can almost kick Angel's ass."



Part 12:

"Well?" Cordy asked.

"I'm not patrolling with Deadboy." Xander announced. "I'm going hang with my boy, Lindsey."

"Xander, are you ever going to grow up?" Cordelia replied.

"No." Anya volunteered. "I'll make it easy and go with Angel."

"Yeah, me too." Buffy replied.

"Big surprise." Spike deadpanned.

The slayer glared at the bleach blonde, but then ignored him. "I want to hear Angel's side of the story, so that we have a clear picture of what went on."

"And I tan on a regular basis."

"Spike!" Buffy warned.

"Okay," Giles interrupted before a yelling match ensued. "So far, that's Angel, Buffy, and Anya. I'll stay here with Dawn."

"I'll go with these guys." Willow said, motioning towards Angel.

"That leaves Connor, Lindsey, Cordelia, Xander and Spike." Giles concluded as he silently dared Spike to object. "Any questions?"

"I think we're good to go, G-man." Xander replied. "Weapons all around, people." The group chose their weapons of choice and the two groups headed out in opposite directions.

By the time Angel's crew returned to Buffy's place, Lindsey's group was already back.

"…and then he jumped 10 feet with a stake in his hand and killed the vamp right before it had a chance to bite me." Xander was telling Dawn the events of the patrol. "It was the coolest thing I've ever seen."

"I thought you were human." Dawn addressed Connor.

"I am. I was just raised in a different dimension, where being here makes everything seem easy to do." He paused. "Does that make sense?" Dawn nodded.

"I take it you all had an eventful patrol, too." Buffy stated.

"Wills! You have no idea what Cordelia can do now that she's half demon!" Xander said.

"Anyone got a valium ready for Harris?" Angel asked as Willow went to Lindsey and sat beside him.

"Wait," Xander replied. "I'll just pretend to be Mr. Brood." He did his best impersonation of Angel, including stepping into the shadows. Lindsey laughed out loud.

"Xander!" Cordelia said, trying to stifle a giggle. "He's not like that anymore."

"Yeah Xand," Willow added. "You'd be surprised by the fact that he now has a sense of humor."

"Get out!"

"I swear! I saw it with my own eyes! He was actually making jokes." Willow said as she laughed at her friend's protest.

"Wow, will wonders never cease." Xander stated as he returned to his seat.

"Does he still want to kill me?" Lindsey asked Willow.

"He's promised to behave himself." Willow giggled.

"For now." Angel added.

"How'd that happen?" Xander asked.

"Resolve face." Willow said, as she demonstrated.

"Hey grandpa." Spike said. "Your kid's a good fighter."

"Thanks, Spike." Angel replied somewhat shocked.

"He definitely takes after me." Spike finished.

"Why did I NOT know he would go there?" Angel cast his eyes upward and asked no one in particular. Cordelia put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You're together, aren't you?" Anya asked.

"Excuse me?" Buffy said in a demanding voice.

Dawn and Willow looked shocked, and pleasantly surprised. Xander and Buffy looked like five year olds would if someone had just stolen their favorite toys. And Spike fell to the ground laughing.



Part 13:

"Yes, well," Giles began. "Now may not be the best time to delve into…"

"When?" Buffy asked. "When IS the best time?"

"After they've spent the night shacked up over here?" Xander added. "And what about the curse?"

"Yeah!" Buffy agreed, trying to find any excuse as to why Cordelia and Angel can't be together.

"Why do you care, Xander?" Anya asked her ex-fiancé.

"Angel's soul is permanent." Willow quietly stated before her best friend could answer.

"What!?!?" Xander and Buffy screamed.

"It was one of the things I did before de-ratting Amy." Willow replied.

"Why didn't you tell me, Willow?" Buffy asked.

"It wasn't my place to say anything." The redhead replied. Lindsey put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. He knew this was going to be hard on the hacker.

"Angel?" Buffy looked to the dark haired vampire for some sort of trace of denial.

"Hey, half-wits." Spike said while he sat up still chuckling. "If they've already shagged, what difference does it make whether or not they do it again in Sunnyhell?"

"First of all: when did it become mandatory to know about my love life?" Cordelia asked. Her tone was one of annoyance. No one answered. "Well?"

"Cordelia, relax." Willow said in a comforting voice. "No one is judging you."

"Hey Peaches, feel free to get your vocal cords back at any time now." Spike said to his grandsire who still looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Is it true?" Anya asked.

"Anya, drop it." Giles said as he cast a stern look at the vengeance demon. "Now, whoever is staying here, stay. Whoever isn't: get out."

"Cordy, you wanna stay with me?" Willow asked. "Slumber party." She added hopefully.

"Thanks Will." Cordelia replied.

"Angel is NOT staying with me!" Lindsey cried. "I don't really want to get killed in my sleep tonight."

"I wouldn't waste the kill, Lindsey." Angel replied as he spat out the last word.

"Well, he can stay at my place, with Connor." Anya offered. "I'll stay at Xander's. On the couch." She specified.

"Anya, why don't you stay here?" Dawn asked.

"Thank you, Dawn." Anya said sincerely. "I'll show them where I live, grab some things, and come back."

"Yes, Dawn, a brilliant idea." Giles replied.

"Well, let's move." Cordelia said as she stood. "We'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye Cordelia." Dawn said. She went to hug the new half-demon. "For what it's worth, I'm very happy for you. You're a great influence on him."

"Thanks Dawnie." Cordy replied as she hurried out of the door.

"This is NOT over." Buffy stated.

"Blah, blah..." Cordelia said as she exited the Summers' home. Angel walked dutifully behind the ex-cheerleader.

"At least you got an interesting one this time, Grandpa." Spike said as he stood and headed towards the front door. "Later 'Bit. Red. Mac." The people addressed said good night to the bleach blonde vampire.

As Willow and Lindsey walked to the truck, they held hands. "Are you sure this is what you want, Willow?" the ex-lawyer asked.

"If it wasn't, I wouldn't be here." The redhead replied. "And, I wouldn't have given Angel my 'resolve face'." She added.

"I still can't believe that worked." He said with a chuckle.

"Never underestimate the power of the 'resolve face', Mr. McDonald." The two laughed as they got to the truck. "Besides, Spike doesn't hate you. And he hates everybody. That's more than reason enough to keep you around."

"He hates everyone except you and Dawn." Lindsey amended.

"And Anya." Willow added. He kissed her softly and then started the truck. "That was mean."

"What was 'mean'?" He asked.

"You know he's right behind us watching and you kissed me."

"Oh, that." He answered innocently as he drove away with Cordelia and Angel behind them, and Anya and Connor following.

No one noticed the 4th car that started to follow them.

"So things are pretty tense around here, huh?" Connor asked the vengeance demon.

"You could say that." Anya replied. "You see, Buffy and Angel were apparently this super-couple before he moved to LA."

"Isn't she a slayer?" Connor asked. Anya nodded. "Why would a slayer and a vampire get together?"

"That's the million dollar question." Anya replied.

"So, your dad and Cordelia are really together?"

"Yes. She makes him happy." Connor replied. "Sometimes I wonder if that's such a good idea."

"But his soul is permanent." Anya said. "It won't hurt anyone for him to be happy."

"But, does he deserve it yet?" Connor asked.



Meanwhile, in Angel's car...

"Was that necessary?"

"What?" Cordelia asked.

"Did he have to kiss her in front of everyone?"

"Angel," The seer said calmly. "You really need to figure out what you should focus on right now. I would think it would probably be: a) the fact that you kept your mouth shut the entire time in there when your precious Buffy found out about us, or b) why you care more about what's going on with Willow, as opposed to my reaction to your inability to speak about us."

"Cordy," Angel started.

"You know what?" Cordelia replied. "I changed my mind. I don't want to hear anything you have to say right now."

Just then, Lindsey's truck pulled into the apartment complex and came to a stop. Cordelia immediately grabbed her bag and jumped out of Angel's car before he could put it in park.

"Cordelia!" He called to her.

The seer ignored him and walked to Lindsey's truck where she got the keys to the apartment, as well as the apartment number and headed straight up without so much as a backward glance at the dark vampire. Angel sat there dumbfounded.

"Angel! Let's go!" Anya called from her window. The vampire put his car in reverse and sighed as he turned to follow Anya to her apartment. He had some serious thinking to do.

Willow and Lindsey watched the two cars drive away. "Did she look angry to you?" Lindsey asked.

"Whatever he did, he'd better be ready to get on his knees and beg." Willow agreed.

"Maybe if he spent more time tending to his own life instead of trying to control yours, he wouldn't be in this mess." Lindsey said.

"I'm so not going to argue with you on that, Mr. McDonald." She said with a smile. "Let's get some rest." She said as she opened the door to the truck. Lindsey stepped out from his side of the truck and joined the redhead. Their fingers intertwined as they held hands and headed towards the steps.

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to get scared and run?" Blue-eyed ex-lawyer asked.

"After everything that we've been through both apart and together, it's going to be pretty difficult to scare me." The hacker replied with a smile. The two stopped walking and faced one another, hands still entwined.

Lindsey sighed. "I think I'm falling in love with you, Willow."

The redhead's eyes lit up. "Lindsey," she managed to whisper as she pulled him to her and kissed him passionately. The redhead began to see stars. Literally. She fell to the ground unconscious from the blow to her head.

"Cordelia!!" Lindsey yelled before tackling one of the attackers.

Cordy rushed outside and practically flew to her two friends, sword in hand. She hacked off a limb of the one nearest her and headed for the one who had picked up Willow. "Put her down, asshole!" Cordy screamed as another attacked her. "Lindsey!"

"There're too many!" he replied.

The two fought valiantly before they were both knocked unconscious and taken to a van with the redhead.



Part 15:

Lindsey awoke with a pounding headache. He wondered if Willow and Cordelia were okay. He then wondered how long he'd been out. Now was the time to open his eyes and assess the situation.

"Oh good, you're awake." A voice said.

"You've got to be kidding me." Lindsey replied as he looked at the person who had spoken.

"Surprised?" The voice asked.

"More like repulsed." Lindsey answered. "Is this the best you can do, Gavin?"

"Oh, I know what you're thinking, Lindsey." Gavin replied. "And this isn't about you. You just happened to be there. Which, by the way, is an extra added bonus."

The ex-lawyer rolled his eyes and sat up. "Gavin, I know that when you grow up, you want to be like me, but it's not gonna happen. So why don't you go back to the real estate division and continue to be the puppet that you are."

Lindsey saw Gavin's eyes flash with even more hate as he spoke the next words. "Lindsey McDonald. You had it all. You were the Wolfram and Hart golden boy. And what did you?" He asked as he stood before Lindsey. "You pissed it all away."

"And you can't take my place no matter how hard you try." Lindsey replied. Gavin glared. "So, what little errand does Wolfram and Hart have you on this time, Gavin. Because, I know you didn't come up with an original idea."

"Believe it or not, this has nothing to do with the firm." Gavin replied with a sinister smile. "Call it a little side project that some clients of mine want done." He started walking slowly around the sparsely decorated room. "Your little red head has a lot of power. Did you know that?"

"Touch her and you'll wish you had to deal with the senior partners instead of me." Lindsey threatened. "Now, where is she?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"What do you mean, 'gone'?" Xander asked his ex-fiancé.

"I mean gone." Anya replied warily. "I went to Willow's to see if she and Cordelia wanted to do breakfast. Her door was partially open and no one was around."

"Did you check Lindsey's apartment?" Angel asked.

"No, Angel I never even thought that they might be with Lindsey." Anya replied sarcastically. She then turned to Giles. "It looked like Lindsey hadn't even made it to his apartment. And there was evidence of a struggle."

"Which means they were taken last night after we left." Connor stated.

"So what do we do now?" Xander asked. "These evil guys have Willow and Cordelia, and nobody has any idea of what to do?"

"Xander, calm down." Buffy tried to reassure the carpenter. "We'll figure out a way to find them."

"You're damned right." Angel said with barely repressed anger. "If those assholes hurt Cordy or Willow, I'll rip 'em apart."

Anya stood and headed towards the door.

"Anya, where are you going?" Dawn asked.

"Someone needs to tell Spike."

"May I go with you?"

"Sure, Dawnie." The two left in search of the bleach blonde vampire.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Willow opened her eyes and quickly shut them again. "Ow." She said softly to herself.

"At least you're not in super reinforced chains against a wall."

"Cordy!" Willow said happily. "You're okay!"

"Yeah. For now." Cordelia replied.

Willow sat up and found her ankle chained to the cot she was on. "Where are we?"

"Dunno." The seer answered. "I'm pretty sure it's not a happy place."

The door opened and in walked a man in a suit, two vampires, and a demon they didn't recognize.

"Ladies," The man in the suit said. "I'm glad to see that you're both awake."

"That's the best line you can come up with?" Cordelia asked. "You really need to buy the 'Kidnapping for Dummies' book. It would've given you a better opening line than that."

"Miss Chase." He said as he walked to the new half demon. "I didn't expect for you to be here."

"Well, that proves that you don't know what the hell you're doing, Gavin. Because any Wolfram and Hart employee would've looked at the backgrounds of everyone involved in this little game and noticed the connection." Cordelia replied.

Willow could see that this man was becoming angry. "What do you want?" she asked, trying to take the attention from Cordelia.

"Quite simply: you." The demon that had remained silent the entire time finally spoke. It sent shivers of terror through both Willow and Cordelia.

"Where is Lindsey?" Willow continued to ask.

"In a safe place." Gavin replied. "You'll get to see him once more before they have their way with you." He gestured to the red and gold demon that had just spoken.

"You stupid little piece of shit." Willow said in a confident, even tone that still signified her anger.

"No matter what happens from this moment on, just know that you are going to pray for death before I'm finished with you."

"Careful, Miss Rosenberg. I don't think you're in any position to make threats." Gavin replied.

"It wasn't a threat." Willow replied as her eyes flash black for a second.


Part 16:

The two vampires paced back and forth crossing one another's paths repeatedly. Angel had called Gunn to let him and the others know what happened. The good-looking young warrior had a brilliant idea and was en route at this moment with the necessary supplies for his plan.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Xander asked.

"Yes, Xapper." Spike replied dryly. "Just like we're sure exactly where Red, Mac, and the cheerleader are."

"Then why are we even considering this plan?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, sorry Buff." Angel replied with mock sincerity. "What was YOUR plan to getting us any kind of lead on where they might be?"

The blonde glared at her ex and sat on the arm of the sofa.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Nice try, Miss Rosenberg." Gavin said as he stepped forward to unlock her shackle, while one of the vampires unlocked Cordelia's chains. "But, this room is protected from any kind of magic."

Willow quickly brought her knee up and smiled as it connected with Gavin's chin. The lawyer's head flew back. She then elbowed him behind the head causing him to fall to the floor in a boneless heap. "Who said I was talking about magic?" She asked the now unconscious man.

The two vamps held Cordy, while the red and gold demon seemed to appear next to Gavin's comatose form as it stood over the redhead in an intimidating manner. "I will not have any more trouble from you, will I?" He asked. The hacker stared at him defiantly, but did not argue to the contrary. "Very well." The demon continued. "Because I promise you I'm not as polite as the unconscious Mr. Park." He then motioned for the 2 vampires to release the seer and they went to pick up Gavin. In a flash, the demon had moved from his spot facing Willow, to the entranceway of the room.

"Wait!" She screamed. It turned and looked at her in expectation. "If you can move that quickly, why didn't help him when I was hitting him?"

"Because he deserves it." The demon turned once again to leave.

"May we PLEASE see Lindsey?" she asked, swallowing her pride. "I just need to know if he is okay."

"I will grant your request only because you are an honorable witch." He nodded to the vamp that had returned. The vamp took off down the hall. The demon then exited the room.

Willow then made eye contact with Cordelia and both girls let out the breaths they'd been holding. "That means he's okay, right?" Willow asked.

"He's fine, Will." Cordy assured her friend.

Just then, the door opened and in walked the vampire and Lindsey. "Willow!" he said, relieved to see his girlfriend. She ran to him as the vampire closed and locked the door. The two hugged and when the hug ended, they pulled apart, but kept holding hands.

"Lindsey," Cordelia said. "Not that I'm not happy you're alive or anything. But, do you know what the hell's going on here?"

"Gavin Park is here." He answered.

"I know. He was just in here." The seer said. She then turned to Willow and beamed with pride. "And Wills knocked him out with brute strength!"

Lindsey laughed and marveled at how this unpredictable redhead could want to be with him. "Well, I guess he came to see me first." Lindsey said. "He told me that this isn't a Wolfram and Hart deal."

"So, he's branching out and freelancing?" Cordy asked.

"Apparently." Lindsey continued. "If the people at Wolfram and Hart find out…let's just say that employee termination does not mean that you have to find another job."

"Any idea what these guys want?" Cordelia asked.

"Willow."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Holy shit." Xander said, stunned.

"Angel, that's a person." Giles added.

"Naw, it's a Wolfram and Hart employee." Gunn replied as they all looked at a bound and gagged Lilah Montgomery.



Part 17:

"Why would you think I would know anything about Lindsey McDonald?" The brunette lawyer asked the group sitting around her.

"Gee, Lilah, I don't know." Angel said sarcastically. "It could be that your firm wants him dead." Gunn said.

"Or, that you're all just plain evil." Spike added. "Not that I mind, normally. But you see," He said as he got closer to the woman and shifted into 'game face'. "Red and Mac are my friends. And I do NOT take too kindly to pieces of shit like you trying to hurt them." At this point, the blonde vampire was an inch away from Lilah. Blue eyes met gold.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about." She replied in anger through clenched teeth. "And even if I did, you wouldn't hurt me. Not with soul boy over there." She finished with a smug smile.

"What exactly do you think the chances are that there are TWO vampires with souls in the same room?" Spike asked. A low growl erupted from his throat as a carefully planned drop of drool dripped from his fangs.

"Yo, fang boy, back up a second." Gunn said to Spike as he tried to suppress a chuckle at the obvious fear the woman now had.

Anya caught on and added. "But, you promised evisceration!" She whined. "You ARE still going to eviscerate her, right?" She asked hopefully.

"In a minute, demongirl." Spike replied, but still backed away a few inches, 'game face' still in place..

"Tell us what you DO know." Angel said as he moved forward and took a menacing stance next to his grandechilde.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Guys, don't get freaked." Willow said she sat up from her snuggle position with Lindsey.

"When you say that, I sort of have to." Cordelia replied.

"Ditto." Lindsey added with a smile.

"Okay, I'm thinking about a time last year when…well…astral projection was involved."

"But Will, didn't they say this place was magically protected?" Cordelia reminded her.

"Wait a minute." Lindsey said, as an idea formed in his head. "What if she doesn't 'magically' do anything?"

"Huh?" The females said.

"Cordelia, you're part demon now, right?" Lindsey asked, trying to get his point across.

"Your point being..." Cordy responded.

"Didn't you say that you got into Connor's mind that time and figured out why he was so angry and hurt?" He continued.

"Ooooh!" Willow jumped in. "She can try to reach one of the gang!"

"Tell them Gavin Park is responsible." Lindsey advised.

"I bet I can reach Angel!" Cordelia finished. She took a deep breath and concentrated. "Okay, think: vampire with a soul, vampire with a soul, vampire with a soul..."

"Uh, Cordelia...." Willow started.

"Ssshhh!" The seer replied. "It's working."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"So, what has happened in the past few days that's different?" Buffy asked. She was sick of standing on the sidelines.

"Was that before or after I was kidnapped?" Lilah asked the slayer.

"Why you..." The slayer started.

"Somebody want to chill that slayer out?" Gunn said.

"Buffy, please." Giles tried to placate her. The slayer sighed and sat down, but continued to glare at the lawyer.

"Maybe we're going about this all wrong." Angel said as he stood and started to pace.

Spike has slipped back to his human façade by this time and quickly shook his head. "Who in the bloody hell is Gavin Park?"

"Gavin Park?" Lilah asked.

"He works at Wolfram & Hart." Gunn offered.

"Gavin Park is on vacation." She got a devious look on her face. "Or not."

"The senior partners aren't going to like him doing freelance work, I'm sure." Angel added.

"I still want to know what the hell put that name in my head." Spike said, not liking the invasion. "It was almost like those times Red…" he stopped mid-sentence and smirked. "That's my girl."

"You no longer have to force me." Lilah announced. "If it'll bury Gavin, I'll help you find him."



Part 18:

"Well?" Buffy asked as she paced her living room.

Lilah hung up the phone. "Not only is he *not* vacationing in Mexico," the brunette began. "He's right here in Sunnydale."

"Oh, this just gets better and better!" Angel said to no one in particular.

"He's not after Lindsey." She added.

"And I was wrong." Angel muttered.

"He's after Red?" Spike asked.

"Is she a really powerful witch?" Lilah asked.

"That's putting it mildly." Xander replied.

"Then, that's who they want." She replied.

"Why?" Gunn asked.

"I honestly have no clue." Lilah answered truthfully. "But, we need to find out where they are and fast."

"It's going down soon, isn't it?" Gunn asked.

"Does anyone here have any connections on how to find a Xarct demon?"

"Here? In Sunnydale?" Giles asked.

"I thought they were benevolent." Angel said.

"Not to mention extinct." Giles added as he headed towards a stack of books and immediately picked up the one he wanted. "Spike, do you think you could...?" But the bleach blonde vampire was already closing the door behind him in search of the necessary information.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Are you sure it worked?" Willow asked.

"For the 50th time, yes. It. Worked." Cordelia glared at the hacker. "The only thing was that it felt like I wasn't talking to Angel."

"Well, you DID say 'vampire with a soul' over and over." Lindsey replied. "You didn't say which one."

"Are you telling me that I established a link with SPIKE?" Willow and Lindsey nodded, trying not to laugh, but failing miserably. "Ewwww!"

"Hey, it could be worse." Willow said.

"Yeah, it could've been Drusilla." Lindsey added.

"That's just...mean!" the seer replied, and then started laughing. "Who in the hell would want to be in that loony bitch's mind?"

The door unlocked and opened, revealing Gavin (with a nicely swollen nose), two vampires, and the Xarct demon. "Well, you seem to be in awfully good moods considering the fact that you're going to die." The demon rolled its eyes, but remained silent.

"Honestly," Willow replied. "Just the thought of beating the shit out of you has kept me going." She said with a big, innocent smile.

The man glared at the redhead, turned on his heel, and walked out of the room. The demon looked at her and smiled.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"I know where they are!" Spike said, two hours later as he hurried through the door. He took a piece of paper out of his jeans pocket and sat it on the coffee table. Dawn picked up the piece of paper. And immediately dropped it. "Eww! What's on it?"

"Gak demon blood." Spike replied.

"Okay, that's just nasty!" Xander cried.

"Ponce." Spike said to the carpenter.

"I agree." Angel added.

"Would someone just PLEASE tell us where they are?" Anya and Buffy screamed.

"Right behind you." A voice at the door said. Everyone turned to see Willow, Cordelia, and Lindsey looking very amused.

"Are you telling me I just went through all of that CRAP for nothing?" Spike asked. "Oh, bugger!"

"Glad to see you still care, William." Willow said with a smirk.

"Cordy!" Angel finally came out of his shock and ran to his seer. He engulfed her in a huge hug and twirled her around.

"I'm okay!" She cried. "Would you please put me down?" The dark haired vampire looked extremely hurt and disappointed as he set the seer on her feet.

Xander ran to Willow and hugged her fiercely. "Xander...oxygen...please..." the redhead managed to squeak out.

"Sorry," Xander said as he released his friend.

"Um, why is a Wolfram & Hart employee here?" Lindsey asked.

"Oh, I kidnapped her so she'd tell us where you guys were hiding since we figured that's who took you." Gunn explained.

"Actually, this time, it wasn't Wolfram & Hart." Cordelia said. "Just that little toad Gavin."

"By the way, stay out of my head, Cheerleader." Spike said. Cordelia rolled her eyes and looked at Lilah.

"Won't YOU be happy to know that Willow here kicked Gavin's ass?" Cordelia finished.

"That's music to my ears." Lilah replied. "And since my work here is done," she announced as she stood and headed to the door. "I'm going back to LA to inform the senior partners of Gavin's little side project."

"Um, you might also want to let them know that it was for the side of Good." Willow added.

"Huh?" Everyone in the room asked.



Part 19:

"How...is that possible?" Xander sputtered. He was the first to get his voice back.

"Stick around, Lilah." Lindsey told his former co-worker. "You're going to love this."

After the gang had settled into comfortable sitting positions, Willow started. "Okay, let's start with Cordy's vision. She said someone or something was draining me of my powers. And she was right. That's what would have happened."

"Am I the only one here who doesn't understand?" Buffy asked.

"Spike." Angel warned as his grand childe started to make a comment.

"Apparently, if Gavin hadn't been so incompetent, the Xarct demon would have done a ritual to strip Willow of her powers, ultimately killing

her." Lindsey informed the group. His grip tightened around the redhead's waist as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"But why didn't it?" Dawn asked.

"He thought I was evil." Willow answered softly.

"Until he saw how she handled Gavin." Cordelia said with a smile.

"You see," Lindsey continued. "He figured any one creature with that much power would wreak havoc on the world."

"The Xarct are benevolent and would never just go and try to kill someone for no reason." Willow explained.

"So, when Gavin kept trying to solicit his business, the demon told him of an outside project in which he would be paid handsomely." Lindsey added.

"Of course the little weasel accepted without first looking into it." Lilah added.

"Exactly." Willow replied. "He just assumed that since it was a demon, it had to be evil. And, after our last meeting with Gavin, the Xarct realized that the world was in no danger from me anymore."

"Thank goodness." Cordelia interrupted. "That thing was scary looking." She paused as if in thought. "But, he was really nice to us."

"Yeah, we all talked and told him everything that's happened in the past year." Willow continued. "He told us about the fears of the 'non evil' demon community and why they took me."

"They wanted to make sure last May wouldn't happen again." Angel said quietly.

"And it won't." Willow said to the brooding vampire.

"On the next new moon, myself, someone from the Xarct's community, and-I'm hoping-Giles will do a ritual to share all of the power so that nothing like that will happen again."

"Smart move, Red." Spike said sincerely.

"But what happens if any of you is destroyed?" Anya asked.

"Way to go, tact girl." Buffy said.

"It's a valid question." Lindsey answered. "It will be passed on through offspring."

"But, it will never be transferred to any of the others who already hold the power." Willow finished.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense." Giles mused. "And yes, Willow. I'm honored that you thought of me."

"So," Cordelia said, breaking the moment. "Now that everything is explained, I'm in need of a long, hot bath. Gunn, can you give me a ride to Willow's?"

The young man looked at Angel and then to Cordelia. "Do you need his permission?" She asked.

"Okay, let's go." He said, desperate to escape the mounting tension in the room.

"Cordy, we can give you a ride." Lindsey said. "We're leaving in a few minutes."

"Nah, you two need some alone time." Cordy replied. "I'll see you two later." She headed for the door followed by Gunn.

"Are you out of your bleedin' mind, Pouf?" Spike asked. "Go after her, you dimwit! If you don't, you'll lose the only good thing that ever happened to you." He paused for effect. "And I'LL make a move on her."

"Don't even try it, my boy." Angel replied as a slow smile spread across his face. "I need to plan for something big that's going to make her see how much I love her." Then, as an afterthought, he smacked his grand childe across the back of the head as he exited the house, followed by Connor.

"Well, now that that's settled, I'll just head back to LA." Lilah announced. "And Lindsey, I'll make sure you get all the details of Gavin's...termination." With that, the brunette was out the door.

"Since Cordelia's using my tub, may I borrow yours?" Willow whispered to her beautiful blue-eyed boyfriend.

"This is the part where you say 'hell yes', Mac." Spike stage whispered.

"Damn vampire hearing." Lindsey mumbled. Then, he turned to Willow. "Only if you let me scrub your back." The redhead smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask." She replied.

"Finally!" Spike and Dawn said.



Part 20:

The aftermath of the infamous kidnapping was full of interesting events. Lilah went back to LA to plan her 'surprise' for Gavin Park.

Cordelia spent the day focusing and training when she wasn't having 'girl time' with Willow and Anya.

Angel and Connor decided to train, as well. Afterwards, Connor spent the day walking around Sunnydale with Dawn while she gave him a history lesson on his father, her sister, and their friends.

Gunn went back to Fred in LA to handle things until Angel returned.

Our favorite bleach blonde vampire had taken up writing again. Only this time, it wasn't bloody awful poetry. It was more of a journal of sorts where he wrote about all that has happened to him since the chip. He took this time to sit and chronicle the events of the past few days. He was especially happy to not have inherited the broody attitude with the soul, so his journal entries were actually interesting.

Willow and Lindsey got the nice, hot bath they deserved. And then some. The two made love all night and into the morning, where Lindsey proceeded to make Willow breakfast in bed, before she went to spend time with Cordy and Anya.

Once the redhead had gone, Lindsey did some serious thinking. He knew he'd made the right decision to move to the Hellmouth. He needed to be on the side of good, and he was happy about it. Fighting the monsters and aiding the Slayer and her friends was the best decision he'd ever made. Now, he just needed to get a day job.

And then there was Willow. Who knew that someone so incredibly astonishing could ever fall for him? The beautiful red hair, the dark green eyes, and she knew what went bump in the night! Yes, things were definitely looking up for him. He would never disappoint his Willow. She was the light in his usually dark existence. He smiled, and walked over to the phone to make a call.

As the next evening approached, everyone decided to meet in a rather neutral place: the park. They all figured: 'What idiot would try to attack a slayer, two master vampires, a vengeance demon, two powerful practitioners of magic, and people who fight evil because they want to?' Lindsey and Giles brought their guitars. Hell, even Spike had Dawn bring his. After all, it wouldn't do for anyone to see William the Bloody walking around with a guitar.

Before the evening's events got underway, Angel was the last to show up. "Cordelia," he started. "Don't say anything. Just listen."

Everyone in the group was dead silent and listening to what the dark vampire would say next. "I'm so sorry I was such an idiot." He began.

"And?"

"Spike, hush!" Dawn elbowed the bleach blonde in the ribs.

Angel rolled his eyes and continued. "I love so much, I can hardly believe it some times. You are the best thing to ever happen to me." He kneeled in front of her. "I'm actually happy to be with you. I get butterflies just knowing that I'm going to get to see you. You are my heart. You are my life. Please forgive me. I will NEVER be that much of an idiot again, I swear." Before his grand childe could comment, and without taking his eyes off of his seer, he added. "Shut up, William."

What Angel hadn't noticed was the look on every female's face in the group. There wasn't a dry eye anywhere to be found. Hell, even Giles and Xander had let a tear or two slip. Lindsey had definitely gained a new respect for the vampire. He still didn't like him. But, after this display, he would learn to tolerate him.

Dawn was the first to speak. "Oh. Wow." The teen said between sobs.

"That was so sweet." Willow said as she snuggled closer into Lindsey's arms.

"Why didn't you ever say stuff like that to me, Xander?" Anya added.

"Cordy." Angel continued. "You are what matters to me. I love you. Please don't leave me."

"What the hell are you waiting for, Cordelia? Jump his bones!" Buffy said excitedly.

Cordelia shook herself out of her shock-induced haze and focused on the vampire kneeling before her. "If you ever do something like that to me again," she said. "I'll kick your ass." He then enveloped her in a hug that would've probably killed a normal human.

"Hip, hip, bloody hooray." Spike said. "Can we drink and sing now?"

"Yes Spike." Lindsey said. He still couldn't believe that this was William the Bloody. "After one more announcement."

"You're not getting married, are you?" Angel asked as he released Cordelia and sat next to her. Lindsey smiled and flipped him off.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm staying in Sunnydale." Lindsey said. "And, I'm the newest history teacher at Sunnydale High School."

"Lindsey, that's wonderful!" Willow could barely contain the excitement as she threw her arms around him. "I'm so happy for you."

"I still wanted to see his muscles ripple while he did construction." Anya commented. There was then a round of congratulations to Lindsey.

That night, the group decided to always fight evil and to always stick together.

Two days later, Gavin Park walked into the Wolfram & Hart building where he was escorted to Nathan Reed's office, along with 10 others, including Lilah. The ever-present mind readers were there as the procedure began. Nathan needed to make sure that Ms Morgan was indeed correct. Lilah made it a purpose to stand as close to Gavin as possible. Finally, the mind readers walked over to Nathan and whispered to him.

"Thank you very much, ladies and gentleman. You are all free to go." The group began to walk out, but not before Mr. Reed said, "Oh, Gavin, Lilah. Will the two of you wait just a moment?" The two stopped walking and faced Nathan. "I really didn't want to believe it." He said as he started to pace. "Not only did one of our employees betray us by engaging in…extracurricular activities, but they also did it for the side of Good." He spat the last word out.

"Mr. Reed, to what, are you referring?" Gavin asked.

"Don't insult my intelligence, Gavin." Nathan snapped. "And don't underestimate the power of the mind readers. Not only did you take on an outside project," he continued. "But, you managed to help one of the 'good guys'." He sighed. "What were you thinking, Gavin?"

Before an answer was given, a gunshot was heard as Aaron the security guard fired his weapon.

"Thank you for the information, Ms Morgan." Nathan said. "This will not go unrewarded."

"Thank you, sir." Lilah replied as she walked out of Nathan's office and headed to her own with a smile on her face.

The End