Disclaimer: I do not own Angel, unfortunately, it is the wonderful property of Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt.
"We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance."
Harrison Ford (1942 - ), quoted by Garry Jenkins in 'Harrison Ford: Imperfect Hero'
"Why do you think I let him out?"
Lilah stared at Cordelia in confusion and suddenly the hand around her throat became a lot more threatening. Cordelia's other hand went back sharply and the attorney's eyes widened, only just able to register what was happening but registering it nonetheless.
"Cordy? Lilah?" Gunn's voice floated towards them from down the hallway and Lilah saw the indecision flash through the other woman's eyes. She could see what was in her hand now – a dagger of sorts – and she hastily struggled to get out of her grip.
"Let go of me, bitch!" Lilah snarled just loud enough for Gunn and whoever was with him to hear her.
She didn't know what was going on with the cheerleader but what she did know was that she was being held against her will with a dagger at her throat. Hence to say she panicked, well, as much as Lilah Morgan could panic.
Wesley and Gunn rounded the corner, their mouths popping open in disbelief at the sight of Cordelia holding Lilah at knife point. Cordy hastily tried to hide the dagger away but it did nothing to change what they had just seen.
"Uh, what's goin' on?" Gunn asked, looking between the two of them in confusion.
"Bitch tried to kill me," Lilah spat, finally freeing herself of Cordelia's grip and stumbling away.
"Oh, like you didn't have it coming," Cordelia spat right back.
"I didn't!"
"Did, too!"
"Look, I really want to sort this all out but Angelus is still in the house an' all," Gunn cut in, still looking mighty confused.
"I pushed him down the stairs," Lilah sighed, wiping a hand across her face. She could feel the blood leaking out of her reopened-reopened wound and was starting to get a little lightheaded. An image of Cordelia with a stone dagger flashed through her mind and she managed to inch herself further away from the other brunette – she wasn't taking any chances. "He's probably sulking in a corner somewhere like the big badass vampire he is."
"Right, we better check the rest of the hotel," Wesley decided.
She'd rather jump off a cliff then go anywhere near Angelus right now but she wasn't so inclined to stay with the woman who was clearly hell bent on killing her. Death by vampire or death by cheerleader? Hmm, choices, choices.
Suddenly Lorne and Fred came rushing in, panting for breath.
"Angelus just flew out the window, nearly gave me a heart attack when I saw him land on the ground outside," Lorne breathed. "Connor went after him."
Gunn groaned. "I'm gonna kill that kid."
"What if Angelus does first?" Fred asked meekly.
"Them I'm gonna bring him back to life and kill him all over again," he answered without missing a beat.
"Oh."
Lilah smirked leaning back against the wall, trying to cover up her earlier panic and the pain her wound was currently causing her. Truthfully she just needed the wall for support. "Angelus kills anyone it's on her shoulders." She jerked her head towards Cordelia who'd barely spoken.
"Hey, Cordelia didn't know that wasn't Angel when she let 'im out," Gunn shot back defensively, pointing his axe at her.
"Oh, yes she did." Her smirk grew wider as she spoke; she was going to enjoy seeing how this came out.
"That's ridiculous," Fred said," no-one knew that Angel wasn't Angel."
"Oh, yeah?" Lilah challenged. "Then why did she run away?"
Everyone glanced to the spot where Cordelia had been standing only moments before only to find it, just as Lilah had said, empty.
"I don't understand," Fred said weakly, still staring at the spot.
"Why would Cordy want to set free Angelus?" Gunn demanded, clearly not believing what Lilah had said.
"Hell if I know," Lilah replied, spreading her arms wide with a smirk and trying not to wince as it made her stomach experience some discomfort. Wesley's eyes zeroed in on the blood seeping through her sweater. "Maybe she finds Angelus better fuck material, I don't care."
A long stretching silence filled the hotel, the occupants either contemplating what they'd just been told or glaring in disgust at Lilah. Eventually the silence was broken by Wesley.
"Gunn you should scour the rim of the building to make sure he doesn't come back; see if you can find Connor while you're at it." Although he was addressing them he didn't take his eyes of Lilah who was beginning to grow a little pale from blood loss. After a pause, the former street-kid did as he was told. "Lorne what would you say to getting the furies on the line, perhaps we could work the sanctuary spell around the Hyperion?"
"On it, cupcake," Lorne responded with a forceful smile and turned away whilst grabbing Fred's arm. "Come on, baby pie, I could use some help with the spell." Fred glanced uncertainly back at Wesley and Lilah for a moment before allowing herself to be tugged along down the hall after Gunn.
Lilah let out a relieved sigh, happy to finally be out of the spotlight, and allowed her body to finally sink to the floor. She was tired, exhausted, bleeding and she really needed a shower. The nausea and light-headedness weren't helping matters either nor was the fact that her legs seemed to have given up on her. Damn legs!
Wesley was by her side in seconds, just like she knew he would be, and she didn't so much mind as she normally would that someone was seeing her vulnerable, less strong side; she actually kind of liked him there, the feel of his company, the knowledge that at least somebody in this damn world cared about her. But that was probably just the light-headedness talking.
He ran a cool hand over the side of her face and Lilah's eyes fluttered closed under his light touch. She couldn't deny it, the feelings his touch evoked in her; she couldn't deny that she cared.
After a hesitant pause he scooped her up and took her into one of the Hyperion Hotel's rooms, setting her down gently on a bed. He'd never been so gentle with her before and although it was unfamiliar and a little daunting, Lilah wasn't sure whether she could truthfully say she hated it.
"What happened with Cordelia?" he asked, taking a seat beside her on the bed.
She could tell he was uncomfortable to be there and inwardly smirked. "She said she let Angelus out to kill us, and then she tried to stab me with a dagger. Not exactly my happiest moment."
"No," Wesley agreed, "people seem awfully keen to stab you in one form or another these days." He scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Why on earth would Cordelia want Angelus on the loose? And why would she steal his soul, which I think it's safe to assume she did?"
Lilah straightened herself up a little on the bed, groaning with the effort. "Maybe she's not the one doing the stealing," she gasped.
Wesley spared her a worried glance for a moment before considering what she had said. "I think it's safe to presume she is – who else could have stolen it."
"No, I mean, what if she's just a puppet and there's somebody else pulling the strings." She paused, wiping a piece of hair off of her face.
"A possession?"
"Maybe."
"Still, that doesn't explain why she would ever let Angelus loose on the population. Most things that possess don't usually have an ulterior motive other than to, well, exist."
"Maybe the something that possessed her is a little higher up than the usual demon," she suggested, closing her eyes – maybe then the room would stop spinning. She kind of wished he would just leave, maybe she could get some sleep and the dizziness and nausea would all disappear of he did.
"The beast's master," Wesley realized, shock forming in his eyes.
"The beast did seem interested in Angelus."
"This changes things," he decided after a pause, looking resigned.
They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the sound of each other's breathing. Her eyes were still closed but even so she could tell he was lost in thought, the fact almost made her smile – some things never changed.
"Wesley?"
"Mm?" he asked, clearly being torn out of his thoughts and sounding a bit startled.
"Why are you still here?"
For a moment he didn't answer, emotions passing through his blue eyes on an endless rampage, it made her wonder what he was thinking. His eyes drifted down to the wound on her abdomen and finally he spoke.
"I really do wish you would let me take a look at that."
Lilah sighed, she'd known from the beginning she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him. "It's fine."
Wesley raised an eyebrow in disbelief at her now blood soaked shirt and she couldn't help but chuckle, understanding his point. "Fine, knock yourself out," she resigned, leaning back against the headboard. She didn't think he'd be able to do anything but if there was a chance he could make it finally stop bleeding, put a halt to her bodily fluids spilling out for everyone one to see, she'd give it a chance.
He reached out towards her stomach, pausing for a second (there was a line somewhere here) before continuing on his path. His thin, strong fingers lifted up the hem of her shirt and Lilah pretended that her breath didn't hitch when they touched her skin – his touch didn't affect her and neither did he (yeah, right).
Wesley winced slightly when he saw the damage; the bandage covering her wound was completely soaked through with blood and the rest of her stomach was a pinkish red. Lilah could quite honestly say it was the most disgusting sight she'd ever seen; well, almost.
Gently he lifted the bandage away from her stomach and she winced in pain as her skin stuck to it by blood, stretching until it was forced to let go. There was a hole in her stomach. Lilah turned her head away, disgusted by the weakness it caused her.
Wesley sighed.
"Wes?"
He raised his head from looking at her stomach, startled. "Mm?" A sense of Déjà vu took hold of her.
"If you ever find a way to kill the beast, take me with you when you do it," Lilah ordered and in a way sort of pleaded, that much was clear in her eyes. "He needs to pay, I need him to pay."
Once again he sighed. "Lilah, I know he took a lot from you, all the pretty things in your life that you love, and he hurt you and I understand that it all qualifies for a great deal of hate on your part. But there's something more isn't there?"
"What makes you say that, lover?" she asked, trying to play innocent and cocking her head to the side.
"You wouldn't risk your life just to avenge that," he said quietly, staring up into her eyes, the wound he was supposed to be seeing to forgotten.
Lilah looked away.
"What don't I know?" he asked, voice quiet but growing in strength towards the end.
Finally she met his gaze, eyes burning into his. "Trust me on this one, Wesley, you're better off not knowing."
He opened his mouth to reply, probably to protest but stopped, thinking better of it, and turned his attention back to the hole in her stomach. It looked pretty hopeless to be truthful.
"You really should have gotten this looked at by a doctor before now," he assessed, eyes grim.
"Little busy with the whole underground thing," she told him, smirking as if nothing had happened. "I didn't get around to the whole changing-my-name either – couldn't decide between Candice and Nikki, Kendall sounded rather appealing too."
Wesley chuckled softly. "Understandable."
He looked up and smiled at her and oddly enough she found herself smiling back.