Title: Endlessly Rocking
Chapter 1: Deal with the Devil
Rating: PG-13?
Warnings: Couple of cuss words, nothing you wouldn't hear on the show.
Summary: Faith negotiates a temporary leave from prison.

Faith walked down the surgically clean hallway, following the suit in front of her. The building was so bright; she had forgotten how bright it was. Was that irony? A building like this and it was all bright and shiny. She had to have at least a little respect for the guy who was leading the way. He had psyched her guard into staying outside the building, shame he couldn't do anything about the cuffs though.

Faith could break the cuffs if she needed to. It wasn't really an issue of being restrained; the things were just so damned uncomfortable. Still, the cuffs probably made all the suits feel a little bit safer, so Faith didn't complain. The man turned as they reached a set of double doors, wooden and polished.

The man actually seemed like a bit of a nice guy, though Faith knew better than to expect that in this building. Handsome wasn't a stretch. He was about a head shorter than Faith, but he definitely knew how to wear that suit and his face had a pleasant angularity to it. It was like he was trying to convince people to trust him, which probably came in handy for his job.

"Thanks for showin' me the way-" she hesitated, unsure of the man's name.

"Gavin," he informed her.

"Gavin," she noted. "You're good people." She had said it without really meaning to, but everyone lied to each other in the name of politeness anyway, so what did it really matter? Gavin opened one of the polished doors and Faith walked through. She felt the door pulling shut behind her as she turned to face the desk and the woman behind it.

"Hello Faith," the woman greeted her with a familiar air, gesturing to a chair in front of her desk.

"Lilah, right?" Faith questioned, unsure if she'd remembered the lawyer's name correctly.

"That's right," Lilah confirmed. "Why don't you sit down?" She indicated the chair a second time. Faith grinned inwardly, realizing she was making the bitch nervous.

"Think you could do something about these cuffs," Faith asked with just the right amount of impatience in her tone. Lilah's eyes widened infinitesimally, but Faith noticed it.

"Maybe later," Lilah said in what was clearly meant to be a calming, diffusing voice.

"Look, you know I could break 'em if I wanted to," Faith pointed out. "I'm tryin' to do this by the book."

"Then please have a seat," said Lilah.

"Fine." Faith sat in the chair with an angry thump. "They're wicked uncomfortable is all I'm tryin' to say."

"Faith," Lilah began, "I'd like to know why you asked for this meeting."

"Right to it, huh? Didn't anyone teach ya how to woo a girl?"

"Enough games, Faith," said Lilah, resting her elbows on the table and surveying the Slayer over interlocked fingers.

"I'm makin' you nervous with every second," Faith stated confidently, relishing the sense of power.

"A little," Lilah admitted.

"Honesty's good, Lilah." Faith was impressed.

"But I'm more confident in what I know about you," Lilah continued boldly. "I don't think you've spent nearly two years in prison to turn around now."

"Maybe, maybe not," replied Faith. "Keep pushin' my buttons and we'll find out. Maybe I'll earn myself a one-way to the electric chair." Faith grinned in her perfectly arrogant way. "Do ya think a Slayer could survive the chair? I've heard they're not allowed to execute you twice."

"What do you want, Faith?" Lilah asked impatiently.

"I wanna get out," Faith admitted, finally deciding to play the lawyer's game. "Nothin' permanent, just a few days. To take care of some things."

"I think I know what this is about," Lilah said with a smug look on her face.

"Don't you visit my intentions," Faith threatened, voice low and cold. "Don't ever."

"You want out," Lilah pressed on, hoping to smooth things over. "We can make it happen, but you already knew that." The lawyer sat back in her chair, meeting the Slayer's eyes purposefully. "You also know that we won't give you anything for free, Faith. What are you offering us?"

"I'm askin' you," Faith clarified. "What do you want?" Lilah raised her eyebrows, pleasantly surprised by this turn of events. "Conditions though," Faith was quick to add.

"You're setting conditions? I don't think you realize who has the power in this situation."

"I do," Faith responded calmly. "Like I said, I'm tryin' to do this by the book, but I can get it done on my own if I have to."

"And you may still have to," said Lilah bluntly. "What are your conditions?"

"I don't wanna cause any deaths," Faith listed first. "And I don't wanna hurt anyone I know."

"Touching," Lilah noted, again flashing that smug look that Faith desperately wanted to wipe off her face.

"I'm askin' you again, what do you want?" The two invariably strong-willed women stared each other down in silence for a moment. "You need some time to think about it?"

"Actually no," Lilah answered. "You have something we could use. And it meets your conditions."

"What do you want?" Faith repeated.

"Your blood."

Faith's mind nearly erupted with emotion. The way Lilah had spoken the words reminded her of another person who had wanted her blood. Something of her feelings had probably entered her face, but Faith corrected it quickly.

"Not all of it, right?"

"No, not all of it," Lilah assured her. She reached into one of her desk drawers and extracted a small glass bottle with a stopper. "Just enough to fill this bottle."

"What, you keep blood bottles handy in your desk?"

"Company policy," Lilah stated matter-of-factly.

"And what are you gonna use it for?"

"It doesn't contradict your conditions."

"What are you gonna use it for?" Faith asked again in a more demanding tone.

"A spell. We can use your blood to strengthen the protection spells we place on this building. We've had some problems with unwanted visitors."

"Fang gang keepin' you on your toes?" Faith asked with a smile.

"That's not the point, Faith. No one dies, no one even gets hurt. It's actually a good spell when you think about it."

"Used for evil purposes."

"That is what we do here, Faith," Lilah reminded the Slayer with a smile of her own. "This is a good deal."

"So my blood could be useful to you. What's to stop you from strappin' me down and takin' it?"

"Mystical thing," Lilah said with a wave of her hand. "We need your consent."

"And one more question, how do I know you're tellin' the truth?"

"You have to take my word for it, Faith," said Lilah with a smirk. "You have to trust me."

"Maybe," Faith returned with a smirk of her own. Then, raising her voice, she called, "Gavin!"

At the sound of his name, Gavin fell comically through the door that had never been fully closed. Lilah surveyed him with distaste.

"You don't seem surprised," Faith observed. "I'm guessin' he does this a lot."

"It's a pattern," Lilah admitted with exasperation.

"Professional rivalry, huh?" Faith watched as Gavin scrambled to his feet. "You're alright, Gav."

"I assume there's a reason you called him in here," Lilah asked, exasperation still heavy in her voice.

"Gav man," Faith addressed him. "You guys got any cursed contracts in this building?"

"Cursed contracts?" Gavin asked with curiosity.

"Ya know," Faith nodded toward Lilah as she spoke, "something that makes her hurt if she's lyin' to me."

"I've got just the thing," Gavin answered with a slightly twisted grin. There was the truth of him, Faith noticed. There was the man behind the handsome face.

"So go get it," Faith ordered. Gavin backed out of the room at a brisk pace.

"This would be easier if you'd just trust me," Lilah pointed out.

"Sweetie, I think you forgot who you're talkin' to," said the Slayer. "I'm Faith! I don't even trust the good guys. So what the hell makes you think I would trust you?"

"And you trust Gavin?" Lilah questioned. "You think he's above coming back with just a blank sheet of paper?"

"I've got Gavin worked out," Faith announced. "I'm actually kinda good at readin' people. Insightful and all. You're guarded," the Slayer continued. "You did me the favor of not visiting my intentions so I'm gonna return that favor." She grinned inwardly, observing Lilah's subtle disquiet. "You wanna be guarded, be guarded. Gavin, on the other hand, is an open book. He wouldn't bring anything that would kill you on account of it would piss off the company. But he doesn't mind seeing you in pain either. There's the rivalry, a fair bit of dislike, and just a little bit of confusion 'cause he's worried he might like you. If he ever grows the pair, let him down easy, yeah."

"You think he likes me and you still expect him to bring something that could hurt me?"

"You always hurt the one you love," Faith answered somberly.

Gavin bustled back into the office about thirty seconds later to find Faith and Lilah in an anything-but-staring contest, looking resolutely at opposite walls of the office. They turned toward his arrival. He crossed to Lilah's desk and laid out what looked like a half-sheet of paper. Faith got her confirmation of its validity in the suspicious look Lilah gave the seemingly innocent thing.

"Any specific wording?" Gavin questioned, falling into his element, ready for business.

"How about," Faith pondered it for a moment. "I-" she gestured toward Lilah.

"Lilah Morgan."

"I, Lilah Morgan, swear that I have not lied to Faith, nor in any way mislead her about the intended use of her blood." She watched as Gavin scrawled out the words in black ink. "Think that'll cover it, Gav?"

"You're covered," he affirmed.

"I haven't lied to you, Faith," Lilah insisted.

"Then you'll sign it?"

"I'll sign it."

"In blood?" Faith asked, spotting the potential loophole. Lilah remained calm however and reached for something at the corner of her desk. It turned out to be a glass inkwell filled with dark red liquid. "Let me guess, company policy?"

"Company policy," Gavin and Lilah repeated together. Lilah pulled the paper closer. She signed her name to the bottom of the document and it briefly emitted a faint glow.

"Gavin, make a copy," Lilah ordered, passing the contract to her coworker and indicating a copy machine in the corner of the office.

"I want the original," Faith told them.

"And you'll have it," Lilah assured the Slayer. "We have to keep records of everything though." The copy machine began to whir and a single sheet of paper was produced.

Faith stood as Gavin crossed the room again.

"Pocket," she told him, indicating the pants she was wearing. "No coppin' a feel either or I'll smash your face into the desk."

"I've seen her do it," Lilah responded to Gavin's questioning look. Gavin folded the paper and carefully put it into the Slayer's pocket. "Gavin, take the copy down to files and records while Faith and I finish up." Gavin looked as though he wanted to stay and listen.

"Hop to it, Gav," said Faith. He hurried again from the room.

"I still need your consent," Lilah reminded her. "I've assured you that your blood will be used for only one purpose. The rest is up to you."

"Got a contract?" Faith asked.

"Verbal consent will be fine."

"Thought you had to keep a record of everything?"

"That's what the camera's for." Lilah nodded toward the corner opposite the copy machine.

"Oh yeah?" Faith turned to face it. "Check it out, I'm on TV." The Slayer took a bow for the camera, unable to do much else in her handcuffs. She turned back to Lilah with her serious face. "You know you won't be able to keep 'em out forever."

"Never thought I would," answered Lilah. "Without more of your blood the spell will deteriorate after a few months. It should keep them out for a while though. I might actually be able to get some work done this summer."

"I'd wish you luck with that, but we both know I'd be lyin' about it."

"Do I have your consent?" Lilah pressed.

"You ever gonna un-bunch those granny panties?" Faith teased. "I think they must be ridin' high or somethin', ya know?"

"Do I have your consent?"

"There's one more thing I want."