"It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we can live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we'd be truly dead." – Angel, S2E17 Passion, Buffy The Vampire Slayer
She loved him. He loved her. It was forbidden, so they never showed it. Covering up their true feelings with intended betrayal, rough sex, and harsh insults. Both in danger of crossing that invisible line, the line dividing good from evil. Both crying for help in their own way. They had their needs, more similar than either of them would ever come to know.
So she didn't let the tears come until she'd already gone.
He put on a show that innocent Miss Texas was the only one on his mind.
Both pretended they weren't human. That they didn't care because they weren't able to care about anything, not anymore, not after what they had been through.
When Lilah had shown up with that job offer, neither of them had predicted what was to come. Now that it had came, they knew there would be no end. There couldn't be. It would kill them both if they tried. Yet, keeping their emotions to themselves, each fearing reaching out would make the other walk away, was killing them inside.
Lilah had only let her veneer crack a smidge with the Beast's attack, too injured, too close to death to care. When she felt arms circle around her, she figured that was it – she was done for. Doomed to end up like her fellow colleagues.
"Lilah, Lilah stay with me!"
Her neck didn't want to support her head. It kept trying to loll backwards. She was wavering in and out of consciousness.
"I'll get you out of here."
Before she knew what was going on, she was in his arms. They were in the sewers.
When she was sat on her feet, tears shining in her eyes, she requested one thing, "Please don't leave me."
She'd thought he was going to leave. He'd stood there so still for so long. But he didn't. Instead, he brought her close and kissed her, passionately.
"Go."
Wesley was confused. "You said –"
"I know. But Connor's still trapped in the building. Level three. Tell the others."
"…Lilah?"
She gave a weak smile. "I'll be here."
So he left.
Lilah backed up against the brick wall, hand going over her stomach in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
When it was all over, and Wesley returned, Lilah was still there, as she had promised. How could she go anywhere? She was barely alive.
"Lilah," Wesley murmured.
Once again, Lilah had been transported into his arms.
"We'll get you home, okay? We'll get you cleaned up, and then…"
"Turn back time?" she weakly asked.
"Move on."