Echo
Driving. That is what he had been doing for an hour now. Just driving. To where? He didn't even know. All that was on his mind at the moment was starting over. Beginning a new life different than the one he knew back at Wolfram & Hart.
He had been flipping through radio channels the entire time. A song had just come on; a song by a new artist with a new album coming out in a few months, according to the DJ. It began to open with lyrics.
Close my eyes
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
And then it hit him. A feeling from deep down inside that he had tried to keep hidden. It awakened just like that. It startled him so much that he almost didn't notice the woman standing in the road.
The brakes screeched from his foot slamming on them. He stopped the truck completely as the woman backed away. Snapping out of his slight shock, he looked out the windshield and recognized her face.
"Darla?" he managed to choke out.
The woman stood there, staring up at the vehicle.
He quickly got out and ran towards her. She recognized his face immediately. "Lindsey?"
"What are you doing out here?" he asked. Paused, then said, "Why did you run away?"
The woman, Darla, looked down slightly and didn't say anything. The same song that started playing a moment ago could still be heard from the radio inside the truck.
I think about your face
And how I fall into your eyes
The outline that I trace
Around the one that I call mine
Time that called for space
Unclear where you drew the line
I don't need to solve this case
And I don't need to look behind
"I couldn't stay," Darla said. She noticed the bags in the back of the pick-up. "Where were you headed?"
"Leaving," he replied. "I let Lilah have the promotion."
Darla said nothing.
Lindsey broke the silence by asking, "What about you? What are you going to do now?"
She hesitated before replying, "I don't know."
"May I ask you something?"
She looked up.
"Why have you been acting so different?" he asked. "Is it because of Angel's epiphany?"
Darla lowered her head and said nothing.
Sensing that he might have upset her, Lindsey began to apologize but she interrupted.
"I never made him happy," she said. "I couldn't do it."
Lindsey paused, then asked, "What do you mean?"
She was silent for a long moment before slowly lifting her head back up. "He's cursed," she said. "I could never make him fully happy, even after 150 years."
He thought he spotted tears welling up in her eyes, but it was hard to tell. He walked over to her, the song still blaring from the radio in the truck.
So I'll run away with you by my side
I need to let go of this pride
Until this echo in my mind
Until this echo can subside
Darla looked up at him, and that was when Lindsey noticed that her eyes were indeed welling up with tears. She whispered, "You wouldn't understand."
"Maybe not," he said, "but you made me happy."
She stared into his eyes for a moment. She knew that he loved her, that he had for a while now. That was the reason he had her changed back into a vampire; why he wasn't afraid when she and Druscilla murdered all those lawyers in the wine cellar; why he saved her from burning to death and being staked.
"You love me?" She stated it as a fact more than a question.
Lindsey looked away and did not reply.
Darla brought her hand to his cheek and turned it so he was looking back at her. "I knew you did all along. . . but you know that it's impossible for me to return it."
"Yeah," he said, "but that's not stopping me."
"I don't have a soul now," she continued, "but, when I had one for that short amount of time, I felt a little something for you. Thinking about it now puts my mind at rest."
Lindsey shut his eyes for a moment. He could still hear the music from the radio.
Do I expect to change
The past I hold inside
With all the words I say
Repeating over in my mind
Some things you can't erase
No matter how hard you try
An exit to escape
Is all there is left to find
He opened his eyes and leaned in, his lips touching hers. Instead of resisting, she kissed back. They both stood there like that for a long while, his fingers moving through her blonde hair and her arms wrapping around his back, pulling him closer to her. It was a moment neither one of them wanted to end, and it felt like it just would last forever, until Darla gently pulled away and looked into the distance.
Lindsey also looked in the same direction and saw the light blue color of the sky. The sun would be rising soon.
"I have to go soon," Darla said.
"I should be leaving, too," he agreed.
"I guess this is goodbye for now. . . hopefully."
Lindsey smiled. "Hopefully." He leaned in and kissed her one last time before watching her disappear into what little darkness was left. Once she was gone, it was only him, all alone, the echo of Darla's voice still in his mind.
Gahhh, I was so disappointed with how this potential relationship ended! I mean, Darla is actually not too bad of a character when she's in her 'I-want-to-fuck-Angel-and-go-on-a-killing-spree' form, which I guess would be her vampire form, I guess. Ah well, it was cute while it lasted.