52

Foiled Again

As the next business day started, there were more and more people to cover, even the ones that didn't know Rose's secret were still in danger of singing themselves into an early grave. In order to keep the fatalities to a bare minimum, Rose and Spike had reluctantly agreed that it would probably be best if they split up.

Spike was covering his part of the building when he noticed the mail cart coming down the hall being pushed by his precious little girl. His pleasure at seeing her dimmed, however, when he realized she was headed straight for the MacDonald git's office, and he flashed back on part of the last meeting he'd been to that he hadn't, as of yet, had time to dwell on. Or react to, especially with Rose and her ever-ready elbows right beside him. Rose might think it was sweet and romantic, but Spike's personal feeling on the matter was that he would rather that Lindsey go drooling over someone else's daughter.

He followed Ariel into Lindsey's office, and at first, it looked like neither one of them had anything to say to each other, which was all well and good from Spike's point of view.

But Ariel was nervous, and it showed in that she became all thumbs, and the stack of mail she had missed the edge of the desk by a good margin, to land sprawling across the floor and under the desk.

"Oops, I'm sorry." Blushing scarlet, Ariel dove for the floor.

"It's okay, princess." Lindsey was making a tall effort to pretend that the scene of a couple of days past had never happened. He just hoped like hell he didn't start singing again. "I'll give you a hand with that." He joined Ariel on the floor.

"It's very nice of you, Lindsey," Ariel murmured, still beet-red. "But I'm the one who made the mess."

"Shit happens," Lindsey replied, even knowing that Rose would give him hell if she heard him swearing in front of one of the kids. "I'm not doing this because I feel I have to. I'm doing it because I want to." He didn't like seeing her so tense, especially when he knew the reason why. "I wish you'd stop acting so jumpy, princess. I'm not going to bite you."

Ariel gave a shaky, half-laugh. "I thought biting people was supposed to be a vampire thing." She tried to get up too abruptly though, and whacked the top of her head on the underside of his desk, which elicited a small yip of pain.

She was so busy rubbing the rising bump that she didn't realize that Lindsey was helping her up until he had her seated in his chair.

"Let me see." Lindsey gently removed her hand from her head, and began probing the spot even more gently.

"I'm okay, Lindsey, really." Ariel was trying to think of what Spike would think of this little tableau, and didn't come up with any answers that left Lindsey breathing.

"Stop fidgeting, honey," Lindsey ordered softly. "I'm just trying to make sure there's no serious damage. Not put the make on you." The last sentence had definite overtones of bitterness.

Ariel heard the raw pain in his voice, and wished she could take it away. But how could she? She was in love with Angel, and was certain that she always would be. Lindsey could never be more than a friend, but she didn't want to lose him as such, and did genuinely care about him, that way. Her mind started to drift, so it was even more of a surprise than it might have been when Lindsey dropped to his knees in front of her. Her mouth became a perfect O, but no sound emerged from it.

"I figure groveling at your feet is about right," Lindsey remarked, endeavoring not to let the nervous start she'd made get to him, but it did. "I know I made you really uncomfortable the other day, princess, and I wanted to offer you my sincere and heart-felt apologies."

"Then you didn't mean it?" Ariel was conveniently forgetting that what someone sang under Sweet's influence couldn't be a lie. She was also torn between being relieved, and being miffed.

"I meant every single word of it." Lindsey looked up into her clear, gray eyes, and wondered just what it was about this.., this child, that she'd captured his heart so. "But I am sorry that it upset you. It's the last thing I ever wanted, or ever would want, to do." He gave a sudden, unexplained shudder.

"Are you all right, Lindsey?" Ariel found the subject of whether or not all was well with the Texan to be much easier to deal with than his seeming devotion to her.

"Just fine. Nothing but a little cold chill" Actually, he felt like he'd just been run over by a glacier. He couldn't seem to make himself tear his gaze from her eyes. The cold hit again, and this time nearly doubled him over.

"Something is wrong, Lindsey." Ariel slid out of the chair and knelt beside him. "People don't act like that from a cold chill. Maybe you should see a doctor."

"I'll be fine," Lindsey assured her, enjoying her proximity. "Nobody ever died from a cold chill."

'I'd be willing to give it a shot, you wanker,' Spike thought. 'Bloody well will, too, if you so much as lay a finger on my baby girl in anything but the most innocent manner.'

"You're sure?" Ariel still sounded worried, and the fact that she was concerned for him was a balm to Lindsey's soul.

"Positively," Lindsey lied. He'd never been hit by anything like that cold front that had moved in on him. And he'd be willing to bet that there was nothing there for a doctor to find. But he wasn't about to say so and worry Ariel further. He didn't much fret about her reading it in his mind, because he was pretty sure that right now, his was the last mind she would want to read. "Still friends?" The hope in his voice now was as palpable as the pain had been earlier.

"Of course, silly." Ariel beamed at him. She decided that a friendly hug could do no real harm, and she was used to hugging everybody. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Lindsey.

Lindsey reciprocated with alacrity, and there was a look of pure contentment on his face for a moment. But just for a moment. Then, his features contorted, and he nearly pulled Ariel down the rest of the way onto the floor. "Damn," he gasped. "I'm going to have to have maintenance check in here for cold draughts."

"Don't bother," Ariel said shortly, rising to her feet, then giving him a hand up. Being in contact with Lindsey had let some of the 'chill' spill over on to her as well. "I think I know what's causing your 'cold chills', Lindsey."

"Really?" The kid had resources that he certainly couldn't access, and he was curious as to who or what was targeting him with the deep freeze.

"I can't tell you," Ariel admitted, eyes downcast. "But I think that I can make it stop." She looked around the room as if expecting to see something with a defiant look on her face and deliberately craned her head up and kissed his cheek, then left.

Lindsey stood there in shock for a moment, just watching the door Ariel had disappeared through and thinking that whatever had caused that chill, he owed it one.

&&&&&

"And what I'm telling you is that I'm almost certain he sang the critical information last night." Sweet glared at Eve. He'd been going over and over the same ground for the better part of an hour now. "But all of a sudden it was like he was in a sound-proof booth. I couldn't hear a thing." He saw Eve about to open her mouth and forestalled her. "And I don't read lips, either."

"The partners expect results," Eve stated indifferently, as though Sweet's fate was of no concern to her, as indeed, it wasn't. "If you don't deliver, not only will you not collect your payment, but.., well, let's just say they're even better at dealing out punishments than they are at rewards."

Lorne watched and listened, but didn't particularly care to contribute to the conversation. Last night he had felt his organs tie themselves into knots as he began singing what he knew he shouldn't, but couldn't prevent. It had been at least as big a shock to him as it had been to Sweet. He hadn't even know, at first, that the words weren't sinking in, that somehow the song and dance demon wasn't getting the full effect of his performance.

As a matter of fact, he'd been so consumed by self-loathing that he could be compelled to betray his nearest and dearest, that he didn't notice much of anything until unexpectedly, the compulsion began to wane, and he'd felt an incredible sense of being watched over and cared for to such a degree that there could only be one person responsible. He didn't know how, but he most certainly knew who.

Rosebud.

&&&&

'Daddy, can you hear me?' Ariel knew that in Spike's current condition an ordinary conversation was out of the question, but she thought that telepathy ought to work. She hoped so, anyway. She had quite a lot to say to her loving father.

'Something wrong, baby girl?' She'd been right, it had worked. She could even feel some of the emotion spilling over, like when she and 'Ric mind-talked. Enough, at any rate, to tell that Spike was stalling for time.

'I cannot believe that you just did that.' Ariel let the full extent of her fury boil over.

'Did what?' Spike was caught, he knew he was caught, and worse, he should have known that he would get caught.

'You know damn well what, Daddy,' Ariel fumed. 'And when you get back into your body, I expect you to apologize to Lindsey.'

'You mind your language, Miss.' Stalling, again. Rose was the one who was always on the kids about swearing. Usually all that Spike did about it was to set a bad example. He started to wish that Rose was here, so he could have someone else on his side when it occurred to him that in all probability, his beloved would side with their daughter, and he'd have both of them chewing his metaphysical ass.

'Stop trying to change the subject,' Ariel ordered. 'Really, Daddy, what do you think Mummy would think of what you were doing?'

'Your mum would think I was looking out for your best interests, young lady,' Spike blustered. He didn't think she could read his every passing thought like this, but that remark had cut close enough to the bone to give him doubts.

'Do you really?' Ariel was suddenly sweetness and light, so much so, that is boded no good. 'I think she'd be ripping you a new one for being so mean to Lindsey when he didn't do anything wrong.'

Spike decided it was time to go on the offensive and put his foot down, so to speak. 'You are way too young to understand just what you're getting into with that wolf in a lawyer's suit. Believe it or not, Precious, I am protecting you.'

'I bet Mummy wouldn't think so,' Ariel replied, still ever so sweetly. Mummy was that card that always played best with Daddy, and she was pretty sure that she was right, anyway. 'Shall we ask her?'

'I don't need your mum's permission.' How in the hell had he gotten on the defensive again? 'I'm not doing this because I enjoy winding that git up, you know. I'm doing it because I love you and want to keep you safe.'

'And a virgin until I'm 190,' Ariel added. 'What I want to know is why you're so bent out of shape about Lindsey. He's just a friend.'

'That's all?' In Spike's vast experience, Ariel had been exhibiting all the signs of a girl with a crush of late. And who the better target than Lindsey? Aside from being attractive and personable, the wanker had come right out and said that he'd been waiting for her to grow up. And was willing to keep on waiting. Bound to go to a young girl's head.

'I'm not in love with him, Daddy,' Ariel replied. She knew better than to further enlighten Spike about her love-life. And she had a sneaking suspicion that no man would ever measure up, in Spike's eyes, to be good enough for his little girl.

Spike was dubious, but she seemed so sincere that he had to believe her and let her go on her way. '190, hell,' he thought. 'Better make it 250, just to be on the safe side.'

&&&&

"Are you going to hold a staff meeting and tell everybody, Uncle Angel?" Alaric was looking lovingly at the weapons display, but his hands were carefully folded behind his back. Look but don't touch was a lesson he'd been slow to learn, but learn it he had. Just not before he'd acquired a five-inch scar on his leg.

Angel had given the possibility some very serious thought, so he did have an answer ready. "No," he replied. "Right now, the senior partners are still completely in the dark. I think I'd like to keep it that way. And what's going on with your parents now might illuminate them more than we'd care for."

"Uh-huh," Alaric agreed absently. "I don't know why we have to be here when we're not doing the rounds with the mail cart, though. We're at home alone every day now, and we haven't..,"

"Broken any windows lately?" Angel filled in, remind him why he and his sister were pushing the mail car in the first place.

Alaric had the good grace to look embarrassed. But it didn't last long, and it was easy to tell that his thoughts were going off in a completely different direction. "Uncle Angel, has Viv been talking to you lately?"

"You can't tell?" Funny, he'd thought the twins had gone back to mind-reading again, uncomfortable as it might be in some situations, it was a real time saver in others.

"We decided to save the telepathy thing for strangers and emergencies," the boy muttered. "And I'm just not sure if this is one yet. But she.., she shut part of her mind off from me." He tried to come off sounding indignant, and he certainly was, but it was not the predominant emotion as evident by the hint of tears in his voice. He'd noticed what Ariel had blithely assumed he hadn't, and it hurt.

"She what? How? Do your parents know?" The questions burst out of Angel in a rush and he was glad that he was already sitting.

Alaric came over and perched on a corner of the desk. "She shut part of her mind off from me," he repeated, ticking the answers off on his fingers. "I don't know, and no."

"Okay, when did it happen?" Angel was almost as shocked by it as his godson. He'd never seen two people as close to each other as the twins. Only their parents came close.

"Last week," Alaric answered. "It was right after that package was delivered to her."

"What package? What was in it? Who sent it?" Something about this was starting to raise the hairs on the back of Angel's neck.

Alaric shrugged. "Dunno. Soon's she got it, she locked herself in her room and locked me out of her mind."

"And you didn't get anything before she did?" Angel was a little surprised, considering the everlasting curiosity both of the kids had.

His godson made a face. "I got a little distracted. I'd asked her to get me a cuppa, since she was up, and it wasn't until I took a big gulp that I realized she'd given it to me straight from the fridge."

Angel sighed, although he had to fight back a grin. Ariel was a very sweet girl. Until you crossed her. Evidently her brother had been getting on her nerves. "And I suppose you didn't tell your parents because you didn't want to be a snitch?" he asked.

"Partly." Alaric looked a little guilty. "But I was kind of distracted then, too. Like wondering if Dad was actually going to kill us when he got home."

"The day you guys broke the window," Angel stated with conviction. "Well, when it's your shift, and I have Ariel here, I'll see if I can get some answers from her. I've got a weird feeling about this."

"Oh, Uncle Angel?" Alaric was looking even more uncomfortable than ever. "Maybe I shouldn't say this, but before Viv shut me out, there were places in her mind that I kind of wasn't going on purpose. I don't know if this fits in with anything, but she thinks she's in love with someone."

&&&&&

Rose heaved a metaphysical sigh of relief. That had been too close for comfort. The woman she'd just silenced had been emitting billows of black smoke by the time she'd reached her.

Since she was nearby, she decided to peek in on Angel and see how he was doing.

When she drifted into the CEO's office, she saw Angel, pacing up and down, looking both uncomfortable and distracted. Over by the window was Ariel, looking out, as Rose herself had done on more than one occasion. Usually when she was troubled about something. And there was something about the attitudes of both the room's occupants that suggested all was not well.

Rose did a lightning-fast reconnoiter of 'her' area, saw that all was well, at the moment, and decided to stick around to take in the conversation.

"Listen, honey, if you like, I can have Lindsey transferred to another branch of the firm." Angel made the offer because he loved his goddaughter and her well-being was more important to him than his desire to keep an eye on the wily Texan.

"No, thank you, Uncle Angel." Was Rose imagining things, or had her daughter put some uncalled for emphasis on the word uncle? "A person can't help their feelings, can they?"

"Well, I guess not," Angel admitted reluctantly. He really didn't like Lindsey, and didn't much care to cut him any slack, even when the injured party didn't seem to be actually injured in any way. But he looked puzzled, as well. He'd heard the mocking over-emphasis too.

Ariel turned from the window and summoned up a faint smile. "Lindsey is my friend," she stated softly. "I don't want you to send him away just because he was silly enough to fall in love with me."

Angel was slightly relieved, but still confused. He had a strong feeling that his beloved niece wasn't telling him everything. And he couldn't think of a tactful way to bring up what was on his mind. "Why have you blocked your brother out of your thoughts?" he demanded abruptly, wincing slightly at just how bluntly it came out.

Ariel looked stricken. "He knows?" she asked in horrified tones. "I didn't think he knew."

"He knows," Angel replied, a little grimly. "And even though he won't tell you, it's really hurt his feeling that you would shut him out." He hated doing this to her, but something was going on here, and he loved Alaric every bit as much as he did Ariel. "He said it started with some mysterious package that was delivered to you."

"Mysterious?" Ariel's confusion factor had just been squared, possibly cubed. Shouldn't Angel know about the package? It had come from him, after all. And if it hadn't, who would have sent it? And why would they want her to think that it had come from Angel?

"Ariel?" Angel prompted. Her reaction to mention of the package added fuel to his suspicions.

"I..," Ariel began, but anything else she may have had to say ended up in a frightened squeal as three man-sized creatures with caricatures of human faces entered the room. Something about their bearing suggested that they were not here to have a friendly chat.

Rose would have been biting her nails if she'd been wearing them. She'd read Giles' report to the council about the goings-on in Sunnydale during Sweet's reign of.., music. She knew what these creatures were, and how deceptive their clownishly innocent appearance was. To further add to her consternation, she was severely limited in what she could do. She and Spike had only been allowed the power to silence the singing, so there was literally nothing she could do but watch as the puppet men knocked both Angel and Ariel (who had waded right into the thick of the fighting with almost as much alacrity if less skill than her father), unconscious. They then proceeded to carry Ariel away.

Rose thought she knew where her daughter was being taken, and even suspected why, but she couldn't immediately go to follow up on her hunch because just then she felt the metaphysical tug that indicated that her presence, such as it was, was needed elsewhere.