CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

The group of employees left the office after singing for Lorne. About half of them were evil and he told them to report to Angel. The good ones got his tick of approval and were sent back to their various duties. The last one straggled it, it was Bailey. He was late and didn't apologise it for it either. Lorne didn't like Bailey, there was something about him.

You just don't like him because he's Abigail's good-looking assistant and are afraid he'd make a play for her. Lorne told himself. But you're being ridiculous. Bailey would never hit on his boss and he knows about Abigail and me.

" I'm a bit busy this morning, so can we get on with it?" Bailey asked impatiently.

" Hold your horses Mr. Tanner," Lorne replied crisply, " Ok go ahead."

Bailey sand a verse of the LA Song. It was familiar to him, it was the song he once heard Wolfram and Hart's former golden boy Lindsey sang.

Bailey's aura was coming out strong and clear. It was just as Lorne suspected. Bailey liked Abigail. A lot.

" Ok, thanks." Lorne said.

" How did I do?" Bailey asked.

" You're in the clear. Except for one thing. This little crush of yours? It's pretty much hopeless."

Bailey flushed at this, " What crush?" he demanded.

" The crush you have on my Abigail. It's a hopeless crush. She would never feel the same way about you."

" How would you know?" Bailey asked.

" Hello? I'm the physic, have you met me?" Lorne stood up,

" Thanks for that. You can go now."

Bailey left, muttering under his breath.

Lorne left the office too and headed for Angel's office but Harmony stopped him. Harmony the vampire who doesn't drink human blood and working for Angel. Weirder things have happened.

" Um, I wouldn't Lorney-tunes." Harmony warned him. Lorne could hear arguing in Angel's office.

" What's going on in there?" Lorne asked.

" As far as I can tell, your girlfriend is arguing with the boss." Harmony said,

" Abigail's arguing with the boss? On the first week?" Lorne stared at the door, " I better intervene."

" I think its sweet," Harmony said as Lorne headed for the door.

" What?"

" That a human can love a demon-."

Lorne just smiled and knocked on Angel's door.

" What?" his boss barked.

Lorne entered the office to find the boss sitting in front of his desk glaring at Abigail who was standing in front of the desk with a file in her hand.

" What's up?" he asked brightly trying to lighten the tension in the room.

" I've met my first client." Abigail said, " and it wants me to a web site about it and its tribe. I'm not going to do it."

" You heard what he said if you didn't do it." Angel told her.

" So? He won't kill an employer of Wolfram and Hart." Abigail scoffed.

" What demon?" Lorne asked her.

" A triantelope demon. It sacrifices babies to keep them alive." Abigail told Lorne.

" Oh." Lorne said but didn't want to say he agreed with Abigail.

" Why don't you get one of your team members to do it?" Lorne suggested, " Bailey for example."

" I didn't think of that." Abigail said sitting down.

" That's what your team is there for." Lorne pointed out. " Oh and I read Bailey. He's clean."

" He's not evil?"

Lorne shook his head.

" Oh." Abigail looked disappointed.

" If that's all, I need to get back to work." Angel said as the phone rang. The two left the office.

~**~

As Lorne suggested, Abigail got her team to do the website. One or two protested and she threatened to fire them.

The head of the team, the 3rd assistant to Abigail, took her aside, " I know it's your first week and all…" she began. Her name was Joanne, a 34 year old blonde woman.

Abigail raised an eyebrow at her but didn't say anything.

" But creating a web site for a demon that sacrifices babies?"

" I'm not happy about it either but its our job." Abigail said.

" Right."

" Oh, by the way, you're fired."

" What? On what grounds?" Joanne folded her arms defiantly.

" I think the plan of slicing and dicing your boss would do it." Abigail said.

Joanne looked puzzled.

" Lorne read you, and saw what you were planning to do to me."

" That's a lie. Lorne read me wrong."

" Sorry. Take your stuff and get out."

" You'll regret this," Joanne threatened and started raging at her, throwing things around the office before security came and took her away. The rest of the team helped their boss straighten the office as Bailey came in.

" What happened in here?"

" Oh, I fired Joanne and she didn't take it too well."

" Joanne?" Bailey was surprised.

" Evil." Abigail explained.

Later that evening, Abigail met Lorne in his office but he was busy with a client. She told him he'd meet him back at the penthouse and he kissed her goodbye before she left. She ate the dinner Ada left for them and decided it was good weather to go for a quick swim in the pool. She changed into her bathing suit and jumped in. The cold shocked her body but she gradually got used to it. She started walking up and down the length of the pool.

~**~

He watched from his vantage point as Abigail walked up and down the length of her pool. She did a couple of breast strokes and dived under once or twice. Then she resumed walking. He heard the sliding door open and he quickly ducked for cover.

~**~

Abigail climbed out of the pool and wrapped a towel around her waist when a pair of arms circled her waist, making her jump.

" Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Lorne apologised.

Abigail turned and kissed him reply, cupping his face in her hands. She started walking him backwards to the nearby deck chair where they both fell onto it, not even breaking the kiss.

~**~

Jealousy raged up inside him as he watched the couple lay down on the deck chair, the demon lying on top of Abigail. He couldn't watch anymore. He fled.