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And the episode where Lindsey finally leaves.
Chapter 50- Dead End
"Let's get it on", Buffy said as she turned the recording on and all watched what was on it.
Lindsey was lying in bed. The alarm clock radio came on with a downtown traffic report and weather forecast. Lindsey reached over and hit the top of it with the stump of his right arm, turning it off. Using his left hand, Lindsey shaved in front of the mirror. He opened a dresser drawer and attached his plastic hand, then opened the closet and chose one of several pre-knotted ties and slipped it over his head. As he slid the knot tight his eyes fell on the guitar leaning against the back wall of the closet. After a moment he stepped back and closed the closet.
"So he used to play", Giles noted.
"And now he can't anymore", Willow commented.
As much as Giles disliked Lindsey for being the kind of person he was, he could feel Lindsey's pain at not being able to play guitar anymore, since if he lost the ability to do that, he would lose a hobby that he loved and got some peace from.
But then he remembered why Lindsey had lost his hand so his sympathy reduced by a lot.
"Monotonous routine I'm sure, wake up, go to work, be evil, then come back and sleep", Xander summed it all up.
Then an average businessman called Joseph Kramer was shown with his wife and 2 kids, all having a good and peaceful time. Joseph slung the book bag over his shoulder and still reading his newspaper, reached for the vitamins sitting on the counter. Instead his hand closed around a big butcher knife lying next to them. Still reading, Joseph picked it up and started walking towards the door. And then he suddenly stabbed himself in the right eye as Cordelia reeled from the vision of Joseph stabbing himself. She tried to catch herself against the bookshelf but only knocked some books on the floor.
The jump scare startled the whole gang as Dawn covered her mouth with her hand.
"Something's not right", Tara then said. "He seemed happy with his family."
"Maybe something possessed him", Willow suggested.
Angel rushed over, catching a hold of Cordelia as Wesley and Gunn arrived and Angel sent Gunn to get water for Cordelia, then asked her what he'd seen. There were more flashes of Joseph screaming, the book bag dropping and the bloody butcher knife. Cordelia gasped and sobbed, burying her face against Angel's chest as Joseph dropped down on the floor, while Angel comforted her.
"Oh my God!" Willow said in horror, summing up the gang's reactions. "Cordy…."
"But how?" Dawn asked. "They weren't THAT bad till now."
"They may have slowly been getting worse", Tara suggested.
"Doyle had them for a long time, he seemed fine", Dawn reminded.
"He was half-Demon. Cordelia's a human", Buffy pointed out to her.
"They are taking a toll", Xander sighed in realization. "Damn the Powers!"
"She must be truly brave to take it all", Giles said, admiration and respect in his voice.
"I'm hating the Powers more and more, why give your Champions so much pain to work through?" Dawn asked with a scoff.
"If it continues like this, it'll get even worse", Willow noted.
"She's a Champion too for facing those", Buffy said in a sad as well as respectful tone, realizing that Cordelia kept growing into a better person every single day, but it came at the cost of her mind.
At Wolfram and Hart, Nathan sat with multiple lawyers, including Lilah and Lindsey, as Lindsey gave a suggestion regarding the Western Pacific Power case they were discussing, though it was different from Lilah's. Nathan said he'd consider both their options before asking for Angel's status, and Lilah gave him the correct report, before Nathan asked them about a meeting they had with the CFO from Lycor, and Lindsey remembered the day and time, Nathan informing their division would be reevaluated on Friday. He got up and the rest followed suit.
"You can cut the tension with a knife", Dawn quipped.
"These two are still trying to one-up each other", Buffy commented. "So surprised….not!"
"Who do you think will get the promotion?" Xander asked.
"Honestly, they seem to be to Lindsey", Willow told them. "Outside of his Darla obsession, he has been a good worker to them."
"Don't forget, he's their golden boy", Tara reminded.
"So Lilah shall be cut off. Well, she was the more evil one", Giles said.
Lilah sarcastically told Lindsey to stab her back deeper as she still had feelings in her legs, saying at the revaluation one would be promoted and the other cut, literally, and Lindsey shrugged nothing lasted forever.
"Like your hand", Xander reminded.
Nathan then asked Lindsey to join him in his office, and he did as Nathan complimented his ideas, while saying that his feelings towards Angel were understandable but he needed to be more professional around his colleagues as they looked up to him, plus he also had an appointment for Lindsey, pulling out a card. Lindsey was confused as Nathan opened the door for him.
"Is he the one being cut or what?" Dawn asked. "Earlier than the revaluation day."
"But that doesn't make much sense", Buffy said. "I'm not gonna pretend to understand their working, but I think they'd hold off any cuttings till that day."
"Maybe it's something else. Based on Nathan's talking style, probably something good", Willow suggested.
Cordelia was telling the others about her vision and how it felt, and they decided to figure it out, giving a reluctant Gunn the duty to call hospitals while Wesley had to check the morgues and Angel could roust some Demons to find a new terror in town, and he also told Gunn to keep an eye on Cordelia, to which he agreed. Gunn asked if she wanted a cup of tea but on her look said she'd let him know. Gunn sat down at the counter with the phonebook and a notepad, throwing a look over his shoulder at Cordelia, now sitting in her chair, one hand pressed up against her forehead, her hair obscuring her face.
"This particular one seems to have taken a lot out of her", Tara said in sympathy. "Perhaps due to its violent nature."
"Well then they should send her some happy visions to make up for it!" Dawn snapped.
"How does she live with all that?" Buffy wondered. If it had been high school Cordelia, she'd have whined about this. But this Cordelia, she was a changed woman, and she simply gritted her teeth and carried on like the hero she was.
"The desire to help", Willow told Buffy. "Angel is fighting for redemption. In a way, she is too, as she used to be the mean high school girl. But now all she wants to do is to help people."
"I think she makes it to the list of people who need to be helped as well", Xander said in a concerned voice, seeing her condition.
"As much as I wish to help her, how can we do it?" Giles wondered.
At a hospital, a nurse checked Lindsey's blood pressure before Dr. Melman arrived, talking about a procedure, but Lindsey had no idea about it, and he told Lindsey their firm funded their clinic so they saw to all primary care, but they also did less publicized work, telling Lindsey the firm thought the world of him, and so he was on top of their Transplant list- They were giving him a new hand! Lindsey was given medication which made him drowsy as Melman said this was cause for applause and in a few seconds he'd be the one applauding.
Now that shocked them again as Buffy let out. "He's getting a new hand?"
"They can do that?" Dawn wondered.
"Demonic law firm, they can do almost anything", Willow shrugged.
"Guess we know who's getting the promotion then", Xander pointed out.
The operating room was shown from Lindsey's blurry point of view as the doctor was handed a human hand, and then a Pockla Demon arrived after Melman had finished his job, whispering in its tongue and waving its hands as it sprinkled some powder on Lindsey's arm, the new hand attaching as the stitches melted away, leaving only a thin red line behind while the Pockla disappeared, and Melman decided to get Lindsey to post-op.
"Right, Pockla Demon", Giles said in realization as he remembered. "They have powerful healing abilities. And looks like Wolfram and Hart have one working for them."
"So Lindsey's hand is back now", Tara muttered. "And he's getting his promotion."
"Must be on top of his world", Dawn quipped. "But either way, Angel has to deal with someone. If not him, then Lilah."
"Neither are good options really. Lindsey is focused on Angel, but Lilah is just cruel in every sense", Buffy told her. "So no matter who gets promoted, it's not good at all."
At the Hyperion, Gunn was trying hospitals under fake names but got nothing as Angel arrived, asking about Cordelia and Gunn saw her dusting a cabinet, telling Angel was grunting around noon and was now in manic cleaning mode. Wesley arrived, saying he'd found nothing, and neither had they as Angel realized they had to talk to Cordelia to go a little deeper, and Wesley assigned Angel to do it, to his surprise.
"Ummm, shouldn't you be doing that?" Buffy asked Wesley.
"He's new at leading, he doesn't understand the role fully", Tara explained to Buffy.
"Like Watcher, like Slayer then", Buffy muttered, remembering Faith wasn't that good of a leader either, which she knew as well.
"I'm sure he'll grow into it", Willow assured them.
Angel walked to Cordelia who was polishing a black and white picture, commenting how a normal person could see their reflection in the glass, and finally asked for help. Cordelia reluctantly decided to go back inside the vision, closing her eyes as she flashed back to the vision, and realized the guy had kids due to the cereal bowls, book bag with the name of 'Delancey Schools' on it. Angel asked if there was anything else but she just cried about seeing Joseph dying again, so he told her to get some rest while they'd look into it, and asked if he could get her anything, only annoying her as he walked off.
"Poor Cordy", Dawn said sadly. "This is like….torture really. To her head."
"Yeah, the Powers want things to happen in a certain way but I guess they don't care how much their Champions suffer for it", Willow said with a scoff.
"On the brighter side, they have something to work with", Buffy muttered.
Lindsey woke up in his bed, looked at his left hand and flexed it. He pulled his right hand out from under the covers and looked at the thin red line circling his wrist, flexing his new hand slowly. The radio came on and Lindsey reached out with his new hand and turned it off. Lindsey caught the water from the bathroom faucet in both palms and washed off his face, then looked at himself in the mirror. He got a tie out of the closet and saw his guitar. Lindsey sat on the edge of his bed, holding the guitar. He flexed his right hand above the strings, then began to pick at them experimentally, starting to play.
"And now he can play again", Giles muttered. Again, he didn't like the man, but in this aspect he could relate to him.
"So a guy like him gets a hand back while Cordy is tortured by painful visions", Dawn scoffed. "What's fair about that?"
"The world isn't fair, Dawnie. If it was we wouldn't be called here to see what Angel did after leaving Sunnydale", Willow pointed out to her.
Lindsey later shook hands Kraigle, and Nathan told them and Lilah to use his office. Lilah noted Lindsey's new hand, saying it was an expensive operation, realizing he was really liked, and started to say how he didn't have this in the bag, but he cut her off, saying he didn't think anything. Lilah was shocked he was chosen over her.
"Yeah, while he did good work outside of his Darla obsession, Lilah is clearly the more dedicated worker", Buffy said. "Which is also a bad thing, because she's evil."
"They may have their own reasons for choosing Lindsey", Tara said.
Later, Lilah and Lindsey discussed the case with Kraigle, Lindsey scribbling down on his pad without looking at it, making up an imaginary offshore company called Drizon to lay blame on. Kraigle asked if Lindsey was writing it, and he looked down to see his new hand was only writing 'KILL' repeatedly, while Kraigle told Lilah that Lindsey was good, and she agreed.
"Huh, so the hand is not without cost", Xander quipped. "Hope it really kills him instead of writing it."
"But they won't spend so much just to have a new hand kill him", Willow pointed out. "Maybe even they don't know the full effect this hand could have."
"As long as it hurts him, not a problem", Dawn shrugged.
Kraigle was comforted as Lindsey opened the fingers of his right hand, the pen dropping, and held it with his left one, and Lindsey decided to leave at the moment. Lindsey sat at a desk in his apartment, pen to paper, waiting for his hand to start writing on its own. It didn't move and he poked it with his left forefinger. Nothing happened, so he poked it again. When it still didn't move he finally picked up a letter opener and pricked it with it. Some blood beaded up but the hand didn't move. Lindsey finally dropped the pen and took the letter opener in his right, turning it a few times before letting it drop as well. He held up his new hand and looked at it. "Who are you?"
"Your new, evil hand", Buffy quipped. "Have fun with it."
"I think he's going to do something about it", Tara said. "Good or bad, I don't know."
Angel paid a delivery guy at the Hyperion, letting him keep the change as he commented he was lucky due to getting a whole dollar. Angel set the box on the counter, telling Cordelia he was hungry, setting wrapped sandwiches on the counter. Cordelia reminded he didn't eat, to which he said he still got a hankering, surprising her again as she noted everything he had there. "I forgot what you liked", Angel finally said. "Why didn't you ask me?" Cordelia asked. Angel reminded. "Well, you said, why is everyone asking you if they can get you anything, and-and I didn't wanna do that..." Cordelia noted. "So you did this - instead." Angel quietly said. "Yup." Cordelia then said in a friendly tone. "I love you." Angel's worried look melted into a big smile as Cordelia picked up two sandwiches.
"Oh my God! That smile", Dawn said with a smile of her own. "It's so sweet."
"I haven't seen him smile like that", Buffy said. "Like ever. Not in this way."
"He's just proving how much he loves her", Willow told them. "Gets her all this good food to help process the painful vision's aftermath, then smiles like that at her 'I love you'."
"Even though this was just a friendly one", Tara reminded.
"Guess I was wrong about them", Xander commented, now finally seeing that there were feelings there between them.
Giles didn't comment, but he was still thinking how this would play out.
"As weird as this is gonna sound, I think I approve", Buffy said as she was given looks. "Look at how she made him smile. If she can make him smile like that, then that's proof enough they're good for each other."
"You really don't mind?" Willow asked.
"Nope", Buffy shook her head. "Besides, I love Spike."
"Spike", Xander muttered in an almost-scoff, as he still didn't get that, only to get an elbow from Willow.
"And you ought to do that more often", Cordelia said, going back to her desk. "Buy you food?" Angel asked. "Smile", Cordelia told him.
"Yeah, you do", Buffy agreed with a nod.
Cordelia then remembered the vision again and told Angel that the guy was happy about his new eye before stabbing it, like it was new, and then Wesley and Gunn arrived, Wesley having information that it was a guy called Joseph Kramer with 2 kids who went to the Delancey school. Gunn added the kids hadn't shown up for school the previous day and their mom had called up, saying they were moving out of the country as the father had supposedly gotten a promotion in Seychelles.
"So they're missing as well with a promotion excuse", Willow muttered. "This must be a huge conspiracy then."
Angel asked if they had a home address, but the two had already been there as Gunn said the place had been cleared up and the carpet was still wet, Angel realized to get rid of the blood. Gunn then revealed a piece of molding under the pantry had been missed, taking it out and asking if Angel wanted to sniff, but he didn't.
That brought some chuckles to them all.
Cordelia realized someone had covered this up, but Gunn noted they were at a dead end. Angel said they could only do one thing now, and it was the Karaoke Bar, shocking Cordelia and Wesley both who tried to think of other ways, offending Angel.
"Nooooooo!" Everyone went together, Giles being the loudest.
"Wait, wait", Buffy spoke up. "Cordy said this guy's eye was new."
"Transplant?" Tara asked and Buffy nodded.
"Guess who else had a transplant?" Buffy pointed.
"Wolfram and Hart", Xander scoffed. "Of course they have to be involved."
"How could I not see it coming?" Dawn muttered.
"Because you have a pea-sized brain", Buffy quipped as Dawn smacked her arm and they chuckled.
"Lindsey looked like he was going to be on that case too", Giles told them.
At Caritas, Lorne was watching a singer with a smile. It was Lindsey! He was singing the 'LA Song'.
The Scooby Gang was surprised once more, and this time it was the good kind.
"Oh! My! God!" Buffy said. "His voice is-"
"Amazing!" Dawn finished for her. "That's a lovely voice!"
"How did he get the time to be a great singer and guitarist with that schedule?" Willow wondered, as smitten as the rest.
"And he's such a natural at it", Tara added by herself.
"This kind of put him higher in my book", Xander said.
"His command over his vocals is perfect, so is his playing", Giles said, impressed. "That sounds like a truly hard tune to play, and singing alongside it would be even more difficult. He's amazing."
"It's like we forgot he's a bad guy", Buffy quipped.
"He is", Dawn nodded.
"But a bad person with respect for the art of singing", Giles told them. "Which is his good quality."
Team Angel walked in as Cordelia suggested Angel should sing something short, and he said he'd sing 'Stairway to Heaven', and then they all noticed Lindsey. Lorne told them he was fabulous while Angel was shocked he came here, to which Lorne revealed he used to before his hand had been chopped, and now he had a new one. Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn were impressed too as Angel sounded jealous but Cordelia shushed him without taking her eyes off Lindsey.
"We don't think he's good, he IS good!" Buffy said.
"Only in singing", Willow added.
Gunn nodded to the music while Angel looked up at the ceiling. Several demons were watching Lindsey up on the stage, smiling, tapping their hands to the music. Angel told Lindsey to pick a style but Wesley shushed him and Lorne said not to make him ask him to leave.
"His style is a flawless meld of them all", Giles said, still impressed. "Please don't insult good music, Angel."
Lindsey ended the song with a chord and the audience started to applaud and cheer. Cordelia was clapping as well, eyes still fixed on Lindsey.
"Let's clap, only for the song", Dawn suggested.
"Sure", Tara shrugged as they clapped, Giles' being the loudest.
Gunn was still nodding his head as Cordelia said Angel couldn't sing after that, and Lorne assured he didn't have to. Lorne walked to meet Lindsey, happy to see him singing and playing again, and handed him his favorite drink. Lindsey then revealed about his hand, asking Lorne for advice, and he lead them to Team Angel, quipping the hand was quicker than the eye. Lindsey again said he needed help and Angel said to start with his singing, laughing.
"You are the one who needs help if you think that's bad", Xander said. "And you need help with your singing anyway."
"He's jealous", Willow chuckled.
Cordelia slapped the back of her hand against Angel's chest and then she complimented his singing while acknowledging he was evil, and Wesley and Gunn both agreed, and Angel wondered if all were drunk.
"Are you?" Buffy asked.
"I believe he is", Giles muttered.
Lindsey was angry on seeing him but Lorne stopped them, saying he didn't like violence in his place, and then revealed Angel was here for the same reason as Lindsey, surprising him. "Two enemies, one case, all come together in a beautiful buddy-movie kind of way." Gunn asked if they were supposed to work together on this, and Lindsey was angry as he had a murderous hand and now was being told to work with the one who'd cut it off. Lorne said he was just telling, the rest was up to Lindsey.
"Wait what?!" Willow asked. "They're supposed to team up now?"
"That's like Batman and Joker teaming up!" Xander snapped. "Well obviously Lindsey isn't as crazy as Joker, but you get my point."
"Well, comic book writers can get them to team up to increase sales", Dawn suggested.
"This isn't a comic book, this is real life", Buffy pointed out. "And they're supposed to work together? Isn't there any better way or anything?"
"Maybe for this once it's required", Tara suggested.
"Hopefully during that time Lindsey can give Angel tips in singing", Giles joked as they chuckled.
Lindsey took a sip of his drink and walked off past Angel, saying he'd kill him if he saw him outside the club. Lorne commented that resentment was a strong emotion and told Angel he'd to get over his, quipping Lindsey had this case in the palm of his hand. Gunn said they should follow Lindsey if he was the lead, and Angel reminded Cordelia the guy in the vision had a new eye while Lindsey had a new hand. Wesley decided to find where the transplants happened while Angel picked up Lindsey's glass which had his fingerprints.
"So they are connected then", Buffy said. "Especially since Lorne told them to work together on the case."
"So, same case, 2 enemies working on it", Xander quipped. "Wonder who'll kill who first."
"I think Angel can kill him first", Willow said. "But let's hope he learns proper singing before killing him."
They chuckled again.
Lindsey held up a key card to the electronic lock on Nathan's office and entered it. He walked through the dark office over to the computer on the desk, seeing a picture of Nathan Reed with his wife and son as he booted up the computer. He typed in username and password and logged successfully on to Nathan's Personal Information Center, clicking on the 'To Do' Icon, bringing up a list. He brought up the 'Special Projects Reevaluation' screen which had multiple folders including Manners Massacre, Bethany Project, Project Darla, Drusilla (vampire), Project Angel, Lilah Morgan and Lindsey McDonald.
"The guy has thorough details on everything", Dawn commented.
"He wouldn't be head of the division if he didn't do his job properly", Tara pointed out to her.
Lindsey moved the mouse over his own folder but clicked on Lilah's instead, seeing her info, before coming back and looked up 'Fairfield Clinic', reading about it, and it also said how the clinic had developed a sophisticated use of Demons in a therapeutic setting, allowing employees benefits that would be impossible by traditional means.
"Sophisticated use being using Demons to attach limps to people", Buffy said.
Angel arrived at the Hyperion with a manila envelope, telling them the guy to whom the hand belonged was a 30 year old male called Bradley Scott who'd served 2 and a half years at Soledad for embezzlement, and was paroled last month. Cordelia started looking him up and on questioning Angel revealed he'd found this info by hiring a private detective who'd a friend in the force, shocking them as they were supposed to be the private detectives with a friend in the force, to which Angel said they had one who was fired so they should get over it.
"One private detective hiring another, kind of brings down the reputation", Willow commented.
"I don't think he was thinking of that when he did that", Giles said.
Cordelia found out Bradley used to work at Wolfram and Hart, and Angel noted he'd reported to his parole officer once before disappearing and Gunn realized that Wolfram and Hart was involved in this to give his hand to Lindsey, quipping they really wanted to give him everything.
"Yeah, they really love schoolboy too much", Xander quipped.
Lindsey left Nathan's office. As he walked down the corridor he saw Lilah rummaging through the file cabinets in the 'File Storage' room. He saw her fold up a page and stick in into her purse - in which she kept a revolver before - he quietly backed away. A guy was sitting on a sofa watching TV and drinking a beer when there was a knock on the door. It was Lindsey who introduced himself and said he worked for Wolfram and Hart, asking to come in. The guy let him come as Lindsey started asking about where the body parts came from, and the guy asked for a code which Lindsey didn't know, making the guy whack him across the chin, sending him down, and then hit him over the head, knocking him out.
"That has to be the parole officer", Buffy said. "And now he has Lindsey, not that I care about him outside of his singing."
"Still, two is better than one", Willow said as Buffy shot her a look. "I mean, if they need to work together just for this specific case, not much wrong with that. They're still taking down something big and nefarious."
"I know, doesn't mean I have to like it", Buffy sighed.
Lindsey got back up, being held against the wall by the guy who had a revolver pointed at him, and was about to shoot him when something came flying into the room, shattering the window as the guy spun and fired at Angel who dropped out of sight. Guy grabbed Lindsey from behind around the throat and dragged him over towards the window, holding the gun against his head, asking if it was his friend but Lindsey said he wasn't.
"You couldn't be more wrong about that", Dawn quipped with a smirk.
The guy yelled he was going to kill Lindsey. The guy leaned out the window to look and Angel shot up and slung a loop of rope over his head around his throat. Lindsey spun free, twisting the gun out of the guy's grip at the same time. "What are you doing here?!" Angel shrugged. "Gee, I don't know, saving your life?" Lindsey waved the guy's gun wildly in Angel's face. "I don't need you to save my life." Guy screamed. "Hey, watch it with that!" Angel shrugged. "Gee, a little gratitude, Lindsey. Goes a long way." Lindsey screamed. "You got no business..! What-why aren't you trying to kill me?!" Angel retorted. "Excuse me. I'm on a case here, Lindsey. Does everything always have to be about killing you all the time?" Guy said. "I-I can see you guys got issues, so I'll just..." He stopped as Angel tightened the rope on the guy's throat. Lindsey screamed. "That's my lead! You're choking my lead!" Angel mocked him. "'He's my lead! He's my lead!' What, are we on the schoolyard here? Look, if you wanna get to the bottom of this, you got to learn how to play with others."
At this point, everyone was having a laugh at the scene.
"Okay, I take it back, I don't mind them working together if we get to see more of them fighting like children", Buffy quipped, managing to stop herself from laughing.
"These two could be best buddies in another life with arguments like that", Xander said. [1]
"Yeah, the argument is funny", Willow chuckled.
"Next thing you know, they'll argue about singing", Dawn added and they laughed even more.
"I think Lindsey should win that argument", Giles said.
"Yeah, there's no other way that can end", Tara nodded.
Angel said to the guy. "Look, I'm gonna loosen the rope and you're gonna tell me everything about your parolee, Bradley Scott. " Lindsey asked. "Who?" Angel told him. "The guy who's hand you're wearing. You might want to listen up." Lindsey pointed with the gun. "You don't tell me what to do." Angel said to the guy. "He's so immature." Lindsey yelled and gestured with the gun. "Shut up!"
They were laughing again at the whole argument.
"They can't even work together properly", Buffy chuckled.
Angel said to the guy. "We're waiting." Guy said. "I'm not telling you zip. You can kill me but Wolfram and Hart will do a lot worse. "Kill you? - Why would I kill you", Angel morphed into vamp-face, "when I could live off you for a month?" The guy looked back at Angel and yelled as he saw his changed face.
"Didn't see that coming, did you?" Willow asked. "Figured."
Angel patted the guy's face as Lindsey made a grimace. Angel said. "Hmm, can't you just taste that butter fat?" He grinned at Lindsey who said. "You are really gross, you know that?"
"And you're a power hungry bastard", Buffy said to Lindsey. "We all know who's better."
Guy finally said. "I'll tell ya! I'll tell ya! Scott stole some bearer bonds, went to jail. When he got paroled, Wolfram and Hart had him assigned to me." Angel told him. "According to your file he was a fugitive no-show, but you saw him, didn't you?" Guy said. "Just once." Lindsey asked. "You took him to Fairfield Clinic?" Guy said. "No, I didn't take him there." Angel asked. "Where?" Guy said. "Just some address. - I don't know what they do there. I don't wanna know."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night I guess", Tara muttered. "They're ruining people's lives with that."
"And they don't care about it, as usual", Xander popped up.
Cordelia was sitting at her desk with her head buried in her arms, sniffling, as Wesley and Gunn peeked in through a crack in the door. They carefully pulled the door shut again and stepped away from it, Gunn noting the vision hangovers were getting longer as Wesley said Doyle had been half-Demon, and a human mind couldn't handle these, mentioning when Vocah had unleashed a slew of visions on her, putting her in the hospital.
"There has to be a way to help her!" Dawn said. "I mean, the Powers should think about it since she's their connection with the Champion!"
"Guess they didn't think that far ahead", Buffy said with a scoff. "Jackasses."
The rest could just watch sadly.
Gunn said she'd been cranky and was gonna say she's not crazy when they heard her calling for Angel, and so the two kicked her door open as she jumped, having a phone in hand, and then told Angel on the phone that Wesley and Gunn were playing with doors, telling the two she was trying to work, then assured Angel she was fine and he must get it done.
"Great job embarrassing yourselves, guys", Xander quipped.
"Well, they acted out of concern", Willow pointed out. "Even if their conclusion was half-baked."
Angel and Lindsey were driving down the street in his convertible, Angel telling him about the guy who'd stabbed his eye and asking if his hand was doing anything funny, commenting Lindsey didn't seem happy. Lindsey was annoyed, asking if Angel wanted to share, and Angel said Lindsey had lost Darla and even himself as something to focus his rage on, and so it was ironic, as the more he got, the less he had, wondering if he was getting through to Lindsey.
"Seeing the kind of guy he is, it's hard to tell if Angel is getting through to him or not", Willow said. "Could be anything."
"The feelings of resentment and aggression in him are quite strong", Tara nodded.
Angel pulled the car to the side of the road. Both he and Lindsey got out. Angel opened the trunk and pulled the bound and gagged parole officer up far enough so that he could see the store with a sign saying 'Southern California Travel' across the road from where they parked. He asked if this was the place and the guy nodded as Angel put him back in the trunk, then carried an ax as he and Lindsey walked across the street to the store, Angel saying the security would be top notch, and Lindsey said he could hack with his laptop but Angel found it a bother when they could just fight. Angel hauled back and threw his ax, shattering the window, clapping Lindsey on the back as a guard stepped out onto the street. Angel told him to work some of that aggression out.
"Yeah, do something useful with that aggression for once", Buffy told him.
Angel dropped the first guy with a hard cross and entered the store, Lindsey right behind him. Angel hit another guard, kneed him in the stomach, then tossed the guy aside while Lindsey danced past Angel to hit one of the other two guards coming towards them. Short moments later all the guards were down and Angel and Lindsey looked around the travel agency's office, Angel noting the floor was hollow.
"Guess that's where they're kept", Xander realized.
Angel removed the furniture to reveal a trapdoor and they walked inside to see a room lined with cells with labels, holding what's left of naked people. Angel noted some cell occupants were still whole so it was a 'before' and 'after', or 'during' and 'after', sarcastically telling Lindsey this was something to be proud of. Angel then looked at the banner and realized a Pockla had blessed the place, explaining the Demon to Lindsey, who remembered one was there when he got his hand. Angel then noticed a guy with a missing right hand, to whom the hand belonged, and Lindsey knew him.
"This place….." Tara trailed off in horror. "All those people."
"Petty criminals, but they deserve a little jail time, not this", Buffy said, shaking her head.
"Don't know if I've said this before but supposed upholders of law doing all this, there's a sick irony there", Willow commented in disgust.
"If even Lindsey is uncomfortable, you know how bad it is", Xander said in agreement.
Lindsey called Brad out by his name who wheezed out to Lindsey to kill him, and Angel said they had to help the ones they could. Angel pulled the banners off the wall and broke the glass to the first of the 'before' cells, while Lindsey stared up into Brad's face, who was still trying to talk. Angel wrapped the guy he just freed in the banner and helped him out of his cell. Lindsey apologized to Brad, then reached over and pulled the wires leading to Brad's cell. As Lindsey stood looking at Brad, one hand braced against each side of the cell door, the machinery winding down as the cell went dark. Angel watched as Lindsey took a deep breath then went to smash the connections to the next cell and picked up a metal table and tossed it across the room. Angel helped a woman out of another cell, before telling Lindsey to help the people upstairs. Angel opened the valves of a couple of oxygen tanks, letting the gas escape into the room, asking Lindsey to lead them to the car. Angel lighted a piece of paper, dropped it on the floor and ran up the stairs. Angel came running out the front of the store and made it most of the way across the street before a huge fireball exploded outward, shattering the windows and spraying glass everywhere.
"And it's gone", Dawn said. "Finally. Though some people had to die, sadly."
"I'm guessing he's not gonna be promoted anymore", Xander commented.
"No one knows he was involved, and those who do have been caught in the explosion", Giles pointed out.
"So what? He's gonna blow this place to ease his conscience and then go back to working for them?" Buffy asked. "That just makes him worse."
Next day, Angel inquired about Cordelia's wellbeing and she said they were starting to take their toll, before shrugging and smiling. "It's part of the job, right?" No one said anything.
"Oh Cordy", Buffy whispered, feeling a lump in her throat at how brave Cordelia truly was.
"She deserves a reward after going through all this", Willow said to them.
"She may not want one, but yeah, she deserves one", Tara agreed, none of them right now having any idea that she was going to get one later, though it would break all their hearts when they saw it.
Lilah was playing with her hair as she sat next to Lindsey at Nathan Reed's conference table, which was once again occupied with all the same lawyers from before. Nathan said. "These Reevaluations are always a bit of a mixed blessing. Sad as we lose one of our own. But also hopeful as we turn towards the future and - promote one of our own. - Lilah. You have made a lot of great contributions and I know you have tried your very, very best..." "No!" Lilah scrabbled for her purse, but Lindsey put his hands over hers. "Lilah. Please." Lilah stopped and looked at him. "They chose me. - I'm clearly the guy." Nathan agreed. "Yes, you are." Lindsey told Lilah. "You could've had it. - But you didn't have what it takes."
"So you agree that you do", Buffy said, everyone back to hating Lindsey again.
"I really hope the day he gets his comes soon", Xander snarled.
Lindsey raised his right hand up and Lilah jumped, letting out a little scream as he wriggled his fingers. Lindsey almost laughed. "An evil hand. - I mean, come on, who here does, huh?" He got up and motioned towards a guy across from him at the table. "Leon doesn't. - Charlie doesn't." He ruffled the hair of the guy sitting on Lilah's other side, and looked at Nathan. "You do know you gave me an evil hand, right?" Nathan didn't move. "I've been writing 'Kill, kill, kill' on everything. It's crazy. It's crazy. Anything could happen!" Nathan called the guard. "Allen." Lindsey greeted him. "Allen, how are you?" Allen reached for his gun, but Lindsey slugged him, sending his ear-piece dangling down his neck, and grabbed the gun Allan was reaching for and pressed it into the guard's chest. Allen raised his hands. "Uh-oh." Lindsey shot the guard in the foot while looking at Nathan.
"I don't think he's being promoted now", Willow said as everyone watched, clearly surprised by what he was doing.
"Is he quitting?" Dawn asked.
"I believe he is", Giles said. "And I believe this is how one quits this firm."
"Huh, proved me wrong", Buffy muttered, not having expected it.
"Don't see you admit that a lot", Tara joked as she sighed and chuckled, agreeing.
"Well, he should have made a plan to not get cut in this case", Xander said.
Lindsey quipped. "Uh, that's gonna hurt in the morning!" Allen was hopping around on one foot and Lindsey pushed him to the floor before waving the gun at the people sitting around the table. "Stop, evil hand, stop it." He fired off a few shots in Nathan's direction shattering some pottery behind him and making Nathan flinch a bit. Lindsey grinned. "I just can't control my evil hand." He walked up to Nathan's end of the table. "Nathan, I'm so proud that you chose me." He ruffled Charlie's hair as he walked past him. "Charlie! If I would have been in your shoes - I would have chosen Lilah." Lilah turned to stare at Lindsey. "Let me tell you why. Do you have any idea of the hours this chick has logged in? Huh? The files she has on you guys? - Deep stuff. Ronnie, your stock manipulations, Nathan's little offshore accounts... Can you imagine if something were to happen to this girl and those files got back to the Senior Partners? - They'd eat you alive!" Lilah looked at him with a frown. "She's been working overtime, boys. She's everything you ever dreamed off. Lilah is your guy."
"I don't like either of them so don't take it as a defense but yeah, Lilah has worked harder than Lindsey", Willow agreed. "But her being promoted- yikes!"
"Lindsey at least had a few limits. Lilah has none", Tara said. "And I don't think Lindsey saving her is going to give her a moral compass."
"Lilah with a moral compass. Sounds more like a dream", Buffy quipped.
"Me", Lindsey leaned down on the table next to Nathan, who looked straight ahead. "I'm unreliable. I've got these evil hand issues - and I'm bored with this crap. - And besides, I'm leaving, so - if you wanna chase me, be my guest, and remember", he held up his hand, "evil." He knocked on the table with his right hand. "Charlie." Lindsey took a feel of Lilah's butt as he passed her and quietly said. "Good luck." Lilah jumped, putting a hand over her mouth then turned to stare at Lindsey as he walked towards the door. He gave her a big grin, and waved his right hand in the air. "Evil."
"What an excuse!" Dawn said with a cringe. "So, he did a good thing, but not without a little meanness to Lilah."
Lilah stood and stared as the door closed behind Lindsey. Nathan said. "Well. Let's amend the minutes. - Lilah Morgan was promoted. - And, uh, someone call an ambulance."
"Yay, congratulations", Buffy said sarcastically. "Now Angel and the rest are really gonna need to up their game to stand against someone as cruel as her."
"Yeah, she's someone to be taken seriously", Willow said with a nod.
"Guess Lindsey's gone then", Xander said.
At night, Lindsey walked to his old truck and put a duffel bag and guitar case into the bed, then saw Angel leaning on the gate of the truck and quipped he should get in lien if he wants to kill him, to which Angel commented on his truck and Lindsey joked Angel was here to talk him to death. Angel just said he was here to say things didn't always work out the way one thought, and Wolfram and Hart wouldn't be too happy losing him, to which he said it'd be fun for them to try and stop him, and Angel told him the attitude was unhealthy. Lindsey said he wasn't gonna say that he had a big moral crisis and saw the light now, and Angel laughed he'd kill him if he said that.
Everyone chuckled as Xander said. "Yeah, they definitely could have been friends in another life."
"This seems like a friendly chat", Tara nodded.
"As friendly as two enemies can get", Giles added.
Angel said. "I'm just here to say 'bon voyage' - don't come back." Lindsey replied. "To L.A.? - Nah. - You can have this place." He opened the door to his truck. Angel said. "Good. I'm glad I didn't have to do something immature here." Lindsey nodded with a slight smile, sobering after a beat. "The key to Wolfram and Hart: don't let them make you play their game. - You gotta make them play yours." Angel quietly said. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." Lindsey nodded getting ready to get in his truck. Angel told him. "Don't drive too fast now. Lots of cops out there." Lindsey got in and started the engine. As he pulled away from the curb a big sign was seen stuck to the gate of his truck saying 'cops suck.' Angel stood there with a smile on his face as he watched him drive off. The screen went black.
That last bit made everyone laugh again.
"Now I'm wishing we saw a bit where a cop pulled him over", Dawn said in between laughs.
"I think he's gonna come back for revenge is that happens", Buffy joked, unaware she was half-predicting the future, as Lindsey did come back, even if not because of the sign.
"Bon voyage, Lindsey", Willow said. "Anyone wanna eat now?"
"Yeah, I could use some", Xander agreed.
"We all could", Tara added.
"Let us go and have a break then", Giles said as all left the room once more.
And we're done. Fitting that the 50th chapter is the one with Lindsey leaving. As annoying as he could get in this Season due to his Darla obsession, I still enjoyed him in this episode.
[1] Obviously a reference to David Boreanaz and Christian Kane being great friends in real life, which is why this 'buddy cop' episode between them worked perfectly.
And well, hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter which is the break, and then finally- Pylea!