TITLE: Tea with Dru
AUTHOR: Ten
RATING: PG13
PAIRING: Wes/Dru
=====================================================================
Chapter 6
Angel's expression darkened, a menacing snarl coming from him. "Get out of here, Wes." Cordelia's hand clamped down even tighter on Angel's, trying to hold him back before he leaped at the former watcher and perceived traitor.
Wes stood tall, meeting Angel's glare and not backing down even though there was quite obviously a threat to his own life.
"I'm here to see Drusilla." Wes's voice was deceptively calm. He knew what he was risking by coming here, but he came anyway. He had to. It was Drusilla.
"Are you responsible for what happened to her?" he growled. "I should tear your limbs from your body where you stand, rip the skin from your ...."
Before Angel could finish his threat Wes struck him across the jaw with a pounding force. Angel stumbled back, stunned and growling. Cordelia caught him and held him back, as Wes pushed past them, saying again, "I am here to see Drusilla." He ran up the stairs to her room, Angel's roar of protest sounding in the lobby below.
Wes burst through Drusilla's door to find her unconscious on the bed. She looked asleep, but something told him otherwise and he approached her, sitting on the edge of the bed taking her hand gently in his.
"Dru? Dru, darling? Wake up. Can you hear me, pet?" He squeezed and patted her hand. There was no response. He leaned up near her face, sleeping vampires were so disturbing sometimes. They had no breath to discern. He stroked her cool cheek with his fingertips,
still calling to her softly, hoping she would come to, smile at him, and welcome him into her bed. If only.
Cordy tried to calm Angel down, but it wasn't doing much good. She finally let him go up after Wes, chasing closely behind, calling to him. When they arrived at Dru's room, they were stunned to see Wes sitting quietly by Drusilla, holding her hand and speaking softly to her. She was still unconscious.
"Wes!" Angel snapped. His voice was low and menacing. "What do you think you're doing here? Get out."
Wes took a cleansing breath and repeated his earlier mantra. "I'm here to see Drusilla."
"So you said," Angel snarled. "Who gave you the right? You're not wanted here."
Wes ignored him.
Angel growled low in his chest, that animalistic, vampire growl which meant you're one word away from death. Cordelia put a reassuring hand on Angel's arm. He withdrew, for the moment anyway, and let her take over.
"What are you talking about, Wes? Why are you here?" Cordelia's questions came out more harshly than she intended, but still she was obviously not threatening him. She needed something to intervene with Angel, some reason to not let him rip Wes apart.
Wes turned and looked directly at her, ignoring Angel entirely. "Cordelia, I'm in no mood to deal with posturing." He tossed his head toward Angel to indicate him, still without looking directly at him. "Drusilla is in real danger here, she's unresponsive, she's most likely lost in her rather eccentric mind and having difficulty finding her way out. She needs our help. Now, what happened?"
"H--how do you know this? I mean, you haven't been here, how do you know ... what is going on?" Cordy was flustered and confused and couldn't understand how this had happened, much less how Wes happened to be involved.
"I'll explain later, now, WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?" Wes still had a gentle grip on Dru's hand, but his expression and manner were quickly becoming aggressive. If he went much further Angel would be difficult to keep subdued.
"We were asleep, we heard her screaming. She had come downstairs, we found her in your office chair, screaming. It was terrifying, she wouldn't stop." She suddenly realized she had said 'your office chair.' It surprised her that, even as long as Wes had been gone from Angel Investigations, she still considered it his office. Cordy thought for a moment and added more. "She kept saying she'd killed him and there was blood on her hands. But it wasn't her blood, it was something else."
"Human?" Wes interjected.
Angel responded, all business. This was the Wes he knew, the one who could take charge and use knowledge and science to figure out what was going on. He could deal with him like this, he could not deal with a man who tried to take his son away from him, but he could set that aside for the moment to deal with the crisis at hand. For Dru. "No. Animal and some demon."
Wes stood abruptly. "Do you have some of it?"
Angel continued, "Yes, her gown, it had a lot of the blood on it."
"Get it and bring it downstairs. Cordy, you stay with Dru, let me know if anything changes." Wes started for the door, then turned back toward the unconscious Drusilla. He leaned over her, whispered something in her hear so softly that even Angel's vampiric hearing didn't catch it and then kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Let's go," he said to Angel and went downstairs to the office.
*******************
"It's as I feared," Wes was examining the stained fabric with fierce intensity. "Cylora demon. Very distinct scent. Not much, just a trace, but enough to render her completely susceptible to suggestion. What was it she was saying? It might give some clue."
Angel looked at Wes objectively for just a moment, setting aside his now long-standing desire to rip the man's arms off. He was genuinely concerned and wanting to help in this, even though Angel had made it quite clear that he was unwelcome. Wes was spending his time and effort searching for a solution to what had happened to Dru without being asked, even with Angel glaring and growling at him. He was certainly no coward.
"She kept saying she'd killed him, she didn't say who. She was hysterical and screaming and didn't make much sense. She didn't seem to be in pain, just, you know, Dru mental pain, only moreso."
"Yes, that seems to fit with that particular demon's blood." Wes turned toward the bookshelf and almost without looking, pulled exactly the book he wanted. While he looked through it, Angel began to talk in a stream of consciousness mode, trying to remember anything that happened that might help Wes.
"She was worried obviously about whoever she said she had killed. She was irrational, you know, like only Dru can be sometimes, but it was much more frantic. And the blood, it seemed to come from nowhere and got all over her and she kept screaming, a never-ending stream of screaming, since she doesn't have to breathe and all. I know she's been seeing someone lately, so I wondered if maybe he had something to do with it, maybe she got too excited about things and bit him or killed him or somehow he managed to do something to her which made her go off the deep end. Well, deep by Dru standards which is well past deep end for anyone else ..." He stopped to take an unneeded breath, just to make the sound of his voice stop.
"Angel," Wes had stopped leafing throught he book and looked at his former boss seriously. "She didn't bite him, nor did he do anything to her to cause this."
"How do you know?" Angel asked, confused.
"Because the man Drusilla is seeing is me."
Angel's face dropped in surprise. When what was said registered, Angel took one step toward Wes, looking intently into his eyes. Wes stood tall, neither bragging nor ashamed of what had been going on between him and Dru, meeting Angel's eyes with confidence. Angel took one more step toward him and hit him hard across the jaw, sending Wesley flying into the wall.
*********************
An hour later, Wes and Angel came into Dru's room again. They were both bloody, their clothes ripped, and one of Wes's eyes appeared to be swollen shut. There was also a very visible bite mark on Wes's neck, but it didn't appear to be fresh. Cordelia stood, mouth agape, but said nothing. It was rather obvious that the two men had worked out their differencs in the only way they could find to do it. Thank God. At least it was finally done and they were both still alive.
Wes went straight to Drusilla, kissed her lightly on the forehead and whispered quietly to her, letting her know that he was there with her before setting the books down on her bedside table.
Cordy looked at Angel curiously. He shrugged. "I found out who Dru has been seeing." A crease appeared between Cordelia's eyebrows and Angel tossed his head toward Wes. Her mouth fell open again. Wes caught the end of the exchange and smiled, a tiny hint of embarrassment blushing his cheeks.
His demeanor changed quickly, "She is coming closer, but she's still too far inside for me to reach her. We may have to resort to a counter spell or ... " He glanced at Angel, who nodded in understanding.
"We should probably try that first, Angel," he continued, "not knowing what kind of spell was used in connection with the demon blood might inhibit a counter spell or make the existing one more potent."
Angel nodded. He was her sire. It was his place to find her and bring her back from the dark place she had fallen into. He traded places with Cordy and approached Drusilla, suddenly recognizing her beauty again, something he hadn't done in probably 50 years. She was more stunning now than she had ever been, her hair darker, her lips more red, even in her current state. It was suddenly very apparent to Angel that her liaison with Wes had brought her great happiness and good health, something Dru had seldom had in her life.
He glanced at Wes, who nodded, then Angel slipped into game face and bit into his own wrist, bringing it to Dru's lips. Small droplets of blood fell just inside her mouth, with no reaction from her. There should have been something, even a tiny movement of her tongue eager to taste the blood of her sire. But there was nothing. He exchanged an expression of concern with Wes, then let his eyes linger on the fang marks on Wes's neck as his face shifted back to his usual ruggedly handsome features. "Wes, if she has ..."
Wes nodded. "Yes, Angel, she has fed from me. Several times in fact. Perhaps ..." Their eyes met in understanding.
Cordy looked from one to the other, perplexed at their half conversation which she was not following very well. It was as if they were reading one another's mind. Before she could question it, Wes extended his wrist to Angel. "I don't have the teeth for it," he said bluntly. Angel nodded, shifted back to game face, and sank his teeth into his friend's wrist, helping him take it to Drusilla's mouth.
Her reaction was almost immediate, her tongue lapping at his bleeding wrist, her eyes still closed but now in a somewhat euphoric state. After a few moments, her eyelids fluttered as her hands came to his arm, pressing his wrist more firmly against her mouth so that she could feed instead of simply tasting him. Soon after, her eyes opened, seeking his. They met in a silent explosion of emotion which almost knocked Angel and Cordy over. It was unexplained and incredibly powerful.
"My Wesley." Drusilla's soft statement was fact. He was hers, there was no doubt. "You are alive. The pictures in my mind kept telling me that ....."
"Shhhhhh," Wes put his fingertips to her lips. "It's all right, dearest, I'm here, I'm alive, and I'm hopelessly and helplessly yours. The pictures were wrong."
Cordy grabbed Angel by the elbow and pulled him toward the door. "We need to leave now."
"Huh?" Angel looked at her, confused.
Wesley covered Dru's mouth with his own, their breath intermingling just as their hearts did. He lowered his body onto hers as their hands began a new explortion of every inch of the other's body. The sound of their delighted moans filled the air as Angel shifted uncomfortable.
"Uh, okay, well, if everything is all right now, then ......," Angel stammered. Cordy almost ripped his arm off dragging him through the doorway.
***************************
The intercom buzzed on Lilah Morgan's desk.
"Yes?"
"Your 3 o'clock is here, Ms. Morgan."
"Thank you. Send them in."
As the door opened, she stood, straightening her business suit and moving around her desk to greet her guests. She was stunned to see Cordelia Chase and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce enter. She reached back toward her intercom.
"Don't bother," said Cordelia coldly, "We ARE your 3 o'clock. Now why don't we all sit down, shall we?"
Wesley's steely expression made her skin crawl. He said nothing. He did't have to.
Cordelia opened a folder and began, "You and one of your 'pets' visited our office a few nights ago, leaving behind a spell and some illegally obtained demon blood."
Lilah opened her mouth to contradict what she was saying, but Cordy lifted a finger to stop her. "We have you on camera." Lilah sank back into her chair, silent again. "Apparently your actions were an attempt to force a confrontation between Angel and Mr. Wyndham-Pryce." Wes smiled in a manner that made Lilah want to hide behind her desk. "As you can no doubt see, your attempt to reveal Drusilla and Wesley to Angel did not have the desired affect, and in fact, has resulted in Angel Investigations once again having a full-time research team in its employ."
Cordy continued, "We have consulted our attorney regarding prosecuting you, personally, for any number of offenses, including breaking and entering and assault. However, we have assured our counsel that, at this time, we prefer not to go to any legal extremes, such as having you disbarred or incarcerated." Cordelia was brilliant with this, delivering every line in a professional, business-like manner, and punctuating any hidden threats with a
pleasant smile.
Lilah gestured for her to continue, her throat too dry to respond verbally.
Cordelia nodded, "No charges will be filed, for now, however papers are already prepared should you come within 1000 yards of the Hyperion again. Ever. However," she closed the folder, "I fear these papers will not be needed, as Angel has assured me that should you, or any of your 'associates,' show your face at our offices again, he will personally rip your head off and drink from your brain stem." She smiled calmly.
Lilah cringed. There was no doubt in her mind that Angel would do it.
"Are we clear?" Cordelia and Wesley stood and waited for her reply.
"Quite," Lilah responded, folding her hands on her desk nervously.
"Good," Cordelia responded curtly.
As she turned to leave, Wes took one step closer to Lilah, leaning over her desk and speaking in a low, rather menacing tone. "And if you come near Drusilla again, Angel will be the least of your worries." He pulled a switchblade from his jacket pocket, the same
one he took from the murderous boy in the alley, and made a rather impressive slice across his left palm. He squeezed his hand into a fist, letting drops of blood fall onto the papers on her desk. Using the same tone of voice Cordelia had used, "Are we clear?"
Lilah nodded stiffly, her gaze never moving from the cold, blue depths of Wes's eyes. "Good," he responded in a deceptively pleasant voice. He turned to leave, closing and slipping the switchblade back into his jacket pocket.
As they walked down the hallway to the elevator, Cordelia smiled at Wes. "That went rather well, don't you think?"
"Oh yes, quite professional, particularly the part about the brain stem. Very nice touch." He replied.
"Thank you," Cordelia nodded appreciatively. "And might I say leaving blood on her desk was quite the attention getter?"
"Yes, you may, thank you. I think it achieved the desired result, don't you?" He smiled.
"Indeed," Cordelia smiled back. "So, Thai for lunch? There's a great place just down the street." She read Wes's expression, slightly angsty and obviously ready to get back to Dru. "We can get take out."
"Lovely," said Wes, "as long as they have tea."
==================================
The End
AUTHOR: Ten
RATING: PG13
PAIRING: Wes/Dru
=====================================================================
Chapter 6
Angel's expression darkened, a menacing snarl coming from him. "Get out of here, Wes." Cordelia's hand clamped down even tighter on Angel's, trying to hold him back before he leaped at the former watcher and perceived traitor.
Wes stood tall, meeting Angel's glare and not backing down even though there was quite obviously a threat to his own life.
"I'm here to see Drusilla." Wes's voice was deceptively calm. He knew what he was risking by coming here, but he came anyway. He had to. It was Drusilla.
"Are you responsible for what happened to her?" he growled. "I should tear your limbs from your body where you stand, rip the skin from your ...."
Before Angel could finish his threat Wes struck him across the jaw with a pounding force. Angel stumbled back, stunned and growling. Cordelia caught him and held him back, as Wes pushed past them, saying again, "I am here to see Drusilla." He ran up the stairs to her room, Angel's roar of protest sounding in the lobby below.
Wes burst through Drusilla's door to find her unconscious on the bed. She looked asleep, but something told him otherwise and he approached her, sitting on the edge of the bed taking her hand gently in his.
"Dru? Dru, darling? Wake up. Can you hear me, pet?" He squeezed and patted her hand. There was no response. He leaned up near her face, sleeping vampires were so disturbing sometimes. They had no breath to discern. He stroked her cool cheek with his fingertips,
still calling to her softly, hoping she would come to, smile at him, and welcome him into her bed. If only.
Cordy tried to calm Angel down, but it wasn't doing much good. She finally let him go up after Wes, chasing closely behind, calling to him. When they arrived at Dru's room, they were stunned to see Wes sitting quietly by Drusilla, holding her hand and speaking softly to her. She was still unconscious.
"Wes!" Angel snapped. His voice was low and menacing. "What do you think you're doing here? Get out."
Wes took a cleansing breath and repeated his earlier mantra. "I'm here to see Drusilla."
"So you said," Angel snarled. "Who gave you the right? You're not wanted here."
Wes ignored him.
Angel growled low in his chest, that animalistic, vampire growl which meant you're one word away from death. Cordelia put a reassuring hand on Angel's arm. He withdrew, for the moment anyway, and let her take over.
"What are you talking about, Wes? Why are you here?" Cordelia's questions came out more harshly than she intended, but still she was obviously not threatening him. She needed something to intervene with Angel, some reason to not let him rip Wes apart.
Wes turned and looked directly at her, ignoring Angel entirely. "Cordelia, I'm in no mood to deal with posturing." He tossed his head toward Angel to indicate him, still without looking directly at him. "Drusilla is in real danger here, she's unresponsive, she's most likely lost in her rather eccentric mind and having difficulty finding her way out. She needs our help. Now, what happened?"
"H--how do you know this? I mean, you haven't been here, how do you know ... what is going on?" Cordy was flustered and confused and couldn't understand how this had happened, much less how Wes happened to be involved.
"I'll explain later, now, WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?" Wes still had a gentle grip on Dru's hand, but his expression and manner were quickly becoming aggressive. If he went much further Angel would be difficult to keep subdued.
"We were asleep, we heard her screaming. She had come downstairs, we found her in your office chair, screaming. It was terrifying, she wouldn't stop." She suddenly realized she had said 'your office chair.' It surprised her that, even as long as Wes had been gone from Angel Investigations, she still considered it his office. Cordy thought for a moment and added more. "She kept saying she'd killed him and there was blood on her hands. But it wasn't her blood, it was something else."
"Human?" Wes interjected.
Angel responded, all business. This was the Wes he knew, the one who could take charge and use knowledge and science to figure out what was going on. He could deal with him like this, he could not deal with a man who tried to take his son away from him, but he could set that aside for the moment to deal with the crisis at hand. For Dru. "No. Animal and some demon."
Wes stood abruptly. "Do you have some of it?"
Angel continued, "Yes, her gown, it had a lot of the blood on it."
"Get it and bring it downstairs. Cordy, you stay with Dru, let me know if anything changes." Wes started for the door, then turned back toward the unconscious Drusilla. He leaned over her, whispered something in her hear so softly that even Angel's vampiric hearing didn't catch it and then kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Let's go," he said to Angel and went downstairs to the office.
*******************
"It's as I feared," Wes was examining the stained fabric with fierce intensity. "Cylora demon. Very distinct scent. Not much, just a trace, but enough to render her completely susceptible to suggestion. What was it she was saying? It might give some clue."
Angel looked at Wes objectively for just a moment, setting aside his now long-standing desire to rip the man's arms off. He was genuinely concerned and wanting to help in this, even though Angel had made it quite clear that he was unwelcome. Wes was spending his time and effort searching for a solution to what had happened to Dru without being asked, even with Angel glaring and growling at him. He was certainly no coward.
"She kept saying she'd killed him, she didn't say who. She was hysterical and screaming and didn't make much sense. She didn't seem to be in pain, just, you know, Dru mental pain, only moreso."
"Yes, that seems to fit with that particular demon's blood." Wes turned toward the bookshelf and almost without looking, pulled exactly the book he wanted. While he looked through it, Angel began to talk in a stream of consciousness mode, trying to remember anything that happened that might help Wes.
"She was worried obviously about whoever she said she had killed. She was irrational, you know, like only Dru can be sometimes, but it was much more frantic. And the blood, it seemed to come from nowhere and got all over her and she kept screaming, a never-ending stream of screaming, since she doesn't have to breathe and all. I know she's been seeing someone lately, so I wondered if maybe he had something to do with it, maybe she got too excited about things and bit him or killed him or somehow he managed to do something to her which made her go off the deep end. Well, deep by Dru standards which is well past deep end for anyone else ..." He stopped to take an unneeded breath, just to make the sound of his voice stop.
"Angel," Wes had stopped leafing throught he book and looked at his former boss seriously. "She didn't bite him, nor did he do anything to her to cause this."
"How do you know?" Angel asked, confused.
"Because the man Drusilla is seeing is me."
Angel's face dropped in surprise. When what was said registered, Angel took one step toward Wes, looking intently into his eyes. Wes stood tall, neither bragging nor ashamed of what had been going on between him and Dru, meeting Angel's eyes with confidence. Angel took one more step toward him and hit him hard across the jaw, sending Wesley flying into the wall.
*********************
An hour later, Wes and Angel came into Dru's room again. They were both bloody, their clothes ripped, and one of Wes's eyes appeared to be swollen shut. There was also a very visible bite mark on Wes's neck, but it didn't appear to be fresh. Cordelia stood, mouth agape, but said nothing. It was rather obvious that the two men had worked out their differencs in the only way they could find to do it. Thank God. At least it was finally done and they were both still alive.
Wes went straight to Drusilla, kissed her lightly on the forehead and whispered quietly to her, letting her know that he was there with her before setting the books down on her bedside table.
Cordy looked at Angel curiously. He shrugged. "I found out who Dru has been seeing." A crease appeared between Cordelia's eyebrows and Angel tossed his head toward Wes. Her mouth fell open again. Wes caught the end of the exchange and smiled, a tiny hint of embarrassment blushing his cheeks.
His demeanor changed quickly, "She is coming closer, but she's still too far inside for me to reach her. We may have to resort to a counter spell or ... " He glanced at Angel, who nodded in understanding.
"We should probably try that first, Angel," he continued, "not knowing what kind of spell was used in connection with the demon blood might inhibit a counter spell or make the existing one more potent."
Angel nodded. He was her sire. It was his place to find her and bring her back from the dark place she had fallen into. He traded places with Cordy and approached Drusilla, suddenly recognizing her beauty again, something he hadn't done in probably 50 years. She was more stunning now than she had ever been, her hair darker, her lips more red, even in her current state. It was suddenly very apparent to Angel that her liaison with Wes had brought her great happiness and good health, something Dru had seldom had in her life.
He glanced at Wes, who nodded, then Angel slipped into game face and bit into his own wrist, bringing it to Dru's lips. Small droplets of blood fell just inside her mouth, with no reaction from her. There should have been something, even a tiny movement of her tongue eager to taste the blood of her sire. But there was nothing. He exchanged an expression of concern with Wes, then let his eyes linger on the fang marks on Wes's neck as his face shifted back to his usual ruggedly handsome features. "Wes, if she has ..."
Wes nodded. "Yes, Angel, she has fed from me. Several times in fact. Perhaps ..." Their eyes met in understanding.
Cordy looked from one to the other, perplexed at their half conversation which she was not following very well. It was as if they were reading one another's mind. Before she could question it, Wes extended his wrist to Angel. "I don't have the teeth for it," he said bluntly. Angel nodded, shifted back to game face, and sank his teeth into his friend's wrist, helping him take it to Drusilla's mouth.
Her reaction was almost immediate, her tongue lapping at his bleeding wrist, her eyes still closed but now in a somewhat euphoric state. After a few moments, her eyelids fluttered as her hands came to his arm, pressing his wrist more firmly against her mouth so that she could feed instead of simply tasting him. Soon after, her eyes opened, seeking his. They met in a silent explosion of emotion which almost knocked Angel and Cordy over. It was unexplained and incredibly powerful.
"My Wesley." Drusilla's soft statement was fact. He was hers, there was no doubt. "You are alive. The pictures in my mind kept telling me that ....."
"Shhhhhh," Wes put his fingertips to her lips. "It's all right, dearest, I'm here, I'm alive, and I'm hopelessly and helplessly yours. The pictures were wrong."
Cordy grabbed Angel by the elbow and pulled him toward the door. "We need to leave now."
"Huh?" Angel looked at her, confused.
Wesley covered Dru's mouth with his own, their breath intermingling just as their hearts did. He lowered his body onto hers as their hands began a new explortion of every inch of the other's body. The sound of their delighted moans filled the air as Angel shifted uncomfortable.
"Uh, okay, well, if everything is all right now, then ......," Angel stammered. Cordy almost ripped his arm off dragging him through the doorway.
***************************
The intercom buzzed on Lilah Morgan's desk.
"Yes?"
"Your 3 o'clock is here, Ms. Morgan."
"Thank you. Send them in."
As the door opened, she stood, straightening her business suit and moving around her desk to greet her guests. She was stunned to see Cordelia Chase and Wesley Wyndham-Pryce enter. She reached back toward her intercom.
"Don't bother," said Cordelia coldly, "We ARE your 3 o'clock. Now why don't we all sit down, shall we?"
Wesley's steely expression made her skin crawl. He said nothing. He did't have to.
Cordelia opened a folder and began, "You and one of your 'pets' visited our office a few nights ago, leaving behind a spell and some illegally obtained demon blood."
Lilah opened her mouth to contradict what she was saying, but Cordy lifted a finger to stop her. "We have you on camera." Lilah sank back into her chair, silent again. "Apparently your actions were an attempt to force a confrontation between Angel and Mr. Wyndham-Pryce." Wes smiled in a manner that made Lilah want to hide behind her desk. "As you can no doubt see, your attempt to reveal Drusilla and Wesley to Angel did not have the desired affect, and in fact, has resulted in Angel Investigations once again having a full-time research team in its employ."
Cordy continued, "We have consulted our attorney regarding prosecuting you, personally, for any number of offenses, including breaking and entering and assault. However, we have assured our counsel that, at this time, we prefer not to go to any legal extremes, such as having you disbarred or incarcerated." Cordelia was brilliant with this, delivering every line in a professional, business-like manner, and punctuating any hidden threats with a
pleasant smile.
Lilah gestured for her to continue, her throat too dry to respond verbally.
Cordelia nodded, "No charges will be filed, for now, however papers are already prepared should you come within 1000 yards of the Hyperion again. Ever. However," she closed the folder, "I fear these papers will not be needed, as Angel has assured me that should you, or any of your 'associates,' show your face at our offices again, he will personally rip your head off and drink from your brain stem." She smiled calmly.
Lilah cringed. There was no doubt in her mind that Angel would do it.
"Are we clear?" Cordelia and Wesley stood and waited for her reply.
"Quite," Lilah responded, folding her hands on her desk nervously.
"Good," Cordelia responded curtly.
As she turned to leave, Wes took one step closer to Lilah, leaning over her desk and speaking in a low, rather menacing tone. "And if you come near Drusilla again, Angel will be the least of your worries." He pulled a switchblade from his jacket pocket, the same
one he took from the murderous boy in the alley, and made a rather impressive slice across his left palm. He squeezed his hand into a fist, letting drops of blood fall onto the papers on her desk. Using the same tone of voice Cordelia had used, "Are we clear?"
Lilah nodded stiffly, her gaze never moving from the cold, blue depths of Wes's eyes. "Good," he responded in a deceptively pleasant voice. He turned to leave, closing and slipping the switchblade back into his jacket pocket.
As they walked down the hallway to the elevator, Cordelia smiled at Wes. "That went rather well, don't you think?"
"Oh yes, quite professional, particularly the part about the brain stem. Very nice touch." He replied.
"Thank you," Cordelia nodded appreciatively. "And might I say leaving blood on her desk was quite the attention getter?"
"Yes, you may, thank you. I think it achieved the desired result, don't you?" He smiled.
"Indeed," Cordelia smiled back. "So, Thai for lunch? There's a great place just down the street." She read Wes's expression, slightly angsty and obviously ready to get back to Dru. "We can get take out."
"Lovely," said Wes, "as long as they have tea."
==================================
The End