A/N- okay, uh…have I told you that you're not all gonna love me? And to
those of you who suggested Angel/Lilah I *did* contemplate it. But
remember, I HAVEN"T SEEN ANY OF SEASON 3! (poor, poor me…very upset) Which
sux in its own right…Can you believe how slack Aussie TV is? I mean,
really…we have 'Neighbours' and 'Home and Away'(very, very bad Aussie
shows) for christ's sake. BLECK! Meanwhile…what's this about Angel and
Lilah on Wesley's desk…? No, don't tell me…I've read too many spoilers
already… :)
************************************
When I came back into the lobby carrying a slice of reheated pizza, Angel was asking about a plan to keep Wolfram and Hart off our tails…so to speak. Now we're all silent. We have been for the past few minutes. Angel looks around at each of us. "Well?" He queries. "Still nothing?" I shrug back at him, as do Fred, Gunn, Wes and Lindsey. Lorne's still sleeping upstairs. Man, that demon is lazy! We're all facing yet another crisis and all he can do is sleep. Plus its…I glance down at my watch…11am.
"Angel," I start softly, "Have you had *any* sleep in the past 24 hours?"
He shakes his head. "No."
"Then get your butt upstairs and into that bed this instant! If we're going to need to fight the bad guys, you're going to need all your strength." He opens his mouth to object but I throw my hand up, signalling for him to stop. "We'll think of a plan and look after Connor. You sleep. If you're needed, you'll know about it."
He glances towards Wesley and Gunn for guidance, or at least their opinions. They both nod. Wesley adds, "I'm almost certain you shall need all your strength if Wolfram and Hart pull another one of their tricks. Plus you were up all night waiting on Cordelia and she's here now, so-"
Angel interrupts, "I'm going. I'm going. See…watch me heading up the stairs." He trudges away, clearly defeated and mumbling something under his breath.
I smile slightly and turn back to the others, taking another bite from my snack. "So, what are we gonna do about Wolfram and Hart?" I manage with my mouth full. It sounds more like "Sho wot we gon do 'bout Wolf'em 'n Hah?"
"How's about we blow the place up? Get rid of the evil bastards for good?" Gunn suggests.
"A little too conspicuous and illegal, maybe?" I reply. (Clearly now 'cos I just finished my pizza.)
"Take them down from the inside." Wesley offers.
"And how do you propose we do that?" Lindsey asks him. There's something sceptical about his tone that I don't approve of.
"Well, we could…no, that would never work. Or we can…nope. Not possible either." Wes responds, casting his gaze towards the floor and shuffling his feet. After a few seconds, he looks up at Lindsey hopefully. "Uh, I don't suppose you could get back in without getting harmed?"
"Somehow, I doubt it." He replies, his approach a little too harsh for my liking. I take him by the arm and pull him away, out of earshot from the others.
"Lindsey," I snap. "He's just trying to help. You could be a bit more helpful yourself, you know. *Instead* of being so criticising."
"I'm sorry, but I'm facing death here. Not just mine, but yours and our baby's too. And I'm just a bit high strung about it." He argues.
"Lindsey, I face death everyday. I've learnt to handle it. And if I can, so can you. Plus, we're in good hands here. I mean it. Give the gang a little credit." I counter.
"But I-" He begins.
I put my finger against his lips softly. "No buts." I interject. "We're safe here. And you know it. As much as I know you hate Angel… I know you know his strength and power and resistance to Wolfram and Hart…" Listen to me I'm rambling. I pause and take a breath. "As much as you hate him, I know you know that you can count on him."
He sighs and puts his arms around me. "I hope so, Cordy. I hope so."
"I know so." I tell him, looking back up into his eyes. I can see the worry in them. The old Lindsey McDonald would never have let anyone see his emotions. Hell, I don't even know whether the old Lindsey felt emotions. But that doesn't matter 'cos this one does. I hug him back. "I know so." I repeat in a whisper.
After a while , I pull away and lead him back to the others. "Any progress?" I ask.
They shake their heads in unison. "No, we really haven't come up with anything substantial yet." Wesley states.
"What English means is we don't have any idea of how to take the group of evil lawyers down yet." Gunn tells us.
"Maybe we could just tell them that Lindsey's not telling us anythin' and then they'll leave us alone." Fred muses hopefully.
"Oh, Fred sweetie, you seriously don't know what these guys are like, do you?" I say, adding, "It's a nice dream though."
She smiles timidly, gratefully and happily all at once. Fred's a really sweet person, but when it comes to attack strategies…lets just say, she's not the best helper in the world. But, she's a valuable member of the AI team. Plus, I think that everyone's allowed a say, no matter how corny. I mean, when I was a 'scooby' I never really had the best ideas either…but I still put my 2 cents worth in. Only, I got criticised for it and I don't think I should put others (especially nice people…which, lets face it, I wasn't in high school) through the same thing. …I guess I've changed a lot in the past few years too, huh?
While Wes, Gunn, Fred and I debate different tactics (all of which are completely insane) Lindsey raises his hand slightly, to bring the attention towards him. After we're all looking at him, he says, "I think I have a plan."
************************************
When I came back into the lobby carrying a slice of reheated pizza, Angel was asking about a plan to keep Wolfram and Hart off our tails…so to speak. Now we're all silent. We have been for the past few minutes. Angel looks around at each of us. "Well?" He queries. "Still nothing?" I shrug back at him, as do Fred, Gunn, Wes and Lindsey. Lorne's still sleeping upstairs. Man, that demon is lazy! We're all facing yet another crisis and all he can do is sleep. Plus its…I glance down at my watch…11am.
"Angel," I start softly, "Have you had *any* sleep in the past 24 hours?"
He shakes his head. "No."
"Then get your butt upstairs and into that bed this instant! If we're going to need to fight the bad guys, you're going to need all your strength." He opens his mouth to object but I throw my hand up, signalling for him to stop. "We'll think of a plan and look after Connor. You sleep. If you're needed, you'll know about it."
He glances towards Wesley and Gunn for guidance, or at least their opinions. They both nod. Wesley adds, "I'm almost certain you shall need all your strength if Wolfram and Hart pull another one of their tricks. Plus you were up all night waiting on Cordelia and she's here now, so-"
Angel interrupts, "I'm going. I'm going. See…watch me heading up the stairs." He trudges away, clearly defeated and mumbling something under his breath.
I smile slightly and turn back to the others, taking another bite from my snack. "So, what are we gonna do about Wolfram and Hart?" I manage with my mouth full. It sounds more like "Sho wot we gon do 'bout Wolf'em 'n Hah?"
"How's about we blow the place up? Get rid of the evil bastards for good?" Gunn suggests.
"A little too conspicuous and illegal, maybe?" I reply. (Clearly now 'cos I just finished my pizza.)
"Take them down from the inside." Wesley offers.
"And how do you propose we do that?" Lindsey asks him. There's something sceptical about his tone that I don't approve of.
"Well, we could…no, that would never work. Or we can…nope. Not possible either." Wes responds, casting his gaze towards the floor and shuffling his feet. After a few seconds, he looks up at Lindsey hopefully. "Uh, I don't suppose you could get back in without getting harmed?"
"Somehow, I doubt it." He replies, his approach a little too harsh for my liking. I take him by the arm and pull him away, out of earshot from the others.
"Lindsey," I snap. "He's just trying to help. You could be a bit more helpful yourself, you know. *Instead* of being so criticising."
"I'm sorry, but I'm facing death here. Not just mine, but yours and our baby's too. And I'm just a bit high strung about it." He argues.
"Lindsey, I face death everyday. I've learnt to handle it. And if I can, so can you. Plus, we're in good hands here. I mean it. Give the gang a little credit." I counter.
"But I-" He begins.
I put my finger against his lips softly. "No buts." I interject. "We're safe here. And you know it. As much as I know you hate Angel… I know you know his strength and power and resistance to Wolfram and Hart…" Listen to me I'm rambling. I pause and take a breath. "As much as you hate him, I know you know that you can count on him."
He sighs and puts his arms around me. "I hope so, Cordy. I hope so."
"I know so." I tell him, looking back up into his eyes. I can see the worry in them. The old Lindsey McDonald would never have let anyone see his emotions. Hell, I don't even know whether the old Lindsey felt emotions. But that doesn't matter 'cos this one does. I hug him back. "I know so." I repeat in a whisper.
After a while , I pull away and lead him back to the others. "Any progress?" I ask.
They shake their heads in unison. "No, we really haven't come up with anything substantial yet." Wesley states.
"What English means is we don't have any idea of how to take the group of evil lawyers down yet." Gunn tells us.
"Maybe we could just tell them that Lindsey's not telling us anythin' and then they'll leave us alone." Fred muses hopefully.
"Oh, Fred sweetie, you seriously don't know what these guys are like, do you?" I say, adding, "It's a nice dream though."
She smiles timidly, gratefully and happily all at once. Fred's a really sweet person, but when it comes to attack strategies…lets just say, she's not the best helper in the world. But, she's a valuable member of the AI team. Plus, I think that everyone's allowed a say, no matter how corny. I mean, when I was a 'scooby' I never really had the best ideas either…but I still put my 2 cents worth in. Only, I got criticised for it and I don't think I should put others (especially nice people…which, lets face it, I wasn't in high school) through the same thing. …I guess I've changed a lot in the past few years too, huh?
While Wes, Gunn, Fred and I debate different tactics (all of which are completely insane) Lindsey raises his hand slightly, to bring the attention towards him. After we're all looking at him, he says, "I think I have a plan."