Lockdown Part 5.
Author: Karen Rating: Erm. . . not sure of the net version but definitely at least a twelve/fifteen in the cinema. Feedback: God yes! A little help here people. Disclaimer: Not mine and sadly never will be. Synopsis: Lindsey's actually starting to feel sorry for Angel, Cordelia's showing just what skills you absorb after eighteen years on a hellmouth and Wes and Gunn are losing the plot. All in all another fun night in the city of Angel.
Cordelia watched as Lindsey disappeared beneath the body of the creature and just for a second froze as she experienced intense déjà vu and then she was in motion. Lindsey was twisting frantically beneath the creature a breath away from having his face bitten clean off when Cordelia's arm flashed in front of him and with one sure stroke slashed the creature's throat. He choked as thick rank smelling blood gushed from the wound and over his face dripping into his mouth and filling his nostrils and then he pushed with terrified strength at the body above him and he was suddenly and blissfully free. He scrambled to the side and with the speed born of desperation and sheer terror regained his feet. Cordelia moved as soon as he was clear and delivered a solid kick to the furry side of the thing howling with pain and fury on the floor knocking it onto it's back. Without pausing she followed through and brought her axe down squarely onto the creature's face slamming into one eye and causing another high-pitched scream of agony to erupt. Blood still sprayed from the thing's ruined throat although not as quickly and she ignored the red fluid as it soaked her already blood drenched clothes and tugged the axe free to deliver another merciless blow to the side of the head.
Lindsey raced for the bag that had been left unheeded on the floor and grabbing it upended its contents on the floor to find the short bladed sword that Cordelia had thrown at him earlier. He grasped the handle and spun back to see Cordelia take a wild blow to the face as the creature swung out in blind panicked fury. The girl's feet left the ground and she flew through the air to slam into the unforgiving stone wall. Lindsey winced as her head cracked back against the stone and then blinked in disbelief as her eyes went blank and then shut as she lost consciousness.
Typical, she goes all Warrior Princess and White Lighter on me and then one little bump to the head and it's up to me to clean up her mess!
He swallowed as the thing before him lost it's footing in it's wild pain filled rampage and then yelled aloud as he ran forward to hack with his sword. He managed two good hits with the sword before his legs went from under him and he fell with a loud bang to the floor. The creature was on him in an instant slashing with long razor sharp claws blindly lost in a world of pain and fury. Lindsey shouted mindlessly as he slashed back at the creature with his short sword writhing and twisting beneath it in a parody of the sexual act. Blood and fur flew and then Lindsey screamed in agony as one of the talons ripped down his chest opening a deep red gash. For one awful minute he thought the creature had ripped out his heart the pain was so awful and then everything took on a crystal clarity and he felt like time had slowed enough to anticipate the next downward slash of the lethal claws and avoid them to rear up and plunge the sword with all his strength into the broad furry chest before him. Everything froze and he stared in to the distorted face before him and met the gaze of the one remaining eye. He smelt the fur and the blood and the musky scent of the wild and then Cordelia rose up over behind one hairy shoulder and swung in a clean arc to connect with the side of the animal's head again and it fell backwards with the momentum of the blow onto Lindsey's legs.
Lindsey allowed his head to sink back as he gasped for breath and Cordelia stumbled as she reached down to take hold of his arm and fell on her knees beside him. She pulled on Lindsey's arm as he scrambled out from underneath the creature and then they both pulled themselves along the floor until they leaned in exhaustion against the wall. There was a silence of a few minutes only disturbed by their harsh breaths and then Lindsey turned his head to stare at Cordelia inches away from him
"If you ever pull a stupid stunt like that again I'll kill you myself."
Cordy turned her head and met the white hot fury of his gaze head on
"Eviler things than you have tried and failed Screamy. Bring it on."
Lindsey swallowed and spat furiously
"You made me bait! I could have been killed."
Cordelia's unconcerned raised eyebrow eloquently stated just how bothered she was by that notion. Lindsey growled and tried to find the words to show her just how pissed he was but the articulation he was so famous for in the courtroom deserted him and he was only able to say petulantly
"You sacrificed me to a demon." "No I didn't."
He spluttered at the cool denial that came from her lips and the bored way her eyes drifted from him to the latest cooling body on the floor
"Excuse me I think I know when someone has just tossed me to a demon like a piece of steak."
Cordy pulled herself up straighter and winced as her shoulder and back muscles moaned in protest
"I didn't sacrifice you to a demon. That's a werewolf." "What?"
Lindsey blinked in confusion at the matter of fact tone of voice
"That's a werewolf not a demon. I sacrificed you to a shape shifter."
His mouth fell open incredulously as he watched her slowly pull herself up the wall wincing the whole way up and then with a burst of outraged anger he shot to his feet beside her and slammed her back against the wall
"A fucking werewolf! I'm meant to shrug off the whole tossed out like a piece of meat thing because it's a fucking werewolf?"
Cordelia frowned in mild annoyance at the man screaming in front of her and allowed her eyes to drift over his shoulder to rest on the bodies behind him and in particular the tiny form of the baby lying on the floor.
"Lindsey let go. You're alive aren't you? Quit whining."
Lindsey actually thought his head was going to explode such was the pressure he felt as his blood pounded into his brain. He opened and shut his mouth soundlessly and tried to remember how to speak English so he could scream just how much he hated her and how much he was going to enjoy all the new and inventive tortures he was going to create just for her. Cordelia flicked another glance up at him and then her eyes rested once again on the body behind him. Then they widened and she paled and Lindsey spun around to see the wolf's body slowly fade and the form of a middle- aged man appear. They both jumped as he gave a soft moan and then Cordelia pushed past Lindsey and ran to sink down beside the man's ruined head.
"It's ok. Lie still. I'm here."
Lindsey stared in bewilderment as she drew a gentle hand over the man's filthy, thinning hair and softly laid her hand on his shoulder.
"What are you doing? Cordelia get away from him!"
Cordy frowned at the harsh whispered order and turned her head to say coolly
"Lindsey find something to put over him. He's cold and in shock."
Lindsey's mouth fell open once more and he stared in bug-eyed amazement at the blood-drenched girl on the floor. She'd brutally and cold bloodedly slain the vicious monster that had killed so many and tried to eat him but the minute it morphed into a more acceptable shape she turned into Florence freakin' Nightingale!
Cordelia frowned in annoyance as Lindsey firmly crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall stubbornly daring her to challenge him. She took her hand from the man's shoulder and made to rise but another agonized moan stopped her and she stared down into the blood-drenched face
"Please.don't leave."
She barely caught the pained words and leant in closely to catch the next agonised whisper
"Sorry. So sorry. Finish it." She rocked back on her heels and blinked down at the human before her and shook her head emphatically
"No. We're going to get you out of here and then get you some help. You'll be fine."
The man before her somehow managed to raise one mangled arm and find her hand and squeezed it weakly
"Please. Might heal. Can't."
His voice gave out and he fought for breath his one remaining eye never leaving her face. Cordelia began to cry agonized tears slipping slowly down her face. She sniffled as she slowly nodded and turned to face Lindsey again.
"Give me the axe."
He swallowed at the agony in her eyes and bent to retrieve the weapon from the floor and moved to stand behind her. He tentatively reached out and placed his false hand on her shoulder
"I'll do it."
Cordelia turned her head and glared up at him eyes still leaking tears
"Your damn company has done enough. Give me the goddamn axe and back off."
His hand fell from her as she snatched the axe from him and he backed away heart clenching at the furious expression on her face. Cordelia watched him until he had resumed his place at the wall and then with a visible effort shook the hatred off her face and turned with a calm face to the man she was about to execute.
"Do you want me to contact anyone for you to tell them."
Her voice broke and she swallowed frantically to clear the huge blockage in her throat. The man on the floor moved his head fractionally in a negative shake and squeezed her hand again
"No. sorry. Has to end."
Cordelia nodded and her back straightened as she prepared herself
"It will I promise you. I will bring them down and I will make them pay."
She freed her hand from his loose grasp and gently laid it onto his chest
"Close your eyes and think of home."
She gave one final caress to the side of his face and sat back on her heels bringing the axe in front of her to grip firmly in both hands
"Close your eyes and think of home and know that I send you there with love."
The man looked at her one final time and whispered
"Thank.you."
He closed his eyes and Cordelia reared onto her knees bringing the axe over her head and then downwards in a powerful arc that cut through the exposed throat before her and rang on the floor beneath it as she severed the head from the body. She remained frozen for a moment and then slowly her body began to fall until she lay across the slain man's chest and the only sound in the small chamber was the sound of her pitiful sobs.
Lorne sat back and eyed the two men before him as he finished telling them all he knew. He jumped as Wesley pounded the table with a clenched fist and snarled
"I'm going to kill her."
Well that was good. Killing Princess Seer wasn't what the Powers had in mind, Lorne thought but on a scale of one to ten it scored a twelve as opposed to killing the demon musical genius.
Gunn mirrored Lorne's movement and leaned in his chair crossing his hard smooth arms and replied flatly
"Get in line."
Wesley's eyes bored into the Host's
"You're absolutely sure that she went to Wolfram and Hart of her own accord? She wasn't forced in any way?"
Lorne licked his lips and nodded nervously
"Yep. Your little bird flew there under her own power all right. She's caught up in something that's beyond her control now and she might be having some problems leaving the coop." "And Lindsey McDonald is there with her?"
Lorne winced as Wesley's voice rang with savagery
"Yes but I told you he's in as much danger as she is. More maybe. That little girlie sure is full of the old fightin' spirit."
Gunn snorted and gripped the edge of the table and Lorne tried not to picture just how much damage could be done to the renegade seer with those big strong hands
"She better have a never ending supply of it I know that much. When I catch hold of her."
His voice trailed off and he stared into space. Lorne flinched as pictures reached him of exactly how much punishment Cordy could expect when her two outraged friends caught up with her
"Guys please. Still connected here."
Gunn pushed back form the table suddenly and stood looking down at Wesley
"Let's go we're wasting time."
The Englishman stood and nodded to the green skinned demon
"Thanks for the information."
They turned and left the club ignoring Lorne's ironic yell behind them
"Really don't mention it. Feel free to stop by and threaten me anytime. Here to help."
He sat back in his chair and glared as they disappeared up the steps to the outside world and waved a hand for the barman
"Elian honey. Seabreeze. Extra breezy."
Lindsey approached Cordelia cautiously. She had finally quietened down and still lay across the man's body amongst his many victims. He cleared his throat and when that failed to get no response said quietly
"Cordelia? Cordelia you have to get up. We need to keep moving."
He thought at first she was too lost in her guilt and misery to hear him but she slowly pulled back from the body and raised her face to his. He sucked in a breath as he saw that she was almost completely covered in the dead man's blood with lighter traces of pink streaking across her face from her tears
"Why?"
He stared at her for a moment in confusion and then said
"Because we don't know what else is down here and the demons up there are going to find a way in pretty soon. We have to keep ahead of them."
Cordelia shrugged and allowed her gaze to roam around the chamber taking in the ruined lives and destroyed bodies
"What's the point? They're gonna catch us anyway. May as well be here."
Lindsey frowned and his mind raced as he realised she was quite possibly in shock and on the verge of snapping after what she had been forced to do
"Cordelia get up!"
His voice was firm and brooked no defiance but the girl on the floor just stared blankly up at him and then turned away to stare at the decapitated body beside her once more
"Cordelia I'm warning you. I'll drag you out of here by your hair if I have too but we are leaving now!"
He reached down to grab her arm and she wrenched it away hissing
"Don't touch me! Just leave me alone!"
He straightened and threw his hands in the air in frustration
"What is your deal? We won, get over it. Now we have to keep winning and we can't do that with you sitting there like some kicked puppy because you had to put a savage animal down."
Cordelia stared at him with her mouth hanging open as he shouted and her eyes flashed and then all the strength seemed to leave her body and she sagged once again
"He wasn't an animal he was a human being and I killed him."
The words were spoken so softly Lindsey almost didn't hear them and then he sank down beside her and laid his false hand gently on her arm. He thought for a moment she was going to shrug him off again when the arm tensed and shivered under his touch but slowly her eyes drifted up to lock onto his. He swallowed at the pain and desperation he saw there and said gently
"Cordelia you did what you had to do. He wanted to die and the pain to end. He begged you to help him and you did. That's what you do right? Help the helpless. You killed him to set him free."
Her eyes filled with fresh tears at the calm words and she swallowed to clear her throat
"I went through high school with a werewolf. He never knew what he had done when he was wild. He had no memory and no control over what he did. We used to lock him in a cage in our library for three nights a month and for those three nights it was like Oz never existed. He used to turn and we'd lose our friend but then every morning the sun would come up and he'd come back. He was as human as I am"
The tears spilled down her face and she began to shake
"I killed an innocent. I slaughtered him because it was the easy option. This could have been Oz and I killed him!"
Her voice rose in horror and Lindsey reacted without thinking and pulled her into his embrace. It was a measure of how shaken Cordelia was that she didn't tense or fight him but collapsed against his chest and sobbed into his shirt. Her arms crept around him and she clutched him to her as sobs shook her body and Lindsey fought back his own surprise at the instinctual comfort he had offered and gathered her closer. He patted her back with his fake hand and then tentatively began to stroke her hair with the other. When she made no objection he relaxed his hold for a moment and scooped her onto his lap like a child and settled against his body resuming the stroking of her hair and rocking her gently backwards and forwards. Cordelia burrowed into his warmth and held on as the sobs strengthened and threatened to shake her apart.
Author: Karen Rating: Erm. . . not sure of the net version but definitely at least a twelve/fifteen in the cinema. Feedback: God yes! A little help here people. Disclaimer: Not mine and sadly never will be. Synopsis: Lindsey's actually starting to feel sorry for Angel, Cordelia's showing just what skills you absorb after eighteen years on a hellmouth and Wes and Gunn are losing the plot. All in all another fun night in the city of Angel.
Cordelia watched as Lindsey disappeared beneath the body of the creature and just for a second froze as she experienced intense déjà vu and then she was in motion. Lindsey was twisting frantically beneath the creature a breath away from having his face bitten clean off when Cordelia's arm flashed in front of him and with one sure stroke slashed the creature's throat. He choked as thick rank smelling blood gushed from the wound and over his face dripping into his mouth and filling his nostrils and then he pushed with terrified strength at the body above him and he was suddenly and blissfully free. He scrambled to the side and with the speed born of desperation and sheer terror regained his feet. Cordelia moved as soon as he was clear and delivered a solid kick to the furry side of the thing howling with pain and fury on the floor knocking it onto it's back. Without pausing she followed through and brought her axe down squarely onto the creature's face slamming into one eye and causing another high-pitched scream of agony to erupt. Blood still sprayed from the thing's ruined throat although not as quickly and she ignored the red fluid as it soaked her already blood drenched clothes and tugged the axe free to deliver another merciless blow to the side of the head.
Lindsey raced for the bag that had been left unheeded on the floor and grabbing it upended its contents on the floor to find the short bladed sword that Cordelia had thrown at him earlier. He grasped the handle and spun back to see Cordelia take a wild blow to the face as the creature swung out in blind panicked fury. The girl's feet left the ground and she flew through the air to slam into the unforgiving stone wall. Lindsey winced as her head cracked back against the stone and then blinked in disbelief as her eyes went blank and then shut as she lost consciousness.
Typical, she goes all Warrior Princess and White Lighter on me and then one little bump to the head and it's up to me to clean up her mess!
He swallowed as the thing before him lost it's footing in it's wild pain filled rampage and then yelled aloud as he ran forward to hack with his sword. He managed two good hits with the sword before his legs went from under him and he fell with a loud bang to the floor. The creature was on him in an instant slashing with long razor sharp claws blindly lost in a world of pain and fury. Lindsey shouted mindlessly as he slashed back at the creature with his short sword writhing and twisting beneath it in a parody of the sexual act. Blood and fur flew and then Lindsey screamed in agony as one of the talons ripped down his chest opening a deep red gash. For one awful minute he thought the creature had ripped out his heart the pain was so awful and then everything took on a crystal clarity and he felt like time had slowed enough to anticipate the next downward slash of the lethal claws and avoid them to rear up and plunge the sword with all his strength into the broad furry chest before him. Everything froze and he stared in to the distorted face before him and met the gaze of the one remaining eye. He smelt the fur and the blood and the musky scent of the wild and then Cordelia rose up over behind one hairy shoulder and swung in a clean arc to connect with the side of the animal's head again and it fell backwards with the momentum of the blow onto Lindsey's legs.
Lindsey allowed his head to sink back as he gasped for breath and Cordelia stumbled as she reached down to take hold of his arm and fell on her knees beside him. She pulled on Lindsey's arm as he scrambled out from underneath the creature and then they both pulled themselves along the floor until they leaned in exhaustion against the wall. There was a silence of a few minutes only disturbed by their harsh breaths and then Lindsey turned his head to stare at Cordelia inches away from him
"If you ever pull a stupid stunt like that again I'll kill you myself."
Cordy turned her head and met the white hot fury of his gaze head on
"Eviler things than you have tried and failed Screamy. Bring it on."
Lindsey swallowed and spat furiously
"You made me bait! I could have been killed."
Cordelia's unconcerned raised eyebrow eloquently stated just how bothered she was by that notion. Lindsey growled and tried to find the words to show her just how pissed he was but the articulation he was so famous for in the courtroom deserted him and he was only able to say petulantly
"You sacrificed me to a demon." "No I didn't."
He spluttered at the cool denial that came from her lips and the bored way her eyes drifted from him to the latest cooling body on the floor
"Excuse me I think I know when someone has just tossed me to a demon like a piece of steak."
Cordy pulled herself up straighter and winced as her shoulder and back muscles moaned in protest
"I didn't sacrifice you to a demon. That's a werewolf." "What?"
Lindsey blinked in confusion at the matter of fact tone of voice
"That's a werewolf not a demon. I sacrificed you to a shape shifter."
His mouth fell open incredulously as he watched her slowly pull herself up the wall wincing the whole way up and then with a burst of outraged anger he shot to his feet beside her and slammed her back against the wall
"A fucking werewolf! I'm meant to shrug off the whole tossed out like a piece of meat thing because it's a fucking werewolf?"
Cordelia frowned in mild annoyance at the man screaming in front of her and allowed her eyes to drift over his shoulder to rest on the bodies behind him and in particular the tiny form of the baby lying on the floor.
"Lindsey let go. You're alive aren't you? Quit whining."
Lindsey actually thought his head was going to explode such was the pressure he felt as his blood pounded into his brain. He opened and shut his mouth soundlessly and tried to remember how to speak English so he could scream just how much he hated her and how much he was going to enjoy all the new and inventive tortures he was going to create just for her. Cordelia flicked another glance up at him and then her eyes rested once again on the body behind him. Then they widened and she paled and Lindsey spun around to see the wolf's body slowly fade and the form of a middle- aged man appear. They both jumped as he gave a soft moan and then Cordelia pushed past Lindsey and ran to sink down beside the man's ruined head.
"It's ok. Lie still. I'm here."
Lindsey stared in bewilderment as she drew a gentle hand over the man's filthy, thinning hair and softly laid her hand on his shoulder.
"What are you doing? Cordelia get away from him!"
Cordy frowned at the harsh whispered order and turned her head to say coolly
"Lindsey find something to put over him. He's cold and in shock."
Lindsey's mouth fell open once more and he stared in bug-eyed amazement at the blood-drenched girl on the floor. She'd brutally and cold bloodedly slain the vicious monster that had killed so many and tried to eat him but the minute it morphed into a more acceptable shape she turned into Florence freakin' Nightingale!
Cordelia frowned in annoyance as Lindsey firmly crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall stubbornly daring her to challenge him. She took her hand from the man's shoulder and made to rise but another agonized moan stopped her and she stared down into the blood-drenched face
"Please.don't leave."
She barely caught the pained words and leant in closely to catch the next agonised whisper
"Sorry. So sorry. Finish it." She rocked back on her heels and blinked down at the human before her and shook her head emphatically
"No. We're going to get you out of here and then get you some help. You'll be fine."
The man before her somehow managed to raise one mangled arm and find her hand and squeezed it weakly
"Please. Might heal. Can't."
His voice gave out and he fought for breath his one remaining eye never leaving her face. Cordelia began to cry agonized tears slipping slowly down her face. She sniffled as she slowly nodded and turned to face Lindsey again.
"Give me the axe."
He swallowed at the agony in her eyes and bent to retrieve the weapon from the floor and moved to stand behind her. He tentatively reached out and placed his false hand on her shoulder
"I'll do it."
Cordelia turned her head and glared up at him eyes still leaking tears
"Your damn company has done enough. Give me the goddamn axe and back off."
His hand fell from her as she snatched the axe from him and he backed away heart clenching at the furious expression on her face. Cordelia watched him until he had resumed his place at the wall and then with a visible effort shook the hatred off her face and turned with a calm face to the man she was about to execute.
"Do you want me to contact anyone for you to tell them."
Her voice broke and she swallowed frantically to clear the huge blockage in her throat. The man on the floor moved his head fractionally in a negative shake and squeezed her hand again
"No. sorry. Has to end."
Cordelia nodded and her back straightened as she prepared herself
"It will I promise you. I will bring them down and I will make them pay."
She freed her hand from his loose grasp and gently laid it onto his chest
"Close your eyes and think of home."
She gave one final caress to the side of his face and sat back on her heels bringing the axe in front of her to grip firmly in both hands
"Close your eyes and think of home and know that I send you there with love."
The man looked at her one final time and whispered
"Thank.you."
He closed his eyes and Cordelia reared onto her knees bringing the axe over her head and then downwards in a powerful arc that cut through the exposed throat before her and rang on the floor beneath it as she severed the head from the body. She remained frozen for a moment and then slowly her body began to fall until she lay across the slain man's chest and the only sound in the small chamber was the sound of her pitiful sobs.
Lorne sat back and eyed the two men before him as he finished telling them all he knew. He jumped as Wesley pounded the table with a clenched fist and snarled
"I'm going to kill her."
Well that was good. Killing Princess Seer wasn't what the Powers had in mind, Lorne thought but on a scale of one to ten it scored a twelve as opposed to killing the demon musical genius.
Gunn mirrored Lorne's movement and leaned in his chair crossing his hard smooth arms and replied flatly
"Get in line."
Wesley's eyes bored into the Host's
"You're absolutely sure that she went to Wolfram and Hart of her own accord? She wasn't forced in any way?"
Lorne licked his lips and nodded nervously
"Yep. Your little bird flew there under her own power all right. She's caught up in something that's beyond her control now and she might be having some problems leaving the coop." "And Lindsey McDonald is there with her?"
Lorne winced as Wesley's voice rang with savagery
"Yes but I told you he's in as much danger as she is. More maybe. That little girlie sure is full of the old fightin' spirit."
Gunn snorted and gripped the edge of the table and Lorne tried not to picture just how much damage could be done to the renegade seer with those big strong hands
"She better have a never ending supply of it I know that much. When I catch hold of her."
His voice trailed off and he stared into space. Lorne flinched as pictures reached him of exactly how much punishment Cordy could expect when her two outraged friends caught up with her
"Guys please. Still connected here."
Gunn pushed back form the table suddenly and stood looking down at Wesley
"Let's go we're wasting time."
The Englishman stood and nodded to the green skinned demon
"Thanks for the information."
They turned and left the club ignoring Lorne's ironic yell behind them
"Really don't mention it. Feel free to stop by and threaten me anytime. Here to help."
He sat back in his chair and glared as they disappeared up the steps to the outside world and waved a hand for the barman
"Elian honey. Seabreeze. Extra breezy."
Lindsey approached Cordelia cautiously. She had finally quietened down and still lay across the man's body amongst his many victims. He cleared his throat and when that failed to get no response said quietly
"Cordelia? Cordelia you have to get up. We need to keep moving."
He thought at first she was too lost in her guilt and misery to hear him but she slowly pulled back from the body and raised her face to his. He sucked in a breath as he saw that she was almost completely covered in the dead man's blood with lighter traces of pink streaking across her face from her tears
"Why?"
He stared at her for a moment in confusion and then said
"Because we don't know what else is down here and the demons up there are going to find a way in pretty soon. We have to keep ahead of them."
Cordelia shrugged and allowed her gaze to roam around the chamber taking in the ruined lives and destroyed bodies
"What's the point? They're gonna catch us anyway. May as well be here."
Lindsey frowned and his mind raced as he realised she was quite possibly in shock and on the verge of snapping after what she had been forced to do
"Cordelia get up!"
His voice was firm and brooked no defiance but the girl on the floor just stared blankly up at him and then turned away to stare at the decapitated body beside her once more
"Cordelia I'm warning you. I'll drag you out of here by your hair if I have too but we are leaving now!"
He reached down to grab her arm and she wrenched it away hissing
"Don't touch me! Just leave me alone!"
He straightened and threw his hands in the air in frustration
"What is your deal? We won, get over it. Now we have to keep winning and we can't do that with you sitting there like some kicked puppy because you had to put a savage animal down."
Cordelia stared at him with her mouth hanging open as he shouted and her eyes flashed and then all the strength seemed to leave her body and she sagged once again
"He wasn't an animal he was a human being and I killed him."
The words were spoken so softly Lindsey almost didn't hear them and then he sank down beside her and laid his false hand gently on her arm. He thought for a moment she was going to shrug him off again when the arm tensed and shivered under his touch but slowly her eyes drifted up to lock onto his. He swallowed at the pain and desperation he saw there and said gently
"Cordelia you did what you had to do. He wanted to die and the pain to end. He begged you to help him and you did. That's what you do right? Help the helpless. You killed him to set him free."
Her eyes filled with fresh tears at the calm words and she swallowed to clear her throat
"I went through high school with a werewolf. He never knew what he had done when he was wild. He had no memory and no control over what he did. We used to lock him in a cage in our library for three nights a month and for those three nights it was like Oz never existed. He used to turn and we'd lose our friend but then every morning the sun would come up and he'd come back. He was as human as I am"
The tears spilled down her face and she began to shake
"I killed an innocent. I slaughtered him because it was the easy option. This could have been Oz and I killed him!"
Her voice rose in horror and Lindsey reacted without thinking and pulled her into his embrace. It was a measure of how shaken Cordelia was that she didn't tense or fight him but collapsed against his chest and sobbed into his shirt. Her arms crept around him and she clutched him to her as sobs shook her body and Lindsey fought back his own surprise at the instinctual comfort he had offered and gathered her closer. He patted her back with his fake hand and then tentatively began to stroke her hair with the other. When she made no objection he relaxed his hold for a moment and scooped her onto his lap like a child and settled against his body resuming the stroking of her hair and rocking her gently backwards and forwards. Cordelia burrowed into his warmth and held on as the sobs strengthened and threatened to shake her apart.