Lindsey and Faith met Angel and his crew in an abandoned warehouse at
eight the next morning. The car ride there had been silent, with neither of
them feeling comfortable enough to talk about what had happened the night
before.
"Do you have what you want?" Lindsey asked Angel. "Can I leave now?"
"What else do you know about the scroll?" the vampire replied.
"You read it. You know everything I do."
Angel motioned for Fred and Wesley to explain to the others the contents of the scroll. A bleary-eyed Fred pointed out stick figures on a white board while Wesley gave his presentation.
"The prophesy states that the son of the ensouled vampire and another unnamed person will launch a battle against the forces of Wolfram & Hart, destroying their center and closing them down for good," he said. Fred pointed to two tiny stick people, then to a building overshadowed by a lot of dark squiggles.
"But that's impossible," Angel protested. "All of Connor's memories were altered. He's living the normal life of a college student."
Lorne broke in. "You can't change a person's destiny, Angel-cakes."
"What about Cordelia?" asked Gunn. "Does it say if she'll wake up?"
"We're not sure," Fred answered. "The prophesy does say that the Lost One will return, but that's pretty vague."
Faith said, "The Oglar demon that went after Lindsey is going to go after Connor."
"Are you certain?" Wesley asked.
"Positive. I saw it in a dream, and those goddamn dreams are always right."
Angel strode purposefully across the room. "So we need to find Connor. Now. Without the Senior Partners finding out about it." The others nodded in agreement, all except for Lindsey.
"My work here is done," said Lindsey, heading for the door. Angel cut him off.
"You're not going anywhere," he said. "You know more about Wolfram & Hart than the rest of us combined. You need to find out how they intend to find this other person."
"Why the hell would I help you any more than I have?" he asked. "Now let me go."
Angel growled but let him leave, and Faith moved quickly to the door.
"Do you intend to follow your new boyfriend?" Angel snarled. Faith didn't ask how he knew about them. He'd probably smelled them on each other or something equally creepy.
"I intend to stick around and help you save your son, but I might be able to get Lindsey to do the same." She stalked out after him.
Faith caught up with him as he ran down the stairs. It was dark, and the dust accumulation told her nobody had used the warehouse for months.
"Lindsey, stop!" she ordered. He ignored her and picked up speed. When it was clear that he wasn't going to stop, she launched herself over the railing and landed on top of him, pinning him to the floor.
"In the mood again?" he asked, all venom. She reigned in an impulse to beat the shit out of him.
"No. But innocent people will die if you don't stop being a twit."
"I doubt it," Lindsey replied. "Angel will find a way to save them. He always does."
"Damn it, McDonald, stop being a stubborn asshole and just do it!"
His eyes narrowed. "Why do you care if I help?"
That was a good question -- one she'd been asking herself since the night before, as she'd fallen asleep in his arms. In a flash of unaccustomed insight, she figured it out. It wasn't so much that Angel needed the help: If his son's life was in danger, he'd move the heavens to make things right. Her very real fear was that Lindsey's soul was still in limbo. During his rare unguarded moments, she sensed the lostness she herself had been mired in just a few short years ago. Angel hadn't given up on her, and she resolved that she wouldn't give up on Lindsey. She lowered her face to his.
"I know you're better than this," she whispered. She gripped his replacement hand in hers and pulled it to her chest.
Lindsey stared at her, for the first time in his life at a loss for words. He didn't know why he nodded, or why he agreed to put his life on the line for the world's most arrogant vampire and his bastard son.
Boy, I must really be whipped, he thought, as he followed Faith back up the stairs.
"Do you have what you want?" Lindsey asked Angel. "Can I leave now?"
"What else do you know about the scroll?" the vampire replied.
"You read it. You know everything I do."
Angel motioned for Fred and Wesley to explain to the others the contents of the scroll. A bleary-eyed Fred pointed out stick figures on a white board while Wesley gave his presentation.
"The prophesy states that the son of the ensouled vampire and another unnamed person will launch a battle against the forces of Wolfram & Hart, destroying their center and closing them down for good," he said. Fred pointed to two tiny stick people, then to a building overshadowed by a lot of dark squiggles.
"But that's impossible," Angel protested. "All of Connor's memories were altered. He's living the normal life of a college student."
Lorne broke in. "You can't change a person's destiny, Angel-cakes."
"What about Cordelia?" asked Gunn. "Does it say if she'll wake up?"
"We're not sure," Fred answered. "The prophesy does say that the Lost One will return, but that's pretty vague."
Faith said, "The Oglar demon that went after Lindsey is going to go after Connor."
"Are you certain?" Wesley asked.
"Positive. I saw it in a dream, and those goddamn dreams are always right."
Angel strode purposefully across the room. "So we need to find Connor. Now. Without the Senior Partners finding out about it." The others nodded in agreement, all except for Lindsey.
"My work here is done," said Lindsey, heading for the door. Angel cut him off.
"You're not going anywhere," he said. "You know more about Wolfram & Hart than the rest of us combined. You need to find out how they intend to find this other person."
"Why the hell would I help you any more than I have?" he asked. "Now let me go."
Angel growled but let him leave, and Faith moved quickly to the door.
"Do you intend to follow your new boyfriend?" Angel snarled. Faith didn't ask how he knew about them. He'd probably smelled them on each other or something equally creepy.
"I intend to stick around and help you save your son, but I might be able to get Lindsey to do the same." She stalked out after him.
Faith caught up with him as he ran down the stairs. It was dark, and the dust accumulation told her nobody had used the warehouse for months.
"Lindsey, stop!" she ordered. He ignored her and picked up speed. When it was clear that he wasn't going to stop, she launched herself over the railing and landed on top of him, pinning him to the floor.
"In the mood again?" he asked, all venom. She reigned in an impulse to beat the shit out of him.
"No. But innocent people will die if you don't stop being a twit."
"I doubt it," Lindsey replied. "Angel will find a way to save them. He always does."
"Damn it, McDonald, stop being a stubborn asshole and just do it!"
His eyes narrowed. "Why do you care if I help?"
That was a good question -- one she'd been asking herself since the night before, as she'd fallen asleep in his arms. In a flash of unaccustomed insight, she figured it out. It wasn't so much that Angel needed the help: If his son's life was in danger, he'd move the heavens to make things right. Her very real fear was that Lindsey's soul was still in limbo. During his rare unguarded moments, she sensed the lostness she herself had been mired in just a few short years ago. Angel hadn't given up on her, and she resolved that she wouldn't give up on Lindsey. She lowered her face to his.
"I know you're better than this," she whispered. She gripped his replacement hand in hers and pulled it to her chest.
Lindsey stared at her, for the first time in his life at a loss for words. He didn't know why he nodded, or why he agreed to put his life on the line for the world's most arrogant vampire and his bastard son.
Boy, I must really be whipped, he thought, as he followed Faith back up the stairs.