Lyrics: "Call Me" by Blondie
*~*~*
About halfway to Sunnydale, Wesley grabbed the wheel and steered them off the road. "We have to go back!"
Cordelia slammed on the brakes. "What are you doing? We have to go save Buffy!"
Wesley shook his head, his eyes wild. "No! She's not in trouble! Eve and Allison are! We have to go back! Now!"
Gunn reached out from the backseat. "Hey! I think Cordy got the job as vision girl here. Now just sit back. We'll be home to your pixie in no time."
Wesley practically growled and grabbed Gunn's shirtfront. "We go back. NOW."
Cordelia gasped in shock. "Wesley! What the hell has gotten into you?"
He opened the passenger side door. "I'll hitch-hike if I have to. They're in trouble. The vision must not have been real."
She crossed her arms. "Are you saying I'm a liar?"
"Not at all. I think the vision was to distract us from the real danger." He stepped out of the car. "Now you're either with me or you're not."
There were a couple of thumps from the trunk, indicating the occupant had something to say. Wesley grabbed a wool blanket from the backseat and held it blocking the sun while Gunn opened the trunk. Angel stayed in the shade of the blanket. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Angel, we have to go back. Eve and Allison are in danger."
Gunn rolled his eyes. "Suddenly Wesley here thinks HE'S the seer."
Angel looked to Wesley's face, studying it. "What about Buffy?"
Wesley shook his head. "The vision was just a distraction. Please, Angel I am begging you. We have to go back." His eyes were pleading.
After a few moments, Angel nodded. "We go back."
*~*~*
Eve carried Allison into Lindsey's office and stared out the awesome view. "This is quite a place they've set you up with."
Lindsey smiled and closed the door behind them. "Thank you. Would you like something to drink?" He walked over to the small mini-bar and poured himself a drink.
"Just some water please." Allison fussed a little, starting to cry. Eve looked over to Lindsey. "Would you mind turning for a moment? I think she's hungry." He nodded and turned around while Eve positioned the baby to eat and covered up. "Thank you," she said, sitting down in his chair.
He handed her some water. "Eve, we mean you no harm here."
She nodded and took a sip. "But I am a prisoner." She set the glass on his desk and rocked Allison slowly. "Do you have children, Mr. McDonald?"
He shook his head. "No, I don't." He sat on the edge of the desk. "Haven't had the time to worry about a family life."
She looked puzzled by this. "Why would a family be a worry?" She looked to her feeding baby. "I find a family a great joy that is taken for granted by so many."
He grinned. "I'm sure an attractive pixie such as yourself will have no trouble obtaining a large family."
She saddened. "Mr. McDonald, I can only bare one child. Then I die."
He lost his grin. "What?"
She looked at his eyes. "After a pixie gives birth she is allowed a few years with the child to train and nurture them before she dies. That it how I have lived so long."
He swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"Of course you didn't. Why should they tell you what they really plan for my Allison? Do you realize what she will be capable of?"
He shook his head.
"She will be one of, if not THE most powerful being on this Earth."
*~*~*
Wesley leapt out of the car as soon as it stopped in front of the Hyperian and bolted for Eve's room to find her gone. He was trembling as he searched each room, screaming her name as loud as he could while Cordelia and Gunn helped Angel in with the blanket.
Wesley came back to the lobby as pale as a ghost. "They're gone."
Angel sniffed the air. "Someone was in here." He went up to Eve's room and sniffed around some more, avoiding the light from the window. When he came back downstairs, his look was that of pure anger. "Wolfram and Hart have her. Lindsey was here."
Wesley's eyes narrowed. "We have to get them back."
Gunn furrowed his brow. "Now, you SMELLED him? That's just nasty."
Angel placed his hands on Wesley's shoulders. "We'll get them back. Let's wait till nightfall though."
Wesley shook his head. "We have to get her back now. I can't stand the thought of them there with those monsters."
"They aren't going to hurt her with the baby this young. They need them both." Angel looked to the others. "Can you two do a little undercover and see if you can find out where they're holding her?"
Cordelia nodded. "I'm on it." She grabbed Gunn's sleeve and headed out the door.
Wesley went to follow but Angel stopped him. "Let them go, Wes. You're too shaken up."
The ex-watcher scowled. "You can't keep me here, Angel. My daughter is in danger!"
"Don't make me force you."
"Try it." Wesley held up his fists.
Instead of rolling his eyes, Angel knocked him out.
*~*~*
Allison lay sleeping in a bassinet that Lindsey had called for while Eve stood staring out his office window. Her powers were gone. She knew it. They had been given to the baby now. There was nothing she could do but comply with their wishes and pray that Angel and Wesley could make it back in time.
Lindsey stuck his good hand in his pocket and stood by her, also looking out the window. "It's a big city out that window."
"It's an even bigger world beyond that city. All I wanted was for Allison to learn to love life and the world that it thrives in." She leaned her forehead on the cool glass. "And now look what I have allowed to happen. I will die knowing that my daughter will be used."
"What do you think that Wolfram and Hart are going to do with your daughter?"
She closed her eyes. "Her power to predict someone's death will be handy. They'll try and keep their clientele alive while using her mental abilities to kill those who stand in their way. She is going to be their invincible warrior." She sighed. "But what they don't realize is that she will probably be killed by the higher powers before that will happen. My sacrifice will have meant nothing. I will have given my life to her for nothing."
He looked at his feet. "I'm sorry."
She chuckled. "No, you're not. Otherwise you would help me instead of keeping me prisoner here." She looked away from the window to face him. "I've seen you through the eyes of another. I remember now. They saw hope in you. The thought that you would come around and leave here."
He looked at her. "Who?"
She smiled, the warmth returning to her eyes. "Someone who would love you if you only let her. If you would only leave this evil." She reached out and touched his face. "You are not evil. You've simply been tainted. But that can change."
He moved away from her touch. "They'll hunt me down. They'll try and kill me."
She sighed. "That's a small risk for salvation. And you know as well as I do that Angel would protect you if you would just let him."
The door opened, stopping any further conversation as Lilah walked in. "Good afternoon," she smiled as she approached Eve. "Glad to see you're doing well. I'm Lilah Morgan." She offered her hand.
Eve shook it. "Hello, Miss Morgan. I take it you're well?"
She smiled. "I am. Thank you." She turned to Lindsey. "We pulled this off of security cameras about ten minutes ago." She handed him a manila envelope.
He opened it. There was a set of about ten photos, from the lobby, the upper hall and outside his office. There were two people, trying to look like lawyers, snooping about. He recognized them as Angel's associates. "Were they captured?"
Lilah shook her head. "No. They left shortly after those photos were taken with no incident. They didn't want to stir up more trouble than necessary." She turned to Eve. "Most likely they were looking for you."
Eve smiled. "It pays to have friends. You should try that sometime."
Lilah's smile faded. "We're moving her and the baby. Now."
Lindsey nodded. "They can stay at my place."
Lilah scoffed. "Big surprise you'd offer. But I think this is a woman that would do well in another woman's company."
Eve scowled and walked over to the bassinet, picking up Allison carefully. "I'll stay with Mr. McDonald. He has been nothing but a gentleman. And he doesn't reek of whatever the hell that fragrance is that you're wearing."
Lindsey tried not to chuckle as Lilah stormed out. "Fine," she shot back.
*~*~*
Wesley awoke close to dusk with a pounding headache. Angel was standing by him with a glass of water and two white pills. "Some pain reliever?" he offered.
Wesley sat up slowly and took the pills. "Thank you." He choked back the water and looked up at him. "Any news?"
"Cordelia said they were keeping her in Lindsey's office. We'll check there again but I think they'd sent her somewhere else to sleep."
"What about his apartment?"
"That's what I'm thinking. You up for a little life-saving?"
He stood, his head suddenly clear with the thought of saving the two. "Ready."
*~*~*
This was something that Lindsey never thought he'd see. There was a crib in his spare bedroom with a rocking chair where a mother sat, cradling her baby. It made him stop to think about what he was really doing. Maybe she was right. If he could just get away then things could be better. He sipped on his scotch and watched her from the doorway. She was singing softly to her child, putting the baby to sleep. He smiled a little.
She stopped her singing and placed Allison, now asleep, into the crib and tucked her in before turning to him. "What are you thinking?" she asked him.
He shrugged. "I'm not sure."
She smiled and walked past him towards the kitchen. "Are you worried what Wolfram and Hart are going to do when you help me?" she called over her shoulder.
He followed her. "What?"
She smiled as she pulled out some meat and cheese from his fridge. Something about that smile made his heart skip a beat. "I've been reading humans for centuries. Even without my mental powers I can tell you want to help." She began fixing two sandwiches. "Thank you, Lindsey."
He chuckled and stood next to her. "Are you so sure about everything?"
She nodded. "Always." She handed him a sandwich. "Eat."
*~*~*
Angel, Wesley, Gunn and Cordelia filed down the hall to Lindsey's apartment with confidence in their walk. Wesley took the lead and once to the door, knocked rather politely as he covered the peephole. When the door opened he had a gun trained straight ahead.
"WESLEY!" Eve shrieked as she jumped back from the door.
He quickly tossed the gun aside and pulled her into his arms. "Thank God you're safe!"
She hugged him back. "Of course I'm safe, Wesley. Lindsey would never hurt me. He's going to go against Wolfram and Hart." She pulled back from the hug and stepped to the side. "Won't you all come in?"
Angel paused at the door. "Uh, I need..."
She shook her head. "I live here right now. My invitation is good."
He nodded and stepped in. "Where IS Lindsey?"
She sat on the couch. "In the shower. Keep your voices down please. Allison is sleeping."
The four "investigators" stood in shock. They had been expecting a fight and now it seemed as if they were going to be asked...
"Would anyone like some coffee?" Eve smiled up at them all.
"Nah, I'm cool," Gunn declined.
"Same here," Cordelia quirked as she kept her eyes on the front door.
Wesley sat next to her. "We have to get you and Allison out of here and to safety."
Angel kept his eyes on Lindsey's bathroom door. "Eve, let's go now."
She shook her head. "Will you all relax? Lindsey's not going to let them get me or my baby. He's on our side now." She motioned to some bags by his bedroom. "He's coming with us. He'll need protection."
They heard the shower stop.
Gunn shifted on his feet. "I'm not liking this."
Cordelia looked nervous as well. "If he's going against WH they could be here any minute. We really should bail."
Eve nodded. "Let me gather up Allison's things. Lindsey should be dressed by then and we can go." She stood and headed to the makeshift nursery. Soon, Wesley felt his heart melt as he heard the soft coo of his daughter. Eve brought out Allison with a smile and handed her to Wesley. "Would you hold her?"
He smiled as he took the little one in his arms and stared in awe at what he had helped create. Allison had her mother's startling blue eyes, which gazed up at him in innocent wonder. He felt tears come to his eyes.
"Congratulations."
Wesley's eyes shot up to face Lindsey, his look hardening. "Stay away."
Lindsey frowned and took a step back. "I'm sorry."
Eve came out with a diaper bag and noticed the two men. "Oh I don't believe this." She handed the bag to Cordelia. "Knock it off. Have you got that? I will not stick around people who will have such petty bickering."
Gunn scoffed. "Petty? No offence, lady, but you realize what this guy has done, right?"
"Yes. And I also know what each and every one of you has done. We aren't saints and we are here to help save souls. Even his." She put her hands on her hips. "I deem it so."
"Well now, that's not as much of a threat," Lilah mocked from the front door.
Eve instinctively went to Wesley and Allison.
Three guards stood behind Lilah as she entered. "You see, we figured something out, Eve. You don't have any powers left. So deeming something means didly-squat." She smiled. "As for you're friends? Well, unless you want them dead, you'll turn over the baby." She stepped up to Wesley.
Angel vamped and growled as he grabbed Lilah by the throat. "I wouldn't if I were you."
She tried to smile. "You want to risk the lives of your friends?"
Two guards pulled guns and trained them on Cordelia and Gunn. Angel let go of Lilah and took a step back.
Lindsey stepped forward. "Lilah, what are you doing?"
She smiled. "I had a feeling you'd try to pull something like this."
Eve stepped forward. "Wesley, give me Allison." She held out her arms.
Wesley shifted the baby carefully to her mother. "What are you going to do?"
She rocked the baby gently and kissed her forehead. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come down to this." She closed her eyes and the others watched as the guards trained their weapons on Lilah. "Leave now."
Lilah was in shock. "But how?"
Eve opened her eyes. "Allison." She smiled. "Now leave or die. You're choice."
Lilah narrowed her eyes and backed up. "This isn't over." She backed all the way out into the hallway and left, the guards following close behind with another suggestion from Eve.
When the door closed, Eve handed the baby to Wesley and passed out.
*~*~*
Lindsey leaned on the doorframe of Eve's room and watched her sleep. She hadn't woken up in four hours. She looked so peaceful. And she had given so much to help everyone. He was afraid that she wouldn't wake up. He sighed and shoved his hand in his pocket, turning for the hall again. He gasped a little when he found Angel standing there.
Angel stepped up to him. "I've never trusted you, but I trust her. And she has faith in you. If that faith is misplaced and she dies because of it…"
Lindsey held up his hand. "Look, I'm not going back this time. Eve gave me a lot to think about. And if she dies…" He sighed. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."
Angel looked into the room. "I'm not even sure what happened to her."
*~*~*
Wesley had been combing through the books for hours, only pausing every now and then to take care of Allison. The baby was watching or sleeping most of the time with an innocence so pure that it melted his heart. Cordelia had gotten some newborn formula and bottles and helped him with the feeding until he got used to it. But his mind was only half on his daughter. He was also thinking about the mother upstairs who had seemed to have fallen into a coma.
None of the texts he had told anything of the exchange that must have happened between Allison and Eve. And he had no way of finding out how to help her.
Wesley sprung up on his feet as the answer hit him in the face.
*~*~*
"Call me! My Line! Call me, call me, any anytime! Call me!" Wesley gripped the microphone tighter and sung his heart out to the tune by Blondie. "Color me your color baby! Color me with love! Wrap me in designer sheets, I'll never get enough! Come up off your color charts! I know where you're coming from! Call me!"
The bar hooted and howled with applause and sympathy. The host quickly sauntered up to the stage and took the microphone from him. "Let's give him a hand!" He quickly passed off the mic to someone else and helped Wesley off the stage. "That's some serious venturing for you. You did Debbie Harry like ham on... Well you did okay, kid." He sat Wesley down and ordered up a Seabreeze. "Now you're here about your pixie and the little bit of trouble she's gotten herself into."
He nodded. "How do I help her?"
The demon blinked his beady red eyes. "Who's to say you're supposed to?" He sipped his drink. "Look, I know you've fallen in love with her, Casanova, but the truth is pixies aren't made to be loved. You have a healthy baby now."
"A daughter who will suffer the same fate as her mother? How can I even begin to help her with her powers?"
He sighed and sat back, taking another drink. "She borrowed the powers from your baby. It was a little more than her body could take. She should be fine in a couple of days." He grinned. "Now YOU on the other hand..."
Wesley perked up. "What about me?"
"This whole fatherhood business, not what you expected, huh?"
He rubbed his temples. "I never thought about being a father before. But when I look at Allison..." He smiled. "She's the most amazing thing in the world."
The host smiled back. "My advice to you is, do the domestic thing. Get all Martha Stewart and Julia Child. Spend as much time with your kid as you can. Very few really take the time to enjoy family life."
Wesley took a moment to dissect those words. "Eve's not going to be around that long, is she?" He choked on the words.
The host looked down at his drink. "It took a lot out of her to make sure that Allison wouldn't be taken. She erased the memory of those lawyers. They think that the baby's dead." He stood. "She's got another couple of months. Make those the best of her life." He set his drink down and went up to the stage to help the next in line.
*~*~*
When Wesley walked into the lobby he went up to Eve's room and laid next to her. A tiny coo from the crib by the window made him stand and go over to it. Allison looked up to him with her mother's blue eyes. He picked her up slowly and rocked her as he went over to the bed. "Allison, say hello to your mother." He held back tears as he laid her in the bed next to Eve. The baby seemed very happy there next to her mother.
*~*~*
Wesley bolted up from sleep in a cold sweat. Looking around he saw that he was in his apartment. Alone. Reaching over, he grabbed the phone and dialed up Angel.
The groggy voice at the other end was obviously tired. "Hello?"
"Angel, it's Wesley. Are Eve and Allison all right?"
There was a pause. "Eve left last night after our drive. Who's Allison?"
"My daughter! Eve went for a drive? But how…" That's when it hit him. Allison never existed. Eve had only been by the office briefly that night.
He had dreamed the entire thing.
All of it. The baby, the kidnapping, Lindsey coming over to their side. All of it. Well, at least he really didn't sing.
"Wesley, are you there?" Angel's voice was concerned.
"Yes, I am." He told Angel the entire dream. Everything down to the last detail. It was so vivid! He could even hear Allison's tiny heartbeat…
*~*~*
After assuring Wesley that it had all been a dream, Angel hung up the phone and sighed. He turned to Eve who was standing next to him. "He thinks it's a dream," he informed her.
Eve nodded, still a little weak and looked down at the baby in her arms. "It's best that way. That way he'll be able to get on with his life."
"I don't like this."
"Neither do I, but I have to keep him safe."
"You made Lindsey go back to Wolfram and Hart."
"The only reason he left was because of Allison and I. And to make this believable he had to go back. Or else things would get messed up." He stood and kissed Angel's cheek. "I hope Allison will be able to be your friend."
He grinned at the baby. "Of course. Where are you going to go?"
"Probably out to Italy." She swung her bag over her shoulder. "Goodbye."
He turned from her and didn't reply.
*~*~*
Lindsey moved his desk lamp slightly to the left. Then he moved it back again. He couldn't describe it, but something just felt out of place. He had fussed around his office all morning to no avail. He just knew that there was something else wrong. He'd had such a vivid dream the night before. There was a woman named Eve and her pixie baby, Allison. Then he had left W&H in his dream to work for Angel.
He slammed his desk drawer closed after sifting through it.
Lilah smiled from the door. "Having problems?"
He glared. "You count as one?"
*~*~*
Eve sat in her car and looked up to Wesley's apartment window. It was breaking her heart to have to leave him, but it had to be done. Like nothing ever happened. The link would have to be broken.
She wiped a tear from her eye and tucked Allison in her carseat a little more before driving away…
*~*~*
About halfway to Sunnydale, Wesley grabbed the wheel and steered them off the road. "We have to go back!"
Cordelia slammed on the brakes. "What are you doing? We have to go save Buffy!"
Wesley shook his head, his eyes wild. "No! She's not in trouble! Eve and Allison are! We have to go back! Now!"
Gunn reached out from the backseat. "Hey! I think Cordy got the job as vision girl here. Now just sit back. We'll be home to your pixie in no time."
Wesley practically growled and grabbed Gunn's shirtfront. "We go back. NOW."
Cordelia gasped in shock. "Wesley! What the hell has gotten into you?"
He opened the passenger side door. "I'll hitch-hike if I have to. They're in trouble. The vision must not have been real."
She crossed her arms. "Are you saying I'm a liar?"
"Not at all. I think the vision was to distract us from the real danger." He stepped out of the car. "Now you're either with me or you're not."
There were a couple of thumps from the trunk, indicating the occupant had something to say. Wesley grabbed a wool blanket from the backseat and held it blocking the sun while Gunn opened the trunk. Angel stayed in the shade of the blanket. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Angel, we have to go back. Eve and Allison are in danger."
Gunn rolled his eyes. "Suddenly Wesley here thinks HE'S the seer."
Angel looked to Wesley's face, studying it. "What about Buffy?"
Wesley shook his head. "The vision was just a distraction. Please, Angel I am begging you. We have to go back." His eyes were pleading.
After a few moments, Angel nodded. "We go back."
*~*~*
Eve carried Allison into Lindsey's office and stared out the awesome view. "This is quite a place they've set you up with."
Lindsey smiled and closed the door behind them. "Thank you. Would you like something to drink?" He walked over to the small mini-bar and poured himself a drink.
"Just some water please." Allison fussed a little, starting to cry. Eve looked over to Lindsey. "Would you mind turning for a moment? I think she's hungry." He nodded and turned around while Eve positioned the baby to eat and covered up. "Thank you," she said, sitting down in his chair.
He handed her some water. "Eve, we mean you no harm here."
She nodded and took a sip. "But I am a prisoner." She set the glass on his desk and rocked Allison slowly. "Do you have children, Mr. McDonald?"
He shook his head. "No, I don't." He sat on the edge of the desk. "Haven't had the time to worry about a family life."
She looked puzzled by this. "Why would a family be a worry?" She looked to her feeding baby. "I find a family a great joy that is taken for granted by so many."
He grinned. "I'm sure an attractive pixie such as yourself will have no trouble obtaining a large family."
She saddened. "Mr. McDonald, I can only bare one child. Then I die."
He lost his grin. "What?"
She looked at his eyes. "After a pixie gives birth she is allowed a few years with the child to train and nurture them before she dies. That it how I have lived so long."
He swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"Of course you didn't. Why should they tell you what they really plan for my Allison? Do you realize what she will be capable of?"
He shook his head.
"She will be one of, if not THE most powerful being on this Earth."
*~*~*
Wesley leapt out of the car as soon as it stopped in front of the Hyperian and bolted for Eve's room to find her gone. He was trembling as he searched each room, screaming her name as loud as he could while Cordelia and Gunn helped Angel in with the blanket.
Wesley came back to the lobby as pale as a ghost. "They're gone."
Angel sniffed the air. "Someone was in here." He went up to Eve's room and sniffed around some more, avoiding the light from the window. When he came back downstairs, his look was that of pure anger. "Wolfram and Hart have her. Lindsey was here."
Wesley's eyes narrowed. "We have to get them back."
Gunn furrowed his brow. "Now, you SMELLED him? That's just nasty."
Angel placed his hands on Wesley's shoulders. "We'll get them back. Let's wait till nightfall though."
Wesley shook his head. "We have to get her back now. I can't stand the thought of them there with those monsters."
"They aren't going to hurt her with the baby this young. They need them both." Angel looked to the others. "Can you two do a little undercover and see if you can find out where they're holding her?"
Cordelia nodded. "I'm on it." She grabbed Gunn's sleeve and headed out the door.
Wesley went to follow but Angel stopped him. "Let them go, Wes. You're too shaken up."
The ex-watcher scowled. "You can't keep me here, Angel. My daughter is in danger!"
"Don't make me force you."
"Try it." Wesley held up his fists.
Instead of rolling his eyes, Angel knocked him out.
*~*~*
Allison lay sleeping in a bassinet that Lindsey had called for while Eve stood staring out his office window. Her powers were gone. She knew it. They had been given to the baby now. There was nothing she could do but comply with their wishes and pray that Angel and Wesley could make it back in time.
Lindsey stuck his good hand in his pocket and stood by her, also looking out the window. "It's a big city out that window."
"It's an even bigger world beyond that city. All I wanted was for Allison to learn to love life and the world that it thrives in." She leaned her forehead on the cool glass. "And now look what I have allowed to happen. I will die knowing that my daughter will be used."
"What do you think that Wolfram and Hart are going to do with your daughter?"
She closed her eyes. "Her power to predict someone's death will be handy. They'll try and keep their clientele alive while using her mental abilities to kill those who stand in their way. She is going to be their invincible warrior." She sighed. "But what they don't realize is that she will probably be killed by the higher powers before that will happen. My sacrifice will have meant nothing. I will have given my life to her for nothing."
He looked at his feet. "I'm sorry."
She chuckled. "No, you're not. Otherwise you would help me instead of keeping me prisoner here." She looked away from the window to face him. "I've seen you through the eyes of another. I remember now. They saw hope in you. The thought that you would come around and leave here."
He looked at her. "Who?"
She smiled, the warmth returning to her eyes. "Someone who would love you if you only let her. If you would only leave this evil." She reached out and touched his face. "You are not evil. You've simply been tainted. But that can change."
He moved away from her touch. "They'll hunt me down. They'll try and kill me."
She sighed. "That's a small risk for salvation. And you know as well as I do that Angel would protect you if you would just let him."
The door opened, stopping any further conversation as Lilah walked in. "Good afternoon," she smiled as she approached Eve. "Glad to see you're doing well. I'm Lilah Morgan." She offered her hand.
Eve shook it. "Hello, Miss Morgan. I take it you're well?"
She smiled. "I am. Thank you." She turned to Lindsey. "We pulled this off of security cameras about ten minutes ago." She handed him a manila envelope.
He opened it. There was a set of about ten photos, from the lobby, the upper hall and outside his office. There were two people, trying to look like lawyers, snooping about. He recognized them as Angel's associates. "Were they captured?"
Lilah shook her head. "No. They left shortly after those photos were taken with no incident. They didn't want to stir up more trouble than necessary." She turned to Eve. "Most likely they were looking for you."
Eve smiled. "It pays to have friends. You should try that sometime."
Lilah's smile faded. "We're moving her and the baby. Now."
Lindsey nodded. "They can stay at my place."
Lilah scoffed. "Big surprise you'd offer. But I think this is a woman that would do well in another woman's company."
Eve scowled and walked over to the bassinet, picking up Allison carefully. "I'll stay with Mr. McDonald. He has been nothing but a gentleman. And he doesn't reek of whatever the hell that fragrance is that you're wearing."
Lindsey tried not to chuckle as Lilah stormed out. "Fine," she shot back.
*~*~*
Wesley awoke close to dusk with a pounding headache. Angel was standing by him with a glass of water and two white pills. "Some pain reliever?" he offered.
Wesley sat up slowly and took the pills. "Thank you." He choked back the water and looked up at him. "Any news?"
"Cordelia said they were keeping her in Lindsey's office. We'll check there again but I think they'd sent her somewhere else to sleep."
"What about his apartment?"
"That's what I'm thinking. You up for a little life-saving?"
He stood, his head suddenly clear with the thought of saving the two. "Ready."
*~*~*
This was something that Lindsey never thought he'd see. There was a crib in his spare bedroom with a rocking chair where a mother sat, cradling her baby. It made him stop to think about what he was really doing. Maybe she was right. If he could just get away then things could be better. He sipped on his scotch and watched her from the doorway. She was singing softly to her child, putting the baby to sleep. He smiled a little.
She stopped her singing and placed Allison, now asleep, into the crib and tucked her in before turning to him. "What are you thinking?" she asked him.
He shrugged. "I'm not sure."
She smiled and walked past him towards the kitchen. "Are you worried what Wolfram and Hart are going to do when you help me?" she called over her shoulder.
He followed her. "What?"
She smiled as she pulled out some meat and cheese from his fridge. Something about that smile made his heart skip a beat. "I've been reading humans for centuries. Even without my mental powers I can tell you want to help." She began fixing two sandwiches. "Thank you, Lindsey."
He chuckled and stood next to her. "Are you so sure about everything?"
She nodded. "Always." She handed him a sandwich. "Eat."
*~*~*
Angel, Wesley, Gunn and Cordelia filed down the hall to Lindsey's apartment with confidence in their walk. Wesley took the lead and once to the door, knocked rather politely as he covered the peephole. When the door opened he had a gun trained straight ahead.
"WESLEY!" Eve shrieked as she jumped back from the door.
He quickly tossed the gun aside and pulled her into his arms. "Thank God you're safe!"
She hugged him back. "Of course I'm safe, Wesley. Lindsey would never hurt me. He's going to go against Wolfram and Hart." She pulled back from the hug and stepped to the side. "Won't you all come in?"
Angel paused at the door. "Uh, I need..."
She shook her head. "I live here right now. My invitation is good."
He nodded and stepped in. "Where IS Lindsey?"
She sat on the couch. "In the shower. Keep your voices down please. Allison is sleeping."
The four "investigators" stood in shock. They had been expecting a fight and now it seemed as if they were going to be asked...
"Would anyone like some coffee?" Eve smiled up at them all.
"Nah, I'm cool," Gunn declined.
"Same here," Cordelia quirked as she kept her eyes on the front door.
Wesley sat next to her. "We have to get you and Allison out of here and to safety."
Angel kept his eyes on Lindsey's bathroom door. "Eve, let's go now."
She shook her head. "Will you all relax? Lindsey's not going to let them get me or my baby. He's on our side now." She motioned to some bags by his bedroom. "He's coming with us. He'll need protection."
They heard the shower stop.
Gunn shifted on his feet. "I'm not liking this."
Cordelia looked nervous as well. "If he's going against WH they could be here any minute. We really should bail."
Eve nodded. "Let me gather up Allison's things. Lindsey should be dressed by then and we can go." She stood and headed to the makeshift nursery. Soon, Wesley felt his heart melt as he heard the soft coo of his daughter. Eve brought out Allison with a smile and handed her to Wesley. "Would you hold her?"
He smiled as he took the little one in his arms and stared in awe at what he had helped create. Allison had her mother's startling blue eyes, which gazed up at him in innocent wonder. He felt tears come to his eyes.
"Congratulations."
Wesley's eyes shot up to face Lindsey, his look hardening. "Stay away."
Lindsey frowned and took a step back. "I'm sorry."
Eve came out with a diaper bag and noticed the two men. "Oh I don't believe this." She handed the bag to Cordelia. "Knock it off. Have you got that? I will not stick around people who will have such petty bickering."
Gunn scoffed. "Petty? No offence, lady, but you realize what this guy has done, right?"
"Yes. And I also know what each and every one of you has done. We aren't saints and we are here to help save souls. Even his." She put her hands on her hips. "I deem it so."
"Well now, that's not as much of a threat," Lilah mocked from the front door.
Eve instinctively went to Wesley and Allison.
Three guards stood behind Lilah as she entered. "You see, we figured something out, Eve. You don't have any powers left. So deeming something means didly-squat." She smiled. "As for you're friends? Well, unless you want them dead, you'll turn over the baby." She stepped up to Wesley.
Angel vamped and growled as he grabbed Lilah by the throat. "I wouldn't if I were you."
She tried to smile. "You want to risk the lives of your friends?"
Two guards pulled guns and trained them on Cordelia and Gunn. Angel let go of Lilah and took a step back.
Lindsey stepped forward. "Lilah, what are you doing?"
She smiled. "I had a feeling you'd try to pull something like this."
Eve stepped forward. "Wesley, give me Allison." She held out her arms.
Wesley shifted the baby carefully to her mother. "What are you going to do?"
She rocked the baby gently and kissed her forehead. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come down to this." She closed her eyes and the others watched as the guards trained their weapons on Lilah. "Leave now."
Lilah was in shock. "But how?"
Eve opened her eyes. "Allison." She smiled. "Now leave or die. You're choice."
Lilah narrowed her eyes and backed up. "This isn't over." She backed all the way out into the hallway and left, the guards following close behind with another suggestion from Eve.
When the door closed, Eve handed the baby to Wesley and passed out.
*~*~*
Lindsey leaned on the doorframe of Eve's room and watched her sleep. She hadn't woken up in four hours. She looked so peaceful. And she had given so much to help everyone. He was afraid that she wouldn't wake up. He sighed and shoved his hand in his pocket, turning for the hall again. He gasped a little when he found Angel standing there.
Angel stepped up to him. "I've never trusted you, but I trust her. And she has faith in you. If that faith is misplaced and she dies because of it…"
Lindsey held up his hand. "Look, I'm not going back this time. Eve gave me a lot to think about. And if she dies…" He sighed. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."
Angel looked into the room. "I'm not even sure what happened to her."
*~*~*
Wesley had been combing through the books for hours, only pausing every now and then to take care of Allison. The baby was watching or sleeping most of the time with an innocence so pure that it melted his heart. Cordelia had gotten some newborn formula and bottles and helped him with the feeding until he got used to it. But his mind was only half on his daughter. He was also thinking about the mother upstairs who had seemed to have fallen into a coma.
None of the texts he had told anything of the exchange that must have happened between Allison and Eve. And he had no way of finding out how to help her.
Wesley sprung up on his feet as the answer hit him in the face.
*~*~*
"Call me! My Line! Call me, call me, any anytime! Call me!" Wesley gripped the microphone tighter and sung his heart out to the tune by Blondie. "Color me your color baby! Color me with love! Wrap me in designer sheets, I'll never get enough! Come up off your color charts! I know where you're coming from! Call me!"
The bar hooted and howled with applause and sympathy. The host quickly sauntered up to the stage and took the microphone from him. "Let's give him a hand!" He quickly passed off the mic to someone else and helped Wesley off the stage. "That's some serious venturing for you. You did Debbie Harry like ham on... Well you did okay, kid." He sat Wesley down and ordered up a Seabreeze. "Now you're here about your pixie and the little bit of trouble she's gotten herself into."
He nodded. "How do I help her?"
The demon blinked his beady red eyes. "Who's to say you're supposed to?" He sipped his drink. "Look, I know you've fallen in love with her, Casanova, but the truth is pixies aren't made to be loved. You have a healthy baby now."
"A daughter who will suffer the same fate as her mother? How can I even begin to help her with her powers?"
He sighed and sat back, taking another drink. "She borrowed the powers from your baby. It was a little more than her body could take. She should be fine in a couple of days." He grinned. "Now YOU on the other hand..."
Wesley perked up. "What about me?"
"This whole fatherhood business, not what you expected, huh?"
He rubbed his temples. "I never thought about being a father before. But when I look at Allison..." He smiled. "She's the most amazing thing in the world."
The host smiled back. "My advice to you is, do the domestic thing. Get all Martha Stewart and Julia Child. Spend as much time with your kid as you can. Very few really take the time to enjoy family life."
Wesley took a moment to dissect those words. "Eve's not going to be around that long, is she?" He choked on the words.
The host looked down at his drink. "It took a lot out of her to make sure that Allison wouldn't be taken. She erased the memory of those lawyers. They think that the baby's dead." He stood. "She's got another couple of months. Make those the best of her life." He set his drink down and went up to the stage to help the next in line.
*~*~*
When Wesley walked into the lobby he went up to Eve's room and laid next to her. A tiny coo from the crib by the window made him stand and go over to it. Allison looked up to him with her mother's blue eyes. He picked her up slowly and rocked her as he went over to the bed. "Allison, say hello to your mother." He held back tears as he laid her in the bed next to Eve. The baby seemed very happy there next to her mother.
*~*~*
Wesley bolted up from sleep in a cold sweat. Looking around he saw that he was in his apartment. Alone. Reaching over, he grabbed the phone and dialed up Angel.
The groggy voice at the other end was obviously tired. "Hello?"
"Angel, it's Wesley. Are Eve and Allison all right?"
There was a pause. "Eve left last night after our drive. Who's Allison?"
"My daughter! Eve went for a drive? But how…" That's when it hit him. Allison never existed. Eve had only been by the office briefly that night.
He had dreamed the entire thing.
All of it. The baby, the kidnapping, Lindsey coming over to their side. All of it. Well, at least he really didn't sing.
"Wesley, are you there?" Angel's voice was concerned.
"Yes, I am." He told Angel the entire dream. Everything down to the last detail. It was so vivid! He could even hear Allison's tiny heartbeat…
*~*~*
After assuring Wesley that it had all been a dream, Angel hung up the phone and sighed. He turned to Eve who was standing next to him. "He thinks it's a dream," he informed her.
Eve nodded, still a little weak and looked down at the baby in her arms. "It's best that way. That way he'll be able to get on with his life."
"I don't like this."
"Neither do I, but I have to keep him safe."
"You made Lindsey go back to Wolfram and Hart."
"The only reason he left was because of Allison and I. And to make this believable he had to go back. Or else things would get messed up." He stood and kissed Angel's cheek. "I hope Allison will be able to be your friend."
He grinned at the baby. "Of course. Where are you going to go?"
"Probably out to Italy." She swung her bag over her shoulder. "Goodbye."
He turned from her and didn't reply.
*~*~*
Lindsey moved his desk lamp slightly to the left. Then he moved it back again. He couldn't describe it, but something just felt out of place. He had fussed around his office all morning to no avail. He just knew that there was something else wrong. He'd had such a vivid dream the night before. There was a woman named Eve and her pixie baby, Allison. Then he had left W&H in his dream to work for Angel.
He slammed his desk drawer closed after sifting through it.
Lilah smiled from the door. "Having problems?"
He glared. "You count as one?"
*~*~*
Eve sat in her car and looked up to Wesley's apartment window. It was breaking her heart to have to leave him, but it had to be done. Like nothing ever happened. The link would have to be broken.
She wiped a tear from her eye and tucked Allison in her carseat a little more before driving away…