*Chapter 4: THERE AND BACK AGAIN*

It has only been minutes, but Lilah feels like hours have passed. Slowly, the tears stop and she calms herself down. She has accomplished her mission. Will Wolfram and Hart pull her back to Hell immediately?

She listens to the silence around her. There are three dead bodies in the hotel, including hers and Angelus'.

Wesley might wake up soon. Lilah pulls her dead self off the ground, looking disdainfully at her bloodied clothes.

Lilah goes down to the basement and surveys the unconscious men.

She picks up the crowbar Cordelia used and raises it over Wesley's neck- "Sorry Wes, but this is for your own good-" and brings it down on him again, ensuring his silence.

Angelus gets tranqued yet again, and she haltingly drags each man out of the basement, out of the hotel, onto the sidewalk.

Barely able to walk anymore, she returns to the hotel and scoops up the paperweight, ruby and parchment.

The ruby is eerily glowing as it seems to suck a thin stream of red light from Cordelia's dead body. This must have been the power source for Cordelia, thinks Lilah, and now that she is dead the power is returning to it. As she clutches the ruby, her hand absorbs some of the light, giving her a little more energy, enough to strike a match and fling it onto Cordelia.

The flames eat the body up like it was made of flammable material, and flicks of fire travel on the blood as fast as oil.

Lilah watches the flames consume the lobby in a burst of glory, and leaves when the heat gets too close.

She kneels by Wesley's still body and deposits her treasures into his arms. Leaning over him, she kisses his warm cheek with her cold lips. Then she staggers as far away she can get before her body collapses in the gutter. Dimly she sees the rest of the Fang Gang return, their cries and screams as the fire guzzles up the hotel. They find Wesley and Angelus on the floor and Lilah drifts off with Fred's agonizing scream wafting in the smoky air.

"Cordy!"

~

Lilah does not expect to wake up in the street. She should be back in Hell by now, she's completed her mission.

The sun is shining. She feels the warmth kiss her pale cheeks and shoo away the dark.

Lilah turns her head and sees the looming burnt hulk of the Hyperion. There is no one around.

She drags herself to her feet and wonders when she will be yanked back to Hell. What game are they playing with her, letting her stay reanimated for a little while longer? Maybe this is a token reward. Maybe the ruby affected her.

Suddenly, Lilah remembers her empty grave. What if Wesley comes upon it one day? He would worry and think someone stole her body, or that she really isn't dead. Lilah doesn't think she will be resurrected anytime soon, and until that happens, he should move on with his life.

So Lilah decides that she should cover her grave, maybe even lie back down in it. The car is still parked in the alley.

~

By the time Lilah reaches her gravesite, the sun has set. She gets to work filling in the holes she created when she dug her way out. She is almost finished when she hears Gunn's voice.

"This is a nice place."

Lilah stiffens and jumps to her feet. Why are they here?

But Gunn is further down the cliff, with Fred, Lorne, Angel, Wesley, what looks like an urn and some shovels. They must be here to bury what's left of Cordelia.

She watches from behind the trees as they silently dig a small hole and almost reverently place the urn in it. Then they stand silently and stare at the mini grave in the ground.

Angel breaks the silence. "Why wasn't Cordelia dragged out of the hotel too? Why?"

"Maybe there wasn't enough time," says Fred tearfully. "At least you two were saved."

Wesley stands somberly looking at the grave.

"You do know that we have no idea even now why someone removed the sun and released the Beast," he says softly.

"You did a good job restoring Angel's soul," Fred says meekly. "And Angel did a good job killing that big bad hunk of rock with that big shiny ruby," says Lorne, staggering to a tree to hold onto. It is obvious that he is very drunk. "Who's got it now?"

Wesley holds it up.

"I have all three items. Why they left us a paperweight " his voice trails off.

They will never know that Cordelia was the bad one, realizes Lilah. She will let them have that peace of mind. They don't seem to have anything else.

Angel bends to the ground and touches the urn.

"Bye Cordy."

A sob breaks from his throat.

Gunn silently begins piling dirt onto the urn.

"What are we going to do about Wolfram and Hart?" asks Gunn gently.

"Nothing," says Angel angrily. "Screw them. We don't need them."

Lilah's ears perk up. Wolfram and Hart? No one and nothing is left of that place. "They offered it to us. We need to give them an answer before they stop waiting and kill us instead."

"We're at Cordelia's funeral and this is all you can think of!" yells Angel.

Lilah has heard enough. Wolfram and Hart must be up and running again, and that is where she should go next.

She sees Wesley break away from the shouting match that has started between Gunn and Angel and walk towards her grave. Thank goodness she has covered it up again.

He stands there and looks at the grass. "Just wondering how many more people I care about are going to die," he says bitterly.

"No more deaths for you," whispers Lilah. "I think it'll get better."

She blows him a kiss from a distance and leaves behind an empty grave and an urn.

~

Wolfram and Hart indeed has come back, along with traffic and howling dogs. She enters the building. It is not much different than before. She stands in the lobby for a minute or two, taking it all in. A voice comes from behind.

"Your fingernails aren't so pretty anymore."

Lilah whirls around and sees a young woman walking towards her. Where has she heard similar words before?

"Angel really did end up killing you, huh? Not for me, though."

"You're from the White Room," states Lilah.

"You remember me? I'm flattered. All growed up now."

"Sorta hard to forget," Lilah says ruefully. "So what do they call you, little girl?" The woman smiles.

"Eve. Isn't that great?" "You just can't wait to corrupt everyone can you?"

"Personal bit of thanks from me. I had issues with that Beast."

"You're welcome. No big deal. Why are you here?"

"I'm going to be the liaison between the Partners and Angel Investigations when they take over this firm."

"You mean if," says Lilah.

"I mean when," says Eve with a wicked grin. Eve gestures to Lilah to follow her and they enter an elevator.

"So you've made your way back here after saving the world. Just like the Partners said you would."

"Out of curiosity, what would have happen if I never came back?" asks Lilah.

"Your body would have rotted away. Reanimated corpses tend to decompose quickly. I'm surprised you've lasted this long."

Lilah glances down at her hands. They are grayish with pieces of skin flaking off. The energy from the ruby must have rejuvenated her a little.

"So what happens now?"

The elevator doors open onto a gray room with many doors. Eve opens one and Lilah follows her. They are in a long hallway with many more doors. Eve halts in front of a metal door with a tiny glass window.

"You're lucky. Get in."

"Why am I so lucky?"

Eve opens the door with a clang.

"Your body is going to be preserved. The Partners sometimes need someone to do a little dirty work. If you're good, they may pick you sometime."

Lilah backs away.

"I'm going to be trapped in a small room for eternity until they might need me? Nu uh."

"Weren't you heard saying that there were worse things than being trapped in a box for eternity? No, just your body. The rest of you will be heading back to Hell. They have a lot of paperwork to do."

Lilah steps into the cramped space and faces the window.

Eve slams the door on her and smiles through the window.

"Enjoy," she mouths at Lilah.

Lilah closes her eyes and feels herself drifting away. The evil lawyer has saved the world and helped the hopeless. She has really made a difference, a good one, even if it was for selfish reasons. Maybe they'll take this into account .

Lilah doesn't know where she'll wake up this time, but she is ready for whatever they have in store. As she leaves her body, her last thought etches a permanent smile on her face. Who knows, she might be back someday, bigger, better and shinier, just like Wolfram and Hart has returned. There are always possibilities.

~

Finito