chapter nine: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Fred paced the dimly lit room, her normally pleasant features agitated. Abruptly, she grabbed a chair and threw it at the wall. It clattered harmlessly against the bricks and fell back to the ground.
Lindsey watched her in mild surprise. "Feel better?" he inquired.
"Strangely, yes." Fred returned. She began pacing again, chewing absent-mindedly at the fingernails on one hand. She turned suddenly to Lindsey, her eyes troubled. "Lilah's been gone for a long time. And Wesley. Which means they're probably together. Which means that Lilah's probably up to her old tricks."
"Probably," Lindsey agreed, settling up against the wall and wrapping himself in Fred's discarded blanket.
Fred glanced over at him, her features miserable. "Do you think it's working?"
Lindsey sighed, opening up the blanket. "Come here," he instructed. Fred obligingly seated herself beside him, and he wrapped her in the blanket along with him. When she was settled, he cleared his throat. "Listen, I'm not good with this whole mushy, touchy-feely nice-guy thing, but I do know a thing or two about love. Now, there are two kinds of love. The painful, bite you in the butt kinda love, and the beautiful, lift you up to greater heights love. Following me so far?"
She frowned at him. "I think so."
"The first kind of love is passionate," Lindsey informed her, "rips out your soul, gets you right in the gut. It can completely destroy a man if he isn't careful." His eyes got a far-off look in them. "Like Darla. Man, she was beautiful. Mysterious. And she had those eyes, that body--"
Fred squirmed uncomfortably. "Moving on..."
Lindsey cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. "Right. Well, anyway, I loved Darla, but it was the wrong kind of love. It was only gonna drag me down. Then I met Eve. Beautiful, manipulative, ambiguously evil...my perfect match. We fit together, and we built each other up. That's the real kind of love. No matter how deeply I felt for Darla, she can't touch that thing I have with Eve."
There was a moment of silence. "Well, that's sweet and all, Lindsey," Fred said finally, "but I don't really see how that's supposed to buoy my spirits."
He rolled his eyes. "You know, for a smart girl, you can really be kind of dense." He shook his head. "Let me spell it out for you, Tex. Wesley and Lilah may have had a fling, and they may have even cared for each other, but it was that first kind of love. Doomed to fail, to tear both of them down. But you and Wes...you're like the poster children for that perfect kind of love. I barely saw the two of you together, and even I could see how powerful you two were as a team. Wesley's a smart guy, and he's crazy about you. No matter how convincing Lilah is, there's no way that she's gonna get her man. 'Cuz his heart belongs to you."
Fred took a moment, absorbing this, and then she smiled at him. "That was actually really beautiful, Lindsey."
He shrugged. "I have my moments."
There was a flash of light, and then Lilah was standing in the midst of the room. Her face looked haggard, vulnerable, and she stood shivering in the midst of the room. But upon seeing them, the old composed Lilah mask quickly returned, and she sneered at them. "Well, aren't you two cozy. Am I missing out on the girl-talk?"
Lindsey merely smiled at this. "I don't know that you'd be all that comfortable with girl-talk, Lilah," he drawled, "that would require you to, you know, have human emotions."
Lilah glared at him. "I think someone's forgetting who saved him from the darkness. I'd choose my allies carefully if I were you." With that, she turned and exited the room.
Unfazed by this, Lindsey turned to Fred. "Looks like Lilah's unhappy. Which means that things didn't go too well with Wes." He reached out, squeezing her arm. "You may just get out of here yet..."
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Before Wesley could muster too much of a reaction to Lilah's departure, the Mayor was once again in the room. "I gotta say, that was downright touching," he said, shaking his head. "Here Lilah was, pouring her heart out to you, but you stayed strong. Kept your eye on the goal. That takes a lot of strength, Wesley."
Wesley set his mouth into a thin line, forcing aside any guilt over Lilah. "Can I see Fred yet?" he inquired.
"Not quite," the Mayor returned, "although that impressive little display may have just bumped up your chances. I had all sorts of tests planned– fire and brimstone, flesh-eating piranhas, Richard Simmons– but you inspired me. Truly. In fact, how would you feel about having only one final test to decide whether or not you get to take your lady friend back to Heaven?"
"What's the test?" Wesley inquired, keeping his face impassive.
"It's simple, really," the Mayor explained, leaning back in his chair. "A test of trust."
"I don't trust you," Wesley said flatly.
The Mayor laughed. "Not between you and me, silly. I should be offended, but I can't say that I blame you. No, trust between you and Winnifred. Could you pick her out of a crowd by her touch alone? And would you trust that intuition, no matter the consequences?"
Wesley frowned at him. "What are you proposing?"
"I'll bring you Fred," the Mayor explained, looking quite pleased with himself, "but you won't be able to look at her, or talk to her. You'll only be able to touch her hand. And once you're satisfied that she is, in fact, Fred, you can take her back to Heaven with you. But there's a catch."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
The Mayor spread out his hands dramatically. "You can't look at her or speak to her until you get to Heaven. And if it turns out that you chose the wrong girl, you're stuck with her, and Fred stays down here with me. If you cheat and look at her before you get to Heaven, she stays here with me and your soul gets used for kindling." The Mayor leaned toward Wesley, his eyes glinting. "So, I guess the real question is, do you trust your love? Do you trust that you'll be able to recognize her?"
Wesley was silent for a long moment, his face unreadable. And then he nodded.
"Bring her to me."
Fred paced the dimly lit room, her normally pleasant features agitated. Abruptly, she grabbed a chair and threw it at the wall. It clattered harmlessly against the bricks and fell back to the ground.
Lindsey watched her in mild surprise. "Feel better?" he inquired.
"Strangely, yes." Fred returned. She began pacing again, chewing absent-mindedly at the fingernails on one hand. She turned suddenly to Lindsey, her eyes troubled. "Lilah's been gone for a long time. And Wesley. Which means they're probably together. Which means that Lilah's probably up to her old tricks."
"Probably," Lindsey agreed, settling up against the wall and wrapping himself in Fred's discarded blanket.
Fred glanced over at him, her features miserable. "Do you think it's working?"
Lindsey sighed, opening up the blanket. "Come here," he instructed. Fred obligingly seated herself beside him, and he wrapped her in the blanket along with him. When she was settled, he cleared his throat. "Listen, I'm not good with this whole mushy, touchy-feely nice-guy thing, but I do know a thing or two about love. Now, there are two kinds of love. The painful, bite you in the butt kinda love, and the beautiful, lift you up to greater heights love. Following me so far?"
She frowned at him. "I think so."
"The first kind of love is passionate," Lindsey informed her, "rips out your soul, gets you right in the gut. It can completely destroy a man if he isn't careful." His eyes got a far-off look in them. "Like Darla. Man, she was beautiful. Mysterious. And she had those eyes, that body--"
Fred squirmed uncomfortably. "Moving on..."
Lindsey cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. "Right. Well, anyway, I loved Darla, but it was the wrong kind of love. It was only gonna drag me down. Then I met Eve. Beautiful, manipulative, ambiguously evil...my perfect match. We fit together, and we built each other up. That's the real kind of love. No matter how deeply I felt for Darla, she can't touch that thing I have with Eve."
There was a moment of silence. "Well, that's sweet and all, Lindsey," Fred said finally, "but I don't really see how that's supposed to buoy my spirits."
He rolled his eyes. "You know, for a smart girl, you can really be kind of dense." He shook his head. "Let me spell it out for you, Tex. Wesley and Lilah may have had a fling, and they may have even cared for each other, but it was that first kind of love. Doomed to fail, to tear both of them down. But you and Wes...you're like the poster children for that perfect kind of love. I barely saw the two of you together, and even I could see how powerful you two were as a team. Wesley's a smart guy, and he's crazy about you. No matter how convincing Lilah is, there's no way that she's gonna get her man. 'Cuz his heart belongs to you."
Fred took a moment, absorbing this, and then she smiled at him. "That was actually really beautiful, Lindsey."
He shrugged. "I have my moments."
There was a flash of light, and then Lilah was standing in the midst of the room. Her face looked haggard, vulnerable, and she stood shivering in the midst of the room. But upon seeing them, the old composed Lilah mask quickly returned, and she sneered at them. "Well, aren't you two cozy. Am I missing out on the girl-talk?"
Lindsey merely smiled at this. "I don't know that you'd be all that comfortable with girl-talk, Lilah," he drawled, "that would require you to, you know, have human emotions."
Lilah glared at him. "I think someone's forgetting who saved him from the darkness. I'd choose my allies carefully if I were you." With that, she turned and exited the room.
Unfazed by this, Lindsey turned to Fred. "Looks like Lilah's unhappy. Which means that things didn't go too well with Wes." He reached out, squeezing her arm. "You may just get out of here yet..."
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Before Wesley could muster too much of a reaction to Lilah's departure, the Mayor was once again in the room. "I gotta say, that was downright touching," he said, shaking his head. "Here Lilah was, pouring her heart out to you, but you stayed strong. Kept your eye on the goal. That takes a lot of strength, Wesley."
Wesley set his mouth into a thin line, forcing aside any guilt over Lilah. "Can I see Fred yet?" he inquired.
"Not quite," the Mayor returned, "although that impressive little display may have just bumped up your chances. I had all sorts of tests planned– fire and brimstone, flesh-eating piranhas, Richard Simmons– but you inspired me. Truly. In fact, how would you feel about having only one final test to decide whether or not you get to take your lady friend back to Heaven?"
"What's the test?" Wesley inquired, keeping his face impassive.
"It's simple, really," the Mayor explained, leaning back in his chair. "A test of trust."
"I don't trust you," Wesley said flatly.
The Mayor laughed. "Not between you and me, silly. I should be offended, but I can't say that I blame you. No, trust between you and Winnifred. Could you pick her out of a crowd by her touch alone? And would you trust that intuition, no matter the consequences?"
Wesley frowned at him. "What are you proposing?"
"I'll bring you Fred," the Mayor explained, looking quite pleased with himself, "but you won't be able to look at her, or talk to her. You'll only be able to touch her hand. And once you're satisfied that she is, in fact, Fred, you can take her back to Heaven with you. But there's a catch."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
The Mayor spread out his hands dramatically. "You can't look at her or speak to her until you get to Heaven. And if it turns out that you chose the wrong girl, you're stuck with her, and Fred stays down here with me. If you cheat and look at her before you get to Heaven, she stays here with me and your soul gets used for kindling." The Mayor leaned toward Wesley, his eyes glinting. "So, I guess the real question is, do you trust your love? Do you trust that you'll be able to recognize her?"
Wesley was silent for a long moment, his face unreadable. And then he nodded.
"Bring her to me."