CHAPTER THREE

Lindsey sat on his sister's bed, looking around the room as Ainsley got a couple of little orange juice bottle out of the mini fridge. His eyes picked over her things. Obviously his parents weren't spending the money he sent them, at least not on his sister. His gaze caught on a series of books on her shelf that he hadn't been expecting and didn't want to see, Starhawk, Cunningham, and Adler. Since when had his sister been into witchcraft and did Wolfram and Hart know? The thought chilled him.

"Here you go." Ainsley handed him the orange juice. "Want some vodka with that?"

Lindsey raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you still seventeen?"

"Oh, lighten up." Ainsley took the bottle off her roomie's shelf.

Lindsey shrugged and held out his juice. "So, you like it here?"

"I miss home but I love my classes." Ainsley sat on the bed next to him. "I can't believe you're here. I thought I'd never see you again."

Lindsey slugged back his screwdriver, letting the acidic drink burn its way down his throat. He hated seeing his sister's pain, knowing he was the cause. "Sorry, Ainsley. I really am. It was just better this way. I can't really explain it, but it just was."

"You broke all our hearts," she said, and he hung his head. "How is that better? Are you ashamed of us?"

Yes, he thought unfairly. And it was safer for you all that I was. To keep his professional illusions, no one could know he had started life so poorly. "My job entails a bit of danger, Ainsley. I didn't want you to end up a target of a dissatisfied client." That much was true, he told himself. He didn't want a demon after his family. Moreover, he didn't want Wolfram and Hart after them.

"You're a lawyer, Lindsey." Ainsley's eyes gleamed with disbelief. "How dangerous can that be?"

"Sometimes I represent people who aren't very nice. People who are very capable of using my family against me. I didn't want that for you. I tried to take care of everyone the best I could. I sent money." He rested back against the wall her bed was tucked along.

"Dad gave it all to charity. You can save your money, Lindsey. He won't take a penny of it." Ainsley's eyes were hard then suddenly they sheened with tears. "I missed you so much."

"And I missed you, all of you. That's one of the reasons I came here tonight," he said.

"You don't look happy," she said. "So, what are the other reasons you came here? Why are they making you unhappy?"

"Because I have something to ask you that you aren't going to like and it's harder to do than I thought it was."

Ainsley took his hand. "What's so bad?"

Lindsey took a deep breath then plunged in. "Ainsley, I want you to transfer out of Sunnydale. This is not a good school. It's not a good time. Have you seen the murder rate here? I don't feel safe with you here."

Ainsley's face screwed up as she crushed his hand. Hearing him grunt, she let go of him as if he were suddenly contagious. "I can't believe this. I can't believe you're asking me this." She punched his shoulder. "Lindsey, I have a full ride scholarship. I'm not going to get that just anywhere. How can you ask me to give it up?"

Lindsey ran a hand through his hair. It needed cut. He quickly found his argument; his fast thinking was one of the reasons Wolfram and Hart had hired him. "Because I don't want you to get hurt and you will here. Ask your new friends about how dangerous this place is. You have to have heard about the murdered girls. There's a serial killer loose on campus."

"I know and I'm careful. You don't have any faith in me." She got up and stalked around her room.

"I have all the faith in the world in you, Ainsley but this is my territory," he said gently. "I know this place and I know you don't belong here. I'll help you pay for college, any college you want to go to, any place but here."

"I'm not taking your money either, Linds." His sister folded her arms across her chest.

"You're not staying here. It's too dangerous. Do you realize that the killer is murdering people he thinks are witches? Do you think I don't see the books on your shelf?" He flung a hand at her book shelf. "If you're a member of the pagan club, quit now."

"I will not. Is that what you're really upset about? That I'm a witch now?"

"I could care less about that, Ainsley." Lindsey got to his feet and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You'd be surprised by what I know about that subject. I care that this guy has killed four members of that group already. How long before he gets to you?"

Ainsley's lips trembled and Lindsey realized that it hadn't sunk in to her all the implications of those girls' deaths.

"I love you, Ainsley and I'm not going to stand by and let you make yourself into a target." He kissed her cheek. "Does Dad know about this?"

Ainsley's eyes went wide and terrified. "No, and don't you dare tell him."

No, of course their father wouldn't know. Ainsley would want him to think she was the good Christian girl he had raised . Lindsey wanted his father to think of him as the same little boy he had once been instead of the man he had grown into. One phone call to Oklahoma and their dad would drive out and take his daughter home. "I won't but please, Ainsley, just consider what I'm saying. You don't want to take anything from Wolfram and Hart. Nothing good comes out of what they do."

"Lindsey you work for them." She wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. "Are you telling me you work for bad people?"

His lips thinned. "Yes, I do."

Ainsley stumbled back a step, not expecting that. "Then why work for them?"

"Because I'm under contract and I can't leave," he replied, not ready to tell his sister he had sold large chunks of his soul and humanity to his law firm.

"Break the contract. What's the worst they could do? Kill you?" Ainsley asked and he didn't answer. The look on his face told her everything. She crushed him to her in a fierce hug. "Oh my god. You're serious aren't you? How could you get into something like this?"

"I was young and naive, like you are now. I don't expect you to pack up this very moment, Ainsley," he said as much as he wished she would. "Just think about it, look at other schools. I will help you pay for it. I have more than enough money. I don't want you having anything to do with this town or Wolfram and Hart."

"You have me so scared," she whispered, trembling in his arms.

"You should be. Just think on it and that's all I'm going to say about it." He rubbed her back, leading her back to her bed. He sat down. "Tell me everything that's been happening with you. I want to know."

Ainsley smiled at him and sat down on her bed. As she talked, Lindsey listened, hoping she would take his warning to heart.

Buffy didn't realize she had missed going out to dinner with a man so much. Had she been back in Hemery the last time it happened or had she gone out to dinner in Sunnydale? Angel wasn't a going out to dinner guy. Pike hadn't been, either. Was it Ford or Tyler who last took her out. No, it was Owen or maybe Scott. She decided not to waste any time thinking about it.

Lindsey had taken her out to the best Italian restaurant in town. Note to self, never go Italian on a first date again. Noodles and sauce equal mess and stress. The meal had been fantastic despite the fears of dropping it all over her dress. Lindsey was the perfect gentleman. He was smart, sexy and funny but something felt a little off. Buffy feared they had nothing in common. She wanted stuff in common with him but she felt worlds behind him intellectually. She knew she wasn't a dummy but she had never applied herself. Lindsey was more Willow's type and she belonged with the Xander type. Okay, no, she didn't want to think about that either, no matter how dear a friend Xander was. Still, she and Angel had gotten on well and he was into the book stuff. She and Lindsey could probably do just fine.

She just didn't know where this was going. Obviously, Lindsey had a job to get back to in L.A. Was she ready for a long-distance relationship? If she were, she would have followed Angel there. No, I wouldn't. The big coward ran away there to avoid me. What was she even doing thinking about relationships? It was one date. She was being far too needy. What would Lindsey do if he found out she was the Slayer? It would destroy his nice, normal world or maybe he'd be like Owen and get hooked on the rush.

Still, he was so good to look at. She was turning into a lust bunny as Faith would say. Nope, no thinking about Faith on your date. The problem was, as Parker proved, she wasn't into meaningless sex. That didn't mean she couldn't daydream a little about Lindsey's butt if she wanted to.

"You're getting quiet," he said, as they strolled through the wooded campus quad.

"Just trying to imagine you riding bucking broncs in the rodeo," Buffy said. "Doesn't seem to fit your image."

Lindsey stopped, dragging Buffy to a halt. His eyes were big blue marbles. "I can't believe Ainsley told you that."

"She did. It was horses right, not bulls? I'd have to seriously question your mental state if you rode bulls." Buffy smiled.

Lindsey snorted. "It was horses. I was always too small for the bulls. We had a farm. I always broke the horses once I got big enough. Dad got people to sponsor me and Ainsley in the rodeo because we were good but it was an expensive hobby. Dad thought it would help make a man out of me."

"I would have thought it might break your man...um, forget I said that." She blushed.

He laughed. "On occasion, it most certainly did. I don't ride any more."

Buffy heard a sadness in his voice and decided to turn the conversation to something else. "Do you still play guitar?"

His lips quirked up. "My sister must have told you my life story."

"She's just happy to have you back in her life. She told me everything." Off his rather angry look, she added. "I know it's none of my business. We can leave it at none of my friends have happy, normal childhoods."

"Yes, let's do leave it there," he said tightly.

Buffy sucked in her bottom lip. She had already harpooned the evening. Was she that rusty at this? "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

He started walking again. "It's fine. It's a little refreshing to have someone know there's more to me than the corporate shell."

She nestled against him. "Do you like your work?"

"It's very exciting," he replied.

Buffy thought he didn't sound excited. He seemed guarded but she chalked it up to the big revelation about being poorer than dirt growing up. "I wish I knew what I wanted to be when I grow up," she said trying to sound light and cheery but all she could think was 'you aren't growing up and a Slayer is all you'll ever be.'

He smiled. "Toughest decision you'll ever make." Lindsey paused on the trail and pulled her close. His lips met hers soft, gentle, undemanding; more like a whisper of a kiss. "I've been wanting to do that since last night."

"Nice," she murmured.

His lips met hers more ardently this time. It had been a long time since she kissed a mouth that was warm and sweet. Parker didn't count. He didn't have half the talent Lindsey did. Lindsey broke the kiss, pull her against his side and started walking again. "I shouldn't pressure you like that. We barely know each other."

"It's okay," she assured him quickly. "I don't feel pressured. I know exactly how far I'm willing to let this evening go."

He smirked. "Self-assured. I like that."

Buffy smiled up at him then stumbled as her foot caught on something. "Darn root." She reached down to massage her twisted ankle.

"Bad lighting." Lindsey waved at the barely light tree line and walk way. " They should fix that before someone sues."

"Such a lawyer ans..." Buffy trailed off, seeing up close what she tripped over. "Not a root."

Lindsey looked down then knelt feeling for a pulse on the wrist of the fallen woman Buffy had nearly taken a header over. "She's gone."

"Throat's cut."

He stood and took her, gently pulling her away. Buffy stood firm. She knew he couldn't know how used she was to death. She wanted to protect him from having to see the girl's body, the horrible, gaping wound that went from ear to ear and the writing in blood on her forehead. "Exodus 22:18." "We need to call 911 and you don't need to see this."

Buffy wondered why there was a slight note of insincerity in his voice. Maybe it was just her being paranoid. "We can't leave until the police get here."

It took longer for the Sunnydale police to get there than she thought. She felt guilty that Lindsey had to see a corpse and knew he probably felt the same about her. She was more relieved than anything to see the girl up close instead of in purloined coroner's reports. There was no real demonic signs. The cut throat looked knife inflicted to her. Now if Buffy only knew what she was supposed to do with a human big bad.

Lindsey walked her to her dorm after the cops were finally done with the questioning only to find that he wasn't allowed in. Campus security had finally stepped up and no non-students were allowed in the dorm.

"Sorry," she said.

"No, I'm glad they're taking this measure," he said as his mobile phone rang. "McDonald here...uh huh, damn. All right. I'll get on the road right now." He put the phone away and stroked her cheek. "Sorry, Buffy, I have to go. A case of mine just went south. I hate leaving you like this, after what you saw."

"I'll be fine. My friends and family are here if I need someone. You have a job to do. I understand," she said and felt a tinge of regret at letting him go.

"Sorry. It had been such a good night too until..." he trailed off.

"I know."

He kissed her. "The next time I'm back in Sunnydale, I'd like to see you again."

"I'd like that."

Buffy watched him go. She wanted to see him back more than she expected to. Pushing happy fluffy thoughts aside, she went to make a report to Giles.