What you wish for
Chapter 3
The soft thudding of black vans echoed in the parking lot as Max Tripp walked to her car. She was the only one still at Wolfram and Hart at 2 in the morning besides Lorne who seemed to pepped up to sit down. She didnt look anything like the other people who worked at the evil lawfirm. She wore a plain black short sleeved shirt and jeans with her black vans. She had gotten her hair cut after she had taken the job decideing that she needed a little oomph so to speak. She had gotten her bangs cut stylishly across her forehead and let her hair grow out long to end it long loopy curls. But since it was 2am and she was alone she had put it up in a ponytail and not been afraid to put on her glasses like a nerd.
She reached her car and suddenly a hand touched her. She spun around quickly her hand gliding through Spike. He stood there smiling at her while she smirked. She turned back to her car pulling her keys out of her pocket.
"Whats your deal? You are so tightly wound that you could pop a bloody spring." Spike said behind her.
"Yeah well its a tough thing. Running the special; projects division of an evil lawfirm. Im lucky i left when i did. I may start blending in with the furniture." She said cracking a small smile at her lame joke.
"See thats a pretty smile now aint it?" Spike said to her.
"Its hard, you know." She said looking down at her feet. "Finding all the happiness and such."
"You just got..." Spike said softly.
He raised his hand shakily and held it close to her face. He let it lay softly on her skin, his hand was cool to the touch.
"Want it bad enough..." He said barely above a whisper.
"Hey!" They both turned to see Jason walking their way. "Some guys here to see you. Vampire, big deal."
"Gotta go." She said stuffing her keys back in the pocket of her pants and turning to leave.
Max spent the rest of the night in the office trying to figure out a way to work with the vampire. He had a kid before he was sired and she was just turned into a slayer by Buffy's new fangled plan. Angel pointed all Slayers in her direction, he seemed to be slightly terrified of it. Max's latest project, the Pakstrifi case was slowly underway. Pakstrifi was on death row for something his identical evil twin had done. Angel had put it in Max's lap, to crack the case and give Gunn a way to defend Pakstrifi in court.
"Personally," She said walking into the Angel's office the next morning. She kept a change of clothes at the office and she had showered in the science wing, now she was in a red short sleeved shirt, jeans and red converse. "I think hes at fault because its his evil twin."
Angel smiled at her and stood pushing his chair back. She grinned back as he went to the small mini fridge he had in his office. He opened the fridge and pulled out a small bottle of milk that you could only find at the doughtnut places. He tossed the milk and she caught it in her hand. It was frosty from being in the fridge overnight.
"Oh Angel. You know me too well." She said pulling off the strip around the top of the bottle.
"Spike get out of my office." Angel said as Spike came through the door.
"I want my own office. Im like a member of the A team." Spike said nodding to Max.
"No." Angel said crossing the room as Harmony came in.
"Package for Angel." She said smiling at Spike.
Angel took the package and ripped the top off. A swirl of white light flashed momentarily then went away. Max raised an eyebrow then turned to leave. She pulled the door open left the office and shut it behind her as the phones began to ring all at once.
Max pushed her office door open to find Jason bent over his chair with his head in his hands. She knelt next to him and he woke slowly.
"Hey..." He said smiling at her.
"Go home Jason. Go to sleep." She said smiling.
"Nah I'm good." He said nodding.
"If you insist." She said going back behind her desk. "Why is my phone ringing?"
"I donno boss." He said standing and stretching.
There was a soft tapping on her office door and she motioned for Jason to get it as she tried to unplug the phone. She crawled on the floor then when the door opened she looked up. A young woman stood infront of her desk, hair down to her back that was a light brown. Max stood and lost her balance falling back over. She stared up at the ceiling for a moment as the door was pushed open violently causing the girl to jump forward.
"MAX!" Spike yelled. "Max? Wheres Max?"
"Shes gone." Jason said as Max tried to untangle herself from the cords on the ground.
"Damn." Spike said turning and leaving.
"Thanks Jason, he could have had something important to say." Max said pulling her leg out and standing. "Hi. Can I help you?"
"Yes my name is Sarah." She said coming to the desk. "Your boss said I should come to you."
"If he said it then it must be true." She said smiling at the girl.
"Well..." She looked Max up and down. "You dont look like a lawyer."
"Im not." She said nodding her head. "I just run this area. My names Max Tripp."
"Sarah..." She said nervously. "Uhm well my brother, hes gone evil and I want you to kill him."
Max shifted nervously and eyed the girl. She was wearing a plain cotton dress, she looked as if she had just stepped out of the country. She had probably traveled a good deal to get there and Max could tell by the look in her eyes she wasnt kiding.
"Your brother?" Jason asked her.
Max heard a loud shriek and she held her hand up to the girl. She jogged out of the office to see a man clad in all black his hands outspread and what looked like botls of electric energy shooting from his hands. Angel laid on the ground far from him and Max had the advantage she had his back. Fred came from the science wing from the stairs seeing this she shot her look to Max who shrugged.
Max looked above her. There was a ledge about ten feet above her if she could get up there she would have enough leverage.
"MAX!" Fred cried.
She looked up in enough time to see the bolts coming at her. As in slow motion Max jumped up shoving her foot off of the side of the wall and coming topling down on the hooded man. He growled practically at her and with incredible force shoved her off of him. She hit the wall behind her hard with a thud of pain shooting up her back. She landed on the ground with a groan.
The man charged at her and she saw now the stupid Scream mask he had on his face, that he could have gotten anywhere for like ninty cents at any party store.
"Max!" Gunn yelled. "Get up!"
Max pushed herself up with a twist as the hooded man came at her. Her feet shot out underneath him and made him fall to the ground. He grabbed her leg and with all of his force he began to shock her. She cried out in pain as she felt her flesh boiling. Now she knew, you could have your leg burned off even if you were invincible.
She found her strength and shoved her feet out kicking him in the stomach. She jumped up her leg hurting but her mind focused. She kicked her leg out as it advanced on her and she got him in the face. Angel jumped up and grabbed the guy from behind holding him still.
Max grabbed tha mask on his face and pulled it off. She dropped the mask to the ground and stared at the familiar face. He looked back her his brown eyes that had once matched hers identically.
"Matthew?"
She felt the sting of pain from behind her. Angel's eyes bulged a spear came through Max's stomach and was pulled out just as quickly. Max's eyes flashed fear at Angel and she fell to the ground with a sick groan of pain. Angel fell to the ground on his knees as Spike and Harmony came bareling into the room. Spike stood stunned unable to move as blood poured out of Max's gaping wound.
She took a deep rattling breath as Angel knelt over her. She touched his face blood covering her small hand. She forced the smallest smile possible and she closed her eyes.
"I always looov-" Her head fell to the side.
Angel cradeled her body in his arms and pressed his face to hers tears running down his face. Eve stood above them, the room was silent, the girl in the cotton dress that had used Max and then stabbed her had left with the electric shock man. Fred let out a cry and crumbled to the floor. Wes knelt next to her and wrapped his arms around her. Fred buried her face in his shirt. Lorne leaned against the wall and covered his face. Gunn stood ultimatly stunned as Spike and Harmony crossed the room. Spike's face twisted in torment and he fled the evil law firm his heart, if had had one breaking the same way Angel's was.