A Better Telepath Trap

"I think it's flat, Oz," Alaric offered helpfully.

Their trip to the arcade had been uneventful enough, that is, if you discounted Ariel running full tilt into Oz with a large cup of soda. They were both still damp and sticky. But now..,

They had exited the mall, wherein the arcade was, still in fairly high, if soggy spirits. Then, they saw the car sitting there, listing forlornly in a way that only a car with a flat tire can.

"You think so?" Oz fought the urge to snap. Alaric had been right about one thing. It was almost that time of the month for him, and it still tended to wear on his nerves.

"Um.., uh.., Oz?" Ariel began hesitantly, from the other side of the vehicle. When he didn't bark at her, she relaxed.., a little. "There's a flat one on this side too."

"What?" Oz went to inspect the damage, hoping the little girl was wrong. She wasn't.

Lindsey watched from a van nearby, waiting. Waiting until Oz got too distracted with the fallout to have his full attention on the kids, although he did have some hired muscle in waiting as back-up. They'd be there for a while, of that he was sure. He didn't think anyone carried two spares. Which was why he'd punctured two tires.

Oz went to call Spike, and found that his cell phone would not work no matter what he did, even though it had been functioning perfectly well earlier in the day. Now, he was going to have to scout out an operational pay phone. He started combing his pockets for change, and realized that the siren lure of the arcade couldn't have happened at a worse time. He was out of change. He knew better than to ask the kids. Once in an arcade, they flatly refused to leave until their last quarter was spent. Even if one of them was drenched in soda pop. He scanned the surrounding area and figured the best and closest place to make a call would be back inside the mall. He gave his charges a stern look.

"We're going back in the mall long enough for me to call for help," he said in no-nonsense tones. "We are not going back to the arcade. We are not getting anything to eat. We aren't shopping. We're not going to the restroom. Just making one quick phone call, then we're back out here. Got me?"

The twins sighed in unison. "Got it, Oz," they chorused, and trailed after him back into the mall.

&&&&&&&&

"Blossom, could I have a minute of your time?" Lorne peeked around the door of Rose's office.

Knowing what a killing schedule that Lorne usually kept, Rose thought it must be something very important to bring the Pylean to her office during working hours. "As many minutes as you want, Lorne," she replied warmly. "You don't have to ask, either."

"How come all the sweet ones are taken?" Lorne asked as he hugged her. "It seems like there could be just one more out there somewhere. Someone who likes her sweet nothings sung to her and doesn't care what color a guy is."

Rose looked at him sympathetically. "Is that what brought on your thoughts about leaving, Lorne?" she queried gently. "Because a bunch of silly women can't see a good thing when it's right in front of them?"

Lorne summoned up a wan smile. "Not everyone's as good at looking at the inside as you are, Rosebud," he remarked. "Not to mention which, the last time I was willing to believe that a woman loved me for me, it turned out that she was just leading me on so they could use me as a hostage. Bait for bait."

"And you haven't seen anyone since then?" Rose was aghast. The incident he was referring to had been over five years ago. "Did she really hurt you that badly?" Her eyes started to sparkle with unshed tears at the thought, not only of Lorne's pain, but that she'd been so wrapped up in her own concerns not to notice.

Lorne reached out and gently brushed away the first tear before it could trickle down her face. "Don't waste them on me, sweetpea," he advised. "It's nice knowing that you care, though."

"Maybe if I cared enough I would have noticed something was wrong before you told me," Rose replied, avoiding his gaze. "I haven't been a very good friend to you, Lorne. Not nearly as good a friend as you've been to me."

"Rosebud, darlin', you've had a job and a family to raise, not to mention the periodic apocalypse," Lorne pointed out. He smiled at her. "Who gives me neck rubs. and listens no matter what I have to say, and sings me beautiful songs with an even more beautiful voice? Who cares enough about me to hurt when I'm hurting? Who made me one of her children's godparents? Who looks at me and sees a friend and not a demon?"

By the time Lorne got through that speech, they were both sniffling.

&&&&&&&&

"Look over there." Alaric poked his sister, then pointed. Oz was involved in an animated dispute with a vendor over whether or not it was necessary to buy something to get change.

Ariel's eyes followed where her brother indicated and saw a man sitting with his back to them. But there was something vaguely familiar.., She tried probing his mind, then hastily withdrew.

"It's Lindsey!" she hissed. "Let's tell Oz."

"Why?" Alaric wanted to know. "He's not doing anything." His eyes closed for a moment, and then, he frowned. "Check him out, Ariel."

Ariel was a bit confused, but went ahead and probed more deeply into Lindsey's mind..,

And found nothing at all like she was expecting. In fact, everything she could see in his head, and as far as she knew, she could see it all, said that he was a very nice man.

"What's going on?" she asked her twin. "Everyone said he was a really bad man."

"They did, didn't they?" Alaric murmured thoughtfully. "But what we see inside someone's head doesn't lie. Or, at least, it hasn't yet."

"Everyone misunderstands him," Ariel said softly, maintaining her link and picking up on everything Lindsey wanted her to. "He's very lonely."

Alaric was more into action than talk. He gave their tutor a nudge. "Hey, Oz, we're going to go say hi to a friend. We'll be right back." He said it all in one breath, then he and Ariel were gone before the words had time to sink into a distracted Oz' consciousness.

&&&&&&&&&

"What's with the note on the door?" Spike wondered as he and Rose arrived at their flat.

"Let's see." Rose pulled it off the door and opened it. "It's from Oz. He says that he might be a little late getting the children home and not to worry."

"I just thought they were going to the arcade to have fun," Spike commented. "And I'm the one who counted out the money. I know how much fun they can afford. Maybe wolf-boy thought he ought to throw something educational in too."

"I wish you wouldn't call him that," Rose said with a slight frown. "It sounds so disrespectful. And Oz is our friend."

Spike took her briefcase and set it aside so he could pull her into his arms. "Oz knows it's meant friendly," he muttered against her neck. For the moment though, Oz really wasn't too high on his list of priorities. "Does the note say how late they'll be? Do you think we'd have enough time to..,"

"Spike, stop it." Rose was laughing though, and the hands she had against his shoulders weren't pushing him away very hard. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"Of course not," Spike answered promptly. "I think about how much I love you, and our kids, and how little actual privacy we've gotten since they were born." He started in on some playful nibbling.

"Spike! They could be back any time," Rose protested weakly. "Oz didn't say how late."

"Oz has a key," Spike mumbled against her neck. Then, Rose gave a startled squeal as Spike swept her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom.

&&&&&&&&

Angel ran a finger under a collar that had suddenly become very constrictive. Where was Corinna? And why had she insisted on meeting at the office instead of letting him pick her up? Maybe she lived in less than the best part of town and didn't want him to know.

He was about to re-adjust his tie for the umpteenth time when his sharp, vampire's ears caught a small, small sound. He whirled around.

And there she stood, in a form-fitting dress in hues that matched the honey and amber tones of hair and eyes. She was breath-taking. Or she would be, if he needed to breathe.

She smiled at him, and Angel could swear he could feel his long-still heart begin to beat.

&&&&&&&&&&

"Spike, darling?" Rose may have been comfortably nestled in the crook of her beloved's arms, but her voice didn't reflect it.

"Something wrong, luv?" Spike hadn't entirely come back down to earth yet, but the urgency in Rose's voice was enough to dampen his mood.

"Isn't it getting to be awfully late?" Rose asked. She tried to raise up to see the clock, but Spike's arm suddenly became an iron bar, holding her immobile, as the sudden wave of tension her words produced washed over him. "Shouldn't they be back by now?"

Spike forced himself to look at the clock, and didn't like what he saw. He sprang out of the bed so abruptly that he spilled Rose out as well.

Spike made a flying dive and caught her before she actually hit the floor. Almost the exact moment he had her in his arms, the phone rang.

&&&&&&&&

Oz ran a cautious hand over his scalp, and it came away bloody. That would explain the pounding headache. Time to get his bearings. Where was he? He was surprised to find himself sitting in the car, and even more so that his wallet appeared to be intact. He got out of the car. The tires were still flat. That started jarring some memories. Like the fact he'd never gotten as far as making his phone call, and also that the twins should be with him.

The thought of his young charges being in danger was enough to set his inner wolf growling. He had to stop a moment and take measures to calm himself. Whatever had happened to the kids, it had obviously been hours ago, and wolfing out and running amok through a crowded mall wouldn't help.

With a sigh, Oz guessed it was time to make the phone call he'd been going to make before someone had done the blunt object number on his cranium. He reached in his pocket to find some change, forgetting he didn't have any, when his hand encountered a piece of paper that hadn't been there before. Curious, he pulled it out.

'The kids are fine, and they'll continue to stay that way if you cooperate. I'll be in touch with further instructions.' The name, Lindsey McDonald, was signed in large letters with a bold flourish, almost as if it were a dare. Then, Oz' eyes were drawn to the post-script. 'Your cell phone will work now.' LM.

Oz pulled out his cell phone and found that in that, at least, Lindsey had not lied.

&&&&&&&&&

"You're a wonderful dancer," Corinna assured him.

"A little out of practice, I'm afraid," Angel confessed. He'd danced a few times with Buffy, but not since. And before that, it had been more than a century. He was just beginning to remember how good it felt, moving to the music with a beautiful woman in his arms. He smiled at her. "The right partner helps."

"Happy to be of service," she purred, putting the emphasis in such a way that he couldn't miss the double-entendre.

"You're off the clock now, Corinna," Angel reminded her, glad he couldn't blush, and surprised, at his age, that he felt like it. "The idea now is to have fun."

She noticed his discomfiture, but instead of taking pity on him, she turned up the heat. "The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive," she murmured, giving an extra little wiggle that the tempo didn't really call for.

Angel pulled her closer, so there was no way she could be mistaken about the fact he was happy she was there.

Corinna looked up at him, smiled, and snuggled even closer.

&&&&&&&

Spike was grandstanding, and he knew it, but it was also a matter of expediency. He was holding up the rear end of the car while Oz changed one tire, and Gunn the other.

"You two want to move it along?" Spike suggested. "I'm not getting any younger."

"You're not getting any older, either," Gunn retorted. "Going as fast as I can, Spike."

"Almost done," Oz grunted as he tightened the last nut. "Finished on this side."

"Here too," Gunn said.

Spike dropped the car instead of lowering it. His fingers had been starting to cramp up.

"Are you all right, darling?" Rose was a single, raw nerve ending right now. She didn't have her children to fuss over, so Spike was getting all the attention. Not that he minded. Or, he wouldn't have, if it didn't mean that someone had abducted his children.

Someone was going to pay, and pay big for taking his kids.

&&&&&&&&&

The twins were slowly beginning to come out from under the effects of the sedative that Lindsey had spiked the candy he'd given them with. They were groggy, cranky, and feeling extremely put upon.

They were also tied up in the back of Lindsey's van.

They tried holding a private conversation, but were unable to, and this they found not only frustrating, but also a little frightening. They'd never not been able to touch each other's minds.

The back door of the van opened, and there stood Lindsey, smiling at them.

"Looks like I judged the dosage pretty close," he remarked. "Since you're awake, I won't have to carry you in."

Ariel looked at him, a picture of confusion. "But how can you lie inside your own mind?" she demanded, on the verge of tears. "It's not possible."

"It is with the right spell," Lindsey assured her. He supposed he should have kept it a secret, but he found that he actually did have a little soft spot for the kid. "C'mon, princess. There's a man that wants to meet you." He looked at Alaric, trying to back away unobtrusively. "You too, sport. Let's go."

He led them into a typical, small suburban house, Richard's, to be precise. Then he took them to what appeared to be an ordinary closet and opened the door.

The twins exchanged glances and set their feet, intending to refuse to enter. Lindsey sighed, scooped them up around their waists, tucked them under his arms and walked through the portal with them.

&&&&&&&

Angel was more relaxed, in most places, than he'd been in a long time. How long had it been since he'd done something just for fun? Adult fun, he amended, thinking of the priceless time he put in with his godchildren, and which he wouldn't trade for a king's ransom.

He slid the car into the parking spot. Corinna had been quiet, almost as if to allow him some peace to concentrate on his driving. It hadn't been an awkward silence at all. More companionable, really. In a burst of high spirits, he vaulted over the car rather than walk around it and opened the door for Corinna.

"An old-fashioned gentleman," Corinna observed. She accepted his hand as he extended the courtesy to helping her out of the vehicle. Once out of the car, she trailed her fingers slowly up his arm to gently caress the side of his neck. "So, tell me, Angel..,"

Angel didn't allow her to finish the question, but pulled her into his arms for a long, lingering kiss. When he finally, reluctantly drew his lips away from hers, he asked, "What did you want me to tell you?"

Corinna was looking a little bemused. "I'm not sure I remember," she confessed. She spent a blissful piece of eternity just staring into his eyes. "Are you going to invite me up to your place?" she inquired at last.

"Only if you promise to accept the invitation," Angel murmured.

"Of course I will," she replied. "I'd like to see just what your place says about you."

Angel laughed a little nervously. "I'm not sure what to think of that," he admitted. "But anything that will get you there." He offered her his arm.

He was just reaching out to push the button on the penthouse's elevator when the doors opened.

"There you are, you stupid git." Spike's voice emerged from the metal box before the doors were fully open. When they were, Angel saw that his grandchilde was accompanied by Gunn and Lorne, and felt sick. This couldn't be good.

Gunn confirmed his suspicions. "Lindsey McDonald had kidnapped the kids," he said bluntly. It was only then that he seemed to notice that the vampire was not alone, and appeared to have more difficulty dealing with that concept than that of the twins being abducted. "Were you on a date?"