Chapter 2: Judgement

"It's a beautiful day outside." They were in Lindsey's office and Lilah was talking to her in a kind voice that sounded very fake. Lindsey let out an annoyed breath.

"Lilah, shut up. She's not a child. She's 400 years old," he said. Darla smiled at Lindsey's protective comment –or maybe she was smiling because of the music, he wasn't sure.

"Hmm, the prelude," she said in what was barely more than a whisper. The notes took her back to the good old days… Lindsey inhaled a sharp breath.

"In C-minor. The preludes and the nocturnes," he added. Darla opened her eyes again. After two months, he knew exactly what she liked.

"So much better than the waltzes. - He had consumption."

"And died way too soon. A lot of that going around," he said slowly as his piercing eyes locked with hers. She wanted to smile, but instead she drew in a deep breath when she suddenly felt a familiar presence.

"Hm. He's here."

"Chopin?" Lilah looked confused.

"Angel. He's here in town. You can feel him," Lindsey said.

"Always could…" Darla said slowly. She could feel his presence running through her veins, just like before, and a contented smile crept onto her lips.

"He hasn't been much of a help to us," Lindsey continued when he saw that she looked happy. She wasn't supposed to be happy when she thought of Angel. The blonde looked at him and the memory of her death suddenly flickered before her eyes.

"He killed me." Darla laughed. "I remember now - with a soul in his heart." Lindsey looked reassured and nodded.

"He's taken from both of us - so when you feel ready - we'll start thinking about giving a little back."

"Angel - it's been a long time. I'd love to see that boy," she muttered, mostly to herself. She closed her eyes and started to hum along with the music, letting it fill her head as Chopin slowly began to drown out most of the chatter in the room and in her head.

Lilah was looking around the office with a disapproving glint in her eyes. Lindsey looked at her with a frown and signalled her to follow her into a corner of the office

"Why have you got all the curtains pulled? You do know she's human now, don't you?" the brunette said as she followed her colleague.

"She hasn't seen sunlight for over 4 centuries, Lilah. I think we should ease her in to the whole California weather and climate, that's all."

"Whatever you say partner," she replied with a shrug that made clear what Lindsey had known for a long time: that she didn't particularly care for anyone or anything. She's definitely in the right city, he thought to himself.

"Lilah, can I talk to you for a second?" he said with a sigh. "Are you sure we should start to bring Angel into all of this already? Darla's still recovering, maybe we should give her some more time," he said, glancing at Darla who was humming along with the music, eyes closed. Lilah's eyebrows soared.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let her stay with you?" she shot back.

"Why, d'you think your place is more comfortable, Lilah?" he replied with a straight face. "She trusts me and I'd like to keep it that way. The Senior Partners decided that she's my responsibility and that I should house her, so I am. I don't really feel like letting down the Senior Partners."

"Right," Lilah said dryly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lindsey replied defensively.

"Nothing. But cut the bullshit, Lindsey. Try not to forget that we had her return for a reason. Don't your let your vision on the mission be clouded by some doe-eyed little blonde. I'm just saying…"

"Grey."

"What?"

"Her eyes. 'Doe-eyed' is used for big brown eyes. Darla's eyes are grey."

"Oh for the love of…" Lilah said and let out an exasperated sigh. A smile started to tug at Lindsey's lips.

"You really seem all too interested, Lilah. You're not jealous, are you?" he said, an eyebrow raised. His colleague just rolled her eyes.

"Oh get over yourself Lindsey. I'll see you in half an hour," she said. When she saw the blank look on his face, she let out another sigh. "For the 11 o'clock briefing? Honestly." She gave him a look that said 'this is exactly what I mean'. Without giving either of them a second glance she walked out, and with a casual 'Bye Darla', she closed the door behind her.

-

Lilah, Holland and the others looked up when Lindsey strode into the conference room. He looked at the people – and other creatures – that sat around the large oak table. Most of them looked unfamiliar. They probably came from other floors, divisions or dimensions; he didn't really know – or care.

"Lindsey McDonald. Sorry I'm late," he said business-like while he put his briefcase on the conference table and tried to open it smoothly with one hand. When he didn't succeed straightaway, he sat down in one of the leather chairs and set the case down on the ground next to him.

"Glad you could join us, Lindsey," Lilah said with a smirk. "And how is our guest doing?" Lindsey did his best not to glare and flashed her a small smile.

"As well as can be expected. I can imagine that Darla's health, however, is not the subject of this briefing, so maybe we should get down to business?" The lawyers and demons at the table nodded approvingly, and so did Holland Manners. Lilah, at her end of the table, didn't bother trying not to glare. Her look shot daggers at him, and Lindsey grinned inwardly.

I do love rattling that woman's chains.

"Angel is becoming a serious liability," Holland stated matter-of-factly while he began to shuffle some of the papers in front of him. "He's taken down every hitman or woman we've contracted, including a vampire Slayer. Over the course of the last two months, he's killed twelve of Wolfram and Hart's important clients, like Ganchok Miller- "

"The necromancer?" an Ursil demon near the head of the table asked, a shocked look on his warty face.

"-And one of our biggest clients. This morning our Seers have informed us that Angel's starting to interfere with a young woman and her protector, who is her champion for the Tribunal. I'm sure everyone here understands that we can't have the vampire interfering with powers like the Tribunal…" Holland looked around the room, rearranging the papers in front of him. Some of the demons and a couple of lawyers Lindsey recognized as members of the board nodded quietly.

"Which is why I suggest that we begin the project immediately," he added, looking straight at Lindsey this time.

"With all do respect, Holland, I'm not sure Darla's ready…" he said.

"Nonsense, Lindsey. Now, tell her that I will be at your office right after my two o'clock with the senator. I'm taking Darla to the White Room." Lilah shifted in her seat.

"Sir, maybe I should- " she said quickly.

"I'll handle this myself, Lilah, thank you," Holland told her. The young brunette leaned back in her chair resignedly.

-

The moment Lindsey stepped back into his office, Darla looked up from the old volume on vampire genealogy she'd been leafing through. Her attention immediately turned to him and she shut the book and put it from her lap onto the desk.

"What did they say? It was about me, wasn't it?" she said.

"Most of it, yeah. Angel's becoming too much of a threat so they want to start the project as soon as possible."

"Project?" There was a flicker of suspicion in the blonde woman's eyes. "What do they want me to do, exactly?"

"I don't know exactly. Holland is accompanying you upstairs in a couple of hours. You're going to the White Room, you'll find out there."

"What's in the White Room?" she asked. She was willing to help the company, but this explanation seemed suspiciously vague and she had learned a long time ago that she couldn't trust anyone.

"Beats me. I've never been there. It's supposed to form a direct link to the Senior Partners," he replied truthfully. For a moment, he paused and stared at the carpeted floor. Then he looked back up at her. "Darla, after you get back… would you consider telling me what they said?" he asked. He realized he was taking a risk if this went against the Senior Partners' wishes, but he didn't want to be kept out of the loop on this one. He wanted to find out what the White Room was before Lilah did, he wanted in on the plan to get back at Angel, but most of all he wanted to be clear on what they wanted Darla to do…

"Of course," she said without hesitation. "You want to surpass Lilah, don't you?" she added with a twinkle in her eyes that Lindsey hadn't seen before. It took him by surprise and he was captured by those beautiful grey eyes. The amused look made way for a questioning one, so he quickly regained his composure.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," he said with a grin, and they both laughed.

A silence fell between them. Lindsey sat down at his desk and intended to get some work done, but instead he just looked at Darla as she played with her hair. She seemed to be thinking. Finally, she spoke up.

"Before- you said that he's taken from both of us. Angel. What did he take from you?" she asked, her eyes gliding over his face. He didn't say anything but simply lifted his hand, showing her the prosthetic. She nodded slowly.

"I thought so. I'd been meaning to ask you, but I thought that maybe you didn't want to discuss it. Angel did that?" she asked. Lindsey nodded and walked over to sit down in the armchair next to hers.

"He killed you, and he severed my hand. I don't know exactly why the Senior Partners brought you back and what they've got planned for Angel; but you're the plan, Darla…" She nodded and leaned back in her chair.

"I know."

"Listen. To the Senior Partners this is a business move. Angel is a threat and they want to see him eliminated. To me it's a little more personal than that." He put his prosthetic hand on her soft white one that was resting on the arm of her chair. For a moment she looked startled and ready to pull her hand back, but then she relaxed. He looked at her and took in those soft features.

"I guess it's personal to you too. Angel and I have never been friends, but you and him were together for over a century… And he betrayed you…" he said, slowly and softly in that southern drawl of his.

"My boy… I trusted him and he betrayed me. He killed me…" her voice grew softer and her eyes darkened as the truth sank in.

"I'll help you, Lindsey. We'll take back what he stole from us," she spoke in that quiet, velvety voice of hers. "Together, we'll take back what is ours. Our life, our dignity…"

-

Lindsey was sitting at his desk and fiddled distractedly with his expensive pen, the exact same way he'd been sitting for the last hour. The moment Holland had come round to take Darla to the White Room he had decided to catch up on some work, but it was no use. When Darla was in the room, he hardly got anything done, but when she wasn't, it was even worse.

Come on man, get a grip. She can take care of herself. Besides, she's not thinking' of you either, so focus.

He turned his attention back to the folder in front of him and began making up the contract, talking out loud as he typed.

"Within the legislation of – what's keeping them so long?" Realizing this was hopeless, he sighed and closed the file before turning his chair around to look out of the window.

This was not a smart thing he was doing, he realized that. Not smart at all. Darla was in the employment of Wolfram Hart for a specific reason. She was the means to an end. He knew all of this, and on top of that he was pretty sure the Senior Partners would want her to get close to Angel. But the thought of Darla and Angel together almost drove him mad with jealousy. Just the idea of the vampire's fingers running through her hair, tracing patterns on her skin…

Lindsey shivered. The thought alone was enough to make him want to kill Angel with his bare hands.

Who am I kidding? I can't even use both my hands… he thought bitterly, looking at the plastic prosthetic hand.

He looked up when he heard the door open and close. Darla walked in and sank in her armchair, looking tired. Hesitant to ask her what happened, Lindsey twirled his pen in his hand and looked at the young woman. She was sprawled out in the chair, her eyes closed but her fingers running through her hair in a nervous move.

Slowly, he got up and walked up to her until he was standing behind the chair. He softly started to stroke her hair and this time she didn't freeze up, not even for a second. He smiled to himself as he felt her relax.

Darla leaned back into his touch, tilting her head until she could see his face. She'd never seen him look at her like this. She'd never seen anyone look at her like this. When she was human, she hadn't exactly been lucky in love, and during her time with Angelus they'd both been consumed by passion. This was different. Lindsey looked like he cared for her…

"They let me know what they want me to do…" she finally said, afraid to break the comfortable silence that had grown between them. Lindsey never stopped stroking her hair, but she could feel that he was waiting.

"Dreams. I'm going to get to Angel in his dreams."

-

TBC (Chapter 3 will be done after the weekend, please let me know what you think of it so far!)