Stay inside the hole
Let me take control
(Dominate)
You were nothing more
You were something less
(Innocent)
Something I still get
Something I have to break
(Omnipresent)
Fingers on your skin
Let me savage in
(You deserve it)
(Don't go) I never wanted anybody more then I wanted you
(I wanted you)
(I know) The only thing I ever really loved, was hurting you
(Was hurting you)
(Don't go) I never wanted anybody more then I wanted you
(I wanted you)
(I know) The only thing I ever really loved, was hate
-The Nameless by Slipknot
Lilah Morgan was not pleased.
Like a force of nature she moved down the hallways of Wolfram and Hart's Los Angeles branch, her chin held high regally and her eyes burning with a fire that made even the most hardened men scamper out of her path. But then again, no one who worked for the firm, with the obvious exception of the senior partners, was as severe as Lilah Morgan. Even Lindsey, her most prominent adversary, found it difficult to match her callous nature.
Lilah thought he was going soft. She laughed quietly to herself. When the Senior Partners finally realized what a waste of effort Lindsey had been for the company Lilah would be there, watching as they exacted their punishment. She was practically tingling in anticipation. But that particular topic would be addressed later.
She burst through the door of Lindsay's office and he glanced up, immediately interested in whatever issue had made Lilah loose some of her perpetually ice-queen demeanor. If Lindsey didn't know any better he would have said that the particular emotion hiding in the back of Lilah's eyes was stress. It was an interesting phenomenon to witness. Lilah didn't get stressed; she dished it out to others like it was the Sunday Brunch Special. This new chink in her armor was something that he took note of for later.
"We found her."
Lindsey nodded. He had expected as much. "Where?"
The look on Lilah's face was priceless. She shook her head disapprovingly. "She's with him."
Lindsey blinked. "Is he dead?" he asked, though he was already fairly certain of the answer, if the way Lilah was twitching was any indication. Either they had just created what was one of the stupidest mistakes the high-paid lawyer duo had ever participated in or she had just lost a screaming match with one of the flunkies down in Contracts. Though it seemed childish Lindsey hoped it was the later. That way there was no bad news for him and Lilah most likely had a headache and would be occupied for the next few hours while she dealt with whoever was working down in the lower levels of W&H hell. A win-win situation for him.
Lilah, however, gave him little time to arrange his delusion into a full-fledged fantasy. Straight to the point as ever she poured herself a whiskey –neat, sans the ice for maximum effect- and stated the facts. "Well, he is a vampire, so technically, yes, he is dead." Which actually would hold water in a court of law if this had been a legally bound killing, she thought, mildly sidetracked. "But not by her hand. She is his house guest."
"What?"
"That's right. The reason our little assassin hasn't made good on her contract is that she's rooming with the mark."
Lindsey frowned. "We hired her to kill him," he stated, annunciating each word to make sure he was clear.
"I believe I covered that with the assassin part."
"And he ends up inviting her to spend the night," he continued, ignoring his rival's superfluous comment.
Lilah practically growled. "I told you he wouldn't be easy," she said haughtily. Of course she had told him that –after she had suggested the plan in the first place. It was best to cover all her bases. She sipped at her whiskey again, relishing the burn. "He can't be bought, and apparently he can't be killed, even by a Vampire Slayer," she continued, perching herself on the edge of Lindsey's desk. Might as well make herself comfortable in his office. Once the Senior Partners had eliminated Lindsay's contract she was going to put in a bid for this room. It had a better view of the skyline than her's. "Rumor has it he used to actually date one."
"Who else knows about this?" Lindsey demanded. This situation was spiraling ridiculously out of control.
"No one outside of this room. Not yet anyway."
"When word gets back to the senior partners this won't go well. We conspired with her, paid her half up front, and now she makes us look like fools." Lindsey shook his head in disappointment as he listed off the recent events. "So question is: how are we gonna fix it?" Both lawyers turned their attention to the third member of the meeting to see if he had any interesting suggestions.
Lee, a neck brace supporting the weakened bones in his spine and his face literally black and blue managed to growl out five words through the wire that kept his fractured jaw locked. Spittle flew freely from his split lips as he uttered those words he had been dying to say since their little "meeting" with the Rogue Slayer.
"I say we kill her."
The popcorn looked like it probably tasted, hard and crisp around the edges, due largely to the fact that Cordelia had over-cooked it. How she had managed such a feat when using a microwave was beyond Faith's ability to comprehend but it didn't really matter anyway. She wasn't eating and neither Cordy's coaxing nor her forceful words would make her change her mind.
"You really should eat something," Cordelia practically sulked. Faith gave her a look and shoved the bowl of popcorn to the other side of the small kitchen table where the two women were seated. Conveniently the Sunnydale native had seated herself between the Slayer and the door but Faith didn't see her obstruction being a problem for much longer. The accelerated healing that came with her Chosen abilities began doing it's job the second her wounds were created, so Cordelia, despite her newfound confidence in Slayer-wrangling, would be little-to-no match for Faith in another minute or two. Unfortunately the boosted immune system and cell divisional factors that actually made Faith heal faster created a hastened metabolism, which required a lot of fuel.
In other words, Faith was a little hungry. But she was not going to eat the popcorn. No way in hell.
"Fine then. More for me." To prove her point Cordy took a handful of the heated kernels and munched down. She paused in the middle of her bite, made a face, and then forced herself to swallow. "Mmmm… that was good."
"Uh huh," Faith coolly commented, her voice bland. "Sure looked like you enjoyed it too."
In a practised pout, one developed over years of dealing with Daddy and his Gold Card, Cordy pushed the plastic bowl back to the centre of the table. "Okay, so maybe the popcorn was a bad idea. It's not as if Angel had anything else stocked in his cupboards," she muttered, ignoring the popcorn snootily as if it was solely the buttery treat's fault. Glancing around her eyes landed on the couch and the grey-socked feet that were propped up on the nearest arm. "New plan: we steal Wes's wallet and order pizza."
"You serious?" Faith asked incredulously, a twitch of a smile gracing her features. This new Cordy seemed a bit more fun than the one she had known months ago back in Sunnydale. It would be interesting to see how much the May Queen had changed, if Faith was planning to hang around.
Yeah, right. Like she was really gonna stay here for much longer.
Cordelia caught the subtle shift in the other girl's attitude and practically glowed in victory. "So? You don't like pizza now?"
"I haven't had pizza in a while."
"Why? Dieting?" She gave the younger woman the standard once over and stated rather matter-of-factly, "you don't look like you need to loose any weight."
Faith's smile turned into an almost patronising grin. "Um, Cordelia? Coma, remember?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Besides, what if Wesley has no money in his wallet?"
Both women jumped at the new voice. The Watcher yawned and stretched before practically rolling off the couch. He retrieved his jacket from the coffee table and stood slowly, rubbing an ache he blamed the couch springs for vehemently. Cordelia watched him with an amused expression, guessing accurately at what had caused Wesley's sudden annoyance while Faith desperately tried to blend in with the scenery. The Slayer's sudden disinclination caught Wes's attention and he raised a brow in curiosity at the cosy setting in the kitchen. "Hmm. Nice to see everyone getting along so well."
"This is the location."
From the roof of a building across the street he gestured to the front entrance of Angel Investigations. One of his associates snorted disapprovingly. "Over two-hundred years on this Earth and the bastard can't afford himself a decent head-quarters."
"Vampires today. No work ethic."
"Enough." One word of command was sufficient to silence his associates. "The Board of Directors is already far from impressed with our recent performance. We need to remain focused."
"It wasn't our bloody fault. The other damn Slayer…"
He trailed off before his companion silenced him again. "We should have been able to handle both Slayers. We need to be more prepared this time."
"What about the vampire?"
"He's been deemed nonessential."
"But it's been prophesised-"
"The Board doesn't care. He's a vampire, they're all the same regardless."
"And the others? The civilians who work with him?"
"Not an issue. Our priority is the Slayer. Anyone else who gets in the way is expendable."
Coffee. It was an essential part of life at the Wolfram and Hart building, much like it was in the rest of the city, and the rest of the world for that matter. Lilah inhaled the pungent aroma, savoring the flavor that tickled her nose and wished she had the opportunity to make the blend a little stronger. Perhaps Irish the beverage up a little, but now wasn't the best time for creative license.
"We'd like to thank you for coming down on such short notice," Lindsey nodded to their guest, inwardly smirking as Lilah busied herself over the drinks. He found it almost fascinating, the heartless bitch looking so domesticated.
Lilah was oblivious to her associate's analysis. "We trust we can rely on your professionalism."
"We've had some trouble with freelancers in the past," Lee growled out. His face was still a living train wreck and it made everything he said come out as a tactless bark. Not that he had the best people skills to begin with but his bluntness was beginning to irk even the impassive Lilah Morgan. Lindsey thought she might give herself a hernia if she acted any more personable. Lilah thought she should slap Lindsey up the side of his head but that just wouldn't do. Not with a new employee in the room and all.
"Do you take cream?" Lilah gestured to the thick white substance within on of the silver dishes in front of her. When she received no response she assumed that was a negative. "No? All right."
Lindsey fished through some of the files that sat in front of him until he found what he was looking for. After having actually met the woman in person he had decided that the photo from the police file did her nowhere near justice but they hadn't thought to take a new picture for the personnel files. "Here is the target."
Lee grunted. "Don't let the picture fool you. She's tougher than she looks."
"We're not talking about anything elaborate," Lindsey noted truthfully. He didn't want another cover-up and certainly not another botched assassination attempt. "No slow or painful death."
"Well, some pain would be good."
"The point is: we want her dead."
"Yes. Dead." Lee's mangled face contorted into a sneer-like grin. "A lot."
Lilah returned to the table, tray balanced precariously in the palm of one hand. She placed the tray in the center of the table and Lindsay quickly took advantage of the unspoken offer. He began loading sugar into his cup and Lilah suppressed a shudder. The man was far too sweet for her tastes. "Just so we're clear we won't be putting any of this down on paper," she addressed the group's latest business associate. "This is strictly a handshake deal."
"Not that it is necessary for you to have hands for us to do business with you."
Lilah recoiled, placing a hand on her chest for dramatic license. Inwardly she cursed Lindsey for picking up the subtle slip in her political correctness. The man could be so God damned anal sometimes. "That was species-ist of me. I apologize if I-" With a high pitched snarl their guest buried it's' face into a silver dish, devouring the sweet white cream it contained in earnest. Lilah paused to gather herself before continuing. "-Have offended you-" Masticated cream splattered onto the antique Oak table. "-In any way."
The creature looks up. The mauled cream highlighted the mouthful of fangs and mandibles that took up the lower half of its face. It hissed, black shadows rippling across the iridescent turquoise skin. The obsidian eyes twinkled maliciously…
"No, Giles. I won't let her just run away from the mess she's made. Again." She let out an angry exhalation and the passenger side window fogged up briefly with the condensation. A static murmur from the other end of the line buzzed a proposal. "No, I can't 'take this to the proper authorities.' I wish to God I could, but we've been over this before. The police wouldn't know what to do with a Slayer even if they did know we existed." She paused again and listened to another suggestion. This one stirred her and she inhaled deeply. Her fingers slowly released the cellular phone from the death-grip she held it in. "The Council?" Buffy asked through gritted teeth. "I think we've had more than enough help from them for this lifetime. And now she's after Angel? She's gone too far this time, Giles. Faith needs to be dealt with and dealt with now. I can't let one homicidal maniac get in the way of another. Adam's just gonna have to put the Apocalypse on hold for a day or two." She slammed the phone down onto the armrest next to her, wincing when her enhanced hearing picked up the sharp snap of an LED screen.
"Hey, take it easy." A large calloused hand rested softly on her thigh. "We'll get her. I promise."
Buffy placed her own hand on top of Riley's, giving his a measured squeeze. "I'm sure we will," she answered, steel determination flaring up in her eyes.
"I know we will…"
Fai kicked at the bottom corner of her locker. The metal had been bent by students years before herself and twisted back into place in such a way that it was virtually impossible for her to shut the locker completely. Not that it contained anything of serious value: a few pencils, the vampire Pez stick Sarah had swapped her for a Twix bar that Fai had purchased God-knew-when, a couple of car magazines, text books that hadn't been opened since they were issued before Summer Break and a mix tape of Punk and Metal. Okay, the Pez she wanted to keep but everything else was pretty worthless to her. Fai kicked the locker again, satisfied this time when the door was wedged closed inside its frame.
"Hell-o baby!" Nate came up behind her, covering her eyes despite the fact the gesture was redundant. Fai had long ago become accustomed to the sound of his heavy gait and personal smell of gunpowder and chilli dogs. He reminded her of the Fourth of July.
"Hey dumbass. Took your time gettin' over here. I was 'bout to send a search party after your ass." She grinned good-naturedly and cuffed him on the shoulder. Nate stumbled back and feigned injury.
"Oh, God. The pain!" He doubled over and Faith smacked him on the head. "Ow…" he whined, rubbing a spot below his hairline. "See, that one did hurt."
"Uh-huh," she agreed, gathering her bag from the floor before turning to leave.
Nate fell in step beside her. "No, I'm serious. Your swing's getting better. You almost hit like a girl now." She took another cheap swing at him and he broke into quiet laughter.
They exited the school from a fire escape that hung from level two, jumping from the rusted ladder to the ground with years of practised ease. It was habit, not necessity, which caused them to leave unseen from a back exit and head toward the railway tracks a few blocks from the High School. Usually no-one but the janitor and a few of Boston's gutsier bums would be rummaging in the school's dumpsters, so the clean cut woman in the immaculate business suit came as a shock to the youngsters.
The woman, glancing around with obvious disdain for her location and apparently trying not to touch anything, including the ground, looked startled by the appearance of the two teens, but quickly shook it off. She took a step forward and extended a hand toward the girl. "You must be Faith," she stated, her foreign accent making Fai's ears twitch.
Nate took a step forward and tried to play hero. "What's it to you, lady?"
"My name is Danielle Haversham," she introduced, voice filled with authority. She locked her eyes with the young brunette, ignoring the boy that stood between them. "And I am here to show you to your destiny."
Fai was silent for a moment, before shaking off the unnerving sensation the random woman conveyed. She reached out and grabbed Nate's hand. "C'mon. This woman is crazed." He nodded but didn't move until she had turned to leave and was twisting his arm uncomfortably in her grip.
"'Crazed' indeed…" Danielle echoed softly in her thick British accent as the pair exited the alley.