Disclaimer: Angel and Co. are the property of Joss & ME.

Author's Note: Events take place in the early part of Season 2. Written for my sister, who double-dog dared me to insert an original character into the Angel 'verse. I've been writing fiction for a long time, but am new to posting. I'll endeavor to keep my technological glitches to a minimum. Constructive criticism is always welcome

Chapter 1

"So, do we have a deal?" Lindsey McDonald asked.

The law firm of Wolfram & Hart was used to seeing any number of odd characters in its offices and conference rooms: vampires, demons, wizards, tax attorneys. By contrast the young woman sitting across the table from Lindsey seemed blatantly normal. Human, for one thing. Conventional looking, casually dressed. She wasn't even a blip on the radar screen.

A lucky break for us, Lindsey thought.

Lindsey felt his colleague, Lilah, shift impatiently in her chair as they waited for their guest to respond. Lindsey kept his eyes trained on the girl. She held herself stiffly in her seat, her expression carefully guarded. But Lindsey knew she'd accept the offer. She wanted the payoff.

Finally, she nodded. "We have a deal."

Lindsey and Lilah exchanged a quick, triumphant glance.

"Wonderful." Lilah opened her briefcase and pulled out a thick file. "Now, you know how this works, Rachel. You scratch our back, we--"

"Try to stab mine as soon as I turn it on you. Yeah, I know how it works," Rachel replied.

Lilah's smile lost a tinge of its smugness. Lindsey fought down a smile of his own. "This is your target," he said, sliding the file across the table. "His name is Angel—a vampire. He runs a private detective agency here in Los Angeles. And he's been a liability to us for quite some time now. Everything you need to track him down is in the file. We don't care how you do the job as long as he's dust."

Rachel scanned the pages of the file. She did not look pleased. "Problem?" Lindsey asked.

"I can't help but notice the list of people who've gone up against this guy. Including a Slayer. And they've all lost. What exactly makes you think I can pull this off?"

"You're a Kindred," Lilah replied. "This is exactly the sort of think you're trained to do; fighting, magic. It's a shame we can't get more of you to contract with Wolfram & Hart."

"We just want you to understand that you have our utmost confidence," Lindsey added. "Of course, if you think you can't handle it--" He moved to take back the folder.

Rachel closed Angel's file and stood, tucking the folder under her arm. "Fine. I'll dust the vampire for you. You just make sure you hold up your end of the deal."

"You'll be rewarded," Lindsey assured her, "according to your specifications. As soon as you finish your assignment, we'll make the call."

"Why not make it now? I'm not planning on this taking very long."

"Ah, but then you wouldn't have quite the same incentive, would you?" Lindsey replied. "We like our assassins properly motivated. After the job is done, and not a minute before."

When she was gone, Lilah poured herself a cup of coffee and perched on the edge of the table, regarding Lindsey with a bemused expression. "Do you honestly believe she has a hope in hell of taking Angel down?" she asked.

Lindsey leaned back in his chair. "I doubt it," he replied. "Not that it matters. We're certainly not out anything if she gets killed." He twirled his pen idly. "I thought her terms were pretty interesting."

"Very," Lilah agreed. "Definitely something we should check into. Could look really good at review time.

Lindsey chuckled. "Hell, Angel will be doing us a favor if he kills her," he said. "It'll save us the trouble of doing it later."

"And if she kills him?"

"Well, that will just be a nice bonus."