Disclaimer: I do not own Angel the Series
Thanks to Starway Man for being my beta.
As you'll quickly be able to tell, this chapter takes place during/alongside Angel episode 3x01, "Heartthrob".
Exit Strategy
By Alkeni
Chapter 15: Angel's Return
Lobby, Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles
September 22nd, 2001
To say that things between Lilah and Wesley had been...tense, would have been both inaccurate and something of an understatement.
On the one hand, Wesley had been far more explicit about his willingness to harm or kill her, in a way that was impossible to miss. On the other hand, it wasn't as if he'd particularly liked or trusted her before that. And whatever else, he certainly wasn't going to reject the resource Lilah represented.
Such as using me for information, research help and of course, having me come with him and help on the cases.
Wesley respected her intelligence and cleverness, which had been useful more than once over the summer, but he had been far more hostile to her personally. Then again, it was really only a change of degree, not kind. And he'd been careful about not being too hostile towards her around Cordelia and Gunn, apparently not interested in letting them know what she'd done – and the role he'd played in it, of course.
Personally, though, I'm pretty sure Cordelia wouldn't even care that much. The one group of humans which the Vision Girl had no problem with letting die was the 'Wolfram and Hart employee' category. Lilah wasn't sure what Gunn's reaction would be, but she didn't really care over-much either.
Sorting through all the information she'd gotten out of Linda had taken awhile, but she'd already hit a safe-house – this one with no guards – taking a large stash of money from Lindsey and setting fire to the place to cover her tracks. Wesley hadn't, it seemed, made the connection. Or if he had, he hadn't said anything to her about it.
Much as she hated to admit it, though, Lilah knew she really wasn't very much closer to finding out where her mother was – oh, she had narrowed the search area down some, ruling out all kinds of potential places, but that still didn't leave her with much. Still, Lilah had a few more safe-houses she intended to check out soon.
In the meantime...she had once again been drafted into helping AI with their latest case. And now they were returning from it, the Murite demon dead, his vampire minions dusted and his cult dealt with less directly (Wesley had quite explicitly told her not to kill any of the humans, and she'd preferred intact kneecaps on something this unimportant).
Lilah's body was sore – she'd been forced into a fistfight with one member of the cult who'd gotten too close to her, and the ex-lawyer hadn't exactly made a good showing of it. She was exhausted. And she smelled like the bits of the Murite that had splattered all over her when Gunn had killed it.
As they passed through the gate into the Hyperion's entryway, Cordelia cut into the silence that had dominated among the four of them on their way home.
"You know, I understand people who drink too much. I understand people who put a little note on the parking meter that says it's broken when it's not." Cordelia gestured with her free hand at Lilah, "I even understand people who decide to work for Wolfram and Hart." She shook her head, "But I don't understand people who worship demons." Cordelia concluded as they walked into the lobby.
"Yea, especially a Lurite demon." Gunn agreed emphatically. "The stink on that thing, man. You're a prince of the Underworld, bro, hit a jacuzzi once in a while."
Despite herself, Lilah let out a small chuckle at that, as did Cordelia. The demon really had smelled like shit, and its stench still clung to the four of them, to one degree or another. "On the other hand, Gunn, it wasn't as bad as the palace sewer in Pylea that Wesley made us swim through."
Gunn winced at the memory. "Right, and thanks so much for reminding me 'bout that!"
While it was true that neither Cordelia nor Gunn liked her any more now than they had when she'd first showed up here, and they certainly didn't trust her as far as they could kick her, they had...gotten used to her. Wesley had too, in his own way, but he'd also done so faster than the other two. She had become, by this point, part of the scenery at the Hyperion; and they had grown used to her coming along on their cases. She wasn't part of the team – and thank God for that – but Lilah doubted they were actively hoping for her immediate death. Not anymore, anyway.
They reached the weapons cabinet and Lilah handed her crossbow off to Gunn, who put it away, alongside his baseball-bat turned stake.
"It's sad." Wesley started, "I suppose the only way some people can find a purpose in life is by becoming obsessed with demons." He started to wipe his sword clean of demon blood. "And by the way Gunn, technically that wasn't a Lurite. It was a Murite, a sub-species of the Lurite. You can tell by the small fin behind the third shoulder in the males." He gestured to indicate what he meant.
Lilah half-scoffed at the pedantic way Wesley corrected the black man. Really, it was days like this she suspected Wesley didn't have any sort of life apart from focusing on demons and the supernatural. Then again, you knew it was a Murite too. But, she added to herself, I wasn't going to correct Gunn over it.
Gunn took the correction mostly gracefully. Still, his response elicited a laugh – a somewhat exhausted one – from Lilah: "So glad to know that we're not the sad people obsessed with demons."
"Well, we have to be a little obsessed." Wesley explained defensively, "We're detectives who specialize in these things."
"And we're not sad." Cordelia said unconvincingly, draping herself across the circular couch.
"No. No." Wesley replied, sounding for all the world as if he was trying to convince himself, "We're a happy and rambunctious lot if I ever saw one."
Lilah laughed sharply for a moment, as Gunn and Cordelia just shot Wesley disbelieving looks, "What dictionary are you using, then?" Lilah asked him.
Wesley sighed, "Alright, fine. I realize we sacrifice a great deal of our social lives. But we have to. Our work demands it."
"Welcome to my world." Lilah offered with a dark chuckle. "Didn't have a social life, even before I left Wolfram & Hart."
"Not helping, Lilah." Gunn commented, then sighed, "You're right though, Wes. I mean, who's got time for love when you're out there doing it with the demons?" He flinched as he realized what he said, "And didn't that come out all sad and wrong." He sighed, sitting down on the steps.
"I need to get out more. Speakin' of, anyone talked to Fred lately?" Gunn asked.
"Not talked." Cordelia answered, examining her face in a small makeup mirror. "She pokes her head out of her room once in a while."
"Nice girl." Wesley said, in that...tone of voice he used when it came to anything to do with Fred.
Great pestilent and dark gods of the underworld, Wesley, you've barely interacted with the woman – and you have a high-school crush on her? Lilah had no particular dislike of Fred – she hadn't interacted with her either, after all – but she found Wesley's crush endlessly amusing, and she didn't have any reason to hold any fondness for the mad-woman either.
"Nice, maybe, but she's not making any great strides towards mental health." Cordelia pointed out. "She's been hibernating up there in her room since May." When it came to Fred, Cordelia seemed to be the only sane one of the three heroes.
Lilah made her way up the stairs – her shower was calling – as the three kept talking about Fred, then the conversation moved to the late, unlamented (in her view) Slayer. Lilah had to agree with Gunn on one thing, though. Vegas made a hell of a lot more sense as a place for Angel to go, instead of Sri Lanka of all places.
Lobby, Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles
September 25th, 2001
"So, whose turn is it to set the traps?" Cordelia asked as she walked into the lobby.
"His." Gunn and Wesley said together, neither looking away from what it was they were doing. Lilah rolled her eyes, amused even more by Cordelia's response.
"You guys amaze me. You'll fight hell beasts, but you're scared of rats?" Cordelia scoffed.
"I hate rats." Gunn said, as if that was explanation enough. "Their little beady eyes."
"And their beady teeth." Wesley chipped in.
"And their little tails, all -" Gunn made swooshing sounds.
"Besides," Wesley added, gesturing at Lilah with one of the Kai in his hands, "Make Lilah do it."
Now it was Lilah's turn to actually look up. "Really?" She rolled her eyes and stood up. She really didn't want to, but there was also no point in arguing with Wesley about it. It would take her all of five minutes, and at this point, setting mouse traps was far from the least pleasant thing she'd had to do in recent times. She walked over to Cordelia and grabbed the traps from the Seer's outstretched hands, making her way towards the basement. "I have to agree with Cordelia, though. When it comes to rats, you two are complete-" Lilah's voice cut off as the door opened before she even got to it, and she stepped back instinctively.
Then she saw it was Angel.
"Oh. You're back." Lilah stepped aside so he could get by.
"And you're still here." Angel replied in the same tone.
"Pretty much." Lilah replied, "Did you really think you'd be rid of me, by the time you got back?"
"A man could hope." Angel muttered, walking around the corner into the lobby. Lilah watched with amusement as all three of the others greeted him with solid hugs. And then laughed a little as Cordelia almost immediately steered the conversation towards herself – specifically, towards gifts.
Their reactions to the gifts were even more amusing. The shrunken head suited Gunn perfectly. The necklace didn't really bring out Cordelia's breasts, after all – her breasts did that well enough all on their own. The Murshan dynasty knife and the 'I can't wait to kill something with it' comment from Wesley was more than a little absurd.
I still can't understand how Wolfram & Hart didn't crush these idiots, the first time they ever came to Holland's notice. They were the most eccentric group of half-useless do-gooders she'd ever heard about. Of course, with all of them but Wesley, she had them pretty much figured out. Wesley was...still puzzling. Still, she liked a good puzzle.
Even if he is a self-righteous moralizing nuisance half the time. The other half the time, he was threatening her with injury or otherwise being actively hostile. Of the two, she vastly preferred actively hostile. Much more...entertaining, on several levels. Not to mention, the banter was more fun then.
Not having any particular reason to stay in the lobby – especially not now that Angel was back – Lilah made her way towards the basement stairs, as the reunited friends talked.
Lobby, Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles
September 25th, 2001
"Okay, then you guys can bring me up to date." Angel said. Then he pointed off in the direction Lilah had disappeared, "Starting with her."
"Lilah?" Gunn shrugged, "Evil lawyer lady who can't stop needling everyone."
"She's hostile, and doesn't have a problem with putting a gun to a little kid's head," Cordelia offered in turn.
"I'm not sure there's anything more for me to say on the matter," Wesley concluded, then gestured with his head towards the office, "Before you go up and settle in, a word, Angel?"
Angel looked at him for a moment, and Wesley guessed the vampire could in turn guess that whatever it was he wanted to talk about before the official 'catching up to date' away from everyone else, it was Lilah.
And of course, I actually do want to talk about Lilah. So there's that.
And sure enough, once they were in his office, the door was closed, and the head of the detective agency was seated, Angel's first question proved Wesley's guess was right: "So. What is it about Lilah that you didn't want Cordelia and Gunn to hear?"
"She seems to be waging a one-woman war against Lindsey McDonald and Wolfram & Hart, and has killed at least three, possibly four people – humans – along the way. Directly. Not just locking them in a basement with homicidal vampires." Wesley saw the look that passed across Angel's face, and immediately regretted saying that. "My apologies, Angel. That was, ah, uncalled for. But Lilah's little war against that bloody law firm isn't as significant as yours was, even if it does seem to be all she cares about."
"Well, we know that Lindsey's got something on her. It's the only reason we don't have the really good stuff she promised us." Angel pointed out.
"Perhaps. But she's leaving a trail of bodies behind her, and that's troublesome in and of itself." Wesley pointed out.
"All Wolfram and Hart employees, right?"
Wesley nodded, "Directly or indirectly. And I think she's nudged at least a few vampires and demons in our direction – or us in their direction – as a means of taking out clients or minions of Lindsey. She's quite determined to use us as part of her strategy against her former employers." Wesley pulled a file folder out of a locked drawer in his desk and handed it to Angel. "This is everything I've been able to figure out about what it is that she's doing."
Angel nodded. "I'll take a look, but as long as she doesn't get in the way of the mission..." Angel shrugged, "Well, I'm not sure I'm seeing the problem here. I mean..." He looked at Wesley, "I'm not gonna mourn the loss of anyone who works for Wolfram and Hart, that's for sure."
"Neither am I." Wesley agreed. "Though she made me all but complicit in one of her murders, my real concern is that this trail of bodies could lead back to us. Lindsey almost certainly knows who it is that's been going after him and his resources." Now for the really troubling bit. "The worst part is I'm not sure if there's any way of, of controlling her. When I confronted Lilah about the murder she'd involved me in – and told her in no uncertain terms that I wouldn't tolerate her efforts blowing back on Angel Investigations – she all but told me to go ahead and kill her and be done with it, if I really was going to try to stop her. She's willing to drown Lindsey in blood if that's what it takes. We may just be seeing the beginning here."
He paused. "This isn't just something Lindsey's got over Lilah." Wesley finished, "It's important enough to her that Lilah's willing to die if she can't...deal with it."
"Huh. You're right. Something valuable enough that's worth dying for – maybe there's someone else in the world Lilah actually gives a damn about?" Angel suggested. "Family?"
"It would make sense, yes. I can't find any information on her family, though. She's hidden it too well." Wesley frowned. "The truth is, Angel, I want to find out what she's doing and what she's after. The current status quo won't last, it can't – if it would help her achieve her goals, I don't doubt that Lilah would attempt to kill all of us, and without a moment's hesitation."
"So why is she still here, then?" Angel opened the file idly, flipping through the pages and clippings within. "I can't say I like the idea of the evil lawyer hanging around, living here, if that's true."
"She doesn't have anywhere else to go where someone from Wolfram & Hart would attempt to kill her, and she's proven surprisingly useful at times." Wesley admitted. "And killing her myself...evil or not, Lilah's human. Barely, on some occasions, but still. So I'd really rather not cross that line until I have to."
"Until you have to?" Angel raised an eyebrow, "Wes, you sound like you are planning on killing her, at some point!"
Wesley sighed. This was something he'd thought about too much recently. "Yes, well. It's likely to be unavoidable, eventually. Besides, in our line of work, we come across more than enough evil humans working with demons and vampires or evil warlocks with their own dark magic. Sooner or later, we're not going to be able to avoid killing one of them, to save an innocent's life, or perhaps save ourselves." I really don't like to think about that. Granted, Wesley was more than prepared to do it, if he had to...
Making that kind of choice – every Watcher was trained for it. The Slayer couldn't be allowed to kill humans – couldn't be allowed to get into the habit of using her strength and skills to play judge, jury and execution on humanity. That way led to nothing but disaster, with plenty of precedents in the historical record to prove it. Including his own Slayer, Faith.
Thus, every Watcher was expected, if the need arose, to kill humans that consorted with or perhaps even summoned the dark forces that the Slayer fought. Only if they truly needed to be killed, and if there were no other options, but nonetheless it was part of the training.
And like most parts, not as thorough or helpful as it should be.
Angel was silent for a moment, then nodded, "I suppose you're right." There was something in Angel's voice that made Wesley think of that moment, after the Ethros demon had told them all how Wesley was prepared to kill Angel, just waiting for the need.
And how Angel had accepted it – had known that he needed someone prepared to kill him, if it came to that.
"Just don't let yourself get too obsessed with trying to figure her out that you lose sight of the mission, Wes." Angel finished. He laughed a half-hollow, self-deprecating laugh. "I've been there, with Darla."
"I hardly think this is even remotely a similar case." Wesley countered, then he sighed and nodded. "But, I do take your point."
Lobby, Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles
September 25th, 2001
Lilah heard Cordelia's scream even while sitting in her room, but when there weren't any more screams, and she heard the car driving off a minute later, she figured the Seer had simply had another vision. They were getting worse, Lilah had noticed. She wasn't sure if the men around here had.
Figures. The Powers that Be were the Senior Partner's opposite number, and yet they sucked at the whole Good Guy thing. A handful of Champions, some cryptic intermediaries and seers that had visions that started at painful, and were just getting worse.
If the Senior Partners weren't playing the long game, good guys the world over would have been wiped out a long time ago.
Oh, it wasn't quite that simple, Lilah knew – but it was close. Wolfram & Hart had rivals, in this and other dimensions, and there was still a need for the Senior Partners to keep their activities largely secret. There were just too many humans for them to try to take over openly, from demonkind's perspective.
And we have tanks, planes and nuclear weapons. Lilah smirked. Human ingenuity was one of the things Wolfram and Hart existed to exploit – at least, in its current incarnation as a law firm. Lilah wasn't an expert on the Senior Partners' history, and she only knew bits and pieces about whatever projects the Wolf, Ram and Hart had been up to before they'd set up their current project. But still, that information wasn't strictly relevant to her current plans.
It was only a few more minutes later when Lilah realized she'd left the information one of her contacts had sent her that she'd been reading downstairs. She needed to get that, and ideally before anyone else got their hands on it.
I know who I need to talk to next. I just need to get them alone.
Getting up off the bed, Lilah walked down into the lobby, seeing Cordelia still sprawled on the floor. Lilah stood there on the stairs, wondering if the girl was still breathing for a moment – then she saw that she was.
"Visions are getting worse, hmm?" Lilah went over to the desk and picked up the file folder. It didn't look like it had been disturbed since she'd put it down to go set the traps.
Cordelia started to sit up, one hand rubbing at her right temple. "Lilah, do me a favor and shut the hell up." Her tone was venomous, but it lacked the energy to really hit home.
"Just my opinion, but you should really look into ways to deal with the collateral damage that comes with being Angel's seer." Lilah commented, deliberately unhelpful. She knew full well how Cordelia was looking into that; she had to be. "Or else you could just tell Wes-"
"I'm not telling him. Or Angel." Cordelia cut her off. Then she pointed at her, "And you're not telling them either, or so help me-"
Now she sounds like herself again. Lilah held up her hands in a surrender gesture. "It's not my problem if your brain starts leaking out of your ears, Vision Girl. I haven't seen it happen myself, granted, but-"
"Wait up," Cordelia cut her off again, "that can actually happen?"
"It can." Lilah confirmed, "Usually only to a seer or psychic that tries to look at something or someone that really shouldn't be looked at – or doesn't want to be looked at. Still, you don't have that kind of control over your abilities. The Powers that Be just send you the pictures and the pain." Lilah smirked, "Way I see it, being a hero comes with a really crappy health plan."
"Don't remind me." Cordelia muttered with a soft moan, now rubbing her temples with both hands. She looked at Lilah, "Is there a reason you're down here?"
"Just came to get this." Lilah indicated the file. "And FYI, there are options available to you that you probably haven't found out about yet."
"Since when do you care?"
"Since you would owe me a favor if I helped you out." Lilah admitted.
Cordelia narrowed her eyes at Lilah, a hand on the couch to keep herself standing. "Do you ever do anything without an expectation of return? Have you ever?"
Lilah made a great show of considering the question, then smiled, "A few times, when I was much younger. I think the last time was when I was six. By that point, I'd decided it simply wasn't any fun at all."
"What kind of favor are you looking for, then?" Cordelia asked after a long moment, her face looking like she'd just swallowed something truly disgusting.
"Offhand? I don't know." At Cordelia's glare, Lilah shrugged, "No, really, I don't. Not yet anyway. I'm sure something will come up, though."
Lilah wondered just what was going through the seer's head. Pain, obviously, and inner turmoil on if she should take the deal. After a minute and some of silence, Cordelia spoke again.
"What exactly are you offering?"
"Nothing as good as what the seers and psychics at Wolfram and Hart get, I don't have access to that sort of pharmaceutical supply anymore. But there are lower-grade versions, with less powerful spells and ingredients. I don't know if they'd stop whatever brain damage the visions are probably doing to you, but they'd certainly deal with the worst of the pain." Lilah knew enough about the people Wolfram and Hart had employed in this field to know that no one got visions or similar powers without a cost. Sanity was usually the main cost, but it also took a physical toll on them. Visions with the kind of backlash – and more importantly, the kind of specificity – that Cordelia's visions had had to be messing with her brain something fierce.
Cordelia grimaced, making a face at the mention of brain damage – but she didn't seem surprised. She must have already made her own inquiries into her state of health. "You get me a small amount of whatever it is you're talking about, I'll try it and then we'll see." Cordelia said. "I'm not making any deal with you, until I know what you're offering works."
"Sorry, but that's not how it works, Cordelia." Lilah pointed out. "I'm the one making the offer."
"Maybe, but you're in no position to dictate terms, lady. Either you do what I tell you, or I'll tell Angel what's going on, and how you know of something that could help me deal with the vision pain – but you won't give it to me." Cordelia's voice had lost all traces of exhaustion, of pained defeatism. Now her voice was back to full-on bitch and venom. "How do you think he's going to react, once he hears that?"
Lilah didn't need to think. Last time someone had stood between Angel and a way to help Cordelia, Lindsey had lost his hand. She'd had a lot of fun at her rival's expense over that, but she really didn't want to experience it herself – or whatever else the damned vampire came up with.
"You're bluffing. You don't want your friends to know just how badly the visions are hurting you." Lilah pointed out.
"No, I really don't. Because I know exactly how they'll react. But I can't say the idea of Angel beating the information out of you doesn't sound extremely appealing, either. Look, I'm not expecting you to give me anything without getting something back in return. I just want to know exactly what it is I'm buying." A pause, "Since it's going to probably cost a piece or two of my soul, one way or the other."
Lilah smirked, "Maybe there's hope for you yet, if that's the way you're thinking." She had to grant Cordelia had played her cards well. "Very well, then, I'll see what I can do. Might take a week or so to get the item in question, though."
"Fine. Just don't take too long."
Lobby, Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles
September 26th, 2001
"Gunn and I will hit the streets," Wesley said as he turned away from the desk, "see what our sources can tell us."
It had been a busy time, with Angel briefly encountering two vampires Angelus and Darla had run with back in the 18th century – James and Elizabeth – and him dusting the female member of the pair. With any luck, they'd be able to find out where James was before the other vampire found out what had happened to his lady-love. But Wesley had his doubts that it would work out quite that well.
"See?" Cordelia said with a smile, "We have sources now."
"Oh, you're almost like real detectives now." Angel replied, accepting the slight hit and making one back of his own.
"Hey!" Gunn's 'indignation' was all faked, of course.
Wesley turned around at the sound of Lilah's voice. "If you want to know where this James vampire might be located, you should talk to Robert Kjr'larkana." The name sounded familiar, but Wes couldn't place it before Lilah added, "He's a half-breed, runs a sort of early warning service for the non-violent demons in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. When something big is happening, he spreads the word. The people not interested in getting killed tend to hide as soon as possible."
Wesley started to ask why she was volunteering the information, but then realized the answer was obvious. Lilah still needed them alive, for the time being, and if James got to the Hyperion... Well, she could easily up dead along with everyone else, all things considered.
"All right, then we'll start with him." Wesley said with a nod.
Lilah's Room, Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles
September 27th, 2002
As it had turned out, going to Kjr'larkana hadn't been strictly necessary. By the time they'd gotten the information about James' little suicidal grand gesture for revenge, Angel and Cordelia had already found that part out. And the soulless vampire ran out of time, anyway, while attempting to kill those two; collapsing into dust aboard that subway train – and good riddance to him.
Luck. It has to be pure luck. That's got to be it. In Lilah's view, the white hats had all but stumbled through their latest adventure like the Keystone Kops, and still had come out on top no worse for wear.
Unfortunately, that luck wasn't rubbing off on her. Not yet, anyway.