CHAPTER THIRTY
A/n: this story is turning out to be one big epic. I know people are reading this but how about some comments? Or some helpful feedback? Thanks.
The following day Lorne and Abigail were taken to their new penthouse. Abigail felt as though she was on cloud nine. She had a new home, a new career was going to start in a few weeks and she had loving boyfriend. Things were going right for a change.
Abigail unlocked the door to their new home and they entered a hallway. There were footsteps and a woman appeared. She was in her mid to late fifties with salt and pepper hair and blue eyes. She wore a floral dress with an apron over it.
" You must be Abigail and Lorne." The woman greeted them.
" Uh…yeah." Abigail glanced at Lorne who shrugged.
" I'm Ada Miller. Your new housekeeper." Ada held her hand to shake and she did so.
" We have a housekeeper?" Lorne looked at the older woman in surprise.
" You'll be too busy with your jobs to take care of this place. And you will need someone to cook for you. That's where I come in. I'm here four days a week. I have Fridays and the weekends off."
" Are you…evil?" Abigail demanded suddenly.
" Abikins!" Lorne admonished her. He stepped forward and gave the woman a friendly smile, " Sorry about that-"
" Lorne, this woman was probably hired by Wolfram & Hart," Abigail argued, " Why should we trust her?"
" Lorne, it's ok. Abigail, I was hired by Wolfram & Hart when they advertised for a housekeeper for their new employers. I got the interview three weeks ago and they told me I was going to be a housekeeper to a young couple."
Abigail narrowed her eyes, " Did they tell you one of us was a demon?"
Ada lead the two into the kitchen which was huge. It had all the mod cons, and was clean and sparkling.
" Yes. They gave me your profiles. I was very intrigued in your unique relationship. Personally I think its sweet that a human can love a demon."
" Well…thanks." Lorne said and looked around at his new surroundings.
" I'll show you around." Ada offered. The downstairs consisted of the kitchen, a bathroom, study and a small library. The bookshelf was empty but Abigail could easily fill it. They went upstairs which had four bedrooms. The main bedroom had an ensuite bathroom.
" We have a spa," Lorne pointed out as they looked into the master bedroom.
" And a pool out back," Ada opened the balcony doors and they looked out into the backyard. There was a swimming pool and a patio area.
" Don't worry about taking care of the pool. The gardener does all that." Ada assured them. They left their luggage in the master bedroom.
" Abikins, I have to go see a client," Lorne told Abigail a few hours after lunch, " I'll be back home in a few hours."
" Ok. I'll continue packing."
" Great." Lorne kissed her goodbye, " I'll see you soon."
" I'll miss you." She smiled at him.
Lorne grinned before leaving the house.
" He's a sweetie," Ada told Abigail when the door closed, " I can tell he loves you by the way he looks at you."
" He's great. We've our ups and downs the past year. I love him-everything about him. Even his green skin and horns…"
* * *
" Are you sure?" Tamara Whitney asked Lorne dubiously, " This transformation spell is not easy."
" I know, I did my homework."
" If it was easy, then every demon who wanted to become human would do it. The process is extremely painful. Emotionally and physical."
" I know all this." Lorne said impatiently.
" The last time I did this spell-" Tamara paused, " it wasn't successful. The demon changed his mind halfway through."
" What happened to him?" Lorne asked, writing out a check and giving it to her.
" He died." Tamara said simply.
" Oh."
" Still want to do it?" Tamara smirked.
" Yes." Lorne nodded. Tamara sighed. That's what they all said.
" Who are you doing this for?" Tamara asked.
" My girlfriend. The love of my life."
" She must be very special if you want to go through this."
" She is."
" I'll ask you one more time. Are you sure?"
" Positive. What are we waiting for?" Lorne said. She directed him into a small, dark room.
" I can't stay in the same room as you. I have to lock this room." Tamara explained, " In case something happens-"
" I'm not violent." Lorne assured her.
" Even the most placid of demons can get very violent during the transformation. That's how harrowing it can be. Well…good luck." She said and closed the door.
Tamara cringed when she heard the agonizing scream coming from the locked room. It sounded as though the poor demon was being tortured. More screams followed as she concentrated on the spell. She heard pounding and more tortured shouts. She closed her eyes and ears to the noises and continued chanting. After another hour, everything went silent.
* * *
Abigail woke up after a nap. She had fallen asleep on the bed while reading. She looked at the clock, it was nearly five. Lorne should be here soon.
She heard footsteps outside the bedroom door. " Lorne? Honey, is that you?" she called out. The footsteps sounded hesitant before the door opened and a strange man entered her room.
" Who the hell are you? Get out!" she ordered him, scrambling off the bed.
The man grinned, " You don't recognise me do you?"
Abigail stared hard at the man. " Who…who are you?" she whispered.
" Don't you recognise my voice at least?" Lorne asked Abigail. She looked a little spooked and he couldn't blame her.
Her face paled, " L-Lorne?" she stammered.
The man grinned, " Yeah, it's me Abikins."
