A/N: I stated before that if you wish to read this as a reader insert, you were welcome to. If you are choosing to do that, there is a small physical description of Lil in this chapter, so be aware of that :)

Silco watched Olillia walk out of the room and disappear down the hallway. He scowled at the empty place she had been standing as if that would change the fact that she had walked away from him before he could say what he wanted to. The way she always had. Some things never changed.

He looked around the large room he was standing in. It had been used for meetings of the Sons of Zaun years ago, but it obviously had not seen much use in recent years. It could make a nice spacious office for him to work out of once they cleared away the boxes and dust.

Thudding footsteps behind him grabbed Silco's attention, prompting him to turn back towards the open door. Sevika stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. She looked significantly more stable than she had before, despite her arm still being trapped in a sling.

"Should you be up and about?" he asked.

"I hurt my arm, not my legs. I can't sit around and do nothing."

"You can until we figure out what to do about your arm. Is there any news on the doctor?"

"Ran said that the explosion went all the way down into the lab, and he was hit. He was pretty badly burned and is currently unconscious."

Silco let out a frustrated sigh and looked up at the high ceiling as if there were answers written there. He had wanted change, but too many things were changing at once. His base of operations had changed, several people under his employ had either been killed or seriously injured, his former friend had been disposed of, and he now had a young child in his care. Yet, the one change he had been expecting had not happened.

Olillia was not at his side. He had thought she would welcome him back with open arms after what Sevika had told him about her loyalty to him, even after his rumored death. Her dismissal of him confused him. When she stayed behind, it looked like success was on the horizon. However, she had made it clear immediately that she had no intention of staying. Even after the child had pleaded for her to stay, Olillia still left.

"Get some rest," he said to Sevika. "I will speak with Smeech about your arm and what can be done tomorrow. Surely, we can find something functional until the doctor is well enough to assist."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I have many things to attend to, including Olillia."

"I'd say Lil made it clear she has no interest in being here. Maybe you should leave her be."

"You were the one that told me that she would happily welcome me back. That she missed me. I would say that her behavior says otherwise."

Silco could hear the slight whining tone in his voice, but he was disappointed in how things had transpired.

"Believe me," Sevika said. "She's missed you since the night you disappeared. Your death is something she has never gotten over. Had she known that I was working with you, she would have come running. She would have flung herself at you without hesitation."

"Then explain why she left," Silco said, gesturing at the empty hallway behind Sevika.

"Because she's angry. At both of us. Count yourself lucky that she didn't punch you the second you walked through the door. Give her some time."

Silco turned away from her with an angry huff. He waved his hand at her dismissively, wanting to be alone. He heard the door frame creak and the sound of her footsteps fading as she walked down the hall. Silco walked over to a box on the edge of the room and sat down on the edge, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and hold his head in his hands.

Olillia's angry expression was imprinted on his mind. The way she had wilted when he said that the past didn't matter made him wince. He hadn't meant it in the way she took it. He simply hadn't been interested in discussing the events of the night he had last seen her at that moment. While he was unsure what he wanted from her exactly, he had looked forward to seeing her smile again. It had been so long since he'd seen it.

Silco walked into the Last Drop, exhaustion weighing down on his body. He wanted to have a drink and go to bed. As he made his way over to the bar, he noticed Vander and Benzo leaning on the counter talking. When he approached, they both nodded in greeting. Vander slid him a glass filled with water.

"What is this?"

"Water. You may have heard of it. You need to drink some," Vander said.

"I don't want water. I need something stronger before I go upstairs and pass out."

"Don't you want to meet our latest recruit?" Benzo asked.

Silco shrugged before chugging half the glass of water that Vander had forced on him. They got recruits every day. He didn't feel the need to meet each one personally.

"Oi, new girl!" Benzo yelled to someone across the room.

Silco winced at his friend's shout, shooting a glare in his direction before raising his gaze to look for whoever Benzo was yelling for. A woman with brown skin and shoulder-length purple hair turned at his call and headed towards them.

"What's up, guys?" she asked once she reached them.

Silco raked his eyes up and down her form before settling on her face. Her brown eyes flitted from Benzo to Vander before landing on him. Her lips widened into a bright smile.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"This is the third member of our glorious trio," Benzo said, slapping Silco on the back.

Silco nearly fell forward onto the counter from the force of the blow.

"You must be Silco," she said, leaning forward to extend her hand to him. "I'm Olillia. But most people call me Lil."

"You can call her Oli too!" another voice from a table near the bar shouted.

The woman who had introduced herself as Lil rolled her eyes and turned around to respond to the voice, pulling her offered hand with her before he could shake it.

"I don't even want you to call me that. I don't call you Ika, do I?"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Keep calling me Oli and see what happens."

Lil turned back to face him, and her smile returned. She offered her hand a second time.

"Sorry about that. It's nice to meet you, Silco."

Silco took her hand and shook it, nodding in response. He released her hand and shifted his focus back to the water glass. He heard Vander say something else to her before she walked away again. As she walked away, Silco's gaze lifted and watched as she joined another recent recruit named Sevika. He guessed that had been who she was talking to before.

"So, what's her story?" he asked.

"She took the waitress job I was looking to fill," Vander said. "Sevika brought her around when she heard I was looking for someone."

Silco raised an eyebrow. So she'd be around quite regularly, not just passing through. He looked over in her direction again, letting his gaze linger on her face. She wasn't bad on the eyes. It would be a nice change to have her around.

"It will be nice to have something other than your ugly mugs to look at on a daily basis," he said to his friends.

Lil ran her hand through her loose hair as she walked toward her apartment. She had removed the braid at the edge, letting it all hang loose. Having spent the night at Mai's and then using the entire day to scour the undercity for anyone looking to hire her, she hadn't bothered to redo it. Right at that moment, all she wanted to do was lay on her own bed and do absolutely nothing.

Lil stuck her key in the lock and turned it, opening the door. As she walked over the threshold, she pulled her jacket off and flung it in the general direction of the kitchen chair. She shut the door and leaned back against it, closing her eyes and letting out a heavy sigh.

"You know, it's rude to leave people waiting."

Lil's eyes snapped open, and she grabbed the knife off her belt, pointing it in the direction of the voice. Silco sat on her couch, one leg crossed over the other. His good eyebrow was raised in response to the blade pointed in his direction. Lil lowered the knife slightly and gave him an annoyed look.

"It's also rude to break into people's homes," she said. "How did you get in here?"

Silco pointed to the window at the edge of the room.

"You still haven't gotten your window fixed. You should do something about that. Someone could break in."

He smirked as he said the last thing, seemingly amused with his own joke. Lil sighed again and returned the knife to her belt.

"What do you want, Silco?"

"To talk."

"There's nothing to talk about," Lil said, crossing the room to stand in front of him. "You're alive. You didn't tell me. Now you're back, leaving destruction in your wake. I'd rather stay out of your path."

"You make it sound as if I owe you an explanation," he said. "Like some jilted lover."

Lil let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I never was that, though, so I don't see it that way. I just want you out of my apartment. I've been job searching all day, and I don't have the energy to deal with you."

"I am not a stray cat for you to shoo," he said. "I'm not leaving until you talk to me."

"Now who sounds like a jilted lover?" Lil asked. "I don't know what you want from me, Silco. I have no interest in your ambitions, and I have no interest in you."

Silco raised his eyebrow again before standing from his place on her couch. He took a step forward, encroaching on her personal space.

"I very much doubt that."

Lil took a step back to put distance between them again. He had always enjoyed invading the space of others in an attempt to overwhelm them. She had no interest in playing his game.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked. "You have five minutes."

"Why were you job hunting? Giving up on being a waitress?"

"One generally does that when their boss gets killed. Kinda hard to work for a dead man."

"Technically, you work for the Last Drop, not Vander," Silco said. "Last I checked, it was still standing, and he never bothered to take me off the registration, so it belongs to me now. And I don't remember firing you."

Lil took a page out of his book and took a step forward to her original place, leaning forward to invade his personal space.

"Well, consider this my resignation then, boss. I quit."

Silco's mouth turned down in a scowl as she moved to step away from him again. He reached out and grabbed her right forearm to stop her movement. A few seconds passed before Lil grabbed her extendable staff from its position on her thigh with her left hand and smacked his hand to force him to release her arm. Then, quickly passing the staff to her other hand, Lil pressed it against his chest and pushed him into the nearby wall. Silco's good eye was wide as he stared down at her, shocked by her sudden movement.

"Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me again," Lil said through gritted teeth.

She held him against the wall for another few seconds before lowering the staff and stepping away from him. She crossed the room and flung the door open, gesturing to the hall outside.

"Get the hell out of my apartment and leave me alone."

Silco remained leaning against the wall where she had left him. His shocked expression morphed into one of determination.

"No."

Lil stared at him blankly.

"No?"

"I haven't used up my five minutes."

Lil rolled her eyes and walked to the chair to grab her jacket again. She pulled it back over her shoulders and started walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you," Lil said, pausing at the doorway with her hand resting on the handle.

Silco let out a huff, and Lil could see him raise his hands in exasperation out of the corner of her eye.

"This is your apartment, and you're leaving?"

"Looks like it," she said, moving to leave, pulling the door closed behind her.

The door movement was halted suddenly. Lil looked up and saw Silco's hand holding it open. She hadn't heard him coming toward her. Slowly turning, Lil found herself nearly running into him. She raised her eyebrows to question his motives.

"Stay. Let me say what I need to, and then I'll leave."

Lil sighed and stepped away from him, moving back into the apartment. Silco used his hand's position on the door to push it shut. At the sound of the latch clicking, Lil felt a small amount of fear spiking inside her. Before, she had the upper hand and an escape route. Now, she was trapped.

"Go ahead, talk. I don't know what you think you can say to me that will make any difference, but get it out."

"There's no need to be mouthy. You're lucky I didn't kill you for the stunt you pulled just now," Silco said, glaring at her.

"You want me to listen to you, yet you were going to kill me for defending myself?"

Silco's glare softened, and Lil could swear she saw a hint of sadness hidden in his expression. Lil turned her head away, not wanting to look at his face.

"I have no intention of hurting you, Lil. I just want to talk to you. Surely you can indulge me for a short time?"

"Quit talking about talking and just do it," she snapped.

"I have many plans for the future, and I would like you to be a part of them."

Lil's gaze turned back towards him for a moment. He was staring intently at her face as if searching for answers.

"What for? Have a lot of need for waitresses in your future plans?"

"You were once a revolutionary, same as me. Seeing as how you just managed to pin me against a wall, I imagine you have skills that would be useful."

Useful. That's all she was to him.

"For some reason, I doubt you're a revolutionary anymore, Silco. I don't know what shady business you're involved in, but I want no part of it."

"I intend to transform the Last Drop to suit my needs. If you are that attached to your position as a waitress, I'm sure we can find a spot for you."

"Why me?"

"You'll be a familiar face. Make the transition easier. Sevika believes you to be trustworthy."

Sevika believes.

Lil began pacing in front of him, avoiding his gaze as he watched her. She hadn't had any luck in her job search earlier that day, and she still needed to pay her rent.

"The child also seems fond of you. I believe it would be beneficial for her to have you around."

Lil stopped her pacing and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"What game are you playing at, Silco?" she asked. "Powder is not a pawn for you to use."

"I know a lost soul when I see one. She was left alone, and I simply want to help her."

"Never took you for the fatherly type."

"I could say something similar about you. You obviously care for the child, and she for you."

"I'm not her mother and have no desire to be."

Silco tilted his head to the side, his good eye scanning her face. A tiny smirk formed on his lips as he stared at her.

"That is often the role taken by the woman that is with a child's father. Are you certain you don't want it?"

Lil returned his stare, pursing her lips in annoyance. He was mocking her, mocking her long-held feelings for him.

"If your goal here is to bring me into your fold as your plaything, you are going to be disappointed, Silco."

She watched as Silco's smirk dissolved into a frown. Not wanting to play his game anymore, Lil pushed past him and pulled the front door open again.

"Please leave."

"Will you at least consider my offer?" he asked.

"I will think about it."

Silco turned and crossed the room to the door again, stopping at the threshold. He pinned her with his gaze again, his eyes roaming over her face.

"You know where to find me."

Without another word, he left the apartment. Lil closed the door behind him and turned the deadbolt. Like the first time she entered, she leaned against the door and closed her eyes. Sevika's words from the day before echoed in her mind.

Was she going to throw away the chance to have him back?

A/N: Please review and let me know what you think!