Tara stood in front of Emily Dunaway's desk at 1 pm sharp. "Ready?" She asked with a smile. "I called us a taxi and everything."
Emily smiled "Sweet." She said and looked over at the security guards standing in front of Eliot's door. "I'll be out for lunch. No one in to see Mr. McDonald, he has no appointments this afternoon." No one out was a given.
Tara smiled at her sweetly and led the way to the escalator. She made casual chit-chat as they went, her eyes scanned the lobby and spotted what she needed to see. "I have wanted to go to this restaurant ever since I got to LA. It just isn't the sort of place you go and read a book by yourself, you know." She told her as they walked through the front doors and toward the waiting taxi.
"Ms Chapel?" A familiar female voice called, and Tara turned around to see Sophie, although she almost didn't recognize her in that get-up.
"Yes?" She asked, in an exhausted frustrated tone.
"Mr. Oliver needs to see you for a minute. He sent me to catch you before you went to lunch but you were almost too fast for me."
Tara looked to Emily "Go ahead and take the taxi, I will catch up to you as soon as I can. I know what this is about. It's just not my day with the bosses, you know." She sounded disappointed.
"I don't know," Emily said dubiously.
"Please? I promise I will catch up. I don't want to ruin your lunch with this… "
"Alright, I'll go if you promise to hurry." She said and Tara nodded a promise.
Tara rushed back inside and headed straight to the escalator.
"Here, let me get that for you," Hardison said, opening the Taxi door. "Please tell me that was not your girlfriend that just stood you up for lunch," He said "Because that might just break my heart."
Emily laughed at that "No, definitely not." She said amiably as she got into the back seat of the cab.
He put his head inside "You don't mind sharing a ride do you?" He asked softly.
"Not at all."
Tara paused at the top of the first escalator and turned to watch Hardison get into the cab with her, and Sophie disappeared into the crowd on the street. She took a deep breath and slipped into a petulant, on-the-verge-of-tears look as she made her way back up to the office they were keeping Eliot in.
She sat down in Emily's chair and folded her arms across her chest.
One of the guards leaned against the desk. "You look like someone ate your favorite kitten. What happened?"
"I planned a nice lunch with Emily. I made reservations and everything."She said and let out a frustrated sigh," So we get downstairs and this guy is waiting for her and she just… gets in OUR taxi that I called I might add, and goes off with him. I bet she even called him to plan it." Tara said sullenly. "So of course I get to come back in here and babysit that… that Ape in there," She pointed to the door to Eliot's office, "while she enjoys my reservations."
"You know, there is a way to find out." He said leaning in closer, his gaze raking over her cleavage as he did so. You see you go over here, and call up this program here." As security, he knew how to get into the monitoring programs. He walked around behind her and took over the keyboard, reaching around her and leaning in close to do so. He called up the telephone monitoring program and typed in Dunaway's extension. A list of numbers appeared with the name of the person or business name beside it. "These are the calls she has made today. " He said and then paused mid-flirt.
He picked up the phone and dialed Lilah's direct extension. "Yes, I know, but we have a problem, Ma'am. Dunaway made contact with a member of Spencer's crew. The phone log says, Alec Hardison." He paused a moment. "Yes, Ma'am, will do and on my way."
"I just got her in trouble didn't I," Tara said looking a little worried.
"We would have found it tonight in the nightly sweep anyway." He told her as he walked toward Eliot's door. "She got herself into trouble." He opened Eliot's door and for a moment Tara thought she was going to have to break the cover "Hand over the earbud. " He said.
"Absolutely," Eliot said and the small device sailed out of the room. He was glad to be rid of the damned thing.
The guard closed and locked the door, entering a number code into the door's lock. "Don't worry about him. He isn't going anywhere and he doesn't need anything until I get back, no matter what he says."
"Okay." She said quietly and watched as both of the guards walked away. Once she was sure they were both out of the way she said sub voce through her own earbud. "You're on, Big Guy."
She got up and walked over to the copier and went about busy work.
Angel came striding through the corridor as if he still owned the place, and people gave way to give him space remembering all too well the days when he did. He headed to Eliot's door and tried the handle.
"You can't go in there," Tara said striding toward him, and then crumpled when he appeared to backhand her.
Angel's booted foot was planted beside the door knob and the door swung open hard enough that what was left of it slammed into the wall behind it.
Eliot was on his feet in an instant. Tara had said go with it, but was this the 'it' she had been talking about the night before?
"I think it's time we just settled this negotiation process and sent everyone home for the day. " Angel said angrily.
"Fine by me" Eliot countered. He had read enough to know he was about to be called out and why.
Angel grinned as the man stepped from behind the desk. What came next would make up Angel's mind for him. He still believed he was looking at Lindsey McDonald. No matter what Tara said. "Let's do it then." His face shifted to reveal his vampiric nature.
"What the-" Eliot managed to get out, his shock costing him what would have been a valuable initiative, giving Angel the chance to get in the first blow, that nearly sent his head spinning off his shoulders. The sudden pain got his blood pumping and there wouldn't be a second surprise shot. Eliot dodged the next blow stepping through to land a shot to Angel's kidneys, which would have caused some damage… if they still worked.
Angel's brow furrowed (not that you would notice in its current condition) he didn't fight like Lindsey. You could fake a lot of things but fighting was ingrained. It was muscle memory. Lindsey would always fight like Lindsey. Even if he learned new skills, some things would always be the same.
Eliot grabbed the hardwood and metal plaque from the wall and swung it full force at Angel's head, hitting him in the face. The wood broke, but the metal only bent, and he tossed it aside as useless for a second attack.
Angel moved forward, vampiric speed making him impossible to dodge. He pinned Eliot to the wall, one arm at the man's throat. He met the man's eyes and if he needed any further proof that this was not Lindsey McDonald he had it. Instead of the cold rage he expected to see from his former nemesis he found something completely different. It was like looking into an animal's eyes.
He fished the tiny bud out of his pocket and jammed it into Eliot's.
Just then as planned Tara entered the room. "I said you couldn't come in here." She said firmly. She shook her head at Eliot's attempt to warn her off and motioned to her ear to remind him.
"Why don't you go run and cry to your boss about it," Angel said letting his face shift back to normal.
"The only one that's going to be crying is you." Tara countered and the two entered into a well-choreographed routine that in the end had her overpowering Angel, pinning him to the ground poised with the leg from Eliot's broken desk in hand.
"Let's not be too hasty, Miss … Chapel is it?" Lilah said as she stood in the doorway. "Oh no… don't get up, just don't dust him, as much as I would love to see it. Normally I would give you a raise and a corner office for the privilege but unfortunately, we need him for the negotiations." She said with an exaggerated sigh of disappointment.
"Collecting Slayers, Lilah?" Angel asked.
"I'm not a slayer," Tara said as if the idea was offensive.
"No, she isn't, but then again she doesn't appear to be all that conflicted about killing you either. " Lilah said. She looked to Eliot. "Are you alright, Lindsey?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He said in a surly tone.
"Good. Now, since it appears you can take care of business where the other girl couldn't, you've been promoted." Lilah told Tara. "I should offer condolences, but all you're going to get is a raise and the unpleasant duty of dealing with Lindsey here."
"I can do that." She said.
"Good. Would you mind taking out the trash?" She asked "I need to have a few words with my associate while we wait for the door to be repaired, and… apparently the desk as well. "
Tara got to her feet pulling Angel with her. The spell they had cast over her gave her the strength of a slayer for 24 hours. She wasn't used to it and nearly pulled him on top of her in the process.
"Easy there tiger, remember I said you can't kill him," Lilah said with the faintest laugh. She didn't trust Tara any further than she could throw her, but then again Lilah didn't trust anyone. "Take him out the back entrance, would you, it's awfully sunny out there. I wouldn't want him to get hurt."
Tara nodded "Yes, Ma'am." She said and took Angel's arm and they walked out together.
Lilah looked around the room and sighed. "Well, so now you know the truth. That it's all real, vampires, demons, the whole shebang. Are you going to fall apart on me?" She asked bluntly.
Eliot ran a hand through his hair. "No." He said shortly. He had suspected, but he wrote it off as too much time with Hardison. "You always have vampires break in and attack your VPs or is this McDonald guy just that kind of special?" he asked sitting in the one unbroken chair in the room.
"Only one, vampire that is. He and Lindsey have a history. Honestly, I think it all goes back to a woman." She said with a smile "They're just so sentimental that way. But you know what it's like. Losing that one woman you care about to someone else. "she said.
"What happened to the woman?" He asked.
"Darla? She's dead. "Lilah said with a shrug. "We don't want history to repeat itself."
"I've already told you that I'll do what you want. Making threats makes you sound insecure. "Eliot said locking gazes with her. "Are you?"
"Not in the slightest."
"Good, 'cause I'm going to go downstairs and pick out my own damned sandwich, make my own damned coffee, then I am going to come back up here and get back to reading those files. " he said getting up and pushing past her.
His first stop however was the executive washroom. Once alone he put in the bud that Angel had slipped into his pocket. It had been an elaborate ruse to get Tara into position and give Eliot contact with the outside world, but it could have backfired so badly.
"Anyone there?" He asked quietly.
*Good to hear your voice.* Nate said *Amie says to get the hell out of there no matter what they are threatening.*
"That ain't happening," Eliot said. "I have to see this to the end. If I don't it's… it's big and I don't have time to explain."
*let us know what you need* Nate said.
"Lilah Morgan as off balance as you can make her. But don't send anyone else in here."
*Are you sure that's the way to go?* Nate asked. *it sounds dangerous.*
"Yeah, I know. " Eliot said. "I'm going off Com for now. I'll be back on later." He took the bud out of his ear and put it in his pocket again. He left the bathroom and headed down to the cafeteria.