Flesh and Blood (10/25)

Author- Midnight Faith

Pairing- Lindsey/Lilah with Cordy/Angel on the side… some Lindsey/Kate and Lilah/other

Spoilers- none

Distribution- ff.net, Ace of Harts, Neurotica… anyone else just ask :)

Rating- R

Summary- When Lilah goes out for the night, Lindsey realises his true feelings for her

Notes-' Part 3/3 of a trilogy. Which also contains 'Southern Comfort' and 'Silver Cloud, Bitter Lining.'

Lilah turned back from the mirror in Lindsey's room to look at Cordelia sat on the bed staring at her.

"What?" Lilah asked her, blusher brush and pot of glitter dust still in hand.

"I didn't know you even owned glitter dust," Cordy said sceptically.

"And little silver stars… I needed to dig around in my make up bag a bit though… glitter's not really a day look."

"I didn't think it was really a you look… people that go to raves wear glitter."

"I'm not going to a rave… abandoned warehouses, glow sticks, trance and clanger bags have never been my thing…"

"People wear bags in the shape of clangers to raves?"

"Or Smurfs… or so I'm told… anyway how do I look?" Lilah asked giving her cheeks a final brush of glitter before turning back to Cordy.

"Diva glam bordering on slutty…"

"Perfect then…"

"Are you sure about this? You're not getting a lot of sleep and you want to go to a rave?"

"For the millionth time I'm not going to a rave… my friend, Andrea from college is back in LA after spending three years in Spain so a few of us are going out for a drink. It's not like we're gonna end up in The Lido or anything… it'll probably be somewhere middle of the road… or a jazz bar, comedy club, maybe even the movies…"

"So you're what… not going to tell them you had a baby ten days ago, you're sleeping with your ex-partner from Wolfram and Hart, that you quit Wolfram and Hart and that you're also broke? Because the skimpiness of that outfit isn't giving anything away…" Cordy's eyes drifted over Lilah's revealing black, satin vest top and matching Capri pants.

"I'm still getting used to Hannah myself… my family doesn't even know about her yet so there's no way I'm telling them. Lindsey and I are not sleeping together… we're sleeping in the same bed… there's a huge difference. They've also pointed out on several occasions how they think Lindsey's a loser so no I won't be telling them about him either. Twenty minutes on a treadmill and sit-ups everyday sure pay off…"

"I'm gonna stick around for the night… in case Lindsey needs a hand with Hannah…"

"He won't… he's a complete natural with her."

"Well… just in case… and Lilah? Have fun tonight… you deserve it…"

*****

"Lindsey…" Cordelia hissed at him, "Stop staring out of the window…"

"She's with some guy…" he told her, "Now she's kissing some guy…"

"Really?" Cordy asked looking up from her copy of W, "Do you recognise him?"

"No… she probably picked him up in some club…"

"I doubt it…"

Lindsey began to walk across the lobby, picking up a magazine, sitting beside Cordelia on the sofa, quickly glancing over as he did so at Hannah, soundly asleep in Connor's car seat.

The door opened and Lilah walked in smiling, shoes in one hand, business card in the other.

"Good night?" Cordy asked her raising an eyebrow.

"Extremely…" Lilah told her with a smile.

"You meet anyone?" Lindsey asked her, trying to keep his voice casual.

"No-one new… just people from law school…"

"Who's the card from then?" he asked her.

"His name's Alex… we dated on and off through college… Anyway he works in real estate… for Klein and Gabler… there's a position going in his division… it's a lot of money. It's permanent and they're a good firm…"

"You're not seriously thinking of applying?" Lindsey asked her.

"Why not?" she asked him coldly.

"Because… you already have a job… here. And what about Hannah?"

"What about her? You can look after her during the day and I'll have her at night."

"I can't believe this…" Lindsey said, "Hannah's not two weeks old and you're talking about leaving her all day… you realise you haven't even asked about her since you came in?"

"I just assumed she was OK because she's asleep…"

"Well she's not… she's been grizzly all night… she missed you and you know what? I'm tired… I'm going to bed…"

He walked out of the foyer, up the stairs to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Lilah sighed as if on cue Hannah began to cry…

*****

"Lindsey?" Lilah said, quietly knocking on his bedroom door.

"What? I'm tired… go away."

"Come on… open the door."

"Why? Is Hannah OK?"

"She's fine… I just want you to see her. I gave her a bath… and fed her and changed her and now she's all sweet and cuddly. I thought you might want to hold her…"

He opened the door with a sigh but was surprised to find Lilah, changed and obviously showered as she no longer smelt of smoke.

Hannah was cuddled up in her arms, clearly tired but happy.

"You did this all yourself?" he asked her stepping back to let her into the room.

"Well… Cordy helped some…" Lilah said, sitting down on the bed, resting Hannah's head on her shoulder.

"It's the middle of the night…"

"Yeah, well I just felt I owed her… for going out tonight. And I realised I've got to be her mom first and Lilah second…"

"You have a life… if you want this job I want you to take it…"

"No, you were right. I have a job. It's here… with you. It's about vampires and visions and demons…"

"Well I at least want you to call this Alex guy…"

"We dated all the way through law school… but there's no place in my life for him anymore. Besides, he'd run the moment I told him I had a kid…"

"I think that's something we're both gonna have to deal with…"

"Well how are things with Kate?"

"She's beautiful… smart, funny, kind… but I just don't feel a connection. I don't think she's my type."

"Well what's your type if it's not tall, blonde and beautiful?"

"Tall, brunette, beautiful… and oh yeah, mother of my child. Yours?"

"Well," she said playing along, her heart racing, "Lawyer… blue eyes. Kind, caring… father of my child," she smiled at him, "What now?"

"I don't know," he told her, "It's late… it could just be the tequila talking… except I'm sober."

"I'm not…"

"Exactly… Lilah. There hasn't been anyone but you since Sunnydale."

"Why are you telling me this? What do you want?"

"If we take things really slowly… I want to give us another shot."

"I do too…" she told him.

He took Hannah from her silently, laying her in her crib before climbing into bed beside Lilah and taking her in his arms.

"OK?" he asked her.

"Definitely… this is really nice."

"I just want to take things slowly… from the beginning…"

"It sounds wonderful…"

"It's perfect… are you happy, is this what you want?"

"Yes."

"Me too…"