Flesh and Blood (16/25)

Author- Midnight Faith

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

Spoilers- 'Birthday'

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

Rating- R

Summary- Lindsey and Lilah must face a heartbreaking decision…

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

"Have you got everything?" Wesley asked Cordelia holding Hannah, and Fred holding a bag of Hannah's things at the door of the hotel.

"I triple checked," Cordy told him, her voice shaken.

"We know the scheduled attack by Wolfram and Hart on the hotel to kidnap Hannah is at 10:00 p.m. Phone your new apartment at midnight so we can keep you updated on the situation. Don't use your cell phone apart from that call, don't call anyone else. Drive straight to the cabin, don't stop off anywhere… and drive carefully." Wesley told them.

"We will…" Cordy assured him, as they exited the hotel.

From the doorway of the office Lilah and Lindsey watched them go.

"I don’t see why we couldn't have taken her…" Lilah said to Lindsey, sitting on the leather couch in the office.

"We've been through this," he told her gently, sitting beside her, "If we take Hannah, Wolfram and Hart will be watching. They'll hunt us down and they'll kill us. It's us they want revenge on not Hannah."

"I can't take this," Lilah said, looking up at Lindsey, her face streaked with tears.

"I know what you're going through…"

"How could you possibly know!" She snapped, "How could you possibly know what it's like to be a single mother whose hormones are going crazy because you've just had a baby and the father of that baby is living with you and dealing with his new girlfriend and…"

"You're right… you really don't do emotions well…"

"Just go down to the drug store and find something that'll knock me out for the night…"

"Night nurse. Works like a charm. I'm going to take you home and put you to bed OK?"

"OK…" she said, feeling too weak to protest, letting him gently guide her through the door.

"I'm taking Lilah home," Lindsey told Wesley as they passed him in the lobby.

"Can I have a minute with you both?" he asked.

"Can't this wait?" Lindsey hissed, tightening his grip on Lilah, "She's about to drop unless she gets some sleep…"

"It can’t wait…" he told them.

They followed him back into the office, Wesley taking the chair behind the desk, Lilah and Lindsey the chairs opposite.

"I need to talk to you about Hannah… and about safety." Wesley began gently; "This is going to be the first of an infinite number of attacks by Wolfram and Hart. We were lucky this time. The Powers saw fit to send Cordy a vision. They chose Hannah over countless numbers of other people who need our help. We've been fortunate so far. But the fact of the matter is Hannah's head had a bounty over it since the day she was born… before that even. Wolfram and Hart won't quit… not until they've exalted their vengeance on you both. The easiest and most painful way to get to both of you is through Hannah."

"We're aware of the implications…" Lilah told him, "We know it's not necessarily safe for her here…"

"Do you? Have you considered this goes beyond just Wolfram and Hart? Their contracting network is global… you know that better than anyone. It goes beyond the dimensions of time and space even. Do you understand what this means? You'll have to watch Hannah twenty four hours a day. This means motion detectors in every room of your apartment. CCTV and a reverse invitation spell so strong not even a verbal invitation can break it. That means Cordelia has to move out because the spell covers any being with even a hint of demon lineage. You'll be followed everywhere you go. You'll be constantly attacked. When Hannah wants to go outside to play you'll have to say no because it's not safe."

"There are protection spells…" Lindsey began.

"All with means of breaking them…" Wesley cut him off, "Is that really the kind of life you want to give your daughter?"

"We don't have a choice…" Lilah told him.

"What if you do?" Wesley offered.

"You mean going away?" Lindsey asked blankly.

"It wouldn’t work…" Wesley told him, "You could move to the remotest Arkansas town… Wolfram and Hart could be there before you've even left Los Angeles… there's only one way to give Hannah what constitutes as an almost normal childhood…"

"Don't ask me to send Hannah away…" Lilah said.

"It wouldn't have to be forever…" Wesley gently soothed, "A couple of months… three at the most. To give Wolfram and Hart a cooling off period… it's you they want revenge on not her. It wouldn’t even have to be foster care. You both have families living in isolated locations… Hannah would be in no danger… she won't even remember…"

"But we would… How can you say this?" Lilah asked him, "You of all people. When she comes back, if she ever gets to come back she'll have no idea who we are…"

"I love Hannah…" Wesley said, "And if you keep her here her life is in grave danger… run and Wolfram and Hart will run with you…"

"I can't even think about this…" Lilah said, "I just… I need some sleep."

"It's OK…" Lindsey assured Wesley, "Maybe it is the only way… I get that now…"

*****

Lilah was vaguely aware of Lindsey gently stroking her hair as she faded back in consciousness.

"I thought you might be comatose," he told her quietly, "There's someone here who wants to see you…"

"Hannah?" she asked, sitting up and gently taking the baby from him, "What time is it?"

"It's just after two…"

"You should've woken me before…"

"I didn't want to… you haven't had any sleep in forever. Cordy just got back with her… she's gone to bed."

"How's the hotel?"

"The whole of the ground floor is wrecked apparently… I think there was a platoon from what Wesley said…"

"Where's everyone staying?"

"Kate-here. Everyone else with Wesley. But I don’t want to talk about them…"

"What are you doing here… aren't you supposed to be upstairs… with Kate."

"It's too early to be thinking about sleeping with her…"

"But she wants to? See… I do understand you."

"I know… I thought we could maybe talk."

"Sure…"

"I'll just put Hannah down…"

Lindsey gently took Hannah from Lilah, before returning moments later, nervously sitting on the edge of Lilah's bed.

He hesitated for a moment, before placing his hand over hers, on top of the covers.

"What do you want?" she asked him, staring at their hands.

"Just to talk…"

His lips found hers in a passionate, yet tentative kiss.

It was a mutual decision to break it.

"So by talking," she said, her hands at the nape of his neck, gently reaching up to play with his hair, "You mean having sex."

"We don’t have to… if you don’t want to…"

"Who said I didn't want to?"

"Who said I wanted to?"

He leaned across and kissed her again, tenderly caressing her face.

"You're doing a pretty good impression of someone that does…" she whispered.

"Don't…" he told her, "I just want to talk."

"So at some point tonight you thought 'Hey I know. I'll go kiss Lilah… confuse her some more.' Because according to everyone who's not currently me I'm sending out signals that I still love you. And you the same… but you're covering pretty well by having a girlfriend…"

"Fine… and because of her… I don't want to take this any further… not tonight. But it doesn't mean we can't kiss some more…"

"Or shed a little clothing in the process."

He quietly slipped under the covers undoing her silk pyjama top.

"Lilah?" he asked, kissing across her collarbone when her shirt fell open.

"Yeah?"

"Do you always sleep in your underwear?"

"You know I don't… why, do you like it?"

"It's different… for my benefit?"

"Maybe…"

His lips found her skin again, light and full of care…

They made out blissfully for most of the night before emotion exhausted them and Lindsey eventually reached over to snap off her bedroom light.

"You know Wesley's right…" he said holding her close to him, her head against his chest.

"I'll call Erin in the morning…" Lilah said, snuggling closer to him, listening to his heat beat until sleep finally overtook her…