Flesh and Blood (23/25)

Author- Midnight Faith

Pairing- Lindsey/Lilah with Cordy/Angel on the side… some Lilah/Wesley stuff and Lilah/Gunn undertones

Spoilers- none

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

Rating- R

Summary-

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

Lilah knew the weather was hot, humid and carried the unmistakable tang of tension that resulted in an intense thunderstorm after nightfall.

She smiled when she felt Lindsey's hand link with hers and she scooted over so she was wrapped in his arms before she even opened her eyes.

"Every day should start like this…" she murmured against his neck.

"And end…" he added, kissing her hair.

She twisted around to catch his mouth in a passionate kiss, before leaning over to nip tiny kisses over the shell of his ear.

"I was just thinking…" she breathed into his ear playfully, "About yesterday… about how I brushed you off and… I'm sorry. So now… if you want to I thought maybe now we could… do you think we can be quiet?"

He pulled her up and over him so they switched sides of the bed his strong arms still encircling her waist.

"Why are you dressed?" she asked him, running a hand up his arm encased in a black shirtsleeve.

"I got up early but I came back to bed…" he told her.

He held her close to him silently for a moment making her twist in his arms to try and kiss him.

"Lilah…" he told her, "You'd better get up… something's happened."

"What?" she asked him.

"Just get up…" he told her neutrally.

She gently slid from beneath the covers tying her silk robe around herself.

"Tell me it's not Hannah…" she said turning back to him fearfully.

"It's not Hannah," he said reaching out his hand to her reassuringly.

He gently led her to the den where Cordy was sat on the sofa, pale and shaken, Bailey in her lap and eyes affixed to the TV screen.

Lilah slowly turned her eyes to the flickering TV where the local twenty-four hour news channel was headlining that the Wolfram and Hart tower had been subjected to a major arson attack, which left the burnt, blacked out shell of the building and three hundred people dead.

Lilah turned to Lindsey who looked completely shell-shocked, surprising him by pulling him into a tight hug.

"It's OK…" she reassured him soothingly, running her hands in soft circles over his shoulders and back.

"But it could've been us… it could've been you…" he realised, pulling her closer to him if it was possible.

"But it wasn't…" she said calmly and in control, cupping his face in her hands, "I'm gonna make some tea… OK?"

He nodded as she kissed him gently on the cheek, locking eyes with Cordy as she turned away.

Cordy set Bailey down on the floor as she followed Lilah into the kitchen and shut the door behind her.

"You can drop the act," Cordy told her, above the roar of the water filling the kettle from the faucet.

"It's my turn to be the strong one…" Lilah said objectively flicking the kettle on.

"It's OK to be freaked," Cordy assured her, "I've been to that building once and I'm freaked. Lindsey's practically lived there so understandably he's catatonic…"

The sound of the catch on the door opening broke Cordy's chain of speech and Wesley walked into the kitchen looking shell-shocked.

"I've just been out doing a little reconnaissance…" he said by way of explanation and greeting to Lilah, "Cordy, can you just give us a minute?"

"Sure," she said, touching Lilah's shoulder briefly as she exited the room.

"So what's up?" Lilah asked, almost sunny as she reached up into the top cabinet.

"You're OK?" he asked her warily.

"I'm being strong," she told him, turning back to him, a china cup in her hands.

"I'm having a hard time explaining this…"

"There's something else…" she realised, looking into his eyes.

"Do you want to sit down?"

"No…"

"OK…" he took a deep breath, "I can't explain this… Gunn's body was found in the building… not a vampire, not metaphysical… corporeal… his human form…"

The cup she was holding crashed to the floor and she sunk down after it. Wesley was by her side instantly, sweeping shards of china away from her.

"I can't explain it…" he repeated, "Maybe… the power gave him a second chance or… he was raised…"

"He was there to see me…" Lilah said, her eyes set with shock, "I killed him…"

"Don't think that…" he instructed her, "We don't know how many memories he retained…"

"Why else would he have been there? I killed him…"

"No you didn't…" he affirmed. Silence overtook him for a moment before he stated unnecessarily, "You're getting married tomorrow."

She raised her eyes to his completely shut off and bled of emotion. When she didn't reply he asked,

"Does this change anything?"

She only shook her head numbly in response.

"Gunn…" was all she could choke out, "He was given a second chance… and I took that from him."

Cordy walked back into the kitchen, deathly white, her face damp with tears.

"The news…" was all she could say disjointedly, "Gunn… and Lindsey has…"

"In true Lindsey style taken off?" Wesley guessed sarcastically.

"He just needs some space…" Cordy reassured Lilah, before asking, "Can I get you anything? Tea? Chocolate… chocolate anything? Ice cream?"

"I just want to sleep…" she said blankly.

"OK…" Cordy nodded, "I'll be in, in a minute?"

Cordy and Wesley watched in silent sympathy as Lilah got off the floor and moved slowly to her room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"It's like it hurts for her to move…"

"She's just shocked…" Wesley reassured her, "And of course Lindsey came through so supportively and so wonderfully as usual…"

"He's lost her once to Gunn… he wanted to give her some space…"

"So I guess we should pick up the pieces…"

"You're not going anywhere… you know what she's like when she's vulnerable if you catch my drift. Besides, you're having a serious thing for her."

"I'm not having a thing for her…"

"OK… scenario… you go in there now, you give her a hug, maybe you kiss her hair… then what? She's upset, she's crying, she's Lilah…"

Wesley remained silent.

"Exactly…" Cordy pointed out, running a hand through her hair before turning and walking into Lilah's room.

She noticed Lilah was curled up in a tight ball underneath the covers of her bed, the duvet shaking in quiet time with her sobs.

Cordy walked over to her shivering form, sitting beside her and trying to console the best she could.

"You love Gunn don't you?" Cordy asked her, sweeping Lilah's tangled strands of hair out of her eyes.

Lilah pressed the side of her face against the pillow and inhaled deeply.

"It smells of Lindsey," she noted, "I wish he were here… for god's sake we're supposed to be getting married tomorrow…"

"And Wesley's gone to drag him back here so you guys can talk…"

"Because we do that so well… I know this is going to end in a blazing row and he might leave me…"

"And if he does he's crazy… Lilah… Gavin's dead…"

Fresh tears sprung to her eyes and she wiped them away quickly.

"God I'm sorry… this is pathetic… I hate Gavin…"

"But it means you have Hannah back… if you want her back that is."

"Of course I want her back…"

"Even if Lindsey decides to bail at the last minute?"

"Even if…"