Owing (4/7)

Author- Midnight Faith

Spoilers- Blind Date

Distribution- FF.net, AOH, watcherscouncil.com and Neurotica… anyone else just ask :)

Pairing- Lilah/Lindsey

Rating- NC-17

Summary- Lilah and Lindsey spend the weekend together

Disclaimer- they belong to the almighty Joss… I am but a child in his candy store

Notes- many, many hugs and kisses to Seersha, Minim Calibre for the 'americanising,' and Roseveare for teaching me to write in coherent sentences :)

He appeared on her doorstep at 9:00 on the dot the next night just as he'd promised her.

She raised an eyebrow, amused, and asked by way of greeting, "Is that a *camping backpack?* "

"I was a student once," he pointed out, dumping his bag by the door and following her over to the sofa.

"What are we watching?" he asked, gesturing to the TV and stealing some of her popcorn from the table in front of them as they sat down.

"Survivor."

He rolled his eyes. "The live version?"

"Yep."

"How long's this gonna go on for?"

"Another sixteen hours. Deal or you know where the door is."

He sighed and leaned into the back of the sofa, arm across the top and behind Lilah, not quite touching her.

They sat in silence for a moment before Lilah snapped, "What's that arm doing? Is it going over my shoulders or not?"

"I wasn't sure you wanted me to," he said, draping his arm across her shoulders, and pulling her a little closer, taking a moment to sniff her hair.

Inside the next few minutes she gradually began to relax into him, first putting her arm around his waist then leaning her head against his shoulder and finally tracing a finger in swirling patterns over his chest.

He looked at her noticing, heavy eyelids, dark circles underneath slightly bloodshot eyes.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Well, a certain person has been keeping me awake at night." She smiled weakly.

"You wanna go to sleep?"

"But…"

"We have all weekend," he said, lying her down on the sofa, draping his jacket over her before resting beside her and moving closer.

"So what are you gonna do while I'm sleeping?" she asked drowsily.

"Eat your popcorn. Watch Survivor. Wait until you wake up."

"Leave if you want to."

"No, I'm staying."

"Why? If we're not going to screw…"

"Because I like being with you."

"And how do you know that when we've never had a proper conversation?"

"We will," he said, kissing her nose.

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise."

*****

Lilah awoke at 3:00 a.m. with a stiff neck. She sat up straight, rubbing at tense muscles, feeling Lindsey move and sit up beside her.

He placed his hand on her hip, kissed the side of her neck.

"Have you been asleep?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "You want a neck rub?"

"No," she said, arms weaving tightly around him, "I want to take you to bed."

"We were going to have a conversation," he said, trailing a finger up her thigh.

She smirked. "You've been here six hours and we haven't fucked once yet. We have all weekend to talk."

She crawled onto his lap.

"We have all weekend to fuck."

"Fine." She sighed. "But I'm still taking you to bed. My neck is killing me."

She took his hand and led him upstairs to her room. He lay down in her bed, offering his arms for her to curl up in. Lilah hesitated, biting on her lower lip, before slipping off her robe and accepting the invitation. She was silent for a moment as he stroked her hair and back.

"So talk." She rolled her eyes, "Bore me to death already."

"No. You talk."

"About what?"

"Whatever you want."

"Well," she said, moving so she was lying on her stomach, almost on top of him, "I could talk about how hot you're making me right now. Or how good I feel when you're inside me." She nipped at his ear.

"OK," he said, flipping her over so she was on her back again. He propped himself on one elbow, gazing at her; "How about it's not just about sex for once. Talk about your childhood."

He saw something flash in her eyes and she turned away from him, curling up in a ball defensively. "No."

"I don't even know what state you're from," he said, following her and moulding his body to hers, "Is it California?"

"No."

"Washington?"

"No."

"Oklahoma?"

"Ewww… no. Do I look like I'm from Oklahoma?" she asked, turning over to look at him. "I'm from Nevada. I grew up in Vegas."

"And here I was thinking all people from Vegas grew up to be strippers or in kick lines."

"Not from the part I grew up in."

"Were there well manicured lawns and swimming pools?"

"Hardly. Where I grew up everyone's parents were into drugs and my mom taught me to fire a gun when I was six."

He felt her body tense through the covers and he moved closer, held her tighter.

"You want to tell me about it?"

"Not really."

"Go on- I dare you."

She rolled her eyes, a little hurt by his insensitivity, before bitterly admitting, "In my high school only thirty per cent of us graduated. Precisely two people from my class went to college. You were either on drugs, a pimp, hooker or equivalent."

"Were you?"

"No!" she said, "I saw what it did to my oldest sister. She died of a heroin overdose when I was twelve. So my other sister and I vowed never to touch the stuff. She lives in Idaho now, stay-at-home-mom, two point four kids and a white picket fence. So what's your story?" She shot him a challenging look, "Where are you from?"

"Oklahoma." He grinned given her previous remark. "Right out in the middle of nowhere. Literally. Us kids had to walk three miles to school everyday. We had nothing. Or next to nothing. From the seven of us, I'm the only one that made it out. That's not to say I don't go back sometimes."

"Why?"

"Crazy as it sounds, I have three dogs back home."

"I've never had a pet."

"You should get a dog. Or at least a cat. This apartment is the perfect size for one."

"So where did you go to college? " she asked, studying the sheen on her fingernails.

"Hastings. You?"

"Berkeley. Look-" she flipped over and pulled him close. "Can we just fuck now?"

"I get three more questions." And without waiting for a reply, "What's your favourite colour?"

"Green."

"Favourite TV show?"

"Sex and the City. One more."

"OK," he rolled her over so she was on her back again, "Who's the best fuck you've ever had?"

"You."

"Do you mean that?"

She almost growled in frustration.

"Guess you do."

*****

Lindsey was standing on Lilah's balcony just before dawn in his robe, half trying to watch the sunrise through the LA smog.

He felt Lilah stand behind him, resting her head gently on his back. He turned to her, smiling.

"You're awake."

"Look out, Harvard," she rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

He kissed her delicately then said, "Morning."

"Morning."

He looked over her shoulder to her plastic table to see she'd set down two cups of coffee and a plate of muffins.

"You made me breakfast?" he asked, touched.

"No, I made *me* breakfast. I happened to make extra for you."

"Thank you."

She led him over to the table, sitting down in the chair opposite him. He looked at her across the table.

"Come here."

"What?"

"Come sit on my lap."

She raised her eyebrow at him, "Isn’t that a bit…" she trailed off.

"A bit what?"

"Couple-y? Come on, you have to be kidding me, sitting in laps? It screams 'A walk to remember.'"

"Aren't we a couple?"

"Too awkward, Lindsey," she said, getting up and sitting on his lap nevertheless, mostly to keep him quiet.

He kissed her on the cheek. "This is nice."

"Just sex nice?"

"I thought we agreed we were a little more than that? To include the terms, 'boyfriend,' 'girlfriend,' 'fond,' 'care,' ecetera."

"So using those particular words- I'm kinda glad you're my boyfriend."

"I'm kinda glad you're my girlfriend."

"I'm slightly fond of you- I guess."

"And I might someday really care about you. A little bit."

"OK, new game." She twisted in his lap, "Describe each other in three words. Me first. Lindsey is hot. And *good.* And considerate."

"And Lilah is beautiful, feminine and very, very sexy."

"You lose!" Lilah purred seductively, "You used five words."

"I wasn't aware this was a contest and you used five counting the 'ands.'"

"Conjunctions don't count."

"OK, what's my punishment?"

"Come with me," she said, dragging him indoors again.

And as the sun rose over LA, he did.