Southern Comfort (18/?)
Author- Midnight Faith
Feedback-
missangel186@hotmail.comSpoilers- none
Distribution- FF.net, AOH anyone else just ask :)
Pairing- Lilah/Lindsey
Rating- R
Summary- Lilah has regrets over the previous night…
Disclaimer- not mine… yadda, yadda
"Why'd you let me sleep in?" Lilah asked Lindsey, a hint of annoyance evident in her voice. "It's past eleven and we have like ten days left on this case before we're in court."
Lindsey stood up from the office chair and walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"I just thought you could use some sleep," he told her, "Take a day off. Get some rest after last night."
"I'm OK," she told him resolutely, not really meaning it.
"He gently guided her into an office chair, on the opposite side of the desk.
"You don't look it," he told her, concerned, "You look incredibly sick… really pale."
"Actually you look kinda like Angel," Dawn said, from the chair from behind the door, where she had been curled up quietly reading a Harry Potter book, completely oblivious to anything going on around her.
The sound of her voice made Lilah jump visibly.
"Sorry," Dawn said.
"No it's OK…" Lilah told her with a weak smile.
"I guess you're still a little panicky… from last night…" Dawn offered by way of explanation, dragging her chair behind her and sitting down beside Lilah.
"God, does everyone know about last night?" Lilah asked Dawn with an implication of annoyance.
"Yeah," Dawn said confused at Lilah's irritation, "You’re a regular heroine."
"No I'm not…" Lilah told her, "Really… I'm not…"
"You are," Dawn told her, "Stop being so modest. If I have to write about someone that impressed me in my summer vacation I'd write about you… I might leave out the word vampire and replace with street gang though."
Lilah looked at Dawn, guilt leaving a lump in her throat.
"I can't believe you're leaving on Saturday," Lilah said, visibly moved.
"Me neither," Dawn said, "I'll miss my heroine."
"Yeah, your champion's skin looks a little grey," Lindsey cut in, observantly, putting the back of his hand against her forehead. "And you feel really warm… do you feel sick?"
"A little…" she confessed weakly.
"Does your back hurt?" he asked, touching her shirt gently where he knew the grazes lay from last night.
She nodded.
"Do you want painkillers?" he asked.
"Hey, twenty questions guy," Dawn cut in, "give her a break."
"It's OK…" Lilah said, then to Lindsey, "I don't really think my stomach can take painkillers."
"How about water?" he asked.
"I guess that would be OK… if I drink it slowly," she mused.
"That's it, I'm taking you to a doctor…" he overreacted, reaching across the desk for the phone.
"No," Lilah told him, grabbing his wrist as he leaned over, "I'm fine. Besides we don't have forty dollars to shell out on a doctor."
"We'll get forty dollars," he told her, "Even if Wes has to give us an advance on our wages or something."
"Lindsey… just… don't. I'm OK. I'm tired… that's all." Lilah said, exasperatedly.
"I'll get you some water," he said, gently touching her shoulder on his way out.
Dawn looked after him for a few seconds before turning back to Lilah.
"Are you OK?" Dawn's affected voice reached her ears; "You look really sick and seem kinda… tense."
"I'm fine," Lilah reassured her, "giant court case… stressful."
"I would hug you…" Dawn told her, "But… public display of affection… not cool for the teens… plus I don't wanna hurt your back."
"Yeah… it might hurt," she told Dawn.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
"Is Gunn in today?" Lilah asked Dawn colourlessly.
"No… he was gonna take a few days off. Cordy told me him and Fred got into this major league fight last night…"
"Over what?" Lilah asked testily.
"I don't know… Fred went to talk to him about twenty minutes ago though…"
Lindsey walked back in, carrying a glass of water.
"Here," he said gently, carefully handing it to Lilah. She took one mouthful before handing it back to him.
"OK?" he asked her.
She nodded.
"I'm fine… just a little sluggish today… I'm be alright once I get going."
"No more chasing crazy people on the street… you promise?"
"I promise…"
*****
The knock on Gunn's apartment door was surprisingly light, a few minutes before sundown.
Gunn remembered Lilah as being more assertive somehow. His eyes looked over her and he was shocked at how ragged she looked tonight- about as far as you could get from the Lilah in the alleyway less than twenty-four hours ago.
Her hair was tied back loosely, away from her face in an untidy knot at the nape of her neck. Badly applied concealer covered up a mark on her neck, Gunn imagined was a vampire bite scar, but he didn't question her.
Her eyes seemed paler to him, tireder and bloodshot.
"Hey," Lilah was the first to speak after a full minute of comfortless silence, her voice faltering and unsure.
"Hey," he repeated.
"I haven't got long…" she gestured behind her, "Lindsey's waiting in the car for me."
"Right…"
"I just… I don't know what I'm doing here," Lilah found herself confessing, her voice splintering slightly, "I guess I just… needed to see you…"
"You need closure?" Gunn asked.
She nodded.
"Me too…" he said weakly, "That's why I'm not coming back to work for a while… I'm gonna drop out of the trial…" Gunn told her.
She nodded again.
"Yeah… I understand…" she told him.
"Me and Fred," he continued, "Decided we couldn't give it a shot if we were working and living in each other's pockets…"
"Right… of course…" Lilah said turning to leave.
"Lilah…" Gunn said, grasping her wrist in his hand, the hopelessness brimming in his voice.
She turned back to him, her eyes locking with his.
"I wish things were different," he told her faintly.
"And I wish last night never happened…" she told him, the known coldness seeping back into her voice after weeks of suppression.
"If things were different," he told her; "If I didn't love Fred, if she wasn't a part of my life… there'd be no doubt…"
"If things were different… you *still* wouldn't mean a damn thing…" she told him, meeting his gaze icily, "I love Lindsey… and he has always been a part of my life…"
She turned to go and was already halfway down wooden steps outside his apartment before he half shouted after her.
"That's not what you said last night."
He had already caught up with her, standing on the step above her.
"Things change," she told him, "You did…"
She ran down the last few steps and across the almost deserted car park over to Lindsey's car before Gunn could see the tears of remorse pooling in her eyes…