Southern Comfort (2/?)

Author- Midnight Faith

Spoilers- 'Dead End' 'Over the rainbow' 'That Vision Thing' 'Carpe Noctem'

Distribution- FF.net, AOH anyone else just ask :)

Pairing- Lilah/Lindsey

Rating- PG-13

Summary- Lilah and Lindsey talk

Disclaimer- not mine… yadda, yadda

They strolled along the LA sidewalk in comparative silence in the humidity of the July evening. Their eyes subconsciously searched some of the less known, wide, palm tree lined boulevards for a place where they could just 'talk.'

Lilah suspected, as her eyes scanned the left side of the junction, that they'd end up in some over modern bar, the interior composed solidly of chrome and tacky Styrofoam where the music was too loud to hear above anyway. With the opposite nightmare of course being some soft, quixotic jazz bar where the cocktails were too expensive and composed entirely of coconut and papaya so they would sit in silence, stirring their drinks with thin, blue straws, thousands of ice cubes jangling against the sides of the tumblers.

Eventually they agreed on a peaceful cellar bar. Candles burned in old-fashioned faux oil lamps in the centre of each table, situated in secluded alcoves. The inside was composed entirely of jagged sandstone, which cancelled out the humidity of the July evening turning it into a frosty January night.

"Will you go and get a table?" Lindsey asked Lilah.

She nodded, grateful for a moment to consolidate her thoughts into some consistent sequence as he headed over to the almost deserted bar to get their drinks.

She slid into the last alcove of the row with a curving corner seat swathed in slightly cracked red-brown vinyl.

This place, Lindsey being back after so long, the whole 'going out for a drink' was making her feel a little dizzy. Like she was trapped in a place halfway between a dream never dreamed and harsh reality.

She watched Lindsey intently as he walked back over from the bar, a drink in each hand. He set down a clear spirit in the bottom of a small glass in front of her.

"Gin and tonic." He clarified. "Is that OK?"

She nodded and couldn't help but shiver involuntarily as he slid into the booth next to her.

"You can have my sweater," he told her, "If you're cold."

"No," she refused, "It's OK." Then after a few more strained moments of not speaking she added "It's about five degrees colder than it is outside."

He smiled.

"Yeah," he said, "The stone is an insulator… it repels the heat," she looked at him as he explained "Benefits of high school physics."

"I liked biology," she affixed.

Silence fell on them again as they both sipped their drinks. They soon both discovered drinking spirits quickly wasn't a pleasant experience and left a decidedly painful burning in your throat and ears.

"So how long are you in town for?" she asked him somewhat directly.

"I don't exactly know yet… I guess it depends if I can get a job anywhere or not."

"Where are you staying?" she said nervously.

"Not exactly sure of that either. I saw a motel about three miles down the road from you… actually it was kind of hard to miss the giant, flashing green cactus sign."

"I think a lot of murders happen there…" Lilah trailed off before offering precariously "You can stay with me for a couple of days… only if you want to… I mean if you can stand the sofa."

Lindsey looked at her searching her eyes.

"You sure you don't mind?" he asked her surprised.

She shook her head,

"But I've got a lot on… so I might not be around much," she said desperately trying to avoid the subject of work especially that of Wolfram and Hart.

He nodded.

"I understand," he said, before adding quietly and painfully, "I remember what it's like."

"Things are crazier since you left," she explained cautiously at first, "I think the client list has like, tripled and the brainpower in the division is nada and…" she didn't finish her sentence suddenly shaking again.

He pulled his sweater over his head and draped it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said with a fragile smile, "But I don't think it was a cold shiver. More of an emotional shiver."

"You feel… emotional?" he said hesitantly.

"Kind of… I guess. It's the first time we've ever really been honest with each other… ever. If I tried to share the slightest hint of emotion with Gavin he'd freak…"

Lindsey seemed to visibly draw back from her.

"Gavin?" he asked, battling to keep his voice indeterminate.

"Yeah," she said, suddenly uncomfortable, "He kinda works with me… for me… we work together…"

"Oh," Lindsey said not knowing what he really felt.

"He's no you," she cut in quickly, "He's way over-ambitious, and manipulative and shallow…" she trailed off and shifted away slightly, "He's nothing compared to you."

"That's sweet," he said, reaching out to brush her hair away from her face and moving it behind her shoulder. That was when he noticed the scar of two puncture wounds embedded into her neck.

"What's that?" he asked dubiously.

"Nothing," she said, defensively her hand flying to her neck.

"Lilah…"

"I just… got bitten that's all… it's nothing it's just a scratch,"

"Who bit you?"

"It doesn't matter… no one…"

"Was it a client?"

"No… Lindsey…" she tried to reason with him.

"Was it Angel?" his direct question hung in the air.

"Not technically…" Lilah said after a long time.

"Not technically?"

"No… there was kinda someone else in Angel's body…" she blushed slightly.

"So… it was a … sex thing?" he asked rather uncomfortably.

She shrugged a little.

"Maybe…" she paused for a moment to lick her lips and say, "I mean I was lonely and he was there and…"

"Lilah you don't have to justify yourself to me…" he cut in sympathetically.

She shivered again.

"God what is wrong with me?" she said thankful for the natural intervention.

Tentatively he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Was that a cold shiver or an emotional shiver?" he asked, into her hair.

"Fifty, fifty," she told him a little breathlessly moving closer.

"Four years and we barely touched," Lilah stated with a hint of affection.

"Maybe we should have… would that have made it any better?"

She looked up; her eyes glazing over with unshed tears and nodded…