Southern Comfort (6/?)

Author- Midnight Faith

Feedback- missangel186@hotmail.com

Spoilers- 'Reprise,' 'Dead End,' 'Billy,' 'Quickening'

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

Pairing- Lilah/Lindsey

Rating- PG-13

Summary- Lindsey's first day at AI ends even before it's begun

Disclaimer- not mine… yadda, yadda

"Do you even own an alarm clock?" Gavin offered to Lilah by way of greeting at nine a.m. on Monday morning as he lounged casually against her office door.

"Yes. It's small, rectangular, silver… I might have got it free at the same 'Penny Saver' you got that tie," she said venomously, swinging the door open with her right hand, balancing a cup of black coffee in her left.

Gavin followed her inside shutting the door behind them.

"Sure, walk right on in!" Lilah said with mock civility sitting down at her chair behind the desk.

He sat down opposite her.

"You were supposed to be here at eight," he said, "Remember… we have new clients this week."

"So sue me," she said with a shrug of her shoulders, smiling at her own pun, "I actually have a social life."

She regretted her words as soon as they'd left her mouth. She just handed Gavin all the ammunition he needed.

"Oh right," he drawled, "You and Lindsey. *Meaningful. * Is it true love?" He said sarcastically. "Because I heard you were at least fifth on his list last year… what did he cross them all off one by one on his way down to you? Darla's dead. Drusilla's gone. Faith's in jail. Kate's left town. I know what about Lilah?"

Lilah stared back at him blankly.

"It's not like that," she said, barely concealing the doubt in her voice.

"Spare me the details," he sniped a little covetousness brimming in his voice.

Lilah looked at him for a moment.

"You know what Gavin? You were right," she told him, "Lindsey was the best thing this crappy division had going for it. And you know why? Because Lindsey gave it all up so I could live. And Lindsey has *never* laid a finger on me… OK maybe once. But he did not give me two black eyes and three cracked ribs and then tell me three weeks later that nobody cared. Well that's where you're wrong. I have someone that cares now. I'm sorry if that disappoints you…" Lilah said taking a deep breath.

"So where's your little champion of good now?" Gavin sniped. "Auditioning to be a priest? Working with disadvantaged hamsters?"

"He's at work," Lilah informed him.

"Good… 'Cause Cordelia could really use the company," Gavin said, taking in Lilah's look of shock, "You think you can hide anything from me? Oh and you can mark yourself number six after today."

"Just get out," she told him, "Oh and by the way, you can forget me helping you get to Angel. I'm not in."

"Fine," he said sharply, before turning back to her. "You know if we didn't fight so much I could really help you make this division legendary. That cup of coffee must be cold by now… will you just at least let me grab you another one?"

*****

Lindsey stepped into the foyer of the Hyperion, feeling knots of apprehension tie in his stomach.

He was greeted by an almost instantaneous,

"Hey!"" Cordelia's voice echoed through the hotel.

"Hi," Lindsey walked over to her fluffing up the pillows on the large, over stuffed sofas that now graced the hotel lobby.

"New sofas?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Yeah, Wesley picked them up at a second hand yard sale yesterday… I know they're not much… not what you're used to anyway… most of our clients don't or can't pay us… so we don't have a lot of cash around here." Cordy explained.

"So you're hiring me why?" Lindsey asked.

"Number one. Angel went on this whole marketing blitz so we've got too many clients between just the four of us. I need someone to just sit and answer our three phones and on downtime alphabetise some files."

"Where is everybody anyway?" he asked.

"Wes and Gunn are circulating the sewers… on a demon control mission. They think a new species of mixed breed has developed down there… apparently sounds like to quote Wesley 'Howler crossed with foghorn.' Or something. And Fred is at Caritas getting the latest deal on a supposed ring of underworld demon drug dealers selling a weak demonic form of PCP… not dangerous at the moment… just y'know, demons, super strength potential…" she trailed off.

"So… all go at Angel Investigations," he said.

"Pretty much," Cordy said with a smile before letting her face fall serious, "How are you anyway?" she asked.

He was about to reply but was swiftly cut off by the sound of the phone ringing.

"Sorry," Cordy smiled apologetically, "It's just another day at the office…"

Two hours later Lindsey and Cordelia were seated against the sunny stone wall of the Hyperion's courtyard. It had been a morning of mixed reaction from the others to the newest member albeit temporary to the AI team.

Wesley had forced a strained 'hello' through his undeniably British persona. Gunn had tried to make haphazard small talk about last night's TV and the possibility of travelling to Washington in three weeks for the forthcoming superbowl. Fred, for all her wry shyness, had mumbled 'hi' and casually asked if his hand was still evil. He reassured her it wasn't and he felt oddly hopeful when she responded with a warm smile beneath her curtains of wavy mid brown hair.

"So how are things?" Cordelia said before emphasising "Really?"

"Really? I don't know… she says she's fine but… last night I took her to Caritas and Gavin was there… and she just fell to pieces. She was really shaking and everything."

Cordelia smiled at him sympathetically.

"I'm sure it'll get better," she reassured him.

"Will it?" he asked her, looking for some comfort, "It's like I'm afraid to touch her… in case she breaks in half… she's so fragile, Cordy,"

Cordelia was glad for the intervention when the phone rang.

"Back in a minute," she said, getting up to answer the phone.

It was a full minute before she returned to the courtyard, her face suddenly pale, the cordless black phone hanging limply in her left hand.

"Cordy?"

"Lindsey… don't freak…"

"What?"

"Please… promise me you won't freak out…"

"What's going on… It's Lilah isn't it?"

They took her to hospital… she's kinda unconscious… they don't know what's wrong with her…"

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