Silver Cloud, Bitter Lining (3/?)

Author- Midnight Faith

Spoilers- none

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

Pairing- Lilah/Lindsey, Lilah/Gunn

Rating- R

Summary- Gavin offers Gunn… the world?

Disclaimer- not mine… yadda, yadda

Notes- sequel to 'Southern Comfort.' You'll probably want to read that first…

"Coffee?" Gavin asked Gunn, as he eyed the Wolfram and Hart office suspiciously.

"No," Gunn told him shortly.

"Scotch then?" Gavin asked him, gesturing to the decanters on the desk.

"Yeah 'cause it's so late in the day it being nine a.m. and all…" Gunn said dryly, "What do you want?"

"Mr. Gunn… you misunderstand us… it's not always about us wanting something from you… sometimes it's about you wanting something from us…"

Gunn looked him square in the eye.

"Are you offering me a job?" he asked him.

"Not in the strictest sense of the word…"

"In what sense of the word then?"

"In the sense I offer you strictly a handshake deal…"

"Why come to me? When you know I hate everything this firm stands for… how it's destroyed people I care about…"

"I know that I've got something you want…"

"You can't buy me with completely fake promises of money and power… you think I can be bought that easily?"

"How about Lilah?"

Gunn's eyes betrayed no emotion.

"What about her…"

"She's coming back… to work for me… couldn’t live without us apparently…"

"Stop playing games… she'd never do that. She knows what you're like now…"

"What makes you so sure?"

Gunn didn’t reply.

"Lucky for you the division's expanding rapidly… soon I'll be running out of offices… so you two can share… camera free, entendre intended… you interested now?"

"So what if I am?" Gunn asked, "Why should I work for someone like you?"

"Money, power… extended weekend breaks for two in Capital City… on a regular basis…"

"No cameras in the office?" Gunn asked.

"Or microphones."

Gunn contemplated the offer for a moment.

"I'm not doing this for you… or me… I'm just making sure that's Lilah's safe from people like you…"

"Understood…"

"Where is she now? Can I see her?"

"No… she's on vacation…"

"Where? For how long?"

"That information's classified… between her and me… not the only thing… she'll be back soon."

"Like I said… I'm only doing this to protect her…"

"And your child too I should imagine…"

Gunn stared at him, a look of shock set in his eyes.

Gavin feigned mock horror.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I assumed she would have cared enough to tell you…"

"Tell me what?" Gunn said, his voice dangerously low, black emotion brimming in his eyes.

"She's having your baby…"

"Since when?"

"Since you slept with her… I'm guessing here…"

"It could be anyone's…" Gunn said in denial, getting up from his chair turning his back on Gavin, silent for a moment. "Is she sure it's mine?" he asked after a moment.

"More than sure…" Gavin told him.

"How do you know all this?" Gunn asked him, angry cynicism rising in his voice.

Gavin pretended not to notice.

"She needed a shoulder to cry on… didn’t know who to turn to… I was more than happy to be that shoulder…"

"Did you..?"

"You know Lilah… just as well as I do. Liable to throw herself at just about anyone… wow, she's a real go all night girl isn’t she?"

With surprising strength fuelled by anger, Gunn pinned Gavin to the wall by his throat.

"Don't you dare talk about her like that…" Gunn said furiously, "She's worth a thousand of you." He released him and began to pace the office. "I have to find her…" Gunn said desperately.

"She's in Sunnydale…" Gavin said, strangely calm, "Ready to take a road trip?"