*WARNING**WARNING**WARNING*: LOTS of Fred/Lorne in this part, so if you don't like them together, you might want to skip those parts!!! *VBG*
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Part 17

He tried to think cool thoughts as he rifled swiftly through the desk drawers. He wasn't entirely sure of what he was looking for, but he knew it had to be there somewhere, and he was fairly sure he'd recognize it when he saw it. He'd glanced over any number of documents so far, and while he'd learned some very interesting things, none of it pertained to the witch his boss-- and friend-- had Mated to.

His brow creased in an annoyed frown, and he reached towards the last paper at the back of the second drawer, his eyes lighting up when his fingers encountered its back far sooner than he should have. "Lilah, Lilah, Lilah," he mocked softly, "Don't you know that's the oldest trick in the book?" He chuckled quietly as he pulled the drawer completely from the desk.

He'd been right, he saw. There was a hidden compartment, and it contained four computer disks. He pulled the disks from their spot and replaced the drawer swiftly before standing and moving silently to the closed door.

Pressing his ear to the wood revealed no sounds in the hallway, so he swiftly opened the door, slipping out. He walked quickly down the hall until he reached the Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions' office, and picked that lock, as well.

It took only minutes to start the man's computer, and enter the override password, and it was literally moments later that he'd slipped each disk into the A-drive, copying them to other ones. The copies were stashed in his briefcase, while the originals were hidden in his pocket once more.

The trip back to Lilah's office was uneventful, despite the fact that he was almost unbearably nervous, and replacing the disks in their hiding place was just as simple as taking them had been.

He carefully exited the office, taking care to lock it behind him, just as it had been when he'd arrived, and this time, when he strode off down the hall, he was whistling. He wasn't sure that he'd found what he was looking for, but he was going to find out when he got back to the hotel.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Jesse?" she said again, eyes wide as she approached the being who *looked* exactly like her dead friend, "Jesse, is that *you*?" She waited barely long enough for him to start nodding before she flung herself at him, hugging him hard. "Gods! Jesse! How...? What...?" She pulled back, frowning slightly when the young man laughed.

The look of annoyance on her face was just priceless, and he couldn't help laughing even harder. Finally, though, he forced himself to calm. "God, Willow," he said, still slightly breathless, "You don't know how good it is to see you again!"

Willow smiled, her irritation forgotten. "What are you doing here? And... where *is* here, anyway?" She glanced again at the misty stretches of nothing topping the white marble floor. "I called on the Powers," she said, mostly to herself, "And then I was *here*, so... Jesse?"

The spirit form of her old friend smiled back at her, amused. "It's a long story, Will. You'd better sit down." He waved one hand, grinning as two chairs and a low table appeared before them. "You know," he teased lightly, seating himself, "You're supposed to bring a gift..."

It wasn't until she'd sat down herself that she remembered something Angel had told her, back when she'd thought the dreams were just that. "A gift. Oh, Gods! You're one of the new Oracles?"

"You always were quick on the uptake, Willow," Jesse said. "When I died, my soul was in balance, so no Heaven or Hell for me. I hung around in the void for a while, I guess, and after a bit, the Powers made me an offer." He looked at her, one eyebrow raised, until she sighed impatiently. A truly huge grin split his face, and he continued. "I could stay in that boring-ass void for a few centuries, or I could work for them, since they'd been careless enough to let their *last* Oracles get killed." He shrugged. "It's been pretty boring, so far, but now I get to see *you*, so I'm gonna say I made the right choice, you know?"

Willow giggled and leaned forward. "So you're supposed to 'enlighten' me, huh? You couldn't even pass remedial *maths* without my help!" Her sweet smile and teasing tone took any sting out of the comment, and she giggled again when he just nodded.

"Go figure," he smirked before becoming suddenly serious. "There's a lot you need to know, Will," he told her quietly, "About yourself, and about Angel."

The witch nodded, sighing. "Well, it doesn't look like I'm going anywhere." She leaned back in her chair, her eyes growing wider and wider as he spoke on.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Fred's eyes were wide, even as she pushed the red pants down over his hips. Not that she hadn't known what to expect, considering the things she'd had to do in Pylea, but... Lorne had always seemed so much more refined than the others of his kind. And he *was*; just not at the moment. No, at that particular moment, he was acting almost entirely like the demons she'd known in his home dimension. Almost.

He could barely manage to keep himself from hurting her, but that was the last thing he wanted to do. Fred was sweet, and still so innocent in a lot of ways, regardless of what she'd been through. He had the feeling that she *trusted* him, and he'd be damned-- in his own eyes-- if he let himself abuse that trust. Still, it was becoming harder and harder not to just throw her down and have his way with her. His claw-like nails dug a bit deeper into the skin beside her spine, and he groaned as her warm, soft fingers slid up the sides of his thighs. "Freddie... honey," he moaned, opening his eyes to look at her, "Take the ghretschnad off your head..." He sighed, a slight sensation of relief flowing through him when she complied by pulling the silver net with its red stones from her dark hair. He relaxed further when she dropped it on the floor.

She'd been worried-- for maybe a second-- that taking the head-thing off would make him want her less, but when she did, and he pulled her closer to him, she knew that wasn't the case. No, the only difference she could see was that he didn't seem to be in as much of a hurry anymore, and that was *good*. She pulled away from him for just a minute, her eyes roaming quickly but thoroughly over his pale green body. The subtle pattern of darker scales on his chest tapered off as it descended to his stomach; he didn't have a navel, of course, what with the whole hatched-from-an-egg thing, but that wasn't something she cared about, anyway. "You can tell me to stop any time," she said softly, meeting his eyes, and she almost gasped as the red glow intensified. "Lorne..." she murmured, then "Krevlorneswath..." Her hands rested lightly on his shoulders, and she leaned towards him, pressing her lips to the point of his chin.

His full name on her lips was almost too much to bear, and his arms tightened strongly around her waist, holding her closer as she nibbled along his jaw line. Okay, he told himself, eyes rolling back, maybe she wasn't so innocent after all. "Not gonna happen, precious," he sighed out, leaning into her sweet lips. He felt her hands moving down his arms, and loosened his hold on her so she could touch him at will, and he groaned yet again when her fingers slid around his waist and under the waistband at the back of his boxer shorts. He almost wanted to curse himself for acquiring the underwear habit since he'd arrived in LA, but then again... His own hands moved to the top of her skirt, and he slowly, tentatively, pushed it down slightly.

It's about *time*, she thought, still a little buzzed from the drinks she'd had. Hell, she'd been about to undress *herself*! She wriggled her hips slightly, trying to help him, only to stop when he gasped. "Sorry," she said softly, still nipping gently at his sensitive jaw. She held the rest of her body still while his clawed fingers caught the edge of her panties, sending them to the floor along with her skirt, and she put a good six inches between them as she manoeuvered the elastic of his boxers down his legs.

She was making him crazier than he usually was, and he knew it. Her lips were soft, and her tongue was wet, and she seemed to know *exactly* which areas of his body were sensitive to her touch, and she'd pushed his boxers down! His hearts were thumping in wild counterpoint to each other, even as her fingers moved to caress the small knobby nerve clusters beside his spine. "Gods," he groaned, her touch making his back arch hard, and he groaned again as the twined spirals of his throbbing shaft pressed against her sweet, toned belly. "Freddie... close your eyes, sweetness." He could feel the mottled tones starting beneath his skin, and Gods knew what she'd do if she had to look at that while he touched her. He wouldn't be able to stop, though, and he knew it. Not a chance.

He was so beautiful to her. She knew her friends wouldn't agree, but... He was truly lovely. She'd known there was something wrong with her from the moment she'd gotten back to Los Angeles. She'd looked around, and seen plenty of human men, and while she could appreciate which ones were attractive, and which weren't, it was only that. Appreciation. She hadn't actually *wanted* any of them. The closest she'd come to wanting a human had been when she'd seen Angel's beast in Pylea, and again when she'd seen his vampire face after they'd gotten back, and Angel wasn't even human any more. Maybe the demon dimension had ruined her? She wasn't sure. In fact, at that moment, there was only one thing she *was* sure of. "I want to see you," she said, swiftly passing her tongue over the soft triangle under his chin. "Why don't you want me to see you?"

For the life of him, he couldn't remember. Not when she was doing that, and touching him that way. He moaned loudly as her fingers continued their circular pattern against the knobs in his back, and his head dropped forward until it rested on her shoulder. His breath was coming harder and faster, even as his lips moved swiftly up her neck. Humans liked mouth-kissing, he knew, even though he didn't understand it, and whatever else she might be-- insane, mentally damaged, whatever-- she was definitely *human*. He slid one hand up her back, and curled his fingers around the nape of her neck as he pressed his lips to hers. His eyes flew wide when her sweet, strong tongue slipped between his lips, then closed as he finally *got* it. Gods! How could they feel like this all the time and ever get out of bed? He had no idea, but after less than a moment, he didn't care.

Her entire body was trembling, even as he kissed her, and when she speared her tongue deep into his mouth, her knees actually *shook*. Then he was returning her kiss, with all the passion and need she'd ever dreamed of, and she pressed herself more tightly to him, reveling in the sensation of yards of surprisingly soft, lightly scaled skin against her. Her hands abandoned the pleasure-knobs on his back, and slipped quickly up his spine, and she deepened their already deep kiss as she slid her fingers into his hair and gently fondled the top curves of his ears. "Lorne," she moaned into his mouth, the word unrecognizable against his tongue.

Dear Gods, she was touching his *ears*! Her hot little fingers against the knobs of his back had been unbelievable, but this was... *this* was... Her tongue felt like wet velvet in his mouth, and her fingertips... He wrenched his mouth away, gasping for air. "Freddie..." he groaned, hearts pounding so rapidly, he thought they might explode, "Don't..." His protest was drowned by another groan as she pinched the edges of his ears lightly.

A small, tender smile crossed her lips, and even through her own desire, she focused intently on his face, thrilled by the raised red lines that grew more intensely coloured as she watched. "But I want to, Krevlorneswath," she murmured, releasing his ears to scratch gently at his jaw line, "I really..." Her eyes closed as his lips found hers again, and she allowed herself to be overtaken by the sensations he was creating within her.

He tried to tell himself that she didn't know what she was doing; didn't know what kind of need she was causing. Unfortunately, his entire being was well aware that that was a lie, and when her tongue met his once more, in the cavern of their joined mouths, he finally stopped trying to deny himself. His claws dug into her skin, just barely drawing blood, and he didn't care because she seemed to be enjoying it. He moaned almost silently when she slipped her arm around him. One hand moved swiftly up her back, and when it met the long, slightly wild mass of her deep brown hair, he groaned against her, the sound swallowed by her own lips as he kissed her harder... deeper. That hand held her head tightly, even as the other one guided her, mirroring his slow, careful steps back towards the closed door of his bedroom, and when they reached it, he had a moment of panic, trying to decide which hand to remove from her too tempting flesh to open it.

They'd stopped moving for some reason, but it wasn't until she felt the smooth surface against her arm that she understood why, and she reached out, fumbling at the door until she found the knob and turned it. She giggled slightly when they almost fell through, but one look at his tight, nearly desperate expression stopped her. It was a look she'd seen before, many a time, but not on *him*, and that look truly drove home the fact that what they were about to do was going to change *everything*. For *both* of them. Was that what she wanted? She wondered. And yet... they were naked, and every part of her was crying out for him, just as his body was for her, and... Yes, she told herself, this *was* what she wanted. She wanted this; wanted to be with him for this one night, even though he would never want her for his own. How could he? She was, after all, exactly what his people had made her. A whore. No more; no less.

It was the sudden sadness in her eyes that almost made him stop, but she'd done too well at arousing him. The urges coursing through his body were too strong to resist. "Fred," he sighed, pulling her to the bed, "I... I wish I could say we could stop now, but..." He shook his head, and fell back against the black satin sheets, pulling her with him.

"I know," she answered, forcing herself to shake off her sorrow. "It's fine, Lorne," she continued, fingers once again on his jaw, "I don't want to stop."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The waiting was making him insane. He'd never been any good at it. Not when he was human, not when he'd been turned, and definitely not when he'd been all soul. The blending of his dual natures hadn't changed that at all. It was only made worse by the fact that he couldn't even hold his Mate. She was still behind that damned invisible wall, was still bleeding, and he still couldn't get to her! He'd tried, of course, after he'd recovered from his first attempts, but without any better results.

His bloody fingers dug again at the concrete floor, and he growled in frustration as he pulled yet another chunk of cement from the ever-growing hole beside him. He could tear up the floor all he wanted, but he couldn't even make a dent in the barrier that wasn't there.

His anxious destruction halted then, and his eyes lit up just a bit. The wall *wasn't* there. It was created solely by his woman's power, so... He smiled. As long as the barrier was there, and was strong, then Willow was fine. He didn't know why she'd done whatever it was she'd done, but right at the moment, it didn't matter. Whatever it was-- whatever the *reason*-- his Mate was all right, and that was the only thing that mattered.

He flexed his fingers, glaring disgustedly at his nails. They'd torn against the floor, and the ragged edges weren't at all aesthetically pleasing. He'd have to see about getting a manicure... *after* he punished his girl for scaring him that way.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jesse stared intently at the girl he'd called 'best friend' for most of his actual life, waiting for her response to the things he'd told her. When it came, just a few moments after his final words, he was amazed-- although he didn't know why. Willow had always been smart, after all. He just hadn't known she was *that* smart.

"I thought so," the redhead said, smiling slightly, "When I died, I mean, and then... woke up?" Her voice was uncertain, as though questioning her own choice of words. "Whatever," she continued, "I figured there was reason, so... I'm immortal, then." She gave her friend a sharp nod, her fingers tightening on the arms of her chair. "I'm bound to him completely."

The newest Oracle sighed softly before nodding, himself. "Stay away from stakes, and you should be all right. Oh, and he's not sensitive to sunlight anymore." His face lit up at her shocked, wide-eyed stare. "You're not the only one who gets benefits from the binding, you know. You're attached to both demon and soul, but that also means they're attached to *you*, Will."

Her earlier smile returned, and she laughed out loud at the pure joy of even *thinking* about how her Angel would look in the sunlight. "But he's different," she said after a moment, "He's one being, now, and..." She shrugged. "I don't know how..."

"You don't know how he's going to act anymore. I know." Jesse smiled kindly, allowing just the faintest hint of his new office to shine through. "You have to open the link wide, Willow. Let him fully inside you, so that you can be fully in him, too. All will be explained." He chuckled softly and stood. "It's time for you to go back, Will," he told her, grinning when she leapt from her chair to hug him hard.

Willow sniffled slightly at the thought. "I missed you so much," she said as she let him go.

"Me, too," he admitted, "But we'll be seeing much more of each other from now on. Now, *go*," he finished, his hand sketching a quick sign in the air. "See you soon," he sighed, as she faded back to her body.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Fred grinned almost happily at the panting, sweaty demon beside her, her fingers trailing soothingly up and down his neck. She'd been right to make this happen, she knew. Her entire being was thrilled with everything that they'd done, even though a steadily growing part of her was objecting violently to the thought that this would be it. She'd never know the bliss of him again. A small sigh slipped from her lips at the knowledge.

Lorne's eyes flew open at the discontented sound his Freddie made, and he frowned slightly. Everything had gone so well, he'd thought, but... she didn't really sound happy. His brow furrowed, even as he gazed delightedly at her flushed face and arched his neck into her soft, sweet touch. If anyone had ever told him that being with a human... He was an idiot, he decided. Freddie was *human*, and humans did things differently! Duh! One corner of his mouth twitched up into a slight smirk of a smile, and he wrapped one arm around his girl's waist, pulling her tightly against him. "Thank you, sweetness," he murmured quietly, his nose buried deep in her soft hair, "That was just... *amazing*." His brow creased slightly when she looked at him and he saw the shock in her eyes. Still, maybe she hadn't thought so. Maybe she thought it had been tolerable at best for him, and he almost cursed his own people's ways. "I mean it, precious one. You're just... unbelievable, almost!"

He was thanking her? She blinked a few times, wondering if she might have fallen asleep and into a dream, but no... he was actually *thanking* *her*! The novelty alone was enough to make her smile. Of course, he wasn't quite like the others of his kind, so maybe it was understandable. It didn't mean anything, she decided, and definitely not what she *wanted* it to mean. "You... you're welcome," she said softly, sad once again. And she meant it. He *was* welcome. That didn't mean she had to be happy that it was over, though.

"Oooo-kay," he drawled when she began to pull away, "Not quite the reaction I was looking for, here." He sat up and dragged her into his lap, ignoring her sudden tension. "Is... is this because we... Well, I know that wasn't exactly normal by human standards, but... I can learn, Freddie. I mean, I didn't get the whole 'mouth-kissing' thing until tonight, so... Freddie?" His arms tightened around her, and he rocked slowly back and forth until she began to relax into his embrace. "I'll learn," he said seriously, "I promise."

It almost sounded like he still wanted her. A small part of her brain kept trying to tell her that he was lying; that he'd only hurt her later, but the rest of her-- the part that had been completely convinced that it was futile to hope-- suddenly *believed* him. Her own arms crept, almost of their own will, around his lightly scaled body, and she sighed softly. "You don't have to," she whispered, small shivers racing over her skin as he stroked her back. "You're amazing, too, Lorne."

He could sense the truth of her words, but that only led him to wonder... If she'd enjoyed it, then what was bothering her? Why had she seemed so sad, and so lost for a minute there? He was afraid to let go of her; afraid that she'd leave as soon as she could, and that was something he couldn't accept. He wasn't sure of exactly what they were doing, but he definitely wanted to find out-- just as much as he wanted to know what was wrong. "Well, thanks for that, sweets," he finally said, trying to keep the mood light, "But I think I should learn, anyway. That whole kissing thing worked out so well... who *knows* what the rest of it might be like?" A smile burst across his face when he felt her chuckling silently, and he held her even more tightly as he lay back on the bed. "I'd really like to find out," he said seriously. "Maybe in the morning? If... if you don't mind staying, that is..." His hearts leapt wildly when she nodded and curled against him. Morning couldn't possibly come soon enough.
 

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