“Oh, my God,” Cordelia gasped after Spike and Angel
relayed their suspicions.
“But why?” Wesley asked. “How?”
Angel shrugged. “It’s Wolfram and Hart. The ‘why’ is
probably to get rid of me,” he said. “As for the
‘how’. We’re not sure. But knowing that group, they
probably have an extensive file on my background and
my friends.”
“I wonder what my file says,” Cordy asked aloud.
“Cordelia!” Wesley exclaimed, exasperated at her
self-centeredness.
“What?” she asked. “I’m just curious.”
The ex-watcher sighed. “We need to find out where
Willow is and rescue her.”
Spike paused in his pacing. “We’re going to talk to
the bastard tonight,” he said. He hadn’t felt this
helpless when he’d been searching for her the first
time.
“But can we trust him?” Wesley asked.
“Don’t have much choice at this point,” Spike
muttered.
“How do we know Lindsey’s telling the truth? He’s not
exactly know for his honesty. He is a lawyer,” Cordy
reminded him. “This could be a trap.”
“It could be,” Angel admitted. “But they do have
her.” He handed them the note they had received.
Cordelia and Wesley read the note. “That’s something
only Willow and I know about.”
“After you meet with Lindsey, then what?” Wesley
asked.
“That depends on what he has to say.”
Spike growled and slammed his fist into the wall
causing everyone to jump. “I should have gotten her
out of that hell hole as soon as I found her.”
Angel moved from behind his desk and grasped the
blonde vampire by his shoulders. “Spike, this is not
your fault,” he said looking him straight in the eye.
“Isn’t it?” he asked. “I wasn’t there for her that
night two years ago. I wasn’t there for her when her
parents had her committed. I wasn’t there for her
during those two years of hell in a mental hospital.
I wasn’t there for her,” he said between clenched
teeth. His lean frame shook from emotion: fear,
anger, guilt.
Angel tightened his fingers on Spike’s shoulders. “As
soon as you knew what happened you searched for her,
Spike. You never gave up until you found her.”
Cordelia stood beside them. “You are the reason
Willow survived those years.” She placed a gentle
hand on his back. “You are the reason Willow made an
effort to get out of that place. Dr. Peil even said
so. You never gave up on finding her when the rest of
us had doubts.”
Spike closed his eyes and tried to push back his
emotions. “I failed her.”
Angel pulled him into his arms. “You haven’t failed
her.”
“You only fail her if you give up on her now,” Wesley
said.
He knew this was true. Willow had told him during one
of his visits that she only remained sane because she
knew Spike was out there in the real world, somewhere.
Spike swallowed the bitter emotions and pulled away
from Angel. “I will not fail her again,” he said
quietly.
Angel turned his head towards the closed door,
listening. “Well, I think that covers the review of
our current cases,” he said loudly. He jerked his
head towards the door mouthing the words, She’s out
there.
Cordy nodded her understanding. “Great!” she said
cheerfully. “I’ll go ahead and update the files.”
She grabbed a notepad off Angel’s desk and opened the
door. “Oh! Hey, Willow.”
“Hi,” the red head replies. She glanced into the
office.
Spike gave her a lopsided grin. “How are you feeling,
pet?” he asked.
“Fine.”
He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Do you have an
appointment with Dr. Peil today?”
“Um. Yeah, I think so. In a couple of hours,” she
said.
“Why don’t I fix you some lunch before he shows up,”
he suggested.
B’squ felt that something was going on, but wasn’t
sure what. “Okay.”
****
“what plan?” Lindsey asked.
“The plan to get Angel out of our hair once and for
all,” Lilah said with a smile. It came out more as a
grimace as the pain in her bruised cheek reminded her
it wasn’t such a good idea.
“Sit down, Lindsey,” Holland said. Once the young man
was seated he began to explain the plan. “Have you
heard of the Fay?”
“You mean like fairies?”
“That’s where the fairy myth originated from. The Fay
are a race of demons. They have powerful glamour
magic. Three months ago, one of the Fay came to me.
She had heard a rumor that Wolfram and Hart was in
possession of the Fay Crown. This gave me an idea.
We could use the Fay to infiltrate Angel’s operation.
Using her glamour B’squ is impersonating Ms.
Rosenberg. When the order is given, she will kill
them all.”
“And Ms. Rosenberg will take the blame,” Lindsey
concluded.
Holland smiled. “Very good, Lindsey.”
“Of course, with her history of mental instability, no
one will believe her absurd story of being kidnapped
and someone else impersonating her did the actual
killing,” Lilah added.
He could definitely see the merits of the plan. “What
do you need me to do?” Lindsey asked.
“For some reason, Ms. Rosenberg seems to like you. I
was going to move her in with Lilah, but I don’t see
that working out,” Holland said.
Lindsey’s blue eyes glanced at the battered lawyer.
“I would sat they have a conflict of personalities.”
“To say the least. I want you to take her until it’s
time to put her in place,” the older lawyer explained.
“You will keep her under twenty-four hour
surveillance. She is not to leave your sight.”
“Of course, sir. When do you want me to take her?”
Lindsey asked.
“You will move into one of our safe houses so we will
give you today to get everything together,” Holland
advised. He removed an envelope from his desk drawer
and handed it to Lindsey. “The information and keys
are in here.”
“What about my cases?” Lindsey asked as he took the
envelope.
“We will divide them among the junior partners,” he
answered.
Opening the envelope, he found the key, directions to
the safe house, and a thousand dollars in cash. With
an accepting nod he slipped the envelope in his jacket
pocket. “How long will I be keeping her?”
Holland flipped through his calendar. “Maybe a week.
Give or take a few days.”
“Okay.” Lindsey stood and walked to the office door.
“Oh, and Lindsey,” Holland said.
“Yes?”
“Keep her occupied and out of trouble.”
“Sure thing,” Lindsey said and left the office.
Lilah leaned against the desk. “Are you sure you can
trust him, Holland?” she asked.
He turned his clear gray eyes up at her. “I trust
Lindsey almost as much as I trust you, Lilah.”
****
Willow squeezed her pack of cigarettes searching for
the last one. Finding it empty she crumpled and
tossed it into the corner. Restlessly, she scratched
her head. While she had toilet privileges she had yet
to have the chance to shower. She did the best she
could with hand soap and the bathroom sink.
She stared at the picture she’d drawn on the wall.
She missed Spike. She missed his cocky little grin,
the glint in his blue eyes, his cool touch against her
flushed skin. “When I find you again. I am never
letting you go,” she sighed.
Willow heard the door open behind her, but she didn’t
acknowledge the intruder.
“That’s a good likeness,” Lindsey said.
The red head wrapped her arms around her knees. “You
think so? I had to do if from memory. Has Angel
changed much?”
Lindsey knelt beside her and studied the portrait. “I
don’t think he’s quite so broody. I’ve actually seen
him smile on occasion. Of course, it’s been the
occasions I’ve been getting my butt kicked,” he added.
She smiled at the thought. “Really? I’d like to see
that. Angel smiling not you getting your butt
kicked.”
He chuckled. “Didn’t he come and visit you with
Spike?”
“No. I didn’t really want him to, but he did ask.”
“Why didn’t you want to see him?”
Willow sighed as she rested her chin on her knees. “I
guess I still felt guilty about Buffy,” she answered
quietly.
“Buffy?” Lindsey asked. “Oh, the Slayer.”
“Yeah.”
The young woman had a distant look in her green eyes.
He didn’t mean to depress her. “Listen. I just
stopped by to let you know you’d be getting out of
here soon.”
“Spike...”
“Not yet,” he whispered. “You’re being moved to a
safe house. I’m going to get some things together for
you.” He opened his briefcase and removed a notepad
and a pen. “If you promise not to break the guard’s
nose again, I’ll give you these.”
She grinned. “How is Ratzo?”
Lindsey had to agree with her description. “He’ll
live.”
Willow glanced at the yellow legal pad. “Is that to
keep me from drawing on the walls?”
“Something like that.”
Her green eyes focused on the writing implements he
held out to her. “The shrinks even used to let me use
the safety scissors during arts and crafts,” she
laughed.
Lindsey touched a lock of her ragged hair. “I’m not
sure that was such a good idea.”
She pulled away from his touch. “I did that with a
razor.”
His wristwatch beeped before he could reply. “I’m
sorry. I have to go.”
Willow clutched the legal pad to her chest. “Will you
come back?” she asked hopefully.
“I’ll try to come back tonight, but if not I will
definitely see you tomorrow.” His friendly smile
faltered at her look of abandonment. “I swear my good
hand on it.”
She smiled bravely as she watched the door close
behind him. Willow rested the pad of paper in her lap
and stroked the pen lovingly.
She missed writing. Her sixth doctor had found the
journals she’d been keeping and began to use her own
words against her. She hadn’t written another word
for the next eighteen months.
The smooth plastic felt strange in her fingers. Words
and thoughts scrambled at the flood gates, demanding
release, yet the pen refused to move. So many
thoughts rambled in her brain, but she was afraid to
put them to paper. Willow wasn’t sure who Wolfram and
Hart were exactly, but she doubted very seriously they
could be trusted.
With a sigh, she flipped through the pages. A white
sheet glared sharply against the yellow pages.
Cautiously, she slid the page free and tried to hide
it from the cameras she knew recorded her every move.
She recognized the strong pen strokes immediately.
“Red,
Whoever took you from me will have his still beating
heart ripped from his chest. I’ll make him eat his
own tongue for speaking to you. His eyes will garnish
my dinner for looking at you.
~Spike.”
Willow blinked back tears that threatened to spill as
she traced his bold signature. *I love you, too,
Spike.*
****
Lindsey closed the trunk of his car. He ran through
his mental to-do-list. Next stop was his apartment
for his clothes. He just slid his key into the lock
when a quiet sound caused him to pause.
“Not leaving town, are you, Lindsey?”
“Angel,” he said, slowly turning. He spotted the two
vampires standing in the shadows of the parking
garage. “Why would I leave?”
“You tell me,” Angel said stepping out of the shadows.
“I’m not going anywhere. At least until Willow’s
safe.”
Spike snarled. “You don’t even have the right to say
her name,” he growled.
He glared at the bleached vampire. “At least, I’m
keeping her safe,” he snapped.
Angel had to grab Spike’s arm to keep the younger
vampire from ripping the lawyer’s head off his
shoulders. “As much as I hate to admit it, we can’t
kill him,” he said. “Yet.”
The three men stared at each other in strained
silence. Spike finally broke the silence. “How is
she?” he asked.
“I didn’t know her before so,” he shrugged. He
grinned. “She beat the crap out of Lilah, drew a huge
mural of you two on her wall and broke the nose of one
of her guards.”
Spike and Angel smiled at each other. “Did you give
her my notes?” Spike asked.
“I was able to slip the first one to her today. She’s
under constant video surveillance. If Holland
suspects me of anything, he will have me terminated.
And I don’t mean from my job,” Lindsey said.
“What’s Holland planning?” Angel asked.
“To eliminate your entire operation and leave Willow
the blame,” he explained.
“She’d die if she got locked up again,” Spike
muttered.
Lindsey checked his watch. “We’re moving to a safe
house tomorrow. I was told it would be a week or so
before the senior partners order the final phase of
the plan.”
“Where’s the safe house?” Angel asked.
Lindsey handed them a copy of the directions. “The
house will be bugged and I’m sure there will be
precautions against vampires.”
“I’m sure there will be,” Angel said.
Spike reached into his jean’s pocket and removed a
battered business card. “Here,” he said handing it to
Lindsey. “It’s Willow’s favorite Chinese take out.
Ask for the Lotus special.”
Lindsey studied the embossed card. The number in the
lower right hand corner had been scratched out and a
new number scribbled right above it. “Okay.”
“Who or what is impersonating Willow?” Angel asked.
“Holland said she was Fay. She thinks that Wolfram
and Hart has possession of some crown she’s been
looking for.”
“The Fay crown, huh?”
Lindsey shrugged. “That’s what he told me.” He
tucked the card in the front pocket of his slacks.
“I’d better go before someone comes looking for me.”