Title: Common Ground
Author: Angelina
Email: angelina2006@hotmail.com

Ice-blue eyes surveyed the room as a matter of habit. The bar was more upmarket than the establishments she usually frequented. Business suits and briefcases everywhere. Kate Lockley sighed as she approached the bar, wondering why she had come in the first place. She was cautious by nature. And yet she had accepted an anonymous invitation to come to this place.

It had appeared through her door. A small white piece of card. No mark, no logo, nothing to identify its source. The handwriting wasn’t familiar either.

She took a seat on one of the high stools at the bar and ordered a mineral water. She didn’t want anything clouding her judgement. She’d dressed up for the occasion. Put on a dress and some make-up. She felt nice, normal, human again. Her drink came and she thanked the bartender.

She reached into the pocket of her red, leather jacket and pulled out the card again.

“Meet me at ‘L’inferno’, 9.30pm. We need to talk.”

Kate ran her fingers lightly over the slight indentation of the writing. Some part of her hoped it was from him. A part she tried to push down, deep enough that she could deny its existence. But it kept coming back. Flashes of his face. Memories of his strong hands, gripping her. Saving her.

It wouldn’t be from him. She hadn’t heard from him in months. She had no idea what he was doing now. Still she hoped.

Her attention was drawn to an elegant woman, slipping onto the stool next to hers. She was tall, with long dark hair, lightened with highlights. She wore an expensive suit and she smelled of Chanel No. 5. She turned to face Kate and smiled.

“Hello Kate.”

Kate was startled. The woman looked vaguely familiar. But not familiar enough to be arranging secret rendezvous in bars with her. The feline eyes were tracing over her body, finally coming to rest on her neck. Suddenly, Kate felt very nervous.

“Who are you?”

The woman smiled, a slow smile that seemed to take forever to spread across her lips. And even longer to reach her eyes. She held her hand out to Kate as she spoke.

“I’m sorry, we haven’t met. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lilah…”

“Morgan.” Kate finished the sentence, realisation finally dawning.

Lilah smiled again. Seeing that Kate wasn’t about to shake her hand, she withdrew it.

“So you know of me?”

“I know of you. And believe me, that’s not a good thing.”

Lilah nodded. Then she signalled to the bartender and ordered a whisky. Kate sat for a moment as Lilah’s drink was fixed. The clinking of the ice in the glass snapped her back to reality. She started to get up.

“Look, I’m not going to sit here and drink with you.”

“Then why did you come?”

Kate stopped. Why did she come? Why was she invited? Why was she there at all?

“I…I don’t know.”

She warily settled back down on the stool. Her curiosity was peaked. This woman she had never spoken to, had only heard about second-hand, wanted to talk to her. Why?

“Did you think it was from him?”

Kate looked up quickly at Lilah’s knowing smile.

“Who?”

“You know who I mean. Angel.”

Lilah’s penetrating gaze never left Kate’s face and Kate knew there was no point in denying it.

“I…maybe. I didn’t know…”

“You think about him don’t you? You think about him more than you should. More than is healthy, considering what he is.”

Kate caught herself before she nodded in agreement. This was a Wolfram and Hart employee. She could be after anything.

“Listen, why did you invite me here tonight? I don’t usually spend my evenings with slimy lawyers I’ve never met, so why don’t we cut to the chase. Do you have something to tell me about Angel?”

Kate kept her face hard while she spoke. Lilah looked down into her drink, tilting the glass and watching the amber liquid run over the ice in random patterns.

“How did it make you feel, when he bit you?”

Kate was taken aback. Subconsciously her fingers moved to trace over the scar on the side of her neck.

“How did you…”

“Oh come on now, Detective…oh, sorry…forgot that wasn’t your title anymore. You think that one of LA’s finest gets admitted to hospital with bite wounds to her neck and we don’t get to hear about it? Especially someone with your…known associations.”

Kate dropped her hand to the bar. She stared straight ahead but saw nothing. Images of that night running past her eyes like a reel of film. Seeing him holding the box. His taunts about her father. His hand on her arm, forcing it upwards, her gun rendered useless. His teeth sinking into her flesh. Pain. Agony. Ecstasy. His whispered words cool against her hot flesh.

Lilah’s voice stopped the flashes.

“He bit me too, you know.”

Kate turned to look at Lilah, deciding whether or not to believe her. Lilah pushed her hair away and turned her head slightly so that Kate could see the faint outline of a bite mark. Not knowing what else to do, Kate lifted her own hair off her neck to give Lilah a look at her scar. She jumped slightly when Lilah’s fingers made contact with the smooth scar tissue. Soft fingertips followed the mark, from just below her ear right down to near her shoulder. And Kate let her.

“Why’d he bite you?”

Just above a whisper. The words accompanied the tender touches and Kate found herself replying, though she knew she shouldn’t.

“To save me.”

Lilah’s fingers left Kate’s flesh. Kate turned to see her sipping from her drink, as if that’s what she’d been doing the whole time.

“So…why’d he bite you?”

Lilah shrugged.

“In the throes of passion. We were making out on his desk. Couldn’t control himself and he bit me. I have to say…the kissing confused me more than the biting. I tell you, you know your life’s weird when taking precautions means you carry condoms and a cross.”

As Kate listened a strange feeling formed in her gut. Jealousy was the only word she could think of to name it. He had kissed Lilah. Lilah. He had never kissed Kate. Never even looked like he wanted to.

“How did you feel?”

Kate’s eyes flicked back to Lilah. She looked genuinely interested in what Kate had to say on the subject.

“How come you’re so interested in feelings all of a sudden? I thought they had those surgically removed during your first week at your company.”

One side of Lilah’s mouth turned up.

“No need for surgery, sweetie, they go away all by themselves if you let them. But you probably know that.”

Kate’s eyes flashed with anger.

“How dare you presume to know anything about me. You don’t know shit.”

“I felt scared.”

Lilah’s quiet admission halted Kate’s diatribe. Seeing she had her attention, Lilah continued.

“I felt scared. And I felt aroused. And it hurt like hell. And afterwards I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Like it made me part of him. Or him part of me. I don’t know…this is stupid…”

Lilah looked up as she felt Kate’s hand on her arm.

“I know what you’re saying. When he was drinking…it was like I was paralysed…and…and special…he’d picked me, it was my blood in his veins…it was me.”

Lilah was nodding as Kate spoke.

“Guess he’s touched both of us, huh?”

“I guess so.”

Their eyes locked for a second and, briefly, understanding passed between them. Then Lilah finished her drink in one swallow and stood up. Her hand slipped inside her jacket and Kate automatically tensed. Lilah noticed this and smiled, taking her hand out again. She offered her business card to Kate.

“If you ever want to talk again. Gimme a call.”

Kate looked down at the card. The Wolfram and Hart corporate logo and Lilah’s official title. Somehow it scared her more than the blank one had earlier. She looked up at Lilah and nodded once. Lilah’s hand came up to sweep aside Kate’s hair again, exposing her scar. Again, Kate let her. Lilah leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against the blemish. And Kate let her.

Lilah stood up straight again, letting Kate’s hair fall back down over her shoulder.

“Goodbye, Kate.”

“Goodbye, Lilah.”

END