Finding the Dark
I reached up to the top of the gurney, feeling for the sheet that had once covered the body for politeness' sake, or at least to keep any of the others from looking at the things they didn't want to really see in the first place. Or...the last place...or at all. All I knew was that it purpose seemed to be concealment, and that suited me as much as
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I stood back up, rubbing the back of my head and looking at her with a frown.
"Oops! Dude, sorry 'bout that Kenn, besides I totally wasn't tryin' to steal away Red. I mean hey I got my own smart gal right over there scannin' for her contacts!"
I raised my eyebrow, looking over at Fred, who was still crawling around on the floor and talking to it. I didn't have the heart to tell Faith, but I thought her new girl might be crazy.
And not so much "her girl" either. I mean, she was wearing glasses. Why the hell would she be looking for a contact?
I still wasn't entirely convinced this wasn't some kind of cover for her crush on Willow. So not gonna happen. She wasn't stealing my girlfriend away. Break or not!
Maybe I should call her. You know, just to check in. Reaching in my back pocket, I pulled out my phone and flipped it open and started to dial the number when Faith started talking again.
"Who the hell organized this party? I mean this place isn't kickin' it too cool here. Plus I mean all of us are hotties! Where are all the girls that wish they could be us makin' those mean faces? Where are all the boys? Who invited the dead girl??"
Well, she did have a point. And why was I holding my phone? Who was I calling? Oh that's right!
"What did you say you wanted on your pizza?"
I tilted my head, looking at Fred pulling the sheet off the dead girl. Ew, was she really covering up with that? Dude, if she was that cold, I could've gave her my jacket.
Oh, damn. Pizza. I keep forgetting.
Hitting send on my cell phone, I waited for them to pick up. I turned quickly, seeing something run across the floor.
"Did you guys see that? I swear I just saw....."
"Hi! You've reached Willow Rosenberg and I'm -- away right now. Please just leave your name and number and I'll return your call just as soon as I am physically able. Thanks!"
Well, that's weird.
"Hey, um, Willow. When did you start working at the pizza place? That's so weird. You never even told me. Oh, right. Break and all. Yeah. So, anyway. We are totally starving here, so I'm thinking 3 large pizzas and since nobody told me what they wanted on them, just bring like..."
I looked over, wondering if I should ask Fred or Faith what they want. Nah. It was food. They would deal.
"....one with cheese, one with pepperoni, and um, I guess one with everything. Okay, so I guess I'll see you when you get here. Wait, um, address? Damn, I don't know. Wolfram and Hart. Big law firm. You can't miss it. We're in the lab. Me, Faith, Fred and the dead girl. See you soon. And, um, I love you." I dropped my voice to a whisper, covering my mouth with my hand and added. "...and by the way, no matter what Faith says, don't fall for it. She's completely shady. But, then again, you probably already knew that. Just watch yourself."
I flipped the phone closed and turned to Faith with a grin.
"Pizza will be here soon. And did you know that Willow totally works for them now?"
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Roger had responded politely enough, but with an acerbity that was tough to get past. I smiled often, and offered up what little details we had about the case to both of them, while acting as if I was merely filling in Roger for his benefit.
Wesley was eyeing me as if I'd grown a new head, which was both amusing and a little off-putting. Didn't he understand I was trying to cover his ass for his beloved father?
Not that my attempts at smoothing things over were really making any headway, Roger was so intent on grilling his son on what the 'devil' was going on that I might as well have been a fly on the wall for most of it.
When we reached the floor of the lab, the doors slid open and I could have sworn I heard Wes give an audible sigh of relief. I slipped my hand into the crook of his elbow and gave him a reassuring squeeze. It wasn't until Wes stiffened and looked pointedly down at his arm that I realized I'd overstepped. I withdrew the hand, and pretended to adjust the collar of my jacket instead.
"As I was saying earlier..." I tried to move on from the embarrassing moment, although it had obviously not escaped Roger's notice. "Our facilities are state of the art. We pride ourselves on being cutting edge - metaphorically speaking of course..."
I lead the way towards Fred's lab, acting as if I'd always intended to head in first, and not on Wesley's arm.
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Bringing up the rear, I observed some sort of odd jockeying for position occur between Wesley and Ms. Morgan, something I had no doubts at all had a great deal to do with the predicament I'd found them in when I'd first arrived.
"As I was saying earlier... Our facilities are state of the art. We pride ourselves on being cutting edge - metaphorically speaking of course..."
"Of course," I replied coolly, looking about the typical laboratory arrangement-- endless rows of workbenches, the de rigeur assortment of glass pipes and beakers, bubbling away with various liquids of different colors, the lingering smell of antiseptic cleaners and the group of drone-like assistants, all clad in white lab coats.
With a weather eye for any potential threats to my person, or my son's, I followed the both of them carefully through the labyrinth of gadgets and computers and equipment cabinets, finally reaching what was apparently our destination, a somewhat quieter and more secluded area.
My jaw, for the second time that day, nearly met the floor as I observed a horribly burned corpse laying exposed on an examination table, a young woman huddled beside, wrapped in a sheet, and two of our Slayers, engaged in a conversation about pizza.
I spun angrily toward Wesley. "What in the hell is going on here?"
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But what was her real plan? What was the endgame? What was the trap in which she meant to ensnare me? That was the greater question with which I was grappling. That, on top of the possible dangers of the Hellmouth, it was quickly becoming a race to uncover the greater of the two evils.
Of course, that would assume that the two things would be disconnected.
My eyes widened at the concept, and I cursed myself a fool for not seeing. Everything had to be connected. Lilah's ploy, whatever it was, must be part of a grander, more devious scheme. Accelerating my thoughts, I could feel my mind whirling with the very idea.
It came, though, to a screeching, riotous halt as our group of three neared the lab door. Lilah grasped my arm, and I pulled it back suddenly, as if subconsciously I were trying to avoid touching the woman and being tainted somehow by her machinactions. I didn't have the time or inclination to care much about the gesture. Instead, I was consumed with trying to out think my adversaries.
What advantage would they have in bringing us down to see this corpse? Were Father and I walking into a trap?
Good God, I wondered, almost stopping cold, what if they'd somehow gotten Father involved, too?
Glancing sidelong at Father, I knew I had to keep a watchful eye on the man, lest he somehow be revealed as a traitor, or a fake, more likely. They were closing in on me, it seemed, and the only way out of the trap was to out-think them all. But I could do that. I was smarter than them all. I just needed the time to plot my defense and counter.
Moving through the lab, we saw a puzzling tableau. I crouched down and peered under the table.
"Fred? It's safe. It's Wesley, you can come out now."
I heard the angry tone of my father's voice and was immediately standing straight at attention.
"What in the hell is going on here?"
Looking around suspiciously, I leaned forward.
"I don't know, Father," I whispered, "but I think that whatever it is, I know who's behind it." My eyes slid over to Lilah. I didn't know how she and the Senior Partners were causing the odd behaviour we were seeing, but I knew they were at the source.
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Finally it snaps and smacks my wrist with the loose end. I pitch it onto the floor and hear Kenn hang up her phone. Callin' out to let me know that Willow worked at a pizza place. She knew it was totally a trick, tryin' to make me admit somethin' about some wacked out intentions I had toward Red.
"I had NO idea she worked there." I said it all loud an' shit tryin' to make sure that she knew I was serious. Didn't want to throw down or nothin' I mean not in front of my new girl. Who was writin' something. Maybe a love letter to me. That was nice.
Now I was 'bout to go join my new favorette brunette beneath that lab table tryin' to make sure she was doin' okay, but I heard someone comin' into our little party.
Lilah, and Wes, and some old dude all filed in one after the other. Now this was either gonna kill the party or make it a lot better. Although first of all Wes comin' all to the rescue of my girlfriend wasn't cool at all. I was about to yank him away from her when the old dude got all loud yellin' about what was goin' on. Wes of course answered all quick tellin' his father he didn't know.
So, Wes' Dad tryin' to ruin our party. Whatev. I wasn't about to let it ruin my fun. I winked at Lilah, not forgettin' the little grab ass I played with her in the garage that mornin'.
"well what's goin' on is this kickin' party we are havin' though not sure who asked that dead girl, but hey she hasn't been all loud like some people." I shot the old guy a glare. "Or stealin' my date." Another glare shot down to Wes.
I moved over to Lilah, "Besides I thought it was invite only, and I don't remember sayin' boys were allowed." I draped my arm across Lilah's shoulder restin' my head on her upper arm. She smelled good. Damn. Too bad I was already taken. Fred would get pissed if I started cheatin' on her already. 'Specially since she was all writin' me love letters as I stood there.
I leaned up givin' Lilah a peck on the cheek and whispered in her ear. "Sorry darlin' but I gotta keep Fred's feelin's in mind here, but any other time I could'a brought a smile to your lips." I moved away from her and figured if the party was growin' I should go see if there is any entertainment on the way. I mean strippers, dancers, music?
"Damn this party needs a bit more life to it. I'm gonna go look for the stripper."
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I flinched at the noise, trying to decide if I should try and locate exactly where the increased sound was coming from. If I looked out, then maybe I would know, but then I could be exposed too, and that could be...
I didn't want to go back. I just couldn't go back. Tensing even more I let my body be a wall under the sheet as I scooted even deeper under the table. The walls were cold and strong, and they made me feel better.
"Fred? It's safe. It's Wesley, you can come out now."
"There isn't time for names anymore," I announced quietly, to myself. "Names are like chocolate ice cream and pillows with real feathers in them...extra. And of course they take too much time too. You think it's just you being greedy, but really they are just as selfish. They'll take as much as they can...they all will." I wondered if my breath sounded like my heart. "Until there's nothing left."
But at least I knew...and what I knew I could avoid. Reaching above me, my hand walked across the counter until it found a small metal container of some sort or the other. I grabbed it and held it close before sending it scattering to the farthest corner of the room. It clattered and clanked quite noisily.
Maybe now they would forget I was here...
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And with that, Faith made an exit that at any other time, would have seemed thoroughly non sequitur. In this time, and in this place, though, it seemed completely in keeping with the rest of the insanity that had apparently gripped the enitre building. I hadn't seen such widespread madness since 1968, when a lesser demon went on an LSD-fueled spell-casting spree and turned everyone in Leicester Square into flower children.
I proceeded to watch the situation go from bad to worse. After Faith's departure, I witnessed my son speaking to a young woman who had taken up refuge underneath a table, though refuge from what, I wasn't sure. Realising that this exceedingly odd individual was the 'Fred' with whom we were supposed to meet, I felt my frustration and apprehensions increase even further.
"Fred? It's safe. It's Wesley, you can come out now."
After treating us to a long stream of nonsensical ramblings, this 'Fred' cast some sort of metal cylinder rolling across the floor. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw it rattle its way across the ground and strike the wall with a hollow clank. Apparently having hoped the move would distract us, the young woman had fled even further beneath the desk, despite Wesley's repeated entreaties to come out.
"We most certainly do not have time for this, Wesley."
His reply to my frustrated question was as unhelpful as I'd expected it to be.
"I don't know, Father, but I think that whatever it is, I know who's behind it."
Rolling my eyes, I found a nearby stool upon which to sit.
"Brilliant deduction," I said, feeling the weight of the absurdity pressing heavily on me. "I should have thought that more than obvious. And since you seem to be determined to do anything but address the problem, I'm going to."
Leaning against the table, I felt the fatigue setting in.
"In just a bit."
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Even as Fred began to retreat further and further into her makeshift refuge, I tried my best to keep a calm, even tone in my voice. We couldn't have her getting even more upset, could we?
"No one's going to take anything away from you, Fred."
I said it, and I meant it. Of course, it was patently obvious as to just what 'they' Fred was referring: Wolfram & Hart and the Senior Partners. There was no denying that 'they' had already taken a great deal from us, and it would be to the surprise of no one if the offer that had led to our taking these jobs were simply a ruse by which to take away even more. But there wasn't going to be any more of that, not if I had anything to say about it.
"We most certainly do not have time for this, Wesley."
"Allies, Father... never prudent to enter battle without them..." I muttered under my breath, eyes darting around the lab, wondering which of the lab-coated villains with whom Fred had been required to associate was listening in on our conversation, reporting everything back to Lilah or Eve or the Senior Partners themselves. Every one of them looked highly untrustworthy, especially the floppy-haired one, that Knox.
There was the rattle and clank of metal striking vinyl floor tiling, and I watched as Fred cast a metal cylinder skittering across the floor. Instead of following the errant rubbish bin, I crouched down even further and regarded the increasingly nervous-looking Fred again.
"I promise, it'll be all right. You can come out from under there."
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It was too loud and chaotic in there. And I was starving. Where was that pizza? And when did Willow get a car to start delivering pizzas anyway?
I stood there, my arms crossed over my chest, half watching what was going on with everyone, no one really even noticing I was there.
"Did anyone happen to see the pizza delivery person on their way in?"
I waited for an answer, but no one was really paying attention to me. They all had their own deals going on. Wes was trying to coax Faith's friend Fred out from under the table. And Roger was flipping out. And the other woman --
Looking up at the clock on the wall, I realized it had been like 30 or more minutes since I ordered my food.
"It's been over 30 minutes, so that means it's free." I grinned, looking around at all of them. Still no one looked at me.
"I'm just gonna go outside and wait for Willow to bring that pizza. If you guys need me, which from the looks of it, you won't, then I'll just be..." I pointed to the door. "..outside. Tell Faith too if she comes back."
I slipped out the door, making my way through the building looking for the front door.
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Have to say I was right with Daddy Wyndam-Pryce on that one.
Wesley was crouching by the table trying to coax Fred out. Poor innocent damsel-in-distress Fred. I mean how stupid did you have to be to fall for that cowering under the table routine?
"I don't know, Father," I whispered, "but I think that whatever it is, I know who's behind it."
I folded my arms tightly across my chest when his gaze moved to lock with mine briefly.
Huh. He thought I was responsible for this? It was so typical of him to blame me, and not accept that Fred was a passive aggressive manipulating little bitch.
"well what's goin' on is this kickin' party we are havin' though not sure who asked that dead girl, but hey she hasn't been all loud like some people. Or stealin' my date. Besides I thought it was invite only, and I don't remember sayin' boys were allowed."
I didn't move away from Faith, even though the way her arm was draping around me was...well, unsettling. Briefly I wondered if she was high, if they all were high on some gas leak or something.
"Sorry darlin' but I gotta keep Fred's feelin's in mind here, but any other time I could'a brought a smile to your lips."
What the hell? Now Faith was acting like Fred was her gal too? Did everyone love Fred? I fought the urge to slap her for saying that to me, and was relieved when she finally left the room.
Something metal and loud rolled and clanked across the floor. Great, now she was throwing things.
Wesley's father was taking a seat and looking decidedly annoyed, and pretty peaky too now that I was looking at him.
I moved to touch his shoulder.
"Are you alright? You don't look so good." I said softly, ignoring Kennedy who was spouting something about pizzas being free.
"I promise, it'll be all right. You can come out from under there."
Wesley was still trying to get Miss Fraidy Cat to come out from under the desk. Still playing the knight protector.
"Oh, for the love of...leave her down there, Wesley. Why you picked her over me, I cannot begin to fathom. I mean look at her, Wes. Creating a burrow under a piece of office furniture. Throwing expensive equipment around. Putting on that goody two shoes innocent act. Does she even have a cleavage? I expect if she finally lets you get groiny with you, that you'll bruise yourself on her bony hips. Well, it serves you damn right." I rounded on Wesley, deep resentment roiling to the surface. "You keep acting like I'm the enemy but I'm not. I've been trying to cover your ass, with your father, with Angel, with a lot of things. Why do you think I didn't fight you when you broke up with me. Because I didn't care? You really are a complete moron if you believed that. Don't you get it? Don't you see what's going on right in front of your damn face?"
In the middle of my rant I noticed Eve slipping through the lab doors, she grabbed something and then headed back out again.
Finally when I was done, I stood there waiting for Wesley's response. When he didn't immediately answer, I threw up my hands and stalked out of the door after Eve. Screw him.
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