Mind Games - Ch. 4
Title: Mind Games
Topic: Angel
Pairings: Lindsey McDonald/OC
Summary: A mysterious figure comes to town, throwing both Angel Investigations and Wolfram and Hart for a spin. The catch? She's Lorne's "Niece"
Rating: T
Genre: romance, angst, action, sci-fi
"You killed her."
It was more of a statement than a question, yet Sylvia chose to grace it with an answer. She leaned her head back to rest against the back of the passenger seat, her eyes going cross and blurry as she tried to focus on the LA streets fleeting past her as Lindsey pushed down on the accelerator. "Who?"
Lindsey grit his teeth and tightened his single hand around the steering wheel, his knuckles growing white with the effort. As he blinked, the image of a dead and bloodless Lilah flashed through his mind. "You know damn well who."
The ShapeShifter sighed, finally closing her eyes and blotting out the images of the outside world. Her one hand drifted to the door, playing with the handle, while the other rested lazily on the middle consol. "Lilah was killed by a vampire."
"Murdered by a fake vampire." Lindsey corrected, sparing a glance in the woman's direction. She was dressed in a smart business suit that she had gone out and bought while the lawyer was at work. She had used his credit card, he had learned, and spared no expense. They were on their way to a meeting with Nathan Reed, who was looking to employ the Shifter, if not to dissect her and find out what made her tick.
Sylvia sighed. "What's wrong with you, Lindsey?" She asked, opening her eyes and glaring a whole through the man's skull, annoyance and confusion filling her expression. "I thought you hated the woman? Or was there something else mixed in there. Lust? Respect? Maybe even Love?"
"Damn it, Syl!" He yelled, slamming his plastic hand into the dashboard, chipping the thumb. "My dislike of Lilah gave you no right to kill her! Who told you to do that, huh? Did you feel like taking a life, or did the Powers That Be send you some divine mission?"
Sylvia snorted and gave a soft chuckle, shaking her head. "You really don't get it, do you. You think that the Powers That Be tell me what to do? Why the hell do you think they want my race dead? They were stupid enough to put their trust in humans. What I'm trying to say, is that I got my mission from you."
Lindsey swore under his breath as he almost swerved into another car. Deciding that his driving was more than dangerous at the moment, he signaled and pulled off onto a side parking spot and cut the power, taking a few deep breaths before turning to face the Shifter.
"What the hell do you mean by that, I never asked you to kill her."
Sylvia sighed and undid her seat belt, trying to get comfortable. "Not consciously, but you forget that I have part of your soul. Your pure essence, Lindsey. The matter that holds all of your deep thoughts, secrets, wants, needs. The key to your destiny. You wanted to kill Lilah. You wanted to strangle the bitch and feel her last breath as it tickled your fingers as they squeezed tighter and tighter around her neck. You may not have consciously known that, but it is true."
She paused to let this information sink in. "The only reason I'm here is because you aren't strong enough to remove the obstacles in your way. So if you want to blame anyone of Lilah's death, Lindsey, you can blame yourself. Cause it was your soul that was cheering when she breathed her last."
Silence filled the car, and Lindsey felt like he was being suffocated. He couldn't breath, and the air around him felt stuffy and hot. He was so confused and unhappy and lost that it was killing him. Sylvia frowned and leaned over the middle consol, reaching her arm out to stroke his face. He yanked away from her grip, and she pulled back. "Everything I'm doing, I'm doing for you, don't ever forget that."
--Wolfram and Hart--
"Lindsey here tells me that you have some…advantages that Wolfram and Hart would benefit from." Reed said from his position of power behind his large mahogany desk. He folded his hands, unfolded them, shuffled papers, clicked a few random things on the computer, trying to look busy, as if the meeting he was in wasn't that important. Sylvia just rolled her eyes and sunk low in her chair, crossing her arms and putting on a very bored expression.
"You lawyers and your big words. Yes, I'm a ShapeShifter. Yes, I'm willing to work for Wolfram and Hart…with strings attached."
"Of course." Reed said, struggling to get on top of the conversation. "You will be given ample recompense for your work. We also have a whole archives of faces that you can have complete access too, along wi--"
Sylvia cut him off by closing her eyes and leaning back, completely tired of the situation already. She peeked out of her eye to steal a glance at Lindsey, who was sitting across the room from her and looking quite out of place.
"I don't want any of that shit." She exclaimed, standing up. "Keep your money and your faces, I have plenty."
Just to prove a point, she quickly went through a series of bodies, each one holding its shape only long enough for a blink of an eye before moving on. She went through about twenty different shapes before turning into Nathan Reed himself, adopting the stance he uses when trying to intimidate his opponent. As always, it was working. Reed cleared his throat, not used to being challenged and not liking it one bit. However, he had been studying up on Shifters since Lindsey brought it to his attention, and he knew that he needed to stay on her good side. Sylvia tilted her head sideways slightly then smiled, an eerie look for the face of Nathan Reed.
"I want to work directly under Lindsey, and be given access to the building 24/7. "
Reed nodded and got to shuffling papers again, this time out of nervousness more than anything. "Consider it done."
Sylvia smiled and shifted back into her favored form, looking to all the world as an innocent. "One more thing, Mr. Reed. My best interests are those of Lindsey McDonald. It would be in yours to keep Wolfram and Hart parallel to those needs."
She turned and abruptly left the room, but didn't go very far, for Lindsey's headache continued to be held at bay. As soon as she was clear of the room he stood up and walked over to Nathan's desk, his hands in his pocket. Reed looked at Lindsey with jealousy and a hint of spite. "Does she understand what she will be pitting you both against if she decides to make war with Wolfram and Hart?"
Lindsey smiled, having enjoyed Sylvia's display of power. It was refreshing and a wonderful show of how little Reed had his hands on things. "She does, sir, and I think that's the dangerous bit."
Feeling elevated for the first time in a while, Lindsey turned to go out the door. Nathan sat flabbergasted at his desk, his brain trying to understand that he had just been stood up twice. "Lindsey!" He called, remembering something at the last moment.
The lawyer turned, for a second wondering if Nathan had taken too strong of an offence to something he had said. But the man made no sign to go against him. "There is a limo waiting out front for you. I suggest you take it."
Lindsey froze, then nodded before leaving, wondering what hidden message was buried within those words, if there was one at all.
--Lindsey McDonald--
The room was white and sterile, and smelled of death. The chairs were plastic and uncomfortable, the magazines two months old. The lights created a buzzing noise and sent a headache directly into Lindsey's skull; however, he wasn't sure if the migraine was from the lights or the fact that he and Sylvia were very far apart. He had been sitting in the stiff chair for over an hour. It had only taken him several moments until he started to massage his temple with his good hand. He had lasted a half an hour until he shed his coat; the room had turned unbearably hot. Finally, a nurse walked in, a touch pad in hand. She was wearing an outfit that Lindsey would have seen at a strip club instead of a doctor's office, if that is what this place really was.
The outfit was white and hugged her body, stopping way above her knees, no sleeves to cover her arms. Needless to say, Lindsey was distracted enough to forget about the reason he was truly there for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry, how long have you been here?" The woman asked, tilting her head sideways as she checked her schedule.
"I…Lindsey McDonald." He said, coming back to reality. "Wolfram and Hart sent me."
A scared look crossed her face for a quick second, then it was gone. She smiled an entirely fake smile that showed her bleached teeth and nodded. "Sorry about this, everything has been so busy, please follow me."
Lindsey nodded and stood up, grabbing his coat and hanging it over his plastic hand. He followed the 'nurse' through the door marked "For Employee's Only" and walked into a totally different world. The plastic chairs turned into comfy leather couches. The tabletops had bottles of wine and glasses instead of old magazines.
"Please sit, the doctor will be with you in a moment, Mr. McDonald." The woman said before disappearing into yet another back room. Lindsey sat in the chair and sunk into the leather. He felt like he was back in Reed's office, only a lot more confused. Why was he here? Or, more importantly, where exactly was here?
The door opened again only minutes later, and a balding man who looked to be in his fifties stepping into the room, wearing a doctor's coat. "Mr. McDonald, this way please."
Lindsey only smiled and followed yet another nameless human in white clothing into yet another room, this time sterile smelling again. He was taken to a surgery room, where the same nurse, and what looked like her twin, rolled up his sleeves and poked him with a needle.
"Hey!" He said, pulling away from them and standing up. "What the hell is going on!"
The doctor smiled and picked up a chart. "Mr. McDonald, we're giving you a new hand."
What? A new…what? Lindsey's face showed only shock as he tried to figure out what exactly was going on. "What…but how?"
The doctor, who was looking even more evil by the second, started to laugh. "Mr. McDonald, did your boss not explain anything? He placed you on the donor's list for a new right hand not even a day after you lost yours. The only thing that has been stopping us for so long is your blood type. Very rare, such a beautiful type. A few days ago, a woman came here and offered her hand, only saying that she wished it to be donated to a Lindsey McDonald. Lucky us, her blood type matched perfectly!"
Sylvia. Lindsey couldn't believe it. It made sense, of course, but he still couldn't believe it. She had his soul, so it was only logical that she got his blood type as well. But donating her hand for him?
Everything I'm doing, I'm doing for you.
Something new stirred inside the lawyer at that moment, and the corners of his mouth turned upward, in as close as a genuine smile as he had experienced in a long time.
Then another needle was injected into him, and the world went black.
--Sylvia--
He woke up in his bed, the covers folded down near his waist, his clothes he had previously been wearing hanging neatly in his closet. Lindsey blinked and stretched his arms, his right hand hurting like hell. His left fingers gently massaged his right, trying to dissolve away the pain. He stood up and threw the covers off of him, walking into his bathroom and turning on the faucet. He rinsed his hands sleepily in the cool rushing water for a few seconds before dragging them through his thick hair and down his face. Then, it hit him.
He had two hands.
A smile spread on his face, and a strange sound vibrated through his throat and choked out of his mouth. It was a laugh.
He flexed his fingers -all ten of them- and used his new hand to run over all the surfaces he could touch reveling in the heightened sense of touch. He was whole again.
He walked back into his bedroom and opened the door to his closet, staring at the guitar that had been sitting in the back of the small containment room, gathering dust for a year. He picked it up with his new hand and sat on his bed, pulling the guitar to his chest and letting his hands just fall into place. He played a few notes, trying to adjust to playing again. Then, he started to strum.
He hummed along with the nameless tune, so engrossed in the song that he didn't notice Sylvia enter the room until she sat on the bed and placed her right hand gently on his. He was broken from his trance by the touch and played a sour note, wincing.
"It's…beautiful." She said, staring at the guitar, her hand running over his. Lindsey smirked and pulled his hand away, just now noticing the faint scar line running all the way around the base of his wrist. He stared at Sylvia's wrist and saw an almost identical mark.
"You…" He drifted off.
Sylvia shrugged. "You needed a new hand, Lindsey, so I gave it to you." She smiled that smile of hers, and the lawyer twitched his head, that weird feeling resurfacing.
He leaned forward and kissed her. It was a real kiss, none of that foreplay crap that meant nothing more than an empty bed in the morning. His hands cupped either side of her face and his thumbs caressed her skin. She pulled away, frowning as she pushed his arms from her face. "What the hell?"
He frowned and stood up from the bed. "What…?"
Sylvia stood up also, her head tilted to the side as a look of confusion crossed her features. "Oh no." She then looked as him, her eyes narrowing. Then, she smacked him on the back of the head. "Vain ass."
Then she stormed out of the room, her head popping back in moments later when she realized that Lindsey wasn't following. "Come on!"
--Caritas--
"Tell me I'm wrong, Lorne. Please." Sylvia almost begged, tugging on the green demon's sleeve in desperation. The red-eyed creature was currently staring at the stage, where the now two-handed lawyer was strumming on his guitar and singing like a god.
"Wha…" Lorne managed to slur, unhappy at being pulled away from such a beautiful voice. "Sorry sugar cakes, but it's for real. This boy is heels over head for you."
She shook her head, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Damn it! This isn't supposed to happen, Lorne!"
The man shrugged. "He's fallen for worse."
Sylvia just slapped him. "The bastard's fallen in love with himself. I hate it when this happens."
Lorne raised his eyebrow. "You say that like it's a reoccurrence, sweetie."
"Yeah, a pain in the ass occurrence." She sighed, leaning back on the bar. "And I am so close."
The demon just shrugged. "He's a big boy, been through a lot. He's stronger than when he last came in here, I'll tell you that." He paused, as if thinking about whether or not he should tell Sylvia something.
"What is it?"
"There's a big dark cloud of bad stuff that's growing stronger too, Syl." He said hesitantly.
Sylvia giggled. "I know! That's true greatness, right there." Then she stopped, and looked at Lorne. "Oh…Lorne. You couldn't just stand by and do nothing, after all I did for you."
Lorne shook his head. "That wasn't you, Sylvia. You're just a shell. It was my soul that helped me." His words were flat, like letters on a paper he was forced to read. He didn't like what was going to happen one bit, but was stead fast in his belief enough not to change it.
Then, as if on cue, the vampire with a soul came through the doorway, just as Lindsey's song ended.
Both men made it to the green demon and ShapeShifter at the same time, daggers in both pairs of eyes.
"What are you doin' here?" Lindsey snarled, grabbing Sylvia around the waist. Angel set his jaw, staring at the Shifter, who hissed under his gaze.
"Woah, woah, my violent customers cool off, have a drink. This is Caritas, not some fight ring."
Neither of them heard. "Nice hand. Who'd you steal it from?"
Lindsey narrowed his eyes and brought it up in a threatening fist. "Wouldn't of had to if you hadn't cut it off!"
"Boys!" Sylvia yelled, stepping in front of them. She knew that neither of them could touch each other, but she still didn't want them making a scene. That would come later. She glanced angrily at Angel. "You, stop screwing with my plans." She turned to Lindsey. "You, chill."
The lawyer pushed Sylvia gently out of the way and winded back before throwing a punch directly at Angel's jaw.
An invisible barrier blocked his path and sent his new hand flying back at him. Lindsey went to try again, even though he knew that it was useless. Sylvia grabbed his hand and pulled him back, pissed off at the vampire, but having enough self control to know that now was definitely not the time. Angel smirked and crossed his arms.
"Don't look so smug." Sylvia snapped. She whispered in Lindsey's ear, telling him to meet her at the car. He nodded, and after a killing glance at both the vampire and the demon host, he left. Sylvia barred the way for Angel going after him, poking him only slightly-threatening in the chest. "You better be glad that you have your oh-so-powerful prophecy protecting you, or you'd be wishing you never left your grave."
The words were snarled, the voice deep and gravely, the voice of a power larger than even Angel could comprehend. Her eyes flashed a dangerous purple, and Lorne cowered away from the amount of sheer power rippling off the being.
Then her eyes turned back to normal, and a dainty smile graced her lips. "Good night, Angel."
And she left.
Topic: Angel
Pairings: Lindsey McDonald/OC
Summary: A mysterious figure comes to town, throwing both Angel Investigations and Wolfram and Hart for a spin. The catch? She's Lorne's "Niece"
Rating: T
Genre: romance, angst, action, sci-fi
"You killed her."
It was more of a statement than a question, yet Sylvia chose to grace it with an answer. She leaned her head back to rest against the back of the passenger seat, her eyes going cross and blurry as she tried to focus on the LA streets fleeting past her as Lindsey pushed down on the accelerator. "Who?"
Lindsey grit his teeth and tightened his single hand around the steering wheel, his knuckles growing white with the effort. As he blinked, the image of a dead and bloodless Lilah flashed through his mind. "You know damn well who."
The ShapeShifter sighed, finally closing her eyes and blotting out the images of the outside world. Her one hand drifted to the door, playing with the handle, while the other rested lazily on the middle consol. "Lilah was killed by a vampire."
"Murdered by a fake vampire." Lindsey corrected, sparing a glance in the woman's direction. She was dressed in a smart business suit that she had gone out and bought while the lawyer was at work. She had used his credit card, he had learned, and spared no expense. They were on their way to a meeting with Nathan Reed, who was looking to employ the Shifter, if not to dissect her and find out what made her tick.
Sylvia sighed. "What's wrong with you, Lindsey?" She asked, opening her eyes and glaring a whole through the man's skull, annoyance and confusion filling her expression. "I thought you hated the woman? Or was there something else mixed in there. Lust? Respect? Maybe even Love?"
"Damn it, Syl!" He yelled, slamming his plastic hand into the dashboard, chipping the thumb. "My dislike of Lilah gave you no right to kill her! Who told you to do that, huh? Did you feel like taking a life, or did the Powers That Be send you some divine mission?"
Sylvia snorted and gave a soft chuckle, shaking her head. "You really don't get it, do you. You think that the Powers That Be tell me what to do? Why the hell do you think they want my race dead? They were stupid enough to put their trust in humans. What I'm trying to say, is that I got my mission from you."
Lindsey swore under his breath as he almost swerved into another car. Deciding that his driving was more than dangerous at the moment, he signaled and pulled off onto a side parking spot and cut the power, taking a few deep breaths before turning to face the Shifter.
"What the hell do you mean by that, I never asked you to kill her."
Sylvia sighed and undid her seat belt, trying to get comfortable. "Not consciously, but you forget that I have part of your soul. Your pure essence, Lindsey. The matter that holds all of your deep thoughts, secrets, wants, needs. The key to your destiny. You wanted to kill Lilah. You wanted to strangle the bitch and feel her last breath as it tickled your fingers as they squeezed tighter and tighter around her neck. You may not have consciously known that, but it is true."
She paused to let this information sink in. "The only reason I'm here is because you aren't strong enough to remove the obstacles in your way. So if you want to blame anyone of Lilah's death, Lindsey, you can blame yourself. Cause it was your soul that was cheering when she breathed her last."
Silence filled the car, and Lindsey felt like he was being suffocated. He couldn't breath, and the air around him felt stuffy and hot. He was so confused and unhappy and lost that it was killing him. Sylvia frowned and leaned over the middle consol, reaching her arm out to stroke his face. He yanked away from her grip, and she pulled back. "Everything I'm doing, I'm doing for you, don't ever forget that."
--Wolfram and Hart--
"Lindsey here tells me that you have some…advantages that Wolfram and Hart would benefit from." Reed said from his position of power behind his large mahogany desk. He folded his hands, unfolded them, shuffled papers, clicked a few random things on the computer, trying to look busy, as if the meeting he was in wasn't that important. Sylvia just rolled her eyes and sunk low in her chair, crossing her arms and putting on a very bored expression.
"You lawyers and your big words. Yes, I'm a ShapeShifter. Yes, I'm willing to work for Wolfram and Hart…with strings attached."
"Of course." Reed said, struggling to get on top of the conversation. "You will be given ample recompense for your work. We also have a whole archives of faces that you can have complete access too, along wi--"
Sylvia cut him off by closing her eyes and leaning back, completely tired of the situation already. She peeked out of her eye to steal a glance at Lindsey, who was sitting across the room from her and looking quite out of place.
"I don't want any of that shit." She exclaimed, standing up. "Keep your money and your faces, I have plenty."
Just to prove a point, she quickly went through a series of bodies, each one holding its shape only long enough for a blink of an eye before moving on. She went through about twenty different shapes before turning into Nathan Reed himself, adopting the stance he uses when trying to intimidate his opponent. As always, it was working. Reed cleared his throat, not used to being challenged and not liking it one bit. However, he had been studying up on Shifters since Lindsey brought it to his attention, and he knew that he needed to stay on her good side. Sylvia tilted her head sideways slightly then smiled, an eerie look for the face of Nathan Reed.
"I want to work directly under Lindsey, and be given access to the building 24/7. "
Reed nodded and got to shuffling papers again, this time out of nervousness more than anything. "Consider it done."
Sylvia smiled and shifted back into her favored form, looking to all the world as an innocent. "One more thing, Mr. Reed. My best interests are those of Lindsey McDonald. It would be in yours to keep Wolfram and Hart parallel to those needs."
She turned and abruptly left the room, but didn't go very far, for Lindsey's headache continued to be held at bay. As soon as she was clear of the room he stood up and walked over to Nathan's desk, his hands in his pocket. Reed looked at Lindsey with jealousy and a hint of spite. "Does she understand what she will be pitting you both against if she decides to make war with Wolfram and Hart?"
Lindsey smiled, having enjoyed Sylvia's display of power. It was refreshing and a wonderful show of how little Reed had his hands on things. "She does, sir, and I think that's the dangerous bit."
Feeling elevated for the first time in a while, Lindsey turned to go out the door. Nathan sat flabbergasted at his desk, his brain trying to understand that he had just been stood up twice. "Lindsey!" He called, remembering something at the last moment.
The lawyer turned, for a second wondering if Nathan had taken too strong of an offence to something he had said. But the man made no sign to go against him. "There is a limo waiting out front for you. I suggest you take it."
Lindsey froze, then nodded before leaving, wondering what hidden message was buried within those words, if there was one at all.
--Lindsey McDonald--
The room was white and sterile, and smelled of death. The chairs were plastic and uncomfortable, the magazines two months old. The lights created a buzzing noise and sent a headache directly into Lindsey's skull; however, he wasn't sure if the migraine was from the lights or the fact that he and Sylvia were very far apart. He had been sitting in the stiff chair for over an hour. It had only taken him several moments until he started to massage his temple with his good hand. He had lasted a half an hour until he shed his coat; the room had turned unbearably hot. Finally, a nurse walked in, a touch pad in hand. She was wearing an outfit that Lindsey would have seen at a strip club instead of a doctor's office, if that is what this place really was.
The outfit was white and hugged her body, stopping way above her knees, no sleeves to cover her arms. Needless to say, Lindsey was distracted enough to forget about the reason he was truly there for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry, how long have you been here?" The woman asked, tilting her head sideways as she checked her schedule.
"I…Lindsey McDonald." He said, coming back to reality. "Wolfram and Hart sent me."
A scared look crossed her face for a quick second, then it was gone. She smiled an entirely fake smile that showed her bleached teeth and nodded. "Sorry about this, everything has been so busy, please follow me."
Lindsey nodded and stood up, grabbing his coat and hanging it over his plastic hand. He followed the 'nurse' through the door marked "For Employee's Only" and walked into a totally different world. The plastic chairs turned into comfy leather couches. The tabletops had bottles of wine and glasses instead of old magazines.
"Please sit, the doctor will be with you in a moment, Mr. McDonald." The woman said before disappearing into yet another back room. Lindsey sat in the chair and sunk into the leather. He felt like he was back in Reed's office, only a lot more confused. Why was he here? Or, more importantly, where exactly was here?
The door opened again only minutes later, and a balding man who looked to be in his fifties stepping into the room, wearing a doctor's coat. "Mr. McDonald, this way please."
Lindsey only smiled and followed yet another nameless human in white clothing into yet another room, this time sterile smelling again. He was taken to a surgery room, where the same nurse, and what looked like her twin, rolled up his sleeves and poked him with a needle.
"Hey!" He said, pulling away from them and standing up. "What the hell is going on!"
The doctor smiled and picked up a chart. "Mr. McDonald, we're giving you a new hand."
What? A new…what? Lindsey's face showed only shock as he tried to figure out what exactly was going on. "What…but how?"
The doctor, who was looking even more evil by the second, started to laugh. "Mr. McDonald, did your boss not explain anything? He placed you on the donor's list for a new right hand not even a day after you lost yours. The only thing that has been stopping us for so long is your blood type. Very rare, such a beautiful type. A few days ago, a woman came here and offered her hand, only saying that she wished it to be donated to a Lindsey McDonald. Lucky us, her blood type matched perfectly!"
Sylvia. Lindsey couldn't believe it. It made sense, of course, but he still couldn't believe it. She had his soul, so it was only logical that she got his blood type as well. But donating her hand for him?
Everything I'm doing, I'm doing for you.
Something new stirred inside the lawyer at that moment, and the corners of his mouth turned upward, in as close as a genuine smile as he had experienced in a long time.
Then another needle was injected into him, and the world went black.
--Sylvia--
He woke up in his bed, the covers folded down near his waist, his clothes he had previously been wearing hanging neatly in his closet. Lindsey blinked and stretched his arms, his right hand hurting like hell. His left fingers gently massaged his right, trying to dissolve away the pain. He stood up and threw the covers off of him, walking into his bathroom and turning on the faucet. He rinsed his hands sleepily in the cool rushing water for a few seconds before dragging them through his thick hair and down his face. Then, it hit him.
He had two hands.
A smile spread on his face, and a strange sound vibrated through his throat and choked out of his mouth. It was a laugh.
He flexed his fingers -all ten of them- and used his new hand to run over all the surfaces he could touch reveling in the heightened sense of touch. He was whole again.
He walked back into his bedroom and opened the door to his closet, staring at the guitar that had been sitting in the back of the small containment room, gathering dust for a year. He picked it up with his new hand and sat on his bed, pulling the guitar to his chest and letting his hands just fall into place. He played a few notes, trying to adjust to playing again. Then, he started to strum.
He hummed along with the nameless tune, so engrossed in the song that he didn't notice Sylvia enter the room until she sat on the bed and placed her right hand gently on his. He was broken from his trance by the touch and played a sour note, wincing.
"It's…beautiful." She said, staring at the guitar, her hand running over his. Lindsey smirked and pulled his hand away, just now noticing the faint scar line running all the way around the base of his wrist. He stared at Sylvia's wrist and saw an almost identical mark.
"You…" He drifted off.
Sylvia shrugged. "You needed a new hand, Lindsey, so I gave it to you." She smiled that smile of hers, and the lawyer twitched his head, that weird feeling resurfacing.
He leaned forward and kissed her. It was a real kiss, none of that foreplay crap that meant nothing more than an empty bed in the morning. His hands cupped either side of her face and his thumbs caressed her skin. She pulled away, frowning as she pushed his arms from her face. "What the hell?"
He frowned and stood up from the bed. "What…?"
Sylvia stood up also, her head tilted to the side as a look of confusion crossed her features. "Oh no." She then looked as him, her eyes narrowing. Then, she smacked him on the back of the head. "Vain ass."
Then she stormed out of the room, her head popping back in moments later when she realized that Lindsey wasn't following. "Come on!"
--Caritas--
"Tell me I'm wrong, Lorne. Please." Sylvia almost begged, tugging on the green demon's sleeve in desperation. The red-eyed creature was currently staring at the stage, where the now two-handed lawyer was strumming on his guitar and singing like a god.
"Wha…" Lorne managed to slur, unhappy at being pulled away from such a beautiful voice. "Sorry sugar cakes, but it's for real. This boy is heels over head for you."
She shook her head, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Damn it! This isn't supposed to happen, Lorne!"
The man shrugged. "He's fallen for worse."
Sylvia just slapped him. "The bastard's fallen in love with himself. I hate it when this happens."
Lorne raised his eyebrow. "You say that like it's a reoccurrence, sweetie."
"Yeah, a pain in the ass occurrence." She sighed, leaning back on the bar. "And I am so close."
The demon just shrugged. "He's a big boy, been through a lot. He's stronger than when he last came in here, I'll tell you that." He paused, as if thinking about whether or not he should tell Sylvia something.
"What is it?"
"There's a big dark cloud of bad stuff that's growing stronger too, Syl." He said hesitantly.
Sylvia giggled. "I know! That's true greatness, right there." Then she stopped, and looked at Lorne. "Oh…Lorne. You couldn't just stand by and do nothing, after all I did for you."
Lorne shook his head. "That wasn't you, Sylvia. You're just a shell. It was my soul that helped me." His words were flat, like letters on a paper he was forced to read. He didn't like what was going to happen one bit, but was stead fast in his belief enough not to change it.
Then, as if on cue, the vampire with a soul came through the doorway, just as Lindsey's song ended.
Both men made it to the green demon and ShapeShifter at the same time, daggers in both pairs of eyes.
"What are you doin' here?" Lindsey snarled, grabbing Sylvia around the waist. Angel set his jaw, staring at the Shifter, who hissed under his gaze.
"Woah, woah, my violent customers cool off, have a drink. This is Caritas, not some fight ring."
Neither of them heard. "Nice hand. Who'd you steal it from?"
Lindsey narrowed his eyes and brought it up in a threatening fist. "Wouldn't of had to if you hadn't cut it off!"
"Boys!" Sylvia yelled, stepping in front of them. She knew that neither of them could touch each other, but she still didn't want them making a scene. That would come later. She glanced angrily at Angel. "You, stop screwing with my plans." She turned to Lindsey. "You, chill."
The lawyer pushed Sylvia gently out of the way and winded back before throwing a punch directly at Angel's jaw.
An invisible barrier blocked his path and sent his new hand flying back at him. Lindsey went to try again, even though he knew that it was useless. Sylvia grabbed his hand and pulled him back, pissed off at the vampire, but having enough self control to know that now was definitely not the time. Angel smirked and crossed his arms.
"Don't look so smug." Sylvia snapped. She whispered in Lindsey's ear, telling him to meet her at the car. He nodded, and after a killing glance at both the vampire and the demon host, he left. Sylvia barred the way for Angel going after him, poking him only slightly-threatening in the chest. "You better be glad that you have your oh-so-powerful prophecy protecting you, or you'd be wishing you never left your grave."
The words were snarled, the voice deep and gravely, the voice of a power larger than even Angel could comprehend. Her eyes flashed a dangerous purple, and Lorne cowered away from the amount of sheer power rippling off the being.
Then her eyes turned back to normal, and a dainty smile graced her lips. "Good night, Angel."
And she left.