Part 3<\/b><\/p>\n
There was a beautiful Picasso reproduction hanging over the couch in the waiting room. At least Buffy hoped it was a reproduction, the alternative was too unfair to consider. The painting was the spotlight of the elegantly furnished room, and she found the whole thing slightly galling. That evil should have such good taste.<\/p>\n
That the bad guys could rest their bad asses on buttery leather couches and walk on plush dark hued carpets and have secretaries sitting behind massive oak desks.<\/p>\n
She and Xander stuck out like sore thumbs. Especially Xander. He had dressed up for today\u2019s meeting, which apparently meant a pair of un-pressed khakis and a black button down, over a white t-shirt. His hair was sticking out at an odd angle in the back and there was the slightest hint of sweat around his hairline, even though the room was most definitely climate controlled.<\/p>\n
He looked rumpled and nervous and so like himself that it actually made Buffy feel less rumpled and nervous. Xander was a gratifying constant in her life, and it was only in recent months that she had begun to understand just how much that meant.<\/p>\n
Not that he hadn\u2019t changed over the past couple of years. Mid-twenties Xander was both world-weary and battle-hardened and it showed, in both his demeanor and his appearance. Now that all-night video game marathons and Dorito munching were a thing of the past, his body was tighter now, his shoulders broader. His face was thinner, his bones more prominent, and he had tiny laugh lines that Buffy loved. The now-ubiquitous eye patch gave him a rakish edge that was not altogether unsexy. Buffy smiled to herself. It was actually rather sexy.<\/p>\n
\u201cCare to let me in on the joke?\u201d Xander\u2019s voice was hushed, like he was in a library.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh?\u201d Buffy wasn\u2019t aware she had made a joke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just wondering why you\u2019re grinning like David Duchovny just offered himself to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. No reason,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Xander nodded like he didn\u2019t believe her and looked down at his feet. He cracked his knuckles loudly.<\/p>\n
\u201cXander,\u201d Buffy chided. She\u2019d been trying to get him to stop that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to do this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. It\u2019s a disgusting habit and I\u2019ve heard it\u2019s really bad for your bones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xander looked momentarily confused. \u201cNo, not that. This,\u201d he told her, raising his hand and gesturing to the room around them. \u201cI\u2019m sorry Buffy, but I\u2019m not going to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The teeny tiny slice of a good mood that had been blooming inside of her died out. They\u2019d had this discussion. Now was not the time to rehash it. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked about this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t what we do,\u201d Xander said firmly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what we have to do,\u201d Buffy reminded him. She didn\u2019t like the way he was making her be the bad guy. As if it was somehow easier for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cScrew that.\u201d Xander\u2019s voice finally rose above a whisper. \u201cI\u2019m sick of being their bitch for hire.\u201d Buffy smirked. \u201cMan-bitch,\u201d Xander corrected. \u201cI\u2019m sick of being their man-bitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that what you plan on telling Miss Morgan?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he said petulantly. \u201cMaybe. Well, I mean, not in so many words\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy sighed. Because part of her was annoyed he even suggested it and because part of her really wanted him to.<\/p>\n
\u201cXander, we owe them. We knew there would be a price when we accepted the firm\u2019s offer to help. But we had no choice. Without their info we would have never been able to close that Hellmouth in Detroit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still not sure we did.\u201d Buffy glared at him. \u201cI\u2019m just saying, the place still looks exactly the same,\u201d Xander mumbled.<\/p>\n
She ignored Xander\u2019s dig at the Motor City. \u201cAnd you know that without the funds they provided, Giles wouldn\u2019t be rebuilding the Watchers Council right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right, all right,\u201d Xander said, raising both hands up defensively. \u201cI get it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy wondered if he really did. He should. More than anyone, Xander knew how much the decision bothered her, how hard it had been to make. When Lilah Morgan had shown up last year offering the firm\u2019s assistance, the idea of accepting seemed laughable. Getting in bed with an evil law firm, particularly the one that had caused so much trouble for their former friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I have to say, we\u2019ve done three of these little errands for Wolfram and Hart and you didn\u2019t seem to have so many \u2018ethical issues\u2019 until now,\u201d Buffy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because none of the other odd-jobs involved asking me to sneak into my ex-girlfriend\u2019s wedding,\u201d Xander told her bluntly. \u201cLilah must be certifiably insane. How are we supposed to get in, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy herself wasn\u2019t entirely sure. \u201cWell, we were kind of her friends. Once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuf, I scarred the girl for life. Literally. And I haven\u2019t seen her since graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have,\u201d she responded dryly.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah, I forgot about your little trek to L.A. When was that, right before we left Cleveland?\u201d Buffy nodded. \u201cWell, how\u2019d she look then?\u201d Xander inquired.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a little too busy beating the crap out of Angel to take stock of Cordy\u2019s appearance,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d Buffy admitted. \u201cYes, even in my jealous rage she looked great. Longish hair. Prada stilettos. Breasts that made me question my sexuality. And, of course, a big honking diamond ring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell at least we know that\u2019s gone,\u201d Xander said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I bet the breasts are the same,\u201d she grumbled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe this job won\u2019t be so bad,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n
Buffy shot him a withering glance and turned to stare at the large closed door separating them from Lilah Morgan\u2019s office. They\u2019d never met with her here before. That\u2019s not to say Buffy had never been inside that office. Because it hadn\u2019t always been Lilah Morgan\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ll just wait inside Angel\u2019s office, someone will be with you shortly,\u201d the tiny brunette told her, opening the door for her but remaining outside.<\/i><\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t the secretary. She was the woman the icy, middle-aged secretary had called when Buffy announced her name. She was dressed in an unprofessionally short jean skirt and a simple white blouse. Rather attractive, in a jumpy sort of way. But definitely not Angel\u2019s type, so at least she didn\u2019t have to worry about that.<\/em><\/p>\n Not that Buffy should be worrying about things like that. That\u2019s not why she came. Officially. She just wanted to know how he was doing. She wasn\u2019t sure she was ready for anything more. Not yet. It hadn\u2019t even been a year since Spike\u2026left.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cRight, so, um, I\u2019ll go now. If you, you know, need anything, I\u2019m Fred,\u201d the young woman offered with a smile. She hesitantly held out her hand, jerked it away before Buffy could take it, and finally settled on a shaky wave. \u201cI\u2019m Fred,\u201d she repeated quietly. Another uncertain smile and she was gone, closing the door behind her and leaving Buffy alone in Angel\u2019s office.<\/em><\/p>\n It was nothing like his first office, the tiny one above his apartment. This was a grown up office. Big. Expensive. Intimidating.<\/em><\/p>\n And a lot brighter than she expected.<\/em><\/p>\n There were lots of books. That she had expected. Shelf after shelf along the wall behind his desk. Buffy smirked. They were probably all first editions. Knowing Angel.<\/em><\/p>\n Although, glancing around the room, Buffy wasn\u2019t sure how well she did know Angel. There were flowers. Fresh, strategically placed throughout the room. The sleek black desk\u2014she\u2019d been picturing a scarred old clunker, made of oak and dating back to the Civil War. The plasma TV seemed out of place on the wall, as did the open copy of Glamour lying on the couch by the door.<\/em><\/p>\n And the flat-screen Dell on his desk? It was a little tough to imagine Angel checking his email and forwarding a chain letter to seven friends. It was a little tough to imagine Angel having seven friends.<\/em><\/p>\n She smiled, suddenly picturing Angel hunched over the keyboard, pecking at letters with his two forefingers. And what kind of screen saver would an ensouled vampire choose?<\/em><\/p>\n After a small guilty look at the door, Buffy walked around to the other side of the desk. The screen was black. A bright yellow sun bounced from one side to another, then up and down. Why did he insist on taunting himself with what he couldn\u2019t have?<\/em><\/p>\n Straightening, Buffy\u2019s finger knocked into the mouse and Angel\u2019s desktop suddenly appeared. Buffy gasped, blinked twice, then looked again. It was still there.<\/em><\/p>\n Well, that was\u2026odd. She wondered why Cordelia was dressed like a belly dancer..<\/em><\/p>\n Looking around the rest of the room, Buffy noted that there seemed to be an awful lot of pictures of Cordelia. Cordelia in a long black evening dress, being handed her wrap by a tuxedo-clad Wesley. Cordelia holding a present towards a young man with shaggy hair, who couldn\u2019t be much older than Dawn. Cordelia and Angel by the water. Cordelia and Angel in what looked to be a very crowded bar. Cordy and Angel\u2026in front of the MGM Grand? And what was on her hand?<\/em><\/p>\n Buffy heard footsteps outside the office, but didn\u2019t move. Couldn\u2019t move.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHey Fred,\u201d she heard. That familiar voice. That familiar warmth, rushing through her. But something was wrong, something was terribly wrong. In that picture, on his desk, something was sparkling and it wasn\u2019t the bright lights of Vegas.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAngel, thank god you\u2019re here,\u201d the girl, Fred, squeaked. \u201cThis is huge. You won\u2019t believe\u2014\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWhatever it is, it can wait. Can\u2019t you see? I\u2019m carrying precious cargo here.\u201d There was a husky laugh, that didn\u2019t sound like Angel or Fred.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t understand,\u201d Buffy heard Fred plead. \u201cThere\u2019s something you have to\u2014\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cExactly. There\u2019s something I have to do, something I\u2019ve wanted to do since I woke up alone this morning and I\u2019m not going to wait another minute,\u201d Angel said, chuckling.<\/em><\/p>\n There was another muffled squeak from Fred even as the door swung open and Angel walked in, arms full of a giggling Cordelia. Her hands were clasped around his neck. She shifted slightly and the soft overhead lights caught on the diamond ring she wore. Even from where she stood, across the room, Buffy could see it clearly. Fourth finger. Right hand.<\/em><\/p>\n That too was unexpected.<\/em><\/p>\n Buffy jumped when Xander laid his hand on her shoulder. \u201cSorry,\u201d she offered. \u201cZoned out for a minute there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe should have told you Buffy,\u201d Xander said quietly. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have found out like that.\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled grimly. \u201cYeah, well, it was years ago.\u201d Buffy was pleasantly relieved at how easy it was to shrug the memory off now.<\/p>\n She knew why. She wondered if Xander did, and worried that he didn\u2019t. She decided to test the ground. \u201cMaybe I had it coming. It\u2019s stupid to think that someone\u2019s going to wait around forever for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not that stupid,\u201d Xander said softly. He suddenly seemed to realize he was still holding her shoulder and abruptly withdrew his hand. \u201cUh, it\u2019s, it\u2019s strange to think about Angel moving on from you.\u201d<\/p>\n Buffy slowly exhaled. They really needed to have a talk. This undefined thing was getting a little old. \u201cSpeaking of moving on Xander\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n Xander and Buffy both turned to look up at the slender blond secretary.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Morgan will see you now.\u201d<\/p>\n Lilah Morgan was exquisitely beautiful. Xander had seen more than his fair share of lovely women. Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Anya. Faith and Dawn. That girl who\u2019d chained him up and tried to sacrifice him that last year in Sunnydale had been a stunner. Hell, even some of those young slayers had him thinking impure thoughts. None of them affected him the way Lilah did.<\/p>\n She scared the hell out of him. Women were not that beautiful and that confident unless they were a little bit evil. The only person who\u2019d come close to causing this kind of innate fear in Xander was Cordelia, back in high school, and even she was a distant second.<\/p>\n Lilah was seated behind a huge black desk. She looked up when they entered. \u201cMr. Harris. Miss Summers.\u201d She smiled and Xander had the irrational urge to turn and run.<\/p>\n Buffy nodded a greeting. \u201cMs. Morgan.\u201d She elbowed Xander in his side. He grunted a hello. Without looking away, Lilah discreetly closed a thick black file folder and then covered it with an innocuous looking notepad. The move did not go unnoticed by Buffy.<\/p>\n Xander couldn\u2019t stop staring at Lilah\u2019s neck. This happened every single time they saw her. As usual, she wore a scarf. Today\u2019s was maroon, a soft-looking silk that went perfectly with her severely fitted suit.<\/p>\n The rumor, according to Giles, was that Lilah was neither dead nor alive. The first time they\u2019d met her, the night she\u2019d arrived at the door of their cramped walk-up in Detroit more than a year ago, Dawn had asked her what happened. Ms. Morgan had only adjusted the scarf and warned the girl \u201cNever piss off an ex-cheerleader.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a children\u2019s book Xander remembered from grade school. About a woman who would never take off the green ribbon around her neck. The husband would always ask why and she wouldn\u2019t tell him. One night, the husband waited until his wife was asleep and untied the ribbon. Her head rolled right off.<\/p>\n Ms. Morgan always made him think of that book. The story had scared the hell out of Xander. It still did.<\/p>\n Lilah made no move to stand up. \u201cPlease, have a seat,\u201d she said, gesturing to the two chairs in front of her desk. \u201cOr, not,\u201d she added, when Buffy slid into the seat on the right but Xander remained where he stood.<\/p>\n \u201cXander,\u201d Buffy hissed. Lilah smiled broadly and reached up to twist the end of the scarf around her finger, like she knew that it made him nervous. Who was he kidding? Of course she knew.<\/p>\n That was what made him mad enough to break the hypnotic spell of her neck. Xander stalked over and placed both hands on the well-oiled desk. He leaned down at her, over her. \u201cListen lady\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The intercom on the phone buzzed, cutting him off before he even began. \u201cExcuse me just a second,\u201d Lilah said sweetly. Xander felt the anger-induced bravery leak out of him, and when Buffy tugged on his arm, he let himself be pulled into the chair behind him.<\/p>\n Lilah pressed the red button on the top of the phone. \u201cIs he here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes Ms. Morgan.\u201d The secretary\u2019s voice came out loud and clear over the intercom.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be out in just a moment,\u201d Lilah said, then swiftly removed her finger from the phone. \u201cNow, where were we?\u201d Her gaze zeroed in on Xander and he swore he felt his dick shrink just a little bit. \u201cOh, look at you, all fussy and glaring. You really hate me, don\u2019t you Mr. Harris?\u201d She seemed intrigued at the prospect.<\/p>\n \u201cI, no, I don\u2019t, I mean\u2026\u201d Xander felt like he was back in 10th grade, being questioned by the principal.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about you, Miss Summers? YOU hate me, don\u2019t you?\u201d Lilah inquired.<\/p>\n Buffy was silent for a moment, considering. \u201cXander and I can\u2019t exactly afford to hate anyone right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Lilah laughed. \u201cWell said, Miss Summers. How very mature of you.\u201d<\/p>\n Xander saw the small tic in Buffy\u2019s jaw, but all she said was, \u201cShall we get down to business?\u201d<\/p>\n Lilah gave her an appraising glance. \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d She leaned back in her chair. \u201cHere\u2019s what\u2019s going to happen. This will run just like your last three assignments. We give you directions and background. You complete the initiative successfully and all\u2019s well that end\u2019s well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd this time really will be the end,\u201d Buffy stated.<\/p>\n \u201cYou will have satisfied your debt, yes. If you no longer wish to prolong this arrangement, I certainly can\u2019t force you. Although, I have to point out, it has been mutually beneficial. Surely you can\u2019t deny that.\u201d<\/p>\n Xander and Buffy said nothing. Lilah sighed, but didn\u2019t seem too surprised by their decision. \u201cYour instructions are to infiltrate Cordelia Chase\u2019s wedding. We haven\u2019t been able to adequately bug that place in nearly a year and the Senior Partners get antsy when they don\u2019t know what she\u2019s up to. You will\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d Xander interrupted.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause according to the Senior Partners and despite what you or I or Miss Chase herself thinks, she\u2019s a major player in the good and evil battle we all enjoy so much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I mean why haven\u2019t you been able to bug her house? Doesn\u2019t this firm have people that are in MUCH better positions to do that for you?\u201d Xander said, enjoying the slightly unsettled look Ms. Morgan was getting.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know who you mean\u201d she shot back.<\/p>\n Xander looked incredulous. \u201cHmm, I don\u2019t know, what about Cordelia\u2019s ex-husband?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr what about that friend of hers, Fred?\u201d Buffy added.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Burkle is no longer in our employ,\u201d Lilah stated calmly, deftly ignoring the Angel reference.<\/p>\n \u201cBut what about her husband. I heard she was married to a partner here,\u201d Buffy said, frowning.<\/p>\n Lilah paused. \u201cYou, you don\u2019t know who she married?\u201d It was the first and only crack in her armor that Xander had ever seen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t exactly keep in touch with Angel\u2019s little gang,\u201d Xander joked.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just heard that he\u2019s some uber-powerful Wolfram and Hart yes-man,\u201d Buffy said. She couldn\u2019t help but notice the way Ms. Morgan was tightly gripping her pen.<\/p>\n Lilah caught her stare and abruptly dropped the utensil. She seemed to force her body to relax. \u201cThat\u2019s neither here nor there. Where was I? You will attend the wedding, as well as any pre-wedding activities you can get invited to. You will set up the equipment, according to the blueprints in that file.\u201d She pointed a long red-tipped finger at the blue file on the right corner of her desk. \u201cYou will take accurate and descriptive notes about the people around Cordelia, particularly Angel\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n Lilah stopped for a second and watched Buffy carefully. If she was waiting for some reaction to the mention of Angel\u2019s Miracle-Gro child, she wasn\u2019t going to get one. Xander wanted to laugh. Too bad bitch,<\/em> he thought, we found out about that one years ago.<\/em> Sure it was two years after the kid was born, but at least Lilah wasn\u2019t going to get a thrill out of springing it on them.<\/p>\n Seeing she wasn\u2019t going to get any response, Lilah concluded. \u201cAnd finally, if for any reason, you see Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, you will page me immediately.\u201d Buffy wondered if she was imagining the faint blush that stained the older woman\u2019s cheeks.<\/p>\n For a moment all three of them were silent, the room engulfed in Lilah\u2019s satisfaction. Then Xander exploded up out of his chair, nearly knocking it over backwards in his haste to stand. \u201cThis is awful. You people are incredible. We can\u2019t do this. We\u2019d have to be like you, we\u2019d have to be evil, to do this. We\u2019re absolutely NOT doing this,\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do we get in?\u201d Buffy asked quietly. Xander sat back down.<\/p>\n Lilah didn\u2019t bat an eye at his outburst. \u201cCome now, it\u2019s not like you\u2019re strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n Buffy rolled her eyes. \u201cPlease. This firm had the skinny on The First, you had information on how to close the Hellmouth in Detroit. So I\u2019m thinking you gotta have files on all of us. Neither of us are exactly close with her.\u201d<\/p>\n Lilah seemed unperturbed. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it. We\u2019ve got someone on the inside that will help with all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHa!\u201d Xander shot back up out of his chair. \u201cYou must not know Cordelia Chase very well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s debatable,\u201d Lilah said. She touched the scarf again.<\/p>\n Xander snorted. \u201cYeah well I guarantee you lady, there\u2019s not a man alive who could convince that woman to let me in her house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s true,\u201d the lawyer agreed lightly and Buffy looked confused.<\/p>\n \u201cWell then,\u201d Xander smacked his hands together, \u201cwe\u2019re done here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSit down Mr. Harris,\u201d Lilah said, all humor gone from her voice. Xander complied. \u201cI was merely agreeing that there wasn\u2019t a man alive who could get you into that wedding.\u201d She stood up, casually tugging on the bottom of her suit jacket and smoothing back the hair that curled down over one eye.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, if you\u2019ll excuse me for just a moment,\u201d Lilah murmured. Not bothering to wait for a response, she walked around her desk and out the door, closing it quickly behind her. She quickly scanned the waiting area and her eyes caught on him. Lilah felt a pleasant hum of excitement as she gave the man leaning against the wall a quick, cursory once-over.<\/p>\n \u201cHello Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n