Chapter Seven:

Setting---Wolfram & Hart, the next day

"So, the world's going to end." Leonard Morris said, brown eyes searching the long wooden table where the other lawyers of Special Projects resided. Being the head of the division for over two years, he was known for being a hardass, and reveled in it. Nothing got by him and Lilah had a feeling nothing ever would.

For the first time, she actually respected her boss. He was a lot different than Linwood Morrow, who was now resting somewhere in a shallow grave. Lilah wasn't too sure of the details of his dispatchment, but she had a feeling it had something to do with the whole Angel-lost-his-soul incident. Hell, she didn't care. At least he'd taken that weasel Gavin Park with him.

"Well? What are we going to do about it?" Leonard's eyebrow arched and he pursed his thick lips, dark brown skin glistening in the florescent lights overhead. He pointedly looked over at Lilah.

"We have a team of experts---"

"Not good enough." Leonard cut her off, slamming his hand down on the wooden table with a bang. "And you, young lady, have a lot of explaining to do."

Lilah knew immediately what he meant. "Angelus and Cordelia came to see me. They found out about the prophecy and are hoping to bring it to fruition. I told them I couldn't help them and they...threatened me. So I told them I would help them any way I could. You do know I was lying, don't you?"

"Of course, Miss Morgan! Why would you go about disobeying company policy? What I'm most interested in, is why you didn't report them immediately?"

"I was waiting to see what their next move was, sir." She smiled tight-lipped and toyed with the twist top of her fountain pen.

"That's disappointing Miss Morgan." Emerson Rauly spoke up, his fat jowls moving as he spoke. Lilah sighed and nodded her head.

"Yes sir. But I have a feeling things have just gotten complicated." Lilah changed the subject, bringing out her folder and passing around thick pamphlets to everyone seated. Silence followed as everyone flipped through the information presented in the documents.

Morris threw down his packet. "So?"

"So, sir? Their home has been destroyed by Justine and the Hunters. They're going to be concerned with revenge for a little while and we can get the jump on them."

"Jump on what?"

"Stopping the prophecy, sir!" Lilah nearly trembled under Morris's intense glare.

"I thought we were already working on that?" Morris said, cool and calculating. Damn him, he had a way of demeaning everything she said and making her feel like an ineffectual idiot. She took a calming breath.

"We are sir, but we need more time to find out the where and who. The Nyazian Scrolls only say that, and I quote, "The world shall end." That's it. There are other passages that have to be considered, but it makes no sense and we have the best transcribers on the planet working on it."

"Not the best." Rauly spoke up, leaning forward and clasping his hands on the table. Lilah stared at him questioningly and then he went on. "Wyndham-Pryce."

Lilah opened her mouth to protest and then slammed it shut once more.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he tell Miss Morgan to um, take this job and shove it?" Mac said and Lilah shot her an evil glare.

"That's not all he did, from what I--" Someone muttered; Lilah didn't catch who.

"I don't care about what he said," Morris interrupted, waving his hands and then staring at each of them. "I want Wyndham-Pryce on this, yesterday."

"He won't do it, sir. You know that." Lilah protested, thinking of the last time she'd seen the leader of Connor Investigations. They hadn't parted on good terms, which was nothing new.

"Oh, I think he'll come around once he learns what the prophecy states. After all, we're on the same side, for once." Morris said, standing and glaring at Lilah. "And if that doesn't get him, tell him that his old friends are hell-bent on making it all come true."

And with that, Leonard Morris walked out of the meeting room, leaving Lilah glaring after him. She had to give him credit; he was good.

*****

Setting---The Hyperion Hotel, same day

"What in bloody hell does she want?" Wesley growled, not looking up from his mound of paperwork.

"Dunno, but she insists on seeing you, bro." Gunn informed him, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, the light from the lobby blocked by the bulk of his body.

"Tell her to naff off." Wesley shot him a grim smile and then looked back down at his hands, spread across an invoice.

"Fuck you." Lilah's voice dared to breach the sanctity of his office and Wesley's head snapped up once more. Blue eyes narrowed in her direction as she pushed her way past Gunn. Charles avoided her touch like acid and watched as Wesley nodded him out.

The door closed behind them and Wesley stared impassively at Lilah Morgan. She took a seat without him inviting her, long, elegant legs crossed, a leather briefcase in her hands.

"Been a long time, Wesley."

"Not nearly long enough, Lilah. Why are you here? Another job offer?" Wesley said, tangling his fingers and twirling his thumbs boredly.

"Strangely enough, yes." She answered, arching her eyebrow at him and smiling in that mysterious way that grated at every nerve in his body.

"Not interested. Leave." He said automatically, leaning back in his chair.

"Not that kind of offer, prick." Lilah snapped, opening her briefcase. "It concerns a prophecy."

He just stared at her.

"You remember the Nyazian scrolls?" At his solemn nod, she continued. "Well there's a passage my company is having trouble with. We thought you'd like to give it a shot. Use that big brain of yours for something worthwhile instead of rotting here in your hotel, acting like you're saving the world."

"Not interested." He said once more, ignoring the jab.

"Not even if the scrolls say that the world is going to end?" Lilah said, smiling as she saw him flinch.

"Do they?" His face was impassive, but he couldn't keep the intrigue out of his voice.

"Indeed, and there's someone you know that's made this prophecy coming true their top priority."

"Angelus and Cordelia, I presume."

"You always were a good guesser, Wes."

"If this is some lie to try and lure me in...." His voice trailed off and he glared at her.

"Would I lie to you?" Again, he stared at her and she smiled. "Okay, would I go out of my way, risk being killed for just showing my face, to lie to you?"

"I wouldn't put it past you, Lilah."

"You're right. But I've been known to do things that I shouldn't." Lilah looked him up and down pointedly; he shifted uncomfortably and glared at her. He resisted a shudder, remembering all too well those months spent burying his pain in her.

"Don't we all?"

"So, enough with the memory lane barbs, are you going to help or not? We are on the same side this time, you know." Lilah shook herself and threw a big stack of papers down in front of him.

"I very much doubt that." Wesley murmured as he scanned the documents before him. "So, you need me to translate the scrolls for you, so you can stop the world from ending and therefore continue in your never-ending quest to drive Angelus over the edge so that he can bring about the end of the world?"

"Something like that." Lilah flashed a smile at him. "Our company policy specifically forbids all premature end-of-world events and this one falls under that category. Therefore, we stop it."

"You know what I don't get?" Wesley ran a dogged hand through his thick hair. "Why hasn't your other prophecy come true, yet? Angelus is obviously evil, so why doesn't he do what he's supposed to?"

Lilah shifted uncomfortably in her seat. As she recrossed her legs, he caught a glimpse of her bright red panties and shuddered.

"Something go wrong with your plans, Lilah?" Wesley smiled crookedly at her, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She shot back defensively.

"Indeed I would, but I don't think we have the time."

"So you'll help?" She sounded hopeful and relieved.

"I will. And I expect my company to be paid accordingly." Wesley thumbed through the documents again.

"Of course." Lilah said, pulling out other documents and placing them on his desk. Among them, Wesley spotted the Nyazian scrolls and flinched. "You know I think this could be the start of--"

"Of nothing. Leave now. I'll contact you when I know something." Wesley didn't look at her and kept reading as she watched him. On a sigh, Lilah stood and walked out. Wesley watched her go out of the corner of his eyes.

What was it with him and evil women?

*****

Setting---A warehouse in Compton, 11:00 pm, that night

"We've talked it over and we think that you should lead a surprise attack on Angelus and Cordelia, somewhere where they'd least expect it." Justine said, standing in front of her assembled recruits.

"I thought I'd already done that." Faith said, playing with a small dagger and eyeing the war leader in front her. The hair on the back of her neck rose. Something about the whole day had been off and this was the icing.

"True, but you'll have backup this time." Tor spoke up, his muscles rippling as he stood.

"I don't play well with others." Faith said, cleaning the dirt out from under her fingernails with the tip of the blade.

"You work for me, you do." Justine's voice was harsh on her ears and Faith glared up at her from under the cover of her hair.

"Maybe I'm tired of working for you?" Faith challenged her, anger too much for her to contain. She was never good at tolerating authority figures and she was amazed she'd taken Justine's shit for as long as she had.

"Why all the hostility, Faith? We're trying to help you here. We all want the same thing." Tor said, much more patient than his leader. Faith almost liked him, despite the cold look in his eyes that reminded her of some of the inmates she'd met in prison. Like there was a lot more going on behind his eyes than he was letting on; like he was planning something.

"I'm not sure we do, Tor." Justine said, stepping up and staring Faith down. The Slayer had to give her credit; the woman had a nice set of rocks. Faith stood and stared her down, a full two inches taller than her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She challenged the redhead, eyes flashing.

"Awful chummy with Wyndham-Pryce aren't you?"

"Leave Wesley out of this." Faith growled quickly, dagger flashing in the dim lights.

"I'm just saying, you don't seem so driven now that Prince Charming has saved you from Angelus. I mean, he played nursemaid and everything." She gestured to Faith's bandaged neck. Faith's hand rose of its own accord and she flinched.

"Fuck you. It's not like that." For once, she didn't seem to have a decent comeback. In fact, she was getting red in the face. From anger or something else, she was hard-pressed to answer.

"Right, so what's the problem here?" Marie spoke up, bright pink hair nearly glowing in the dim lights. Faith turned a face full of distaste in her direction. "You gonna do your job or what?"

"Yeah? She gonna do her job?"

The voice was foreign to nearly everyone in the room. At least two people stopped, blood running cold. Faith turned and looked straight at the intruder, blood smeared across his lips and one of the recruits in his arms, dead eyes staring. The body fell out of the cold, pale hands and smacked wetly on the ground.

"What? You're not going to welcome me, Justine?" Angelus said, smiling widely before leaping across the floor, straight at the two women.

Chapter 8

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