Disclaimer: All of these people belong to Joss Whedon or Dick Wolf. I own nothing.
An Angel / Law & Order crossover.

Timing is Everything
By Imzadi

"Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless."

"I need your help."

Angel was aghast as a voice he never expected to hear again came over the phone. It had been almost a year since he had seen the former Wolfram & Hart lawyer take off in his beaten-up old truck with the COPS SUCK sign on the back. He had no idea where he had gone, and, to be honest, he hadn't cared, either. "What do you want, Lindsey? I told you not to come back."

"I didn't. I'm in New York. But you're there in Los Angeles. That's why I need your help. I want you to find Kate Lockley for me. I'll pay you."

"Why? What do you want with her?"

"She's been on my mind constantly for the last six months. I'm with the New York District Attorney's office now, on the side of ‘truth, justice, and the American way,' believe it or not, and I work with a woman who could be Kate's twin, assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlin. She's not at all like Kate, though, but just seeing her face makes me realize how much I miss the real thing."

Before Angel could reply, there was a commotion in the lobby. The aforementioned Kate had come storming in. "That son of a gun! That liar! How could he do that to me? I loved him! I trusted him. Hell, I let him turn me into the son he always wanted. Damn him." She saw Angel staring at her open-mouthed.

"Hold on, Lindsey." He put the phone on hold. "What is it, Kate?"

"I've finally got around to going through Dad's things. He lied to me, Angel. Mom left him, that much is true. What he never bothered to tell me is that she took my twin sister with her. I never knew I had a twin. You'll have to help me find them. Please."

Angel picked up the phone and took it off hold. He handed it to Kate. "Actually, Kate, I think this call is for you."

---

Lindsey was waiting at the gate when Kate got off the plane. He automatically reached for her carryon, but she shook her head. "I can carry it, thank you."

"I have no doubt of that. I'll carry your bag, then."

She shook her head. "This is it." Then she looked at him. He was wearing a suit and tie, nice but not as expensive as the ones from his Wolfram & Hart days. He didn't have the expensive haircut he used to have either. But he looked more content and much less arrogant. It was, all in all, a marked improvement. "Did you tell my sister about me?"

"No, I figured that was up to you to decide the time and the place and the manner in which you'll let her know."

"Are you sure she doesn't already know about me?"

"I once asked her if she had siblings, and she said she had a half-sister four years younger and a half-brother three years younger than her sister, so evidently she doesn't know she has a twin. And she did say ‘half-sister' and ‘half-brother,' which says something to me."

"Me, too." Kate paused a moment. "I guess that makes them my sister and brother, too." She looked at Lindsey. "Tell me about Serena, please."

By this time they were outside. Lindsey gestured for a taxi. "Would you like to see her before you meet her?"

Kate nodded. "Do you know where she is now?"

"I think so." He spoke to the driver. "Tavern on the Green, please." Then, to Kate, "I thought you might want to take a look at her, so I made reservations."

Shortly they arrived at the restaurant that Kate had remembered seeing in Ghostbusters, where the Rick Moranis character had been chased by one of the monsters. Lindsey paid the cabdriver and gave him a moderate tip. They left Kate's bag in the cloakroom and were ushered into the restaurant. Kate understood now why Lindsey was in a suit, as jackets and ties seemed to be required here. She felt underdressed in her grey sweater and matching slacks. He seemed to read her mind. "I think you look as pretty as any woman in the restaurant. Even her." He gestured to a table on the other side.

Kate saw two people sitting there. Lindsey was right; the woman was her mirror image, or what her mirror image would be with a fantastically expensive haircut, perfect makeup, a stylish suit in a soft apricot that flattered her complexion, and gorgeous shoes. It was obvious that Serena Southerlin was actually Sarah Margaret Lockley, her twin.

"I see what you mean. She's the image of me, if I had a ton of money, that is. Who's the man she's with?"

The man in question had a shock of dark hair, some falling over his forehead, a beak of a nose, and piercing eyes; there was a magnetism about him she could feel across the room. He could be any age from the late forties to early sixties. "That's Jack McCoy, the Executive Assistant District Attorney, second in command to D.A. Nora Lewin, and Serena's partner. I understand he's been to bed with all of his female partners and has even married one."

Kate watched as their heads moved close together and her hand rested on his. "It looks like she hasn't broken his string of conquests." She turned to Lindsey. "Have you gone out with her?" She didn't realize how much she wanted his answer to be "No."

"Once she allowed me to take her to Starbucks for coffee, but she had bigger fish to fry. She's ambitious."

"What do you know about her?"

"Serena Southerlin. Born Sarah Margaret Lockley on April 28, 1973." Yes, that is my birthday, Kate thought. "Her mother divorced her father in December of 1973 and moved to New York where she met Stuart Southerlin, senior partner in a major corporate law firm. They were married in April of 1975, when he adopted Sarah. They changed her name to Serena Marie on the adoption papers." He paused to take a sip of water. "Wine, Kate?"

"No, thanks."

The waiter was standing at their side. "Are you ready to order? The steak Diane is excellent."

"Steak Diane, Caesar salad, and iced tea, please."

"I'll have the same." He turned back to Kate. "She went to St. Mary's Episcopal School. Her mother, I'm sorry, your mother, was killed in a plane crash when Serena was 14. She went to Miss Porter's School, Duke for undergraduate, and Harvard Law, where she graduated near the top of the class."

"Miss Porter's School, Duke, Harvard Law. Lucky girl. I had Holy Redeemer, commuting to UCLA, and the Police Academy. Didn't Jackie Kennedy go to Miss Porter's?"

Lindsey nodded. "I heard she was engaged to a Rockefeller nephew but broke it off, but I can't swear to that. She's a good lawyer and, as I said, appears to be in a relationship with Jack McCoy."

"So Mom is dead. I don't know how to feel about that. She totally cut me out of her life. Serena had a stepfather, so she didn't really miss Dad, but I never had a mother." Kate laughed bitterly. "Poor Kate."

"Sister Scholastica, who was a wise woman and my favorite teacher at Holy Cross, used to say, ‘That which doesn't kill me makes me stronger.' You're a strong woman, Kate."

She smiled a wry smile. "So what are you doing, Lindsey? How has your life been since you left L.A.?"

"I headed home to Oklahoma. My mother had died when I was a kid along with the twins, who were just 3 months old. My oldest sister had died several years ago, along with her baby and, shortly afterward, her husband, who had been my best friend. I have no idea where the other two are. They had been taken away and adopted. I tried but couldn't find them. Dad is dead. Emphysema from heavy smoking."

"I'm sorry, Lindsey." She briefly touched his hand. "So I guess you came to New York then?"

"I was lucky. They had just lost three Assistant D.A.'s when I came to apply. I'm on probation, basically. Wolfram & Hart's reputation had preceded me. But I think I'm starting to earn their trust. My partner is a really good guy named Mordecai Goldstein. He's quite Orthodox, yarmulke and all. Sometimes I tease him by singing, ‘They named him after my Dear Uncle Mordecai!' from Fiddler on the Roof. He calls himself Morty, so I started calling him Muerte!"

Kate burst out laughing. "Undercover Blues! I loved that movie, especially Stanley Tucci. He was SO funny. ‘I am Muerte. Death!' and Dennis Quaid kept calling him Morty. I loved it!"

Lindsey was laughing too. "At the zoo! In the tree with the crocodile underneath. I go crazy just thinking about that scene!" He looked at her. "It's good to see you laugh, Kate. I've never seen Serena laugh. I taught Daniel, Morty's six year old son, to call his dad Muerte!"

"Oh, you devil!" Kate noticed a few heads turning to look at them and forced herself to stop laughing.   Their salads arrived; they were delicious. By the time they had been served the steak Diane, Jack & Serena got up to leave. Lindsey & Kate both turned their heads away as if they were looking out the window, but Kate took out her compact and watched Serena in the mirror. Yes, Serena had certainly had much more good fortune.

"Do you think we could have dessert? I need a chocolate fix."

"Sure, why not? I love chocolate, too." Lindsey mentally calculated the available balance on his VISA card and decided that it was manageable. Although he had managed to hide away some money when he left Wolfram & Hart, his living expenses were much higher here and he was not making anywhere near what he made there. But he was not going to let Kate know that.

Finally dinner was over and they rose to leave. "Do you have a hotel reservation, Kate?"

"No, I didn't really know where to go. Where would you suggest? I don't have much money."

"You might as well stay with me. You take the bed, and I'll sleep on the sofa. I can be trusted."

"No, it's your place. I'll sleep on the sofa." Carrying her bag, they walked out to the street. However, Lindsey didn't hail a taxi but turned and headed down the block.

"I refuse to let a lady sleep on the sofa. Now I'm going to introduce you to the joys of the New York subway system." He led her down the stairs and took two tokens out of his pocket. "Here. Put this in the turnstyle as you go through."

They got off a few stops later and walked up the stairs to the street. It wasn't the elegant kind of place that Lindsey had called home in L.A. It looked a little shabby. "This is it," he said, taking her into a brick building. "No elevator. Sorry."

After walking up three floors, they entered what was called a studio apartment. There was a small kitchen/living room combination with a doorway leading to a bathroom. "I'll get the bed." It was a Murphy bed that went up into the wall when not in use. He pulled it down. "I put clean sheets on it after I got up this morning in case you might be staying. Coffee?"

She looked at her watch. It was only 8:00 California time, but here it was 11. Lindsey looked tired. "Go ahead and go to bed, Lindsey. I brought a book to read if it doesn't keep you awake."

"Thanks, Kate. I have to work tomorrow." He grabbed his bathrobe from the closet and headed for the bathroom. Five minutes later he emerged, his suit on a hanger, wearing boxers and a t-shirt under his robe. He lay down on the sofa, where he had already had a pillow and blanket waiting, and fell asleep almost immediately.

A few hours later Kate turned off the light and went to bed.

Lindsey woke in the middle of the night to the sound of sobbing. He sat up and went over to the bed to find Kate weeping. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry I woke you. Please go back to sleep."

"It's okay, Kate. Tell me." He sat on the bed next to her and put his arm around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I never knew her, Lindsey. She never cared to know me, and now she's dead. I'll never see my mother." She sobbed as if her heart were broken. "How could she do that? How could she completely give up her daughter? What was it about me that made her not want me?"

Lindsey held her close. "Kate, they probably figured it would be easier that way, if each of them took one child, rather than worrying about visitation, custody, child support, and all of the mess involved. It probably seemed to make more sense for each of them to have one whole child than to have half of two."

Kate finally cried herself out. Lindsey laid her back on the bed and tucked her in. He sat up a few minutes until he knew she was asleep and then went back to bed.

When Kate woke up the next morning, Lindsey was gone. There was a pot of coffee warm in the machine and a note.

"Kate, I had to go to work. There's eggs, bread, bagels, cream cheese, cereal, whatever you need. Call me when you're up." He left his number at work and directions to his office. Kate poured coffee and juice and toasted a bagel for herself, spreading it with cream cheese and a little jelly. She made the bed and managed to push it up into the wall. She looked at her watch. Just 7 am? Oh, no it's 10. I'm on New York time now. She reset her watch three hours ahead.

Lindsey arrived at work yawning a little. The first person he met was Jack McCoy. "What's the matter, Lindsey? Didn't you sleep well?"

"No, I have a friend from Los Angeles staying with me. How about you?"

"I slept fine, thank you," Jack said, but he blushed just a little. Obviously he had had a friend staying with him, too. "Oh, good morning, Muerte!"

Lindsey chuckled. Now all of the ADA's were calling his partner Muerte. Mordecai did have a good sense of humor and had come to accept it cheerfully.

"Good morning, Jack. Lindsey, did your friend get in all right?"

Lindsey nodded. "Yes. We had a nice dinner last night at the Tavern on the Green."

Jack cast a startled look at Lindsey and then at Serena, who had come up behind him. She gave him a look back as if to say, I wonder if he saw us?

"I've always wanted to go there, but it's not a kosher restaurant. How was it?"

"The food was good, but expensive. Everybody there looked very prosperous. I saw a few familiar faces." Jack looked as if he was waiting to be shot, but Serena looked almost satisfied. Evidently she didn't care if people knew she was seeing Jack. "I saw Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, and, I think, Patti LuPone."

"I didn't think that was your kind of place, Lindsey," Serena said.

"I had a special guest with me, so it was worth it." He turned to Morty. "Don't we have a plea bargain in a few minutes?" He turned to go. "Jack, Serena, have a good day!"

As they rounded the corner, Morty said softly, "They were there together, weren't they?"

Lindsey nodded. "I'll tell you all about it. By the way, did Deborah take her home pregnancy test this morning?"

"She was right. Number four is on the way." Lindsey marveled at his partner, just 35 and expecting his fourth child. Here I am without even a girl friend! I'm sure Kate will never be interested in me.

After she called Lindsey, they arranged to meet at the hot dog stand outside the office. His directions were very clear, so she had no trouble finding it. As she stood waiting, she heard a man's voice. "Serena! I never expected to see you here at the hot dog stand. I thought you lunched at Lutece!" An older man, dark haired, with a large nose and a pleasant, lined face that reminded her of a basset hound, was approaching her. He looked at her closely and noticed she showed no sign of recognition. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. You look enough like her to be her twin."

"I am her twin. I'm Kate Lockley, and I just learned a few days ago that I have a twin sister. Serena doesn't know yet."

"Kate!" Lindsey was coming down the marble steps. "I'm sorry if I've kept you waiting. Hi, Lennie! Kate, this is Detective Lennie Briscoe, one of the best."

"He's just saying that so I'll work harder on his cases!" They all laughed.

"How's Detective Green?" Lennie's partner had been ambushed, terribly beaten, and left for dead by a criminal out on bail. They were afraid there was brain damage.

"He'll recover, thanks, but it's a very long haul, and he'll be on disability. We're so short-handed now it's pathetic. Anita is on the lookout for some new blood."

"Is she interviewing?" Lindsey asked. "Kate was a police officer in Los Angeles. One of the best." He looked at Kate. "Oops, I'm sorry, Kate. I overreached myself. You're probably not interested. I guess you'll go back to L.A." Please don't, he thought. I'd love to have you here.

"There's no reason for me to go back there, Lindsey. I have nothing to go back to. Actually, I have no idea what I'll do after I meet Serena." She turned to Lennie. "Maybe I could interview, take the test, whatever. I'd love to be back on a police force. That's all my life has led to."

Lennie took the last bite of his hot dog and wiped his mouth. "I'll set something up with Anita Van Horn, my boss. I'll call and leave a message with Lindsey, okay?"

"That would be great. Thank you."

Thank you, God, Lindsey thought. He had been pretty sure they'd run into Briscoe here, as he and Lindsey loved the hot dogs Irv sold, dripping with chili and onions. Maybe Kate would get the job and would stay here. He could hope. "I've asked Serena for a meeting at 1:00 today. Are you ready to meet her?"

Kate straightened her shoulders. "As ready as I'll ever be. How do I look?"

"Apprehensive. Try to smile. She may be the rich one, Kate, but you're the one with real character. Let's go."

Kate and Lindsey walked into the building to meet her sister.

Contact Imzadi.

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