Lindsey McDonald rose from his knees and brushed off the grass clippings. "Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Elaine. I love you both." He looked at the flowers he had placed on the graves of his mother and his beloved sister. Then he turned to his living sister. "Susie, I'm going to have to go now."
Her eyes started to fill with tears. "Can't you stay a little while, Lindsey? Tom and I love having you here, and the kids will really miss you. At least stay for the birth."
"I wish I could, Susie. You have made me happier than I've been in a long time. But I have to go. The dreams have told me so. There's a purpose in my life that I have to fulfill. I know you & Tom will be just fine. It's wonderful to see how you look at each other. Maybe someday I'll have someone who looks at me that way."
Susie laughed. "It's pure lust, Lindsey!" But they both knew better. All Susie had ever wanted was a happy marriage and a houseful of kids. She had the happy marriage. Tom, unlike his older brother who had been Lindsey's classmate and nemesis, was a good man who adored Susie and the kids and was working hard to make a better life for all of them. And so far she had two kids and a third on the way. The house would take a while, but not as long as they had thought. Susie wouldn't take money from Lindsey, so he had made a sizeable deposit into their bank account. When she discovered it, he'd be long gone with no way for her to give it back. So she'd have her house, her flower garden, and her tomatoes that she didn't have room to grow in the trailer park.
"Mom & Elaine would be so proud of you, Suze. I am, too. I love you. Kiss my niece and nephew for me." He hugged her, kissed her cheek, and walked back to his truck.
She got in her beat-up used station wagon and rolled down the window. "Lindsey, boy or girl, I'm naming this baby Lindsey." Then she drove off to the trailer where Tom and the kids were waiting.
Lindsey drove down the road, not knowing where he was headed. He assumed that the Powers That Be would show him where to go. It appeared to be due east. He crossed Arkansas, then Mississippi, and then Alabama, stopping at McDonald's or at barbecue places to eat and in inexpensive but decent motels to sleep. It was a wonder that the old beat-up '56 Ford kept going, but it did. Georgia came & went, and only South Carolina stood between him and the Atlantic Ocean. Then it happened. The truck died. It didn't just get sick. He looked at the sign he had just passed. Welcome to Trinity. I guess I'm here. Okay, Powers, now what?
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Miss Parker drove down the road as fast as she could, which was not a good idea considering that she was driving a fire engine red convertible. So far she had been stopped for speeding in Maryland and Virginia. They knew better than to stop her in Delaware. Blue Cove and The Centre wielded tremendous power there. But they didn't know that she was leaving her home, her father, her evil twin brother, and the two men who truly cared about her, Sydney and Broots. Sydney loved her like a father, as he had been much more of one to her than her own father had been; poor Broots adored her, and she cared for him, but only as a brother. Her own brother may be the Antichrist! And then there was Jarod. Someday, maybe, they would be together. If it was meant to be, he'd find her. He always could. She slowed down a little and kept going to an unknown destination. Just so it was far, far away from The Centre!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Kate Lockley finally wound up all of her affairs, put her things in storage except for two suitcases of clothes, and headed away from Los Angeles. She had no idea where she was going, except that it had to be east. Going through Oklahoma, she had taken a detour and, it seemed, made some wrong turns. She was driving down a road by a trailer park when suddenly a pretty young woman, very pregnant, flagged her down. Kate pulled over. "My car won't start, and I'm in labor. Please help me."
Without hesitating, Kate leaned over and opened the car door. "Wait! I need to get the kids." She ran into the trailer and came out holding the hand of a little boy and a little girl, about 4 and 2, maybe a little younger. She put them into the back seat and fastened seat belts around them, stopping for a minute when a contraction hit hard. Then she climbed into the front seat. "Please hurry."
Kate started up the car and reached into her purse for her cell phone. "Have you called the hospital?" She nodded. "Where is your husband?"
"He's at work. In the oil fields. He takes the bus so I can have the car. I need to call and see if somehow they can get him to the hospital." Kate handed her the phone. "How does this work?"
Kate turned on the power. "Punch in the number and push send."
Evidently the girl got through to someone. "Alicia? This is Susie Shaughnessy. Please let Tom know I'm on my way to the hospital. No, I'm not driving. I think the battery is dead. A nice lady picked me up, and the kids too. You think you can give him a ride? I'll be so grateful. Thank you, Alicia." She handed the phone back to Kate.
"By the way, my name is Kate Lockley. You're going to have to direct me to the hospital, Susie." Susie just moaned in response; it was another contraction.
"Turn left here and go down the highway about a mile. You can't miss it."
"Please call them & tell them to have a wheelchair waiting for you. We have to hurry."
Susie made the call, moaning as she did. When they arrived at the hospital a few minutes later, there was a nurse waiting with a wheelchair. Susie turned to the children. "Be good for Kate. I have to go but I'll be back, and Daddy will be here soon." The nurse helped her into the chair and wheeled her off. Kate parked her car, unbuckled the children, and headed for the waiting room.
Shortly after they arrived a good-looking young man dressed in jeans, a tee shirt, work boots, and a hard hat came running in. He stopped at the desk and then headed back into the maternity wing. Kate read to the children, whose names, according to the little boy, were Tommy and Mary Margaret. They were extremely well-behaved for their age. Mary Margaret snuggled up against her and started to doze off.
Just as Kate had started thinking about buying lunch for the two children, their father came out and hugged them. "You have a baby sister. Mommy is doing fine. She'll be home in a few days."
"But I already have a sister. I wanted a brother."
"Tommy, she needs a big brother to take care of her and protect her, the way you take care of Mary Margaret. You'll like her, and she'll love you."
Kate cleared her throat. "I guess you don't need me any more."
"Oh, Kate. I can't thank you enough. Susie would like to see you, please."
"All right. The kids may be hungry. I think it's past their lunchtime."
He looked at his watch. "You're right, Kate. Would you come to the cafeteria and have a sandwich with us after you talk to Susie? I'd love to thank you the way you deserve." Kate nodded.
Susie looked very tired and extremely happy. She couldn't be more than 22 or 23, and she already had three kids. Kate was amazed. "How do you feel?"
"Sore, tired, and very happy. She's a beautiful little girl. We're calling her Lindsey Elaine after my brother and my sister. He was just here a few days ago. I hadn't seen him in over 10 years. I didn't know if he was alive or dead. Then suddenly he came here from Los Angeles and stayed with us for a little while. He said he'd never been happier than he was when he was with us. I asked him to stay but he said something about the Powers That Be wanted him to go on."
Kate realized that she was staring open-mouthed at Susie. Could it be? "What's your brother's name?"
"Lindsey McDonald. He's a lawyer, but he quit. He said he couldn't take it any more. He doesn't know that I know he put $5000 in our bank account to help buy a house. I wouldn't have taken it from him because I'm sure he needs it. He's in Dad's old truck."
"Where did he go?"
"Do you know Lindsey?"
"Yes, I'm from Los Angeles too. I wonder where he's headed." Kate rose. "Susie, it was wonderful knowing you. You have a lovely family. Be happy." Impulsively Kate leaned over and kissed Susie on the cheek. "Take care of Lindsey's nieces and nephew. Maybe one day he'll be back."
She stopped in the cafeteria and had a sandwich with Tom and the children. Then, after giving Tommy $100 to give to his father after she left, she took off. Where to go? I'll just drive and hope for guidance. She headed east.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A sleek private jet landed in a private airport near Los Angeles, where a limousine was waiting. The handsome young man left the airport and entered the limo. He didn't give the driver any directions, but he didn't need to. The driver took him straight into the city and pulled into the parking garage at Wolfram & Hart. "Don't wait. Go to my condo. I'll call when I need you." He got out and took the elevator to the 15th floor, where he ignored the secretary and strode into Nathan Reed's office.
Reed rose. "Mr. Lyle, what an unexpected pleasure." He held out his hand, which Lyle ignored.
"Hardly a pleasure, Reed. And I'm sure it wasn't totally unexpected." He walked to the desk and picked up Nathan's phone. "Have Lilah Morgan join us immediately." Then he sat in the soft leather chair opposite Reed, his elbows resting on the desk, his fingers steepled. When Lilah arrived, he gestured at the other chair. She sat, a quizzical look on her face.
"Mr. Lyle, I'm. . ."
"Happy to see me, Miss Morgan? I doubt it sincerely. However, Mr. Reed has less reason to be happy than you do. I can't believe how royally you screwed up, Nathan. I'm here as a sweeper, to clean up your mess." Lyle shook his head. "First of all you were given a simple task: to prepare for the 75 year review. Yet both Darla and Angel ‘crashed' the party, a senior partner was killed, a valuable ring was lost and had to be disenchanted, and both Darla and Angel got away. That in itself would be grounds for dismissal. But that's just the beginning."
The color drained from Nathan's face. He knew what was coming next, and he dreaded it.
"Lindsey McDonald. Holland mishandled him once. He should have been terminated over a year ago before he saved the seer children. We lost them and their power thanks to him and to Angel, of course. But Holland had high hopes that Lindsey could be corrupted. After all, how much sweeter is it to retrieve the lost lamb than to keep the 99 others already in the fold? I think Holland had a certain fondness for the young man, perhaps as a surrogate for the son he never had. Perhaps there were other, darker feelings that he had. However, I'm sure Miss Morgan did her best to fulfill all of those desires of Holland's, didn't you, Lilah?" He smiled an ungodly smile that made Lilah's blood run cold. "And, for a while, it looked like it may have worked, as he tried his best to turn Angel dark. But there was that pesky heart, expressed in his love for Darla, and, even worse, that pesky conscience of his. It just wouldn't go away. And you couldn't see it, Nathan. You promoted him and gave him a new hand in a very expensive operation. But he had helped Darla escape from the review. And then he had been sheltering Darla, against the firm's express orders. And then he and Angel destroyed the organ bank, after he broke into your office and your computer! Finally, as he was being promoted, he shot up the boardroom and shot Allan, the security guard. I cannot believe such incompetence on your part, Nathan!"
"Mr. Lyle, I can explain."
"No, Nathan, you can't. You are fired, and I do mean fired. Allan, too. But I think a simpler punishment will be in store for him." He nodded to the security guard, who left to get Allan and take him away. The other one took Nathan by the arm. "The furnace room. You know what to do."
Lilah squirmed in her chair. What was Lyle going to do with her?
"Miss Morgan. Lilah." His voice softened. "Although you have made your share of mistakes, and Bethany Chalk comes to mind, you have been a loyal employee. I am of course aware that part of the reason for your rise to power was your not inconsiderable talent in the bedroom, especially with Holland Manners. I know that was never a consideration with Nathan Reed, who, as you may have guessed, is a eunuch, having sacrificed his manhood for promotion. Well, too late now, Nathan. I must get down and watch his ‘termination' ceremony. But first, Lilah, you will retain your position, under me, of course. And I do mean that in more ways than one. Come here."
Lilah knew what he wanted and knelt in front of him. He was quite a good looking man, although he scared her even more than Nathan ever had. After she had given him satisfaction, he rose. "I think the scourging should be starting in a few minutes. Shall we go?" He led Lilah to the private elevator which led to the firm's ‘termination' room.
Brett Mogler had been in Lilah's office when she had received the call on the intercom. A minute after she left, he had followed her. Although he didn't enter the office, as he hadn't been invited, he saw Nathan being taken out by the security guard. Then, perhaps fifteen minutes later, Lilah emerged, following a man he didn't recognize. Lilah had that look on her face that she used to have after she had spent time alone in Holland's office. She looked as if she had been used. Although he couldn't even admit it to himself, Brett had begun to care for Lilah. She had had a sad and lonely life in spite of her privileged status. He had hoped that someday she would learn that there was more to life than Wolfram & Hart. Maybe they could go away and even have children. But now he was worried. Lilah saw him and gently shook her head. He went back to her office to wait for her return.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
As Lindsey stepped out of his poor old truck, a figure suddenly appeared beside him. It was a handsome man in his late 30's or early 40's, wearing a long black coat, dark pants, a vest, and a shirt buttoned to the neck, although it was already a hot day. He looked at the truck. "So, son, what brings you to my fair city?"
"I was just passin' through, no specific destination. I guess the Powers That Be decided this must be the place." Lindsey gave his patented shy smile. The man next to him absolutely radiated power.
The other man winced, just slightly, at the words ‘Powers That Be.' "What do you mean, son?"
"I mean that Fate made my truck quit here. It looks like a nice place to live. Maybe I'll stay here."
"I'm Sheriff Lucas Buck. That's Buck with a B. It is a nice place to live, and we don't allow transients here."
"In spite of my truck and my clothes, Sheriff, I'm a lawyer. I left my prior position by mutual consent. I also have a degree in accounting, so I'm quite capable of earning a living here. I'm Lindsey McDonald."
"Well, Mr. McDonald, I guess we could always use another accountant here, and maybe even another lawyer. I guess you might as well go over to Miz Adams' boarding house and see if you can get a room while you get established. Want do you want done with the truck?"
"It's served its purpose. The junkyard, I guess. This should cover the towing." Lindsey peeled off a $50 bill. The sheriff held up his hand.
"I'll make the call, but you can wait here and pay the towing. The boarding house is right across the street. I have to go now. Remember, this is a very nice place. Keep it that way."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
As Miss Parker sped across the North Carolina/South Carolina, wrinkling her nose at the gaudiness of South of the Border, she suddenly knew where she was headed. Trinity! Of course she knew about it. Sheriff Buck was, in a sense, one of "them," although he was a maverick who marched to his own drummer and took orders from no one. However, when Armageddon came, he would be on the side of the black hats. But he was content to rule his own small kingdom for now. He didn't step over lines that the Triumverate or the Senior Partners had drawn, and they left him alone. He was basically out of the loop. And of course he wouldn't know who she was. Maybe it would be safe for her there. Besides, she had seen his file, and he was a very attractive, very sexy man!
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Kate wasn't quite sure why she was following Lindsey's trail, but she had nothing else to do, nowhere else to go. Susie had mentioned the Powers That Be. If he was indeed working for them now, he'd need help. And I need to do some good. She pulled into a motel in Georgia. Yes, an attractive young man in a beat-up old truck had stopped here a few nights ago. She was still going the right way.
That night Kate had a dream. She was driving into a small town that looked peaceful and serene, but there were undertones of something dark and malevolent. Lindsey sat on the porch of a lovely old house with a beautiful auburn-haired woman whom Kate hated on first sight. Well, hate wasn't the right word. She was jealous! Impossible! Lindsey was scum. No, maybe ex-scum! The sign she had passed a few minutes ago had said, "Welcome to Trinity." The license plates on the cars bore a lovely yellow bird. South Carolina. When she woke up, she consulted her map. She'd be there tomorrow.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Lilah practically stumbled into her office. It had been horrible! She had never liked Nathan Reed, but what they did to him was ghastly, worse than when they made Robert Price eat his liver. She wanted to throw up, but she controlled herself. It wouldn't do to let Lyle or anyone see her appear weak. Brett was waiting in her office. Dear Brett! The one person in the world she might be able to rely on. She gave a very small shake of her head, and he wisely caught her meaning. He didn't say a word. "Let's go to your place tonight, Brett. I want to see those new red satin sheets."
"You'll love them, Lilah. I'm looking forward to showing them to you." He touched her arm very briefly and headed for his office.
That night, when they arrived at his place, she crumpled into his arms and cried her eyes out. He just held her tight until she finally was able to stop. "I'm so scared," she whispered in his ear. "No one is safe here. Even Holland and Nathan weren't safe. I know I'm not."
"Who is that man?" he whispered back as he kissed her ear.
"Mr. Lyle, from The Centre in Delaware. He's taking Nathan's place. He's pure evil. Damn, I miss Holland. And I wish Lindsey were back, although I'm sure he will be soon. They're already after him."
Brett shook his head slightly. He had always liked Lindsey. How could he protect Lilah? He was just a small part of Wolfram & Hart, not important enough to have his office or apartment bugged. What could he do? He kissed Lilah and began to rub her shoulders. She leaned against him and let him work his magic on her.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Mr. Lyle dialed a phone number. When someone answered, he said, "This is 666. Do you have someone suitable for me? Very good. What's her name? Mei Li? Deliver her to the usual place. The money will be in your account tomorrow." He smiled with anticipation of the fun he would have with his new young Asian plaything. Of course it wouldn't be fun for her, but that was unimportant. And, of course, no one would ever miss her. Yes, tonight would be a good evening. Lilah had only whetted his appetite! She was very good at what she did, though. Maybe tomorrow he'd see what else she could do.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Sydney's cell phone rang. "This is Sydney."
"Where is she, Syd?"
"Jarod! How did you know she was gone? We didn't tell anyone. We don't dare let her father find out, let alone the Triumverate."
"I just knew, that's all. Maybe I dreamed it. I have to find her. Why did she go?"
"An experiment went awry. Several children died horribly. I couldn't stop her. Broots is beside himself. He loves her, you know."
"As we all do. I'll find her, Syd. And I'll keep her safe. Where is Lyle?"
"He's gone to Los Angeles to take over Wolfram & Hart. He'll be there for a long time."
"I'll check back with you. Good night, Sydney." Jarod hung up. Then he dialed another number.
"Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless."
"There's a new player at Wolfram & Hart. His name is Lyle, and he's not only evil, he's a genius. A pretender. Be on the lookout for him." He hung up the phone and tried to think of where Parker, the woman he had loved since he was 12, could have gone.
As she hung up the phone, Cordelia looked around for Angel. He came out of the bedroom stretching. Evidently he had had a good day's sleep. "Angel, I just got the most mysterious message. A man called to warn me about someone new at Wolfram & Hart. I didn't recognize the voice."
"It wasn't Lindsey?"
"No. It was a very nice voice, though. Anyway, he said there's an evil new player at Wolfram & Hart named Lyle. He said something strange. He said Lyle is a ‘pretender.' I wonder what that means?"
"It means he's a supergenius. They're out of The Centre in Blue Cove, Delaware. It's an evil place. I was a prisoner there once upon a time. Maybe I know somebody I can call to find out about him." Angel searched his memory. "I'm sure they've changed phone numbers many times since then. Wes, how would you like to go on a little trip to Delaware?"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After having his truck towed to its final resting place for just $30 (things were cheaper in the south), Lindsey went to the boarding house and got a room. After a delicious dinner, he went out to sit on the porch swing. Caleb Temple, who was in his early teens, had seen him carry in a guitar. "Would you play something?" he asked. So Lindsey got his guitar and played an old folksong, Aura Lee, which was the tune that Elvis had used for Love Me Tender. As he was playing, a red convertible pulled up in front of the house. Lindsey looked at the driver. He recognized the auburn hair and the lovely face, not to mention the long, long legs. But he didn't say anything; it wasn't wise to let on that he recognized her, especially when Sheriff Buck appeared out of nowhere, it seemed.
"Howdy, Ma'am. I'm Sheriff Lucas Buck. That's Buck with a B. I wonder if I might have the pleasure of makin' your acquaintance."
"Mary Catherine Parker. I seem to have lost my way. Is there somewhere I could stay for the night?"
"I'm sure we can find a room for you in Miz Adams' boardin' house. Just passin' through?"
"I don't know. I'm looking for a new place to live. There are too many memories where I came from. I wanted to leave it all behind and make a fresh start. So I was just driving down some of the back roads and looking around. It seemed a good place to stop for the night."
"You're the second new person to arrive here today. This is a pretty rare occurrence. Let me take you over to the boardin' house and let them put you up. May I help you with your luggage?" Parker opened the trunk of her car and let him take the two suitcases, all she had dared take with her. She followed him onto the porch.
Lindsey rose from the swing, setting his guitar down. He looked her up and down with just a hint of a leer on his face, as if he were seeing her for the first time. She gave him the briefest look acknowledging that he had done the right thing.
"Miss Parker, this is Lindsey McDonald. He may be stayin' here. He's a lawyer from. . .?"
Lindsey held out his hand to her. "Oklahoma. Nice to meet you, Miss Parker."
"Please, both of you, call me Mary Catherine." She shook Lindsey's hand and followed Sheriff Buck inside. Okay, Powers, now what? Lindsey wondered.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Wesley landed at the Philadelphia airport after a non-stop flight from LA. He rented a car and, consulting his map, drove to Blue Cove, Delaware. The Centre was not hard to find. It was a huge complex. He parked in visitor parking and went inside, very intimidated by the place. A security guard stopped him and led him to the reception desk. "I'd like to speak to Dr. Sydney Green, please. I am Dr. W. J. Wyndham, and I've come to discuss his work on sympathetic reaction to pain in identical twins."
The receptionist pushed a button on her phone. A few minutes later Sydney arrived in the lobby. He held out his hand. "Dr. Wyndham?"
"Dr. Green. I'm so happy to meet you. I'm here from the City of Angels hospital in Los Angeles, where I've been doing a little research myself. I'd love to ask you a few questions."
Sydney understood that Wes wanted to talk privately. "We have beautiful gardens here. Why don't we walk while we talk? If I need to refer to anything, we can go to my office later." He led Wesley outside. "We should be safe from any eavesdropping here. I assume you're from Los Angeles? And you work for Angel?"
"Angel said that he had been a prisoner here once and you had helped him. We received a mysterious phone call from a young man about a Mr. Lyle, who has gone to Wolfram & Hart. I need to find out just what you can tell me."
"Lyle is young, extremely brilliant, and totally evil. He and Parker are identical twins, but she had her mother's influence while she was growing up, and I tried to help her as much as I could, so she still has a sense of morality. She's missing; actually, she ran away. Jarod must have made the call to you. He's our most brilliant pretender, but he escaped several years ago. I'm sure he's trying to find her but he wanted to alert you about Lyle. I'll tell you what I can."
Sydney & Wes strolled in the garden, talking. Sydney paged Broots, who joined them. They filled Wes in on everything they knew about Lyle and Miss Parker.
"I think that should be quite helpful, Sydney. Thank you. You too, Broots. If I hear anything about Miss Parker, I'll pass it on. This is our direct pager number."
Sydney gave Wes his private number and his private email address. "One more thing about Lyle. We can't prove this, but he has a real penchant for torturing and murdering young Asian women. If there is a rash of missing women, he may well be behind it. And with the resources of Wolfram & Hart at his disposal, it'll be hard to prove."
Wes flew back to LA & hurried to Angel Investigations. He told Angel everything he had learned. "So what do we do?"
"I'll have to think about it. I wish Kate and Lindsey were here. If Lindsey has left for good, as I believe he has, he could have given us valuable insight. And Kate is a true believer." He shook his head. "I can't believe that I wish Lindsey were around!"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After she had settled into her room, Parker came outside. It was a lovely but very warm evening. Lindsey turned to Sheriff Buck. "I imagine there's someplace in town where they sell ice cream or maybe snow cones."
"We have a Baskin Robbins about a two blocks away. Just follow this street and you'll come to the center of town."
"Mary Catherine, would you like to get some ice cream?" She smiled & nodded. "Join us, Sheriff?"
"No, thanks. I'd like somethin' a little stronger than ice cream, and I need to see what's goin' on in town. I'll walk over to the shop with you two, though."
On the way over, Lindsey & Parker exchanged the kind of small talk that two strangers would find appropriate, the weather, sports, television, and movies. Sheriff Buck left them when they reached the ice cream shop. Parker chose a large chocolate chip cookie dough cone, and Lindsey took a large cup of mocha fudge ripple. They strolled around town while they ate.
She ran her tongue suggestively around her cone. "I would have pegged you for a cone man, Lindsey. What's with the cup?"
"I'll have to fill you in on the story of my hand, but it's nice to do something that requires two hands again. Maybe you'll take me for a spin in that nice red convertible."
"Tomorrow maybe." They had known each other a long time, since they met at college when Lindsey was a freshman & Parker was a senior. She had taught him all that he knew about sex, and they had also spent nights together when she was in Los Angeles on Centre business or looking for Jarod. Once he had gone to Delaware on business and stayed in her house, but the Centre had intimidated him so much that he never wanted to go back there again. Somehow both of them knew that they wouldn't be resuming any physical relationship while they were in Trinity. There would be something else in store for each of them.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The security guards entered Mr. Lyle's private office and looked at the remains of what had been Mei Li Chan on the floor. Without a word, they picked up the body and carried it down to the furnace room. Lyle, a satisfied look on his face, removed the bloody jumpsuit he had been wearing and got dressed again. He had a reservation at Spago! Tomorrow he would begin getting Wolfram & Hart straightened up, not to mention beginning his relationship with Lilah Morgan. She had a body that just wouldn't quit! And of course the two searches would resume, the search for Jarod and the search for Lindsey. Plus bringing himself up to speed on Angel. It would be a busy day. Not as satisfying as today, perhaps. He stretched and smiled. At least his sanctimonious sister and the other two stooges, Broots and Sydney, weren't here.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Lilah lay asleep in Brett's arms. He couldn't sleep. He was worried about her. This guy Lyle made Nathan seem like a normal human being and Holland like a saint. How could he help Lilah? Admit it, Brett. You love her. And Lindsey. He's in big trouble if they get him. What they did to Nathan would be like a slap on the wrist compared to what Lindsey probably had in store for him. Maybe it's too soon to try to make any plans for helping them. I'll just wait and watch. He pulled Lilah a little closer and kissed the back of her neck. Sleep, Lilah. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Lindsey slept. Rest, Lindsey. All the players aren't in place yet. Sleep. The Powers That Be sent him a vision that made him smile. Tom & Susie were bringing their new baby home. Tommy and Mary Margaret waited in the doorway along with Tom's mother. They looked at their new. . .brother? sister? Whatever it was, they were all so happy. He was happy for them.
In her motel room, Kate dreamed of strong arms around her and a face buried in her hair. She felt warmth and love. She smiled and turned over.
Parker looked up to see Jarod. "We're free. They've let us alone. Now I can tell you how much I love you." He took her into his arms. In Iowa, Jarod was sharing this dream.
The Powers That Be smiled at each other. Let them enjoy their happy dreams for a little while. Soon it will begin. Two more players must be in place.