Subtext? We don't need no stinkin' subtext!
Hell is what you make of it Part 3 by Killerweasel
Rated NC17
Note: It's Lindsey and Gunn. Could take place after Time Bomb.
Gunn was quiet for a very long time, and I didn’t say anything. What I had just put out there on the table was more than just a big deal; it would be the death of his friend. I didn’t think any of Angel’s buddies would be able to pull something like that off, not even after everything that had happened during the last few months.
I felt the cot shift as he stood up. “I’ll have to get back with you on this. Need to think about it for a while.” I nodded. It wasn’t something you could just do. He would need to way all the options and maybe discuss it with the others. They would probably think it was his Wolfram and Hart upgraded brain pushing him to do something like this.
“Don’t take too long, time is short.” It’s always too damn short. He banged his fist on the bars and the buzzing sound came again. Gunn gave me a very long look before walking away. I sighed. The future was always uncertain. Even the things written in stone could be eroded and changed if you really put your mind to it. Shook my head and curled up on the crappy mattress. Might as well sleep, I had nothing better to do.
---
He didn’t come back for almost a week. No one else came by either, which was starting to make me worry. But, when Gunn arrived, I could tell he’d made a decision. The guard didn’t hesitate this time, he buzzed him right in. “We need to talk.” I sat up, running my hand through my hair. “They won’t do it.” That didn’t surprise me. “Are you absolutely sure there’s no other way?”
“I’m open to suggestions. You saw what they are capable of, you know what can happen if he’s not stopped. Unless you plan on sealing his ass up in cold storage for the rest of eternity, then that’s the only option. I take it he’s still gung-ho about his big plan?”
Gunn muttered something under his breath before turning to look at me. “Cold storage? You mean the freezers?”
“No. Think of it as Wolfram and Hart’s cold version of hell. The body is stuck in place, they can’t move, talk, anything, but the soul is otherwise occupied.” I got a raised eyebrow, so I continued. “The soul is moved elsewhere, and kept busy by demons. Last time I checked, the firm probably had a couple hundred people in the chambers. I doubt they’ll notice another one. He won’t be dead, but after a while he might wish he was.”
“My only options are to kill him or send him to a hell. I don’t really like that.” I didn’t like it much either, but Angel was too stupid to know when to back away from a situation that he couldn’t win. “What would you do?”
That wasn’t a really fair question. I wasn’t his friend; I hadn’t worked with the vampire for years. “If it was me, I’d dust his ass, but only after I had a talk with him. Don’t supposed you can convince the gel-haired wonder to grace me with his presence? Just long enough for a friendly chat.” I grinned, and I know it wasn’t a very friendly smile.
“I can talk to him and see if he’s willing to come down. He’s not exactly thrilled that you’re still here.”
“And yet he hasn’t had the balls to come down and kill me himself. That’s something he’s wanted to do for years. Either that or fuck me, you never can tell with vampires.” I laughed at the expression on Gunn’s face. “Talk to him. If none of you can get him off this path, I guess I’m the last hope. Why am I not thrilled about that?”
---
“Lindsey, Gunn said you wanted to see me.” Well, well, well, if it wasn’t fearless leader himself, come down from on high to see the prisoner.
I got up and walked over towards the bars, making sure to stay out of range of his hands. I’m not totally stupid. “Hear you’ve still got that wacky plan to take down the Partners. You know that’s impossible, right? You’re going to screw over all your friends and probably end up destroying the city in the process. Can’t you stop thinking about yourself for just once and see the big picture?”
Thank the gods that those bars were strong. He slammed a hand into them and I swear one bent a little. “They need to be stopped. This is the only way.” I shook my head, forcing myself not to take a step back.
“You’re a fool, always have been. I told you when I left not to play their game and look at you now. All high and mighty working for the very thing you were fighting against. You can’t hurt what you can’t touch, and when they come to kick your ass, everyone is going to pay. Not just you and your friends, but millions of people. Get that into your thick, vampire skull. Millions of people are going to die and it’ll be on your head.”
He nodded towards the guard and this time I did take a step back. The moment he came through the door of the cell his hands were on my neck and I found myself not being able to breathe. “You shouldn’t have come back, Lindsey. I know exactly what I’m doing. Why should I listen to you? You worked for them, for all I know you are still working for them.” If I could get air into my lungs, I’d be laughing my ass off right about now. But instead, I was too busy clawing at his fingers.
You’d think that maybe the guard would come over and ask him to put me down, but he didn’t move. Everything was starting to go dark. Felt myself start to go limp and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor gasping like a fish out of water. Managed to open one eye and saw Gunn standing there. There was dust on my face and his back suit.
“I didn’t have a choice. He was going to kill you.” I wondered how long he had been standing there, or how much he had heard on his way to the cell. Probably long enough to make up his mind, once and for all. I coughed a couple of times, spitting blood onto the floor. Tried to say something, but it came out as a croak.
“Soon as you can breathe, I want you out of this city. There’s a car in the garage, keys are in the ignition. Far as everyone knows, you did this, not me. Killed Angel, stole a car, got out of here.” He had it all planned out.
I got to my feet, rubbing at my throat. “Sorry you had to do that, but he wouldn’t have changed his mind. I tried to talk some sense into him, he wouldn’t hear it.” My voice sounded rusty and I winced.
“I know. I was watching the monitors.” So that’s how he knew to get here so fast. Another couple minutes and I would have been dead. “Don’t come back again, Lindsey.”
No shit. I wouldn’t come back here again if they were offering me triple my old salary. “I won’t.” I started to leave the cell and turned back to him. “Thanks.” Gunn could have let Angel kill me before turning the vampire to dust, but he didn’t. I couldn’t read the expression on his face. There was anger, hurt, pain, and maybe a little joy. With a tiny shake of my head, I left the cellblock. The city wouldn’t even know how close it came to death again.
.End
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