ct11

Chapter Eleven

"So you waitressed in a Strip Bar." Lindsey gripped the steering wheel
tighter, as images of a skimpily clad Cordelia flitted through his head. "I
bet that was an...interesting experience." He gritted out.

"It was a job. It's not as though I danced." Loosening his grip slightly
Lindsey forced himself to relax. "Well except that one time Willow was sick
for two weeks and we needed rent money." The car veered off the road as
Lindsey growled in outrage. "Lindsey road, two painted lines, they're there
for a reason."

"You took your clothes off in front of a bunch of middle aged potbellied men
for money!"

"No, we lived near an Army post so technically they were a bunch of
well-muscled young men...Stop looking at me like that. It was for one night.
There were bills to pay, and since Willow was out cold in bed, I did what had
to be done." Cordelia crossed her arms across her chest and stared back at
Lindsey. "You look me in the eye and tell me that in the last two years you
never had to do something low to get by. Or maybe having *three* men living
together you never had those kind of problems. You and Wesley have the kind
of education to get better paying jobs, so I'm sure you don't know the
feeling of coming up short for rent. Willow and I both tried getting better
jobs, but with our moving patterns and no experience the field wasn't quiet
so wide open, as we wanted."

"I pumped gas." Lindsey muttered. Looking out the window at the cars that
were passing them as they sat in the break down lane.

"Come again?"

"I pumped gas." Cordelia bit back a smile and tried focusing her attention on
anything but the miserable expression painted across Lindsey's face. "Pumping
gas, well it's a job..."

"Cordelia I Lindsey Aaron McDonald pumped gas. Do you know how pathetic that
is? I spent six years in college to end up pumping gas. Gunn worked at a
gym...as maintenance, wiping up other people's sweat. Wesley worked in a
library; he's the only one out of the three of us that could get a decent
job."

"Well at least you didn't have guys grabbing your...Guess that's not
something to bring up now. Our crappy jobs are the past. For some reason the
PTB are calling us all together again, maybe it's time for us to fight evil
again, and lucky you, your not evil anymore. Things are going to get better."
Lindsey flashed her a warm smile.

"So what did you wear?"

"Huh?"

"On stage, did you wear one of those small little numbers...OW! Stop hitting
me!"
**********************

"I'm telling you man, we pass one more cornfield I'm going to jump out of
this car." Gunn looked out his window at the rows of corn, a big fat moon
hanging from overhead.

"It is a little weary, how far do we have to go?" Wesley rubbed his tired
eyes, hoping to hear good news.

"Shall I tell you as in how many states we have to go, or maybe in how many
double digit hours remain, *or* how many inches are left according to this
here map." Gunn waved the map back and forth before crumpling it into a tight
ball.

"Inches how many inches?"

"Six.... So have you ever been to Maine?"

"I can't say that I have. Angel said the area we are going to is right on the
coast, in fact the house has a private beach and the area is rich with
historical sights."

"Yeah great, sounds like a great old boring place. Let me guess it's an old
town without a pulse."

The two men drove in silence for awhile. "I can't say how damn thrilled I was
seeing Angel and the girls again." Gunn admitted honestly.

"That makes two of us."
***********************

"Willow...Little One wake up." Angel touched Willow's face lightly, enjoying
the feel of her soft skin. Her body was curled across the front seat, her
head using his lap as a pillow. He had been playing with her red silky
strands for the last hour, never getting enough of the feeling of it running
through his fingers. He'd steal glances at her face to see the angelic smirk
that tugged at her lips while she slept. "Willow..."

"Five more minutes...yummy Angel dream." Angel's felt a feeling of masculine
pride sweep through him at hearing this. So she had dreams about him did she?

"Willow wake up sweetheart." Willow stirred and peeked up at him, stretching
a little she tried to drift off again.

"Oh no you don't. Get up, I need coffee and if you want something to eat now
is the time."

Waking up fully Willow sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Food sounds great."

"Come on then. You can dream your yummy dreams when we get back on the road."
Angel tossed over his shoulder as he got out of the car, giving her a
devilish grin that made her blush.

"Yummy dreams, who said I was having yummy dreams?"
********************
(Four states, eighteen hours and six inches later)

Three cars pulled up to the beach house, a full moon hanging from overhead.
"Damn, he's been staying here, as we've been bunking with the cockroaches?"
Gunn looked at the huge house and slowly got out of the car. Lindsey pulled
up from behind and had the same impression.

"This is the place...and I get to stay here?" Sitting behind the wheel of his
beaten up pickup Lindsey had the sudden urge to break down and cry. Not that
he would with Cordelia sitting next to him, and Wesley and Gunn standing feet
from the truck. But after the horror of the last say twenty-nine years or so
the empty house sitting before him was like his reward. He was going to live
in a beautiful place, with a beautiful girl, and great friends.

"Gorgeous isn't it. I remember the first time I saw the house. Willow and I
had been up for like three days straight; not counting the catnaps that
didn't really help much. When Angel brought us here I felt like I'd died and
gone to heaven." Cordelia spoke his mind. Looking over at the smiling girl
next to him Lindsey leaned forward and captured her lips with his. He wanted
to remember this precise moment forever.

"So do you think they like our house?" Willow asked as she watched the two
separate groups as they took in their new home.

"You saw were they were living, right?" Angel joked and pulled Willow closer
to his side, taking in the joyous view of his friends getting to know the
surroundings of their new home. It felt right, having them all here like
this. He just wished he knew what the PTB had in store for them. Having
Willow in his life he realized again how much he wanted to become human
again, and that if he ever wanted that to happen he needed to become the
warrior of good again.

"Wes man take a look at the water, Lindsey get your ass out of that truck and
come here!" Gunn pounded on the truck window, getting the annoyed ex-lawyers
attention. "You've got to see the water. Last one in does dishes for a
month." Lindsey jumped out the truck and chased Wesley and Gunn to the beach.
The three was stripping off clothes every few feet.

Cordelia joined Angel and Willow who were watching the boyish antics on the
beach with an evil gleam in their eyes. "You think we should tell them?"

Angel smirked and shook his head anticipating the second the three entered
the water. "Hell no."

"I wish I had a camera." Willow stood on tiptoe to get a better view. "Hey
Cordy you boys rear is a little glow in the darkie." Cordelia smiled and
silently agreed.

"Shh..." Angel said as the three guys neared the edge of he water.
"Three...Two...One."

"HOLLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD!"

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT."

"COLD OH MY GOD ITS COLD." Three figures rushed out of the ocean to be
greeted by their friends rolling on the ground laughing.