dlg8

~~~Part 8~~~

~~~*~~~

Cordelia gripped the steering wheel tight enough to turn her knuckles white. Taking a deep breath she turned her head to Willow. �Okay no big deal. You just wont need to show up at Lindsey�s on Monday. See all fixed.� Looking back at the road she took a big gulp.

�I thought you�d be thrilled to have an inside person. It makes finding out what Lindsey and his firm is up to all that much easier.� Willow knew that sure it was a little unnerving to be that close to the enemy but Cordelia was acting as though some huge catastrophe had just happened.

�Noooo...what I wanted was to make Lindsey hurt for making Sophie cry, not get you employed by that evil bastard.... Oh Angel is going to blame me for this, you know that right? I said let�s get Willow to come down to help. He said no, Willow is needed in Sunnydale. I whined...I pleaded...I even *cried*.� Willow bit the side of her cheek as Cordelia threw a fit.

�So I�m a nanny for a little while, so what. Just think of all the information I can get.� The uncertainty she had at the young lawyer�s request for her to come work for him actually started to sound good.

�Nah uh. No can do. Aint no way it�s gonna happen. Hacking, a little research...that�s okay. That�s at a distance. Working for Lindsey is just too close to enemy lines. Besides Angel will have you packed to go home if he even had a clue you and Lindsey were in the same room together.� Cordelia pulled up outside the hotel and put the car in park.

�Angel can�t make me go home.� Willow kept her aggravation in check. �I haven�t seen him in quiet some time and the last time I checked I was still a free human being.� Something clicked in her. She now knew what it was that had her so disheartened in Sunnydale. She felt as though for the last five years she had other people calling the shots in her life. Buffy telling her and the others what to do and how to do it. Passing up on so many opportunities to stay in Sunnydale because of the knowledge she had of the evil that lurked at night. For the first time in her life she wanted to do something because she said so.

Cordelia grabbed her purse and grumbled. �I�m going to fired; I can just feel it.�

~~~*~~~

Angel blinked a few times listening to the little escaped the two girls had been on that morning, but wouldn�t show any other signs of life. Willow and Cordelia exchanged looks, and Willow continued.

�So after I calmed her down Lindsey offered me a job.-�

�Absolutely not.� Angel answered, his voice low barely above a whisper.

Willow paused, �Excuse me?�

�No.� Angel stood up from the desk he had been leaning on. He was expressionless, but if either girl looked closely they would�ve seen the vampire�s nostrils flaring.

Willow�s looked over at Cordelia who only shrugged; giving a �I told you so� look back. The redhead could feel her face redden as her blood began to boil. �Funny I didn�t think I was asking for your permission.�

Angel�s gaze locked on Willow�s, displeasure now written all over his face. �It�s not safe.� He spoke slowly as though he was talking to a three-year-old. Willow gritted her teeth. �Willow you have no clue as to how dangerous Lindsey is or the firm he works for can be.�

�I�m well aware of all that Angel. I do talk to Cordelia on occasion.� Willow felt her heart slamming into her rib cage as her blood pressure mounted. She had had it with being told what to do.

�I won�t allow it Willow.� Angel took a step forward not missing the angry expression on the witch�s face. �Besides what about school?�

Willow paused. This was not something she wanted to talk to Angel about. He wouldn�t understand, no one would. She had always been labeled the smart one, the one that would make something of herself. No one liked being proven wrong. �I�m taking a break.�

Angel looked startled for a moment. �What?� He looked over at Cordelia who had been inching her way out of the room for assistance.

�Oh don�t look at me.� She threw her hands up. �Wow, was that Gunn I heard?� Cordelia hurried the rest of the way out of the office leaving Angel and Willow alone.

�I don�t understand what�s happing to you that you�d want to leave school.� Angel sounded more like an irritated father than like a friend and it rubbed Willow the wrong way.

�Sorry, didn�t think to ask you first. Angel you�ll always be my friend, but really...we haven�t spoken in awhile and you weren�t the first person that came to mind when I was making the decision.� Willow refused to let what happened in Sunnydale happen here. She needed to let him know that she was in charge of her life.

Angel sighed seeing the stubborn look on her face, there would be no reasoning with her tonight. �You�re going back to Sunnydale tomorrow.� Angel turned his back on her ending the conversation.

Willow turned stalked out the office, she was five feet from the door when she chanted a few words and the door to Angel�s office slammed shut, knocking pictures off the walls. �We�ll see.�

~~~*~~~

�Do you think I should wear this tomorrow?� Willow showed Cordelia another outfit, a little navy business suit that the redhead had purchased earlier that day. �Or this?� Willow picked up a golden colored wrap shirt and matching top. Cordelia sat in the middle of the bed and grasped her hands into her lap.

�This won�t work.� Cordelia gushed; her eyes wide open as she leaned forward toward Willow. �Angel is going to find out one way or another that you didn�t go back to Sunnydale. I know that he�s male and all that but sooner or later old Sherlock will put the clues together.�

Cordelia couldn�t believe that she was going along with this. Willow had hounded her for hours, telling her this was the only way until she, Cordelia Chase caved. She never caved. If it weren�t for the fact that they didn�t any further digging into Lindsey�s past she would�ve told Willow that this wasn�t one of their smartest plans...ever. For one thing Angel didn�t know that Willow was absolutely determined to apply for the position of nanny to Lindsey�s four-year-old daughter. The redhead had argued several times that it would give them better access to the lawyer�s life so they could figure out what in the hell Lindsey was up to.

Meaning that the soulful vampire wouldn�t be in his usual place lurking in the shadows just waiting for something to go wrong. Plus there was all the sneaking around they were going to have to do to make sure that no one else in the fang gang knew that Willow got off the bus heading for Sunnydale just one stop away, only to double back to LA.

�Are you sure your references will hold up?� Everything inside Cordelia�s being screamed that she talk Willow out of this. Sure she wanted to keep Sophie safe but not the expense of Willow�s life. There had to be a better way to get this done. But no one else was taking this seriously. Sure the guys would poke around a little, but none of them believed that figuring out how little Sophie fit into Lindsey�s life was all that big a deal.

�Cordelia calm down...yes to answer your question. Mr. Lindsey Aaron MacDonald can research his heart�s desire through my little masterpiece and wont find one thing out of place.� Willow tried to sound more confident than she felt. Her insides were cramped with worry. She worried that she�d let Cordelia down. That she�d be found out before she took one step into Lindsey�s penthouse. But most of all she worried that Angel would find out. But Willow knew she had to do this. To prove to herself that she didn�t need one of the others watching over her at every turn. That when she made a decision that she didn�t need to run it by everyone for their approval. What she needed was to feel like she was a grown up, in control of her own life for once. Not someone who was governed by a mass of people telling her how to do it, when to do it, and where to do it at. She may have Cordy there to help, but in no way was the brunette censoring her.

�Okay, but I want you to call me the second you get a chance.� Cordelia nibbled on one of her perfectly manicured nails, a habit she had broken during childhood.

Willow saw Cordelia�s trepidation and sat down on the edge of the bed. �If things start to go too far I�ll back out. I promise, nothing will happen.�

�I know Willow. It�s just we�ve never *really* done anything on our own. We�ve always had either Buffy, Angel, Giles or Wes and Gunn watching our backs. We�re on our own, and a little girl�s life could be on the line.�

�Do you think that he�d hurt her?� Willow bit her lower lip, starting to worry again.

�Lindsey?...No, honestly I don�t think he�d harm a hair on her head. It�s those bastards that he�s controlled by that might hurt her. I know that lawyer-boy is a complete jackass, but that time we worked with him to save those blind kids I really had the feeling that he could�ve fit into our little happy family.� Cordelia climbed off the bed, her face a twist of confusion. �But then he stabbed us in the back blah... blah...blah.�

�Okay, see at least we know Sophie isn�t in any physical danger from Lindsey.� Cordelia grinned as the old Willow from their High School days came back, trying to point out the silver lining.

�The wrap skirt. The little navy number is too formal.� Willow nodded, taking a deep breath. She sure hoped they didn�t fail.