TITLE: The Wolf, the Witch, and the Elevator
AUTHOR: Lady pixie
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: W/L fic. Willow and Lindsey are locked in Wolfram & Hart. Did I
mention they're handcuffed together?
DISTRIBUTION: Whoever wants it, just ask. Bite Me... Please? The Lindsey
McDonald Archive and Broken Dolls can have it without asking. :)
POSTED: At my site, www.angelfire.com/ks/pixie
DISCLAIMER: If you recognize it, it ain't mine. Calling Willow "Blue" is
mine. It ain't copyrighted though. ;)
NOTES: This is my first fanfic to post in this fandom. I am primarily in
the Highlander fandom. That's my excuse for having the above info screwed
up. :) There's a lot less to list in HL. It's weird. Enjoy. (If ya wanna
read any of my un-posted Buffy fic, see my website above.)

Kristin said:

Ok. I've got a challenge:
Someone gets locked inside the W&H office building overnight while trying to
sneak in to spy, collect files, etc.. Could be Kate, Angel, Cordelia, Buffy,
Xander, etc.. This would make sense for any of the "good guys". Catch is:
Lindsey is working late and gets locked in too
Requirements:
-They must be trapped all night
-handcuffs
-a secret passage
-a mysterious brief case
-a drunk security guard

"Not smart," Willow said aloud to no one in particular. She gazed out the
glass doors into the darkness of the LA streets. "Bad Willow, getting
yourself into this mess." She yanked on the handle again careful to hold the
spell that was keeping her out of view from the security cameras. "You try
to do one nice thing for a vampire and look where you end up!" Not that she
could blame Angel. He had told her specifically *not* to venture into
Wolfram & Hart. He'd probably kill her if he found out.

"Just what do you think you're doing here at this hour, Blue?"

Willow whirled at the sound of a smooth, cool voice. She came face to face
with one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen. His dark, chocolatey
hair fell across his face in an attractive manner. His oh-so-kissable lips
formed a scowl--one that was, unfortunately, directed at her. Willow was
suddenly very aware of the flyaway strands of hair floating around her head
as a result of her magic usage.

"I, um, I was in t-the bathroom and they just locked it all up." Locked it
all up? *That* didn't sound Kindergarten-ish, no, not at all.

The man raised one of his finely sculpted eyebrows. He glanced at his
diamond-studded Rolex. "It's almost three-thirty in the morning. You've
been in the bathroom since nine?"

Willow flushed almost as crimson as her hair. "Uh...yeah, actually. It-it
was girl stuff." She tossed her hair as though she knew what she was talking
about. "You know how it is. Girl stuff."

The man suppressed a tiny smile. Willow realized how flat out hot he
probably was when he grinned. "Actually, I don't."

"O-oh...I was, uh, um, masturbating!" Willow blurted out. Where had *that*
come from? That was it, no more spending time around Anya.

The man blinked--hard. "Oh. I see. Well, at least you're honest" A smirk
came over his handsome features. "My ex-girlfriend is practically married to
her vibrator."

Willow furrowed her brow in confusion. What was he talking about?
"Vibrator?"

"Cripes, you *are* female aren't you?"

Willow's face became even redder. "Of course!"

"Oookay then." He yanked at the handle on the door. It didn't budge.
"Dammit! What the hell's wrong with this thing?"

"Um, I think it's locked."

He spun around to face her, eyes narrowing. "Really? I hadn't noticed." He
sighed, taking a mental step backward. "This has never happened to me
before."

Willow cocked her head to the side quizzically. "Oh, do you work here? I'm
Willow Rosenberg." Brilliant, she thought, just tell the guy who works at
the evil law firm your name.

Chivalry taking over, the man extended a hand. "Hello Willow Rosenberg. I'm
Lindsey, Lindsey McDonald."

Willow couldn't help herself. "Like the food chain?"

Lindsey winced. "No, not like the food chain. And, before you ask, no,
Lindsey is not my mother's name."

Willow's face, which was just now beginning to return to a more normal color
spectrum, flamed red again. "I-I wasn't going to ask *that*. It just sort
of popped out. When I'm nervous things just pop out and I start talking
really fast and making run-on sentences which isn't proper grammar and I just
don't mean to but I--"

Lindsey held up a hand. "Whoa there, Blue."

Willow frowned. "That's the second time you've called me Blue!"

Lindsey shrugged. "It seemed more original than 'red'."

Willow giggled, a strange, high-pitched thing. She mentally slapped herself.
"I guess--"

"HEY!" A slurred voice shouted, making Willow jump and Lindsey scowl. "Wha'
you kids think you're doin' 'ere? This ain't no mall! You can just make out
in a jail cell!" The huge security guard raced at them running smack into
Lindsey, knocking him down.

"Leave him alone!" Willow shrieked. She lunged towards the drunken guard
who grabbed her wrist and twisted. Before Willow could protest, he slapped a
handcuff on her right wrist. The guard grabbed Lindsey's left one and
snapped the other cuff over it so that they were handcuffed together. The
guard stood.

"That'll teach you kids to--" He passed out, slamming onto the floor with a
plop. Lindsey and Willow stared in amazement. Lindsey was the first to
speak.

"Note to self: fire guard. Let's get the key." He stood and offered his
cuffed hand to Willow. She stared at it, then her gaze traced over to the
young lawyer's free hand. It was prosthetic. Her eyes widened.

"Yeah, I just need to maybe stand up and I--I'm blabbering aren't I?"

"Yeah, Blue, you are." He yanked her to her feet.

"Not to be rude--"

"You've already been rude."

Willow ignored him. "Not to be rude, but what happened to your hand?"

Lindsey shrugged. "Oh, you know how it is. I live a dangerous life. Evil
rituals, demon clients, Lilah when she's PMSing--they'll all get ya."

Willow bent down and busied herself looking for the key. "Lilah...is that
your girlfriend?"

Lindsey snorted. "No way. I'm more of a 'busty blonde hooker' kind of guy
myself. At the very least my girlfriends aren't allowed to want to kill me."

Willow checked the guard's pockets. "This Lilah...she wants to kill you?"

Lindsey shook his head. "Nah, she just wants to be a partner. If she has to
kill me to get there, so be it. I can relate."

"Oh." Willow stood. "I don't see any key." She looked up into his eyes,
spellbound at the amusement she found there.

"You know, you're not as ditzy as I thought you were."

Willow tried not to look hurt. "You thought I was ditzy? I mean, I guess I
was giving off a ditzy vibe; kind of doin' the big ole Ditzy, but...you
thought I was ditzy?"

"Yeah," he grinned. "Sorry, I'm not a very subtle person. I'm a lawyer."
He strode towards the elevator, dragging Willow behind him. She had to skip
a few steps to catch up with him enough that she could walk with ease.

"I think lawyers are okay people. I might be a lawyer someday." Where the
hell had *that* come from? She had no intention of becoming a lawyer. But
then she could hang around people like Lindsey. Wait a minute! Lindsey bad,
Lindsey not good. How good could someone who's had his hand cut off be?

"That's great, Blue. Strive for your dreams, blah, blah, blah. Right now,
I'd settle for an exit. And maybe a pastrami on rye."

"Oh! Are you hungry? I have this--" She stopped suddenly, jerking Lindsey
to a halt as well. She shrugged her Lion King book bag off her shoulder and
reached in with one hand. "I have...Gummi Bears, Tootsie Rolls, peanut
butter, and," she held up her latest find in triumph, "a bag of baby carrots!"

Lindsey stared. "Why, may I ask, do you have all that junk in your bag?"

Willow grinned. "I'm a college student."

Lindsey grinned back, feeling a little cheated that the pretty redhead was so
young. Oh well, he liked his women bustier anyway. She wasn't his type, or
so he tried to convince himself. "Now that explains it. When I was in grad
school, I lived off peanut butter. I'd buy the stuff and eat it straight out
of the jar with a glass of water."

Willow wrinkled her nose. "Eeew, yuck. Why didn't you eat in the cafeteria?"

Lindsey suddenly busied himself with pushing the elevator button over and
over again. "I was a little short on cash back then."

Willow sensed his discomfort and backed off. "Oh, I see."

The elevator doors flew open with a swoosh, saving Lindsey from having to say
any more. The two stepped inside. Lindsey tried to reach into his left
pocket for his elevator key, but stopped short when he realized that Willow's
hand kept him from being able to reach it. "Dammit," he swore. He raised
his prosthetic hand a little, but gave up before he even tried to reach into
his pocket. Lindsey turned to Willow, a little grim faced. "We can't make a
call without that key."

"What are we going to do then?"

A small smile grew on Lindsey's lips. "Looks like you'll have to get it
yourself."

Willow's lips formed a tiny 'o'. "M-me? No, no, that would be bad. That
would be Bad Willow, Evil Willow, not good little Jewish girl Willow."

Lindsey snorted. "You are a piece of work Blue, you know that?"

Willow put her hands, er, hand on her hip. What would Cordelia say right
now? "I'm not going to put my hand in the pocket of some *guy* I that I just
met and I don't even know!" So spending time with Cordy *was* paying off.

Lindsey rolled his eyes. "Shit, you'd think I said I wanted to fuck you the
way you're acting."

Willow flinched. "Um, you don't do you? Cause, I'm not that kind of girl,
and I'd appreciate it if you didn't--"

Lindsey started laughing. "Blue, Blue, Blue. I love it. I just love it.
You'd appreciate it if I didn't fuck you? Are you always this polite to guys
you're, like, afraid of?"

Willow sniffed. "I'm not afraid of you, you're very nice, but I *don't* like
being handcuffed to you! What would Miss Kitty think?"

Lindsey stared. "Miss Kitty? Never mind, I don't want to know. Why don't
you just get the key so that we can go to my office and call someone to let
us out."

Willow sighed, leaning back against the back wall of the elevator. "Okay.
I'll just--eeek!" She fell backwards as the panel she was leaning against
flung open like a door. Lindsey was dragged down with her and fell on top,
in a straddling position.

"Well, this is nice."

Willow kicked him off of her and sat up. "What happened?"

Lindsey glanced around at the expensively furnished bar they were now sitting
in. "See, this is why you should never lean against elevator panels, Blue.
Not only does it look lower middle class, you might find a secret passage to
a nice bar."

Willow ignored him, taking in the expensive maple wood furniture as her eyes
adjusted to the dark. Lindsey yanked on her wrist, dragging her over to the
light switch and flipping on the overheads.

"What is this place?" she asked, awed.

Lindsey shrugged. "I dunno. It kind of looks like it might be the partner's
private bar." He crossed his arms, causing Willow to trip over her own feet.
"I'm gonna make partner someday. Screw Lilah."

"What's that?" Willow pointed with her free arm at a brown leather briefcase
lying on the bar. Lindsey moved closer for inspection.

"I dunno." He played with the lock, trying random combinations.

Willow frowned. "It looks like a briefcase."

Lindsey rolled his eyes. "Really? I hadn't noticed. Of course it's a
briefcase! The question is, what's in it?"

"Just break the lock."

"And let everyone know we were in here? I don't think so." He bent over and
pulled out a two small, flat objects from his shoe. He set to work on the
lock. In less than a minute, they heard a soft clicking sound. "Bingo. A
word of advice," he looked up at Willow, "never buy a cheap briefcase. Any
good lawyer can pick a cheap lock."

Any good lawyer, or any devious lawyer, Willow wondered.

Lindsey slowly opened the lid. Inside lay a single sheet of paper. It had
no heading, just names printed on it. The first name read, "Angel, souled
vampire".

Willow sucked in her breath and glanced at Lindsey who was pale. "W-what is
this?"

Lindsey looked up grimly. "I don't know. I think it's a hit list." He
slammed the briefcase shut and yanked Willow towards the secret passage.
"Let's go, unless you want to end up on that particular piece of stationary."

"Wait! We have to take that list! We can't let those people die!"

Lindsey shook his head vigorously. "No way. Look, Wolfram & Hart has a
motto: If you can't beat 'em, hire somebody to do the beating for you. I'd
rather be the beater than the beaten any day, so let's *go*." He paused at
her pouty look. "Okay, okay," he re-opened the suitcase and pulled a pen and
an old memo from his pocket. "Write fast." Willow quickly jotted down the
names.

Lindsey dragged her to the elevator where she pulled the key out of his
pocket without protest; he phoned security.

********************************

Willow and Lindsey stepped out of the huge office building just as the sun
began to peek through the smog. She turned to him and gazed into his deep,
amused eyes.

"I guess this is good-bye, huh?"

Lindsey grinned and pulled out a business card with a flourish. His name was
printed neatly in gold on the front. "Here's lookin' at you kid." He
reached out and pushed a lock of her red hair from behind her ear before
handing her the card. "My cell phone's on there and I wrote my home phone on
the back--not that I'm ever home." He turned on his heel and walked back
towards Wolfram & Hart.

"Wait," Willow called. Lindsey turned around and looked at her
questioningly. "Aren't you going home?"

"Blue, it's almost five o'clock! I have work to do. If I want to make
partner, I had better work harder."

Willow smiled slightly as he turned back towards the office, his chocolate
locks floating in the wind. She would definitely be calling him.

FINIS!!!
Feedback is much appreciated.


pixie