Prompt: Maybe the world is gonna spin out of control, I don't care anymore. (Lyric courtesy of "Dragonfly" by Shaman's Harvest.)
Author’s Note: This is a thank you fic for the uber-fantabulous Snogged. She made me a kickass banner for LJ and I wanted to repay her kindness. I hope you like this, sweetie! Thanks be to Gabrielle for the beta.
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Spin by Danielle
Author's Notes:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lindsey was just sitting down at the table again after his date left for the restroom when he felt a presence. It felt evil, a very familiar evil. His right hand twitched and he absently rubbed the thin, pale line that circled his wrist. He looked up and saw her in the mirror over the bar: Brown hair, blue eyes, overdone bee-stung lips, business suit; pretty, but nothing special. He stiffened as she looked his way and started towards him, but made himself appear relaxed when she reached him.
“Mr. McDonald, you’re a hard man to find,” she said as she sat down without waiting for an invitation.
He looked at her blandly. “Whatever you’re sellin’, lady, I ain’t buyin’.”
She smiled patronizingly and he gritted his teeth. “My name is Eve and I represent Wolfram & Hart.”
Lindsey’s lip curled up and he nearly growled out, “Of course you do. Said I ain’t interested.”
“Oh, but I think you will be. You see, your former employers would like to make you a deal. You take care of a little problem they’re having and they will make it very worth your while. You don’t and they will make your life very…difficult.” Eve smiled, clearly thinking he was going to jump at the chance. A year ago he might have, but things were different now.
“No,” he said flatly. He felt a petty sense of satisfaction as he watched her try to keep a frown off her face.
“Not even if I told you the Senior Partners would like you to kill Angel,” she asked slyly.
Lindsey felt his world tilt before it righted itself again. Again, a year ago- hell, even six months ago- he might have said yes, but not now. Before, he’d been in a downward spiral, so focused on revenge that he hadn’t cared what happened to him as long as Angel and his merry band of do-gooders were destroyed. As far as he was concerned they were the cause of all his problems. His life had been fine and dandy before that damn vampire had moved to L.A. Right. And denial wasn’t just a river in Egypt. His life had been shallow and empty, but he’d ignored it. It had been easier to blame Angel than face what he’d become.
Then he’d met Willow and had the wakeup call of his life. She had once been just as drenched in darkness as he was, but she hadn’t let it consume her. No, she had crawled out of the pit and was stronger for it. She had the power of the Gods at her fingertips, but rarely used it. She made him take a good, long look at himself and he hadn’t liked what he saw. He sometimes hated her a little for that, but he loved her more. She had taught him about balance and given him acceptance, darkness and all.
He acknowledged that he and Angel had been adversaries, both doing what they thought they had to. But the life he’d been living? It wasn’t the one he’d wanted when he became a lawyer. Angel had tried to show him that, but he hadn’t been ready to hear it, and Angel’s methods hadn’t been what anyone would call effective. They were never going to be friends, but Lindsey could honestly say he didn’t hate him anymore. They’d even been able to work together a couple of months ago without wanting to kill each other. He considered that progress. His shift in attitude had everything to do with the woman walking towards him. Before she reached the table, Lindsey addressed the unwelcome table-crasher with what he hoped was a final, “Nope.”
This time he smirked as Eve scowled. He stood up as Willow reached the table, watching as she looked curiously at the woman sitting in her chair then at Lindsey. “Am I interrupting?”
He smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Not at all, darlin’. Eve was just leavin’.”
Eve huffed as she stood. “Really, Mr. McDonald, I think you should reconsider. The Senior Partners will be very disappointed if you refuse.” It should have sounded threatening, but Lindsey wasn’t fazed at all. The Senior Partners had no power over him anymore.
Before he could say anything, Willow turned on Eve. Whatever Eve saw in Willow made her stumble back before she regained her composure. Willow’s voice was a little lower than normal when she said, “You can tell your masters that Lindsey McDonald is permanently unavailable. And if they know what’s good for them they’ll leave Angel and his team alone from now on, too. I’ve had about enough of their meddling. They’re going to make me cranky and that would be bad for everyone. Now you run along like a good little minion and let us dine in peace.”
Lindsey coughed into his fist to hide his grin and the laughter that was welling up. He loved it when Willow got all protective.
Eve glared at them even as she took another step back. “Who the hell do you think you are to speak to me that way?”
Willow smiled nastily. “Willow Rosenberg. Perhaps you’ve heard of me: the Red Witch of Sunnydale?”
Eve paled and swallowed. She glanced at Lindsey once more before she looked at Willow and nodded. “I’ll relay the message. They won’t be happy.”
Willow sniffed while Lindsey snorted. “Not our problem,” he drawled.
“It will be,” Eve muttered darkly as she walked away.
Willow raised an eyebrow as she caught Eve’s threat. She twitched her hand and poorly stifled her snicker when the heel of Eve’s left shoe snapped off and sent her flailing into the table she was passing, spilling a glass of red wine all over the man sitting there. Pandemonium ensued.
Lindsey choked on his laughter and turned away. As he got himself under control, he fingered the little velvet box in his pocket and wondered if he should wait until they were somewhere more private. Then he thought, what the hell, there was already enough of a commotion going on. What was a little more?
He turned back to Willow. “That was naughty,” he said teasingly.
She blushed lightly, but shrugged. “She deserved it.”
Well, he couldn’t argue with that. Then he sobered. “Did you just declare war on Wolfram & Hart?”
Willow paused in the act of sitting down and straightened back up. She looked at him and bit her lip. “Um, maybe?”
He blinked at her. “You’d do it, too, wouldn’t you? You would take on the Senior Partners for Angel and his team? They mean that much to you?”
She sighed and moved closer to him, taking his face in her hands. She looked him dead in the eye and said, “They’re my friends and I will always help them if they need me. But, for the most part, they can take care of themselves. Removing Wolfram & Hart’s influence from the Earth would definitely be a win for our side, but it might upset the Balance. And that could be bad. But, if they insist on coming after you time after time, if they do anything that takes you away from me, I will find a way to wipe them out of existence. I love you, Lindsey McDonald. I don’t want to lose you.”
Lindsey swallowed. For the first time in his life he couldn’t think of a thing to say. Then it came to him. Maybe the world’s gonna spin out of control. I don’t care anymore. He’d said that to her once before, when he was still hell bent on destroying himself. He still meant it, but in such a different way now. Oh, that had been a hell of a fight. She’d almost given up on him then, but Willow could out-stubborn a mule when she thought something- or in his case, someone- was important enough. He thanked whatever gods watched over sinners like him that Willow had come into his life.
He gave her a little smile as he took a step back and reached for her hand. Willow smiled back then blinked as he got down on one knee. He pulled out the little box and opened the lid. Willow gasped and stared at the ring nestled inside before looking at him with wide eyes. He said, “Maybe the world’s gonna spin out of control. I don’t care anymore.” And he really didn’t, because he knew he wasn’t alone. “You keep me grounded and I know that if you’re by my side there’s nothing I can’t face. I love you, Willow Rosenberg. Will you marry me?”
Willow started to glow as she nodded her head ‘yes’, unable to speak just yet. Lindsey slipped the emerald cut diamond onto her left ring finger and stood, drawing her into his arms. He kissed her, letting her feel all the love he had inside for her. When they parted he noticed they were floating about three feet off the floor and spinning in lazy circles.
Maybe he should have waited to propose until later after all, because he had no idea how they were going to explain this. Then Willow kissed him again and he forgot all about explanations.
-30-
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