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On the Other Side
of Fate
Chapter 6
by Tami
Los Angeles, Wolfram & Hart, Booth’s Suite
Sunlight lit up the bedroom from the huge window behind the headboard of the bed. Clothes strewn around the room: pieces of a suit were on the chairs – because Booth was that compulsive – black stack heels and a deep purple skirt with a dark velvet top littered the floor. In the bed, lay Seeley Booth on his back with a very naked Drusilla curled against his side.
Somewhere in the pile of clothes, a phone started chirping. Seeley shifted onto his side and Drusilla snuggled against his broad chest, unconsciously sucking a bruise on his neck in her sleep. The call went to voicemail, but three seconds later, the phone started chirping again. Seeley rolled away from his companion and reached over the bed, searching for it while still trying to keep his relaxed state.
Locating the offensive object, Seeley lay back on the bed where Drusilla curled into his side as he answered it. “Seeley Booth.”
“What’s the progress of your assignment?” Deputy Director Cullen asked with no preliminary greeting.
“It’s, uh, going fine, sir. I talked to the CEO and he’s agreed to help in any way,” Seeley answered. Yep, he seemed very helpful yesterday.
“And, how are you getting along with that family of yours,” Cullen asked.
“Just fine, Sir. We’re becoming closer and closer,” Seeley croaked. I had sex with all three at the same time, depending on how you interpreted our position.
Just then, Drusilla scratched his nipple with one of her manicured nails. He glanced down to find her hair had curtained her face as she licked over his chest. Dark blue eyes peeked at him from under long eyelashes. “Bad girl,” he mouthed.
“Good, that’s good, Seeley. Well, just be sure he’s put away for good this time. I want a progress report at the end of the day,” Cullen said.
“Yes, sir . . . bye, sir,” Seeley replied. He ended the call and tossed the phone on the floor again.
Turning his attention to the vampire-temptress, he gave her a stern look. “You, sweetheart, are very bad. That was my boss!” Drusilla just licked her lips and looked at him with wide eyes. “How’d you get in my bed anyway? I thought I left you with Spike and Angel last night.”
“I was bored. All Daddy wanted to talk about was dealing with a demon clan and with my Spike having a nasty soul; he’s just not the same. So, I crawled in bed with you,” Drusilla explained.
“Dru, I’m human with a soul, isn’t that everything you’re against?” Seeley asked.
Drusilla pouted. “You don’t like me?”
Oh, God, women with their waterworks. Spike and Angel vouched that she wasn’t as fragile as she seemed. If that was so, then why was she on the verge of tears? As a distraction, he tried to recall yesterday. After the sex, Angel gave him a tour of the facility. He formally met Fred Burkle, the head of the science department, Wesley Wyndham-Price, Charles Gunn, the flighty secretary was named Harmony, and a strange green demon with the ironic name of Lorne Green. They talked more about the case, had dinner, had a nightcap, and he went to bed . . . alone. Yet, here was Drusilla.
“That’s not true. I like you . . . very much,” Booth said as he brushed a stray hair out of her face. “It’s just very dangerous for us to be together. What with you being a soulless vampire and me being considered food.”
Drusilla dropped the sheet that she used to cover her breasts and Seeley’s eyes immediately went to her chest. He swallowed hard and tried to remember how many women have crawled into his bed naked and done the same thing. Aside from that one girl in college, who had been around the dorm a dozen times, he couldn’t think of anyone else.
“Did Spike put you up to this?” Seeley asked past the lump in his throat. When she shook her head, Seeley groaned. “This is a distraction from my job isn’t it? Fraternizing with family while on a case isn’t exactly looked upon favorably.”
He couldn’t stop his gaze from traveling over her well-rounded breasts with rosy nipples that looked dark red against her white skin, her flat tummy and dark curls between her legs. “You’re going to kill me and I don’t mean with your fangs.”
He ignored his erection, which had nothing to do with waking up hard in the morning, and got out of bed. When Drusilla followed him with her eyes, Seeley became self-conscious and snatched his pants up to cover his groin.
“Okay, I’m going to take a shower, you stay out here,” he instructed and hurried toward the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, he shut the water off, opened the door and blindly grabbed a towel to dry off. When he opened the door to step out, Drusilla was sitting on the sink, wrapped in the sheet with her back against the mirror; humming to herself. Seeley nearly jumped out of skin when he saw her.
“Dru! Christ!” She wasn’t reflected in the mirror. Strangely, that didn’t bother him as much as he thought it should.
She just looked at him as he wrapped the towel around his waist and retrieved his shaving kit. He came back, arranged the items on the sink and spread the foam over the lower part of his face. When he went to grab the razor, it wasn’t where he left it. He glanced up to see Drusilla with it as she scooted closer to him.
“Uh, Drusilla, are you sure you should be handling razors?” Seeley asked nervously.
“Can I shave you? I used to do my Spike’s makeup all the time. I have a very steady hand,” Drusilla said.
“I think a razor is a bit different from lipstick, sweetheart,” Seeley said skeptically.
“He never wore lipstick. It was eyeliner and mascara,” Drusilla smiled.
Seeley imaged Spike with eyeliner and mascara and groaned softly. “It sounds like he was a pretty boy in the ’70s.”
“Well,” Drusilla said thoughtfully. “That’s when he started wearing it. But, he was wearing it up until a few years ago.”
Seeley smiled at her thoughtful expression and then gave her a skeptical look. “Fine, but don’t cut me. I don’t heal like you do.”
Trained in the army that it could mean his life if he alerted the enemy to his location, Seeley stood completely still, listening to Drusilla hum to herself as she ran the razor carefully over his cheeks and rinse it out in the sink. She was quite adept for an insane vampire. He imagined she had small moments of clarity, but, for the most part, she was stuck in her own world.
When she was finished, Drusilla inspected his face closely, shaving the stray whiskers away. She smiled at him when was sure she’d gotten them all. Seeley ran his hand across his face to see for himself, and sure enough, he was clean-shaven.
“I told you I was steady,” Drusilla commented.
Seeley helped her down from the sink and swatted her ass. “Go get dressed . . . little minx.”
He watched as Drusilla giggled and dashed out of the bathroom. Shaking his head at her antics, he returned to his morning routine – which before yesterday would not have included stroking himself to get the erection to go away. Then, he went to find his own clothes.
**************************
Los Angeles, Wolfram & Hart, CEO’s Conference Room
Angel was sitting at the head of the table going through some paperwork with Spike next to him drinking a beer. They both looked up to see Booth escorting Drusilla into the room.
“So, that’s where you disappeared to,” Spike said observantly with a smirk and winked at Seeley.
Drusilla smiled coyly while Seeley looked anywhere but those knowing blue eyes. Spike could read into any situation and give a detailed report on what was really going on. It was unnerving. He looked at Angel to see the dark vampire’s brow had furrowed at Spike’s words.
“You sent her there to wake him up?” Angel asked accusingly.
Spike held up his hands in surrender. “I did no such thing. I was on my way here with her when she walked off. She’s flighty that way. How was I supposed to know she’d go to his room?”
“Hey, he has a name!” Seeley said annoyed.
Ignoring Seeley, Angel reprimanded Spike. “You know better than to leave Drusilla to her own devices, especially in a place like this.”
“Hey, she’s a soulless demon and in evil law firm. She was perfectly safe,” Spike countered.
Angel’s jaw started to twitch as he ground his teeth in irritation. “And you were surprised
that she left you for a Chaos Demon? It’s because you weren’t watching her and she wandered off!”
“Don’t blame that on me! You’re the reason she left me in Brazil. You and her ‘no one punishes me as well as Daddy.’ You’re the reason she only has a handful of working brain cells left!”
“It isn’t my fault that she has the mental age of a precocious 6-year-old. That was Angelus’ doing,” Angel said angrily.
“Newsflash: you are Angelus, you ponce!” Spike scoffed. “You may as well lose that fluffy soul of yours if you keep working here.”
Seeley watched the argument like a ping-pong match. The more the two vampires fought, the closer they were moving towards each other. At this point, they were nose-to-nose. Booth cleared his throat to get their attention.
“Look, Dru wasn’t in any danger. She was safe with me --” he started to say.
“She’s a soulless demon, you are not safe around her,” Angel admonished Seeley.
“As I was saying: she was safe and wasn’t up to anything evil,” Seeley continued and then more to himself, he added, “per se . . .” Drusilla just grinned coyly at him as if they were keeping a big secret.
Angel looked between the FBI agent and his demented childe as the strange look passed between them. “What did you do, Drusilla?”
Drusilla’s eyes widened. “Nothing, Daddy.”
Seeley rubbed his smooth face. “She’s quite adept with a razor.”
“What?!” Angel barked. “You let her shave you? Have you lost it?! She could have slit your throat!”
Seeley held his hand up in a placating gesture. “She was very careful. There was no harm done.”
Spike nearly fell out of his chair, he was laughing so hard. “You really have to lighten up, Angel. You can’t blame him for being adventurous after yesterday.”
Angel gave an exasperated sigh. “This isn’t the time to get into this. That guy – Donald Goldsmith – that you’re after will be here soon to discuss his case with us. You can see if you can get a line on him then.”
A hard mask fell over Booth’s features at the mention of the criminal’s name and he nodded solemnly. He and Drusilla sat down at the table. The vampiress sat across from him next to Spike. Seeley noticed the blonde vampire put a hand on her knee in a touch that looked intimate and familiar. He found he wasn’t jealous over it and upon glancing at Angel, discovered that the elder vampire was either ignoring it or had shrugged it off as a common occurrence between the couple.
Booth sat back in his chair and contemplated the most recent turn of events. Last week he was answering all of Parker’s “Why?” questions, this week he was in a totally different world surrounded by a family of vampires; his family. They were his ancestors to be exact. What person today could say that their ancestors were still around after – what was Angel again? 251 years?
As he thought of this, he watched Drusilla play with Spike’s hand as the blonde vampire’s fingers caressed the inside of her knee over her skirt. Those two were going to drive him mad during the meeting. Seeley could tell that already. He blinked and shifted his gaze to Angel, who seemed to be aware of what his childer were doing, but was ignoring them. How can he ignore them? Spike was all but lifting Drusilla’s skirt up and showing her off. Okay, so that could be my overactive imagination. Give me a break; it has only been 24 hours!
Seeley groaned audibly as he watched Spike inch her ankle-length skirt up her thigh with a smirk. Angel heard the small noise and looked up at the Agent. “Something wrong?”
Seeley quickly glanced over at Angel. “No! Nothing’s wrong.” They are driving me crazy. He shifted in his chair to face the elder vampire more than the two across the table. Okay, this should do it. If I don’t look at them, then Spike’s actions won’t have an affect on me.
Angel looked over, saw what Spike was up to and growled, “Spike! Would you stop teasing her like that in front of him! A human only has so much willpower.”
Seeley was taken aback by Angel’s last statement. What? Wait a minute, I have willpower. I have strong willpower. Clearly, you can see my willpower holding me back from throwing myself over this conference table and fucking them both!
Spike looked over at Angel innocently. “What’d I do?”
“You know damn well what you’re doing. Stop it! This is a business meeting – or will be when the client shows up. I won’t have you and Drusilla distracting Agent Booth when he should be concentrating on that.”
Seeley pulled out his wallet and checked the birth date on the driver’s license. Satisfied that it indicated he was over 30 years old – and proof that he was old enough to take care of himself – he pocketed the wallet and attempted to interject with that fact.
“I am considered a legal adult at 33,” Seeley commented.
Spike tilted his head at that. “You’re 33? Damn, you look good for your age. I was turned at 27, so I know I look good for my age,” he smirked.
Angel rolled his eyes at Spike’s comment. “You are the vainest demon I’ve ever met.”
“Who are you calling vain? At least I don’t use a whole can of Aqua-Net to make my hair look like it’s been hit by lightning,” Spike scoffed.
“No, you just use peroxide to bleach the hell out of your hair. It’s flattened against your head because you killed it with that abrasive shit you use to dye it,” Angel shot back.
“Hey! It takes pure artistry to get my hair this way,” Spike said defensively as he patted his hair.
“Which is funny because you don’t have an artistic bone in your body,” Angel said derisively.
“Wait a half a mo’, didn’t you say a while back that you liked my poems?” Spike asked.
Angel gave an irritated sigh.
“You write poems?” Seeley asked.
“God, no!” Spike said as if the very idea offended him.
Seeley raised an inquiring eyebrow and Angel answered, “When he was human and a fledgling, he wrote poetry. They were awful.” Seeley just nodded as he watched the argument escalate.
“Did you have to go and tell him that?” Spike asked indignantly.
Angel raised an eyebrow, “You choose to be modest now?”
“Well, a thing like that should be dead and buried when you die the first time. It wasn’t like I went and told him you were a rich, Irish drunk, whose favorite pastime was getting laid when you were human. Wesley covered that yesterday,” Spike shot back.
“Spike!” Angel growled.
“Or how about after you were turned and chased Drusilla to a convent when she was 17, ate all the nuns and turned her?” Spike nodded. “And that’s the G-rated version.”
Angel grabbed a paperweight off the table and threw it at Spike, which the blonde narrowly ducked.
Seeley pulled out his license again and looked at it. Yep, 33 . . . says so right there . . . if you calculate the years. He looked at the two vampires who were still arguing and sighed. Then, he looked at Drusilla who was watching the spectacle with an avid interest. He suddenly wondered how many fights or arguments she had witnessed concerning Spike and Angel.
“Throwing things is your defense now? Six months ago you were calling the IRS for help,” Spike said sardonically.
“Vampires have to deal with the IRS? You mean they don’t leave you alone even after you’re dead?” Seeley asked.
Ignoring Seeley, Angel grumbled, “Well, I would try to kill you, but you’d just come back again.”
“Oh, now that hurts. If I wasn’t here, your life would be dull and boring like it was before,” Spike smirked.
Seeley watched them, confused as hell. He was getting used to this state of mind. “How many times have you died?”
Spike started counting on his fingers, “My turning, then there was getting my soul that felt like I’d died; then, I burned up closing a Hellmouth, appeared here as ghost, flashy light in a box nearly blinded me and made me solid again. I live a charmed life.” He tossed a hand dismissively at Angel, “Buffy ran him through with a sword and he got sucked into a hell dimension once. Can’t imagine why,” Spike said sarcastically.
Seeley just looked at them, stunned.
“Got t’ say though, my exits and entrances into this world have more flair than the brooding ponce. I burned up and came back in this swirling black cloud. What’s he done? Got sucked into a statue and dropped out of thin air naked! What kind of entrance is that?” Spike sneered.
“Apparently, the Powers That Be liked my body better and let me come back naked,” Angel grinned smugly.
Seeley’s mouth went dry at that thought and he reached for the pitcher of water and a glass that was sitting in the middle of the table.
Just then, Harmony’s head popped around the door. “Hey bossy --”
“Harmony, what have I told you about that?” Angel asked irritated.
“Oops, sorry; anyway, your 10:30 is here,” she hurriedly said.
“Send him in.”
A few minutes later, a man around five-foot-five entered the room. He had dark hair that was slicked back and beady eyes that darted around nervously. Angel and Seeley sized the man up as he sat down at the opposite end of the table from the dark vampire.
“You know, for a long and illustrious rap sheet, I thought you’d be . . . taller with a bigger build,” Seeley commented, emotionless.
“I get that a lot,” the man said apprehensively.
Booth looked at his case file on the man. “Goldsmith, Donald John. Is that your real name?”
“Yeah, they call me Donny-J,” the man said.
“Right . . . whooo,” Agent Booth breathed. “Racketeering, petty theft, gun running, aggravated burglary . . . oh, and here’s a stint for assault and battery. Not to mention, killing off your competitors, the list goes on.” He glanced up at the man. The table seemed to dwarf Donald Goldsmith even more. “What’s the matter, Donny, you don’t like a bit of rivalry in the criminal workplace?”
“They were stealing my contract jobs,” Goldsmith explained.
“Uh-huh, a rap sheet like this puts you away from a long time; years well-spent in general population. I hear it’s quite nice,” Agent Booth commented darkly.
“That’s why I’m here. I was told this law firm could get the charges dropped,” Goldsmith said.
“That was the old Wolfram & Hart. This firm has since come under new management. We no longer make deals in favor of the criminal,” Angel said flatly.
Donny-J looked around the table at the four of them. The man who was asking questions and the other who just spoke looked like they could have been identical twins. Then, there was a blonde guy in a leather jacket with a scar on his left brow. Donny-J imagined the guy had a swagger to go along with the attitude he projected. The blonde man sat next to a thin girl with dark hair. She looked to be on the anorexic side, but had nice swelling curves in the right places. His licked his lips lasciviously when he saw her.
“That’s a shame,” Donny-J said in mock disappointment.
“Yeah, it is,” Seeley commented wryly. “So, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t see that there’s anything I can do,” Donny-J replied.
“Here’s what I know you’re going to do: you’re going to make my job fun by loading me down with paperwork on your arrest and conviction and help get me a raise. God knows I need one with the child support I have to pay,” Seeley instructed. “Have you ever had to pay for a child you have to beg to see, Donny Boy? An FBI agent’s salary isn’t as much as you think.”
“I don’t see how I can help with that, man. I got a business to run and expenses of my own,” Donny-J said in mock-regret.
“Well, you’ve been on the run for . . .” Seeley looked at his watch. “About two weeks now. In your line of work, I can probably bet money that your contacts have packed up already and went on to better prospects.” Seeley grinned smugly as he leaned back in his chair. “And I’d win.”
Donny-J wasn’t paying attention to Agent Booth. Instead, his dubious eyes were watching the girl. She had shifted restlessly in her seat as if she were uncomfortable around him. He saw the blonde man grab her around her crossed legs and heard her chair slide over the Berber carpeting as he pulled her closer to him.
“Such a naughty boy; you’ve been playing some interesting games with power, but it eludes you. You cannot wield it properly. It is too strong for you.” Drusilla’s voice had a singsong lilt to it.
Angel glanced over at his demented childe and then back at the small man. Given the chance, his baby girl would eat him alive . . . literally. He had to close his eyes against the image of her sinking her fangs into this guy like she had done to the curator at the museum back in Sunnydale.
“Dru, just sit quietly and let us handle this without bloodshed,” Angel said calmly as he watched Donny-J stare at Drusilla. The man looked a bit confused by her vision-speak, but that didn’t stop him from leering at her.
Spike laced his fingers with hers and brought her hand up to brush his lips over the back of it. “Princess, we can play those games later. The ones you like with your family,” he whispered.
Drusilla licked her lips, looking the definition of a sultry temptress Booth already identified her with. “He smells of death and destruction. It’s thrilling; like when we were in Lyon, France. It makes me feel all dizzy.” She put her free hand to her temple and looked at Spike. “Lyon was pretty . . . such a pretty place.”
Angel and Seeley saw Donny-J become more intrigued by her lilting, little girl speech. The dark vampire growled low in his throat. Drusilla’s strange behavior inspired two things in people: they either were afraid and stayed clear of her or they felt the need to protect her. Having Seeley Booth feel the latter was one thing. He was biological blood. But, this guy eyeing Drusilla like she was easy prey was in for a hell of a shock if Angel didn’t step in and try to save the little worm’s life.
“Spike,” Angel growled. “Take her out of here, let Booth and I handle this from now on. Occupy her somehow, I don’t care. We’ll meet up with you later.”
Spike turned surprised eyes on his Sire. Was Angel suggesting what I think he’s suggesting?
The blonde vampire got up and helped Drusilla out of her seat. Then, he led her to Angel’s private elevator. When the two vampires were gone, Angel relaxed considerably and settled back in his chair.
“Now then, you won’t be distracted from this meeting. I’m sure you wouldn’t like it if I were to impress upon you the need for your cooperation in this matter. This law firm has been known to dispose of its troublesome clientele in the past. Believe me, Mr. Goldsmith, that policy has become a lot more severe with the new management,” Angel said menacingly.
**************************
Wolfram & Hart, Angel’s Suite
Spike and Drusilla had settled on the couch with her curled against him as he flipped through the channels on the TV. Angel had gotten a cable package with the whole gift of an evil law firm. The way Spike thought about it, television was a waste on Angel – unless there was a sporting event on. He stopped when something caught his eye and watched as a blonde man with a dark tan mouthed the breasts of a dark-haired woman.
Drusilla tilted her head to one side and watched the couple for moment. Spike had chosen a porn channel? As much as she led everyone to believe, she wasn’t dim. She knew about porn – people having sex on film and being paid for it. That idea turned Drusilla off to the act completely. Who would degrade sex by having it filmed with total strangers?
On Spike’s side of the couch, it was giving him ideas – a little farewell present for when their newfound family member had to leave them. Angel would revile the idea, but then, what did he care what his Sire liked anyway? And, what kind of host would Spike be if he didn’t at least send Agent Booth away with a parting gift to remember his time with them. With that thought in mind, he picked up the phone that was on the end table and punched a number for Security and Surveillance.
After placing his request to have both Booth’s and Angel’s suites recorded – for security reasons due to the way Wolfram & Hart’s newest client looked at Drusilla – he hung up the phone and settled in with her again and watched the horribly-acted sex on TV.
“Are we like that, Spike?” Drusilla asked as she continued to examine the precarious sexual position on the screen.
Spike scoffed contemptuously, “God, I hope not.”
**************************
Wolfram & Hart, Conference Room
Seeley and Angel had moved down the table and were now sitting on either side of Donny-J. The criminal had become more nervous as he looked at the two men who seemed to be imposing compared to his small stature. Not that he was a man to be intimidated. He had killed men who were as big as these two. Well, he didn’t kill them himself; his hit-man did it for him, but he was present when it happened. That should count for something in his line of work.
“Now then, you’re going to run along and consider our offer very carefully and we’ll see you in a day or two, unless something more urgent comes up with your case,” Angel said.
“It’s not much an offer. I turn myself in and end up in prison the rest of my life, possibly get turned into a fuck for someone named Bubba Jones. Or you’ll terminate me.” Donny-J laughed nervously. “Which I know you can’t do ’cause this is America and I have rights. You can’t just off me!” He turned to Agent Booth. “You’re an FBI agent. Tell him that he can’t just kill me off!”
“With a rap sheet like this, you should be begging him to save your ass. He is your lawyer after all. My jurisdiction in California goes as far as talking to you with your attorney present,” Seeley commented dryly. He looked up from the case file, adding an afterthought, “And arresting you, of course.”
“I don’t like my choices. They aren’t fair,” Donny-J said as his eyes darted between them.
“Life isn’t fair, Donny,” Seeley said. “You should have thought about your freedom of choice before you killed . . .” he glanced at the sheet again, “the . . . 25 people who were associated with you.”
“Hey man, I didn’t kill 25 people!” Donny-J exclaimed.
“You know, Charles Manson tried to use that as a defense once and he’s still rotting in a cell in San Quentin,” Seeley pondered as he looked across the table at Angel.
“I think he would like a cellmate. Don’t you?” Angel asked. “They can swap bedtime stories about their favorite ways to have someone killed.”
“I don’t think Charlie’s in general population though. He’s too afraid of his own shadow these days,” Seeley said regrettably.
“He won’t do then,” Angel shook his head. “How about Cary Stayner? He only killed women; Donny here should feel pretty safe.”
“Well, there is the Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez. He burglarized homes and killed 13 people. But, he’s married on Death Row,” Seeley suggested.
“I haven’t killed anybody!” Donny-J yelled.
“You and your rap sheet here should get together and straighten your stories out then. Because, by the look of this . . . accessory to murder, premeditated accessory,” Seeley thought for a moment. “Is that even a phrase? If not, it should be.” He looked at the small man as if he was just now noticing him. “Where was I? Oh yeah, it doesn’t look good for you.”
Donny-J looked at Angel. “He’s insane. You’ve gotta talk some sense into him. You’re my lawyer!”
Angel leaned back and tapped his pen on the table lazily. “He’s the man with a case file full of indictable crimes against you. There’s not much I can do with that much proof.”
Donny-J looked at both men with anger in his beady little eyes. He bolted out of the chair and stormed toward the door. “I’m not going down for something I didn’t do. I’ll see you both in Hell first!” He opened the door and slammed it shut behind him.
Seeley sat back in his chair. “Did that sound like a threat against an officer to you?”
“Eh, could be. Why does everyone want me to go to hell? I’ve already been there. It’s not the best vacation spot in the world,” Angel said petulantly. |
