Title: Turnabout

Pairing: Wesley/Lilah

Rating: NC-17

Spoilers: Through “Soul Purpose”

Disclaimer: Not mine. Just borrowing them for a bit of fun.

A/N: A cupid gift for queenofdenile. Thanks to Sadbhyl for the beta.

What Spike had said hit a nerve. Dress it up how you will, they had all sold out in the end. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. He grimaced. Where had it all gone wrong?

Wesley was looking forward to the peace and quiet of his office for a few hours before heading home for the night. Not that he was likely to go home at all. After the incident with his father—correction, what he thought was his father; he still found it difficult not to think of the thing as his father—he’d done pretty much anything and everything to keep busy at all moments. The better to not think about what he had done and said.

On opening his office door, Wesley realized the busy solitude he had been looking forward to would not be his this evening. A woman stood in the shadows, looking out at the LA night.

“What are you up to now, Eve?” he asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Not that they had trusted her before, but after Angel’s recount of his hallucinations, there was even less reason to trust her.

The woman turned, but it wasn’t Eve.

“I’m insulted, Wes,” Lilah said, her voice as smooth as silk. “I go away for a few months and you start mixing me up with the help? I suppose I should be glad you didn’t think I was Fred.”

“Lilah,” he acknowledged, keeping his voice even. Shutting the door behind him, he made his way to his desk and sat down.

“That’s it? No, ‘Good to see you again’ or ‘How’s Hell?’” she frowned. “You always did know how to make a girl feel welcome.”

“What do you want, Lilah?” he asked, shuffling through the papers on his desk.

“Well, that’s something, I guess.” She walked over and turned his seat around, making him face her. “You ever think I might want to see you?”

Wesley just looked at her.

“Regardless of whether you want to believe or not, it’s true,” she replied. “You’ve got your go-between in the dowdy little wannabe. How is she working out?”

“Eve is interesting,” Wesley said.

“I’m sure she is, the little upstart. You shouldn’t trust her, you know,” Lilah added.

“That much is obvious.”

“I wasn’t sure,” she shrugged, sitting on the edge of the desk. “Didn’t know if the easy life had put you off your guard or not.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“No.” She looked down at her skirt. “Hell is actually a pretty dull place. Basically a vast nothing with endless empty hours. Not that warm either. On the whole, I’m disappointed.”

“And I should care, why?” he asked with irritation.

“Thought you might want to know I wasn’t suffering or anything, after all the trouble you went to trying to save me from it,” Lilah said. Then seeing his lack of response, “You’re looking more tortured that usual, Wes. What’s wrong?”

Wesley sighed and leaned back. “Everything,” he admitted. “It was all a mistake.”

“But you wouldn’t choose any differently.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” he paused. “Angel did this for something big, didn’t he?”

“It’s not my place to say,” Lilah said, with a touch of regret.

“You don’t need to,” Wesley admitted. “It’s the only way anything makes sense, the only explanation for why what happened the past two years seems somewhat . . . patchy. A lot of effects with no causes.”

“Each of you made a deal.”

“Somehow I think Angel’s was a bit more far reaching than just himself.”

Lilah nodded, “But that’s between him and the Partners. The same goes for the rest of you. Only you and the Partners know all the details of each deal you made.”

“But there are ways to find out,” he said pointedly.

“Of course there are, Wes. There’s always a way.”

“You’ve changed,” Wesley realized.

“Haven’t been the same since my death.” There was a forced lightness in her voice. “But there are perks. Let it not be said that Wolfram & Hart does not take care of their employees, even in Hell. Basically, same as life, just a bit lonelier and in a less appealing location.”

“But it’s not terrible?” Wesley pressed.

“Not terrible,” she confirmed. “I wouldn’t have picked it given a choice, but it’s not so bad. Why, you afraid you’re going to wind up there?”

“I do work for Wolfram & Hart.” Then realizing his mistake, “I mean—”

Lilah cut him off, “You have it right and don’t forget it. Good to know you’re still perceptive. You never know, Wes, you could still come out on top in the end. You have so far.”

“Not, as I recall, when I was with you,” he mumbled.

“There may have been a time or two,” she smiled seductively. “But you didn’t seem to mind much.”

Taking his lack of response as her cue, Lilah stood up. “You never were big on talking,” she said as she made her way to the door.

Wesley considered her words as she walked away. Talking always seemed to get in his way. Some of his most important decisions were made when he wasn’t talking. Sometimes it was better to act.

Her hand was almost on the knob when she was whipped around and pinned there by Wesley.

“I’m surprised that you would give up so easily, Lilah,” he said, voice chillingly calm. “You didn’t stop by to chat.”

“I never stop by just to chat,” she said just as calm, inwardly enjoying his nearness. It had been far too long. She may be dead but that didn’t mean she didn’t still have certain needs.

“What took you so long?” he said, playing with her scarf, still carefully guarding his responses.

“Vacation days are a bit harder to come by,” Lilah rested her head against the door, gazing at him from beneath half-lidded eyes. “You plan on playing the stoic all night?”

He used the grip he had on her scarf to pull Lilah tight against him.

“Been awhile for you, too, I see,” she smirked, feeling the evidence of his interest against her stomach.

And then he was kissing her. The intensity took Lilah by surprise. When they had been together before, she had always felt him holding back. But the restraint seemed to have left him. Maybe it was all that had happened, or maybe it was just time. Regardless, it felt good.

She groaned when he pulled back. He always did break it off when things were getting good.

“Your head?” he asked, voice low.

“As long as you keep the axes away, it’ll stay put,” she replied, pulling him back to resume the kiss.

Hands wandered over familiar territory, searching, groping.

Lilah let out a gasp as Wesley tongued the scar he had given her, larger but in many ways identical to his own. She was a neck girl, but this was something beyond. New skin untempered, sensitive—

“Oh God!” she cried. It was too long if this was all it took to get her close.

She felt him stop his ministrations and smile against her neck. “I can never hear that one enough,” his voice was husky, rumbling against her.

“Well, don’t stop,” she complained.

“Oh Lilah, Lilah,” he chastised, kissing his way up her neck to nibble on her ear. Taking the lobe between his teeth, “You still think you’re the one in charge here? You lost your hold over me long ago.”

Judging from his response, Lilah didn’t lend much credence to what he said. But she was willing to play along. She had always been the dominant one, why not change things up a bit.

Wesley’s hand wandered under her skirt, slowly caressing up her leg. He paused, delicately stroking her inner thigh, just close enough to tease and nothing more. When she tried to shift, he pinned her tighter against the door. “Why did you really come, Lilah?” he asked, reaching out to lightly brush against her sex and giving no hint of surprise to find her without underwear. It only ever got in their way.

“To see you,” she gasped.

“Why?” His strokes circled languidly, briefly dipping into her heat and dancing away again.

Why? He’d ask her that now, when she couldn’t think clearly. Couldn’t really think at all for that matter. And because she couldn’t think, “I missed you.”

“Hm,” he said noncommittally, inserting one finger, then another. He brought her almost to the point of climax, then pulled out and stepped back, leaving her panting unsatisfied against the door.

What in the hell kind of game was he playing? Focusing, she realized that not only was he standing there, seemingly waiting, but he had the audacity to look smug.

“Wesley Wyndham-Pryce,” Lilah stalked toward him, forcing him to back up until he was pinned between her and his desk, “are you playing games with me?”

He shrugged, eyes dancing.

“Think you can play with the big kids now?” she questioned, deftly undoing and removing his belt in one smooth motion. Undoing the button on his pants, she worked her way in, seeking him. Pleased to note the hitch in his breath when she wrapped her fingers around his cock, she smiled wickedly as she felt him grow harder in her grasp, “I think playtime’s over.”

With that, she pushed him back onto the one empty space on the desk. Soon she was straddling him, still teasing with her grip.

“Turnabout?” he quirked an eyebrow.

“You could say that,” she replied, freeing him finally. Then staring him down, “Tell me.”

“Tell you what?” He failed at feigning disinterest. She had him, alright.

“You know,” she said, now hovering, ready to take him in.

Wesley let out a groan, “Lilah!” S

he lowered herself just enough so he could feel her heat, “Say it!”

“I’ve missed you, too,” he admitted. Quickly, he reached out and pulled her down. Lilah gasped at the sudden but expected intrusion.

They stayed motionless, becoming reaccustomed to each other. Slowly rocking against him, she leant down and began to kiss him with the same, leisurely pace.

She barely registered a couple of thuds followed by the rustling of paper before Lilah found herself flipped over.

“My turn,” Wesley mumbled into their kissing as he quickened the pace.

Lilah’s hands worked under his shirt to feel the smooth planes of his back. She’d forgotten how wonderful he felt. Who knew all of this lay hidden underneath that geeky exterior a few short years ago?

He shifted slightly, the new angle hitting her just right. “Learned some new tricks I see,” she said, nipping along his jawline, down to taste his scar.

“Christ, Lilah,” he hissed, thrusting deeper.

“Guess our scars are good for something.” She added a bit more pressure to the ridge of smooth skin and was rewarded with a deep moan. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Not something you can tell,” he breathed into her ear, lifting one of her legs higher to gain better access. Then in time with his thrusts, “Something you have to feel.”

Lilah screamed as her climax took her unawares. “Jesus—Wesley—Oh!” she felt a second one begin to build even before the first finished. She went over again as he came.

They rested, still mostly clothed, recovering.

Wesley rolled off to one side, propping himself up to study her.

“I didn’t think I would see you again,” he admitted quietly.

“I’m like a bad penny, Wes, I always manage to turn up.” Her smile was genuine.

“That’s not such a bad thing,” he returned the smile with one of his own. Then, a bit more serious, “I didn’t expect you to still be so . . .”

“Warm? Alive?” she said. “Dead doesn’t necessarily mean dead, Wes. Besides, Hell wouldn’t be hell if I didn’t still feel alive. Adds something to the whole experience.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be,” she reached up, placing a hand on his cheek. “There are compensations, after all.”