Title: Body Work
Author: hold_that_thought
Rated: NC-17 (Graphic violence in addition to sex)
Spoilers/Setting: Through Angel Season 4 (Goes AU midway through 'Calvary')
Disclaimer: The characters used within are the property of Mutant Enemy, Twentieth Century Fox, and of course Joss Whedon. It's their sandbox, I'm just playing in it.
Pairing: Wesley/Lilah
Summary: It's hard to outrun something when you want to get caught. (Sequel to Body Count)
Notes A: This is a sequel to my other fic, Body Count, so most of this won't make sense unless you've read that already. But if you don't feel like reading that, in a nutshell, Angelus killed Cordelia and vamped Lilah during 'Calvary,' and Lilah vamped Wesley and killed Angelus. Wesley killed Fred and Gunn, then he and Lilah seduced and killed Faith.
Notes B: Thank you so, so much to Nautibitz and little_bit for being fabulous friends and betas, and for indulging all my weird obsessions and zany reactions to fictional character deaths. (Completed 5/19/03)
Archive: More than likely okay, but please ask first
Feedback: Totally welcome (APostModernSleaz@aol.com)

Body Work

Night caught up with them in New Mexico. Allowed to rampage unchecked, the Beast’s spell on the sun had kept growing, and at 4pm the lights went out as Lilah and Wesley checked into the Old Santa Fe Inn.

"Rather makes your jury-rigged sun cover anticlimactic," Wesley said, tossing the black overcoat and sombrero on the bed. "We could have just waited in the car for a few more minutes."

"Well, I’m not the impatient one who was tired of getting Angel’s gear shift up the ass during sex, was I?" Lilah smiled as Wesley helped her pull off the long black opera gloves they’d rescued from the Hyperion’s basement just before they’d left the hotel three days earlier.

Wesley walked behind her and smoothed her hair down. "Now Lilah, just because you’re into that...."

"Watch it, or you won’t be ‘into that’ at all tonight."

"Mm, that’s an idle threat coming from you and you know it," Wesley growled and kissed her on the back of the neck. "Besides, once we get to Oklahoma, we’ll have better means of travel."

"Assuming Lindsey still has the Wolfram and Hart personal jet pass he stole on his way out," Lilah said as she started to walk towards the bed, dragging Wes behind her.

"If he doesn’t, we’ll simply liquidate his savings account after we kill him."

"Won’t we do that anyway?"

"Point taken."

Wesley crawled across the bed towards Lilah, who grinned and snapped off the bedside lamp.

***

Wesley raked his hand through Lilah’s hair and drew her closer to him on the bed. "I still say we should have gone to Sunnydale."

"I thought you agreed with me. We were lucky Faith was such a dope, but there’s no way we could survive in that town for more than a day with Buffy around."

"Yes, but we don’t even know that she’s still alive. After all, the Beast is apparently still on the loose, and even with all the information about him we faxed to Sunnydale, she’s probably no match for him."

"It still isn’t worth risking. Especially after Buffy, if I remember her file at Wolfram and Hart correctly, brutally gutted the last person to mess with her precious widdle Angel. I don’t think she’d appreciate my staking him."

"No, I don’t imagine she would." Wesley kissed Lilah on the forehead. "I didn’t neglect to mention that I appreciated it, did I?"

She chuckled. "You mentioned it once or twice. Angel is partly responsible for one good thing though."

"Oh? What’s that?"

"Well, two things actually. One, your sexy, sexy scar." Lilah drew her tongue across the pale pink line stretching over Wesley’s neck. "Two, getting us back together. In a manner of speaking."

Wesley stretched and pushed himself into a sitting position. "Are you hungry?"

***

"I’m just saying," Lilah shrugged while clamping the thrashing girl’s mouth shut in the alley behind the nightclub, "of all the girls in there, you just happen to pick the one who looks like Fred?"

Wesley rolled his eyes as he reached down and snapped the girl’s ankles to keep her from running away. "Aside from the glasses and dark hair, I fail to see the resemblance."

"Oh, come on." Lilah ripped the girl’s shirt apart, exposing her to the chilly night air.

"She’s even got Fred’s little Calista Flockhart chest! Not to mention that girl you turned in Flagstaff who was another Burkle dead ringer. Bet you can’t wait until we get to Texas."

"Lilah, you’re just peevish because you haven’t eaten anything. Why don’t you keep her, I’ll go find another, and we can discuss this rationally back at the hotel?"

Wesley disappeared back into the nightclub. Lilah turned back to the struggling girl and started to lean in towards her neck.

"Ah, fuck it. I can find something better myself." She threw the girl into the nearby wall and started to head towards the street when she heard a man shouting to her.

"Hey...hey! Hey, miss!" Lilah turned, tensing for a fight, but relaxed when she saw a dopey vampire ambling towards her. "You gonna finish that?"

"Be my guest," she waved dismissively.

The vampire cheerfully trotted towards his crumpled meal as Lilah walked away.

***

Wesley came back to the hotel room at what should have been dawn, paternally carrying a small unconscious boy with him.

"I brought you a snack if you’re still hungry." Wesley dumped the boy into one of the chairs and smiled at Lilah.

Lilah scowled at him. "We need to talk."

"I figured as much," he said, sitting down at the edge of the bed Lilah was sprawled across. "What’s bothering you?"

"What do you think?" she snapped.

"The Fred thing."

"Of course the Fred thing. I’m the one you’re with, and Fred’s as dead as the doornail she took her figure from. But you think I don’t see the way you look into crowds, looking like maybe you’ll find someone in there. Find her. The one you want just because you couldn’t fucking have her." Lilah pulled her legs under herself and sighed. "Do you think I like this? Being the jealous shrew? I’ve never cared enough to be jealous before, and I’m sorry if I’m not handling the role properly, but sometimes I think you’re doing it just to drive me insane."

"Trust me, Lilah, if I wanted to drive you insane, I would have turned that sermonizing Mormon girl in Phoenix and brought her along with us," Wesley winked, trying to lighten the mood.

Lilah ignored his joke. "And that’s another thing. Trust. We’re both on the same side now, no stupid good versus evil crap, and you still don’t trust me."

"Well, you did kill me, Lilah," Wesley said somberly. "That tends to be a deal-breaker when it comes to trust."

"I did that for us! For you and for me. And I didn’t hear you complaining when you were killing Gunn, Fred, and Faith."

"I couldn’t complain, my mouth was full."

"Very funny."

"I thought so."

"So this is it?" Lilah untucked one leg and gently kicked Wes in the side. "I try to have an honest conversation with you and you make jokes?"

Wesley grabbed her leg and brought her ankle up to his mouth, kissing it. "What do you want me to say Lilah?"

"I want you to say that you...for now? Say that you’ll stop feeding on Fred clones."

Wesley nodded. "Done."

"Good."

"What about Angel clones? There was always something about that man that made me...tingle."

"You’re a regular comedian tonight, Pryce."

"Tonight?" Wesley turned around to face Lilah. He pushed her legs apart and slid himself towards her. "You’re obviously forgetting what I did with that man’s entrails last night. That was funny."

Lilah laughed. "His wife’s reaction was even funnier."

In the chair, the boy stirred and started to whimper. Wesley pulled one of Lilah’s pumps off her feet and hurled it as hard as he could towards the boy’s head. Then he turned to Lilah. "Now, don’t go telling me that you can see Fred’s face in the pattern of blood on the wall."

She tilted her head and squinted at the red splatters on ivory wallpaper. "No, definitely more of a tiger pattern."

***

"...but scientists are still trying to determine the cause of the extended solar eclipse that appears to have originated near Los Angeles, California. Meanwhile, authorities are urging residents to remain indoors as much as possible, as the Santa Fe police department is currently overrun and unable to assure the safety of all residents—"

Wesley switched off the television when Lilah came out of the shower.

"Ready to continue heading east?" she asked as she started toweling off her hair.

"Actually, I thought we could stay here one more night. I have some business to attend to that I’d like to have completed before we move on."

"Business?" Lilah arched an eyebrow.

"Nothing you need worry over," Wesley said. He stood up and buttoned his shirt before smiling warmly at Lilah. "I’ll be back shortly."

After he left, Lilah silently dressed and waited five minutes before following him.

***

Wesley’s scent stopped at a small brick storefront off a side street several blocks from the hotel. There were no signs to indicate what sort of store it was, and no pedestrians milling around that she could ask.

"Let me guess, he found another perfectly adorable little brunette with glasses and a twang," Lilah muttered to herself.

"Yes, her name is Eleanor, and I want you to play nice with her," Wesley drawled.

Lilah startled, then turned around to face him.

"I didn’t see you there."

"Obviously." Lilah didn’t say anything else, so Wesley held up a brown paper bag. "No girl. Just a present. Really, Lilah, you complain that I don’t trust you, but you’ve yet to show that you trust me."

"I don’t even trust myself when it comes to you," she sighed. "Before you, my longest relationship was a three month love affair with these black kitten-heel shoes I picked up in Milan. And those I threw out as soon as they gave me a blister. I don’t get attached. No one at Wolfram and Hart does."

"But you don’t work for Wolfram and Hart anymore," Wesley said, leaning against the building.

"Old habits."

"That’s why I got this." He held up the bag again.

"Okay, I’ll bite – what’s in the bag?"

"I’ll show you back at the hotel. But you were right – you’ll bite." Wesley winked, looped his arm around Lilah’s waist, and led her back to the hotel.

***

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

"What?"

"Wesley. You’re insane." Lilah gaped at the array of shiny props laid out on the table.

Wesley smirked. "Why are you so surprised? I thought you were the old pro here."

"That’s not the surprise. The surprise is you buying these things. After you scoffed at my handcuffs last summer."

"I didn’t scoff. And besides, this time I’m not the one who’s to be tied up."

"Nuh uh." Lilah crossed her arms and stared at Wesley. "Isn’t the whole point of S and M to subvert dominant roles? Which is why the guy, being you, usually gets tied up, and the girl, being me, gets the whip. Don’t worry, Wes, I know how to use a cat o’ nine tails," she purred. "I won’t hurt you more than I want to."

"Lilah, I assure you that tying you up is the way to subvert dominant roles in this relationship. Besides, this is about trust."

"Trust? You’re the one who needs to learn to trust."

"Which I will, once you stop being so defensive."

Wesley remained unmoving as Lilah stared at him, running her nails back and forth across her collarbone. Finally, she turned her back to him. Wesley assumed she would walk out the door—for an hour, for the night, forever. Instead, she unzipped her dress, pushed it down to the floor, and walked over to the bed.

Sitting primly on the edge, she smiled at him. "Do your worst."

***

Shadows from the lit candles atop the dresser cast harsh shadows on the wall, a contrast to the soft light that washed over Lilah.

"Oh Wessy, I’m all vulnerable and soft, as every good little girl should be," she laughed, arching her back off the bed and rattling the silver chains that bound her hands to the headboard. "See? All better now."

Wesley stood at the foot of the bed, unimpressed. "There’s that defensiveness again."

"Well, what do you want me to say? At least take your pants off. I hate being naked all alone." Lilah dramatically fluttered her eyelashes and pouted.

Wesley walked around the bed, running his hand from Lilah’s ankles, up past her thighs, over her tummy, and finally resting on her chest. Lilah sighed and closed her eyes.

"Now," he said, climbing on the bed to straddle her, "just relax and trust me."

"Yes, sir," Lilah said, completely somber save for the mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

He plucked a tall red taper from the dresser and dangled it over Lilah, who watched the flame twist and bob as Wesley tilted the candle. Red wax trickled from the wick. Lilah hissed and squirmed beneath Wesley when the wax hit her skin before pooling between her breasts and hardening into abstract shapes. Dribbling crimson beads over her chest and tummy, Wesley began slowly grinding himself into Lilah.

"Not that I mind," Lilah said, pushing up into him, "but how will this help me trust you?"

Wesley brought the candle down near the curve of her breast, holding it in one spot just long enough to let a small red circle appear from the heat before moving it, watching the wax run in rivulets across her body and gently rubbing it into her skin. "This is just to get you...warmed up," he winked.

Then he climbed off of her, leaving Lilah wet and, dammit, wanting...needing. And she didn’t even have use of her hands to finish the job herself. So instead, she tried to relax against the bed, suddenly glad she didn’t have to worry about circulation being cut off.

"So, what else you got in your bag of tricks?"

Wesley grabbed a small bottle from the bag and kept it behind him as he walked back to Lilah. "I’m not sure how much you’ll enjoy this one...." He showed her the bottle, let her read the label.

"Holy water? Fuck you!"

"What?"

"Holy water hurts like fuck, and the scars take forever to go away!" She pulled against the chains, and when they didn’t bend against her thrashing, tried slipping out of them. "I’ve played along so far, but this is...no, no fucking way."

"Lilah." He rested his hand on her thrashing hips. "Shh, listen." She stopped moving but continued to glare. "The point of this is trust. Do you trust me?"

"No."

He sighed, put the holy water in his pocket and moved to unhook her chains. Lilah chewed on her lip and counted to ten before making a decision....

"Wait."

"Yes?"

"I’ll...give it a shot."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Why not. Only live once," she laughed.

Climbing on top of her, Wesley gingerly uncapped the bottle and tipped the bottle over Lilah’s stomach while she closed her eyes, waiting for the sizzle...that didn’t come. She opened her eyes and looked down, the scent of coconut washing over her.

Wesley smiled. "I replaced it with massage oil." Rubbing the oil into her skin with one hand and unbuckling his belt with the other, he leaned into her, taking a nipple into his mouth and pushing his pants down.

Lilah was moaning even before he slid into her, straining against her chains and sliding her legs up his, encircling his waist and pulling him harder into her. Body sleek with candle wax and oil, she arched her back, loving the play between friction and slick where his skin met hers, groaning when the shaft of his cock rode up against her clit.

He ran his hands up the length of her body, pushing his mouth against her, nipping at her lip and running his tongue across hers. When he felt himself start to reach the brink, he slowed his rocking and ventured his hand down, rubbing his thumb over her clit. Lilah arched and writhed and, when she started moaning and tightening, Wesley let go, vibrant colors playing across the back of his eyelids as he slid into numbness and collapsed onto Lilah, burying his face into the crook of her neck and sighing.

When he’d regained feeling in his extremities again, Wesley pushed himself up and undid her chains. Lilah stretched her arms, rolled her hands on her wrists a few times before draping her arms around Wesley’s neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

"So," she said, running her fingers through his hair, "you think we worked out all our issues now?"

Wesley chuckled. "I doubt we scratched the surface. But it’s a start. Maybe next time, I’ll let you tie me up."

"Mm, promises, promises. Wanna order room service?"

"Did you see the employees here?"

"Good point, we’ll go out." Lilah pushed herself up and gave Wesley a kiss on the forehead. "Then we’ll head east." As she reached for her shoes, she turned back to Wesley. "You know, if I’d known you liked whips and chains so much, I would have brought the stash I found while rooting through Cordelia’s closet before we left."

"Very funny," he yawned.

She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Lilah, you are kidding, aren’t you?"

"Wouldn’t you like to know," she winked. "Speaking of, remind me to check Lindsey’s basement after we kill him. I always suspected he was into kink. Unless that evil hand bull scared him straight."

"Now Lilah," Wesley grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back onto the bed, cupping her breast and gently biting into her neck, "you know how talking about evil hands gets me hot."

"Ooh, kinky," she giggled. "Fuck it, we’ll just get room service."

Lilah snuggled against Wesley, who picked up the phone. "Front desk? Yes, I’d like to order a bottle of wine. White. Yes, that will be all. Oh, and if it isn’t too much of a bother, can you send that tall, blonde boy? Yes, I think he went to school with my wife, and she’s dying to see him again...."

To be continued in Body Parts...