Within These Walls....By Kimberly D Campbell


She wasn't sure at first if she heard the phone ring. She was out on the patio waiting for the puppy to do his business. The small cocker spaniel had been a gift from Lindsey. She adored the dog near as much as she loved the man. Daphne craned her neck towards the open window when she heard the soft trill again
"Come on, Darling. I bet that's your Daddy on the phone. Come on" Daphne walked thru the french doors holding them open til the puppy got himself inside. She locked the door behind her as Lindsey had always been adamant about security. It was one of his quirks, and one she sometimes found irritating. She tossed the leash on the counter and picked up the cordless.
"Hello?"
"Daph, I want you to get in the car and leave now. Don't worry about packing anything, get out of the house and drive away. Do it right now." Lindsey's voice was tight and hurried. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew it unusual for her lover to be so frightened.
"Okay, I'll put Darling in the car and leave now. I'll call you on your cell from the road"
"No! Don't. I will find you. Just get out. " Realizing he may be scaring her to death, he softened a bit. " Daph, don't worry baby, I'll see you soon. Take the puppy and I love you." He didn't wait for her to reply. He had hung up.
Daphne ran upstairs and grabbed her purse. She was halway down the steps when she remembered the book on the nightstand. Another gift from Lindsey, this for her college graduation. A first edition hardcover volume of Hamlet. Inside padded with soft silk was a sleek black nine millimeter. She grabbed the entire package and rushed back down the stairs. She gathered Darling up in her arms and dashed for the car.
She was halway down the driveway when she heard the first explosion and her whole upper body jerked around to see the front door explode into a million different directions. The exact place she had stood seconds ago. She watched as a second explosion tore apart the second floor. She saw peices of their headboard sailing thru the smoke. Clothes charred & floating on an angry wind. It was the five hundred dollar sheets she watched dance past as the front of her Mercedes collided with the large oak at the end of the lawn.

Lindsey MacDonald had met Daphne while working on a case for Wolfram and Hart. She was the sole benefactor of the estate left by Victor Pennington, perhaps the firms most devious client. Her name had been Delilah Pennington back then. It was thru Lindsey that she was able to break away from her fathers leagacy and begin a new life away from the evils of her childhood. Lindsey was her rock, and it was a position he quite enjoyed. And it was her the senior partners would now use to hurt him. Reluctanly, he made his way down to the offices of Angel Investigations. He had in his briefcase everything he needed to get the two of them out of the country without the firm discovering their excursion. He simply had to make a stop at Angel's place to drop off the rest of the files the investigator had requested. He was opening the door to the offices when his private cell rang. He answered on the first ring.
"Daphne, I said don't call, I will ta.."Lindsey was cut off by the deep baritone of a voice he didn't recognize.
"I am sorry Mr.McDonald, your girl seems to be unavailable at the moment, but perhaps you would like to talk to me for just a moment. I know I have something that may interest you."
Lindsey's grip on the phone tightened and his face went pale. He mustered up all his remaining will and spoke quietly into the phone. "You will not lay a single fucking finger on her. I find you and you are dead."
The voice chuckled and Lindsey felt himself slipping. He knew the partners would be coming, though he never expected them this soon. "What is it I can do for you Mr...." His voice trailed off waiting for the caller to provide his name.
"My name is irrelevant Mr.McDonald. What you should be concerned with now is how long I decide to let this sweet lady live if you do not do as I ask of you." The voice drew in a audible breath and once again Lindsey felt his chest tighten. " I want those files now. If you take them to the area I designate, you will be able to pick up your girlfriend and get on with what miserable life you can abide outside the comfort of the firm. If you decide to seek out the vampire for aid, we will terminate her. And you & the vampire will shortly follow. You understand the workings of this company. I believe you know what I mean when I say your beautiful friend here will come to understand as well. You will hear from me againMr.McDonald." Lindsey's knuckles were white from gripping the phone. He heard the distinctive click signaling the gentleman has disconnected, yet he couldn't put the phone down. When the weight of the call finally hit him it hit hard. He fell back against the door and lowered his head. They would kill her. That left him with no choice.

When Lindsey had first met Daphne Samuels she was Delilah Pennington. She was a spoiled debutante and she hated him. For some reason that irked him beyond belief. He taunted her everytime they met. He shot down any nicities she tried to make for the sake of her father. Yet he knew he wouldn't be able to stay away from her. It was like he became magentized around her. Eventually she gave in to his charms.Her father was extremely happy with the opportunity to keep her out of his affairs. Vincent Pennington was not the nicest man. His dealings with the demonic element in Los Angeles had at that time reached insurmountable levels. Half of his staff couldn't work during the daylight hours. The other half couldn't be seen in public at all. Delilah had been raised far from the darkness of her fathers work. To this day she only knows what Lindsey has told her. Victor Pennington was a powerful man, but he wasn't going to live forever. It wasn't that he had vampire envy, he actually thought them to be rather inferior. He simply didn't want to die. Of course immediately after turning he decided to kill his daughter. And of course Lindsey staked him before he could. To this day Daphne remained oblivious to all the evil that surrounded her. Lindsey would give his life to keep it that way.

Cordelia was happily making coffee when Wesley entered the office. She smiled and held a cup in the air silently offering the fresh brew. Wesley passed behind her taking the cup from her hand. He sat the mail down on the desk and let out a sigh.
"Good Morning Cordelia. Any sign of the boss yet?" Wesley sat his coffee down and began flipping thru todays paper.
"Nope. I haven't seen him all day. Maybe he finally adjusted his sleeping cycle to that of a normal vampire." Cordelia walked over to her chair and sat down. She started to sort the days mail when the familiar hum of the elevator signaled Angel's asent. "Speak of the Devil" she quipped never looking up from the Neiman Marcus Catalog. Angel opened the gate and headed straight for the coffee pot. He poured himself a cup and leaned against the desk.
"Any news from Lindsey yet?" He directed the question towards Wesley, but Cordelia answered.
"Oh, you mean, Mr. Think I'll be a good guy this week? Nope. Not a word. " She stated while still flipping pages. "He should be here any time now. He called about an hour ago, which you would know had you not slept til noon." Cordelia finally paused a moment to look up at Angel. His attire this morning was the norm. Black everywhere. Cordelia thought about mentioning the mens sale to him then decided against it. Her boss had never been one for department stores. She was getting up to hand him some paperwork to sign when Lindsey walked thru the door. His hair was tousled and he came rushing towards Angel like a madman.
"I have your files, but you have to help me first." Lindsey looked straight into Angels eyes.
"The deal was you bring me the files, I help you get out of town. I've given you the passports, now you gimme the files." Angel reached for the stack of manilla folders Lindsey had tucked under his arm.
"No. On my way in here, I recived a telephone call. They have my girlfriend and I think they are gonna kill her. I need your help." Lindsey never dropped his eyes away from Angel. He stood there staring at the vampire. He's gotta understand, I can't let them hurt her. Lindsey was scared and had little time to plead. "Angel, I love her, I can't be without her. If they hurt her, I don't know what I'll do. Have you ever felt that way? Loved someone so much the mere thought of them in pain made you cry out? Have you? I would die for her, I do this for her" He tossed the folders on the desk. "Take them, Take them all, just please, help me get Daphne back. Please." Angel listened to every word, hearing his own torment spilling from the young lawyers mouth. He thought of Buffy and all the times she was in danger. He heart ached. Angel stared back at Lindsey, neither of them breaking the staredown. Angel thought of every possible snappy brush off then realized that he couldn't just someone die. Angel broke away from Lindsey's gaze and turned towards Wesley.
"Wes, check out the files, see if its what we're looking for. Cordelia, you start on the disks. I'll be back in a while." Angel turned and nodded for Lindsey to follow.


When Daphne awoke she was in her bedroom. She raised her head grogily and heard the shower running. She slid out from under the covers and walked towards the bathroom. Some nightmare she thought as she reached for her robe. She walked into the bathroom just as Lindsey stepped from the shower. She smiled and walked over to kiss him.
"Good morning. I didn't want to wake you. You snore so cute." he kissed her on the nose and continued drying off. She walked around behind him and put her hands on his shoulders.
"Good morning to you." she said softly and kissed the back of his neck. Lindsey turned around and wrapped the towel around her pulling her close to him. Daphne could smell his skin and the heat of his touch made her heart skip a beat. She tilted her head up to meet his lips. She loved kissing him. She bit his bottom lip as he lifted her off the floor. She felt her robe slip off her shoulders and fall to the carpet. He pulled her legs up around his waist and thrust his hand into her hair. Daphne let her hands drop from his neck down to his chest kissing him wildly. It was always like this. He set her on fire. She threw her head back when he entered her and let out a soft cry which he silenced immediately with another kiss. She dug her fingers into the tender skin of his back and moved with him. Her legs began to feel weak and suddenly she was unable to move her arms. She tried to cry out but no sound came. She opened her eyes and saw that the walls were steel. What's happening? she whispered to Lindsey, but he wasn't there. Neither was the bathroom. She was somewhere else. Somewhere she didn't recognize. And she was bound. Daphne raised her head and looked down at her arms. They were stapped down to what appeared to be a hospital bed. Save for a small table and stool off to her right the room was empty. She stared at the ceiling trying to remember how she had come to be here. It took a moment, then the memories came flooding back. The house exploding. Their house. Lindsey had called her and told her to run. Lindsey. Her thoughts came to a screeching halt.
"Oh God, Lindsey. Where are you?" Daphne turned and faced the wall. She closed her eyes and cried herself back to sleep.

Daphne slowly opened her eyes. There had been no dreams this time. She studied her surroundings. There was a door, but it was large and made of a heavy steel. There were no windows and the air ducts on the ceiling were far too small for her to squeeze thru. Besides that, the celings were high. She guessed they were probably around 30 feet. She was still gazing around the room when the door gave loud hiss and opened. Two gentlemen casually dressed stepped inside, shutting the door behind them. Daphne twisted and jerked and screamed yet the men just stared. Finally she quieted down.
"Fuck You. He'll kill you for this, you know that right. He'll toss you into the sun and watch you fry." Daphne spat the words at the men standing at the foot of her bed.
"Ms.Samuels, we are sorry for these unfortunate circumstances, but you understand this couldn't be helped. We are counting on him seeking you out." The first gentleman smiled at her as he spoke. He seemed to be the older of the two, and Daphne sensed he may hold some rank on the younger man.
"What do you want with Lindsey?" She tried not to let them smell her fear. She held back her tears and tried not to picture his face., tried not to hear him laughing and calling her name. It was silly things to be thinking now, but she could recall every single detail of their life. I suppose this is my life flashing before my eyes. she thought. "What is going to happen to me?"
"Ms.Samuels, your boyfriend has taken things that do not rightfully belong to him. And we know this is not the first time he has aligned himself with the vampire. He's playing both sides and that's something we do not tolerate. We plan to reprimand him as he deserves. You, on the other hand we have no need for. I'm certain he has told you things, which may be incrminating to us. We are yet undecided of your fate. Perhaps you may enjoy some treachery. Would you like to tell us why the vampire desires these particular files?" The younger gentleman had seated himself on the metal stool. The older man was right beside her now, leaning down towards her face. She could see the fangs even in the dim light provided by the lamp on the far wall. She turned her face away and blinked back the tears. Oh Lindsey, why is this happening? she pushed her fright down and glared at the man.
"I told you to fuck off, I have nothing to tell." She actually did spit this time, straight into his eyes. The vamp slowly wiped the saliva from his brow and with a single nod motioned for the younger man to follow him out of the room. Daphne heard the lock engage and closed her eyes. Once again the tears came freely.

The older vamp walked abit ahead of his counterpart. Neither spoke for what seemed a long time. They walked swiflty down the corridors towards the elevators. There was much to be done. If Angel had recieved information on how to kill the Shelthan then Wolfram & Hart standed to lose a couple billion dollars. The Shelthan was an intelligent species. They were able to fortell future events by touching an object. Several of Wolfram and Harts clients were gambling men. The Shelthan would be most invaluable during a binge.
The clients paid top dollar for these types of services and the partners would be considerably angry if they were unable to retrieve the files. The older vamp spoke.
" Bastian, you will need to put a tracer on our vampire detective. I want to know where he is at all times."
The younger vampire looked nervous. "Taryn sir, I don't believe that is wise. We've tried before and the casualities were most unwelcome by the partners. Perhaps it would be easier to free the girl-she will certainly lead us to him." Bastian looked towards his mentor for a reaction. Taryn stopped walking and looked down at Bastian. He was impressed with the boys ability to think clearly in a crisis.
" Yes, we will not track Angel, but we will not free the girl. Our good lawyer knows about this place, I think he may try to come for her. In that case, we shall prepare." Taryn smiled down at his cohort.
" Oh goody", giggled Bastian" We're having guests".


Angel and Lindsey were sitting in Gunn's newly rented apartment. Angel had been paying him here and there for small jobs.
"So, these files have the addresses I asked for? The notes on how to kill the Shelthan demon? " Angel looked at Lindsey. The lawyer hadn't slept yet and the worry was starting to show.
"Yeah, it's all there. The instructions on how to forge the blade that will destroy it. I've done as you asked. Are you going with me or not? I know where they have her. It's just a matter of getting inside and taking her. I can't do that alone." Lindsey raised his head for the first time in hours and looked straight into the vampires eyes. Angel stared back and saw the torment and the truth. Lindsey wasn't just dangling the fence this time, he had made the full leap over and Angel could see he really meant to save this girl even if it got him killed.
"Okay, lets go over the plan then." Angel pulled out the blueprint of the building adjoining Wolfram & Hart. Lindsey had given him these particular papers weeks ago. He had plenty of time to study them and was sure they could enter the facility unnoticed. " I can get us in, but how do we find her? Where will they be keeping her?" Angel watched as Lindseys face screwed up as if he were about to cry.
"She'll be somewhere in the sublevels. They keep any captives down there so that..."his voice faltered and trailed off for a moment "...So their screams won't be audible to regular clients that may be in the building. Now, can we please just hurry!?" Lindsey screamed then, his anger had boiled to its peak. "They will torture her, they will hurt her in ways even you can't imagine. I have never seen anyone come back from that place. Ever. We have to go now." Lindsey got up and started towards the door. Angel had him by the arm in a couple of steps.
"Lindsey" Angel whispered , his voice low " I know what you are feeling. I see it eating you alive, but this impulsiveness will only serve to get us all killed. We are going, and we are going now, but you have to stay with me here, you do as I say when I say and we'll all be out of here alive." Angel released Lindsey's arm and walked around him to hold open the elevator gate. "So, lets go get her." Lindsey raised his head in determination and followed Angel into the lift.
.

The security cameras were more than just cameras. They had infared tracking devices built inside. There were some creatures who were able to become invisible at will, so this allowed the guards to track their movement should such a creature enter the building. Of course, none of this mattered as they were entering thru the sewers. Wolfram & Hart were sticklers for security and it was true nothing could penetrate these walls without their discovery, but the sublevels were different. Only normal cameras were used as the beings down here would be setting alarms off every few seconds.
Angel cut a whole thru the ceiling, which would grant them access to the lowest level of the building. Lindsey figured they'd have her on the 2nd floor as most humans were kept there. Angel hoisted himself onto the landing and stretched out his arm to give Lindsey a hand. Once they were both in the hallway, Angel turned back to Lindsey once again.
" Where do we go from here? Are the stairs guarded?" Angel motioned towards the narrow stairwell down at the end of the corridor.
"No. No guards actually on the floor. There is a booth we will have to get past, but other than that, we just walk. " Lindsey started towards the stairs with Angel close behind. They got up to the landing of the 2nd floor with no problems. Lindsey cracked the stairwell door open and peeked down the hall. At the far right end there was the guard shack. Down to his left the elevators. He waved his hand behind his back signaling Angel to follow. The two stepped into the hallway.
"Guard shack? How many? Angel asked.
" Two sometimes three, but they are human, so I figure we can crawl by" Lindsey suggested.
"Sure, or we just could just hit this little button on the door right there and wait til they come rushing inside to check it out." Lindsey turned around to see what he was talking about. Next to the door of one of the holding cells was a bright keypad. One of the shiny black knobs said emergency release. Lindsey let out an exasperated sigh and pushed the button. He and Angel ducked behind the small brick partition in the hall. Soon enough two guards emerged from the booth and ran down the hall just as another vampire jumped from the cell. Both guards raised stun guns and started to fight the demon back into his cage. Angel and Lindsey took the opportunity to pass down the hall and around the corner. Lindsey grabbed the clipboard from the desk on their way. He did a quick scroll down the page and tossed the papers over his shoulder onto the floor.
"She's in 281, right down here..." He broke off into a run, searching the wall til he found the small black numbers he was looking for. He never completely stopped running, slamming his hands onto the door. He hit the black knob on the keypad and the lock disengaged. He pushed open the door and ran inside. Daphne was lying her on her side, asleep.
"Daph, oh Daphne, wake up baby. Wake up" Lindsey shook her shoulder gently. "Daphne?" She opened her eyes and looked at him. I'm dreaming again she thought Its just a dream. She opened her mouth and started screaming.
" Why are you doing this to me? Stop making me see things! Somebody help me!" Daphne was screaming and thrashing around wildly. Lindsey grabbed her arms and pulled the buckles off the cuffs.
"Daphne, baby its me" He undid her feet and went to lift her up.
I can really move, I can feel him. "Lindsey?" she looked up at him questioningly. "Lindsey?! she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his hair. "They blew up the house, and I don't know where Darling is, and Lindsey, they wanna kill you" she was crying now, desperately clinging to him."We have to get out of here now, we have to go.." she finally noticed Angel by the door. Or rather she noticed the figure moving up behind him. "No!" she screamed and Angel turned around just in time to see the fire extinguisher come towards his face. Then it went black.
Lindsey grabbed Daphne off the bed intending to push his way out the door. Another figure stepped into the cell. It was clear they were vampires but Lindsey was too determined to get Daphne out to feel fear.
"Get out of the way. We are leaving" He started towards the door.
"Put her down Mr. MacDonald. neither of you will be leaving anytime soon." Taryn waved his counterpart around behind the couple. Bastian reached for Daphne and Lindsey spun around.
"Dont you fucking touch her." He roared at the young demon. Taryn took the opportunity and snatched Daphne out of Lindseys arms. He pulled the shivering woman close to him and laughed.
"So tender, no wonder you love her . I bet she's tasty too. Is she? Is she as good as she looks Mr.MacDoanld? The older vamp was taunting him, and Bastian had him by the arms, holding them behind the his back. Lindsey struggled but the vamp was strong and this whole mess had drained what energy Lindsey had left.
"Let her go, you got me" Lindsey said in defeat. Taryn seemed to consider this for a moment. He looked at Daphne, her eyes dazed over and then back to Lindsey.
" Yes, I do believe I have you " the vampire stated and buried his teeth into Daphne's neck. She let out a small cry and went limp. Lindsey went crazy then. He fought madly at the man holding him, screaming and crying as his heart broke. He was starting to lose conciousness when the grip on his arms released. Angel was awake! Lindsey turned around as the young demon turned to dust. He was a step behind Angel in reaching the Taryn. Angel came around on his right with a roundhouse that knocked Daphne free of his bite. Lindsey dropped onto the floor beside her covering the wound with his hand.
" Oh Christ, Daphne, look at all the blood, your blood." He was crying, rocking her, never taking his hand off the gashing tear in her throat. He was oblivious to the battle around him.
"Angelus, we are brothers, why are we fighting?" The vampire and Angel circling one another.
" I am nothing like you." Angel growled and brought his knee up into Taryn's chest. The vampire doubled over and Angel used this to push him onto the ground. Taryn tried to rise to his feet again, but Angel came down fast, driving the other half of the clipboard into the vamps heart. He died screaming.

Daphne's breathing had become shallow and Lindsey knew it was over. He felt Angel walk up behind him.
"Lindsey.. If there was something I could do, you know..."Angel let the sentence trail off not really knowing what to say. Lindsey grew very still then stood up and looked Angel directly in the eyes.
"You can. You can do something." Lindsey's voice was rushed as the idea formed in his mind. Angel looked back confused.
"I can't heal people, I don't have that power." Angel was still missing it. Lindsey looked back down at his lover and his face screwed up, he couldn't stop the tears.
" You can change her. You can save her that way. You can feed her- please- she can't just die!" Lindsey was a shadow of the tough LA lawyer he had been just yesterday. The man was at his breaking point to even suggest such a thing.
"No. I won't do it. I'm sorry, but no." Angel dropped his head and looked at he floor. I can't do this. Not even for love.
" You do it now. Do it! Do you hear me ? DO it! Do it!" Lindsey was hysterical. he raged at Angel and began beating him in the face. "Do it! DO it! You can save her! DO it!" He screamed and thrashed his arms wildy about til Angel couldn't take it anymore. With one solid jab to the head Lindsey dropped unconcious on the cold concrete floor. Angel turned to the dying woman next to him and knelt down.He lifted her easily and carried her over to the bed. Her brown hair was matted to her face in sweat and blood. Her brown eyes barely slits and her breathing had almost stopped. Angel pushed her bangs from her eys and saw Buffy. His Buffy, bleeding and dying. It struck him that the thought had never occured to him to change Buffy, even as she lay in the masters Lair, drowned and dead, he never once considered turning her into the monster he was. Lindsey was not his friend. They had exchanged favors, but there was nothing remotely friendly about it, yet there was something about his loyalty to this woman that drew Angel's respect. I can't do this, he doesn't understand, it won't even be her anymore. Just the demon and the rage. Angel could barely stand to look at Daphne. He had wrapped a sheet up against her wound and the bed was nearly soaked in her blood. Her breathing had tapered off and she was going fast. On the floor beside the bed Lindsey was lying still splayed out on his back. Angel got up and walked over to the foot of the bed. He stared down at Lindsey and wondered if his life would go on. Mine hasn't. Angel thought. He knew what it was like to lose someone, to have that true happiness taken away. He knew it was wrong and that he shouldn't but he felt too close to the pain. He was strong and had been to Hell. Lindsey was a man, a human man, and there is only so much a human can take. No, Lindsey would not have a life if she dies. Angel stood there looking at Lindsey for a long time. He almost considered just scooping Lindsey up and taking him somewhere to recooperate, to try to piece back what life he had left, but he couldn't. He had to do something. Not this, there has to be something else. Angel was no stranger to torment, but when it came to matters of love, his compassion was his downfall. He wasn't going to let her die. With one last look at Lindsey, he walked back to Daphne's still body.
"Daphne, if you can hear me, don't be afraid. I am going to help you." He took off his coat and unbottoned his shirt. She was having alot of difficulty taking in air now. He had to move quick. He tossed his shirt on the nearby stool and retrived the knife from his ankle holster. He made a clean incision right below his shoulderblade. Blood trickling from his wound, he lifted Daphne's head just a few inches off the bed and wrapped his arm around her neck. He closed his eyes and pulled her mouth to his chest.
"Drink" he whispered. And she did.


To Be Continued............