Small Problems (tag Lilah)

[Carver]

He knocked once on Lilah's door, for the first time in a long while, he was nervous about talking to her. He usually knocked, and walked in, this time, he waited for an invitation.

[Lilah]

Lilah heard a knock at the door and moved to end the conference call. "Yes, absolutely, Senator," she assured. "We'll make those charges against your son go away...Exactly...Pleasure doing business with you."

She hung up the phone and looked toward the door. "Come in!"

[Carver]

Carver entered. Lilah didn't have super strength, no special powers, she knew no magic. And yet, she was the scariest person as Wolfram and Hart.

"We managed to retrieve Faith, she's...surprisingly tough." he said. It was true, he thought, glancing down at the wound on his arm. It had been a while since he'd seen his own blood.

[Lilah]

Lilah got up from her chair and approached him, slightly grimacing at the bloody wound on his arm. "Well, Carver, you tangled with a Slayer and lived to tell the tale," she observed. "Some people say that builds character. Of course, some people are naive cliche-spouting simpletons."

Her expression hardened. "Has Lawrence taken measures to keep her in custody? We'll need a very special holding dimension for our very special girl."

[Carver]

"I knocked her out. The shamans are opening the gateway to her personal hell as we speak." he said. "But...uh....Henry got away. He was helped by....Shannon. She's not playing for our side any longer."

Here comes the hurricane.

[Lilah]

"Shannon," Lilah repeated through gritted teeth. "I told Holland that bringing her into the firm was a mistake. It is such a burden being right all the time." She focused her eyes on Carver. "I want all of her access codes revoked, her paychecks stopped, her hard drive erased, every single speck of evidence that she ever worked here gone. She wants to jump the fence? Let her see just how much of a minefield it is over there."

She paced the office as she pondered. "As for Henry, he'll get himself killed soon enough. He's made plenty of enemies in town. And anyway, he doesn't know enough to hurt us. Which brings us to Faith..."

She stepped closer to Carver. "I know you think that Faith is tough, but mentally, she's more fragile than Waterford Crystal. Miss Lehane has struggled for a long time with the disparate aspects of her character -- the morally righteous crusader and the criminally insane psychopath. Ask Lawrence to show her exactly where she belongs," she suggested. "I think she'll be grateful for her newfound sense of clarity."

[Carver]

"I want all of her access codes revoked, her paychecks stopped, her hard drive erased, every single speck of evidence that she ever worked here gone. She wants to jump the fence? Let her see just how much of a minefield it is over there."

"Done. Her free pass is officially revoked."

She stepped closer to Carver. "I know you think that Faith is tough, but mentally, she's more fragile than Waterford Crystal. Miss Lehane has struggled for a long time with the disparate aspects of her character -- the morally righteous crusader and the criminally insane psychopath. Ask Lawrence to show her exactly where she belongs," she suggested. "I think she'll be grateful for her newfound sense of clarity."

"Right away." he said, walking towards the exit. "I didn't say Faith was tough. But she did put up a fight, more of a fight then I've seen in a long time. Actually did damage, and that's impressive."

[Lilah]

Lilah smiled sympathetically. "Carver, if you're thinking that's a sign of your weakness on your part, don't. Faith specializies in doing damage," she said. "But now that you've managed to capture her, we can finally put her in a position where the only person she can damage is herself. And that is a good thing for everyone."

[Carver]

"Carver, if you're thinking that's a sign of your weakness on your part, don't."

"Everyone has weaknesses." he said, a little quieter than usual. "But Angel, Elder, and Shannon....they all have more than a few. Even if it doesn't seem that way all the time, no matter how much Angel wins, we'll always be on the side that doesn't need to win." He smiled. "As you know, we go on. No matter what."

[Carver]

***Carver leaves for Kate's office***