To All The Ones Who Hated Me The Most A Toast You Really Had Me Going

[succubitch]

Who: Lilah Morgan, Damon Salvatore, and eventually Welsey Wyndam-Pryce (with mentions of Tess Mercer and Katherine Pierce)
What: Damon catches the tail end of one of the HBICs lunches and confronts Lilah about it.
When: 4/25
Where: Il Capriccio
Rating: PG-13


The meetings with Katherine and Tess had become a rather regular thing at this point, and sometimes that included being in public places. After all, they were trying to establish a presence within the city proper. And what better place to do so then Lana's restaurant? Make the other woman aware without actually being threatening.

It was a simple tactic, but generally effective.

In any case, the lunch went well, as it always did. They updated one another on their individual parts in things and eventually discussed future plans as well. Compared to a lot of business lunches (which this essentially was) that Lilah's been to in her time, it was rather productive.

Eventually, they paid for their food, and the three women separated, going their individual ways.

What Lilah hadn't realized was that someone had spotted them all together, and didn't like it. Though she probably should have seen it coming, considering how obsessive Damon could be about things.

And they had been at Lana's restaurant, after all.

Comments

[compels]

He hadn't been there for them. He'd been there to keep an eye on Lana, but seeing Katherine with Sage's twin had sparked his interest, and Lilah being there sealed the deal. He let the others slip away, tucking himself safely downwind so that Katherine wouldn't realize he'd been there, and cornering Lilah as she exited the restaurant.

He grabbed her by the throat, not bothering to mess around, and drove her with super strength and speed into the alley and up against the wall, slamming her hard into it.

"Interesting company you're keeping these days, Lilah," he examined her closely, considering.

[succubitch]

Sadly, it was not the first time someone with super strength has grabbed her by the throat and thrown her against a wall. It wasn't even the second or third time. Which probably said a little about the type of life she led. Or a lot.

Still she winced in pain, and it took a moment to calm her heart down from the racing pace it had adapted.

At his comment however, she merely shrugged. This was the kind of intimidation act Angel had tried with her many times back home. It didn't tend to work.

"Isn't it though?" She asked, smirking as she winced in pain. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of cowering or being afraid.

"I didn't even know about Katherine's connection to you at first. That was just a happy coincidence."

[compels]

"Mmm. How convenient for you." The aggravated sneer on his lips said he wasn't so much entertained by the coincidence. His eyes widened with the loathsome curl of his mouth, blue irises shaking a little from caged fury. "And Tess?"

[succubitch]

"Another friend of Katherine's." Which was true, Lilah had never met the other woman before Katherine had brought the three of them together. Somehow, she doubted that answer was going to make Damon any happier.

[compels]

"Katherine doesn't have friends. She has pawns. And if you really believe you're anything else, you're a bigger idiot than I thought." Damon's upper lip twitches into a kind of sneered growl like one might expect out of a dog. It's hard not to just let his hand crush her throat. Holding back this long when it feels like the carpet's being yanked out beneath him is impossible. He'd been doing all right. Staying in line, just like Lana wanted him to, and still this -- "So, what's the plan, Lilah?"

[succubitch]

Lilah wasn't dumb. She knew to a certain extent, Katherine was using her as a means to an end, but she was doing the same thing, so she could hardly blame the other woman. It was actually one of the reasons she liked Katherine, she reminded her a lot of herself.

Still, at his question she can't help but look bemused more than anything else. "Do you really think I'm going to tell you anything?" Because she wasn't. She had been on vervain for months now, after all.

[compels]

"Do you really think I won't snap your neck if you don't?" His grip tightened around her throat, stopping airflow. Veins in his throat pulse and distend to become more apparent from the sheer tension of holding himself back from doing exactly that.

[succubitch]

"Go ahead," Her voice stayed as even as it could despite the lack of airflow. The only hint of how scared she was was her heartbeat racing. "I'm sure Lana will be pleased to find my body at her restaurant. That'll make her real proud of you, won't it?" This wasn't the first time Lilah had found herself in such a situation, as always, she knew which open wounds to pour salt in.

[demonologist]

Wes had been heading to Lana's restaurant when he'd heard familiar voices arguing down the alleyway next to it. Catching the the very end of the conversation, he took decisive action, striding forward, his right arm raised and aimed at Damon. With a flick of his wrist, the custom arm brace Fred had made for him could discharge a wooden bolt with as much force as a normal crossbow. There was only one bolt spring loaded, but Damon didn't need to know that.

"Snap her neck and I'll put you down, Damon. So I suggest you let her go, now, before history starts repeating itself." His voice was calm and surprisingly level, but he was fully prepared to follow through on his threats if he had to.

[compels]

The sound of Wesley's voice loosened Damon's grip and his eyes seemed to come back into focus, less blindly furious at Lilah, less mindlessly violent. He was back to being conscious of his actions instead of blindly destroying things for himself. He didn't look over at him right away.

"Come on, Wes. You really want to do this?" Ice blue eyes slid in Wesley's direction and Damon's head canted to the side. "I mean, you could shoot, but crossbows aren't known for their accuracy or, well, their speed. And seeing as I'm one of the fastest things you'll find in Paradisa …" He looks back at Lilah, jaw muscles tightening. "All I'd have to do is step out of the way, and you'd do my job for me. You're supposed to be the white hat, Wes. You really want that on your conscience?"

[succubitch]

Lilah didn't say anything for now, willing to let them squabble without bringing attention back to her. As it was, she allowed herself to relax, taking in sharp breaths of air now that her throat wasn't blocked as much. All she needed now was to wait for the right sort of exit strategy.

[demonologist]

"No, I'd rather not do this, Damon. For whatever reason, Lana seems to care for you. But you seem intent on causing trouble with Lilah, and that means you're choosing to cause trouble with me. Yet again."

He moved closer, erasing some of the distance between them, but still not coming close enough to be within easy reach.

"I could miss, but I assure you that I'm an excellent shot. I also have other tricks up my sleeve, but if you're in the mood to gamble, be my guest. Let me be clear, however, that should you cause further harm to come to Lilah, I will make sure that you're taken out to the Dead Zone, in chains and a metal box if I have to, and left somewhere where it's unlikely you'll ever be found again. So, what's it going to be?"

[compels]

Lana seems to care for you. The words gave him pause, but then drew what was undeniably an unstable, shaky laugh from him. His grip on Lilah's throat loosened further and he finally dropped it away, laughter escalating as he backed off. He spun a little, holding his hands out to his sides, down by his thighs at first, then raising them to the sides of his head as he turned away from Wes.

"I'm always in the mood to gamble, Wes. Doesn't have to be Lilah's life, though. Could be yours." He turned to glance over his shoulder at the ex-Watcher, eyebrows raised, gauging his reaction. "Could be Faith's. She's yours, right? Your big mistake."

[succubitch]

"His big mistake he doesn't remember," Lilah pointed out with a slight smirk. She made her way towards Wesley now, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so. "So somehow?" She paused for a moment, drawing it out. "That one just wouldn't be as effective."

[demonologist]

Lilah was right, he didn't remember. But that didn't mean he didn't have guilt or regret about about what he'd apparently done. He tensed noticeably, his jaw tightening. Something Damon was probably not going to miss. How had he known about that? About his connection to Faith? Who had been talking to him?

"I've made a lot of mistakes. Some of them quite monumental, as Lilah well knows. Leave Faith out of this. She's not a part of this feud. Besides, she's a Slayer and can take care of herself."

And because he didn't want this to descend into a series of escalating threats, Wes levelled the vampire with a speculative glare.

"What do you want, Damon?"

[compels]

Damon tilted his head back, staring up at the sunny sky -- he almost felt like he didn't even deserve that -- and let out a real, full laugh. Slowly, he tilted his head toward Wes and Lilah, looking over at them. The slowness with which he did so certainly didn't help his air of sanity out any, either.

"What do I want?"

Complicated question. Wesley didn't want the complicated answer. He wanted one that was simple, clear-cut, providable. He wanted the now.

"Right now? I want Lilah's head on a stick for going behind my back." There was a curl of his lip to accompany the words. Rage was easier, anyway. "But, somehow, I don't think you wanna make that a possibility." He didn't care. He didn't want Lilah's head on a stick, not really. In fact, as women went, Lilah was insignificant. He couldn't care less. He was done with her, she was out of use.

He wanted to be human. He wanted to stop being second place. He wanted Stefan to stop being the real monster and still getting everything that Damon wanted. He wanted Lana.

He relaxed his shoulders, turning his body toward them and narrowing his gaze.

"So, why don't you two lovebirds get out of here while I'm feeling gracious?"

[succubitch]

"You don't have to tell me twice." And with that, Lilah turned and made her way away from the restaurant. Whatever Damon was throwing a hissy fit about, she couldn't get it into her to be too worried about it. Though she would mention it to Katherine later, just in case.

[demonologist]

"Going behind your back?" Wes raised and eyebrow at that, giving Lilah a 'what is he talking about' glance. But she was already taking advantage of Damon's offer and retreating quickly. He turned back to Damon, waiting to see if he would elaborate. The lovebirds dig was thorougly ignored, he wasn't about to rise to that bait.

[compels]

"I'd keep an eye on your girlfriend, Wes." There's a swagger to the way he approaches. "She's been skulking around with Katherine. That's never good." Not to mention the Sage look-a-like. Between the three of them, there could only be badness brewing.

[demonologist]

Wes bit off the retort that she was no longer his girlfriend. Whether or not Damon truly believed it, it was better that Wes not direct the vampire's attention to his relationship with Fred. That was where his true Achilles heel lay.

"Is her name meant to mean something to me? I've met her before, at the wine and cheese evening. I'm aware she's from Mystic Falls and is possibly a vampire, but she appears to have settled in without ripping anyone's throat out and is establishing some sort of school in the town. Should I be deeply concerned by her leaning towards education?"

[compels]

"Katherine turned me. Turned Stefan. She taught me everything I know." Damon threw his hands out to his sides, inviting judgment to be passed upon himself by Wesley. He was beyond caring. He was beyond a lot of things, sanity chief amongst them. He wanted to understand, and Katherine was at the root of it. Time after time, people choosing Stefan over him. And he never got it. Not ever. He loved his brother -- undoubtedly. More than anything in this life. But, he was also keenly aware of where all his faults lay.

"So, you tell me, Wes. Should you be deeply concerned?"