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Grace got to the eleventh floor without anyone talking to her and she stopped at the receptionists desk quickly.
"I have a meeting with Lindsey McDonald." She said. "Where would I find his office?"
The receptionist flipped through a book quickly. "You're Hannah Klassen?" She asked.
Grace nodded. "We have a meeting at six thirty."
"Mr. McDonald isn't in his office yet, but you can go wait there for him." The receptionist pointed to her right. "Go straight down that hall, then turn right. It's at the end of that hall beside Lilah Morgan's office."
"Thank you." Grace said, then turned and walked down the hall. As she walked, she glanced at her watch. She had a little over twenty minutes to search both offices.
At the end of the hall was a door that read 'Lindsey McDonald'. Grace opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door tightly behind her. She went to his desk and searched it quickly, finding nothing.
"Damn." She muttered. It was a risk to leave the office and enter Lilah's. She had no idea when the woman would be back or if she was even gone. But it was a risk she'd have to take.
Grace opened the door and looking outside, then closed it and went to Lilah's door. She knocked quietly and when no one answered, turned the doorknob and went inside.
"Please be in here." She murmured, going to Lilah's desk. Grace opened all the drawers and shuffled the papers around without finding anything. She sighed, then looked around the room, trying to see if there was anywhere else things could be hidden.
Against one of the walls was a cabinet and Grace walked over to it rapidly. She had ten minutes left to find something that could help Wesley and she was quickly losing hope.
Grace tried to open the cabinet and found that it was locked. "Now I need Angel." She sighed and yanked at the door again. When it still wouldn't open, she took the letter opener off the desk and stuck it in the lock.
"I'm not a robber." She said to herself, knowing she wouldn't be able to unlock it. Instead, she jammed the letter opener behind the lock and pressed down as hard as she could. After a few moments of straining the lock popped off the cabinet and the doors opened. Grace stared at it, not believing she had actually broken into it.
She rummaged around inside, not finding anything very interesting. Then, in the back behind some papers was a tiny vial. It contained a clear liquid with a blank label. There was no way she could take a chance, so Grace put the vial inside her briefcase, then continued to look for anything else.
After searching the cabinet and all the other drawers in the office, she hadn't found anything else that looked like it could be an antidote. Grace turned and opened the office door, then stepped out into the hall.
Lindsey McDonald was walking straight toward her. She saw his eyes narrow as he stared at her, and knowing that he'd recognize her, she slipped her hand inside the briefcase.
"Grace O'Doyle." He said, once he had reached her.
She nodded. "Lindsey McDonald. How are you this fine evening?"
"Don't be a fool." He said, taking a step closer. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?"
Grace bit her lip and taking a chance, she held up the tiny vial. "Getting the antidote for Wesley. I guess you're screwed huh?"
Lindsey's mouth opened and he stared at her angrily. "How did you know we had it?"
"I didn't," she smiled, "you just told me."
"You're not going to leave with that." He threatened.
Grace kept the professional smile on her face as another employee walked by, then she leaned close to Lindsey. "I think I just might. You know, I don't think anyone would be too happy if I came forward with evidence that Jamie Harrison had been in your office at the time of her death."
Lindsey swallowed hard, realizing that Grace could place him at the crime scene. If she testified, he'd be dead.
"Fine." He growled. "In exchange for the antidote, I get your silence."
She nodded. "Agreed." Then Grace turned and walked away, leaving Lindsey staring after her.
* * *
Angel and Grace walked into the apartment and she held up the vial.
"You got it?" Cordelia asked eagerly.
Grace nodded. "I got it. I nearly got caught too, but Lindsey told me all I needed to know."
"Meaning?"
"This is definitely the antidote. But, in order to get out of there with this I had to promise my silence concerning Jamie's death. It was a small price to pay for Wesley's survival."
Cordelia stood up. "Grace! We have to tell the cops. We need to get him convicted."
Grace smiled. "I promised my silence, not yours."
Angel looked between the two women and saw the smile break out on Cordelia's face. But before she could speak, Wesley moaned from the bedroom and they turned toward him. The demon lying in the bed hardly looked like Wesley anymore.
The black skin had crept up nearly his entire body and when his eyes fluttered, a bright green colour flashed through, like they were glowing.
"Look." Cordelia said, then pulled up his shirt. Up the middle of his chest he was sprouting red blades that looked like bone.
"We have to give this to him now." Angel said, then took the vial from Grace. He picked up the syringe that was on the nightstand and drew some the liquid into to. He pulled Wesley's arm out straight, then tried to find a vein in the mess of black skin.
Angel bit his lip. "I think I've got one." He pushed the needle into Wesley's skin and depressed it, expelling all the liquid.
"How long will this take?" Cordelia asked.
"Giles said only a few minutes at the least and half an hour at the most." Grace told them. "Now we just have to wait."
* * *
Exactly twelve minutes later, Wesley came stumbling out of Angel's bedroom and joined them in the kitchen. They all looked up expectantly.
"What?" He asked.
Angel looked at him. "How do you feel?"
"Pretty good considering I was nearly a demon for the past day." Wesley smiled. "Thank you Grace."
"For what?"
"I know you retrieved the antidote. I owe my life to you."
She grinned. "You know it wasn't just me. Angel and Cordelia helped a lot too."
He nodded. "I know, but I've said 'I owe my life to you' enough times to them." Wesley shrugged. "I figured you needed to hear it from me at least once too. And now you can get used to it."
Grace smiled. "Thanks Wesley. And don't worry, I'm sure you'll pay me back sometime."
Angel sighed. "This can't go on. Lindsey knows what my weakness is and he'll play on it no matter what."
"Your weakness?" Cordelia asked.
Angel nodded. "My weakness. He knows I'd die if he killed my friends."
The End
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