"You'll do this for me because I tell you to."

Angel/Lilah is a dark pairing. There would *never* be any fluffiness or mush between these two. Never. They hate each other. They're enemies, and even being civil for long periods of time when they are around each other isn't an easy task. All you have to do is witness Angel grabbing Lilah around the neck in "That Vision Thing" or him calling her a "vicious bitch" to realize this.

"You screw with me, and you screw with me, and... you screw with me. And now I get to screw with you."

There are a lot of emotions between these two and none of them are pretty. Some words that come to mind are: hate, vengeance, anger, lust (in a "sleeping with the devil" way), enemies, dark, torture etc.

For Angel, his dislike (it wasn't so much hate at first) towards Lilah was first prompted simply because she was working for Wolfram and Hart. For a long time, he had nothing personal against her, but rather the law firm for which she worked. He was against Wolfram and Hart, therefore he was against Lilah.

Angel's personal vendetta against Lilah didn't really start until "Untouched", and even then, it was still largely to do with Wolfram and Hart. Only recently, in "That Vision Thing", has it become clear that Angel now holds Lilah personally responsible for her actions against him. She blackmailed him into helping her and put Cordelia in danger of death. Angel made it quite clear at the end that he now personally despises Lilah for more than just the fact that she works with Wolfram and Hart.

On the other hand, Lilah has always pretty much hated Angel for Angel from the beginning. It was more than just the fact that he was good and she was evil. He was constantly the cause of the failing of her plans, the first one being her trying to buy off Angel's silence about Wolfram and Hart in exchange for his freedom. He refused. Lilah then played a large role in hiring Faith to kill Angel -- she found out where she was and convinced Faith to meet with Wolfram and Hart. Angel turned Faith against Wolfram and Hart.

"Untouched" was a notable turning point. Bethany was Lilah's project. For the first time, Lindsey wasn't working with her. She alone was responsible, which made it even worse for her when Angel foiled the project. He turned Bethany against Lilah and Wolfram and Hart. For Lilah, that was a failure worse than the previous. He had been the one to cause her plan to fail, and this time, she couldn't put any of the blame on Lindsey. I think, Lilah was even a bit humiliated about it. After all, Lilah is the kind of person who isn't used to failing (I mean, she got into law after all...).

"Don't tell me you never thought about it."

Right from the start, I think it's safe to say that Lilah (being a woman with eyes) found Angel physically attractive.

Even as far back as in "The Ring", there seemed to be underlying sexual tension between the two, and I think there had always been a silent acknowledgment that it was present. Notice the way they often get right into each others' faces, when really, there's no apparent reason for needing to, apart from wanting to get their point across indefinitely. Plus, that kind of attraction was a sort of power between them or over each other as well. Angel in particular I think, liked the fact that he could make Lilah squirm. Note the car scene between the two in "Blood Money".

In "Carpe Noctem", when Angel (who technically wasn't Angel) tempted Lilah, she easily gave in and began wildly making out with him. Despite the fact that she was drunk, as Angel points out, she had obviously thought about it before.

However, when Angel bites her, she pushes him away and holds up a cross to him. Angrily, she vows never to let Angel get that close to her again. She meant it. If you are writing a fic post "Carpe Noctem", keep in mind this vow, as I don't think Lilah is the kind of person to go back on her word. In fact, she is the kind of woman who knows what she wants, and she doesn't make idle threats. That doesn't mean they wouldn't end up giving into that sexual desire ever again (if Angel cared to), but I'm sure Lilah wouldn't be nearly as willing as she was the first time.

And since Angel certainly has no idea of what happened between them, don't think he'd quickly be the one to initiate such a situation. Angel is a hero, he is often viewed as noble and honorable, and sleeping with someone like Lilah usually isn't his style (with the exception of his "dark" period in which he slept with Darla... if it had been Lilah there, he may well have, but we'll never know).

"I'm not playing you here. It's not about you."

Lilah is a woman who wants the best for herself and her career at Wolfram and Hart. She hates being mocked, intimidated or anyone implying that she's not up to the task. For Lilah, her profile at Wolfram and Hart is her number one priority. Beyond even her hate for Angel. While she would do almost anything to see Angel fall down never to get back up, she wants to be the one to do it. In "Carpe Noctem", she willingly helps Angel. She did so because she didn't take kindly to Gavin Park thinking he had somehow outsmarted her.

When writing Angel/Lilah, keep in mind that Lilah has helped Angel in the past, and would likely again if the time or situation came up. However, also note that she would never (at least, it's highly unlikely from what we've seen), switch sides. No matter what she may do to help Angel every once and a while, as she pointed out, it isn't about him. It's about her. Everything Lilah does is about her. If it helps her move her career along, or her reputation at Wolfram and Hart, she'll do it.

"The begging... that comes later."

If anything ever happened on screen between Angel and Lilah, most likely it would be sex. Wild, passionate, lust-driven -- perhaps even violent -- sex. And even that is not going to happen, it is still the most convincing story line. So, when you are writing, think about what would be most likely to reflect the canon.

Stories that have Lilah suddenly realize the error of her wicked ways and turning good are most definitely out. Note her telling Angel that she isn't Lindsey McDonald. Stories involving any kind of nice feelings between them are also out. As mentioned, niceness is Angel/Cordy (or a dozen other pairings), but *not* Angel/Lilah. Dark and twisted are more the style of Angel/Lilah, with some lust for good measure.

"Did I mention you're not invited in?"

The dialogue between Angel and Lilah has been reflecting their relationship more and more as each episode passes.

In the beginning, Lilah tried nice. In "The Ring", she tried to get Angel to do what she wanted by appealing to him as a woman trying to do him a favor. But from "Untouched" onwards, it has changed. No longer is she addressing him from a position at Wolfram and Hart, but rather personally. For example, to make it clear what I mean, in "That Vision Thing", Lilah tells Angel he will free Billy because *she* tells him to. She doesn't say because it is what Wolfram and Hart wants, she says it is *her* command.

This is only another hint at just how personal it has become between Angel and Lilah. Likewise, Angel is now addressing Lilah personally. Whereas in "Reprise" Angel's attention focused at taking down Wolfram and Hart as a whole, in "That Vision Thing", he tells Lilah that he will target her singularly if need be.

So, when writing Angel/Lilah dialogue, keep in mind this shift. Fic that revolve around more recent episodes would include more blunt, personal verbal threats than earlier episodes.

"You got to learn to lose, sweetie."

An excellent way to get familiar with Angel and Lilah as characters is to watch the episodes and - for writing purposes - to read the transcripts (http://www.buffyworld.com/). Reading fic is another great way to learn as well as to get a sense of what works and what doesn't, and may well inspire you.

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