The Guardian Chapter 5
May. 26th, 2007 02:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iceminkThis is a very short chapter, since you know, I'm moving half way across the country on Monday. And I know I still have lots of comments to respond to. That's going to have to wait until I get to Colorado and have a more reliable internet connection.
Title: The Guardian
Pairing: Spike/Angel and flashbacks to Angel/Darla
Rating: NC-17 (please read the warnings)
Summary: All human AU. It was eight years ago that Liam promised to protect Darla and be her angel. It's a promise he's done his best to keep, even if these days she can barely stand to be around him. Then one night he finds a young prostitute, William, getting beat up in an alley. But will helping William destroy the delicate balance of Angel's life, or will it be William who saves Angel from his own dark past?
Warning: This is a dark and angsty fic, mostly concerning Angel's past with Darla. There's mention of non-con, a lot of this story is about prostitution, and there's a flashback to Angel and Darla when they are 17 that's very sexual in nature. And then of course there is some violence. I think that about covers it, but I'll add specific warnings for various chapters.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to all sorts of other people like Joss, ME, and Fox. I just do strange things to them for free.
Previous chapters are here.
Chapter 5:
Angel had never before been so relieved to walk into The Riposte, the club out of which he and Darla did business. It had been a tiring day. He'd spent half the afternoon arguing with Spike about whether or not they would buy him some new clothes. Spike was adamant that he wasn't going to be indebted to Angel, at least not until he'd agreed to start working for him.
Angel would have been more than happy to simply buy Spike a shirt, to replace the blood stained one from the night before, but Spike was suspicious of everything.
So instead of a new shirt, he was wearing an old one of Angel's, and Angel was seriously considering figuring out exactly how much of his food Spike had eaten down to the last egg, and charging him for it.
Angel's ragged nerves were soothed, however as soon as he sat down at his regular table and Cordelia was there with her tray and his drink.
"Hey, Angel. How's it going tonight?" she asked.
"Better now," he said smiling at her.
Spike sat down next to Angel, and Cordelia looked like she was about to ask him what he wanted to drink, but Angel wasn't willing to let her attention go quite yet.
"How'd your audition go?" he asked.
"Great," Cordelia said, her face lighting up. Now that they were talking about her, Angel was pretty sure that Spike would be ignored for several minutes. "I have a call back, and sure it's just a soap commercial, but it's a national so there could be some real money in it."
"That's wonderful," Angel congratulated her. "I'll be expecting to see you on the big screen pretty soon."
He was always a little unsure how to handle these things. He wanted all the best for Cordelia, she deserved to have fame and fortune, but he'd also seen how disappointed she was when something didn't pan out.
"Well," she teased. "It would help if you'd introduce me to some of those big shot hollywood types you know. I could be a great shopping buddy for some well connected gay man."
"As soon as I find someone who needs help spending their money, I'll let you know," Angel joked.
He hated when she brought his connections up. Cordelia was a smart girl, but sometimes he wondered if she really knew what it was he did. He and Darla did do business with a lot of people from the entertainment industry, mostly men who wanted casual sex without being told about their one-night stand's new script, or seeing a head-shot. That was one of their golden rules: the only solicitation to be done on the job was the illegal kind.
But it wasn't just sound business practices that kept Angel from trying to use his connections to help Cordelia out. Everything Angel had was tainted by the way he made a living, and he didn't want any of that spilling over onto Cordelia. Sure she could be a little self involved at times, but she was really a sweet girl.
"Hello," Spike interjected. "There are thirsty people here."
"Rude ones too," Cordelia noted. Angel smiled. That was Cordy for you. "So what can I get you kid?"
"I'll have a beer, thank you very much," came Spike's surly reply.
"No, you won't," Angel said slowly so there was no chance Spike could misunderstand him. Spike started to object but Angel cut him off. "First of all, there's no way you're twenty-one, and I'm not letting Cordy risk getting in trouble for serving a minor. Secondly, I'm not dealing with you drunk."
"I'll have you know, I can hold my liquor just fine. I drink all the time," Spike argued. Angel was pretty sure the kid was lying.
"Yeah, well be that as it may, you're not drinking here tonight," Angel responded, vainly hoping that would be the last of it.
"Hate to point it out to you, mate, but you're not my boss. I can drink whatever I please."
"Uh, huh, and how are you going to pay for it?" Angel asked.
That had Spike momentarily stumped. Then the blonde's face lit up, as he obviously came to some solution to that dilemma. Whatever it was, Cordy cut him off first.
"Come on Angel, let the kid have a little something. It's only fair that he should be allowed to drink the same thing you are."
"Exactly," Spike hurried to agree with Cordy. "You should listen to the bird, obviously as smart as she is pretty," he said. The little flirt even had the nerve to look at up at her through his lashes in a way that annoyed the hell out of Angel.
Cordy laughed. "Dream on kid. I only date older men, specifically rich older men."
Angel smirked, satisfied with the way Cordelia shut Spike down.
Then she looked back at him. "So what do you say, Angel? Let him have the same as you?"
He was a bit annoyed that Cordelia seemed to be siding with Spike, until he realized what she was really saying.
"I guess so," Angel said, trying to sound as reluctant as possible. "It is only fair that you have the same thing I'm having. But," he added, "if you get drunk, don't expect me to look after you, or make sure nothing happens to your ass."
Spike snorted, his arms crossed. "I'm not going to get drunk."
With an amused and knowing smile Cordelia turned back to the bar to get Spike's drink. Angel figured he would have to tip her extra tonight for sparing him listening to Spike whine about his drink.
And since Angel was willing to bet that Spike had never had beer before, it was doubtful that he would realized that Cordelia was serving the two of them non-alchohlic beer.
Angel hadn't had a drop to drink since he was seventeen. He'd snuck into a dive bar and was flirting with this guy who kept buying him drink after drink, until Angel was too drunk to know or care where they were taking him. That was the night he'd first met the Master and been raped.
But in the club he had to keep up appearances, so Cordy always brought him an O'Dooles which had already been poured into a glass so that it looked like one of the beers that were on tap.
Satisfied that as long as Cordelia was brining their drinks, he wouldn't have to worried about a drunk Spike. Angel settled back in his chair and began to relax as much as was possible.
His job was pretty simple. Darla sat at a near by table dealing with any business that came up. He was there to protect her if necessary and keep an eye out for cops. That was another reason he didn't drink, he wanted to stay alert.
Although since Spike couldn't go a minute without saying something annoying, Angel wished he could indulge and dull his senses just a little.
Title: The Guardian
Pairing: Spike/Angel and flashbacks to Angel/Darla
Rating: NC-17 (please read the warnings)
Summary: All human AU. It was eight years ago that Liam promised to protect Darla and be her angel. It's a promise he's done his best to keep, even if these days she can barely stand to be around him. Then one night he finds a young prostitute, William, getting beat up in an alley. But will helping William destroy the delicate balance of Angel's life, or will it be William who saves Angel from his own dark past?
Warning: This is a dark and angsty fic, mostly concerning Angel's past with Darla. There's mention of non-con, a lot of this story is about prostitution, and there's a flashback to Angel and Darla when they are 17 that's very sexual in nature. And then of course there is some violence. I think that about covers it, but I'll add specific warnings for various chapters.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to all sorts of other people like Joss, ME, and Fox. I just do strange things to them for free.
Previous chapters are here.
Chapter 5:
Angel had never before been so relieved to walk into The Riposte, the club out of which he and Darla did business. It had been a tiring day. He'd spent half the afternoon arguing with Spike about whether or not they would buy him some new clothes. Spike was adamant that he wasn't going to be indebted to Angel, at least not until he'd agreed to start working for him.
Angel would have been more than happy to simply buy Spike a shirt, to replace the blood stained one from the night before, but Spike was suspicious of everything.
So instead of a new shirt, he was wearing an old one of Angel's, and Angel was seriously considering figuring out exactly how much of his food Spike had eaten down to the last egg, and charging him for it.
Angel's ragged nerves were soothed, however as soon as he sat down at his regular table and Cordelia was there with her tray and his drink.
"Hey, Angel. How's it going tonight?" she asked.
"Better now," he said smiling at her.
Spike sat down next to Angel, and Cordelia looked like she was about to ask him what he wanted to drink, but Angel wasn't willing to let her attention go quite yet.
"How'd your audition go?" he asked.
"Great," Cordelia said, her face lighting up. Now that they were talking about her, Angel was pretty sure that Spike would be ignored for several minutes. "I have a call back, and sure it's just a soap commercial, but it's a national so there could be some real money in it."
"That's wonderful," Angel congratulated her. "I'll be expecting to see you on the big screen pretty soon."
He was always a little unsure how to handle these things. He wanted all the best for Cordelia, she deserved to have fame and fortune, but he'd also seen how disappointed she was when something didn't pan out.
"Well," she teased. "It would help if you'd introduce me to some of those big shot hollywood types you know. I could be a great shopping buddy for some well connected gay man."
"As soon as I find someone who needs help spending their money, I'll let you know," Angel joked.
He hated when she brought his connections up. Cordelia was a smart girl, but sometimes he wondered if she really knew what it was he did. He and Darla did do business with a lot of people from the entertainment industry, mostly men who wanted casual sex without being told about their one-night stand's new script, or seeing a head-shot. That was one of their golden rules: the only solicitation to be done on the job was the illegal kind.
But it wasn't just sound business practices that kept Angel from trying to use his connections to help Cordelia out. Everything Angel had was tainted by the way he made a living, and he didn't want any of that spilling over onto Cordelia. Sure she could be a little self involved at times, but she was really a sweet girl.
"Hello," Spike interjected. "There are thirsty people here."
"Rude ones too," Cordelia noted. Angel smiled. That was Cordy for you. "So what can I get you kid?"
"I'll have a beer, thank you very much," came Spike's surly reply.
"No, you won't," Angel said slowly so there was no chance Spike could misunderstand him. Spike started to object but Angel cut him off. "First of all, there's no way you're twenty-one, and I'm not letting Cordy risk getting in trouble for serving a minor. Secondly, I'm not dealing with you drunk."
"I'll have you know, I can hold my liquor just fine. I drink all the time," Spike argued. Angel was pretty sure the kid was lying.
"Yeah, well be that as it may, you're not drinking here tonight," Angel responded, vainly hoping that would be the last of it.
"Hate to point it out to you, mate, but you're not my boss. I can drink whatever I please."
"Uh, huh, and how are you going to pay for it?" Angel asked.
That had Spike momentarily stumped. Then the blonde's face lit up, as he obviously came to some solution to that dilemma. Whatever it was, Cordy cut him off first.
"Come on Angel, let the kid have a little something. It's only fair that he should be allowed to drink the same thing you are."
"Exactly," Spike hurried to agree with Cordy. "You should listen to the bird, obviously as smart as she is pretty," he said. The little flirt even had the nerve to look at up at her through his lashes in a way that annoyed the hell out of Angel.
Cordy laughed. "Dream on kid. I only date older men, specifically rich older men."
Angel smirked, satisfied with the way Cordelia shut Spike down.
Then she looked back at him. "So what do you say, Angel? Let him have the same as you?"
He was a bit annoyed that Cordelia seemed to be siding with Spike, until he realized what she was really saying.
"I guess so," Angel said, trying to sound as reluctant as possible. "It is only fair that you have the same thing I'm having. But," he added, "if you get drunk, don't expect me to look after you, or make sure nothing happens to your ass."
Spike snorted, his arms crossed. "I'm not going to get drunk."
With an amused and knowing smile Cordelia turned back to the bar to get Spike's drink. Angel figured he would have to tip her extra tonight for sparing him listening to Spike whine about his drink.
And since Angel was willing to bet that Spike had never had beer before, it was doubtful that he would realized that Cordelia was serving the two of them non-alchohlic beer.
Angel hadn't had a drop to drink since he was seventeen. He'd snuck into a dive bar and was flirting with this guy who kept buying him drink after drink, until Angel was too drunk to know or care where they were taking him. That was the night he'd first met the Master and been raped.
But in the club he had to keep up appearances, so Cordy always brought him an O'Dooles which had already been poured into a glass so that it looked like one of the beers that were on tap.
Satisfied that as long as Cordelia was brining their drinks, he wouldn't have to worried about a drunk Spike. Angel settled back in his chair and began to relax as much as was possible.
His job was pretty simple. Darla sat at a near by table dealing with any business that came up. He was there to protect her if necessary and keep an eye out for cops. That was another reason he didn't drink, he wanted to stay alert.
Although since Spike couldn't go a minute without saying something annoying, Angel wished he could indulge and dull his senses just a little.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-26 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-28 04:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-27 01:26 am (UTC)Good luck with the move, hun!
no subject
Date: 2007-05-28 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-27 06:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-28 04:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-27 02:06 pm (UTC)I really liked this! I ended up not reading the previous chapters as I wasn't sure I'd have time to vote, but I may just go back and check them out, because this really captured my attention even when I don't know what happened in the previous parts! My favorite line was That was one of their golden rules: the only solicitation to be done on the job was the illegal kind. --that had me cracking up! I also liked the twist with the non-alcoholic beer. Well done :)
ps. Did
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Date: 2007-05-28 04:59 pm (UTC)And yes
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Date: 2007-05-27 04:49 pm (UTC)More please!!!!
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Date: 2007-05-28 05:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-28 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-27 11:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-28 05:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-28 01:10 am (UTC)Angel is such an interesting puzzle. He's an endearing blend of caring and standoffish-ness -- probably because he's been burned so many times in the past. If Spike could trust him enough to tell him the truth about what's going on with him instead of fronting all the time, then maybe Angel could help him find another way besides selling himself. But they're both so prickly and slow to trust, I can't see that happening easily.
They're really dancing around each other. I wonder what it'll take to break that UST? ;)
Good luck on the move!
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Date: 2007-05-28 05:06 pm (UTC)As for what will break the UST? I so want to drop hints, but you know, I shouldn't. It is coming sooner rather than later I will say.
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Date: 2007-05-28 07:17 pm (UTC)No, they never seem to do things the easy way, do they? Silly boys. *pets them*
It is coming sooner rather than later I will say.
Goodie! Having said that, the dance is half the fun so don't rush on our account. ;)
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Date: 2007-05-31 04:25 pm (UTC)I agree, the dance is half the fun. The problem is the boys just have such a hard time keeping their clothes on.
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Date: 2007-06-03 10:21 pm (UTC)Sweetie...! That's not a problem, that's happy fun time!! ;)
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Date: 2007-05-28 02:46 pm (UTC)Is it wrong that the one thing that's stuck in my head with the story is "70 per cent! That's a lot! I wonder if they give dental. Maybe they give each hooker a toothbrush and some floss."
I'm thinking way too much :P
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Date: 2007-05-28 05:14 pm (UTC)So in other words, you're not the only one who's been thinking too much, and you know, Spike does need a toothbrush.
And I'm glad you liked Cordy, I had fun with her myself. Thanks.
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Date: 2007-05-28 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-28 11:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-31 04:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-29 08:26 am (UTC)*snort* They are both so adorably annoying. (And I bet they’d probably kill me for calling them adorable :-D )
Cordelia made an appearance. Nice!
The part with the beer was very amusing.
Still loving this story very much!
no subject
Date: 2007-05-31 04:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-30 06:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-31 04:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-17 04:23 pm (UTC)Cordelia was delightfully in voice, and I laughed at her manipulating Spike into drinking non-alcoholic beer.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-17 10:04 pm (UTC)