The Guardian Chapter 10
Sep. 10th, 2007 03:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iceminkI'm still way behind on my comments, and probably will be until this week is over, but I wanted to finally get this posted since I seem to have a free minute. I promise though, I will get back and reply to everyone eventually :)
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 chapter has some light het in it.
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.
Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dark_amia for the lovely banner.
>Chapter 10:
Angel slowly woke from a pleasant dream. The exact details fled quickly, but he knew it had involved Spike; he was fairly sure they had both been naked, and they had definitely been kissing.
He smiled as his sleep addled brain realized that the very body he'd been dreaming about was sharing the same bed with him. Guided by his morning erection he rolled over, intent on waking Spike with his mouth and his hands.
So he was more than a little upset when he opened his eyes to find the room empty. His pleasant mood instantly spoiled, he got up to hunt down the boy he'd been dreaming about.
"Spike?" he called out. His voice echoed hollowly in the small apartment. A quick perusal revealed that he was the only one there.
"Fuck," he cursed, thinking that Spike might have stolen from him while he was asleep and taken off.
After a quick inventory of his possessions he found that the only thing that was missing was forty dollars from his wallet, which had been replaced by a note that read, "Add it to my tab."
Angel stared at the pretty cursive writing for several minutes before deciding that he needed a shower and some coffee before he could deal with any of this.
After the shower, he busied himself making breakfast, but only made enough for himself; if Spike reappeared he'd have to fend for himself.
But Spike didn't reappear. There was no sign of him, and it started to annoy the hell out of Angel. On the one hand if Spike had taken off for good he probably would have taken more than forty bucks and one change of clothes, on the other hand, maybe he only took that much because he figured that Angel wouldn't come after him for forty dollars.
The day wore on and there was still no sign of Spike. Finally Angel couldn't wait around any longer for the kid to show up. He couldn't spend his whole day waiting around, he had too many things to do. He grabbed two gym bags, locked the door, and headed to his car. If Spike returned and had to sit on the door step, well that was just fine with Angel.
Angel's first stop was his martial arts class, something he was grateful for. Although he started out a bit distracted, there was soon no time for his mind to wander as he moved from one form to another and tried to master the techniques he would need for his next belt test.
All too quickly though the class was over, and Angel's mind was once again free to wonder where Spike had gone. By the time he made it to the gym, which was his next stop, he was agitated again.
He left the gym bag containing his martial arts uniform in the car, and this time grabbed the second bag. He headed straight to the locker room and to locker 59. He turned the combination lock and put the gym bag inside before shutting the locker.
Then he went to a different aisle of lockers and this time opened locker 23. He removed another gym bag from that locker, which looked identical to the one he had placed in the first locker. The only difference was this bag was filled with nothing but newspaper whereas the other one had been filled with cash. Once a month he followed this little ritual to pay off the local vice cops.
His next errand, although similar in nature, he dreaded. This time he drove downtown, where the shining office towers cast their shadow on skid row. He let the valet take his keys at the coffee shop and went inside to order, a newspaper tucked under his arm.
After he got his coffee, he sat down for a few minutes until he saw the man he was supposed to meet get his own drink. Then Angel moved to the stand with the sugar and the stirring straws and set down the paper as he pretended to stir up his coffee.
The other man picked up the paper which had more money hidden in it. Angel was just glad that he wasn't required to actually talk to Lindsey McDonald.
Perhaps he should have been grateful to Lindsey, without the young lawyer, Angel would have been either serving out a life sentence or sitting on death row for murder. But in Angel's mind it had always been Darla who had saved him. To begin with she had been the one to find Lindsey, and even if officially Lindsey had taken Angel's case pro bono, Angel was sure that Darla had been paying the lawyer in trade.
That was one of the main reasons Angel couldn't stand Lindsey. Angel had always believed that Lindsey had postponed the trial for as long as possible to give him more time with Darla.
And as far as Angel was concerned it was really Darla who had gotten him off. No one could have looked to her, or listened to her testimony and not feel sorry for her and Angel. She had looked radiant and sweet, like the girl next door, and she had put on a marvelous performance on the witness stand. She had played the part of a nice Christian girl who'd fallen upon bad times to a tee, and had the jury eating out of her hands.
But Lindsey was a necessary evil. They kept him on retainer, although they paid him under the table so that his firm didn't get its cut of the money, and in return, Lindsey dealt with all their legal entanglements.
It took Angel nearly an hour to make it through traffic and out of downtown back to his apartment. He'd been expecting to see Spike stuck on the doorstep, waiting for Angel to unlock the door and let him in.
But there was no one there, and no sign that Spike had been back. Angel tried to busy himself around the apartment and not to think of Spike, but as more and more time ticked by, he became more agitated. In the last few days he'd become accustomed to the noise and business that Spike brought to the small condo, and without him the place began to feel empty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Six Years Earlier
Angel locked the door to the small apartment then slid the dead-bolt into place and latched the chain. When he turned around Darla was spinning giddily in the tiny space, a bright smile lighting up her face. For the first time since Angel had known her she actually looked like a teenage girl.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he agreed.
It was a hole, but it was their hole. They didn’t have to share it with anyone else, and even if they were still working for The Master, at least they were now trusted to walk the streets and didn’t have to stay in the brothel.
Angel shrugged out of his coat and hung it up on the doorknob. The apartment was only one room, and had no furniture except for a bed that folded up against the wall.
As he watched, Darla reached up and tried to pull the bed down, but she was barely tall enough to reach the top of it. He stood next to her and helped to pull it down.
The bed was in about as good a shape as the rest of the room, but it was big enough for two. Darla knelt on top of it, and put her arms around Angel’s shoulder as she kissed him. It only took a few moments for the kiss to deepen, and soon Darla had her legs wrapped around Angel as he pushed her back down onto the mattress.
Her fingers found the hem of his shirt and she pulled it over his head. As she reached for the fly of his jeans he stopped her.
“Just a second,” he started to pull back so he could get the condoms out of the pocket of his jacket.
“Don’t,” she stopped him.
“Darla-”
“Shh. I want to feel you,” she argued.
“I could have something,” he protested. “I’m always careful but-”
“I don’t care,” she insisted. “If you’ve gotten something. . . I’d want to die with you.”
Her words thrilled him in a way he knew they shouldn’t. But then he felt the same way. He couldn’t imagine living without her. He didn’t know what to say, so instead he kissed her to let her know how much she meant to him.
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 chapter has some light het in it.
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.
Thanks to
dark_amia for the lovely banner.>Chapter 10:
Angel slowly woke from a pleasant dream. The exact details fled quickly, but he knew it had involved Spike; he was fairly sure they had both been naked, and they had definitely been kissing.
He smiled as his sleep addled brain realized that the very body he'd been dreaming about was sharing the same bed with him. Guided by his morning erection he rolled over, intent on waking Spike with his mouth and his hands.
So he was more than a little upset when he opened his eyes to find the room empty. His pleasant mood instantly spoiled, he got up to hunt down the boy he'd been dreaming about.
"Spike?" he called out. His voice echoed hollowly in the small apartment. A quick perusal revealed that he was the only one there.
"Fuck," he cursed, thinking that Spike might have stolen from him while he was asleep and taken off.
After a quick inventory of his possessions he found that the only thing that was missing was forty dollars from his wallet, which had been replaced by a note that read, "Add it to my tab."
Angel stared at the pretty cursive writing for several minutes before deciding that he needed a shower and some coffee before he could deal with any of this.
After the shower, he busied himself making breakfast, but only made enough for himself; if Spike reappeared he'd have to fend for himself.
But Spike didn't reappear. There was no sign of him, and it started to annoy the hell out of Angel. On the one hand if Spike had taken off for good he probably would have taken more than forty bucks and one change of clothes, on the other hand, maybe he only took that much because he figured that Angel wouldn't come after him for forty dollars.
The day wore on and there was still no sign of Spike. Finally Angel couldn't wait around any longer for the kid to show up. He couldn't spend his whole day waiting around, he had too many things to do. He grabbed two gym bags, locked the door, and headed to his car. If Spike returned and had to sit on the door step, well that was just fine with Angel.
Angel's first stop was his martial arts class, something he was grateful for. Although he started out a bit distracted, there was soon no time for his mind to wander as he moved from one form to another and tried to master the techniques he would need for his next belt test.
All too quickly though the class was over, and Angel's mind was once again free to wonder where Spike had gone. By the time he made it to the gym, which was his next stop, he was agitated again.
He left the gym bag containing his martial arts uniform in the car, and this time grabbed the second bag. He headed straight to the locker room and to locker 59. He turned the combination lock and put the gym bag inside before shutting the locker.
Then he went to a different aisle of lockers and this time opened locker 23. He removed another gym bag from that locker, which looked identical to the one he had placed in the first locker. The only difference was this bag was filled with nothing but newspaper whereas the other one had been filled with cash. Once a month he followed this little ritual to pay off the local vice cops.
His next errand, although similar in nature, he dreaded. This time he drove downtown, where the shining office towers cast their shadow on skid row. He let the valet take his keys at the coffee shop and went inside to order, a newspaper tucked under his arm.
After he got his coffee, he sat down for a few minutes until he saw the man he was supposed to meet get his own drink. Then Angel moved to the stand with the sugar and the stirring straws and set down the paper as he pretended to stir up his coffee.
The other man picked up the paper which had more money hidden in it. Angel was just glad that he wasn't required to actually talk to Lindsey McDonald.
Perhaps he should have been grateful to Lindsey, without the young lawyer, Angel would have been either serving out a life sentence or sitting on death row for murder. But in Angel's mind it had always been Darla who had saved him. To begin with she had been the one to find Lindsey, and even if officially Lindsey had taken Angel's case pro bono, Angel was sure that Darla had been paying the lawyer in trade.
That was one of the main reasons Angel couldn't stand Lindsey. Angel had always believed that Lindsey had postponed the trial for as long as possible to give him more time with Darla.
And as far as Angel was concerned it was really Darla who had gotten him off. No one could have looked to her, or listened to her testimony and not feel sorry for her and Angel. She had looked radiant and sweet, like the girl next door, and she had put on a marvelous performance on the witness stand. She had played the part of a nice Christian girl who'd fallen upon bad times to a tee, and had the jury eating out of her hands.
But Lindsey was a necessary evil. They kept him on retainer, although they paid him under the table so that his firm didn't get its cut of the money, and in return, Lindsey dealt with all their legal entanglements.
It took Angel nearly an hour to make it through traffic and out of downtown back to his apartment. He'd been expecting to see Spike stuck on the doorstep, waiting for Angel to unlock the door and let him in.
But there was no one there, and no sign that Spike had been back. Angel tried to busy himself around the apartment and not to think of Spike, but as more and more time ticked by, he became more agitated. In the last few days he'd become accustomed to the noise and business that Spike brought to the small condo, and without him the place began to feel empty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Six Years Earlier
Angel locked the door to the small apartment then slid the dead-bolt into place and latched the chain. When he turned around Darla was spinning giddily in the tiny space, a bright smile lighting up her face. For the first time since Angel had known her she actually looked like a teenage girl.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he agreed.
It was a hole, but it was their hole. They didn’t have to share it with anyone else, and even if they were still working for The Master, at least they were now trusted to walk the streets and didn’t have to stay in the brothel.
Angel shrugged out of his coat and hung it up on the doorknob. The apartment was only one room, and had no furniture except for a bed that folded up against the wall.
As he watched, Darla reached up and tried to pull the bed down, but she was barely tall enough to reach the top of it. He stood next to her and helped to pull it down.
The bed was in about as good a shape as the rest of the room, but it was big enough for two. Darla knelt on top of it, and put her arms around Angel’s shoulder as she kissed him. It only took a few moments for the kiss to deepen, and soon Darla had her legs wrapped around Angel as he pushed her back down onto the mattress.
Her fingers found the hem of his shirt and she pulled it over his head. As she reached for the fly of his jeans he stopped her.
“Just a second,” he started to pull back so he could get the condoms out of the pocket of his jacket.
“Don’t,” she stopped him.
“Darla-”
“Shh. I want to feel you,” she argued.
“I could have something,” he protested. “I’m always careful but-”
“I don’t care,” she insisted. “If you’ve gotten something. . . I’d want to die with you.”
Her words thrilled him in a way he knew they shouldn’t. But then he felt the same way. He couldn’t imagine living without her. He didn’t know what to say, so instead he kissed her to let her know how much she meant to him.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-09-10 09:55 pm (UTC)More please and soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!
no subject
Date: 2007-09-13 09:12 pm (UTC)The Guardian
Date: 2007-09-11 01:14 am (UTC)More soon
Shay
Re: The Guardian
Date: 2007-09-13 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-11 02:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-13 09:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-11 09:24 am (UTC)And the plot thickens! It was very interesting to find out more about Angel and Darla’s past. Lindsey’s appearance was also very intriguing. Nasty lawyer.
But where is Spike???
Great chapter, I can't wait for the next part!!!
no subject
Date: 2007-09-13 09:19 pm (UTC)I'm also glad you liked learning more about Darla and Angel's past, there are still more crumbs to come, although not for a couple chapters.
But you will find out where Spike has been in the next chapter.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-11 06:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-13 09:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-13 04:10 pm (UTC)I'm enjoying learning the back story to Darla and Angel. The memory of their first apartment was so young and sweet, how did they get from there to a murder trial? I'm enjoying the journey.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-13 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-13 09:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-13 09:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-13 11:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-14 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-14 02:14 pm (UTC)I truly adore your Darla, I really, really do. And I can so fell How Angel is all Angel like untill you scratch the surface to find Angelus. (the criminal part of him, in this story) the addition Lindsey is always welcomed. So I’m very happy reader right now.
I wonder what Spike's up to?
no subject
Date: 2007-09-14 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 09:02 pm (UTC)Darla hopefully will leave them to it if they can find their way. Just love the back stories too.
You're a very good writer!
no subject
Date: 2007-09-26 12:36 am (UTC)I'm glad you're enjoying it and thanks.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-22 02:13 am (UTC)Love the backstory. So Angel committed murder. Hmm, I wonder... did he kill the Master? (Yeah, yeah, I know you can't actually tell me. I'm just addicted to speculation. *g*)
So where's Spike been and what's he been doing all day? Angel really seemed to miss him, although I'm sure he'll cover those feelings up quick, especially if Spike gets defensive and obnoxious and says something rude. lol
no subject
Date: 2007-09-26 12:37 am (UTC)And no, I will neither confirm nor deny you're speculations, but feel free to continue to speculate.
As for Spike, you'll find out about him in the next chapter. And yes there will be the covering up of feelings and secrets.