Providing Leverage / The Colt Job 'verse
Series: Leverage, Supernatural
Extended Series: The Colt Job 'verse
Word Count: 795
Warnings: Spoilers for Nathan Ford's backstory in Leverage, none for Supernatural
Note: I have never actually written a story utterly without dialogue before.
Chapters: Part and Parcel | Better the Devil You Know | Providing Leverage
Crossposted: dragons_moon, katsukoficNathan Ford was an interesting individual -- no, man.
What originally drew Nathaniel's attention to him was the similarity of their names. What kept his attention was the man's life. Something intriguing was always happening. One minute, he might be in one part of the world, enjoying time with his wife and young son, and the next time Nathaniel checked in, what seemed to him like moments later, he was across the globe, tracking thieves and recovering lost pieces of human art.
Nathaniel had happened to be observing the first job where Nathan Ford met Sophie Devereaux, and that was the moment he was hooked. He hadn't taken his eyes off Nathan's life after that, not and chance missing a moment of what was going on. Nathan's existence was his own personal source of entertainment, and he would challenge anything, angelic or demonic, to interrupt it.
So, of course, it was something human that did it. Of course. The boy started getting sick and then sicker. To some extent, even Nathaniel was surprised by this development; he had been so busy following Nathan Ford around that he had nearly forgotten about the wife and son. Nathan was kept so busy retrieving supposedly priceless things that neither of them had seen it at first, and Margaret was such a strong woman that she hadn't said much to Nathan yet in hope the boy's health would improve.
It didn't, though. Instead, with every moment that passed, it seemed to deteriorate more and more. No, not moment. By then, he had been following Nathan Ford long enough to realize that what felt like a second to him was something more like days for Nathan. Moments were more like months.
The boy was dying. He could see that, and Nathan could see that. He could hear Nathan's prayers daily, nightly, so frequent now as it got closer to the end for the boy. Heaven didn't answer. It never did.
Nathan Ford's prayers grew more frantic. He was with Margaret and the boy almost all the time now, taking only enough assignments to retain his employment -- and even those had to be close in physical proximity to the boy's location.
The more frenzied and desperate the prayers grew, the more concerned Nathaniel in turn became. When the pleading turned to bargaining, though, was when he truly first felt a sort of frisson of fear. It was only his presence so far that was keeping the demons at bay, and if he had not been there, Nathan would have long ago made a deal for the boy's life. There were demons aplenty who would be thrilled to hold in contract the soul of a good man like Nathan Ford.
So he grew more vigilant watching everyone coming in contact with Nathan Ford all the more closely. There were a few that came near, even one of some power, but they didn't stay long, so they were of no true concern.
He saw Nathan's emboldened pleas to the company of his employment to "cover" the treatment the boy needed; he assumed that meant to pay the costs of it. He saw them refuse, saying it was too experimental. That was when he first truly learned that it wasn't always a far leap from human to demon.
He saw Nathan leave that place to return to the hospital his son was at. He saw him stay there for days, never once leaving. He saw him watch his child die. He saw the pain as it ripped through Nathan's soul, and he too grieved, both for the boy cut down too young and for Nathan. He even spoke briefly with the child's spirit before its Reaper took it away.
For the longest time, Nathan Ford's prayers ceased completely. He felt no surprise in this. Even he felt some disturbance at a Heaven willing to let a human die so young, the boy's life like little more than the blink of an eye. Still, he stayed. He had been following Nathan Ford's life so long, too long, to simply leave now.
After the funeral, though, Nathan began to pray again. This time, however, he prayed for his own demise.
For some reason, this actually pained him -- him, an angel! Maybe that was why he answered that time.
He could not, would not, grant Nathan Ford the death he sought. Instead, he offered oblivion, buried in his own mind and body, to be the vessel of an angel. He promised that Nathan would never have to awaken, never have to think, never have to feel ever again. He spoke of the enormous weight Nathan was struggling under and how he could provide leverage against it.
Even by human standards, the answer came quickly.
Yes.
Extended Series: The Colt Job 'verse
Word Count: 795
Warnings: Spoilers for Nathan Ford's backstory in Leverage, none for Supernatural
Note: I have never actually written a story utterly without dialogue before.
Chapters: Part and Parcel | Better the Devil You Know | Providing Leverage
Crossposted: dragons_moon, katsukoficNathan Ford was an interesting individual -- no, man.
What originally drew Nathaniel's attention to him was the similarity of their names. What kept his attention was the man's life. Something intriguing was always happening. One minute, he might be in one part of the world, enjoying time with his wife and young son, and the next time Nathaniel checked in, what seemed to him like moments later, he was across the globe, tracking thieves and recovering lost pieces of human art.
Nathaniel had happened to be observing the first job where Nathan Ford met Sophie Devereaux, and that was the moment he was hooked. He hadn't taken his eyes off Nathan's life after that, not and chance missing a moment of what was going on. Nathan's existence was his own personal source of entertainment, and he would challenge anything, angelic or demonic, to interrupt it.
So, of course, it was something human that did it. Of course. The boy started getting sick and then sicker. To some extent, even Nathaniel was surprised by this development; he had been so busy following Nathan Ford around that he had nearly forgotten about the wife and son. Nathan was kept so busy retrieving supposedly priceless things that neither of them had seen it at first, and Margaret was such a strong woman that she hadn't said much to Nathan yet in hope the boy's health would improve.
It didn't, though. Instead, with every moment that passed, it seemed to deteriorate more and more. No, not moment. By then, he had been following Nathan Ford long enough to realize that what felt like a second to him was something more like days for Nathan. Moments were more like months.
The boy was dying. He could see that, and Nathan could see that. He could hear Nathan's prayers daily, nightly, so frequent now as it got closer to the end for the boy. Heaven didn't answer. It never did.
Nathan Ford's prayers grew more frantic. He was with Margaret and the boy almost all the time now, taking only enough assignments to retain his employment -- and even those had to be close in physical proximity to the boy's location.
The more frenzied and desperate the prayers grew, the more concerned Nathaniel in turn became. When the pleading turned to bargaining, though, was when he truly first felt a sort of frisson of fear. It was only his presence so far that was keeping the demons at bay, and if he had not been there, Nathan would have long ago made a deal for the boy's life. There were demons aplenty who would be thrilled to hold in contract the soul of a good man like Nathan Ford.
So he grew more vigilant watching everyone coming in contact with Nathan Ford all the more closely. There were a few that came near, even one of some power, but they didn't stay long, so they were of no true concern.
He saw Nathan's emboldened pleas to the company of his employment to "cover" the treatment the boy needed; he assumed that meant to pay the costs of it. He saw them refuse, saying it was too experimental. That was when he first truly learned that it wasn't always a far leap from human to demon.
He saw Nathan leave that place to return to the hospital his son was at. He saw him stay there for days, never once leaving. He saw him watch his child die. He saw the pain as it ripped through Nathan's soul, and he too grieved, both for the boy cut down too young and for Nathan. He even spoke briefly with the child's spirit before its Reaper took it away.
For the longest time, Nathan Ford's prayers ceased completely. He felt no surprise in this. Even he felt some disturbance at a Heaven willing to let a human die so young, the boy's life like little more than the blink of an eye. Still, he stayed. He had been following Nathan Ford's life so long, too long, to simply leave now.
After the funeral, though, Nathan began to pray again. This time, however, he prayed for his own demise.
For some reason, this actually pained him -- him, an angel! Maybe that was why he answered that time.
He could not, would not, grant Nathan Ford the death he sought. Instead, he offered oblivion, buried in his own mind and body, to be the vessel of an angel. He promised that Nathan would never have to awaken, never have to think, never have to feel ever again. He spoke of the enormous weight Nathan was struggling under and how he could provide leverage against it.
Even by human standards, the answer came quickly.
Yes.