[this is danger] Paying Back Favors
[Set in this_isdanger. huntersdaughter is referenced with permission and ilove_atallman is mine to use and abuse as I choose. Set after THIS.]
The first thing Eliot heard was the sound of a body hitting his couch.
And yes, he knew it was a body. It has a very distinctive sound.
He was in the kitchen, fixing dinner for himself when that distinctive thud! connected with his couch and he was immediately on edge. He and the team had just gotten back from taking down Moreau, and while he was rather secure in the idea that Moreau wasn’t getting out again to get back at them, he wasn’t sold on the idea that his men might not come after them, looking for revenge. He tightened his grip on the knife in his hand, slowly starting to make his way into the living room to find out who was there. He took a breath, before making his way around the corner and staring them down.
“Who the hell are you?”
There were two blond women, one of them standing, and one of them on the couch, asleep. The one standing started to turn slowly, holding up her hands in front of her. “Easy, cowboy. I’m an old friend.”
There was something about the tone in her voice that was familiar, but he had never seen her before. He tightened his grip on the knife, and didn’t flinch as he continued to stare her down. “Who are you?”
“Oh, c’mon, don’t you remember?” she said slowly, a smirk crossing her face. Then she closed her eyes, and they came up black again. “We had such a great time in Belgrade.”
He took a stumble back. He had seen them before, but there was something about them that tended to suck the air from a person’s lungs, no matter how accustomed to it they are. He sucked in a deep breath before responding. “Ruby?”
“The one and only,” she said with a grin. “Been a long time, Eliot.”
“Really should have been longer.” He glared. “You can’t just break into people’s houses.”
“Uh, hello-demon? Kind of what we do.” There was a small mumble as the girl on the couch stirred, and Ruby turned to face her, before taking a couple steps forwards and grabbing him by the shirt. “C’mon. We need to talk.”
Eliot let himself be tugged, because he knew that Ruby could do much worse to him if he didn’t, but by the time they got into the kitchen, he wasn’t any happier than when they had started. “What are you doing here? And who is that?”
“That? Is Joanna Beth Harvelle. And what I’m doing here is that you owe me a favor, and I’m calling to collect.”
Eliot crossed his arms in front of his chest. He clearly wasn’t amused. “And how are you collecting exactly?”
Ruby made her way over to the counter and started poking around in the food that was there. “Jo needs to stay put, here in Boston. She’s going to want to go running off back to the big battle, and you can’t let her do that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because she’s just gonna get herself killed. Again.” Ruby sighed heavily as she popped a carrot in her mouth. “Her mom just sold her soul to bring her back, and it’d be a bit of a waste if Jo just ran off not even a week later and found herself belly up where she started.”
Eliot’s jaw set and she watched him like a hawk, the way she always did. It pissed him off. “I can’t just hold someone against their will, Ruby.”
“C’mon, it’s not like anyone’ll be looking for her,” Ruby rolled her eyes. “Mom’s dead and as far as anyone else she knows is concerned, Jo died with her. You lock her up long enough to knock some sense into her and she’ll be fine.”
“You … you can’t just lock people up!” Eliot snapped. “She’s not an object.”
“Easy, Rambo, it won’t take that long. Just long enough for me to clean up the mess I started.”
“And what mess is that?”
“The Apocalypse, alright?”
Eliot stared at her for a minute, hard. “The Apocalypse.”
“Yup. Judeo-Christian, to be specific. Lucifer and Michael, the big heavy weight showdown-did you pay attention in Sunday school, or were you too busy checking out the goods under the teacher’s sweater?” She sighed. “Look, it’s fixable. I have to talk an idiot into doing the right thing. It really won’t take me that long. Once that’s done, she can go wherever she wants. But until Lucifer gets put back where he belongs and millions of people aren’t dying, she needs to stay put.”
She paused, watching his face for a moment, before she started to look a little desperate. He wasn’t sure what it was, before some reason, she really didn’t want this girl to die again. He didn’t say anything, though, just stared her down and tried to get to the bottom of whatever it was that she wanted.
“C’mon Eliot, I’m appealing to your better nature here. Aren’t you the one who’s Robin Hooding it up these days?”
Eliot blinked. “How’d you know about that?”
“How’d you think I’d know you were in Boston? I’m me. I know all.”
Eliot grit his teeth for a moment, before glancing back to the doorway. “What am I supposed to tell her?”
“Exactly what I told you. Mom did her a huge solid and now she needs to make sure that that great sacrifice didn’t go to waste.” She straightened again, before taking another one of the carrots. “I’ll throw up the all clear when I’m finished, and after that, consider us even.”
“No more surprise demon visits on my doorstep?”
“You will never see me again. Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a scout.”
“I was never a lot of things. Sometimes you have to pretend. Oh, and don’t forget to get her to help you demon-proof the place.” She flashed him a smile. “Thanks, Eliot.”
Eliot rolled his eyes, before starting to glance back towards the door again. “Yeah. As if I have a-” He turned back around and stopped when he saw that the kitchen around him was empty, and Ruby was gone. “Damnit,” he muttered, before turning back to what he was doing. He eyed the ingredients that were left on the table before sighing and going to get some fresh produce from the fridge.
After all, now he was cooking for two.
1074 words
The first thing Eliot heard was the sound of a body hitting his couch.
And yes, he knew it was a body. It has a very distinctive sound.
He was in the kitchen, fixing dinner for himself when that distinctive thud! connected with his couch and he was immediately on edge. He and the team had just gotten back from taking down Moreau, and while he was rather secure in the idea that Moreau wasn’t getting out again to get back at them, he wasn’t sold on the idea that his men might not come after them, looking for revenge. He tightened his grip on the knife in his hand, slowly starting to make his way into the living room to find out who was there. He took a breath, before making his way around the corner and staring them down.
“Who the hell are you?”
There were two blond women, one of them standing, and one of them on the couch, asleep. The one standing started to turn slowly, holding up her hands in front of her. “Easy, cowboy. I’m an old friend.”
There was something about the tone in her voice that was familiar, but he had never seen her before. He tightened his grip on the knife, and didn’t flinch as he continued to stare her down. “Who are you?”
“Oh, c’mon, don’t you remember?” she said slowly, a smirk crossing her face. Then she closed her eyes, and they came up black again. “We had such a great time in Belgrade.”
He took a stumble back. He had seen them before, but there was something about them that tended to suck the air from a person’s lungs, no matter how accustomed to it they are. He sucked in a deep breath before responding. “Ruby?”
“The one and only,” she said with a grin. “Been a long time, Eliot.”
“Really should have been longer.” He glared. “You can’t just break into people’s houses.”
“Uh, hello-demon? Kind of what we do.” There was a small mumble as the girl on the couch stirred, and Ruby turned to face her, before taking a couple steps forwards and grabbing him by the shirt. “C’mon. We need to talk.”
Eliot let himself be tugged, because he knew that Ruby could do much worse to him if he didn’t, but by the time they got into the kitchen, he wasn’t any happier than when they had started. “What are you doing here? And who is that?”
“That? Is Joanna Beth Harvelle. And what I’m doing here is that you owe me a favor, and I’m calling to collect.”
Eliot crossed his arms in front of his chest. He clearly wasn’t amused. “And how are you collecting exactly?”
Ruby made her way over to the counter and started poking around in the food that was there. “Jo needs to stay put, here in Boston. She’s going to want to go running off back to the big battle, and you can’t let her do that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because she’s just gonna get herself killed. Again.” Ruby sighed heavily as she popped a carrot in her mouth. “Her mom just sold her soul to bring her back, and it’d be a bit of a waste if Jo just ran off not even a week later and found herself belly up where she started.”
Eliot’s jaw set and she watched him like a hawk, the way she always did. It pissed him off. “I can’t just hold someone against their will, Ruby.”
“C’mon, it’s not like anyone’ll be looking for her,” Ruby rolled her eyes. “Mom’s dead and as far as anyone else she knows is concerned, Jo died with her. You lock her up long enough to knock some sense into her and she’ll be fine.”
“You … you can’t just lock people up!” Eliot snapped. “She’s not an object.”
“Easy, Rambo, it won’t take that long. Just long enough for me to clean up the mess I started.”
“And what mess is that?”
“The Apocalypse, alright?”
Eliot stared at her for a minute, hard. “The Apocalypse.”
“Yup. Judeo-Christian, to be specific. Lucifer and Michael, the big heavy weight showdown-did you pay attention in Sunday school, or were you too busy checking out the goods under the teacher’s sweater?” She sighed. “Look, it’s fixable. I have to talk an idiot into doing the right thing. It really won’t take me that long. Once that’s done, she can go wherever she wants. But until Lucifer gets put back where he belongs and millions of people aren’t dying, she needs to stay put.”
She paused, watching his face for a moment, before she started to look a little desperate. He wasn’t sure what it was, before some reason, she really didn’t want this girl to die again. He didn’t say anything, though, just stared her down and tried to get to the bottom of whatever it was that she wanted.
“C’mon Eliot, I’m appealing to your better nature here. Aren’t you the one who’s Robin Hooding it up these days?”
Eliot blinked. “How’d you know about that?”
“How’d you think I’d know you were in Boston? I’m me. I know all.”
Eliot grit his teeth for a moment, before glancing back to the doorway. “What am I supposed to tell her?”
“Exactly what I told you. Mom did her a huge solid and now she needs to make sure that that great sacrifice didn’t go to waste.” She straightened again, before taking another one of the carrots. “I’ll throw up the all clear when I’m finished, and after that, consider us even.”
“No more surprise demon visits on my doorstep?”
“You will never see me again. Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a scout.”
“I was never a lot of things. Sometimes you have to pretend. Oh, and don’t forget to get her to help you demon-proof the place.” She flashed him a smile. “Thanks, Eliot.”
Eliot rolled his eyes, before starting to glance back towards the door again. “Yeah. As if I have a-” He turned back around and stopped when he saw that the kitchen around him was empty, and Ruby was gone. “Damnit,” he muttered, before turning back to what he was doing. He eyed the ingredients that were left on the table before sighing and going to get some fresh produce from the fridge.
After all, now he was cooking for two.
1074 words