(no subject)
Title: Carrot and stick
Rating: PGish
Pairing: Angela Petrelli/Eden
Spoilers: All of S1, to be safe
Summary: Angela secures a new ally. But at what cost?
It wasn't a visit that Angela was looking forward to. Why she had been the one selected to go was beyond her, even if, in the end, she would have insisted she had gone. It wasn't that she didn't trust the reports of others, merely that she, well, didn't trust the reports of others. Chandra hadn't been the good boy he was supposed to be, reporting back to certain factions in a timely manner, so a home visit had to be made.
Angela was certain that when she returned home, she would have to burn her entire outfit to rid it of the scent of that tenament apartment building. Thankful for the thin leather that covered her hands, the matriach of the Petrelli clan rapped sharply upon the door, nose wrinkling as she stared at the kidskin, expecting to see some offensive mark. A moment later and no answer and the second rapping quickly turned into pounding.
"Suresh! Open this door." She paused, face contorting into a scowl. "Right this instant!"
"He's not home. Left about an hour ago. Shall I tell him you came calling?" The voice was soft, cool. It matched the woman Angela faced when she spun about.
"You may tell me where he's gone, if you are such a keeper of his schedule. Your name as well." Sniffing, chin tilting up slightly as she looked the girl over. Young. Very, very young for the man she sought. Also much more female than she would have thought he fancied. What else might one contribute Chandra's obsession with the boy he called Patient Zero? Little else explained why he put so much effort into the boy when there were much more interesting specimens about.
"Papa Suresh's gone out,' Eden said, her words clipped as her eyes narrowed. "Name's Eden. And you,' she continued, her voice changing slightly, undulating as she spoke. "You wish to turn around and return to your vehicle and go home." A slow smile curved Eden's lips, smug superiority transforming her pixie-like features.
A moment later that smile was literally slapped from her face by a leather glove around a strong hand. "One would think that Chandra might have taught you how to play with others. Not to mention educated you on those whom you should not play with at all." Before the girl could do more than gape, the shock written in her dark eyes, Angela shoved the girl back into her own apartment. "Papa Suresh is it,' she asked, turning to close the door, locking it. "He most certainly likes them... nubile, doesn't he?"
Eden spluttered, going pale. This wasn't how it was supposed to work. The woman should be gone, be half way down the street. Not standing there, locking Eden's own door and insinuating such things. "It's not like that! He's been like a Father to me!"
"Is that your little fantasy? Papa Suresh makes it all better,' Angela asked, a slight purr to her tones as she stroked the girl's cheek, carefully caressing the reddened mark she'd left. "Such a bad man using a girl like that. Must hurt knowing his attention, in the end, is for that boy, doesn't it?"
"I... I don't know what you're talking about." Yet Eden's head tilted, ever so slightly, nuzzling against the woman's gloved hand. "It isn't like that between he and I."
A brow arched but, given the way the child reacted to the littlest stimuli, Angela was beginning to believe her. She wasn't bedding Suresh. Would she was another story. "But it is like that with him and the boy, isn't it?"
"Which boy?" The change was slight. A tightening of her jaw, the narrowing of dark eyes. Eden was needy but not stupid. She knew she was being used, a tool to gather information.
Sadly, knowing that and holding back from a question that earned her another slap, was not the same thing. "Don't play coy. It neither suits you, nor endears you to me."
"If you're asking me if Chandra is... is... intimate with Patient Zero? What makes you think I would know?"
"You know everything,' Angela murmured, giving the girl a knowing look as she pressed a hand to the woman's shoulder, pushing her until Eden's back met the wall. "You know when he's in. When he's out. When Patient Zero is there. I bet you know the brand of tea he drinks, his favourite program and even if he snores or not. You're like me, Eden. You don't take chances, you don't leave things to chance." Her hand slid from shoulder to throat, lightly caressing the girl's neck before cupping her cheek once more.
Her chin tilted slightly upward and Angela smiled. It was a motion, a gesture, she recognized. It confirmed exactly what she'd thought, what she'd said. "I don't spy on him, if that's what you're insinuating."
"No, you don't. You're merely ensuring that you aren't caught off guard. A woman can't be too careful. It's still a man's world." The leather clad tip of her thumb glided over the breadth of Eden's lower lip. A bemused smile curved Angela's lips as the girl nipped at the kidskin, capturing it and holding it a moment. "A man's world but we ladies can do things to even the playing field, can't we, Eden?"
"Such as?" Even as she asked it, her hands moved, without hesitation, to Angela's waist, clutching the expensive lines of her jacket and pulling her closer. The woman, despite a twitch of her lips and narrowing of her eyes, allowed it.
"Such as working together. Not allowing men such as Suresh, and his little playtoy, to keep the upper hand. I have someone I want you to meet, Eden. Tomorrow." It had been a long time since Angela had used affection to secure allegiance with any but her own boys. But this was different. This wasn't a pat on the head and murmured praise to ensure Nathan behaved. This was lowering herself to elevate herself. It was a plot Angela thought herself long past, yet so easily fell into as she felt soft, glossed lips against her own.
"Tomorrow," Eden whispered, nimble fingers already undoing golden buttons as she sought more than just a kiss from the powerful woman that had become her unwitting victim, Angela not even aware of the subtle persuasion Eden had used to secure this meeting.
Rating: PGish
Pairing: Angela Petrelli/Eden
Spoilers: All of S1, to be safe
Summary: Angela secures a new ally. But at what cost?
It wasn't a visit that Angela was looking forward to. Why she had been the one selected to go was beyond her, even if, in the end, she would have insisted she had gone. It wasn't that she didn't trust the reports of others, merely that she, well, didn't trust the reports of others. Chandra hadn't been the good boy he was supposed to be, reporting back to certain factions in a timely manner, so a home visit had to be made.
Angela was certain that when she returned home, she would have to burn her entire outfit to rid it of the scent of that tenament apartment building. Thankful for the thin leather that covered her hands, the matriach of the Petrelli clan rapped sharply upon the door, nose wrinkling as she stared at the kidskin, expecting to see some offensive mark. A moment later and no answer and the second rapping quickly turned into pounding.
"Suresh! Open this door." She paused, face contorting into a scowl. "Right this instant!"
"He's not home. Left about an hour ago. Shall I tell him you came calling?" The voice was soft, cool. It matched the woman Angela faced when she spun about.
"You may tell me where he's gone, if you are such a keeper of his schedule. Your name as well." Sniffing, chin tilting up slightly as she looked the girl over. Young. Very, very young for the man she sought. Also much more female than she would have thought he fancied. What else might one contribute Chandra's obsession with the boy he called Patient Zero? Little else explained why he put so much effort into the boy when there were much more interesting specimens about.
"Papa Suresh's gone out,' Eden said, her words clipped as her eyes narrowed. "Name's Eden. And you,' she continued, her voice changing slightly, undulating as she spoke. "You wish to turn around and return to your vehicle and go home." A slow smile curved Eden's lips, smug superiority transforming her pixie-like features.
A moment later that smile was literally slapped from her face by a leather glove around a strong hand. "One would think that Chandra might have taught you how to play with others. Not to mention educated you on those whom you should not play with at all." Before the girl could do more than gape, the shock written in her dark eyes, Angela shoved the girl back into her own apartment. "Papa Suresh is it,' she asked, turning to close the door, locking it. "He most certainly likes them... nubile, doesn't he?"
Eden spluttered, going pale. This wasn't how it was supposed to work. The woman should be gone, be half way down the street. Not standing there, locking Eden's own door and insinuating such things. "It's not like that! He's been like a Father to me!"
"Is that your little fantasy? Papa Suresh makes it all better,' Angela asked, a slight purr to her tones as she stroked the girl's cheek, carefully caressing the reddened mark she'd left. "Such a bad man using a girl like that. Must hurt knowing his attention, in the end, is for that boy, doesn't it?"
"I... I don't know what you're talking about." Yet Eden's head tilted, ever so slightly, nuzzling against the woman's gloved hand. "It isn't like that between he and I."
A brow arched but, given the way the child reacted to the littlest stimuli, Angela was beginning to believe her. She wasn't bedding Suresh. Would she was another story. "But it is like that with him and the boy, isn't it?"
"Which boy?" The change was slight. A tightening of her jaw, the narrowing of dark eyes. Eden was needy but not stupid. She knew she was being used, a tool to gather information.
Sadly, knowing that and holding back from a question that earned her another slap, was not the same thing. "Don't play coy. It neither suits you, nor endears you to me."
"If you're asking me if Chandra is... is... intimate with Patient Zero? What makes you think I would know?"
"You know everything,' Angela murmured, giving the girl a knowing look as she pressed a hand to the woman's shoulder, pushing her until Eden's back met the wall. "You know when he's in. When he's out. When Patient Zero is there. I bet you know the brand of tea he drinks, his favourite program and even if he snores or not. You're like me, Eden. You don't take chances, you don't leave things to chance." Her hand slid from shoulder to throat, lightly caressing the girl's neck before cupping her cheek once more.
Her chin tilted slightly upward and Angela smiled. It was a motion, a gesture, she recognized. It confirmed exactly what she'd thought, what she'd said. "I don't spy on him, if that's what you're insinuating."
"No, you don't. You're merely ensuring that you aren't caught off guard. A woman can't be too careful. It's still a man's world." The leather clad tip of her thumb glided over the breadth of Eden's lower lip. A bemused smile curved Angela's lips as the girl nipped at the kidskin, capturing it and holding it a moment. "A man's world but we ladies can do things to even the playing field, can't we, Eden?"
"Such as?" Even as she asked it, her hands moved, without hesitation, to Angela's waist, clutching the expensive lines of her jacket and pulling her closer. The woman, despite a twitch of her lips and narrowing of her eyes, allowed it.
"Such as working together. Not allowing men such as Suresh, and his little playtoy, to keep the upper hand. I have someone I want you to meet, Eden. Tomorrow." It had been a long time since Angela had used affection to secure allegiance with any but her own boys. But this was different. This wasn't a pat on the head and murmured praise to ensure Nathan behaved. This was lowering herself to elevate herself. It was a plot Angela thought herself long past, yet so easily fell into as she felt soft, glossed lips against her own.
"Tomorrow," Eden whispered, nimble fingers already undoing golden buttons as she sought more than just a kiss from the powerful woman that had become her unwitting victim, Angela not even aware of the subtle persuasion Eden had used to secure this meeting.