TM-prompt: Betrayal

[suey_generis]

Have you ever betrayed someone's confidence? Has anyone ever betrayed you?Second part is easy. Tell me what time it is, and I may be able to estimate the number of minutes since I was betrayed. It's the price of power. It's the price of having minions, of not being able to be everywhere at once. The trick is, don't trust anyone with enough of

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phonecall

[tm_darla]

First, Darla gets the voicemail.

Todd, pick up. This is no time to play games. Please.

She never called him Todd before. And her voice sounds brittle.

[suey_generis]

Of course, he's screening his calls, though he rather resents the implication that he is screening his calls. Normally, he would wait a day or two to call back, just on general principle. But it's Darla, and she sounds genuinely upset.

Of course, she's probably been talking to Angel. He should have expected as much. He tries to sound genuinely concerned when he picks up the phone. Of course, he is genuinely concerned, but he tries, just for good measure.

Cara?

And he resists the urge to jump straight to 'I told you so.' It's time to show he can be on his best behavior, particularly in comparison to other immortals he could name.

What's the matter?

[tm_darla]

She's unreasonably relieved to hear his voice. A strange thing, to find out that one has told the truth instead of a phrase. when teasing a lover; when she told Angel the Immortal was her best and dearest friend. Of course, her phone call has the practical purpose of asking him for help regarding the magic needed for the Rileys, but it occurs to her that even if she were sure he could not help in this matter, she'd still want to talk to him.

We saw Connor in Los Angeles,

she says, trying not to be horribly weak and soft and cry again.

That bitch Justine did her worst. And now the only thing we can give him is only one set of parents to care for. You probably won't be surprised to hear whom he picked.

And at the end, her voice has become brittle again, despite all resolutions.

[suey_generis]

What did the bitch do? Is there anything I can do back? And if I can do it back to Holtz, too, so much the better.

He has a talent for providing comfort, when needed. He's just not used to doing it for Darla, who rarely shows the need.

More important, cara, is there anything I can do for you?

Meaning 'you' in the singular, realizing belatedly that she's been talking in 'we's, that it might be taken as an offer to help Angel, too. Still, he decides not to take it back. It can't hurt to show he's capable of being a bigger man.

[not_a_eunuch]

Angel is less than pleased at accepting help from the immortal. The fact that Todd not only agreed to help Darla find a way to grant Connor's request, but he also volunteered to find an apartment for Angel, makes Angel grind his teeth. He knows what Todd is doing here. He's trying to play the nice guy to work his angle with Darla. Well it won't work on Angel. He sees right through him.

He waits outside the building he was instructed to meet Todd at and wonders if this is where the three guys with crossbows and swords attack so Todd can sweep in and rescue him. That is just the type of cheesy move he's try and pull too. Angel hates this guy.

[suey_generis]

It has certainly occurred to the Immortal that putting Angel into a dangerous situation and then saving the day might be a way to increase Darla's gratitude, and embarrass Angel in the process. However, he figures that Darla would see that coming and be suspicious. He doesn't need to overdo it. When Darla sees them side by side and makes the inevitable comparison, she'll have to realize. . .well she ought to realize. . .anyway, he's going to be on his best behavior. Besides, dangerous things seem to happen at his Boston properties whether he wants them to or not.

Instead, the Immortal streaks up in his Porsche, flips a U-ey and barely avoids running into the sidewalk and Angel. He pulls down his sunglasses (although it is, naturally, night -- he has very keen vision) and leans over the side of the convertible which is, of course, facing the wrong way.

"Hey." Best behavior, he remembers. "It's you. Well." Sizing him up. "You know, I thought vampires didn't show age. Interesting. So it's just like ordinary wear-and-tear

[not_a_eunuch]

Angel can't help but roll his eyes at the entrance that Todd makes. The Immortal is always flashy and clearly lacking true substance. No wonder Darla was so happy that her boy had returned.

The age crack is something that Angel should ignore. It's petty to sink to Todd's level. He knows this.

"Are you getting bald?" Angel asked, pretending to peer at Todd's hair. "I guess it makes sense that you may start to thin a little up top at your age."

He folds his arms across his chest and waits for the grand tour of this apartment that Todd has to show him. He won't be surprised if it's covered in crosses and the water has been blessed inside. "Darla says hello, oh wait, no she doesn't."

[suey_generis]

The Immortal knows perfectly well that there is nothing wrong with his hair. That won't keep him from sneaking a look at every reflective surface he passes for the next several hours, but on the face of it, he doesn't let the anxiety show.

"No, I don't guess she would have to tell me hello through you. Considering we just talked and she's the one who asked me to come out here."

He leaves the car double-parked, jumps out, and points an alarm that makes all kinds of flashes and beeps.

Gesturing at the house, he said, "Shall we? I should warn you, my last attempt to show one of my properties proved almost fatal. Not to me, of course."