Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended and no money is being made from this story. It is purely a fanfiction story.
Timeline: Acheron's book
Summary: After being a successful thief in the black market of art and antiquities, Savine is trying to live her life on the straight and narrow. She now attends Tulane University in New Orleans as a history student and works as a bartender at a bar called Sanctuary. Everything suggests that Savine is really trying to change her criminal ways but not all is what it seems. One of her professors at Tulane University has a map she needs to locate the mythical brooch of Artemis.
Pairing: Ash/OC
A/N: I am a huge fan of the Dark-Hunter series. I love Ash and Tory and think they are amazing together. But I got a plot bunny and it wouldn't go away so here it is.
I write fanfiction for fun and to keep my creative muscles in shape when I need to write something that is not my own original novel, poems and short stories. This fanfiction is just a hobby along with my other one (plus I've always wanted to give fanfiction ago and see what happens). Updating might be irregular but enjoy and let me know what you think.
Prologue: Bar wench
It was her first week working at the bar Sanctuary as a bar wench and everything so far was running smoothly for Savine. She had been working in and out of hospitality since she was twelve. She started out as a dish pig for a restaurant and then slowly progressed to kitchen hand, waitress, seating hostess and bartending. It was the only work she knew she could do no problem when she didn't choose to be a thief. As an outlaw, she made thousands per a job.
As a bartender, she earned scraps in comparison but it would have to do for now. She had to keep the funds flowing or her savings were gone. Stealing was a career, she would've stuck with longtime because she was good at what she did. She didn't get caught but due to recent events, she was forced to retire… temporarily. But her childhood friend, Meredith, didn't have to know that.
To the blonde, she was a reformed criminal trying to live straight edged and that was how it was going to stay until she found that bloody wayward twin brother of hers.
"You have grasped this job so quickly, Sav! You amaze me!" Meredith beamed behind her wine.
"Aw, shucks, Mer!" Savine tossed her friend a sheepish look as she continued to clean glasses behind the bar. Happy hour for dinner time was over for now at Sanctuary but it would no doubt pick up again in a couple of hours. This made it a perfect time for Meredith to visit her at work to see how she was going. It was thanks to Meredith that she got this job because she used to waitress there and she kept in touch with the owners when she left to pursue a career as a tax accountant.
"And you are completely smashing it at Tulane with all those courses!"
"Well… I don't know what part of history to focus on yet," Savine replied. "Doesn't matter, hun. You are trying and that's all that matters." Meredith took a sip of her wine.
"No thanks to you," Savine reminded her and it was now Meredith's turn to look sheepish. She helped her settle into New Orleans quite quickly by helping with finding a house to rent on short notice and enrolling into Tulane University in just the nick of time before semester kicked off.
"You would've done the same for me," Meredith told her otherwise and Savine laughed. Picturing, clean-cut Meredith with her button up blouses and pencil skirts, stealing from art galleries was ridiculous. The girl freaked out if she went 1km/h over the speed limit.
"I don't think you've would've liked my last job… all you can wear is black. It doesn't stain that easily," Savine laughed and Meredith pursed her lips in disapproval.
"A goth job, you quit, remember?" Meredith raised her eyebrows.
Savine hummed at that. "And yet, here I am, wearing all black again." She looked down at her bar wench uniform. A black t-shirt with 'Sanctuary' written in small white font on the left pocket, black jeans and boots.
"At least you're not getting splashed with bodily fluids anymore. That has to be a step up, right?" Meredith prompted and Savine shrugged.
"My dry-cleaning bill is still the same… but I am not getting odd looks anymore. It feels nice to not drive over to the next town for another dry-cleaner."
"Which saves you gas money," Meredith pointed out and Savine nodded.
"Yeah but those drives were worth it… no day was the same, you know?" Savine pondered. Yeah, no day was the same when she was a thief. She travelled all over. Colleagues were never the same just her boss. Vincent. A greedy Italian with a lot of mob connections. He thinks, Savine has taken a sabbatical like her twin. He didn't know his best thief was missing and that was something, Savine was going to keep under wraps.
"Oh, I don't know about that, Sav. When I worked here… no day was the same if you know what I mean?" Meredith grinned and then gestured to the talent around in the bar. The exceptional male talent around them. There was no doubt that Sanctuary was a hub for eye candy.
Most of the guys that rolled through looked like model material and Savine had to stop herself, quite a few times already from hitting on the local talent. She did come here to do one thing and the less attention she drew the better. She came to New Orleans for an artifact and one of her professors at Tulane University, held the map to finding it. She was after the brooch of Artemis.
Though, why a Greek goddess of the moon and hunt had a brooch was a complete mystery to her. Maybe she liked shiny things?
"So?" Meredith sipped her wine. "Any crushes?" Savine rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on, Sav. I know how you're like and you're worse than me with the eye-fucking," Meredith whispered low and Savine reached for her empty glass.
"Do you want another?"
"Are you going senile or something?" Meredith persisted.
"I take that as a no, then."
"Sav!" Meredith slapped her hands on the bar and gave her serious eyes. Big blue eyes that said one thing: I am not going to let this go. Savine knew that look well. It was a look she could never content with and she sighed.
"Alright, I am not going senile." She quickly looked around for any of the Peltier brothers nearby. If they caught wind of this, she would never hear the end of it.
"Mer, you do not have to point out that you got me working in a male modeling… biker stripper joint." Meredith giggled.
"The scenery always made my day a little better when I came here for a shift." Savine ignored her and pushed on.
"Mer, I am trying to turn my life around here and I have no time for that just now. Until further notice… count me as a nun," she forced out and her lady parts were so not happy about that. Meredith looked at her, stunned.
"You really are taking this, seriously? Huh?"
"I am an all or nothing kind of person, Mer, you should know that." Savine looked at her seriously and Meredith nodded.
"It is good to see… but a nun? Isn't that a bit extreme?"
"More like a precaution," Savine corrected and that got Meredith thinking. The tax accountant was quite intuitive when she wanted to be and a light bulb went off. Savine could tell by the sudden knowing look her old friend was giving her.
"It's not who I think it is, is it?"
"How long have you known me, Meredith?" Savine fired back with a look of defeat, which gave Meredith all the answers she needed.
"Does he still play with the Howlers?"
Savine groaned in affirmative. It just sucked more that he was a musician. Savine always had a profound weakness for the art types.
"You are so going to cave," Meredith told her otherwise. "If it is who I think it is, you are so going to cave Sav and I am going to tell you: I told you so! I worked here for nearly four years and that man is sex walking. He just gets better with age." Again, Savine groaned in affirmative. That man was so her type and more but she could not touch. She could just sneak a peek and then go deal with her lady parts when she got home.
"If he continues to only come in twice a week, I will be good. He's already been in for his beer twice this week so I should be good for the weekend," Savine said with a smile of relief when out of the blue 'Sweet Home Alabama,' started to play on the speakers.
She scrunched up her face, as if in visible pain and Meredith just laughed. She didn't mean too but she couldn't help it. Her old friend lived to seize the moment and loved to take risks. Men included.
"Besides that… that is the only bad thing about working here," Savine forced herself to go back to work by pouring another glass of wine for Meredith, which her friend gladly took with another chuckle.
"Ash is not that bad."
"Argh! I am not listening." Savine then made a show of covering up her ears and Meredith yanked her arms down.
"In all seriousness, you will be fine Savine. That man only comes here for beer, a quick chat with the boys and guitar solos. I worked here for nearly five years and I have never seen him pick up here. He evades. I think Sanctuary is his pussy-free zone or something. Every guy has one." Meredith muttered.
"Or, he could be gay?" Savine suggested otherwise and Meredith shook her head, vigorously. "No way! And that's just plain mean to say. They can't have all the good ones!" Meredith frowned and it was now Savine's turn to laugh. "You never know, Mer."
"You're evil," Meredith stuck her tongue out and Savine returned it.
"No, you are wrong Savine and if there is anyone that could finally get to sleep with that man, well someone I knew, it is you Savine. You just have to promise that you call me straightaway afterwards so you can give me details. I know a lot of women who want to know what that man is packing," Meredith muttered in all seriousness and Savine frowned. She might have a huge sex drive but she was no slut.
"Gee thanks Mer. Your confidence in my abilities to be a hoe warms my little black heart," she couldn't help but snap and Meredith looked ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry Sav. I didn't mean it that way!" She quickly apologized. "You're a lady with a huge appetite. Not a slut."
"You're damn right, I am," Savine crossed her arms.
"It's just… you're you Sav. You just have this special spark that attracts men for more. You're a incredible force of nature," Meredith muttered carefully.
"And with that compliment, you are out of my bad books. Apology accepted." Meredith breathed out a sigh of relief and Savine patted her shoulder. "I can't wait to get the story," Meredith grinned and Savine rolled her eyes.
"So close, so close," she muttered and went back to cleaning glasses. Meredith just giggled behind her wine. Even knowing Ash was in the bar, set her teeth on edge. That song was both a blessing and a curse. Savine had no idea why it is played every time he entered the building just that it did. Maybe it was a prank the Peltier boys played? Who knew?
All Savine knew that now was the time to grow fixated with her work and sneak a peek when she could. She had to reward herself for keeping the bar in tiptop shape. She was on her third glass of cleaning when she felt him near.
The hair on her arms prickled and the air felt thick, as if it carried a flush of heat. She saw his leather jacket slide up next to Meredith out of her peripheral but she didn't dare to look up just yet. She had to mentally prepare herself. Okay, Savine. Deep breath in. Count to three and slowly release. It was now time to think of a hideous workout video by Richard Simmons.
"Hey Ash, how are you going?" She heard Meredith ask in a cheery tone.
"Good thanks, Meredith." That deep voice of his just seemed to wash right through Savine and she had to fight against the urge to close her eyes and savor it. His voice was rough with a dash of elegant authority. For a second, she wondered how he sounded in the throes of pleasure. Would he growl if she went down on him? Or, would he groan out a sweet release? How husky could that voice get?
It seemed that Savine didn't hear the rest of their conversation because the next thing, she realised was Meredith clicking her fingers in front of her face.
"Oh, sorry," she quickly blurted out and kept her eyes focused on Meredith's forehead even though she itched to check out the goods beside her. But a close-up ogle was bad. A close-up view let to flirting and Savine didn't trust herself tonight to keep it professional. She totally had Meredith to thank for that. The girl has thrown her off her game with all of her teasing and pestering.
"Ash wants a beer, Captain Obvious," Meredith told her but her eyes told another story. They were challenging her to slip up. Bring it on, were Savine's thoughts. So she took another deep breath. Grabbed Mr Sex on Legs's favourite beer, tapped off the lid and placed it in front of him, all while keeping her eyes on Meredith.
"It's on the house," she blurted out and with a quick turn, she exited stage right for the bathroom. Meredith was so going to pay for this. They were roommates. Meredith better watch out.