A/N: So this is my second attempt at writing a Prince Nuada/OC story. A few people liked my first one shot for Hellboy and some didn't care enough to review. That's okay. I had this under my belt to begin with and I've been playing around with the idea for awhile now. Here we go…
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A dark haired woman cleared away the remains of a meal, collecting the tip off the table with a small frown.
A dollar? Why just a dollar? The thought crossed her mind as she turned slowly and headed back towards the kitchen, dumping the food scraps in the trash. Did I do something wrong?
"Brynn! More coffee please!" someone called. "And try not to get any feathers in it!"
Brynn rolled her eyes and grabbed the coffee pot off the machine, telling herself not to get angry at the man. He meant everything in a teasing manner, but sometimes she didn't want to hear it about her feathers. At the thought, her wings ruffled behind her and things in the kitchen shook.
"Coming Meyers!" she called back, pushing her way out of the swinging door of the kitchen.
The man smiled at her as she approached his end of the counter. "Brynn, don't you know you work too hard? An angel like you should be doing other things."
"What? You think I should be in the Vatican City with the pope?" Brynn teased, letting her wings open a little as she refilled his cup with fresh coffee. "Or should I be saving the world with Hellboy?"
Thunder roared overhead, shaking the windows with the boom. The two glanced up as the door to the little restaurant opened. A pale man entered the restaurant, his eyes searching the room. Brynn couldn't help but stare at him until he found himself a booth in the back, near the window.
"Who is he?" Brynn asked, noticing the Meyers had stiffened at the sight of the man.
"No one you should be associating yourself with Brynn," Meyers stated, chugging down his coffee. "He means trouble."
"But who is he?" Brynn repeated, glancing over at the man again.
"No one," Meyers muttered, awkwardly shuffling to his feet and pulling a twenty out of his pocket. "Keep the change." Brynn reached for the money as he laid it on the counter, but Meyers put his hand on top of hers. "Be careful."
Brynn was confused, but she threw him a small smile. "I will."
With a last nervous smile and look at the pale man in the back corner, Meyers pulled on his coat and walked out into the storm. Brynn watched him walk away until he faded away into the darkness and placed the money in the cash register. With a sigh, she brushed her dark hair behind her ear and made her way around the counter towards the pale man.
His hair was the white with the touch of silver and long. Strange black scars crossed over his face, but they were thin enough to go mostly unnoticed. His build was that of an athlete, a warrior of the past even and Brynn knew that he would stand taller than her by at least eight inches. He gave off the feeling of power as she approached him and something about him called to her, recognizing another from another world, but she didn't know what it meant.
"Hello, I'm Brynn. I'll be your waitress today," she said, using her welcoming line. "Can I get you a drink?"
The man didn't look at her. He just stared out the window. "Tea."
"Would you like lemon with your tea?"
"No."
"All right."
Brynn turned and went to get what he wanted. One of the other waitresses came up next to her as she poured some sweet tea into the man's cup. She leaned towards Brynn as she reached for a cup herself.
"Who's the new guy?" she asked.
"I don't know. I didn't get his name," Brynn muttered, grabbing a straw from the container. "And he doesn't look like the sociable type."
"He's cute for a…whatever clique he's from..." She smiled slightly. "You're single."
"Caroline, what is your point?"
"Ask him out."
"Oh yeah, right." Brynn rolled her eyes and grabbed the drink once more. "I'm not going to ask out some random stranger. That's your territory."
Caroline made a face at Brynn and went back to filling her cup. Brynn hurried over to the pale man in the corner and set the drink in front of him.
"Can I get you anything else?" she asked. "Today is the salad special. A fruit salad if I remember…"
"That would be fine," the strange man said, still not looking at her.
Brynn scribbled down his order and walked off to the relay it to the cook. She paused in the kitchen, looking at her reflection in one of the pots.
Her dark hair which normally tumbled in waves about her shoulders was pulled back in a loose ponytail. She scrutinized her gray-blue eyes, trying to picture the blue that her mysterious father's eyes were. Were they bright, crystal blue or were they a navy blue? Her soft, pale skin covered high cheekbones and she had a small nose with full, kissable lips.
There's no point to have kissable lips unless there's someone to kiss, Brynn thought, letting her wings stretch out a little again. I don't understand why I haven't found a decent date since high school.
"Order up," the cook grunted, pushing the tray of food towards her.
Brynn took the meal and skirted past Caroline on her way out of the kitchen. She walked over to the pale man's booth and set his meal down before him. He still didn't turn his eyes away from the window. Brynn didn't expect him to do anything, so she turned to leave.
A sudden, solid hold on her arm made her jerk to a stop. Brynn looked down at her arm in alarm and saw a tense pale hand gripping her just above the wrist. Her eyes travelled up a visibly tense arm and up to the amber eyes of the man.
"Why do you subject yourself to working in the lowest job of the earth?" he asked in a voice that was smooth like velvet but cut like a knife. "An angel of your breeding should not lower itself to serving others."
"It puts food on the table and money in my pocket," Brynn muttered, trying to pull her hand back. "Now, please let me go. I have patrons to check on."
The man pulled his hand back, releasing her. Brynn didn't look back as she walked away. She glanced down at her arm as she set the tray down on an empty table. It was red where he had grasped it, but it didn't hurt. Brynn dismissed it as someone just being weird and started cleaning away another table vacated by patrons.
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Brynn checked her cell phone as she waited for the last patron to finish their meal. It was a little before ten and the last patron was the pale faced man who had asked her the strange question. He had ordered two refills of tea and had not requested dessert. Brynn didn't understand why he wasn't paying the bill and leaving yet.
"You know, I think he wants to talk to you," Caroline commented with a smile as she slipped on her jacket. "He's going to get you all alone and pluck up the courage to speak to you."
"He doesn't seem like the type who lacks courage."
"Maybe so…" She shouldered her purse. "I'll see you later."
Brynn nodded and watched her friend walk out of the restaurant. She sighed and pulled on the ties of her apron, releasing the knot. She shoved the apron under the counter and grabbed a rag. She wiped down the counter, trying to stall for time. She really didn't want to go over to see if that pale man wanted to talk to her. It was almost certain that he wanted to talk about her wings again.
"Brynn," someone said and Brynn looked up to find herself looking into the stranger's amber eyes.
"Can I help you, sir?" Brynn asked, pausing in her actions.
The man smirked and turned away, walking out of the restaurant. Brynn stared after him for a moment, unsure of what had just happened. She grabbed a spare tray and walked over to the man's vacated table, cleaning away his empty plate and cups. A fifty lay on the table and Brynn stared at it for a moment, wondering if it was a mistake, but something told her that the pale man didn't make mistakes.
Her cell phone rang and Brynn pulled it out of her pocket, answering it. "Hello?"
"Brynn…is that man still there?" Meyers asked.
"No. He left a couple of minutes ago." She heard Meyers swear. "Meyers, who is he?"
"A very dangerous man," Meyers told her. "If he smelled the human in you, you could be in danger."
"Meyers -"
"I've got to go Brynn. Stay safe and make Charles walk you to your car tonight, Understand?"
"I'm not making Charles do anything."
"Fine. Just stay safe."
The phone went dead and Brynn shoved it back in her pocket. She hurried back into the kitchen and washed the dishes as the cook finally finished cleaning his pots and pans. He smiled at her as they exited the kitchen and put a hand on her shoulder.
"You do a good job today," he said. "We've had more customers in the past couple of weeks than before. And you didn't get feathers in their food. Good job."
Brynn smiled at him as she grabbed her purse from underneath the counter. "Thanks Charles. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah," Charles said, waving a dismissive hand as he grabbed the money tray from the register and took it back into the manager's office. "Bye."
Brynn hurried out of the restaurant and a gentle rain came down on her. She saw her car across the parking lot, waiting for her. With remembrance of Meyers' words, Brynn pulled out her car keys and fixed them so that they poked out from between her fingers.
Lightning flashed overhead and Brynn shivered as rain slid down the back of her neck, casting a glance up towards the heavens.
Are you up there watching me, Dad? Brynn thought as she continued on towards her car. Do you feel good knowing that you've abandoned your child and the woman you said you loved? Do you even care what happens to us?
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled through the clouds. Brynn sighed and reached forward to grip the handle of her door, ready to unlock the door. Another flash of lightning and she saw the pale man reflected in the window. She gasped and turned around to find herself face to face with him.
"What – what do you want?" she asked, taking a step back as he studied her with those cold amber eyes of his.
"Why gaze towards the stars longingly and never take flight?" the man asked. "Why do you serve others when they should serve you?"
"Enough of the twenty questions," Brynn snapped, feeling an unusual flash of anger course through her. "I don't know who you think you are or what you want, but I have friends who will kick your ass if you don't leave me alone!"
The man smirked. "I am Prince Nuada."
The name didn't ring a bell, but she felt like it should have. Otherwise, Meyers wouldn't have been so worried about her and the guy. Brynn reached behind her and fit the key in the lock, but was still prepared to lash out with the keys.
Don't hurt him…
Brynn was unsure why the thought crossed her mind, but she suddenly felt sick at the thought of hurting him. Something was wrong with her and all she knew was that he had something to do with it.
"What do you want?" Brynn demanded, turning her key behind her, so that the click wasn't so audible.
Nuada advanced on her slowly, never taking his eyes off hers. "I want the race of humans to disappear. I want the old ways to restored where our people would stand tall and in peace. The angels, the elves, and the rest of the old creatures." He cast her a wry smile. "I want to understand why the great gods chose to make you the other half of my heart."
Brynn stared at him. "You're crazy. I'm getting out of here."
She turned around and pulled open her car door. Nuada had a hand on the door, barring her entrance. Brynn stared at him in shock, wondering how he had moved so fast. His eyes were softer as they looked at her this time, a slight warmth coming from within the cold flames of his eyes.
"Do not run," he ordered quietly. "I am here to help you, to serve you just as my people have for centuries. The angels are of the highest order, but…" His nostrils flared. "Your noble blood has been tainted by the humans…" Brynn gulped and took another step back, but he grabbed her arm once more, holding her fast. "Still, my heart calls for you as it has since the moment I came back into this forsaken world…Why?"
"I don't know," Brynn whispered, shaking her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. Please, let me go…"
Nuada looked down at her, worry causing a small line to appear between his brows. "Am I hurting you?"
"No, but…" She frowned and tried pulling her arm away. "I have to go home. My mother is sick. She needs me."
"Your mother?" Nuada's eyes narrowed slightly. "Your human mother…"
"What difference does it make if she's human or not? That doesn't make her any less worthy of being helped." Brynn pointed at her chest. "It only matters what's in her heart. That's all."
"A hollow human heart counts for nothing," Nuada spat, his calm breaking for a second.
"Let me go," Brynn ordered, pulling on her arm once more. "I have to take care of her."
In her struggle to get her arm free, Brynn's arm hit the door and she sucked her breath in sharply, wincing in pain. Nuada lifted his hand and touched her arm. Brynn winced again, but couldn't pull herself away.
"You hurt yourself," he said. "Why?"
"You won't let me go…"
Brynn's wings ruffled slightly and her car trembled next to her and Nuada. He glanced at her and then past her. Brynn could hear sirens and knew that someone was coming.
"You should go," Brynn said, suddenly concerned for his safety. "The people coming…they mean business when it comes to freaks like us…"
Nuada looked at her for a moment and then leaned towards her, pressing his lips to her forehead. She closed her eyes at the contact and when she opened them, he was gone. Men in black jackets came running around her and Brynn pulled her wings up over her head to shield her face from the glare of the lights and the rain.
"Brynn, are you all right?" Meyers asked, rushing over to her side. "Did he hurt you?"
Brynn shook her head, staring through the rain at him. "No…I mean…I'm fine. He didn't hurt me."
Meyers didn't look convinced as his eyes scanned over her person. Brynn unconsciously hid the arm that had hit the car door behind her back, not wanting him to see the bruise that she could feel forming there. It didn't hurt much and she knew that it would be gone in a day or two, so why have him worry about it?
"I know you were talking with him," Meyers said finally, finding nothing visibly wrong with her. "I heard you."
"Geez Meyers, you're spying on me now?" Brynn felt a wave of anger flash through her again. "Why can't you Bureau people leave me alone? I haven't done anything –"
"But he has. Terrible things," Meyers cut across her. He sighed. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."
"No," Brynn stated firmly. "Mom is sick and I have to go home to her."
"Brynn -"
"Back off Meyers!"
Brynn's wings opened completely and she glared at him threateningly. The white wings stretched well over ten feet and beating them once would have sent the men flying backwards. Meyers knew about that and took a step back, his hand resting on the butt of his gun.
"Brynn…think about what you're doing," Meyers said calmly, lifting one hand out to her imploringly. "You're surrounded by thirty men with guns and they won't hesitate to shoot you if you attack us."
Brynn glanced around at the people around her. She felt fear creep inside her, quenching the flames of anger with cold tendrils. "I just…Meyers, I need to see my mom. She's really sick."
"I know." Meyers removed his hand from his gun. "Right now, I need you to close your wings. Slowly."
Brynn nodded and slowly closed her wings. Tears shone in her eyes and the rain started coming down harder. She was scared, of what she didn't know. With a frown, she looked up at the sky and let her tears mix with the rain.
Meyers' next words fell on deaf ears as he took her car keys and passed them onto another man who was clothed in black. Brynn allowed herself to be guided to a vehicle and climbed in the back without saying a word. She closed her eyes against her tears and bowed her head so that her dark hair created a curtain between her and the other people in the vehicle. All she wanted was to go home to her mother and go to bed, but she had a feeling her encounter with Prince Nuada had just changed her life. For better or for worse, she wasn't ready to find out.
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A/N: I'm not sure if I can keep Nuada in his royal attitude throughout the whole story. I can try to keep him in it for as long as possible, but I know I'll fail. So if you don't like seeing our great dark prince out of character, I suggest you stick around to judge me and correct me where I'm wrong. Flames are acceptable which means you can criticize me and hate me, but in a later chapter, you may find out hate is not needed. Anyway, review! Thanks! ~Scarlet