A/N This is going to follow the TV show more than the book and is going to revolve around the middle to end of season one. We're going quite far from the plot of the book and I'm treating it as though Abe has always owned Parnassus.
Also, there are some tags in here that could be triggers for some people so, TRIGGER WARNING.
Older Man/Younger Woman, Past Attempted Rape, Past Attempted Incest, Consensual Underage Sex, Underage Drinking, Child Abduction, Past Child Neglect, Past Child Abuse.
XXXX
Parnassus. That was the name glowing in pink above the rather unimposing door. S h e thought it an odd name for a bar but hey, the place had to be called something and at least it didn't have one of those stupid Girls Girls Girls signs up. The young woman closed her leather bound notebook with old fountain pen inside then tucked it away in her small messenger bag. Green eyes glanced around the dark parking lot, there were hardly any cars which meant either the bar would be quiet or that people just came and went the same way she did; the seventeen year old hoped for the former.
Quietly she stepped into the bar and practically skidded to a halt as she looked around. The place was exactly what one would expect from a bar, seemed fairly normal; no, what had her stopped was the creepy dude in a fucking clown costume. Each to their demented own, said her mind as she carried on her way to the bar where she sat herself down. The hubbub wasn't actually that loud, she heard a few people having their own conversations but most of the patrons seemed to be keeping to themselves.
Hardly thirty seconds had passed by before an older man with glasses appeared with what he probably thought was a charming smile. He was the sort that if someone met him in a darkened alley they'd be rather dubious about it, what with his overalls, unnecessarily large glasses and unkempt black hair, however, she didn't think he was actually that bad; unless provoked of course.
"Hi there, Little Lady." He greeted with a toothy grin. "What can I get you?"
She smirked, there was no doubt he was on to her. "Whiskey neat, and make sure it's not that blended shit."
That toothy grin of his only grew. "Gonna need some ID if you don't mine, Little Lady."
She couldn't help but wonder if this was a nickname he gave every woman that walked into Parnassus or if she was just special; looking around she realised she was the only woman in the building so maybe it was the latter. The raven-haired beauty rummaged through her blue messenger bag a moment then handed over her ID. He peered over his glasses at her then at the ID, rinse and repeat a few times, then silently handed it back with a knowing smirk and poured her drink.
"That's a pretty convincing fake ID you got there." He said as he slipped the glass towards the seventeen year old. "Where you get it?"
She shrugged. "I needed it."
The man in overalls thought that a strange answer but at Parnassus everyone was a little odd and half of them always spoke in riddles. He leant on the bar which brought his face almost unnecessarily close to her own.
"You sure you're supposed to be here, Jessica Jenkins? Girls that look like you don't normally hang out in bars with men who look like me." There was actually a hint of concern in his voice.
The green-eyed teenager shrugged again. "This is a safe haven for Strong Creatives, right?" And my name isn't Jessica Jenkins, that's just what my ID says."
That smirk of his grew and she could tell they'd found a mutual liking of one another. She'd got spunk.
"So what is your name, Little Lady?" He stood up straight again and took off his glasses to clean them. "I'm Abe. You gonna tell me how old you are?"
"I can be as old as you want." The raven-haired girl downed her drink. "How about you guess my name? Nothing better to do and my Inscape isn't going anywhere. Wasn't expecting it to bring me to a place so Country though."
Abe chuckled a moment then rested himself back on the bar. "Alright, I'll play. Bet it's something real pretty like … Lorelei."
She breathed out a laugh. "I appreciate the complement but nope."
She liked this, hadn't just sat and chatted with someone in years and she'd only ever met one other person like her and that guy was dead.
Abe continued to guess. "Charlotte? Eliza? Anna? Rose?" Each time he said a new name the green-eyed teenager would shake her head. "Cassandra?"
"No."
"Well, can I at least get a clue? There's like an infinite amount of names … and that was before folk started naming their kids shit like Audio Science."
Her brow furrowed. "Some dude seriously did that?" Abe nodded. "Okay, weird. I guess you can have a clue right after I get another drink."
Abe acquiesced easily. The sound of the rich amber liquid settling into the glass was bold and tantalising. She took a sip.
"So?" He asked expectantly.
"A deal is a deal. My name begins with A."
Abe rubbed his hands together as though warming up for something; like a prize would be at the end.
"Okay, I can do this. The letter A, not that hard. I'll get it."
"No you won't, my friend."
Abe and the teenage girl suddenly noticed the bar had fallen silent and totally vacant of all but themselves. Abe peered over his large glasses at the owner of the deep voice and when she looked to her left she found it to be a tall, handsome man somewhere in his early forties. He leant on the bar with his elbow, a cup of hot cocoa in his hands. She smiled softly at him.
"If this young woman's name were easy to guess she'd not have played this game with you."
She shrugged. "Where is the fun if it's easy?"
The newcommer looked her up and down. "Hmm, true." His attention shifted back to the unkempt man then. "Abe, a word if you wouldn't mind."
With that he strutted away from the pair and went to sit at a now vacant booth. The raven-haired beauty watched him go with a pleasant grin.
"Was he drinking cocoa?" She asked herself more than Abe.
"Best stay away from Charlie Manx, Little Lady."
Her brow furrowed as she looked back at him. "Why?"
To her the newcomer didn't seem all that much of an issue to her, just a little odd and hugely imposing.
"Because Manx is the most powerful one of us and the most dangerous." Said Abe quickly and quietly.
"He can't be that bad."
Abe chuckled half-heartedly. "Whatever you're imagining, he's worse. He's not a bad person, at least not all the time, but he's not good. Do yourself a favour and steer clear of him."
With that Abe sipped out from behind the bar and left her a lone in favour of joining his friend. The girl watched Manx's back for a few moments but the glare she got from Abe had her turn back to her drink. She sipped slowly while staring at nothing but the shelves of spirits. She could hear the two men conversing, something about someone called Vic and her being a pain in Manx's ass but the teenager didn't listen too long, instead she took out her notebook. The old fountain pen she tucked away in her pocket and chose a basic black biro instead. While continuing to slip at her drink she started to write in verse; something she did when bored or stressed, something she did when not reading. After a while though her drink ran dry.
"Abe," she called as she turned around "can I have another drink please?"
Abe glanced up from his talk with Manx, who didn't seem overly pleased with the interruption but said nothing just sipped at his cocoa.
"Help yourself, Little Lady. I'm going to be a while."
The raven-haired beauty beamed, hopped up from her barstool and went to pour herself another drink.
"Should you really let a girl so young have free range of your liquor?" Mused Charlie aloud.
She heard him but didn't dignify the other Strong Creative with a response, wouldn't give him the satisfaction, just went back to her leather notebook.
After a time the young woman realised the other punters had definitely cleared off for the night, Charlie Manx had frightened them off and they'd silently turned tail and ran. Manx himself didn't look as though he'd be leaving any time soon; he'd claimed his seat and Abe's counsel.
Thinking the whole night had been a total waste of make-up, she took some money from her purse and set it down on the bar beside her empty glass. She tucked the pen away and cradled the notebook in her arms.
"Right." She rose to her feet and threw the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder. "Bye, Abe. Bye, Mister Manx."
She flashed the two men a sweet smile as she made her way to the door and then she was out in the darkness. Green eyes glanced up at the large Parnassus sign before looking around the parking lot again. The air had grown almost icy cold since she'd entered the bar. She took a deep breath, the cool air filled her lungs refreshingly.
The teenager couldn't understand why her poems had brought her to Parnassus; by all accounts it didn't make sense. They'd always been right before, but she really didn't know what to make of the bar. She'd asked for somewhere she belonged and though the raven-haired beauty had taken a liking to Abe, she didn't belong at Parnassus.
"You lied to me." She accused her notebook with a frown.
The teenager fell down to the curb beside some old-timey car. Frankly she thought the car kind of cool but there was something about it that kept making her look up at the car as though she'd find it watching her.
Her notebook was flicked open and her fountain pen found itself plucked from her pocket. Eyes like polished emeralds stared at the paper.
"You know you're not very helpful." She grumbled to the open notebook. "Maybe I should just go back to Kansas for a while?"
"The consequences of alcohol consumption reached you?"
Her head snapped up to see Charlie Manx stood tall beside the car as he slipped a hat that matched his coat on.
She raised a single eyebrow. "I only had three. Not like I'm an alcoholic."
"No, but only a child."
He kind of had her there.
"I'm seventeen, Mister Manx, and some people have to grow up quickly."
The elder man looked her over then, head to toe, toe to head. He appeared to be searching for something inside her very soul; whatever it was he didn't seem to find it because his dark eyes soon locked with her green ones.
"Tell me your name, please." His voice was deep and powerful. "It is very rare for me not to know a name."
Does that make me special or something? "... Andromeda. Andromeda Dixon, but that's a mouthful so most people just call me Romey."
Charlie's head tilted a little. "Such a unique name. Shame you aren't younger, you strike me as the sort of girl who'd have enjoyed Christmasland."
Romey breathed out a laugh, her breath turned to vapour in the night air.
"I've never had Christmas."
Manx actually looked disappointed, like she'd missed out on one of life's great wonders and maybe Andromeda had. Despite all that, people didn't usually miss what they'd never had.
"Your family doesn't celebrate Christmas? But it's the most joyous time of the year for all the little girls and boys."
"My family isn't really a family and even if we were, we wouldn't do joyous what with my father being a monster and all."
Manx seemed mournful but he didn't dwell on it too long. "Those the world tries to break are usually the strongest in the end." He straightened his hat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Miss Dixon, I have work to attend to." The old Rolls Royce W r aith's driver side door swung open unaided and Andromeda's eyebrows shot up; this wasn't just some collector's car, this was Manx's knife. "Good evening." He slipped into the car then, after a moment, rolled the window down to address her once more. "Do not return to Parnassus, Miss Dixon. Abe is friendly but there are many patrons who would happily hurt a young woman such as yourself."
She lifted her notebook up. "I'm used to pain."
With that Romey blew on the pages and the ink flew free like a drop of blood in a glass of water. Charlie's dark eyes followed it a moment and then in a split second both the ink and Romey were gone; vanished as though they'd never existed to begin with. Manx sat there a moment, there had been something mysterious about Andromeda Dixon and he found it fascinating.