The Trick Is To Keep Breathing Ch. 2
Authors Note: Happy Holidays to everyone! I'd like to take this time to thank those who reviewed last time, you don't know how happy your kind words made me! :) Sorry this took a while to post- school, work and studying for the MCAT make it hard to find extra time to write. But it's sooo relaxing when I can! :) I hope everyone enjoys part two, and please do take the time to review when you are done. It helps more than you know!
Trinity22-Thank you for the complement!
Lara-Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this installment as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)
Irene-Yes, our boy Seamus is back, but he isn't quite the same. Don't worry, he's still a little rotter. I hope our couple will get together too. This story is just kind of evolving as it goes, so I have no idea how it's going to end up. I'll try to keep the muses from making it too sad though!
Kestra-Thanks for your kind words, and I really hope you return to writing.
Disclaimer:The Angels, Charlie, and all others are the sole possession of the good people at Columbia Studios. The song snippet used is by Garbage, and I don't own them either (unfortunately), ect, ect.....(in other words, I've nary a cent to my name, don't sue!)
Thursday, November 10th 5:30 p.m.
Paul Winters had seen some pretty odd sights in his 30 years at the gas station. The one unfolding before him had to take the cake. A tall, rather gaunt-looking man, stepping out of a 911. The man had a feral look in his eyes but looked haunted too. The look of someone who'd lost something dear to him, if anything could be dear to a man like that.
He started to fill his tank, at the same time lighting a cigarette. Winter's first reflex was to hurry out there before the creepy man blew his business to kingdom come. Before the thought was even completely formed, the tall man turned and looked right at him.......how the hell can that be? The look in his eyes was almost otherworldly. The aged owner was speechless.
His attention back to his car, Anthony finished and got in. As he sped away, Winters continued to watch in disbelief. While he probably will tell his family about the rather odd-looking man (probably even the part where he seemed to know what he was thinking), he knows he won't dare reveal what he also saw when he looked right at him. He may just tell himself it was a trick of the light, or something. For how in the world could a human being have blood red eyes?
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It was getting harder to remember even the immediate past and Anthony had only a lock of red hair to keep him sane. He pulled over and reached inside his jacket pocket, expecting to find his salvation. The only thing he pulled out was a business card with an address scrolled on the back and a message- Meet me here at 7pm in two days. Come alone. I have something you've been looking for. He recognized the script but it was immpossible-the man had died, he was certain of it! He drove faster toward the angel's apartment. If the note was to be believed, then he didn't have much time.
As Anthony sped on the road, he thought back to 3 months ago...saving his angel, the kiss, the fall from the roof. The pain from his sword was terrible enough, but seeing Seamus' decent and realizing that he had neither the time or even the strength to move out of the way was far worse. The breath was literally forced from his already broken body when the man made his mark. His last thought was one of triumph as the sword sticking out of his chest was shoved into Seamus' body. At least I won't have to worry about him, he thought, watching the life force leave his body. Anthony tried once more to move and could not. He sighed, then had a worried thought; 'I hope this isn't the time I die'......
The next 24 hours were a murky puzzle; vague shadows of movement, the distant voices of his ancestors in prayer, slowly meticulously bringing him back to life. Again.
Many times before this had happened- gunshot, explosion, fire, once a particularly nasty near-decapitation- each time he could not have cared less if he lived or died. He always performed a kind of sick combination of both. This time, however was very different. This time it mattered very much to him, for his was not the only life to be concerned with. This time he had someone to live for.
At least he hoped he did. Hope, a strange emotion to come from him. Most of these new experiences and feelings he was getting were almost too much to deal with. So he committed himself to push most of them down, for now. They would not be much help to him until he got to her and ensured her safety. That was his most important priority. A mission to be completed, a list of tasks to be handled, one by one. This he could handle. It was the way his mind had always worked, before her.
This is how he would have to tackle things for now.
He could do this, for he had no other choice.
He considered the way she looked at him on the rooftop. The way she mimicked his hair-pulling habits. The way she kissed him back with passion and something else. Love, or at least the closest thing to love he'd experienced in his lifetime. He thought about the way she screamed as he fell to his obvious demise. Anthony knew for sure that he hadn't merely imagined those things. His angel, the one named Dylan, felt for him, and once they'd kissed, he felt it too. The exchange of hearts and minds. This was the most rudimentary form of the Giving, but no less important. He was not sure how it felt to her, though he had an idea.
She would dream of him nightly, and feel as though he was right there with her. She would crave him until her heart would not be able to bear the loss of him. She probably grieved for him, and for that he felt deeply remorseful. Anthony knew what he felt for her, even though there was still a part of him that wasn't quite ready to admit it yet. Love was yet another emotion he wasn't ready to face.
He felt so connected to Dylan that he could almost feel the pain that she did. From the legends he'd heard as a young boy, he knew that one day he would meet someone and be linked with them. He wasn't prepared for the rush and depth of feelings that would result, however. He could not help who he was linked with, fate was in charge of that. All he could do was to accept and welcome whatever happened when it happened. The only real drawback was that instead of not having to give a damn about anything or anyone, he now had a very big reason to care. Not only for his angel, but also himself. After all, how could he save her if he was dead? He shook his head, having a hard getting used to the notion of it all.
The very things that made him afraid also made him strangely happy; he had someone to care for, to love, to protect. She was the salve on his very soul. In her, he would find forgiveness for the wrongs he'd done. There were so many lives he'd taken, he hoped that she would forgive him for those. Even though he'd only kept what money he needed to sustain himself and his home and gave the rest to the orphanage, he still felt guilty about that money's source.
In time he would have to face those issues as well, but for now he just had to get to her. He opened the note, half expecting to see that the writing had changed somehow. Surely it wasn't that bastard Seams' handwriting, but upon reading it again, he knew that was the only person that could've penned it. That would explain what happened to her hair.
He remembered lying on the ground in great pain, Seams' weight making it ten times worse. He reached into his pocket, trying to grab hold of the silky locks that would make him feel at least a little better. He remembered finding what he was looking for and promptly his breathing returned to normal(at least as normal as could be considering his severe injuries), allowing him to start the regeneration process. What he hadn't realized at the time was that because the sword that pierced him had also done the same to Dylan's ex, some of his blood had most likely merged with his own, giving Seamus a troubling second chance.
What Seamus didn't realize was that he only had mere days to live, but those days would be enough for him to take Dylan from Anthony's life forever. He now possessed some of Anthony's skills, slightly watered-down, but still very potent. He to a certain extent would even be able to know how Anthony thought. Most worrisome to the thin man was the fact that Seamus would also have his strong feelings for her, but while Anthony's were nothing but love, Seamus's were of a different variety.
This was not good. Not at all.
If what he suspected happened actually did, then his beautiful angel was in imminent danger. He floored the 911, praying that he wasn't too late.........
Authors Note: Happy Holidays to everyone! I'd like to take this time to thank those who reviewed last time, you don't know how happy your kind words made me! :) Sorry this took a while to post- school, work and studying for the MCAT make it hard to find extra time to write. But it's sooo relaxing when I can! :) I hope everyone enjoys part two, and please do take the time to review when you are done. It helps more than you know!
Trinity22-Thank you for the complement!
Lara-Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this installment as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)
Irene-Yes, our boy Seamus is back, but he isn't quite the same. Don't worry, he's still a little rotter. I hope our couple will get together too. This story is just kind of evolving as it goes, so I have no idea how it's going to end up. I'll try to keep the muses from making it too sad though!
Kestra-Thanks for your kind words, and I really hope you return to writing.
Disclaimer:The Angels, Charlie, and all others are the sole possession of the good people at Columbia Studios. The song snippet used is by Garbage, and I don't own them either (unfortunately), ect, ect.....(in other words, I've nary a cent to my name, don't sue!)
Thursday, November 10th 5:30 p.m.
Paul Winters had seen some pretty odd sights in his 30 years at the gas station. The one unfolding before him had to take the cake. A tall, rather gaunt-looking man, stepping out of a 911. The man had a feral look in his eyes but looked haunted too. The look of someone who'd lost something dear to him, if anything could be dear to a man like that.
He started to fill his tank, at the same time lighting a cigarette. Winter's first reflex was to hurry out there before the creepy man blew his business to kingdom come. Before the thought was even completely formed, the tall man turned and looked right at him.......how the hell can that be? The look in his eyes was almost otherworldly. The aged owner was speechless.
His attention back to his car, Anthony finished and got in. As he sped away, Winters continued to watch in disbelief. While he probably will tell his family about the rather odd-looking man (probably even the part where he seemed to know what he was thinking), he knows he won't dare reveal what he also saw when he looked right at him. He may just tell himself it was a trick of the light, or something. For how in the world could a human being have blood red eyes?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was getting harder to remember even the immediate past and Anthony had only a lock of red hair to keep him sane. He pulled over and reached inside his jacket pocket, expecting to find his salvation. The only thing he pulled out was a business card with an address scrolled on the back and a message- Meet me here at 7pm in two days. Come alone. I have something you've been looking for. He recognized the script but it was immpossible-the man had died, he was certain of it! He drove faster toward the angel's apartment. If the note was to be believed, then he didn't have much time.
As Anthony sped on the road, he thought back to 3 months ago...saving his angel, the kiss, the fall from the roof. The pain from his sword was terrible enough, but seeing Seamus' decent and realizing that he had neither the time or even the strength to move out of the way was far worse. The breath was literally forced from his already broken body when the man made his mark. His last thought was one of triumph as the sword sticking out of his chest was shoved into Seamus' body. At least I won't have to worry about him, he thought, watching the life force leave his body. Anthony tried once more to move and could not. He sighed, then had a worried thought; 'I hope this isn't the time I die'......
The next 24 hours were a murky puzzle; vague shadows of movement, the distant voices of his ancestors in prayer, slowly meticulously bringing him back to life. Again.
Many times before this had happened- gunshot, explosion, fire, once a particularly nasty near-decapitation- each time he could not have cared less if he lived or died. He always performed a kind of sick combination of both. This time, however was very different. This time it mattered very much to him, for his was not the only life to be concerned with. This time he had someone to live for.
At least he hoped he did. Hope, a strange emotion to come from him. Most of these new experiences and feelings he was getting were almost too much to deal with. So he committed himself to push most of them down, for now. They would not be much help to him until he got to her and ensured her safety. That was his most important priority. A mission to be completed, a list of tasks to be handled, one by one. This he could handle. It was the way his mind had always worked, before her.
This is how he would have to tackle things for now.
He could do this, for he had no other choice.
He considered the way she looked at him on the rooftop. The way she mimicked his hair-pulling habits. The way she kissed him back with passion and something else. Love, or at least the closest thing to love he'd experienced in his lifetime. He thought about the way she screamed as he fell to his obvious demise. Anthony knew for sure that he hadn't merely imagined those things. His angel, the one named Dylan, felt for him, and once they'd kissed, he felt it too. The exchange of hearts and minds. This was the most rudimentary form of the Giving, but no less important. He was not sure how it felt to her, though he had an idea.
She would dream of him nightly, and feel as though he was right there with her. She would crave him until her heart would not be able to bear the loss of him. She probably grieved for him, and for that he felt deeply remorseful. Anthony knew what he felt for her, even though there was still a part of him that wasn't quite ready to admit it yet. Love was yet another emotion he wasn't ready to face.
He felt so connected to Dylan that he could almost feel the pain that she did. From the legends he'd heard as a young boy, he knew that one day he would meet someone and be linked with them. He wasn't prepared for the rush and depth of feelings that would result, however. He could not help who he was linked with, fate was in charge of that. All he could do was to accept and welcome whatever happened when it happened. The only real drawback was that instead of not having to give a damn about anything or anyone, he now had a very big reason to care. Not only for his angel, but also himself. After all, how could he save her if he was dead? He shook his head, having a hard getting used to the notion of it all.
The very things that made him afraid also made him strangely happy; he had someone to care for, to love, to protect. She was the salve on his very soul. In her, he would find forgiveness for the wrongs he'd done. There were so many lives he'd taken, he hoped that she would forgive him for those. Even though he'd only kept what money he needed to sustain himself and his home and gave the rest to the orphanage, he still felt guilty about that money's source.
In time he would have to face those issues as well, but for now he just had to get to her. He opened the note, half expecting to see that the writing had changed somehow. Surely it wasn't that bastard Seams' handwriting, but upon reading it again, he knew that was the only person that could've penned it. That would explain what happened to her hair.
He remembered lying on the ground in great pain, Seams' weight making it ten times worse. He reached into his pocket, trying to grab hold of the silky locks that would make him feel at least a little better. He remembered finding what he was looking for and promptly his breathing returned to normal(at least as normal as could be considering his severe injuries), allowing him to start the regeneration process. What he hadn't realized at the time was that because the sword that pierced him had also done the same to Dylan's ex, some of his blood had most likely merged with his own, giving Seamus a troubling second chance.
What Seamus didn't realize was that he only had mere days to live, but those days would be enough for him to take Dylan from Anthony's life forever. He now possessed some of Anthony's skills, slightly watered-down, but still very potent. He to a certain extent would even be able to know how Anthony thought. Most worrisome to the thin man was the fact that Seamus would also have his strong feelings for her, but while Anthony's were nothing but love, Seamus's were of a different variety.
This was not good. Not at all.
If what he suspected happened actually did, then his beautiful angel was in imminent danger. He floored the 911, praying that he wasn't too late.........