Chapter One: Harder To Breath
LA seemed to be more eventful then I first had assumed. I mean, I know that vampires flock to bigger cities, because of all the happy meals on legs...it's just, all the demons that had been walking the streets at night. I really did think that they would have been more secluded. The night had proven to let me kill three vampires, and one demon who was attacking a woman on the streets. So far I still had no idea as to why I'm here. Sitting on a park bench though, my life changed...
"Why won't you tell me why we're here?" Amara asked Sairi who was currently sitting atop of the book bag resting next to her. In between quick bites of a slice of pizza that was in front of him he spoke,
"Because...ya aren't supposed ta know yet..." She rolled her eyes and dug up the ground with her booted feet, uninterested in the world around her she yawned and tilted her head back.
"I'm going to have to find a job soon..." It practically came out as a moan, even when she was alive she hated looking for a job...which her father had made Amanda and her start doing a few days before they died. "I don't think I'll find one as easy here as I did back in Ireland."
"Well, as long as I have food and a warm place to sleep I'm happy." Sairi responded to her comments with lack of enthusiasm, she just rolled her eyes...foxes had it so easy...they didn't have to work to live...they just...foraged in the forest for food and slept in trees...or...was it holes in the ground? She shook her head, it wasn't a matter to worry about right now.
The park had been empty for the time that Amara and Sairi sat on the bench eating slices of pizza and carrying on meaningless conversation. Until a man, or what looked like a man from far away walked along a path, obviously just taking a short cut threw the park. The clothing he wore was loud, a purple suit with a green fedora...the closer he got to where Amara sat the more she noticed he wasn't a human.
"I think there maybe trouble..." She whispered, causing Sairi to look up from his current resting place on her lap.
"I don't think that evil demons wear nice suits like that...or..." Sairi started as the green man got closer to their position, "Hum, Motown music...but, that's just my opinion."
Amara rose a brow and shook her head, "Not that guy stupid, the rather large demon behind him..." She said it just loud enough for the flamboyantly dressed demon to look slightly shocked before he looked back...the same time Sairi looked behind the man as well.
"That's not good..." Both fox and demon said at the same time, both looking towards each other, the demon in surprise of a talking fox that currently jumped off of her, and the fox because the demon had heard Amara who was currently pulling her sword out of her holster on her belt.
Fighting is one of those things that you can't simply learn how to do in a gym. It would be nice if that was how it works...but unfortunately that's not how it goes. In order to learn how to fight good, to fight for your life that is...you'd have to fight in real life...under real conditions. Which is the only way I have been training since I was brought back. My first experience, Sairi brought me to a cemetery and told me to kill a vampire. Sounds easy huh? But not for someone like me, I didn't have experience...in those first years I had been a walking pin cushion for a while....
Both Sairi and the mystery demon stood back, as far away from the fight as they could get without actually running away which, both had thought of doing. The fight was just Amara and the huge-esque brown demon who had an ax. Which for Amara was a decent change, the demons in Ireland normally traveled in packs, causing for pain and a long...drawn out fight.
Neither Amara or the demon spoke during the fight, no witty comments were thrown back and forth just the sound of weapons crashing together. Apparently both fighters just wanted the event to be over. Amara never fought good, because she didn't have anything to loose...with that in mind she was a sloppy fighter. A few times the Ax had cut her stomach open,
Outstretched arms, holding the sword like a baseball bat she struck the demon in the side, who promptly brought his Ax to her head. The blade resting against her neck, the demon forced her all the way to the ground, she really didn't want to get her head cut off...again. It wasn't a fun experience, she couldn't get a good cut in with her sword either so she let him hold her there, the blade slowly cutting into her neck.
"This doesn't look good for her..." The green man said to Sairi who was perched on the mans shoulder, watching the fight as it took place.
"Don't worry about it...Amara, well...she can handle herself."
Blood from her many wounds she had sustained covered her body, and bottom of her face from when she had coughed the crimson sour tasting liquid up. The demon pressed the weapon harder against her neck, and then she seen an opening. Her worn booted feet connected with the demons torso, kicking as hard as she could the demon fell back and it's ax fell away from its reach. Slowly with a groan she pulled herself up, sword in hand held like a golf club now she swung and the demon was cut in half...green blood spraying the grass and sidewalk around them.
A sigh was given from Amara as she shut her eyes, swayed for a moment and fell back on her back. Breathing in and out was slightly painful, and not something that she enjoyed at the moment. Another teaspoon of blood was coughed up most of it splattering on her face, running down her jaw, down her neck and into her hair... a feeling that made her want a shower now.
When she opened her eyes two things were in her vision, Sairi and the green demon. It was the green one that spoke first. "You're an immortal..." This caused Amara to sigh, well as best as she could considering her lung tissue was being healed at this very moment. It was probably the extremely rapid healing and the fact that she was still alive that gave it away.
"So it seems..." She replied slowly getting up and swaying like a drunk as she did so...
I hate getting hurt like that, it's painful when I get cut up and then even more painful when they heal me. Sometimes I get hurt so bad, I have phantom pains for days after. Some days, some very bad days I think I can feel every single wound I ever got. I figure these are the days the PTB aren't paying much attention to me, these days are the days I stay in bed sweating and coughing up blood. Those are the days that my soul aches for death...
"Hey there Kitten, easy moving. Thanks for just saving my life and all, I think you should rest...you don't look to good." The green mans voice was the kind of voice that just made you want to smile, and she almost did...but Amara wasn't the type to smile, not anymore anyway.
"You're welcome." She stated, removing a glove from one of her hands and wiping the blood away from her mouth, "It's my job..."
"Hmm, how about I take you back to my place and get you cleaned up...I don't think you should go around looking like this..."
Amara blinked and looked down towards Sairi who had yet to say anything on either the matter of her slaying the demon or of this new matter. She gave a shrug and then nodded, Sairi moved back towards the bench and fetched the book bag for her.
"I'm The Host, but most people just call me Lorne sweet-ums...quite the fox you got there."
She blinked and just looked down as she watched Sairi crawl into the bag of his own accord. Something was wrong with him, he wasn't himself...though he was a fox, and she knew sometimes he liked to be left alone. She just shrugged and painfully bent down to pick up the bag. "Yeah, that's Sairi...he's unusual. I'm Amara..."
By the time they had gotten to Lornes place she had finished coughing up the rest of the blood that had been clogging her lungs. Breathing was easier, but it looked like she had just killed a few people by the amount of blood that covered her. She tilted her head as he pulled out a pair of keys.
"You live at a..." She leaned over to read a sign by the side of the door, "Karaoke bar?"
"Caritas...it's a demon Karaoke bar, it's what I do...I read someone's destiny when they sing."
"Demon Karaoke? What an oxymoron..."
"Well, Kitten, this place is protected against violence...no one can hurt someone else...something good when you have a slime demon and a Etherous demon in the same place for example..." He said as he lead her into the bar that not only served as his work place, but as his home as well. She followed and adjusted the bag on her shoulders, phantom pains right now weren't something she wanted...nope...not one bit. Right now all she wanted...needed is more like it, would be a hot shower.
The clock on the wall behind a bar top told Amara that it was almost five AM...they had been out for a while...Time sure did seem to fly when you were beheading and slicing up demons. She rolled her eyes at her own corny joke in her head as she followed the flamboyant perky man to the back room, leading her into a greatly decorated bedroom. This was a first to her, at least the first demon she knew that didn't live in the sewers or a warehouse...this was actually a nice place...it shocked her more then the fact that a demon karaoke bar existed.
He noticed her discomfort with the bag that Sairi was in and took it from her, carefully setting the bag on the large bed and letting Sairi out of it. "Thanks." She said as he went about taking out a large fluffy looking white towel from one of the dresser drawers.
"It's the least I could do...you saved my life Sweet-ums...the shower is behind that door. I'll find something for you to change into while you're in there..." He pointed towards the only door in the room that didn't look like a closet sliding door. She took the towel and gladly made her way to the bathroom. The door shutting and locking behind her she could hear the voices of Sairi and Lorne in the other room.
They had been talking about me...I know that for a fact, Sairi wasn't acting like himself and even Lorne seemed concerned for me and he only just met me. In someways it was nice, having someone take care of me like this...but in another way it made me more depressed for my former life. It seems the more time that went on the more depressed I got...
She stripped from her clothes, that wanted to stick to her body from the blood. She took great care not to let the blood spread to the bathroom that was as clean and as nicely decorated as the bedroom. It wasn't that big, bright blue in color with a theme of sea creatures as decoration. She placed the dirty clothes on the sink, her boots resting next to the door, slowly she took a few breaths of calming air as she turned on the water to a temperature that felt nearly boiling. Just the way she liked it. The sound of the shower muffled the sounds of the two talking in the other room, she nodded and stepped into the shower.
An amused look covered her tired features as she looked around the shower...hair conditioners, and the normal type of hygiene products for the average twenty something man who cared way to much about his appearance. She shook her head, some demons were more normal then some humans. She stood under the hot shower and shut her eyes.
The pain in her temple was growing, a headache from the days activity. Opening her blue eyes, she watched the blood run off her body. There were no wounds, no scars, not even any cuts where she had been hurt today...just bruises that were currently fading. It was definitely easy to tell that the powers were busy tonight...what the hell were they doing? She shook her head and reached for the shampoo as she began her normal ritual of cleaning herself.
In the other room Lorne had been going through his closet looking for something small enough for the girl to wear as the fox spoke to him. "Do you know of someplace called Wolfram and Hart?"
Lorne turned, a white tee shirt in hand and a slight aghast expression on his green face. "It's a law firm...not a very good one at that..."
"So they loose their cases most of the time?"
"No...I mean they aren't very good...they are very bad people..." Lorne pulled out a pair of red pajama pants and headed towards the bathroom door. Raising his hand to knock, but paused. "She's humming."
Sairi looked up, watching as Lorne placed the clothes on the floor next to the door. "Yeah, she does that...always the same damn thing too...used ta play the piano...I think its something she used to play..."
Lorne nodded, "It sounds so sad...not to mention the reading I'm getting from her...that's what has you concerned isn't it?"
"I really dun' think the powers should have sent her here...she's basically walking straight into...well...something that shouldn't have to happen..." Sairi explained, while Lorne knocked on the door.
"Yeah?"
"The clothes are on the floor in front of the door Kitten, I hope they fit okay..." Lorne called out before going back to sit on the bed next to Sairi who was making himself comfortable on the purple pillow at the head of the bed.
"I'm sure things will work out...she seems like a good kid, I'm sure she'll make the correct choices on her path..."
"I don't know, she tends to walk right into trouble."
Amara was taking a great deal of time in keeping clean, maybe it was the fact that there was so much pain. Maybe the powers weren't the ones making her feel like this, they wouldn't do anything this cruel would they?
She turned off the shower and grabbed the towel, wrapping it around her as she walked out in the now steam covered bathroom. Unlocking the door and opening it slightly she gave a nod of her head as she grabbed the clothes "Thank-you." Was quickly said to Lorne before she disappeared back into the bathroom. Looking at the clothes she rose a brow, they were by far to big...but he was a groan man...these were probably the smallest clothes he had...
Sometimes no matter how much pain one is in during life...the people around them make up for it...you could feel like you were on fire but if you had someone around you that made you happy you wouldn't feel the pain as much...that's how I feel when I'm around those that make me forget about everything wrong in my life...who knew I'd find someone I knew from my old life in LA...
Lately, he seemed to be taking care of everything in the special interests department, he lost his hand in making sure he wouldn't screw up and now people seemed to be pushing more work on him because he 'could do it' he would 'make it work' He already had a lot of work with his cases, but now he was taking care of Darla, and not to mention the current line of business,
"It was empty?" His stomach sank to the basement of Wolfram and Hart from where he was sitting...to him, this wasn't good news. This meant that if they found her, she would be turned into the human fountain of blood...making them all immortal...he needed time to think. He'd go home, talk to Darla...not like she did much talking...she just looked confused most of the time lately...or maybe he'd just get drunk. "I've gotta go." He let the phone drop back down on the receiver before getting up and pulling on his matching suit jacket.
He'd go to Caritas, demons and humans were there side by side without a problem, and it was the only place in town to get a decent T&T...
*-.-.-.-.-.-*
"She looks sick..." Lorne explained to Sairi as he turned on the neon open sign outside the door of the bar.
"She always does afta a fight like that..." Sairi jumped up on the bar, paying little to no attention to the man behind the counter who was currently preparing things for the eight o'clock rush.
"Where are you two staying at?" This morning and for most of the day Lorne didn't get a chance to ask many questions, both Sairi and Amara had fallen asleep and soon Lorne had too. All of them in the bed he was used to being in alone, packed together like sardines, only to wake up seeing Amara clutching Sairi as though he were a teddy bear...
"Some seedy motel, she doesn't want to spend a lot of money, or we will be on the streets soon. She needs to find a job, cause ya know...slaying demons...not exactly a paying jig..." He explained watching as a few demons had already started to pour into the building.
"Hmm, a job? I think I can help with that...I need a new bouncer..."
"I'll do it..." Amara proclaimed as she walked out to sit on a bar stool next to Sairi, a yawn escaping her mouth, apparently having no problem sitting there in baggy pajama pants and a white shirt while people and things were coming in.
"Really? Great..." Lorne smiled and picked up a glass that was given to him by the man behind the bar. "I'll fill you in on the details later, right now I have ta mingle...see you two cats later..."
"I'm not a cat..." Sairi stated with a tone that simply said 'how dare you speak to me like that' while Lorne was walking away.
"You act like a cat..." Amara said, resting her head on the bar top, still tired and feeling a headache coming on as a tone death demon took the stage singing a strange nightmare giving rendition of American Pie.
"T&T please..." A voice next to her said to the bartender, Amara glanced up, just wanting to make sure who she was next...it wasn't that she didn't trust Lornes enchanted 'no harm' policy...it's just that...well...she didn't trust it. The moment she seen who was next to her she turned her head, hoping he didn't see her...This quick action causing Sairi to look at her oddly.
It was someone from her old life...what should she do? Did he even know she was dead? Well,...maybe he didn't...maybe if he noticed her he would just assumed she aged really well...
"Hello Mara, long time no see..." The man used a nickname for her and she cringed turning around. Biting her lip, he looked her over with slight shock...yep he knew she was dead...he had to. She sighed, this was going to cause some questions.
"Lindsey...wow...haven't seen you in...."
She was cut off "You're in danger..." This caused her brows to raise as she looked at him in amazement...well, he sure did cut to the chase. "Please...trust me, come with me...I have to take you somewhere safe...where you are protected..."
"I can protect myself...I'm..."
"Immortal...yes, I know...but there are things worse then death..." Amara sighed, now she knew how Sairi felt everytime she cut him off in the middle of a sentence. She looked to the fox who currently was drinking a beer with a straw.
She rolled her eyes when seeing this. "Sairi, tell Lorne that we will be back later sometime...I need to...go out and get some clothes and stuff..." The fox nodded and jumped off the bar top, mumbling about being a servant under his breath as he walked away.
"How do you know?" She asked, turning back towards Lindsey who had been watching Sairi run through the crowed.
"I didn't know that you were here...I just came here to get drunk, drown my sorrows...that sort of thing, didn't really know that you were here until I glanced over towards you..." He explained sipping his drink slowly.
"No, I meant how did you know what I was?" Tilting her head she then added, "But that had been my next question."
"I'm a lawyer, we know everything..."
She nodded and sighed the moment she turned her head when someone actually good started to sing Stand By Me, it was Lorne...she wasn't surprised, and then there was Sairi, who was perched on a stool singing the course of the song...that...was...interesting.
"Why are you here?" Lindsey glanced her over as she spoke, with raised brows at her odd attire.
"Saved The Hosts life last night...got mangled up pretty bad, came back here...end of story."
"You're different."
"What?"
"I mean..." Lindsey started, unaware how to go with what he had to say next. "Not like you were back in Cleveland, you were...a little..."
"Prissy shallow teen queen?" She smirked, and shook her head. "Things change..."
Things change, that's the understatement of the century, in order to live you must accept the fact that your life is ever changing...therefore you have to accept the fact that you are alive...and as you can tell I don't really except either. I don't like change, and I don't like being alive, as simple as that.
In both Sairi and Lindseys eyes on the car trip over to the motel she had been staying at, Amara looked sick. Neither of them said anything though, due to the fact they didn't want to get their heads bit off. Lindsey knew her from the time he had spent learning from her father, and she knew she didn't like to be told she looked sick...but that was because she was shallow then....now, Sairi knows not to tell her she looks sick because she doesn't want to know that the powers aren't keeping up their end of the immortal bargain [which in all reality isn't a bargain] meaning, they weren't healing her properly.
There was little conversation in the car, there had always been little conversation between Lindsey and Amara back home, and Sairi was currently toying with a watch he had on his arm, obviously amused by it's shiny quality. Amara watched her fox for a moment and just shrugged, he must have stolen it from someone at the bar...it's not like she wasn't going to tell a fox to stop stealing...a fox was a fox was a fox...meaning foxes stole...foxes were sneaky...he would be sneaky rather she liked it or not...why voice her opinion.
Stopping outside the motel she jumped out of the car "I'll only be a minute, let me change...I feel weird in this..." She disappeared into the motel door numbered eighty-one
"So ya knew 'er from before huh? That musta been fun..." Sairi, raised conversation as he sat on the book bag that rested in the middle of the trucks one seat.
"Fun...not exactly the word I would use to explain it."
"Then why are you wanting to help her?"
"Because she doesn't deserve what they are planning on doing to her...they are going to..."
"I know...I know, I don't want to relieve that image the powers gave me. No one deserves that kind of thing..." Sairi stated looking up as Amara stepped out of the door, locking it and adjusting the sword that rested on her belt.
Lindsey blinked, seeing what she was wearing made him realize how much she had changed. A leather tank top, Leather pants that at the knees had some kind of knee pad and then the pants changed from leather to khaki from the knee down to her black boots which the khakis were tucked into...after adjusting her sword she pulled on her gloves before she stepped into the truck.
It was the clothes and the hair cut that had made her look different. He had known her to spend an hour doing her hair, or at least from what Jake told her...now her hair was short and to the point...and her clothes...looked like they were made for war. Very different from her straight out of Vogue clothing style.
"What?" She stated seeing his very odd slack jawed expression.
"You really did change."
"Yeah...death will kind of do that to you."
Ten minutes into the trip she glanced over towards the man she used to know, only then he was geeky, and now he was...almost as different as she had became, wearing a wrinkled suit, his hair a mess, his expression that of a worried one that had never changed...and a missing hand.
"What happened to your hand?"
"Got it cut off..."
"By who?"
"The guy that we are going to for your protection." She blinked and made an amused 'hmm' sound while Sairi was just laughing at the irony of what he had said.
"So we are going to the guy that chopped off your hand so he can protect me from the people you work with? Interesting..."
"He's a good guy..."
"So are you..."
"No I'm not."
The conversation was left at that, no more was said as they had headed towards where-ever this hand chopping man lived or worked. Amara really didn't like the idea of someone other then herself protecting her. However, if Lindsey thought she needed it....then maybe it was a good idea. Protection from the place where he worked...now that was irony.
Lindsey wasn't exactly happy about having to take her to Angel...who at the current moment he hated with a fiery passion...but she needed someone who Wolfram and Hart was scared of to protect her. She had changed, as he looked towards her out of the corner of his eye he knew...this wasn't the same person he knew...she wasn't talking about herself, or clothes. If it wasn't the same person he knew then why was he protecting her though? He pulled into the last place Wolfram and Hart seen Angel as he came to the conclusion that he wanted her to be safe because he owed it to Jake, the man who was like a father to him.
"This is the place..." He announced after a moment of sitting silently where he had parked the truck. Sairi jumped up on the dashboard and looked up at the apartment building in front of them.
"At least it's better then the motel." He spoke looking towards Amara, who still looked slightly on the sick side. Her forehead was resting on the window of the door, eyes shut, only opening when Sairi announced his opinions. Her blue eyes glanced over the building and she shrugged,
"I guess." She opened the car door, and Sairi got ready by jumping into the bag. Just as she was about to grab her bag and jump out Lindsey placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly before looking back towards him.
"Are...you okay? You don't look well." He was concerned, his expression showed it while she bite her bottom lip, refusing the urge to yell at him for telling her she didn't look good. She had to remind herself that, looks didn't matter anymore. Amara shrugged as she tugged Sairi's bag over a shoulder.
"The powers are just taking awhile to heal me properly...guess that means some kinda trouble is brewing. No worries...I'll live..."
He nodded and they made their way out of the car and towards the apartment of Cordelia Chase, the last person that Wolfram and Hart was aware of to have contact with Angel. Lindsey assumed that it didn't matter if she was with Angel or not...one of his employers would do just as well if Angel wasn't there.
A reassuring smile was given to her as they entered the building. "You should be safe here..."
The only reason I trusted Lindsey was because, well he was from my previous life. And I was happy to finally have someone who I knew from before...I felt a little better now that someone I knew was around. Before it had just been Sairi and I, he was my only companion...and while Sairi is a good friend...he didn't know me before...Lindsey did, he knew how I changed...Since I trust him, I let him thrust me into a total strangers care...who didn't seem to happy about the idea.
-Harder To Breath-
Maroon 5
How dare you say that my behavior is unacceptable
So condescending unnecessarily critical
I have the tendency of getting very physical
So watch your step cause if I do you'll need a miracle
You drain me dry and make me wonder why I'm even here
This Double Vision I was seeing is finally clear
You want to stay but you know very well I want you gone
Not fit to funkin' tread the ground I'm walking on
When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
What you are doing is screwing things up inside my head
You should know better you never listened to a word I said
Clutching your pillow and writhing in a naked sweat
Hoping somebody someday will do you like I did
When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Does it kill
Does it burn
Is it painful to learn
That it's me that has all the control
Does it thrill
Does it sting
When you feel what I bring
And you wish that you had me to hold
LA seemed to be more eventful then I first had assumed. I mean, I know that vampires flock to bigger cities, because of all the happy meals on legs...it's just, all the demons that had been walking the streets at night. I really did think that they would have been more secluded. The night had proven to let me kill three vampires, and one demon who was attacking a woman on the streets. So far I still had no idea as to why I'm here. Sitting on a park bench though, my life changed...
"Why won't you tell me why we're here?" Amara asked Sairi who was currently sitting atop of the book bag resting next to her. In between quick bites of a slice of pizza that was in front of him he spoke,
"Because...ya aren't supposed ta know yet..." She rolled her eyes and dug up the ground with her booted feet, uninterested in the world around her she yawned and tilted her head back.
"I'm going to have to find a job soon..." It practically came out as a moan, even when she was alive she hated looking for a job...which her father had made Amanda and her start doing a few days before they died. "I don't think I'll find one as easy here as I did back in Ireland."
"Well, as long as I have food and a warm place to sleep I'm happy." Sairi responded to her comments with lack of enthusiasm, she just rolled her eyes...foxes had it so easy...they didn't have to work to live...they just...foraged in the forest for food and slept in trees...or...was it holes in the ground? She shook her head, it wasn't a matter to worry about right now.
The park had been empty for the time that Amara and Sairi sat on the bench eating slices of pizza and carrying on meaningless conversation. Until a man, or what looked like a man from far away walked along a path, obviously just taking a short cut threw the park. The clothing he wore was loud, a purple suit with a green fedora...the closer he got to where Amara sat the more she noticed he wasn't a human.
"I think there maybe trouble..." She whispered, causing Sairi to look up from his current resting place on her lap.
"I don't think that evil demons wear nice suits like that...or..." Sairi started as the green man got closer to their position, "Hum, Motown music...but, that's just my opinion."
Amara rose a brow and shook her head, "Not that guy stupid, the rather large demon behind him..." She said it just loud enough for the flamboyantly dressed demon to look slightly shocked before he looked back...the same time Sairi looked behind the man as well.
"That's not good..." Both fox and demon said at the same time, both looking towards each other, the demon in surprise of a talking fox that currently jumped off of her, and the fox because the demon had heard Amara who was currently pulling her sword out of her holster on her belt.
Fighting is one of those things that you can't simply learn how to do in a gym. It would be nice if that was how it works...but unfortunately that's not how it goes. In order to learn how to fight good, to fight for your life that is...you'd have to fight in real life...under real conditions. Which is the only way I have been training since I was brought back. My first experience, Sairi brought me to a cemetery and told me to kill a vampire. Sounds easy huh? But not for someone like me, I didn't have experience...in those first years I had been a walking pin cushion for a while....
Both Sairi and the mystery demon stood back, as far away from the fight as they could get without actually running away which, both had thought of doing. The fight was just Amara and the huge-esque brown demon who had an ax. Which for Amara was a decent change, the demons in Ireland normally traveled in packs, causing for pain and a long...drawn out fight.
Neither Amara or the demon spoke during the fight, no witty comments were thrown back and forth just the sound of weapons crashing together. Apparently both fighters just wanted the event to be over. Amara never fought good, because she didn't have anything to loose...with that in mind she was a sloppy fighter. A few times the Ax had cut her stomach open,
Outstretched arms, holding the sword like a baseball bat she struck the demon in the side, who promptly brought his Ax to her head. The blade resting against her neck, the demon forced her all the way to the ground, she really didn't want to get her head cut off...again. It wasn't a fun experience, she couldn't get a good cut in with her sword either so she let him hold her there, the blade slowly cutting into her neck.
"This doesn't look good for her..." The green man said to Sairi who was perched on the mans shoulder, watching the fight as it took place.
"Don't worry about it...Amara, well...she can handle herself."
Blood from her many wounds she had sustained covered her body, and bottom of her face from when she had coughed the crimson sour tasting liquid up. The demon pressed the weapon harder against her neck, and then she seen an opening. Her worn booted feet connected with the demons torso, kicking as hard as she could the demon fell back and it's ax fell away from its reach. Slowly with a groan she pulled herself up, sword in hand held like a golf club now she swung and the demon was cut in half...green blood spraying the grass and sidewalk around them.
A sigh was given from Amara as she shut her eyes, swayed for a moment and fell back on her back. Breathing in and out was slightly painful, and not something that she enjoyed at the moment. Another teaspoon of blood was coughed up most of it splattering on her face, running down her jaw, down her neck and into her hair... a feeling that made her want a shower now.
When she opened her eyes two things were in her vision, Sairi and the green demon. It was the green one that spoke first. "You're an immortal..." This caused Amara to sigh, well as best as she could considering her lung tissue was being healed at this very moment. It was probably the extremely rapid healing and the fact that she was still alive that gave it away.
"So it seems..." She replied slowly getting up and swaying like a drunk as she did so...
I hate getting hurt like that, it's painful when I get cut up and then even more painful when they heal me. Sometimes I get hurt so bad, I have phantom pains for days after. Some days, some very bad days I think I can feel every single wound I ever got. I figure these are the days the PTB aren't paying much attention to me, these days are the days I stay in bed sweating and coughing up blood. Those are the days that my soul aches for death...
"Hey there Kitten, easy moving. Thanks for just saving my life and all, I think you should rest...you don't look to good." The green mans voice was the kind of voice that just made you want to smile, and she almost did...but Amara wasn't the type to smile, not anymore anyway.
"You're welcome." She stated, removing a glove from one of her hands and wiping the blood away from her mouth, "It's my job..."
"Hmm, how about I take you back to my place and get you cleaned up...I don't think you should go around looking like this..."
Amara blinked and looked down towards Sairi who had yet to say anything on either the matter of her slaying the demon or of this new matter. She gave a shrug and then nodded, Sairi moved back towards the bench and fetched the book bag for her.
"I'm The Host, but most people just call me Lorne sweet-ums...quite the fox you got there."
She blinked and just looked down as she watched Sairi crawl into the bag of his own accord. Something was wrong with him, he wasn't himself...though he was a fox, and she knew sometimes he liked to be left alone. She just shrugged and painfully bent down to pick up the bag. "Yeah, that's Sairi...he's unusual. I'm Amara..."
By the time they had gotten to Lornes place she had finished coughing up the rest of the blood that had been clogging her lungs. Breathing was easier, but it looked like she had just killed a few people by the amount of blood that covered her. She tilted her head as he pulled out a pair of keys.
"You live at a..." She leaned over to read a sign by the side of the door, "Karaoke bar?"
"Caritas...it's a demon Karaoke bar, it's what I do...I read someone's destiny when they sing."
"Demon Karaoke? What an oxymoron..."
"Well, Kitten, this place is protected against violence...no one can hurt someone else...something good when you have a slime demon and a Etherous demon in the same place for example..." He said as he lead her into the bar that not only served as his work place, but as his home as well. She followed and adjusted the bag on her shoulders, phantom pains right now weren't something she wanted...nope...not one bit. Right now all she wanted...needed is more like it, would be a hot shower.
The clock on the wall behind a bar top told Amara that it was almost five AM...they had been out for a while...Time sure did seem to fly when you were beheading and slicing up demons. She rolled her eyes at her own corny joke in her head as she followed the flamboyant perky man to the back room, leading her into a greatly decorated bedroom. This was a first to her, at least the first demon she knew that didn't live in the sewers or a warehouse...this was actually a nice place...it shocked her more then the fact that a demon karaoke bar existed.
He noticed her discomfort with the bag that Sairi was in and took it from her, carefully setting the bag on the large bed and letting Sairi out of it. "Thanks." She said as he went about taking out a large fluffy looking white towel from one of the dresser drawers.
"It's the least I could do...you saved my life Sweet-ums...the shower is behind that door. I'll find something for you to change into while you're in there..." He pointed towards the only door in the room that didn't look like a closet sliding door. She took the towel and gladly made her way to the bathroom. The door shutting and locking behind her she could hear the voices of Sairi and Lorne in the other room.
They had been talking about me...I know that for a fact, Sairi wasn't acting like himself and even Lorne seemed concerned for me and he only just met me. In someways it was nice, having someone take care of me like this...but in another way it made me more depressed for my former life. It seems the more time that went on the more depressed I got...
She stripped from her clothes, that wanted to stick to her body from the blood. She took great care not to let the blood spread to the bathroom that was as clean and as nicely decorated as the bedroom. It wasn't that big, bright blue in color with a theme of sea creatures as decoration. She placed the dirty clothes on the sink, her boots resting next to the door, slowly she took a few breaths of calming air as she turned on the water to a temperature that felt nearly boiling. Just the way she liked it. The sound of the shower muffled the sounds of the two talking in the other room, she nodded and stepped into the shower.
An amused look covered her tired features as she looked around the shower...hair conditioners, and the normal type of hygiene products for the average twenty something man who cared way to much about his appearance. She shook her head, some demons were more normal then some humans. She stood under the hot shower and shut her eyes.
The pain in her temple was growing, a headache from the days activity. Opening her blue eyes, she watched the blood run off her body. There were no wounds, no scars, not even any cuts where she had been hurt today...just bruises that were currently fading. It was definitely easy to tell that the powers were busy tonight...what the hell were they doing? She shook her head and reached for the shampoo as she began her normal ritual of cleaning herself.
In the other room Lorne had been going through his closet looking for something small enough for the girl to wear as the fox spoke to him. "Do you know of someplace called Wolfram and Hart?"
Lorne turned, a white tee shirt in hand and a slight aghast expression on his green face. "It's a law firm...not a very good one at that..."
"So they loose their cases most of the time?"
"No...I mean they aren't very good...they are very bad people..." Lorne pulled out a pair of red pajama pants and headed towards the bathroom door. Raising his hand to knock, but paused. "She's humming."
Sairi looked up, watching as Lorne placed the clothes on the floor next to the door. "Yeah, she does that...always the same damn thing too...used ta play the piano...I think its something she used to play..."
Lorne nodded, "It sounds so sad...not to mention the reading I'm getting from her...that's what has you concerned isn't it?"
"I really dun' think the powers should have sent her here...she's basically walking straight into...well...something that shouldn't have to happen..." Sairi explained, while Lorne knocked on the door.
"Yeah?"
"The clothes are on the floor in front of the door Kitten, I hope they fit okay..." Lorne called out before going back to sit on the bed next to Sairi who was making himself comfortable on the purple pillow at the head of the bed.
"I'm sure things will work out...she seems like a good kid, I'm sure she'll make the correct choices on her path..."
"I don't know, she tends to walk right into trouble."
Amara was taking a great deal of time in keeping clean, maybe it was the fact that there was so much pain. Maybe the powers weren't the ones making her feel like this, they wouldn't do anything this cruel would they?
She turned off the shower and grabbed the towel, wrapping it around her as she walked out in the now steam covered bathroom. Unlocking the door and opening it slightly she gave a nod of her head as she grabbed the clothes "Thank-you." Was quickly said to Lorne before she disappeared back into the bathroom. Looking at the clothes she rose a brow, they were by far to big...but he was a groan man...these were probably the smallest clothes he had...
Sometimes no matter how much pain one is in during life...the people around them make up for it...you could feel like you were on fire but if you had someone around you that made you happy you wouldn't feel the pain as much...that's how I feel when I'm around those that make me forget about everything wrong in my life...who knew I'd find someone I knew from my old life in LA...
Lately, he seemed to be taking care of everything in the special interests department, he lost his hand in making sure he wouldn't screw up and now people seemed to be pushing more work on him because he 'could do it' he would 'make it work' He already had a lot of work with his cases, but now he was taking care of Darla, and not to mention the current line of business,
"It was empty?" His stomach sank to the basement of Wolfram and Hart from where he was sitting...to him, this wasn't good news. This meant that if they found her, she would be turned into the human fountain of blood...making them all immortal...he needed time to think. He'd go home, talk to Darla...not like she did much talking...she just looked confused most of the time lately...or maybe he'd just get drunk. "I've gotta go." He let the phone drop back down on the receiver before getting up and pulling on his matching suit jacket.
He'd go to Caritas, demons and humans were there side by side without a problem, and it was the only place in town to get a decent T&T...
*-.-.-.-.-.-*
"She looks sick..." Lorne explained to Sairi as he turned on the neon open sign outside the door of the bar.
"She always does afta a fight like that..." Sairi jumped up on the bar, paying little to no attention to the man behind the counter who was currently preparing things for the eight o'clock rush.
"Where are you two staying at?" This morning and for most of the day Lorne didn't get a chance to ask many questions, both Sairi and Amara had fallen asleep and soon Lorne had too. All of them in the bed he was used to being in alone, packed together like sardines, only to wake up seeing Amara clutching Sairi as though he were a teddy bear...
"Some seedy motel, she doesn't want to spend a lot of money, or we will be on the streets soon. She needs to find a job, cause ya know...slaying demons...not exactly a paying jig..." He explained watching as a few demons had already started to pour into the building.
"Hmm, a job? I think I can help with that...I need a new bouncer..."
"I'll do it..." Amara proclaimed as she walked out to sit on a bar stool next to Sairi, a yawn escaping her mouth, apparently having no problem sitting there in baggy pajama pants and a white shirt while people and things were coming in.
"Really? Great..." Lorne smiled and picked up a glass that was given to him by the man behind the bar. "I'll fill you in on the details later, right now I have ta mingle...see you two cats later..."
"I'm not a cat..." Sairi stated with a tone that simply said 'how dare you speak to me like that' while Lorne was walking away.
"You act like a cat..." Amara said, resting her head on the bar top, still tired and feeling a headache coming on as a tone death demon took the stage singing a strange nightmare giving rendition of American Pie.
"T&T please..." A voice next to her said to the bartender, Amara glanced up, just wanting to make sure who she was next...it wasn't that she didn't trust Lornes enchanted 'no harm' policy...it's just that...well...she didn't trust it. The moment she seen who was next to her she turned her head, hoping he didn't see her...This quick action causing Sairi to look at her oddly.
It was someone from her old life...what should she do? Did he even know she was dead? Well,...maybe he didn't...maybe if he noticed her he would just assumed she aged really well...
"Hello Mara, long time no see..." The man used a nickname for her and she cringed turning around. Biting her lip, he looked her over with slight shock...yep he knew she was dead...he had to. She sighed, this was going to cause some questions.
"Lindsey...wow...haven't seen you in...."
She was cut off "You're in danger..." This caused her brows to raise as she looked at him in amazement...well, he sure did cut to the chase. "Please...trust me, come with me...I have to take you somewhere safe...where you are protected..."
"I can protect myself...I'm..."
"Immortal...yes, I know...but there are things worse then death..." Amara sighed, now she knew how Sairi felt everytime she cut him off in the middle of a sentence. She looked to the fox who currently was drinking a beer with a straw.
She rolled her eyes when seeing this. "Sairi, tell Lorne that we will be back later sometime...I need to...go out and get some clothes and stuff..." The fox nodded and jumped off the bar top, mumbling about being a servant under his breath as he walked away.
"How do you know?" She asked, turning back towards Lindsey who had been watching Sairi run through the crowed.
"I didn't know that you were here...I just came here to get drunk, drown my sorrows...that sort of thing, didn't really know that you were here until I glanced over towards you..." He explained sipping his drink slowly.
"No, I meant how did you know what I was?" Tilting her head she then added, "But that had been my next question."
"I'm a lawyer, we know everything..."
She nodded and sighed the moment she turned her head when someone actually good started to sing Stand By Me, it was Lorne...she wasn't surprised, and then there was Sairi, who was perched on a stool singing the course of the song...that...was...interesting.
"Why are you here?" Lindsey glanced her over as she spoke, with raised brows at her odd attire.
"Saved The Hosts life last night...got mangled up pretty bad, came back here...end of story."
"You're different."
"What?"
"I mean..." Lindsey started, unaware how to go with what he had to say next. "Not like you were back in Cleveland, you were...a little..."
"Prissy shallow teen queen?" She smirked, and shook her head. "Things change..."
Things change, that's the understatement of the century, in order to live you must accept the fact that your life is ever changing...therefore you have to accept the fact that you are alive...and as you can tell I don't really except either. I don't like change, and I don't like being alive, as simple as that.
In both Sairi and Lindseys eyes on the car trip over to the motel she had been staying at, Amara looked sick. Neither of them said anything though, due to the fact they didn't want to get their heads bit off. Lindsey knew her from the time he had spent learning from her father, and she knew she didn't like to be told she looked sick...but that was because she was shallow then....now, Sairi knows not to tell her she looks sick because she doesn't want to know that the powers aren't keeping up their end of the immortal bargain [which in all reality isn't a bargain] meaning, they weren't healing her properly.
There was little conversation in the car, there had always been little conversation between Lindsey and Amara back home, and Sairi was currently toying with a watch he had on his arm, obviously amused by it's shiny quality. Amara watched her fox for a moment and just shrugged, he must have stolen it from someone at the bar...it's not like she wasn't going to tell a fox to stop stealing...a fox was a fox was a fox...meaning foxes stole...foxes were sneaky...he would be sneaky rather she liked it or not...why voice her opinion.
Stopping outside the motel she jumped out of the car "I'll only be a minute, let me change...I feel weird in this..." She disappeared into the motel door numbered eighty-one
"So ya knew 'er from before huh? That musta been fun..." Sairi, raised conversation as he sat on the book bag that rested in the middle of the trucks one seat.
"Fun...not exactly the word I would use to explain it."
"Then why are you wanting to help her?"
"Because she doesn't deserve what they are planning on doing to her...they are going to..."
"I know...I know, I don't want to relieve that image the powers gave me. No one deserves that kind of thing..." Sairi stated looking up as Amara stepped out of the door, locking it and adjusting the sword that rested on her belt.
Lindsey blinked, seeing what she was wearing made him realize how much she had changed. A leather tank top, Leather pants that at the knees had some kind of knee pad and then the pants changed from leather to khaki from the knee down to her black boots which the khakis were tucked into...after adjusting her sword she pulled on her gloves before she stepped into the truck.
It was the clothes and the hair cut that had made her look different. He had known her to spend an hour doing her hair, or at least from what Jake told her...now her hair was short and to the point...and her clothes...looked like they were made for war. Very different from her straight out of Vogue clothing style.
"What?" She stated seeing his very odd slack jawed expression.
"You really did change."
"Yeah...death will kind of do that to you."
Ten minutes into the trip she glanced over towards the man she used to know, only then he was geeky, and now he was...almost as different as she had became, wearing a wrinkled suit, his hair a mess, his expression that of a worried one that had never changed...and a missing hand.
"What happened to your hand?"
"Got it cut off..."
"By who?"
"The guy that we are going to for your protection." She blinked and made an amused 'hmm' sound while Sairi was just laughing at the irony of what he had said.
"So we are going to the guy that chopped off your hand so he can protect me from the people you work with? Interesting..."
"He's a good guy..."
"So are you..."
"No I'm not."
The conversation was left at that, no more was said as they had headed towards where-ever this hand chopping man lived or worked. Amara really didn't like the idea of someone other then herself protecting her. However, if Lindsey thought she needed it....then maybe it was a good idea. Protection from the place where he worked...now that was irony.
Lindsey wasn't exactly happy about having to take her to Angel...who at the current moment he hated with a fiery passion...but she needed someone who Wolfram and Hart was scared of to protect her. She had changed, as he looked towards her out of the corner of his eye he knew...this wasn't the same person he knew...she wasn't talking about herself, or clothes. If it wasn't the same person he knew then why was he protecting her though? He pulled into the last place Wolfram and Hart seen Angel as he came to the conclusion that he wanted her to be safe because he owed it to Jake, the man who was like a father to him.
"This is the place..." He announced after a moment of sitting silently where he had parked the truck. Sairi jumped up on the dashboard and looked up at the apartment building in front of them.
"At least it's better then the motel." He spoke looking towards Amara, who still looked slightly on the sick side. Her forehead was resting on the window of the door, eyes shut, only opening when Sairi announced his opinions. Her blue eyes glanced over the building and she shrugged,
"I guess." She opened the car door, and Sairi got ready by jumping into the bag. Just as she was about to grab her bag and jump out Lindsey placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly before looking back towards him.
"Are...you okay? You don't look well." He was concerned, his expression showed it while she bite her bottom lip, refusing the urge to yell at him for telling her she didn't look good. She had to remind herself that, looks didn't matter anymore. Amara shrugged as she tugged Sairi's bag over a shoulder.
"The powers are just taking awhile to heal me properly...guess that means some kinda trouble is brewing. No worries...I'll live..."
He nodded and they made their way out of the car and towards the apartment of Cordelia Chase, the last person that Wolfram and Hart was aware of to have contact with Angel. Lindsey assumed that it didn't matter if she was with Angel or not...one of his employers would do just as well if Angel wasn't there.
A reassuring smile was given to her as they entered the building. "You should be safe here..."
The only reason I trusted Lindsey was because, well he was from my previous life. And I was happy to finally have someone who I knew from before...I felt a little better now that someone I knew was around. Before it had just been Sairi and I, he was my only companion...and while Sairi is a good friend...he didn't know me before...Lindsey did, he knew how I changed...Since I trust him, I let him thrust me into a total strangers care...who didn't seem to happy about the idea.
-Harder To Breath-
Maroon 5
How dare you say that my behavior is unacceptable
So condescending unnecessarily critical
I have the tendency of getting very physical
So watch your step cause if I do you'll need a miracle
You drain me dry and make me wonder why I'm even here
This Double Vision I was seeing is finally clear
You want to stay but you know very well I want you gone
Not fit to funkin' tread the ground I'm walking on
When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
What you are doing is screwing things up inside my head
You should know better you never listened to a word I said
Clutching your pillow and writhing in a naked sweat
Hoping somebody someday will do you like I did
When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Does it kill
Does it burn
Is it painful to learn
That it's me that has all the control
Does it thrill
Does it sting
When you feel what I bring
And you wish that you had me to hold