Author's Notes: Second re-write. Gah.

Salvation (11)

Reno snuffed his cigarette under his boot and glared at nothing in particular. Something didn't feel quite right to him about tonight and it was making him antsy. If he had learnt anything from the years he had spent in the Turks, it was that you never, ever ignored your instincts. So, instead of crossing the street and walking into the bar in front of him, Reno was standing in a back alley lighting up another cigarette.
He took a long drag on his smoke and his mouth quirked into the tinniest of ironic smiles. Choices, that was what it was all about, wasn't it? What was it that Tseng had told him once, that a man's life wasn't determined by the chances that were forced upon him but by the conscious choices he made? Something like that. And what if you don't have a choice, Reno had asked him. There's always a choice, he had said, even if we are too blind to see it.
Reno's mouth twitched again and he snuffed his second cigarette under his heel. Choice or no choice, he had an itch he needed to scratch tonight and he wasn't going to fix it standing out here.

When Reno walked into the bar, he had to resist his sudden urge to swear. Always trust your instincts, he reminded himself sourly. Fate had a nasty way of fucking people over when they ignored her warning signals. Bitterly, Reno reflected that there was probably a very good reason for Tseng to be sitting at that particular table in this particular bar. He also knew quite strongly that he didn't want to know what that reason was.
Naturally, this was the exact moment that Tseng decided to look up in Reno's direction. If Reno had still believed in one, he knew that he would've been cursing whatever sick, twisted deity had decided to wreck havoc on his life tonight. He found his feet carrying him over to Tseng's table without him asking them to and then they turned doubly traitor by refusing to move once he reached it.
Reno was a Turk. He was paid to notice things. Thus, he wasn't blind to the fact that there were five empty shot glasses in front of Tseng and he observant enough to notice that Tseng's suit was ruffled, his skin a little too pale, his eyes were gritty and bloodshot and, judging by the slump in his shoulders, he still hadn't recovered completely from his injury. He also knew that there were four people sitting at the counter, that that woman in red was a hooker but that she was probably carrying something contagious, that those three men in the back were dealing something illegal, probably drugs, and that that guy near the front was trying to pick up that brunette but he was most definitely going to fail because she was most definitely a lesbian. But that was beside the point.
Reno stood by Tseng's table a moment longer before the older man gestured for him to sit down. Tseng waved to the waitress to bring them some more shots and Reno mentally catalogued each time that the had ever known Tseng to come out alone and get very deliberately drunk. He pulled up less than a handful.
The waitress came back and dropped off two shots at their table but Reno didn't bother to watch her come or see her go. He was too busy watching Tseng who was busy watching Reno. Reno was that one who broke away first. It was damn difficult to win a starring contest with Tseng. He grabbed the drink that was in front of him and downed it in one shot. The liquor was strong and burned as it went down but he didn't gag on it.
"Reno," Tseng spoke suddenly, covering the slight slur in his words well, "I need you to do me a favour."
"What kind of a favour?" Reno asked without looking directly at Tseng.
"I need you to go see Elena tonight."
Reno's eyes snapped to Tseng's face.
"Why?" he asked.
"Just do it Reno," Tseng said with probably more bit than he intended. "No questions."
Reno snorted and contemplated the shot glass in his hands.
"What is this, an order?"
Tseng sighed slightly and his voice softened.
"No Reno, a favour." He paused. "Please."
Reno chuckled very softly to himself, the way a man laughs when he knows he's been beaten and all he has left to do is laugh over his fate. He pushed himself away from the table and looked down at Tseng for a moment. Without hesitation, he reached across the table and grabbed Tseng's shot as well. It too burned as it went down. Reno hit the glass back on the table and heard it crack on the impact.
"It's good stuff," Reno said and then he turned and walked away.
I should've stayed outside tonight, he thought as he walked out of the bar. He turned west to head towards Elena's apartment complex.

Tseng watched Reno's retreating form and frowned deeply. What am I doing? he wondered to himself. Reno didn't need any of this, he knew. Still, he didn't want Elena to be alone tonight.
Involuntarily, Tseng remembered Elena cowering on the ground with him standing over her. When she had looked up at him, there had been a naked fear sitting in her eyes. Remembering, he felt something clench in his chest and he waved to the waitress again.

Reno knocked on Elena's door. Its echo spread and faded in the empty hallway.
"'Lena?" he called. No answer. Reno knocked again but there was still no answer. He frowned and then tried the door's handle. He was surprised when it opened without protest. Cautiously, Reno stepped into the dark apartment.
"'Lena?" he called again. There was a small sliver of light coming from down the hallway. Reno walked silently through the corridor, his eyes and ears straining. He could hear a small dripping noise. It sounded like someone had left a faucet on. Reno's eyes widened when he realized that the one light was coming from Elena's small bathroom.
"...Elena?" Reno asked quietly. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest. Carefully, he pushed open the bathroom door and walked in. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the bright lights of the bathroom. When they did, Reno sighed and crouched down on his haunches.
"Elena?" Reno asked again quietly. The smaller woman was sitting with her eyes closed and her back pressed against the wall of her bathroom that was opposite to the room's small sink. The faucet was leaking and the steady drip, drip, drip, of the water was the only noise in the room.
Without preamble, Reno sat down beside the blonde woman. Cautiously, he placed his hand on her knee.
Elena's eyes opened slowly. A few stray tears slid down her cheeks.
"Reno," she said softly, her voice cracking from crying.
Hesitantly, Reno wrapped his arms around the younger woman and silently invited her to rest in his arms. Elena stiffened momentarily before sighing and giving in to the embrace.
"Reno," she said again and then suddenly she was crying again. She buried herself deeper in his arms and sobbed on his shoulder.
For a moment, Reno seemed unsure of himself but then his right hand came up for rest against Elena's back. He leaned his head forward and rested his cheek against the top of her head.
"It's gonna be alright Elena. It's gonna be okay."

Some time later, Reno felt the pace of Elena's breathing change against his chest. Asleep, he thought to himself. Carefully, so as not to disturb her, Reno picked up the younger woman and carried her to her bedroom. He was stronger than he looked.
He placed Elena down on her bed and drew the covers up around her. His job done, Reno stood and paused, watching the sleeping woman. A strange emotion tried to win against his face's indifferent façade and failed. He turned and walked away from Elena but left the door to her room ajar so that he could hear her if she need him. Right now though, he desperately wanted a cigarette.
Reno walked out onto the small balcony that was attached to Elena's living room. Outside, the city was sleeping as much as it ever did. There were few lights on in the apartments around him but there were still cars on the roads below. No stars to be seen though.
Reno lit up his cigarette, a pensive look on his face. He tried to imagine what could've upset Elena so much and he came up with only one thing. She and Tseng had tried to keep the entire thing secret but it wasn't like he and Rude hadn't noticed. They were Turks, after all.
He tried to imagine what it had been like for Elena and decided that it couldn't have been easy. He had known Tseng for a long time and he was a hard man to get close to. That had been the problem, Reno decided. Elena had probably tried to go too far with him. Reno make a disgusted noise in the back of his throat and tipped the ashes of his cigarette. Secrets, they were all thick with them. Reno suddenly remembered the time that he had brought Elena some soup to cheer her up only to find her kitchen filled with books on Wutaian translations. Of course, that had to be it. Wutai.
Reno snorted and took a long drag on his cigarette. He had tried to ask Tseng about that too, a long time ago. They had known each other for, what, a year by then? Maybe a little bit more than that. Reno had still been green around the edges and Tseng, well, Tseng hadn't been nearly as hard as he was now. Still, Reno had learnt his mistake very quickly and he had never repeated the question. If Elena had tried to ask him now... Reno shook his head slowly. He didn't envy the woman at all.
Still, Tseng had no right. He must've done something awful to upset Elena so badly. For a moment, she had almost looked... frightened when he had walked in. What had Tseng done to hurt her so much? Reno turned his back to the city and leaned against the railing. It must've been something drastic to leave Elena this upset and force Tseng into hiding.
Reno looked up at the starless sky above him. Nights like this he wished he could get out of the city.
His cigarette done, Reno stomped out the ashes he had left on the balcony and headed back inside. He would talk to Tseng about this in the morning. There was no way he was going to just let this slide. Still, first, he had to look after Elena.
On his way back to her bedroom, Reno grabbed a chair from the kitchen. He wasn't going to leave her alone tonight.
When Reno entered Elena's bedroom, two green eyes suddenly popped up in the darkness. Tom had settled beside Elena's sleeping form and now he watched Reno with a sort of inquisitive stare.
"Hey cat," Reno said warily as he placed his chair beside Elena's bed. Tom stood up and watched Reno questioningly. Reno thought about it for a moment before patting his thigh. Tom accepted the invitation and promptly curled into a ball on Reno's lap. He rubbed his hand through the cat's fur.
"Just don't tell 'Lena," he whispered. Tom purred softly and Reno looked back over at the sleeping woman. Yes, he was definitely going to have to talk to Tseng.

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Responses:

Jess Angel: {Grins} I know who she was but you're gonna have to wait {snicker}. I know, evil, I'm sorry.
Now that you mention it, I see how this fic could be read like a film. It's a little bit odd. Perhaps it's from how I cut scenes? Do you think it's beneficial or does it make it choppy?
I'm glad that you are planning on starting writing again Jess Angel! I'll definitely stand in line for that. Don't rush it though. I know that a block can be a tough thing. Can I make a suggestion though? Me, when I'm feeling kinda stuck on something, I just sit at my compie and start typing. It doesn't matter what you write, just start typing and don't delete anything. It doesn't even have to be about something in particular or about the story you're working on. If you start writing though, I find it can be easier to write something important later on. I don't know if it'll work for other people, but that's what I do sometimes. Good luck. And thanks for the review!

Heather Cat: Heh, I wonder. {snicker} You found the casual flipping between scenes worked well? Hmm. Interesting. As for pulling this all together, you'll have to wait and see! Ooo, look at me build cheap suspense! Heh heh. Thanks for the review Heather Cat. And thanks again for the beta-read! You're amazing man!