Disclaimer: kasjdlfjoieladjfoiwefkjdoifie that's all I have to say about
that. No one touches Cassandra but Abberline. God!
~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~
The carriage jerked to a stop in front of a dimly lit, run down apartment in a very shady neighborhood. I exited it, stepping down lightly minding the train of my dress.
"Go in, turn left, go down." Was all Godley said, before the carriage left me on the edge of the street....alone. Lifting my skirts I walked to the door and knocked three times as Godley had told me to on the ride over. Immediately a slot opened and a pair of oriental eyes looked down into my face.
"I'm here to chase the Dragon." I murmured low.
The slot slammed shut in response, and the door opened a crack, a small beam of light fell through, illuminating the darkness. I threw a glance over my shoulder and slipped in.
The man paid me no heed and merely sat down in a corner, waiting for the next customers to come. His silence must have been well paid for. I shrugged my shoulders and turned left to find myself in a deep stairwell. Sighing, I began my decent down them.
Reaching the bottom, a pair of sandy brown wood doors blocked my path, leading me to suspect that the Dragon's Lair was behind them. I turned and waited......for an hour. I had amused myself greatly by having a loud conversation with a fine audience (myself) and singing all the songs I could possibly think of. I was right in the second verse of "When ya got it, Flaunt it" from the Producers when I heard someone approach, decending the stairs at a rapid pace.
I suppose to him it was a shock, to see me calmly standing there, waiting for him for he slowed his pace, coming to stop right in front of me.
"Miss Harlington?" He asked not quite believing his eyes.
"The one and the same, Inspector." I replied as if it were fairly common to meet at an illegal Opium Den.
"I must say this is, uh," he coughed to hide his snarl, "quite a surprise," he failed hiding his sneer though, "and not of the pleasant variety."
I merely stared at him. How could I have been so wrong about him? I had thought him kind and gentle, someone I'd be more than happy to save and die for. And here I am and I find out he's an insolent little prick!
"Why are you here?" I snapped out of my thoughts as he took a step toward me.
"Waiting." I replied.
"For who?" Another step closer he came.
"You." I stated simply.
"Why?" He stepped back.
"To warn you." I murmured softly in a controlled voice, trying not to be angry with him for not being as I thought, "Do not chase the Dragon again, Abberline."
"Is that a command?" He asked haughtily, cocking a brow.
"If need be, yes."
We stared in silence forever it seemed, and then he gave a bark of harsh laughter.
"Is this a joke?!"
"Far from it, Inspector." My tone sobered him.
"You're here to stop me...aren't you?"
I didn't answer him because he already knew it.
"And you really think you can, don't you?" He began to approach me again. I hated his conceit, and the arrogant smirk on his face, and how badly I wanted him to not see me as a threat and instead as a friend.
"You are, aren't you?" I jumped, realizing he was towering over me. A look passing through his eyes. "You're going to try to stop me from doing my work." Admiration, maybe even awe flashed in the dark iris's of his eyes.
I gulped and nodded.
"Try then...," He pushed me aside, "It won't do you any good, Miss Harlington." He hissed on my name again.
I did the only thing I could then. I acted like the sixteen year old brat, I was. I pulled him back by his coat tails, slamming him into the opposite wall. He closed his eyes in shock as he hit the wall. When he opened them, I was once again blocking the doors.
He chuckled darkly, "I shouldn't be surprised really, your kind is always lurking in the places of least respectability!" I had no idea what he was talking about. I started to worry I had caused him some brain damage in hitting his head on the stone of the wall. He pushed himself off it, staggering over to me, clutching the back of his head.
"Prancing about," he continued, "pretending to be soft, sweet, and innocent while you dill the true innocents in their sleep." He started to sound inhuman, growling so low in his throat. "Thinking you're better than us all, when you're nothing. When you're little more than WHORES to POWER!" He spat, his lip curling in disgust.
EXCUSE ME?
I wanted to rip out his eyes, to slap him, to scream at him. No one.....calls me a whore!
Instead of these things I smiled maliciously and said the one thing that could truly hurt him, "I'll take that as a compliment, Inspector, considering you fell in love with one." My own voice seemed unfamiliar to me. Hard and vengeful, "A whore that is." I continued watching the rage fill his eyes, "Did you ever wonder if she really loved you. How could you be sure that she wasn't in love with you pocket book or your protection, what little of it you could give?"
"Because she didn't take....!" He began defensively.
"What? Because she didn't take the money you tried to give her?!" I laughed as if he were a small little boy who knew nothing, "In the end she left with an envelope filled to the brim with cash and a one way ticket to Ireland. I'm sure she LOVED you for that fact alone." I knew I was talking bullshit to him, that she loved him with all her heart, but I sure as hell wasn't going to give him an easy time for calling me a freaking prostitute!
I think he made to attack me but he never got close enough. He and I both found my cane in front of me like a sword, digging into his stomach.
"Oh dear." I exclaimed in mock horror, raising a hand to the perfect O of my mouth, "I meant to aim lower than that."
With a cry of rage, he pushed the cane out of his way and pinned me up against the doors behind me, holding each of my wrists tightly against the wood.
"Did your bloody clan send you here to torment me?!"
"What the HELL are you talking about?!"
"Don't play that game with me, Freemason!" He threatened, "Where are your bigger brothers?! Have they gone after her or is she already dead?! Tell me!" He commanded slamming me up against the hard wood again. I hope the Dragon wouldn't wake. The smoke in his den clouding his mind.
Whether it was the concussion I had just gotten or simply the fact that I was really pissed off, I looked up into his eyes, sighed gustily, pinned him with a glare of pure contempt and slipped into my American teen accent.
"Dude, you are seriously paranoid."
Confusion replaced his anger somewhat as I am sure he was trying to work out exactly what a "Dude" was when I kicked him hard in the shin. He let go for the barest of seconds but it was more than enough for me to slam the cane down on his back. A stifled cry came of the action and Abberline literally went down like a ton of bricks, much to my satisfaction, that was until I realized he wasn't moving.
Oh god........
Did I kill him?
My gasp of horror was sincere this time.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" I exclaimed rushing to kneel by his side.
Shit......
I killed the one person I was sent to save.
I wondered vaguely if I could get a refund on my wish. I checked his pulse, feeling a relieved sigh pour from my lips as I found it.....beating sure and strong. He must be unconscious then, my sane mind reasoned. My insane mind cooed, AWWWW look how cute he looks when he's sleeping!
Sane Mind: Behave!
Insane Mind: You behave.....I'll be naughty!
Me: Both of you SHUT UP and give me some freaking peace!
Wonderful.
He was a paranoid asshole and I was a sciztophrenic freak. We were sure a perfect pair. I was musing rather beautifully on this thought when I was flipped over onto my back and found Abberline on top of me. This would have been my greatest fantasy come true if it weren't for the fact that he had taken my cane from the floor where I dropped it and had it across my neck, crushing my windpipe. Very uncomfortable. I struggled and thrashed wildly beneath him trying to dislodge him from his position.
"If you have killed her," He grunted, keeping the hard wood to my throat, "I'll make sure you're the first to die in her place!"
I tried to laugh but I choked on it, unable to breathe, "I .....(gasp) guess you weren't (rattling cough) really asleep then."
"No, not asleep!" He ground out, grinding the sharp wood further into my throat.
"At least (shuddering gasp) you're not dead!"
"Yes, at least I'm not that!"
My eyes began to blacken briefly, when it cleared my eyes flicked to the space beyond his head, victory flooding my face, "But you might want to rethink that sleeping thing."
A drugged cloth gagged him, strong hands behind pulled him off of me. I took large gulps of air as I stroked my throat, with a trembling hand. Working to my feet, my cane which had been my enemy only moments before, steadied me as I rose. Facing Abberline, I saw the fire in his eyes dull as his eyelids drooped, the hand of unconscious already upon him.
"Nighty-night, Inspector," I murmured, "sweet dreams."
His eyes closed then, still hating me. I looked up at the person who had saved me.
"Perfect timing, Sergent."
~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~
The carriage jerked to a stop in front of a dimly lit, run down apartment in a very shady neighborhood. I exited it, stepping down lightly minding the train of my dress.
"Go in, turn left, go down." Was all Godley said, before the carriage left me on the edge of the street....alone. Lifting my skirts I walked to the door and knocked three times as Godley had told me to on the ride over. Immediately a slot opened and a pair of oriental eyes looked down into my face.
"I'm here to chase the Dragon." I murmured low.
The slot slammed shut in response, and the door opened a crack, a small beam of light fell through, illuminating the darkness. I threw a glance over my shoulder and slipped in.
The man paid me no heed and merely sat down in a corner, waiting for the next customers to come. His silence must have been well paid for. I shrugged my shoulders and turned left to find myself in a deep stairwell. Sighing, I began my decent down them.
Reaching the bottom, a pair of sandy brown wood doors blocked my path, leading me to suspect that the Dragon's Lair was behind them. I turned and waited......for an hour. I had amused myself greatly by having a loud conversation with a fine audience (myself) and singing all the songs I could possibly think of. I was right in the second verse of "When ya got it, Flaunt it" from the Producers when I heard someone approach, decending the stairs at a rapid pace.
I suppose to him it was a shock, to see me calmly standing there, waiting for him for he slowed his pace, coming to stop right in front of me.
"Miss Harlington?" He asked not quite believing his eyes.
"The one and the same, Inspector." I replied as if it were fairly common to meet at an illegal Opium Den.
"I must say this is, uh," he coughed to hide his snarl, "quite a surprise," he failed hiding his sneer though, "and not of the pleasant variety."
I merely stared at him. How could I have been so wrong about him? I had thought him kind and gentle, someone I'd be more than happy to save and die for. And here I am and I find out he's an insolent little prick!
"Why are you here?" I snapped out of my thoughts as he took a step toward me.
"Waiting." I replied.
"For who?" Another step closer he came.
"You." I stated simply.
"Why?" He stepped back.
"To warn you." I murmured softly in a controlled voice, trying not to be angry with him for not being as I thought, "Do not chase the Dragon again, Abberline."
"Is that a command?" He asked haughtily, cocking a brow.
"If need be, yes."
We stared in silence forever it seemed, and then he gave a bark of harsh laughter.
"Is this a joke?!"
"Far from it, Inspector." My tone sobered him.
"You're here to stop me...aren't you?"
I didn't answer him because he already knew it.
"And you really think you can, don't you?" He began to approach me again. I hated his conceit, and the arrogant smirk on his face, and how badly I wanted him to not see me as a threat and instead as a friend.
"You are, aren't you?" I jumped, realizing he was towering over me. A look passing through his eyes. "You're going to try to stop me from doing my work." Admiration, maybe even awe flashed in the dark iris's of his eyes.
I gulped and nodded.
"Try then...," He pushed me aside, "It won't do you any good, Miss Harlington." He hissed on my name again.
I did the only thing I could then. I acted like the sixteen year old brat, I was. I pulled him back by his coat tails, slamming him into the opposite wall. He closed his eyes in shock as he hit the wall. When he opened them, I was once again blocking the doors.
He chuckled darkly, "I shouldn't be surprised really, your kind is always lurking in the places of least respectability!" I had no idea what he was talking about. I started to worry I had caused him some brain damage in hitting his head on the stone of the wall. He pushed himself off it, staggering over to me, clutching the back of his head.
"Prancing about," he continued, "pretending to be soft, sweet, and innocent while you dill the true innocents in their sleep." He started to sound inhuman, growling so low in his throat. "Thinking you're better than us all, when you're nothing. When you're little more than WHORES to POWER!" He spat, his lip curling in disgust.
EXCUSE ME?
I wanted to rip out his eyes, to slap him, to scream at him. No one.....calls me a whore!
Instead of these things I smiled maliciously and said the one thing that could truly hurt him, "I'll take that as a compliment, Inspector, considering you fell in love with one." My own voice seemed unfamiliar to me. Hard and vengeful, "A whore that is." I continued watching the rage fill his eyes, "Did you ever wonder if she really loved you. How could you be sure that she wasn't in love with you pocket book or your protection, what little of it you could give?"
"Because she didn't take....!" He began defensively.
"What? Because she didn't take the money you tried to give her?!" I laughed as if he were a small little boy who knew nothing, "In the end she left with an envelope filled to the brim with cash and a one way ticket to Ireland. I'm sure she LOVED you for that fact alone." I knew I was talking bullshit to him, that she loved him with all her heart, but I sure as hell wasn't going to give him an easy time for calling me a freaking prostitute!
I think he made to attack me but he never got close enough. He and I both found my cane in front of me like a sword, digging into his stomach.
"Oh dear." I exclaimed in mock horror, raising a hand to the perfect O of my mouth, "I meant to aim lower than that."
With a cry of rage, he pushed the cane out of his way and pinned me up against the doors behind me, holding each of my wrists tightly against the wood.
"Did your bloody clan send you here to torment me?!"
"What the HELL are you talking about?!"
"Don't play that game with me, Freemason!" He threatened, "Where are your bigger brothers?! Have they gone after her or is she already dead?! Tell me!" He commanded slamming me up against the hard wood again. I hope the Dragon wouldn't wake. The smoke in his den clouding his mind.
Whether it was the concussion I had just gotten or simply the fact that I was really pissed off, I looked up into his eyes, sighed gustily, pinned him with a glare of pure contempt and slipped into my American teen accent.
"Dude, you are seriously paranoid."
Confusion replaced his anger somewhat as I am sure he was trying to work out exactly what a "Dude" was when I kicked him hard in the shin. He let go for the barest of seconds but it was more than enough for me to slam the cane down on his back. A stifled cry came of the action and Abberline literally went down like a ton of bricks, much to my satisfaction, that was until I realized he wasn't moving.
Oh god........
Did I kill him?
My gasp of horror was sincere this time.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" I exclaimed rushing to kneel by his side.
Shit......
I killed the one person I was sent to save.
I wondered vaguely if I could get a refund on my wish. I checked his pulse, feeling a relieved sigh pour from my lips as I found it.....beating sure and strong. He must be unconscious then, my sane mind reasoned. My insane mind cooed, AWWWW look how cute he looks when he's sleeping!
Sane Mind: Behave!
Insane Mind: You behave.....I'll be naughty!
Me: Both of you SHUT UP and give me some freaking peace!
Wonderful.
He was a paranoid asshole and I was a sciztophrenic freak. We were sure a perfect pair. I was musing rather beautifully on this thought when I was flipped over onto my back and found Abberline on top of me. This would have been my greatest fantasy come true if it weren't for the fact that he had taken my cane from the floor where I dropped it and had it across my neck, crushing my windpipe. Very uncomfortable. I struggled and thrashed wildly beneath him trying to dislodge him from his position.
"If you have killed her," He grunted, keeping the hard wood to my throat, "I'll make sure you're the first to die in her place!"
I tried to laugh but I choked on it, unable to breathe, "I .....(gasp) guess you weren't (rattling cough) really asleep then."
"No, not asleep!" He ground out, grinding the sharp wood further into my throat.
"At least (shuddering gasp) you're not dead!"
"Yes, at least I'm not that!"
My eyes began to blacken briefly, when it cleared my eyes flicked to the space beyond his head, victory flooding my face, "But you might want to rethink that sleeping thing."
A drugged cloth gagged him, strong hands behind pulled him off of me. I took large gulps of air as I stroked my throat, with a trembling hand. Working to my feet, my cane which had been my enemy only moments before, steadied me as I rose. Facing Abberline, I saw the fire in his eyes dull as his eyelids drooped, the hand of unconscious already upon him.
"Nighty-night, Inspector," I murmured, "sweet dreams."
His eyes closed then, still hating me. I looked up at the person who had saved me.
"Perfect timing, Sergent."