Title: No Angel

Author: Abikne Myllure

Chapter: 10?

Email: abikne at gmail dot com

Rating: M for mature subject matter. You've been warned!

Summary: All Ella McDermott wanted was to start over. When she meets Leon and the rest of the D Team she thinks it may be possible, until a piece of the past she desperately tried to bury comes back to bite her on the butt.

Pairing: Leon/OC slight Mia/Brian and Letty/Dom

Achieve: Sure, just ask.

Incomplete

Disclaimers: For legal purposes, I don't own the characters of Dom, Letty, Mia, Brian, Vince, Leon, and Jesse or any other characters that are mentioned in the story. Right now, the only character I own is Ella. And don't try suing me because all I got in my pocket is lent.

Author's Note: This chapter is so late, I know. It took me a little long to get this chapter finished. The next chapter should take me about a week or two to finish. As always:

good or bad, your comments are always appreciated!

Chapter Ten

Leon and I made it to Mariscos de Rosiarto with little consequence. The tension in the air was almost unbearable, but he didn't push me for any answers I wasn't ready to give.

The restaurant Leon chose was pretty elegant. Since I came to L.A six months back, I'd always wanted to come to Mariascos de Rosiarto, but never really had an opportunity to-- until now. The atmosphere was quit tranquil. Candles adored almost every available surface, it seemed that they had forgone modern lighting all together and a soft melody played in the background.

A waiter led us to one of the only two window tables with a view of the coastline and took our order. I took in our surrounding, wondering how Leon got this table.

I leaned over slightly drawing Leon's attention, "How in the hell did you manage snag this table?"

He grinned, "I have my ways."

I rolled my eyes but refrained from making a smart ass comment.

"So, are you going to tell me why you were so hands-off back at your place?" He asked suddenly, brow raised.

"I'll explain everything, I promise." I sighed. "Just not now, okay?"

Leon watched me for a moment eyebrows drawn together, slightly confused. I couldn't really blame him, had it been me in his position I wouldn't be so willing to wait for an explanation.

"Alright," he said finally, "I'll give you that."

When he grinned, the breath I'd been holding eased out of me.

"You know Ella, you haven't exactly been a fountain of knowledge when it comes to you and your past."

"That's because there isn't all that much to tell. 'I came, I saw, I have yet to conquer." I resorted, picking up a breadstick and taking a bit. "My life isn't much different from every other Tom, Dick, or Harry."

"Ella…"

"Fine, fine, what do you want to know?"

He thought for a moment, "Tell me what you were like as a kid."

"Well," I started. "I was completely evil. Everything had to be done my way. My mom hated it, but my dad always let me do whatever I wanted too. She'd ground me and he'd cave after enough begging."

"What made you change?"

"My father died," I muttered softly finishing of the last of my breadstick.

Before Leon could say anything the waiter returned with our meals; a rare steak for him and pasta for me.

I reached over and grabbed a few sugar packets and noticed Leon giving me a weird look, "What?"

"Where's the sugar going?"

"Oh, you're one to talk, that cow's still mooing."

"What about you? What were you like as a child? I can see it now, a little Casanova roaming the playground." I joked.

"Sorry to disappoint, but no I was a nerd, complete with glasses and khaki pants. I was a late bloomer, but when I hit puberty…"

I laughed, "Did you know the rest of the team then?"

"No, I didn't meet up with them until high school. I was like fifteen. Vince and Dom saved me and my buddy Jess from getting the shit beat out of us."

Hmm, there was that name again. Just who the hell was this Jess guy anyway? I wanted to ask about him but from the way Dom and Leon talked about him I figured it was a sensitive topic and let it drop.

A few hours later I found myself blindfolded with Leon behind me, leading somewhere. He'd blindfolded me while we were still miles away from our destination so I had no idea where we were, but I was itching to find out.

After a while we stopped.

"Am I finally going to find out what this big secret is?"

"Not just yet," I heard rustling from behind me and then I felt him lean down next to me. I felt his cool hands wrap around my ankle, "Give me your foot."

"Why?" I asked even as I lifted my foot I felt him slip my shoe from my foot.

"Because it'll be easier to walk if I take your shoes off," He said slowly moving to my other side and slipping that shoe off too.

Leon gave me a little nudge forward, and soon I felt my feet sink into what felt like sand. So it's a beach, I mused as we walked.

Soon we came to another stop and I felt my blindfold being removed. I couldn't help grinning. Laid out before me was a beach blanket complete with picnic basket. On the blanket were scattered rose petals, the only light from miles away came from the deserted board walk behind us.

Leon led me to the picnic blanket and helped me to sit. He lay down beside me.

I turned slightly meeting his gaze, my fingers absently worrying the hem of my dress. There was only silence as I gazed on his prone figure laid out before me. One arm resting behind is head, the other across his stomach. He was so beautiful to me in that moment I winced as a phantom pain wormed its way through my heart. The white of the shirt he wore making his bronzed skin look so deliciously appealing.

I felt so miserable for making him think I didn't want him touching me; when in fact I did want him – all of him, desperately.

"I'm sorry I've made you think I don't want to be with you," I paused almost afraid to utter my next words.

"Ella I know something is bothering you. Just tell me what it is, please." He paused, "does this have anything to do with what happened at the garage with Dom?"

"Yeah, actually it does." I knew I was stalling but I really didn't know how to say this to him.

Leon's eyes narrowed, "Did something happen between you and Dom?"

"What?" I blurted, "No Leon! Geez, how could anything have happened? It's not like we had any privacy in that hat box Dom calls an office. Dom got a hold of my record, saw some shit that went down back in San Francisco."

"What shit?"

"Attempted man slaughter," I ignored the shocked look on his face and plowed ahead. "My ex-boyfriend … raped me... so I shot him."

Leon sat up, shock turning to anger, "Did you kill that bastard?"

"No, unfortunately the first bullet got him in the shoulder, it missed any vital organs. After that first shot missed him, I stopped myself. I couldn't kill him even after what he did to me. One of his neighbors called the police and the ambulance. They arrested me and brought charges up against me; until they found out the truth, anyway."

"Where was your mother when all this shit happened?"

I snorted, "She was where she was ever Friday night, prowling the bars looking for her next fuck." Nope I wasn't bitter, not in the least.

"Damn, Ella, I'm sorry you had to tell me that."

"No it's fine. Now I don't feel like I have to hide it like it's some dirty little secret or something."

"Where'd the bastard end up? In jail I hope."

I nodded, "Yeah, he went to jail, for about two years. He got out in May; a month later I came here."

Leon reached over and gently pulled me into his arms.

"You do know that I would never do something like that to you, right?"

"Yeah, I know that here," I muttered quietly taking his hand and placing it on my chest over my heart. "But I think it may take a while for my brain to catch up. I've been on flight or flight mode so long I'm not sure I can change."

"But you're here – with me. That's a step in the right direction, I think." He said laying his cheek against my hair. "Anything else we can work our way up too. I'm not in a rush."

I gave a very unladylike snort at that. But I didn't speak. I was enjoying being in his warm embrace.

"Alright you got me, but I'll wait for you—until your ready." Sure, he said that now but with my utter lack of trust in the human nature, I had my doubts. For now I would just wait and see where this took us.