Sorry to keep you guys waiting.. and I won't keep you up any longer.. Enjoy!
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Dylan..
We went inside and two sets of eyes were focused on us. I smiled weakly and turned to Anthony, giving his hand a light squeeze to assure him that everything would be fine, then I turned to my friends. "Well..Uh, Nathalie.. Alex.. " I looked at Anthony and saw his discomfort. "Anthony.." Then I looked back at my friends and laughed a little. "Well you already know each other!" They all nodded at the statement. Nathalie stood up and approached Anthony. As she did so I felt his grip on my hand tighten. Nathalie eyed both of us before smiling and giving Anthony a quick kiss on the cheek. "Anthony." She greeted. I was a little surprised by the display of affection but that was just typical for our cheery Nathalie. I saw and felt Anthony relax a little which was good. He needed to loosen up a bit. Alex on the other hand kept a straight face and just nodded at him. There was a lot of tension between the two of them. It wasn't like I didn't understand where Alex was coming from but Anthony had tried to kill all of us, not just her. Sometimes, it seemed she had the tendency of forgetting that, plus the fact that he did save her life one time too. But I wasn't going to push it, it wouldn't do the still very fragile 'friendship' any good. The last thing I wanted to do was to make things worse.
My stomach rumbled, which reminded me we still had to get some breakfast. "Ok, guys, I know there are still some things we need to work out, but actually we, as in Anthony and me, were about to have breakfast, so if you don't mind.. could we continue this later today?" Nathalie ran a hand through her hair, looking at Alex, obviously thinking it over. To my surprise it was Alex who nodded and said "Ok, we'll call you later." "That would be great." I said smiling, leaving Anthony's side for a minute to pull on my jacket. Anthony looked at me and then looked down at Alex. I immediately understood what he was getting at as his cane laid on her lap. I chuckled and took it from her. "I believe this belongs to Anthony." I said while handing it to him. "Yeah, right. Well, I guess we should be going then. See ya later Dyl." Alex said, standing up. She kissed me on my cheek, so did Nathalie. "Bye, Dyl." And they both left. "Well, I think that went pretty well, don't you think?" He raised his eyebrow. "Ok, relatively good, but it will get better, just give it some time. So, ready to go?" He shook his head "no" and reached inside his pants pocket. He pulled out the medallion. "Oh, I must have left it in the bathroom after I showered." He nodded and placed it around my neck. "Thanks." I said softly gazing up at him. "Ready?" He smiled down at me and nodded slightly. I grabbed my purse and darted into the kitchen. "Forgot my cell." I announced. Then I took his hand and entertwined my fingers with his, pulling him along. "Let's go. I know a nice and quiet place I think you'll like." Now that things with Nathalie and Alex seemed to be turning out alright, my appetite had increased a whole lot.
Anthony..
I didn't like to be stared at and it was exactely what Dylan's friends were doing as soon as we entered the living room. Their stares made me feel nervous and 'out of place'. It felt like I was the one person in this room that didn't belong here. I wasn't an 'Angel' so I guess in a way it made sense. I sighed and when Dylan looked at me with a smile, I tried my best to smile back, although at the moment, it wasn't the easiest thing to do. She squeezed my hand and I was grateful to have her with me. "Well..Uh, Nathalie.. Alex.." She started to say before looking at me. I breathed in deeply. "Anthony." She turned her attention back to her friends and laughed. "Well you already know each other!" Very true, sadly enough, we all met under not so great circumstances and it would be hard to put that behind us.
Nathalie stood up and walked over to me. I tried to read her expression, but she didn't give away much or time as she closed the distance and kissed me on my cheek. I was surprised and I doubted that Alex would give me the same friendly welcome. "Anthony." She said smiling a little, before turning around and sitting back down. Like I thought Alex remained seated and just nodded at me. I gave a curt nod, glad that this was over. I tried my best not to be so tense around them but this was all very new for me. "Ok, guys, I know there are still some things we need to work out, but actually we, as in Anthony and me, were about to have breakfast, so if you don't mind.. could we continue this later today?" Dylan was right. We hadn't even gone out to have breakfast and I was happy to go. This little meeting had lasted long enough, though I knew if I stayed with Dylan I would have to deal quite a lot with her friends but maybe things would be different by then. They didn't seem very anxious to leave us alone but they agreed after all. They would call her later. "That would be great." Said my Angel, moving away from me. She grabbed her jacket from the couch and pulled in on. I looked over at Nathalie and Alex, who seemed very interested in me as they were still looking at me. It was then that I noticed my cane laying on Alex' lap. I wanted to go over and scoop it up but I didn't feel very comfortable doing that, so I tried to make my intentions clear to Dylan, which she picked up fairly easy. "I believe this belongs to Anthony." She then gave it back to it's rightful owner. I never really liked anyone else touching my cane. It instantly made me think of Seamus O'Grady who had stabbed me with my own rapier, another thing I hated. Nathalie and Alex then left, after exchanging the usual pleasantries.
"Well, I think that went pretty well, don't you think?" Considering everything that has happened in the past, pretty good but not that great either. I raised an eyebrow. "Ok, relatively good, but it will get better, just give it some time. So, ready to go?" I shook my head. I was ready to go, but she wasn't ready yet, there was just one thing missing, the medallion. I reached into my pants pocket and retrieved it. "Oh, I must have left it in the bathroom after I showered." That's right my Angel. I placed the medallion around her neck, carefully brushing her hair aside. Now she looked perfect. "Thanks." She said, looking into my eyes. "Ready?" I smiled and nodded. She grabbed her black little purse and then walked into the kitchen. "Forgot my cell." She called out and walked back in. She walked up to me and took my hand. "Let's go. I know a nice and quiet place I think you'll like." And with hands clasped together, we walked out.
Dylan..
After breakfast, me and Anthony decided to go for a little walk before going back home. I seized this moment as an opportunity to talk about another problem that needed to be dealt with. "Anthony, I told Nath and Alex about those Italians guys. I hope you don't mind. They can help you. Us. I don't think we should deal with this alone." He stopped short and looked at me with angry eyes. "I had to tell them. I didn't want to keep another secret. You do understand, don't you? Besides it's for the best. If something would happen to us, they will atleast know what's going on." He sighed and nodded. "I do understand but this.. this wasn't meant to be your problem in the first place. Why d-do you think I was going away? To protect you.. and your friends." He shook his head and looked at the ground. I gently put a hand under his chin and lifted his head to meet my eyes. "I know. But I can take care of myself.. so can you.. but I just don't want to leave you alone. If you aren't with me, I would be worried sick about you. Whether you like it or not, we're in this together, and personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you." He closed his eyes for a brief moment and then he agreed. "Ok." I smiled and put my arms around his waist, hugging him close. "Now, for being so reasonable, I think you deserve a little present." Both of his eyebrows went up. I chuckled and raised myself on my toes. "You may pull my hair." I whispered in his ear. His lips curved into a delicious smile and his hand moved into my hair. I braced myself for the pull that would soon follow. Why did I have to say that? I felt his fingers grip a lock of hair, while I heard his breathing become heavier. "Ow!" Damn that still hurts, I thought, as I rubbed the sore spot where now a patch of hair was missing.
After pocketing the few strands of hair, he leaned down and kissed me gently, at first, it soon became passionate. I loved the passion he held for me. It made me feel alive and for the very first time, truly loved by a man. Our lips lost contact and I smiled up at him. "Let's go home." His eyes were still closed and he breathed in deeply before opening them and regarding me with a gentle gaze. "Yes. Let's go home." I soon discovered the true meaning of his words. He wanted to stay with me. Not only as a couple but also in living together. I looked at him with tears in my eyes, I had wanted this for so long. I knew it was a huge step for Anthony so this meant a lot. "You.. You want to come live with me?" I quietely asked, almost afraid that I had jumped into the wrong conclusions. He gently let his fingers brush my cheek before answering "Yes, I do." Instantly I thought about us standing in front of the altar, exchanging vows. Hmm Dylan, that would be moving a tad to fast. But who knows.. I couldn't stop from grinning widely at the thought. Anthony looked at me strangely, probably wondering what I was thinking. I chuckled softly and locked my arm with his. "Time to go home."
After walking a few minutes we reached the parking lot where I had left my car. I searched my purse for the carkeys when suddenly Anthony grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the car. "Anthony, what - ?" I didn't finish my sentence when I heard a strange 'beep beep' coming from my car, which most definitely didn't sound right. We looked at each other and started to run as if the devil himself was chasing us. Not long after that, the car exploded. We both landed hard on the ground. I moaned and looked behind me, only to find a burning wreck. "You got to be kidding me! Those son of a bitches blew up my car!" I cursed slamming my fist onto the hard pavement, which only made me curse more for hurting my hand in the process. I gently rubbed it to ease the pain and then lay on my back, breathing rapidly. I looked over to my right, where Anthony lay. "You alright?" He turned his head and nodded. "You?" He asked. "Yeah, i'm alright." He breathed a sign of relief. I too was happy to be alive. But I couldn't help but wonder what they had in store for us next, though I doubted it would be anything pleasant.
Anthony..
Holding hands and in a comfortable silence, we strolled back to her car. I enjoyed moments like this. This didn't need any words. It would only ruin the beauty of it. Atleast that was how I felt, too bad I knew it wouldn't last much longer for I could feel something was bugging Dylan and whatever it was she would definitely bring it up any time soon. Or just about now.. "Anthony, I told Nath and Alex about those Italians guys. I hope you don't mind. They can help you. Us. I don't think we should deal with this alone." She had done what? Was she serious? Maybe she felt the need to bring the other Angels into this mess but I didn't. Like I couldn't take care off my own business. I should have walked away when I had the chance..Now they're probably going to make a case out of it.. "I had to tell them. I didn't want to keep another secret. You do understand, don't you? Besides it's for the best. If something would happen to us, they will atleast know what's going on." She had some good points. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was for the best. I wasn't all by myself anymore. I had Dylan now. I wasn't leading the life of a lonely assassin anymore. From now on, we would take care off business together. I realized this was what I wanted. But I still didn't like the idea of turning to the other Angels for help, but they were a team, so I guess I understood. I let out a sigh and nodded. "I do understand but this.. this wasn't meant to be your problem in the first place. Why d-do you think I was going away? To protect you.. and your friends." I would never forgive myself if anything happened to my Angel or the friends she loved so dearly. I looked at my shoes, sometimes it still felt strange to let go of all those emotions, emotions that had been bottled up for years. She gently lifted my head and said "I know. But I can take care of myself.. so can you.. but I just don't want to leave you alone. If you aren't with me, I would be worried sick about you. Whether you like it or not, we're in this together, and personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you." She was right. I had already made that decision the moment I went along with her instead of walking away. "Ok." She gave me one of her more brilliant smiles and hugged me.
"Now, for being so reasonable, I think you deserve a little present." She said, her head resting against my chest. She then looked up and I gave her a surprising look. I never really was a sucker for presents. I just liked to know everything. Besides I had never gotten many presents in the past anyway. Though, I never really cared either. She leaned up close to my ear and whispered "You may pull my hair." At first I thought she wasn't serious but when I looked at her I knew she wasn't joking. She would let me pull her hair, entirely voluntarily, which didn't happen too often. I smiled and ran my hand through her hair, one arm around her waist. All that lovely hair.. I let my fingers curl around a lock, holding it firmly. I almost felt like screaming but I tried really hard not to as I pulled hard and the strands of hair came loose. "Ow!" Dylan moaned. I always felt bad for hurting her but I guess this fetish was just too much to control. I put the lock of hair in my breast pocket before leaning down to kiss her. I almost wanted to say sorry for once again taking her hair but it was her idea and I thought a kiss was as good as any other apology. She pulled away and ended the kiss but I tried to hold onto the moment a little longer. "Let's go home." She said. Home. Where was home? With the life I had lived I never really had a home. The orphanage had been my home for a long time, ten years to be exact, then I left and became an assassin. It didn't take me long to earn enough money to buy a nice, comfortable apartment. I had become pretty fond of it but now that I retired from the business, maybe it was time to leave it behind. After all, it was a part of my past, a constant reminder of the rough life I had lived for many, long years. Home.. it was wherever my Angel would be. Whenever I was with her I felt at peace. "Yes. Let's go home." I softly said, looking into her green eyes. From the way she looked back at me I could tell she was trying to look beyond the words, trying to descipher a hidden meaning. Her eyes widened as she realised what I meant and all kinds of emotions could be seen from her eyes. "You.. You want to come live with me?" I had to lean in otherwise I probably wouldn't have understood her question as it was barely above a whisper. She looked so fragile, so unlike the tough Angel I had fought years ago. It was a side you didn't get to see often. I reached out and carressed her cheek with my fingertips. "Yes, I do." I slowly moved my hand away, our eyes never losing contact. After a moment she grinned at me. No doubt she was happy, only I couldn't shake the feeling that this sudden change was caused by something else. I silently wondered what it could be. She ran her hand up my arm. "Time to go home." Well, so much for telling. She locked her arm with mine and we started walking again.
Dylan talked about all kinds of things and before we both knew it we had reached her car. She was busy looking for the keys when I noticed something strange or heard was more like it. A sound I knew too well for my own good. I hastily walked over to her and roughly grabbed her wrist pulling her away from the vehicle. She started to say something but it didn't take long before she too heard the disturbing noice. We exchanged glances and started to run like hell. We were only a few feet away from the dark blue mustang before it exploded and threw us to the ground. I gasped as I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder, a left over from the roof incident, it had taken some time to heal, clearly the healing wasn't completed. Dylan moaned and I tried to sit up to check up on her to see if she was alright, but the pain in my shoulder made me lay back down."You got to be kidding me! Those son of a bitches blew up my car!" Dylan cursed violently. I smirked. Yeah it was a shame, but at the time I was just glad to be in one piece. Cars could be replaced, human lives couldn't. "You alright?" She voiced. I looked over to my left and found her looking back at me with a small smile. Apart from the shoulder I felt fine. I nodded slightly, then asked "You?" With a half smile she said "Yeah, I'm alright." Good. I didn't know what I would do if she'd been injured badly but there would be hell to pay. That I knew for sure. I closed my eyes and felt the scorching heat from the burning car tugging at my skin. A memory I had tried to forget unfolded before my still closed eyes. I couldn't see a thing. It was too dark.. too quiet.. Suddenly agonizing screams filled the air around me. It startled me and I almost tripped over an unknown thing. Breathing rapidly, I looked around, my heart pounding in my ears.. I wanted to get away from this place but I didn't know where to go. Then the darkness disappeared into thin air and it was replaced by a heat I had never felt before. In the distance stood my mother and father. I broke into a run, eager to get to them but I couldn't. Fire.. Everywhere.. I could only watch, only hear their cries. What was happening? I screamed desperately but it was no use.. I shielded my ears from the endless screaming but I kept watching.. I couldn't stop, not even when their formes were taken in by the flames.. Then before I knew what I was doing I ran as far away from the inferno as I could. Not once stopping to look back.. Not once.. But I didn't need to for their faces and screams would never leave me. My eyes snapped open, as I gasped for air. It had been a long time since I felt like crying, but now I had a hard time keeping the tears away. After all this time, I still felt guilty.. Why them? Why not me? I would never understand. It also filled my body with rage, rage I had often used when I killed. Rage I would use for my next victims.
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A/N: I'm glad I got this done.. It took me longer than I thought.. Well, hope you enjoyed. R&R.