Part 39

"So we're startin' a mob war..." Angel sighed as Alex, and he walked behind Carmilla through the large doors to her estate.

They entered through the garage to stay out of the public eye; Alex, Angel, and Carmilla in one car, and Cherri and a few others were in the next as they stabilized her. Alex wouldn't help if Cherri wasn't going to be well taken care of.

They stood in the garage as they carried the girl from the car into the mansion on a makeshift gurney, her wounds dressed. She was either asleep or passed out, but she was breathing, and that's all either of them cared about.

A look of concern, almost desperation, seemed to cross Angel's face as he watched his friend get carried out. Alex nudged him, "Go on. Make sure she's OK." The spider hesitated momentarily before leaning in to kiss his love's nose and then hurried to follow his friend.

He hurried beside her, turning back only momentarily to watch as Alex was led off in another direction with Carmilla. Alex promised to check in with Angel soon, but his boyfriend's concern was evident as Angel vanished with Cherri down the hall.

The spider's long and thin fingers wrapped around his friend's gloved hand. "Cherri, you okay? Can ya' hear me?"

Cherri winced when Angel called her name. The arachnid's look of pain made her sigh and fall silent for a moment. All she did was whisper to herself.

"fuckin'ell love," her free hand pressed against the hole in her side, "I was..." she winced, "willing to do you a favor, but this is gonna cost you at least...twenty percent."

Making their way down the flights of stairs, Angel squeezed her hand tighter, "It takes more than just twenty percent for you to get shot for me." He brushed a bang from her face, and the explosion-obsessed Cyclops pouted, "Seriously, don't pull something stupid like that. You mean more to me than just twenty percent, Crazy Bombshell."

At that, she smiled, "Thirty percent."

"Fuck it, fifty." He squeezed her hand tighter. "Shit's getting all fucked up."

"That's sort of the theme for the day, right? Everything's gone sideways. That Alex dude must mean something to you."

Then Angel sighed, resting his hand on her leg, his heart beginning to ache a little. " Don't worry bout' him right now. He can take care of himself. He's a big boy. Focus on you."

They were led down into the basement of the mansion, where several tables had several demons lying across them, all receiving some medical treatment. Some were bandaged up from bullets and stab wounds, and a few with burns, all recovering from whatever job had led them to their current state. Cherri was placed on a free bed, and Angel pulled up a chair to sit at her side. With a soft groan and a little whine, she reached out to the arachnid, touching him, needing him close. It broke the spider's heart, and he squeezed her hand tightly, "It'll be ok," he nodded slowly to her as he made her lay down, "I ain't going nowhere."

It wasn't easy. She couldn't ever stop. A lot of the time, it wasn't that she stayed awake; it was just that the demons in hell never let their guards down. It was why Valentino always used drugs to sedate Angel, or rather, why Angel used drugs to sedate Angel. "Angie?" Angel gave her a little smirk at the nickname and gave a slight nod of encouragement, "You really think you're gonna get your soul back?"

"What have I got to lose?" She seemed to accept his answer with a heavy sigh and slowly laid her head back, shutting her eye, trying to calm down, her fingers remaining intertwined with Angel's, squeezing his hand now and then. "you're the first person..."

She paused.

"Go ahead..."

"you're the first person I'm terrified of not seeing again. No offense, but ya' know me. Fuck 'em."

The gold tooth in Angel's grin seemed to sparkle, "Don't even pretend with that shit, Cherri. I would fall apart without you." The words came out teasingly but with an air of truth.

They sat quietly together. Cherri wasn't ready yet to let go, and Angel wouldn't let go until she did.

"Think...when ya get your soul back...things will be easier for you?"

He leaned back, running his hand across the soft hair of her brow, "Whatcha mean, sweets?"

"You ain't gonna be as lonely. From what I've seen," her smile became a little strained. You seem... kind of happy now."

"I...keep waiting for that second breath, yeah? Like, it needs to get worse before it gets better. It feels like if I let go for just a fuckin' second and exhale, it all comes crashing down. And I want-" he realized he was gripping her hand too tightly; "I want to exhale." He felt the lump form in his throat, and his chest began to hurt. His words stammered, but his voice didn't stop, "And...shit," he laughed, wiping his eyes with the palm of his other hand, "I've been able to come down from whatever high and just realize where things are, and if I keep moving then I don't have to think about it." He looked at his hand, holding Cherri's hand, "Alex gives me the freedom to move." He let out a small laugh and shook his head, "I don't even get what it means. It's just the next step, the next opportunity; I gotta hold on until this is over, and then...maybe, if I'm lucky, I might get some form of happy ending."

Cherri leaned up, hugging Angel as he had said all that, and felt him tremble for just a moment in the safety and protection of Cyclops' arms. When Angel looked down at her, her big grin was there: "He really likes you, doesn't he?"

"How many people kill themselves for you, hmm?"

She held him and closed her eyes, "You should rest, Cherri, cuz', the second ya', let me go, Imma' go blow up that fuckin' tower and everyone in it."

"Now there's the Angel I know!" She laughed, pressing hard in her wounds with her teeth clenched, "fuck...ah..." Closing her eye, she smiled a little, letting her body ease itself back down into the bed, "Angel?"

"Yea?"

"Does he... keep ya' grounded? No offense, but Alex seems to keep a close eye on ya."

The spider felt his shoulders fall, and his hair fell to cover his face as his attention turned back to their hands, his thumb tracing small circles around the back of her palm. "Get some sleep, ok, sugar tits?" He reflected on all they had done today and how much of the conversation had revolved around himself and Angel's choices. It was something he did every morning and every night for nearly...a long time: either a hit of heroin or an assortment of pills of various types. How long had it been since he was truly back to earth? Grounded? He would have loved some coke right about now, "I'll be right upstairs."

He carefully pulled his hand away from her, making his way out of the basement and then the mansion, and found his way outside onto the veranda on the second floor, leaning down over one of the railings and running his hands through his hair. This was a fucking disaster; his head was going a mile a minute, everything felt like too much, and he had so much running through his head that he could hardly think straight; every passing thought seemed more chaotic than the-.

His phone rang.

'Work.' He knew the ringtone. He felt the next breath, leaving his lungs a bit shorter and heavier than the previous one. He debated answering for a moment, letting his head spin a few times before taking a long, drawn-out, deep breath and turning his attention to his phone as he hit answer. "...hello?"

"Baby~ Where did you go?" The voice on the other end of the phone had Angel falling back against the railing behind him, his free hand grabbing a fist full of his fur, "Is Alex with you?" Valentino's smooth and gentle voice crawled across his skin and curled around every organ in his body like he was being pulled back towards the tower and the disgustingly familiar, "No. I...haven't seen him for a few days." That was a lie, so Angel quickly changed the subject: "I heard about the offer to find him. No details on the reward, I see. Lots of...uh...speculation, ya know?"

"This isn't a personal vendetta, sugar." His voice purred, and Angel felt his breath grow short, "But if I hear or find out you are hiding him from me, I...I don't know what I would have to do. You've always been my favorite Angel. So talented. So dedicated. I would hate to see that tarnished..." the line fell to a deadly silence for just a moment. All Angel did was stand there in a near silent terror that was frozen on his face, his knees suddenly very weak, feeling the rise and fall of his chest.

"But..." His voice snapped Angel out of his mind, and he quickly jumped onto his words. "I did not contact you to make threats. Not this time, my pretty little spider. I called because I wanted to offer you something. Counterproductive to my desires, but perhaps we could reach an agreement of sorts, you and me."

"Oh yeah?"

"Let's just say that there is a price for anyone who comes to claim your darling lizard friend. Everyone knows that I am holding a nice and lovely spot for whoever decides to drag his ass to my studio, alive or dead. But for you...perhaps I could sweeten the deal." There was a soft chuckle, and Angel gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

He pulled at his fur, and the fingers tightened in the plush white hair. He needed to ground himself, to pull himself back down. "I want to offer you a one-time chance, Angel, an offer expiring the moment your boy is killed or captured."

Angel stared over the city, Valentino's words piercing his core, "If you turn him in...I will rip up your contract."

In shock, Angel froze, his legs losing stability and threatening to give way entirely, a fresh gasp escaping his lips as Valentino finished his proposition. Angel was listening; Val's words were gentle, dripping with temptation, "and a bonus. You stay on with me, free as a bird, no strings, performing only in the projects you wish to, splitting income of all videos you perform in 60/40 in your favor." Angel felt a trembling in his mouth, a need to puke, but his focus was on holding himself up on the railing and keeping his breathing steady, "Angel? Sugar? Have I been clear enough with the conditions? Everything you want and more, and all you have to do is hand Alex over to me." He ran his tongue against his top lip, a smoky purple aura, red eyes, a malicious grin, and the smell of sweet cigars as Angel slid slowly onto the floor, "That's an offer no one can beat, now can they?"

The spider covered his mouth, not to hide any sounds or muffles from the caller but to block the bile threatening to fill his mouth and spill to the ground below him, and there was no doubt that if Val were standing before the arachnid, he would feel that twinge of fear.

"Can..." Angel swallowed hard to swallow the saliva in his throat, "can I think about it?" His mouth was so dry. "of course," Valentino's words came with a flirtatious chuckle, "You have until the news reaches me. And, oh, my sweet Angel...it will reach me. You have until he is brought to my feet by whoever does first. Ta ta, my Angel. Enjoy this for a few more moments. But, Angel...if I find out you are hiding or helping him in this and don't take my deal, my disappointment will be immeasurable. Do we understand one another?"

Angel didn't reply. There wasn't a need. There was a soft chuckle, and the dial tone of the call ended as Angel sank to the floor, pulling his knees up and hugging them to his chest. He held himself and felt the heavy breaths pass from his body and fill the space around him as he hid his head in his knees and closed his eyes tightly.

For a moment, just a moment, he could only listen. The silence of the world as he closed himself away, shutting everything out and trying his best to bury himself deeper and deeper and deeper until...he caught the sound of footsteps.

Looking up, his face twisted in anguish, his mascara running, Angel caught Alex's face. He was limping a little like his muscles were sore, his sapphire blood was dripping from his bottom lip and down his chin, and his nose was also bleeding and both dripping onto his sweater. He had already had the shit kicked out of him, probably by Carmilla, probably from training. The knees on his pants were already ripped and a little bloody.

They looked at one another, not saying a word, just taking the other in.

Slowly, the lizard hobbled over to Angel and sat beside him with a wince, drawing his knees up and crossing his arms over them.

They sat together, the only noise coming from inside the manor or whatever was happening outside in the world of hell. Sure, there were the sounds of gunshots and a car crash here and there, probably caused by people looking for them, but it was just them.

Alex side-eyed Angel, tears running down his cheeks, minor shaking, and sniffling that came from him every now and again. It must have been hard for Angel to be this sober and to be going through this. Alex himself wanted nothing more than to crawl into that blackness and weep for their situation, but he was too busy thinking of the next fifteen minutes every moment of every day.

He grabbed a piece of his torn shirt and ripped it off, handing it to Angel. The arachnid paused before taking it, wiping his face and mouth and sniffing hard. His head fell back against the stone railing, "Shit, babe...I don't know if I can do this."

Alex only looked at the floor before Angel, reaching out and offering his hand for the spider. At first, the long and slender fingers slipped against the larger, rougher blue hands of the lizard, but the next time, their hands moved and slotted against the other's until their fingers were wrapped around one another, and for a while, that was enough.

Alex just nodded slowly, "I've...tried so hard, Angie. I put myself in so many situations I would really..." he started to feel his lip tremble, so he bit the inside of his cheek to distract himself, "really rather have not put myself into. Been involved in things, I know I should have stayed clear from." He picked up some of his fur from his sweater and ran his free hand through the hair slowly and purposely, his body visibly calming after a moment, "I came down here because you were hurt, and I was responsible. And, fuck me, I really, really like you." He only smiled momentarily, "So maybe you could talk to me and tell me why you're so upset." He bumped shoulders with him and kept his smile warm as he felt the spider pull closer, resting his head against the lizard.

Angel didn't know what to say or how Alex would respond if he told him. But maybe this was just one of those things. Perhaps he was right when Husker had said that letting walls down could sometimes set you straight. "Val...called me." He sniffed loudly again, and a little sigh passed his lips. The tears weren't falling; maybe the opportunity was gone.

As Alex listened, he still took his time explaining the terms of his release and the risks and rewards, and he slowly finished, looking away, "So I have to bring you ta' him."

When Angel's voice stopped, they continued to sit there, the two staring back into the manor. In hell, the only good news that came with death and sin was that you stopped worrying and thinking about your life back on topside.

The lizard took it well, not interrupting, listening to every word Angel had to say, and making sure Angel was done before he spoke, "Is that what you want to do?'

"No," the spider pulled back his hand. The anger returned instantly, and he shouted, "Of course not! I ain't no saint, but I'm not sellin' your head out to him or handing you over to some fuckin' mob on the street. I have principles! I just thought ya' deserved the fuckin' truth, but it wasn't about that." he growled, his attention back on his knees and a fist clenched into the soft and furry pink flesh, "I know Val. Freedom? Money? Opportunity? Like he would ever fuckin' give anyone but himself that. There's a catch. There's always a catch." He leaned against the railing, "It's a pretty sweet fuckin' deal, though."

Alex raised his claw, his lips tightening as he rubbed his nose, wiping the dried blood away, "no pressure, yea?"

His laughter surprised the two. His chest filled with a deep and warm rumble, and with the chuckling of the Lizard, they laughed at themselves and their predicament.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah, Angie."

"just," his cheeks turned a deep magenta color, and with a grunt, he wiped his eyes a few times more and rolled his shoulders back, "Tell me we are going to get through this."