The House of the Rising Sun, Chapter Thirteen, part two
Title: House of the Rising Sun
Fandoms: a cross over between Marvel's X-Men(to some degree) Universe and the Anita Blake Universe
Rating: no one under 18. there will be blood and gore, sex and violence. dirty language and whatever else i feel like tossing in here.
Warning: as i said, sex and violence and dirty words. said sex will include, but not be limited to, M/F, M/M, M/F/F, F/F, M/M/F and probably any other combination i can work out. weak stomach, not my fault. you have been warned.
Disclaimer: i do not own anyone from the Marvel universe. i do not own anyone from the Anita Blake universe. i don't even own Gin. i'm lucky to own myself. i swear i'm not making any money from this. i just do what the sick voices inside my head tell me to. i write purely for my enjoyment. and possibly the comments. please don't sue, harass or bother me. i have no money to pay you, but i do have a really nasty temper. and i know some good cuss words.
Author's Notes: oh, the shit's going down now. big time. fucking wordiness killed me again. damn it.
The House of the Rising Sun: The Index
Edward decided it was in his best interests to see her into the diner and into a seat. When the waitress showed up, he ordered strong black coffee for her, then gave her a stern look and told her, again, that she should wait here and stay awake until he got back. She gave him a look that basically said he could fuck off with the rest of them, then waved him away as the waitress settled a steaming hot cup of coffee before her. He hated leaving her there, but he had to go get his car. He'd left quite a bit of his equipment in the vehicle, equipment he had no intention of leaving behind.
He meet anyone on his way back to his car. It was a fortunate thing because he was in no mood to deal with anyone at the moment. The girl was a walking contradiction and she'd successfully given him a headache. He should have stopped her and taken her back to the Circus. He never should have let her go running off on her own. No doubt someone was going to give him a ration of shit for letting her face a lone vampire. A vampire that he should have shot right from the start.
He couldn't say what had made him stay his hand. He'd put the girl's life at risk because something had told him to hold off. It had been intriguing to watch her stand before that vampire with a confidence that she no doubt hadn't felt, waiting for him to make his move. Waiting for the perfect time to see if she could take him down with a single throwing knife. Something like that took guts. Or a deeply rooted rage that burned and consumed everything in its path. He had to wonder if anyone knew what she was really doing. No doubt she told them that she was learning to throw knives to stay out of trouble. But it was obvious she had other things in mind.
And now she had her sights set on learning the trade. He didn't know if she understood what she was asking. He didn't know if he could actually do it. The girl was young and had her whole life ahead of her. Asking him to teach her to hunt vampires was going to kill the innocence that remained. It wasn't his place to do that. Was it?
Fucking hell. He should have just fucking shot the vampire and been done with it. Taken her back to the Circus and given her over to someone's tender care. Washed his hands of the whole mess. Now he was up to his eyeballs in her vendetta. Oh, he knew the signs. She was determined to end Belladonna's life. And she'd use whatever means she had at her disposal. Using a knife would get her killed. It'd be fast and messy. If she knew how to handle a gun, that would at least give her an edge. But was it really his job to show her how to protect herself?
If he didn't show her, she'd go off and find someone else. Someone less qualified. Wouldn't he indirectly be responsible for her death if she was to be killed? Such a thing shouldn't bother him, but it did. For some reason, it bothered the shit out of him. Maybe he was getting soft in his old age. Which meant he really only had one option. Teach the girl what she wanted to know. Fuck. How the hell did he get into this shit?
The car was right where he'd left it. The parking lot was still filled with cars, some no doubt working the Circus while others attended Jean Claude's little get together. He didn't see anyone, which left him wondering how the hell the girl could have snuck out of the place without being noticed. Didn't she belong to someone?
Pushing all thoughts of strange girls and strange requests aside, he piled into his car and slid the key into the ignition. The engine turned over with a low, grumbling purr. Edward put it into gear and pulled from his parking place, then made his way out of the lot. He'd have to call Anita and let her know that the girl was with him. It would only be fair. The right thing to do. Fucking hell! When had he become such a boy scout?
The girl was where he'd left her head tilted back against the corner of the booth. He frowned to see her eyes were closed. He'd given strict orders. Obviously they were going to have to work on that if she thought he would teach her anything. Following orders. He glanced at a menu and put in a request for some food to go. Something for himself and the girl. Then he turned his attention to trying to rouse her.
He had thought she was asleep, but that notion was shredded when he stepped close and noticed her tense up. Curious. He hadn't made any noise. "Are you going to just stand there and stare at my boobs all night?" She asked the question before her eyes blinked open. Her eyes raked him up and down. "I can get naked for you here, but that will no doubt get us tossed out the door."
Edward gave her a faint grin and slid into the seat opposite her."Are you always like this?"
"Like what?" Her fingers toyed idly with the coffee cup before her, sloshing the black liquid around inside of it. She hadn't touched it.
He eyed her a moment. "A big flirt?"
"Pretty much." She shrugged a shoulder.
"Don't you ever worry it'll get you in trouble?"
"What makes you think it hasn't already?"
He sat back against his seat and eyed her. "Todd Patrick Harper." It was all he needed to say. She gave him a glare and crossed her arms over her chest. "I know all about you, Jocelyn. You're a trouble maker of the highest class."
At that, she grinned and inclined her head. "One does what one can. I had to excel at something, didn't I?"
"You could have excelled at anything you set your mind to. You've got a genius IQ and you have a degree you don't use at all."
"A degree my father chose for me. I wanted to do something more esoteric with my life. Singing. Acting. Squid wrangling. Polar bear psychic." There was enthusiasm in her voice for those strange, silly things. He couldn't stop himself smiling. But the enthusiasm washed away and she frowned. Her voice came soft and tied. "I never wanted the path my old man picked out. I never wanted that at all."
"Your brother's path?" he asked softly. She blinked at him before slowly nodding her head. "So that's what your entire life has been? Proving to people that you aren't your brother?"
"No. I've been being my own person." She eyed him for about ten seconds before her lips curled up into a feral grin. "So tell me. Does the size of your gun make up for the size of your small dick?"
Well, that was a little more blunt than he'd been expecting. One brow went up in silent question. She gave him that same feral look for all of ten seconds before she slid from the booth and stood. Her sigh was soft. "Don't ask me any more questions about my personal life and I won't ask you embarrassing and obviously uncomfortable questions about the size of your genitalia." A second later, she cocked a hip and studied him before a smile spread across her face. "That is, of course, unless you want me to keep asking embarrassing and obviously uncomfortable questions about the size of your genitalia."
Before he could reply, the waitress came over, white plastic bag in hand that was filled with various sized boxes. Edward nodded to her and took the bag in exchange for a pair of bills. The waitress wandered off to deal with a single college kid who'd just come in. He slid from the booth and stood next to her. The girl stared up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. He should tell her no and take her back. He should just forget all of this shit. But he wouldn't. "Let's go."
She studied him for a few seconds. "You're going to help me?" she asked quietly.
"Against all better judgement and my own sanity, I'm going to help you," he replied. Before she could puff up with excitement, he pointed a finger in her face. "But you will do everything I say. Everything. Without back talk or complaint. If you have problems with that, I suggest you walk right now."
"I can follow orders. I date this guy once and he was a Dom. He told me I made a good little submissive." He just gave her a look, then shook his head and turned for the door. He could feel her following behind him and he wondered just what the hell was wrong with him.
~*~*~*~*~
The party was winding down, people beginning to trickle out in groups. That was something she was glad of. She hated these impromptu get togethers that Jean Claude threw. She always felt on display and it was nearly impossible to carry a weapon with the things he had made for her to wear. She wanted nothing more than to get out of her get up and relax for the rest of the night. The party had been more disturbing than usual. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the knowledge she'd learned that night. Asher and Jo? Had the world gone mad?
As if thinking of the woman had been enough to bring the subject back up with everyone, Amanda hurried into the room and headed straight for Asher. "She's gone, Asher. Jo... I went to check on her, make sure she was okay, and she's gone. She isn't in her room."
Asher was silent a moment, then frowned deeply. "She is not in the Circus at all." His gaze moved around the room to stare first at Remy and then at her. Anita felt he temper spike again. "How did she leave without alerting anyone?"
"Where would she go? She doesn't know anyone here," Gin shook her head, almost as if she didn't believe what she was hearing. Then she turned to look at her master. "Can you find her, Rem?"
The man shook his head, a frown on his face and eyes glowing. "You know how she get when she mad. She shield herself tight."
From her place next to Asher, Amanda crossed her arms over her chest and shot glares at the young vampire. "What did you expect her to do? After the way you treated her, we'll be lucky if she hasn't left the state by now." Ignoring the others, she turned to face Asher again. "Can you find her? The two of you have bonded. Can you find her at all?"
"We will go look for her, of course." Jean Claude told them in a calm voice. He turned to the brothers. "Wicked. Truth. Gather together volunteers to help us search for Jocelyn. We have a few hours before the sun rises. We wil send out search teams." The twins nodded and turned to do as they'd been instructed.
Anita shook her head in disgust. "Why would she leave in the first place?"
"Because you called her a whore to her face," Amanda told her, then turned to look at Remy. "You both did."
"I've been called a whore before," Anita shrugged. "She overreacted."
Amanda glared at her. "Hey, pot. Kettle called. You're black."
Anita opened her mouth, ready to tear her head off for being a bitch, but the cell phone she'd tucked into the top of her boot rang against her leg. Shooting a glare at the other woman, she dug the phone out and glanced at it. The number was unlisted. Who was calling that had her number? She held a hand up to bring the room to silence as she opened the phone and connected the call. "Hello?"
"Your missing girl is with me, Anita. She's safe. She's going to spend the night here. I'll see about getting her home sometime in the morning."
She blinked at the voice on the other end of the line. "Edward? What the hell is going on? What's she doing with you?"
"Right now, she's showering. Do you want me to have her call and explain or can it wait until later? She's had a bad night."
"A bad night? She doesn't know the meaning of the word yet. When she gets back here, we're going to show her what a bad night is."
Edward sighed, the sound bringing Anita's words to a halt. "No. I don't think you understand. She went up against a vamp and nearly lost. If I hadn't been there..." There was a pause, then he spoke again, but he wasn't speaking to Anita anymore. "I'm calling room service. Do you need anything?"
Anita thought she heard the girl say something about a box of condoms.
"We don't need anything more for the evening. Thanks again." The other end of the line went dead. Anita stared at the phone a moment before closing it up and returning it to her boot. When she looked up, she found the entire room looking at her. Based on the looks she saw on several faces, other people had heard the conversation.
"What? What's going on?" Amanda asked. Anita sighed and shook her head.
"Jo is with Edward. She apparently had a run in with a vampire after leaving here. He says she's lucky he was there with her."
"That's fucking great! Just fucking great!" Amanda snarled. "This wouldn't have happened if you two hadn't treated her like the whore of Babylon, you know! Will you only be happy when there are no women left to..."
"Amanda, please. I understand you are upset, but this is not the time for such accusations," Jean Claude told her, voice soft and pleasant. She didn't want him to soothe her temper, that much was obvious. The look on her face said she didn't. But she fell silent and settled on glaring balefully at Anita and Remy in turns.
"So you just gon' leave her wit' dis stranger?" Remy asked.
"Edward is far from a stranger. He is quite adept at protecting Jocelyn. We vampires know him as Death." Jean Claude shook his head. "Amanda is correct. Edward would not need to protect Jocelyn if not for the way she was treated tonight."
"You tell him to sleep wit' her?" The Cajun was calm, but his eyes glowed and it wasn't from vampiric power. Anita would have felt it if his power was building.
"I told him to do what was necessary to show her that no one here means her harm." Those blue eyes swung from the young vampire to where Anita stood and she could see in them that Jean Claude was not happy. "It is a request that still stands. Asher has found a kindred spirit and I will not take that from him. No one will question my authority."
"What about Jo?" The question came from the third member of the trio. Gin had been silent up until now. Jean Claude turned his stare her way, making the girl cringe back ever so slightly from him.
"I will deal with Jocelyn when she returns." He shot her master a look, then turned to glide from the room.
Anita frowned. She almost felt sorry for the girl. Almost.
Fandoms: a cross over between Marvel's X-Men(to some degree) Universe and the Anita Blake Universe
Rating: no one under 18. there will be blood and gore, sex and violence. dirty language and whatever else i feel like tossing in here.
Warning: as i said, sex and violence and dirty words. said sex will include, but not be limited to, M/F, M/M, M/F/F, F/F, M/M/F and probably any other combination i can work out. weak stomach, not my fault. you have been warned.
Disclaimer: i do not own anyone from the Marvel universe. i do not own anyone from the Anita Blake universe. i don't even own Gin. i'm lucky to own myself. i swear i'm not making any money from this. i just do what the sick voices inside my head tell me to. i write purely for my enjoyment. and possibly the comments. please don't sue, harass or bother me. i have no money to pay you, but i do have a really nasty temper. and i know some good cuss words.
Author's Notes: oh, the shit's going down now. big time. fucking wordiness killed me again. damn it.
The House of the Rising Sun: The Index
Edward decided it was in his best interests to see her into the diner and into a seat. When the waitress showed up, he ordered strong black coffee for her, then gave her a stern look and told her, again, that she should wait here and stay awake until he got back. She gave him a look that basically said he could fuck off with the rest of them, then waved him away as the waitress settled a steaming hot cup of coffee before her. He hated leaving her there, but he had to go get his car. He'd left quite a bit of his equipment in the vehicle, equipment he had no intention of leaving behind.
He meet anyone on his way back to his car. It was a fortunate thing because he was in no mood to deal with anyone at the moment. The girl was a walking contradiction and she'd successfully given him a headache. He should have stopped her and taken her back to the Circus. He never should have let her go running off on her own. No doubt someone was going to give him a ration of shit for letting her face a lone vampire. A vampire that he should have shot right from the start.
He couldn't say what had made him stay his hand. He'd put the girl's life at risk because something had told him to hold off. It had been intriguing to watch her stand before that vampire with a confidence that she no doubt hadn't felt, waiting for him to make his move. Waiting for the perfect time to see if she could take him down with a single throwing knife. Something like that took guts. Or a deeply rooted rage that burned and consumed everything in its path. He had to wonder if anyone knew what she was really doing. No doubt she told them that she was learning to throw knives to stay out of trouble. But it was obvious she had other things in mind.
And now she had her sights set on learning the trade. He didn't know if she understood what she was asking. He didn't know if he could actually do it. The girl was young and had her whole life ahead of her. Asking him to teach her to hunt vampires was going to kill the innocence that remained. It wasn't his place to do that. Was it?
Fucking hell. He should have just fucking shot the vampire and been done with it. Taken her back to the Circus and given her over to someone's tender care. Washed his hands of the whole mess. Now he was up to his eyeballs in her vendetta. Oh, he knew the signs. She was determined to end Belladonna's life. And she'd use whatever means she had at her disposal. Using a knife would get her killed. It'd be fast and messy. If she knew how to handle a gun, that would at least give her an edge. But was it really his job to show her how to protect herself?
If he didn't show her, she'd go off and find someone else. Someone less qualified. Wouldn't he indirectly be responsible for her death if she was to be killed? Such a thing shouldn't bother him, but it did. For some reason, it bothered the shit out of him. Maybe he was getting soft in his old age. Which meant he really only had one option. Teach the girl what she wanted to know. Fuck. How the hell did he get into this shit?
The car was right where he'd left it. The parking lot was still filled with cars, some no doubt working the Circus while others attended Jean Claude's little get together. He didn't see anyone, which left him wondering how the hell the girl could have snuck out of the place without being noticed. Didn't she belong to someone?
Pushing all thoughts of strange girls and strange requests aside, he piled into his car and slid the key into the ignition. The engine turned over with a low, grumbling purr. Edward put it into gear and pulled from his parking place, then made his way out of the lot. He'd have to call Anita and let her know that the girl was with him. It would only be fair. The right thing to do. Fucking hell! When had he become such a boy scout?
The girl was where he'd left her head tilted back against the corner of the booth. He frowned to see her eyes were closed. He'd given strict orders. Obviously they were going to have to work on that if she thought he would teach her anything. Following orders. He glanced at a menu and put in a request for some food to go. Something for himself and the girl. Then he turned his attention to trying to rouse her.
He had thought she was asleep, but that notion was shredded when he stepped close and noticed her tense up. Curious. He hadn't made any noise. "Are you going to just stand there and stare at my boobs all night?" She asked the question before her eyes blinked open. Her eyes raked him up and down. "I can get naked for you here, but that will no doubt get us tossed out the door."
Edward gave her a faint grin and slid into the seat opposite her."Are you always like this?"
"Like what?" Her fingers toyed idly with the coffee cup before her, sloshing the black liquid around inside of it. She hadn't touched it.
He eyed her a moment. "A big flirt?"
"Pretty much." She shrugged a shoulder.
"Don't you ever worry it'll get you in trouble?"
"What makes you think it hasn't already?"
He sat back against his seat and eyed her. "Todd Patrick Harper." It was all he needed to say. She gave him a glare and crossed her arms over her chest. "I know all about you, Jocelyn. You're a trouble maker of the highest class."
At that, she grinned and inclined her head. "One does what one can. I had to excel at something, didn't I?"
"You could have excelled at anything you set your mind to. You've got a genius IQ and you have a degree you don't use at all."
"A degree my father chose for me. I wanted to do something more esoteric with my life. Singing. Acting. Squid wrangling. Polar bear psychic." There was enthusiasm in her voice for those strange, silly things. He couldn't stop himself smiling. But the enthusiasm washed away and she frowned. Her voice came soft and tied. "I never wanted the path my old man picked out. I never wanted that at all."
"Your brother's path?" he asked softly. She blinked at him before slowly nodding her head. "So that's what your entire life has been? Proving to people that you aren't your brother?"
"No. I've been being my own person." She eyed him for about ten seconds before her lips curled up into a feral grin. "So tell me. Does the size of your gun make up for the size of your small dick?"
Well, that was a little more blunt than he'd been expecting. One brow went up in silent question. She gave him that same feral look for all of ten seconds before she slid from the booth and stood. Her sigh was soft. "Don't ask me any more questions about my personal life and I won't ask you embarrassing and obviously uncomfortable questions about the size of your genitalia." A second later, she cocked a hip and studied him before a smile spread across her face. "That is, of course, unless you want me to keep asking embarrassing and obviously uncomfortable questions about the size of your genitalia."
Before he could reply, the waitress came over, white plastic bag in hand that was filled with various sized boxes. Edward nodded to her and took the bag in exchange for a pair of bills. The waitress wandered off to deal with a single college kid who'd just come in. He slid from the booth and stood next to her. The girl stared up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. He should tell her no and take her back. He should just forget all of this shit. But he wouldn't. "Let's go."
She studied him for a few seconds. "You're going to help me?" she asked quietly.
"Against all better judgement and my own sanity, I'm going to help you," he replied. Before she could puff up with excitement, he pointed a finger in her face. "But you will do everything I say. Everything. Without back talk or complaint. If you have problems with that, I suggest you walk right now."
"I can follow orders. I date this guy once and he was a Dom. He told me I made a good little submissive." He just gave her a look, then shook his head and turned for the door. He could feel her following behind him and he wondered just what the hell was wrong with him.
~*~*~*~*~
The party was winding down, people beginning to trickle out in groups. That was something she was glad of. She hated these impromptu get togethers that Jean Claude threw. She always felt on display and it was nearly impossible to carry a weapon with the things he had made for her to wear. She wanted nothing more than to get out of her get up and relax for the rest of the night. The party had been more disturbing than usual. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the knowledge she'd learned that night. Asher and Jo? Had the world gone mad?
As if thinking of the woman had been enough to bring the subject back up with everyone, Amanda hurried into the room and headed straight for Asher. "She's gone, Asher. Jo... I went to check on her, make sure she was okay, and she's gone. She isn't in her room."
Asher was silent a moment, then frowned deeply. "She is not in the Circus at all." His gaze moved around the room to stare first at Remy and then at her. Anita felt he temper spike again. "How did she leave without alerting anyone?"
"Where would she go? She doesn't know anyone here," Gin shook her head, almost as if she didn't believe what she was hearing. Then she turned to look at her master. "Can you find her, Rem?"
The man shook his head, a frown on his face and eyes glowing. "You know how she get when she mad. She shield herself tight."
From her place next to Asher, Amanda crossed her arms over her chest and shot glares at the young vampire. "What did you expect her to do? After the way you treated her, we'll be lucky if she hasn't left the state by now." Ignoring the others, she turned to face Asher again. "Can you find her? The two of you have bonded. Can you find her at all?"
"We will go look for her, of course." Jean Claude told them in a calm voice. He turned to the brothers. "Wicked. Truth. Gather together volunteers to help us search for Jocelyn. We have a few hours before the sun rises. We wil send out search teams." The twins nodded and turned to do as they'd been instructed.
Anita shook her head in disgust. "Why would she leave in the first place?"
"Because you called her a whore to her face," Amanda told her, then turned to look at Remy. "You both did."
"I've been called a whore before," Anita shrugged. "She overreacted."
Amanda glared at her. "Hey, pot. Kettle called. You're black."
Anita opened her mouth, ready to tear her head off for being a bitch, but the cell phone she'd tucked into the top of her boot rang against her leg. Shooting a glare at the other woman, she dug the phone out and glanced at it. The number was unlisted. Who was calling that had her number? She held a hand up to bring the room to silence as she opened the phone and connected the call. "Hello?"
"Your missing girl is with me, Anita. She's safe. She's going to spend the night here. I'll see about getting her home sometime in the morning."
She blinked at the voice on the other end of the line. "Edward? What the hell is going on? What's she doing with you?"
"Right now, she's showering. Do you want me to have her call and explain or can it wait until later? She's had a bad night."
"A bad night? She doesn't know the meaning of the word yet. When she gets back here, we're going to show her what a bad night is."
Edward sighed, the sound bringing Anita's words to a halt. "No. I don't think you understand. She went up against a vamp and nearly lost. If I hadn't been there..." There was a pause, then he spoke again, but he wasn't speaking to Anita anymore. "I'm calling room service. Do you need anything?"
Anita thought she heard the girl say something about a box of condoms.
"We don't need anything more for the evening. Thanks again." The other end of the line went dead. Anita stared at the phone a moment before closing it up and returning it to her boot. When she looked up, she found the entire room looking at her. Based on the looks she saw on several faces, other people had heard the conversation.
"What? What's going on?" Amanda asked. Anita sighed and shook her head.
"Jo is with Edward. She apparently had a run in with a vampire after leaving here. He says she's lucky he was there with her."
"That's fucking great! Just fucking great!" Amanda snarled. "This wouldn't have happened if you two hadn't treated her like the whore of Babylon, you know! Will you only be happy when there are no women left to..."
"Amanda, please. I understand you are upset, but this is not the time for such accusations," Jean Claude told her, voice soft and pleasant. She didn't want him to soothe her temper, that much was obvious. The look on her face said she didn't. But she fell silent and settled on glaring balefully at Anita and Remy in turns.
"So you just gon' leave her wit' dis stranger?" Remy asked.
"Edward is far from a stranger. He is quite adept at protecting Jocelyn. We vampires know him as Death." Jean Claude shook his head. "Amanda is correct. Edward would not need to protect Jocelyn if not for the way she was treated tonight."
"You tell him to sleep wit' her?" The Cajun was calm, but his eyes glowed and it wasn't from vampiric power. Anita would have felt it if his power was building.
"I told him to do what was necessary to show her that no one here means her harm." Those blue eyes swung from the young vampire to where Anita stood and she could see in them that Jean Claude was not happy. "It is a request that still stands. Asher has found a kindred spirit and I will not take that from him. No one will question my authority."
"What about Jo?" The question came from the third member of the trio. Gin had been silent up until now. Jean Claude turned his stare her way, making the girl cringe back ever so slightly from him.
"I will deal with Jocelyn when she returns." He shot her master a look, then turned to glide from the room.
Anita frowned. She almost felt sorry for the girl. Almost.