Fic: A Little Evil Comes A Long Way (Kahlan/Cara) 7/33
Title: A Little Evil Comes A Long Way
Author: raug_moss
Pairings: Kahlan/Cara
Rating: NC-17
A/N: modern AU
A/N2: I guess chapters are going to continue being this way in length. I tried to make 'em longer but it wouldn't work out. But the good news is that updates will be frequent. at least once a week. hope that's acceptable.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Kahlan’s glare seems made of ice as she stares Dahlia down.
“Sit.” She commands, pointing at the couch. The dark-blonde dutifully lowers herself into the cushions and stares up at her cousin.
“So what’s gotten you in such a bad mood? Sorry I forgot to give you a key...”
“This is not about a key.” Kahlan interrupts.
“There was a man here when I got back, trying to beat down your door. Guess what he wanted?”
Dahlia knows it is a rhetorical question by the bitter smile on Kahlan’s lips, so she simply remains quiet.
“I’ll tell ya what he wanted. He wanted to collect a debt. Yours to be exact.”
Dahlia exhales audibly and lowers her head. “I never meant for you to find out...” She whispers.
Kahlan can’t see her cousin’s eyes but she feels the waves of sadness emanating from her. She sits down next to her and gently lifts the dark-blonde’s chin with the tips of her fingers until they look at each other.
“Now I know, so tell me the story.”
“You’ll think I’m an idiot.”
It takes Kahlan a few moments to answer, causing the Dahlia to grimace. “You already think that don’t you?”
“No of course not. I just don’t see how anyone could lose so much money.”
“It’s actually the most obvious reason.” Dahlia sighs and her shoulders slump dejectedly.
“A woman.”
Kahlan simply looks at her cousin, prompting her to continue.
“I was new in town and I met this woman. She was amazing and I fell madly in love with her. She said her boss was an ass and that he didn’t pay her at all. So she asked me for money every now and then. A bit more every time until she decided to open up her own bar. Kahlan I really thought she was the woman of my life.”
A mirthless short laugh leaves Dahlia’s mouth before she continues. “I was willing to give her anything she asked for, including my money. I knew love makes you blind but that it also makes you stupid was even new to me. I borrowed money from a fishy guy and she took off with it. Never heard from her again. That’s the story.”
“Dahlia...”
“No! I don’t want your pity. I don’t need it. Part of the money I earn at the club goes to the guy every month but it seems that it isn’t enough anymore.”
“Well I’m going to have a little chat with him tomorrow.” Kahlan says matter-of-factly.
“You what?” Dahlia stares wide-eyed.
“You heard me. This is my way of thanking you for letting me stay here. I’ll see what I can do. I’ve been known to be quite convincing every now and then.” Kahlan smirks and raises an eyebrow at Dahlia.
A look of utter disbelief crosses the dark-blonde features and quickly turns into a full-fledged grin.
“I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!”
“Always know that I will stand beside you D, no matter what.”
And once again Kahlan finds herself wrapped in a tight embrace.
“Thank you.” Dahlia sniffs quietly and pulls a piece of paper out of her pocket to hold it out to Kahlan after they’d stopped hugging.
“What’s that?” The brunette asks, carefully unfolding it.
“That’s Denna’s number.”
“Who’s Denna?” Kahlan crinkles her brow staring at the written digits.
“The woman you danced with tonight! Don’t you remember? She was a little miffed that you left so quickly but wanted me to give you her number. She saw us coming in together.” Dahlia answers her cousin’s unspoken question.
“Uh...oh...thanks.” Kahlan tucks the piece of paper away and stares thoughtfully at Dahlia.
What was she going to do with the number of a woman? Certainly not call her. There would be no reason to. There was simply nothing they could do together.
Kahlan wasn’t even able to stand a few touches, let alone more than that.
“She’s really hot.” Dahlia reminds. “But you don’t seem interested.”
“I’m not...I mean I can’t...It’s just not the right time.” Kahlan rolls her eyes at her own stammering.
Suddenly Dahlia leans very close to her, her nose almost touching Kahlan’s chin.
“Is that a bruise?”
“Uhm...no.”
Kahlan wraps a hand around her throat to hide the bruising there. She isn’t going to tell Dahlia anything about what’d happened in the street earlier that night, simply because she doesn’t want to worry her. The dark-blonde has enough problems as it is.
“I’m going to bed though. It’s been a long day.”
“Alright sleep well. Hope you don’t mind that a friend is going to come by later.”
“Don’t you need any sleep?” Kahlan chuckles and bids her cousin goodnight.
It occurs to her an hour later, when she falls into bed wearily.
The reason that Dahlia changes her bed partners more frequently than her shirts is probably the woman who’s broken her heart and left with all her money. It made sense, but sadly established the fact that both of them were simply messed up, each in their own way.
As she lies awake for quite some time she finds herself thinking about green eyes and blond hair.
Damn, that detective certainly is a beautiful woman. At the time she’d been too preoccupied to actually notice that, but now as she goes over the day in her mind she can’t help but admit that.
“Can you believe those lips?” she mumbles. Biting down on her own bottom lip she imagines kissing them. Licking them. Biting them.
Kahlan groans quietly. She hadn’t had any thoughts of that kind in a very long time and now they come unbidden.
Turning onto her stomach she buries her face in the pillow and her hands underneath her thighs.
“Be quiet,” she admonishes her mind, voice muffled by the pillow.
And just as it seems like her command is being obeyed a loud moan floats through the apartment.
“Oh god yes Dahlia! Yes!” a woman screams at the top of her lungs.
Kahlan can’t help but laugh at that, with a tiny bit of hysteria in her voice. It seems like Dahlia isn’t having any problems getting some every night and here Kahlan lies in bed alone, craving something she knows she can never have.
She hears the sounds coming from her cousin’s room as if it was happening right beside her.
“Are those walls made of cardboard?” She groans.
She grabs her pillow and buries her head underneath it trying to block out the sounds.
She isn’t sure when she fell asleep last night but music blares in the apartment adjacent to hers early the next morning.
“Oh alright already!” She groans and sits up. There’s obviously no need for buying an alarm clock since whoever lives next door seems to be quite punctual about turning up the music.
She spends the day going out and buying some food so she can actually cook a decent meal, because she’s sure that a human cannot survive solely on cereals and instant soup. Dahlia however seems to be the only exception to that rule.
But smell of spaghetti with mushrooms and a delicious sauce lures even her cousin out of her room for an impromptu lunch.
They settle on the couch and Kahlan asks a few questions about the guy she’s going to meet later that night.
Dahlia however only knows that he has lots of money and gives it away whenever he feels like it, only to get it back with methods that are more than shady.
Kahlan doesn’t look forward to this meeting, at all, but it seems inevitable.
“I can’t believe you’re really doing this.” Dahlia says, her mouth full of spaghetti.
“Neither can I.” Kahlan answers dryly.
It’s later that day when Kahlan finally leaves the apartment. The sun hasn’t gone down yet but paints the sky in a light red tone.
After some research on Dahlia’s ancient computer, she’s found out that the Lion’s Den is a rather high-class club where successful business people meet to have fun.
Kahlan truly isn’t dressed for the occasion wearing jeans, a button-up blouse with a collar that hides the bruises on her neck, and a leather jacket. But she isn’t there to enjoy the pleasant company. This was going to be a business meeting, more or less.
There is a line in front of the club when she arrives, and it disappears around the corner of the building. Most of the people waiting outside in the cold wear exquisite clothing and look like they’ve just jumped out of a magazine.
That’s why it’s surprising that the bouncer steps aside wordlessly when she walks up to him, simply telling him to let her inside because she’s meeting someone.
The interior of the club is a little different from Dahlia’s workplace, beginning with the size. It’s about twice as big and the half-naked showgirls are missing as well. The atmosphere is a lot better and the lights are brighter. People are supposed to see one another here. It’s all about appearances.
Kahlan keeps her leather jacket on even though it’s quite hot inside the club. She wants to get over with this as quickly as possible, and knowing that she stands out with her clothing makes her believe that it will be a fast deal.
She makes her way through the crowd and turns a few heads in the process. She doesn’t care. Keeping her eyes trained on the far end of the room she tries to spot the guy who’d been beating down their front door yesterday.
But instead of finding him, he finds her. A hand settles on her shoulder and she spins around knocking his arm away. He raises his hands in defeat and beckons her to follow him with a jerk of his head.
She isn’t sure why, but she feels like she’s doing something illegal. This whole situation feels entirely too secretive to be anything good.
She walks behind him and can’t help but notice the bulk on the side of his pants. It looks like there’s a weapon tucked beneath that black shirt of his.
Strangely enough it hadn’t occurred to her before that guns could be involved but now that it did she is even more alert.
They reach a rather secluded area of the club that is separated by heavy curtains. The music isn’t as loud to begin with, but now it’s down to a dull roar in the background.
The guy pulls a curtain aside and lets her enter.
Chapter 8
Author: raug_moss
Pairings: Kahlan/Cara
Rating: NC-17
A/N: modern AU
A/N2: I guess chapters are going to continue being this way in length. I tried to make 'em longer but it wouldn't work out. But the good news is that updates will be frequent. at least once a week. hope that's acceptable.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Kahlan’s glare seems made of ice as she stares Dahlia down.
“Sit.” She commands, pointing at the couch. The dark-blonde dutifully lowers herself into the cushions and stares up at her cousin.
“So what’s gotten you in such a bad mood? Sorry I forgot to give you a key...”
“This is not about a key.” Kahlan interrupts.
“There was a man here when I got back, trying to beat down your door. Guess what he wanted?”
Dahlia knows it is a rhetorical question by the bitter smile on Kahlan’s lips, so she simply remains quiet.
“I’ll tell ya what he wanted. He wanted to collect a debt. Yours to be exact.”
Dahlia exhales audibly and lowers her head. “I never meant for you to find out...” She whispers.
Kahlan can’t see her cousin’s eyes but she feels the waves of sadness emanating from her. She sits down next to her and gently lifts the dark-blonde’s chin with the tips of her fingers until they look at each other.
“Now I know, so tell me the story.”
“You’ll think I’m an idiot.”
It takes Kahlan a few moments to answer, causing the Dahlia to grimace. “You already think that don’t you?”
“No of course not. I just don’t see how anyone could lose so much money.”
“It’s actually the most obvious reason.” Dahlia sighs and her shoulders slump dejectedly.
“A woman.”
Kahlan simply looks at her cousin, prompting her to continue.
“I was new in town and I met this woman. She was amazing and I fell madly in love with her. She said her boss was an ass and that he didn’t pay her at all. So she asked me for money every now and then. A bit more every time until she decided to open up her own bar. Kahlan I really thought she was the woman of my life.”
A mirthless short laugh leaves Dahlia’s mouth before she continues. “I was willing to give her anything she asked for, including my money. I knew love makes you blind but that it also makes you stupid was even new to me. I borrowed money from a fishy guy and she took off with it. Never heard from her again. That’s the story.”
“Dahlia...”
“No! I don’t want your pity. I don’t need it. Part of the money I earn at the club goes to the guy every month but it seems that it isn’t enough anymore.”
“Well I’m going to have a little chat with him tomorrow.” Kahlan says matter-of-factly.
“You what?” Dahlia stares wide-eyed.
“You heard me. This is my way of thanking you for letting me stay here. I’ll see what I can do. I’ve been known to be quite convincing every now and then.” Kahlan smirks and raises an eyebrow at Dahlia.
A look of utter disbelief crosses the dark-blonde features and quickly turns into a full-fledged grin.
“I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!”
“Always know that I will stand beside you D, no matter what.”
And once again Kahlan finds herself wrapped in a tight embrace.
“Thank you.” Dahlia sniffs quietly and pulls a piece of paper out of her pocket to hold it out to Kahlan after they’d stopped hugging.
“What’s that?” The brunette asks, carefully unfolding it.
“That’s Denna’s number.”
“Who’s Denna?” Kahlan crinkles her brow staring at the written digits.
“The woman you danced with tonight! Don’t you remember? She was a little miffed that you left so quickly but wanted me to give you her number. She saw us coming in together.” Dahlia answers her cousin’s unspoken question.
“Uh...oh...thanks.” Kahlan tucks the piece of paper away and stares thoughtfully at Dahlia.
What was she going to do with the number of a woman? Certainly not call her. There would be no reason to. There was simply nothing they could do together.
Kahlan wasn’t even able to stand a few touches, let alone more than that.
“She’s really hot.” Dahlia reminds. “But you don’t seem interested.”
“I’m not...I mean I can’t...It’s just not the right time.” Kahlan rolls her eyes at her own stammering.
Suddenly Dahlia leans very close to her, her nose almost touching Kahlan’s chin.
“Is that a bruise?”
“Uhm...no.”
Kahlan wraps a hand around her throat to hide the bruising there. She isn’t going to tell Dahlia anything about what’d happened in the street earlier that night, simply because she doesn’t want to worry her. The dark-blonde has enough problems as it is.
“I’m going to bed though. It’s been a long day.”
“Alright sleep well. Hope you don’t mind that a friend is going to come by later.”
“Don’t you need any sleep?” Kahlan chuckles and bids her cousin goodnight.
It occurs to her an hour later, when she falls into bed wearily.
The reason that Dahlia changes her bed partners more frequently than her shirts is probably the woman who’s broken her heart and left with all her money. It made sense, but sadly established the fact that both of them were simply messed up, each in their own way.
As she lies awake for quite some time she finds herself thinking about green eyes and blond hair.
Damn, that detective certainly is a beautiful woman. At the time she’d been too preoccupied to actually notice that, but now as she goes over the day in her mind she can’t help but admit that.
“Can you believe those lips?” she mumbles. Biting down on her own bottom lip she imagines kissing them. Licking them. Biting them.
Kahlan groans quietly. She hadn’t had any thoughts of that kind in a very long time and now they come unbidden.
Turning onto her stomach she buries her face in the pillow and her hands underneath her thighs.
“Be quiet,” she admonishes her mind, voice muffled by the pillow.
And just as it seems like her command is being obeyed a loud moan floats through the apartment.
“Oh god yes Dahlia! Yes!” a woman screams at the top of her lungs.
Kahlan can’t help but laugh at that, with a tiny bit of hysteria in her voice. It seems like Dahlia isn’t having any problems getting some every night and here Kahlan lies in bed alone, craving something she knows she can never have.
She hears the sounds coming from her cousin’s room as if it was happening right beside her.
“Are those walls made of cardboard?” She groans.
She grabs her pillow and buries her head underneath it trying to block out the sounds.
She isn’t sure when she fell asleep last night but music blares in the apartment adjacent to hers early the next morning.
“Oh alright already!” She groans and sits up. There’s obviously no need for buying an alarm clock since whoever lives next door seems to be quite punctual about turning up the music.
She spends the day going out and buying some food so she can actually cook a decent meal, because she’s sure that a human cannot survive solely on cereals and instant soup. Dahlia however seems to be the only exception to that rule.
But smell of spaghetti with mushrooms and a delicious sauce lures even her cousin out of her room for an impromptu lunch.
They settle on the couch and Kahlan asks a few questions about the guy she’s going to meet later that night.
Dahlia however only knows that he has lots of money and gives it away whenever he feels like it, only to get it back with methods that are more than shady.
Kahlan doesn’t look forward to this meeting, at all, but it seems inevitable.
“I can’t believe you’re really doing this.” Dahlia says, her mouth full of spaghetti.
“Neither can I.” Kahlan answers dryly.
It’s later that day when Kahlan finally leaves the apartment. The sun hasn’t gone down yet but paints the sky in a light red tone.
After some research on Dahlia’s ancient computer, she’s found out that the Lion’s Den is a rather high-class club where successful business people meet to have fun.
Kahlan truly isn’t dressed for the occasion wearing jeans, a button-up blouse with a collar that hides the bruises on her neck, and a leather jacket. But she isn’t there to enjoy the pleasant company. This was going to be a business meeting, more or less.
There is a line in front of the club when she arrives, and it disappears around the corner of the building. Most of the people waiting outside in the cold wear exquisite clothing and look like they’ve just jumped out of a magazine.
That’s why it’s surprising that the bouncer steps aside wordlessly when she walks up to him, simply telling him to let her inside because she’s meeting someone.
The interior of the club is a little different from Dahlia’s workplace, beginning with the size. It’s about twice as big and the half-naked showgirls are missing as well. The atmosphere is a lot better and the lights are brighter. People are supposed to see one another here. It’s all about appearances.
Kahlan keeps her leather jacket on even though it’s quite hot inside the club. She wants to get over with this as quickly as possible, and knowing that she stands out with her clothing makes her believe that it will be a fast deal.
She makes her way through the crowd and turns a few heads in the process. She doesn’t care. Keeping her eyes trained on the far end of the room she tries to spot the guy who’d been beating down their front door yesterday.
But instead of finding him, he finds her. A hand settles on her shoulder and she spins around knocking his arm away. He raises his hands in defeat and beckons her to follow him with a jerk of his head.
She isn’t sure why, but she feels like she’s doing something illegal. This whole situation feels entirely too secretive to be anything good.
She walks behind him and can’t help but notice the bulk on the side of his pants. It looks like there’s a weapon tucked beneath that black shirt of his.
Strangely enough it hadn’t occurred to her before that guns could be involved but now that it did she is even more alert.
They reach a rather secluded area of the club that is separated by heavy curtains. The music isn’t as loud to begin with, but now it’s down to a dull roar in the background.
The guy pulls a curtain aside and lets her enter.
Chapter 8