Fic: Mirrors (Angel the Series, Lindsey-centric, PG)
Title: Mirrors
Name: sheryden
Fandom(s): Angel
Word count: 1000
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Not really, though I use a character from 1x01 "City Of..."
Summary: When he was back at Hastings, Lindsey never pictured having vampires as clients.
Author’s Notes: This was written for angst_bingo for the prompt "Supernatural: Vampires." Winters is the vampire from "City Of..."
Lindsey stood arrow-straight in the foyer of his new client’s mansion, his briefcase clutched tightly in front of him. He knew he should be proud, even elated, that Holland Manners had taken a risk giving such a prestigious assignment. After all, he was a still a relatively young lawyer and was still in the process of making a name for himself. If he proved his abilities with this assignment, through, others were sure to follow, and he was poised to shoot up the Wolfram and Hart food chain.
Still, he was a nervous wreck as a he waited for Russell Winters to finish with his current appointment and invite him into his office. Winters’ previous representative with the firm, a weasely sort named Philips, had been terminated suddenly-and quite possibly, literally. Given the abrupt nature of Philips’ departure, Winters’ was in immediate need of someone to manage his business acquisitions and other, more sensitive matters.
As he waited to be summoned to Winters’ office, Lindsey gazed around the foyer, taking in the winding staircase, the expensive art, and the notable lack of mirrors. Holland Manners had told him there were no mirrors in the house-not even in the bathroom. For someone unaware of Winters’ true origin, the lack of mirrors might be a bit odd. Lindsey knew, though, it was a subtle reminder that Russell Winters was a vampire. Lindsey wondered if vamps like Winters were grateful for their lack of reflection. Was it a relief that they would never be able to stare into their own eyes, knowing all the things they had done?
After a few minutes, the door to Winters’ office opened, and a pair of harried looking men carrying portfolios walked briskly past Lindsey. Winters appeared in the doorway and smiled pleasantly. “Lindsey? Come on in.” Motioning in the direction of the men who had just left, Winters added, “I’m having a party next month. A lot of details to hash out.”
Lindsey nodded and walked into the office. “Yes, sir. I’m sure the end result will be worth all the trouble.”
“I certainly hope so.” Winters sat down on the edge of his desk and gazed at Lindsey. “Wolfram and Hart have sent me a baby.”
Lindsey sat up a little straighter. “Mr. Winters, I assure you that I am a skilled attorney, and-”
“Relax,” Winters said with an amused smirk. “If Holland sent you, that’s good enough for me. To be honest, I’d prefer a fresh face anyway. So many at the firm have grown apathetic, lazy, morally conflicted.” He brushed a piece of lint off his blazer. “You young ones are still hungry. You’ll do what I need you to do.”
“I think you’ll find that apathy and laziness won’t be an issue with me, sir.”
“What about moral conflict?”
Licking his lips, Lindsey clutched onto his briefcase a little more tightly. “I’m capable of handling gray areas, sir. Perhaps we should talk about your immediate concern. The young lady from last night.”
Winters nodded. “Straight to business. I can appreciate that.” He handed Lindsey a picture of a young woman. “I’m not going to beat around the bush here. I got hungry. Made a bit of a mess.”
“Yes sir.” He gazed at the strawberry blonde woman in the photograph. She looked so happy and innocent and unaware that there were monsters in the world. “This isn’t the young lady we have on file as a long-term investment.”
“No, this one was just a diversion. Honestly, I try not to be so… impulsive, but it’s been a stressful month.”
“Yes sir. That’s understandable. In any case, I’ve already handled the details.” Snapping open his briefcase, Lindsey pulled out a paper with typed notes. “She’s been despondent for some time and has been missing life back in Pennsylvania. She purchased a bus ticket home yesterday morning. What happened to her after that is anyone’s guess. We’ll bolster the story if need be. And the… mess has been cleaned up.”
As he handed the paper to Winters, Lindsey felt a surge of nausea start to rise up in his gut. He was covering up the death of this young lady, and as far as he was concerned, his hands were every bit as dirty as if he’d taken a shovel and buried the body. This queasy feeling he so often had when he was working with a client was getting increasingly worse. When he got home at night, he would shower and try to scrub the muck of the day off his body. Afterward, he would look at himself in the mirror and try to see a hint of the idealistic young man he’d been at Hastings.
Winters glanced over the notes, then handed them back to Lindsey. “Well done,” he said. “That’s one less thing I have to concern myself with.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you today?”
“No. I know this was a sprung on you last night, and you haven’t had a chance to go over the details of my business. Once you’ve had a chance to properly familiarize yourself with all of that, we can set up a meeting at my offices. Or you can come here if you’d like.”
Closing up his briefcase, Lindsey plastered a smile on his face. “Sounds good, sir. I’ll call you soon.”
“I look forward to it. And I think we’re going to get along well.”
“Thank you sir.”
After Lindsey left Winters’ house, he tried to bite down the bile that was swirling around in his stomach. Reaching into his glove compartment, he pulled out a couple of antacids and popped them into his mouth. He had three more meetings and a sizable stack of paperwork until he could realistically go home and climb into a shower. Not that it would help. Maybe tonight when he got home, he would take down all of his mirrors, so at least he wouldn’t have to look at himself anymore.
Master Fic List
***
Name: sheryden
Fandom(s): Angel
Word count: 1000
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Not really, though I use a character from 1x01 "City Of..."
Summary: When he was back at Hastings, Lindsey never pictured having vampires as clients.
Author’s Notes: This was written for angst_bingo for the prompt "Supernatural: Vampires." Winters is the vampire from "City Of..."
Lindsey stood arrow-straight in the foyer of his new client’s mansion, his briefcase clutched tightly in front of him. He knew he should be proud, even elated, that Holland Manners had taken a risk giving such a prestigious assignment. After all, he was a still a relatively young lawyer and was still in the process of making a name for himself. If he proved his abilities with this assignment, through, others were sure to follow, and he was poised to shoot up the Wolfram and Hart food chain.
Still, he was a nervous wreck as a he waited for Russell Winters to finish with his current appointment and invite him into his office. Winters’ previous representative with the firm, a weasely sort named Philips, had been terminated suddenly-and quite possibly, literally. Given the abrupt nature of Philips’ departure, Winters’ was in immediate need of someone to manage his business acquisitions and other, more sensitive matters.
As he waited to be summoned to Winters’ office, Lindsey gazed around the foyer, taking in the winding staircase, the expensive art, and the notable lack of mirrors. Holland Manners had told him there were no mirrors in the house-not even in the bathroom. For someone unaware of Winters’ true origin, the lack of mirrors might be a bit odd. Lindsey knew, though, it was a subtle reminder that Russell Winters was a vampire. Lindsey wondered if vamps like Winters were grateful for their lack of reflection. Was it a relief that they would never be able to stare into their own eyes, knowing all the things they had done?
After a few minutes, the door to Winters’ office opened, and a pair of harried looking men carrying portfolios walked briskly past Lindsey. Winters appeared in the doorway and smiled pleasantly. “Lindsey? Come on in.” Motioning in the direction of the men who had just left, Winters added, “I’m having a party next month. A lot of details to hash out.”
Lindsey nodded and walked into the office. “Yes, sir. I’m sure the end result will be worth all the trouble.”
“I certainly hope so.” Winters sat down on the edge of his desk and gazed at Lindsey. “Wolfram and Hart have sent me a baby.”
Lindsey sat up a little straighter. “Mr. Winters, I assure you that I am a skilled attorney, and-”
“Relax,” Winters said with an amused smirk. “If Holland sent you, that’s good enough for me. To be honest, I’d prefer a fresh face anyway. So many at the firm have grown apathetic, lazy, morally conflicted.” He brushed a piece of lint off his blazer. “You young ones are still hungry. You’ll do what I need you to do.”
“I think you’ll find that apathy and laziness won’t be an issue with me, sir.”
“What about moral conflict?”
Licking his lips, Lindsey clutched onto his briefcase a little more tightly. “I’m capable of handling gray areas, sir. Perhaps we should talk about your immediate concern. The young lady from last night.”
Winters nodded. “Straight to business. I can appreciate that.” He handed Lindsey a picture of a young woman. “I’m not going to beat around the bush here. I got hungry. Made a bit of a mess.”
“Yes sir.” He gazed at the strawberry blonde woman in the photograph. She looked so happy and innocent and unaware that there were monsters in the world. “This isn’t the young lady we have on file as a long-term investment.”
“No, this one was just a diversion. Honestly, I try not to be so… impulsive, but it’s been a stressful month.”
“Yes sir. That’s understandable. In any case, I’ve already handled the details.” Snapping open his briefcase, Lindsey pulled out a paper with typed notes. “She’s been despondent for some time and has been missing life back in Pennsylvania. She purchased a bus ticket home yesterday morning. What happened to her after that is anyone’s guess. We’ll bolster the story if need be. And the… mess has been cleaned up.”
As he handed the paper to Winters, Lindsey felt a surge of nausea start to rise up in his gut. He was covering up the death of this young lady, and as far as he was concerned, his hands were every bit as dirty as if he’d taken a shovel and buried the body. This queasy feeling he so often had when he was working with a client was getting increasingly worse. When he got home at night, he would shower and try to scrub the muck of the day off his body. Afterward, he would look at himself in the mirror and try to see a hint of the idealistic young man he’d been at Hastings.
Winters glanced over the notes, then handed them back to Lindsey. “Well done,” he said. “That’s one less thing I have to concern myself with.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you today?”
“No. I know this was a sprung on you last night, and you haven’t had a chance to go over the details of my business. Once you’ve had a chance to properly familiarize yourself with all of that, we can set up a meeting at my offices. Or you can come here if you’d like.”
Closing up his briefcase, Lindsey plastered a smile on his face. “Sounds good, sir. I’ll call you soon.”
“I look forward to it. And I think we’re going to get along well.”
“Thank you sir.”
After Lindsey left Winters’ house, he tried to bite down the bile that was swirling around in his stomach. Reaching into his glove compartment, he pulled out a couple of antacids and popped them into his mouth. He had three more meetings and a sizable stack of paperwork until he could realistically go home and climb into a shower. Not that it would help. Maybe tonight when he got home, he would take down all of his mirrors, so at least he wouldn’t have to look at himself anymore.
Master Fic List
***