Angst Bingo Round 3 Fic #2.5
7/2/12 14:07![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
telarynTitle: Making Peace
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
telaryn
Word Count: 1702
Fandom: Leverage/Angel the Series
Characters: Faith/Eliot, Lindsey
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: No ownership implied, no profit obtained.
Summary: Lindsey goes to visit his twin brother following a supernatural accident.
Author's Note: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
angst_bingo's Round 3, for the prompt "betrayal". This story is part of The Ties That Bind 'Verse, and while the story stands on its own merits events in "The End of Days Job", "Reconciliation" and "The Let's Make a Deal Job" are referenced.
Forelebridith, because she reminded me that I have a wealth of unfinished business with these two boys.
“Far as I’m concerned, I don’t have any siblings left alive. And if I ever see you again after today, I’ll personally make sure of it.”
“I don’t know how to forgive you for what you did, but I’m not going to kill you for it.”
Memory of the last two conversations he’d had with his brother almost convinced Lindsey to turn away at the door. If what he’d heard was true, there was no way Eliot was going to be in the mood to talk to him now. Lindsey needed to remember how fortunate he was that his mistakes hadn’t cost him his life at his twin’s hands and let Eliot deal with this latest crisis in his own time and on his own terms.
Pretty words - sensible words - and in the end they meant nothing against the pull of family loyalty. Silently praying that he wasn’t about to make a fatal mistake this time, Lindsey McDonald, Attorney at Law, drew a deep breath to steady himself, then pushed open the door.
The building hadn’t looked like much on the outside – on the inside it was a cliché. Dim lighting, muted colors…the only thing keeping it from being a scene out of some movie about the underdog fighting back against impossible odds was the inspirational music. Lindsey smiled in spite of himself; Eliot could go to hell and back, but some things about his brother remained maddeningly consistent.
It was comforting, really, if he could be honest with himself about his feelings. Until he’d crossed a line Lindsey hadn’t even been aware was there to be crossed, Eliot was the one person in the world he could always count on.
The sound of fists striking a heavy bag reached his ears. “Looking good!” a woman’s voice said, encouraging whoever the fighter was. “Nice form – see if you can take your power up any further.”
Half a dozen blows sounded fuller and deeper to Lindsey. The two figures finally came into view as the man stopped abruptly and stepped back, shaking his head. “Can’t,” Eliot breathed, obviously winded from training. He showed his dark-haired companion the back of his right hand. “Feels like it’s going to break if I go any harder.”
Faith – Lindsey managed not to sneer when he saw the woman clearly for the first time, but it was a near thing – let go the bag she’d been holding and moved to check Eliot’s hand. Even in the dim light Lindsey could see concern writ large on her face, and he knew what the answer to his question was going to be.
The rumors were at least partly true. There was no longer any trace of mystical energy around his brother – not the powers of the Conduit, forced on him by Wolfram & Hart, or the more established demonic enhancements to his own strength and constitution that Lindsey had provided him a lifetime ago. The King of Hell had stripped him down to a garden variety human, and Lindsey knew his brother was very lucky His Majesty had apparently been in a good mood.
*****************
Eliot focused on calming his breathing, while Faith unwrapped the tape on his right hand. The simple act of admitting he’d reached the limits of his physical strength was suddenly gnawing on every nerve he had, and he knew if Faith twigged to how frustrated he was, she’d insist they stop for the day.
He didn’t want to stop. He couldn’t afford to stop. Nate and Hardison were already putting feelers out for new clients, and he had to be as close to the man he was before that happened.
Faith’s low hiss of sympathy brought him back to what had happened to his hand. “Did you know it was this bad?” She showed him the broken skin over blood smeared knuckles.
“It stung,” he admitted, although privately Eliot was impressed that he’d done that much damage through the protective wrappings. “Figured I needed to push past it, though.” He saw a flash of Faith’s own frustration in her dark eyes, but mercifully she didn’t lecture him. She was trusting his assessments more than she had when they first started on this journey, and Eliot found that it made him more honest about his progress than less.
Honesty was never a problem for Faith. “You’re done with punching or strikes for today,” she said matter-of-factly, dropping his hand and meeting his eyes. “We can do some more footwork or call it quits – your choice.”
Before Eliot could answer, a voice said, “How about you heroes taking five?” Faith immediately whirled towards the speaker; Eliot stayed frozen in place, chest suddenly so tight it was difficult to breathe.
Lindsey. “What rock did you crawl out from under, counselor?” Faith was saying when Eliot finally managed to turn and face his twin. Four hundred dollar haircuts and five thousand dollar suits. Even though he didn’t know what Lindsey was doing to earn a living these days, Eliot found it perversely comforting that Lindsey was still managing to maintain enough of his old lifestyle to indulge his vanities.
“Charming as ever,” Lindsey sneered, barely giving Faith a fraction of his attention. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to give me a moment alone with my brother?” Faith snorted, but Lindsey’s full attention was on Eliot now, and even in the dim light of the gymnasium Eliot could see the unguarded emotion in his twin’s eyes.
“Faith.”
Any protest she’d been planning to make died in her throat when their eyes met. “I’m not going far,” she said stubbornly.
Eliot smiled wryly at her. “He’s not here to hurt me.”
****************
They both watched Faith disappear into one of the far offices. Lindsey had toyed with the idea of baiting her further – the Slayer had so many emotional buttons so close to the surface that it was an effort for him to resist. He let the urge pass, however, recognizing how lucky he was that Eliot hadn’t refused his request for a private conversation.
“Whatever you’ve heard,” his brother said, drawing Lindsey’s attention back from the vanished Faith, “it’s likely true.” Eliot grabbed one of the towels slung over the top of the ring and began wiping the sweat from his face and neck.
“I believe you.” Lindsey spun one of the nearby folding chairs and leaned against the back, folding his arms across the chest. “I don’t understand it, but I believe you. He took all the Conduit energy?”
There were only eight minutes that separated them, but Lindsey couldn’t help feeling impossibly older than his brother when Eliot swung himself into a seat on the edge of the ring. “Yep. Not sorry to see that part go.”
Lindsey could well believe that. Instead of addressing the thing that had driven them apart however he said, “I’m surprised he took the rest of it.” He studied Eliot for a long moment, chilled at how unusual it was to look at his brother and see nothing that wasn’t entirely human. “Crowley’s a former crossroads demon. That deal was as straight up as Holland and I could make it – makes no sense that he’d reverse it.”
Eliot’s mouth twitched again in a half-smile. “Well I was pretty thoroughly pissing him off at the time.”
“That I can believe,” Lindsey countered, snorting softly. “Still,” he went on, “he let you walk away relatively whole, all things considered.” Their eyes met again. “Any problems besides the expected ones?”
His brother shook his head. “There’s more than enough of those,” he admitted. “It’s been a long time since I was this weak, Linds – it’s hard getting used to it all over again.”
Lindsey felt his hands clench into fists. “Then stop,” he said, not bothering to hide the note of pleading in his voice. “Just stop, Eliot. You’ve got more than enough money and reputation to walk away.” He swallowed back a comment about Nathan Ford and his arrogance that definitely would have sparked a fight. “You don’t have to do this anymore.”
Once upon a time Lindsey McDonald had been part of a large family. Three brothers, two sisters, and none of them closer to him than the man he faced right now. The others were gone now – long in their graves – and Lindsey knew even before Eliot said it, that one day soon Eliot was going to follow them. He’d sold most of his soul to make sure his twin could avoid that fate, and in the end it was going to be for nothing.
“I don’t suppose there’s any way…” Eliot said hesitantly, after he’d calmly laid out his reasons for trying to recapture what he could of his former existence. He couldn’t seem to finish the question, but Lindsey knew what he wanted and for a moment he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Seems to me you promised to do some major physical damage to me if I ever tried something like that on you again,” he said finally.
Eliot had the grace to look appropriately embarrassed. “You were looking out for me,” he admitted. “Like you always have.” He shrugged. “What do you want me to say? I’ll beg if I have to…”
Lindsey shook his head, saving Eliot from saying anything further. “It’s not that.” He paused, running the words through his head until he was satisfied Eliot would understand exactly what he was trying to say. “You have to know that I would still do whatever it took to keep you safe. Unfortunately even if we could find demons with enough juice to pull off the spell and defy Crowley…” His voice trailed off. This was the hard part to admit – especially to his brother, who was once again walking the righteous path of a champion.
“Unfortunately,” he repeated with a sigh, “even if we could, I don’t have enough of my own soul left to buy back everything you’ve lost.” Here was the truth of it – after everything they’d been through Lindsey was going to fail his brother in the one way it mattered most.
“I can’t do it,” he said finally, hating himself for saying it. “I’m sorry.”
Author:
telarynWord Count: 1702
Fandom: Leverage/Angel the Series
Characters: Faith/Eliot, Lindsey
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: No ownership implied, no profit obtained.
Summary: Lindsey goes to visit his twin brother following a supernatural accident.
Author's Note: Written for
angst_bingo's Round 3, for the prompt "betrayal". This story is part of The Ties That Bind 'Verse, and while the story stands on its own merits events in "The End of Days Job", "Reconciliation" and "The Let's Make a Deal Job" are referenced.For
elebridith, because she reminded me that I have a wealth of unfinished business with these two boys.“Far as I’m concerned, I don’t have any siblings left alive. And if I ever see you again after today, I’ll personally make sure of it.”
“I don’t know how to forgive you for what you did, but I’m not going to kill you for it.”
Memory of the last two conversations he’d had with his brother almost convinced Lindsey to turn away at the door. If what he’d heard was true, there was no way Eliot was going to be in the mood to talk to him now. Lindsey needed to remember how fortunate he was that his mistakes hadn’t cost him his life at his twin’s hands and let Eliot deal with this latest crisis in his own time and on his own terms.
Pretty words - sensible words - and in the end they meant nothing against the pull of family loyalty. Silently praying that he wasn’t about to make a fatal mistake this time, Lindsey McDonald, Attorney at Law, drew a deep breath to steady himself, then pushed open the door.
The building hadn’t looked like much on the outside – on the inside it was a cliché. Dim lighting, muted colors…the only thing keeping it from being a scene out of some movie about the underdog fighting back against impossible odds was the inspirational music. Lindsey smiled in spite of himself; Eliot could go to hell and back, but some things about his brother remained maddeningly consistent.
It was comforting, really, if he could be honest with himself about his feelings. Until he’d crossed a line Lindsey hadn’t even been aware was there to be crossed, Eliot was the one person in the world he could always count on.
The sound of fists striking a heavy bag reached his ears. “Looking good!” a woman’s voice said, encouraging whoever the fighter was. “Nice form – see if you can take your power up any further.”
Half a dozen blows sounded fuller and deeper to Lindsey. The two figures finally came into view as the man stopped abruptly and stepped back, shaking his head. “Can’t,” Eliot breathed, obviously winded from training. He showed his dark-haired companion the back of his right hand. “Feels like it’s going to break if I go any harder.”
Faith – Lindsey managed not to sneer when he saw the woman clearly for the first time, but it was a near thing – let go the bag she’d been holding and moved to check Eliot’s hand. Even in the dim light Lindsey could see concern writ large on her face, and he knew what the answer to his question was going to be.
The rumors were at least partly true. There was no longer any trace of mystical energy around his brother – not the powers of the Conduit, forced on him by Wolfram & Hart, or the more established demonic enhancements to his own strength and constitution that Lindsey had provided him a lifetime ago. The King of Hell had stripped him down to a garden variety human, and Lindsey knew his brother was very lucky His Majesty had apparently been in a good mood.
*****************
Eliot focused on calming his breathing, while Faith unwrapped the tape on his right hand. The simple act of admitting he’d reached the limits of his physical strength was suddenly gnawing on every nerve he had, and he knew if Faith twigged to how frustrated he was, she’d insist they stop for the day.
He didn’t want to stop. He couldn’t afford to stop. Nate and Hardison were already putting feelers out for new clients, and he had to be as close to the man he was before that happened.
Faith’s low hiss of sympathy brought him back to what had happened to his hand. “Did you know it was this bad?” She showed him the broken skin over blood smeared knuckles.
“It stung,” he admitted, although privately Eliot was impressed that he’d done that much damage through the protective wrappings. “Figured I needed to push past it, though.” He saw a flash of Faith’s own frustration in her dark eyes, but mercifully she didn’t lecture him. She was trusting his assessments more than she had when they first started on this journey, and Eliot found that it made him more honest about his progress than less.
Honesty was never a problem for Faith. “You’re done with punching or strikes for today,” she said matter-of-factly, dropping his hand and meeting his eyes. “We can do some more footwork or call it quits – your choice.”
Before Eliot could answer, a voice said, “How about you heroes taking five?” Faith immediately whirled towards the speaker; Eliot stayed frozen in place, chest suddenly so tight it was difficult to breathe.
Lindsey. “What rock did you crawl out from under, counselor?” Faith was saying when Eliot finally managed to turn and face his twin. Four hundred dollar haircuts and five thousand dollar suits. Even though he didn’t know what Lindsey was doing to earn a living these days, Eliot found it perversely comforting that Lindsey was still managing to maintain enough of his old lifestyle to indulge his vanities.
“Charming as ever,” Lindsey sneered, barely giving Faith a fraction of his attention. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to give me a moment alone with my brother?” Faith snorted, but Lindsey’s full attention was on Eliot now, and even in the dim light of the gymnasium Eliot could see the unguarded emotion in his twin’s eyes.
“Faith.”
Any protest she’d been planning to make died in her throat when their eyes met. “I’m not going far,” she said stubbornly.
Eliot smiled wryly at her. “He’s not here to hurt me.”
****************
They both watched Faith disappear into one of the far offices. Lindsey had toyed with the idea of baiting her further – the Slayer had so many emotional buttons so close to the surface that it was an effort for him to resist. He let the urge pass, however, recognizing how lucky he was that Eliot hadn’t refused his request for a private conversation.
“Whatever you’ve heard,” his brother said, drawing Lindsey’s attention back from the vanished Faith, “it’s likely true.” Eliot grabbed one of the towels slung over the top of the ring and began wiping the sweat from his face and neck.
“I believe you.” Lindsey spun one of the nearby folding chairs and leaned against the back, folding his arms across the chest. “I don’t understand it, but I believe you. He took all the Conduit energy?”
There were only eight minutes that separated them, but Lindsey couldn’t help feeling impossibly older than his brother when Eliot swung himself into a seat on the edge of the ring. “Yep. Not sorry to see that part go.”
Lindsey could well believe that. Instead of addressing the thing that had driven them apart however he said, “I’m surprised he took the rest of it.” He studied Eliot for a long moment, chilled at how unusual it was to look at his brother and see nothing that wasn’t entirely human. “Crowley’s a former crossroads demon. That deal was as straight up as Holland and I could make it – makes no sense that he’d reverse it.”
Eliot’s mouth twitched again in a half-smile. “Well I was pretty thoroughly pissing him off at the time.”
“That I can believe,” Lindsey countered, snorting softly. “Still,” he went on, “he let you walk away relatively whole, all things considered.” Their eyes met again. “Any problems besides the expected ones?”
His brother shook his head. “There’s more than enough of those,” he admitted. “It’s been a long time since I was this weak, Linds – it’s hard getting used to it all over again.”
Lindsey felt his hands clench into fists. “Then stop,” he said, not bothering to hide the note of pleading in his voice. “Just stop, Eliot. You’ve got more than enough money and reputation to walk away.” He swallowed back a comment about Nathan Ford and his arrogance that definitely would have sparked a fight. “You don’t have to do this anymore.”
Once upon a time Lindsey McDonald had been part of a large family. Three brothers, two sisters, and none of them closer to him than the man he faced right now. The others were gone now – long in their graves – and Lindsey knew even before Eliot said it, that one day soon Eliot was going to follow them. He’d sold most of his soul to make sure his twin could avoid that fate, and in the end it was going to be for nothing.
“I don’t suppose there’s any way…” Eliot said hesitantly, after he’d calmly laid out his reasons for trying to recapture what he could of his former existence. He couldn’t seem to finish the question, but Lindsey knew what he wanted and for a moment he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Seems to me you promised to do some major physical damage to me if I ever tried something like that on you again,” he said finally.
Eliot had the grace to look appropriately embarrassed. “You were looking out for me,” he admitted. “Like you always have.” He shrugged. “What do you want me to say? I’ll beg if I have to…”
Lindsey shook his head, saving Eliot from saying anything further. “It’s not that.” He paused, running the words through his head until he was satisfied Eliot would understand exactly what he was trying to say. “You have to know that I would still do whatever it took to keep you safe. Unfortunately even if we could find demons with enough juice to pull off the spell and defy Crowley…” His voice trailed off. This was the hard part to admit – especially to his brother, who was once again walking the righteous path of a champion.
“Unfortunately,” he repeated with a sigh, “even if we could, I don’t have enough of my own soul left to buy back everything you’ve lost.” Here was the truth of it – after everything they’d been through Lindsey was going to fail his brother in the one way it mattered most.
“I can’t do it,” he said finally, hating himself for saying it. “I’m sorry.”
Tags:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
7/2/12 19:56 (UTC)(no subject)
7/2/12 19:59 (UTC)(no subject)
7/2/12 21:04 (UTC)*sniffs a bit* And that last thing... that he can't help him... that must be the worst punishment....
But I LOVE how snarky Linds still is, and how he refrains to make a comment about Nate. That's my boy. *g*
How helpless must Eliot feel that he considers doing a deal again to get his strength back... but I'm glad that they slowly begin to talk again. *loves*
Thank you!
(no subject)
9/2/12 18:09 (UTC)I love that Lindsey still would do whatever he could to help Eliot - and it really hurts that he can't.
I love it!