End of Watch

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Judas Carmichael hated rain. He also hated the orc that stood in groups across the street from him. It didn't help that his partner belonged to the same social class as they did. It also didn't help that the orc group hated his partner. 
They were throwing up gang signs behind the other man's back, pretending to shoot at him and it wasn't the first or the last time they would do it. 
"Hey, Ruvik!" He barked, finally tired of standing in one place while the other man decided whether he wanted an orc burger or a bronto thigh. Both smelled like death. "Today, please! Geez, I swear four elves have died in the time it's taking you to decide on that garbage."

Talon smiled at her again and nodded. "I like that. You get some rest Viola. There's a bathroom over there and if you need me just holler. I'll be close by." He headed for the door, wondering if he really should leave her alone. 

"Okay." Molly whispered. "I'm hiding in the broom closet down stairs. That blue haired elf already showed up here last night. He told them about the baby. He...said there was something wrong with it. I...saw the scans..." Again her voice cracked. "He and that woman are looking for me. Please be careful."

Viola took the chance to shower, watching the blood tinted water circle down the drain. She dried, and dressed in some of Lillian’s spare clothing, though it was much too long for the much shorter elf. Once that was done, she took the blanket, and cocooned herself in the floor beneath the bed. 
It was quite some time later when Lillian finally got home, and she wanted answers. “Since when were we in the business of taking in strays?” She asked her boyfriend rather curtly as she sat her bag down on the kitchen table.

“Babe, there is nothing wrong.” Ruvik told her firmly. “I’m coming to get you, both of you.” He added as he scanned the room for his pants. “Just stay hidden, I’ll handle that damn elf if I see him.”

Talon looked up from the drawing he was carefully working on, pushing his long raven colored hair out of his bright blue eyes. "It's a long story, Lil. But to give you a shortened version...Her boyfriend shoved her out of the car while they were driving and I nearly ran her over. I kind of felt bad about that." He reached out, pulling his lover into his lap and nuzzling her neck. "But not to worry. I'd never shove you out. You're way too hot for that." He teased.

"Okay." Molly said softly, trying to sound brave. "Just be careful and don't do anything stupid."  
"There's no use hiding, human." Kandomere called from the hallway, loud enough to be heard even on the phone. "There's no one coming to save you."

Lillian pretended to pout as she rested her hands on Talonks broad shoulders. “You better believe it.” She purred. Sliding her fingers through his dark hair as her lips came down against his own. “You know I don’t like to share.” She breathed as her fingers slowly began to unfasten Talon's belt.

“Shit...” Ruvik heard the voice, and knew he couldn’t make that promise. He hung up the phone and was leaving the room, a heavy hand pressed to the wound in his side.

"I don't know what you're worried about." Talon breathed, he rested his large fingers over her slender ones. "I'm not cheating on you, babe." 

Kandomere was hunting the young woman. This was his favorite part. He knew she couldn't have gotten far. She cameras had showed him that. "Come on now, girl. You can't give birth to the dead child you are carrying. Let the nice doctors get it out and make you all better." He purred, turning toward the broom closet.

“I know.” Lillian replied with a smile as she stoked her fingers through his hair again. “We’re perfect. Right?” She added, dropping light kisses along Talon's strong jaw. 

Ruvik was close enough that he could hear Kandomere’s taunts as he hunted Molly. He got the distinct impression that the hunt was for show, and the elf already knew where his prey was. The orc made a quick pass of the hall he was in, then kicked a fire extinguisher off the wall onto the floor, hoping to create a passing distraction.

"I know how this works. This is the part where I say, no you're perfect..." Talon chuckled. 
It was much later in the night when he heard a scream that sent the hair on the back of his straight up. He got to his feet and ran to where it came from. "Viloa...wake up." He shook her gently, "You're having a nightmare..."

Kandomere snapped his fingers at a group of nurses that turned and ran for the noise. 
He, on the other hand, stayed behind to taunt the broom closet. "There's no one coming. No one cares about you, child. Just like the night your father died. No one came. No one heard your cries."

Viola was fighting against the strong hands that were shaking her, managing to get a scratch in as she howled for someone named Judas to help her. A moment later she woke up fully, her bruised and bloodshot eyes darting about until they came to rest on the dark haired man she now remembered helping her off the street. 

Ruvik cursed when Kandomere sent someone else. He slipped into an empty room nearby to check his stitches before peeking out a few moments later. He couldn’t take Kandomere on in this state, but he knew he couldn’t just leave Molly. The orc was cursing his partner even more in that moment. He fully blamed Judas for putting Molly in danger in the first place, all to save the damn elf.

"hey..." Talon was gentle as he continued to shake her. He ignored the blood running down his cheek. "It's all right, you're safe here. No one is going to hurt you."

Molly bit into her lip, hating the elf for knowing so much about her past. It made her insides ache to be reminded of her past.

Viola nodded, indicating she understood. “Sorry...” she breathed, feeling very much ashamed for scratching Talon. The young woman even reach out, touching the nail marks very lightly. 

Molly’s phone would soon start to buzz in her pocket, Ruvik watching from round the corner at the end of the hallway. He knew Kandomere would hear her talking, but he hoped his plan would still work.

Talon smiled at her. "It's all right. I'm not going to bleed to death or anything. Are you going to be all right? What happened?"

Molly pressed answer on the phone but didn't speak. She didn't want to give away her position even though she knew he probably already knew where she was.

Viola was quick to pull her fingers back, and hugged her knees up to her chest. “Nothing... just stupid memories.” She whispered, her gaze downcast once more. Looking Talon in the eye seemed rather difficult for her.

“I know he’s outside the door.” Ruvik breathed. “I’m going out on a limb and assuming he has his wand with him, let’s just hope he didn’t stash it somewhere. I need you to antagonise him enough that he will try to use magic to break the door down.” He paused, taking another quick glance down the hall at Kandomere. “When I give the signal, you open the door and rush him, if we have any kind of luck, you’ll surprise him and be able to grab the wand.” Ruvik knew this plan sucked. He knew a lot was hanging on things going just right for them. “I’ll be right behind him when you do it, so he won’t hurt you.”

"I can understand that." Talon said, getting off the bed to grab for a tissue to wipe off the last of the blood from his cheek. "My father was a pretty violent with me. I fought with those memories for years. He was part of a magick cult and anyone that didn't share that belief was punished. Including his wife and son. It didn't matter what it did to them. My mom looked a lot like you do in the days before I found her dead in our basement. My dad was a Bright. He'd flipped out or whatever you call it and exploded...I don't know how to describe it. My mother became a part of the wall...if that makes any sense. And my dad...he just...he was nothing but a smoldering skeleton. To tell you the truth I think my mom pushed him to it because she didn't want us to live like that anymore. My dad was...he was insane. I think magick makes people that way." Talon gave Viola a strange look, the silence in the room now deafening. He'd never told anyone that story, not even Lillian. She still had no idea why he woke up sweating and shouting. 

"You just be careful. You're still hurt..." Molly breathed. Something told her that this plan wasn't going to go the way they hoped. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to try. 
In the end she was right. The goading of the dark lord went perfectly. But what they hadn't counted on was the fact that he had not yet regained his magick. He wasn't in possession of the wand. He was, however, in possession of a gun. When he figured out what was going on, he turned on Ruvik and fired four shots into the Orc's chest. "What do you think I am, Jervak, a fool?" He hissed, grabbing Molly by the hair and yanking her to her feet. "I have been alive too long to play these childish games and one would think you had been too! She ruined you! Love ruined you. Maybe another death will fix you!" he roared, dragging Molly away without even allowing her a chance to look back at the fallen orc.

Viola!s eyes were wide as she looked up at Talon, like she knew how hard it had been for him to tell that story. “I’m sorry...” She wanted to tell him she understood, but Viola felt she didn’t. She felt stupid and weak for being so scared of her own mother after what she had done, it seemed like nothing compared to Talon’s father. “Does it get better?” She found herself asking, unknowingly scooting a little closer.

Ruvik didn’t even feel the shots. He almost seemed confused by the fact he could suddenly see the ceiling, and not the door to the closet where Molly had been hiding. It was only the sensation of warm blood seeping into his shirt that alerted him to the fact that those bangs had not in fact been the closet door slamming.

"Yeah. You'll push on and let alot of it go." Talon admitted. "It will disappear with the light and you can keep on with your life. It's at night when it gets hard. It's hard to sleep for me. I find myself pacing at night because I don't want to remember. I don't want to wake up in a cold sweat, begging him not to kill her." He sighed softly, pushing his fingers through his hair. 

Molly was watching as Ruvik's body simply sagged. No one came. No matter how much she screamed and clawed at the elf who held onto her. It was the same was when her father had died. No one was there to save him either. Another part of her died in that moment. She no longer believed in goodness or magick. There was nothing but darkness.

“It wasn’t a boyfriend who did this to me... it was my mother.” Viola had blurted the words before she could force herself to bite her tongue. She didn’t know this man, not really, so why should she trust him? She had trusted Judas, and look where it had gotten her. Despite that, he had something about him that made her at least want to try.

Ruvik seemed to be smiling, wondering why the screaming a”most sounded like someone saying his name.
“Do you need me to placate her?” Celia asked as she fell into step with her master. Clearly losing her chance to continue ‘interrogating’ her daughter had left her somewhat sore.

Talon nodded slowly. "I had a feeling. I know that makes me sound crazy and maybe it was the way you looked but...I remember that look. It's betrayal that someone you've brought into your life couldn't possibly do. It's worse than that." He reached out and rested his hand on hers. "You're not alone here, Viola. As long as you're here you have someone to talk to. If you want to." 

Molly screamed when she saw the female elf and made a grab for her, managing to get a handful of her hair before Kandomere slammed her heard into the wall. "You're late." He said simply as the young woman sagged in his arms. "The child inside her has died. It was far too small to make a wand out of."

“Talking won’t change what she did... or bring my father back, or...” She stopped and sighed heavily, about to say bring Judas back too. Viola was smart enough to see she had been fooling herself. He had most likely simply wanted a taste of an elf. She couldn’t yet trust TalOn with the knowledge that she was the very same thing her father had been. It would only put him in danger anyway.

“Well that’s disappointing.” Celia agreed. “You could always do the deed yourself, have a wand made from the child of two magic users?” She suggested with a somewhat sarcastic snort.

"Or take away the nightmares. I know." Talon said, sure this was what she meant. "But it will make it easier to breathe. It will make you realize that you won't turn into the same kind of monster that gave you life."

The dark lord paused, looking Celia over for a long moment. Then he sighed heavily and kept walking. "My magick is lost to me until the last of the wands is restored. I am worthless in creating children I always have been."

“No worries there... I don’t have the stomach for it.” Viola breathed, not yet knowing that she did indeed now have the stomach for bloodshed. She would need it.

“You seemed to have a great deal of magic when you kissed my daughter.” Celia snapped, a clearly jealous tone in her silky voice.

"Same here." Talon laughed. "Which makes very little sense considering I'm a tattoo artist. Come on. I'm not going back to sleep and I'm starving. Feel like some fresh donuts?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about. I felt nothing. Poor useless child." Kandomere muttered.

Viola brightened a little and nodded her head. “I’ve never had them before.” She replied, not yet aware that Talon didn’t actually know she was an elf.

Celia watched Kandomere for a long few moments before she replied. “Right, and you didn’t want me to take her spine for the wand out of the kindness of your heart?”

"Krispy Kreme is the best!" Talon said, a sparkle in his deep blue eyes. "You're going to love it." He told her, pulling her to her feet. "You'll feel like you have died of sugar rush. I don't get it often but when I do..."

"I don't have a heart. It's time you all began to figure that out." Kandomere snapped. "And yes, taking her spine would have been ideal until you let that human ruin her."

“What’s a sugar rush?” Viola asked, having never experienced it, thanks to her father’s strict management of everything, down to the food that was prepared in their home.

Celia smiled, seeing how irritated Kandomere was by this. It seemed that since torturing her daughter, the dark haired elf had gotten rather brave around the dark lord. “Upset you couldn’t be the first to pop her sweet cherry?”

"Oh wow! You are seriously sheltered!" Talon teased. "You are in for a treat, girly!" 

"Perhaps I am upset I didn't pop yours." Kandomere muttered, shaking his head. "The girl was of little use. But perhaps it is not too late."

There was a slight blush beneath the bruising on Viola’s face and she ducked her head slightly. “Over protective dad.” She remarked.

Celia came to a sudden halt, having not expected Kandomere to say that to her. “It doesn’t have to be too late.” She assured him, though it wasn’t clear which part of his statement she was responding to until she fell into step with him again. “I’ll get her back to you, I promise.” Ultimately Celia had decided to go with the safe option of assuming Viola was the one Kandomere wanted.

Talon left a note for Lillian, not for a moment considering his girlfriend would be jealous when she woke up to find him gone. 

"This is a cluster fuck." Kandomere grunted, dumping Molly into his trunk. "I've come too far for all this to blow up now. I shouldn't have had to kill the orc. Or enchant an entire hospital using the magick of an unborn Bright. I drained it. I ruined it before it was useful to me. This reminds me of the night Jervik decided to end my reign. He never understood I was trying to save them all."

Viola stuck close to Talon on the way for donuts. She didn’t realise she was doing it, but she was searching every passing face for Judas, still filled with the tiny hope that maybe he had changed his made, maybe he regretted leaving her in the middle of the road like he had.
To say Lillian was angry was a gross understatement. The dark haired woman screwed the note up in her fist, furious that it had been less than 24 hours and Talon was already ditching her for his new pet.

Celia dared to reach out, gentle fingers touching Kandomere’s cheek to look at her. “Are they really worth saving?” She breathed softly.

Talon enjoyed watching Viola eating the donuts like she'd never eaten sugar before. He laughed and joked with the staff while he allowed Viola to eat her fill. He drank coffee while he sat with her,  their table surrounded by people who couldn't get enough of the kind hearted man.

"I have often wondered." Kandomere admitted. The day he'd learned his mother had tried to drown him he had begun to wonder. Was anyone worth saving? Why didn't he let the world burn?

“What’s this, traded Lil in for a smaller package?” One man mused as he joined them at their table.
Viola stopped eating, for reasons she couldn’t explain she took an instant dislike to this man.

“Then don’t.” Celia replied simply. “Either watch them burn, or do it yourself. Why do they deserve compassion?”