Angst Bingo - Execution
May. 21st, 2012 03:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theroadhouseTitle: The Face in the Mirror
Author:telaryn
Word Count: 953
Fandom: Leverage/BTVS
Characters: Faith, Nate, George Lehane
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: No ownership implied, no profit obtained.
Summary: Nate chases down Faith's step-father, intending to make him pay for his betrayal.
Author's Note: Written forangst_bingo's Round 3, for the prompt "execution".
If Faith or Eliot saw him take off after George, neither of them gave any sign. Knowing in his heart what had to be done, Nate slipped out the side door of the warehouse and headed off after his fleeing former friend.
”If all you’re going to do is use her, and try and convince her to break the law for you, you’re going to find out very quickly that I’m more my father’s son than any of us ever thought possible.”
Even before Faith was a glimmer of a possibility, Nate’s relationship with George Lehane had been a complicated one. They’d first met when Nate was seven, and George – nearly five years older – was hanging out on street corners with his best friend Gable looking for easy targets to fill their pockets with a little extra spending money.
Jimmy had gone personally to speak with George’s father about that scrape. He not only recovered Nate’s money, watch, and jacket, he convinced George that watching out for someone like the Fixer’s son was an easy way to get ahead in the neighborhood. And even though Nate had started boxing lessons shortly after getting mugged, over the years he came to appreciate having a natural brawler like George watching his back.
Things had cooled between them once Ellie Maguire came into the picture. George and Gable had never lost their taste for easy targets. The Maguire family had no standing in the neighborhood, and Ellie was the type of girl that attracted a lot of attention. Gable had often boasted that he would have his way with Ellie as often as he liked, and no one could stop him.
George had never made any effort to stop the trash talk – but when Nate finally squared off with Gable about his attitude George was the one who convinced the older boy to back down. It was part of the reason Nate couldn’t find it in his heart to hate George moving in on Ellie when everything ultimately went south.
Granted it had been easier to handle the revelation Faith was his daughter – not George’s – when he believed George was dead.
“That’s far enough!” Nate skidded to a halt, realizing that George had stopped running. He was facing Nate now, a 9mm pistol aimed at his head. “Don’t make me shoot you, Nate!”
Nate raised his hands. “Not making you do anything, Georgie. You fire that gun it’s on you.” His heart was hammering painfully against his ribs. “Faith won’t thank you for this.”
“Gable always said you depended on your dad’s rep because you couldn’t make it on your own,” George said. “He said when Jimmy packed you off to that boarding school, it was proof that you were never going to be a stand-up guy.” Nate realized with a small jolt that the barrel of the gun was trembling slightly. “He was wrong, wasn’t he?”
“Gable was wrong about a lot of stuff,” Nate said. He took advantage of George’s willingness to talk to steal of a few careful steps closer; freezing in place when he saw the other man flinch. “He’s very lucky I was never able to get my hands on him for what he did to Ellie and Faith.”
They were quiet for a long moment. “What are we doing here, Nate?” George asked finally. “Why are you so hell-bent on making sure I can’t have a relationship with my daughter?”
Nate laughed bitterly. “Are you trying to pretend you weren’t the one that sold us out to the O’Hares? What, did Brigid agree to pay off your debt with Brian Donnelly?”
The older man at least had the decency to look ashamed. “I wouldn’t have let anything happen to her, Nate. You have to believe me.”
Faith on her knees in the middle of the room…gun to the back of her head…Brigid O’Hare’s eyes shining with triumph… The crime boss had been intending to try and execute her, to weaken Nate’s position in the city’s underworld power structure. Nate’s insides went cold at the memory. “That’s the difference between us, George. I would never have risked her life like you did.”
“She helps you with your little crusades – I know she does! I’ve done my homework, Nate. You can’t deny it.”
Anger lanced through Nate then, leaving him numb. “That’s her choice, you selfish son-of-a-bitch. You’ve been putting yourself first since you strolled back into her life. That’s not the way a father behaves.” He took a deep breath, trying to control some of the building rage before he did something he couldn’t take back. “Nothing comes before Faith’s well-being for me. Nothing!”
When he’d first set out after George, his only thought had been to use his own gun – make the choice Faith would never be able to. The man in front of him was poison. Faith would never be safe as long as he was alive and trying to exert some sort of claim on her.
The cold truth was, however, that it was easier to be self-righteous about George Lehane when they weren’t face to face and talking with each other. Their relationship had always been complicated. And maybe I’m not as much my father’s son as I thought.
“Nate.”
He shivered, feeling Faith’s hand on his shoulder. “This is between me and him,” he said, not daring to turn and look at his daughter. “Walk away, Faith.”
“No, Dad.” Her fingers tightened and she moved until she was in his line of sight. “It’s my choice, just like you said.”
“Faith…” George began, but she shook her head.
“Walk away, George,” she called, not taking her eyes off Nate. “Just count your blessings and walk away.”
Author:
telarynWord Count: 953
Fandom: Leverage/BTVS
Characters: Faith, Nate, George Lehane
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: No ownership implied, no profit obtained.
Summary: Nate chases down Faith's step-father, intending to make him pay for his betrayal.
Author's Note: Written for
angst_bingo's Round 3, for the prompt "execution".If Faith or Eliot saw him take off after George, neither of them gave any sign. Knowing in his heart what had to be done, Nate slipped out the side door of the warehouse and headed off after his fleeing former friend.
”If all you’re going to do is use her, and try and convince her to break the law for you, you’re going to find out very quickly that I’m more my father’s son than any of us ever thought possible.”
Even before Faith was a glimmer of a possibility, Nate’s relationship with George Lehane had been a complicated one. They’d first met when Nate was seven, and George – nearly five years older – was hanging out on street corners with his best friend Gable looking for easy targets to fill their pockets with a little extra spending money.
Jimmy had gone personally to speak with George’s father about that scrape. He not only recovered Nate’s money, watch, and jacket, he convinced George that watching out for someone like the Fixer’s son was an easy way to get ahead in the neighborhood. And even though Nate had started boxing lessons shortly after getting mugged, over the years he came to appreciate having a natural brawler like George watching his back.
Things had cooled between them once Ellie Maguire came into the picture. George and Gable had never lost their taste for easy targets. The Maguire family had no standing in the neighborhood, and Ellie was the type of girl that attracted a lot of attention. Gable had often boasted that he would have his way with Ellie as often as he liked, and no one could stop him.
George had never made any effort to stop the trash talk – but when Nate finally squared off with Gable about his attitude George was the one who convinced the older boy to back down. It was part of the reason Nate couldn’t find it in his heart to hate George moving in on Ellie when everything ultimately went south.
Granted it had been easier to handle the revelation Faith was his daughter – not George’s – when he believed George was dead.
“That’s far enough!” Nate skidded to a halt, realizing that George had stopped running. He was facing Nate now, a 9mm pistol aimed at his head. “Don’t make me shoot you, Nate!”
Nate raised his hands. “Not making you do anything, Georgie. You fire that gun it’s on you.” His heart was hammering painfully against his ribs. “Faith won’t thank you for this.”
“Gable always said you depended on your dad’s rep because you couldn’t make it on your own,” George said. “He said when Jimmy packed you off to that boarding school, it was proof that you were never going to be a stand-up guy.” Nate realized with a small jolt that the barrel of the gun was trembling slightly. “He was wrong, wasn’t he?”
“Gable was wrong about a lot of stuff,” Nate said. He took advantage of George’s willingness to talk to steal of a few careful steps closer; freezing in place when he saw the other man flinch. “He’s very lucky I was never able to get my hands on him for what he did to Ellie and Faith.”
They were quiet for a long moment. “What are we doing here, Nate?” George asked finally. “Why are you so hell-bent on making sure I can’t have a relationship with my daughter?”
Nate laughed bitterly. “Are you trying to pretend you weren’t the one that sold us out to the O’Hares? What, did Brigid agree to pay off your debt with Brian Donnelly?”
The older man at least had the decency to look ashamed. “I wouldn’t have let anything happen to her, Nate. You have to believe me.”
Faith on her knees in the middle of the room…gun to the back of her head…Brigid O’Hare’s eyes shining with triumph… The crime boss had been intending to try and execute her, to weaken Nate’s position in the city’s underworld power structure. Nate’s insides went cold at the memory. “That’s the difference between us, George. I would never have risked her life like you did.”
“She helps you with your little crusades – I know she does! I’ve done my homework, Nate. You can’t deny it.”
Anger lanced through Nate then, leaving him numb. “That’s her choice, you selfish son-of-a-bitch. You’ve been putting yourself first since you strolled back into her life. That’s not the way a father behaves.” He took a deep breath, trying to control some of the building rage before he did something he couldn’t take back. “Nothing comes before Faith’s well-being for me. Nothing!”
When he’d first set out after George, his only thought had been to use his own gun – make the choice Faith would never be able to. The man in front of him was poison. Faith would never be safe as long as he was alive and trying to exert some sort of claim on her.
The cold truth was, however, that it was easier to be self-righteous about George Lehane when they weren’t face to face and talking with each other. Their relationship had always been complicated. And maybe I’m not as much my father’s son as I thought.
“Nate.”
He shivered, feeling Faith’s hand on his shoulder. “This is between me and him,” he said, not daring to turn and look at his daughter. “Walk away, Faith.”
“No, Dad.” Her fingers tightened and she moved until she was in his line of sight. “It’s my choice, just like you said.”
“Faith…” George began, but she shook her head.
“Walk away, George,” she called, not taking her eyes off Nate. “Just count your blessings and walk away.”
