Gutters |T|A|L|O|N|

[Asher LeBeau]

It had been about two weeks before Talon left her apartment to go out on some business venture. Not that she really understood a lot about the business, but it took up most of his time when he wasn’t in school and when he came back around he was pretty much exhausted. Not to say that she wasn’t exhausted herself, doing four volunteer jobs, actually studying for once, and conducting extensive phone interviews with the boards down at Harvard. It happened about once a month when she needed to file all of her paperwork to show that she was still on track about her future plans, which Talon probably really didn’t care about or fully understand, and she was perfectly okay with that. Too much of a hassle to explain from square one.

It was a quiet evening, and she was only waiting for a final interview when her phone rang. Not even bothering to look at the caller ID, she answered it. Which in hindsight was a mistake.

“I’m out, ma cherie.”

Her breath froze in her chest and everything froze. She swore her heart stopped at that voice. All that the tiny Hawaiian could hear was silence on the other end and faint traffic in the background. Asher couldn’t even get her voice to work before there was a distinctive dial tone buzzing in her ear. She dropped her phone on her bed as if it burned her before shivering and standing to look in her mirror.

Her skin had paled and she looked like the victim she was. He was out. And she knew damn well what could happen but she straightened up. One of the conditions of his parole was that he not come anywhere near her or her places of work and schooling. He was at all times, mandated to be at least 100 feet away from her, if not more.

She glanced at her closed door, grateful that the phone hadn’t rang again for the moment before a the shrill sound cut through the air and she jumped, whirling around as if she expected her worst nightmare to be standing there.

Remy.

The man was probably twenty something by now. Jail wouldn’t have made him any less soft. He stood at an imposing 6’3” and was solid muscle who knew how to fight and gave no mercy. He was her worst nightmare, the one that made her cry in her sleep and wake up, terrified.

The phone rang again and she brushed away her thoughts, believing that Remy would not be so stupid as to violate his parole by coming to try to see her, but she had an inkling of doubt that he would not be so happy she had another man. She raised a hand to push her hair back and gathered her thoughts, answering for her final interview.



It was a week before Talon left and to Asher something had felt…off. As if she was always seeing the same person around her errands. Knowing her and the commonly frequented a few places, it was possible that it was all just coincidence. She nodded her head to herself, as if to affirm that thought before brushing it off and getting caught up in her whirlwind again, half the time forgetting to even make dinner, something she absolutely loved to do. Everything was going smoothly, but she still had that inkling that something was…off.




The day after Talon left started off rainy and cold. Thunderstorms, wind, everything screamed it was a gale. No wonder she didn’t hear the knock on her front door, curled up in her bed in the back of the apartment. Nor did she hear the following knocks that pounded for a good five minutes. When she finally awoke from her bed and made her way out to the kitchen, the knocks had stopped and no one was outside her door nor were they in the hallway when she opened it. All that lay at her feet was a single white rose.

Throughout the rest of the week, this started happening again and again, each time a white rose and the knocks on the door taking place while she was asleep. Talon never gave her flowers, more like she refused to let him buy things for her or even help pay the rent and bills, so she knew instinctively from the first rose who it was.

Remy.

He’d found her and come calling again. He always, always gave her roses whenever he was feeling guilty. Always white too before the anger struck. And if there was a red one, then she knew what would happen next.

The rest of the week, the knocks came later and later, growing more and more vicious each time. Now Asher was awake when they came and refused to answer, holing up in her room instead and shrinking back, terrified. Her nightmare was free to roam.


Two days before Talon came home, the knocks stopped altogether.

The day before Talon came home there was a pink rose on her doorstep. Remy was upset.

The day Talon was supposed to return, there were no knocks, nothing. She opened the door tentatively and stepped out, seeing no one on immediate glance. She shifted on tiny feet for a moment before taking another step into the hallway…onto something soft.

Looking down, she saw the blood red rose.

She didn’t quite know how it was she ended up sitting on the floor, but her lip was split, bleeding.

“Cher. What have I told you about being with other men?”

Remy.

Dazed, she looked up at him, tilting her head back so she could stare up at his imposing frame. Vivid blue eyes stared eerily down at her while pure black hair brushed his shoulders. He was a looker alright, and knew how to pull someone in, especially someone as inexperienced as she had been.

But he was possessive. Once you were his, you were his or no one could have you.

She was alone, facing against the man who had beaten her for almost two years. Asher didn’t fight. She was tiny and couldn’t do anything against Remy’s huge frame. HE knew how to fight.

HE knew how to hurt.

Those were her last thoughts before she ended up being hauled upwards by her arms, held in a bruising grip designed to hurt. She had a split moment to see his face before he hit her with a closed fist.

In hindsight, perhaps she should have called the police. Foolish of her to hope that he wouldn’t come to her.

She should have never opened the door.

The side of her face was already turning pretty colors from the hit. She scrambled backwards, towards the elevator, intent on getting away from him, terror evident on her features. Just a few more feet to the elevator and stairs…

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[Talon Green]

Something was off....He could feel it in his gut and he had since well before he had left for his business trip. Something with Asher. She as just not being herself.....sure he knew that she had school and all the extra work she did, things that he appreciated her for all the more, but there was something else, something that was tugging away at her mind.....

Hell she had forgotten to make dinner one night.....she never forgot that, and though Talon had not really cared all that much and had gone about doing it himself, the thoughts of what could be wrong plagued him.

It had just gotten worse to, that feeling....to the point he had told her that he would not go, they could find somebody else to head up this merger. But she had insisted that he go, insisted that she was fine...and he believed her.

Perhaps he was being stupid, or perhaps he just didn't want to believe that something was really wrong, or maybe it was just that he really did trust her so much that he believed she would tell him if something was going on.....either way.....he had gone.

The second his plane touched down in New York he had felt that sick feeling settle into the pit of his stomach, heavier than it had been at home and one that did not fade as the day dragged on.

Every night he called her, and every night she swore that everything was fine. But as the days continued on, he could tell something was off in her voice. Worry and fear and pain settled into his chest. Worry over what was going on. Fear of something bad happening to her, or to their relationship......Pain at knowing every night she lied to him again and again.

The last few days of his trip he had laid in his hotel, unable to sleep and filled with thoughts of what could be going on. He had thought to send somebody by to check on her, just to make sure everything really was okay, but he thought that would be a violation of the trust she had in him.

Sure, she was lying, about what he did not know, but he kept telling himself she had a good reason. He didn't want to jump to conclusions again...not like last time.

The day he was to return home, he felt both nervous and excited. He had missed her, and of course he could not wait to drag her tiny butt to bed and keep her there for as long as possible. But he also was worried about what he would find when he got home. Was it even still his home? So many thoughts and so many doubts ran wild through his mind at the simple fact of not knowing what it was she was not saying.

He was insecure and her actions as of late spoke of something being up, it was not unlikely for him to have doubts along with worry that she was in trouble and not telling him. It could have been any number of things.

He tried to sleep on the plane ride home, but he found himself constantly being woken up by that nagging sensation at the back of his mind. Something that made him shift about in his seat and constantly stare out the window at the clouds rolling by.

What was it?

God if he only knew what was really going on he would have never left, he would have done something....but as it stood, he was completely in the dark, completely clueless that something like what was happening, was what was going on.

When he got off the plane he had been expected to go to a meeting to discuss the trip and how the merger proposal had gone, but instead he called and told them to reschedule due to family issues.

There was no way he would be able to focus on a stupid board meeting when he knew he had to get home. It was something that had seemed to become clear to him the minute he landed and tried to call Asher and there was no answer.

Sure it was not the first time she had been busy or left her phone in the bedroom or whatever and not answered, but this time, it felt different......it felt.....off....

Throwing his bags into the back of the car, he wasted no time getting in and turning out onto the street to head home. He made all his calls from the road to reschedule the meeting and even tried calling Asher a couple more times.

With each voicemail message he got, the more that worry set in. That need to get home pulled at him.

By the time he got there, he was in too much of a hurry to get up to the apartment they shared and find out what the hell was going on. Not even bothering to grab his bags or lock the car, something he did usually as a ritual.

Instead he stuffed the keys into the pockets of the slacks he was wearing and headed into the building, punching the button for the elevator and clenching and unclenching his fists as he stood there waiting for the damn thing to open.

When it finally did, he hopped inside and hit the button that called it to their floor, his heavy frustrated sigh passing his lips as he closed his emerald eyes and tried to relax, not wanting to overreact to anything he saw......

But nothing really could have prepared him for what was waiting for him on the other side of those double doors.....

When they opened, he took one step to exit the elevator before he saw her, saw the look on her face, saw the bruise already forming on her face......

Anger was not even a term that would describe his emotions in that moment.....He was well beyond that.....well beyond even feeling the effects of his condition for that matter......

All he could really see was her.....and all he could feel.......was nothing......

"Asher!"

His voice deep and thick with that rage that rippled through him, echoing in the tiny hallway that led to their apartment.......He should have looked around, he should have grabbed her and pulled her out of there, he should have done a lot of things....but in that moment of blind rage..........he didnt........

[Asher LeBeau]

Asher heard the elevator doors open behind her and froze on instinct, not daring to take her eyes off the massive man in front of her to see who was behind her. Surely it couldn’t be worse than the one in front of her? She couldn’t feel the pain at the moment, her heart was beating so fast that she was certain she would faint at some point.

Time seemed to stand still when she heard Talon’s voice. She instinctively wanted to hide behind him but she knew better. Hiding provoked Remy instead of calming him down. Usually whenever he started hitting, he was pissed off and this time, instead of him yelling at her, she knew this was just revenge for her putting him in jail.

Remy shifted to look up at Talon, leaning against the wall with a smirk. So this was her new boyfriend? He was a wimp, but he recognized the face from the media. How in the hell had Asher managed to keep her name out of this one? He knew that she’d pulled strings to keep her name out of his trials…he shook his head, banishing those thoughts although it was her fault that he was in jail.

Pale eyes flickered to Asher who was currently in between them before a malicious grin curved his lips up and he strode forward and hauled up the tiny Hawaiian in one smooth motion, holding her arm up as he dragged her to her feet, ignoring any pained sounds she might have made. He thought he’d heard a pop in her shoulder when he did that but it didn’t matter to him. She deserved that.

“So, you’re the newest one to sleep with the whore?” he snorted, voice amused. “Then perhaps it’s time for your little session to end. Pay her and leave, no?”

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[Talon Green]

It was then, when he saw that she did not look at him, that his eyes turned to see the other figure there. He recognized the face from the file his Father had given him.

Remy.

Oh he knew that story inside and out. Not because she had told him, but because when he had found out about the guy in that file and later heard about her case history at the hospital, he had made it his little mission to find out everything he could on the guy.

The question was...how the hell had he gotten out and Talon not known about it? Somebody in the chain of information was lacking and their lives were now gonna be the price for that. There was little that could push Talon into the darker part of his nature, but this was the quickest route.

He watched, seemingly frozen in place as the guy reached down and pulled Asher up, hearing those pained sounds coming from her, hear that pop......it was all just adding to the fact that this guy was not walking out of here alive....not if Talon had any say so in the matter what so ever.

Yet as Remy spoke to him, Talon would move to lean up against the wall, his shoulder pressing against the area right next to the elevator as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the two of them with cold green eyes.

"Remy? Right?"

He nodded, not really caring if the guy answered him or not. Instead he just leaned there, his legs stuck out in front of him with one crossed over the other at the ankles.

"When did you get out?"

Casual as ever, though if you knew him, then you knew that the tone of his voice was one that could chill a person right to the bone..He was not himself at least not the Talon that Asher knew so well.....No....there was no place for that guy here.....and honestly.....that guy was long since lost to the events unfolding....

When he looked up again, those emerald eyes were now darker, cold and emotionless......He may not have looked like much, but then you did not have to be big to be threatening....Something this guy would learn soon enough....

Unfolding his hands from his over his chest he stuffed them down into his pockets....casual as ever, though once inside such, his finger would push against the button on his keychain....No sound heard, no light flashed, no nothing......

He pushed it again for good measure and then turned attention back to them.....

"Guess it really doesn't matter huh? Figure you are gonna be walking out of here with her don't you mate?"

Honestly, he was gonna make sure this guy paid for every little infraction he had ever caused against Asher. But before he could do that, he had to be patient and he had to be calm....Or else this whole thing could go bad in a heartbeat.....much worse than it already was....

[Asher LeBeau]

There was no sound in the apartment hallway and Asher dropped her head down, not looking at anyone, making herself a small target. Coping, hiding, running, the girl did not really know how to fight at all. If she did, why would she be at his mercy, right? It made no sense to others, why she didn’t fight back, but to people like her, it was perfect sense. Don’t enrage him anymore, don’t make him anymore upset with you than he already is.

Talon’s words made her flinch. She had no idea if he could actually fight but Remy was a big guy. Especially if he just got out of jail.

The man himself in question just laughed at Talon’s responses. He wasn’t afraid of anyone, especially a rich kid.

“Green, right?” he mocked.

“I got out about a month ago. Didn’t track this little bitch down until two weeks ago but of course I’m leaving with her. Or I’m going to kill her. It’s all her fault she pissed me off anyways,” he added with a casual shrug.

One hand came up and gripped her chin bruisingly and forced her to look at him before he smiled and casually backhanded her, dropping her on the hallway by his feet, kicking her in the side before striding over to stand a few feet away from Talon, watching him.

Asher’s only real response was small pained sounds coming from her lips as she merely accepted the beatings that Remy dished out. It really wasn’t his or her place anymore, but shit happens, don’t it?

She cradled her dislocated shoulder to her, crawling back against the wall and watching the two of them, able to taste blood in her mouth before she turned to the side and spat it out, amethyst eyes never wavering.

Remy just seemed to size up Talon for a moment before shrugging and lashing out with a fist, aimed right for Talon’s jaw.

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[Talon Green]

He nodded, acknowledging that this was indeed his name and listening to the tale of how this man had gotten out and tracked her down. The backhand across Asher's face only seemed to enrage Talon more....inwardly......outwardly he showed no signs, merely stood there, watching as she was dropped to the ground and kicked away....

Then Remy came toward him....Again Talon made no real effort to move, instead simply letting those dark emerald hues watch this guy and every move he made.

Talon honestly was not the fighting type, he much preferred the more civil matters of handling things, that of course came along with the business mind frame that he lived by.......the same mind frame that was keeping him in such a state of calmness right now.

He did however note the slight shift of the big guys muscles....Ah the number one downfall to being so built, your muscles gave everything away.

Ducking down the instant that punch was thrown, Remy's fist would have found nothing but a hard wall in place of Talon's face. Talon on the other hand, taking the opportunity to duck out of the way just enough so that he could come back up and slam his elbow into the guys ribs.

He was sure he wouldn't do much damage to this asshole, but he really didnt care....the fact remained that the focus was off of her and onto him for now....which was what he had wanted in the first place.

"Teach you to hit like a girl in prison mate?"

Bracing himself, because he knew he was about to get hit...Luckily for him......he didnt feel pain.....

[Asher LeBeau]

The comment just enraged Remy more, as well as the missing punch. Hands moved quickly to grab Talon by the arms and muscle him into a position that he could hit with, lashing out with a fist aimed at Talon’s gut instead.

It wouldn’t be long before there would be more holes in the walls, adding to the overall crappiness of the apartment place, but for Asher, it was what she could afford while she saved and studied. Besides the fact she steadfastly refused to accept any help for her living expenses, she was doing okay. But now she would definitely have to move.

The girl was as far away from the other two as she could before a determined look entered her eyes and she shoved her shoulder against the wall, popping it back into place and managing to stay quiet, not drawing attention to herself anymore.

Remy, on the other hand, was intent on beating the living shit out of Talon in anyway possible. Flailing legs, aiming to hurt and do damage rather than just ward him off, using as much muscle as possible to do the most damage in the smallest amount of area and time, his goal was to incapacitate and then leave the boy here.

He wasn’t sure if he’d actually take Asher with him or not if he left, but he was fairly certain that she’d have her uses if he could just get rid of this prick in front of him.

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[Talon Green]

Oh yeah, he got hit.......several times in fact.....busted lip, broken finger....and he was pretty sure he had damaged about three ribs....But on the up side, each hit made him laugh because it tickled so goddamn much and he was not as pathetic as he seemed, landing quite a few hits himself and making sure the fucker knew he was not some prissy little rich boy to be fucked with.

But again, it all had its purposes, and as the fight went on, elsewhere there was a black SUV pulling out of the corporations main branch and heading for the apartment. Perks of owning on of the most successful businesses in six continents was the added security perks.

This particular one, something Talon had set up just for a case such as this.......actually for this situation to be more precise. He had known the guy would get out, and though the goal had been to have this happen when he got out, the lack in communication had caused a mild glitch in the plan.

Now...things would have to be handled differently......but that was fine......because Talon was sure of the outcome either way. He just had to keep the big lug busy for a few moments longer......

That was all the time he needed.......

Laughing as another hit landed on his ribs he spit out a bit of blood and came up with his own uppercut to the gut....shaking his head the whole time.

"No wonder she left you mate...You are such a fucking pussy!"

[Asher LeBeau]

[/color][/size][/font]Gritting his teeth, the muscle bound jail hopper shoved Talon away and into the wall before a sadistic grin took over his lips. He had his own plan and instead stepped back and reached down and grabbed Asher, whipping her around in front of him, holding her flush against his body, one arm wrapping around her neck, in a gesture that could have been intimate if it wasn’t for the bruises and blood on her body.

Asher was scared more for Talon than herself. She’d been on the receiving end of Remy’s wrath and fists in more than one occasion. His hand snaked up to force her face up to look at Talon.

“That is your lover, cher. You get to pick which one you want, for once,” he said, voice amused.

Remy wasn’t completely unaffected but he showed less than Talon did. Being in jail meant fights most every day and what not.

“And if you don’t pick me, I kill him,” he added with a smirk.

Asher froze, trembling and her normally tan skin was an odd pale shade combined with the blood from her split lip, she looked every inch a victim. It was painfully obvious to everyone that she didn’t fight and right now was a reminder that was a slap in the face.

The petite girl seemed to stare at Talon, able to read him and it was obvious now that Remy wasn’t the only one in the area that scared her at this moment. She never seemed to think that she would be scared of Talon, but maybe she should have seen it coming?

[Talon Green]

When Remy left him and again picked up Asher, Talon listened to the words and then looked at her, seeing that look in her eyes and letting his own lower. It was the first time, since all this began, that he showed any sign of pain.

"You know you won already mate. No matter the outcome. So why dont you kill me and get it over with?"

He then fell back against the wall he had just been slammed into and slid downward until he was seated on the floor, knees bent and arms now resting atop them. He didn't even bother to look toward them.

Instead he just sat there, his head lowered as he let his mind run over the fact that she was scared of him.....He wasn't sure he could ever recover from this with her. So much they had been through...and so much she had been through.....it was as though the world were dead set against him being happy.

Well.......if that were the case, then maybe him being killed was not such a bad thing.

Running his tongue over his bloody lip, he just waited now....it was all he could do.

[Asher LeBeau]

It was a frozen moment, Asher could only watch the Green heir sit down and feel Remy’s laughter as he brushed her hair aside to whisper in her ear, causing her own eyes to fall shut to attempt to stop the tears from escaping. It failed and she was already crying before he casually tossed her into a wall, striding forward.

“I have my own idea. Much better actually, since it’s so obvious that she fears you now, I’ll leave you to her,” he said, grinning before stepping into the elevator and going down.

Asher herself could only curl into a small ball on the floor, silent and shaking with tears instead of fear at this moment, just wishing she were the one that was dead instead of everything else. Remy was the root of most of her problems, her suicide attempts, her depression, everything that gave her a fear of relationships.

However, he was not the one who had long since made her feel that she was not attractive or that she was worthless, that had been her family. Or rather, her father. She never knew her mother and only knew her father in passing when he brought back various girlfriends who stared at the girl and told her she was ugly.

It was a long silent moment, after Remy was gone before she managed to drag herself into a sitting position, burying her head in her knees, hiding.

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[Talon Green]

Her heard the words and didnt really do much other than flinch at the realization that what he had seen in her eyes was real.

He had no worries about where the big lug was going, for it was clear that when he got outside he was not going far. The silence of the day disturbed by the sound of two distinct shots going off.

Not gun shots, but something else....two tranq darts....aimed to make sure that they took the big oaf down.

Hearing them, Talon would reach into his pocket just as he cell went off, flipping it open to put it against his ear.

"If you got him, take him to the facility. I will be there shortly."

He then shut the phone, if they did not get him, well they would be on his ass until they did, that was what they were paid for.

Leaning back against the wall he did not move, instead let out a soft sigh as he kept his head down and spoke up softly.

"I am sorry you had to see that. I had to keep him busy and away from you......If you want me to leave...I will....Though you should take my beach house....I will make it so that you can pay the bills, so long as you can allow me to have my security check in on you from time to time."

He rose to stand....Casting her a pained, pleading look before he shook his head and looked away.....Knowing she probably wanted nothing to do with him.

"I am not like him....I wont make you suffer.....I love you Angel.....I will send somebody by to get my things if that is what you wish.......but you dont have to worry about him anymore. I promise..."

He turned, hesitant to actually get on the elevator and leave.....Pushing the button as he waited......Lost....The only thing that could really describe him anymore.....

[Asher LeBeau]

It was a long moment and she flinched at the sounds outside. Everything was making her jumpy right now and it didn’t help that when Talon had changed she had no idea who he was anymore as she heard the rustle and curled tighter into herself. Fights scared her and Remy was her living, breathing fear.

He was the reason she had nightmares at night and when she was alone slept with every light on.

Talon was the only one who had managed to push that fear back until Remy had come out of the woodwork. It made her want to cry at the injustice of it all but there was nothing she could do at the moment. Wanting to just run and escape would do her no good, she had to take it head on.

She listened to what he was saying, that he would leave her for good and never come back. Although he was telling her to go stay in one of his places, almost as if they were divorcing…she grimaced at the thought, deciding that if that was what Talon wanted, to leave, he could.

She was not staying in his place though.

When she finally spoke up, her voice was soft and broken, almost matching her outside appearance.

“If you want to leave I won’t stop you. I love you too much to get in your way. What I want never matters, so the choice is yours but if you leave, I won’t be here when you come back to get your things,” she murmured, staring at her knees.

Her voice was thick with emotion, almost as if she were choking on her tears and trying bravely not to break in front of him.

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[Talon Green]

He closed his eyes at her words, his head staying down as he leaned back against the wall and shrank down onto the floor once more.

"What do you want from me Angel? Do you want me to say I am sorry for what I did? I am...I am so sorry...."

The pain evident in his words as he barely was able to get them out....his hands gripping his knees now as he drew in a heavy breath and laid his head back against the wall.

"I am sorry I fought the guy, sorry you had to see that, I am sorry I am the way I am.........I love you so fucking much but you wont let me help you...you wont let me in....and when I try....you look at me...l..like I am some kind of monster..."

He groaned as he felt that nausea rolling up in his stomach, the weeks of worry finally catching up to him as he closed his eyes and remained where he was.......biting back his own tears....figuring now as not a place for them......No......not now...

[Asher LeBeau]

Asher flinched at the accusations, finally looking up at him and staying quiet for a moment, dropping her eyes to stare down at the floor before she reached up to shakily push back her hair, drawing a sharp breath as she grazed over the bruise on her cheek. She’d look like a wreck for a while now.

When she finally looked back up at him, there was a stubborn light in her eyes amidst everything else as she watched him carefully.

“That isn’t what I asked, but I’ll answer. I want you to stay, but I don’t want you hurt. I can survive him and what he’s done before…” she trailed off, closing her eyes and trying to gather her nerves.

“Remy is the reason for my nightmares, the reason I sleep with every damn light on when I’m alone, the reason that I keep all the lights on,” she said, staring down at the floor. “He was the reason that I’m halfway the way I am.”

Her voice shook, wincing slightly as she tried to gather her thoughts. “I don’t let anyone in. In the end I get hurt, but you already know more about me than my own father ever did,” she said, her voice disgusted when she mentioned her father. “I never had family, friends, hell I didn’t know what the fuck love was until you.”

It was a moment longer before she looked back up at him. “I love you.”

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