BAD ANGEL

Title: BAD ANGEL
Author: Abbyland
Rating: NC-17
WARNINGS: Contains non-consensual/coerced sex, rape and battery.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All of the characters are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox.
DISTRIBUTION: PLEASE ASK
A/N: This is totally AU. Everyone is human. There is a lot of exposition at the beginning but it’s necessary so please, just hang in there. Also, although he’s human, this is Angelus we’re dealing with here, not Angel. He is a bastard.
Thanks to my betas Eve and Premiere.
Summary: Angelus Rayne has a vendetta against Hank Summers and Buffy is the pawn he uses to wreak his vengeance.

Introduction

Angelus sat in the darkened study nursing a tall glass of bourbon. He was numb. He had been sitting there for hours now. Ever since the moment his father drew his last breath. He only moved to refill his glass. Disbelief clouded his mind. Ethan Rayne, the great mobster and organized crime lord was dead, of cancer no less. And Angelus, his only child, barely knew him. A lone tear slipped down his face as reality slowly settled in. In his mind he had failed his father and left him to rot in prison. Images of Ethan’s emaciated body haunted him. He squeezed his eyes closed in a futile attempt to block it out. The frail man who died in his arms just hours before was nothing like the man he remembered from his childhood. He vividly recalled how his father looked when he was taken away after the trial. He was strong and distinguished. His entire being exuded power. THAT man was Angel’s father. The person he collected from the prison’s infirmary and took care of for the past few weeks was a stranger. In fact, Angel would never have recognized him had the nurse not pointed him out. What happened to him? He was so broken. And his senility only worsened it. Angelus too was broken to see him like that. The burden of taking care of Ethan, even for so brief a time, destroyed something within him. As Ethan’s health deteriorated, Angelus became despondent and depressed. He had been trying to get his father paroled for years now and even after his diagnosis, the damn parole board still refused to budge. It was only after Ethan could no longer eat or see to his own hygiene that they released him. He clearly posed no threat to the public then. They kept him until all that was left of the once great man was a shadow. Angel felt robbed. Robbed of his father’s life, robbed of his own. That was something he’d never get back. Ethan’s death was like salt in his childhood wounds. That was when Ethan was first taken from him. He was seven years old when his life changed forever.

Angel sighed, his eyes slowly scanning the room as he reflected on his life, the dim lights casting shadows against the walls of the room. He smiled gravely. He remembered how the shadows scared him as a boy and that he would only enter the room during the day or when his father was there. Ethan would hold him in his lap and tell him stories, shielding him from them. He remembered feeling safe with his father. But all of that ended the moment he was taken away. Suddenly a soft knock on the door disrupted his reverie.
“Yes.” Emotional exhaustion filled his voice.
“Angel?” Cordelia slowly opened the door. She didn’t want to intrude on his privacy but she was so concerned for him. Entering, she eyed the rapidly disappearing bottle of bourbon disapprovingly. “You really should eat something.”
“I’m not in the mood to eat.” His tone silenced any further comments on his drinking.
“I’m about to head out, do you need anything?” She knew he hated her mothering him.
“No.” It was both a response and a dismissal.
She got the hint and quietly left him alone again.

Shortly after she left, Angelus resumed his brooding, the painful memories twisting a knife in his heart. Once Ethan was convicted of various counts of murder and racketeering, he was sentenced to consecutive life sentences, in addition to being charged hundreds of thousands in fines. In his absence, the entire Rayne organization collapsed as feuding partners who managed to escape incarceration, squabbled over control and money. And the ongoing federal probes sent many of his associates fleeing the country. If not for the funds Ethan had kept beyond the reach of the District Attorney and the federal government, Ethan and his family would have been completely ruined. However, the whereabouts of his fortune remained a mystery for years. No one but Ethan knew and he wasn’t sharing. As long as the feds were looking for it, he’d take the secret to his grave.
Unfortunately, because of Ethan’s mistrust and secrecy, Angel and his mother, Darla, were left virtually penniless. They were forced to seek refuge with Ethan’s brother, Holtz. Holtz was a tyrant. His wife Kate, and their son Lindsey were both deathly afraid of him. Darla was also terrified of him but she was desperate and needed help and protection from the law, in addition to Ethan’s enemies.
But in the end, they needed to be protected from Holtz as well. Although no one ever told him, Angel was certain that Holtz took sexual liberties with his mother. He walked in on them once as a teenager and although he didn’t actually see anything, he was sure that he had interrupted something. Darla quickly began making excuses and Holtz was furious at the intrusion. But Holtz’s liberties didn’t end with Darla. The man was truly sadistic and he found great pleasure in tormenting Angel. He never understood why Darla allowed it even when he begged her to help him. No matter what Holtz did, or how Angel screamed and cried for her, she stood aside while he made him his whipping boy.

During their time with Holtz and his family, Angel and Darla tried to visit Ethan in prison as much as possible. But as the years passed and the abuse worsened, the visits became more and more difficult, and less and less frequent. Eventually, they stopped altogether. But Ethan was no fool. He knew what was happening. However, Holtz was a greater asset to him alive than dead. He needed Holtz’s services on the outside as long as he remained imprisoned and so he forced himself to turn a blind eye. And so, Darla and Angel unwittingly became “payment” to Holtz. The irony being that they withheld what was happening to them from Ethan thinking they were protecting him, when really he had already sacrificed them to the wolf.
The nightmare that was Angel’s life continued to the day Darla finally could take no more and left. Angelus was almost eighteen by then and he worked part-time to help support them as he attended college. Fortunately, he was a highly intelligent young man and was able to secure financial assistance for his education. Together they managed to carve out an existence for a few years before Darla was killed in a car accident. Angel was convinced her death was the work of one of Ethan’s enemies. A message to Ethan that whatever conflict existed between them still wasn’t over. He remembered finding the police outside of their small apartment as he returned from his classes. He was devastated when they told him. His mother was gone. When he finally summoned the courage to tell Ethan, the man was livid. And Angel, for the first time, was glad for the bars separating them. It was during this visit that Ethan revealed to Angel where his money was and whom he needed to see, as well as avoid. Angel dutifully made contact with some of his father’s former associates and under their tutelage, gradually took steps to reclaiming his father’s fortune and rebuilding his empire. His first order of business was to have Holtz murdered and then move back into his parents’ house.

Angelus sat in his armchair as sadness washed over him. The memories of his parents left a void within him. First his father, then his mother. He was overcome with despair. He felt tremendous guilt that he hadn’t visited Ethan for so many years and it ate away at him. Knowing what happened between Darla and Holtz and what his uncle did to him, made seeing his father difficult. And later, when he discovered that his father knew about the abuse, it became an even greater struggle for Angel and he could hardly look at Ethan. As he became more deeply involved with Ethan’s affairs, Angel came to the horrific realization that he and his mother had been “sold” to Holtz. But even in his fury and horror, he could not bring himself to blame his father completely. He rationalized Ethan’s betrayal as the act of a desperate man, twisted and deranged by the injustices he suffered as a convict in the state penitentiary. But despite his reasoning, seeing Ethan always evoked strong and conflicting emotions. Even when he tried to visit, seeing him caged like an animal became more and more difficult as the years passed and he eventually couldn’t do it anymore. He left him there for all that time, alone. Despite the knowledge that he worked feverishly to have Ethan released, Angel could not move past what he saw as his own utter failings as a son. He should have protected Darla, especially when he got older. Perhaps if he had begged his father, Ethan would have told him where the money was and things would have been easier.
As he sat, staring at the portrait of his parents on their wedding day, Angel could feel the emptiness festering and gradually consuming him, draining his life and slowly suffocating him. As he replayed the grievous events of his past, his inebriated mind kept drawing one conclusion. No matter what Holtz, his father or Darla did, everything that happened to him was because Ethan was taken away. And, according to Angel, there was only one person responsible for that, Hank Summers.

The name Hank Summers was anathema to Angelus. Hank was a former Assistant District Attorney with high political aspirations. He came from a wealthy and politically influential family. After college, he studied law and joined the D. A’s Office where he worked in the trenches doing his civil duty, paving the road to his political future. He had been working for the D. A. for five years when he was handed Ethan Rayne’s case. It didn’t take a genius to know that winning the case would be the ticket to his future. And Hank took the responsibility to heart. He worked endless hours interviewing witnesses, preparing briefs and putting together the most extensive case he’d ever handled. The feds, for once, proved to be an asset rather than a hindrance to the state and when the trial started, Hank was confident that a conviction would result. The intense media interest sensationalized every aspect of the trial and everyone involved became instant celebrities. The attention was unexpected and eventually began to wear thin on Hank but his upper class breeding truly became an asset and helped him greatly in handling the press. The trial lasted eight weeks and when the jury handed down the guilty verdicts on the many charges against Rayne, the media frenzy only intensified. Hank couldn’t remember how many talk shows he went on or how many interviews he had afterwards. His social calendar was suddenly overbooked. He was shocked to learn that not only was the public fascinated by the details of the trial itself, but that people were also intrigued by him. And Hank’s handsome looks only fueled the fire. Soon people recognized him on the street and asked for autographs and Hank had never had so many women proposition him. The personal questions were somewhat bracing. They were practically clamoring over each other to get to him. It was hard not to get swept up in the blitz. But, to Hank’s relief, the fascination seemed to simmer down quite a bit some months after the trial ended and within a year or two, he was a nobody again. And that was just fine with him as he pursued his career.

Then, one Christmas Eve, his mother hosted a dinner party; all of their friends were invited. It was that night that he first met Joyce. She was the daughter of a shipping merchant. Her family was also very wealthy and politically powerful. She was the perfect match for Hank. And like actors following a script, they met and fell hard for each other. Months later, they were inseparable and rumors of an imminent engagement were soon spreading through their social circle. They managed to delay satisfying the rumor mill for another year before they officially announced their wedding date. Over the ensuing months, the Society pages were filled with announcements and little details of the upcoming nuptials. The wedding itself was a formal affair, the guest list a veritable “Who’s Who” in America. The newlyweds seemed to live a charmed life. Sailing here or jetting there whenever Hank’s schedule allowed.
Eventually, Hank left the law and officially entered politics. At his side, Joyce joined several charities and became an activist for a few causes. He and Joyce were the toast of the town. A few years into the marriage, Joyce became pregnant and soon a baby girl was born. From the outside looking in, life couldn’t be better. But as is usually the case, life wasn’t easy for the couple. They loved each other and their daughter, Buffy, was a beam of sunlight in their life. But they found that their careers, particularly Hank’s, placed a lot of pressure on the marriage. As his career progressed, the demands continued growing and Hank spent less and less time at home. The media was a constant presence and their privacy became more and more difficult to protect. Despite appearances, life was less than charmed for the small family. Eventually, a second child, Dawn, was born. By then, Hank was a senator and the Summers family was among the most respected in the country. Joyce busied herself with her children and her charities. However, despite their difficulties, great affection and caring still remained between them and each found fulfillment in their careers and children. Buffy and Dawn grew up as the delight of their parents’ lives and as the years passed, they blossomed into charming, well-rounded young women. Great things were expected of them.

It was now 30 years since Hank Summers made a name for himself with the Rayne case but every now and then whenever he was interviewed, someone would mention it. It was commonly referred to as the case that made Hank a star. As the girls grew up, they occasionally heard stories of the famous trial but neither really knew much about it. Buffy was now 21. She had just finished college and was living on her own and working at a nonprofit organization. Dawn was 16 and attending a private boarding school. And Joyce was deeply immersed in her charitable work and social activities. Now, with the girls almost grown, Hank was considering running for the ultimate of his political ambitions. He was seriously contemplating a run for the White House. Once his intent became known, rumors were soon buzzing around town. Within weeks, he and his picture perfect family were again thrust into the media spotlight.

Throughout his life, Angelus maintained a deep interest in his father’s trial. As a teenager, he studied the trial transcripts and the statues that were used to convict his father. He collected every newspaper clipping or magazine article he could find that had anything to do with the case. He recorded televised interviews and news conferences. He was literally obsessed with anything pertaining to it, including the lawyers. As a child, he was terrified of the man who, in his mind, was taking his daddy away. That fear turned into fascination as he learned more and more about Hank Summers. Even as a young adult, he continued to follow Hank’s career and life. He knew of his marriage and the births of his children. Angelus even knew their names and ages. His fascination eventually turned into resentment and outright loathing as he followed Hank’s life through magazine articles and interviews; a life that, he felt, was the direct result of his father’s ruin. In his mind, everything good in Hank’s life was gained in some way from his father’s imprisonment. Whenever he saw a picture of Hank and his family, jealousy and rage boiled to the surface within him. Hank got to watch his children grow up, Ethan didn’t. Buffy and Dawn had their father with them, he didn’t and never would again.

However, as Angelus got older, he managed to bury his feelings and focus on getting his father paroled. If he could just manage to salvage whatever was left of Ethan’s life, he could enjoy some of what he always desperately wanted. His father. But the parole board refused him every time and the ongoing federal probes didn’t help matters. Even when Ethan was diagnosed with cancer, they refused to release him. That was when Angelus felt the long buried anger and hatred begin to flare within him again. This was all Hank’s fault. His father wouldn’t be dying in prison if it weren’t for Hank Summers.
But Angel still managed to suppress his anger and having his girlfriend around to help distract him was a blessing. Whenever he was frustrated and tense, he would just fuck Cordelia long and hard and he’d feel better in the morning. Well, Cordy wasn’t exactly his girlfriend although she liked to think of herself as that. But in truth, she was probably closer to being one than Angel would have liked to admit. First of all, she knew who he was and what he did. They’d been together on and off for several years now and although he routinely had her followed and her phone tapped, he trusted her somewhat. She knew of his father and his feelings towards Hank Summers. Also, of all the women he was currently fucking, she was the only one he allowed to spend the night. And even though she didn’t have an official “draw” or anything, he wasn’t completely against her keeping a change or two of clothes around his place. But, she knew that that was as far as it would ever go and she seemed to accept it. He was willing to spend obscene amounts of money lavishing her with gifts and as long as she was available to him, on his schedule, then things would be great between them for a long time to come.


In the days that passed since Ethan’s death, Angelus was consumed with funeral plans and arrangements. He hardly ate or slept. He rarely saw anyone. A bottle of bourbon was his constant companion. The only human contact he had was Cordelia but his only use for her was to suck his dick. She obliged eagerly. He would sit in his study; a drink in one hand while the other caressed her bobbing head. As the days wore on, Angel became more and more reclusive.
Now, it had been a few weeks since Ethan passed away. The funeral itself was an especially somber affair with very few attendees. Angel however, was glad for the privacy. Once it was over, he spent the following hours pounding Cordelia into his mattress. In the time that passed since, his state of mind only worsened. He still drank continuously, hardly ever eating a meal. Beyond fucking him, Cordelia tried to lift his spirits and get him to eat but the only thing he showed any interest in was his liquor and her pussy. When he wasn’t downing glass after glass of the hard stuff, he was thrusting his cock into her. She was worried about him but she couldn’t force him to eat or take care of himself. And he wouldn’t let her do it for him. He only took the occasional shower when she refused to fuck him as long as he continued to reek of stale alcohol. Eventually, he began eating and his hygiene returned to normal but he was still getting very little sleep and drinking like a fish. But at least there was some improvement. He also began having more outside contact; his cousin Lindsey was a frequent visitor. One day during a visit, the conversation turned to Hank Summers.
“How are you holding up?” Lindsey’s voice was full of concern.
“Things are better.” Clearly Angel was not about to open up.
“So I see. If you want to talk about it, you know I’m here for you.” He knew it was futile but Angel’s self-imposed isolation wasn’t healthy.
“Yeah Linds, I know.” Understanding passed between the cousins and Lindsey backed off. Slightly.
“Did you get to spend any time with him, I mean while he was lucid?” He knew it was still dangerous territory but he wanted to give Angel the opportunity to vent.
Seeing through Lindsey’s attempts Angel decided to throw him a bone. “Not much. He was in and out a lot towards the end and the morphine he was on kept him pretty out of it. But it was good to just be there for him in his last days.” In truth, Ethan’s senility was so advanced that he often couldn’t even recognize Angel as his son let alone hold a coherent conversation. The drugs only exacerbated it.
“I know what you mean. I don’t remember much of Ethan but I do remember that he was a nice man. I remember him reading stories to us. Unlike my father, Ethan took an interest in me that is other than to torment me. But even though Holtz was an animal, I deeply regret not being there in the end.” A hint of sadness entered Lindsey’s voice at the memory. He had been away at college when Holtz died. Angel felt a small pang of guilt prick at him for never telling Lindsey that he had Holtz killed. But he knew it would only upset his cousin and what would be the point. Holtz was a monster.
Misreading the reflective look on Angel’s face, Lindsey continued, “It’s too bad that Ethan’s life was so …” He stopped short of calling it a waste. He wasn’t certain how to put it.
“Well, we all know who sent him to that hellhole.” Angel’s hostility towards Hank clear.
“Well, speaking on behalf of my fellow lawyers, Summers was only doing his job.” He knew he was treading on very thin ice.
Eyeing Lindsey intently he replied, “And if you believe that then you’ve got a lot more to learn about this business. Hank went after Ethan with a vengeance. He and the feds railroaded him during that trial. They claim we threatened witnesses but what about those witnesses whose testimonies against Ethan they practically bought with half-baked plea bargains and deals of impunity. Half of those people should have gone to prison themselves. Hank Summers was hardly the epitome of prosecutorial discretion.”
Lindsey shrugged. He didn’t have a response to that. He knew there was some truth to Angel’s assertion, although he wasn’t certain how much that really influenced Ethan’s conviction. Lindsey hated to say it but Angel clearly was in denial of Ethan’s role in his own demise. But they were family and Angel was one of his top clients. Not to mention that he had his own skeletons to hide and Angel could completely ruin him. So Lindsey wisely kept his mouth shut. Over the next few hours, the two sipped on a few vodkas while commiserating over their respective losses. Eventually, Lindsey made his way home.


That night, after several rounds of vigorous sex, Angel lay in bed with Cordy sleeping next to him. He flipped through the channels looking for something to help his insomnia pass. As he flipped, he caught a glimpse of Hank Summers on TV. At first he thought he was mistaken but when he tuned in, sure enough, it was Hank being interviewed on Dateline. Apparently, he had his eyes set on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Angel sat upright in the bed. Eventually the interview turned more personal and Hank and his family were on the screen. It had been a long time since Angel had seen or heard anything about the girls and they obviously grew up a lot since. As he watched, he couldn’t help but notice Hank’s older daughter; she was stunning. The family talked briefly about their life in the political spotlight and then there were a few brief sections with the girls and what it was like to have Hank as a father. During the entire time, Angel was awestruck. The golden beauty on the screen seemed to speak directly to him. Listening to Hank talk and seeing him hug his kids triggered a blind fury within Angel. Here his own father was now dead and this man was walking around, talking and laughing with his children and discussing a possible future in the White House. All along Angel’s anger and hatred toward Hank were nebulous. They existed but were stagnant, with no direction to be channeled. But now, as images of the seemingly happy family flashed across the screen, the impotent rage that resided within him for so many years was slowly uncoiling and taking form. Angel could no longer hear what was being said on the TV. All he could hear echoing in his mind were the words of the jury foreperson reading the guilty verdict for each and every charge against his father. And almost as a separate track in his mind, he could hear the gasps of the crowd and reporters in the courtroom and the loud pounding of the judge’s gavel. Then suddenly he heard screaming, his own screaming as a child when they led Ethan away in handcuffs. As the interview came to a close with a few last pictures of the Summers family, Angel’s mind was bombarded with images from the past blending with present ones causing a kaleidoscope of painful memories to surface. Hank’s face, Ethan’s face, Joyce’s laughter, Darla’s tears, Holtz’s face, Buffy’s smile and his own agony. The word “Guilty!” echoed again and again as the pounding of the gavel continued in his head, drowning out his screams for his daddy. In that moment, in the bed next to Cordelia, Angel lost all contact with sanity and concocted a plan so devious, so twisted, his vengeance was sure to be complete. Angel was going to make Hank Summers pay and he knew exactly how to collect his payment. He’d make Hank suffer by taking something as precious to him as Ethan was to himself. Hank’s little golden princess. He’d take her and destroy her, then give her back to Hank as broken as Ethan was. For the first time in weeks, Angelus smiled.


tbc ...

Well, you've survived the main exposition. Now for the fun.
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