The Guardian

The Guardian

Author: Tygerlily
Email: Angelusblood@yahoo.com
Summary: The Powers decided after watching their warrior guard The City of Angels; he needed a guardian of his own. And so they send an unlikely ally to help guard their guardian. All of this was done to give him a new friend and comrade in arms and also… a new lover?
Spoilers: Everything up to about Parting Gifts; Angel S1
Rating: Nc-17 Eventually
Pairing: Angel/OC, Wesley/Fred, Cordy/Groo
Distribution: All the usual suspects! Anyone else just ask
Author Note: This is my very first time ever pairing the main character of a story with an original character of mine, so I ask that you be kind as well as patient while the story develops! Also this is just the FIRST chapter so there isn’t much in the ways of hot steamy sex but I promise there will be much of that in the very near future… say Chapter Three-ish…

Huge thanks goes to Iceflame55 because god you just don’t let up! Lolz!

Chapter One – The Seraph


The sky was painted an array of pinks and purples as the sun slowly fell past the horizon. Its rays caused the buildings’ windows to glitter like stars that lit up the ever darkening sky. Warm hazel eyes drifted shut as a soft California breeze picked up and caressed her skin. Her long flowing raven colored locks danced softly in the warm breeze that had picked up around her. She was a beautiful sight, standing only about 5’4 tall with long dark locks that flowed just past her shoulders; her sun kissed colored skin glistened in the fading sunlight. She was dressed casually in a pair of low riding worn out blue jeans and a pale pink tank. The young woman that stood just across the way from AI investigations was truly a beautiful sight.

Sighing softly she easily jogged her way across the street and up to the building. Easily sensing only the presences of the vampire she sought she confidently made her way inside. The office was quiet, it was downstairs below where the vampire prowled band and forth, she momentarily wondered what had him so restlessly but she instantly pushed that thought aside and focused on the matter at hand. Inhaling deeply she steeped onto the elevator and slowly made her descent into the apartment below. After only but a few moments she reached the bottom and the elevator came to a halt with a loud clang. Slowly she slid up the gate and stepped out onto the hardwood floor. Initially her eyes had to adjust to the dim lighting though the blurriness soon faded and clarity returned.

It was then she heard a soft rumbling coming from somewhere within the shadows, she knew she had to think fast or she could easily be on the receiving end of this particular vampires’ wrath. Soul or not she was entering his home without his permission nor did he have any idea as to who she was. Deciding that she needed to diffuse thtuattuation quickly she hesitantly stepped forward but was only met with a darker warning growl.

“I’m looking for the ensouled one; I believe his name to be Angel… formerly known as Angelus The Scour—“she was cut off by a harsh but somewhat gentler sounding voice.

“What is it exactly your after little girl? Hmmm?” he asked softly

Aeon could hear the soft rustling of movement and it was then she saw two brilliantly colored saffron eyes staring back at her. She’d never seen a more dly tly thrilling yet so very lovely sight. Shaking her head slightly she went to move towards him only halting in her steps when the growls grew louder, knowing that she wasn’t going to get close to him anytime soon she figured she’d just fill him on the basics now and if he believed her and was even remotely interested she filled in all the blanks a little later.

“Angel; I have been sent to you… by 'The Powers That Be'. They are proud of you and know you are doing your absolute best to achieve redemption but they felt that since you are the guardian of The City of Angels, that you should have a guardian of your own. I know this may sound ridiculous and that I’m probably lying to you… but I swear it! I am to be your protector…” she trailed of softly

Hazel eyes grew wide as a large form finally began to emerge and materialize from the shadows. When the vampire was finally standing before her, he practically towered over her and with his large form he was extremely intimidating not to mention that low rumble of a growl really hadn’t stopped yet. Pulling himself up to his full height, mahogany eyes stared down at the seemingly young little thing in front of him and they instantly softened.

“What is your name?” he asked softly

Suddenly startled by the sound of his voice her body jumped and a questioning sound emerged from her throat. Looking up she realized that he had actually spoken to her and was requesting her name.

“Oh forgive me, my name is Aeon” she replied just as softly

“Aeon… do you not have a last name?” he asked gently

Aeon looked up at him and then looked towards the small seating area in one corner of the room. Taking the hint he led her over to an overstuffed chair, in one fluid motion she was seated and already snuggling into the buttery soft leather.

“Well, of course I have a last name… I just don’t normally inform people of it. I mean you too have a last name if I recall correctly. In fact you have full Irish-Catholic name; Mr. Liam O’Roake.” She said with a smile

Huffing out a laugh his lips curled into a small smile and conceded to her reasoning. Though he soon interjected that since she knew hise ite it was only fair that he too knew hers. Smiling, she quietly told him:

“My name is Aeon Gryphon, I know… not the most common of names but it suits me just fine. And I suppose I rather like having what one would consider… a unique name.” she said

It was then they lapsed into what one could consider almost a comfortable silence. For some reason not being able to take the silence much longer he offered her some tea and she instantly accepted. Both moved into the kitchen, Angel went about making tea while Aeon just quietly sat at the small table within the room. Placing the warm liquid in front of her he silently made his way to the opposite end and took a seat. Neither was actually consuming the warm caffeinated drink in front of them but rather listless playing with it as their eyes aimlessly moved about the room. Sighing heavily Aeon decided enough was enough.

“This is ridiculous; I know this is beyond weird. I mean being told that I’ve been sent to guard you but it’s true and it’s also obvious that you believe me so I think we should—“

“We should what?”

“—try to be friends, Just from these first few minutes you seem generally like a really nice person and I guess I’d like to get to you know more. And since we will be fighting together… it’d probably be a good idea for us to eventually trust one another. If we for some reason don’t already” she said softly

A few tense moments passed before Angel answered her request with nothing more than a soft smile. And so that was the beginning of this somewhat tentative friendship. They didn’t really get into each other’s past but more of what their lives were like at the present. Angel informed Aeon of his mission and his desire to staver ver and begin anew. Her story was basically that she was starting out in life and in this world and that she was basically thrown into this whole Guardian situation much like he was.

“Its getting late, do you have a place to stay? Obviously you know what’s out there at night and I have to get out there, in fact I should’ve been out there an hour ago… as soon as the sunset” he explained gently

Giggling softly at his naïveté, she quietly explained that this was the exact reason as to why she was here. When he went out to hunt and patrol the streets she was going to accompany him. Though the vampire knew looks could be deceiving, one young Buffy Summers was an example of that he still had his doubts on how this delicate thing could handle herself in a fight… she sure as hell looked human enough, but there was something about the way she smelled…

“So where are we off to?” she asked

“Can you even fight in that?” he asked as he eyed her low riding jeans and tank top that barely covered her firm tummy. The only thing that gave him some semblance of calm about this little thing fighting was the sneakers that adorned her feet… and that wasn’t saying very much.

The vampire began to make his way through the large subterranean apartment towards some of the more darkened rooms, flipping on the lights as he went. Finally coming to two large dark mahogany wooden doors he easily slid them apart and enter his training space. On the opposite wall an extensive knife and blade collection adorned the wall. Several beautifully crafted and decorated swords adorned the walls and display cabinets. The lighting in the room was low, each display of beautiful weaponry was accented by a low light giving the metal somewhat of a glow.

As he made his way across the room his footfalls were the only sound that could be heard. Whispering a few words under his breath a small portion of the wall opened up to reveal a small space containing stakes and two leather miniature looking harnesses. Slipping a stake into each of the delicate leather straps he casually tossed one Aeon’s way; she caught it easily with her right hand. Not bothering to look up from his task he continued to strategically place a few stakes within the pockets of his duster. After securing the leather harness to his hand with a flick of his wrist he checked to see how easily the stake ejected itself… it was perfect.

Turning back to his new companion he was pleased to see the harness already strapped to her forearm and that she had already discovered how it worked. Walking up to her he silently handed her an extra stake, which of course she instantly pocketed… where she hid it; he really wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. Again he went about his tasks in silence, with a few more whispered words he walked back across the room and that particular portion of the wall closed back up while another opened. He quickly slipped his favorite dagger into the belt loops on his boots and then tossed a blade only slightly smaller in size to Aeon… she again easily caught it though instead of removing the blade from its casing she tied the raw hide ties to the belt loops on her jeans and with that he quickly strode out of the room and back into the main portion of the apartment. Taking her cue; Aeon quickly exited the room as well though she jumped slightly as the doors closed behind her.

“Come on, we’re headed over to the more industrial area of town. Not too many vampires like to hang out down there… the territory is too rough for most but a lot of the demons and demonic sects like to hang out down there. It’s also a good well of information on the underground and there’s word on the street that a bunch of fire demons have invaded the area… and no one really cares for fire demons so we won’t get much trouble from the locals for taking them out” he explained as they made their way up to the street level of AI investigations and out into the warm night air.

In a comfortable silence they made their way through the dimly lit and relatively quiet streets. Aeon couldn’t help but notice as the kept mostly to the shadows, only entering the small pools of the streetlights when absolutely necessary. Though he didn’t actually speak to her, a look or a glance in her direction was all she needed to understand what he was saying to her.

‘Stay close, watch your back, follow me… I’ll protect you’

She couldn’t help but think that he had the most expressive eyes one ever did see. Angel however had very different thoughts running through his mind. He’d already walked the earth for nearly two-hundred and fifty years, in that amount of time one saw a thing or two… soul or not. And one valuable piece of information he’d learned in that fairly short expanse of time was that The Powers loved to fuck around and that they could throw anything and apparently anyone at you at any given time. Though this slip of a girl said that The Powers had sent her there was no way he could be completely sure. Cordelia hadn’t had a vision of young woman coming to him to help him fight, so he couldn’t help the skepticism that still invaded him mind.

From what he could tell she seemormaormal enough but her scent was slightly different from any mortal’s he’d ever smelt before and the way she caught the weapon with such ease made him wonder, where on earth did this girl really come from and who was she really? He was soon ripped from his musings by the sound of a low yet melodic sounding growl. Just down the alley way were two fire demons which seemed to be finishing up an early evening snack. With a quick glance in Aeon’s direction they both moved quickly toward the snarling demons.

In one fluid motion Aeon vaulted over the two demons and landed on the other side, without hesitation she attacked the one closest to her leaving the other for Angel, the vampire was momentarily stunned with such a skilled movement but soon jumped into the fray. Aeon quickly found that her fists alone weren’t doing much damage and soon came to rely on the blade that was given to her earlier in the evening. Not too long afterwards she made quick work of the demon; she was forced backwards and onto the gritty and cool ground when the blade pierced the demon’s upper bicep; piercing its heart in the process causing it to bursto a o a beautifully bright emerald colored flame before dissipating back into the night.

It didn’t take long for another emerald colored flame to appear and soon the sound of footsteps on the cemented ground was all that could be heard in contrast to her rather heavy breathing.

“Are you alright?” he asked

“Yea, I’m okay… I think” she answered as she slowly got back on her feet

“You handled yourself real well, I was worried at first you wouldn’t be able to cut it but you did extremely well. At least I won’t worry so much about you if my back is turned for an instant in a fight… ah look those two were pretty big and it seems like they took a lot out of both of us… why don’t we cut the hunt short… just for tonight. I’m actually kind of hungry and well I thought maybe you might be too…” he trailed off

“Sounds good to me, I definitely could use something to eat. I actually haven’t eaten since this afternoon… but hum, where exactly could we get something that would satisfy both our… tastes” she asked curiously

“Well actually I don’t really like to—“

“—Because I know of this place that we could go to, I mean I’m sure you’ve heard of it already and I just—“

“Aeon!” his patients had just about run out

Curious eyes looked toward the vampire and what they saw there caused them to immediately dart toward the floor. Angel’s somewhat angered expression never changed though inside he couldn’t help notice her remorseful look and downcast eyes. Sighing softly he reached out and gently lifted up her chin and asked where was this place she was so excited about and for some reason seeing the smile that broke out on her face warmed the vampire’s heart.

“It’s this place called Le Jardin-“

“—The Garden? I know of it but it’s ridiculously expensive… and well were not exactly dressed for the occasion…” he explained

“I’ll tell you what, if you pick up the tab; I can handle our gear” she said with a hopeful expression

Mulling the idea over a few moments; Angel realized that he was actually quite hungry and if from the soft rumblings of his companions stomach was any indication then so was she and so far she seemed to be true to her word… what could it hurt… right?

“Okay, so what exactly are you going to do about…us?”

“This is the easyt… jt… just hum stand there and try not to move too much, its not a complicated spell but if we don’t want to come out of this looking like circus folk I suggest you keep fairly still” she saith ath a smile

“Please by the gods tell me that your kidding” he pleaded all he received in response was a smile.

“Pas plus mauvais pour l'usage… Prenez ce vêtement usé… Et faites-s'évaporer le dans l'air… Est une nuit du charme ce que nous cherchons… Faites ainsi nous faire Armani et Prada le bonbon à regard”

And with that a gentle breeze picked up and within moments the vampire’s usual hunting attire was replaced with dark slacks with a coffee colored silk shirt which accented his alabaster skin topped with a buttery soft leather waist coat in a rich, deep chocolate color. He felt freshly showered and when he looked down at his dress he knew he looked good. Raising his eyes to Aeon he was more than pleasantly surprised to find her no longer in her jeans and tank top but in a Drape-neck seamed dress; it was in the same deep chocolate color as his coat which only seemed to cause her tanned skin tandtand out all the more. It fell to about the middle of her calves thoit dit did hang a bit lower in the back. Her hair was braided back to about the shell of her ear where the rest fell freely around her shoulders… she was absolutely stunning.

“You look very beautiful” he said softly

“Not so bad yourself, you clean up well…” she said smiling and it seemed to be contagious because he couldn’t help but smile as well. Offering her his arm which she gratefully took they made their way the short distance to where the car was parked. Once Aeon was seated comfortably on the passenger side Angel couldn’t help but ask.

“Aeon; that was a fairly simple spell, I mean you basicalaid:aid: No worse for wear, Take this worn attire, and have it evaporate into air, A night of glamour is what we seek, So have Armani and Prada make us look… sweet? Soooo my question is… why in French?”

“Well French can be so much more beautiful sounding then English… almost melodic, don’t you agree? And besides, my family is from France so to sp its its also always nice to once in awhile use my native tongue even if only for a spell” she simply stated

His gaze only lingered on her for but a moment before he just shook his head in some form of acceptance and pulled out of the space and made his way down the streets of Los Angeles. The silence that settled within the car wasn’t an uncomfortable one and allowed time for the ensouled vampire to really think about this peculiar situation and once againseemseemed to be The Powers doing.

‘Alright… I came to Los Angeles to start anew, with no human ties, my only concern was with eventually gaining my redemption but only after being in the city for barely three months Doyle shows up on my doorstep asking how am I suppose to save these people’s lives if I don’t get involved and then Cordelia ends up on my doorstep and everything just began to snowball after that… what with Doyle’s death and then Wesley almost in a sense taking his place as the third member of our misfit group. Things have been moving so fast since leaving Sunnydale almost 6 months ago… God, has it really been that long?

And now this!?!

This mysterious yet absolutely gorgeous looking girl shows up at my home saying that she was sent by The Powers, to protect me… to protect me!?! I mean I was skeptical at first but after seeing how she handled herself in the alley it’s clear that she isn’t a stranger to the fight but there is this innocence about her… almost like she’s never been truly touched in any way by the evils of this world but she still knows that there is no such thing as true perfection… or even pure goodness… everything is tainted somehow. And the way she smells… her scent is different somehow, almost like she isn’t mortal but that’s ridiculous her scent isn’t THAT different and I can hear heartbeat and the warmth that radiated off over her skin was another sign… and yet. I wonder if it has to do with the magicks that flow her. It’s more than obvious that she was born with a natural talent for the craft…’

He was suddenly pulled from his musings by the sound of his passenger’s voice. Glancing over to his right he shot Aeon an expectant look.

“Where were you just now? You looked a million miles away… not too mention the fact that you’re driving and your dazed expression was freaking me out” she said jokingly

“Oh sorry, I was just thinking… you know how your mind can wander sometimes… and this was just one of them I suppose…” he trailed off as they pulled up to the establishment

Angel gracefully exited the car and walked around to the other side to first offer his arm to his Aeon and then dropped the keys into the valet’s hand and without a backwards glace he warned the gangly boy that if he saw once scratch on it he’d have his job.

“Did you know that this place was originally built in 1870 and though it’s been more than 120 years or so they’ve basically kept the rural Victorian Gothic structure, its believed it gives the place more… atmosphere” he said with a small smile

“I’m impressed, not too many people know of this place let alone so much about its history” saidsaid the surprise in her voice evident

“Well just before I headed back to England to meet up with Darla and Drusilla once again I attended the opening… it was truly a night to remember”

Walking up to the concierge they were seated almost immediately after a few soft spoken words and a few hundreds were interchanged. They were lead to a quiet corner where the lighting was low and the sound of the other dinners was even lower… they were alone and had their privacy but were still able to take in the rest of the restaurant and its other patrons.

To start Angel ordered a bottle of LaDame and with that the waiter quickly took his leave.

“Angel… you do realize that you just order a bottle of wine that cost nearly three hundred dollars!?!” she asked incredulously

Quietly laughing at her expression, he often forgot that no one really knew how much money he truly had. After living for nearly three hundred years and being the son of Lord as a mortal had its advantages. He’d always had money and over time it’s only grown to astronomical amounts. His accounts were the only demons he kept on his payroll after gaining control again after Angelus’s reign. He already knew he could trust them and they were good at what they did. All this time it was his choice to live modestly and not to really touch it knowing that most of it was Angelus’s blood money but at times like these he didn’t mind so much if it made someone he cared about smile and he was soon coming to realize that Aeon was someone he wanted to care about and see happy… often.

“Don’t worry about it Aeon, its part of the deal remember? You were going to take care of our gear as you called it and it was my job to pick up the tab… and I rarely indulge like this… so let me have my fun, okay?” he said

Aeon looked at him doubtfully at first but she couldn’t help but soon cave at the adorable almost hopeful boyish expression on his face. Smiling softly she slightly nodded her head before looking back down at her menu. All too soon the waiter returned with their wine and after serving them both he asked if they were ready to order. Angel nodded slightly and took the liberty of ordering for both of them.

‘The lady to start will have the stuffed mushrooms in the light cream sauce and I myself will start with a pint of the O-Negative with a sprinkling of cinnamon and the Tabasco mix”

With a quick accepting nod the waiter once again made his way a way from the table leaving touplouple alone again. Angel sipped slowly at his wine savoring the slight burn as it made its way down his throat, only after feeling someone’s eyes on him did he notice Aeon’s question look.

“What?” he asked curiously

“Cinnamon and Tabasco mix?” she asked

“Though the blood here is human, it’s not as fresh as it could be since they get it from the blood banks so they heat it to perfect body temperature but it looses something… especially if you’ve tasted human blood before so it can have flavor added to it… I myself like cinnamon and Tabasco it makes the blood sweet… something akin to the taste of innocence yet the Tabasco makes it hot… like passion, it’s a heady mix” he explained

Aeon couldn’t but notice how his voice got softer and bit more rougher toward the end, it was when she looked up into his eyes that she finally understood the expression ‘bedroom eyes’. Mahogany colored eyes had already slightly glazed over with lust and remembrance of times past though their ‘food’ finally arrived so it broke the small spell that had been cast upon the vampire.

“So Aeon, where exactly are you staying?”

“Oh well… I have an apartment in downtown Los Angeles, very close to the business district. I figured it was the closets and well it seemed kinda like the center of almost everything, soooo….”

“That makes sense… after dinner, should I drop you off at home or did you want to go back to my place? And I don’t mean to… what I’m trying to say is that—“

“Angel its cool, I didn’t leave anything at your place and I’d love to get some rest, it’s been somewhat of a long day and though it wasn’t nearly as… trying as I thought it’d be it would be wonderful to go home and crash in my own bed”

And with that dinner progressed all too quickly but quite easily. They found they had a lot in common but also a lot to debate about, the evening was filled with laughter and great conversation and both were somewhat sorry to see it end, the conversation and the good mood continued back to the car and all the way to Aeon’s place. Putting the car in park Angel turned to Aeon grasping at straws trying to figure a way for this young woman to stay with him even only for a moment longer.

“I had fun tonight; we should do it again some time… perhaps plan it out and not just go spur of the moment after demon hunting though I must say it did work out fairly well” she said with a smile

“Uh yea, it actually did… hum look do you need me to walk you—“

“Oh no, I’ll be fine”

On impulse just before hoping out of the car Aeon leaned over and left a soft kiss on the vampire’s cheek and with that she bounded out of the car and into the building. It was only after staring at her door for a few moments did he feel a slight tingle flow throughout his body before it was gone. And when he looked down his hunting attire was back as well as his weapons. Sighing heavily he put the car into drive and pulled away and into the ever on coming twilight all the while thinking.

‘What the hell have I gotten myself into?’

End of Chapter One


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Okay well that was the first chapter of The Guardian, I hope you guys found it enjoyable and if you did like it I'd really like you guys to review. This is a new thing for me as I said before pairing Angel of with an OC sooo if no one is really all that interested I just may let this one go but if you are please let me know and I'll give you more... Chapter Two is already in the works by the way [just as a precaution... hehe]