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[fixeswatches]

Angela's talk with him ended up being orders. She told him that he and Elle were going to be sent on assignment together. That the only way he would really learn control would be to test it in real life situations. After all, he had proven time and time again that he wouldn't kill Elle, so her showing off her power to him wasn't a significant test of his control.

He wasn't even sure he wanted control, but he kept that part to himself and took the orders, along with the suit he was apparently supposed to wear.

They were being sent to take care of a bank robbery. The perpetrator had a power, of course. He could create fire. Gabriel couldn't help but shiver a little as he thought about that idea. What a wonderful, useful power that one could be.

And then he reminded himself that he was supposed to bring the man, Flint, in alive.

What a disappointment.

He stood in front of his mirror, adjusting the tie of his suit. He couldn't help but feel like a fraud. He didn't really want to do any of this. But for now, it seemed he had little choice if he wanted to stay close to Elle.

Comments

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

"You wanted to be good," she gasped out uselessly, blinking out tears. "We were supposed to be good."

They were supposed to be happy. She'd thought they'd be happy.

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

"I know," His own voice weakened slightly in response.

"I thought if I was happy I could stop."

He rests his cheek against the top of her head.

"I was wrong."

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

She let out a wracking cry at his words, and trembled with the force of her chest splitting open. "Why?" she demanded. "Why did it have to be my dad? Why did you have to take him away?"

She knew he'd already answered, already told her, but she didn't care. She wasn't looking for his psychotic justifications; it was a question no one could ever answer.

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

"It wasn't anything personal. I would have...it could have been anyone."

Not that it made it better.

Not that anything he said could make it better.

"But you don't need him, Elle," He insisted once more. "I love you. He just saw you as a tool, but I love you."

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

It wasn't anything personal. She sucked in a harsh breath and let out an anguished scream she stifled into his chest.

It wasn't anything personal.

"You don't love me," she rasped out. "You don't do that to someone you love."

And yet she shuddered at his touch and clung to him anyway. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to make it all go away.

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't know. I've never loved anyone before." He smoothed back some of her hair, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

Except maybe himself. And maybe Virginia.

But not like this.

Not this crazy possessive love that made him glad that he had killed Elle's father, because that meant he really was all she had left in the world.

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

She wanted to lurch back from his soothing kiss. She wanted to tear herself out of his arms and just... kill him.

But she was so tired. She was so tired, and all she could do was lie limply in his arms.

"You're sick," she whispered. By now her sobs had lessened into painful hiccups, and her voice felt raw, and she couldn't stop shaking.

She'd never loved anyone before, either.

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

"I know," He conceded, a humorless smirk on his lips as he said it. He tilted her head up, bringing a hand to brush away some of the tears, the dried blood on his hands leaving stains on her face.

He drew himself up from the floor just enough to press his lips against hers. Maybe if he just pressed things enough, she'd realize they could still be happy together.

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

A fresh wave of hot tears stung her eyes as he kissed her, and she choked a little against his mouth. He was tender, brushing away her tears, cradling her and loving her and comforting her, as if a simple kiss could sooth all of her tears and anger and agony.

It just hurt more, because it felt so right. She wanted him to kiss her, and hold her, and make everything okay again.

How could something that felt so beautiful be a lie?

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

He had dealt with watches more broken than her in the past before. There had to be a way to wind her up, make her work again.

He had to fix her.

But for now, he just pressed against her a little more, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth. Because he liked kissing her. Because he didn't know what else to do. Because she hadn't said no yet.

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

She closed her eyes tight and parted her lips; she couldn't move away, she couldn't say no. She couldn't do anything but let him have her.

And she felt... relief. She didn't have to fight anymore. She didn't have to feel. She could let him make everything better. She could just melt into the safety of his arms and never have to worry about anything ever again.

And if sometimes it hurt, that would be okay, right? Maybe he'd make it hurt less. Maybe time would dull the pain.

Maybe this was the only way she could ever be happy again.

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

He couldn't help but gasp in surprise as she willingly opened her mouth for him. His tongue brushed against hers as his hands slid down to settle on her waist. Hope fluttered in his heart because if this wasn't a sign that his convictions were right (she was his, even now) then he didn't know what it was.

Didn't want to know.

His hands began to slide up her shirt and he didn't even care that his hands were caked in blood or that there was a corpse not too far from them. All he cared about was her.

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

She shivered at his touch, but it was a good shiver, and she relaxed her eyelids as he kissed her, gasping sharply at his warm tongue.

She just had to let go. She wanted to let go. Just kiss him back, she thought, and everything would be all right. Maybe she could still save him. Maybe he was wrong.

She leaned into him, ignoring the hot twisting in her gut, the carnal pleasure that wrapped into the uneasiness. She'd already taken this gamble. She shouldn't think a second time would be any different.

But did she have to lose? And if he failed... didn't she promise him she wouldn't leave him?

She did.

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

Gabriel groaned softly into her mouth as she leaned into him.

She still wanted him despite everything he had put her through.

A wave of desire and triumph rush over him as he breaks away only to start tugging her shirt off roughly, tearing it a little in the process. He should have known to be more careful.

Well, he knew, he just didn't care.

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

She dropped her face to his neck, unmoving as he tore through her shirt. She blinked quietly against his skin, and her voice sounded far away when she spoke. "Gabriel, the police," she whispered against his skin.

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

At her voice of concern he brought his hand up and twisted it, locking the doors to the bank via his telekinesis.

"They can wait," He answered softly, bringing his lips down to bite against her skin.

It had taken so much progress to get her this comfortable with him again, if they paused now...everything might just regress.

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

She closed her eyes and let out a shameful little gasp against his pulse as he marked her. His, she thought, detached. He was claiming her. The unease grew, snaking up into her heart, but he felt good. If she could just concentrate on that...

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

He licked at the wound on her neck, his line of thought about the same as hers. His. She'd realize it soon enough, he was certain of it. She had been his since they first made love in his bed.

But what was happening now as his hand slipped down her pants, fingers brushing against soft golden curls, it wasn't making love. It wasn't sweet or tender or innocent the way it was before.

No, it felt more primal, more urgent to him now, so much that he barely registered the fact that for once, she was not an active participant.

Instead she was lying there like another victim.

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

She wanted to feel something, anything, when he touched her--love, desire, something, but she didn't feel anything, and a few more tears seeped out of her eyes.

She didn't want this. She didn't want it; it wasn't like before. She felt a numbing rush of panic and weakly shook her head. "Gabriel," she cried softly, "please don't hurt me."

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

He stopped in his tracks at her words, as if genuinely shocked by them. And he was, somehow.

"I would...never hurt you, Elle," He whispered softly, suddenly feeling more vulnerable then he has since...

Since the night he killed her father.

"I hurt you enough already. I'm not going to do it again."

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

She lifted her head to look in his eyes and bittersweet pain swept over her at the vulnerability she saw there. She sucked in a racking breath and looked deeper, blinking down more tears. He looked like Gabriel, her Gabriel, and she reached to hold his face in her hands with trembling fingers. "But I hurt every time I look at you."

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

He closed his eyes as her hands reached for him, savoring the sensation for what it was worth. Who knew when she would touch him like this again, with such a painful tenderness to her touch.

"I don't know how to fix it," He admitted softly, more to himself then to her. "I usually know how things work, how they fit, what to put in the right place to make them run....but this..."

He didn't know. In all honesty, he was mostly going by impulse, trying to see what would work, because he doesn't know.

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

"I'm not a watch, Gabriel," she said softly, furrowing her brows. A sob caught in her chest, placed pressure down, heavy, hard into her chest as she confronted the truth. "You can't fix me."

[justgabriel.livejournal.com]

He wanted to protest. He's fixed people. He had fixed Brian.

But he couldn't break Elle's head open and try to see where things aren't fitting. It wasn't quite that simple.

"But I want to," He replied softly, eyes opening to look into hers once more.

[electrocutesy.livejournal.com]

"I know. But you can't," she repeated sorrowfully, and pushed aside his hair.