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Guarding Her (Traveler x Angel)

Angel123

Angel123

Super-Earth
Joined
Feb 3, 2014
Lana leaned heavily against the counter in front of her coffee maker, she wore a fluffy pink robe that reached just above her knees and was tied about the waist. Her head level with the pot as she watched the coffee slowly drip out. This was her addiction, at least for the past three months as the amount of sleep of she was getting slowly diminished. A large goofy smile slipped up her lips as the last of the coffee dripped out. Quickly as she could she poured herself a large cup of this liquid energy and took a long drink. She sighed as she felt it burn its way down her throat. Flopping into one of the large fluffy chairs that took over her living room she curled into a ball around her mug inhaling its aroma in between sips. She was down to the last gulp when she heard a strong knock of the door. With a regretful sigh she downed the last of her drink and got up to answer the door.

(sorry kinda short, but I kinda like it)
 
The job had been one that most of the others in the agency slid across their desk and shook their heads at. A live-in bodyguard for a woman who had been threatened? No... most of them had lives. If not wives and children, then they had girlfriends or boyfriends, or baseball games or football, or something that kept them from wanting to commit to such a job. It was indefinite; something that most people with lives avoided as well. For Abe Thane it was exactly what he needed. For one thing, he had no life. He'd signed on the dotted line when his tours were done, and he was glad to be no longer the property of the federal government. He had no girlfriend, no kids, no wife, no boyfriend, and no apartment or car payment to worry about. A full-time, live-in as a bodyguard, chauffeur to some paranoid woman seemed like a walk in the park compared to what he had been subject to in his prior life.

It didn't hurt that the pay was quiet generous as well. He paid the taxi driver and hefted his duffel bag over his shoulder. He didn't have a lot to carry around and he liked to keep it that way. Today he wore business attire; a dark blue suit, sans tie, over a light blue shirt, dress shoes and belt, the prerequisite Springfield XD 40 concealed inside the waistband, and a few necessary 'extras'. A pocket knife with a half-serrated blade, for cutting through seat belts quickly, a flashlight, his cell phone and wallet, a nice silver pen that doubled as a stabbing device, and his wristwatch. He was as ready for anything as he needed to be. Eh, besides the missing prerequisite condom most body guards kept tucked in their wallets for those lonely older women whose guards doubled as lovers, but Abe had never fancied himself a high priced whore.

No, this job was to help him save his money so he could disappear one day in the outskirts of Wyoming, or Montana... or Idaho. Somewhere like that, and live a simple, calm life. No wars, no worries, and no women.

He walked up the steps to the nice, older home, and looked around. Whoever lived here had no trouble paying her bills! He set down the bag on a long bench outside the entry and knocked four times, loud enough to be heard throughout the house. He pointedly ignored the doorbell. They were, in his opinion, rude. And then he waited.
 

Uncurling herself from the chair, Lana carefully set her mug on the deep brown coffee table in front of her before slowly making her way over to the door. Her hands held a slight tremor as placed them against the door and stood on her toes to look through the peep hole. It was a man... a very good looking man. Lana frowned, she hadn't ordered a man... then gasping as she remember that she really had ordered a man, more specifically a body guard. Relief washed through her as she quickly unlocked the door and greeted him.

"Hello" She said in a soft voice, "You must be from..." her face scrunched up in thought as she tried to remember the name of the company but gave up after a few moments. "It doesn't matter" She dismissed it with a wave of her hand and ushered him in, "Your Abe Thane, correct?" she asked as she closed the door behind him. Quickly she stepped back into her living room and scooped up her cup before strolling into the kitchen assuming he would follow as she went. "To be honest, I wasn't expecting you so soon." She said with a chuckled as she gestured to her robe. Heading straight for the coffee maker she set about throwing out the used coffee grinds and putting new ones in. "Do you want any?" She asked as she pressed the button that set it about brewing her coffee. Leaning against the counter she crossed her arms and looked up at the man in front of her. "I suppose you probably have some things you'd like to do over?" She asked.
 
He watched her open the door and thought to himself that she was much younger than he expected. He walked in and set his bag down, looking around her place as she walked into the next room and picked up her coffee cup. Abe reached back and locked and bolted the door behind himself. He strolled after her, taking in the way the house was decorated and summing up exactly who this woman was who hired him. "Well, to be honest, how do you know that I'm this 'Abe Thane' fellow you're expecting?" He leaned against the counter near her cooking knives.

"You didn't ask to see my ID or credentials, or verify that I was here. You said you weren't expecting me to arrive so soon." He nodded towards the knives. "I'm between you and the only weapons in here."

The man smiled and shook his head as he crossed his arms. "Yes, I would like some coffee. Thank you." He reached into his waistband and pulled out his ID, holding it up so that she could see. "Here... my identification. I'd like to go through the house with you and see what kinds of safety precautions you have, then I'd like to hear everything about this stalker of yours and see if we might be able to figure out a motive."

Looking at how lovely the woman was, though, he had a good inkling of at least one of the motives.
 

Lana felt like she was being kicked in the gut as the man before her pointed out that she couldn't possibly have any conformation that he was who she though he was. Her face paled a bit at the realization. "I-I-I didn't think..." she trailed off not have a good excuse for her stupid actions. Lana's hand trembled slightly as she took the identification from him, studied it for a bit and then handed it back. "Oh, ok..." She face flushed red as she thought of the mess that was her room, she was sure there was at least three pairs of bras and panties on the floor and she didn't even want to think about the bathroom.

Once he was out of the room Lana seemed to collapse against the counter, how could she have been so stupid, she thought to herself. She let a total stranger into the house just because she thought he was her body guard. Lana felt her stomach clench, taking deep breaths she bent at the waist and leaned her forearms against the counter burying her head in her hands as she tried to control the anxiety the pulsed through her body. Lana was not taking this whole stalking thing well, her days were full of panic attacks and her nights full of nightmares. She felt like she was holding on by a thread.

Once she felt her nerves were back under control she stood back up running and hand through her hair and pulled a clean mug from the cabinet. Pouring hot coffee into the cup she set it aside and poured herself one as well and waited for Abe to return.
 
The bodyguard began to leave the room to inspect the house with her, but then he poked his head back into the kitchen to ask if she was coming or not. Instead, he saw her leaning on the counter with a look of complete anxiety on her face. Then after a few minutes she poured coffee for them both.

"Hey, are you going to show me your house, or what?" He gave her a strange look. "The first rule of thumb is to listen, okay? I'd like to go through the house with you and see what kinds of safety precautions you have, then I'd like to hear everything about this stalker of yours and see if we might be able to figure out a motive." He took the coffee and thanked her before taking a sip. "I'm here to protect you, Ms Johnson. But I can't do that if you're not close to me. So you'll have to stay close to me."

He took another sip. "Good coffee, by the way. Nice."
 

Lana jumped when she heard his voice behind her spilling her coffee down the front of her robe, she gasped as the hot coffee burned the front of her neck and chest before being soaked up by her robe. "Shit, shit, shit." She mumbled as she frantically set her mug down and rushed over to the sink. Tears began forming in the corners of her eyes as the scalding hot coffee turned her skin an angry red. Grabbing a wash cloth from the sink and let cold water run over it before quickly pressing it up against her neck and chest she tried to calm the burning sensation.

Lana didn't think this first meeting could go any worse, first like an idiot she let him in without asking for identification. Second, her scatter brained mind couldn't correctly comprehend that he had wanted her to go with him when he check the house. And now thirdly her frayed nerves which caused her to jump at the slightest thing, lead her to pour coffee all the the front of herself. To make matters worse the coffee had been very fresh making it very hot, at the moment Lana was just hoping her skin didn't form blisters all over her neck.
 
That... wasn't good. Abe strode after her to the sink, and as she tried to dab her chest and neck with the cold, wet cloth, he simply reached around her and untied her sash to remove the still-hot cloth from her body. He took the cloth from her nervous hands and wet it again, then laid it out across her scald.

"You're not doing very well, are you?" His eyes looked at hers as he wet the section of her robe that had coffee on it and wrung it out before trying to slide it back on her body. Fluffy and pink. That was his first impression of her that he had, and he wouldn't have been surprised to see that she had stuffed animals or porcelain dolls in her bedroom. "Listen... why don't we sit at your table and we can talk first? I've obviously underestimated how shaken up you are over this incident."

He rewet the towel and applied it across her decolletage again. He looked at her with concern as his strong fingers brushed across her skin when he laid the towel on her. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I could have handled this better. You don't need me pointing out how vulnerable you were when I arrived, and I apologize for that. It must have added to the stress you were already under." He scooted the cup of hot coffee away from her and began to look through her cabinets. "How about a nice cup of soothing tea? With milk? You do have some, don't you?"
 
Lana felt grateful as he stripped her of her robe and ran it under the water for her, she was also relieved that she still had her pajamas on under it. Sure, it was only a top, no bra, and a pair of shorts, but it was much better than nothing. Lana met his eyes as he ran the coffee stained part of her robe under the sink, "you're no doing very well, are you?" His question made her blush and look away as she shook her head. Tears pooled in her eyes and her lip trembled, but not wanting to embarrass herself once again him front of him, she sucked her lip into her mouth, biting it between her teeth as she blinked furiously to keep the tears from falling.

Lana nodded as he suggested that they take a seat first and thanked him as he wet the towel and placed it against her burn. "I'll be ok." She whispered as she took in his concerned look, "I've been through much worse." She gave him a weak smile and went to sit down in one of the wooden chairs the surrounded her kitchen table. Shaking her head at his apology, she tired to laugh but it came out a bit strangled and none to comforting, "Yes I think tea would be perfect." She agreed as she directed him as where to find everything he would need.
 
He watched the way her lips trembled and she tried to hold it all together. The girl was in some kind of emotional shock, and if he didn't kow better he would have thought that she had been physically attacked just now. She had the shaking, overwhelmed look of someone who was at the limit of what they could bear.

Abe set water to boil on the stove and looked around her kitchen. He found a French press and then opened up several tea bags and dropped the loose leaves into the press as the water heated up. He felt... grateful?... that he had a purpose again. He had a mission; to take care of this woman's safety. That included her physical as well as her emotional safety. Right now his job was to not only keep her body safe, but to restore her 'feeling' of safety, and he had inadvertently shattered it when he arrived. If he could have done it all over again he would have handled it differently.

He turned around and leaned against the counter. "So, tell me when this all started. I want to hear everything, even if you think that it's not important or embarrassing; I need to know exactly what we're coming up against here." His eyes couldn't help but travel over her face and shoulders. He fought to keep his gaze above her chest, but it was difficult when every little motion of her hands or tremble in her legs caught his eye. He finally looked away from her and examined her walls as she spoke, so that he could concentrate on her words and not be distracted.
 
Lana nodded and tugged at one of her sleeves as she tried to remember how it started. "Well I think it was three months ago, I can home one night, I had just gone out to pick up groceries, and in one of the bags I found the first note. At first I thought they where cute, because they where quotes from my books, saying they moved me." She shrugged as she explained how they notes started as seemingly harmless. "But then they became more... Violent... And sexual. I started finding them in my pockets, and they hadn't been there when I put them on." Lana adjusted the cloth on her neck nervously, "not just my coat pockets but my jean pockets... How he was able to get his hand in there with out me noticing." Lana shook her head. "That's what's so scary, it means he's been close enough to touch me... And he has." Lana's hand trembled as she ran a hand through her hair. "The breaking point was when he started sending me pictures of myself... Everywhere... In my home, in my car, everywhere. I can't go anywhere without looking over my shoulder." Lana shook her head and blushed, "saying it out loud, it doesn't sound like much but... In the three months that it's been going on, I've getten enough notes and pictures to fill two shoe boxes." Covering her face with her hands she shook her head, she felt like a ninny, like she was over reacting... But if she couldn't go out of her house without coming home and finding a note somewhere on her... Something had to change.

(this was done on my iPod so please excuse any mistakes)
 
Abe Thane

The stalker was sick. But weren't all obsessive people sick to some degree?

"So, do you still have these notes and photos?" He poured the hot water over the leaves and let them steep. As he did so he found a tea cup and some milk and sugar. "So, three months ago. Did anything else change in your life? Did you change the store you go shop at, or did you attend some convention where this stalker might have met you?" He made her a cup of English tea and set it in front of her before returning to his coffee cup. Then he sat opposite her on the table.

"I'll need to understand your schedule as well, and who is authorized in your life and who isn't. For instance, if you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, I need to know. If you have co-worker or parents or whatever, I need to know. And if you have regular employees... a gardener, a mechanic, whatever... I need to know. In short, I'm your shadow until this guy is caught." He smiled at her. "And don't worry; no one gets to touch you unless you give them permission too."

He took a sip of his coffee and then set it down. "These kinds of people get dangerous really fast, Ms Johnson. They begin to believe that they are entitled to be in your life. I'm here to make sure that only the people you want to let into your life gets in."
 

Lana sighed tiredly, "I kept them all, I thought they might be helpful." She slipped her fingers through the handle of her mug and took a small sip as she thought about his next question, "I had just finished with a book tour, so I went to a lot of conventions all over the country, it could have been any of them." She muttered, "As far as shopping, no I just go to the same store every time and I'm not a friendly person by any means, I don't talk to anyone unless I have to." Lana groaned and ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

"Right now I don't have much of a schedule because I don't leave my house unless absolutely necessary. If I don't leave I don't get the notes and the only people I really ever have contact with is my cook and maid, Maria, and my publicist, Rico. Maria comes Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Rico come when ever he needs something from me. I don't have a boyfriend or family, so that should make you're life a bit easier for you." she explained with a dry laugh.

Lana sighed with relief as he assure her that no one would be getting to her without her own permission. "Thank you, you don't know how much that really means to me."
 
Abe Thane

"Well, we need to get your life back for you." He smiled reassuringly. "So. Let's finish your tea, and then I'd like you to show me around your house." He finished his coffee and took a breath. His blue eyes examined her face and then he nodded as if agreeing with some unheard voice.

"And then, Ms Johnson, I think you should take a nice, hot shower and get dressed. Your cupboards are bare, and it's time to go out and feel the sun in your face." He leaned forward and whispered to her as if there were ears in the room. "We need to draw him out to catch him. And... I want you to figure out how you're going to explain me to people in your life. Are you going to be upfront and tell them that I'm your bodyguard? Or..."?
 

Lana nodded and finished the last sip of her drink, "Like I said before, I don't have any family at all. I have a couple of writer friends who I used to meet on a weekly bases, but had to stop because of the notes... Truthfully, I'd rather not tell them you are my bodyguard, the only person who knows I'm getting one is my publisher." She told him honestly as she took both their mugs and setting them in the sink before turning to him and asking him if he was ready for the tour. Lana's living room was basically a library with three of the four walls lined with bookshelves full of books. The fourth wall consisted of two floor to ceiling windows on either side of a fairly large Tv. In the center of the room was a large soft looking couch with a coffee table in front of it and off to the side was Lana's favorite worn out arm chair. "So This is the living room." She gestured awkwardly around the room. "As far as security goes, I've got locks on the windows." she statement ended up coming out more like a question.
 
Abe Thane

He nodded when she asked about the tour. His eyes scanned everything from the book types to the window latches. "So then, what do you feel comfortable telling them I am? They'll wonder why you suddenly have this man attached to you at the hip." Though that was a fairly attractive hip to be attached to, if he was to be honest with himself.

"Visiting cousin sometimes works as an alibi for my presence... or boyfriend. But it's really up to you. Depending on how long it takes to nab your creep dujour, I may be here for a good chunk of time." He walked over and looked at the areas outside that were visible from the windows, and at each one he checked the latch and then made sure it was secure. He smiled at her question about the latches. "Yes, yes you do. We'll get dowels too put in each of the windows, though. I can measure them and we'll get them cut and installed by tomorrow."

"Now..." His eyes followed the stairs up to where he assumed her bedroom was. "You need a hot shower and a change of clothes." He waited for her to lead the way. "And, we need to figure out where I'll sleep so that I can make sure that I'll be able to hear you if you need me."
 
Lana rocked back on her heals as she thought about it for a bit before deciding, "I think boyfriend would be better because it would help explain why I was gone so much and they know I don't have any family." Her cheeks turned a very light shade of pink, she kinda liked the idea of saying he was her boyfriend, not only be cause it would stop her friends from setting her up on dates, like they liked to do and well Abe was a VERY attractive man, and who wouldn't want to have a very attractive man as their boyfriend, even if it was pretend. Lana watched as he checked the windows and saw him smiling, she couldn't help but think how much more attractive he looked with a smile of his face.

Lana nodded and headed up the stairs, "I've got a couple guest rooms" She told him as she reached the top and turned a corner, "But I thought you might want the one closest to mine, so I set up the one straight across from me, I hope that's ok?" She said a bit anxiously as her fingers drummed against the leg of her jeans. Opening the door to the room next to her's she took a few steps in then stepped aside. "Here it is." She said with a small gesture. His room was fairly large, with one wall full of windows. His bed had a black comforter on it that matched the black wood of the dressers. All together the room had a rather masculine look to it.
 
"Of course," he answered quietly as he looked into his room. "It will do fine." He leaned against the door frame and looked at her. "Alright, I'll need to look through those pictures and notes you saved tonight, but right now, Ms Johnson, why don't you get cleaned up for a trip to town? You can think of how we met; you'll need some kind of convincing background story. I just returned stateside about two months ago, so if you decide to use your book signings as a meeting place then I'll need to learn something about what that was all about."

He nodded towards her room. "But for now... shower. I'll be here if you need anything."
 

Lana nodded and hurried into her room, as she went through it she quickly picked up her dirty clothes and threw them in the hamper before stripping off her clothes and tossing them in as well. Hopping into the shower she let the hot water run over her head soaking her hair and relaxing her at the same time. Once she was totally soaked, she grabbed her strawberry scented shampoo she massaged it into her hair before rinsing it out and washing the rest of her body. 15 minutes later she climbed out of the shower and toweled herself down with her white fluffy towel before wrapping it around herself and pulling out her blow dryer. Once her hair was dry and hurried into her closet and pulled on a simple outfit and hurried out her bedroom door, not wanting to make Abe wait.
 
He spent the time she showered looking through the house for other things; bugs mostly, of the electronic kind. He checked behind pictures for peepholes and cameras, and then checked her doors again for signs of tampering. Overall her house was cute; well kept and quiet. Almost... solemn. It made him wonder what kind of books she wrote.

Abe heard the blow dryer and he carried his things to his room, setting the simple olive drab duffel on the black comforter. He looked out the window and saw that it was almost noon. He felt the pangs of hunger hit slightly and so he went into the guest bath and washed his face as she waited for her. He could smell the faint scent of strawberries an the humidity in the air rose slightly as her bathroom aired out into the rest of the house. It made the hairs on his arm stand up to think that the same molecules of air that were now wafting over him had touched her bare body just minutes before. He sighed and looked in the mirror.

What was he doing here? This job could turn into months or years. But then again, he had nothing else to do right now, and helping keep this lady safe from her predator was no different than what he did in the military. Just... more personal. He stepped out of the bathroom in time to see her walking towards him in her jeans and simple top.

"Let's make a list," he suggested. "Then we'll go fill your pantry and make a game plan for this week."
 

Lana agreed and quickly followed him down the stairs into the kitchen, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen she immediately wrote down, bread, milk, eggs and coffee before turning and looking up at him with her big innocent green eyes. "Is there anything you would like?" She asked her her soft sweet voice, "I figure whats mine it yours for how ever long this thing lasts." She told him with a gentle smile. Money really wasn't an issue for her, her books were very popular and she wasn't a big spender so she had lets of money stored away in case she ever needed it. The only big thing she had ever bought was her house and the only thing she really valued was her books and not the ones she had written but the ones written by others.

As Lana looked up at Abe she couldn't help but notice how he was dressed. Although he looked mighty fine in his suit, she didn't think it was exactly appropriate for grocery shopping. "Do you plan on wearing that out?" the words came out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop them. Her face turned a bright red and her eyes grew wide, "I didn't mean it like that, I think you look great in that suit, well not just that suit, I'm sure you look great in any suit, not that you only look good in suits, you probably look good in anything." As Lana talked her face just got redder and redder until she buried her head in her hands and mumbled, "I'm just gonna shut up now."
 
Abe smiled. "Don't worry; I get it."

He glanced down at his clothes and then plucked at the front of his shirt with two fingers. "You're saying that you wouldn't date a guy who dressed like this all the time?" Abe looked up at her, one eyebrow raised as if to say 'what kind of woman are you?'. He held back a smirk and started to leave the kitchen. "Add real food to that list; meat, vegetables, and fruit, and I'll be a happy man." He paused at the door and looked back at her. "You do eat meat, don't you?"

He went up to the rooms and got dressed, then came back about five minutes later. He was dressed more simply, jeans and a loose fitting t-shirt to match hers. "Alright, let's see what else you've put on your list." He glanced over her shopping list and noted her writing. "You've been on your own a long time, haven't you? Have you ever been married?"

He folded the list and handed it back to her. "We need wooden dowels for the widow, three dead bolts, and if you don't have drills and a saw we'll need that too. And a tape measure."
 
"No! That's not what I..." She trailed off as he left the room. She sighed and added meat, fruit, and vegetables to the list, of course she ate meat, she wasn't a damn rabbit, she thought as she shook her head. It had been a long time since she had had a conversation with a man that didn't include her work or writing. She felt slightly awkward around him, she almost wished he was so attractive, then at least she wouldn't have to worry about getting caught staring at him on accident.

Lana let out a dry chuckle as he asked if she'd ever been married, "Never and I've been on my own since the day I was born." She told him as she pushed out from her chair and picked up the list only to have him add more things to it. Bending over at the waist she leaned against the table as she added what he had told her, as well as the tools they would need, seeing as she didn't have any of them. Then straightening up ans turned to him and asked, "So your car or mine?" as she reached around him and grabbed her purse off the counter he was standing in front of. "I could care less which it is, but if we take mine, I would prefer to drive." She told him honestly.
 
Abe Thane


"You're an orphan?" He asked. Abe tried not to notice the way her body moved when she bent over, or the way her hips curved in 'just so' to her waist and how nice they might feel in the grasp of strong hands... he cleared his throat and looked away.

Out the window. Anywhere but at her.

Then she stood up and he ha to avoid looking at her breasts. This job was going to be harder than he had anticipated.

He chuckled when she asked if they were taking his car or hers. "I don't have a car, Ms Johnson. So I suppose you're driving." He tried not to bat her away as she reached around him, violating all kinds of 'personal space' issues he had. She had no way of knowing, so he tried to put it out of his mind. Still, the gentle scent of strawberries and woman lingered with him and made him acutely aware of her femininity.

"It's better if you drive, anyway. Then I can watch the people around you and keep an eye on what's going on." He watched her as they left, making sure that all the doors were locked and following her to her car. "Where did we supposedly meet, anyway? We could always skip the cute story and tell them that it was some eHarmony site or something, if you want."
 
Lana nodded, "Yep, I was in and out of foster homes until I was 18 and then I was on the streets." she told him as if it were nothing. Pulling her purse over her shoulder she headed for the door, grabbing her keys from the hook as she went. Lana made a face at the eHarmony idea as she climbed into the car. "No that won't work." She said as she buckled her seat belt. "my friends have been trying to get me to join for years now." After putting her keys in the ignition she glanced over at him, looking him up and down as she debated the best rout to take with this story. "You've never read my books I'm guessing" She said in a light tone, not seeming to really care weather he had or not, "So we can't say we met at a book signing..." She thought about it for a moment more before her eyes light up with an idea. "Look my car is always breaking down." She said as she gently patted the steering wheel of her worn out car, "How about you saw me on the side of the rode, and tried to help me fix the car, but it still wouldn't start because it never does, and maybe you gave me a ride home and I gave you my number." Lana pulled out of her drive way looking pretty proud of herself and the story she had just made up.
 
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