Ethan Godfrey (thearrowhead) wrote in btvsal, @ 2010-08-26 22:46:00 |
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Current mood: | confused |
Who: Ethan & Rachelle
Where: The Hyperion Hotel
When: Tuesday, August 24th, late afternoon
Status: Complete
Rating: PG
The opening of the Hyperion to Slayers and their Watchers couldn't have come at a better time for Ethan. After Rachelle's near-death, the former member of the Inquisition threw himself into training Jamie with zeal; He was hard on her, but not as hard as those who trained him. Ethan knew he'd get better results if he didn't push her too hard and basically said that weekends were hers to do with as she wanted. The focus on training kept him from thinking of Rachelle...his failure to keep her safe...and his feelings for her.
His duties kept him busy, leaving little to no social life for him, which was fine for Ethan. His was a warrior at heart, and all warriors liked a routine to their lives. Order. Discipline. As part of his routine, daily prayer was among them. It was his form of meditation as it were and he kept the door to his room open almost all the time. It was his policy in case Jamie ever needed to come to him with a problem whether it concerned her duties as a Slayer or something personal.
At present, he knelt on the prayer stand he'd constructed and set a few inches from the wall where a cross hung on it. In the quiet of the room, Ethan muttered the Psalms, as was his habit. Besides the prayer stand the other furniture in the room was his bed, neatly made, and the armoire which held his clothes. If anyone happen to glance in on him, it would almost be strange to see him dressed in a simple white tee, jeans, and barefoot. To the majority of Watchers and Slayers the were housed in the Hyperion, they all usually saw him wearing his uniform that hearkened back to the days of Robin Hood and the Middle Ages.
One perk to being best friends with one of the slayers? They tended to trust you with things they might not with others. In this case, she was allowed into the Hyperion, even though she was neither slayer nor watcher. She had a serious reason to be here... something that had to be done.
Respectfully dressing in actually NICE clothes this time (a dark blue dress with a snug, cleavage-baring black buttoned down blouse) and a black leather choker around her neck, her long red hair flowing around her shoulders, Rachelle looked around until one of the Slayers pointed her in the direction of Ethan. When she found him, she clasped her hands behind her back, clearing her throat. She reallllly hoped she was bothering him here.
His bowed head lifted and the smile that always came easily to his lips as he turned his head toward the noise faltered a little when he discovered it was Rachelle standing in his doorway. Ethan made the sign of the cross before lifting his rosary to the nail just under the cross attached to the wall and hung it there. Composing himself, the Hunter finally stood and turned to face the woman, clearing his throat, "Rachelle..."
"I... I wanted to talk to you. Thank you, really. For saving my life." She gave a shy(!), charming smile. "I'd have died if not for you." How completely adorable was Shy!Rachelle, seriously?
Shaking his head, Ethan took a step forward, actually reached a hand toward Rachelle before he realized what he was doing and stopped himself. The Hunter cleared his throat again, "No, I should apologize for not being there sooner. If I had been there sooner, I..."
"No. You don't get to sulk here, Ethan. You SAVED ME. If you hadn't taken me to the ER, I'da died. Simple as that." She walked up to him, standing on her tip-toes to give him a soft, sweet kiss on the lips. One that was in thanks... yet was also JUST a tad more. Funny enough? It wasn't unlike the thank-you kiss Neely gave Ash. "You're my hero, Ethan."
It took every ounce of Ethan's discipline, not to physically respond to Rachelle's kiss, so much so that his fingernails dug into the palms of his hands. He forced the impulse to cup her face in his hands and return that kiss aside. Ethan stepped back from the woman and forced himself to smile that easygoing smile of his, "You're welcome."
"You're a good friend, Ethan. And probably the nicest, sweetest man I've ever met. And ok, I admit, you're kinda gorgeous. But I meant what I said: you're my hero." If anyones keeping score? This was probably the longest conversation Rachelle had ever had without cursing, making sexual innuendo, or doing something crass. "I know Neely... kinda almost threw down with you, and I want to apologize for that. She just gets... kinda crazy when it comes to me."
Ethan's cheeks flamed red, he couldn't help it, at the compliment Rachelle paid him. But he quickly shoved it aside, because harboring any feeling toward this...amazing woman would only lead to hurtful madness. Instead, he allayed Rachelle's fears about Neely, "There's no need to apologize on Neely's behalf, Rachelle. She was worried and I've taken far greater beatings than hers."
"I... wanted to invite you to have dinner with us sometime. As a little thank you. No offense but... you don't seem to have a whole lot of friends. And I'd like to help change that." Oh my dear God. Who was this chick? And what did she do with our Rachelle?
The Hunter hesitated at Rachelle's invitation, fighting his kneejerk reply of "no." If he refused, the woman would be hurt and Ethan in all probability would lose her friendship over so small a thing. However...if he accepted, would he have the strength to hide his feelings from Neely? Ethan shook his head, "I..." He took a deep breath, looking away slightly before returning his gaze to Rachelle's. His smile reappeared, "Of course. How could I miss dinner with the two of you?"
"Exactly. No way any guy could turn down a date with two bitches as sexy as we are." Cutely enough, the cursing seemed... almost forced there, as if she sensed that her sincerity and gratitude was making him uncomfortable. But, awkward or not, there was one more thing she felt she needed to do: she hugged him tightly, throwing her arms around him with a smile. "If there's ever anything I can do for you, promise me you'll ask?"
Unfortunately, the one thing he wanted from Rachelle, she couldn't give him. She was in love with Neely and if he made any move to come between the two of them, Ethan would be committing a sin both literally and emotionally. The Hunter forced himself to smile again, "Knowing you're alive and well again is good enough for me, Rachelle. I need nothing else."
"Sigh." Yeah, she SAID THE WORD. The goober. "Fine, keep up the 'stoic guy' thing. Just promise me , Ethan. Because anything I can ever do to help you, or make things easier for you, I wanna do." She blushed a little(!) And motioned to her outfit. "You like? I figured if I was coming here to thank you... you deserved to talk to a lady. Not the cursing, loud tomboy you always get stuck hangin' out with."
To completely avoid committing to a promise of any sort, Ethan complimented Rachelle on her appearance. "You look lovely, Rachelle." A smile curved his lips as he folded his hands behind his back, "Although, I much prefer the cursing, loud tomboy that I enjoy being stuck to hang out with."
"Heh. Fuckin' masochist." Chelle said with a hint of that usual laugh of hers. "Anyway... Yeah. Just wanted to thank you. And, um... I should probably scram before the sexual tension gets heavy enough to club a bitch with."
Wasn't he, though? It seemed Ethan was destined to be attracted to women who were readily unavailable to him. The Hunter cleared throat again, "Ah, yes...you're welcome. Again." He decided to ignore the comment about the sexual tension, why add fuel to the fire as it were. Ethan guided her to the door with the comment, "Call me when you and Neely have set a date for that dinner."
As he watched Rachelle disappear down the hall, Ethan let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The action sort of deflated the man for a long moment until he straightened and pushed away from the door, closing it behind him. Suddenly, the idea of a cold shower was appealing...