FIC: Shadows Behind (SPN/AtS)

[mhalachai]

Shadows Behind
A Supernatural/Angel crossover
by mhalachaiswords

Summary: Ellen never expected to see him again, not now, in the shadows behind the Roadhouse, and certainly not with the information they desperately needed.
Disclaimer: Supernatural belongs to the CW and Kripke. Angel belongs to Joss Whedon. No profit has been made from this fic, and the only benefit to me is personal satisfaction and the creative process.
Rating: PG-13 for swearing.
Words: 700
Spoilers: Contain spoilers for Supernatural 2x06, No Exit.
Note: For the TTH challenge, 20 Minutes at the Roadhouse. Written in 19 minutes and 45 seconds. If you think I'm implying something about a certain blonde character in this, then yes. That is exactly what I'm saying. Why? Because I'm a troublemaker.

~~~~~~

Ellen dragged the last bag of garbage out to the cans behind the Roadhouse. It was time to close up for the night, nearly four in the morning, and she was ready to sit down and let the day drain away. She was getting too old for this crap life.

Jo was still inside, gently shooing the last of the hunters out of the bar with a winsome smile and a firm hand. She'd learned that somewhere else, but where Ellen could never figure. Ellen had never had the patience to deal with drunken hunters with anything less than a broom in her hands.

The bag went into the can. As Ellen slammed the lid down, she thought she heard something shifting gently in the shadows. Freezing, one hand on the wall, she listened hard.

Nothing.

She heard nothing. Not even the crickets from the meadow out back of the Roadhouse.

Less than ten yards from a handful of well-armed hunters, and it was like being stranded on an ice floe for all the good it would do her. Ellen took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. What could possibly be stupid enough to come this close to a bar full of hunters?

The answer drifted out of the shadows towards her. Ellen took one look at the interloper, and almost screamed in frustration. "Damn it, Angel, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

The man gave her a ghostly smile. "Had to see you, that's all."

He hadn't changed. Not over all those long years since he first saved Ellen's life, her just an inexperienced teenager, trapped behind the movie theatre with something that was just human enough to have rape on its mind. She'd seen Angel again when she was a few weeks shy of twenty, and on her first hunt. She'd salted and burned those bodies without his help, even if he did stand back and watch her every move the whole time.

He hadn't stayed that distant afterwards.

She hadn't seen Angel since the early eighties, one last quick and dirty dance in her husband's pickup while Billy was off tracking a poltergeist with John Winchester. Jo had been born less than a year later and Ellen hadn't let herself give Angel much thought after that.

Now, seeing him unchanged after all these years, still as handsome and haunted as ever... Ellen bit back thirty years of regret. "Like hell."

His smile grew. "I have something for you," he said, reaching into the inner pocket of his expensive suit and pulling out a small ancient book. He laid it on the edge of the Roadhouse steps. "There's something in here you need."

Ellen crossed her arms over her chest. "What is it?"

Angel's smile didn't change, but Ellen was suddenly aware of how alone she was, with this man she didn't understand, who wasn't human any more, if he had ever been. "Something you've been looking for. Information. A... friend of mine had it."

"Friend?" From what Ellen remembered of Angel, he wasn't the type to have friends.

Angel shrugged. "Let's just say she's along for the ride."

He stepped back, coated in the shadows of the building. Ellen went after him before she could think about it. There was so much tell him, so many things she didn't think he knew...

"I'll see you around, Ellen." He took another step back, and then he was gone.

"Crap." Ellen stood staring into the black for a few minutes, then backtracked to the steps.

The book emanated an air of menace, but Ellen made herself pick it up and opened the cover. The first page was covered in words she couldn't understand, but the symbol inscribed on the front page took her breath away.

Angel had given her the clue to defeating a demon, the Demon.

And he'd left without giving her a chance to say thank you.

"Bastard," Ellen muttered. She slapped the book closed as she stormed up the steps, already shouting for Ash.

They had a demon to defeat, and wasn't it just fucking ironic that Angel had shown her the way.

the end

Comments

[sierraphoenix.livejournal.com]

Hi there. I've never posted in your LJ before, but I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed this piece. Angel was so very spot-on, lurking in the dark, cryptically giving out information. And I like the hints about the history between Ellen and Angel. I hope you write more SPN/AtS or SPN/BtVS fics in the future. :) I'm also a big fan of 'Inevitable'.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Hi there. Thanks for commenting :) I will always see Angel lurking, it's sort of his thing. I thought it would be kind of neat, Angel making a friend while he was out roaming the wilds of North America. Not a friend to make him happy, mind, but still.

Another SPN/BtVS/AtS idea popped into my head this morning, but we'll see if I get around to it. So much else on my plate this month.

And I'm glad you like Inevitable. It's my baby.

[practical-puss.livejournal.com]

Weird-ass crossovers, stealing my brain. Now I'll be thinking about this all night instead of Inevitable, as I planned. Why must you disturb all my plans? Why?
And just when is this supposed to be set, BTW?
And please tell me that you aren't implying Angel is Jo's father. 'Cause that's all kinds of wrong.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Yay! I broke your brain!

This is set after SPN 2x06, so after the end of Angel.

And I'm not implying anything. I'm flat out stating it. Why? Because I like to mess with Jo's parentage.

[practical-puss.livejournal.com]

You are a strange and peculiar woman.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well, you guys seem to like it.

[practical-puss.livejournal.com]

Oh, it wasn't a complaint.

[katbcoll.livejournal.com]

Nicely done! *snickers* Ellen would be the one to talk to Angel like that.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

The conversation just flowed so easily. Ellen just taking it as it comes, even if it's with that crazy Angel.

[merctales.livejournal.com]

Excellent, excellent. Ellen/Angel = hotness. I love a good, quiet crossover, and I love how he's kept his lurker menace going.

A little curious about the woman who gave him the book: the one who's "along for the ride." Who was it?

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Ellen/Angel is hot, and I have no idea where the idea came from. I'm going to blame all the nyquil I was on.

The woman along for the ride with the crazy book? Illyria. I can see her being familiar with other demons from her time.

[merctales.livejournal.com]

The woman along for the ride with the crazy book? Illyria.
Excellent.

[penyn-1600.livejournal.com]

Oh Angel! I need to start watching that again. This is nice. I can imagine Angel liking Ellen - she's similar to Buffy and Darla in her take no prisoners practicality. There's something very earthy about her.

And Jo is Angel's daughter. Cool.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

There is so much Angel backstory we can play with, as we have no idea what really happened with him for a lot of those hundred years since he got his soul back. And we all know Angel has a thing for fiesty women :)

Jo is Angel's daughter
It certainly makes a bit of sense. You know, in crazy crossover land :)

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

Okay, my primary reaction is complete confusion, but I love Angel, so any Angel fic is good fic. As the Fates would say, Mmmmm, Angel. I had figured out Illyria, actually, though I have no clue who this Ellen person would be.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Hey, confusion is what I do best. But yeah, it helps if you know Supernatural in this case.

[houses-on-fire.livejournal.com]

Alas, yes, I would say so. I watched part of one episode that TiVo decided I needed to see, and while I enjoyed it, I have no sense of this universe.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

It's like Buffy, with testosterone. And a little less camp. And 50% fewer vampires.

(Okay, not really, but you know what I mean :)

[miss-faith-hope.livejournal.com]

That was another amazing crossover, I definately can see Angel falling for Ellen because in a way, she is similar to Darla and Buffy. And Jo's Angel's daughter, thats very creative and if it wasn't for being creative when it comes to writing, I would of never saw it coming. Amazing crossover and I hope to read more fics from you.:)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed the story :) Yeah, if you look at it, Angel certainly has a type (kickass women). And I live for twisting up plot-lines, especially when it comes to crossovers.

[flareonfury.livejournal.com]

I love this series! Angel/Ellen is an awesome ship, that I now ship thanks to you! LOL. I hope you write more fanfics in this series or crossover.

(Pimping spn_angel & btvs_hp & spn_hp because I think you might like the lj communities)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed it :) I have a few more stories in this series (http://mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com/tag/roadhouse+series)