bakerstreet | Even the darkest cloud has a silver lining

Even the darkest cloud has a silver lining

Through Hell I Met You
a grimdark shipping meme

The fact settles in your stomach like an ice cold rock. There's a good chance you're going to die here.

It's not surprising, really; you're either a prisoner in a most dangerous place possible or stuck in a cataclysmic event, both choices equally terrifying. You are surrounded on all sides by death, torture, despair, and hopelessness...all this, but you are not alone. Through this experience, you have come to meet someone else, someone in the same situation as you, a prisoner or a survivor. Perhaps you are both ruthless fighters, or total pacifists, or some combination of power and a calming influence - an important mix, given than you can't lose your heads.

This complete degradation and mutual understanding has brought you together in in a way no one else can understand. This bond is not platonic; romantic may not be the right word, not exactly, but you are closer to them than you've ever been with anyone else. It's a fire-forged relationship, made in the most dire of times. To you, they are your world. And you've made a promise, to them and to yourself. You'll get them out of this alive.

...even if you can't say the same about yourself.

ｈｏｗｔｏ

Comment with your character, canon, and preferences. If you have any ideas on what the harrowing and violent scene should be.
Reply to others.

ｐｒｏｍｐｔｓ

Angst
A rare moment of fluff
Action!
Kill or be killed - the first blood on your hands
Separation
Calm down, the bad guys are gone.
Cheer up
Regrouping, refueling, and tending to wounds
"You'll never take them away from me!"
Smut (aka "this may be our last time alive")
Inopportune timed confession
Sacrifice of yourself to save them
Failure. Both of you die in front of each other.
Success! You escape to a new life.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

"I get to choose?" That was new. But the more Eliot thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Reaper Eliot Spencer, it had a good ring to it.

"Alright, show me around." He gave Parker and Hardison a final glance, they were starting to get up and carry his body away. It was time to move on. He turned to the lady reaper and his expression softened into a bittersweet smile. "And what do I call you?"

"You always get to choose," she said, "You could even choose not to come with me at all, though I don't recommend that. The life of a ghost is never very happy. For anyone involved," she added, glancing at his friends. They'd mourn him. Miss him. But it would be a lot harder for them to move on if he didn't, and it seemed like Eliot's instincts told him as much.

She smiled back at him, knowing that it was never easy, even if you knew it was the right thing. "You can call me Tessa."

That was alright, Eliot understood not doing the easy thing. Few things he did were easy after all although he couldn't say they were right either.

"Alright, Tessa." Eliot tried the name on his tongue and liked the way it slid off. His death was looking better already.

"Well, what're we waitin' for?" He uncrossed his arms and waved for Tessa to lead the way with a little nod of his head. "After you."

"Alright," she said, turning back in the direction she had come from. "I already took care of the guy who shot you, so we'll head to the next stop on the List. Oh, and this might be a little disorienting, but you'll get used to it."

When she was sure that he was ready, she relocated the both of them across the city. "You've probably already figured it out, but human beings won't be able to see us unless we let them--or they're close to death."

It was probably a good idea that Eliot didn't have to see his shooter again, otherwise he might put too test the theory that souls couldn't be killed. As it was, a cloud passed over his expression for a quick second before he turned back to Tessa.

"Oh, yeah, I got that."

One minute standing in the garage, the next being on the street in the middle of an everyday sidewalk was definitely disorienting. Yet despite saying he knew he couldn't be seen, he still politely stepped out of the way of a passing old couple even though they never even glanced his way. "S'cuse me," he murmured out of habit.

Tessa couldn't help but smile at Eliot's manners. It was true; old habits died hard. But she didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing. There was something to be said for bedside manner--assuming Eliot decided to take the job.

"Feel free to let me know when you have questions," she said, because she had no doubt that he would. "I'll do my best to bring you up to speed."

She turned the corner past an old dry-cleaners' place, and led him down an alley, where a couple of rough looking men seemed to be having a disagreement. A few feet beyond, there was a young woman standing next to a parked car, nervously watching the argument that ensued. No one had been hurt yet, but the situation was escalating quickly.

"What do your instincts tell you?" she asked, glancing over at Eliot. "How do you think this is going to go down?"

Eliot followed, habits making him keep his awareness around him while avoiding being conspicuous. Not that any of it was necessary anymore, no one even glanced their way. Nor would they, not unless they were being reaped, according to Tessa.

When they approached the alley though, Eliot's fighter instincts flared up like the raising hackles before a fight. Instincts told him this was bad, emotions were high strung and escalating quickly. One glance told Eliot that at least one of the men, the rugged looking taller one with the bulge in his back from a back holster, was packing. If this continued, someone may very well get killed.

Which he assumed was why they were there.

Without realizing it Eliot was growling softly under his breath. It did not sit well with him to watch from the sidelines while the disaster in the making unfolded before him. The shorter one already pulled out a blade.

"They're trouble. We're not gonna stop this?"

There were some exceptions to the rule, of course. Mediums, psychics, or other people who were more spiritually aware might notice their presence, and they could be forced to reveal themselves by certain types of magic--but those occurrences were rare. Being incorporeal also meant they were mostly invulnerable to physical attack--which was a good thing when you got assigned to collect the fallen soldiers in a war zone.

But those lessons would all come in time.

Tessa could tell that Eliot wasn't happy just to be observing the scene, but she also knew he possessed an exceptional amount of discipline. She trusted him not to go off half-cocked. "Reapers are neutral. In most cases, it's not our job to intervene, and even if we could--" Which actually was within their power. "--every action has its consequences. Spare the life of someone on the operating table, the nurse might go home early and get hit by a drunk driver."

But even as she spoke, time seemed to bend around them, slowing just enough to them time to finish the conversation. She was curious to know what Reaper Eliot might do with his newly acquired, albeit provisional powers.

There was a balance in all things, black and white, ying and yang, and although Eliot himself often lived in the grey zones, he understood the basic balance of it. Which meant, they might be able to warp destiny or change its course, but the consequence might simply reflect elsewhere.

For that reason and that reason only, Eliot stayed where he was even when the fight commenced. He crossed his arms, more out of a lack of anywhere to put them, although his whole body tensed like a coiled spring while witnessing it play out.

The shorter man had moved forward with the knife, naturally the taller one reached for his gun. The woman behind screamed when the black metal weapon came out and all of a sudden, Eliot knew.

That horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach grew worse when he calculated and saw that the woman was directly behind the smaller man. If that gun missed, and more often than not they did, she would be right in the way of its trajectory.

"Damnit," Eliot watched as the horror show played out in slow motion. "Her? We're here to take her?" Eliot shook his head. It felt like he would be partially responsible for her death for his inaction.

Tessa didn't say anything. Really, what could she have said, except that she knew how he felt? She lived with that feeling every day. All that she could really do was watch, and wait, and hope the two, armed, and angry men made different choices.

"I'm sorry," she said, when it was over. "I wish I could tell you it gets easier." She'd understand if he wanted to walk away.

"Damnit," Eliot cursed, then again under his breath. His jaw clenched and he had to force himself to relax when the gun fired. Like expected, the bullet missed its target and hit the innocent bystander.

She should have run. Why hadn't she run earlier?

It was over quickly after, her scream of fear turning to a cry of pain, and the taller man panicked. The shorter one successfully landed a stab although it was no more than a glancing blow. Blood squirted regardless, hardly lethal, and nothing like the bullet that had lodged into the woman's chest. No exit wound came out of her back although the damage was done and she was dying.

Eliot's arms remained tightly crossed over his chest. "We just watch, that's it? Wait till they stopped breathin' then take'm away?"

"That's it," she said, "Death comes, and we take their souls to whatever comes next for them. Heaven. Hell. Purgatory. Reincarnation. But it won't always be a simple snatch and grab. Some will be scared, or angry, or have unfinished business. Some may try to stay, or even run. We can try to convince them to move on, but in the end, it's their choice."

Unless Eliot were to take the trauma of the woman's bullet wound, and give it to somebody else, or the short man came to his senses and called an ambulance.

"I know it seems cold," she said, "But I've seen what happens when someone upsets the balance."

Eliot's lips thinned unhappily, but as much as he wanted to interfere, he didn't. He also didn't know how to control his powers, or knew he had any, yet.

He watched as the two thugs scattered, the knifer first then the gunman after, once hand clutched over his bleeding cut. He'll be alright, the woman they left behind wouldn't.

And grimly, Eliot watched the lady's dying moments, feeling like a perverse voyeur while she cried and tried to dial for help on her own cell phone. Her grasp was weak though and the phone slipped away despite several attempts.

"She's got five minutes, tops," Eliot murmured to his companion. How many deaths she must have seen, how many final private moments. It didn't take that long, in less than three, Eliot saw what must be the soul, a white energy, leave the body and materialize into the woman next to it. She looked confused.

Tessa nodded, her own expression tinged with sadness, and sympathy. She might have wished to ease him into the job a little more gradually, but Fate seemed to have other ideas. Fate could be a bitch, like that.

"That's our cue," she said softly, as the deceased woman's soul appeared beside her body. She stepped forward, and stretched out her hand toward the woman, trying to reassure her. "I'm sorry, Cindy," she said, "But I'm afraid your time is up."

"But I..." Cindy stammered, "It all happened so fast..."

"I know," said Tessa, "But it's all over now. My friend and I are here to help you move on."

Eliot uncrossed his arms and straightened behind Tessa while she made her introductions to Cindy. He instinctively tried to project a friendlier demeanor to the lost woman, his own annoyance at the situation tucked away at the distress in the other.

Cindy started to back away though, her distress growing greater by the second. "I-I can't. I have a son, he's only three, and my husband... They need me."

"I'm sorry, darlin'... You're gonna have to let them go." He glanced to Tessa but kept his attention on Cindy. "We're here to take you forward, they're in another world from you now."

"I know it isn't easy, but imagine how much harder it would be to watch your child--and someday, maybe, your grandchildren--grow up, and then grow old, and never be able to hold them," Tessa said softly, "There's no going back now--if you try to stay, you'll only start to lose yourself to the pain. You don't want that, do you?"

She knew her words might only upset the woman more, but she couldn't force a soul to cross over. It had to be her choice.

"They need you to be ready, and waiting for them, when they come to meet you. Hopefully it will a good long time from now, for them, but on the other side, the time will pass before you know it."

The woman, Cindy, continued to look distressed but the words were getting through. She looked from her body to her reapers but at least she didn't look like she wanted to run anymore.

"Where will I be going?"

Since Eliot wasn't sure of that himself, he deferred the question to Tessa while he offered his hand to the woman to help her. "C'mon, let's get you somewhere better than here." it would help when she wasn't standing beside her own dead body.

Tessa smiled as Cindy accepted Eliot's hand. There was just something about him that made people want to trust him, despite his roughened edges, and it would serve him as well as a reaper as it had in life.

"The afterlife is different for everyone," she explained as she led the group away from the scene. Someone would have called the police by now, and if there was any justice in the world, the shooter would be caught. Or, better yet, he'd get himself in even bigger trouble, and get moved to the top of Eliot's List. But for now, they had to focus on Cindy. "All I can tell you is that it will be the kind of life you worked to build for yourself in this one."

That answer didn't seem to reassure Cindy any, although Eliot's hand warm and steady over hers seemed to do the trick. She followed them as they moved away, with several hesitant backwards glances that Eliot tried to distract her from.

"You're doin' fine, Cindy," he reassured her when she seemed to want to go back. "It's the right choice. I know it ain't easy darlin', but whatever happens, know that you're doin' right by yourself to not linger."

Eliot helped her along until they were a bit off from the body. Cindy appeared to have calmed down and had moved onto accepting. Whatever was going to happen now, Eliot left it up to Tessa to make it happen.

No one was ever really satisfied with the vague, yet diplomatic answered that Tessa had to give them. It frustrated her, too, sometimes, but it was the best she could do. Thankfully, Eliot was able to win Cindy over.

"Are you ready?" she asked, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. At Cindy's nod, she said, "All right. Just take a deep breath with me...close your eyes..and let go." If Cindy was truly ready to move on, the projection of her physical form would dissolve in an aura of white light like the one that Eliot had seen before, and Tessa would direct her spirit to where it was meant to go.

It would be much easier to show Eliot how it was done than to try and explain it in words.

It happened like before, the Cindy's form dissolved into a bundle of glowing light and her hand slipped from Eliot's grasp. It lingered, floating before then until it suddenly shot upwards. Eliot hope that meant it went to heaven although he was a little confused by what he just witnessed. It was a lot to take in.

"She's good?" Eliot asked when the light disappeared from sight. "She'll be alright?"

He might not have known Cindy for long, but it was a very personal thing to watch a person die and he wanted the best by her. He couldn't imagine the stress of doing this day in and day out. "You never get a break from this?"

"She's at peace now," Tessa assured him. "Her soul is safely on the other side." What heaven might look like for Cindy, Tessa couldn't really say. She just brought souls to the Gates, she didn't get to see inside. At least, not yet.

"And, not exactly. Reapers don't usually get vacation days, but when you've been around as long as I have, you learn to never say 'never.'" She smiled, hoping to lighten the mood, but she knew they had a lot of heavy stuff to talk about. "Not everyone can hack it as a reaper. Some go rogue, possessing human bodies, hiring themselves out like mercenaries to the highest bidder, or ferrying souls out of their intended afterlife for profit. But if there's a Dark Side and a Light Side warring over the fate of universe, then we're the Gray." She nodded down the street ahead, inviting him to walk with her a little farther. "That means when the supernatural heavy hitters--angels, demons, demigods, or wat have you--start trying to tip the balance of power in their favor, we do what we can to tip it back. You might say we provide leverage."

And, occasionally, cryptic advice to human beings who got in over their heads.

Edited 2016-09-14 05:14 (UTC)

The familiar words got a quirk of a grin out of Eliot despite their heavy topic. Someone did their research on him although he couldn't be sure it didn't come with the job description. The gray was as good of place as any to be, and probably fit him better than any place he could be.

Heaven was out of the question, and although he didn't know about hell, he could guarantee it wouldn't be pleasant, not with the things he had done. Here, he could at least be useful.

"Can we? Change their destination, that is. Ain't there rules against that sorta thing? I dunno, like they won't be admitted?" He walked with the other reaper, not used to being invisible when he wasn't the one being purposefully inconspicuous. There weren't a lot of people around, but the ones who were showed no indication of seeing them.

"There are rules," she confirmed, "And there are ways around those rules. That sort of meddling usually gets found out, but with all the chaos upstairs and down, sometimes a rogue will slip through." She couldn't help but imagine Hardison trying to hack heaven, though she hoped he would think better of it if the thought ever occurred to him.

"Just because we can do things doesn't mean that we should."

Eliot didn't disagree, but he wasn't one who was used to playing by the rules either. Not made rules at any rate. He wasn't sure if this fel into that category or natural law. Never really having been a strong believer before, he hadn't thought about the afterlife since he always assumed whatever waited for him would be down.

This though, felt like life in a longer, more eternal sense. Nothing really changed.

Although he didn't confirm it yet, but he knew he was taking the job. "Hm. Is it busy bein' a reaper?" He knew the average amount of deaths across the globe was astronomical, but he didn't know how many reapers there were. He hadn't seen another one so far- assuming reapers could see other reapers.

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