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AN: So the lack of updates to this story is entirely my (starbeamz2) fault because I ran out of motivation, and then both Kelly and I got hooked on different projects, so it's been a while. However, in an attempt to motivate myself to write more of the Avenging Angel, I decided to do something fun and feature Kelly (honey) in a scene with the AA. This scene is completely fictional and, chronologically, takes place between the prologue and chapter one (aka Before Brian returned to the Boys but during the time the AA first showed up in Los Angeles). We hope you enjoy and cross your fingers for our return! We both love this story to pieces, and we can't wait to get those juices flowing again!

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In the Shadows…an Interlude


It was a dark, moonless night, and, to make matters worse, an entire row of streetlights had burnt out on the stretch of sidewalk where Kelly was walking.  She gripped her son and daughter tightly by the hand and hurried them along, glancing nervously over her shoulder and into the darkness. 

Every creak and rustling of leaves she heard sounded like a stalker, though it turned out that it was mostly just her son, Josh, stepping on scattered twigs.  Luckily, neither of her children sensed her fear nor were they quite so worried.  They had their mother with them, so they knew there was no reason to be frightened.

Kelly wondered, not for the first time, what had compelled her to go for a walk at twilight with her children.  Sure, she’d thought the light at dusk had seemed so pretty and practically begged her to walk outside as the sun set.  She seriously doubted her decision now.

It’s going to be fine. There’s nothing to worry about, she told herself repeatedly.  Besides, they were only a few blocks from home.  Just a little bit longer, and we’ll be safe and sound.

“Mommy?” Little Jackie looked up at Kelly, her big eyes curious. 

“What is it, Jackie?” Kelly glanced down at her daughter before her eyes swept over the darkened surroundings, searching for danger.

Jackie’s little hand wriggled in Kelly’s.  “You’re hurting my hand, Mommy. Can you let go?”

Kelly’s gaze shifted back to her daughter as she, too, realized that her hand was clutching Jackie’s just a bit too tightly.  “Oops. Sorry.” She loosened her hold a bit.  “How’s that?”

“Do we have to hold your hand, Mommy?” Josh piped up on her other side.  “We’re big kids now, and we won’t get lost.  We can walk okay by ourselves.”

Not wanting to worry them, Kelly struggled to find a reasonable excuse that would work on her children.  “It’s dark right now.  I can barely see you when I’m holding your hand, what if you disappear when I let go of you?” she added, feigning a playful tone to her voice.

Jackie giggled and squeezed Kelly’s hand a little tighter.  “You can hear us, Mommy. If we got lost, we’d yell a lot.”

“Yeah,” Josh agreed brightly as they stopped on the curb and looked both ways before crossing the street.  “I’ll yell real loud, and you can hear me!”

“I can sing Hannah Montana so you don’t lose me, Mommy,” Jackie suggested cheerfully before she broke into song.  “If we were a moooovieeeee, then you’d be the best friend that I’d fall in love with in the end…

Kelly managed a smile at Jackie’s cute singing voice before she focused on their surroundings again.  Usually, she loved Los Angeles.  She loved being near the water, she loved its warmth…she just loved everything about the city.  Except for maybe the creepy feeling she was getting as she continued to hustle her children towards their home.  Maybe if her husband had been at home, she would’ve brought him with them and felt safer.  But he was away on one of the many business trips he went on, which meant that there probably wasn’t anyone who would notice if she and the kids went missing—well, not for a while anyway.

A loud bang made her jump, and Josh and Jackie screamed as they all froze in place.  Kelly’s heart bounded into her throat and pounded away furiously as her fear spiked.  Gunshot? Was that a gunshot? Someone’s out there with a gun! We’re gonna die!

Her thoughts were running around as crazily as her fear and her heart rate.  Remembering that she had to stay calm and collected for her kids, she took deep breaths and gathered them against her side, murmuring soothingly to them as she slowly inched forward on the sidewalk.  Jackie hid her face against Kelly’s side and whimpered in fear while Josh clutched her hand tightly and didn’t say a word, though she could tell he was frightened, too.

They took slow, timid steps in the darkness, and Kelly hoped that the gun-toting whacko that was out there in the darkness couldn’t see them.  They were just a block and a half away from home, and she hoped they’d make it there without getting hurt.  She wasn’t sure what she’d do if someone tried to mug them.  She’d never heard of anyone getting mugged in this area of the city, but, hey, there was always a first time for everything, wasn’t there?

Think positive, she scolded herself and hugged Josh and Jackie just a little closer.

Just as they neared the next street, there was another loud bang.  Jackie burst into tears completely, and Josh started whimpering now.  Kelly, on the other hand, felt slightly silly.  She’d figured out what the sound was and couldn’t believe that, in her fear, she hadn’t recognized it for what it really was.  Cars backfired all the time, and she remembered that there was some jerk on the next street over who never got his car checked out because the neighbors were always complaining about the noise.

Crouching so she was on level with her kids, she hugged them both.  “It’s okay, you guys.  It’s just the sound someone’s car makes when it’s not working properly.  I promise.”

“Are you sure, Mommy?” Josh pressed closer and buried his face against her neck.  “There’s no bad guys, are there?”

“Are they gonna come get us, Mommy?” Jackie wondered tearfully.

Kelly held them tight and shook her head.  “No one’s going to hurt us.  We’re almost home, and we’re going to be just fine.”

“Promise?” they asked simultaneously, their teary faces gazing at her hopefully.

She smiled and, taking their hands, stood.  “I promise times a million!”

But, no sooner had she said the words, than a pair of arms roughly grabbed her from behind.  Her fear skyrocketed, especially when she felt the cold steel of a gun press against her back.

“Gimme your stuff, lady,” a deep man’s voice growled at her through the darkness.

Kelly struggled a little in his arms as her children let go of her hands and backed away.  Fear for the safety of her children was greater than fear for her own safety.  She had to make sure they were safe, that they weren’t hurt. “Run, Josh!” she tried to scream.  “Take Jackie and-”

Her voice was cut off when a thick, callused hand clamped over her mouth.  “Shut up or I’ll shoot yer kids! Gimme your goddamn stuff. I ain’t got all night,” he snarled.

She couldn’t think past the terror, and she watched as Josh grabbed Jackie’s hand and, in the cover of the pitch-black shadows, hurried down the sidewalk, away from them.  She knew that she and her husband had taught Josh enough that he would know to get help and call 911.  She only hoped and prayed that help would come before it was too late.

The gun jabbed against her ribs again, and her cry of pain was muffled against her assailant’s hand.  “Do you want me to fucking shoot you, lady? I want whatever money and jewelry you got on or I’ll kill you.  Don’t fucking waste my time!”

Kelly nodded slowly and tried to hold in the tears as her mind worked quickly.  She wondered if she could kick the man between the legs, but, when she tried, he smacked her with the gun—hard.  When she tried to jerk her head back and crush his nose, he hit her again, this time on the head.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Maybe I should just kill you,” he growled again.

She blinked rapidly, trying to think past the pain and not simply pass out.  Why, she wondered, had she moved onto a street where most people were quiet and didn’t look out their front windows at night? What she wouldn’t have given to have a bunch of desperate, nosy housewives around right at that moment.

Kelly nearly fainted when she heard her mugger cock the barrel of his gun.  He was seriously going to shoot her, she realized.  In that instant, her entire life flashed before her eyes, and she was filled with despair as she realized that she’d never get to see her babies grow up, she’d never see her husband again, and, worst of all, her children would have to see her dead body on the darkened sidewalk.  She wished she could prevent what was to come, but she wasn’t quite as strong as the man who was about to kill her.

Closing her eyes, she prayed with all her heart and waited to die.

When she suddenly stumbled forward and found herself free, her eyes snapped open and immediately fixed on the two men grappling on the sidewalk.  Fists flew, thudding thickly against hardened muscles.  A shiny, silver gun lay nearby, and Kelly snatched it up, pointing it at the two men.  However, when she saw the cape and mask on one of the men, she nearly fainted.

“Holy crap, superheroes do exist,” she muttered to herself in amazement.  She lowered the gun and, instead of worrying over the two men, turned to find her children.

Surprisingly, they were running down the sidewalk towards her, screaming her name. 

“Mommy! Mommy, the man said he would help you!” Josh cried as they both flung themselves into her arm. 

“Did the bad man hurt you?” Jackie asked as she peeked over Kelly’s shoulder at the caped rescuer subduing her mother’s mugger.

Kelly shook her head and kissed their foreheads.  Maybe her head did ache a bit, but she didn’t want her kids to worry anymore.  “No, it’s okay.  I’m fine.” She, too, glanced over her shoulder as her rescuer tied up the other man.  “Who is that man? Did you ask him for help?”

Josh nodded and fixed his eyes on the man his mother and sister were watching.  “He was like Superman and came out of the sky! He asked us what was wrong and we told him and he said to wait by the light but we wanted to see if you were okay so we came and we’re glad you’re okay, Mommy,” he said in a rush.

Kelly squeezed him tightly then glanced up at the caped man when he came towards them.  He held out a hand to her, and, hesitating for a moment, she placed hers in it.  Without a word, he helped her to feet, his darkened eyes calmly sweeping over her face.

“Are you alright?” he asked finally.  His voice was smooth and soft, and Kelly instantly felt safe.  She could tell that Josh and Jackie felt secure around him because they let go of her and attached themselves to his legs.

“Thanks for helping our mom!” Josh said cheerfully before letting go and smiling up at the man.

Jackie held on for a few more seconds before she, too, let go and giggled a little.  “How come you’re wearing a costume? It’s not Halloween.”

The mysterious man’s lips curved into a smile, and he knelt next to them.  “It’s not a Halloween costume, it’s my uniform.  It keeps me safe and helps me protect people,” he explained.

“Like Batman?” Josh wondered.

Kelly settled a hand on both of her kids’ shoulders as they talked to her rescuer.  She wasn’t sure who this man was or why he was masquerading as a superhero.  All she knew was that he’d saved her life, and she would forever be grateful to him. 

Unfortunately, as much as she tried to pay attention to the conversation, her headache was growing, and she desperately wanted to lay her head down and go to sleep.

Perhaps the masked man sensed her discomfort because he stood and patted Josh and Jackie’s shoulders. “I’m glad I met you two and helped your mom tonight.  But I think your mom needs to rest now.  Will the two of you take care of her when you get home?”

The two children nodded eagerly.  “We’ll get her favorite blanket and put her favorite movie on!” Jackie announced.  “Mommy loves Die Hard!”

The mystery man smiled at her cheer before turning to Kelly.  “The cops should be on their way here to get your statement and to take your attacker downtown,” he added, gesturing behind him where the large man lay, still unconscious.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Kelly began, pressing a hand to her aching head.  “I don’t even know who you are.”

“There’s no need to thank me,” he said quietly.  “I’m just doing my job.”

Cautiously, she touched his arm.  “I’m glad you were in the neighborhood then.  I don’t know what might have happened…” She trailed off, shuddering at the thought of death.

“It’s best not to think about it,” he told her.  Then, in a surprising move, he cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs gently rubbing against her throbbing temples.  “You’ll want to take plenty of ibuprofen,” he murmured.

Kelly shivered at his touch and, unconsciously, leaned towards him a bit.  His fingers were magical, she thought dimly.  This was better than any painkiller she could’ve imagined.  Her eyes drifted up to meet his, and she nearly gasped at the intensity of the emotions storming through them.  Then, he blinked, and they were calm again.

“Are you sure you can’t tell me who you are?” she asked again. 

He shook his head.  “Sorry.  I work in complete secrecy.  The cops still don’t know what to do with me,” he added, humor evident in his voice.

“Why do you do this?” she wondered. What compelled a man to strap himself into a Spandex suit and run around saving people? Not that it was a bad thing, but still. There weren’t many people out there who would do this.

He was quiet for a long time, and Kelly watched as his expression turned wistful as he watched Josh and Jackie giggling among themselves.  Finally, he turned back to her.  “Because I lost someone dear to me in a violent act, and I never want anyone else to suffer loss at the hands of a criminal.”

Kelly wanted to ask him who he’d lost, but the sound of sirens interrupted the quiet darkness.  The mystery man straightened and smiled at her.  “I have to be off now, but take care of yourself and your children.  Don’t go walking around in the dark anymore, okay?” He glanced over at her kids.  “Bye, Josh and Jackie. You’ll take care your mom, won’t you?”

“We will! We will! Thanks, Superman,” they replied merrily and made him chuckle.

Kelly grinned at them, glad that the craziness of the night hadn’t impacted them too badly.  When she turned back to her mysterious, caped man, she found that he was gone.

“Wha-” She frowned.  He’d gone so silently, she’d never even heard him leave.  “Well, that was all sorts of wild.” The sound of police sirens grew, and the flashing lights were visible around the corner.  Kelly pressed a hand to her less achy head and frowned again.  “Wait a minute.  Did he have a southern accent?”