Shadows of the past (Closed to Brax/ Darren)

Sydney made her way down the street of mid town London. The streets were crowded with people sopping and bumping into each other. She would be surprised if she didn’t go home with a new collection of bumps and bruises. But no mark could compare to the pain she felt in her heart. It had been a week since Darren had kissed her in the park and then walked away from her.
She hadn’t seen him since then. She missed him like crazy. She kept thinking she saw him wherever she went. When she went to the coffee shop by her house, she saw him in the barista boy behind the counter. When she went to the grocery store, she saw him in some of the customers. It was driving her crazy. She just wanted to see him again, to wrap her arms around him. She wanted him to kiss her again without walking away. She wanted her Darren back.
She sighed as another person bumped into her. “Sorry.” She said. Great, she was seeing him again. This guy looked exactly like Darren. Every feature of him screamed his name. His eyes, his messed up hair, his nose, his lips. Oh, those lips. Then she looked loser, “D-Darren?”

Darren sighed, his aviators on and a leather jacket on his shoulders. He had a nice 'vacation' in the woods, isolated from everything and even in a week, the police force gave up the chase on him, declaring Darren dead. He stood on the edge of the pavement, watching as the cars whizzed past. He missed the pollution and the noise.

A knife was safely tucked up his sleeve and he headed down the alleyway and through a park, kids were swinging on swings happily and adults were watching. There was nothing to be seen that was out of the ordinary but if you looked closer, he could spot out a lone adult, his glances between the kids, suggested that he had no connection between any of them but to bring harm to them.

Today wasn't the day…of course it is! Stop telling yourself that after your little killing spree! Darren shook is head, unamused at his inner bickering and simply started moving again. But something was at the back of his head, nagging him to remember something…someone.

He was walking until he accidentally bumped into someone, slightly smaller than him. Darren glanced down, beneath his sunglasses, hiding his confusion and his growing temper. But something clicked when she spent a longer time looking at him than usual, when she said his name…it took him by surprise and the knife slid out. Must be part of the police force...

"Who are you?" He growled, the knife dangerously close to her neck. Darren's left eye twitched and he allowed her some breathing space, the blade glinting in the light. "I recognize your face…"

Sydney gasped in shock. It really was him. She didnt know what to say. She felt like she couldnt speak. "Darren.... It's me. Sydney? Dont you remember?" Is it possible he didn't remember her? But how could that be? They just saw each other a week ago. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you! You never came back home..." Her mind wandered into the depths of the previous events that had happened between them. Why didnt he remember her...?

Darren scoffed, Sydney did sound familiar, in the murky depths of his own mind. Without thinking, words tumbled out of his mouth. "I was keeping you safe, Sydney." He took off the aviators with the free hand and clipped them onto his collar of his shirt, looking into Sydney's eyes carefully, studying her.

His mind was torn, once again. Although, he wasn't instructed to kill anymore by Myriam, he had been killing. Blood was evident in the creases of the leader jacket and he had begun to stink slightly, a beard growing. Darren was fighting the itch to kill her as he was freed from many of the restraints set on him for the last few years.

He cocked his head, tilting it into the light slightly. He retracted the blade as a few pedestrians and Judoon officers passed by him.

Then it hit him, all of it only happened a week ago…

His old job, being put into prison and his disappearance. But he shook his head from the trail of thought and looked back at Sydney. "You know what happened. I could not come back."
He had to even fake his short death by setting up a scene where it made him look as if he as bleeding and had jumped off a cliff. Darren sighed, she was worried and yet he could not relate. Why would she be worried about a killer? Would she mind living with a killer? No…Darren mentally slapped himself and waited for her response, the blade out once again.

"Darren... Please come home. I'm not safe without you. I'm actually in danger." Why did he not understand that? She felt like she was incomplete when he was gone. “I need you…” She wanted to say so much more than that. She wanted to say how she missed him, how she missed the way he looked at her, how he held her in his arms when she was scared. She needed him. More than words could ever express. She looked into his eyes and tried to tell him all the things her voice could not. “Please Darren… Come home.”

A growl was surfacing but he suppressed it. Annoyance was the last thing he wanted, it always led to a certain death. Sydney was in danger, but by whom? He had faked his death to secure her safety.

"Who…?"

That was the only word that he said, leaning against the wall, eyes darting around the place. "Fine. But a friendly reminder, I'm not the Darren that you used to know." Something wasn't right about the atmosphere that was surrounding him, someone was watching in on the exchange.

"Stay here."

Darren gripped the knife as he scaled up the fire exit stairs, footsteps faded. That proved it, she was in danger. Whether the figure was after him or Sydney, it didn't matter, it was going to die anyway. He scanned the area, the figure's outline quickly fading from sight. He mentally cursed himself for letting another victim slide from his grasp. Torchwood must have figured that he didn't die, they were always so hard to fool.

He went back down and awkwardly held out his hand to wait for Sydney to lead him 'home.'

"You done?" She giggled when he returned from his little climb up the fire escape. She took his hand and they walked down 5th avenue toward her apartment. "Darren.... I've been seeing things lately. Things no one else can see. I think their people following me." She had seen the shadowy figure just before Darren scaled the fire escape not 5 minutes ago. But she didnt wanna say anything to him.

"Seeing things, huh? Like people? Snooping around your apartment or the building?" Darren was almost slightly concerned. "I'm here…now…"

He waited for Sydney to open the door and he walked in, sitting himself n the arm of the sofa. There wasn't much for him to say and if he did, he was concerned that he would lose Sydney. Living with a killer would be a hard thing for her, especially if the SWAT team kept knocking down her door every few days.

Darren yawned, tired from all the encounters that he had and was washed over by a sense of comfort and a sense of belonging. He slumped into the chair, curling slightly to preserve body heat. When he realized he was tired, he jolted himself awake and walked back over to Sydney, leaning in and giving her a small peck on the cheek before heading upstairs.

Tiredness had settled in and he slumped to the floor, unable to make the journey to the room and began to fall asleep on the floor.

"G…d…nig…night."

"Yeah usually. Or just on the streets. It's kinda creepy." Sydney sat on the chair after he went up stairs for a minutes before heading upstairs herself. She saw him passed out on the floor asleep. Sydney giggled and tried to pull him to the bedroom. But he was too heavy for her to move. Instead, she grabbed some blankets and pillows and lied beside him. She covered them both with the blanket and lied her head on the pillow. She was actually sleeping on the floor. But she felt safer with Darren beside her. "Good night Darren." She softly kissed him on the nose as not to wake him.

Darren stirred slightly, finding himself under a blanket and next to Sydney. Subconsciously, he placed a hand around her. He checked his watch, it was 5:00am. Darren contemplated whether to carry on sleeping or wake up and prepare breakfast, something which he had never done for someone else besides from himself.

He gently removed the covers and wrapped Sydney in it and headed downstairs, quietly as possible and prepared a cooked breakfast. Darren was wondering whether he had done it alright but he couldn't tell until Sydney had tried it.

Darren muttered a silent sorry as it was most likely too early to wake her up, so he grabbed a plate and began to eat it. A noise disturbed him and he froze, a butter knife in his hand. Was it the SWAT team already?

He got up, swiftly approaching the door, hiding the blade behind his back. It was only the postman.

Sydney felt darren move beside her and stirred underneath the blankets. The smell of eggs and bacon woke her up. She walked downstairs still wrapped in the blanket and yawned, "Morning, Dare." She saw the knife in his hand and rolled her eyes, "Really Darren?" She made herself a plate of food and sat at the table. She took a bite of the eggs and sighed, "These are amazing."

Darren spun around at the voice of Sydney, he glanced at the knife and simply shrugged. It was a habit that was drilled into him now, he went everywhere with a knife, no matter if it was blunt. "You're not joking about the eggs? I'm not the best chef…"

Darren scratched the back of his neck with a free hand and sat besides Sydney. He wanted to ask whether she had slept well but his mouth would not form those words. He then realized that she had made a nickname for him.

"Dare? Is that my nick…name?" He asked, never really sure of the concept of nicknames. "So, do you want to come with me to the shops? You're kinda low on eggs and bacon…and potatoes and milk."

"Yes. The eggs are fantastic. And yes, thats your nick name now. Its either that or Dare Bear." She smiled and stuck her tongue out at him. "I'd love to come. I just gotta get dressed." Sydney ran back upstairs and changed into a cute outfit. She then went back downstairs and said, "There all ready."

((This is how she looks: https://24.media.tumblr.com/12f77496ebdaf96a545e80eab68d54d7/tumblr_n1bfb2kSbU1tnx06fo1_500.png ))

"Dare bear…hah." Darren smiled, rolling his eyes. He waited as Sydney went back upstairs to change, when she came down, he thought his mouth dropped open. She looked stunning but at the back of his mind, he thought it was a bit of an overdo if they were just going to the shops.

"That's a…nice outfit." Darren grinned, holding the door open. He began to walk across the road, his hoodie over his face to conceal his identity from passing police officers.

Darren flipped off the hood when he got inside the shops and picked up a basket and began to fill it up with stuff that he thought that Sydney needed in her fridge.

"Thanks. I could tell you liked it when your chin hit the floor." She winked and locked th door when they stepped outside. When they reached the shop, Sydney walked along side Darren and watched as she filled up the trolley with food. "So how did you sleep? I tried to move you to the bed, but you were too heavy."

"That's very kind of you…I slept rather well, thanks." Darren said, confused about the wink that Sydney had given him.

As usual, he walked around the aisles, trying to focus on buying things instead of stabbing everyone that he made eye contact with. Most of the shoppers could tell something was off about him and simply moved to another aisle.

"What else do we need? I feel like we have enough but I could finish off your fridge in no time, flat." Darren chuckled.

In the basket, it mostly consisted of bacon, and other meat produce. The cashier looked at him, winked and carried on bleeping the items through. She smiled after she had finished bleeping all the items, Darren resisted the temptation to frown.

He paid the money and proceeded outside and waited for Sydney.

"You didnt have to pay." Sydney said as they walked out of the shop. "Next time, I pay. Got it?" SHe helped carry the groceries home and started putting them away. But then, she heard a noise upstairs. "Dare..." She pointed up at the ceiling hoping he got the message

"Well, where else am I going to spend the money that I earn during my side errands?" He rolled his eyes at Sydney attempting to argue that she was going to be paying from the next trip to the shops. Darren stopped, carefully placing all the groceries on the table, he noticed the sudden stiffness in Sydney's posture and the wavering within her voice when she pointed up at the ceiling.

He decided against bringing the knife with him, besides, he had gotten lazy with the knife and needed extra 'activities' to keep his fitness levels up. Darren walked up the stairs, keeping close to the wall. He could just about see a shadow, it was coming through the window and was humanoid, but he could smell the stench of crocodile.

"Can't you ever leave me alone?" Darren growled.

The crocodile paused, hesitated and began to advance upon Darren. Darren stood still waiting for the next attack. It sprung at him, claws first. The noise it made hurt Darren's ears but he struggled against the weight of the lizard and tried to get it into a secure headlock. The lizards were part of a clan that he had taken out the clan leader of and they were not impressed.

"Syd! Stay in a place where I can keep an eye on you." Darren finally managed to keep his arm in a comfortable position around the crocodile/ humanoid's neck.

Sydney Ran to a place where she was hidden from the creature but where she could still be seen by Darren. What was that thing? She watched as Darren tried to strange it and could feel the tears falling down her cheeks, "Darren..." She whispered to herself. Please dont die. I just got you back. Dont you dare get hurt....

CRACK!

Darren panted as he finally got back onto his feet, a maniac gleam present in his eyes. He glanced at the tears and wondered why Sydney would think that he would be defeated by a crocodile.

"That was an alien, from a fairly well-known clan. They're out to get me as…I kind of took out their leader and they want their revenge."

Darren took a seat on the stairs, looking back to make sure that the alien was well and truly dead before relaxing. He would make Sydney a cup of tea and speak about normal…human-y things. His limbs ached but he wasn't yet tired and was full of hidden energy.

"So, what do you usually do in your free time?"

"I dont go around killing aliens, ill tell you that much. I'm usually in the studio practicing." She nodded to her guitar and smiled. "So, what do you do when youre not killing things?" Sydney sat beside Darren and cuddled up to him. She just wanted to hold him and be near him. She hated watching him fight things. It worried her that he could die at any moment. It scared her to death that he could suddenly just be gone. She needed him more than he could ever imagine. "Darren, will you hold me?"

((Sydney, as this is your thread, could you please write longer paragraphs? It doesn't give whomever you RP with much to go on…thanks ))

((Fixed it. Its in the same post just edited))

Darren moved himself into an odd position with Sydney, holding her hand. He was chuckling at her latest comment. "You'll have to forgive me…I have been running side errands at night and will have to do one…tonight…"

He began to get up, putting on his leather jacket and opened the door. "Look, I know you get worried, but how many times have you seen me kill and be in those situations near death? I'm going to be alright and so are you. After this, I may…need help…to recover from this…addiction."

Darren grinned. Heading out into a storm that seemed to start up minutes before he left the house. He glanced back, knife appearing in his hand.

"I'll call when I'm finished, alright?"

Sydney nodded when he got up to go kill some more things from other planets. "Please be careful." It killed her to watch him go, "Of course I will help you. I will alwasy be here for you. And you better call mister. Otherwise I will come looking for you." She smiled and ruffled his hair, "Be safe." She kissed him softly on the lips and made her way upstairs to take a nap. She had had a long day