Death Sentence
May. 29th, 2009 07:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
veiledndarknessTitle: Watching Him 4/?
Author: veiledndarkness
Pairing: Billy/OFC
Rating: R
Summary: She sees everything, she’s watching him fall.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit made and no harm intended.
AU follows storyline of movie somewhat.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
XX
On the morning of the trial, Beth found the air in the nearly deserted bar to be very heavy, a sense of desperation and underlying fear surrounding them. Billy sat at one of the tables, a bottle of vodka and a carton of orange juice in front of him. He drank some of the mixture from the tall glass in one hand, a cigarette tightly clasped between two fingers on his other.
The men were gathered around the table, sitting in silence. Bodie stubbed out his cigarette in the glass ashtray, exhaling loudly. The noise was almost obscene in the otherwise silent room. "We oughta go. He'll see us when they bring 'im in."
Baggy nodded. "Yeah, he ain't goin' down without seein' his brothers first."
Beth caught a glimpse of the ugly sneer on Billy's face before the others did. She turned away, wiping the bar counter down. Billy slammed his glass down, the thud echoing. He glared at each of them.
"Brilliant fuckin' idea. We go, the cops see us, you dumb shits," he jabbed his cigarette into the ash tray. "We can't fuckin' waltz in an' say 'hey, how the fuck are all you law abidin' citizens doin'?', now can we?"
"Joe's our boy, we hafta go," Bodie sat back, nodding at him.
Billy grunted and looked away. For a brief moment, he locked eyes with Beth. A yellowing smudge on his cheekbone was the only remainder of the beating he'd endured, the moment they'd had together as she comforted him. She lowered her gaze respectfully and busied herself with wiping the counter again.
"Fine," he downed the rest of the drink and got up, tugging his black leather coat on. "The fuck you all waitin' for? Let's go."
Billy glanced at Beth as he walked past the length of the bar, his eyes as unreadable as ever. She nodded, her heart beating harder. Something was wrong, she could feel it again, stronger than before.
Sammy crossed himself after they left, mumbling to himself. She caught only part of it, a shiver running down her spine. It sounded like a prayer.
XX
Eddie burst into the bar a few hours later, his face flushed. "Bethie!" he hollered. "Where are ya, girlie?!"
"Hush, Eddie, I'm not deaf yet," Beth walked out of the back room, adjusting her apron. "What's up?"
Eddie leaned against the wooden bar, panting. "The guy, the fuckin' guy dropped the case. Joe's free."
"What?" Beth ran over to him. "What'd you say?"
"He dropped the fuckin' case. Said it was too dark to be sure who did it," Eddie took a black handkerchief out of his pocket and mopped his face with it. "Billy's bringin' him back here t' celebrate."
"But...why? I mean, he said it was Joe from the beginnin'," she frowned. "Why would he change his mind now?"
Eddie shrugged and pocketed the handkerchief. "Who cares? Joe's free now, he's comin' home. C'mere girlie, don't look so glum, eh?"
Beth leaned against him, accepting the hug. She stared worriedly over at Sammy. There was no relief in his eyes either.
XX
Beth gathered the various bottles late that night, stacking them on the tray. She sighed under her breath as she cleared the tables. Spink had left hours before, his strung out girlfriend hanging on his arm. Jamie and Baggy sat there still, laughing and cheering with Joe every so often. She read the look on Joe's face and sighed again.
She carried the tray full of bottles back to the tiny kitchen, rinsing them out one by one. She placed them in the recycling bin in the stock room, an issue she had stood firm on with Sammy and Billy. The amount of bottles they went through was unreal, she mused as she filled the large bin.
"Hey, you, uh..." Bodie poked his head into the stock room.
"Beth," she rolled her eyes and glared at him a little. "Can't you remember four letters, Bodie?"
He had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed. "Yeah, Beth, right. Need ya out front here."
She set the load of bottles remaining off to the side. "Jesus give me strength," she muttered. "Can it not wait five minutes? You got waitresses for servin' you."
"Nah, it's Billy, he don't want the girls, and he wants you. Don't make this hard. Jus' do what he wants an' we all get on fine."
Beth wiped her hands. "I swear, he's gonna give me gray hair," she followed him back out, stopping short when she saw Billy by the table. She exhaled and walked over to him. "Sir," she said, carefully neutral.
Billy grabbed her wrist, tugging her closer. Beth winced. The stink of Jack Daniels was heavy on his breath. He yanked her flush against him, breathing her in. He leaned in, mumbling under his breath. Beth rested her hand over his and rubbed her thumb along his knuckles. Billy tensed for a second and then let go of her, startled by her touch.
"You jus' don't know how to say what you want," she whispered in his ear. "You can't force me, Billy Darley. Not the way you want."
Billy swallowed then, the raw emotion in his eyes visible for a few seconds. "Shut up."
She held his gaze, her heart pounding furiously. "Yeah, you remember that, Sir.” With that, she walked away, her legs shaking all the way back to the bar.
Billy grabbed Joe not long after and propelled him out of the bar, loudly exclaiming that he'd bought him a present for the night, the gift of a girl who'd show him a good time. Beth glared at Billy's back, seething inwardly at his attitude.
XX
Beth approached the Four Roses the next morning, exhausted and weary from a sleepless night. She rubbed a hand over her face, yawning quietly. The rest of the night had been difficult to say the least. She had felt the weight of Billy's stares on her, the curious glances from the others and the silent brooding of Joe before he'd been taken out for the remainder of the night. She'd been more than eager to leave early.
She dug her keys out and unlocked the door. She turned a few lights on, yawning again.
"Oh for the love of fuckin'..." Beth stared at the mess before her. She counted to twenty to keep from screaming.
There were bottles all over, joints and cigarettes stubbed out in the various ash trays. Empty take out containers, spilt food, plastic plates and forks, lighters, and rolling papers covered several of the tables. Beth let her purse fall to the floor, her hands twitching.
"Animals, every last one of them," Beth tied her hair back, her fingers shaking furiously.
As she cleaned, she cursed them under her breath. Billy stomped past her while she carried the second garbage bag out to the dumpster, a lit cigarette clamped between his lips. His backpack firmly in hand, he breezed past her, a trail of smoke on the air behind him.
Beth tossed the bag into the dumpster, her back aching from the strain. She relocked the doors surrounding the bin. Billy paused by his car and looked back at her, a tense moment between them. Beth swallowed her pride and nodded to him. She walked back to the bar, wondering exactly when his treatment of her had started to hurt.
XX
Midway through the morning, Beth found herself in a still empty bar. She sat down on one of the stools, sipping her glass of orange juice. She drank half of it, the clock ticking loudly in the silent room.
"Bethie," Sammy let himself in not long after, "Mornin', girlie."
Beth held up her glass. "Morning. You shoulda seen this place first thing, Sammy, I swear I nearly screamed."
"I figured," he shook his head and walked behind the bar. "That was some celebratin'. You'd think them boys won the lottery insteada gettin' lucky on a murder charge."
Beth snorted into her glass. "Where is everyone? This place is deserted."
"I dunno," Sammy frowned. "Billy leave already?"
"Yeah, maybe an hour ago while I was cleanin'. It's...weird, y' know? By now I got Jamie moochin' drinks of straight orange juice or Baggy, he brings Tammy in for her shifts..." she sipped the last of her juice, "But today, no one."
"Maybe they're meetin' up or at the labs?" Sammy shrugged. "I dunno. Guess so."
"I suppose," Beth slid off her stool and walked around the bar, rinsing the glass out. "Whatever it is...it doesn't feel right."
Sammy handed her a ten dollar bill. "Stop thinkin' an’ go get us some breakfast, eh? From the bakery on Fourth, tell 'em Sammy sent ya, the lady there likes me, she'll slip ya extra."
"Yessir," Beth tucked the bill into her jeans pocket. She slipped her apron off and folded it neatly. "If they come by, keep an eye on them. I don't wanna be cleanin' up two messes this early in the day."
"Yes'm," he dropped a wink at her. "G' on now, I'm hungry."
Beth slid her purse over her shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, you're wastin' away, I can see each rib." She laughed as she walked out of the bar, out into the late morning sunshine. She felt some of her worries fade away, the constant nagging feeling drifting on the light wind.
"It'll be ok," she said aloud. "It will..."
XX
In the moment before Billy slammed the front door open, an unimaginable grief in his eyes, in the slightest second ahead of him grabbing the door handle, Beth paused by the back of the bar, cloth in hand. She held still, her skin covered in goose bumps. In that moment, she was certain that something had gone horribly wrong.
The slam of the door opening startled the few people inside. Sammy's hand lingered under the bar ledge, straying near the loaded gun he kept there. Billy looked over at them, eyes wild, and a sick twist of his lips curving up. He shuddered and let the door slam shut behind him.
"Billy..." Sammy stepped up behind the bar.
"J.D," Billy rasped. He gripped the bar ledge, his fingers white and tensed.
Sammy poured a tall shot of whiskey for him. Billy downed it, his eyes watering. "Again," he demanded.
He filled the shot for him again, exchanging nervous looks with Beth. Billy downed the shot with a harsh, guttural gasp. He shoved the glass back and stumbled towards the stairs without another word. Beth fingered the cross around her neck.
"Sammy..." she whispered, "God...I was right."
Sammy crossed himself, praying inaudibly. "Is big...this is big, too big. His eyes, they be dead."
"It's Joe, I know it," Beth dropped the cloth on the counter. She walked away from the bar on impulse and headed upstairs.
"Bethie, what the fuck? You get back down here," Sammy called after her. "Don't be chasin' him; there ain't no good in that."
She waved one hand at him. "He's still human," she hissed, "Ganglord or no."
Sammy snorted in disgust and shook his head. "Damned stupid girlie," he muttered.
Beth crept up the stairs, her heart pounding. She crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her elbows. Billy's bedroom door was open, creaking a little in the draft. Beth stepped into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
"Sir?"
Billy stood by the window, his fists clenched, raw fury on his face. "He's dead," he whispered hoarsely, "He...last night. Someone stuck 'im."
Beth closed her eyes for a second, the words a punch to her stomach. "Joe...God."
He made a sound, the noise caught in his throat. "They found 'im this mornin'. I was lyin' here sleepin' while he was bleedin'."
"Don't, don't you do that, don't you be blamin' yourself," she whispered. Beth approached him slowly, wary of his reflexive temper.
Billy leaned against the window pane, his chest hitching. She touched a hand to his upper arm, the long black sleeve covering his decorated skin. He flinched back from her violently. "Don't!"
"Sir...Billy, its ok, I won't hurt you." She moved closer to him. "I told you, bein' gentle doesn't hafta hurt."
"Nothin' good ever stays," Billy said after a moment. He swallowed, staring out the window. "Anythin' good hurts ya in the end. He's all the good I had an' I got nothin' now."
Beth moved her hand down his arm, giving him the chance to pull away. When he didn't, she curled her fingers with his, her hand resting over his. He sighed, his resistance wavering. A long moment stretched out before he turned his hand to the side, holding her hand in his, their fingers entwined. Beth rested her head to his arm, a tear slipping down her cheek.
"I'm sorry," she said, wiping at the tear with her free hand. "He was a good boy; it shouldn't have ended like this."
Billy nodded, his jaw clenched. They stood together silently, watching the sunset through the window.
XX
Author: veiledndarkness
Pairing: Billy/OFC
Rating: R
Summary: She sees everything, she’s watching him fall.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit made and no harm intended.
AU follows storyline of movie somewhat.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
XX
On the morning of the trial, Beth found the air in the nearly deserted bar to be very heavy, a sense of desperation and underlying fear surrounding them. Billy sat at one of the tables, a bottle of vodka and a carton of orange juice in front of him. He drank some of the mixture from the tall glass in one hand, a cigarette tightly clasped between two fingers on his other.
The men were gathered around the table, sitting in silence. Bodie stubbed out his cigarette in the glass ashtray, exhaling loudly. The noise was almost obscene in the otherwise silent room. "We oughta go. He'll see us when they bring 'im in."
Baggy nodded. "Yeah, he ain't goin' down without seein' his brothers first."
Beth caught a glimpse of the ugly sneer on Billy's face before the others did. She turned away, wiping the bar counter down. Billy slammed his glass down, the thud echoing. He glared at each of them.
"Brilliant fuckin' idea. We go, the cops see us, you dumb shits," he jabbed his cigarette into the ash tray. "We can't fuckin' waltz in an' say 'hey, how the fuck are all you law abidin' citizens doin'?', now can we?"
"Joe's our boy, we hafta go," Bodie sat back, nodding at him.
Billy grunted and looked away. For a brief moment, he locked eyes with Beth. A yellowing smudge on his cheekbone was the only remainder of the beating he'd endured, the moment they'd had together as she comforted him. She lowered her gaze respectfully and busied herself with wiping the counter again.
"Fine," he downed the rest of the drink and got up, tugging his black leather coat on. "The fuck you all waitin' for? Let's go."
Billy glanced at Beth as he walked past the length of the bar, his eyes as unreadable as ever. She nodded, her heart beating harder. Something was wrong, she could feel it again, stronger than before.
Sammy crossed himself after they left, mumbling to himself. She caught only part of it, a shiver running down her spine. It sounded like a prayer.
XX
Eddie burst into the bar a few hours later, his face flushed. "Bethie!" he hollered. "Where are ya, girlie?!"
"Hush, Eddie, I'm not deaf yet," Beth walked out of the back room, adjusting her apron. "What's up?"
Eddie leaned against the wooden bar, panting. "The guy, the fuckin' guy dropped the case. Joe's free."
"What?" Beth ran over to him. "What'd you say?"
"He dropped the fuckin' case. Said it was too dark to be sure who did it," Eddie took a black handkerchief out of his pocket and mopped his face with it. "Billy's bringin' him back here t' celebrate."
"But...why? I mean, he said it was Joe from the beginnin'," she frowned. "Why would he change his mind now?"
Eddie shrugged and pocketed the handkerchief. "Who cares? Joe's free now, he's comin' home. C'mere girlie, don't look so glum, eh?"
Beth leaned against him, accepting the hug. She stared worriedly over at Sammy. There was no relief in his eyes either.
XX
Beth gathered the various bottles late that night, stacking them on the tray. She sighed under her breath as she cleared the tables. Spink had left hours before, his strung out girlfriend hanging on his arm. Jamie and Baggy sat there still, laughing and cheering with Joe every so often. She read the look on Joe's face and sighed again.
She carried the tray full of bottles back to the tiny kitchen, rinsing them out one by one. She placed them in the recycling bin in the stock room, an issue she had stood firm on with Sammy and Billy. The amount of bottles they went through was unreal, she mused as she filled the large bin.
"Hey, you, uh..." Bodie poked his head into the stock room.
"Beth," she rolled her eyes and glared at him a little. "Can't you remember four letters, Bodie?"
He had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed. "Yeah, Beth, right. Need ya out front here."
She set the load of bottles remaining off to the side. "Jesus give me strength," she muttered. "Can it not wait five minutes? You got waitresses for servin' you."
"Nah, it's Billy, he don't want the girls, and he wants you. Don't make this hard. Jus' do what he wants an' we all get on fine."
Beth wiped her hands. "I swear, he's gonna give me gray hair," she followed him back out, stopping short when she saw Billy by the table. She exhaled and walked over to him. "Sir," she said, carefully neutral.
Billy grabbed her wrist, tugging her closer. Beth winced. The stink of Jack Daniels was heavy on his breath. He yanked her flush against him, breathing her in. He leaned in, mumbling under his breath. Beth rested her hand over his and rubbed her thumb along his knuckles. Billy tensed for a second and then let go of her, startled by her touch.
"You jus' don't know how to say what you want," she whispered in his ear. "You can't force me, Billy Darley. Not the way you want."
Billy swallowed then, the raw emotion in his eyes visible for a few seconds. "Shut up."
She held his gaze, her heart pounding furiously. "Yeah, you remember that, Sir.” With that, she walked away, her legs shaking all the way back to the bar.
Billy grabbed Joe not long after and propelled him out of the bar, loudly exclaiming that he'd bought him a present for the night, the gift of a girl who'd show him a good time. Beth glared at Billy's back, seething inwardly at his attitude.
XX
Beth approached the Four Roses the next morning, exhausted and weary from a sleepless night. She rubbed a hand over her face, yawning quietly. The rest of the night had been difficult to say the least. She had felt the weight of Billy's stares on her, the curious glances from the others and the silent brooding of Joe before he'd been taken out for the remainder of the night. She'd been more than eager to leave early.
She dug her keys out and unlocked the door. She turned a few lights on, yawning again.
"Oh for the love of fuckin'..." Beth stared at the mess before her. She counted to twenty to keep from screaming.
There were bottles all over, joints and cigarettes stubbed out in the various ash trays. Empty take out containers, spilt food, plastic plates and forks, lighters, and rolling papers covered several of the tables. Beth let her purse fall to the floor, her hands twitching.
"Animals, every last one of them," Beth tied her hair back, her fingers shaking furiously.
As she cleaned, she cursed them under her breath. Billy stomped past her while she carried the second garbage bag out to the dumpster, a lit cigarette clamped between his lips. His backpack firmly in hand, he breezed past her, a trail of smoke on the air behind him.
Beth tossed the bag into the dumpster, her back aching from the strain. She relocked the doors surrounding the bin. Billy paused by his car and looked back at her, a tense moment between them. Beth swallowed her pride and nodded to him. She walked back to the bar, wondering exactly when his treatment of her had started to hurt.
XX
Midway through the morning, Beth found herself in a still empty bar. She sat down on one of the stools, sipping her glass of orange juice. She drank half of it, the clock ticking loudly in the silent room.
"Bethie," Sammy let himself in not long after, "Mornin', girlie."
Beth held up her glass. "Morning. You shoulda seen this place first thing, Sammy, I swear I nearly screamed."
"I figured," he shook his head and walked behind the bar. "That was some celebratin'. You'd think them boys won the lottery insteada gettin' lucky on a murder charge."
Beth snorted into her glass. "Where is everyone? This place is deserted."
"I dunno," Sammy frowned. "Billy leave already?"
"Yeah, maybe an hour ago while I was cleanin'. It's...weird, y' know? By now I got Jamie moochin' drinks of straight orange juice or Baggy, he brings Tammy in for her shifts..." she sipped the last of her juice, "But today, no one."
"Maybe they're meetin' up or at the labs?" Sammy shrugged. "I dunno. Guess so."
"I suppose," Beth slid off her stool and walked around the bar, rinsing the glass out. "Whatever it is...it doesn't feel right."
Sammy handed her a ten dollar bill. "Stop thinkin' an’ go get us some breakfast, eh? From the bakery on Fourth, tell 'em Sammy sent ya, the lady there likes me, she'll slip ya extra."
"Yessir," Beth tucked the bill into her jeans pocket. She slipped her apron off and folded it neatly. "If they come by, keep an eye on them. I don't wanna be cleanin' up two messes this early in the day."
"Yes'm," he dropped a wink at her. "G' on now, I'm hungry."
Beth slid her purse over her shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, you're wastin' away, I can see each rib." She laughed as she walked out of the bar, out into the late morning sunshine. She felt some of her worries fade away, the constant nagging feeling drifting on the light wind.
"It'll be ok," she said aloud. "It will..."
XX
In the moment before Billy slammed the front door open, an unimaginable grief in his eyes, in the slightest second ahead of him grabbing the door handle, Beth paused by the back of the bar, cloth in hand. She held still, her skin covered in goose bumps. In that moment, she was certain that something had gone horribly wrong.
The slam of the door opening startled the few people inside. Sammy's hand lingered under the bar ledge, straying near the loaded gun he kept there. Billy looked over at them, eyes wild, and a sick twist of his lips curving up. He shuddered and let the door slam shut behind him.
"Billy..." Sammy stepped up behind the bar.
"J.D," Billy rasped. He gripped the bar ledge, his fingers white and tensed.
Sammy poured a tall shot of whiskey for him. Billy downed it, his eyes watering. "Again," he demanded.
He filled the shot for him again, exchanging nervous looks with Beth. Billy downed the shot with a harsh, guttural gasp. He shoved the glass back and stumbled towards the stairs without another word. Beth fingered the cross around her neck.
"Sammy..." she whispered, "God...I was right."
Sammy crossed himself, praying inaudibly. "Is big...this is big, too big. His eyes, they be dead."
"It's Joe, I know it," Beth dropped the cloth on the counter. She walked away from the bar on impulse and headed upstairs.
"Bethie, what the fuck? You get back down here," Sammy called after her. "Don't be chasin' him; there ain't no good in that."
She waved one hand at him. "He's still human," she hissed, "Ganglord or no."
Sammy snorted in disgust and shook his head. "Damned stupid girlie," he muttered.
Beth crept up the stairs, her heart pounding. She crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her elbows. Billy's bedroom door was open, creaking a little in the draft. Beth stepped into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
"Sir?"
Billy stood by the window, his fists clenched, raw fury on his face. "He's dead," he whispered hoarsely, "He...last night. Someone stuck 'im."
Beth closed her eyes for a second, the words a punch to her stomach. "Joe...God."
He made a sound, the noise caught in his throat. "They found 'im this mornin'. I was lyin' here sleepin' while he was bleedin'."
"Don't, don't you do that, don't you be blamin' yourself," she whispered. Beth approached him slowly, wary of his reflexive temper.
Billy leaned against the window pane, his chest hitching. She touched a hand to his upper arm, the long black sleeve covering his decorated skin. He flinched back from her violently. "Don't!"
"Sir...Billy, its ok, I won't hurt you." She moved closer to him. "I told you, bein' gentle doesn't hafta hurt."
"Nothin' good ever stays," Billy said after a moment. He swallowed, staring out the window. "Anythin' good hurts ya in the end. He's all the good I had an' I got nothin' now."
Beth moved her hand down his arm, giving him the chance to pull away. When he didn't, she curled her fingers with his, her hand resting over his. He sighed, his resistance wavering. A long moment stretched out before he turned his hand to the side, holding her hand in his, their fingers entwined. Beth rested her head to his arm, a tear slipping down her cheek.
"I'm sorry," she said, wiping at the tear with her free hand. "He was a good boy; it shouldn't have ended like this."
Billy nodded, his jaw clenched. They stood together silently, watching the sunset through the window.
XX
