Thirty Days To Live - Modern AU [Elyan & Gwen]

[cherryblossom131]

"You've got thirty days to deliver the money or else...let's just say my guys will be looking for you and you won't be happy when they find you."

Thirty days? THIRTY DAYS?! He didn't have a snowballs chance in hell to get that kind of money in just thirty days. They had let him go and told him to come back when he had the money, and if he didn't...they'd come for him. He was practically dead already; there was no point in denying it. There wasn't even any point in running, they'd find him anyway. Elyan didn't quite know how he got himself into these kinds of messes. He'd been in America chasing down a good job opportunity as a business man. It wasn't something that he'd normally jump at but the job required you to go around the world. A chance like that he'd definitely jump at. But that's where the whole problem had started in the first place. He'd just been at the wrong place at the wrong time, as Gwen would say. Gwen. She'd know what to do, she always did.

He got onto the first plane that would get him to Gwen and as soon as he landed he got a taxi and told the driver to go to the address he'd learnt off by heart. It had been a year since he last saw his little sister in person, and he was beginning to feel nervous about what her reaction would be to his abrupt return would be. He hoped she was still living in the same flat. He hadn't written to her in a while so she could have moved for all he knew. He hated asking things from her, and asking her to 'save' him, it wasn't fair on her. He was supposed to be the responsible older sibling, but he'd still do it all the time when they were younger. It was like there was some sort of neon sign on his forehead that just attracted trouble. It seemed that hadn't changed even as he grew up.

But this was unlike any sort of trouble he'd ever gotten himself into. This was the mafia for goodness sake! Elyan just knew someone somewhere was laughing at him. He took the stairs because he couldn't wait for the elevator. When he finally got to her door he breathed out for a moment; she was going to kill him when she saw him after so long. He'd meant to call but he usually used disposable phones because he'd break it otherwise and he wasn't always near a computer so he couldn't even e-mail her. Plus...he'd been busy getting threatened by the mafia. He knocked on the door, hoping to god that she was inside. He knocked again...and again and carried on like that. He'd already wasted a day travelling so he now had about 29 days left to live. He couldn't afford to be patient...literally.

[Guinevère]

Guinevère's life was anything but adventurous. In fact her idea of an adventure was realizing her pet ferret had hid her keys again, and she had ten minutes to find them or miss the bus and have to be late to work or take a cab. When this happened, she would arrive to work and job with her co-worker friends about her adventurous morning.

She liked reading, watching old school movies where the acting was good and the plots were almost cheesy. She enjoyed a bit of ammaturate astronomy, which basically amounted to going to the local park once or twice a month and sitting under the stars as the community club would met and talk about things she didn't understand.

So when she awoke to constant knocking, and looked at her clock she was more then surprised--she was alarmed. Hurrying to pull on jeans and a sweater, she walked slowly down the steps of her small flat. Her flat was done in a studio style, and had a small kitchen on one side, and just enough room for a couch and TV on the other. The steps that lead up to the bedroom and the only bathroom in her house, split the middle. There was just enough room for one person to live comfortably, two if you didn't mind close quarters.

She stood up on her toes, stretching to see in the peek hole and--"Elyan!" She stepped back, and unlocked the chain and bolt then the door, before pulling open the door. "Elyan?!" She said surprised, "What . . . I mean . . come in!"

[cherryblossom131]

As soon as he walked through the door he could see the evident surprise on his sister's face. He opened his mouth to say something but no words could come out. The speech he'd prepared as an explanation while he walked up the stairs to her flat was completely gone from his mind. "Surprise?" He said weekly, waiting for her reaction. It wasn't the best thing to say but he hated the silence and it had been the first thing to pop into his head. He took a moment to look at her; he hadn't seen her in a year after all. "You're looking well." He sighed, that wasn't what he'd planned to say either. Elyan hadn't expected some huge family reunion with hugs and tears all around, but he wasn't enjoying this awkward silence; he hadn't been really sure what he'd expected.

"Look, I know it's been a while," he began. "But I can explain." He paused for a moment, creasing his eyebrows. How on Earth was he going to explain getting in trouble with the mafia and coming to her because he was pretty much dead? "I uhh," he hesitated. "I got into a little bit of trouble Gwen and I need your help." He just came out with it. There was no point in beating around the bush. He dreaded to imagine what she must be thinking right now. She probably hated him and he couldn't blame her. But the truth was, he felt terrible about being here only to seek out her help. She probably thought he was a terrible brother and quite frankly she was right.

[Guinevère]

"Surprise?" "Very much so!" She said softly, her mind catching up to her eyes! Elyan her big brother was here at her door! In the middle of the night! Unannounced! Not that he needed it, but she knew it either meant this trip had been unplanned and he was tired and ready to sleep . . . or something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Look, I know it's been a while," "But your always welcome here, Elyan, you know that!" It was what you did when you loved someone, you kept a place ready for them in your heart at all times, and even some extra blankets for their visits. "I uhh, . . . I got into a little bit of trouble Gwen and I need your help." Trouble.

Guinevère closed her eyes and then opened them slowly. TO say she was worried for her brother and even afraid for him was an understatement. Yet there was also the sisterly madness that she felt. Keeping her face clam she nodded her head. "Why don't you rest on the couch, while put on some hot tea for you, and you tell me how I can help." Because her helping was a given. No matter how mad he made her, how much she wished he'd be safer, or how many times he showed up . . .

She would always help her brother.

[cherryblossom131]

He could hardly believe how welcoming she was. He had half expected her to tear his head off as soon as he walked through the door because of how long it had been. He hadn't seen her in a year for goodness sake. How she could stand to see him asking for help at her door was beyond him. He knew he had a lot of nerve showing up unannounced at her doorstep asking for help, but she was the only person he knew who'd definitely help him no matter what. It was selfish of him, he knew, to use her like that but he honestly didn't know who else to turn to or who else would help him. But that was just Gwen. His little sister would always be the outstandingly caring and affectionate person she was who'd help him hide the mud stains on the carpet in their childhood and the broken vase behind the couch.

After she offered him tea he chuckled disbelievingly. "You're so good to me Gwen." He knew she must be holding in a lot of anger. Elyan was in trouble again and she had to help him out of it...again. "I'm so sorry for dragging you into this. It's not fair to you." It wasn't the first time he'd said that, he knew. But every time he did, he would genuinely mean it. He wished he didn't have to burden her with his problems. He creased his eyebrows and looked at her with honest sincerity in his eyes. "But thank you...again." He half smiled and then bent down to hug her. Despite the circumstances he had missed his baby sister of course; it had been a year after all. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek then let go of her and sat down on her couch.