3. Prime (six a.m.) - PG-13

[redwinter101]

Title: Prime
Author: redwinter101
Rating: PG-13 for language
Disclaimer: I don't own Moonlight or any of its characters
Note: this is the third story in the Divine Office series - there is a separate A/N here explaining a bit more. I know, I know, they're like buses - you wait for ever and then two come along at once. This was originally going to be the first story in the series but then I decided I wanted to start with midnight so this one had to wait. Anyway, we have reached six a.m. and it's time for Guillermo to take centre stage.

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--- Prime ---


Carlos Gutierrez (21).

Friedrich Hackelman (92).

Alexander Baddeley (50).

Melissa Pacheco (19).

Tyler Waddell (14).

Abigail Taylor (73).

James Goldsmith (5 months).

Andre Brown (77).

Jane Doe (early 20s).

John Doe 1 (60s).

John Doe 2 (60s).

"That's the lot, Manny." Guillermo signed the handover sheet and held out the clipboard to the still half-asleep day shift supervisor. "Busy night."

Manny nodded and yawned, barely registering the details of the silent charges now commended into his care.

"Hey, Manny," Guillermo tapped at the clipboard, "you need to pay attention. You can't get these John Does mixed up. One's a homeless guy and the other's some rich suit."

A frown added to Manny's general air of pre-caffeine confusion, "If he's a rich suit, why's he a John Doe?"

Guillermo grinned, "Because he dropped dead of a heart attack in a fancy hotel with a very expensive hooker and a fake name. LAPD's running it down now and when they do, you're gonna have some very pissed relatives turning up to claim the body."

"Fantastic. Just what I need today."

"Don't sweat it, man. Just don't screw up. Leave the rest to the cops."

Manny nodded, "Anything else?"

"Usual back-up with the coroner. Some of these folks have been here way too long, but, what can you do, right?" They shared a shrug, accustomed to the delays and bureaucracy, unable to muster indignation. You got used to it, most of the time, but you always took care; everyone deserved a little dignity in death.

Guillermo collected his backpack, shrugged on his jacket and headed out, sketching a wave over his shoulder.

He'd had a busy night in more ways than one. Nothing spread faster than word there was a child's blood on the market. The kid was dead, the blood was going to be drained anyway, so where was the harm?

It didn't bother him most nights; he did what he had to. His trade kept a roof over his head, his list of enemies to zero and the community wheels turning smoothly. It made him important. But none of that had stopped the bile rising in his throat at the slavering queue that formed in the bowels of the building as dawn approached. He'd made a killing all right but now he needed to forget the name James Goldsmith, forget his tiny body, frozen with unlived life. Forget his mother, grief too great for tears, and focus on the thick wedge of bills bulging in his pocket.

The irony wasn't lost on him. The longer you lived, the more value you got out of life, the less value you had in death. None of them gave a fuck about old man Hackelman, passed away peacefully in a nursing home, probably surrounded by generations of loving family. His blood barely raised enough to cover the cost of draining it. Lucky bastard.

As for the rest, it was the usual mix of the violent and the mundane. He'd forget their names and their faces by the time he hit the street. After so many years, so many souls, it was only a precious few who lingered in the memory. They rose in his dreams, the dreams he kept to himself, their blood spilling over him, covering hands, mouth, unable to breathe.

Sometimes it was the body itself that made them memorable - an unusual tattoo, a scar that told a story, youth and innocence extinguished. But most of the time, it was the manner of death that stayed with him. The brutality that humans inflicted on each other had taken him a long time to accept after countless nights railing at the barbaric disregard for fragile existence. It was in the humans' charnel-house that he finally realised monstrosity was a personal affliction, human or vampire.

He shook his shoulders, a physical casting off of pointless musing. His step quickened as he approached the exit. He knew exactly what he needed to get his head straight.

He needed Carmela.

Carmela who should be pulling into the parking lot right about now in her custom Camaro.

Carmela with the magnificent curves.

Carmela between whose sweet thighs he would forget everything, pausing only to wonder how he'd got so lucky.

Shades on, collar turned up against the intrusion of the sun, smirk firmly in place, he swung open the door and slid into the passenger seat.

"Morning, sweetness." Her short, short skirt rode even higher, giving a delicious peek of lace as she leaned around the straining seatbelt, gripping his collar, pulling him into her kiss.

Oh yeah, his head was straight all right. "Home. Now."

[wpgrace]

He has the hardest and most unsung job on the show... taking care of the dead, and caring for, via feeding, the undead.

And after it all, he SO is using all his brain power to figure out vampire women! Or at least Carmela. Woot for Guillermo!!!!! This was fabulous, and totally unexpected...

[redwinter101]

Thank you, sweetie. Glad it was a surprise.

Red

[AussieJo]

Red, a wonderful and sobering peek into Guillermo's world.
The baby would have stuck in his head..... a hug for Guillermo
I noticed there was another child on the list as well.
14 years old. A bad day.
Another hug for Guillermo.
And also one for Red!

[allegrita]

This is a wonderful peek into my favorite underused Moonlight character. He's a practical guy, but you can see things under the surface sometimes. He's got his share of memories, good and bad. And the baby... how awful! You've captured his ambivalence, his distaste for it, and yet his underlying pragmatism and fatalism. He's got feelings, but hey--vamps got needs, and some of those needs aren't much different from yours and mine--security, peace, enough money to spend, and a little love to keep the bad dreams at bay.

This is a very satisfying story, Red. It feels nourishing and solid.

[MoonlitRose]

Red,

An interesting look at "G"'s world. There has to have been times when his was one of the hardest jobs in the world to do!

Thank you for the glimpse at how Guillermo coped with it all!

[darkstarrising]

I'm glad you changed the order....after the first two, this fits nicely....

It didn't bother him most nights; he did what he had to.

A man with a tough job; there will always be the dead to tend to...

But none of that had stopped the bile rising in his throat at the slavering queue that formed in the bowels of the building as dawn approached.

As there will always be the undead to provide for....but the death of a child bothers him the most, yet profits him the most as well. Your Guillermo is a complex man in his own way, faced by things he knows he has to do, but is bothered by nonetheless. A pang of regret over the child's blood, yet he takes the money anyway.

It was in the humans' charnel-house that he finally realised monstrosity was a personal affliction, human or vampire.

Yet Guillermo copes, as man has coped through the ages, in the arms of a woman.

A thought provoking peek into the mind of a man with a heart and a conscience....

[francis]

G has a girlfriend!!! Thank you for giving G a life. We only ever met him at work, and that's how the community knows him and needs him, but it's sad. He once said he sleeps at the morgue. Maybe that was a time when Carmela and he had a falling-out. You know, like a husband sleeping on the couch.

The irony wasn't lost on him. The longer you lived, the more value you got out of life, the less value you had in death.

Even in the most humorous story you always manage to include something profound about life and death. This is a story about life, death, undeath and the worth of it all. Guillermo knows how to live the good times, he has seen the belly of the beast and values what he has. He's doing the community a service, both the human and the vampires, and the thing he sacrificed for it is innocence. I'm glad he's able to leave it behind when his shift ends.

[rijane]

Let's start off with the fact that Guillermo is one of my favourite supporting players and I'm so happy you've taken him on!

The irony wasn't lost on him. The longer you lived, the more value you got out of life, the less value you had in death. None of them gave a fuck about old man Hackelman, passed away peacefully in a nursing home, probably surrounded by generations of loving family. His blood barely raised enough to cover the cost of draining it. Lucky bastard.

This is my favourite paragraph in this story for a number of reasons. First, it starts off with a spot of wisdom and depth, but then it's juxtaposed with a good "fuck" that feels like it came from a guy who just got off a long, hard night. And then it wraps with a character-perfect pair of lines. The tone, the sentiments, they all work in concert here.

"Morning, sweetness." Her short, short skirt rode even higher, giving a delicious peek of lace as she leaned around the straining seatbelt, gripping his collar, pulling him into her kiss.

Oh yeah, his head was straight all right. "Home. Now."

Speaking of juxtaposition - this matched against Mick's not-quite-morning makes for a great contrast even as there's a measure of similarity as they both seek out comfort from a hard day's night. Great ending!

I feel like I should have better words to describe this story (I'm going with the excuse I'm in the wee hours here and most Americans are lost to their dreaming ) because it's really well done - both in character and style. I appreciate that you're taking on Guillermo as a character and juggling his personality, his profession and his vampirism. You've held him steady in your authorial hand and we've got a great piece as a result.

[Luxe de Luxe]

what really hits home to me about this, is that line about monstrosity being a personal affliction. It's what's on the inside that counts. Lots of home truths wrapped up in elegant prose? It's gotta be one of Red's.

[jenstc2003]

Oh WOW! I always got a kick out of Guillermo- and this reads SOOO true to what we knew of him. LOVE it!

[redwinter101]

AussieJo, thank you - and a for you too, my dear.

allegrita, *squee* - I know how much affection you have for Guillermo so I'm especially pleased you enjoyed this.

MoonlitRose, thank you. I think he's got his coping mechanisms pretty well rehearsed.

dsr, I think "coping" just about sums it up. Guillermo's a coper. Pragmatic - someone who just gets on with business. He's such a great character - I wish we'd got to see more of him. Okay so I wish we'd got more of ALL of them, but you know what I mean.

francis, LOL! Yes, Guillermo struck me as a guy with some moves. No way was he going to be single... or at least, unattached. Leaving it behind at the end of his shift was precisely the effect I was going for. Thank you, sweetie.

rijane, you make me sigh (in a good way). I love that you loved that paragraph.

I feel like I should have better words to describe this story

Oh trust me, you did just FINE. I got it - you liked it. And that makes me very happy indeed.

Luxe, flatterer. (Seriously though, thank you. )

Jen, and I'm always delighted to see a comment from you on one of my stories. Thank you so much.

Red

[cassysj]

I thought I commented earlier today.

I love Guillermo and he does have a necessary business. The child's face will stay with him but he is practical and vampire's have to eat and he has to make a living.

You have really fleshed out a character we saw so little of.

I'm so happy he has a girlfriend.

[redwinter101]

Thanks, Carol. I'm delighted Guillermo's happiness made you happy.

Red

[jen]

Fabulous!

Guillermo is such a Wonderful character! I'm delighted that you have given him some added dimension in this wonderful story.

I am so looking forward to this series!