While Pandora was still a hell hole brimming with gas-mask wearing psychopaths, murderous midgets, and alien monsters, some evenings could prove calm and relatively quiet; like the minute lapse between rifle shots, a fractional second of calm. It was these rare evenings Axton found he favored wandering down to overlook, preferring the comparative ease of the Holy Spirit's over Moxxi's more chaotic bar.

Although Axton was the type of man that enjoyed nights of pulsing music beating his ear drums, cigarette smoke assaulting his nostrils, and dodging wasted patrons as they fumbled around him, tonight was not one of those night. Upon ordering his drink, however, the commando realized that maybe the next few hours weren't mean to parallel his current sense ease and relaxation, a pair of pretty blue eyes catching his attention.

In a far, dark, cornered booth of the room sat a woman he'd never seen among bar's regulars. And despite fact that she was cover head to toe with faded, heavy clothing Axton could make out a tantalizing figure below. Supple curves outlined themselves against the wrinkles of a dark jacket. Pale, creamy skin peaking between a low hood and high scarf. Elegantly shaped eyes with long dark lashes hinted of beauty that the commando hoped extended to the parts he couldn't see.

The ex-soldier resisted a initial urge to saunter over to woman with a cheesy pick up line that he would find hilarious but, as experience had taught him, would only gain a knee in his groin or a drink to his face. Instead, he stretched to his feet as nonchalantly as possible, gravitating toward the lonely booth with forced patience.

"Drinking alone ain't as fun as drinking with company." He started innocently enough. "Mind if I join you?'

She jumped at request, her gaze darting across the commando like a spooked animal. Patiently Axton stood his ground as she eyed his smirk, than his shield, and lastly his gun.

"S-Sure." A single, light word eventually stumbled past the woman's scarf. The quietness of response, a possible hint of reluctant agreement, did little to deter Axton.

As he settled himself in seat opposite the woman he noted her lack of a shield and gun. The way she kept fidgeting under his gaze. How her responses to his flirting were always short and patchy, but this didn't alarm him, especially considering most of the residents of Overlook suffered from skull shivers. The one thing that did peak his curiosity was the way she'd tensed up when he asked her name.

"I-I don-t like names."

"You don't like names?"

"Th-They are mis-leading."

"I suppose that can be true." Axton pondered as he took a swig of his beer. "Suppose it can go the other way around as well. I got this buddy Zer0, and I probably couldn't think up a better name for the guy even if you paid me. Can't say if that's his actual name though."

"L-isten." Finally giving up on avoiding Axton's gaze, the woman looked up. Intensity of her visible features tickled the surface of the commando's brain, like a image he knew he'd seen before but couldn't recall where. "I-I appreciate what your doing, especially when I'm so shielded, but this isn't a good idea. In fact, I don't know why I even let you sit with me. How I didn't notice you come into the bar. It's stupid of me. I need to get out of here-"

"Woah." As panic rose in the woman's voice Axton reached out with a soothing tone and easy smile. "Calm down. No pressure darling. If I'm making you nervous we can just be friends. How about that? Friend?"

"I've already proven myself to be a crappy friend."

Her words were louder then, more pronounced than a whisper for the first time. While on some level the commando noted her new tone as something eerily beautiful, like an exotic flower that did not belong on Pandora, it was its smoothness that made him look up. A minute ago she had been an image of a warn-down skull shivers victim, yet, as Axton realized she'd stop stuttering, he saw something bold behind light surface of those pretty eyes. Their was something hauntingly foolhardy hidden in the irises, chilling the ex-soldier as if he'd seen a ghost.

Soon enough familiarity dawned on the commando as he examined those eyes like he would consider a challenge, the following realization explaining where his sense of nostalgia had spawned from.

He opened him mouth to say something but, for once, tripped over his tongue. This couldn't be right. It wasn't plausible. Not after what he'd seen. After what he'd done. Axton's gun had made the crippling shot on her machine for fuck's sake. Yet the longer he stared into that tiny visible patch of the woman's face he couldn't fathom anyone else having eyes like hers.

"Angel?"

The name slipped out of him before Axton could think about what he was asking. Upon later inspection the commando couldn't say he was alarmed when the woman shot up from table as if he'd just told her he was about to drag her down a dark alley. Nor was he really surprised when his attempt to keep her from fleeing failed; his Hyperion shield shorting out with a nasty hiss as he grabbed for the woman, an electric shock momentarily numbing his limbs.

A/N: Wanted to try my hand at an Angel survives fic and this is what I came up with. Had a hell of a time trying to figure which vault hunter would be the one to run into her though. Sense I got a wide variety of suggestions of who should be a possible romantic interest with no one really standing out I think I'm just going to make it Axton for no really valid reason. Maybe because thats the first place my brain went for some reason? Anyways, enjoy and please review!