Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

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Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by librarian_7 »

Disclaimer: So, I don’t own these characters. At this point, this is some sort of surprise?

A/N: And this is, of course, for the “First Line Challenge.” The line is mine. As always, thanks to my awesome beta, Lilly. She made this a whole lot better.



Knock, Knock

Josef looked blankly at Mick, his voice tight with fear, and asked, “Who are you?”

“You don’t know?” Mick frowned, and Josef scrambled further back into the shadows, bracing himself in a corner.

“I—I can’t remember how I got here.” He wiped a hand across his mouth, hard.

Mick held out a hand, and put on his best friendly, harmless face. “It’s okay, buddy. I’m a friend. It’s okay.” He backed away, looking over at Josef’s secretary. “I’m going to talk to Louise here for a minute.” He jerked his head to signal to her, and she nodded, going back into the outer office. She sank into her chair, shaking. This was not right, just not right.

When Mick joined her, he’d gone into detective mode. “Okay, tell me everything you can.”

The secretary clasped her hands together, trying to gather her thoughts. Mr. Kostan would expect her to be collected, competent. She took a deep breath, and forced herself to smooth her hands over the skirt of her suit. “I got to work at 7:30, as usual. The night secretary, DeeDee, was already gone.”

“Is that unusual?”

“No—Mr. Kostan sends her home early, sometimes.”

“Okay, go on.” He made his voice soft, reassuring.

“The—uh, the morning papers were in, and the courier had made a delivery. There was some other mail, too. I logged it and sorted it, and straightened the newspapers the way he likes them. He’s very particular about his newspapers. I guess I assumed he wasn’t in the office, since DeeDee was gone.

“And when I took the papers in, he was there. Pretty much like you found him. I knew something was really wrong, so I got out and called you.”

Mick put an approving hand on her shoulder. “You did the right thing.”

She gave him a thin smile. “I was following Mr. Kostan’s instructions.”

Tilting his head to one side, Mick frowned, eyebrows drawing together. “He told you to call me? This morning?”

“Oh, no.” Louise shook her head. “It’s SOP. Anything outside of normal security issues, call Mr. St. John. Mr. K is very clear on that.”

“All right, then, Louise. I’m going to figure this out.”

“Mr. St. John?” She bit her lip. “Please help him.”

“I will,” he replied. “I promise.”

Back in the office, Josef was standing by his desk, tense and poised for fight or flight, but Mick was surprised to see his friend wasn’t sporting fangs. He sniffed the air. No, Josef was still—Josef. Still vampire.

“I didn’t break in here,” he said, looking around, obviously taking in the opulent furnishings, the trappings of success.

Mick gave him a crooked smile. “You wouldn’t need to,” he replied. “This is your office.”

“Then who the hell are you?”

“I’m a friend. Don’t you remember me, Joz’f?”

“Josef? That’s my name?” The demand was sharp.

Mick nodded. Holy hell, what had happened? “Josef Kostan. This decade, anyway.” He paused. “Does it sound familiar?”

Josef made a dismissive gesture. “Not in the least.” He gave a defiant jerk of his chin. “And your name is?”

“St. John. Mick St. John.”

Josef let out a long, slow breath. “Sorry. Nothing. So you’re telling me I have amnesia? How very Days of Our Lives.”

“Do you remember anything? Do you know what happened?”

“If I knew what happened, I wouldn’t have amnesia, would I?” Josef turned and paced over to the window, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Hasn’t affected your personality,” Mick muttered.

“I heard that,” Josef snapped, then frowned thoughtfully at the reflection in the window glass in front of him. “Wait a minute. How did I hear that?”

Mick stiffened a little. Just how deep was his friend’s memory loss? He shrugged. “You’ve got good ears. Always have had.” He could see no visible wounds, but with vampire healing capabilities, that was no great surprise. A discreet sniff revealed no scent of blood—or at least no vampire blood—in the atmosphere of the office. He’d need to check the Ferrari out, later, he supposed. It was possible, if Josef had received a severe head wound, that his neural pathways simply had not yet re-routed. Mick remembered a couple of years back, when he’d taken a bullet in the skull from Tina Haggans. The organic damage had healed quickly, but his brain hadn’t come fully back on line for hours afterwards.

Josef had heard the sniff, however. “Do you need a Kleenex or something?”

“I’m good.” He could tell that Josef was still at a loss. His friend was moving restlessly around the office, chewing on his lower lip, swallowing repeatedly. He stopped by one of the glass shelves of exquisite objets d’art, and picked up some knickknack Mick knew was possibly priceless, and set it back down roughly with a disgusted snort.

“This crap is really mine? Jesus, I have no taste.” Josef was getting more restless by the minute, and Mick thought he knew why.

Mick took two long strides to the desk and hit the intercom button on the phone. “Louise, can you step in here, please?”

She was through the door almost before he could hang up. “Yes, sir?”

“Mr. Kostan is—dragging. Can you get his preferred, uh, energy drink up here? In a tall glass.” He’d almost said “preferred blood type,” and had caught himself just in time. “I’m assuming you have the facilities to prepare it, right?”

Louise looked slightly confused. “A tall—glass?”

Mick nodded. “A glass.”

Shifting her gaze to Josef, who was once again looking out the window, she replied, “Yes, sir. It—it may take a few minutes to serve.”

Mick crossed his arms. “Sooner is better.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

“Thank you very much,” Mick said, and she was out the door again in a hurry.

“If she’s my secretary,” Josef asked, “why was she so terrified?” He turned to look at Mick.

“She’s worried about you. How did you know she was afraid?”

A frown creased Josef’s forehead. “I—I’m not sure. I just knew.” He shook his head. “Must’ve been in her voice.”

“Not really.”

“You have some insight, buddy?” The ironic emphasis was hard to ignore.

“Maybe.” Mick paused. “I’d like to try something.”

“What?”

“Q and A. I’ll ask questions, you answer. Don’t think about it, just answer. If you don’t know, say so.”

Josef gave a quick upward flick of his eyebrows, his doubt showing in his whiskey brown eyes. “I guess I don’t have anything else pressing.”

“Okay, then. What’s your name?”

“You said, Josef.”

“Don’t think, just answer,” Mick said. “How old are you?”

“Don’t know.”

“What city is this?”

Josef couldn’t stop himself from glancing at the stack of newspapers on the desk. “New York?”

“What kind of car do you drive?”

“Don’t know.”

“Who designed that suit you’re wearing?”

“Tom Ford. I can’t wear Armani every day.” He blinked and frowned. “Where the hell did that come from?”

Mick ignored him and went on. “Who’s president?”

“Lincoln. No, wait, that can’t be right.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Mick continued, relentless. “What’s your favorite car?”

“Ferrari 430i Spider. But only with the F1 transmission.”

“Who do you like in the Masters?”

“Is Tiger playing? If not, that Nagano kid is looking good.”

“Really?” Mick frowned. “Wait, he’s not a real—nevermind. What year is it?”

“1627.” Josef sat down heavily in a chair. “I know I’m not making sense.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “It’s like everything is right on the tip of my tongue, like I can almost reach it. But then it’s gone.”

Mick shook his head. “I think it’s all there, Joz’f. It’ll come back to you. Just needs time.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve got one for you. Knock, knock?”

“Who’s there?”

“How the hell would I know? I can’t even come up with my name,” Josef snarled. “This is ridiculous. I can’t even think; how am I supposed to remember?”

“Give it time. Whatever happened, must’ve happened during the night. You don’t know it’s permanent. It will probably wear off.” He hoped he wasn’t fooling himself. He didn’t think he was fooling Josef. But before they could go on, a soft knock signalled the secretary’s return.

Louise was carrying a small tray, with a glass filled with dark red liquid. Josef thought he’d never smelled anything so delicious; the aroma seemed to pervade the atmosphere instantly. He was ravenous.

Mick took the tray from Louise with a nod and a quick smile. “We may be needing a refill.”

“Of course,” she said, and left the office quickly.

Josef was finding it difficult not to lunge forward to capture that fluid. The red of it seemed almost to glow from within, making every other color in the room fade into uninteresting neutrals.

He snatched the glass from Mick, and began to drink. The taste exploded in his mouth, complex, overwhelming. It tasted of foods and flavors, of emotions and desires. Somehow, he suddenly thought of a dark-haired woman, red-lipped and smiling at him, her eyes heavy with satisfaction.

The glass was empty.

“I want more,” he said, feeling the impact of it, as though he could sense it soaking into every cell of his body. He felt…renewed. “What is that stuff?”

Mick just smiled. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Tell me now.”

“Not sure you’re ready for it, buddy.”

Josef slammed the glass down on his desk, and it shattered in his hand, the shards cutting his fingers. He looked at his hand, thinking he must’ve misjudged the force of his motion. As he stared at the cuts, they began to close and heal. He held out his hand towards Mick. “What. The. Hell?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“What was in that glass?” Josef’s voice was demanding, imperious.

“Don’t panic.”

“Give me a good reason not to.”

“Joz’f—the glass? It was blood. Human blood.”

Josef looked down at the shattered crystal, drops of red still clinging to it. His mind was racing, and he licked his lower lip, trying to regain control of reality.

“Are you saying,” he said incredulously, a faint sneer on his face, “that I’m some kind of —vampire?”
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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by redwinter101 »

Sigh.

And another.

Why am I sighing? Because this begs to be continued!! We got from a first line to a first chapter...

Super. Absolutely super.

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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by greenleaf9 »

Oh Lucky, you just totally made my day!!! :biggrin: This first line was one I really wanted to see continued-I'm so glad you chose this one to work on. I can't wait to see where this story goes! :hyper:

I cracked up at this part...
“Who do you like in the Masters?”

“Is Tiger playing? If not, that Nagano kid is looking good.”

“Really?” Mick frowned. “Wait, he’s not a real—nevermind. What year is it?”
:snicker: :snicker: :snicker:

Josef not knowing he's a vampire, and the mixture of knowledge about himself that he still retains is fascinating. Oooo, so excited to see where you take this!
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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by Lucy »

Oh, Josef...not some kind of Vampire...YOU ARE the highest form of them......

Thanks for the "event".
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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by RangerCM »

greenleaf9 wrote:Oh Lucky, you just totally made my day!!! :biggrin: This first line was one I really wanted to see continued-I'm so glad you chose this one to work on. I can't wait to see where this story goes! :hyper:

I cracked up at this part...
“Who do you like in the Masters?”

“Is Tiger playing? If not, that Nagano kid is looking good.”

“Really?” Mick frowned. “Wait, he’s not a real—nevermind. What year is it?”
:snicker: :snicker: :snicker:

Josef not knowing he's a vampire, and the mixture of knowledge about himself that he still retains is fascinating. Oooo, so excited to see where you take this!
Yep, that quote above had me laughing too. This is wonderful! Must. Have. More!! :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by darkstarrising »

Loved what you did with this opening line :heart:

Even though bits and pieces of his 400 years are all jumbled up, Josef is still Josef, the snarkiness, his commentary on his 'bad taste' and his eventual trust of Mick....

The masters comment was a stroke (no pun intended) of genius - Nagano, indeed :giggle:

Soooooo....are you going to tell us how the mighty Kostan lost his memory and how he gets it back???? Please :fingerscrossed:
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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by moonlight_vixen »

Oh, man! This story definitely begs to be continued! :twothumbs: Great job Lucky!
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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by cassysj »

This is great and you must continue. Josef not knowing he's a vampire, it boggles the mind.
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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by LadyAilith »

*Please* tell me that you're planning to continue this story! It's amazing!! I've got to know how Josef lost his memory...

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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by librarian_7 »

You guys...always wanting more, more, more. I really had intended this as a one shot...but if you insist, I'll see about it. (Just give me a bit of time...I've got other irons in the fire, you know!)

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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by RangerCM »

:yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:
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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by allegrita »

Lucky, this story is wonderful. It does stand alone just fine... but it's begging for more, and I'm begging along with it. :pray: When you have time, if you get inspired, I'd love to read the story of what happened to Josef, and how he and Mick figure it out and get his memory back.

There is so much to love in this. Josef's perfect snark:
Josef let out a long, slow breath. “Sorry. Nothing. So you’re telling me I have amnesia? How very Days of Our Lives.”

“Do you remember anything? Do you know what happened?”

“If I knew what happened, I wouldn’t have amnesia, would I?”
Mick's wonderful way with people, and probing detective's mind:
Mick paused. “I’d like to try something.”

“What?”

“Q and A. I’ll ask questions, you answer. Don’t think about it, just answer. If you don’t know, say so.”
And the return of a favorite character, Josef's secretary, Louise. :hearts:

I love this story, because it makes me think about possibilities--what might have caused it, who might be involved, what happened to the night secretary... so, like I said, if you should be so inclined, I'd sure love to see this story continue... :rose:
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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by susieb »

This is wonderful! :hearts:

“I want more,” he said, feeling the impact of it, as though he could sense it soaking into every cell of his body. He felt…renewed."

I feel the same way about this story! (More, please?)
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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by AggieVamp »

This was WONDERFUL! And I'll just reiterate what everyone else has said (so much better than I could) MORE PLEASE when you get time - or get inspiried....

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Re: Knock, Knock (Challenge #114, First Lines) (PG-13)

Post by tucutecats »

Oh, you had me hooked with the first line.this is absolutely delicious.I want more please, this story must be continued.I always look forward to your work, and you never dissapoint me. Liz
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