Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 1] PG13
Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 8:59 pm
Author's note: Don't worry, I'm still working on What Are You, Mick St. John?. I've just been working on it so long, I got a bit restless and have to get this out of my system as well. I was rewatching Fever recently and wondering what would happen if…(see summary).
Beta: Barb (Bank1115), of course!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Some dialogue is borrowed or paraphrased from episodes.
Summary: Alternate ending to episode 4, "Fever." While Mick lies dying in the tub at the no-star motel, Leni still can’t get a cell signal and Beth never gets that crucial phone call.
Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service)—Chapter 1
“Damn it!” Leni smacked the side of the phone with her palm. “Still no signal.” She unfolded one leg from underneath the other and slowly rose from the bed. Padding softly toward the bathroom, she hesitated outside the closed door. “Mick?” She rested a hand on the doorjamb. “Mick, are you okay?”
No answer. She jiggled the knob and pushed open the door.
“Mick, I can’t get a signal. I don’t know what else to—” Leni stopped short at the sight of him. Mick lay still in the tub, eyes shut, arms folded across his chest, his head barely above water.
Her heart nearly stopped.
She ran over and fell to her knees beside the tub. “Mick!” She patted his face; his skin was an ugly gray and still burning hot despite the ice bath. “Mick—can you hear me?”
His eyes snapped open and took a moment to focus on her. Leni gasped—his scleras were bright yellow.
Mick started thrashing about in the water. “Get out, Leni! Get out!”
She shook her head firmly and held his head between her hands. “No. I’m not leaving. You need help. You’re dying!”
“You must leave…now! …Please.” He jerked his head away from her and spoke into the side of the tub, “I’ll die before I feed on you…”
Leni sat back and held a hand up. “Whoa—what did you just say?”
Mick buried his face in his right shoulder and waved her off with his other arm. “Get out, Leni! Get out! Leave!”
“No. Not without answers. —Did you just say you’d die before you fed on me?!” she squeaked.
He said nothing, but turned his head toward her. His eyes drifted towards her neck and he started to raise himself up a little.
Leni shivered a little under his gaze. “Mick?”
He snapped out of his trance and met her eyes for a brief second before he curled into himself again. “Please…you must leave…”
“No. Not until you tell me what the hell is going on here. Something’s seriously wrong with you, and I think you know what it is.”
Mick took a long, shuddering breath and turned towards her. His irises had turned a whitish-blue and the sharp ends of his canines peeked out from under his top lip.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my gosh,” Leni gasped. “—What are you?”
“I’m a vampire.”
*****************************************************************************************************************************************
“…Thanks.” Josh lowered the phone slowly, staring at it for a moment before he snapped it shut. He kept his back to her.
“Well?” Beth’s voice shook slightly.
Josh turned, staring at the floor, but he could feel her eyes on him. “That was Victorville PD.” He blew out a deep breath and looked up. “On their way to the bus station, they found a fresh accident scene. Apparently Mick and Leni stole a police cruiser... They were attacked.” He paused. “Looks like they’re dead.”
“Dead?” Beth gasped, her chin quivering. “There must be some mistake.”
Josh shook his head. “The car was in flames—it’s too hot to even get close.”
She turned away. Her upper body trembled.
“I’m sorry.” He moved around the desk and sat on the edge. “—Are you okay?”
Beth took a breath and exhaled it shakily. “You’ve got a big problem.”
Josh blinked.
Beth wiped her eyes with her hand and turned to face him. “Mick didn’t talk to anyone but you and I.”
His mouth dropped open. “Are you suggesting that I’m the leak?”
“I’m saying someone on your team is responsible, and you should find out who!” She started marching to the door, her lips dragging downward at the corners.
“Beth!” Josh called after her. She stopped mid-stride, but didn’t turn to him. He closed the gap between them and laid a hand on her arm. “Look, I know he was kind of your friend...”
“‘Kind of’?” She wrenched away from his grasp. “—You don’t know anything.”
She left Josh standing alone in his office, arm outstretched.
*****************************************************************************************************************************************
Leni took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Visual and auditory hallucinations aren’t typically symptoms of pregnancy, are they?”
“Uh, unfortunately, I don’t think so,” Mick looked down into the bath water.
“Oh-kay,” Leni breathed out slowly, “So, uh, you’re a…vampire, and—”
“—And I…I don’t do well in the sun.”
“Well, I’d say that qualifies for Understatement of the Year,” Leni snorted.
Mick’s mouth upturned slightly. He licked his lips once to wet them. “Beth…called me a delicate flower.”
“Right…Beth. You trust her?”
“Yeah. She’s the only other…human…that knows.”
“Wow—I should be honoured, then? I’m in the top two!” Leni held up two fingers with a grin.
“I guess,” Mick grunted, then added with a little smile and shake of his head, “I dunno if it’s a secret most people would like to know. And I don’t exactly volunteer the information.”
“I have lots of questions, but I don’t think now’s the best time to be asking them…” Leni trailed off.
“Yeah…maybe…not…” Mick grunted.
Leni flipped her hair over her shoulder and started tugging at her shirt to further expose her neck. “Okay, then, so how do you want to do this?”
“What?” Mick lurched sideways. “No—what are you doing?”
Leni looked at him. “You’re a vampire, Mick—isn’t this what you need? Blood?”
“No—not yours.”
“Who else’s blood are you going to get around here—Oh,” she looked at him slyly. “That’s why you wanted me to call Beth. I get it. She’s not your girlfriend, she’s your…what do you call it? Is there a name for girls who feed vampires?”
Mick looked horrified. “No—Beth’s not a freshie!”
“‘Freshie’?” Leni’s brows shot up. “—That’s what you guys call them? Really?” She wrinkled her nose.
“Yeah—yeah, I guess,” Mick brushed her off. “But that’s not who Beth is; I would never ask that of her—or anyone, anymore.”
“Okay, okay, sorry,” Leni put a hand up. “But this is an emergency, so it doesn’t count, right?”
“I said no—get out, Leni!”
“Listen, Mick, you’ve already saved my life once. Let me return the favour.”
“No, Leni—what about the baby?” He looked at her earnestly. “—Jack’s baby?”
“The baby isn’t dying. You are.”
“But if I take some of your blood—”
“Not if—when,” Leni crossed her arms. “The baby will be fine. You’ll just take a little—enough so you’re not gonna die on me, but not so much as to harm me or the baby. That’ll work, right?”
Mick started to shake his head violently. “No…”
“Mick. Listen to me—I trust you.”
“You shouldn’t,” Mick panted. “I’m a vampire, Leni. A vampire. Don’t you ever watch horror movies?”
“Well, sure, but you don’t seem anything like those vampires. For one thing, you didn’t explode in the sun—well…not exactly, anyway.”
“What if I can’t control myself?” he said hoarsely.
“If you can’t control yourself, why am I still sitting here?” Leni looked at him defiantly. “Look at it this way, Mick, if you die—or whatever happens to someone that’s already sort of dead—who’s going to protect me then, huh? I’ll be alone, here, in the desert, with no cell phone. A sitting duck for the guy trying to kill me.” She scowled at Mick. Then her mouth morphed into a wicked smile. “You could argue this is purely self-preservation.”
Mick squeezed his eyes shut tight, but a tear escaped. “What kind of monster takes blood from a pregnant woman?”
He felt a hard slap across his face and he opened his eyes in surprise. Leni was glaring down at him.
“A monster wouldn’t think twice about it. Thank God Fayed’s not a vampire. He’s the monster here, he and the guy he sent to kill me. Not you, the guy sent to save me. Okay? —Okay?”
Mick shut his eyes again for a moment. Then he opened them. “Okay,” he said weakly.
“Now,” Leni said, all business. “What do you need me to do?”
The water sloshed around him as he struggled to raise himself to a sitting position. He shook a little as he reached for her arm. “At some point…you might to have to stop me.”
To be continued...
Beta: Barb (Bank1115), of course!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Some dialogue is borrowed or paraphrased from episodes.
Summary: Alternate ending to episode 4, "Fever." While Mick lies dying in the tub at the no-star motel, Leni still can’t get a cell signal and Beth never gets that crucial phone call.
Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service)—Chapter 1
“Damn it!” Leni smacked the side of the phone with her palm. “Still no signal.” She unfolded one leg from underneath the other and slowly rose from the bed. Padding softly toward the bathroom, she hesitated outside the closed door. “Mick?” She rested a hand on the doorjamb. “Mick, are you okay?”
No answer. She jiggled the knob and pushed open the door.
“Mick, I can’t get a signal. I don’t know what else to—” Leni stopped short at the sight of him. Mick lay still in the tub, eyes shut, arms folded across his chest, his head barely above water.
Her heart nearly stopped.
She ran over and fell to her knees beside the tub. “Mick!” She patted his face; his skin was an ugly gray and still burning hot despite the ice bath. “Mick—can you hear me?”
His eyes snapped open and took a moment to focus on her. Leni gasped—his scleras were bright yellow.
Mick started thrashing about in the water. “Get out, Leni! Get out!”
She shook her head firmly and held his head between her hands. “No. I’m not leaving. You need help. You’re dying!”
“You must leave…now! …Please.” He jerked his head away from her and spoke into the side of the tub, “I’ll die before I feed on you…”
Leni sat back and held a hand up. “Whoa—what did you just say?”
Mick buried his face in his right shoulder and waved her off with his other arm. “Get out, Leni! Get out! Leave!”
“No. Not without answers. —Did you just say you’d die before you fed on me?!” she squeaked.
He said nothing, but turned his head toward her. His eyes drifted towards her neck and he started to raise himself up a little.
Leni shivered a little under his gaze. “Mick?”
He snapped out of his trance and met her eyes for a brief second before he curled into himself again. “Please…you must leave…”
“No. Not until you tell me what the hell is going on here. Something’s seriously wrong with you, and I think you know what it is.”
Mick took a long, shuddering breath and turned towards her. His irises had turned a whitish-blue and the sharp ends of his canines peeked out from under his top lip.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my gosh,” Leni gasped. “—What are you?”
“I’m a vampire.”
*****************************************************************************************************************************************
“…Thanks.” Josh lowered the phone slowly, staring at it for a moment before he snapped it shut. He kept his back to her.
“Well?” Beth’s voice shook slightly.
Josh turned, staring at the floor, but he could feel her eyes on him. “That was Victorville PD.” He blew out a deep breath and looked up. “On their way to the bus station, they found a fresh accident scene. Apparently Mick and Leni stole a police cruiser... They were attacked.” He paused. “Looks like they’re dead.”
“Dead?” Beth gasped, her chin quivering. “There must be some mistake.”
Josh shook his head. “The car was in flames—it’s too hot to even get close.”
She turned away. Her upper body trembled.
“I’m sorry.” He moved around the desk and sat on the edge. “—Are you okay?”
Beth took a breath and exhaled it shakily. “You’ve got a big problem.”
Josh blinked.
Beth wiped her eyes with her hand and turned to face him. “Mick didn’t talk to anyone but you and I.”
His mouth dropped open. “Are you suggesting that I’m the leak?”
“I’m saying someone on your team is responsible, and you should find out who!” She started marching to the door, her lips dragging downward at the corners.
“Beth!” Josh called after her. She stopped mid-stride, but didn’t turn to him. He closed the gap between them and laid a hand on her arm. “Look, I know he was kind of your friend...”
“‘Kind of’?” She wrenched away from his grasp. “—You don’t know anything.”
She left Josh standing alone in his office, arm outstretched.
*****************************************************************************************************************************************
Leni took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Visual and auditory hallucinations aren’t typically symptoms of pregnancy, are they?”
“Uh, unfortunately, I don’t think so,” Mick looked down into the bath water.
“Oh-kay,” Leni breathed out slowly, “So, uh, you’re a…vampire, and—”
“—And I…I don’t do well in the sun.”
“Well, I’d say that qualifies for Understatement of the Year,” Leni snorted.
Mick’s mouth upturned slightly. He licked his lips once to wet them. “Beth…called me a delicate flower.”
“Right…Beth. You trust her?”
“Yeah. She’s the only other…human…that knows.”
“Wow—I should be honoured, then? I’m in the top two!” Leni held up two fingers with a grin.
“I guess,” Mick grunted, then added with a little smile and shake of his head, “I dunno if it’s a secret most people would like to know. And I don’t exactly volunteer the information.”
“I have lots of questions, but I don’t think now’s the best time to be asking them…” Leni trailed off.
“Yeah…maybe…not…” Mick grunted.
Leni flipped her hair over her shoulder and started tugging at her shirt to further expose her neck. “Okay, then, so how do you want to do this?”
“What?” Mick lurched sideways. “No—what are you doing?”
Leni looked at him. “You’re a vampire, Mick—isn’t this what you need? Blood?”
“No—not yours.”
“Who else’s blood are you going to get around here—Oh,” she looked at him slyly. “That’s why you wanted me to call Beth. I get it. She’s not your girlfriend, she’s your…what do you call it? Is there a name for girls who feed vampires?”
Mick looked horrified. “No—Beth’s not a freshie!”
“‘Freshie’?” Leni’s brows shot up. “—That’s what you guys call them? Really?” She wrinkled her nose.
“Yeah—yeah, I guess,” Mick brushed her off. “But that’s not who Beth is; I would never ask that of her—or anyone, anymore.”
“Okay, okay, sorry,” Leni put a hand up. “But this is an emergency, so it doesn’t count, right?”
“I said no—get out, Leni!”
“Listen, Mick, you’ve already saved my life once. Let me return the favour.”
“No, Leni—what about the baby?” He looked at her earnestly. “—Jack’s baby?”
“The baby isn’t dying. You are.”
“But if I take some of your blood—”
“Not if—when,” Leni crossed her arms. “The baby will be fine. You’ll just take a little—enough so you’re not gonna die on me, but not so much as to harm me or the baby. That’ll work, right?”
Mick started to shake his head violently. “No…”
“Mick. Listen to me—I trust you.”
“You shouldn’t,” Mick panted. “I’m a vampire, Leni. A vampire. Don’t you ever watch horror movies?”
“Well, sure, but you don’t seem anything like those vampires. For one thing, you didn’t explode in the sun—well…not exactly, anyway.”
“What if I can’t control myself?” he said hoarsely.
“If you can’t control yourself, why am I still sitting here?” Leni looked at him defiantly. “Look at it this way, Mick, if you die—or whatever happens to someone that’s already sort of dead—who’s going to protect me then, huh? I’ll be alone, here, in the desert, with no cell phone. A sitting duck for the guy trying to kill me.” She scowled at Mick. Then her mouth morphed into a wicked smile. “You could argue this is purely self-preservation.”
Mick squeezed his eyes shut tight, but a tear escaped. “What kind of monster takes blood from a pregnant woman?”
He felt a hard slap across his face and he opened his eyes in surprise. Leni was glaring down at him.
“A monster wouldn’t think twice about it. Thank God Fayed’s not a vampire. He’s the monster here, he and the guy he sent to kill me. Not you, the guy sent to save me. Okay? —Okay?”
Mick shut his eyes again for a moment. Then he opened them. “Okay,” he said weakly.
“Now,” Leni said, all business. “What do you need me to do?”
The water sloshed around him as he struggled to raise himself to a sitting position. He shook a little as he reached for her arm. “At some point…you might to have to stop me.”
To be continued...
I LOVE this! 
)
Brilliant idea!!! 
I love it already and I can't wait to see where you take it from here... 
That's a good point--why didn't Mick call Josef? I always figured he called Beth because a) it worked out well for the plot 
Gosh, that might have made a better story! Hmmm...