Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

NocturneInCMoll
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Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

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.


Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service)—Chapter 2

Leni’s heart beat faster and faster as Mick’s fangs grazed the skin of her forearm. She managed to suppress a shudder, though she couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped when they slid into her skin. She felt her head go a little light after a few moments and rested her forehead on his shoulder.

“Mick…” His name fell from her lips half a minute later without her even being aware of it, but he’d been listening for it. He immediately retracted his fangs and wiped his mouth with the side of his hand.

Leni sluggishly lifted her head. “Oh—are you done? Was it enough?” she mumbled.

Mick took her hand. “It helped—thank you.” His eyes anxiously searched hers. “Leni…are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine—just so sleepy now…”

Mick touched her shoulder and guided her to lean against the side of the tub, then stood. He waited for the streams of water rushing off him to subside before he sloshed toward the towel rack. He grabbed a large bath sheet for himself and a washcloth for Leni. “Hey,” he handed it to her, “take this. Wrap it around your arm and put pressure on it. It’ll stop soon. Vampire bites heal faster than normal wounds.”

“Okay,” Leni yawned and put the cloth over her wrist.

Mick used the towel to sop up as much water from his clothing as he could, then stepped carefully out of the tub and lifted Leni into his arms. He carried her into the other room and deposited her gently on the bed.

Leni rolled face-first into the soft pillow. “Mmmm,” she groaned. She heard the scrape of a chair on the floor and took a peek out of the corner of her eye. Mick had pulled the chair up to the side of the bed and was hovering near her.

“I’m not dead, Mick—not even close,” was Leni’s muffled response into the pillow.

He inhaled sharply and sighed through his nose. “I know…”

“I’m sure I even look a heck of a lot better than you did, too.” She turned her head so she could see him.

His lips turned up slightly at the corners. “Yeah, I bet. I must have looked pretty rough.”

“I think the baby’s fine, too.”

Mick exhaled and shifted in his seat. “Maybe. Both of your heartbeats are slow, but steady. Still, blood loss isn’t good. We need to get you to a hospital as soon as possible, get you both checked out. I’ll never forgive myself if—”

“—Wait, how do you know about our heartbeats?”

He seemed embarrassed. “I can hear them.”

“Wow—is that how you knew I was pregnant?!”

Mick nodded with a sheepish grin. “Yeah—I’m not as smart as I seem. Even took me a while to figure out why I kept hearing an echo of yours.”

“That’s so cool,” Leni breathed, her eyes glittering in awe.

“Yeah, well. You need to eat something.”

Leni felt a breeze on her face and slowly opened her eyes. He was sitting in the chair, holding out the mini-bar stash she’d taken into the bathroom. She furrowed her brow. “What—where did you get those?”

Mick shrugged. “I ran to the bathroom.” At her look of disbelief, he added, “Vampires are, uh, faster than humans—and stronger.”

“Cool,” Leni’s voice lacked energy but not enthusiasm. Her eyelids started to flutter again. “Uhmm…can you fly?”

“Mm-hmm—just like Superman.”

Her eyes opened wide in amazement. “—Really?!”

“No,” Mick allowed himself a grin as he tore open the bag of chips. He shook his head, still grinning. “—Works every time.”

“What does?”

He held out the bag. “Nothing. —Eat.”

Leni sighed and straightened herself up a little so she could grab a chip. Her eyes swept over him as she munched on the snack. “You’ll be okay—right? You look a lot better.”

“I feel better. Thank you…for what you did, Leni.”

“Hey, we’re even. Don’t mention it.”

Mick nodded slowly and looked to the ground. He nodded with his chin at the bag of chips. “After you finish those, you need to get some rest—okay? We need to hang out here till nightfall and I can travel outside again. I’m not quite…recovered…enough to be out in the sun.”

“But you’ll be okay…right?”

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Beth uncurled her fingers and slowly let her purse drop down beside her as she sank down into the couch cushion. Then she burst into great, gasping sobs.

After a minute she’d exhausted herself and she fell against the side of the couch. Her eyes rested on the throw pillow. “Mick,” she reached for it and hugged it close to her, curling her knees up to her chest.

Josh found her in that position two hours later, fast asleep. He could still see the tracks on her cheeks from her tears. He sighed and seated himself on the edge of the cushion beside her. “Beth,” he massaged her shoulder. “Beth, honey, wake up.”

“Mick…” she murmured, her chin quivering.

Josh frowned and squeezed her shoulder harder. “Beth.”

She suddenly jerked awake, her eyes searching the shadows of the room. “Mick?!” Then she sensed someone beside her on the couch and turned to look. “—Josh?”

“Hey,” he said grimly. “Yeah, it’s me. You were calling out for Mick again.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “It wasn’t a dream, was it? He’s…gone?”

“Yeah.” Josh stared at the floor. “I’m sorry.”

Beth looked away, her lower lip trembling again.

Josh’s jaw twitched. “I can’t stay long; I need to go back to the office and wrap things up, but I wanted you to know…I did a little experiment with misinformation, and…I found the leak—it was Kevin.”

“Kevin?!”

“Yeah—apparently he got in over his head during March Madness and Fayed’s people made him an offer he couldn’t refuse,” Josh shook his head in disgust. “Like that’s an excuse.”

Beth’s lips were dry. She licked them. “I’m sorry. I know he was your friend.”

He shrugged with his eyebrows. “Yeah…well…I guess you never really know someone.”

Her eyes dropped.

Josh took a deep breath. “Hey…I just wanted to say, I’m sorry. I wasn’t very sensitive before…when you found out Mick was dead.” He flinched at Beth’s shudder and the fresh round of tears that began to roll silently down her cheeks. “I guess I was just…well, I mean, you just met the guy not that long ago.”

“He was my friend, Josh—and he saved my life,” Beth said flatly.

“Yeah,” Josh said softly, rubbing her back. “Yeah, he did. And I’ll ever be so grateful to him for that.”

Beth didn’t even appear to be listening. “He saved my life—and I got him killed. It shouldn’t have happened—he’s not supposed to die!”

“No, Beth—this isn’t your fault. You didn’t want to get him involved; I was the one who insisted—you know what, he died protecting and serving; I’m going to make sure he gets a hero’s burial.”

Beth burst into tears and fell into his arms. “I’ve never felt so alone,” she hiccuped. “I don’t even know who to tell, who to talk to…”

Josh frowned. “We can do a search for his family; we’ll find them.”

“Family?” She pulled back slightly. “Oh—no.” At Josh’s surprised expression, she added hastily, “—I don’t think he has any family left.”

He furrowed his brow. “Okay, how about friends? Have you met any of them?”

“I don’t know…I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure?” Josh raised an eyebrow. “What do you know about this guy?”

Beth thrust out her chin. “I know he was special; that I’ve never met anyone like him. There’s no way you could understand.”

“Well, help me understand, then, Beth—I know your friend just died, but you’re acting almost like it was, well, me.”

“No!” Beth shook her head. “It’s not that at all, it’s—” she stopped abruptly and turned away for a few moments. Josh stared at the back of her head. Finally she sighed and turned back with a look of determination and resignation. “I’ve been keeping a secret of Mick’s. And now that he’s gone, I…I don’t know if I can bear it alone.”

Josh cupped her cheek with a firm hand. “Beth, you know you can tell me anything, right?”

She sniffled and nodded. “Yeah…I guess…but you must promise me, Josh—you cannot speak a word of this to anyone.” She gripped his face with her palms. “—Anyone. You must swear to me.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course I swear,” he put his hands overtop hers. “Beth, you’re starting to freak me out a little. What is it?”

“When Lee Jay said, ‘I know what you are, Mick’…”

Josh’s breath caught in his throat. “—Yeah?” he said when she hesitated.

Beth took a deep, shuddering breath. “Mick is—was—a vampire. And there are more out there.”


To be continued…
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allegrita
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by allegrita »

EEEEEEK! This is great! I am loving the way you're redoing history using existing scenes! Nocturne, I'm totally hooked on this story!! :yahoo:
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by francis »

EEEEEK! Beth told Josh the secret! Now, as he's still and rightfully jealous of the supposedly dead vampire, and Josef is still out there probably grieving Mick too, what will happen next? And Mick isn't recovered, and they are still in the desert, and don't have real food for Leni and ... Oh my!!! :chair:

You really have a way to make me sit on the edge of my seat. The poor chair is suffering greatly. Don't you have any shame? Now I can't wait to read the next one. Oh, poor me!
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Thanks so much, Allegrita & Francis! Glad you're liking my twist on Fever.

Yes, Beth told Josh. :eyes: Mick's secret is a big one, and with no one (i.e. Mick) around to talk to about it, Beth is feeling very alone and very scared. Understandably, I think. Josh may still be a little jealous, but now he will know and understand a little better why Mick's death is affecting her so greatly. We'll see how he handles it.

Yes, Mick isn't at 100%. The amount of Leni's blood he took was enough to "tide him over." He's no longer dying, but he can't risk any more sun exposure. Leni obviously isn't at 100% either, but at least she can rest and did get a little bit of food into her.

Yes, Josef is still out there, but he doesn't know Mick's "dead"...yet. (He managed to find himself a way to work himself into my story, though--and people say Beth's pushy! Geez.)

I'll try and do another update soon, but I'll have a :mob: after me if I don't work on What Are You, Mick St. John? as well! And then there's the challenge piece, now, too--eek!

P.S. Sorry about your chair, Francis. ;)
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by wollstonecraft61 »

I just discovered this gem! Wow! And Mick's not dead! Wait 'til he finds out Beth narced! Oh...wait, what will Josh do with this info???????? :gasp:
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Thanks, Woll! I don't know if Mick will be the first to find out that Beth narced. But don't worry, this Josh won't be quite like the one in What Are You, Mick St. John?. But we'll see how he does deal with it...
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by greenleaf9 »

A brilliant plot twist Nocturne!! :clapping: Seriously, this story rocks! I can't wait to see how Josef is going come into this!! :evillaugh:
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Thanks, GL--of course you would want to know how Josef comes into it... :tongue:
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by wpgrace »

Oy! The MickLeni is utterly delightful...and I can SEE it happening! It is so cool!

Oh dear... what has Beth done tho??? I mean, she's gonna clearly be happy he's alive... but ohhhhhhh dear! WHY did she need to tell Josh????
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by greenleaf9 »

NocturneInCMoll wrote:Thanks, GL--of course you would want to know how Josef comes into it... :tongue:
Of course! :evillaugh:
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by darkstarrising »

Nooooooooo!!! Beth, what part about secret don't you understand? And you're telling Josh???? No, no, no no, no!!!! :banghead:

OK Julie, this is really good :hearts: ...what is Josh going to do with this little secret???
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Grace--Thanks for reading! :) But by MickLeni you aren't thinking anything romantic...are you? As for Beth...yes, she told Josh, because she couldn't bear the weight of Mick's secret alone, and he's the someone she trusts most. And Mick is dead--or so she thinks. Who knows, Josh might turn out okay?

GL--I don't know what chapter it'll be yet, but probably 4 or 5.

Karen--Thank you! :) You know, I don't think Mick ever said the words "secret"--did he? He just stressed it's very important no one knows they exist. Beth trusts Josh...we'll see what happens. I can promise he won't be like Josh in my other story. ;)
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by wpgrace »

NocturneInCMoll wrote:Grace--Thanks for reading! :) But by MickLeni you aren't thinking anything romantic...are you? As for Beth...yes, she told Josh, because she couldn't bear the weight of Mick's secret alone, and he's the someone she trusts most. And Mick is dead--or so she thinks. Who knows, Josh might turn out okay?
Romantic? No... just lazy in my typing... :giggle:

And we'll see where you take Josh THIS time, huh??? :snicker:
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

wpgrace wrote: Romantic? No... just lazy in my typing... :giggle:

And we'll see where you take Josh THIS time, huh??? :snicker:
OH, good, 'cause I thought you'd gone completely :bat2: :hyper: and were rooting for MickLeni instead of MickBeth. *phew*

As for Josh, I think I'll be a little nicer to him this time around... :snicker:
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Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 2] PG13

Post by mitzie »

:eek2: :gasp: I can't believe Beth told Josh, after all even though she thinks Mick is dead, there are a lot of other vamps out there who would not be happy about someone giving away their secret!! :whistle: :dizzy: I love this story and can't wait to see what Josh's reaction is going to be... :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :clapping: :clapping: :woohoo: :hyper: :hyper: :hyper: :hyper: :yahoo: :eyes: :eyes: :fingerscrossed: :clover: :getclue: :seesaw: :yahoo: :yahoo: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :thud: :thud: :thud: :thud: :notworthy: :worship: :heart: :evillaugh: :chair:

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