Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

NocturneInCMoll
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 987
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:27 pm
Location: British Columbia

Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Author's Note: So much to write, so little time...

Beta: The ever-wonderful Barb (Bank1115)!

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.

P.S. Yes, ladies, that is Mick St. John's real phone number!



Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service)—Chapter 4

Josh saw her stiffen and took her hand before continuing, “Mick and Leni died in an attack. There will be autopsies—is the coroner going to find fangs when he examines Mick?”

“Oh my gosh.” Beth’s hand flew to her mouth. “I didn’t even think of that! Can’t you stop it?”

Josh shook his head. “I’m afraid not. He has no family to protest an autopsy in court, and even then it would be difficult in a case like this. So you don’t know what usually happens in these…situations?”

“I didn’t really think to ask! Mick took care of the rogue himself; the police were never involved. I never expected him to die!”

“What about…other vampires? Do you know…any?” Josh ran his fingers through his hair and muttered, “I still can’t believe I’m talking about vampires—actual vampires.”

“I told you—I don’t know. If I did meet any, Mick didn’t exactly point them out.” Suddenly she snapped her fingers. “Wait—the rogue’s sire. His name was Gerald Stovsky!”

“Okay!” Josh’s eyes lit up. “So we’ll track him down, and—”

“Oh…no, that won’t work.” Beth held a shaky hand to her forehead.

“Why not?” he frowned.

“Some woman came and took him away. I think she belonged to some sort of…vampire police, but I don’t know how to contact her, either.”

Josh sighed. “Maybe we can run Mick’s phone records—unofficially,” he qualified quickly upon seeing Beth’s expression of concern. “See which number or numbers he calls the most. You call your hacker at Buzzwire—the one I pretend not to know about—and get him to run Mick’s phone records ASAP.”

Her, actually. —And then what?” Beth stared at him. “We go visit the people belonging to the numbers he called most and ask them if they’re vampires? Either way, I don’t think that will go over well.”

“So we won’t ask them outright…but you know some things about vampires, right?”

“Well…they don’t do well in sunlight?” she shrugged.

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

Leni’s eyelids fluttered open. A small ray of light shone through a broken slat in the blinds and illuminated a thin strip of the faded bedspread covering her. Her eyes focused and she could see Mick pacing restlessly across the room in front of the bed, stopping and turning each time he came within two inches of the sunlight.

He seemed to know she was awake without even looking; he just started speaking. “The sun is setting; it’s almost nightfall. But there’s still no cell service.”

She groaned and threw an arm across the pillow behind her head. “—So we’re stuck here?”

“No. I’ll carry you across the desert if I have to—or maybe we can find another cop car to steal.” He flashed her a small grin.

Leni whooped. “You’re feeling better?”

Mick nodded. “Not one hundred percent, but I’m a lot better. I’ll be okay. Thank you again.” He sank onto the edge of the bed and held his head in his hands.

She rolled her eyes and crawled across the bed and rested a hand on his shoulder blade. “Mick, would you stop it with the pity party? I’m fine. So obviously you didn’t attack me in my sleep like you thought you might. Are you still…restless?”

He didn’t answer.

“Hey—” she started patting his back slightly, “—maybe we’ll run into the assassin out in the desert, and you can drain him—take care of two problems at once.”

Mick’s head snapped up. He looked at her over his shoulder. “Yeah, because monsters don’t drain people.”

“No, monsters drain good people. Wouldn’t draining this guy make you feel better? In more ways than one?” Leni cocked her head and grinned at him.

The corners of his lips turned up slightly. “Well…”

“—And then,” she interrupted, her voice rising, “when we get back to LA, we can go to Fayed’s house, and you can—”

Leni—”

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

“Sam, it’s Beth. I need you to run some phone records for me. The number is 310-555-0186. Go back two months—and can you email me the results ASAP?” Beth wrapped a lock of hair around her finger while she awaited the response. “...Thanks a lot, you’re the best,” she breathed and touched the screen to end the call. She turned to Josh. “She said she’ll send the results to me in five minutes or less—or else it’s free.”

“It’s not usually free?”

“She usually makes me buy her a new piercing, or a bottle of sangria,” Beth replied as she walked over to her desk.

“Ah. That could add up quickly.”

“Better than a new iPhone! Besides, I just add it to my expenses,” she shrugged and sat down. She opened her laptop and glanced over at Josh to see him gazing at her. “What?”

“Nothing,” he came over beside her and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled slightly at him, but her smile quickly faded and her eyes dropped to the keyboard. “What’s wrong?”

“Just…Mick. I still can’t believe he’s…gone. And I feel like I’m invading his privacy now. It took him so long to really trust me…”

Josh dropped another kiss on the top of Beth’s head. “We’re trying to protect him—his secret. I’m sure he’d appreciate that.”

“Yeah…even though he’s gone, he wouldn’t want to be exposed. I don’t think he liked being a vampire very much,” Beth started tapping the refresh key in her browser repeatedly.

“Really?”

“—Oh, look, here it is already! Sam’s definitely worth her weight in sangria—or piercings.” Beth clicked to open the attachment.

Josh leaned over her shoulder and they scanned the list together. Beth pointed to one of the first numbers on the list. “Look how often this one appears—555-6669. It belongs to a Josef Kostan.”

“Josef Kostan? That name sounds familiar,” Josh mused. “Google him.”

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

“I don’t see why you can’t get rid of Fayed…then I wouldn’t have to testify, and I wouldn’t have to live on the run,” Leni pouted. “What if I testify and he still gets off? Or what if I testify, and he sends his goons to hunt me down and kill me? ”

“Look, Leni, I’m gonna protect you until the trial, regardless of what Josh Lindsey says.”

“And after? I’m not going in the Witness Protection Program again. In fact, if it wouldn’t call attention to me, I’d start a petition for them to rename it.”

Mick smiled lazily. “I might have a plan, but I need to talk to someone about it first. Do you like horses?”

“What?” she stared at him. “—Are you changing the subject?”

He shrugged. “Just curious.”

Leni eyed him warily. “Yeah, sure. One of my uncles had a farm. I used to go over there all the time and ride with my cousins when I was younger—at least until I hit my clubbing phase.”

“Okay.”

“Okay…” she sighed and cocked her head. “So why won’t you take out Fayed, again?”

“Fayed’s high-profile; he’s dangerous. Taking him out would need to be very carefully planned and executed, and may require more resources than I have. If you knew my friend Josef, you’d be wishing it was him sitting here instead of me. He’d be all over that. But on the other hand, he probably wouldn’t have put himself out to save you, either.”

“Oh, sounds like a real nice guy.”

“You kinda have to get to know him…and never cross him.”

“Right…” Leni scrunched up her nose and turned to gaze out the window.

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

Josh blew out a breath. “Okay, so we’re going to accuse one of the youngest guys in the Fortune 500 of being a vampire? —This is insane!”

“Josh, it was your idea!”

“Yeah, but—what if we’re wrong?”—he threw up his hand—“or, for that matter, what if we’re right?” He turned and started pacing the room. “You said yourself—”

“—We have to do this for Mick, Josh,” Beth thrust out her jaw.

He stopped and sighed. “I know…but…”

“Josh, look how often they call each other—and, more importantly, when.”

Josh paled. “Almost always late at night…” he finally said slowly.

“Exactly,” Beth shot him a knowing look. “—Vampires are nocturnal.” She grabbed her cell and her keys and headed for the door.

“Right…” Josh said under his breath as he followed her.


To be continued…
User avatar
wollstonecraft61
Rogue vampire
Posts: 1865
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:58 pm
Location: Outside Atlanta, GA USA

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by wollstonecraft61 »

Da Da Da Dahhhhhhh........ Um, Josef is not going to be too pleased the reporter AND the ADA are going to show up on his doorstep talking about vampires! Just saying.... :devil:
Image
Image
Banner by the beautiful Alyssa Banner by the EXTREMELY talented eris
User avatar
francis
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 11556
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:45 am

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by francis »

Josh conspiring with Beth to keep the secret is soooo great. They really have a problem at their hands, Beth doesn’t know Josef yet. And when she goes to him… it’s gonna be dangerous.
And Leni gets into things really well, doesn’t she? Planning revenge using her very own superhero. Of course he would be very uncomfortable with that talk, even when he thinks the same. Mick’s rationale about not killing Fayed makes sense, though. He couldn’t just take out every predator out there, it would make people pay attention.
“Yeah, but—what if we’re wrong?”—he threw up his hand—“or, for that matter, what if we’re right?”
Josh is smart. I can’t wait for that confrontation.

Thank you for updating!!! I am really looking forward to more. And I almost hope that they run into the fake sheriff once more in the desert.
NocturneInCMoll
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 987
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:27 pm
Location: British Columbia

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Woll-- :biggrin: Whatever in the world would give you that idea? :laugh:

Francis--Thank you! Yes, Beth and Josh meeting Josef certainly won't be boring. I think Josh is a getting a little stressed--he doesn't know what's going on. And good thing Leni has a reluctant superhero, eh? :snicker:
User avatar
redwinter101
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 23759
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 am
Location: lost in Moonlight, forever

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by redwinter101 »

:hyper2: :hyper2: :hyper2: :hyper2: :hyper2:

Wonderful. Just wonderful, Julie. The voices are so true I can hear them as I read. And I ADORE that you've made Josh so sympathetic.

Love it. Love you. More power to your elbow, my sweet.

Red :heart:
Image

Click here for my story index

"Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality" - Emily Dickinson
mitzie
Courtesan
Posts: 2911
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:39 am
Location: Somewhere in Moonlight land...

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by mitzie »

Great chapter!! Wow!! Leni is more into the vamp thing than Mick is, but then again isn't everyone!! :snicker: Josh and Beth going to see Josef, that could turn out very badly, I can hardly wait for that meeting!!!! :whistle: :gasp: :eek2:

I love this story and can't wait for more... :yahoo: :yahoo: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :hyper2: :hyper2: :woohoo: :biggrin: :fingerscrossed: :eek2: :eek2: :devil: :yahoo: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :thud: :thud: :thud: :thud: :notworthy: :heart: :flowers:


mitzie :mooncat:
User avatar
darkstarrising
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:25 am

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by darkstarrising »

Hey Julie,

Glad to see you've updated....I really like your Leni, very practical (having Mick drain the assassin or taking Fayed out)....I bet Josef would approve of her.

So Beth is going to approach Josef about being a vampire? That's going to be an interesting conversation, one that could get her killed, but one I'm looking forward to reading. :hearts:
darkstarrising
Love – the universal language, the story of Moonlight
View My Fanfic Index

Image

Thanks to the talented and generous Phoenix for my beautiful banner!
User avatar
allegrita
Moonlightaholic Admin
Posts: 45960
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:22 am
Location: Snuggled under the brown afghan, watching the fire

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by allegrita »

This is really great--what a wonderful new chapter! I'm very impressed that Josh is supporting Beth's attempt to shield Mick and the vampires. But ohhhhh boy... they have no idea what they're getting into, contacting Josef. Especially if what they have to tell him is that Mick is dead! :eek2:

I love the use of Sam, and that Beth pays her in Sangria and/or piercings. :laugh: And Leni's perfect. She's a pragmatist. And I guess she'd have to be, having already lived through what she has. I must say, she's right--if Mick ran into the faux-Sheriff in the desert, he'd feel much better. And it'd be no loss to humanity, right?? :thumbs:

Well... all I know for sure is that things aren't likely to calm down any time soon... :teeth:
Image
NocturneInCMoll
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 987
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:27 pm
Location: British Columbia

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Red--So, you're hearing voices, eh? I suppose in this case that's a good thing, and a compliment. Thank you so much! :smooch: Glad you're liking Josh--I can't always be mean to him, right? :laugh:

Mitz--Thanks so much! Hah, good call on Leni. I won't give anything away about Beth & Josh and Josef... :biggrin:

Karen--Thank you! I think Josef would like Leni, too--perhaps they'll meet? :whistle: Yes, Beth AND Josh are going to see Josef about a vampire...we'll see what happens. Their meeting is mostly written, but I still have to work on what's going on with Mick and Leni.

Alle--Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying. Josh probably thinks he deserves a medal, going along with this, tee hee. Vampires. :roll: Leni is ever practical, indeed. ...But will they run into the faux-sheriff? Everyone still thinks Mick and Leni were in the car... You're definitely right that things aren't gonna calm down yet...
User avatar
draco
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 659
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:09 pm

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by draco »

I hope Beth takes a stake with her... Josef might show his gratitude about her wanting to protect the - not so well hidden - secret a bit different than she would like... :gasp: :whistle:
And lets see what Lenni can talk Mick into next :snicker:
NocturneInCMoll
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 987
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:27 pm
Location: British Columbia

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Draco--We'll find out in a chapter or two how Josef is going to deal with the onslaught of humans-who-shouldn't-know. :whistle: As for Leni...ditto. Thanks for reading! :biggrin:
User avatar
Shadow
Courtesan
Posts: 2636
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 8:09 am

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by Shadow »

I did see this was here earlier, and then didn't have time to read it! :grumble: But today will make up for that. :hearts:

Ah, I do love your Leni. She knows what to do about the bad guys....
And your Josh is just lovable. I really enjoy seeing him portrayed in a positive light like this.

Poor Beth, she sure has a lot of expenses. Really fits with what we saw in the show. I hope Buzzwire pays well. ;)

So interesting, remembering that this is back before Beth knew much of anything ... and didn't know any vampires. Very cool, and a bit scary, that they're tracking down Josef. Looking forward to the next one!
NocturneInCMoll
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 987
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:27 pm
Location: British Columbia

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Thanks so much, Shadow! (Oh, I understand all about needing time to read--I've read one and a half of your intriguing new in-between-the-episodes stories, and I've been intending to comment & read the rest, but haven't had a chance yet--attempting to write is taking up a lot of my spare time).

Glad you like Leni. ;) She does have some definite ideas about bad guys...she's a mother hen, protecting her baby now.

Beth was insinuating that she submits the expenses back to Buzzwire, so she gets reimbursed. :biggrin:

In several of my other stories, Josh isn't portrayed in as positive a light, so I had to be nice to him sometime...I figured, different circumstances, different Josh-reactions. In this story, he has no real reason to be jealous (at this point) so that affects his views towards vampires. Beth herself knows barely more than him at this point.

And yes, they're going vampire-hunting...next chapter, Josef! (Not sure yet if they'll see him, but he will be in it somehow).
User avatar
coco
Cleaner
Posts: 6983
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 6:17 pm
Location: In my own little corner of Moonlight heaven :)
Contact:

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by coco »

Absolutely fantastic, Nocturne. :clapping:

The dialogue is superb and I know I've never loved Josh so much in a fic EVER. :cheer:
coco's Fan Vids/coco's Graphic Art
Image
Avi by TugaFanatic & banner by me. Thank you.

"Maybe it was her blood in my veins that let me feel her. The beating of her very living heart. Or maybe, we've always been connected." Mick & Beth - Moonlight


coco's YT channel
coco's Vimeo channel
100% Moonlight Tumblr
:twothumbs:
NocturneInCMoll
Logan's WoW nemesis
Posts: 987
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:27 pm
Location: British Columbia

Re: Fever Redux (or, No-Star Cell Service) [ch. 4] PG13

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

Shucks, thanks so much, Coc! :blushing: Tee hee, glad I was able to write a likable Josh, after all those times I was kinda mean to him... :laugh:
Post Reply

Return to “Fever, Redux (or, No Star Cell Service?)”