Hot and Cold (PG-13, Mick, Champagne Challenge #124)

[susieb]

I was so excited to see a new story by you! And it certainly did not disappoint. Loved having more of Mick's thoughts from my fave ML episode. Thank you!

[jen]

This is wonderful!

Filled with delicious little bits of insight, it gives a new layer of meaning to those scenes between when Mick met the fake Victorville PD officer and escaped with Leni in the police cruiser only to trek across the desert after the helicopter fired a missle that destroyed their car and forced them to walk through the desert.

How interesting that Mick could smell blood on the fake policeman. He probably could scent and see the death of the real officer and his killer taking his place.

Also fascinating is Mick's longing for the cold that once tormented him in in the Battle of the Bulge. It has an entirely new effect on him now.

I remember the scene where Beth walked numbly into her apartment, sat down on her sofa and started to sob uncontrollably at the thought that Mick was dead.

Did he wonder if Beth would worry?

Thank you!

Jenna

[allegrita]

susieb, thank you so much! I'm really glad you liked it.

Jenna, hmmm...those are very interesting questions! Personally, I shy away a bit from the "smell the past, glimpse the future" thing. To me, Mick uses his "vamp chemical lab" nose and his detective skills to determine what happened, but I don't really think of him being able to picture the exact sequence of events as if he had ESP. But many people do interpret it that way. To me, it goes kinda like this, in his head: "Hmm... blood and brain matter. Smells like eyeball, too. I bet he got the guy right in the shades." (Eew... sorry...)

I'm not sure it occurred to Mick that Beth might think he and Leni were dead. There was no indication of that in the show, anyway. My take is that he was focused on getting in touch with Beth--both to confirm to her (and Josh) that the leak was real, and to seek her help to get out of that terrible situation. Maybe he hoped Beth would realize that he needed blood, and bring some with her--although how he thought she'd get it is a bit of a mystery. She didn't know about Guillermo, just that Mick had a connection at the blood bank.

Actually, I don't think he was in any shape to think things through rationally by then. He just needed Beth. "Only Beth." She was the only human he could trust, the only one he knew would come, if only they could reach her. I'm not sure he could think any further than that.

[Lucy]

Thanks Lucy! I've got to say, I wonder how Phoenix ever found time to write a word. But it's worth it!

I am glad you have found a way for balance so we don't miss your spark.

[Shadow]

Wow, congratulations on managing this site AND writing a new story all at the same time! And I so love the way you fill in, in such detail, parts of the episodes that we only caught glimpses of. You always make me see things I hadn't noticed before. At the beginning, when Mick is looking back on his confrontation with the false cop, it's wonderful how you have him catching the scent of blood on the man. I never even thought of that; I just thought he was picking up the cues of the heavy jacket and the ill-fitting clothing. But of course as a vampire he would sense far more than that. (And their conversation is such a great little preface to the hot and cold theme.)

This story really is a perfect description of hot and cold, and on so many levels. I like in particular the way Mick's mind keeps wandering to the past, and how his thinking becomes more delirious as time goes by. And it's perfect how his old "cold" experiences now seem so desirable to him . . . both the horrendous winter he once had in the Ardennes, and also his everyday freezer, which I don't expect he is normally very fond of. And that memory of the party guest, and Coraline's response to what the man said, is far too close to his real situation for comfort. What a horror to know that his own natural instincts, if he can't stay strong enough to fight them off, will result in just that nightmare.

I'm snowbound right now in a rather chilly house, but reading about the way Mick was feeling under the sun has, somehow, made it a lot warmer in here!

[PNWgal]

I have to apologize for how long it's taken me to get to these fics and comment - it took FOREVER to get mine from brain to paper....err, computer and I didn't want to read any challenge fics until mine was done.

The title sums this one up perfectly - the contrast between the burning heat of the desert and the bitter cold of the winter during the War. When Mick experiences the cold, he thinks he's in Hell - now, as a vampire, the cold seems like a haven.

Loved that little peek in the background of Mick's dialogue with the guy sent to kill Leni - exactly the way I hear it in my head.

I pull my cap down farther and try to curl my fingers up inside the sleeves of my jacket. But I can still feel the sun burning me through the cloth.

It feels like hours, but the sun hasn’t moved much. It’s still the middle of the day. Got to keep going. Follow Leni. I’ll never last till sunset if we don’t find shade.

The reader can feel Mick's urgency, can feel the pain of the sun as it beats down on him. And the closer Mick gets to death, the stronger his instinct to survive becomes. And this:

Think about frosty air caressing me as I pull the freezer lid down, cool blue light surrounding me. That peaceful moment just before sleep when I let all the human stuff go. Watching my last breath wisp away like smoke. Shutting my eyes and feeling my heart slow. Letting all of it… just… stop.

I wonder if this is what death feels like.

This one's wonderful, Alle - I'm SO glad you got it written and posted!

[allegrita]

Shadow, thank you so much. I'm honored by your wonderful comments. Regarding Mick scenting the blood... Before I wrote this story, I decided to watch the scene of Mick and Leni in the diner, and the false cop coming in, and then the trek through the desert, to put those images into my mind. It struck me, on re-watching for the umpteenth time, that the fake cop picked up the dead cop's sunglasses, which were covered with blood and had a hole through one lens, looked at them, and then put them back down. It made me realize that he probably shot the real cop while he was sitting in the car... so there would be lots of blood in there. And even if he didn't, he handled the dead cop enough to have his sunglasses.... so he was bound to smell like blood.

As for Mick's longing for cold, I see it as feeling delicious to a vampire... soothing and relaxing. Sort of the way a hot bath would feel to me. So I imagine Mick lying there in his freezer, with the chill starting to penetrate him, feeling wonderfully sleepy and comfortable, and finally having a chance to relax... to stop having to remember to breathe... to stop having to suppress his fangs and his true eyes... just letting it all fall away, the way the cares of my day might float away in that hot bath. So although I agree with you that Mick might not love his freezer, it's not because he finds it uncomfortable. I think it has more to do with what the freezer symbolizes to him... his utter differentness.

PNWgal, thank you so much for coming back to read this after you finished your own story! I'm really glad you liked it, and that you felt Mick's urgency and pain. I'm also glad you quoted that part about Mick letting go of the human stuff in the freezer. I wonder, too, about what it feels like for a vampire to "go to sleep." Does it feel like death? In a way, they do die every time they sleep. Is it scary, or peaceful? I've always viewed a vampire's descent toward sleep in the freezer as being a pleasant sensation, and that's how I tried to portray it in this story. Mick might not like the fact that he has to sleep this way, but I do see the physical process of letting his bodily functions slow as he falls asleep as being comfortable and relaxing. Maybe it's like freezing to death feels like... I've read accounts where people who freeze to death start out in terrible pain and discomfort, but toward the end they start to feel drowsy and comfortable, and just lie down and go to sleep...

[Moonlighter]

Alle, I echo the comments about being happy to see an entry from you! And I also echo the comments on how well you tackled the hot vs. cold aspects of Mick's trek through the desert. His descent into delirium as he considered what he might do to Leni and her baby if he lost control was palpable, yet he fought himself every step of the way because of the promise he made. No wonder we all fell for this man.

Wonderful Alle!

[allegrita]

Moonlighter, that's it exactly. How could we not fall in love with him when he was so heroic on so many levels? Thank you very much for reading and commenting.

[maggatha3]

Maybe it’s not too late. If I can get cold… maybe I can save her.

Maybe there’s an ice machine.
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A hand was squeezing my heart while I read this story, alle. Going from hot to cold, also from his human and fledgling days to his present condition ,made Mick's suffering even worse. You have made that distance from the ruined police-car to the motel much more painful than it looked while watching.That scene ,of the vampire proud of draining the poor pregnant girl, and Cora's reaction... That hand is still squeezing my heart, but I loved it!!! I even felt relieved they reached the motel..as if I wasn't sure they'd make it there. And Mick's last thoughts...always about saving somebody

[allegrita]

Oh maggatha, thank you so much! What an amazing comment. That's how I think of Mick... he tries so hard to think about others, even at the cost of his own health and happiness. That's one of the most amazing things about him.

[jen]

Fabulous.

The stories of unintended consequences of some of the attempts to stay warm during the winter in Europe were so very sad. As a medic, Mick could probably have seen some of them coming. Drinking may temporarily raise the heart rate and make them think they are warmer, but ultimately, the heart rate will be slowed. Not that it mattered here, as the individuals in question were killed by the exhaust from the generator not being properly vented.

Poor Mick. He tried to hang on the the shreds of his humanity after Turning, but he was powerless against the bloodlust.

Yet he tries, and that is one of the most attractive things about him. He still tries to be better.

Thank you!

[allegrita]

Thanks, Jenna. Yeah, I'm sure that the medics saw a bunch of things that made them go but there was only so much they could do. I love the way you describe Mick trying...that really is what makes him such an attractive character for me. He doesn't accept that he's powerless against his fate. He fights to retain his humanity, and in doing so he shows his true courage and strength.

[cassysj]

Revisiting old challenges. This tells us so much about Mick and the image of the drained pregnant woman stays with me. The good news is our Mick found ice.

[Marigold]

Nicely done, Alle! I really like how you've explored both hot and cold in your story. They, of course, mean very different things, but these differences are even more pronounced to Mick. What meant one thing to his human self means something completely different now that he is a vampire.

You did a fantastic job of showing us how Mick was affected both mentally and physically by this ordeal.