100% Freshie Chapter 31 --PG-13

Post Reply
User avatar
librarian_7
Forever Moonlightaholic
Posts: 23481
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 7:21 pm
Location: wherever Josef is
Contact:

100% Freshie Chapter 31 --PG-13

Post by librarian_7 »

Disclaimer: The characters from Moonlight are copyrighted by CBS, and no infringement is intended.

Special note: This work takes place in the world of Moonlight, but your favorite vamps are not the main focus. Sorry about that; try to enjoy the story anyway. You might be surprised.


100% Freshie

Chapter 31

Danni stirred, gradually waking. Her mouth was dry and oddly painful, and when she wiped a hand across it, she felt something crusted on her face. Opening her eyes and squinting in the gloom, she realized the substance on her hand was dried blood. She pushed herself up to a semi-sitting position, feeling her muscles protest, arms and legs cramped from lying in the same position for too long. She peered around her.

She was still on the floor of Will’s living room, still in her gown from the evening’s party. Almost as though a switch clicked in her head, everything rushed back, and as memory returned, she put her head back down and sobbed. For Hunter, for Will, and for herself.

But she couldn’t sit here and wait the rest of the night. Will had told her to get out, and she did not intend to disobey. There had been a trust before, even if he abandoned her, that he would never directly harm her. It would seem that assurance was gone. And here she was, waking up crumpled in a heap on the floor. He hadn’t even bothered to lift her onto the couch. For the first time ever with him, she felt used and discarded. Her head ached, and her heart hurt.

She searched for her purse, her phone, finding them to discover with surprise that it was only a little past midnight. The night had never seemed so long before.

The first task was to get home. From there, other steps would have to be taken, other decisions made, but for now, the priority was crawling home. She’d had a tough time getting a cab out here the last time she’d needed one. And that had been at noon. Sure enough, none of the three taxi services she had numbers for would come to Will’s address at this time of night.

So she called Tyler. Not without an inner qualm or two. She was fast running down her list of friendly vamps this evening. And while she was not unmindful of Josef’s instruction to call him immediately if her relationship with Will changed, the idea of bothering Josef Kostan twice in one night did not appeal to her. She knew she just wasn’t high enough on the food chain to dare expect aid from him.

Tyler, too, seemed less than completely thrilled with the interruption to his night, but he agreed to meet her at Will’s front gate. Danni, still light-headed from blood loss, gathered herself slowly and left Will’s house, dreading the dark walk down the drive. The trees seemed to press in on her menacingly, and she was too aware of her unprotected state, too mindful of some of the nastier things that might lurk in the night. Reaching her goal, Danni sank down in the shadows of one column to wait. It seemed like a good time to let the darkness overcome her again. At least it was better than being trapped with her thoughts.

When Tyler rolled to a stop, he was a little surprised not to see Danger waiting. He told Cry to stay in his Xterra, while he searched for her.

“Danger?” he called out. “Hey, babe, you here?” Then he saw her pale skin in the shadows, and walked over to her. He stooped down. “Are you okay? Danger?”

The sound of the car door opening as Cry got out alerted him just enough to twist around. In his focus on finding Danger, he had not noted another presence approaching until he felt the stake thrust through the muscles of his back, finding a place in his heart. He pitched forward on his face, soundlessly.

“Did you get him?” Cry asked. “Is he dead?”

“He was already dead.” The stocky young man rose clumsily, spitting down at Tyler’s still body. “Damn bloodsuckers.”

Cry shook her head. “I don’t know about this,” she said. “He’s never hurt me.”

The man frowned, and Cry found she was suddenly more afraid of him than she had ever been of Tyler. “He was a vampire. They’re all killers. Sooner or later,” he grunted.

“Tyler wasn’t the vamp I’m looking for. He was a means to an end.”

“I don’t much see that it matters,” he shrugged. “He bit you and sucked your blood. You must’ve hated him.”

Cry bent down and brushed her hand across the back of Tyler’s head, the texture of his hair, familiar to her now, making her heart constrict painfully. “I think there’s a lot about this that you don’t understand.”

“I understand enough, Cry. Help me drag him back into the bushes.”

Tyler was heavier than he looked, and about the time they got him a sufficient distance from the road, Cry stumbled and fell close to his head. She wasn’t sure what motivated her, but she whispered “I’m sorry, Tyler. I didn’t know he was going to do this. Forgive me.” It was too dark for her to see the tear that fell from her eye to the side of his face, or the barest twitch of his skin as it splashed.

“Cry, come on.” The young man was impatient again, trying to rouse Danni. He was on his knees by her, shaking her. “Wake up, Danni, please just wake up.”

Cry dropped to the ground by Danni’s other side. “That’s not going to help,” she said.

He looked up, stricken. “She’s not—not dying, is she?”

Cry put her hand on Danni’s neck, feeling for the pulse. “I’m pretty new at this, but I think its okay. She’s lost more blood than she should, but these vamps, they’re careful. They’re always really careful with freshies they like. And from what I hear, everyone likes Danger.” She felt like she was babbling, felt more and more like she’d made a huge mistake in letting this stranger know anything.

“Yeah, whatever. They aren’t going to touch her again. Not now. Help me move her.”

Danni stirred and moaned a little as they sat her up. “Tyler? Is that you?”

Cry looked at her companion before speaking. “Yeah, Danger, it’s us. Tyler and Cry.”

Without opening her eyes, Danni relaxed a little. “Okay…”

They eventually got her on her feet, sort of, and stumbled together, supporting her between them, to the Jeep. Tumbling her bonelessly into the back seat of the Cherokee, they held a whispered, hurried conference that resulted in Cry driving the Xterra to a side street a few blocks from Pulse!, with the man following. Cry was hoping he’d drive off, leave her there, but no such luck. He was going to need help to get her out of the Jeep and into his crummy little motel room.

“Tell me again why you’re doing this,” Cry said as she climbed in the Jeep. She had come to the conclusion during the drive that she had no one to contact who could help. If she’d been smart enough to pocket Danger’s phone, she was sure her sister freshie had plenty of contacts. She could’ve figured out something, someone to call while she was driving alone. But no, she’d only thought of it too late, still so stunned by what had happened to Tyler.

Danni began to rouse to consciousness as they half-carried her into the tawdry motel room. She really only opened her eyes as they deposited her on the bed, her bright cobalt blue gown glaringly out of place against the worn, drab browns and rusts of the rumpled bedspread. She blinked several times in disbelief before her brain managed to process what she was seeing. “Where am--?” she started, then her eyes opened wide. “Bradley?”

“It’s all right, Danni,” he said, smiling and laying his hands on her bare shoulders. “I’m here for you.”

Danni batted away his touch, his too hot grasp, noticing a dark discoloration. “Oh my God, there’s blood on your hands! What have you done? How did I get here?”

Bradley looked confused at her distress. “It’s all right, sweetheart, you’re safe. I saved you from the bloodsuckers.”

“Saved me?” Danni tried to sit up, looking around her wildly. She spotted Cry standing quietly by the door, trying her best to blend into the cinderblock wall. “Cry, won’t you at least tell me what’s going on? Please?”
Cry shook her head, eyes bleak. “He said he just wanted to rescue you, Danger. He said he wanted to take you home. It sounded like a good thing. I didn’t know—I didn’t know he’d—“ She paused, unable to continue.

Bradley gave her a savage, triumphant grin. “They’re not so tough, you know. It went in easy, Danni.” He looked down at his hands, as if seeing the bloodstains for the first time. “I staked him. I staked the vampire. For you.”

Danni scooted away from him, as far as the bed allowed, her eyes filled with terror. “Who?” she asked, eyes going from her ex-boyfriend to Cry and back. “Who did you kill?”

Cry looked away, unwilling to meet Danni’s gaze. “Tyler,” she said, her voice shaking. “It was Tyler.”

Danni had thought she was past tears for the night, but they spilled down her cheeks again. “Tyler? Tyler? Cry, how could you?”

The other girl shook her head. “I didn’t know. I swear, Danger, I didn’t know. I never wanted to hurt Tyler. Never.” Her own tears were falling, her face red and distorted. She threw herself across the bed into Danni’s arms, and the two of them clung together, rocking in their distress.

Eventually Danni looked up at Bradley, her face implacable. “I don’t know why you’re here, but go home, Bradley, just leave us and go home. You’ve done more damage than you realize.”

“Not without you.” Bradley’s voice turned bewildered. “I thought you’d be happy. I love you, Danni. I came to take you home.”

Danni was tired, too tired to deal with this. Her tongue hurt, and every time she thought about it, she could still feel Will’s mouth on hers. “Bradley, why would you think—oh, crap. You know what, I don’t care. I don’t care what you think. I don’t care why you’re here, I don’t even care how you found me. Just go away and forget about me, okay? I’ve got enough problems without this.”

“You’re confused, Danni. It’s the vampire mind tricks,” Bradley said earnestly.

Danni rolled her eyes before she could stop herself, and said tartly, “You’ve seen too many movies, Bradley.” She was still pretty woozy from the blood loss—damn Will for drinking from her so soon after Serena anyway, although she supposed the temptation had simply been too much—maybe she was still passed out. She’d had crazy dreams before when she was recovering from a bite. This had to be another one. Then she felt Cry shaking in her arms, and reluctantly conceded that she must be awake. She was awake and Tyler was killed. And that asshole Bradley was determined to rescue her right on back to Texas.
She’d never really thought it out, but right now she knew she’d trade a long, pleasant, boring lifetime with Bradley for one more evening with Will, one more chance to feel his fangs piercing her flesh again, one more time knowing her blood was sustaining him. Something deep inside her shifted, and she looked Bradley straight in his honest blue eyes. Whatever she had to tell him, whatever she had to do, she would. “You’re going to take me back to Texas, Bradley?” she asked.

He nodded. “I figure we’ll wait ‘til first light to leave. They’ll all be asleep in their coffins or whatever by then, right?”

Danni nodded, and then looked down at her dress. “I can’t ride all the way home in this get up, Bradley,” she said. “Can’t we go by my place? Let me get some clothes and things?”

Bradley looked puzzled for a moment. “Well, yeah, sure. I guess so. I hadn’t really thought about it.”

Danni squeezed Cry a little, although she wasn’t sure what message she was trying to send, or if she could trust the other freshie. “This is really hard, Brad,” she said, letting her hair fall forward to hide her eyes. “I—I’d got used to it, here.”

Bradley nodded. “I can tell. But we’ll get you home, and before you know it, it’ll be like you never left. No one will every know about—you know—“

Danni closed her eyes and bowed her head, trying to look contrite, trying to mask her rage. Self-righteous prick, she thought.

It didn’t take long for Bradley to throw his scant belongings into the back of the Cherokee. He’d never really planned to be in town long.

When they walked into Danni’s place, she wasn’t sure whether to be glad or disappointed that Emma’s door was closed. She had no idea what she was going to do, just that she had to get away from him somehow.

When she asked Bradley if she could have her purse, he gave her an odd, tight, smile, and extracted her cell phone before handing the tiny evening bag back to her. “You don’t need your phone, do you? To pack?”

Danni forced a smile. “No, of course not.” She felt terrible, and she was going to have to fight through it.

She supposed it was a good thing she’d had some practice. In her room, she actually started to change. Jeans and a baby doll top seemed more suited to any kind of escape than her formal gown. Then a thought struck her. She pulled open the top drawer of her nightstand, rummaging for a business card she thought was there. When she found it, she frowned at it for a second, then tucked it into the back pocket of the jeans she planned to put on. And, change of clothes in hand, put her head out the bedroom door.

“Bradley, I hope you don’t mind, but I really need to get a shower before we go. It’s been an incredibly rough night.”

He looked over at Cry, who had collapsed into a chair, and was staring off into space with a bereft look on her face. He’d promised to drop her off at her apartment when they were on their way out of town, but he thought it wise to keep her close until then. She’d tipped him off earlier, so he could follow her to Danni, but he had a feeling her true sympathies were with the bloodsuckers. He didn’t understand it, but there it was.

Cry threw a quick glance at Danni, then shrugged. “You’re the one who has to spend hours in the car with her. But I always want to wash the smell of vamp off as soon as I can. It’s like you can feel the stink on your skin until you scrub.”

“I thought you were all upset now. About me staking that bastard.”

Her eyes narrowed, and her lips thinned. “Look—I was fond of Tyler. He was good to me, and he couldn’t help—what he was. That doesn’t mean I liked it.”

Bradley nodded. “Don’t take too long, Danni. We need to hit the road soon.”

Danni smiled at him. “I’ll be as quick as I can, but Cry is right. It takes some scrubbing.”
She’d never even thought about climbing out of the bathroom window before. As she changed hastily and started the water running, she hoped the sound of the shower would cover any noise she made. She was just happy there was a jutting porch roof she could drop onto outside the window.

For the first time that night, it seemed her luck was in, and when she got to the convenience store two blocks away, a cab-driver had stopped for coffee. Danni didn’t feel safe yet, as she gave him the address on Drexel Avenue from the business card, but it was no more than twenty minutes later that she was knocking on a door, then looking into a pair of warm hazel eyes.

“Danni,” Mick said, “come in. What’s wrong?”

Danni found, at this tag end of the night, that the one thing left that could break her down was a voice of kind concern. “Everything,” she managed to say, before the tears came once again.

Mick’s look of concern deepened, and he held out a hand to her. “Look, uh, why don’t you come sit down.” He guided Danni to the couch, and stood over her, looking distinctly awkward. She was still on the verge of tears, and even with his daily greater experience with distraught humans, he was still unsure of what was needed.

Danni’s luck hadn’t entirely changed, however, as the other man present stood smoothly, and tossed back his scotch.

“Well,” Josef said, “this is a charming finish to the evening.” Josef gave Mick a look of extreme annoyance, and jerked his head toward the office. Mick nodded to him.

Looking from his friend to the freshie, Mick pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Danni, you going to be okay here for a minute?” Mick asked. “I’ll—“ he gestured vaguely at Josef, who was disappearing into the office.

Danni nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She was going to need a little time to organize her thoughts, anyway.

In the office, Josef was pacing, hands thrust in his pockets. He frowned at Mick. “What are you thinking?”

Mick frowned back, shaking his head slightly. “What was I supposed to do—leave her standing in the hall?” He leaned against his desk, crossing his long legs at the ankle, and folding his arms across his chest. It wasn’t a very open stance, but Josef ignored it and kept on.

“You can’t solve every problem in our world, Mick. It’s not feasible. And this freshie is trouble. Damaged goods.”

Mick reached up and dragged a thumb across his lips. “She’s no more damaged than I am. Maybe not as much. I’ve tried to stay out of it, but—all these girls—none of them are the girl next door. They all have issues, Joz’ef.”

Josef shrugged. “This one, though—you’ve got to wonder about a girl who ends up with ‘Danger’ as a freshie name.”

“That’s just Will Spence for you. He always was creative with names. Danni’s a nice girl. You know that.”

“That’s fine. That’s good,” Josef spat out the words like nails from a nail gun. “I saw her earlier tonight, and she should be with Spence right now. Not our problem. Not mine, anyway. What do you plan to do? Send her home to Texas? Slay the dragons for her?”

“I don’t have a plan, Joz’ef. What I have is a girl sitting on my couch in tears. And I don’t know yet why. So no, I don’t know what to do with her.”

“Mick, from what I’ve seen in the last year, there’s a girl in tears on that couch more often than not. You’d better learn how to deal with this sort of thing, my friend.” Josef gave a short, harsh laugh. “Lately, this you’ve turned into the white knight. Damsels in distress a specialty. Must be Beth’s influence. Look, I know you’ve always had a soft spot for the freshies. Never understood it, when you wouldn’t feed from one, all these years. Wasteful, Mick. Just wasteful. ”

“You’ve done your best to pick up the slack, Josef.”

“And, believe me, it’s been my pleasure. But you don’t see me starting a home for wayward freshies, either.” He smiled wolfishly. “Much as I like my freshies as wayward as possible.”

Mick was torn between annoyance and amusement. “Did you bring me in here to make a suggestion, or just a few bad jokes?”

Josef rolled his eyes. “My suggestion is to take her to her place, or wherever you can, kick her to the curb, and walk away. Quickly.”

“Haven’t you fed from this girl?” Mick asked. He knew Josef could be cavalier with his more casual freshies, but this seemed excessively insensitive. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Josef fell silent for a few moments, considering what to say, how to say it. As well as what not to say. He looked down. “Yeah. And she’s a great bite.” He sighed and looked up at Mick. “And I know you know that, too. Just like you also know she’s in love with Will Spence, and no matter what she tells you she’s always going to be looking for him in every crowd. She’s going to be thinking about him every time she gives blood to anyone else. She always does.”

It was Mick’s turn to sigh. “That’s no reason to abandon her, Joz’ef. All I intend to do is find out what her problem is. I don’t think she showed up here without a reason.”

His friend shook his head and smiled ruefully. “Sooner or later, Mick. Sooner or later you’re going to have to learn.”

Mick smiled back, cocking his head to one side. “Maybe later rather than sooner. So--you going to help me calm this girl down or what?” He turned on his heel and walked out to sit down opposite the freshie. He put on his best “dealing with a client” manner and asked gently, “Danni, do you think you can tell me what’s going on?”
User avatar
francis
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 11556
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:45 am

Re: 100% Freshie Chapter 31 --PG-13

Post by francis »

Oh, no. Cry is a spy for a vampire hunter. I never saw that one coming. But Cry seems to be unsure about her beliefs, and I’m glad about that. Tyler was so good to her.
It’s Bradley? Danni has been hurt so much by Will and Serena, but she still is defending Tyler, and shocked about Bradley and Cry. I totally agree with her, I would be angry and shocked too. Bradley is so patronizing, but not dumb. He takes her cellphone. Maybe he thinks of the whole freshie thing in terms of an addiction, and it’s not too far from the truth, but vampires are people, not just a drug.
I cheered for Danni when she escaped and went to Mick.
I was confused about the timeline earlier, this is when Mick already knows Beth.
Josef avoids trouble and doesn’t approve of Mick’s knight-in-armour-routine, but he lets him do his thing. He trusts him. I can’t wait to read more.
Post Reply

Return to “100% Freshie”