Beggars can't be choosers.

Marthinus was walking a thin line between life and death, but that was a normal day to day occurance when you're around vampires.

He dabbed the sweat off his top lip with his pocket hankerchief and tucked it back into his breast pocket. The bitter taste of his nitroglycerin pills were still lingering under his tongue. As he looked into the window of Kyle Evan's door, he decided he preferred his fate instead of Mr. Evans.

Marthinus opened the door quietly, trying not to disturb the journalist and unwilling hero. Not that Evans would have noticed from his curled up position in front of the bathroom door. Marthinus could see the sweat stains on Evan's scrub shirt and the visible tremor of his body. He walked over to Kyle. Kneeling he put his hands on Kyle who's body was shaking so hard that his teeth were chattering.

'Mr. Evans,' Marthinus said quietly. He pushed gently, moving Kyle over onto his back. The glazed look on his face was disturbing to Marthinus. 'Mr. Evans, you need to get up.'

Marthinus sighed. What a horrible price this man was paying for his bravery. The unwitting hero saving the unsung one. Kyle was quite literally at the wrong place at the wrong time and suffered for it. And now he laid half in the bathroom of an unknown place with strangers to comfort him. Marthinus pulled his hand away. It was damp with Evan's sweat. He sighed.

Kyle distinctly rembered trying to reach the bathroom.

He opened his eyes and then squinted them closed again. Fucking light. He was back in his hospital bed, covered with a cool linen sheet. 'Oh god,' he murmured. He smelled something awful. Kyle lifted his scrub shirt and took a whiff. 'Jesus,' he groaned and attempted to open his eyes again.

Kyle suddenly heard the russle of a paper. Turning to his left, he recognized the figure holding the newspaper in the chair next to the bed. He sat up slowly in his bed.

'Why hello Mr. Steyn, what brings you here to my little corner of hell?'

Marthinus had called in two of the male nurses to move Kyle back to his bed. He declined their efforts to bathe him first. Marthinus figured Kyle would rather do that on his own. Evans slept for another good 4 hours before finally waking.

And yes, he did stink.

Marthinus folded up the Times and crossed his legs. 'Just stopping by, Mr. Evans. Seeing how you were feeling. Repaying your courtesy, as it were.' Referring to Evans unscheduled visit to Marthinus while he was in the hospital.

He held out the newspaper to Evans. 'You might want to read the front page.'

Kyle took the newspaper from Marthinus and sat up all the way in bed. Laying the paper on his lap, he read the front page.


Then at the bottom half of the paper.

Kyle Evans, journalist for Times - Missing.

'Oh no one will see this, no one ever reads the bottom half of the front page. I might as well be on page 11 by the coupons.' Kyle sulked. He skimmed through the article, impressed with the total lack of truth. He took a deep breath and then regretted it.

'Ugh, I stink. Anyway, I told Nova I needed to call out. They're going to wonder where I am.'

Kyle climbed out of bed. 'You'll have to excuse me for a few minutes, I stink like the dead.' He stopped and snorted as he reached the doorway of the bathroom. 'No pun intended.'

Marthinus gave him a slightly humored grin. Reaching out, he folded the newspaper back neatly, reading the top half of the page again, unconsciously ignoring the bottom page.

'Well then, I guess he's right,' he said with a grin, but it faltered as a dull pain shot through his chest. A cold sweat broke over him again as he heard the shower cut on. Reaching into his pocket quickly, he took out his nitroglycerin pills, popping two again under his tongue.

He prayed he'd never have to do that in front of Simon or worse, Nova. He wasn't sure when he was going to tell them, but he was more afraid of what they might decide for him. The prospect of being anything like Evans terrified him. Never one for drugs, he never saw the value in them and definitely saw the misery that those addicted to them had.

No, he'd rather die first.

Nova led Alec through the hallways, only making a couple of wrong turns along the way, and between the two of them they managed to find their way to the Duibne medical center where Kyle was currently a guest.

A guest. Yeah.

She signed them in at the nurses’ station and completely ignored the ‘again?’ she got in response, instead leading them down the hall to Kyle’s room. She’d noticed that Marthinus was apparently visiting as well and was looking forward to having a little more time with her friend.

“Looks like Marthinus is here too; have you met him yet? He’s awesome, I’m sure you’ll get along.” Feeling she ought to warn Alec, she added: “Oh, by the way…Evans is a little touch and go right now. I think it’s probably part the eternity and part exhaustion but he says some pretty out there things sometimes. Don’t let it throw ya.”

Figuring she ought to take her own advice, she gave two sharp knocks to Kyle’s door before opening it and gesturing for Alec to come inside. Kyle, it seemed, was not present and the running of the shower would indicate his current occupation, but Marthinus was indeed hanging out and Nova greeted him cheerfully.

“Hey man, what’s happening?”

She was about to ask her usual question upon seeing her friend, which was something along the lines of ‘how are you feeling’, but when she took a good look at him it was clear enough that he wasn’t feeling so hot. She frowned and resisted the urge to bang her head against a wall at the odd circumstances; eternity had certainly affected both Kyle and Marthinus’s lives in very different ways. They made an interesting spectrum, in fact, but that was hardly the point.

Deciding the Duibne CEO would not take kindly to having his privacy meddled with, she bit her tongue to keep from prying, for the moment anyway, but simultaneously vowed to keep a better eye on him.

Looking up at the sharp knock at the door, Marthinus watched Nova enter with a gentleman behind her. Standing, he tucked his tie in and buttoned his suit jacket. He reached out, taking Nova's hand and giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

'Nova dear, you've returned to suffer the indiginities of Mr. Evan's personality?' He gave her a wry grin. 'And who is this fine young man with you?' Marthinus offered his hand to the smallish man behind her. 'Pleasure.'

'Our Mr. Evans is showering off, as he put it, his stink. It's been another harrowing ride on the roller coaster for him again.'

Nova smiled warmly at Marthinus’s greeting, resisting the urge to mutter a ‘we –really- need to talk’ in his ear as he turned to Alec. “Marthinus, Alec.”

She chuckled at Marthinus’s commentary, rolling her eyes and waving one hand. “Yeah, you’d think he was some kind of hero or something…” Realizing she’d just delivered Evans a compliment, she trailed off, looking around the room. “…Yeah, anyway.”

At Marthinus’s explanation she raised both eyebrows, wondering if there were new developments in Kyle’s condition, but she only muttered sarcastically. “Oh, so he has some common courtesy after all.”

Bowing slightly at the neck, Alec accepted the offered hand as Nova introduced them.

Good to meet you, sir.

Surprised by Nova's praise of the reporter...and Marthinus' indication that she'd been here multiple times already...reinforced by the behavior of the nurse...

Ah...well, wasn't THAT interesting. Alec filed it away for later use. If and razzing he got about Ginnie became too bad, he now had a trump card...well, if she ever came to terms with it. It was possible she hadn't noticed the alteration of pattern. Alec certainly hadn't until it became clear as day what had been going on inside his skull and Ginnie'd jumped him.

Smiling faintly and blushing a bit at the intense memory, Alec shook himself back to reality. He could daydream another time...and prod Nova into activity when they knew what was to be done with Kyle. It was possible she was stifling the crush in case he didn't want to join the team...that was somewhat understandable. It just made Alec hope that he wasn't the fixer sent to handle the job should things fall that way.

Paying attention to matters more closely at hand, Alec thought to extend his senses slightly...maybe he'd pick up on extra cues...and then he thought better of it. Too many antiseptics and scents of decay. They would be more distracting than illuminating, and could be coming from elsewhere. Filtering through it all could cause him to miss a social cue, and that's more what he needed to work on these days, anyway. Settling back against the wall for a bit of a wait, Alec watched Nova and Marthinus...and remembered to blink.

Kyle shut off the shower and cautiously stepped out. He grabbed a towel and begun to dry off slowly, not wanting to cause another spill to the floor...what would be the point, Nova was there to catch him. Bending over, drying off his legs, he realized he was grinning while thinking of Nova.

He shot up straight and made a face.

'...he was some kind of hero or something…'

Kyle turned his head. Ah, speak of the evil devil woman. Was she complimenting him?

“Oh, so he has some common courtesy after all.”

No, guess not. He grabbed another clean pair of scrub pants and slipped them on. Then grabbing the shirt, he walked out. He took a step and stopped.

'Where's the skirt?'

Walking up to Nova, he stopped behind her. 'I said wear a skirt, babe.' Then, just to annoy her, because for some reason it was what he was alive to do, he smacked her on the butt and then moved out of range quickly, slipping his shirt on with a grin.

Nova turned to glare at the object of their discussion when he made his entrance, rolling her eyes at his lack of shirt.

“Looks like you forgot an article of clothing yourself, Mister.”

She turned to make a snide remark to Alec in the way of introductions but was quite cut off by the slap to her ass.

“Jesus Christ Evans, you really –do- have a death wish!”

While Kyle’s gesture was one that few people would have the balls to do, especially coupled with his particular demand that she wear a skirt, Nova found she was having a little trouble minding. Smacking around was okay, a push here, a shove there, it was all good, it was guy speak and comfortable and just violent enough to not be disconcerting.

At least he hadn’t –looked- at her again.

It was also, she found, somewhat morbidly fascinating to meet a man so completely reckless with his own safety. God, hadn’t he learned –anything-? She figured he’d probably been getting his ass kicked for his mouth since grade school and just kept going at it.

She refused to admit they were at all alike in that respect.

Still, there was something to be said for keeping up self respecting appearances, and she plotted while going through the formalities, dropping the bag heavily on the ground and kicking it against the foot of the bed.

“I brought your stuff.” She gestured toward Alec. “This is Alec; he wanted to meet the guy who saved the fucking day.”

That was about all the patience she had for pleasantries, and she crossed her arms over her chest, fixing Kyle with a glare.

Marthinus eyes grew wide. He had been waiting for Nova to hit him so hard that she'd dislocate Evans jaw, if not break it in several places...but instead she...glared at him? He looked back between the two. Evans with his evil grin and Nova with her annoyed glare.

'My my,' he mumbled.

He looked at her, positively disgusted with him. God he almost squealed with delight. Kyle looked at the new guy in the room and nodded at him.

'Nice to meet you Alec. I see our Nova has been regailing you with my heroic antics.' He leaned in and whispered with a wink, 'I think she crushing on me.' He straightened his shirt and sighed happily. He really was enjoying himself teasing her.

'So what did ya bring me?!' He happily pounced on the bag and unzipped its contents. 'Ooooh.'

Kyle pulled out several paperbacks, most of which Nova apparently pulled from his bedside table. He grinned unconsciously about her being in his bedroom. 'K so some underwear,' he looked up at Nova and winked, 'toothbrush...electric razor...and,' he made a face and pulled out something that perplexed him.

'My...dayglow orange...t-shirt from college that I haven't worn in over fifteen years.' He held it up against his chest. 'I'm not even sure this thing fits.' Kyle gave Nova an odd look.

'My entire wardrobe is blue, black or gray...yet you bring me a red shirt and,' he reached in and pulled out the final item. 'Irish...spring?' He put them on the bed.

'You so want me, I can tell.'

'And on that terrifying note, I think I will bid you all farewell.' He gave the three a cordial nod and turned towards the door. 'Nova, I will see you later, I hope?' Marthinus nodded towards Alec and just shook his head with a grin at Evans.

He decided not to warn him to behave around Nova, that probably only would've encouraged him.

((Marthinus out pending response))

Watching for Nova's reflex violent response at the ass slap, Alec smirked...for a moment, then his jaw dropped. No reaction? Wow.

Looking to Marthinus, Alec noted that he wasn't the only one somewhat shocked by this development. The validation was certainly necessary, given the circumstances. "Well, the guy's got cheek, I'll give him that much, even if he does have a pretty complex death wish...should be perfect."

Chuckling, Alec nodded in greeting. At his whisper, he muttered back

Most definitely...but pretend like you don't know yet, she's trying to play hard to get.

Watching the antics, Alec smiled. You could almost not help yourself...he seemed to be one of those people who was hard not to like. Of course, people were bringing him presents, he'd just survived what had to have been one of the worst days of his life...bound to be feeling a little up, even for a short while. Hopefully the crash wouldn't be too bad.

Nodding his goodbye to Marthinus, Alec held the door for him. He imagined that being around such...boisterous...conversants as Kyle and Nova would be exhausting to someone his age...but Alec would never know. At the same time, there was also a good chance of him hearing things that more aged individuals might not want to hear about. Understandable.

Actually, I brought some things that I thought you might want to have around, too. Not useless stuff like underpants, mind you.

Reaching into his bag, Alec pulled out a graphing calculator, modified for voice recognition and with plotting capability. Tossing it to Kyle, Alec laughed.

See, we've already met, indirectly...and it is a good thing you're as lucky as you are or our man Simon'd be toast. That's to make sure the next time I give you angles and measurements you can follow them. Oh, and it makes balancing a checkbook a cinch...just got to read the information off instead of punching those tiny little buttons. Well, for folks that need the calculator, anyway. Anyway, that's so you don't have to trust to luck the next time, and can be pure hero.

Grinning, Alec reached into the bag again, and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels.

And from what Nova was telling me about your personality, this WAS going to be for you, but we'll save it for your guests, since...what was it..."his personality is a permanent affliction"...something like that. That's how I knew she was taken with you...the rudeness was too refined.

Winking, Alec placed the bottle next to the chair Marthinus had been sitting in. He wondered what the reaction to the calculator would be...whatever was in store would certainly not be normal, that's for sure.

Nova thought she was doing quite well with her ice queen glare, in spite of Kyle and Alec’s little exchange (though that little turncoat was –so- going to get it later) until he got to the shirt.

“What? It’s a nice shirt, you’re fucking welcome!”

Her nostrils flared when Evans made a big fucking deal over the soap, but she forced her temper down to a reasonable level of wrathful fury when she spoke, her voice low and throaty.

“Well Evans…you seemed to like Irish Spring…”

She walked closer, slowly, never taking her eyes off Kyle, and continued in her low voice.

“And…you’re right…she swallowed hard and forced herself to say his name…Kyle. I can’t keep it inside any longer.” She rested one hand on each shoulder, looking deep into his eyes. “I want you…” shoving him as hard as she could, which was pretty darn hard, she let her voice resume its normal tone. “to shut your fucking mouth.”

Not caring where Kyle landed, she turned and walked back toward the door to stand next to Alec, who was now presenting Evans with his present.

And damn if it wasn’t a good one. Not that she would ever need such a device, of course, but still. Good present.

She was about to comment on it, in fact, when Alec added his oh so helpful commentary. She fixed Alec with her death glare, which she was beginning to question the effectiveness of.

“You! Legs! Break! Ass! Kick!”

Hoping a vague hand gesture would fill in the many gaps of that sentence, she snatched up the bottle of JD.

“And I’ll just take that!”

“Well Evans…you seemed to like Irish Spring…” Nova said.

He gave her his best Rhett Butler smirk which faltered when suddenly she started to step closer to him. Hazel eyes, giving him 'the look' made him suddenly lose his train of thought.

“And…you’re right…Kyle. I can’t keep it inside any longer.”

Kyle's eyes went wide when she reached out and touched his shoulder, but he blurted out a 'wha?' when she said the next thing.

“I want you…” And that's when the room went topsy turvy. She shoved him, pretty damn hard, which was hard for a vampire, and he fell onto the bed...then promptly bounced right off it, onto the ground.

“...to shut your fucking mouth,' she finished.

From the ground he mumbled, 'I love it when you're rough, Nova. Turns me on.' He slowly stood and Alec started to speak.

Kyle's eyes narrowed at Alec when he started to explain his get well gifts. 'You.'

This was the goober that gave him the directions, the same goober he swore to punch dead in the face when he met him, which he was. Kyle's mouth opened to start yelling when Alec pulled out the bottle of Jack Daniels.

'Uh...' A cold sweat hit him like a freight train. His eyes stayed on the bottle as the other man set it down. Kyle didn't hear a thing that he said or even notice Marthinus leaving. He just saw that bottle.

'Um..' He swallowed. Hard. Kyle blinked, trying to clear his suddenly hazy vision. If felt like the withdrawl he was feeling from the drug, but it wasn't nearly as painful...but the want was there and it was so bad he shook.

'I...' Kyle tried to say he didn't drink, but he just couldn't form the words. Suddenly he felt himself reaching out for the bottle, his eyes on the amber liquid, rolling around the glass inside like the blood red eternity in the cylinder. Kyle had one more coherent thought before falling deep into the trance of alcoholism.

Man, what a fucked up week I'm having.

He picked up the bottle and it's cold glass sent a familiar chill over his body...then it was gone...and in Nova's grubby hands.

'HEY!?'

“And I’ll just take that!” Nova snapped.

Kyle's hands curled into claws again and he contemplated strangling her. Instead he grabbed the bottle back from Nova with a rather indignant look.

'It's MINE...just bring it, sister.'

Nova’s eyes narrowed dangerously when Kyle snatched the bottle back from her.

“Oh, you like it rough, do you? I’ll give you rough!”

With that, she charged, rushing Evans like an angry bull and knocking him flat on his back. The fact that she went down with him was no deterrent at all; she simply sat on his chest and pinned down his free arm with one hand. Triumphantly, she reached for the bottle with the other, at the same time looking over somewhat apologetically at Alec.

“Er…he doesn’t drink, you see.”

Alec watched with interest as Nova approached Kyle...he hadn't planned on being AROUND for their big revelation, but...ah...nevermind. Kyle was briefly airborne before landing on the bed...oop, and off and ow...into the wall almost but down to the floor.

Wow...good bounce, Nova.

Watching Kyle's reaction, Alec had NO clue what to make of it. It was like he was kind of upset about the calculator for a second, but then it just evaporated and then he clammed up.

And then they were fighting again. Taking a step back, Alec chuckled. He didn't want to get pulled into that mess.

'ACK, wait!' Kyle managed to say before they hit the ground, flat on his back. 'Listen Nova, I'M THE BOY IN THIS RELATIONSHIP.' Hoping he caught her off guard with the painfully sexist remark, he pushed up with his hips, which made him blush because he could feel her warmth on top of him, but nonetheless, roughly rolled over and pinned her to the ground.

He grabbed at her waving hands and they made the bottle slip out of their grasp and slide away from them on the carpet. Kyle pinned her down for a moment longer and then leaped for it, scrambling on the ground next to Nova who, by the sounds of it, wasn't happy with him.

((permission to wrestle with nova!))

Alec blinked at Nova uncomprehendingly.

What do you mean he doesn't drink? I thought you said he was a writer? And it sure looks like we wants to.

Laughing at Kyle's statement, Alec quipped

Well, you must be the emo boy in the relationship then, because she's on top AND kicking your ass. Oh, good reversal. Maybe you're the boy after all.

Nova snarled at Kyle’s use of the dreaded ‘R’ word and pulled back to deliver a vicious head butt when he suddenly lifted up his hips.

Hello.

That was her last thought before she realized she was flat on her back, Kyle was scrambling over her, and Alec was…cheering him on? What the hell!

“Alec! Evans! Men!”

With a growl she brought her knee up, connecting with god only knew what, and rolled over onto Kyle’s back, straddling his hips and grabbing him by the hair with one hand while the other reached for the bottle.

“Give it up Evans, you’re not going to win this one.”

She looked up at Alec, blowing loose strands of hair away from her face.

“No, he doesn’t. He really really doesn’t...”

Doctor Turmishkish strolled up to the nurse’s station, where he was happily greeted by cheerful exclamations of “Doctor T!” from the three nurses on duty, and went to take a look at the charts.

He was, however, interrupted from this task by the sound of quite a tussle in one of the rooms.

‘Alec! Evans! Men!’

Doctor T looked to the nurses in concern and saw they were exchanging knowing glances.

“Er…should I check…”

One of the nurses shook her head.

‘Ah…no Doctor T, I don’t think you wanna know…’

Doctor T looked to the others for confirmation and, seeing three nodding heads, decided they were probably right. He picked up a chart at random and headed down the hall, though behind him he could pick up snatches of the nurse’s conversation.

‘Mmmhmm.’

‘You don’t have to tell me.’

‘Now what –I- wanna know is, what’s the second guy doing?’

‘Girl, if you don’t know I sure ain’t gonna tell you…’

'NO....KNEES,' Kyle called out winded as Nova managed to knock the wind out of him and thankfully not his boys. She climbed onto his back and grabbed a handful of his hair.

'NOVA...NOT THE HAIR...GET OFF, I'M NOT GOING TO DRINK IT,' Kyle hooked his arm around and grabbed one of her legs. 'That's it!' He pulled her leg up and tried to bite her.

Laughing, Alec leaned over and plucked up the bottle.

Well, shit. If no one ELSE is.

Twisting it open, he took a good swig, smiling.

Ooo! The knee! AND the hair! Nice! I've never been more proud of you, Nova!

Chuckling, Alec waited to see what the next turn of events would be. Nothing like a morning of entertainment to pass the time.

Nova flailed and kicked when Kyle grabbed her leg, seeing his intent, and squirmed in a most unladylike manner while growling out:

“Hey! I am the biter in this r…”

Her eyes widening at what she almost said, the room suddenly became clear to her through the haze of furious battle. There she was, sprawled out over Evans with one leg in his hand while Alec calmly drank from the JD bottle they were fighting over. They were also, she realized, being really loud.

“Umph.”

She shoved off Kyle with a grunt, leaning against the bed and resting one foot on Kyle’s hip, pushing lightly in an attempt to get him on his back. She spoke almost tiredly while she nudged, closing her eyes in a long suffering manner.

“Why is it that every time we see each other we end up rolling on the floor or pressed up against walls or…Alec if you answer that I swear to god I’ll throw this entire bed at your eye.”

“Why is it that every time we see each other we end up rolling on the floor or pressed up against walls or…Alec if you answer that I swear to god I’ll throw this entire bed at your eye.”

'Because you are a strangley violent woman?' Kyle ran his hand through his hair. 'I sold my soul to even have this much hair at my age.' He patted it gently, glaring at her with her leg on his hip. He smirked and sat up.

'I wasn't going to drink it, Nova. I was going to...smell it?' He shrugged annoyed and embarassed. Running his hand over his face he sighed unhappily. He would've drank the entire bottle, just to escape from this new hell. Kyle laid out flat on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. Yeah, he would've.

Kyle crossed his arms with a humph and muttered without looking at Nova, 'Thank you,' ever so quietly.

Eyes widening at the thought of getting smacked with a bed, Alec held his hands up.

Color me 'shut the hell up' then.

Laughing, Alec took another swig and passed the bottle to Nova.

To the victor go the spoils! I'm not willing to 'wrassle' with you for it. Besides, Kyle might get jealous of me laying hands on. Annnnnnnd on that note, I'll cue the music and make my exit. Heal up, hero, and kick his ass, Nova. Y'all have fun now, y'hear?

Walking past the nurse kiosk, Alec felt a lingering spark of mischief. At the strange looks he was getting at the nurse station, he smirked and quipped

That was some crazy footage. Goodnight ladies.

((ooc: Alec out pending response))

Nova’s eyes glazed over for a moment before she delivered her retort. She could practically hear a splash from the amount of sarcasm dripping.

“Why thank you Evans, I’m flattered.”

She was, however, satisfied enough that Kyle had thanked Alec for the gift even if it didn’t go over so well, and even if she didn’t believe the crap about not planning on drinking it, she let it go as she took the bottle from Alec’s hand and screwed the cap back on.

Pushing up to her feet, she followed Alec to the door and set the bottle on the floor outside while she said her goodbyes.

“You bet…and thanks Alec, it was cool of you to come by.”

After shutting the door behind her, Nova sighed, suddenly tired and realizing that it had been a while since she had what she considered a decent day’s sleep.

It wasn't until she turned back around that it occured to her that Evans might be thanking -her-. She didn't really know how to respond to that and, feeling more awkward than usual, which was saying something, she shoved her hands in her pockets and spoke in a perfectly normal tone of voice.

Well, perhaps a little softer than usual. Not that, in turn, that was saying much either.

“Alright. I’m going to ask you something and I need a straight answer without any smart assed remarks. Can we do that?” She took a deep breath and looked around the room for a moment. “When was the last time you ate?”

Kyle looked over at her from his position on the floor.

'First, I was thanking YOU,' and then he huffed dramatically. 'Second, I haven't eaten since like...1986, it seems like. But I think I ate about 2 days ago. I had just finished a rather nice steak when I got thrown into the back of a limo, kidnapped, shot, killed, revived, shot at AGAIN, nearly blown up, nearly smashed, addicted to an illegal drug, kidnapped...AGAIN, manhandled BY YOU, gone through severe withdrawls, attacked...AGAIN BY YOU. So I haven't had the chance to grab so much as a snickers bar from the vending machine.'

He sighed. 'Wait, you said no smart assed remarks, didn't you?' He held up two fingers. 'Two days.' Kyle's eyes narrowed. 'Why?'

Nova gave the room another shifty glance before some vague memory of her upbringing reminded her of the proper response.

“You’re welcome.”

She sighed at the diatribe that followed, thinking that a request for a truce probably was too much to ask. At least half of that stuff wasn’t really her fault but it was hard not to feel a little bad nonetheless.

Hard, but not impossible, and Nova set her jaw before speaking.

“Because. There’s a pill that can help. It’s very new and it isn’t a magic wand or anything, but it will help with the cravings and possibly the side effects of withdraw as well. It does, however, carry its own side effects, one of which is that it kills your appetite, so you should eat something before you take it, and then you’re going to have to remember to eat regularly even if you don’t feel hungry.”

She pulled her bright yellow phone out of her pocket and once again regained her composure. This being civil stuff was damn trying.

“So,” she said between her teeth “what’s it going to be? There’s a cafeteria around here somewhere or I can order in.”

Kyle considered his options. On one hand he had what seemed like eternal damnation of his soul, ie withdrawls or take a pill and not be hungry.

Damnation of soul.

Remember to eat.

Soul.

Eat.

'Are you sure I wont sprout a third eye or possible want to eat a cat? Because I'd consider that a bad side effect too. And oh my god is that a smiley face on your phone?' Kyle sat up and looked at Nova. Why? Why was he attracted to this woman? He conceeded that was she hot. She'd never get any older, but could probably get meaner, if that was possible. He gave her an appraising look, from head to toe.

'Can we eat in here?' He caught himself saying we. Was he inviting her to stay? Kyle's eyes narrowed at her in thought.

Yes, he believed he was inviting her to eat with him.

Nova snorted involuntarily before giving Kyle a look as though he really had grown that third eye he was so concerned about. When had she started thinking he was funny?

“Did you just say ‘omg’? And no, we aren’t totally sure of all the side effects but I can safely say it’s nothing like that.”

She held up her phone, which did indeed have a smiley face sticker, along with a bright green Mr. Yuck and several cautionary stickers one might find on prescription pill bottles.

“May cause drowsiness.”

She smirked a little when Kyle asked if they could eat there and answered in an amused tone.

“I don’t see why not; what are they going to do, keep you in a room with loud aggressive women to manhandle you? Oh wait, they’ve already done that, so fuck it, let’s get some food.”

With that, she flipped open the phone and started through her contacts.

“What do you say…pizza? Chinese? Oooh, we could have…”

The realization that Kyle had just invited her to join him struck so suddenly that she cut herself off and faltered for a moment before continuing on as though nothing had happened. “…er…there’s a pretty good cheese steak place that delivers…”

Kyle smiled slowly at Nova's enthusiasm. He almost snorted when it dawned on her that he invited her.

'Chill out, She-Ra, it's not a date. I'm just asking you to partake in dead cow with me, not asking you to marry me. A philly sounds good.' He gave her a wink and picked himself up off the ground. He grabbed his bag that had spilled onto the floor and carried it into the bathroom, figuring he'd leave her alone to order.

Kyle pulled out the shirt and looked at it again. He blinked and then smiled. She picked it because she liked it. Jesus she was going soft on him and he was fairly certain he liked it. He shook his head, must be the drugs. Pulling off the scrub shirt, he put on the day glow orange eye sore and slipped on some jeans she had brought as well.

'Hrmm, no socks.' Kyle wiggled his toes and then walked back out into the room.

Nova made her best scoffing face as Kyle walked away, wondering where in the hell he got his cocky little attitude. She was, however, encouraged enough by the thought of a cheese steak that she was willing to let his use of the ‘m’ word slide.

Someone ought to wash his mouth out, though.

She made the appropriate call while Kyle was in the bathroom, adding fries and coke to the order as well as extra catsup and mayo.

She gave a surprisingly genuine smile when Kyle stepped out of the bathroom in his bright orange shirt, but it turned smug after a moment.

“See, fits you just fine. Told you it was a good shirt.”

Well, if it were a little tight through the shoulders she certainly wasn’t going to say anything. Made for a nice effect.

“It’ll be here shortly; place is just down the street.”

Grinning at his bare toes, she walked over to the closet and pulled open the drawer under the scrub shirts.

“Slippers!” She tossed Evans the plastic package with two foam slippers inside. “Okay, they’re very nearly worthless but you can’t stay in a hospital ward without experiencing the slippers.

'Noooo!' He dodged the slippers and let them fall to the ground. Nodding towards Nova's feet, 'Gimme your socks. They probably fit,' he teased.

Walking over to the bed, he hopped on it, laying on his side. Kyle looked over at Nova and started to rub the spot next to him. He mouthed the words with a ridiculous grin...Come on, come on...wink, nod, wink. He gave it one final pat and said, 'Oh come on, have a sit down. Tell me about yourself. I won't bite. OH,' he laughed at his own joke.

Kyle figured, the least they can do is attempt to be civil and he always found that talking like mature adults on a queen sized bed with bouncy springs was usually a very good start. He gave her another lecherous grin, snorting to himself as he rested on his elbow, he pointed to the shirt.

'I'm wearing this ridiculous shirt for you, you owe me, missy.'

Nova snickered and lifted pulled up one pant leg a couple of inches to reveal the tops of the neon blue socks that peeked out just a little over her combat boots.

“You sure?”

She scowled a little at Kyle’s invitation, but when he stopped goofing off and just straight up asked she took a hesitant step toward the bed.

Hmm. No sudden moves…

Her eyes narrowed a little as she approached, waiting for him to do something totally weird, but as he seemed to mean no harm and since she remembered that she could kick his ass around the room any time she felt like it, she finally took a seat at the edge of the bed, still regarding him warily.

“It’s a perfectly good shirt.”

With that, she bent down to unlace her boots.

“What do you want to know?”

Kyle eyed up her neon colored socks and said, 'Well first thing that comes to mind is whether or not you're actually color blind.'

She had hesitated coming over to the bed, but eventually sat down on the edge. He probably unnerved her, which he actually felt bad about. He wondered how old Nova actually was. She looked about late twenties, early thirites, but if her sense of style was any indication, she probably wasn't much older than that. Kyle looked into her face and watched her concentration on her shoelace, she was quite beautiful...in that man hater kind of way.

He thought of his question. 'What makes a person leave everything behind to live an unnatural life of a vampire? The money? The eternal youth? No pun intended. Isn't it lonely?

Kyle's eyebrows furrowed. Nova could easily ask the same thing of him. Did he leave behind everything and everyone to live his unnatural life of being a drunk? Was it for the money, which was good. Was it for the fame?

Whatever it was, he was definitely lonely.

Nova made a ‘pfft’ sound at Kyle’s comment regarding her choice of colors but kept quiet on that front other than to mutter under her breath, defensively.

“I –like- bright colors.”

At his next question she actually stopped loosening her laces for a moment and thought, wondering if she should just pick one of the smart assed answers rolling through her head and go with that.

“I love how people throw around the word ‘unnatural’ like they know what it means. What does that mean? Honest to God, give me a break.”

Shrugging, she pulled off one boot and started on the other. She didn’t think she had anything to lose with a straight answer and her life was pretty much an open book…she just wasn’t used to being sincere.

“I’ve had the opportunity to know some great minds, Evans. –Great- minds, it was…unfathomable sometimes. And I’ve gotten the calls telling me they’re dead and it just…you know, they spent half their lives on their work and the other half trying to reach out and make someone else understand, trying to find someone to carry it on, because life is so short and discovery, innovation, science…it’s so slow, it’s glacier paced.”

Pulling off her other boot, she sat back on the bed, leaning on her hands, and looked up at the ceiling.

“You know the saying, ‘if I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants’? I mean, that’s how it is, it’s how it’s done, but I had the chance to see further. I had the opportunity to break that cycle of striving and learning and sticking your nose to the grindstone and only lifting your head to –force- people to listen to you, only to die with the hope that in the next generation they’ll be another curious mind to pick up where you left off. And the sorts of minds I’m talking about don’t come around all that often, and in this…fucked up, stupid world we live in, it could be the guy delivering your pizzas, or the chick that got hit by a stray bullet in a gun fight, and that was the one, the brain that could have done it, wasted. So these brilliant people, and their brilliant ideas, sit around gathering dust for years before someone else picks them up and actually –does- something with them.”

She gave a self depreciating laugh and looked over at Kyle, shaking her head.

“Hell. I’m not saying I’m the next Newton or anything. Maybe I’m not one of those great minds, truly great minds that should be preserved from an eternity, but dammit, I’m good, just maybe good enough, and moreover I –want- it and that should count for something. I want a thousand years to study and understand something, some little piece of us, and then I want the real deal, the next Einstein to come along and tear it all to the ground so I can pick up and start over. I want to be there for the whole damn thing, bottom to top. I want to go all the way with something that will be around as long as I am.

Relaxing, she leaned back on her elbows, looking back to the ceiling.

“I mean, you’re a writer. Maybe long after you die college kids will have to study your articles in journalism school. Maybe you’ll be ‘The Great Kyle Evans’ and maybe it’ll happen in your lifetime but how often does that really work out that way?” She shrugged. “You see?”

She grinned, realizing she had gone on. “Hell. Anyway, no, it was never the money, and while I’ll admit I was sweating the over 30 glass ceiling…” She gave an annoyed snort, struggling to find the words. “I mean, I never thought I was leaving something behind. I was moving forward. I am moving forward.”

“As for it being lonely…hell, I don’t know. That’s another good thing about this whole immortality deal; I’ve got a lot of time to figure that out. I don’t think it’s lonely, though. It doesn’t have to be. So no. Yeah. Anyway.”

She looked down at her phone.

“Damn, where’s the fucking food?”

Kyle regarded her with inquisitive eyes, opening his mouth to comment, but found he didn't have the words. Instead he exhaled.

'I don't know Nova, I don't see anyone singing my praise anytime soon. I'm a disappointment. Missed potential. A light that burnt out a long time ago.' He grinned, 'I suppose I'm that wasted life...that's probably why I drank.'

The look she was giving her phone was amusing though, like she was willing it to ring and break the uneasy tension. Kyle reached out and gently poked her arm. 'I'm not sure I can see immortality as anything but lonely, unless you have someone that you're brow beating and not telling me about him.' He paused. 'Or...her?' Kyle was fairly certain there wasn't a her, at least not consistently. Her reactions around him were a huge indication that her hetero flag flew high and free.

He rubbed his fingers together. 'You're soft,' he blurted out, much to his embarassment. Kyle shrugged, he'd be lucky to walk out of this place alive. He could be talking to the person who opens him up and see's how the drug affected him, but Kyle hoped he could get a steak dinner out of it first.

'Well, you're softer than you think....and you smell good.'

Nova raised her eyebrows at Kyle’s response and flicked a piece of lint off her shoulder at him.

“Well you don’t have to sound so freakin proud about it. And shit, it’s a little early to call your life wasted; hell, you’re a big fuckin hero now, remember? I bet you get yours.”

She rocked back a little at the poke to her arm, though it hadn’t been particularly hard, and flashed him a grin before poking his knee.

“What do I need a guy for when I can kick your ass myself? Anyway, I have a whole clan. It’s…a good situation.” She smiled, thinking of Jan and Simon. All a girl needed, really; her brother and her daddy.

Though one had to wonder when your own brother was telling you to go out and get laid.

“And no, by the way, there’s no chick either.” She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at that. She wasn’t particularly offended but she suspected Kyle meant to push her buttons and that annoyed her a little. “But anyway…fuck, you can be lonely when you’re human.” She shrugged. “Just for less time; at least with immortality you have a long assed time to figure it all out.”

She actually laughed when Kyle claimed she was soft, giving her arm a little flex to show off one nicely toned bicep and grinned, shaking her head. When she spoke it was without any real venom and a smirk crossed her face.

“Aw, fuck off. Although…” She turned her head to the side and sniffed at her shirt. “…yeah, I actually do smell good, don’t I? Anyway…I thought I was the bad guy here. Creepy ‘unnatural’ vampire and all.”

Her mobile, thank the fucking lord, chose that moment to vibrate.

“Alright! Food’s here, I’ll be right back.”

With that, she sprang up and waltzed out of the room in her stocking feet.

She was almost certain, as she passed the nurses station, that one of them gave an “ummhmm” sound, but she had no idea what that was about and let it go.

Kyle quietly watched her fumble through her explanation and then make haste to retrieve their food. He laid back on the bed and put his hands behind his head. Figuring his life could be worse, although he wasn't sure how, he decided he was enjoying his conversation with Nova, even though he wouldn't admit it her.

He was suddenly wracked with a shiver that made his teeth chatter. It was gone as fast as it came. Kyle sat up quickly, a cold sweat breaking all over his body.

'God...no.'

Another shiver ripped across him and he bent over, falling off the bed and hitting the floor on his knees. Kyle reached back and grabbed the blanket off the bed, covering himself with it but if his body temperature was peaking over 100 and rising. Wrapping the blanket around him, a cramp started from his groin up to his chest and he fell forward, one hand planted on the floor, his nails digging into the carpet, threatening to break off.

'Noooo,' he moaned through gritted teeth as he bent over into a ball, prayed he'd pass out before Nova saw him like this.

Nova grabbed the bags from the delivery dude, feeling unaccountably on edge, and practically ran back to the elevator. Once inside, she watched the numbers go up with a bit more calm, though her mood was settling into an oddly preoccupied state of mind.

Concluding that their current truce was just that, nothing more, and they’d go back to the way they were once Kyle was totally recovered, she walked out of the elevator, ignored the nurses odd quip (‘worked up an appetite. Mmm. Hmm.’) and breezed back into the room, talking as she opened the door.

“Alright, now we’re talking, this is seriously…aw, dammit!”

Setting the food down on a nearby table, Nova dropped down on her knee next to Kyle. She reached out one hand to yank him back onto the bed where he would be more comfortable, but stopped at the last minute, letting it fall on his shoulder instead.

Right. He doesn’t like to be ‘manhandled’. Easy does it.

She could feel just how warm his shoulder was, even through the blanket, and frowned in concern.

“Hell, should have given this to you sooner.”

As she spoke, she pulled the small plastic bag with the two starbursts out of her pocket.

“Evans? Kyle?”

This just wasn't right, Kyle thought to himself.

This wave of withdrawl was far worse than the other's had been. At the very least he was able to cry or move, but this time his entire body seized up into a tight ball. His jaw was clenching so hard, he thought the muscles in his face were going to pop out of his skin. He could hear his teeth grinding in his head, undoubtedly scraping quite a bit of enamel off.

Nova was there now, trying to get him to talk. The embarassment mixed in quite easily with the pain and he tried to turn away from her. Not after starting to connect, seeing her open up. Not this. Not right now.

'Go....AWAY,' he felt himself screeched and grunt. He wasn't sure if she could understand him, but he tried desperately to turn away from her. 'GOOOOOO,' he said through his gritted teeth. It was if his body was torturing him, how dare he let it taste such sweet nectar, just to take it away.

'Nova...pleeeease.' Kyle wasn't sure at this point if he was still asking her to go or just to make it stop, but he cursed his body for not letting him pass out.

The doctor on call felt his beeper go off as he tried to get coffee out of the vending machine. Buzz. Buzz.

'Fucking high tech building can't spring for a fucking espresso maker.' He reached down and checked his beeper.



Just then the floors com system started to blare an announcement, paging him directly to Kyle Evans room. The doctor started to walk quickly down the hallway, discarding what coffee he did get into a planter. His beeper buzzed again.



The doctor broke out into a full out run.

Busting in Evan's hospital room, he pushed the woman he recognized as Nova, one of 'them', to the side. The nurses who had been previously mmhmm'ing at Nova hurried in, handing the doctor a large syringe. Another nurse was trying to force Evan's mouth open to shove a mouth piece in to prevent him from biting his tongue.

The doctor waited, watching the nurse. Finally he cursed, 'Fuck it.' He jabbed the syringe into Evans. The doctor literally had to shove the needle in, Evan's muscles were so tense, practically pushing the needle back out. Finally he was able to inject Evans with the powerful muscle relaxer that was in the syringe.

'I'm giving him something to make him relax and pass out. He's going to be pretty sore when he wakes up.' The doctor could feel Evan's muscles, they were rigid and his entire body was trembling.

'Just hang on, Mr. Evans.' The nurses and the doctor hovered, waiting for Kyle to relax. It took a good full minute, but the doctor could see Kyle's eye lids start to relax from their tightly shut position. His mouth slowly opened and he started to blink lazily. Finally he slumped forward and was caught by the doctor and the nurses.

They carried him to the bed and pulled him out of his curled up position. The nurses worked on massaging Kyle until finally his limbs were straightened out. With a sigh the doctor turned to Nova.

'He'll be out for a while.' He ran a hand through his thinning hair. 'I've never seen that extreme of a reaction before. He would've suffocated or had a heart attack from the strain. It might be best to keep him sedated until he can ride out the worst of this and this is just day two barely. We'll keep you posted though.

The nurses gathered their things and the doctor gave Nova an apologetic look. He walked quietly out, shutting the door behind him.

(ooc Kyle out))

Nova rolled her eyes inwardly when Kyle ordered her away, thinking that they were, indeed, right back to where they started. She wrapped one arm around him, just to get him to his feet, and felt every muscle in his back lock up.

“Jesus…”

A flurry of nurses and one doctor burst into the room and at first Nova was too alarmed to do anything other than move out of the way under the onslaught, but when someone broke out the big needle she came back to her senses and made a lunge at the doctor.

“Hey, hey, what are you giving him…”

The nurses as one tried to hold her back and proved decent enough obstacles for the doctor to be able to explain what he was doing, at which point Nova stopped pushing against the wall o’ nurses and slumped back against the wall.

She watched with a wary eye while the medical staff put Kyle in the bed, still leaning against the wall. She muttered under her breath that he hadn’t eaten for two days and needed some IV fluids, and the nurse gave her an almost sympathetic nod.

Nova returned it with a glare.

Once alone in the room again, she pushed off the wall and walked over to Kyle’s bed, frowning at his resting form.

“Well. Didn’t know –that- was going to happen. Guess you just have to be different, huh?”

One nurse returned with the appropriate IV bags and started setting Kyle up. Nova ignored her save to give her a dirty look when she missed the vein on the first try. She got it on the second go and Nova relaxed.

“How did we not see this coming? How did no one know this was coming?”

She didn’t expect an answer; she had been talking to herself, mostly, but she received one anyway.

“It’s not your fault.”

That, Nova felt, was the wrong thing to say.

“Fucking…I didn’t say it was! This is ridiculous, this is fucking ridiculous, god dammit, how did we not know this was coming? I was fucking…picking up food for christ’s sake, he was sitting on the bed, he was perfectly fine, he was making jokes, fuck, he was perfectly fine not ten minutes ago and now you have him…for fuck’s sake –you’re- the human in the room, will you –stop- poking at him like that?”

The nurse stepped away with a guilty expression and tape hanging from her fingers where she was trying to attach the IV catheter more firmly to Kyle’s arm.

“How much god damn tape do you –need-. I ask you. And they say I’m the ‘unnatural’ one. That freakin –hurts- when you pull it off and if you didn’t know, Evans is a gigantic baby about that stuff and you can’t just…fuck, I’m ranting about tape.”

She raked her fingers through her hair, loosening the tie as she went, then tied it back in a tighter ponytail. Then she turned to go.

“Help yourself to the food. And send a vial to my lab.” She gestured toward the blood vials the nurse had ready to hook to the IV.

Once outside, the room, she took a calming breath, ignoring the other nurses staring at her, and swore under her breath.

Then she swore louder, hitting the wall with her fist.

She took a moment to peer through the hole she’d made in the wall, where the nurse was back to poking at Kyle.

“Enough with the tape!”

That said, she walked away, heading for her lab.

/ooc Nova out.