Okay, this is it. My first for the list - have been lurking long enough.
Usual disclaimers apply, characters are not mine, and all that (although I
wish they were).
This short piece came to me while watching a commercial on tv and
demanded to be written. Which proves that I watch too much tv :).
As for archiving this: Permission is hereby given to the Fanfiction and
FTP sites. Anybody else please ask.
Revitalizing
Nick burst into the morgue, nearly bubbling over with excitement.
"Nat, we did it! Oh, hi, Grace!"
He gave Nat's assistent a quick peck on the cheek. Graces eyebrows
threatened to disappear into her hair.
"My, aren't we in a good mood tonight, detective. I think I better let the
two of you have some privacy."
With a wink in Nat's direction, she made her exit from the lab.
Nick looked after her for a moment, and then remembered why he had come
straight to the morgue this evening.
"Nat..."
"Okay, Nick, calm down already. What are you talking about?"
Natalie looked up at Nick. He seemed utterly happy for a change. There was
even a slight flush to his features, his complexion was not as pale as it
usually was.
"We did it!" Nick repeated, grinning like an idiot.
Natalie pinched the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger. This
was not going to be easy. In his present state, getting any information out
of Nick was like pulling teeth. Or fangs, in his case.
"Did what, Nick?" she asked again, trying to sound calm and reasonable.
"It! Nat, mortality, you remember?"
Nick was very nearly jumping up and down now. He definitely felt like
jumping, and dancing, and shouting his joy to the whole world to hear.
Instead, he grabbed Nat's hand and pressed it to his face just a little to
hard.
"Feel this?" he asked, more than a little breathless.
"Oh my god, Nick, you're warm!" Natalie cried out. Quickly, she brought her
other hand up to his neck, searching for a pulse.
"You have a heartbeat!"
He nodded, his blue eyes sparkling.
"Oh, Nat, there is so much I want to do right now..." he whispered, his
voice suddenly taking on a low and husky quality.
"Wait, Nick, what if this isn't permanent? I'll have to run some tests, and
you should stay out of the sun until we're sure it's really safe for you,
and..."
Nick just silenced her with a long, tender kiss.
"I think we've waited too long already, doctor", he murmured into the
corner of her mouth. Natalie felt her bones turn to jelly, but she was
determined not to let him get out that easily.
"At least tell me how it happened", she managed to whisper back.
"Huh?"
"The change, Nick? You did not just wake up mortal tonight, Nick, did you?"
"Yes, well, no, not exactly." Nick shook his head.
"Then how did 'it' happen?"
A slow grin spread over Nick's face.
"Under the shower. One moment, I'm a vampire, the next - poof! - I'm
mortal. Just like that!" He snapped his fingers.
Natalie frowned. "Just like that, huh? Well, sorry to burst your bubble,
detective, but it's not supposed to happen 'just like that'". She, too,
snapped her fingers.
"But it did! So what?"
"Nick, with the treatment I have been giving you for the past years, it
just does not happen like this. It's supposed to be a slow, steady process
that gives you time to adjust."
He stared at her in bewilderment.
"Does that mean it was not your treatment?"
Natalie threw her hands up.
"Give the man a price! No, Nick, it definitely was not my treatment. Now,
the question is: What made you mortal?"
"Well... I don't know. It just happened."
"Yes, you already said that. Under the shower, hmmm?"
He nodded.
"In this case, let us check out your shower."
Natalie turned, grabbed her coat and purse, and walked out of the lab. "You
coming, or what?"
Nick almost had to run to catch up with her.
End part one
Well, here's the second and last part of my little piece of fluff.
Warning: Major sillyness ahead! If you are currently eating or drinking,
stop reading right now and put down any foods and beverages before you
continue.
(I know, this may be superfluous, but it's better to be safe than having to
buy a new keyboard. A friend of mine knows all about it)
The rest of the disclaimers is in part one.
Revitalizing - Part 2
Natalie parked the Caddie in the street, in front of Nick's warehouse. She
had insisted on driving after she saw him fumble with the keys, dropping
them twice before he managed to unlock the doors. It was nothing short of a
miracle that he had made it to the morgue in one piece in his present
state.
Soon they were riding the lift up to Nick's loft. Natalie dragged Nick
upstairs to the bathroom as soon as he pulled the lift door open.
"Okay, Nick, now tell me exactly what you did", she demanded.
He shrugged. "There's nothing to tell, Nat. I did what I do every evening.
I got up, brushed my teeth, shaved" - off her look, he added: "Okay, so I
don't shave every evening, but I did tonight. And then I took a shower."
"Hmmm."
Natalie let her gaze drift through his bathroom. Nothing unusual, at least
not for Nick, and as far as she could tell. She inspected his toothbrush
and toothpaste, his shaver and aftershave lotion. They were the same as
last month, when she had spent a day at his loft, watching videos.
Slowly, deliberately, she moved over to the shower stall.
And saw it. It was sitting there on the shelf, next to the still slightly
damp towel hanging from the towel-rack. She picked it up and looked at it,
closely. Yes, this had to be it. She smiled to herself. At least the tv-commercial
did not lie. Slowely, she held it out to Nick. He moved over to her, a bit
unsure.
"You mean, this turned me mortal?" he inquired.
"You never read the label, did you?" she asked softly.
He did, now. Nick blinked.
"Oh!", he said. "I see."
It read: Axe - Revitalizing Shower Gel.
Okay, now go ahead and flame me. I just could not resist after I saw the
new Axe-spot on tv. You know, the one in the harem? I guess I just have a
wicked mind. ;)
For those of you who do not know the product or the commercial:
Axe is a series of body care products. Their commercials are ... ahem ... quite suggestive. Nothing explicit, but still you probably would not see them on daytime tv in the US.
The commercial I am referring to is set in a harem: Abdul, a very large man, is greeted by a large number of beautiful, scantily clad women as he walks to the shower. He wishes them a good morning in return, and we hear from the high pitch of his voice that he is in fact a eunuch. Under the shower, Abdul sings, and suddenly his voice changes to a deep, rumbling bass. Let me just say that the lady occupants of the harem like the - ahem - revitalizing effect of Axe Shower Gel *snicker*.
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