Author's Note: Inspired by the great stories found under "Apocalyptothon" in another Archive. All those stories about the end of the world, and no MacGyver! Something had to be done to rectify that (more or less), so here's my odd little AU twist.
-1991-
Five days.
Only five days so far spent in trying to survive the Vampire Apocalypse, and Becky felt like she was going nuts.
At least it was only autumn, so it wasn't too excessively dark or cold with the power out. The nights were getting longer, but the vampire packs weren't in full-on hunting mode yet before the season fully changed.
It wasn't like there was a shortage of anything at home, either. As soon as the news came out last week of the outbreak of a mysterious "Vampire Virus" that turned people into blood-sucking monsters, she stocked up on things like canned foods, toilet paper and bottled water and made sure the emergency kit at home was ready with essential items like a spare Swiss Army Knife and duct tape.
Be prepared was, after all, the unofficial family motto.
All she had to defend herself from the vampires, though, was a canister of Morton Salt, a handful of sterling silver jewelry and one of Mac's hockey sticks with the wooden handle sharpened to a point.
When you have no weapons, you make do with what you have. Another unofficial family motto.
No, what was really driving her nuts was the quiet. No TV, no radio, no phone and, as far as she could tell, no one else living nearby within the whole apartment complex. Nobody that hadn't already been turned either into vampires themselves or just plain prey, that is.
What was driving her especially nuts, however, was the inability to communicate with her uncle. Oh sure, she'd gotten used to his unexpected absences working for the Phoenix Foundation over the years, but this was different.
This was the freaking Vampire Apocalypse. The End Of Civilization As We Know It. All that other crap.
And MacGyver was completely out of touch when she needed him most.
A brief phone call ("Unc, have you seen the news? I'm scared. Come back soon!" "Yeah Becky, I have. You'll be fine. Be home as soon as possible. Love you." ) was all that could be exchanged before everything went down. That was the last time she had heard from him, five days ago.
Yeah, the whole thing was driving her freaking nuts. It was especially hard to sleep at night, with the vampire packs roaming outside and her having to stay real quiet in bed with the hockey stick nearby in case of a break-in. Not conducive to peaceful sleep at all.
She was wrapped all tight and cozy in bed on the fifth night of the apocalypse, wondering if he was okay out there. Then the front door downstairs creaked open, accompanied by footsteps.
"Hey, Becky. Where are you, sweetheart? You okay?"
MacGyver was home. At last.
She hurried out of her room and down the stairs in record time, expecting the usual warm smile and reassuring embrace. "Oh Unc, I'm so very glad you're back! I've been really worried about you."
No reaction.
Quickly she stepped back and regarded him warily. The moonlight showed the usual tall, lean figure, longish light-brown hair and ruggedly handsome face of her uncle, but something was different. Like the unnaturally calm way he stood there, looking at her. The strange half-smile, so unlike his bright heartwarming grins. The aviator sunglasses he still wore, in the middle of the night no less. The paleness of his usually-tanned skin.
The distinct bite marks on the left side of his neck.
Oh, crap.
Her uncle had been turned into a vampire, and she had left her improvised weapons upstairs. All of them.
Definitely not her idea of a warm homecoming.
He cocked his head. "Hi, Becky. Miss me?" The soft Midwestern accent was even a little strange, as oddly calm and still as his stance.
It took all the willpower she had not to move, knowing he would catch her anyway with his enhanced speed and strength if she tried to escape. Maybe, she hoped, he remembered just enough of his life before to not consider her as prey. Admittedly it was a pretty slim hope but what did she really have to lose at that point? The world had already ended, after all. Okay, girl. Be casual, and don't show fear.
Yeah, she could do that. Easy. No problem.
Becky took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. "It's been five days since we last spoke, Unc. Of course I did. But what about you? How did you manage to survive out there for that long? You okay?"
"I'm fine, sweetheart. You know how flexible I am. I found a way to...adapt." He smirked, the amusement in his voice sending a chill down her spine.
"Did you get to find out if Pete's okay? How's Jack? Or Penny?" That's it, girl. Keep him talking and maybe he won't pounce on you yet.
"Yeah, I did. He's good. They're all...good." His tongue snaked out to lick his lips. "Really good." She shivered, wondering if he meant they are good as in still alive, or were good as in...good to eat.
"And you're home now."
Mac stepped closer to her. "That's right, Becky. I'm home to protect my princess." He reached out to lightly touch her cheek, the long fingers very cool against her skin. "I know just how to keep you safe. Wouldn't want you to wind up as someone else's dinner, after all."
With the other hand he took off the sunglasses and tucked them in the pocket of his black leather jacket. The deep brown eyes glowed in the moonlight. Becky knew she should turn and run but her body inexplicably refused, entranced by his unearthly gaze. She found herself rising on tiptoe as his arms closed around her in an embrace that felt more predatory than protective. Why aren't I running? What's wrong with me?
With another smirk he leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. "That's my girl. So sweet," he murmured. "Delicious," his lips touching her cheek, then dropping down to her neck. "Tasty. Yeah, you definitely shouldn't be someone else's dinner." One arm held her tight to his body while the other caressed her hair and face before tilting her head, holding her neck just so.
"Oh sweetheart," he crooned against the skin, making her shiver. "I've really been looking forward to this. Once you've turned we'll find Nikki, and the three of us will be together forever. All it takes is a little bite..."
With that MacGyver grinned broadly, showing his fangs, and sank them into his niece's exposed neck.
Long fingers touched her hair, lightly. Her eyes flew open and she lunged upright on the couch, shivering. "No!"
"Hey, you okay?" Becky jumped at the soft Midwestern drawl behind her. Startled, she turned around to see MacGyver looking at her curiously, hands held up in apology. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."
"Huh?" She blinked, taking in his soft green flannel shirt and warm, reassuring smile. Her hands touched soft leather- his familiar brown jacket draped over her- then the side of her neck, feeling no bite marks. Sighing in relief she looked around the room, taking in the warm glow of the lamps in the living room, the TV tuned to a black-and-white horror movie. They were home, safe and together on a cold, rainy night in late October. "Just a dream. Thank goodness."
"Was it a nightmare?" He reached for her and she gave an involuntary shudder. "Hey, relax. Take it easy. You know you can tell me anything. I won't laugh. Promise."
He gently rubbed her shoulders, murmuring further reassurances, and gradually Becky relaxed. She trusted Mac absolutely; he would never do anything to hurt her.
"It was bad," she finally admitted, "but also just really weird. It was the Apocalypse- you know, the end of civilization. Everyone was either infected with a virus that turned them into vampires, or their prey. And I was..." Her brow furrowed. "Yeah, I was here in the apartment, waiting for you to finally come home. When you did you'd been infected, and had just bitten me before I woke up."
"You dreamed I was a vampire? That's...interesting."
She laughed nervously, unconsciously touching the side of her neck again. "I know. Fangs, drinking human blood, all that stuff- sounds crazy, right? You're practically a vegetarian. But what can I say?" She shrugged. "That's what I get for reading sci-fi apocalypse stories and combining them with these old movies. For what it's worth, though, you're pretty convincing as a vampire." She flushed slightly, dropping her gaze.
"You really think so? Thanks for the compliment," he said dryly. She looked back up to see Mac smirking, eyes twinkling with mischief. Or were they actually glowing...?
He sat up straighter, staring at her intently. Suddenly Becky wondered if she was still dreaming, for as before she found she couldn't move, caught by his dark hypnotic gaze.
"You know," he drawled, letting his hand lightly trail down the side of her neck. "I hadn't thought about biting you before but I gotta admit your neck does look pretty tasty." His smile turned predatory, the sight of his fangs sending sudden chills down her body. "Delicious, even. I'm hungry. Think I'll have a little bite right now..."
Before Becky could move an inch MacGyver lunged forward, seizing her by the shoulders, biting deeply into her exposed neck.
Her eyes flew open, clutching the brown leather jacket around her trembling body. Becky sat up and looked around the living room, seeing the lights still on, the TV showing Dracula.
A dream within a dream- how weird was that? I wonder if Mac ever has such strange dreams? Maybe I should ask him when he gets home.
The doorbell rang and she rose from the couch to answer. A tall man stood before her clothed in a rich, black velvet cape, drawn halfway across his face. His hair was slicked back, eyes glowing. "Good evening," he crooned, eyebrows wiggling. "Mind if I come in for a little bite?"
The cape lowered to reveal MacGyver wearing a white silk shirt tucked into tight black leather trousers. Black boots completed the ensemble. He smiled, revealing two sharp, pointy teeth. His smile faded as she continued to stare at him, mouth open. "Um, trick or treat?"
She blinked, then swallowed. "Hi, Unc. Did the assignment go okay?"
"Yeah. We got the information we needed." He stepped inside. "What's wrong? You look spooked."
Oh Mac, if you only knew. Becky didn't know what to make of the sensations of fear and- oddly enough- attraction that ran through her body upon seeing him. "Nothing. What are you wearing?"
"Pete thought Nikki and I should blend in at the embassy party by wearing costumes." He looked down at the outfit, frowning. "She was pretty speechless when she first saw me in this, though. Don't know why since it was her idea in the first place." He moved into the living room, untying the cape to let it drop on a nearby chair. "Man, that's heavy. The shirt and pants are really tight, too. Kinda shows off a lot more than I'm used to."
That would be why Nikki had been speechless. Becky smiled inwardly; it amazed her at times how oblivious her uncle could be to his own attractiveness. The white shirt- open to display a teasing hint of chest hair- made a pleasing contrast to his golden tanned skin, while the trousers perfectly outlined muscled thighs and tight rear end. The brown hair had lightened over the years as it grew longer, curling up and around his neck. Damn, he looks so sexy in that costume. If we weren't related I wouldn't mind him nibbling first on my neck, then further down...
"Hey Beck, you feeling okay? You're flushed." Mac's hand brushed lightly over her cheek. "Hope you're not coming down with anything." The warm brown eyes looked down at her with love and concern, yet a chill ran down her spine at the memory of how dark and mesmerizing they were in her dream. "And you're shivering, too."
"I'm fine. Really." Jeez, why am I having lascivious thoughts about Uncle Mac? That dream's got me rattled in more ways than one. "Why don't you go shower and change? I'll have a bowl of popcorn ready when you come back down."
"Good idea." When he returned later in flannel shirt and jeans, the popcorn and drinks were ready on the coffee table. She passed the bowl to him after he sat down. "So Beck, how's your night been so far?"
"Okay, I guess. But I had a dream, Unc. About you."
"Oh, yeah?" He raised an eyebrow, smirking.
"Not like that. Well," she corrected herself, blushing, "maybe a little like that. But in a really weird way." Hesitantly she described the two dreams.
"A dream within a dream, huh? Gotta admit I've never had anything that wild before, and you know I've had my share of weird ones over the past few years. Sounds more to me like a lot of those stories you like to read."
"Yeah," she sighed. "That's what I thought. We know vampires and ghosts and all that don't exist, your visit with Penny a couple years ago to her aunt's 'haunted house' notwithstanding. They're just stories, right?"
"Of course they are." Then an odd gleam came to MacGyver's eyes, the corners of his mouth curving up in amusement. "But if they did exist, Becky, and if I were really a vampire, then what would you do? Would you mind, say, if I wanted to nibble a bit on your neck right now? Call me," raising his eyebrows, "curious. I bet you taste pretty sweet."
He leaned towards Becky, staring at her with the same intent focus as in the dreams. She found herself squirming under his scrutiny. Long fingers caressed her cheek and she tried hard not to flinch at his touch, unwilling to believe it was happening all over again. Is this yet another dream? How do I wake up? Am I losing my mind? Does it matter?
She didn't know what was imagined and what was real anymore.
Finally she sighed in resignation. "Fine, I give up. Go ahead and bite. Do with me what you will."
"Well, if you insist..." Dark eyes twinkling in amusement, his lips lightly brushed against her cheek, then her neck. "Mmmm, delicious." He kissed her neck again, teeth lightly scraping along the skin, and she prepared for the worst. Then he pulled back, grinning. "Kidding."
Becky rolled her eyes, picking up a couch pillow to throw it at him. He held his hands up in mock defense, laughing. "God, Unc," she groaned, setting the pillow down. "You're nuts sometimes, you know that?"
"Had you goin' there for a while though, didn't I?" he laughed. With a warm chuckle Mac leaned back against the couch once more, this time gently pulling Becky into his embrace. "Sorry for teasing you like that, sweetheart. I wouldn't want to bite you." He kissed the top of her head. "You know I love you too much to hurt you in any way, right?"
"Yeah, I know. I don't know why I keep imagining you as a vampire. I mean, you couldn't possibly be one in real life. Right?"
With her head on his chest she failed to see the knowing smile on MacGyver's face, the brief glow of his dark eyes and the faint gleam of his fangs. "Sure, Becky. Whatever you say."