What if Wyndam had stopped George? What would be the consequences to all if S3E8 had ended differently? What follows is one theory. I'm not sure how many chapters this story may hold, but the first 2 chapters are posted. All bh characters, quotes and references belong to Toby Whithouse et al. I'm just playing in their universe for a bit. Any and all reviews are most appreciated. All errors are my own, and as this is a first foray into ff, I ask that forgive the same. I hope you enjoy. This is dedicated to The Blog, for starting this thought process.
George, wake up. Open your eyes, George," Nina called softly, wiping George's head with a cool cloth. "Come on, George!" She insisted. George's eyelids fluttered, and then opened.
"Nina?" he whispered, his vision blurry.
"Yes, George, it's me. Come on, wake up. Focus."
"Hi, " he said, smiling as her face came into focus. He was lying on the sofa, and sat up slowly.
"Ooohhh," he groaned, one hand going to the side of his head. "What happened?" he croaked, the other hand rubbing his throat.
"Yeah, you've got a nasty bump there, but nothing is broken, " Nina told him. "You've probably got a bit of a concussion, but with us, it's probably almost healed." George smiled crookedly at her, then remembered Wyndam, and looked at her sharply.
"Are you ok?" he asked her, placing a hand on her swelling belly. She nodded, putting her hand over his. "Annie?"
"I'm ok, George," Annie answered, sitting next to him on the sofa.
"They're gone?" he asked, and Nina nodded. "Mitchell. Oh God, Mitchell! Did I…?" he couldn't finish his question.
"No," Annie told him. "You tried, but Wyndam stopped you. They took him, George! They took him!" she cried, tears spilling from her eyes.
"What? What? What? How? What? " George asked, his voice a raspy squeak. "What do you mean they took him? Took him where?"
"We don't know, "Nina told him. "Wyndam and his….people took him with them."
"We have to go after him, George! Who knows what Wyndam is…we have to go after him, now!" Annie cried harder, her words stumbling over each other. George put his arm around her, and shushed her.
"It'll be ok Annie, shhhh. What exactly happened? It's a bit fuzzy." He brushed away Nina's hand as she tried to put more ice on the bump on his head. "Nina, what happened?" he demanded.
"Wyndam seemed to know what you were going to do, and just as you turned to….you know….he was on you, grabbing the stake and throwing it off, and then grabbing you by the neck. He was going to break your neck, but Mitchell stopped him," she said, holding George's hand.
"And?" he prompted.
Taking a deep breath, Nina told him.
Holding the stake high above his head, hearing Mitchell's ragged breaths behind him, George only stared at Wyndam. He would not let Wyndam turn his best friend back into a monster. Wheeling suddenly, George drew back the stake to drive it into Mitchell's chest. As fast as George was, Wyndam was faster.
Blocking George's arm, Wyndam ripped the stake from his hand, and then had George by the throat before any of them could react. Mitchell started for Wyndam, but froze when Wyndam hissed in warning and then lifted George by the throat until his feet were off the floor. George clawed at Wyndam's hand, trying to breathe, but Wyndam's grip was too strong, even for George.
"I'll kill him right here, Mitchell, "Wyndam warned, looking at Mitchell. Nina screamed and started toward Wyndam, but Mitchell blocked her way.
"No!" Mitchell yelled. "No, Wyndam, don't," he said, lowering his voice. "You don't have to kill him. I'll come with you, just put him down. Please."
"You're coming with me anyway," Wyndam told him, turning his gaze back to George, watching as George's face began to turn purple.
"Yeah, but I'll come without a fight. And I won't try to run," Mitchell bargained. Wyndam considered his words for a moment.
"Very well," he said, starting to lower George. Mitchell let out a ragged breath and Nina unclenched her hands.
Two things then seemed to happen at the same time. First, three other vampires came through the door, uninvited, each taking a position next to Mitchell, Annie and Nina.
Second, at almost the same moment, Wyndam threw George across the bar, through the wall behind it, and into the hallway beyond! Nina screamed again and tried to run to George, but was stopped when one of the vampires grabbed her. A warning finger from the second vampire kept Annie from getting to George. Mitchell did not move, but after a moment, gestured to Nina that he heard George's heartbeat. Even though he lay unmoving in the hallway, George was still alive.
"Now, where were we?" Wyndam asked, brushing his hands together and straightening his tie. "Ah, yes "he said, turning to Mitchell, "you are coming with me – without a fight," he smiled, and then nodded to the vampire next to Mitchell. At that, the vampire moved to tie Mitchell's hands behind his back. Mitchell stepped back and held out his arms, palms up.
"This isn't necessary, Wyndam. I told you, I won't fight. Just let me check on George first, "he said, starting toward the hallway.
"No! He's alive, we both know that," Wyndam told him, stepping close to him. "And you will leave this way," Wyndam told him softly, but the threat in his eyes was clear. When the vampire started again to tie his hands, Mitchell did not resist.
Wyndam turned to Annie and Nina.
"So, what is next for all of you? Besides my earlier promise of what happens if Mitchell here says no to me," he looked pointedly at Mitchell, "there are 3 rules for the 3 of you." He smiled a cold smile. "And listen carefully – I do not repeat myself." He walked slowly to Annie, then around her. "Rule one, do not try to find Mitchell or to help him," he said, looking at her for a long moment. "Rule two," he said, moving toward Nina, "do not try to run or hide from us."
" And rule three," he said, stopping in front of Nina and looking down into her eyes, "do not try to conceal the…baby…from us. Do we understand? Good!" he said, not waiting for an answer from any of them. "And just to help you feel…safe, some of my people will always be nearby, watching," he told Nina, with a broad grin. Then he turned to Mitchell, and his smile faded.
"Samuel," Wyndam nodded to the vampire now holding Mitchell by the arm. Samuel started to pull Mitchell toward the door.
"Wait!" Annie cried, and they all stopped. "Don't take him," she said to Wyndam. "Don't do this, please. Just leave Mitchell with us, and we'll stay quiet, no trouble," she pleaded. "Please, don't take him away," her voice now a whisper. Wyndam looked from Annie to Mitchell.
"My, my, John, seems you've made the ghost fall in love with you. How disappointing." With a slight nod from Wyndam, Samuel pulled Mitchell to the door.
"Just do what he says, Annie!" Mitchell called to her. "Tell George, do what he says!" he yelled, as he was pulled from the house and pushed into the waiting car.
"Mitchell!" screamed Annie, as the last vampire left the house. She ran to the street, but the car was already speeding away. She caught a glimpse of the anguish on Mitchell's face through the back window as he looked back, but then Samuel put something over Mitchell's head, and he was gone..
"And then he was gone," Nina finished. "We've been trying to wake you up ever since," she told George, "and that was over an hour ago." Annie was crying again, softly this time.
"Where are they taking him?" George asked. Nina shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Annie, can you, you know, rent-a-ghost to where Mitchell is?"
"No, I have to know where I'm going. I can't just send myself to Mitchell," she said, frustration clear in her voice. They were all silent for a moment.
"For the moment, we're going to take care of your neck and that bump on your head," Nina told George, as she went to get more ice.
"What now?" Annie whispered, resting her head on George's shoulder. "What do we do?"
"We're going to get him back!" George told her, folding her into his arms. "We're going to find him, and we're going to get him back!"