Hey everyone! I'm back with the third story in the Dead Like Me/Scrubsverse. This story won't be nearly as long as My So-Called Afterlife (a fic you should read if you haven't already, otherwise this one won't make any sense). Some parts of this will seem like pointless whumpage and, well, some of it is, but there is a significant point to this story in the overall plot. I've also decided to write this in third person POV. Enjoy!

Lawyers: Our client does not own Scrubs or Dead Like Me, nor is she gaining any profit by writing this story. Don't sue her.

Chapter 1

It's time.

That's what the brief phone call they just got was about, and it wasn't just any old time. It wasn't 'it's time for work' or 'it's time for lunch' or any of the other type of times that come up throughout your average day. It was the big one, the big 'Honey, it's time.' As in, it was time for Carla to have her baby.

Turk was freaking out while trying to stay calm at the same time and JD couldn't help but grin like a maniac as he watched his friend race around the apartment collecting up all of Carla's bags. As for Carla, her water broke while she was working (she stubbornly refused to take time off), so she was already safely at the hospital.

That was too bad too because JD and Turk had planned this whole big event with a band and everything. JD doubted that something like that would be allowed into the hospital.

So while JD rode shotgun with Turk driving, he called up Perry on his cell phone because although Perry may not be allowed to see the people he knew when he was alive on a regular basis, JD felt that the birth of Carla's child was something he should be able to witness.

"What do you want? I'm working here," Perry growled in greeting.

"Does that mean you're already at the hospital?" JD asked.

"No, it's some moron who felt dieing at his home would be more suitable than going to the hospital," Perry said.

Faintly in the background, JD could hear someone say in offense, "Hey!"

"Souls should be neither seen nor heard," Perry said to his reap before asking JD again, "So what do you want?"

"Carla's gone into labor and I don't see the harm in you being there for it," JD said. "Just come to the hospital when you're done. You'll want to be there for this, believe me."

"Fine," Perry said before hanging up the phone.

Hanging up his own cell phone and slipping it into his pocket, JD said, "He said he might stop by."

Turk nodded, then said, "No offense man, but your cousin is... weird."

"He's not that weird," JD said.

"He always seems to be grouchy and he's really antisocial," Turk said. "Sometimes it's like he purposely goes out of his way to avoid us."

"We're just not his crowd," JD said with a shrug.

"I guess," Turk said, not sounding too sure.

JD let the subject drop because there was really nothing he could truthfully tell his friend to explain his 'cousin's' behavior. According to the rest of the world, Perry Cox died of the plague a few months back and telling people anything otherwise would just stir up unwanted trouble.

They arrived at the hospital soon after and brought Carla her bags. She had a room to herself on the second floor, the floor reserved for people without the plague. Elliot was already in the room when they got there, having also been working at the time, and they were all in or around the room for moral support, coming and going as the hours passed by.

Perry arrived around three in the afternoon and went into Carla's room only once to give his congratulations. After that, he kept his distance outside the room. When Carla was pretty far along, everyone aside from Turk and the doctor and nurses left the room.

Joining Perry in the hall outside Carla's room, JD asked, "So how has your day been going."

"It's been okay," he said with a simple shrug.

"Have you looked into any hospital positions?" JD asked, referring to the fact that Perry finally got his medical degree and papers in the mail under his alias, Chris Warrender.

"Not yet," Perry sighed. "I haven't found a position that won't require me to redo my time as an intern." He glanced over at JD. "Not that I don't appreciate being invited to this joyous occasion, but I have witnessed childbirth before, so is there a reason you wanted me here aside from the fact that it's Carla giving birth?"

"I don't want to ruin the surprise," JD said with a goofy grin. "But you've never seen childbirth from a reaper's perspective."

'The birth of a new soul,' Perry thought, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall. With death as amazing as it is, just what would the creation of life be like?

It was close to dusk when it happened. A wave of power and energy surged past the walls of Carla's room. It washed over the two reapers and the only way Perry could think to describe the feeling was to say that he felt like his veins had been flooded with liquid happiness. The feeling dissipated like a quick drug fix leaving Perry feeling buzzed.

Looking over at JD who had a pleasant smile on his face, all Perry could think to ask was, "How is it that you're not constantly hanging around the maternity ward?"

Laughing a little, JD said, "I'm responsible enough to not become an addict. Besides, it doesn't feel as nice if the person giving birth is a stranger to you."

Turk soon burst out of the room with the news on the birth of his daughter, Isabella, and he and JD shared a quick happy dance before the two pranced back into the room along with Elliot and Perry following behind, rolling his eyes. They surrounded Carla's bed, giving even more congratulations to the happy couple.

Standing a little off to the side, Perry stared down at the small bundle held carefully in Carla's arms. Isabella's little head and arms poked out from the blanket she was wrapped in, and unknown to the living around him, she radiated a pure, bright light that looked so completely natural. She was a new, fresh soul.

"She's beautiful, Carla," Perry said and his old friend smiled up at him.

"Thanks, Chris," she said before looked back down at her daughter.

It wasn't long before everyone cleared out to give Carla her rest and let her and Turk have some time alone together.

"Do you need a ride, JD? I heard you came here with Turk," Elliot said.

"No, that's okay," JD said. "I'm staying in a place not too far from the hospital, I can walk."

"Well, if you're sure," Elliot said. "See you tomorrow then."

Waving goodbye, she headed off to the women's locker room to grab her stuff and go. Perry and JD headed towards the elevators to take one down to the main floor. The stairs probably would have been quicker, but both were in a bit of a lazy mood and felt no need to rush home.

While waiting for the elevator to reach their floor, Perry couldn't help but notice the hospital's most recent lawyer, Castello, lurking around a room not too far from them and talking on the phone with someone. Not that Perry really cared, but it was beginning to seem like Castello stalked JD around the hospital more than the Janitor did.

"Is there a reason why that lawyer is always on your tail around here, John?" Perry asked.

"What?" JD asked curiously before spotting Castello. "Oh, him? Don't worry about it, he just can't take a joke," JD said vaguely, waving the question away.

There was no way he was going to tell Perry of a reaper's ability to rip a person's soul out before it's their time. Knowing Perry, he'd use that to his advantage every chance he got.

"He sure can hold a grudge though," JD said just as the elevator doors opened. The two stepped inside and took the elevator down to the main floor. Walking out the front entrance, JD said, "I'll call you tomorrow."

Nodding, Perry unlocked his bike and rode away while JD headed off in the opposite direction on foot to his temporary apartment. It was well into the night at this point and the street lights lit up his path home. He was about halfway there when he suddenly heard someone call out his name.

"Hey, John Dorian!"

JD stopped under one of the street lights, confused because whoever called out didn't sound like anyone he knew. He looked around for the owner of the voice, but couldn't see anyone on the street. Just as he was about to keep walking, and maybe walk a little faster because that was just weird, someone emerged from the alleyway closest to him and dragged him backwards into it before he could react.

He was thrown to the ground of the dark alleyway and skinned his hands on the rough pavement. Tucking his hands under his arms so that his attacker wouldn't see them heal, JD got to his feet and looked around to see just what he was dealing with.

"So much for the element of surprise," a second man, not the one who had grabbed him, growled at his accomplice with what JD believed to be an Australian accent.

"Well, you wanted to know," the first man said defensively.

"That doesn't mean anything," Australia said. "People look instinctually even if it's not their name being called."

With his back against one of the building's walls, JD wondered if perhaps he could sneak away while the two fought. However, he only managed to take one step towards freedom before he had a gun pointed at him as well as the attention of both men.

"Not so fast there, mate," Australia said, holding the gun calmly in one hand. "Eddy, check his pockets."

Eddy, if that was even his real name, stepped forward and pushed JD to the ground once again. Shuffling through his pockets, he pulled out JD's wallet and flipped it open.

Pulling out his bank card, Eddy said smugly, "Lookie here. John Dorian."

"How very fortunate for us that we ran into you, Johnny-boy," Australia said with a predator's smile as he slowly approached JD.

"Look, guys, you can keep my wallet, but that's all I really have to offer," JD said, holding his hands up defensively.

"We don't want your money, mate," Australia said.

If they didn't want money, then what else could they possibly want from him? Suddenly a whole slew of horrific images raced through his head as to what it was that they wanted to do to him. It was true that he couldn't die, but that didn't mean he couldn't be broken physically or mentally.

Deciding that flight was his best bet, JD turned and bolted down the alleyway and away from the two men. They immediately took chase and it seemed that no matter how many different twists and turns JD took down the labyrinth of alleyways, he just couldn't lose them. It was in between two restaurants that they caught him and he was tackled to the ground right next to a dumpster.

Eddy dragged him up by the front of his shirt and slammed him roughly against the side of the cold metal dumpster. He punched JD across the face before kneeing him in the stomach and tossing him to the ground again. With one arm wrapped around his stomach, JD kept his head down, hoping that the darkness would hide his slowly fading bruises.

"This would've been a lot easier on you, mate, if you didn't run," Australia said, still panting from the chase.

JD just didn't understand any of it. They knew his name, but they didn't want to rob him, so what the hell did they want? Why would they go through so much trouble to chase him down? Had he somehow wronged them in the past? What were they gaining from any of this?

Australia smashed the butt of his gun against his head. JD slumped to the ground and the hand around his stomach moved to cover his head. With one eye closed, he squinted up at the two men and asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"Don't take it personally, kid, we're just doing a job," Eddy said indifferently.

'That makes me feel so much better,' JD thought sarcastically.

Then the beating started. They punched and kicked him more times then he could count and he didn't think he could hide all his bruises from them, although he was pretty sure they weren't paying too much attention to that. Even though they were anything but gentle and JD could feel bones breaking under their brutal treatment, neither of them did much more aside from punching and kicking. They didn't pull out a knife or a lead pipe, and Aussie didn't use his gun.

It was all very strange, but JD didn't question it. He could lay there and endure it all because eventually they'd have to stop and JD could go home. He'd be all healed up by the time he reached the front door of his apartment complex.

Eventually they did stop, just as he thought they would. All he had to do was pretend he was unconscious and wait for them to leave, then he'd be in the clear.

But it didn't happen like that. Instead he was dragged to his feet and slammed up face first against a wall.

"Again, Eddy? The bloke's had enough," Australia said, exasperated.

"Not quite. We were paid to leave a lasting impression and that's just what I'm going to do," Eddy said.

"You have problems, mate."

'Wait, paid?' JD wondered.

His thoughts were cut off though when he felt a hand fumbling with his belt buckle and it was then that he was aware of exactly what kind of 'lasting impression' Eddy wanted to leave on him. His eyes snapped open because suddenly playing possum wasn't good enough. In the one-hundred and thirty-something years that he's been alive (so-to-speak) he's never had to worry about something like this.

This couldn't happen to him. He couldn't let this happen to him!

He knocked the man off him by slamming his head backwards, hitting him right in the nose. Eddy swore as he stumbled back a few paces and JD used this to his advantage by making another run for it. He only made it a few steps though before he was tackled from behind again. With Eddy's arms wrapped around his legs, he went crashing to the ground.

His broken bones shuddered from the impact and for a moment, he lay there dazed. Hands were again at his pants, pulling them down past his boxers.

'No.'

Fingers wrapped around the elastic of his boxers.

"No!" JD shouted.

Survival instincts taking over, he twisted around in place and slammed his hand directly into the man's chest, grabbing hold of the slimy soul that resided there. As his free hand pulled his pants back into place, he tore Eddy's soul free from his body. Pushing the stunned, soulless body off of him, JD scrambled to his feet with Eddy's incorporeal form in his grasp.

"Wha.. what did you do?" Australia's shaky voice asked and the sound of a gun cocking accompanied it.

Of course, the Australian man couldn't see his accomplices soul in JD's hold, but he did see JD plunge his hand into Eddy's chest and he did see Eddy go limp and lifeless when JD pulled his hand back out. That alone was enough to frighten any mortal man.

Both enraged and afraid, Australia pulled the trigger of his gun and shot JD right between the eyes. Stumbling backwards from the force of the gunshot, to JD's horror the soul slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground. Falling to his knees, JD watched as Eddy's soul, separated from its body far too soon, writhed and rotted on the ground. He had to get to it and put it back into its body. It didn't matter what Eddy did or what he tried to do while he was alive, it wasn't his time yet to die.

Weakened from the blood loss, JD crawled toward Eddy's soul. He needed to get it back in its body. JD had only meant to stun Eddy long enough to get away when he had ripped his soul out. He never wanted anything like this to happen.

However, Australia didn't want him to get anywhere near the still body of his friend.

"How are you still alive?" he practically shrieked. "I shot you in the head!"

JD looked up at the panicking man briefly before looking back down at Eddy's twisting form. He couldn't concern himself the Australian man, he had to put the soul back.

"Move," JD hissed as he shakily got to his feet and glared through blood-shot eyes at the man who had positioned himself in front of his friend's body.

"What the hell are you?" Australia asked with wide eyes, raising his gun again.

"Move or your friend dies," JD said.

"Only because you killed him!" he shouted, waving the gun.

The blood stopped flowing from his head and unfortunately his wound chose that moment to seal up.

"You're not human," Australia said breathlessly and the gun steadied.

Before JD could get another word out, the Australian man unloaded all the bullets in his gun into JD. One gun shot was something he could handle, maybe even two, but that many all in a row?

JD collapsed to the ground as pain washed over him. A pool of blood rapidly spread around him and black spots danced in his vision. From his position on the ground, he could still faintly see Eddy's soul. It twisted and writhed on the ground, turning a black sooty color. It shrunk, and its body mutated with thin spines growing out of its shoulders and down its back. Then, for a moment, it lay still on the ground before standing up.

Just before JD's vision faded completely, he saw that what had once been the soul of a human was now a graveling.

Awareness escaped him and for a while he was floating in nothingness.

Fading in and out of consciousness, he was faintly aware of being dragged across the ground.

Distantly he could hear a car.

He knew no more...

That's the end of chapter one. What is it about first chapters that just seems so... ick? Well, anyway, that's one of the outcomes of soul-rot. I don't know if all souls that rot become gravelings, some of them probably just become bad people or something, but I'm sticking with the gravelings theory.

Review please!