Title: Shiver 4/?
Author: Anna Maxwell
See first part for disclaimer.
Author's notes: Hey guys, thanks again so much for reviewing. I'm sorry this hasn't gotten out sooner. Bad case of mental blockage ^_^; and school papers. Which I still haven't finished. Ah, well. The important things come first. I haven't seen the last episode of the show, (I'm afraid to watch it ^_~) but I have it on tape, so this may have turned into an AU when I wasn't paying attention. Also of note, I haven't seen the first season. _ Please forgive me for any errors concerning the beginning of Fawkes and Hobbes' partnership. Enjoy! Thanks!
Claire held a vial of Bobby's blood up to the light. "I don't know what to tell you, Bobby. There doesn't appear to be anything immediately wrong." She brought it down and looked at the agent. He was sitting on Fawkes' usual place, holding a gauze pad to his arm.
"So what's the deal? Am I hallucinating all of this?" he asked.
"I doubt it. Even if you hallucinated your arm seizing up and freezing, you couldn't hallucinate blindness. Technically you could, I suppose, but I don't think that's what's happening to you. You don't have a past history with hallucinations. Just paranoia."
"Thanks for defining the fine line between them."
Claire shook her head and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I swear, you're as bad as Darien sometimes. All I can tell you is that I'll run some tests on it and get back with you in the morning. If it gets worse, call me."
"If you get anything sooner..."
Claire gave him a patient smile. "I'll let you know."
He nodded. "Thanks, Keep." He pitched the gauze pad into a trashcan, grabbed his coat and left the lab.
Fawkes met him in the hall outside of the Official's office. "So, what's the diagnosis?"
"There isn't one yet. She'll get back to me if she finds anything." Bobby said. "What have you got?"
Fawkes saw the instant change in subject, but ignored it. "The boss says to go back to the one place we had results and check there."
"R.J. Wilson's place?"
"Yeah. If we don't find anything there, we're free for the evening. Tomorrow Eberts will go over the addresses and facts with the police unit that handled it." Fawkes said.
"Great. Let's make this quick then, huh? You up for dinner later?"
"Sure. Got a question, though."
"Shoot, kid."
"Who's driving?"
There was a decided pause as Bobby chose between being irritated or just to laugh it off. "Why put both of our lives on the line? I'll drive." He said.
Darien rolled his eyes. "Great. You sure Claire didn't say anything?"
"Nothing I didn't already know. There's nothing we can do, Fawkes. It's not like I time when it's going to happen."
They'd reached the parking lot during their conversation. Fawkes stopped him. "Just how many times has the freezing up happened?"
Bobby glared at him. "Why are you mother henning me, Fawkes? Quit worrying about what you can't control."
"Okay, that goes up for most ironic statement of the year." Darien muttered.
Bobby thought he was going to explode. "I don't know, Fawkes! Four, maybe. Four times today. That make you happy?"
"Hey, don't bite my head off about it, buddy! I'm just trying to help you."
"You can help by leaving it alone. Can't you take a hint?" The last thing I need right now is something else going wrong with my life." Bobby snapped.
Time slowed and it seemed like reality froze with the aftershock of his words. Bobby turned to face his partner. Fawkes stood there staring at him, his face a blank expression. But the look in his eyes told Bobby exactly how that had sounded.
"That's not what I meant, partner." He said quietly.
Darien dropped his gaze before looking back up at him with a tight smile. "Yeah. We all know how you rally wanted to be my partner in the first place."
"Fawkes..."
Darien waved him off. "Forget it. Just forget it, Hobbes. We have a job to do. Let's go."
Bobby sighed. A brick wall might do him good right about now. That and banging his head against it. This was turning into a longer day than he ever liked to experience. One thing was for sure; he'd have to make it up to his partner.
"You know what the last thing I really need is? Pushing yet another partner away. Especially you." Hobbes said under his breath. Darien didn't hear him.
Elaine stood by the window and pulled the curtain to the side at the sound of a vehicle pulling up in the driveway. R.J. Wilson was stretched out on the couch, inhaling from a newly lit cigarette. She tapped it into the ashtray and looked over at the other woman.
"Is it them?"
Elaine nodded. "Yes."
"How does he look?"
"He looks fine to me."
R.J. rolled her eyes. "It's probably all the lithium in his system blocking the drug from working. I told Arnaud to drug the one with the gland."
"The counteragent would have canceled it out." Elaine said quietly.
"I know. Patience may be a virtue, but no one ever called me a woman of virtues." R.J. Remarked. She picked up the phone on the side table and dialed a number. "Arnaud? Yes it's me. They're back, and the short one isn't dead yet. What do you want me to do?"
The bell rang, signaling Fawkes and Hobbes' arrival at the front door. Elaine moved away from the window to answer it.
"I see." R.J. said. "Will do." She hung up and put her cigarette out. "Elaine, wait."
The younger woman paused, her hand on the doorknob. "What?"
"We aren't going to act yet. Arnaud told us to wait; he said the drub should take full effect by tonight."
Elaine looked dubious. "Wasn't Agent Hobbes supposed to be alive when he got here?"
R.J. shrugged. "He's going to wind up dead either way, what does it matter? As long as we get paid I'm a happy girl. Now let them in and let's try to make this quick. I don't think I could stand very many more of their poor pick-up attempts."
Elaine grinned as R.J. made herself scarce until called for. Elaine opened the door to the two men as the bell rang again. She was mildly surprised to find them glowering at each other, but ushered them inside with little expression.
"How can I help you two gentlemen?" she asked demurely.
"We'd like to speak to Ms. Wilson again. There's been a small complication in the investigation." Hobbes said sharply.
"Ms. Wilson isn't available at the moment,"
Darien cut her off. "Come on, we know she's here. This won't take long."
Elaine raised an eyebrow. "Very well, gentlemen. Please wait in the room you did before. I'll get Ms. Wilson for you."
Fawkes sauntered into the room, Hobbes right behind him. Darien flopped down in one of the chairs and watched his partner inspect the room. He wasn't exactly mad about the earlier comment because deep down he knew that really was not what Bobby had meant. Nevertheless it had stung, and he had every intention of acting mad. It was a matter of pride and principal.
Hobbes was taking every inch of the room and cataloguing facts in his brain. Most of it he remembered from earlier, but there were details he had missed. He got a nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't figure out what was causing it; it wasn't the same kind of feeling he'd been getting when his veins would freeze. It was a feeling of forbearing almost. Suddenly, his suspicion of R.J. Wilson flashed to the front of his mind and he almost subconsciously moved to stand behind the chair his partner was sitting in.
Darien looked up at him. "What are you doing?"
"I have a weird feeling." Hobbes said.
"What's new?" Fawkes muttered.
Hobbes glared at the top of his partner's head and was about to remark when R.J. Wilson glided into the room. She smiled smoothly.
"Back with good news, gentlemen?" she asked.
Hobbes placed his hands on the back of the chair and leaned on it. "Not exactly, Ms. Wilson. As I told the other lady, there was a complication in the investigation."
"Oh, really?" R.J. asked nonchalantly, seating herself across from the two. "What would that complication be?"
"None of the other cars reported missing exist." Darien told her.
Her facial expression did not change. "I see. Do they not exist, or are they simply not able to be recovered?"
"We aren't sure either way. We wanted to know if you knew any of the people who supposedly reported them, or had any connection with any of the other owners." Hobbes said, tightening his grip on the chair. That feeling was getting stronger every second he looked at the fair complexioned woman.
She smiled at them again. Hobbes noticed she had perfectly straight, white teeth. "Or if I had any part in stealing them, or making it into some sort of set up? You can be blunt with me, gentlemen. I get it al the time."
"Are you part of a set up?" Darien asked.
R.J. shook her blonde hair and laughed. "What if I told you I was? You wouldn't believe it. If I tell you I'm not, you'll most certainly think I am. I invite you to search the garage again. Search my entire home, if you like. I have nothing to hide."
Fawkes tried to catch his partner's eye, which was hard to do with the older man standing behind him. He waited for Hobbes to respond.
"I don't think that will be necessary. Thank you for your time." Hobbes said quietly.
R.J. stood. "Not a problem. I hope to see you both again when you bring good news."
Hobbes was already halfway into the hall. Darien stood and followed at what he thought was an even pace. R.J. walked along behind them, a smug grin still plastered on her face. The closer to the van Hobbes got, the faster he seemed to walk. Darien was at the front door when R.J. grabbed his arm. Hobbes was out of earshot.
"You may want to watch your partner," she said darkly, "he isn't looking so well."
Darien glanced at Bobby's retreating form. "He looks all right to me." He said, forcing a grin.
R.J. returned the grin, but there was an evil taint to it. "Well, right now he does. But you know those twenty-four hour viruses. They strike so randomly and depending on the person, can leave great amounts of damage."
Fawkes felt his insides turn. He felt the urge to bolt to the van and speed away from the place as fast as possible. The grin slipped off his face and he stared at her. "I'll remember that. Good night." He managed and took off.
"Good night indeed, Mr. Fawkes." R.J. said as she shut the door and leaned against it. This was going to be very interesting when the two of them came back. And they would come back.
Darien buckled as Bobby put the van into gear.
"You make a date with the hostess?" Hobbes asked.
Fawkes shifted uncomfortably. "Not exactly. We're done for the night, right?"
"Yeah. You still up for dinner?"
"I don't think so. I'd just like to go home." Fawkes said.
Bobby nodded. "Sure."
Fifteen minutes later Darien was waving to Hobbes' comment of seeing him the next morning on time. Fawkes stood in the parking lot after he left, R.J.'s words ringing in his ears. There was something suspicious about the woman and the way she acted and after what she said he had been half tempted to ask Bobby just to stay so they could order out. He'd swallowed the request last minute. He was being as paranoid as Hobbes could be. He headed for his apartment faster when he remembered the frozen lasagna dinner in his freezer...
Darien wasn't sleeping well when three o'clock that morning rolled around. He was barely gracing the edges of sleep, the darkness of deep slumber seemingly taunting him, but it was out of his reach. He mumbled something in his sleep and curled onto his side with a sigh.
Bobby was lying on his back, breathing quick shallow breaths. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling and he was trying to ignore the constricting feeling in his throat. He knew without even touching his neck that it probably looked blue and his veins were slowly closing off. He was silently praying that this would pass as quickly as the one in his eyes had. He closed his eyes, as breathing became a harder task. Hardly any oxygen was getting down, and Bobby was beginning to panic. A pale streak showed up across his cheek as a bolt of pain ran through his nerves and he fought not to cry out. He was having a hard enough time forcing air in; he didn't think it was a good idea to be forcing it out.
He pushed himself into a sitting position and grabbed for the phone cord. He pulled it into his hands as he slid to the floor, his back against the bed. He dialed the number he'd committed to memory long ago and prayed for his partner to answer.
The phone jangling in his ear startled Fawkes from the light sleep he was in. At first he couldn't figure out what was going on until he actually looked at the phone and his mind put the pieces together. He stretched his arm out and picked it up.
" `Ello?" he mumbled. The only thing he heard in response was a ragged breath on he other end of the line. He blinked and forced himself to say the whole word. "Hello?"
Another breath and a whisper. "kes," was all he heard.
Darien frowned and sat up. "Who is this?"
"Fawkes,"
Darien's mind whirled. "Hobbes? What's wrong?"
He heard another strangled breath. "Dar,"
"Bobby?"
There was a thud as the phone on Bobby's end hit the floor.
"Hobbes! Bobby? Bobby! Hang on man, I'll be there." Darien jolted out of bed and grabbed his clothes. He tried to fight down the rising panic, but he wasn't having much luck.
Bobby lay on the floor of his bedroom, staring out the window and barely hanging on to consciousness. "Dar," he repeated, thinking that Fawkes hadn't heard him. The struggle to stay awake became too great and he fell unconscious still believing that his partner hand' t heard him.
Author: Anna Maxwell
See first part for disclaimer.
Author's notes: Hey guys, thanks again so much for reviewing. I'm sorry this hasn't gotten out sooner. Bad case of mental blockage ^_^; and school papers. Which I still haven't finished. Ah, well. The important things come first. I haven't seen the last episode of the show, (I'm afraid to watch it ^_~) but I have it on tape, so this may have turned into an AU when I wasn't paying attention. Also of note, I haven't seen the first season. _ Please forgive me for any errors concerning the beginning of Fawkes and Hobbes' partnership. Enjoy! Thanks!
Claire held a vial of Bobby's blood up to the light. "I don't know what to tell you, Bobby. There doesn't appear to be anything immediately wrong." She brought it down and looked at the agent. He was sitting on Fawkes' usual place, holding a gauze pad to his arm.
"So what's the deal? Am I hallucinating all of this?" he asked.
"I doubt it. Even if you hallucinated your arm seizing up and freezing, you couldn't hallucinate blindness. Technically you could, I suppose, but I don't think that's what's happening to you. You don't have a past history with hallucinations. Just paranoia."
"Thanks for defining the fine line between them."
Claire shook her head and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I swear, you're as bad as Darien sometimes. All I can tell you is that I'll run some tests on it and get back with you in the morning. If it gets worse, call me."
"If you get anything sooner..."
Claire gave him a patient smile. "I'll let you know."
He nodded. "Thanks, Keep." He pitched the gauze pad into a trashcan, grabbed his coat and left the lab.
Fawkes met him in the hall outside of the Official's office. "So, what's the diagnosis?"
"There isn't one yet. She'll get back to me if she finds anything." Bobby said. "What have you got?"
Fawkes saw the instant change in subject, but ignored it. "The boss says to go back to the one place we had results and check there."
"R.J. Wilson's place?"
"Yeah. If we don't find anything there, we're free for the evening. Tomorrow Eberts will go over the addresses and facts with the police unit that handled it." Fawkes said.
"Great. Let's make this quick then, huh? You up for dinner later?"
"Sure. Got a question, though."
"Shoot, kid."
"Who's driving?"
There was a decided pause as Bobby chose between being irritated or just to laugh it off. "Why put both of our lives on the line? I'll drive." He said.
Darien rolled his eyes. "Great. You sure Claire didn't say anything?"
"Nothing I didn't already know. There's nothing we can do, Fawkes. It's not like I time when it's going to happen."
They'd reached the parking lot during their conversation. Fawkes stopped him. "Just how many times has the freezing up happened?"
Bobby glared at him. "Why are you mother henning me, Fawkes? Quit worrying about what you can't control."
"Okay, that goes up for most ironic statement of the year." Darien muttered.
Bobby thought he was going to explode. "I don't know, Fawkes! Four, maybe. Four times today. That make you happy?"
"Hey, don't bite my head off about it, buddy! I'm just trying to help you."
"You can help by leaving it alone. Can't you take a hint?" The last thing I need right now is something else going wrong with my life." Bobby snapped.
Time slowed and it seemed like reality froze with the aftershock of his words. Bobby turned to face his partner. Fawkes stood there staring at him, his face a blank expression. But the look in his eyes told Bobby exactly how that had sounded.
"That's not what I meant, partner." He said quietly.
Darien dropped his gaze before looking back up at him with a tight smile. "Yeah. We all know how you rally wanted to be my partner in the first place."
"Fawkes..."
Darien waved him off. "Forget it. Just forget it, Hobbes. We have a job to do. Let's go."
Bobby sighed. A brick wall might do him good right about now. That and banging his head against it. This was turning into a longer day than he ever liked to experience. One thing was for sure; he'd have to make it up to his partner.
"You know what the last thing I really need is? Pushing yet another partner away. Especially you." Hobbes said under his breath. Darien didn't hear him.
Elaine stood by the window and pulled the curtain to the side at the sound of a vehicle pulling up in the driveway. R.J. Wilson was stretched out on the couch, inhaling from a newly lit cigarette. She tapped it into the ashtray and looked over at the other woman.
"Is it them?"
Elaine nodded. "Yes."
"How does he look?"
"He looks fine to me."
R.J. rolled her eyes. "It's probably all the lithium in his system blocking the drug from working. I told Arnaud to drug the one with the gland."
"The counteragent would have canceled it out." Elaine said quietly.
"I know. Patience may be a virtue, but no one ever called me a woman of virtues." R.J. Remarked. She picked up the phone on the side table and dialed a number. "Arnaud? Yes it's me. They're back, and the short one isn't dead yet. What do you want me to do?"
The bell rang, signaling Fawkes and Hobbes' arrival at the front door. Elaine moved away from the window to answer it.
"I see." R.J. said. "Will do." She hung up and put her cigarette out. "Elaine, wait."
The younger woman paused, her hand on the doorknob. "What?"
"We aren't going to act yet. Arnaud told us to wait; he said the drub should take full effect by tonight."
Elaine looked dubious. "Wasn't Agent Hobbes supposed to be alive when he got here?"
R.J. shrugged. "He's going to wind up dead either way, what does it matter? As long as we get paid I'm a happy girl. Now let them in and let's try to make this quick. I don't think I could stand very many more of their poor pick-up attempts."
Elaine grinned as R.J. made herself scarce until called for. Elaine opened the door to the two men as the bell rang again. She was mildly surprised to find them glowering at each other, but ushered them inside with little expression.
"How can I help you two gentlemen?" she asked demurely.
"We'd like to speak to Ms. Wilson again. There's been a small complication in the investigation." Hobbes said sharply.
"Ms. Wilson isn't available at the moment,"
Darien cut her off. "Come on, we know she's here. This won't take long."
Elaine raised an eyebrow. "Very well, gentlemen. Please wait in the room you did before. I'll get Ms. Wilson for you."
Fawkes sauntered into the room, Hobbes right behind him. Darien flopped down in one of the chairs and watched his partner inspect the room. He wasn't exactly mad about the earlier comment because deep down he knew that really was not what Bobby had meant. Nevertheless it had stung, and he had every intention of acting mad. It was a matter of pride and principal.
Hobbes was taking every inch of the room and cataloguing facts in his brain. Most of it he remembered from earlier, but there were details he had missed. He got a nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't figure out what was causing it; it wasn't the same kind of feeling he'd been getting when his veins would freeze. It was a feeling of forbearing almost. Suddenly, his suspicion of R.J. Wilson flashed to the front of his mind and he almost subconsciously moved to stand behind the chair his partner was sitting in.
Darien looked up at him. "What are you doing?"
"I have a weird feeling." Hobbes said.
"What's new?" Fawkes muttered.
Hobbes glared at the top of his partner's head and was about to remark when R.J. Wilson glided into the room. She smiled smoothly.
"Back with good news, gentlemen?" she asked.
Hobbes placed his hands on the back of the chair and leaned on it. "Not exactly, Ms. Wilson. As I told the other lady, there was a complication in the investigation."
"Oh, really?" R.J. asked nonchalantly, seating herself across from the two. "What would that complication be?"
"None of the other cars reported missing exist." Darien told her.
Her facial expression did not change. "I see. Do they not exist, or are they simply not able to be recovered?"
"We aren't sure either way. We wanted to know if you knew any of the people who supposedly reported them, or had any connection with any of the other owners." Hobbes said, tightening his grip on the chair. That feeling was getting stronger every second he looked at the fair complexioned woman.
She smiled at them again. Hobbes noticed she had perfectly straight, white teeth. "Or if I had any part in stealing them, or making it into some sort of set up? You can be blunt with me, gentlemen. I get it al the time."
"Are you part of a set up?" Darien asked.
R.J. shook her blonde hair and laughed. "What if I told you I was? You wouldn't believe it. If I tell you I'm not, you'll most certainly think I am. I invite you to search the garage again. Search my entire home, if you like. I have nothing to hide."
Fawkes tried to catch his partner's eye, which was hard to do with the older man standing behind him. He waited for Hobbes to respond.
"I don't think that will be necessary. Thank you for your time." Hobbes said quietly.
R.J. stood. "Not a problem. I hope to see you both again when you bring good news."
Hobbes was already halfway into the hall. Darien stood and followed at what he thought was an even pace. R.J. walked along behind them, a smug grin still plastered on her face. The closer to the van Hobbes got, the faster he seemed to walk. Darien was at the front door when R.J. grabbed his arm. Hobbes was out of earshot.
"You may want to watch your partner," she said darkly, "he isn't looking so well."
Darien glanced at Bobby's retreating form. "He looks all right to me." He said, forcing a grin.
R.J. returned the grin, but there was an evil taint to it. "Well, right now he does. But you know those twenty-four hour viruses. They strike so randomly and depending on the person, can leave great amounts of damage."
Fawkes felt his insides turn. He felt the urge to bolt to the van and speed away from the place as fast as possible. The grin slipped off his face and he stared at her. "I'll remember that. Good night." He managed and took off.
"Good night indeed, Mr. Fawkes." R.J. said as she shut the door and leaned against it. This was going to be very interesting when the two of them came back. And they would come back.
Darien buckled as Bobby put the van into gear.
"You make a date with the hostess?" Hobbes asked.
Fawkes shifted uncomfortably. "Not exactly. We're done for the night, right?"
"Yeah. You still up for dinner?"
"I don't think so. I'd just like to go home." Fawkes said.
Bobby nodded. "Sure."
Fifteen minutes later Darien was waving to Hobbes' comment of seeing him the next morning on time. Fawkes stood in the parking lot after he left, R.J.'s words ringing in his ears. There was something suspicious about the woman and the way she acted and after what she said he had been half tempted to ask Bobby just to stay so they could order out. He'd swallowed the request last minute. He was being as paranoid as Hobbes could be. He headed for his apartment faster when he remembered the frozen lasagna dinner in his freezer...
Darien wasn't sleeping well when three o'clock that morning rolled around. He was barely gracing the edges of sleep, the darkness of deep slumber seemingly taunting him, but it was out of his reach. He mumbled something in his sleep and curled onto his side with a sigh.
Bobby was lying on his back, breathing quick shallow breaths. His gaze was fixed on the ceiling and he was trying to ignore the constricting feeling in his throat. He knew without even touching his neck that it probably looked blue and his veins were slowly closing off. He was silently praying that this would pass as quickly as the one in his eyes had. He closed his eyes, as breathing became a harder task. Hardly any oxygen was getting down, and Bobby was beginning to panic. A pale streak showed up across his cheek as a bolt of pain ran through his nerves and he fought not to cry out. He was having a hard enough time forcing air in; he didn't think it was a good idea to be forcing it out.
He pushed himself into a sitting position and grabbed for the phone cord. He pulled it into his hands as he slid to the floor, his back against the bed. He dialed the number he'd committed to memory long ago and prayed for his partner to answer.
The phone jangling in his ear startled Fawkes from the light sleep he was in. At first he couldn't figure out what was going on until he actually looked at the phone and his mind put the pieces together. He stretched his arm out and picked it up.
" `Ello?" he mumbled. The only thing he heard in response was a ragged breath on he other end of the line. He blinked and forced himself to say the whole word. "Hello?"
Another breath and a whisper. "kes," was all he heard.
Darien frowned and sat up. "Who is this?"
"Fawkes,"
Darien's mind whirled. "Hobbes? What's wrong?"
He heard another strangled breath. "Dar,"
"Bobby?"
There was a thud as the phone on Bobby's end hit the floor.
"Hobbes! Bobby? Bobby! Hang on man, I'll be there." Darien jolted out of bed and grabbed his clothes. He tried to fight down the rising panic, but he wasn't having much luck.
Bobby lay on the floor of his bedroom, staring out the window and barely hanging on to consciousness. "Dar," he repeated, thinking that Fawkes hadn't heard him. The struggle to stay awake became too great and he fell unconscious still believing that his partner hand' t heard him.