Bap bap bap!

The knocking was forceful, insistent. Annoying.

"Go away!" Daniel croaked, hoping to sound both convincingly sick and masculine.

"Daniel. Could use your assistance."

A pause during which Daniel vainly attempted to muster an excuse.

BAP BAP BAP!

God, he's gonna knock the door down if he keeps it up. Daniel was uncomfortably aware that Rorschach probably would, in fact, do just that if he wasn't let in soon.

"I told you I'm sick!" Daniel desperately tried to be heard over the racket and still keep his voice whispery and hoarse.

"Sick scum still out there. Will tell family of person murdered you were too ill to stop attacker?"

Oooooh, that jerk! Dan checked a wave of guilt with a wash of anger at his manipulative partner's words. Two can play that game…

"Hey now! I don't want to give it to you too, it's bad enough one of us is down!"

Another pause.

"Appreciate concern, will keep mask down as a precaution."

Daniel didn't know what to say. He felt a sudden sympathy for all the criminals Rorschach had ever cornered.

"I… I'd rather not risk it."

Dan cringed slightly, expecting another onslaught of banging, but there was only silence from the basement door. Then, a surprisingly soft utterance,

"Don't have to lie to me, Daniel."

The sound of steps slowly descending the stairs followed.

Oh.. hell. "Wait… wait…" Dan scrambled to gather the blankets around him(?)self as guilt, now turbo-charged, won the emotional free-for-all. Dan thought, hoped, he heard the footsteps pause. He quickly draped covers over his head, praying Rorschach wouldn't be gone by the time he got the door open. Dan the Blanket Elemental hurriedly undid the lock and peered into his unlit basement, finally making out a dim shape in the darkness. Dan was surprised by the surge of relief he felt on seeing the shadowy figure still on the steps.

When was the last time I was happy to see Rorschach…?

Rorschach returned to the door and regarded the ambulatory pile of comforters a moment, blots shifting ambiguously, before stepping inside the Dreiberg house proper. Dan shambled back to the couch and burrowed down, watching his partner warily through a drape in his cloth cocoon. Hell, now Dan was almost wearing as much fabric as Rorschach was. Dan realized Rorschach's layered, rumpled costume that covered every inch of skin had some distinct advantages over Nite Owl II's. I bet if Rorschach turned into a woman no one would notice Dan thought sulkily.

Rorschach took a few steps and paused, looking around. "Why is house temperature so low while you are so cold?" Rorschach sounded suspicious. Who does he think he is, Ozymandias? Dan glumly looked at the accusing blots, knowing he was caught.

"Is a problem with heater?"

Rorschach waited for a response, head slightly tilted. Dan sighed, realizing his partner was really just concerned. Even Dan had a hard time reading him, these days, it was so easy to project meaning onto that mask and to hear what you expected to in that flat voice. Dan began to understand what an asset his normally light conscience was in interpreting Rorschach.

"Uh, no... you know how it goes. Hot one minute, cold the next... finally seemed easier just to keep the temperature low and pile the blankets on or off." Dan didn't like lying to his partner, but he didn't have to fake the misery in his whispered voice.

"Hurm."

Dan added a pathetic cough.

"Would not intrude on you without cause. Four murders so far, three women and one child. Similarities in crimes indicate work of one individual. Shouldn't be too hard to trace. Hoping to find culprit much faster with your help, prevent more deaths. Understand you are not well, but believe it is only a matter of time before he strikes again."

Uhg, sounds messy. "What about the police?" Dan inquired.

Rorschach gave a dismissive grunt "Victims poor minorities, police investigation apathetic. Low priority."

A harsh but probably accurate assessment, Dan was all to aware. Could he really claim to be too ill to assist? Dan tried to remember a time when Rorschach had gotten sick, and realized he couldn't. I bet even germs are afraid of him. Or maybe he just doesn't let himself get sick.

Or turned into a woman.

As if anyone would notice.

As if Rorschach would care, or let that stop him.

Suddenly Dan felt a little ashamed. Rorschach was right, people's lives were on the line. Dan was perfectly healthy, just embarrassed. Being a woman didn't mean you couldn't fight crime. What would Laurie think of him cowering here because his body now looked like hers?

And why haven't I realized I ought to be looking in the mirror, not hiding from it?!!

Dan started chuckling. Rorschach regarded the mirthful blanket pile dubiously. Dan started laughing harder, imagining a slightly curvier Rorschach pummeling a confused criminal - it was all too much. You could only feel sorry for yourself so long.

"Ahh…" Dan struggled to contain himself before his partner got too suspicious. "I still feel really dizzy when I do much of anything" he whispered pathetically, feeling no small amount of guilt at his deception. "Just let me shake things out for another day or two, please." I will do this, I will, just not *right now*, Dan silently pleaded.

Rorschach surveyed Blanket Dan severely, then relented. "Very well Daniel. Won't force you. Imagine you know own body and limitations." Not so much right now, buddy... "Would appreciate if you started on computer work, looking for similar crimes, and for police records on list of names provided. Will do leg work myself until you are feeling better." Rorschach pulled a stained folder out of his ubiquitous coat and set it on the coffee table, then descended the stairs, heading towards their secret exit. "Good night Daniel, see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, looking forward to it." And Daniel was surprised to realize that, indeed, he was.