A/N: Here's your alternate ending. If I was a nicer writer, I'd make this one the official one. But this one doesn't beg for a sequel like the official one does.
This is for those of you who can't live without a 'Happily Ever After'.
Lilly couldn't stop crying. She'd been trying to since the moment they'd gotten into the van. Howard was situated in the driver's seat and he hadn't said a word since they'd left the zoo. Lilly was in the backseat with Vince, his head in her lap. He'd already started to show signs of distress. He was clammy and soaked with sweat.
"Your tears are going to make my hair frizz." Vince was already weakening. His voice had fallen to a flat and lifeless tone.
His words only made Lilly sob harder. She'd already condemned him to death in her mind and she was becoming hysterical with grief. Howard glanced back at her in the rear-view mirror. His chest ached with worry and fear, not only for Vince but for Lilly as well. He knew she would blame herself for what happened and he had no idea how she was going to react.
"Hold on, Vince. Okay?" Lilly managed to get out an encouraging sentence or two between sobs.
She gently pushed away his fringe with her hand and Vince cracked open an eye, "Seriously, Lilly – my hair."
Lilly laughed tearfully, "I don't think now is the time to be worried about the state of your hair."
He closed his eyes again and seemed to sigh with relief. Lilly panicked, "Vince?! Vince!"
His eyes opened again and it was Lilly who sighed this time, "Relax. I'm just tired. I'm going to have a bit of a nap on the way home."
Howard glanced back in the rear-view mirror again and spoke up for the first time since they'd left the Zooniverse, "I don't think that's such a good idea, Little Man. I need you to stay awake with us until Naboo can check you out." He gave Lilly a stern look in the mirror and she got the message. She was to keep Vince awake, no matter what.
Lilly had an idea, "Tell me a story, Vince."
Vince sighed, annoyed, "I don't think now's the best time, Lilly."
"Yes it is," She put her hand in Vince's and let it rest on his chest, "Tell me a story."
Vince's brow furrowed in thought and then he began, "I was raised in the jungle, have I told you that? By Bryan Ferry, in fact…"
The ride back to the Nabootique went much faster with Vince telling them the story of the time when he'd accidently taken Armond, the Giraffe's, leaf collection and turned it into a hat. What a giraffe was doing in the jungle, Lilly hadn't a clue, but the story was entertaining, to say the least.
"Alright, we're here." Howard parked and went around to help Vince out. He managed to walk, with a friend on each side. He was limping on his stabbed leg. Lilly noticed that his pants had been ripped and she could see where Bainbridge had injected him. It didn't look good.
They managed to get Vince upstairs and into his bedroom without much of a fuss. Well, there was quite a fuss from Vince, but it wasn't much trouble getting him upstairs.
"I'm going to go get Naboo. Lilly…" Howard trailed off and looked at Lilly. The look in his eyes was somewhere between a controlled sadness and mass hysteria. Lilly didn't like it.
She nodded and sat down next to Vince's bed, holding his hand again. They didn't speak for a while and Lilly just watched Vince's chest move up and down with his breaths. She thought this might have been nice, had Vince not been poisoned by her ex-boyfriend.
"Lilly?" Vince turned his head to look at her. He was deathly pale and she could see the dark circles under his eyes. She prayed Naboo knew what to do.
"Yeah, Vince?" She smiled sadly at him. She'd given up on crying once they'd gotten him into the bedroom. She realized that it just wasn't helping the situation.
He took a deep breath, "Am I going to die?"
She shook her head desperately, feeling more tears – hadn't she cried all of them yet? – fall down her cheeks, "No, of course not. You're going to be okay. Just don't give up." She squeezed his hand firmly and felt him try to squeeze back. He was losing strength.
Howard banged on Naboo's bedroom door as hard as he could, "Naboo! I need you! Now!"
Bollo was the one to open the door, "What happen at zoo? You get Bainbridge good?"
"Vince is hurt. I need Naboo." Howard tried to see around Bollo's huge, hairy head.
Naboo pushed past Bollo, "I was just about to have a nap. What do you want?"
"Vince is sick. Bainbridge injected him with something. I don't know. You have to help!" Howard was becoming hysterical now.
Naboo held up both of his hands, "Relax, Howard. I'm sure we can do something."
Howard nodded nervously and led them to Vince's bedroom, where Lilly was still sitting and holding Vince's hand. Naboo looked at her and then back to Howard questioningly. Howard gave Naboo a short smile of victory and Naboo nodded.
Naboo looked back to Lilly, "Do you know what he was injected with?"
Lilly shook her head, "He wouldn't tell me. He just said that, once he got it right, it would be able to cure any disease."
"Doesn't look like much of a cure-all to me." Naboo checked Vince's pulse and then his aura, "He's really sick. You need to leave me alone with him for a bit. Let me focus."
Howard and Bollo nodded and left the room but Lilly was more than reluctant to leave.
Vince turned his head to look down at Lilly again, "Its okay. Naboo can help."
Lilly took one last aching look at Vince and stood, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her. Howard was sitting silently on the couch. Lilly sat down next to him, but gave him some space.
"Howard, I…" She trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say.
He turned and looked down at her. She looked smaller than normal and she was crying again. He put his arm around her shoulders comfortingly and she threw herself into him, sobbing.
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I should have stayed away from you. He's going to die and it's all my fault." She wailed into his shirt. At first, Howard couldn't respond. The close proximity of their bodies had thrown him off. For a moment, he just sat there, one arm on the back of the couch and the other hanging in midair. Finally, something clicked and he put his arms around her.
He rested his cheek against her hair and sighed, "It's going to be okay."
"How do you know? You don't know that." She had quieted down to a near-mumble but he could still make out her words.
Howard didn't know why, but he smiled. Then, without thought, he kissed the top of her head.
He could feel Lilly laugh against his chest, "What happened to your boundary issues?"
Howard got serious for a moment and, after some thought, said, "They don't apply here."
After about an hour of watching Bollo jog back and forth between Vince's and Naboo's bedrooms, Naboo finally came out. His shaman sleeves were rolled up and his turban was askew, but he was smiling.
"You owe me, Moon."
Lilly jumped up and out of Howard's arms, laughing, "You saved him?!"
Howard wasn't listening. He missed her warmth, the smell of her hair, and her laugh against his chest. He almost wished Naboo hadn't come out. Then he thought of his best friend and jumped off the couch too.
"You can go in and see him if you want but he'll want to sleep." Naboo turned to go to his bedroom, "Speaking of sleep, I'm exhausted. Bollo, get some paracetemol, will you? I've got a blinder."
Howard entered Vince's bedroom first, followed by Lilly. Vince was laying with his back to them.
"Vince?" Howard tried to use his quiet and comforting voice, but he was so nervous and excited that it came out more neurotic and scared.
Vince didn't move, but both Howard and Lilly saw him sigh, "I'm sleeping. Come back later."
"You're okay, Little Man?" Howard took a step forward and put his arm out but he didn't touch the smaller man. For a moment he just stood there, arm hanging. He finally let it fall back to his side and Lilly took his hand in hers, squeezing gently in support.
Vince rolled over to his back and looked at Lilly, "I told you Naboo would fix me."
He smiled then, and Lilly knew everything was going to be okay.
Epilogue:
"Howard! I'm off to the shops. I need some more root boost and I heard there's a great new display at Top Shop." Vince called over his shoulder from the stairs.
Howard and Lilly were sitting on the couch, watching a documentary about ocelots and eating grilled cheese. Periodically, Howard would tell Lilly stories of the ocelots at the Zooniverse and Lilly would listen with mouth agape at the brave tales he told. Obviously, he was exaggerating.
"Bye Vince!" Howard shouted without looking at him.
Lilly turned around and poked her head over the top of the couch, "Vince!"
Vince turned around at the top of the stairs and looked at her, "Hmm?"
"Be careful."
He smiled knowingly and saluted her before bounding down the stairs.
Lilly turned back around and looked at Howard. He looked back at her and smiled before leaning down and pecking her on the lips.
He pulled her to him and she leaned against his chest, eyes still trained on the television.
Howard smiled, "Now, about those ocelots…"
