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Lucky Spencer stood
at the front of the church, waiting anxiously as Nikolas watched beside
him. His breath caught as Elizabeth Webber entered from the back
of the church, a smile on her face. Directly behind her came the
bride. Lucky sighed heavily as Sara followed behind her sister.Nikolas
nudged him with his elbow. "This is the moment you've been waiting
for Bro," he said.
"No!" Lucky cried,
bolting upright in bed. His face streamed sweat. He sighed
in relief as he realized it had only been a dream.He looked up as his aunt
entered the room and sat on the end of his bed.
"Did you have
a nightmare?" she asked.
"The worst.
I was marrying Sara Webber and Nikolas was my best man."
Bobbie smiled.
"It doesn't sound that bad."
Lucky looked at her
like she was insane. "Have you met Sara Webber? She's
got to be the most annoying person in the world." He paused.
"Well, except Robin. And Nikolas. And Keesha and A.J.
and Alan and Tony, and Brenda, and Emily, since she decided to become a
model, and-"
"I think I get your
point Lucky."
He shook his head.
"Must've been something I ate," he muttered. Bobbie looked at him
curiously, then frowned.
"You're sweating,"
she said. "It's pretty cool in here." She leaned forward and
placed her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up."
"I am?" Brenda Barrett
whined.
"You must be coming
down with something," Jax said, pulling his hand away from her forehead.
"I think you need to stay in bed for awhile."
"You don't look so
hot yourself," she said, pulling the covers tighter over herself.
"I don't feel very
well, actually," he admitted. "But you're more important than I am.
I'll suffer."
Brenda nodded.
"You're right. Would you get me a cup of tea?"
Jason Morgan took a
tentative step toward the bed, then halted as he heard someone come up
behind him. "She's sleeping, Jason," Carly whispered in his ear.
"Now why don't we continue with our---talk."
Jason brushed her
hand off his shoulder. "Not now, Carly."
Carly pouted, and
pushed out her lower lip. "You're no fun anymore," she complained.
"Fine, I'll go back to bed. I feel a little sick anyway."
"Yeah, so do I," Jason
said looking around. "Maybe you picked something up at that hospital.
"Maybe," Carly agreed.
"They injected me with some pretty weird stuff. They said it was
a sedative, but I'm not so sure."
Jason frowned, then
looked over at Robin again, who had not moved positions on the bed.
She's awfully still, he thought to himself. He walked to the bed
and shook Robin's shoulder. There was no response. He leaned
over some, straining to hear her breathing, then hesitated and felt for
a pulse. He pulled back suddenly, and called out desperately to Carly.
"Oh my god! She's dead!"
The Quartermaine mansion
was uncharacteristically quiet. Ned walked through the empty rooms,
wondering where everybody had disappeared to. He looked up as Reginald
the Butler entered the living room. "Where is everybody?" he asked.
Reginald smiled.
"Ah, hello Mr. Ashton. Mr. Quartermaine is up in his room resting.
Dr. Quartermaine is doing likewise. Miss Quartermaine is as well.
Dr. Quartermaine and Mrs. Quartermaine are nowhere to be found."
He stopped, then looked up at Ned again. "Miss Anabelle is sleeping
as well."
Ned shook his head
and left the room. He figured maybe he wasn't getting sick after
all, since everyone else seemed to be feeling as badly as he was.
"Stop right there you
mutant Spencer cockroach!" Stefan yelled as he ran through the garden after
Nikolas. He didn't let up as Nikolas threw open the huge wooden door
and ran through. He chased after, and ran into his son's back.
Nikolas stood inside
the doorway, breathing hard. "I'm not up to this kind of exercise
anymore," he muttered.
Stefan walked to the
couch and sat down, panting. "I think we should have skipped our
routine this morning, Nikolas. I wasn't feeling well when I awoke
anyway."
Nikolas nodded, still
trying to catch his breath. "I haven't been feeling very well either,
Uncle. You don't think we could be getting-"
"No, stop! Don't
say it! It's not possible! We were injected with a super virus-combating
hormone at birth. Perhaps it is the all of the smoke from Luke Spencer's
stogies."
Nikolas laughed, then
mopped sweat from his forehead. "I never sweat this much after a
workout," he complained.
"I never sweat this
much after sex," Alexis muttered, climbing out of bed.
"You're getting old,"
Luke called from the bathroom.
Alexis threw him a
dirty look then went to check herself out in a mirror. "I must be
coming down with something," she said. "I'm exhausted, and after
only one time."
Luke came out of the
bathroom laughing. "How long does it usually take?"
Alexis gave him another
disgusted look. "I don't know what possessed me to sleep with you,"
she said coldly. "You're just as disgusting as ever."
Luke grinned.
"That's why you love me babe."
Alexis smiled tiredly, then
looked carefully at Luke. "You don't look so great yourself.
Maybe there's something going around."
Luke frowned.
"Maybe."
Bobbie couldn't believe
the number of patients the hospital had received in the past few days.
Literally dozens of people were checking in every hour. She hurried
to catch up with Alan Quartermaine, who was walking dazedly back and forth
across the ER waiting room. "Alan!" she shouted.
He whirled around
in surprise, his eyes darting across Bobbie's stunned face. "Huh?"
he asked shortly.
Bobbie only stared
at the doctor for a moment, then shook her head. "Do you know what's
going on around here?"
"Huh?"
Bobbie frowned.
"Everybody seems to be getting sick. Patients have been pouring in
all week."
"Huh?"
"Lucky's sick too,"
Bobbie continued. "I haven't been feeling very myself, actually.
I wonder if we have the same thing-"
"Huh?"
Bobbie looked at Alan
in disgust, then threw up her hands. "Why do I bother?" She
stalked off, shaking her head.
Alan remained where
he was, and watched her walk away. "Huh?'" he said.
"Goodbye, Brenda," Jax said,
and threw a shovel full of dirt on her.
An over-excited V
bounded out of her car and walked toward the cottage, a smile on her face.
"Jax!" she said excitedly, then stumbled and fell into the grave. "Oomph,"
she said landed, then pushed herself up on her elbows. "Oh my god, Brenda!"
she exclaimed and looked up at the startled Jax. "Is she dead?"
Jax rolled his eyes
and reached down to help V out of the grave. "No, I decided to bury her
alive," he said seriously.
V's eyes widened,
and she stared at Jax in mock surprise. "Jax," she whispered. "You could
have at least WAITED."
Jax sighed and looked
sorrowfully into the grave. "She was such a good person," he said in a
heavy voice.
V burst out laughing,
then quickly covered her mouth.
"What?" Jax asked,
his eyes narrowing.
"Good isn't the word
I would've used," V said. "But you loved her, and I guess that's what important,
right?"
Jax looked at her
blankly. Realization dawned in his eyes and V smiled triumphantly. Now
she had him. "Brenda?" he whispered.
Bobbie walked through
the Quartermaine mansion, holding her nose. "Man, it stinks in here," she
said out loud, then gasped and stepped over a dead body. "Oh no," she whispered
as she knelt to examine it. "It's Alan." She shook her head sadly, then
stood up and pressed on. "Hello?" she called, raising her voice. "Is anyone
here? Is anyone alive?!" she called, then winced and called out again.
"Hello!"
"Bobbie!" Ned cried,
and practically threw himself in her arms.
"Ned!" Bobbie said,
pushing him away from her. She covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief.
"Do you have it too?" she asked cautiously.
"Have what?" Ned asked,
confusion spreading across his features. "I've been stuck in a house full
of dead bodies for the past two days! I haven't been very worried about
what I HAVE!"
"Why didn't you just
leave?" Bobbie asked pointedly.
"Leave?" Ned asked.
"What do you mean leave? Oh," he said finally. He shook his head. "I don't
know," he admitted. "The thought never occurred to me."
"Obviously," Bobbie
remarked. "Is everyone dead?" she asked.
Ned nodded. "Except
Grandfather. He's out in the garden looking for Grandmother."
"Lila?" Bobbie asked.
"She's not dead too, is she?"
Ned only shrugged.
"I don't know. Nobody's seen her." He stared at Bobbie for a long moment
before speaking again. "What IS this?" he asked at last.
"Well, this is a little
hard to believe," Bobbie started, "but it appears to be some mutated version
of mono. Have you been feeling very tired lately?" she asked.
"Exhausted," Ned replied.
"But why are we still alive?" he asked. "If everyone else is dead?"
"THAT," Bobbie answered,
"is the question I've been asking myself for the past WEEK. People have
been dropping like flies at the hospital." She walked outside and started
toward the garden.
Ned followed after
her, shaking his head. "You mean the flies are dying too?"
Lucky dreamed he was
in the slums of New York. He walked through a dark alley, ducking below
a drain pipe sticking dangerously far out in the walkway. He made his way
through the garbage littered alley to an old rotting door and pushed the
door open. The stench inside was terrible. He covered his mouth and nose
and walked in slowly, checking for broken glass or bodies before taking
each careful step.
As he neared the far
wall of the thrashed apartment, he spotted an old woman in a rocking chair.
"Mrs. Quartermaine?" he called out, stepping toward her. "Is that you?"
"Yes, child," she
answered, leaning forward to see him more closely. "Ah, Lucky, how wonderful
to see you."
Lucky looked at her,
eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?" he asked, coming to a stop in front
of her.
"Well, I'm here to
tell you about the Dark Man, and--"
"No," Lucky interrupted
her. "Why are you HERE? This place is a dump!"
Lila looked injured,
but only leaned back in her chair and regarded him with patient eyes. "I've
always wanted to see what it was like to be poor," she said after a long
pause.
"You mean you'd CHOOSE
to live like this?" Lucky asked incredulously. "Man, you are crazy."
Lila put up a gnarled
hand to silence him. "Just listen, Lucky. There's something important I
need to tell you."
"Okay," Lucky responded,
and sat at her feet. "I'll just sit on your floor, since you have no CHAIRS."
"This is a dream,
Lucky," Lila said patiently.
"That's no reason
to be uncomfortable," Lucky insisted. "Now, you were saying-"
"Oh yes," the old
woman said, the chair miraculously rocking without her aid. "The Dark Man.
Yes, you must beware him. He is a truly EVIL man."
"Alright, gotcha,"
Lucky said, rising. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be going. As much as
I'd LOVE to stick around, I have to get back to my comfortable bed and
house and electricity. See you around."
"Lucky, wait!" Lila
called frantically. "You don't know where to go! You must escape the clutches
of the Dark Man and venture to Nebraska."
"Nebraska?" Lucky
asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought we were trying to ESCAPE Hell." Lila
shook her head in disdain, then faded and disappeared as Lucky came awake.
"Nebraska?" he repeated, staring up at the ceiling. "What a STRANGE dream."
"I brought some friends,"
Bobbie said, motioning to the door.
Ned and Edward walked
in hesitantly. Even Edward seemed a bit comfortable. "What the devil are
you doing, boy? The world's coming to an end and you STILL sleep past noon."
"Edward," Bobbie chided
him. "He's been sick, too, you know."
"Oh, that's right,"
he said, and turned away, embarrassed.
"I think I can get
out of bed today, Bobbie," Lucky said, pushing himself up on his elbows.
"But I have to tell you about my dream first."
Ned looked up, startled.
"Was my grandmother in it?" he asked hurriedly.
"Yes!" Lucky responded.
"She was living in the slums, in Manhattan or Brooklyn I think. I couldn't
tell which."
"Who cares?" Bobbie
asked. "It was just a dream. Get to the point."
Lucky's brow furrowed.
"You mean you didn't have the dream too?" he asked.
"I don't dream," Bobbie
said quickly, then quickly left the room.
Ned, Edward, and Lucky
stared after her. "Must be that time of the month again," Ned said to the
shock of the others.
Bobbie ran outside
of the house, then finally stopped, breathing hard. She could not get the
images from her dream out of her mind. She shook her head to dispel the
memory, but she could not keep the images of the Dark Man from clinging
to her mind. She took a moment to compose herself, then returned to the
house.
"Now announcing the
boarding of Flight 573," Lucky said, holding the microphone to his mouth.
"Would all frist class passengers and passengers needing assisstance down
the jetway please begin boarding at gate A13?"
"Lucky!" Bobbie said
sharply. "Would you PLEASE stop playing around?"
Lucky looked slightly
ashamed, but replaced the microphone and walked back to the others. Bobbie
shook her head as he approached. "This is great," she said, looking around
the terminal. "Just WONDERFUL."
"Well, what did you
expect?" Lucky asked. "Did you think all of the pilots and flight attendants
would live while everyone else died? I thought even YOU were smarter than
that, Aunt Bobbie."
"It was JASON'S idea,"
she replied, and looked to him and Carly.
"Well, you've got
to remember Jason's braindead--damaged," Lucky amended quickly.
Ned chuckled. "I think
you were right the first time."
Carly turned to Ned
angrily. "Like you're one to talk!" she retorted hotly. "Mr. I Can't Leave
the House Cause I'm Too Stupid to Find the Front Door!"
"Oh, well, that's
better than Miss I'll Sleep With My Stepfather to Get Revenge on My Mother!"
Ned shouted.
"Hey, at least I didn't
sleep with my AUNT!"
"That's by MARRIAGE
only!" Ned insisted, his face turning beet red.
"Inbreeder!"
"Slut!"
"Stop it!" Bobbie
screamed, and stepped between them. "What is your PROBLEM?" she asked Carly
rudely.
"MY problem!" Carly
yelled in return. "He started it."
"Did not!" Ned cried.
"Did too."
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Carly, you're my
daughter, and I love you, and you know I'm sorry for this," Bobbie said,
then slapped her across the face. She grabbed her by the ear and dragged
her away from the rest of the group, Carly protesting loudly the whole
way.
"Alright!" Lucky cheered.
"Two points for the Spencer!"
"Lucky," Jason said
disapprovingly, then stood and shouted at Carly. "Kill her, Carly! Score
one for the Morgans!" Everyone stared at him in shock at his cry.
Tears started in Carly's
eyes, but she brushed them away quickly. "That's so sweet," she said softly,
then punched her mother in the face.
"Why you--" Bobbie
started, then lunged at her.
"Ooh, fight!" Edward
said excitedly, bounding up to join Ned, Lucky, and Jason at the sidelines.
He looked to Lucky and smiled charmingly. "Would you care to make a wager?"
he asked, and Lucky grinned.
"Ten bucks says Bobbie'll
kill her," he said, digging into his wallet.
"Well, I've got TWENTY
that says she doesn't," Edward said.
"I'm with the old
man," Jason said, handing in his money.
"Carly all the way,"
Ned agreed.
Lucky shook his head.
"Guess that leaves more money for me," he said, putting in another ten,
and they turned the attention to the fight. Bobbie had Carly by the hair
and was pulling her toward her on the ground. Carly hit the ground and
rolled over on her back, panting heavily. "Oh, I win," Lucky said, and
pocketed the money.
Carly pushed herself
up to join the fight again, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.
"What are you DOING?" V asked, looking at the two women. She turned to
the group assembled around them. "And you were just WATCHING?" she asked,
shaking her head in disgust.
Jax walked up behind
her. "What are you doing?" he asked, then looked at the women sprawled
on the ground. "Oh," he said. "I see."
"No," V said quickly.
"I didn't-"
"It's alright, Brenda,"
Jax said. "You can have these violent tendencies every once in a while."
"I am NOT Brenda!"
Nikolas searched the
house one last time before stepping out onto the porch. He had hoped he
would find his uncle, but had had no luck so far. He sighed and started
across the lawn toward the docks.
He noticed a crow
perched on a tree limb, but thought nothing of it until he reached the
docks and saw another. "That's funny," he said quietly. "There's no birds
on Spoon Island." He shook his head, then walked forward and ran straight
into his father.
"Hello, Nikolas,"
Stefan said gravely, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "Were you worried
at my disappearance?"
"Uh--yeah, I guess,
Uncle," Nikolas said, starting to turn away. He looked back at Stefan sharply
and his eyes widened. "Uncle-" he said slowly. "Why do you have feathers
in your mouth?"
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