"Midnight Confession"
Title: Midnight confession.
Author: Rodlox.
Fandom: V
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairing: Dale, Erica.
Summary: He's baaack.
crossposted to V_fic and to my lj.
(this is a prequel to my V/Castle crossover)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erica's House:
Erica opened her eyes and saw Dale sitting on the edge of her bed, head bowed in thought and hands between his knees.
"You're awake," Dale said neutrally like some would remark it was raining outside - and his upper body turned around towards her so fast, Erica didn't see the thumb-sized vial until it was emptying its contents into her thigh. "So we don't shoot each other," Dale said conversationally, his eyes meeting hers.
"What...?" feeling only slightly groggy.
"Venom. A paralytic. Only impacts the limbs, and even that wears off after an hour."
That description of the venom didn't sound like any sort she'd heard of. That leaves one source. "Something from your world?"
"I should hope so - it's mine. Or was.
"My parents had big hopes for me," Dale said offhandedly. "Then again, what parent doesn't?" Looking down the bed at her, "Of course, you didn't save every drop of Tyler's infant venom, but what can you do?" his tone light and jesting. "And in case you were worried, we aren't venomous when we mature."
"So you're still poisonous?"
Dale smiled. "You're upset. That's good - I'd be hurt if you'd written me off this quickly."
"Why're you here?" Erica wanted to know.
"To talk," Dale said. "Just that."
"So talk."
That grin, playful and amused. "Used to be," Dale said, "the plan was to enlist ev'rybody. Sepoys, every one of you."
"'You' being humans?"
"Clever as ever. I'm counting on that."
Which means he's planning on leaving me alive - though that might not be a good thing. "So what happened? Somebody screw up?"
Dale looked at her in the way he normally did when most people shrugged - he'd never shrugged in all the time she'd known him; all this time, she'd believed it was because of a childhood accident. "You know governments, Er," he said quietly. "Things change. Policy shifts."
"And us grunts get the shaft," Erica said, remembering how Dale's more frequent gripe went.
"You've got a good brain on those shoulders - you should've been a V."
"You've got a brain too, Dale," Erica said. "You can fight them."
"Covertly or overtly? Brazenness isn't a V virtue, Er. Not even for women."
Erica frowned inside, sure that there was a meaning there, a message. "Who's calling the shots? Is it Anna?"
"Everyone has enemies," Dale said, and Erica wondered why he was stating the obvious - unless it was deliberately.
Even Anna, huh?
"Anna calls the shots here, but she's working with someone else's timetable."
"If we're not going to be sepoys, what's the timetable for?"
"Why would anyone tell me?"
"You're a Visitor."
"I'm a guy," Dale said with finality. "Speaking of which..."
Erica waited patiently.
"Anna's not too happy with how your son's new ladyfriend went over her head."
A stone formed in Erica's stomach. "You don't me- you can't mean -"
"Enemies, Er. Like the Taliban and Soviets."
"Which makes humanity - what?"
With an amused grin, Dale said, "I don't know...the goats, maybe?" Reaching over to pat her shoulder, "And you're one with teeth and a mean set of hooves, and I say that in the best possible way."
"As opposed to...?"
"Nothing I'd say about you. But keep using that brain of yours. Got to go," Dale said. "I'll do what I can, Er...but you have to be more careful who you confide in. Look what happened to Jan Huss," Dale said before standing up. "See you again," and he walked out of her view.
She didn't hear any windows or doors, but Erica had the feeling Dale was gone. Jan Huss was handed over by civil and religious authorities...that it was for heresy probably wasn't Dale's meaning, Erica suspected.
There was nothing to do but wait for the paralytic to wear off. After a bit, You neglected to mention it inhibits sleep, Dale.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the end
Author: Rodlox.
Fandom: V
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairing: Dale, Erica.
Summary: He's baaack.
crossposted to V_fic and to my lj.
(this is a prequel to my V/Castle crossover)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erica's House:
Erica opened her eyes and saw Dale sitting on the edge of her bed, head bowed in thought and hands between his knees.
"You're awake," Dale said neutrally like some would remark it was raining outside - and his upper body turned around towards her so fast, Erica didn't see the thumb-sized vial until it was emptying its contents into her thigh. "So we don't shoot each other," Dale said conversationally, his eyes meeting hers.
"What...?" feeling only slightly groggy.
"Venom. A paralytic. Only impacts the limbs, and even that wears off after an hour."
That description of the venom didn't sound like any sort she'd heard of. That leaves one source. "Something from your world?"
"I should hope so - it's mine. Or was.
"My parents had big hopes for me," Dale said offhandedly. "Then again, what parent doesn't?" Looking down the bed at her, "Of course, you didn't save every drop of Tyler's infant venom, but what can you do?" his tone light and jesting. "And in case you were worried, we aren't venomous when we mature."
"So you're still poisonous?"
Dale smiled. "You're upset. That's good - I'd be hurt if you'd written me off this quickly."
"Why're you here?" Erica wanted to know.
"To talk," Dale said. "Just that."
"So talk."
That grin, playful and amused. "Used to be," Dale said, "the plan was to enlist ev'rybody. Sepoys, every one of you."
"'You' being humans?"
"Clever as ever. I'm counting on that."
Which means he's planning on leaving me alive - though that might not be a good thing. "So what happened? Somebody screw up?"
Dale looked at her in the way he normally did when most people shrugged - he'd never shrugged in all the time she'd known him; all this time, she'd believed it was because of a childhood accident. "You know governments, Er," he said quietly. "Things change. Policy shifts."
"And us grunts get the shaft," Erica said, remembering how Dale's more frequent gripe went.
"You've got a good brain on those shoulders - you should've been a V."
"You've got a brain too, Dale," Erica said. "You can fight them."
"Covertly or overtly? Brazenness isn't a V virtue, Er. Not even for women."
Erica frowned inside, sure that there was a meaning there, a message. "Who's calling the shots? Is it Anna?"
"Everyone has enemies," Dale said, and Erica wondered why he was stating the obvious - unless it was deliberately.
Even Anna, huh?
"Anna calls the shots here, but she's working with someone else's timetable."
"If we're not going to be sepoys, what's the timetable for?"
"Why would anyone tell me?"
"You're a Visitor."
"I'm a guy," Dale said with finality. "Speaking of which..."
Erica waited patiently.
"Anna's not too happy with how your son's new ladyfriend went over her head."
A stone formed in Erica's stomach. "You don't me- you can't mean -"
"Enemies, Er. Like the Taliban and Soviets."
"Which makes humanity - what?"
With an amused grin, Dale said, "I don't know...the goats, maybe?" Reaching over to pat her shoulder, "And you're one with teeth and a mean set of hooves, and I say that in the best possible way."
"As opposed to...?"
"Nothing I'd say about you. But keep using that brain of yours. Got to go," Dale said. "I'll do what I can, Er...but you have to be more careful who you confide in. Look what happened to Jan Huss," Dale said before standing up. "See you again," and he walked out of her view.
She didn't hear any windows or doors, but Erica had the feeling Dale was gone. Jan Huss was handed over by civil and religious authorities...that it was for heresy probably wasn't Dale's meaning, Erica suspected.
There was nothing to do but wait for the paralytic to wear off. After a bit, You neglected to mention it inhibits sleep, Dale.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the end