Canon AU ~ Clarice and Bill beginning

[noteasytobepink]

Owwwwwwww...

There was a flash of magenta light and the shadow of a woman flying through the air at a rather high speed. What world had it been? 739? Mutants Everywhere Planet, let's stop a serial killer because the Talus said so planet.

A super powered serial killer who had been rather hard to hit, much less hurt, especially with the team down several members. She'd been able to create an opening, at cost, for the others to take, but now, well, she was bleeding. And dizzy. And oh, that was a knife in her shoulder, huh, what if teh cops had needed that for evidence..

...right back on track. The talus had flashed, they'd been getting ready to leave and the partner, the killers partner that the Talus had told them NOTHING about had come careening in with a scream. Her lower arm ached, dully. and trailed more blood from where she'd lost the Talus. It had been ripped away and she'd been shoved through a half-formed portal. Not a fun ride.

By the time she tumbled to a halt she couldn't tell left from right, much less what world she was on. There could have been snipers in the trees and giant mutant snakes rearing to strike at her and she'd have just said 'Wha?'. She was...hitched up against a tree. Nice tree, yeah, she was going to...pass out now.

Yep.

Comments

[noteasytobepink]

"Long s'I know where m'goin..." she muttered quietly, shivering. Yeah, that would definitely be shock setting in to stay for a while. And not that he was an expert or anything but she looked a slightly paler pink than earlier?

Yeeeeeaaaaah.

"N'have a spike..." yeah, that quiver on her back? Full of thin, sharp, metal spikes. He might want to take that before the hospital got their hands on it. And hey, he always wanted about fifty pounds of dangerous weapon right?

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

Hearing the fuzzy notes entering her voice, and her words trailing off, Bill patted her, trying to keep her attention.

"Clarice? I need you t'keep talkin' to me, okay? How 'bout you tell me how you got way out here."

A siren began to wail in the distance, and Bill felt a small touch of relief knowing help was almost there.

[noteasytobepink]

"The Talus," she admitted, clearly. "And a kick...good kick. I tripped." It TOTALLY explained her presence here right? IT meant she had spiraled and twisted through realities until she landed? EVERYONE KNEW THIS RIGHT?

"You're nice."






Ambulance arrival. Yay. Did that mean pain killers?

"Um, Bill...she's pink." Just so the sheriff knew. "She got insurance?"

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

Obviously it all made perfect sense to one of them.

It's just that one of them wasn't Bill.

Patting her arm, Bill gave her a small smile.

"Thanks."

Standing up, Bill moved away from Clarice to give the two EMTs who'd arrived room.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Bill drawled. "I got no idea what she has, just that her name's Clarice, an' she's bleedin' there pretty bad."

[noteasytobepink]

"Gee, thanks." One of them answered, moving in to eye the knife and wince. Oh, yeah, that was a bad knife. Not time to take it out. "Okay, Clarice, stay with me, I need you to talk to me now..."

The other EMT passed saline bags as necessary and kept...ogling. "Bill? YOu ridin' with us? I mean...she ain't local you know." What if she was some weird drug lord...lady...thing?

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

Bill watched, hands resting on is gun belt.

"Why, you scared of girl, Chris?" Bill asked, quirking a smile.

Another cruiser arrived, and Bill waved at the deputy who got out, while still talking to the EMT.

"I'll follow in the car. Gonna need t'talk with her anyways. Damn paperwork an' all."

He also wanted to figure out what exactly happened here, and who she really was.

[noteasytobepink]

"She's Pink," Chris noted, again, for the record. This answered any question of him being scared right? Hard to be scared of something the same color as a girl's kiddy play set right?

"Right, LIFT!" The other EMT called,Chris scrambling to get the other end of the straight board so they could get the now-unconscious woman to the bed in the truck.

"That's...weird, Bill. Maybe I should keep an eye on the road?" The deputy offered. Because...other pink people might come?

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"She also sounded pretty out of it, so keep an eye on her, alright?" Bill said, a touch of seriousness now in his voice.

Turning to the deputy, Bill nodded.

"I want you t'cruise the back roads an' look out for any other strangers wanderin' around. She was stabbed, so there's someone out there we need t'bring in."

Lifting his cap, Bill scratched his head, looking down the road.

"Not much traffic out this way right now, but if you see anyone about stop an' ask if they saw anything. Check the bulletins an' see if she's on any of 'em, too. I'm headed to the hospital, but wanna be kept updated."

[noteasytobepink]

"I'll keep an eye out Bill, ask some folk." The deputy adjusted his hat then nodded, wondering if they were now onto something BIG like. Wouldn't that be exciting? Imagine his disappointment when he found out everyone thought him nuts and running through a dare when he asked about a pink lady

"Well, any last words?" The EMT offered, leaning out to close the doors. They had the girl in, and hopefully stable (barring alien anatomy), so a last word or two wouldn't hurt. "Wanna hand cuff her to the stretcher or anything?" Just in case?

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"I don't think that's called for. She was the one who was stabbed."

She was also carrying around a bunch of sharp spikes. Thinking about that, Bill almost changed his mind.

"Look, I'm gonna be right behind you. There's any trouble, pull over an' I'll hop in."

[noteasytobepink]

"Right. We might have to cut her shoulder rig off at the hospital. You gonna sign on the destruction of property thing?" He asked, the engine idling as he waited. What? It was important to know these things!

"I'm movin' Ted." The other called from the front.

"Hell, tell me at the hospital." The small, county hospital given it was nearby and not exactly life threatening.

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Yeah, I'll fill all that shit out, just get goin', she's bleedin' in there."

Bill waved them off, then headed back to his cruiser and followed after them.

[noteasytobepink]

It wasn't a long trip, and the hospital ER wasn't that crowded. Just a few boys in for a stitch or two in their lip from fighting. That meant Clarice got ushered to a room quickly, and there was a lot of speculation about why she was the color she was, much less stabbed.

"Reckon it's a drug thing? Think she cheated someone?"

"Nah, she's a little thing..."

"But she's got muscle on her, and you seen them spikes..."

"And you ALL need to clear out before I boot you myself, morons. She's bleeding and underfed and you're all jabbering!" Apparently doctor Mitchell was on staff tonight.

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

Bill stood off to the side, scrubbing at his eyes (god, he was tired) and ignoring most of the talk as they waited for the doctor.

The gruff voice made him jump, but Bill recovered quickly and nodded towards the door.

"You heard 'im, go on now."

[noteasytobepink]

Ah, Doctor Mitchell, the scariest seventy year old to practice medicine...in any county. He leaned out the door as folk filed out then arched a snowy eyebrow at Bill. "You, Prdy kid, in here. Now." He arched a finger absolutely expecting to be obeyed.

After all, most folk in these parts hopped to when he patched a wound or two parents didn't need to know about.

"Fill me in. Girl hasn't been eating right, pink as a carnation, and tough as whipcord. Thinking you have an opinion." He noted as he worked the blade out of Clarice's shoulder gently and set to stitching with a good magnifying glass.

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

Bill couldn't help but straighten up when he was called on. Giving a light cough to hide his irritation at being called 'kid', Bill stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Far as I know, she just dropped out of the sky. Found her out on Willow Creek road, layin' up against a tree. Only thing she said that made any sense was her name."

Bill watched him work a moment, then shied his eyes away as the thread dipped into and tugged at the girl's pink skin.

"It's a sure thing she ain't from around here, an' right now my biggest worry is havin' whatever troubles she's into followin' her here."

[noteasytobepink]

"She'd be well known iffen she were," Dr. Mitchell noted. "Aught to mention, on a strictly confidential bases mind you, that in stitching this shoulder I'm noticing that the pink ain't exactly skin deep, so not a tattoo." So that was one thing to cross off the list?

"Being as how you seem a bit puzzled I'd start looking into circuses that might be missing one of their own." Made sense to him. Girl ended up with a truly pink dermal layer, well, she had to be in a freak show right? "Any sign of that trouble aside from the knife? You gonna assign someone to sit outside her door during recovery?"

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"You sayin' she's really pink?"

Bill turned to give the doctor an incredulous look, then stared at Clarice.

"Huh."

Doc might not be far off with the circus thing.

"She was out there alone. I've got Rudy out lookin', but who knows if he'll turn up anything."

Scrubbing his eyes again, Bill shook his head.

"I'm here, I'll keep an eye on things."

Who needs sleep anyways, right?

[noteasytobepink]

"She is, as far as I can tell, really pink." Dr. Mitchell sighed. "Weirdest damn thing ever. I can't exactly send anything for testing unless I have her permission either, so...what can you do?" Except stitch up a shoulder, get her to x-rays to check those bones, bind some ribs, patch a few other milder cuts...

"Feh, Rudy." Yeeeeah, no telling what that kid would find. "You want a chair in here then? Or a chair in the hall?"

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"I'll sit in here, 'case she wakes up."

He had more than a few questions for her, after all.

"She gonna be alright?"

[noteasytobepink]

"Barrin' any strange allergies she'll be fine. Some therapy for the arm once it's healed up a bit but the rest is mainly just a matter of time." He patted the last bandage in place and nodded to Bill. "She's got this room here until we need it alright? Should keep the nosier sort out."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Good."

Looking around, Bill found a chair to occupy and pulled it up so he was near the bed, but could also see the door.

"Don't suppose I could trouble you for a cup of coffee, could I?"

[noteasytobepink]

"I'll send someone with too much energy to fetch you one." Dr. Mitchell snorted and patted Bill's shoulder. "Given the circumstances I"{m putting myself down as her primary. She has any troubles, even just checking back in, you bring her to me no matter where I am. We clear?"

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Sure thing, doc."

Bill wasn't going to mention how they still had no idea who she was, or what sort of trouble she was into; Mitchell already knew that, and was willing to take on whatever it was anyways.

Just like Bill was going to give up on that beer he'd been looking forward to, and another night's sleep.

Resigned to his duty, Bill settled in his seat and waited.

[noteasytobepink]

It was well after the coffee had cooled some before Clarice even gave a sign of stirring. When she did though, well, she came awake all at once, unstitched arm reaching up and back to feel for a quiver that wasn't there even as the rest of her was pivoting to get off the bed...

...damn armrail made her pause for all of a moment.

Apparently she wasn't the type to sit around healing. Nor the type to be comfortable unarmed. Once her eyes settled on Bill though she stilled a bit, fingers no longer flexing for a spike she couldn't find. "...you." Not who she'd been expecting but then again, at least she remembered him?