Canon AU ~ Clarice and Bill beginning

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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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."

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"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?"

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"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?

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"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?"

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

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

"She gonna be alright?"

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"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."

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"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?"

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"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?"

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"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.

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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?

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Bill was halfway into dozing when her sudden movements startled him into alertness.

Getting to his feet, Bill held one hand up to her, palm out, and the other at his side; well away from his holstered weapon.

"Hold on now, s'alright. You're at the hospital, we brought you here t'get fixed up."

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"...I don't often end up in a hospital." she offered a touch wryly. "Sorry." She had manners!

In the fact the most recent time in her memory had been following TJ to the hospital; because she was worried and...yeah, that didn't end well. Poor TJ.

She turned to look at her shoulder and wiggled it a little experimentally. "Nice work. Yours?"

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"S'alright." He lowered his hand, and gave her a small smile.

Shaking his head to her question, Bill tapped the badge on his breast.

"Nah, I'm the sheriff. Doc Mitchell did the fixin'. He said you'll be fine, after some of rest an' all."

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I'll have to thank him." And she would, later. For now she eased back so she could still lean against the bed and sighed. Sheriff...that was law enforcement and they usually didn't like people like her. Vigilante, mutant, Pink, Time skipper: take your pick and they generally didn't like it. That could complicate things because...

...yeah, that bandage on her forearm wasn't the Talus. She was stranded for all intents and purposes now. "You probably have questions." The wry tone was eking into a wry grin. May as well stay friendly right?

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"Quite a few," he said, returning the wryness. "Most of it can probably wait, though. If you wanna lay back down... "

It was a suggestion, wrapped in an offer, and disguising an order.

She was stabbed a little bit ago, so being up and about most likely wasn't the best thing for her now.

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She made a face at him, obviously recognizing the layered order there, then compromised by hitching herself back up onto the bed with her good arm and sitting. "I've been stabbed before," And obviously done MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THEN too.

She crossed her legs, leaned her good elbow on a knee, then flopped her chin into her hand. "So, Mr. Sheriff, ask away. I warn you now though you may or may not like, believe, or understand some of my answers."

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Sitting wasn't laying down, but it was better than her standing so Bill let it go.

Retaking his own seat, Bill bypassed the part about her being stabbed before for a moment, and started with the basics; he had manners, too.

"First I guess is, I'm Bill Pardy. I'd like t'know who you are an' where it is you come from."

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"Clarice Creed," She offered in kind. "A pleasure Mr. Pardy, I think." Maybe. Depended on how he reacted to the next bit.

"I guess the important question to ask you, before I answer the 'where' part is...what does this world know of mutants and mutations?" Otherwise her story would sound very much like science fiction.

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"It is," he replied, hoping that was the truth.

That might not be the case, though, as her question made his head tilt, and his eyes narrow a fraction.

"Mutants? What kind of mutants?"

If she was another one of those space alien hunting weirdos...

Bill had had his fill of those after the slug invasion, and wouldn't hesitate to run another out of town if that's what she was here about.

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She arched an eyebrow in a rather universal 'Really?!' look. Because, really? She lifted her head from her hand in order to use said hand to gesture at herself.

Hello, Pink? And weird? And, oh, pointed ears now that she was tucking hair behind one?

"Considering the lack of lynch mob I was hoping well known enough to be tolerant...or unknown."

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Bill's expression shifted into confusion, and he looked at her shaking his head slightly and arching his shoulders in an obvious 'whu?' gesture.

"You're a mutant."

On top of the confusion there was also skepticism. Because yeah, she was pink, with the ears and carrying around pointy things, but...

Okay, yeah, maybe, but then, what the hell is a mutant?

"What the hell is a mutant?"

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"Unknown then. Right. This will be fun and sound an awful lot like a science fiction movie." She snorted and plopped her chin back in her hand. "A mutant is anyone with an X-gene, X for unknown despite popular idea that it's for 'xeno' or alien. Average humans have a dormant, inactive gene where mine is active and transcribed. Just like some people get blue eyes from genetics, I get pink, and glowy eyes, and teleporting."

She eyed him, trying to judge when she was going to cross the 'holy shit' line here..."Demonstration time? I know I babbled something about teleporting earlier right. Curious?" Yes, she was being very, very open. The sooner she established the 'weirdness' the sooner she'd know if she was safe.