[November 28th] [The Rockford Files-related] Chronicles of a Friendship, 28

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Title: Chronicles of a Friendship, scene 28
Day/Theme: November 28th - "It's my fault we came here in the first place!"
Series: The Rockford Files (using characters from The Queen of Peru episode)
Character/Pairing: Ginger Townsend, Mike Trevino, Lou Trevino
Rating: PG-13/T

Stand-alone piece. The mysterious person attacking them is unknown to them, but in my headcanon I'm kind of set on it being Yami Marik from Yu-Gi-Oh! He likes to come torment people in assorted role-plays and some fics of mine.

Later today, I'll have a lighter, slice-of-life piece for Thanksgiving with these characters on 100songs. This piece was originally supposed to be that way, but the plunnies said otherwise.


By Lucky_Ladybug

The burst of bright light and the tackle out of nowhere were shocking enough. But the sharp, pained cry was absolutely haunting. As Mike hit the dock and lay dazed, his mind replayed it over and over until he felt close to screaming himself.

When he recovered enough to move and look up, he could scarcely do either. A weight was lying horizontally across his stomach, covered in a beige coat.

“Ginger?!” he rasped, weakly. “Ginger, it’s . . . it’s you?”

There was no response. Struck with sickened horror, Mike reached out and laid a shaking hand on Ginger’s shoulder. “Ginger? . . . Oh no. No, please. Not you. Ginger, wake up!”

When there was still no answer, Mike was suddenly dizzy. Ginger had pushed him out of the way of their mysterious attacker’s assault and had taken the hit instead. Mike couldn’t even say what that light had been. It wasn’t a gun or a laser beam. And he remembered some bizarre cackling and the announcement that it was a quite possibly fatal blast of magic.

“What happened?!” he cried. “Why would someone do this?! It’s my fault we’re here. It’s all my fault.”

Not seeing any visible wounds, Mike tried to push on Ginger’s shoulder and turn him over onto Mike’s legs. He fell, limply, his face deathly pale. Shaking, Mike brought his fingers to Ginger’s neck. The pulse was weak, but steady.

“Ginger!” Mike begged again. “Ginger, wake up.” He was nearing the panicking point. His brother’s best friend was lying lifeless on him, chalk-white and showing no signs of hearing him or reviving. The yelp during the tackle had made it very clear that Ginger was badly hurt. But without any sign of injury, and with their insane attacker’s announcement of magic, Mike didn’t have the vaguest idea what to do.

With care Mike pulled his legs out from under Ginger’s body, leaving him lying on the dock. Grabbing out his phone, Mike dialed Lou’s number, both praying for and dreading a pick-up.

“Hello?”

Mike swallowed the cotton in his throat, but it just came back. “Lou,” he choked out. “Lou, it’s awful!”

He could practically feel Lou going tense through the phone. “Mike, what is it?! You and Ginger were supposed to be back by now!”

“I know,” Mike all but sobbed, “but I don’t know if Ginger’s going to make it back at all!”

“WHAT?!” Lou rushed on, not able to calm himself. “Mike, what are you talking about?!”

“We just came out here because Biff said he needed me for something quick,” Mike stammered. “He wouldn’t say what it was, though, and that’s not like him. Ginger thought it sounded suspicious, so he came with me since you were still tied up with work.

“When we got here, Biff wasn’t here and there was just some weirdo who said he’d imitated Biff’s voice to get me out here. He loved that Ginger came too; I don’t know why. Then he said he liked torturing people and we were going to be his next subjects. He tried to blast me with something he said was magic. But Ginger jumped in the way and tackled me and he took the hit on the way down! Now he’s . . . he’s . . . I don’t know! He’s alive, but he’s so pale and he’s not waking up!”

Lou swore in shaken horror and disbelief. “Mike, are you okay?” he demanded.

“Yeah,” Mike said. “But Lou, I don’t know what to do! If it was really magic—and with our luck it probably was—I don’t see how a hospital would help Ginger!”

“It probably couldn’t,” Lou said. “Maybe they’d only make it worse. Mike, just hang on and I’ll be right there. You said in your message that you’d be on the dock at Wharf 15, right?”

“We’re still there,” Mike said.

“Okay. Keep trying to wake Ginger. And pray, Mike. Please.”

“I’m praying,” Mike insisted. “But it hasn’t got Ginger awake.”

“We probably have to do something else too,” Lou said. “I’m heading out the door right now, Mike. Just hang in there.”

Mike closed his eyes tight. “Will you stay on the phone, Lou?”

“Yeah. I have the hands-free thing set up in the car. I’ll put you on Speaker.”

“What do you mean about us having to do something else?” Mike wondered. “You mean like how you were the only one who could get Ginger out of that enchanted death spell because you were the only one who loved him enough?”

“That’s what I mean. But since this attack involved you, maybe you have to be the one to get Ginger out of this.” Lou hesitated. When he next spoke, he sounded bitter and angry and worried from the sheer cruelty of it all. “Maybe you were both led out there because this sicko figured that whichever one of you got hurt, the other wouldn’t care enough about him to save him.”

Mike looked down at Ginger’s body, a new rush of guilt and sorrow sweeping over him. “Ginger sure cared enough about me,” he said softly. “At least because of how much I mean to you.”

“He knows he means a lot to me too,” Lou said. Ginger wouldn’t have knowingly sacrificed himself. He would have had every intention of living as well. But this creature’s attack had been too quick for him.

“What do I do, Lou?” Mike sounded and felt so lost. “I don’t know how to bring him back.”

“I don’t know, either!” Lou wailed. He tried to compose himself. “Maybe . . . maybe you have to care about him for him, and not for me.”

Mike stiffened in alarm. “Lou, I . . . I don’t know if I can do that.” He trembled. “Ginger isn’t my friend. I used to not like him at all.”

“But you like him now, don’t you?” Lou pressed in desperation.

“Because I know he loves you and isn’t trying to use you,” Mike said. “It all comes back to you. He and I already figured out that you’re the one thing that brings us together. You’re the only good thing we see in each other.”

“Okay. Okay, Mike. But . . . you wouldn’t want to see him like this.”

“Just because I can’t stand to see anybody like this,” Mike said.

“I don’t think so. Think about it, Mike. Really think about it. Think about Ginger in specific lying there all hurt. Think about him being up and around, his usual self. And then think about him the way he is now. You can’t stand that because of him in specific, can you?”

Mike stiffened. He bit his lip, taking Lou’s words to heart. He thought of Ginger walking around his and Lou’s house, calm and peaceable. He thought of Ginger with Lou, showing his love and concern for his friend.

But then other, less pleasant images leapt into his mind without his permission. He thought of Ginger giving him a silent stare or even snapping and screaming at him, pushing him against the wall. He thought of Ginger with his guns, going berserk on some of their enemies.

He looked down, seeing Ginger so ashen and limp. He could no longer attack anyone or give Mike one of those creepy stares. He couldn’t move or speak or even know what was going on around him. He couldn’t be with Lou or be happy ever again.

He would just be a lifeless shell, not dead, but certainly not really alive.

And even seeing him at his most frightening would be preferable to that.

“No!” Mike finally cried. “No, I can’t stand it. Ginger, please, wake up. Come back. Please just come back, even if you’re mad at me. Please . . . !”

In the car, Lou gripped the steering wheel, praying in desperation and anguish.

And finally he heard a weak, familiar groan.

Mike dropped the phone, but Lou didn’t even wince at the clatter. “Ginger!” Mike exclaimed. “Ginger, are you awake? Are you okay?!”

Ginger lay on the dock, squinting up at Mike and looking confused as well as irritated at the loud noise. He raised a hand to his aching forehead. “What are you on about?”

Lou breathed a joyous prayer of thanks.

Mike’s shoulders slumped in his relief. Right now, in this moment, Ginger didn’t seem so scary.

“You got hurt trying to save me,” Mike reminded him. “And I . . . we . . . didn’t know if you’d ever wake up.”

“We?” Ginger grunted.

“Oh. Lou’s on the phone,” Mike explained. “He’s driving out here. He helped me figure out what to try to do to wake you up.”

Ginger gave a weak nod and closed his eyes. “Lou?” he half-mumbled, half-called.

Mike grabbed the phone, holding it up to Ginger’s ear. After a moment Ginger took it with his free hand.

“I’m here, Buddy,” Lou assured him. “It’s really good to hear your voice. I think even Mike’s happy.”

Ginger opened his eyes again, as though finding the very thought utterly preposterous. But as he looked to Mike, the younger man gave a vigorous nod.

“Ginger, I was really upset,” Mike confessed. “Lou figured out it was some new kind of enchantment spell and I couldn’t stand to think of you never waking up. . . .”

“It would certainly devastate Lou,” Ginger said.

Mike ducked his head. “It wasn’t just because of Lou,” he said. “I just . . . it was too sad thinking of you like that. . . .”

“Mike really saved your life, Ginger,” Lou said, sounding proud. “And you saved him before that.”

Ginger gazed up at the night sky, thinking about that. “I suppose we saved each other at that,” he conceded. “Even though it is unheard-of to think about.”

The car pulled up at that moment and Lou got out, hurrying over to them. Ginger looked to him, hanging up the phone and trying to sit up. Mike reached to help him and Ginger allowed it, slumping half-against him as Lou arrived and knelt beside them.

“Let’s get you home,” Lou said, relieved to see that Ginger was awake and relatively well. He was still a bit pale, but Lou imagined that a lot of color had returned since he had come out of the spell.

“Let’s,” Ginger agreed.

Lou drew an arm around Ginger’s shoulders. With Mike’s help, they managed to get Ginger on his feet and help him to the car.

“The only thing that concerns me now is who that madman was,” Ginger frowned.

“Did you see what he looked like at all?” Lou asked.

“He stayed in the shadows,” Mike said. “We just heard his voice. It was really deep.”

“Most likely, this wasn’t a one-time misfortune,” Ginger said. “He knew exactly what he was doing. And since he could even imitate Michael’s boss, he’s apparently studied us for quite some time.”

Lou opened the passenger door and eased Ginger into the seat. “That’s just beyond outrageous,” he said angrily. “When he comes around again, we’ll have to be ready for him.”

“If it’s possible,” Ginger said.

Lou sighed. “Ginger, how are you doing?” he asked in concern. “This isn’t like when that crazy rock got you sick and you were better after the judgment. You’re still weak.”

Ginger sighed too, leaning back in the seat. “I’ll be alright,” he said. “Being struck hard with anything, even bloody magic, knocks you for a loop.”

“I’m really sorry, Ginger,” Mike said regretfully. “If I’d listened to you about it being suspicious when ‘Biff’ called, maybe we wouldn’t have gone out there and you wouldn’t have had to jump in to protect me.”

“Then he would have only tried other tactics to get at us until something finally worked,” Ginger said tiredly. “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“I guess we all have a habit of doing that,” Lou said. “But it’s because we all care about each other and can’t stand being responsible for hurting any of the others.”

Ginger and Mike considered that. “I guess,” Mike said.

He straightened. “I’ll let you get Ginger back, Lou. I’ll follow behind with my car and make sure you get back safe.”

“Okay, Mike,” Lou said, shutting the passenger door and walking around to the driver’s side. “Thanks.” He smiled. “Maybe we can all be a family yet.”

Ginger reached and rolled down the window as soon as Lou started the engine. “Thank you, Michael, for saving my life.” He looked to Lou. “And you, Lou, for guiding him through it.”

“I’m just glad I could do it, Ginger,” Mike said. “I didn’t know if I could until Lou started hitting some nerves and I realized the truth.”

He stepped back, allowing Lou to drive off. Then, happy, he went to his car and got in, following after them all the way back to their home.