Superpowers Can't Fix Everything (an Alphas fic starring Rachel)-- Part 3 up 9/9/13

[wannablessedbe]

Hey guys!

I have recently been suffering from some end-of-summer boredom; so I started watching a new show on syfy (not new new, just new to me) called Alphas. It's really good--basically has the same premise as Heroes, so if you liked that show you'll probably like this one too! I know a lot of you, my awesome readers, don't mind if I write about characters you're unfamiliar with; but let me give you a very basic sketch of the scene here so you're not totally lost.

Here is how the syfy site describes Rachel: a pretty, timid girl in her early twenties, sheltered from society by her protective parents. Rachel is a "synesthete", which allows her to enhance one sense while rendering her remaining senses temporarily useless—often leaving her vulnerable to danger. (Here's a pic of her hotness.) I was intrigued by the idea of writing a sneeze fic for her because of the nature of her powers...what would a cold feel like for someone who could smell blood a mile away? They also show how debilitated she was by her super-senses before Dr. Rosen (the head dude) found her and trained her; so all together you can see how this notion piqued my curiosity. Also she's sooooo pretty... <3

And since it was impossible for me to write this story without including the other main characters, here's a one-line intro for each of them:

Dr. Rosen: in-charge kindly psychiatrist guy. Not an alpha, no powers.

Bill: big burly dude with super-strength

Hicks: hyperkenesis (superpowered hand-eye coordination)

Nina: influencing others (she can overpower another's will by making eye contact)

Gary: transducer (aka human antenna)-- he can see electronic frequencies (ie cell phone signals, tv, radio, internetz, etc). also, he is autistic.

OK that should be enough to make sense of my story. I hope you'll all enjoy a little change of pace!

cheers,

--WBB

….................................................................................................................................................................

Superpowers Can't Fix Everything

An Alphas fic for SFF

Starring Rachel Pirzad, the super-sensory girl

….................................................................................................................................................................

“Everybody shut up. I'm trying to listen,” Rachel Pirzad hissed to her teammates, crouched low in a stairwell and bickering among themselves over how best to move in on the alpha they'd been tracking all day, currently somewhere above them in a busy midtown manhattan office tower. Bill and Hicks were always ready to bust down a door and ask questions later; confident that their physical prowess or Nina's ability to dominate another's will would be enough to save them. But Rachel knew brute force wasn't always called for. Her power was less straightforward, less instantaneous. But if she could make them stop and listen to her for a minute, she could save them all from unnecessary bloodshed, on both sides.

Reluctantly, the rest of the team stopped bickering and fell silent, waiting respectfully while the quiet Iranian girl channeled all her senses, pushing all her perception into her ears and shutting down vision, smell, taste and touch. If she could isolate their target's location, they could avoid unnecessary civilian casualties. That was why she was here—a field agent—rather than sitting behind a desk analyzing evidence for the NSA. This was what made her an alpha.

“Well? What do you hear, Rach?” Nina asked anxiously, squeezing her shoulder to bring her back from her trance. When the super-sensory girl was doing a scan, it could be near impossible to get her attention back before she was ready. “We gotta move here.”

“I...” Rachel shook her head dazedly, her dark eyes going suddenly out of focus. Her super-hearing snapped back suddenly into her head as her other senses all re-emerged in a rush, bringing along an intense, irrepressible tickle, deep in the back of her nose. She couldn't listen anymore; she couldn't talk, or move, or shut down the irksome tickle, the way she normally could do with any of her senses at will. And she knew exactly why. No, no, no, she prayed silently; because when she caught a cold, she went from super-powered to super-useless in the blink of an eye.

“I...*snfl*...hht'chxeww!!” She shuddered visibly when she pitched forward and sneezed, one hand cupped firmly to her mouth and pressing up against the underside of her nose, still trying to muffle the tickle. But it was no good. Inside her head felt damp and itchy, her ears were ringing, and she could taste the cold germs in the back of her throat. Dammit, dammit, dammit.

“Bless you Rachel,” Gary chirped beside her, turning away from his constant field of electronic signals for a moment while she wiped her nose on her hand and groaned softly. “That's what you say when someone sneezes. It's polite.” He nodded to himself, pleased with his demonstration of social niceties, and went back to tracing their target's cell phone signal.

“Thanks, Gary,” she sighed, with another sharp sniffle. The tickle that had made her sneeze was still there; less intense, but still overwhelmingly distracting for the girl who could read The New York Times over someone's shoulder from ten blocks away, or smell blood across the length of a football field.

“We're running out of time, people,” Bill reminded them, pointing his gun defensively up the stairwell. “Where's our perp, Rach? What do you hear?”

“Uhhm...crap...I can't...” The dark-haired girl shook her head apologetically, blinking and rubbing her eyes. “I don't know...”

“We're wasting time. We gotta move,” Hicks growled, taking a step forward and nodding to the other four. “Bill, Nina”—

“Wait! I got it! I got the signal,” Gary yelped, dancing excitedly on the spot and moving his hands rapidly in front of his face, manipulating and exploring the cell phone signal that only he could see. “He's on the fifth floor, corner office. Northwest corner. Excellent sunsets, excellent natural light.”

“Good work, man,” Bill nodded, clapping Gary on the shoulder, and nodding back toward Rachel, who still didn't look like she was paying attention. “You two get out of here and go wait in the car, okay? Hicks, Nina, let's go get this guy before he hurts anyone else.”

“No, we can help! I helped!” Gary yelped indignantly, his usual obstinacy at taking orders from anyone but Dr. Rosen rearing its head at once. “I found the signal!”

“I know you did, man,” Bill nodded. “You did your part, you did what no one else could do. Now you gotta let us do our part. If he gets past us, we're gonna need you to track him all over again, and for that you gotta be alive. Can you dig it?” The muscular black man and the skinny autistic boy stared at each other for a moment; then Gary nodded.

“I can dig it. I can dig it,” he agreed, bobbing his head. “Come on Rachel, let's go wait in the van. We did our part. Well actually, I did my part, but you didn't do your part because you sneezed when you were supposed to be listening. But that's okay, because I found the signal. I found it. Do you have a cold? You probably have a cold. I never heard you sneeze before.”

“Come on, Gary,” Rachel sighed, blushing slightly as she took the autistic boy by the hand and lead him dejectedly back toward the parking lot.

….......................................................................

An hour later, the perp was in custody and they were all back at the office, sitting around the conference room for their usual post-assignment debrief. Rachel was still feeling woozy and distracted by what would be, for any other human being, the onset of mild cold symptoms; but for the super-sensory girl, it was like being flipped upside down and shaken back and forth while someone poured glue in your ears and stuffed feathers up your nose. She was completely disoriented and discombobulated, so much that she couldn't control or shut down her individual senses the way she normally could. It made her feel like a child, the way she'd been constantly at the mercy of her overwhelming, amped-up senses back then; before she met Dr. Rosen and learned some control.

In short, she was utterly incapacitated and currently useless to her team. All because of a stupid, lousy, everyday common cold. Through the fog of misery and woozy congestion, she felt a hot wave of shame rising up in the pit of her stomach for being so childishly pathetic; and all she could do as the others talked was drop her head in her hand and stare vacantly at the table, glassy-eyed and dizzy.

“...with no civilian casualties. I call that a win,” Hicks was saying. It was so incredibly hard to pay attention to what the others were saying, as the teasing tickle in her nose began to well up again; she could feel the thin trail of snot sliding down from her sinuses into her nasal passages, making her nostrils flare open in abject irritation, and her eyes tear up and flutter woozily.

“Rachel? Are you all right?” Dr. Rosen asked kindly, causing the others to suddenly notice how checked-out the dark-haired girl was, sitting in her chair and staring off into space with an unfocused expression, a little crinkle appearing between her eyebrows.

“Uhh...yeah,” she nodded absently, rubbing a finger lightly under her nose with a soft sniffle, desperately trying to quiet the tickle in her head before it overwhelmed her other senses. “I'mb...*snfl*...f-fide...uhhtchshh!!! 'Tscheww!! *Snfl.*” Once again, the helpless desperation behind her sneezes made her shiver as she pitched forward, hands cupped absentmindedly to her face to shield her friends from the snot and germs she could feel blasting from her damp nose. “Ughh...egscuse be,” she sighed softly behind her hands, her head spinning dizzily.

“Bless you Rachel!” Gary chirped again, looking up from his field notes and frowning at the rest of them. “You're supposed to say bless you when someone sneezes. It's polite. Rachel sneezed three times today and nobody else said bless you but me. You're all very rude.”

“Rachel?” Dr. Rosen prompted again, his voice kind but firm as he raised an eyebrow at her glassy-eyed expression. “I think you'd better take the rest of the day off. The rest of the week, to be safe. You should've told me sooner.”

“I'mb sorry,” the sniffling girl whined softly, putting her head down against the cool table. “We were...*snfl*...right in the middle of the bust. I didn't...didn't wanna mess it all up,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

“Which is exactly why you should've called me,” The older man pointed out, patting her shoulder consolingly.

“I'm sorry, am I missing something?” Hicks asked, raising an eyebrow in frank confusion. “It's not like she's giving us all leprosy or anything. She's just got a cold, right? Since when is that grounds for kicking someone off a case?”

“Ahh, well, for most of us, it's not,” Rosen shrugged, going over to one of the cabinets in the kitchenette area, and bringing back a box of tissues. “But for Rachel, it's a different story. You know you all have different weaknesses—or flipsides, if you prefer—to your gifts. Her particular alpha abilities, being so enmeshed in her senses, are disoriented and drastically impaired by illness; particularly respiratory ailments, since they impact the ears, nose and throat all at once. Right now, frankly, she might as well be drugged. Even a mild cold has the same effect on her as a heavy narcotic.” He pushed the tissues toward the cranky, woozy girl who still had her head down on the table. She groaned as she picked her head up, grabbing a tissue and pinching it to her runny nose with a soft sniffle.

“Ughh...crap...this is embarrassing,” she whined, closing her eyes as a fresh wave of dizziness rolled over her, accompanied by a seashell-like white noise echoing inside her head, which meant her ears were getting stuffed up, too. “I'mb sorry, guys. Didn't wanna...be the weak link. *Snfl.*” She wiped the crumpled tissue absently under her nose. The room was beginning to spin around her, and she closed her eyes again.

“Rach, stop talking. You are not the weak link,” Nina tutted, getting up and crossing to her roommate's side, squeezing her shoulder in commiseration. “C'mon, I'll take you home, okay? You really don't look like you should be driving.” Rachel sighed, and nodded miserably, leaning dizzily into her friend's side as she stood up.

“Can't even handle...a stupid cold...” Her nostrils quivered as the ruthless tickle welled up and overtook the inside of her head, millions of tiny germs dancing up and down against her clogged sinuses and sending slippery snot down her nasal passages. “Aah...aht'chshiew!!!” She sneezed again, jerking forward weakly with the crumpled tissue pressed firmly to the snot-slicked underside of her nose. “Ughhh,” she moaned softly, too dizzy to be embarrassed now for leaning so heavily on Nina's shoulder. White noise pounded loudly in her ears, a result of the disruptive pressure of her congested sneeze.

“Bless you,” everyone said sympathetically. No one laughed or teased her; but she still felt her dark skin flushing pink with shame as she stumbled down the hall towards the elevators, leaning woozily on Nina's shoulder.

“Feel better, kiddo. Enjoy your mini-vacation,” Bill chuckled, patting her on the back as they passed.

“Yeah, no worries Rach. We all know what it's like when our alpha powers get out of hand. Just take it easy,” Hicks advised, gathering up her purse and jacket and handing both to Nina for safekeeping. “We'll still be here when you get back.”

“Thadks, guys,” she sighed softly, still staring down at her shoes. “I'mb really...s-sorry...” She pressed the crumpled tissue in her hand back to her stuffy nostrils, feeling them open wide in anticipation of another desperately ticklish sneeze. Every droplet of mucus that dripped out of her sinuses made her nose quiver in irritation; she could hear, and feel, the congested wheeze deep inside her chest as her breath sucked in, and her eyes squeezed helplessly shut. “Aah...*snfl*...iiishOOoo!!” Her head felt like it was turning inside out as she sneezed desperately into her cupped hand; her ears pounded, colored lights exploded behind her closed eyes, and the floor seemed to wobble under her feet.

“Whoa! Bless you,” Nina chuckled, wrapping her arm more firmly around her friend's waist as the shorter girl stumbled unsteadily with the force of her stuffy sneeze. “You okay? I mean, I know you're not okay, but are you gonna make it to the car?”

“Uhhh...yeah. M'okay,” Rachel mumbled, her cheeks blushing even redder behind her dark coffee-colored skin. “Just...little dizzy...” She sniffled softly and dropped her head back down against Nina's shoulder, too lightheaded to refuse the physical support her friend was offering, no matter how pathetic it made her feel. Nina rubbed her back consolingly and kissed the top of her head, silently letting her know it was okay.

“Feel better, Rachel. That's what you say to someone when they're sick,” Gary explained importantly, jabbing the elevator button for them and bobbing up and down on the spot as they waited. “I hate being sick, it's so boring. I don't like staying home when everyone else is at work. My mom always gives me purple Kool-Aid to make me feel better, but it's only a special treat for when you're sick, because it's not healthy for your body to have sugary drinks all the time. Nina, you should give her purple Kool-Aid, definitely. She'll feel much better.”

“Thanks, Gary. We'll try that,” Nina grinned, pulling Rachel bodily into the elevator as it opened and sparing her from having to interact with her teammates any further.

“I suuuuck,” Rachel sighed miserably when the they were alone in the elevator, slightly less self-conscious now that it was just her and Nina.

“Will you stop saying that?” Nina demanded, ruffling her dark hair with a sympathetic grin. “You know we all have weird weaknesses with our powers. Flipsides, like Dr. Rosen always says. So, yeah, maybe you can't deal when you catch a cold; but I have to remind myself every minute of every day that it's not okay to assert my will over every person I make eye contact with. It's like being a recovering alcoholic. And Bill's power can give him a damn heart attack if he doesn't keep it in check. Seriously, which of those options would you choose? You don't have anything to be embarrassed about, Rach.”

“I know...I know you're right,” the Iranian girl sighed despondently, rubbing her forehead. “I just hate feeling so helpless, so useless...like a little kid you all have to protect. I just wanna go home and crawl under a blanket...'till my head stops feeling like the inside of a pinball machine.” She sniffled and wiped her nose on the wadded remains of the tissue she held.

“Aww, sweetie. C'mon, let's go home and I'll make you some tea, and you can hide under the blankets 'till you feel better. 'Kay?”

“Oh...*snfl*...okay...hhet'chshxiew!!!” She cupped a hand absently to her face to shield her friend from her congested sneeze; eyes closed, head spinning dizzily. She was out of tissues now, and the ticklish sensation of snot leaking gently from her nostrils made them quiver and flare all over again. “Hh...hhuh...*snfl*...ehhishhew!! IiishhOOoo!!! Aah'chhiew!!” Rachel sneezed helplessly, finger pressed to the wet underside of her nose to help relieve the irrepressible tickle. “Ughh, God dambit. *Snfl.*”

“Bless you, Rach,” Nina murmured gently; and this time she knew enough to tighten her hold on the smaller girl's waist, basically holding her up while she sniffled and whimpered woozily, swaying unsteadily on her feet.

“Are there, like...stars spinning around my head right now?” Rachel whined, her eyes still closed as she leaned heavily on Nina's arm. “I feel like a cartoon character...that just had a piano dropped on their head.”

“No stars,” Nina chuckled, gently threading her fingers through her friend's silky dark hair. “Poor thing, you really do look like you're gonna pass out any minute. C'mon, into the car, let's go.”

“Thadks, Nina,” Rachel yawned, rubbing her wet nose roughly on the back of her wrist with another juicy sniffle. “I'mb really glad you're my roommate.”

“Me too, Rach. Even if you get your snot all over my fancy sheets.” Nina was pleased to see a small, wry smile finally appear on her friend's face as they climbed into the car and headed home.

Edited September 10, 2013 by wannablessedbe

[silentdreamer789]

Ah, I love Alphas! Great fic, really interesting take on Rachel's powers

[Yuuki]

aww never seen alphas but like the fic

[SneezeloveronGirls]

It sounds like Rachel will be infecting Nina. Please Continue

[wannablessedbe]

hey guys!

so, I wasn't gonna write any more parts for this, because it's a somewhat obscure ship and hardly anyone had commented after part 1...but then something amazing happened. I saw this clip of Nina and Rachel making out. Yes, I know, that was mind control and not an actual relationship...but OMGZzzz. Fantasy fodder nonetheless. Plus, it does seem interesting that the first thing to cross Nina's mind during her misuse-of-power spree is to make Rachel kiss her...and Rachel's response wasn't exactly the zombie-like obedience that you'd expect from a mind-control victim, either. Homegirl was into it. Seemed more like Nina just had to give her a tiny push. Not that I am advocating mind-control-rape, of course...it's syfy, okay? The point is, Rachel and Nina made out, and it was HOT. And here is another part of this story. (Still G-rated, don't worry!)

Cheers,

--WBB

…..................................................................................................................................................................

Superpowers Can't Fix Everything

Part 2

…..................................................................................................................................................................

“Aah...*snfl*...ahhh'iishoo!!” Rachel sneezed dazedly into a fresh tissue, shivering under the warm blanket Nina had bundled her up in on the couch. She blew softly into the tissue, then gently wiped her nose as she drew it away and tossed it in the little plastic trash bin that had been placed beside the coffee table at her request.

“Bless you, sweetie,” Nina cooed gently, padding in from the kitchen carrying a tray with hot tea, an ear thermometer, and a package of cold pills, and placing it on the coffee table as she sat beside her sniffling friend on the couch. “Here, I brought some stuff to help you feel better. Let's just take your temp before anything else...you're shaking like a leaf, I know you've got a fever.”

“It's probably nothing,” Rachel grumbled crankily, snatching a fresh tissue and pressing it lightly to the damp underside of her nose. She didn't rub, or pinch, or blow; she just held it there, putting the lightest possible pressure on her runny nose as it quivered irritably, and her eyes welled up and fell shut. “Hhuh...hhhhhih...t'chhxiew!! *Snfl.*” She looked so helpless when she sneezed, Nina thought affectionately; of course, everyone did, but there was something about sweet, woozy Rachel with a sniffle in her nose that was just extra-strength adorable. She was so dazed, so lost in sensation every time that sneezy feeling started to well up in her stuffy nose, like the tickle consumed her entire being; because for Rachel, it probably did.

“Bless you Rach,” Nina hummed sympathetically, gently slipping the ear thermometer into the smaller girl's ear while she was still woozily blowing her nose.

“Ow,” Rachel whined softly behind her tissue, flinching slightly away from the plastic device being inserted into her ear canal.

“Oh! Sorry,” Nina bit her lip anxiously, yanking the thermometer back like it was on fire. “I was trying to be gentle.”

“You are being gentle,” Rachel sighed, dropping her head back miserably against the pillows. “I'mb just being a baby. It's okay, you can...*snfl*...you can put it back in. I wod't...*snf*...wod't mbove.”

“Okay,” Nina agreed, leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to the sniffling girl's warm temple, then very gently slipping the thermometer back into her ear. She did still flinch a little when the end of the thermometer touched her ear canal; but she didn't say anything, and Nina knew she couldn't help it. It only took a few seconds to register, and then the little beep made Rachel wince and jerk back all over again.

“99.8?” Nina frowned suspiciously at the readout. “I don't think that can be right. You're all sweaty and shivering, you look like you're gonna pass out. Maybe it needs new batteries or something.”

“No, I'm sure it's right,” Rachel sighed, closing her eyes again and rubbing her forehead absently with one hand. “This is what a little cold looks like on me...like Dr. Rosen said. It doesn't take much to knock me on my ass. Thank God I've got a super-powered immune system too, because I...hhuh...I d-don't think I could handle anything worse than this, anyway...*snfl*...aht'chsheww!!” Another hitching, desperately ticklish sneeze snapped her forward on the couch, tissue cupped woozily to her runny nose as Nina laid a reassuring hand on her back. “Uhhhh,” she whimpered, leaning woozily into her friend's arm and basically collapsing against her side. “Everything's spinning...*snfl.*”

“Bless you, poor baby,” Nina murmured, her voice growing softer as she took in the extent to which Rachel's senses were currently over-sensitized. Normally she could dial them back when she wanted to, just to get through the day, and amp them up only when she needed to; but right now it was obvious that she had no control at all. Like she was drugged, disoriented and completely out of sorts, like Dr. Rosen had warned them before. Nina sighed sympathetically, wrapping an arm firmly around the sniffling girl and kissing the top of her head. “I've got some cold medicine for you, okay? Then you can get some rest.”

Rachel opened her eyes, glanced at the package of cold pills on the tray, and closed them again. “I can't take those,” she mumbled, groping absently for a fresh tissue. But her hand only knocked the box sideways a little, and Nina grabbed one for her, smiling at her best friend's obvious wooziness, and pressing the tissue gently into her hand. “Uhh, thadks,” Rachel sighed, wiping her nose with a soft sniffle.

“You're welcome, sweetie. So, no cold meds?”

“Uh-uh,” Rachel shook her head slightly. “They're too strong, they'll knock me out 'till next Tuesday. I can only take the kids' stuff.”

“Ohhh. I should have guessed,” Nina smiled, charmed by this extra layer of quirky adorableness, and pleased that Rachel had finally stopped apologizing for her unique needs when she explained it. “Well that's okay, I'll go get you some. Be right back, 'kay?”

“Noooooo,” Rachel whined, burying her face in the taller girl's side and grabbing a fistful of her t-shirt. “Don't go, please Nina. I feel better when you're touching me.”

“Okay, shh,” Nina agreed softly, feeling a slight blush rise in her pale cheeks at her roommate's unusual forthrightness as Rachel wormed tighter against her. “I got you Rach, I'm not going anywhere...I'm right here,” she murmured softly, threading her fingers lightly through Rachel's dark hair and kissing the top of her head.

“Thandks,” Rachel mumbled. “I mean, for everything. Taking me home, and just...being here. You have no idea how much it's helping. *Sngfh.*” She dropped another barely-used tissue in the trash, and grabbed a fresh one; at this rate, she was going to use up the whole box by bedtime. If it were anyone else, Nina would've scolded them to be less wasteful; but with Rachel, she understood. The synesthetic girl could see germs, so it made sense that she'd have a hard time wiping her nose on something that was, to her eye, already covered with her cold germs. Nina just made a mental note to add kleenex to her list of things to pick up from the corner drug store once Rachel was asleep.

“You don't have to thank me, Rach. I wanna be here for you,” Nina smiled softly, playing absently with a lock of Rachel's long, silky hair. “I really...really care about you, you know.” She felt the shorter girl pick up her head woozily to look up at her; but for a minute Nina was too shy to look back. Nina Theroux, the shy one? No one else would ever have believed that.

“Mbe too,” Rachel said finally, with a drowsy, glassy-eyed smile. Then her expression went blank, and she cupped a hand to her face, too woozy to even reach for a tissue. “Hhetshhih!! *Snfl.*” She sneezed dazedly against Nina's shoulder, shuddering from head to toe as her runny nose mashed up against the palm of her hand, dribbling snot.

“Bless youuuu,” Nina hummed softly, biting back a little giggle as she reached forward and grabbed the tissues off the coffee table, depositing the whole box directly in Rachel's lap.

“Ughhhh...*snfl*...thags,” Rachel croaked out woozily, nose pressed to a fresh tissue. Her eyes were still completely out of focus.

“Poor thing, you really are out of it,” Nina sighed. “C'mon, lie back on me and close your eyes, you need to rest. I'll even sing you a lullaby if you want.”

“Doe, I cand't...I'mb being selfish,” Rachel whined, pulling out another tissue and blowing her nose softly, eyes scrunched up tight. “I'mb getting my germs all over you...I should go upstairs to my room. And you...*snfl*...you should take off those clothes, and get straight in the shower.”

“Rachel, I'm not gonna do that,” Nina chuckled, almost enjoying the bewildered puppydog expression in the other girl's dark eyes. “You're sick and miserable, and I don't think you can even stand up on your own anymore. I'm not leaving you like this, okay? So go ahead and snot all over me, I can take it.”

“I can't,” Rachel whined, grabbing a fresh tissue from the box and nuzzling it very lightly against her damp nostrils. “Aah...*snfl*...iiishhoo!! AahishhOOoo!!! *Snf, snfl.*” Dizziness forced her to lean into Nina's arm again as she sneezed helplessly into her tissues, brightly colored lights exploding behind her eyes that connected to the vibration of her sneezes, making her nose tickle even more. “Uhhhh...”

“Shh, it's okay sweet girl. I got you,” Nina hummed, gathering the shivering girl up in the blankets and running her fingertips lightly up and down Rachel's arm. “It's all okay...I'm not leaving you, Rachel. So just deal with it.”

“But my germs are already all over you,” Rachel whined, rubbing her eyes as she pulled back slightly, too weak and limp to resist any more than that. “I can...*snfl*...I can see them...”

“I know you can, baby. But just because you're the only one who can see them, doesn't make it your job to protect the rest of the world from every single germ in existence. I know they're there, okay? I just don't care. This is what people who care about each other do. And if I catch your damn cold, it's not like I'll die. So please...” Nina leaned in and kissed the sniffling girl lightly on the forehead; then she reached up a hand, and gently wiped a thin trickle of snot from the underside of Rachel's damp nose with the pad of her thumb. “Stop resisting.”

“Uhhh...” Rachel blinked, trying to respond, but utterly unable to force her mouth to form words as her sensitive nostrils quivered and flared in irritation from the gentle touch. Nina pressed a fresh tissue into her hand, and kissed her temple as she sniffled and hitched helplessly.“I...h-hhuh...hh'tishhew!! *Snfl*...aah'chshx!!!” She shivered and sneezed woozily against the taller girl's side, too dizzy to hold her head up while it felt as if it were turning inside out with ticklish sneezes, and vibrating colored lights danced across the back of her eyes.

“God bless you,” Nina murmured gently, stroking Rachel's soft hair again while she blew her nose.

“Thadks,” Rachel sniffled, closing her heavy eyes with a woozy yawn as she settled back down against Nina's warm side. “I guess I will...close my eyes for a minute...if you're sure you...*snfl*...you really don't mind.”

“I'm sure,” Nina hummed.

“Uhhh...'kay...” Rachel mumbled drowsily; then after another quiet minute of having her hair stroked, she was fast asleep, her breathing soft and even.

“I love you, stupid,” Nina whispered, kissing the top of her sleeping friend's head one more time.

[tFM!]

Just logged into to tell you that this is awesome! I don't watch the show, but I'm really enjoying this

[wannablessedbe]

Just logged into to tell you that this is awesome! I don't watch the show, but I'm really enjoying this

thx dear! i appreciate that

[NCLV]

I love Alphas, and I was just wondering last night about poor Rachel catching colds . . . can I just tell you how happy it would make me to see this rounded off with a part three? . . . with contagion? Anyway, love this! Very well done!

[wannablessedbe]

I love Alphas, and I was just wondering last night about poor Rachel catching colds . . . can I just tell you how happy it would make me to see this rounded off with a part three? . . . with contagion? Anyway, love this! Very well done!

hey thanks, nclv! I would have just msg'd you privately for this, but as you may have already noted, newbies can't send or receive private msgs while being vetted. but I just wanted to say thanks and welcome aboard! I wasn't gonna write any more parts for this story, just because it seemed like no one was reading...only because no one knows about the awesomeness that is alphas...but since you asked so nicely, I think I will have to add one final part!

cheers,

--wbb

Edited September 9, 2013 by wannablessedbe

[tFM!]

Hey, I'm always down for one more part!

[wannablessedbe]

Hey, I'm always down for one more part!

thx miss funkymutt. I know I can always count on you! ;p

[wannablessedbe]

ok guys! here is a gift for my most loyal readers. hope you enjoy!

…..................................................................................................................................................................

Superpowers Can't Fix Everything

Part 3

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Once Rachel fell asleep on the couch, she was out like a light for the rest of the afternoon. Nina stayed put for as long as she could, cuddling the sleeping girl's limp body and stroking her hair with the lightest possible touch. Nina started to feel sleepy herself after a while, as the daylight faded and the warmth of Rachel's sleeping body grew stronger; then her head started to hurt, and her throat felt a little raw, too. But every time she started to drift off, Rachel would cough or sniffle softly in her sleep, and Nina would jerk awake in a terror that the younger girl was about to stop breathing all together. There was no guidebook for taking care of a sick alpha...and even though Nina knew rationally that Rachel just had a cold, that even if it looked bad, she wasn't truly in any more danger than any other normal human would be; it was still nearly impossible not to worry and fret over her continually. As soon as Nina would start to relax and drift off, she saw terrifying images in her mind of Rachel gasping and unable to breathe, and then any little sniffly sound the sleeping girl made would jerk Nina awake again in a burst of sleep-dazed anxiety.

Finally, around 8pm Nina roused herself from her half-asleep stupor to make some dinner (or, more likely, order take-out). She slipped out from under her roommate's sleeping body on the couch, and stumbled into the kitchen to gulp down a cold glass of water and a couple of Tylenol for her pounding head. Then she remembered that Rachel still hadn't had any cold medicine, either; after admitting that she could only take the kids' stuff, she hadn't let Nina up again to run out to the store, begging her to stay on the couch and cuddle a little longer. And who on earth could possibly say no to cuddling with Rachel?

With a sigh, Nina slipped on her jacket, not caring for once how rumpled and disheveled she looked underneath, and dragged herself out the door and around the corner to the neighborhood pharmacy, where she stockpiled a variety of children's cold medicine, some sore throat drops, and the softest, lotion-infused tissues she could find, along with a box of rainbow colored popsicles. It was a 15-minute trip at most, but she still rushed out of the store and ran all the way home, worried that Rachel would wake up woozy and alone and think she'd been abandoned.

Luckily, when Nina stumbled back into the loft, sweaty and panting, Rachel was still fast asleep on the couch, her breathing soft and even and just a little bit congested. Once the taller girl was convinced there was no immediate emergency, she dropped her bags in the kitchen and put everything away, bringing out a dose of medicine, a cold bottle of water and a fresh box of ultra-soft tissues back to the living room, where Rachel was still snuggled up on the couch, snoring softly. Nina hated to wake the sleeping girl, but she knew that some medicine (and, even more importantly, fluids) would help her feel better; and if she didn't wake up from her nap soon, she'd probably end up waking up in the middle of the night and messing up her sleep cycle.

“Heyyy, sleepyhead,” Nina murmured, sitting down on the edge of the couch and running a hand lightly through Rachel's dark hair. “Time to wake up, sweetness...I've got some goodies here for you.”

“Ughh,” Rachel whined softly, burying her face in the pillow as if to shut out the waking world. “No, please...I can't...” She sniffled softly, and coughed into the pillow, shivering weakly.

“Shh, it's okay Rach. You don't have to get up, you don't have to do anything...I'm right here, honey,” Nina cooed, continuing to stroke the younger girl's silky hair.

“Ninaaa,” Rachel whimpered, curling up closer to her and pressing her face against her roommate's knee. “I really don't feel good...it's so hot in here, everything's...*snfl*...everything's s-spinning...*snfl*...hhet'chshhew!!” She sneezed breathlessly against Nina's leg, one hand cupped absently to her face; but Nina could still feel the blast of snot against her knee (not that it bothered her in the slightest).

“Bless you, sweetie pie,” the taller girl cooed sweetly, grabbing a tissue from the newly opened box and gently, very gently, leaning down and wiping Rachel's runny nose, and lightly feeling her forehead. It was quite warm; her fever was definitely getting worse. Nina silently kicked herself for letting the entire afternoon go by without getting any medicine into her, even if her symptoms hadn't seemed that severe earlier. Because for Rachel, even a little fever and a stuffy nose had made her so miserable and dizzy, she'd had to leave work in the middle of the day. However bad a normal person felt when they caught a cold, for Rachel it was sure to be a hundred times worse. Her alpha power was her blessing and her curse all rolled into one, and Nina had been so sure that she was the one person—the one person who understood, and could take care of her best friend when no one else could.

“Poor baby, I'm so sorry you're so sick and miserable. It's all my fault, I should have made you take something as soon as we got home,” Nina sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose sleepily. Her headache was still spreading across the back of her eyes, making her whole head pound dully. It wasn't as bad as the headaches she got when she used her powers too much; but it wasn't exactly a walk in the park, either.

“It's...*snghf*...it's ndot your fault, Nina,” Rachel sighed, still holding onto the tissue Nina had just used to wipe her nose when she sneezed. “This is...hhuh...j-just how it goes when...*snfl*...whed I g-get sick...” Her breath began to hitch softly, and she pressed the damp tissue firmly to her pink nose with both hands. “Aahh...*snfl*...hh-hhih...hht'chhiuh!! *Snfl*...aahitchhew!!! *Snf, snnfl.*”

“Bless you,” Nina cooed softly, lightly rubbing Rachel's warm back while the sniffling girl whimpered softly, gently massaging her pink nose through the damp tissue. “Here, I got the right kind of meds for you while you were sleeping, and some other goodies to make you feel a little bit better. Can you sit up, hmm baby?”

“Uhh, dunno...I'mb so dizzy, Nina...” Rachel whined, blinking her big brown eyes woozily up at her best friend.

“Aww, honey, I know,” Nina sighed, stroking a few sleep-mussed locks of hair back from Rachel's face and leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her warm forehead. “C'mon, we're gonna get you feeling better, I promise. Just sit up a tiny bit for me, Rach...” Awkwardly, Nina helped Rachel lean forward enough so that the taller girl could slip in behind her on the couch, so that when Rachel laid back again, she was lying against Nina's chest. “Is this okay, hmm sickie-pie?”

“Uhhh...yeah...thadks,” Rachel sighed, rubbing her eyes and leaning her head limply back against the taller girl's strong frame. “Really sorry...I'm such a pain in the ass right now...”

“Shush, stop it. If you apologize one more time for being sick, I'm just going to use my alpha power to stop you. So just forget about it, okay? You're my family, and families take care of each other. Anyway, coming home to take care of you got me a paid vacation from work, so how bad can it be?” Nina ran her fingers affectionately through Rachel's dark hair, and they both giggled a little. Then Rachel coughed sharply, and Nina slipped a hand down lightly to rest over the other girl's warm collarbone, rubbing light circles while she coughed.

“Ughh...okay, you win,” the sick girl sighed weakly, wrapping a hand around Nina's wrist to hold her hand there for a few more moments after the coughing fit passed. “How are you so good at this? I never...*snfl*...never had anybody take care of me like this before. My parents always just scolded me and told me I was being dramatic when I'd catch a cold and be like this, too dizzy to move.”

“Well your parents just don't understand you, Rach,” Nina shrugged, even while she felt her blood boil with fury at the Pirzads all over again for the pain they'd caused her sweet girl. “If they had any idea what the world really feels like for you...or what being sick feels like...they'd never say something so ignorant. But I am glad I'm helping you feel better...do you think you can swallow some medicine now, hmm baby? I got the kids' kind, and it's cherry flavored.”

“'Kay,” Rachel smiled weakly, charmed by how sweet and attentive Nina was being, even through her feverish stupor. “Thandks. *Snnfl.*”

“Anytime,” Nina grinned, reaching across the coffee table and grabbing the little bottle of Motrin Children's Cold and Flu, and carefully pouring out a capful. “Open up,” she murmured, holding the little cup to Rachel's lips; and the woozy girl obeyed without a fight, opening her mouth and allowing Nina to tip the contents down her throat. “Good girl,” Nina murmured, pressing a soft kiss to Rachel's warm temple as she put the little bottle aside on the coffee table, and grabbed the water instead. “Now drink some of this.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Rachel joked weakly, taking the offering and gulping it down thirstily.

“Better?”

“Yeah...thandks, Nina. I'm really...*sngfh*...really glad you're here...” Her head dropped back helplessly against Nina's chest as a fresh tickle blossomed in the back of her stuffy head, and she pressed a finger automatically to her pink nose as it began to quiver. “Aah...hh'tchhiew!! *Snfl*...” She sneezed desperately into the air, too woozy to be concerned with covering her germs now as she rubbed her finger firmly against the wet, sensitive underside of her nose.

“Bless you, sweetie,” Nina hummed softly, leaning over and grabbing a fresh tissue from the box on the coffee table, and bringing it gently to Rachel's runny nose as the pink nostrils quivered again.

“Hhuh...” Rachel's breath hitched behind the soft tissue, and she pushed her pink nose up a little harder into Nina's hand in ticklish desperation. Nina didn't want to rub too hard, or do anything to overwhelm the other girl's intense and delicate senses; so she just cupped the tissue gently to Rachel's damp nose, lightly nuzzling the pink-rimmed nostrils with the pads of her fingertips though the soft tissue. The sniffling girl trembled from head to foot, and Nina could feel her quivering nostrils open wide behind the tissue. “Hhh...*snfl*...'tchOOoo!! Hh'tchshhiew!! Hhhih...*snfl*...hh-hhih...t'chhiuh!! *Snfff.*”

“Goodness, god bless you,” Nina chuckled softly, gently wiping Rachel's pink nose in the damp tissue.

“Thag you,” Rachel mumbled, blinking woozily. “I would say, sorry I sndeezed all over you...but you...*snfl*...you dod't care, right?”

“That's right,” Nina grinned, pulling another tissue from the box and dropping another light kiss on Rachel's warm temple as she brought the fresh tissue to the sniffling girl's runny nose. “Now, blow.” It was a testament to how sick and weak and defeated the Iranian girl was that she didn't argue with this command, but instead just closed her eyes and blew softly into the tissue being cupped to her leaky nose. Nina tried to keep her touch as light and gentle as possible, not wanting to cause Rachel any more discomfort; but she had to pinch the younger girl's wet nostrils in the damp tissue before she pulled it away, just to catch all the snot that would otherwise be dribbling down the divot in her upper lip.

“Hhuh...” Rachel sniffled softly at the light tug on her nostrils, and Nina could feel her weak body tensing up again almost instantly; so she kept the tissue pressed lightly to the other girl's pink nose a moment longer, and waited patiently. “Aah'tishhew!! *Snfl.*”

“Bless you, sweetie boo,” Nina hummed, kissing her temple again and pressing a fresh tissue into her hand. “Here, it might not tickle as much if you hold it yourself.”

“Thadks,” Rachel croaked dazedly, taking the tissue and wiping sleepily at her pink nose. Then she yawned, and dropped her head limply back against Nina's chest. “I really love you, you doe.”

“I love you too, Rach,” Nina murmured, wrapping both arms around the feverish girl cuddled in her lap, and kissing the top of her head. Rachel yawned and rubbed her stuffy nose absently. “Now, how about some dinner, hmm?” Nina urged gently. “We haven't eaten anything all day. Maybe Chinese? Some hot and sour soup would really help clear out your sinuses.”

“Uhhh...*snghf*...'kay,” Rachel agreed with a soft yawn, one arm still wrapped over Nina's to keep her from moving. “Does that mean you have to...*snfl*...get off the couch?”

“Just for a minute,” Nina chuckled, smoothing down a few locks of Rachel's sleep-mussed dark hair. “But then I'll...c-come right back...” She trailed off dazedly as a teasing tickle blossomed in the back of her nose; she knew she was going to sneeze, and she was afraid it would be too loud for Rachel's sensitive ears, especially with her head resting on Nina's chest. Hastily, the taller girl grabbed a tissue from the box and pinched it tight to her nose, just as her breath hitched and her eyes snapped shut. “Hht'chxshh!! 'Chxshh!! *Snnfl.* ...Ughhh, 'scuse be,” she sighed miserably, rubbing her still-itchy nose through the tissue.

“Aww, Nina. You caught my stupid germs,” Rachel groaned, forcing herself into a quasi-sitting position so she could turn and look her roommate over. She blinked woozily, trying to keep her eyes focused; but sitting up just made her even more dizzy, and she had to close her eyes and lean her head sideways against the couch cushions. “Ughhh...dammit...”

“Shh, Rach, it's okay. C'mon, you need to lie down before you pass out,” Nina hummed softly, pulling her best friend's shivering body back down against her. Rachel was in no position to resist, and dropped back down against Nina's body with a weak groan.

“I'm sorry,” she whined miserably; and Nina could hear the tears in her voice even before they fell.

“Honey, it's okay,” Nina assured her again, stroking her hair and cuddling her close. “I told you I didn't mind catching your cold. It's not a big deal for me like it is for you...and anyway, we're already...*snf!*...already gonna be home all week, anyway, so...” She raised the crumpled tissue hastily back to her face, pressing it hard to her twitching nose and clamping the palm of her hand firmly over her mouth. “Iiiishhx!! *Snfl.*”

“Bless you,” Rachel murmured, rubbing her thumb in absentminded little circles over Nina's arm (the one that was still wrapped around her, that is). “Don't hold in your sneezes like that, you're gonna hurt your ears.”

“I'mb...*snf*...more afraid of hurting your ears,” Nina explained sheepishly, wiping her leaky nose on the damp tissue again. It was still runny and ticklish, and she really wanted to blow it; but she was afraid of making any loud noise that would hurt her synesthetic friend's oversensitive hearing.

“Sweetie, it's okay,” Rachel giggled weakly, patting the back of Nina's hand absently. “You're already...*snghf*...doing more to take care of me than anyone else ever has in my life. I don't want you to suffer to make me feel better, okay? If you have a cold, you have to sneeze. It's not...*snfl*...not gonna kill me.”

“Ohhh...*snf*...okay,” Nina nodded woozily, massaging the bottom of her nose in little circles through the damp tissue as her eyes welled up again, and her breath caught sharply in her chest. “I j-just...*snfl*...hhih'iishew!! Iiishhiuh!!! *Snghf.*”

“Bless you,” Rachel sighed, yawning softly. Even though Nina had a tissue cupped to her face, Rachel could still feel the microscopic mist of snot and germs hitting her shoulder and the back of her neck; but for once, it truly didn't bother her. Normally Rachel was so grossed out by the sight of germs, she couldn't even walk into a room after someone had just sneezed; but this was Nina. Her best friend in the world, the only person who really understood her and loved her for who she was. Plus, her germs were really just Rachel's germs getting recycled, so there was nothing for her to run away from, anyway. Not that she could run right now if her life depended on it.

“Thadks,” Nina sighed with a wry smile, giving her nose one final wipe on the damp tissue before tossing it aside. “Now, where were we...Chinese food?”

“Totally,” Rachel agreed, a shy smile spreading across her face.

[purpleninja]

Adorable!!! Don't even know the fandom and I still loved every word!

[wannablessedbe]

Adorable!!! Don't even know the fandom and I still loved every word!

thx hon! I'm working on a new quintana for you next...

[purpleninja]

*happy seizure* I don't even know what to do with myself right now! My dog's quite concerned I can't wait!!!

[tFM!]

Thank you so much for finishing this! I'm going to have to check out Alphas on Netflix when I've got some free time; you've gotten me into so many good shows

[Nicolias312]

I love this so much! Please keep going!

[guiltyascharged]

I know you wrote this awhile ago, but i just started watching this show and it's awesome!