Forever

[Orb]

I'm not familiar with any of the characters yet, but I hope you enjoy!..........

Henry examined the body before him and nearly gagged. Joanna stepped up next to him, a grim look on her face.

"I think cause o' death is pretty ovpbious, eh?" She asked. Henry nodded.

"How did this happen again?"

"Well, two drunk guys thought of a brilliant plan to trim the hedges.... Witness says John Doe over here tripped and fell."

"John Doe? Do we have names?" Henry was surprised. He had thought that he was a resident in the house that loomed above.

"Nope. He and his pal were homeless. Nobodies."

"Don't say that; I don't think anyone on this Earth is a nobody." He replied. He studied the hedge clippers-buried a full three inches in the man's chest. Fatal wound. "Where is his friend? And where did they get that tool?"

"The 'friend' left as soon as Law Enforcement arrived. The resident says she left her tools out for the yardtrimmers tomorrow, and-"

"Huh-Xxsght!" Henry's head jerked forward sharply, and he tried to stop the sneeze before it contaminated the crime scene.

Too late.

"Bless you. And damn you."

"Thank you. And why?" Henry played her game wryly as Joanna instructed the team of investigators to pack up the body so the poor women could get on with her life-without bloodstains on her driveway.

"That.... Was... Perfectly good.... Forget it!" She grinned and nearly jumped as Henry's shoulders came up and he pitched forward.

"Hashoo!" He sniffed and looked up just in time to see everyone staring at him. "Ah, I'll just go...... Sit in the..." Henry jerked his thumb back to his car and Joanna followed him as he wound his way-quite embarrassed, from what she could see, and quite red-through the sets of vehicles.

"What's wrong with you?"She beat him to the car door and stood in his way, quirking her eyebrows and crossing her arms. Uncomfortable silence ensued, filled with the light murmering of the midnight crickets.

"Nothing. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just get in my car, and-Huh-Huh-Xxsght!" He twisted away, and once again was stared at by a group of retreating paramedics.

"You do realize there are a ton of lilacs around here. And I know you to be highly... Intuitive." She leaned back and tried to put into her voice as much chasitsing as she could muster. She couldn't.

"Oh, how lovely of you to notice. They do add a lovely touch of-Huh-Xxsght!" He turned his back to her and watched the Crime Scene Investigators remove the evidence of the homicide.

"Henry, nearly every sentence you've said tonight has been interrupted by a sneeze. Something is up."

"Yes, someone wound up with hedge clippers in their chest-quite unfortunate, wouldn't you agree?"

"Okay. Yes, I would agree with you on that-that is-"

"Huh..... Huh-Xxsght!" He sneezed ferociously into his arm and ducked a swat on the head from Joanna.

"Quit your lying, Henry Morgan or you'll end up......" She trailer off. Crap-She'd basically just admitted her attraction to him. Then again, maybe he wouldn't notice. But he was so good at registering the slightest hints that she doubted that.

A lot.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You are sorely-Huh-Xxsght! Huh...Huh.Xxsght!" He turned and stalked around to the other side of the car.

"That's not the driver's side, you know."

"Yes, but it's unlocked."

"Wha-"

The door slammed, and Henry crawled through the car and into the driver's seat. He grinned at her from the inside.

Why did he have to be so damn clever?

Running as fast as her heels would let her, she raced to the side and tugged open the door, shutting it just as he started the car.

"How nice of you to drop in." He murmered, gazing at the road and motioning a police officer across.

"Pollen count was high today."

"So where drug dealers. Are you willing to be driven to the lab?"

"My shift is'nt over, so sure."

"Brilliant. Huh-Xxsght!" The car swerved, and nearly slammed into a truck. The driver gave them a choice finger gesture, and drove off boiling mad.

"Henry, you-"

Joanna looked at him, surprised. He was pale, clutching the wheel and breathing hard. She'd never seen him so scared like that. "It's over, now. You can relax." They stopped at the lab a short while later,and the body was dropped off by the time they got there.

"Why am I being told the body and evidence needs to be cleaned?" One of the medical examiners trotted up, an angry look on his face.

"Well, he was stabbed with rusty hedge clippers, fell onto the asphalt, was pushed through gravel, and abandoned on some poor women's driveway. Hmm, I wonder why that would be-Huh-Xxsght!" Henry sneezed into his arm, shooting a look at Joanna. She sighed. The message was obvious; I'll buy you a coffee if you help me out here.

"That's exactly why, Henry. Scott, just go get it done." She implemented a whiny, nagging tone that hit a bull's eye.

"If you insist. But you're in for a helluva run, Dr. Morgan, for this. I'll be up all night trying too......" He walked away, raving and ranting to himself.

"I don't kiss on the first date!" Henry called after him, a grin cutting his face in half. The man turned and blew kisses jokingly, and Joanna laughed at the odd gayness of it all.

"Now. The pollen count WAS pretty high, there WERE lilacs, and you DO owe me a coffee from McDonald's.

"Oh? I'm fine, Joanna, you've worked with me long enough to know that." He replied, twisting his head aside to sneeze again.

"Bless you. Actually, I've worked with you long enough to know that you're lying. I think you're allergic."

"What else do you think?" Henry chuckeled and began toward the morgue section of the lab, and Joanna had to run to keep up with his half jog.

"I think you're a clever, strange young man whom is hiding something from his friend-coworker."She caught herself.

If only she knew how old I really am, he thought, sneezing again.

"Huh-Xxsght!"

"See, there it is again! Dr. Henry Morgan freeze!" She pulled her taser out and flashed it at him. He froze, gritting his death. She could tell he was resisting another sneeze.

"Now, please admit to me something's wrong. Before I gladly tase you where the sun don't shine."

"I......" His jaw worked for a few seconds, and he sniffed experimentally. Bad idea. "Hup-chgt!"He pinched his nostrils shut and backed up a few steps. Sighing and bashfully avoiding stares, Joanna put her arm around his shoulders and led him to his office, sitting him down in the chair.

"Henry, I'm done playing games. I'm going to the store to get you something for that nasty allergy you got going there."

He said nothing, just stared at the ceiling with intense eyes. She could tell his sinuses were taking their toll, and took in the scruffy brown hair, friendly eyes, and steady hands, now fiddling with the compass he always carried. (Author's note: It may be a stopwatch-Back to the story! )

"Seriously, this is getting old. Are you allergic to the flowers?"

"Mighty glad you picked up on that."

"Curse your freaking British accent! Yes, you should be glad. Stay here while I go get something for that allergy. If I come back and I'm told you moved a muscle, I'll go ballistic on your ass."

This caught his attention. Looking up, Henry squinted at her, as if seeing her for the first time.

"Fine. I'll stay here, and etcetera. Now, if you don't mind, I'll- Huh.... Huh....." His eyes fluttered, and his breath hitched in preperation for the sneeze.

"Huh-Xxsght!" He caught it in his arm and winced as he noticed Joanna staring at him. Instead of disgust, though, he saw..... Longing... In her eyes. Standing, Joanna patted his shoulder and left, giving him a pointed look.

Henry leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes, momentarily overtaken by dreams of Abe's discovery, his marriages, and..... Joanna. He hadn't expected to-

"Huh-Scght!"

See her. Snifling, he toyed with the compass(Stopwatch?) Until she arrived, content to remember his history.

Should I continue? Tell me what you all think!

[Shay]

I really like this new show and was glad to see a fic of it so soon. Sure I'd love to see more of it.

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

I love it. You really nailed the relationship there. I'd love to see more.

(BTW: the compass/stopwatch you mentioned is actually a very old pocket watch; they explain it in the pilot that aired the day before the first regular episode.)

[Wig_Powder]

I was hoping other people would start writing fic for this show (I even wrote a discussion of it!). Thank you for that.

Hmm, it's probably time I contributed a fic or two of my own...

[Orb]

Did you now? Well, I would love like to read a story about Forever that's not my own. I would like to see that happen!-Wig_Powder

I love it. You really nailed the relationship there. I'd love to see more.

(BTW: the compass/stopwatch you mentioned is actually a very old pocket watch; they explain it in the pilot that aired the day before the first regular episode.)

Really? I saw only to episodes, but I liked how he was trying to keep it a secret. (Kind of A Spoiler) He freezes up in the story after the car because he was relieved and scared that someone had almost discovered his secret-And hadn't.

[Wig_Powder]

Did you now? Well, I would love like to read a story about Forever that's not my own. I would like to see that happen!-Wig_Powder

Challenge accepted. I'll have one uploaded after tommorow's episode.

(Out of curiosity, is Joanna supposed to be 'one of us' in this story, or does she just find him cute when he's vulnerable? Because I can get behind either interpretation.)

[Orb]

She only finds him cute when he's vulnerable- And I look forward to reading this new story! You upload one and I'll upload one.

[Orb]

I mixed up the characters-Sorry, Joanna is Henry's boss. Jo is the women in the story! Little mistake-Sorry about that.

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

I love it. You really nailed the relationship there. I'd love to see more.

(BTW: the compass/stopwatch you mentioned is actually a very old pocket watch; they explain it in the pilot that aired the day before the first regular episode.)

Really? I saw only to episodes, but I liked how he was trying to keep it a secret. (Kind of A Spoiler) He freezes up in the story after the car because he was relieved and scared that someone had almost discovered his secret-And hadn't.

Yeah, it's in the Pilot, with the subway thing. I don't know how much more to say, because I don't know what you did or didn't see.

[Orb]

Yeah-I saw the last ten-twenty minutes of the first episode (He got shot then pushed himself and another guy over the edge of a building) And all of the second one, where he went onto the bridge and got his in the face by a truck. That was hilarious.

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

Yeah, you should definitely watch the whole pilot. It explains a lot.

(Also, it being a brand-new show, I would probably refrain from posting too many spoilers in this thread, but that's just a suggestion; I have a no idea if there are any Forum guidelines about it or anything.)

[Orb]

Wasn't a spoiler, it was an explanation-I couldn't find the proper word for it-But I'll take that to heart.

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

Oh, no! I didn't mean in the story! I meant just before, when you mentioned the funny thing that happened in the second episode. But as I said, I'm very spoiler-free, so YMMV.

[Orb]

Oh! I see it now-I get what you mean. Yeah, probably shouldn't have done that, and I won't put anything else on there...... How do you keep someone in suspense?.......

I'll tell you later.

[Orb]

Here's a continuation, for anyone who was interested in a second part. There may be a third one, if I can't finish the story in one sitting. Anyway, enjoy!

Jo arrived back at around three A.M.. Opening the door, she checked his office and nearly screamed in annoyance-and laughter. His chair was empty, and the room was untouched-something she did not know Dr. Henry Morgan to do. So, she did the only thing she could do: She headed for Joanna's office.

"Have you seen Henry?"

"Yeah. He told me he's got a lead in the hedge clipping case. Left a few minutes ago."

"I told him to stay here!"

"Uh-Are you his boss? Am I mistaken? Because I got a hunch you're about to get fired. Just a hunch, Martinez."

"Sorry. Ma'am." Gritting her teeth, she headed to the antique shop Henry usually hung out. No one was there except his friend, Abe.

"Have you seen Henry?"

"Went down to the bay. There's a guy he want to have a few words wit-" Abe paused from his studying of a cracking yellow parchment. "Oh, you're the one......"

"The one what?" Jo felt her heart flutter and looked away. Abe, however, remained steadfast.

"No one. "Listen, I'm going to go murder a bag of popcorn, and it involves closing up shop. So if you'll scoot...." He gestured to the doors.

"Which bay?"

"There's only one."

"Oh. I'll be going, now." She reoriented herself and left, feeling color bloom in her cheeks.

A bout twenty minutes later, she arrived at the seashore streets, checking shops and abandoned houses. Finally, she found one that she heard Henry's unmistakable voice.

"....... Did you see it happen?"

"Do I look like Supaman t' you? Hell nah. It was like, pitch black out there, man!" A rough, worn voice grated in reply.

"Well, we have..... Huh-Xxsght!.... Witness reports of you-"

She opened the door and stalked in, annoyed.

Henry was standing next to a small, aging couch, face scrunched up in the need to sneeze again. The other man, a weathered, hard faced hawk, was sitting on the floor, scowling at him.

"Wer've you been? I told you not to move!"

"You told me not to move. I simply assumed you meant not of go to Florida of England or som-Chht!"He pitched his nose and Jo watched as his shoulders rose and fell in a clean jerk-and the homeless man butted in.

"You mean you guys ain't real cops?"

"Yes, we are. And we found a man with.."

"I've explained it to him. How are we on other leads?" Henry sniffed and shifted his scarf. Again, this brought forth an age-old question for her; Why was he so old-fashioned?

"Terrible. It's the first night, you can't expect us to solve this automatically, Hen-"

"HASHOO! Huh-Xxsght! Chht!" Henry twisted away and practically blind-fired into the dark kitchen, containing it with each sneeze.

"Hey! Watch it! I don' get no cleaning service around here!" The man snapped, standing.

"My apologies." Henry replied, moving for the door. Hmm,mhe was having problem with the whole 'allergy' thing.

"Sorry, sir, we have to go." Jo said, following.

"Git! And stay out! This ain't no rodeo for the freaks, okay? Here that, Oldie?" The man called after them.

"I said I was sorry!" Henry yelled through the closed door, taking the steps two-at-a-time.

"Hey, wait! I am wearing heels!" She stepped down the concrete steps delicately, grinning. She got close, then boxed him in the arm.

"I told you to not to move!"

"Hah-Xxsght! Yes, you did, and I didn't move, I still live here."

He was playing games, the sly man.

"Henry, this isn't a joke. Now come with me, and I'll give you the stuff I bought for that allergy." She gripped his hand and tigged him along the sidewalk, practically dragging him.

"I never said it was." He bumped a man wearing a darkly colored jacket, with the hood flipped low over his face. The man didn't look up.

"Sorry...." Henry trailed off, freezing and staring after the man, who turned and smiled. You couldn't see his face, as his head was ducked low, but his teeth split a white slash in the darkness. Jo stopped.

"You know him?"

"No. He looked....... Like someone I knew, is all." He whispered, and turned to her once more, the color returning to his face.

"Good. Now come-"

"Chht!" He pitched his nostrils and turned his head away, stumbling forward a little. That looked a little painful.

"Seriously, though-You have allergies, admit it."

He grinned. "I'm not allergic to anything. I just happen to sneeze a lot."

"Really now? So if I asked that friend of yours, Abe, if you normally sneeze often, what will he say?"

"That's based on whatever he thinks. Theoretically, do you know what he'll say?"

"No-ye-no! Is this some kind of joke?" Jo asked, laughing. Henry snfled and continued walking. Along the way, she noticed his head would occasionally Bob, or he would lift his hand to his face momentarily. Still, he managed not to sneeze for the rest of the trip to the antique shop.

Pushing open the doors, Jo looked at Abe, munching on a bag of popcorn, watching a video on.... Whales? He looked up at their arrival, and raised an eyebrow.

"Thought I locked up."

"You must have forgot in your haste to-"

"Hurushoo! Huh-Xxsght! Huh-Chht! Huh-Chht!" Henry turned away and exploded again, and Jo patted his back.

"You gonna live?"

"Oh, chances of survival are slim." He sniffed and sneezed one last time, then excused himself and left the antique shop, hearing for the lab.

"Does he usually sneeze like that?"

"Henry? No. That's one of the first times I've ever seen him do it."

"I knew it! And what is his issue with denying it until it causes problems?" Jo asked.

"Hell if I knew. Anyway, scram! I got work to do." He said good-naturedly, ushering her out the doors. Before she left, though, she looked back and called, "With an online dating site!" Henry had told her about that.

"Dunno what you're talking about, Jo Martinez!"

"Now will you admit to me something's up?"

Henry smiled and shook his head. "Well, I would, but there's nothing to admit."

"You do realize I asked Abe about that; he said it's not common for you." Jo pulled her taser out so he could see, and put it back in her purse.

"Hah-Xxsght!" Sniffing, Henry studied her eyes for a few seconds, and detected something he was adanent she felt for him.

Concern and..... What was that emotion?..... Love.

"There is absolutely......." He turned away, and in a small, hushed voice, said, "something wrong."

"Thank you. Dr. Morgan. Only now will I allow you to roam the Earth. And you are allergic to lilacs."

"How'd you know?" He teased, cocking his head quizzically in mock thoughtfulness.

"Just knew."

"Good to......" His face blanked for a moment, and he lifted his hand to his nose. For a second, his head bobbed and his breathing hurried, then hitched and stopped.

"Hah... Hah....... Hah'cht!" He pinched his nose and his head jerked forward, and Jo was caught off guard for a moment as he regained himself.

"Bless you. You still owe me a coffee."

"That I do. What do you... Huh-Xxsght!... What do you fancy having with it?" He smiled, and color blossomed into his cheeks. Then Jo realized. He'd just asked her out on a date.

"A movie. And popcorn." She said, for once content to play Dr. Henry Morgan's games.

I could do another one, maybe where he's sick like Wig_Powder did. I have'nt seen the third episode yet; My mother said it's at nine o- clock and she-ll record it for me instead-so if he does ask her out during that, then I'm not trying to copyright or something. Who liked it?

[Shay]

That was great! I really loved the banter between the two of them and I cracked up laughing so much at this part:

"I told you to not to move!"

"Hah-Xxsght! Yes, you did, and I didn't move, I still live here."

I swear that's the sort of smart ass thing I might say myself.

I certainly wouldn't mind if you did another part. While I mostly only prefer allergy stuff, I'll probably read it anyway if the next part has him coming down sick just because I like the characters so much.

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

Hee! This was fun. He would be a snarky one about the "not moving" line! Definitely looking forward to seeing more.

And I really liked the "How do you keep someone in suspense?" joke you told in response to me.

Edited October 1, 2014 by myownprivatesfc

[Orb]

Glad you liked that joke! And yeah, I figured Henry is enough of a stubborn kind of guy so I though, hey, why not add that I. The next mp one might actually require more space, and I think I'll make it somewhat of a continuation.

[Orb]

Alrighty then! This is for Wig_Powder, myownprivatesfc, and Shayla. This is allergy, because a certain set of people told me writing outside my comfort zone can be very deterring! (Thank you for that price of advice, BTW)

Henry looked at the old building before him, vines creepingjade fingers down the edges. Jo stepped up to him and gave him a pair of gloves.

"And the reason for these?......" He looked at her quizzically.

"This place is 200 years old, Henry. Our murder happened here."

Upon hearing his life span used so flippantly, Henry stiffened slightly. Then he shook it off and followed the Detective inside, past the yellow tape. The rooms were dilapidated and musty, the stale air containing hordes of dust. Were the light hit, little motes floated in the air, dancing freely. They entered the study, and in the middle of the room, was a young African American man, a clean execution shot straight through his head. A Crime Scene Investigator walked by carrying a heavy looking briefcase. He eyed Henry fearfully, as though he was a volcano and would erupt at any moment.

"Do we have a name?" He asked.

"Yep. Erik Bavalisk. He was..." Jo cringed slightly, probably at the possibility of it being a racial killing. "A drug dealer. They tend to meet in places like this, breaking in through-"

The Crime Scene Investigator tripped over Henry's crouched form, and the two fell in a heap in the dust covered floor. The officer staggered to his feet, but Henry was left curled in a ball, his hands cupped around his face. Jo looked at him.

"Playing hide and seek. Really?" Suddenly, his shoulders jerked upward, and his head pitched forward slightly. A muffled;

"Kx'ghx!" Slipped through his fingers. He slowly uncurled form his position, and rose to his feet, wrinkling his nose in an attempt to relieve it of its attacker. As he stood, Jo realized something.

Footsteps.

"Everyone freeze!" The room fell silent, as though someone had frozen the study in ice. Everything but the dust ceased to move. And Henry's jerking shoulders.

"Huh-Xxsght!" He shot her an apologetic look and sneezed again. She pointed to his feet, the dust on his back, and the floor where he and the Investigator had collided. The dust, while irritating at best, had left a valuable piece of evidence.

"Don't move. Henry, if your'e about to sneeze again, I would suggest you take five." Smiling great fully, he left the room, stifling violent sneeze after sneeze.

"We've got footsteps. Imprints of shoes. Run that through CODIS. If you can identify the type of shoe, that is." The Detective was surprised Henry hadn't noticed that. He was probably to busy with his sensitivity issues. Stepping over an overturned book, she followed his route and found him on the steps, still sniffing.

"One of these days I'm buying you an inhaler and some portable allergy meds."

"I'll supply the money. Huh... Huh-Xxsght!" His face dontorted and he sneezed again. She shook her head, concerned.

"Christ, the slightest thing gets you going, Henry." She sat down next to him and placed her hand tentatively on his shoulder.

"Yes, I've noticed that. I was about to tell you of the footprints. I heard you telling the Investigator about that." He snifled lightly, then held his hand in front of his face, head bobbing, eyes shutting. She waited, preparing to say 'bless you' and was surprised when he held it at bay.

"You still have some dust on your clothes. I could take the scrparf to the dry cleaning just around the street."

Henry sniffed. "No thank you. I'll keep the scarf. You might end up taking me to the cleaners." His head snapped forward.

"Hurushoo!" He smilee mildly as Jo blessed him, and Lucas arrived on-scene.

"Sorry I'm late!" He hurried up the steps, pausing to study them. "What happened to you?" He asked Henry.

"An unfortunate incident in which I was the unlucky victim." He sneezed again. And again.

"Hope you feel better." He shrugged and went inside. Both Jo and Henry knew Lucas had allergies, and counted down ten seconds.

"Hah-Chht! I see what you're talking about, man! This sucks!" He cried, coming out. Henry shrugged.

"Well, you tend to.... Hip-sg!" He pinched his nose and tilted forward, almost falling off the step had Jo not grabbed his collar.

"Bless you." Henry sneezed again, sprayinghis arm. He rubbed his nose.

"Thank you. Do you know of any leads we could take?"

"Ugh, you are so smart but so dumb at the same time." She chuckled and Lucas watched the interaction, thinking if they kissed, he would barge in and slap the hell outta Henry for stealing his chances with Jo. They didn't and he went back inside, chossing very wisely to wear a white facial mask.

"What's the square root of... Of... Xxsght!" He jerked his shoulders twisting away.

"The square root of sneeze?" She asked.

Henry glared at her. "That is not what I meant, exactly. I was going to ask you the square root of 64."

She dismissed the question. "Phhpt, everyone knows that. It's.... 30?"

"It's FOUR!" Henry laughed at her, revealing two perfect rows of white teeth.

"Well, I'm a detective, I don't work in mathematics."

"Neither do I, but I know it..... Huh'Xxsght!"

She scoffed. "You don't know everything."

"Would you like to bet?"

Probably not that long, but there will be a second one, don't worry.

[Shay]

Keep going, I'm loving this. That was fun that you gave Lucas allergies too and then they were sneezing in tandem. Also the square root of sneeze? BTW I hate to be a know it all, but the square root of 64 is actually 8. The square root of 16 is 4. Perhaps you were thinking of the cubed root of 64? The answer to that is in fact 4.

I'm curious about the part where Jo said she had to get Henry an inhaler and portable allergy meds. He wasn't wheezing in this part or anything, but just wondering if you were planning to introduce an asthma component to his allergies later on? Also what did you mean by portable allergy meds? I'd say that pills are pretty portable so that makes me wonder what sort of weird treatments he normally uses.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Shayla

[Orb]

Nah, I probably won't implement wheezing. And portable allergies medications are obviosly portable, I just threw that in there because YOLO. And I mentioned the inhaler because that's just something I've always associated with allergies-Not anyone else, probably, just me. But no, he doesn't need it.

[Shay]

Ah ok. I can sort of see what you mean. I guess I sort of indirectly associate inhalers with allergies in the sense that asthma usually requires an inhaler and asthma is often triggered by allergies, but I usually don't think of inhalers if someone is just sneezing. Though I could also kind of see it as Jo just being snarky and exaggerating how bad his allergies actually are.

[Orb]

That's one way of putting it; Yeah. Glad you enjoyed this one and I'll be back for round two tommorow

[Shay]

I definitely look forward to it. I can't promise I'll have part two of my fic up tomorrow, but I'm definitely brainstorming on it.

[Orb]

Thanks you!