Just A Kiss Divine
By Mary Feeney
TheBitterOne@hotmail.com OR GardenGirl@mailexcite.com
Author's note: I don't know Darren or Daniel or Colby, although I have met them. Charlotte is mine, I have copyright. Don't 'borrow' her unless you ask me first. If you like this story, mail me and tell me, I love feedback. I'll write more stories in the near future, starring our favourite savages. They'll be better then this one, I promise!
_____________________________________________________________________

Charlotte yawned as she picked the paper up off the grass. Thursday, the entertainment liftout. Maybe there'd be something on Savage Garden in it. She unwrapped the paper while waiting for her coffee to cool. Darren's face stared back at her from the front page.
It was an old photo, six months at least, he still had long hair. Before Charlotte could register what a nice picture it was her eyes took in the headline.
INJURED SINGER HOSPITALISED
Charlotte gasped and read the article quickly. At a show on their tour the lighting frame had fallen down onto the stage, pinning Darren under it.
Daniel and the rest of the band was unharmed, but Darren was in a critical condition, not expected to recover. Tears streaming down her cheeks, Charlotte booted up her computer and went online.
The bulletin board at the official site was flooded with messages of goodwill and hope, it seemed every fan was praying for Daz's recovery. Her e-mail was packed, Charlotte was considered to be a reliable source of SG info, because she knew them. But now she knew as little as the millions of well wishers. After replying to her few closest e-pals with vague reassurances, Charlotte flicked the switch on her modem and picked up the phone, puching in the digits quickly.
...1...7...5 Charlotte's had was trembling as she waited for someone topick up.
"hello?" a muffled voice asked, punctuated with a sniffle. "Colbs?"
"Charlotte?"
"Is he any better?"
"No. It's almost certain now. Only a matter of time." the girl's voice was deadpan, beyond grief.
"What city is he in?"
"They flew him back last night. He wanted to... be here."
"The Wesley hospital?"
"No, the Mater. Off Stanley street." Colby's voice cracked. "He'll be glad to see you."
"I'm going over now. Why aren't you there?"
"He made me go home, to sleep. But I'm a nervous wreck, of course."
"Well, try and rest. I'll visit him now."
Charlotte clicked the phone down and ran out to her car.

".... sacrifice my happiness just so I could win...."
The radio was the same every channel, even triple J which had sworn never to play Savage Garden. Charlotte sighed and flicked it off. Just as her cell phone bleeped.
"Charlotte here."
"It's Daniel."
"Are you at the hospital?"
"Yeah. You know it's down to the last hours...."
"I know, I know. I'm going to see if I can help."
"What? Oh, no, Charlotte, you can't. Don't even try."
"What, you want to see him just die?"
"No... oh god, just get over here."
She rammed her foot down in the early morning traffic.

The hiss of the respirator filled the room, highlighting the silence of the people inside. No press, not even family now, Darren had made them go home for a few hours. Daniel stood in the hall, sending endless dollars into the Coke machine, empty cans filling the trash bin next to him. Charlotte gave him a hug.
"He fades in and out. He might be awake again if you want to see him." He mumbled into her blonde hair. She nodded and stepped into the little room. Heart monitors, breathing monitors, drips, all manner of medical paraphenalia surrounded the small figure in the bed. Darren lay as if asleep, his face still beautiful behind the tubes, bruises and burns. One blue eye opened as Charlotte sat down next to the bed, the other was covered with a patch.
"Hey." Darren whispered, his voice hoarse.
"Hi. You okay?" she held his hand, her thumb unconciously tracing the edges of the large purple ring still on his finger.
"No. I'm scared. I don't want to die at twenty-five, Char. I'm so terrified. And it hurts..." tears ran out of the corner of his eye.
"Darren.... you don't have to. You know I can help. Do you want my help?"
"You mean...?"
"Yes."
Darren stayed silent for a few minutes.
"Can you let me think about it for a while?" he asked finally.
Charlotte nodded and went back into the hall with Daniel. Darren sighed and shut his eyes.

They had met Charlotte back in the days of Red Edge, when they had been two teenagers dreaming of stardom. She had been a great friend to both of them, sticking by when all their other friends thought they were past help. She had been the one who researched who to send demo tapes to, who had requested 'I want you' over and over on the radio until it was a hit. But they hadn't found out the truth about her until March twenty-second, 1997. It had been their first television performance, 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' on hey-hey it's saturday. They had been so nervous before it, Charlotte had grinned and watched them get more and more excited as it drew closer to time. Just before they had gone on she had pulled the two of them aside.
"This is for luck." she had whispered, kissing the inside of Daniel's wrist. Darren had gasped.
"You've got fangs." he had been incredulous. She smiled and bitten Daniel's wrist. Daniel had been more then surprised, but he hadn't flinched away, and after a second she had stopped, kissing the skin. It healed closed, leaving no trace. Then she had bitten Darren's wrist in the same way, but before she'd had a chance to heal it they'd been on. Throughout the whole performance Darren had tried frantically to cover his bleeding wrist with the sleeve of his paisley shirt.
They had stayed close friends, never mentioning the fact Charlotte was a vampire again. But now it was important, Darren had to decide.

He fainted again. It was happening more as the hours passed, and Darren was terrified of passing out and never waking up again. He pressed the call button feebly. Charlotte came back in quickly.
"Doze? Are you okay?" she sounded very concerned. Darren tried to smile but failed.
"Uh-uh. Charlotte..... I want your help." she didn't ask what he meant, just nodded and kissed him carefully before locking her jaw open to expose her fangs.

Daniel paced the hallway, glancing at the closed door occasionally. What was going on in there? He bought another can from the vending machine and gulped it down. Imagine how much caffiene he'd had, he'd never get to sleep.
His fingers tapped out a rapid beat on the arm of the uncomfortable waiting-room chair. Finally Charlotte opened the door, her face even paler then usual.
"Daniel? Can you come in here?" he stood quickly and followed her inside.
Darren was curled up on the bed, whimpering with sobs.
"What's happening?" Daniel asked."He's hungry. He needs blood."
"You changed him into a vampire?"
"He would be dead by now if I hadn't. I had to, Daniel." she sounded sad.
Daniel nodded.
"What do you need me for..." realisation dawned. "oh no, I'm not getting bitten, not even close. Forget it."
Darren cried out, a spasm of pain rippling through him. Charlotte looked at Daniel pleadingly.
"Please, he really needs it. He's in so much pain." Daniel noticed the tubes were gone, and Darren's face had healed. He looked healthy again. Daniel sighed.
"Okay, okay. I'm far too nice for my own good, y'know that?" he gave a half-smile and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Darren.
"C'mon, Darren, here you go." Daniel unbuttoned the top of his blue shirt. Darren looked up, his eyes squinting in pain. Daniel gently lifted him up to his throat. Darren pulled the blonde boy's head aside eagerly, sinking his teeth into the vein. Daniel held back a cry and braced himself against the steel frame at the end of the bed. Darren's buzz-cut hair rubbed against his cheek like coarse velvet. Daniel couldn't believe this was happening, it was so unreal.
Charlotte pulled Darren off Daniel after a few minutes and the three of them left the room, Daniel leaning against Charlotte for support, he was too weak to walk. On the way they discussed how to cover this up in the media so Darren could return to life in the spotlight.


© Mary Feeney 1998



[About Them] [About Us] [Lyrics] [Pictures] [Links] [Gossip] [News] [Articles] [Audio] [Message Board] [ICQ] [Game] [Fan-Fics] [Dreams] [Did YOU notice...] [Home] [E-Mail Us]