Chapter 23

Felicia hadn't talked to Sebastian for the rest of the night, and although Brian didn't know her that well yet, he knew better then to approach the subject with her.

The next morning, while they were all eating breakfast, she asked Brian how he felt about needles.

"I'm not the biggest fan of them." He responded, before narrowing his eyes at her in suspicion. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to need blood samples from both of us. I have an idea about how this disease is affecting animals, but I don't know what it does to humans, besides irritability and the whole rotting flesh thing."

"Why can't you take the blood from your little cop buddy?"

"She isn't coming within three feet of me with a damn needle," Sebastian replied as he sipped his coffee.

"You two are such children." Felicia rolled her eyes. "I can't take Sebastian's blood because he hasn't been bitten, he's just naturally an asshole."

"Are you still pissed about last night?"

"Considering that you haven't apologized, yes I am."

"I didn't even do anything wrong!"

"If I may." Brian piped in. "Sebastian, if there's anything that I've learned from my previous relationships, it's that it doesn't matter if you think that you're in the wrong, you still apologize so that you can keep the peace."

"You could take some lessons from him," Felicia said, pointing her fork in Brian's direction. "Along with some cooking lessons."

"My cooking is good." Sebastian retorted.

"I don't know what kind of fantasy world it is that you've been living in, but these eggs are shit. Do you realize how hard it is to mess up scrambled eggs? And somehow you've done it."

"Okay then, since you think that you're such a Michelin chef, you can cook next time."

"I don't have to be a star chef to be a better cook than you." Felicia replied, her voice filled with sass. "All that I have to do is use this little thing called seasoning."

"I seasoned those eggs fine."

"Just salt does not constitute seasoning."

Brian seemed to be enjoying watching the banter. "This is like the books that my granny always reads. The two main characters argue, the tension rises, and the next thing you know, they're making out."

"In his dreams, maybe," Felicia responded as she stood up, taking her plate to the sink. "I try to make it a habit to not kiss assholes."

"Likewise." Sebastian retorted. "It's women like you that have turned me off of the dating scene."

"Really? I thought that it was because you were such a prick that a woman could sense your red flags from a mile away."

"God, I wish that I had popcorn right now," Brian said, causing Sebastian to look at him. "I think it would be in your best interest to keep your mouth out of this conversation."

"You're just proving my point here," Felicia said. "Let's just get to this lady's lab, the sooner that we solve things, the sooner that I can get Reynolds out of my ass."

~

Noelani Tuigamala was a woman of Samoan descent. Forty-seven years old, she had black hair that hung down to her shoulders in waves.

"You must be Felicia," Noelani said as she shook Felicia's hand, her eyes looking warmly at the younger girl. "Sebastian told me that you needed to use my lab, although he was kind of vague on what for."

"It's probably best if you didn't know," Felicia responded.

"Another one of his life or death situations, is it?"

"I'm sorry, another?"

"This isn't the first time that he's come to me asking me for some type of favor. The last one ended with him holing up at my place for a month because he had pissed off a guy with ties to people from the KGB.."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Felicia said. "Sebastian, you really are something."

"Honey, there's so many stories that I could tell you about him," Noelani said as she looked at Sebastian with a raised eyebrow. "We'll have to get together for coffee, you can come over to my place so that he isn't worried about you getting kidnapped, although I don't know who would be crazy enough to kidnap you from a public coffee shop in broad daylight."

"I don't know, I was almost killed twice already." Felicia had a feeling that she and Noelani were going to be getting along just fine. "I was almost shot yesterday in my hotel room, and then before that, my lab was set on fire, while my friend and I were still in it."

"And you're still investing yourself in this?"

"I kind of don't have a choice." Felicia stated, indicating to her arm. "This all astarted as a bite from my housecat, and as bas as you think that this might be, Brian here is actually worse then I am. It's why we're here to use your lab, so that I can try and find a cure for us."

"Could you use a lab partner? Business is slow today, unless I get a call in."

"As much as I would like that, I don't think that it would be a good idea for you to be involved further."

"It's about time that you used that brain of yours." Sebastian muttered, and Noelani looked at him, before looking back at Felicia. "Feel free to one of my scalpels to give him a lobotomy. I'll give you an alibi, and I'll even help you strap him down on the table."

Sebastian rolled his eyes, although he did look slightly worried, which made Felicia giggle. "You had better watch yourself around her, something tells me that she was only partially joking."

"Come on, lab equipment is this way." Noelani beckoned for them to follow her. "I know that some people might find it creepy to be working next to dead bodies, but I've found that I enjoy the peace and quiet, and if I ever need to rant about anything, they have no choice but to listen."

"I think that Felicia was more worried about them coming to life then she was to them listening to her." Sebastian said as he chuckled, ducking when Felicia tried to swat him in the head. "You got me once, you won't get me again-ow!"

The cry of pain was due to Noelani, who had grabbed him by his ear. "You behave yourself, or I will kick you out of this lab."

"You can't do that."

"It's my lab, so I can do whatever I feel like, and if you don't quit, then you're going to be doing your little detective work outside. If this is how you've been acting, she probably doesn't want you around, anyway."

"You hit that right on the nose." Felicia said. "If he could go somewhere so that I could actually work, that would be lovely."

"Consider it done." Still holding him by his ear, Noelani dragged Sebastian towards the exit. "Come back around noon, and bring her some food."

"I can't just leave her-"

"She'll be fine, and you know that I have safeguards in place in case something were to happen. Noon. Don't come back a minute sooner." Effectively having given him the boot, she brushed her hands off before returning to Brian and Felicia. "Now, let's get cracking on a cure."

Brian was looking at Noelani in what seemed to be pure adoration. "I think I'm in love."

"Good." Felicia responded. "Focus on that when I'm sticking you with a needle and you won't feel a thing. Probably."