The Imperfect Man, Part 6
By Missy


SERIES: The Imperfect Man
PART: 6 of 10
RATING: R (Some dark humor, cursing)
PAIRING(s): That's what I haven't decided yet (See notes)
DISTRIBUTION: To LW, Kai and FG (if the very act of reading this doesn't kill her) so far; any other archives are welcome to ask, but disclaimers must be included, my email left intact. send a URL, and provide full disclaimers as well as credit me fully. Please inform me if you are going to submit my work to any sort of search engine. Please do not submit my work to a search engine that picks out random sets of words and uses them as key words, such as "Google"
Please contact me in order for this story to be placed on an archive, or if you want know of a friend who would enjoy my works, please email me their address and I will mail them the stories, expressly for the purpose of link trading. MiSTiers are welcomed! Please do inform me that you'd like to do the MiSTing, however, and send me a copy of the finished product. I'd also love to archive any MiSTings that are made of my work!
CATEGORY: Dark Humor
PAIRING: ??/Laverne/Carmine triangle (There! I settled on one all by myself!; this blank will be filled after this chapter is read)
FEEDBACK: PLEASE?!
SETTING IN TIMELINE: California years, post "The Mummy's Bride".
SPOILLER/SUMMARY: When Laverne is given the impression that she's one week away from being killed, she makes one last, desperate search for love (And yes, this is a black comedy)

NOTES: this is a short but action-packed connecting chapter :)

****

Carmine slammed his foot down on the gas, dragging across the highway like a madman. Behind him, sirens wailed; he punched the gas as his companions slept like babies.

The world raced by as his head throbbed; wishing only for forgiveness as cars wailed by, skidding in circles to escape him.

He ran off of the highway, knowing somehow that they would try to block him in. Railroad tracks rose in front of him. A shrill whistle informed him of an oncoming train.

It worked in those old car chase films, he thought to himself, as he sped across the ties. The car landed safely at the opposite end of the tracks; the train's hull scraping his bumper as he raced through the back road. The wailing sirens were distanced, then disappeared completely.

Lenny stirred in the backseat, "What's goin' on?"

"Nothing," He said grimly, as they passed beneath a green sign reading 'Welcome to Seattle', "We just almost got killed."

"Oh," said Lenny. And then he slipped back to sleep. Then he started awake, "Huh?!"

"Yeah. Cops." Carmine shook his head, "I gave them the slip."

Lenny nodded, "Think they'll follow us?"

"Nah; we're out of their area now. And not too far from Shirley's."

"Carmine? You don't.." He swallowed hard, "Ya don't think Vernie's really gonna die in two days, do ya?"

He shook his head, "It's just garbage."

"Good. She's too young to die." Lenny nodded his head, "I know when I'm going to go."

"Lenny, none of us know that."

"I do." He mimed putting a gun to his head, "When I'm seventy, or if I get real sick, whatever comes up first."

Carmine glanced at Lenny in his rear-view mirror. The boy was dead serious.

With the kind of life he had lead, no wonder.

***

Shirley's house was just as Carmine had predicted...white-picketed, on a rocky hill overlooking the town. A false queendom, just as she had envisioned.

He rang the doorbell.

Laverne and Lenny were fully rested, incredulous about the car chase, and standing behind him when Shirley came to the door.

She was suitably shocked to see him, "What a pleasant surprise! What are you guys doing here?"

"Laverne thinks she's dyin'!" Lenny piped up.

Carmine shot Lenny a dirty look, "We need a place to stay, Shirl," he said, his voice honeyed, "Can you take us in?"

She thought about it for a minute. "No," she said, suddenly. And shut the door.





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