Oh, Gods, I need DRUGS!

The Muses all looked up at the bed then at each other, then headed over to talk on the stairway between Kaiya's and Vo's apartments. "She's too sick," Oz said without preamble.

"She sounds like Lurch," the kiddie muse, presently as Miri, pouted. "Every time she breathes, she moans. It's very creepy."

"She's running a fever, is mildly infectious, and heavily infected," the Jim muse reported. "She's just come back from her third shower of the day to help her cool down." Xander elbowed him. "Stop it, pet, this is important. If we don't make her feel better soon, you're not getting written for a *long* time."

Xander shrugged. "I'd rather have her feel better. She's been reading."

"Yeah, she has," Oz agreed, "but she's still too sick to go to class. She's too sick to even sit up and read in front of the computer." He looked up at the top of the stairs again, waving at the kittens. "At least we've got company."

"She's nearly delusional," Methos said, coming over to join them instead of sitting next to her on the bed. "She's having chills too."

"Another shower?" Xander suggested.

"No, not this soon. She's still wet from the other one." He looked at his watch. "Nearly time for medicine."

"Not that it helps," Jim snorted. "It's not unstuffing her or keeping her from coughing." He looked up at the cats again. "They look lonely."

"They probably are," Oz said philosophically. "Everyone's gotten petted but they've only got the mommy because the door's closed. Even Blair's had to make her feel better so far." He cuddled into the warm moving lump of white and black fur that reached up from the lower step to grab him. "Yeah, you," he said fondly. "We've got to help her plan how to move furniture so he won't run into it." He let the head go, watching it lay back down. "What do we do?"

"I tried giving her good dreams," Xander admitted. "It didn't help much."

"She's been more awake today," Methos noted. "She'll be fine in a few days, if the weather stays warm."

"Yeah," Jim put in, "a cold snap will hurt her. The heat will go up again and she'll roast."

"And another bout shall come back," Oz sighed. "Now what?" He looked up, then at Jim, who shook his head. "Footsteps?" Jim shrugged so all the muses snuck up the stairs to check on the ill Vo. What they saw was probably a side effect of the light fever they were all carrying because they were part of her, but then again.... Beside the bed stood two very human sized people-type people. Two people she'd been listening to the night before so she'd have the noise she needed to sleep. Oz stood up and walked around until they could see him. "Um, hi," he said, waving. "Are you a figment?"

The Robin Williams type person nodded. "Definitely. Don't worry, we'll be leaving soon. Just long enough to get her back to sleep. Oh, nice work you guys." He grinned and patted the Vo on the head. "She's nearly awake."

"Thanks, but we're staying out here. Tormenting her is the fastest way to make her get rid of us," Xander said as he joined his Oz buddy. "Why are you here, Dennis?"

The Dennis Leary type of figment shrugged. "Not a clue, she took most of my stuff off the playlist before she went to bed. It should just be his," he said, pointing his thumb at Robin as he took a drag of his cigarette with the other hand. "Any ideas here? Figments don't belong in light."

Jim pointed at the lamp. "Make her turn it off. She's probably going to be able to see you with her fever."

Robin shrugged. "Maybe." He smiled down at the opening eyes. "Get up, take some medicine, and go back to sleep," he ordered gently, then he tweaked her nose and made a funny sound.

"Cut it out," Dennis sighed. "Take some of the Daytime Big Q and go back to bed already. And turn off the lights."

"Lights means I don't trip over stuff," she whined as she got up to get a glass of milk and something to nibble on so she'd be able to swallow the pills, a small problem to the whole taking medicine thing. She wobbled back to the bed with her glass of milk, making a short stop to get the Dayquil pills, then renested herself. She looked down at the muses and smiled. "As soon as I feel well enough to sit at the computer, I'll write a muse story," she promised them. She took her medicine and looked up at the figments. "Huh. I'm really sick." She took off her glasses and put them on the bedside table, then closed her eyes and tried to at least drift into the place where she didn't feel quite so bad. Then she started to cough.

By the time she was done, the little Blair cat was beside her, working his way under the covers to lay beside her and make her pet him to feel better. As soon as she felt better, he left, going back to his nice cool, dark place on the stairs to hide in ambush for the other kittens.

"Don't pick on the female cats," Vo called after him. She blinked up at the figments. "Hi."

"Bed and sleep," Robin said, more firmly this time.

"But I can't."

"Yes you can," Dennis told her, pushing on her head until it went back down onto the pillows. "And stay there. Unless you're going to make some coffee to clear up the snot problem you're having."

She shook her head. "No, not more coughing. My throat's already sore." She pulled the flannel throw tighter around her shoulders, making sure her bottom half was covered with the afghans and sheets. "Better," she sighed, starting to drift again.

Robin sighed when he didn't disappear, going to sit in her broken down recliner and wait on the next time she woke up in two hours. Or sooner if she couldn't breathe.

***

The Oz muse tapped the Robin figment on the arm. "She's in real sleep," he said quietly, pointing at the bed. "You could probably go. Her fever's even gone."

"She's got to disbelieve me for me to go," Robin reminded him.

"Ah." Oz looked down at the Xander muse, who was crawling out from under the couch. "Go make her say he's not real so he can go back to his own realm. It's not comfy for him here. He can't even read the stories she's written."

The Xander climbed up onto the bed and carefully climbed into Vo's ear, wincing at the tightness of it. "She's plugged up here too," he called.

Vo woke up with a snort and squinted around the room. "Huh," she said, waving at the Robin figment. "I know you're not really here, but you're very nice. Thank you for being the mommy- type person who kept putting me to bed. Have fun with the cats." She put her head back down, after wiggling a finger in her ear and blowing into a clamped shut nose to open her stuffed-up ear again. "Better," she sighed, going back to sleep for a little while longer.

Robin smiled at Oz. "I think that was enough of a cue. I'll be going. Keep her drinking and eating soft stuff. She'll be fine by next Monday." He slowly faded out, going back to his own realm.

The muses all looked at each other. "Party!" Oz shouted, heading down to get funky with the others under the couch. No cats allowed down there, and fuzzy mice were a good pillow.

Vo flipped over with a moan. It was all okay again, she was getting better and it was going to all be good again. She'd even get that nasty bit of GHS 65 or so that was floating around in her head out in a few days to save until it was time.

THE END.