Emma Leigh's Playground

Monk Fic (written for Yuletide): All Aboard, Mr. Monk

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:43:01 GMT

Title: All Aboard, Mr. Monk
Fandom: Monk
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Genre: Humor/Adventure/Romance
Betas: htbthomas and foxtwin
Timeline/Spoilers: Written after 7x09 – Mr. Monk and the Miracle, but no spoilers, really.
Disclaimer: Not claiming any ownership to the creation of Monk. I’m way too busy to have any part of a TV show. Yeah. Right.

Summary: Written for Yuletide for Ekaterinn, with the request for a funny case file.

A/N: I totally forgot to post this here after the New Years’ reveal…and I sincerely hope this is the right file I’m copying from – since I have so many of these, for some stupid reason, lol. This means that if you see any mistakes, it’s my fault and not my betas, since they did a superb job of giving me constructive advice on things which I’d fixed.

That being said, if you haven’t yet read this, enjoy! :D

- - - - - - - -

Monk’s apartment was typically quiet and pristine as Natalie burst in with her phone in hand and a smile on her face. “Mr. Monk?” she began calling out. Knowing he probably wouldn’t answer, especially if he was busy cleaning something, she poked her head in the living room and dining room, saying his name again and again. By the time she checked the bedroom and found it empty, she began to wonder if he’d actually ventured out without her.

Yeah, right, she inwardly thought and decided to double-check the apartment once more. “Mr. Mo-onk?” she began to sing as if playing hide-and-seek with a child. She moved back down the hall. “Where aaaare yoooou?” Turning in toward the kitchen, she found the refrigerator door open, Mr. Monk, donning his handy yellow rubber gloves and paper face mask, stood up straight and threw a barely-used paper towel into the garbage can by his leg. “What are you doing? Don’t we usually clean the refrigerator on Friday afternoons?”

“Egg broke,” he explained. With his face scrunched disgustedly, he sprayed more anti-bacterial cleaner into the egg slots and scrubbed at them. “Wouldn’t wait.”

Natalie understood him, having been with him long enough to know that the slightest mess would drive him crazy. She relaxed a little and crossed her arms. “Oh, okay. Well, are you almost done? ‘Cuz we’ve got a case,” she stated excitedly, waving her phone. “The captain just called and he wants us to come right away.”

He was just passing time as he finished up his cleaning, wiping down and closing the refrigerator door. “Where?” he asked, seemingly uninterested.

He was across the room, washing off the cleaner bottle and drying it with another paper towel as Natalie answered, “I’m not sure. Captain said to meet him at the station.”

Monk groaned and put the cleaner away under the sink. “Crime scene’s probably near the train station,” he said, throwing the rest of the used paper towels in the trash. He took off his rubber gloves. “Or the homeless shelter.” He tossed them in the garbage can as well. Looking down into it as he did, he gave a loud moan. “Oh god,” he said. “Not the garbage dump.” He took a couple of steps and slumped over the island, practically whining.

“Oh, come on,” Natalie consoled with a gentle rub on his shoulder. “We don’t know that. Maybe the captain just doesn’t want us to waste gas because the scene is far away.”

“No,” Monk whined, pulling away from her. “He always has us meet him at the crime scene, never at the station. I’m sure this time he’d much rather be able to trap me in the back of a locked police car—”

Stomping around to stand in front of him, Natalie fussed, “Okay, you cannot dismiss this case before we even get a chance to hear what it involves. Come on, we’re going.”

“No, wait. I still have to take the trash out.”

“Didn’t you do that last night and probably this morning?”

“Yes, but that was before the egg—”

“Come on,” Natalie demanded, dragging him to the front door by his sleeve.

As Natalie parked her car beside the curb in front of the police station, Monk was still grumbling. “The stench… Oh, god, the smell.”

She rolled up the windows, rolling her eyes. “I told you I was sorry about my new perfume. Julie thought it smelled nice and bought it for me and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by not using it.”

“No,” he shook his head vehemently. “I was talking about what’s happening in my apartment right now. Why didn’t you just let me take the garbage out?”

Again her eyes rolled. She opened her door as she reminded him, “Because, Mr. Monk…” She paused as she walked around and opened his door to prevent him from sullying his completely disinfected hands. “Somewhere, a plastic factory has just ordered another barrel of oil to keep up with the number of trash bags you go through in a day.”

He made a face as he swung his feet out of the car. “It’s called commerce,” he grumbled. He stood and shifted in his clothes as he got out of the car, straightening invisible wrinkles on his coat and pants. “I’ll have to air out my house when we get back.”

“It’ll be fine,” she mumbled loud enough for him to hear, deep-down knowing it wouldn’t do much good. He would just do what he needed to do in order to cope with life and there was nothing she could do to change it.

Captain Stottlemeyer was on the phone and pacing when Natalie led the way for Monk, who had to pause to touch every lamp they passed as usual. He’d told her once to go ahead of him in case someone bumped into them and spilled something. That time Natalie had gotten a coffee stain on the bottom half of her shirt had only cemented his resolve and she didn’t bother arguing the point.

Natalie’s opinion of the captain’s expression was that he wasn’t happy with whatever news he was receiving. “Okay,” he practically growled into the phone. “If there’s no other way…” He sighed. “I’ll do my best.”

“Bad news?” she queried, hoping he’d spill what the phone conversation was about.

“Bad case,” he muttered in reply, just as Monk stepped into the room and he clammed up. “I just got off the phone with the mayor, and he insists that you take the lead on this case.”

“What case?”

Stottlemeyer sighed again and lowered his body into his chair. “His daughter went on a cruise with some guy – a new boyfriend – and the mayor has reason to believe that she’s been kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped?” Monk repeated. “Why? How does he know?”

“He received an e-mail demanding ransom when the ship returns to its home port. There are no photos, but, every attempt he’s made to contact his daughter, she’s been unavailable or won’t return his calls. He has reason to believe that it’s real.”

“So, what am I supposed to do?”

Captain hesitated. “The mayor…wants you to board the ship at the next port –” Monk was already beginning to protest, clarifying the assignment, already complaining about having to go on the water. Stottlemeyer just talked louder over him, “He wants you to try to find her. It’s his daughter, Adrian.”

He stood up as Monk paced, mumbling something about motion sickness and tiny closets and lots and lots of water. “Look,” the captain put up his hand. “All you have to do is find out if she’s in any real danger without letting on that you’re there at her father’s request, and if she is, we’ll catch the bad guy.”

“No,” Monk emphatically stated. “Nope, uh-uh, sorry, I can’t help you. You’ll have to get someone else.”

“Believe me, Monk, I tried. The mayor wouldn’t settle for anyone else. Look, the city will pay for it all, and Natalie and Randy and I will all be there for backup.”

“Why do you need me? You and the lieutenant can handle it – you do this kind of stuff all the time.”

Stottlemeyer was shaking his head even before Monk finished his sentence. “I’ve met Emma before and so has Randy. If she’s not in danger and she notices us poking around, it’ll just make her angry with her father. We’re going to have to blend in as best we can, like it’s just a coincidence that we’re on the same cruise. You, on the other hand, will be free to move around and ask questions without being noticed.”

Taking a step forward, Monk lifted a finger and reminded, “But it’s a boat…on WATER. I don’t DO water, remember?” They all recalled too well his last boating adventure that had ended up with him in the bay.

“Oh, Mr. Monk,” Natalie optimistically tried, “but this isn’t like a boat at all. It’s a ship – it’s like a hotel, and you’ve stayed in hotels before.”

“Yes, but it’s on water!” he argued. “The ocean,” he continued with distaste. “On it, in it, surrounded by water!”

Stottlemeyer calmly reiterated, “Adrian, I tried to explain that to the mayor, but he knows you’re the best at seeing things the rest of us don’t and he wants the best. We don’t have a choice.”

“No, no, no, no, no…” Monk began to whine as he sank down on the office’s couch.

Randy strolled through the door just then and put his hands on his hips. “Well, I’m all packed,” he said cheerily. “When do we leave?”

- - - - - - -

While Monk was his usual unhappy self with the task ahead of them, Natalie was actually looking forward to the trip. She hadn’t been on a cruise since her honeymoon with Mitch nearly twenty years earlier. She bounced along to the music playing in the distance as she boarded the gangplank, trying desperately to forget the stressful flight they took to get to this Mexican port. Monk had not been easy and the three of them had a time keeping him seated – calm was impossible.

The group of four had split up once they’d landed at the airport, to keep it from appearing that they were all together, so Natalie hurried to find the suite she’d share with Monk to try to get him settled. As it was, he was stumbling along beside her, still apparently traumatized by the flight on the small plane, and was only changing directions when she’d push or tug his arm the right way.

She was relieved when she found their room, and used the card key they’d picked up at the desk on their way to open the door. “Okay, Mr. Monk, here we are,” she said, keeping up her happy tone, despite how worn out she was already. She held open the door and nudged him inside, pleased when she saw the size of the room. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about claustrophobia.

Monk immediately fixated on the windows and the balcony doors. Even though right now there was the view of land outside, Natalie knew that the vast ocean would soon feel intimidating to her boss. “What a nice view,” she said, moving to close the blinds on each window. “We’ll just shut these for now…” Once that was done, she turned back to him, grabbed his suitcase from their stack of bags that had already been brought to their suite, and led him to the bedroom. “How about a nice nap until dinner, huh?”

“Okay, nap,” he repeated nonsensically. He stretched out on the bed as instructed, then mumbling something about small planes. Natalie knew she’d never live that one down, especially with the way he threatened to fire her when they were forcing him on it back in San Francisco. She knew he’d sleep it off and once he woke up in this hotel-styled room, he’d be back to normal – his normal, anyway.

Closing the door behind her, she didn’t bother taking care of the rest of the suitcases or even checking to make sure that the couch folded out; she just grabbed her purse and went out for a walk around the ship and for some fresh air.

Walking into the lobby, Natalie smiled. Finally, a break, she thought and then rounded the corner, catching the sight of a lot of skin out of the side of her eye. She turned her head to look and then quickly looked away when she realized that there was a couple sitting in a grouping of chairs, stark naked. “What the…?”

She turned the other direction and saw two more sitting at a bar with nothing on. As she glanced around the room, there were a few more here and there, walking around nude as if it were an everyday occurrence. She started toward the desk to ask what was going on when she saw the welcome sign she’d missed on their way in. It read: “Welcome to the Clothing Optional Cruise.” It listed a few reminders, including that clothing was mandatory on deck until they were two miles away from port, but inside, it was always an option.

“Oh…my god.” Natalie practically ran back to their room. She’d be lucky if she could get Monk to leave the room at all once he found that out. She spent the next couple of hours unpacking and trying to come up with ideas while she found places for all of his bottled water and extra sheets. It wasn’t easy on both counts.

By the time Monk woke up they were already well out to sea, and Natalie knew that the ship would be teaming with nudes both inside and out on the decks. But she had a plan.

Monk was fortunately ready to get down to business. “I guess we should go find Emma and get this over with.”

“Yes, that would be a good idea,” she agreed. “But first, there’s something we need to do.” She sat him down on the couch and perched on the edge of the cushion as well to tell him her plan. “Remember that time you were blind?”

“Remember it? Of course I remember it.”

“Well, do you remember how relieved you were that if it was ‘out of sight,’ it was ‘out of mind’?”

He nodded. “Why?”

“I just thought, you know, it would be easier for you to get around if you didn’t see anything.” She picked up a pair of dark sunglasses still in a plastic wrapper and handed them to him. “I bought these for you at the gift shop. You could just keep your eyes closed and wear these, I’ll guide you around, and then you won’t be afraid of…anything.”

“How am I supposed to investigate the case if I can’t see anything?”

“Oh, you will,” she was quick to concede. “That’s the beauty of it; you can open your eyes whenever you feel you need to, but only when I say that it’s okay.”

Although somewhat suspicious about her motives, Monk agreed to the idea, slipped on the glasses and allowed Natalie to lead the way out into the open. “Okay, close your eyes,” she said, and was immediately glad when one of their neighbors came down the hall toward them with nothing on but a friendly smile.

She nearly panicked when Monk’s arm brushed against the other person’s, but noticed that other that a thoughtful furrowing of his brow and adjusting of his coat, Monk didn’t react. Her plan was working.

“Okay, let’s go find the captain so we can get Emma’s room number from him,” she suggested, and they made their way down the hall. She knew that Stottlemeyer had said to meet them on a certain deck at six o’clock, so even though they were late, it was just a matter of finding it…and getting there without Mr. Monk noticing all the nudity. “Okay,” she hummed when they arrived on the deck. “This is the right place… Now we just have to find – Oh, there’s Lieutenant Disher.”

He was sitting in a chair with his back to her, so she called out his name, only to find when he stood up that he was also not wearing anything. But it was too late. Monk had already opened his eyes. “Dah!” he jerked back as if he’d been punched. Then he covered his eyes with one hand.

“Randy, why are you naked?” Natalie asked and Monk lowered his hand just enough to see Randy’s head and nothing else so that he could hear his answer.

Randy smirked and casually put his hands on his hips. “Oh, you know, I’m just trying to fit in. I am undercover.” He punctuated that sentence with a half-grin.

“Yes! You should be!” Monk harshly whispered. “Get under COVER!”

“Mr. Monk,” Natalie chided. She certainly didn’t want to give Randy away.

Monk turned to her and noticed, “You’re looking at him. How could you look at him?”

“At his face, Mr. Monk. That’s all.”

When he turned back to Randy, with his hand still up in front of his face, he caught a glance of the rest of the people on the deck and flinched again. “Oh, god, they’re ALL naked! What is this, a nude cruise?”

“Yeah, exactly,” Randy shrugged, unaffected. “Clothing optional,” he grinned. “It’s awesome.”

“Awesome?! Yeah, awesomely disgusting!” Monk enunciated. “Did you know about this?” he interrogated Natalie.

“Only after we were already on board. But we have a job to do, Mr. Monk,” she reminded him. “It’s just a few naked people – if you close your eyes and keep your sunglasses on, you won’t ever see them, okay?”

He moaned and groaned for a minute and then gave in, knowing there was nothing else he could do. “But I’m invoking a new rule. NO handshakes. Even wipes won’t kill those kinds of germs.”

“Okay, Mr. Monk,” Natalie held in her chuckle. She turned back to Randy. “Do you have the room number?”

“Oh, yeah,” he tapped his chest and then laughed. “Forgot. No pockets.” He hurried back to his chair to get something out of his shirt.

From behind his hand, Monk scolded Natalie, “You’re looking, you’re looking.”

“Fine,” she conceded with a sigh and placed her hand above her eyes as well. Randy handed her a piece of paper when he returned and she thanked him before saying goodbye. “Okay, close your eyes and take my arm,” she instructed Monk. “We’re going to the Lido deck.”

Once in front of Emma’s cabin door, Natalie knocked and waited while Monk kept his glasses on and his eyes closed. A moment later, a man answered the door. “Are they clothed?” Monk asked in a mumble and she replied in the affirmative as she pretended to clear her throat. He opened his eyes and took in the room while Natalie asked the questions.

“Hi, we’re looking for John and Jill Tyler… Do you know them?”

The man shook his head. “Sorry.”

“Really?” Natalie continued to bluff. “Somebody,” she pointed toward the hall, “said that they saw Jill come in this room.”

Just as she hoped, he stepped out of the way and showed Emma wearing a sundress and casually sitting on one of the twin beds. “Nobody here but us. Sorry,” he repeated and with a nod goodbye, he shut the door on them.

They moved a few feet down the hall before talking about the situation. “Well, what do you think?”

“Horrible, it’s just awful,” he mumbled.

“What? Do you think he was just pretending that everything was okay? You think he’s really holding her for ransom?”

“In that small room? I’d have to say yes. What was that, a closet??”

“Mr. Monk, that was a regular inside cabin. It’s just like the one Mitch and I stayed in on our honeymoon. Sure, it has twin-sized bunk beds, but squeezing into just one bed every night can be quite romantic,” she finished dreamily.

“I’d be sick.”

“Yeah, you would be, for sure. But, seriously,” she stopped him before he turned the corner and headed back into naked territory. “Was there anything out of the ordinary in there?”

“No,” he replied. “She looked happy – or at least as happy as she could be in that…cubicle. Their suitcases were unpacked, the room was clean, her makeup was scattered all over that…toilet-room. Did you see the drain in the middle of the bathroom floor? I think their whole room was their shower.”

Natalie chuckled and then told him to put his glasses on and close his eyes. They had to go find the captain.

After she discovered from Randy that the captain had gone back to his room, she came back to collect Monk from the library where she’d left him, and the two went to discuss the case. Stottlemeyer’s room, while not as grand as Monk’s, was at least large enough to keep Monk from panicking. Captain even had a window, on which he promptly shut the blinds when the detective entered.

“Come in, make yourself comfortable,” he said while drying off his hair with a towel.

“Leland,” Monk started as he sat down in a chair, “did you know this is a naked cruise?”

“Yes, and I’m sorry about that. In my defense, I didn’t know it either until we got here. The mayor didn’t mention it.”

“Huh,” Monk muttered, suddenly putting on the thinking face they all knew too well. “He may not have known,” Monk thought out loud. “Maybe that’s why Emma hasn’t checked in with him and won’t return his calls.”

“What do you mean?” Stottlemeyer asked as he sank down on the edge of the bed across from Monk and Natalie. “You don’t think she’s been kidnapped or in any danger?”

“No, she seemed fine.”

“It makes sense,” Natalie piped in. “She’s just turned twenty-one, and her father has been known to be pretty over-protective… I know I wouldn’t tell my father about something like this,” she lightly laughed.

“I suppose it’ll be okay to question her, then. But not me – I’ll have Randy bump into her somewhere and strike up a conversation.”

“Good,” Monk stood up. “So, I can leave now.”

Natalie rose to her feet beside him. “Mr. Monk, we’re, like, fifty miles out to sea now. We have to wait until the next port to get off.”

His calmness was suddenly dissipating. “You mean, I’m stuck here on this ship? With naked people?!”

“It’s just for two days,” she tried, and then immediately regretted it.

“TWO DAYS?? But…but…I don’t have my toothbrush,” he tried as an excuse.

Natalie told him, “It’s back in our room. And so are your pictures of Trudy, and your extra sheets, and everything else you need. Remember?”

“What about my house? And my city? I need my LAND, Natalie.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Monk,” she shrugged, feeling a bit empathetic.

He sat back down and started rocking, holding his face. “Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god…”

Natalie rubbed his back as Stottlemeyer muttered, “I knew this was a bad idea.”

She switched gears back to her usual optimism and comforted, “He’ll be fine. We’ll just stay in our suite with the blinds closed and the time will fly by.” Inwardly, she thought for sure that wasn’t true.

Stottlemeyer agreed, “Yeah, you’re going to have to keep him secluded. I hear that tonight, there’s a Conga line that they plan to wrap around the Promenade Deck.”

“Ew,” Natalie grimaced for Monk’s sake. “Well, come on, Mr. Monk,” she guided him out of the chair. “I’ll order some room service just the way you like it with the food not touching and on separate plates.” She managed to lead him the direction of the door. “Maybe we’ll even play cards or something.”

“This is your fault,” he sneered at her.

Thankfully, she never took him seriously. “How’s that?”

“If you hadn’t made me get on that boat a couple of years ago, we would’ve never gotten on this case.”

“Sure we would have. The mayor demanded that you be the one—”

“It’s still your fault.”

“No, it’s not, Mr. Monk. Things just happen—”

“I know somehow you’re to blame. You always get me in these situations…”

They were still bickering even as the door closed behind them.

- - - - - - -

Two days later, they made it back to San Francisco and Monk’s apartment. Randy had managed to meet up with the mayor’s daughter, and although she wasn’t that happy with her boyfriend and planned to break up with him after the cruise was over, she was fine. Apparently, the threatening e-mail had been a hoax, possibly sent by someone who’d recognized Emma and wanted to cause some trouble. Emma had admitted that she was sure her father was checking up on her the whole time and hadn’t wanted to contact him in fear that he’d make her come home. And it appeared that she didn’t have a clue that he thought she might be in trouble.

Monk, on the other hand, spent the two days grumbling that it had been pointless for him to come since all he could do was sit in his suite. Natalie had spent the time reading selections from the library, watching sunsets from the balcony, and keeping Monk calm. Although he called on his vision of Dr. Bell when he was needed, keeping him entertained had proved much more difficult than she would’ve guessed. Once they were off the ship, he vowed he would never leave land again, either by air or by sea, nor did he ever want to see another naked person for as long as he lived. As it was, Natalie was sure he’d have a hard time looking at Randy again, fully clothed.

Natalie dumped all the bags she was carrying just inside the Monk’s door and let out a breath. “Thank God we’re back.”

Monk suddenly pushed his way past her and stepped over the bags, excusing himself. “Oh… my god!”

“What’s your hurry?”

He appeared back around the corner with one handkerchief over his nose, and the other in his hand gripping the straps of a trash bag. “You didn’t remind me take this out!” He went outside and reappeared a minute or so later. “Quick, open all the windows!” He hurried to the living room, opening the windows as fast as he could, all the while keeping his face covered with the cloth. “The smell! Mold is growing as we speak! We have to hurry!!”

Natalie watched him, finding the situation completely humorous. Ironically, he acted as if he were on a sinking ship, freaking out even though he regularly had an air purifier running, plug-in air fresheners always filled, and his trash can had a lid.

“Oh, god, I can still smell it,” he called out from another room. “I may have to move!”

Natalie chuckled from her spot by the door. She couldn’t smell a thing.

~End

Psych Fic (b-day fic for htbthomas): Vacation

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 05:58:46 GMT

Title: Vacation
Fandom(s): Psych (and Monk, just for the fun of it)
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy/Mystery
Ships: Slightly Shawn/Juliet and Monk/Natalie, but not really
Timeline/Spoilers: Season 3-ish, before the last two eps.
Disclaimer: I’m not nearly as good with the 80’s movie and pop culture references to ever claim any part of the creative team of Psych. So, yeah, not possibly any money being made off of this.

Summary: Shawn and Gus visit a museum in San Francisco, and get involved in a case. B-day fic for htbthomas. X-posted at oldromantic.

A/N: Five days late and a LOT of dollars short… :P Hope this is considered “geekery” enough for ya’, Barb. And I hope it was worth waiting for! Happy belated birthday!! :D

Thanks to auntof3 for the beta! (I'll get her hooked on Psych yet. ;) )

Enjoy!! ♥

- - - - - - -

“Really, Gus?” Shawn was complaining as he sat across the café table from his best friend. “We go on our first vacation in months, drive all the way up here to San Francisco, and you want to spend our time visiting a museum? That’s your surprise?”

“You told me to figure out where we should go for our vacation.”

“Yeah, but, I’m sure there are a dozen things to do here, other than boring museum hopping.”

“It won’t be boring.”

“We could tour Alcatraz. We could see where Clint Eastwood escaped with that guy from Tremors. Or was it Tremors 2?” His eyes wandered to the ceiling as he pondered the answer to his own question.

Gus frowned. “I told you that the surprise would be what you found when we got to the museum, Shawn. And I’m not spoiling it.” He set his lips in a firm line and turned away. Then he added, “It’s not my fault you decided to try to solve some random non-crime and ruin our day.”

Shawn argued. “Dude, it was, like, fate. It’s not my fault that car crashed right in front of us first thing this morning.”

“Excuses, Shawn. What are we waiting here for, anyway?”

“I don’t know. Some detective’s assistant called and said they would meet us here to find out what we know about the case.” Just then, a blonde came through the front door, practically dragging her reluctant boss in by the arm. Shawn nodded their direction. “That must be them now.” He gave the detective a studied, once-over look, noting how he was avoiding touching the door handle, and really anything, and yet, he still wiped his palms on his pants. As they walked closer, the man purposely reached out and touched each lamp shade that hung over the tables they passed. “Whoa,” Shawn noticed. “That guy has some serious OCD issues.”

Gus snorted in agreement just as the woman reached their table and asked, “Are you Shawn Spencer?”

Shawn replied, “Why, yes, and this is my partner, Cannibal ‘Gus’ Lecter. No relation.”

“Oh-kay,” she answered, slightly taken aback by his joke. Then she held out her hand. I’m Natalie Teeger, and this is my boss, Adrian Monk.”

They all shook hands in turn and then Shawn watched as Monk wiped his hands on a disinfectant wipe Natalie had handed him. They all sat back down in the booth, with the boys across from the couple, and Monk taking the outermost edge. Shawn watched with interest as Monk took a handkerchief out and wiped down his silverware, even though he was pretty sure none of them were actually going to eat anything there. Then he went about setting them straight as Natalie began to tell them what answers they were looking for; mainly, if they’d seen what happened to the driver before he’d crashed and died.

“He was passed out,” Shawn answered easily and Gus stared at him, wondering how he’d known that. They were just starting to turn a right corner when the car had come from out of nowhere from the right and crashed into a building on the left of the street. Sometimes Shawn’s powers of observation even amazed Gus, who knew the truth that he wasn’t truly psychic.

As expected, Monk was skeptical. “But, wait. How could you have seen him? The crash must’ve happened in a split-second.”

“Yes,” Shawn replied smugly, “but I have an advantage. You see, I’m a psychic.”

Monk sat back and mumbled, “Oh, brother.”

Shawn put his two fingers to his temple as if seeing into the past and said, “I’m sensing that there was some kind of foul play involved – it wasn’t a heart attack as the police first suspected.”

“That’s right,” Natalie squeaked excitedly. “He’d been injected with something. You’re good at this.”

“Please… Don’t encourage him,” Monk complained.

“Gus and I solve cases for a living. We’d be glad to give you guys a hand on this case while we’re in town.”

“I don’t think so,” Monk said, even as Natalie agreed that it would be a great idea. He held up his hand and continued to protest, “It wouldn’t matter anyway, because we’re going to have to out of town for further investigation. This guy was from Santa Barbara—”

“Perfect,” Shawn replied, pulling out his cell phone. “That just happens to be where we’re from. We have great contacts in the SBPD.” He’d dialed Juliet as he finished his sentence and then held the phone to his ear. “Jules! Gus and I are in San Francisco, and we’ve witnessed a murder.”

“Geez, Shawn, can’t you guys go anywhere?”

“Well, I did know of a telephone booth once that could travel through time—”

“Shawn, the point, please?”

He got back to business. “Turns out this guy is from Santa Barbara. Wondering if you could look him up for me.”

“What’s his name?”

“His name?” he relayed to Monk and Natalie.

“Bill Knox,” Natalie replied, and Shawn passed on the info.

He heard clicking on the other end of the phone, and then Juliet said, “Well, let’s see… Bill Knox was a scientist and a professor at UCSB. Oh,” her tone changed, “he went missing a month ago.”

“Well, we found him.”

“I’ll tell the Chief and Lassiter. He’ll probably want to come up there to be a part of the investigation so that we can close the case on our end.”

“Okay. Thanks, Jules.” They made arrangements to meet the next day and he hung up.

With a smile, Natalie questioned, “Is her name ‘Julie’? That’s my daughter’s name.”

“Actually, ‘Juliet’. She’s my—”

Gus interrupted, “She’s not your girlfriend, Shawn, so don’t even go there.”

“I wasn’t!” he said defensively. “I was going to say that she’s my partner.”

“I’m your partner, Shawn.”

“Can she be my mentor?” He got a raised eyebrow from his friend for that one. “My goddess? My inspiration? The future mother of my children?”

Gus snorted. “Just don’t say that around her. You just might get yourself shot.”

“All the more reason to just…adore her.”

“Can we please get back to the case?!” Monk practically exploded.

Shawn had noticed him writhing in his seat, but hadn’t expected the outburst. “Okay, sorry. Jules and Lassie –”

“That’s Juliet’s partner, Detective Lassiter,” Gus interjected, to politely keep Monk and Natalie in the loop.

“Yes,” Shawn tossed an annoyed look his friend’s way. “Anyway, they’ll be here tomorrow with what they know. For now, I suggest we all just go and…take a chill pill.”

“I don’t take medication,” Monk declared, missing the point.

An eyebrow went up on Shawn’s face, and he replied, “Yeah, well, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

Natalie interceded, “Mr. Monk is fine. He’s…just a little upset today.”

He suddenly yelled out, “Only because you bumped me and made me drop a forkful of peas.”

“And, you don’t like a mess?” Gus guessed.

Shawn also tried, “You have a fear of things that roll?”

Monk got up from the table, pacing, and almost refusing to answer for a moment. When he finally did, it was almost as if it was because he couldn’t contain himself any longer. “I had a hundred,” Monk explained. “Once seven of them were on the floor, I no longer had an even number, did I?”

Saying goodbye to the boys until the next day, Natalie scooted off of the bench and tried again to mend things with her boss. “I’m sorry, Mr. Monk. I told you I was sorry already.”

“‘Sorry’ doesn’t cut it – I want my seven peas back.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” she offered, slipping her arm around his as they walked toward the exit. “We’ll have peas again for dinner, and I’ll make sure you get seven extra. That way, it’ll all even out.”

After they were out of earshot, Shawn mumbled, “Dude, and my dad thought I had issues.”

“That’s insane. How does she put up with that?”

“Oh, that’s easy – she’s in love with him.”

“What?”

“Come on, Gus. Even you could pick up on that,” Shawn whined. He waved his hand toward the door. “No one in their right mind would tolerate being treated the way he treats her if there wasn’t some kind of deeper connection there. And didn’t you see the way she held onto his arm?”

“Well, thank you, Oprah. I didn’t know you were so in touch with your feminine side.”

Gus pulled out a couple of dollars to pay for the sodas they’d consumed, and scooted out of the booth, followed by Shawn, who was saying, “Well, we psychics have to be sensitive to all the metaphysical sides of the human mind. Besides, it really helps out with the ladies, which, as we both know, is our ultimate goal here.”

“You know that’s right,” Gus agreed with a fist-bump, and the two left to continue their day.

They were just approaching the museum that Gus had planned for them to visit that morning, when Shawn said, “This has got to be the best vacation ever.” He stopped walking and stared across the street. “I’m bored and dying for a fresh case, and a suspicious car accident happens right in front of us. Now, I just started to get hungry, and we end up visiting a museum right across the street from an In-and-Out. That can’t be coincidence.”

The traffic clear, he started to cross the street even as Gus tried to stop him. “Shawn, what about the museum?”

“It’ll still be there after we eat. I just want a hamburger. Or maybe two,” he rubbed his stomach. “Eh, we’ll see.” He jogged the rest of the way across the road and Gus reluctantly followed.

As soon as Gus caught up, he reminded his friend what time the museum would close and that they needed to remember to get back there in time. But Shawn’s only response was to stop suddenly and gasp. “What?” Gus asked as the other man turned back to face him.

“The chick at the drive-through window is totally hot. You should ask her out.”

“She lives 300 miles away from us, Shawn. And she works in a fast-food restaurant for a living,“ he added with a sort of distaste.

But when Shawn stepped aside and made him get a look at the girl in question, Gus’s jaw dropped. “Whoa,” he muttered. “I see what you mean.”

They chose to buy their food and then stand by the walk-up windows to eat it, just so that they could appropriately flirt with Drive-Through Girl. But Gus did notice that after a few minutes, Shawn was distracted by something in the parking lot of the abandoned building next door. He didn’t say a word, even as he started to walk that direction, tossing the last little bite of his second hamburger into the trash on the way across the driveway.

Gus called after him, but he didn’t answer, so he politely said goodbye to Drive-Through Girl, and followed after him, catching up to him kneeling and hiding behind some bushes and peering through them. He knelt down too, just in case there was a reason beyond temporary insanity. “Shawn, what are you doing?”

“Gus, tell me you saw that blue car yesterday.”

“What car?” he asked, and then shared Shawn’s little space through the bushes to see what he was talking about. Two men were meeting between two parked cars where an exchange of envelopes took place – a large one for a smaller one – and then the two shook hands and got back in their cars. “I don’t remember seeing either one of them,” Gus replied as the cars started. “Why?”

As if seeing it still so fresh in his mind, Shawn closed his eyes and explained, “It was parked on the left side of the street facing us when the car crashed. About a minute later, it pulled out of its space and turned left to go the way Bill Knox’s car had come.”

“And you think this car has something to do with it?”

“Oh, oh!” Shawn exclaimed as the car pulled out of the parking lot and turned to drive past them. “Good, the license plate.” He memorized it instantaneously and then stood up when the coast was clear. “We’re going to find out.”

“And what about our vacation, Shawn? The museum?”

“Look, I don’t know what to tell you, man,” he stopped to point toward the building across the street. “But we’ve been here for twenty minutes, and in that time, I haven’t seen one person go in or come out over there. That’s not a good sign.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, maybe the museum is already full of patrons busy enjoying the artwork,” Gus rejoined.

“Or maybe they’ve all died of boredom. Either way,” he quickly added, “it’ll still be there when we’re done with this case.”

“Alright,” Gus finally agreed. “But you’re buying the souvenirs for this trip.”

Shawn rolled his eyes and moaned. “What could you possibly want from a museum? One of those ridiculous paperweights that are supposed to be art but looks like a bunch of office trash glued together? I’ll make you one when we get home, and it’ll be kickin’.”

Gus didn’t have a retort for that, so Shawn slipped on his sunglasses and began to strut back toward the car. “Come on, we have to look good for Drive-Through Girl.” Gus smirked and also put on his glasses as they cut across the driveway and waved goodbye to the employee who waved back. Shawn said, “I say that it’s time that we visit the SFPD and show them our mad skillllllzzz.”

“With a ‘z’,” Gus added as they both nodded and walked back to the parking lot where they’d left Gus’s car.

At the station, they asked to speak to the Captain, once they knew who was in charge, and, as soon as they got into the main part of the office, Shawn took a look around their surroundings for some little details he could use “psychically”, just in case. Then it was time to get the attention. He collapsed to the floor and those in the closest desks reacted the same way Gus did, in shock, rushing to his aid. “Shawn, Shawn! Are you okay?” Gus asked, playing the part.

Shawn held his head as Gus helped him up from the floor, complaining, “It’s just too much. There are so many unsolved mysteries in this room; the victims are all coming through to me at once. Ahh!” he yelled, thrashing his body around.

Gus spoke loudly, “Can you focus on just one?”

Still writhing, Shawn yelled out, “Ahh, it’s too hard! No, it’s a fort! No, wait – it’s opportunity!”

“You mean, ‘knocks’?” Gus pretended to try to help. By this time, Lt. Disher and Capt. Stottlemeyer were standing and watching the whole scene unfold. Shawn dropped his head, with his body slumped against the cop that was holding him up, as if he’d finally been freed from the burden of the message. “Quick,” Gus yelled across the room. “Is anyone working on a case with someone with the name of ‘Knox’?”

“I am,” Disher spoke up and then corrected, “I mean, we are.”

“Randy,” Stottlemeyer shook his head at the younger man in silent reprimand.

Throwing his body foot by foot, Shawn made his way across the room, knocking the occasional lamp or stack of papers off a desk amid protests. Finally his hand latched onto a manila envelope and he gripped it tight, even though the officer whose desk it had been perched on tried to take it back. “Something to do with an envelope – an exchange! Oh!” He fell over again, dropping the envelope. “It’s dirty.”

“Well, you’re lying on the floor, Shawn,” Gus reminded him.

“No!” he said, sitting and getting up to his knees. “The money, the exchange, this Knox guy… There was something underhanded going on.”

Stottlemeyer crossed his arms on his chest. “You must be the psychic that Monk was telling us about.”

“Yes,” Shawn caught his breath, standing to his feet. “I’m sorry for the disturbance, but sometimes the spirits really knock me around to give me their information.”

“I see that,” the captain mumbled unemotionally. “Is it over yet?”

“Yes, it’s clearing now.” Seemingly healed from his psychic attacks after a deep breath or two, Shawn was able to stand to his feet and shake the Captain’s hand. “I’m Shawn Spencer, lead psychic of the SBPD. This is my partner, Gus ‘Scattergories’ Guster.”

He shook Gus’s hand as well and then pointed to Randy. “This is Lieutenant Disher. I’m Captain Stottlemeyer. Now if you don’t mind telling me what the hell you’re doing here…”

“Obviously, I’ve had a psychic lead on this case that I thought deserved immediate attention. I – psychically, of course,” he said, touching his fingers to his head again, “I saw a man driving a car that was at the accident scene earlier today, in another part of town, making some kind of exchange: money for… Well, I don’t know what it was, but whatever it was, it was in an envelope just like that one.”

Disher frowned and clarified, “So, you’re saying…”

The way his voice trailed off clearly meant that he was waiting for Shawn to finish the sentence. “I’m saying that he wasn’t buying a tank. Whatever it was had to fit in that envelope.”

Stottlemeyer tried, “Okay, so…how does that help us exactly?”

Shawn sucked air in his teeth, flailing about with his eyes closed and leaning against the wall for support. “Two-four-X-Y-nine-seven. A blue cat – no, a storm. A bird!”

“A Thunderbird?” Gus offered.

But Shawn corrected, “A blue Thunderbird.”

Disher was writing all of this down in his notepad – scribbling it off when Shawn would change his description – and realized, “Oh. I’ll bet the numbers and letters are a tag number. I’ll look that up.”

Unimpressed, even as Randy sat down at his desk and started typing away at his keyboard, Stottlemeyer asked, “Anything else?”

“Well, Mr. Knox was a scientist from Santa Barbara, so it’s possible that he was a partied – partied? Apartied?” he and Gus looked at each other and shook their heads, unsure of the correct wording. “He might’ve been a part of some kind of drug ring, or lab experiment, or –”

“Or a guinea pig for an experimental drug,” Gus added.

“Or he could’ve been blackmailed or kidnapped for information. He’s been missing for a month.”

Stottlemeyer leaned against the door jamb to his office. By now, most of the other officers and detectives were back to their own work, not paying any attention to Shawn and Gus. “The thing is, boys, it could be anything, so your information, while it helps a little, doesn’t do much to move along our investigation.”

“Well, do you know yet what Knox was injected with?”

“No,” he replied. “We should have the autopsy report by tomorrow morning.”

Gus looked at his watch and complained, “Damn, and now the museum’s closed.”

Shawn sighed, knowing there was nothing they could really do until morning. “Well, maybe you could help us out with something else, then.”

“What’s that?” Stottlemeyer asked.

With his serious face on, Shawn questioned, “Is there any nightlife in this town?”

- - - - - - -

“There are two things I’ve learned about this city,” Shawn said to Juliet the minute he saw her outside of the police station where they decided to meet.

“What’s that? There are a lot of hills?” she snarked back.

“Okay, three things.” He held up a finger. “First, the streetcar is not named ‘Desire’, and secondly, riding it downhill is almost as thrilling as a rollercoaster – without the lovely perks of Gus’s vomit, of course.”

“I only vomited on one rollercoaster and that was when I was ten years old, Shawn.”

Juliet rolled her eyes and held up her hands. “Okay, can we possibly talk about the case, here?”

“Yes,” added Lassiter, “before we age beyond recognition.”

“Lassie, is that you?” Shawn teased, blinking at the other man. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Lassiter just made a childish face at him and turned to go inside the station. Monk and Natalie were already in Stottlemeyer’s office when the Santa Barbara foursome was escorted in.

The captain was just finishing up a phone conversation, and he set the phone on its cradle, greeting Shawn and Gus with a handshake. “Good to see you again,” Shawn said cordially, and then gestured to his police-trained partners. “These are our care bears, Lassie-Face and Jewel-Tones.”

Sighing at yet another nickname, Juliet held out her hand and introduced herself and Lassiter with their real names. “We have a little bit more information about Professor Knox.”

Stottlemeyer revealed, “If it has to do with the fact that he stole an experimental drug from the lab he worked at, we know that already.”

“Y-you do?” Lassiter stuttered. “How?”

“Thanks to Spencer’s tip on the license plate number, we managed to pick up this Raymond Lane. When the officers searched his car and found several other syringes full of drugs, the guy cracked. He told the cops everything. Apparently, he and Knox were selling the drug to the highest bidder when Knox got cold feet. They got into a fight, Knox was injected with a nearby syringe, and he fled until he crashed. Case closed.”

“So that’s it?” Shawn said, disappointed. “No more clues to follow, no more need for psychic help?”

Monk interjected, “Not that we ever needed any in the first place.”

“Mr. Monk,” Natalie quietly chided.

“Oh yes,” Shawn replied sarcastically. “And just who was the one that gave you the information on the license plate so that this Richard Blaine could be caught—”

“Raymond Lane,” everyone in the room corrected.

“Whatever,” he went on. “I still get credit for solving this case,” he said and then began to dance. Gus joined him, but after a few seconds, when they noticed that the rest of the room was staring, they both stopped and stood still once more.

The captain cleared his throat. “The credit, you may have,” Stottlemeyer proclaimed as he sat on the edge of his desk. “I’m just sorry I can’t pay you for it.”

“What?” Shawn looked appalled. “We don’t get paid?”

Gus prodded, “Shawn, I think we could just consider this a courtesy this time.”

Crossing his arms, Lassiter scoffed. “Well, I can’t believe we drove all the way up here for this.”

The captain nodded at him. “Sorry about that, but we got this information five minutes ago.”

“Yeah,” Randy finally spoke up. “The captain just got the phone call.”

Stottlemeyer went one, “We’ll make sure you guys get all the necessary paperwork you need to close your case.”

They said their goodbyes, Shawn and Monk kind of eyeing one another territorially, before the Santa Barbara investigators walked out together. Once outside the police station, before they were to part ways, Shawn realized, “Oh, Jules, while you’re here, you can come with us to this museum Gus is dying for me to see. Should be fun, right?” he feigned interest.

She saw right through what he was doing and smirked in amusement. “Sorry, Shawn, but I have a lot of work to catch up on back at the station. We really need to be heading back. We’ll see you next week,” she smiled and then followed Lassiter back to his car.

Once they were gone, Shawn turned to find an angry expression on Gus’s face. “What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what?’” Gus repeated. “You just tried to get out of going to the museum again.”

“No, I didn’t – I was trying to get more people to come and enjoy it with us.”

“That’s not what I saw, Shawn.”

“Well, clearly, you need glasses because and hearing aids because I just thought for sure that this museum would be just so much to take in that I would need a distraction, like Jules and Lassie.”

“Mm hmm,” he mumbled disbelievingly, inwardly declaring not to talk to him again until they were at the museum.

“Guster,” Shawn sang as they drove, but Gus was totally ignoring him. “Okay, don’t make me pull out the big guns and start calling you by your middle name.”

Gus turned his eyes from the road long enough to glare at his friend. Fortunately, Shawn didn’t have to use his forbidden name, since they’d arrived back at the parking lot adjacent to the museum. Gus parked and got out, still silent, rushing his way toward the front entrance ahead of his lifelong friend, when Shawn stopped him with the words, “Okay, Gus, I’m sorry.” Shawn slowly approached him and then shrugged. “I guess I just don’t see what the big deal is about art, anyway.”

“I told you that the surprise would be inside. Did you ever think it might be the kind of art you’d actually like?”

“What kind of art would I like? Drawings? I only read comics and watch cartoons…” The look on Guster’s face was enough to make him realize, “A cartoon art museum? Really? Gus, why didn’t you say so in the first place?” he scolded, and then started to run toward the door with Gus running right with him. “Oh, dude, this is going to be so cool!”

Suddenly, it was the best vacation two friends could ever take.

~End

Request a birthday ficlet here!

Alias Fic (b-day fic for buttercupbaby79: The Wedding

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:45:39 GMT

Title: The Wedding
Fandom: Alias
Rating: PG
Genre/’Ship: Romance/a little angst – S/V
Timeline: Post-series, but before the last scene (with the Vaughns and Dixon); takes place right after Irina dies.
Disclaimer: I can haz S/V now?

Summary: “Something tells me you’re not going to want a traditional-church-white-gown wedding with bridesmaids and caterers.” B-day fic for buttercupbaby79.

A/N: This one has been a long time coming as well – I hated that we didn’t get to see S/V’s actual marriage ceremony, whatever it was, but I suppose that’s the joy of fanfic. :)

Many thanks to auntof3 for the beta and for reassuring me that it didn’t suck as bad as I’d feared. *smooches*

Sorry it’s late (I seem to be saying that a LOT lately), Aimee, but I hope it’s worth the wait! Enjoy!! :D

- - - - - - -

Vaughn paced the small aisle on the CIA’s plane outside the bathroom door, circled a couple more times and sighed, stopping in place. Sydney had been in there an hour, he’d already checked to make sure she was okay twice, and knew she was just having a hard time handling everything she’d learned and lost in the last couple of months. Her sister that she’d found and had grown to love was now gone; her father had sacrificed himself to take out Sloane; and her mother… Vaughn’s teeth clenched as he thought about the woman he himself had had conflicting feelings toward for all the years since she reappeared, alive, after allowing her daughter and husband believe she’d been dead for over twenty years. In the end, she’d let the obsession of Rambaldi take her life, and Sydney had been the unfortunate instrument to make it happen.

After waiting so long, he knew he had to make a decision; after all, they had their baby to get home to. Finally, he went to the front to talk to the pilots and then came back to the door. He lightly rapped twice and said softly, “Syd?” No answer, but he knew she was most likely okay and still just trying to compartmentalize so that she wouldn’t be a blubbering mess when they returned home. “Syd, we’re going to take off for L.A. After we pick up Isabelle, we can go anywhere you want.” The CIA had given them uninterrupted time off, asking Sydney to take the time to think about her position with the Agency before deciding to leave it permanently. “We have two months to do with what we like so—”

The door opened and Sydney stood on the other side, mimicking her father’s stoicism as a brave face. But she wasn’t totally emotionless. “I can’t…” she shook her head, shutting her eyes tight. “I can’t decide…right now. I don’t know… I’m just trying to make some sense of all of this.”

“I know,” he nodded understandably. “We can wait,” he then offered.

She suddenly looked up and asked, “Can you just plan something for the three of us?”

His eyebrows raised and he clarified, “Like a vacation?”

“Yeah,” she bobbed her head agreeably. “I’m sure wherever you pick for us to go will be beautiful.”

He let his lips curve up into a half-smile. “I’ll be glad to.”

That’s when she let out a constrained breath and stepped out of the bathroom into his waiting arms. When he felt the small jet moving toward the runway, he suggested, “Why don’t we sit down for takeoff?”

“Okay,” she agreed, grabbing a bottle of water from the little ‘fridge before she took a seat next to a window on the right side of the plane. Vaughn took the seat to her left and after they were both belted in, he reached for her hand.

He wanted to say something like, “It’s over,” to give her reassurance, but was afraid it might start the whole process over again. Instead he kept his mouth shut and just thought about all she’d been through since the day they met. Her losses flashed before him like some kind of morbid slide show: Danny, Francie, Emily, Diane, Nadia, Jack, Irina… It seemed so wrong that someone so open-hearted would be forced to lose so many she cared about.

There were unbelievable things that happened to her as well: hiding her life from her closest of friends, being doubled, and living with a double; finding her mother alive after twenty years and never being sure of her motives; losing two years in her memory by her own choice…

Vaughn’s mind automatically paused, as it always did, on that fateful night she’d been declared dead. It was ironic, he thought as he played with Sydney’s engagement ring and stared at it, that he’d gotten what he wanted after all – it had just been a long and difficult road to this point.

“What are you thinking?” Sydney suddenly asked and he snapped out of his trip down their rocky memory lane to look up at her face.

“What? Oh. Oh, nothing, really,” he practically stuttered.

She leaned her head back against the seat and kept her eyes on him as she whispered, “No secrets anymore, remember?”

He smiled at that, knowing he wasn’t hiding anything monumental from her and hadn’t since before they’d faked his death. “I was just…” he stopped and reconsidered his words. “That night you disappeared,” he paused again, this time to make sure she knew what he was talking about. Sydney nodded; they had discussed that night many times. He half-smiled nostalgically, thumbing her ring again, “I had this ring in my suitcase.”

“What?” she asked in total shock. “I thought you bought it last year when you proposed.”

“No,” he chuckled, revealing his last secret, “I actually bought it the night I came over to your house for dinner for the first time. Our first night together.”

Stunned, Sydney sat up straighter. “You were going to propose—”

“Oh, gosh, no,” he laughed. “I’m sure that would’ve sent you running for the front door as you made your escape.”

She joined him in a light chuckle. “Maybe,” she teased. Then she narrowed her eyes. “Why didn’t you ever tell me this before?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged a shoulder. “Back then, I was just waiting for the right time, and…” he dropped his gaze, “after you disappeared, I just…put it away.”

She almost hating asking, but curiosity got the best of her, “And Lauren never found it?”

He shook his head. “Nah, I had it in a safety deposit box under one of my aliases. At first, I didn’t know why I was keeping it, but…I just couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. It was yours.”

Sydney nodded slowly, deep in thought. “So…that story you told about the proposal at the zoo in Santa Barbara…?”

He was bobbing his head before she finished, and he just completed her statement. “…was my plan for that weekend.”

Sitting back again, Sydney admitted after a moment, “I thought it must’ve been something you’d thought of before, but I had no idea…”

Vaughn just picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “I’m just sorry the actual proposal wasn’t as romantic as that one would’ve been.”

“Oh, please, are you kidding me? In our business?” she joked. “30,000 feet in the air was extremely romantic.”

“Yeah, well, it was no giraffe with a crooked neck,” he chuckled with her.

After a minute, their smiles faded and she sighed. “I suppose we should talk about a wedding.”

Seeing a hesitation in her eyes and the expression on her face, Vaughn guessed, “Something tells me you’re not going to want a traditional-church-white-gown wedding with bridesmaids and caterers.”

She inhaled sharply. “Is that wrong? Gosh, it’s so frustrating,” she rubbed her face, “but I’m just…terrified of that kind of…spectacle. Especially when the guest list will practically be empty.” She finished that spoken thought with downcast eyes, and he knew she was again fighting the urge to think of the ones she’d lost.

“Well, I definitely don’t need a big wedding.” He tried keeping her mood up by adding, “It’ll save us a lot of money, for sure.” He studied her face. “But are you sure you won’t regret having at least a little bit of the pomp and circumstance?”

She pursed her lips with a twinkle in her eye, and shrugged, “Just give me a notary on a beach and that would be enough.”

“Okay,” he quickly agreed. “That’s what we’ll do, then.”

“When?”

“Whenever. It’s up to you.”

She turned to look out the window and sighed thoughtfully. “I’ll think about it.”

***

After they relieved their babysitter, Vaughn instructed Sydney to pack whatever they might need for the next two months, while he went to make decisions and reservations for their trip. Their car was packed and the three of them were on their way by nightfall.

Surprisingly, they stopped at a marina, and Sydney frowned curiously as she got out of the car and opened the back door to get their daughter from her car seat. “What are we doing here?”

“Do you want to know?” he asked as he got Isabelle’s stroller out of the trunk. “Or do you want to be surprised?”

She stood up with their daughter in her arms. “Vaughn,” she chided, knowing she didn’t really care for being out of the planning, even though that was what she’d asked for. Realizing that she had given him cart blanche for this vacation, she unclenched her teeth and let out a breath. “I’ll just be happy with the surprise.”

“Good,” he grinned, rolling the stroller to her side so that she could strap the baby in it. “Stay here for a minute while I take care of something.”

“O-okay,” she agreed, and watched him walk off toward an office next to the docks. She forced her mind not to decipher what he was doing from the clues she was given, but instead, enjoy the surprise. So she knelt down to talk to her baby girl while she waited to distract her mind.

Vaughn was back a few minutes later, with an unrevealing smile on his face. “Okay, we’re all set. Let’s grab our luggage and head out.”

Somehow managing to juggle all of their bags and maneuver Isabelle’s stroller, the three made their way down a long dock and turned onto another, until Vaughn stopped them. “This is it,” he said, smiling at the sailboat parked in front of them.

“Vaughn,” Sydney quietly exclaimed. “You got us a sailboat?”

“Yeah,” he smiled as he walked down a narrower dock between the boats and set their bags up on the boat’s deck. He then stepped onboard and reached for Isabelle. Sydney unstrapped her from the stroller and handed her over and the folded stroller, and then accepted Vaughn’s help to get up herself.

She looked around for a second at the condition of the white seats, shiny metals and faux wood, and shook her head. “This is brand new.”

“Unh,” Vaughn mumbled, “more like, very lightly used.” He opened the hatch to the stairs to the living quarters and asked, “You want to check out the downstairs?”

She turned and led the way down the ladder and stood back in awe. Directly in front of them was the kitchen, and past that on the left was a table surrounded on three sides by cushioned seats, opposite a full-length couch. Above the end of the couch was a TV and VCR/DVD combo. She could see a hallway with a bunk to the left and a bathroom at the end. “Wow,” she stated in surprise.

He pointed over his shoulder behind them. “There’s more.”

Following his direction, she turned around and stepped past the ladder and another bathroom, exclaiming that there were two, and walked into the master suite, overwhelmed by the site of a queen-sized, regular mattress. She shook her head. “This is too much. We don’t need a boat this big—”

“I know, but,” he shrugged and smiled when Isabelle clapped when he bounced her. “I figured that if we’re ever entertaining, we might want the extra room. Plus, as Izzy gets older…”

She peered at him, confused. “I thought we were just renting this for two months.”

“No. I bought it,” he grinned like the cat that ate the canary.

“When?” she laughed.

“I finalized it this afternoon. I’ve been talking to the previous owner about it for a couple of weeks.”

“I had no idea,” she said absently, again taking in the fact that it was like a completely furnished hotel room. “Can we even afford this?”

“I can,” he vowed. “I’ve had a savings account since I was twenty-one that built up a pretty good nest egg, and I didn’t really know what I was saving for.”

“Isabelle’s college?” she offered teasingly and he chuckled.

“Oh, please, she’s so smart; she’ll have tons of scholarships.” He bounced her again and tickled her stomach. “Won’t you, Sweetie?”

The little girl responded in giggles and buried her face in her daddy’s shoulder.

Hands on her hips, Sydney took a breath and let it out. “I can’t believe you did this. Do you even know how to sail?”

“I know more than you think,” he feigned hurt, making her smile.

“Alright,” she caved, taking the baby when she reached for her. “So, where are we headed, Captain?”

He leaned over and kissed her for that remark, and then suggested, “How about you help me cast off, and then I’ll tell you?”

She not-so-reluctantly agreed. After getting Isabelle settled down for a nap in the spare bunk with the side railing attached to the bed, as Vaughn used the motor to get them out to open sea, Sydney followed his instructions in putting up the sails and moving the boom to the optimal position. Then they sat on the bench beside the wheel with her in his embrace. “So, where are we going exactly?”

“North,” he said, more as a clue than as a tease.

“Vaughn,” she prodded, her patience with not being in on the planning slowly fizzling.

He sensed it and gave in. “Okay, where have we been trying to go for the last five years?”

It suddenly hit her. “Santa Barbara.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, turning the wheel to keep up with the direction of the wind. “After the last time we tried to make it, I figured we wouldn’t want to go by car again.”

“Good plan,” she snuggled against him. “Now all we should have to worry about is pirates.”

He chuckled. “Exactly.”

After a moment, she questioned, “You do know that the giraffe with the crooked neck is no longer at the zoo, right?”

If he’d been driving, he would’ve slammed on the brakes. “What?”

“Yeah…” she calmly mumbled. “I saw an article in the paper earlier this year that she’d been put to sleep since she’d stopped eating and had health problems.”

Vaughn was mulling over how his plans were crumbling as she went on, “It’s kind of sad we never got to get there to see her together.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, slightly disappointed.

Isabelle cried out then, so Sydney rushed down to the cabin to care of her, returning in a few minutes with their little girl.

“I think she was just scared, waking up in a strange bed,” she said, kissing Isabelle’s head as she sat them back down beside Vaughn, thinking back to their previous conversation. “Just so you know, I’d still like to take Izzy to the zoo.”

“Me too,” he agreed, still thinking how he could make his idea work. Well, they’d just have to make the best of it. He sighed contentedly. “I was thinking… We’ll probably get there by nightfall, so, after we go out to eat, we’ll just stay in the boat for the rest of the evening. Unless you’d rather get a hotel room—”

“Oh, no, there’s no need for that. This sailboat is nicer than my first apartment,” she grinned.

“Okay,” he smiled back. “I just don’t want you to feel cramped or get sick of it.”

“Believe me; if I start to feel either of those, you’ll know it,” she joked.

It was dark by the time they arrived at the marina where they would spend the night and the next few days, and once they were all showered and changed, they headed out for dinner by cab, stopping by for groceries for the boat on their way back. Isabelle was asleep by the time they arrived, so Sydney just put her to bed, having planned for it at the restaurant, changing her diaper and clothes before they left. She stood back and was staring at their sleeping daughter when Vaughn came up behind her. “Is something wrong?” he wondered, slipping an arm around her waist.

“Do you think she’ll be okay here by herself? I mean, we’re going to be all the way at the other end of the boat.”

He quietly chuckled, leaning his chin down on her shoulder. “She’ll be fine. We have the monitor – we’ll hear her the minute she wakes up. It’s no different than at home.”

Shaking off her ridiculous worry, she turned around in his arms and slipped her hands around his neck. “Thank you, Michael, for this.”

“You’re welcome.” His face smirked in that sexy way she loved when he was about to reveal something teasing or that he might feel a little embarrassed or ashamed of. “Of course, you know I’m not being completely unselfish here. This is the first vacation I’ve had since—” His honeymoon with Lauren was the last and he really didn’t want to remember that. “Okay, let’s just say that it’s been a long time, and, as you know, I’ve never actually had the chance to see you completely relaxed and not on a mission.”

She leaned up and kissed him and then promised, “You’ll be seeing it a lot now – for good, if we can manage it.”

“Good,” he smiled. Then he took a step down the hall out of her arms and grabbed her hand to lead her to their bedroom. “Tomorrow,” he said with a dramatic pause as he closed their door, “we’re sleeping in.”

Vaughn awoke in the middle of the night to find that Sydney was missing from their bed. The door was open, so he threw on his boxers and t-shirt and went looking for her, and didn’t have to go far. She was curled up on the couch in her pajamas, hugging a pillow, and holding a wad of tissues in her hand. As he came around in front of her, he saw her face covered in tears and her eyes red from crying. “Syd,” he whispered as he knelt beside her, trying to comfort her as best he could. “How long have you been out here?”

“I don’t know,” she mumbled back. “I had this nightmare… My dad…” She choked back a sob and dabbed at her face with the tissues.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” he asked, cupping her face with his hand and wiping the tears off her cheek with his thumb. “You know that I’m here for you when you need me.”

She tried to stutter out a reply and failed, and then threw aside the pillow to wrap her arms tightly around his neck. “Shhh,” he comforted. “Come on,” he tried to stand, pulling her with him, but he had to wait as she uncurled her feet from the couch. Once she was upright, he lifted her up in his arms; and she gladly hugged him again as he carried her back to bed. She didn’t even let go of him – keeping a grip on his hands – as he put her down and got himself situated in bed. There she cuddled up to him as closely as possible. He’d never seen her like this – so vulnerable she was almost childlike.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” he quietly asked, but she quickly and vehemently shook her head.

“No,” she replied simply and then started crying. “I just want it to go away.”

He hugged her as she sobbed, wondering what in the world could’ve scared her to this. “What do you want to go away?”

“The pain,” she managed to answer between the rapid breaths of her crying.

It hurt him that she was hurting and that there was nothing more he could do than just hold her and wait it out. But he felt useless without saying something. “You know, when I was a kid,” he began to talk, just thinking out loud, “just a couple of years after my dad died, my mom met another man and wanted to get remarried. I was so mad at her for a long time. Then, one day, she took me for a walk, and she told me something I never forgot.”

His talking had worked to get whatever it was that was causing Sydney so much pain off of her mind, at least enough to reduce her constant sobbing to less frequent sniffles. He went on, “She told me that she was sure my dad had brought her and this man together. She’d had some pretty vivid dreams in the months and years after his death, and more than once, she told me that he’d talked to her, as if he were alive and sitting right next to her.” He finished the story slowly. “The night Jonas proposed, she dreamt about Dad again, and this time, he was giving her away at their wedding, basically, giving her his blessing. I had the same dream that night.” He hugged her tighter. “In a way, I felt like Dad was still alive, in us. Just because she was getting married again didn’t mean she was betraying him. He’d be alive as long as we had the memories of him.”

Sydney sniffed and dried her face with her hands. “Thank you,” she said shakily. She took another breath and made it a point to go on, “I know I’ll get through this; it’s just…” She fought back a fresh outpouring of tears by blinking them back, “I felt guilty for trying to vacation so soon after…”

He wanted to laugh but knew she take it the wrong way. “Syd, your father knew better than anyone how much you needed a vacation from your life. You didn’t even get a real maternity leave with Isabelle. He would want you to enjoy this.”

“But…shouldn’t I be planning a funeral or something?”

“Since you’re his only family, I think it can wait until you’re ready to deal with that. Right now, giving you some time off is more important. You’ve been going full-speed without a break for the last seven years,” he politely reminded her. “No one will think less of you. In fact,” he revealed, “it was actually expected by the Agency that you would wait until after our two-month vacation before planning a service.”

She was quiet, so he knew it was sinking in and that she wasn’t doing any wrong by having a good time on this much-needed break. And she knew he was right – her father had said more than once that she needed to forget about Sloane and use some of her many vacation days to get some rest, and she’d never listened. Now that Sloane was permanently out of their lives, had Jack been there, he’d probably force her to take the time off.

Once she was sufficiently assured and calmed, she readjusted her position, casually resting her arm over his waist, and asked, “So…what are we going to do tomorrow?”

“Well, I had planned for us to see that crooked-necked giraffe,” he softly smiled, “but I guess we’ll have to settle for the regular ones.”

“Isabelle will like that, I’ll bet.”

He nodded and continued, “And then I thought…maybe we could find a notary.”

“A notary?” she repeated, puzzled. “What for?”

“You said that would be all we would need to get married.”

She shook her head as she looked up at him in the semi-darkness. “Married…tomorrow?”

He shrugged his free shoulder. “I told you how long I’ve been planning to marry you, Syd. And after so many years of making plans, only to have them interrupted by our enemies and their sick schemes, abductions, and having our deaths faked…” he let out a laugh at the ridiculous way it all sounded when compounded into one sentence. “I don’t know – I guess I’ve just gotten to the point that I don’t want to wait, just in case.”

Thoughtfully, Sydney considered his words, recalling their first brief relationship that ended with her abduction and a year and a half of memory loss. The chaos with Vaughn’s traitor wife and his rocky reunion with Sydney. Vaughn’s secrets and his near death. Giving birth to Isabelle alone, and fighting to be able to get Vaughn back.

She finally nodded when she was through perusing the past. “I know what you mean. And I think it’s a great idea. We’ll get married on the beach tomorrow, with you just you, me, and Isabelle.”

Vaughn smiled. “Think the others will mind? Dixon, Marshall, Carrie, Weiss?”

“Nah,” she shook her head. “I think they’ll just be happy for us.”

“Yeah,” he agreed as he rolled to lie on his back. “I think Weiss would actually be upset if we weren’t married by the time we get back.”

She snuggled up to him by resting her head on his shoulder and, after a moment, she thought out loud, “Wow. To think we could be married by tomorrow night.”

“We will be,” he insisted. “Now that I’ve gotten you to agree to this, I’m going to search all over Santa Barbara, if I have to, for a notary that can marry us.”

After renting a car, spending some time at the zoo, and finding a notary that was available for a quick ceremony on the beach, the little family went back to the boat to get ready for the event. Vaughn had talked Sydney into getting something new to wear for the occasion, and she ended up buying a matching dress for Isabelle. Both were ivory-colored, with a top layer of lace, and completely appropriate for an elopement. Sydney was rather impressed that she’d given in to wearing something so traditional.

Once they arrived early at the beach parking lot where they’d agreed to meet the notary, Jeff, they took Isabelle in her carrier down to the sand to find what would become a memorable spot. They set up the video camera on its tri-pod, and then Vaughn offered to go back up to the car to wait for Jeff. Sydney nodded, taking Isabelle out of her seat to give her a break before they were to begin.

Jeff arrived soon after Vaughn got back up the beach stairs, and pointed over the hill to where Sydney and Isabelle were waiting – and then remembered he’d forgotten to get the rings out of the car. During their day out, they’d stopped and picked out a simple set for the two of them and left the boxes in the console. He pulled them out now, opened the boxes and slipped the rings into his pocket. Then he made his way to the beach…stopping at the top of the stairs when he caught a glimpse of the scene below.

Sydney had Isabelle standing barefoot on the sand, holding her up by the hands, and was laughing at the girl’s reaction to the feeling between her toes. By the way she kept backing up, he assumed that she wasn’t sure what to make of the soft ground beneath her. Vaughn just stood in awe, realizing that this family he was watching was his, and they were about to make it a permanent fact.

He jogged down the stairs so that he wouldn’t keep them waiting any longer – himself included.

The sunset decided to bless their union with a brilliant display of oranges and reds, blues and purples. They made sure to get pictures – having Jeff take still shots for them once they were through – and were impressed with how well the sky looked behind them.

They paid Jeff more than previously agreed on, and he left when they assured him that they were satisfied with the pictures and everything he’d done for them. Then the three of them were alone on the beach, with nothing to do but look out as the sun sank below the horizon over the ocean. Vaughn took a turn holding their daughter, and slipped his arm around Sydney’s waist and sighed contentedly. “I’ve never…felt so unchanged and so different at the same time,” he confessed, and Sydney turned to look up at him.

But instead of asking what he meant, she agreed. “I know. It didn’t seem like such a big deal, but now we’re married, and it seems like we’ve been fighting to do that for a long time.”

“We have,” he reminded her. “Five years.”

“Five years,” she repeated, shaking her head. “My gosh, has it really been that long? I mean, I know it has been, but it just doesn’t seem like it.”

He nodded slowly, admitting as he held her a little tighter, “It does to me.”

She turned her body toward him and stroked Isabelle’s short hair, asking, “Well…what do we do now?”

He half-smiled at her, turning his head to keep Isabelle’s playful fingers away from his mouth, finally having to turn her in his arms to where her back was against him. Then he touched Sydney’s cheek with his free hand. “We go on the longest honeymoon vacation in history,” he joked, “and then, when we get back home…” he paused to take a breath and let it out with the rest of the anxiety he’d been hanging on to. Then he went on, “Hopefully, we’ll get to see what a normal life looks like.”

“A normal life? Wow, think it even exists?”

He chuckled, thinking briefly to all that had happened to them since they met, and shrugged. “Anything’s possible.”

~End

A/N: Just fyi: I used this sailboat as a visual for the fic – and don’t complain that there’s no way S/V could’ve afforded it. Just go with it. It’s pretty. :)

Request a birthday ficlet here!

Pushing Daisies Fic (b-day fic for yumytaffy): The Pursuit of Happiness

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:44:51 GMT

Title: The Pursuit of Happiness
Fandom: Pushing Daisies
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Rating: PG-13
Genre/’Ship: Humor/Fluff – Ned/Chuck
Timeline/Spoilers: Anything goes.
Disclaimer: *sob* Pushing Daisies canceled, nooooooo! (And, no, I don’t own PD or Trivial Pursuit, which is manufactured by one of those toy conglomerates – Hasbro, according to my quick internet search. The questions, however, which were found on other websites online – along with one I made up – are not official TP questions.)

Summary: B-day fic for yumytaffy. Her prompt: The gang is stuck in a cabin with only Trivial Pursuit to entertain them. :)

A/N: What? It’s only three weeks late. ;) Good thing yumytaffy lurves me. :D *huggles* Many thanks to htbthomas for the beta! :)

Hope you like it! Enjoy!! :D

- - - - - - -

It had been two weeks, six days, four hours, and twenty-seven minutes since Charlotte “Chuck” Charles had the bright idea for a little getaway for her and her childhood sweetheart, Ned the Piemaker. And while at the Pie Hole, an unsuspecting Ned was also making plans for the weekend, Olive Snook was devising her own plan, hoping to soothe her broken heart by trying once more to pretend she was happy with being just friends with the Piemaker and his beloved, pretending-to-be-dead girlfriend, Chuck.

Charlotte Charles was the first to make mention of her idea, hurrying into the kitchen of the Pie Hole with her hands covered in thick ski gloves. Ned, too, had his hands donned with gloves, but his were of the oven mitt variety as he took one of his famous pies out of the oven – a strawberry kiwi delight with a crumb topping. He took a deep breath of the pie as he spun to set it on the island and Chuck startled him by asking, “What are you doing this weekend?”

After an initial jump at her sudden appearance, Ned replied, “A-actually, I had an idea—”

“Well, cancel your plans,” she grinned like a feline that had just enjoyed a delicious meal of a fresh bird. “We’re going skiing.”

“Skiing? How did you—?”

She interrupted again, leaning on the island beside him. “It just kind of came to me. Playing snow sports are one of the only times you’re covered completely from head to toe. See?” she said, touching his arm with her fully padded glove, snuggling up next to him and making him smile.

“You’re right. The funny thing is – I had the same idea for this weekend.”

“Ooo, see? Great minds do think alike.”

He slipped his oven-mitted hand around her and admitted, “Well, that and the fact that I was tipped off when the cabin rental place called to confirm my credit card number…” Her expression waned. “But, still, it’s just as romantic.”

“Yeah, I had to use your credit card for the reservation. I hope you don’t mind.” She grinned cheekily. “Dead girls don’t have any credit.”

“Formerly dead girls,” he corrected, and they were in the middle of a plastic-wrap kiss she’d initiated when Olive Snook entered the room.

“Don’t make any plans,” she loudly announced, breaking them up without hesitation. “We’re going skiing this weekend.”

Ned and Chuck quickly parted and both repeated in shock, “‘We’??”

“Yep,” her smile widened. “I found this brochure in our apartment and I thought, ‘What the hay?’ so I went ahead and made reservations for the three of us.”

“That was my brochure,” Chuck revealed. “Ned and I already made plans to go together this weekend.”

Ned went on, “Yes, and I was hoping someone would stay and watch the Pie Hole while we’re gone.”

Olive’s face scrunched. “No way! If you can close the Pie Hole for Christmas and Easter, you can close it this weekend. I deserve a vacation too, mister,” she finished, smacking him with one of her gloves as she walked past him to cut up one of the pies that had already cooled.

Ned sighed and looked to Chuck, shrugging. “I guess we could…”

“We’ll still have our own room,” Chuck winked and hurried to get to work.

Near closing time, when they hadn’t seen Emerson Cod all day, the trio assumed he must be busy on a case of the usual kind – one that didn’t require Ned’s magic finger to find murderers with the help of the murdered. They were all in the dining room cleaning up after the last of the customers when Emerson burst in with his hands full of skis, boots, and poles and already wearing the appropriate outerwear. “When do we leave?” he asked jovially, as if he’d been part of the planning and discussion that morning, to which they knew he had not been a witness.

Olive was the first to stand in front of Emerson and narrow her eyes at him. “How did you know what the three of us are doing this weekend?”

“How did I know?” he repeated incredulously. “Please, madam, I am a professional in this business. I know everything about your achingly boring, little lives.”

Ned let out a breath. “You planted a bug in my kitchen, didn’t you?”

Emerson’s way of not answering was enough of an answer for Ned, who stepped forward a foot. “Do you listen to everything we say – or do – in there?”

“No,” he stated dryly. “And considering how uninteresting your pathetic love life is, I’m glad I don’t.” He smirked. “But it has been profitable, especially in situations like this.” He then glared at all of them in turn. “And I am going with you all this weekend,” he said, finalizing his intentions.

“Why?”

He snorted, “Like I’m going to pass up two free nights at a ski resort.”

Putting her hands on her hips, Olive narrowed her eyes. “Who said anything about free?”

“Well, you do have two whole cabins,” he revealed his knowledge on the subject, obviously from listening in with the help of his kitchen bugs, “and each one has a bedroom and a fold-out couch, so…” He smirked.

Knowing they were beat, Chuck smiled optimistically for the three of them. “And here I thought we’d overbooked.”

- - - - - - -

A grinning clerk at the rental office with the name of Joy Lovejoy gave the foursome the keys to their cabins and pointed them in the right direction with the help of the resort’s map. Their accommodations were in walking distance from each other, a short drive to the slopes, and fully furnished and equipped with all the amenities of home.

After a bit of discussion on the drive up the mountain in Emerson’s car, it was decided that he would room with Olive while Ned and Chuck shared the other cabin. “But we’re spending the evenings together,” Olive insisted with a grin at the couple in the back seat. “I brought board games.”

“Great,” Emerson had droned, unenthusiastic about the prospect.

With no assistance from Emerson, Olive joyfully struggled with the small stack of board games as they walked the equivalent of a few blocks to their friends’ cabin to spend the evening. Juggling the boxes in hand when it was clear Emerson wasn’t going to be the one to knock, Olive managed to rap on the door. Ned answered and immediately took the stack from her and she smiled and sighed as the two guests stepped inside.

Chuck emerged from the bedroom, dressed down in sweats, and rubbed her hands together. “So, what are we playing?” she asked excitedly.

“Depends,” Emerson answered first. “What are we eating?”

“Oh,” Chuck responded, slightly stunned by the question. “All we brought is junk food. And pies, of course.”

Emerson took the wing chair adjacent to the couch and held up one finger. “I’ll take a slice of whatever you got.” He looked to Olive. “Oh, and Blondie, make me some hot tea.” He gestured to his neck, “Throat’s a little scratchy.”

Again, Olive’s hands landed on her hips. “Hey, I’m not working today.”

“Yeah, but you were headed that way, anyway,” he blinked innocently up at her.

“Ohhh,” she slowly gave in with a sigh. “Alright. But I’m not taking orders from you for the rest of the weekend,” she said with a pointed finger of warning – not that she thought he would believe her, nor did she really mean it. She’d probably never resist anything he asked for with those big, brown, puppy-dog eyes. She knew he could really be charming if he just tried a little bit harder.

It was sometime during their third game - Pictionary – that all the players began to drift off to sleep, save Olive. She was busy trying to illustrate “The Iceman Cometh” and when she finally finished and turned around with a grin, she found that the rest of them were no longer awake. “Come on, you guys,” she whined, and not a one of them reacted. She tried shaking each of them to no avail and finally sat down in her spot on the couch in a huff.

Realizing she suddenly felt as tired as they all looked, she said to no one in particular, “Well, if you can’t beat ‘em…” Scooting down so that she could rest her head on the back of the couch just as Chuck and Ned had, she too joined the rest of them in slumber.

Ned woke first when his head rolled and a crick in his neck sent a shooting pain throughout the rest of his body. Sitting up with a quiet moan, he carefully avoided touching Chuck and got up from the couch, blinking his dry eyes. Somehow, they’d all fallen asleep and left the fire burning until it went out on its own. There was a definite chill in the air, and after he got a pot of coffee brewing, he planned ahead to start a fire.

The windows he passed on the way to the kitchen were white and icy and he half-smiled, knowing it must’ve snowed during the night, which would make their plans for skiing that much better. He got the coffee brewing and stood to wait, but this particular pot was much slower than the one at the Pie Hole and Ned glared at it, hoping to speed its percolating as he tapped his fingertips on the counter.

“Do I smell coffee?” Chuck’s voice sang from behind Ned and he automatically smiled, as always, having to remind himself not to turn and fold the woman he loved into his arms. He had to settle for sharing his smile with her instead.

Gesturing over his shoulder with his head, Ned mentioned, “It snowed last night.”

“I’ll say,” she replied, moving to the closest window, where she hugged herself. “It’s all white and pretty outside. Can’t even see any trees.” She peered more intently. “Wait…”

Olive’s voice from the living room interrupted her, “Uh, guys? I think we may have a problem.”

Ned and Chuck hurried back into the room and found Olive standing in front of the open door, only…there was no way to get outside. Packed snow covered the entire front of the cabin, well above the height of the door. “I was just trying to go out to get some wood,” Olive complained.

Chuck thought out loud, “I can’t believe it snowed that much,” just as Emerson awoke to the sounds of their voices.

“What the hell?” Emerson asked rhetorically as he stood up from the chair where he spent the night. “Oh no, don’t you tell me I’m trapped in here with Inky, Blinky, and Dinky all weekend.”

Olive leaned over to Chuck, narrowed her eyes, and whispered, “He’d better not be calling one of us ‘Dinky’.”

“No, no,” Ned assured all of them. “I’m sure they’ll come by with a plow soon and dig us out.”

Emerson pointed out, “Down this embankment? On the side of this mountain this cabin is parked on?” Without waiting for an answer, he complained, “I knew this was a bad idea. Now I wish I had brought that sweater I was working on.”

“We’ll just call for help,” Ned insisted, pointing to the phone, and Chuck picked it up, since she was the closest.

After a second, she clicked the button on the cradle to hang it up and let it go to try again. Then she held the receiver out to Ned. “It’s dead.”

He cautiously took the phone from her and listened for himself, finding that she was right. Hanging it up, he tried to continue his optimism. “They’ll dig us out. We’ll just wait, and we’ll be fine.”

“Great,” Emerson mumbled. “Who’s up to making breakfast out of a bunch of junk food?”

By mid-afternoon, the quartet was on the third round of Trivial Pursuit they were playing just to occupy themselves while they waited to be sprung from their snow-drenched prison, when Emerson sighed.

“If I don’t get to ski on this trip, I am not going to be a happy person,” he complained.

“Are you ever a happy person?” Olive asked pointedly as she held one of the playing cards in her hand, as it was her turn to ask the question.

Emerson narrowed his eyes at her. “Was that my Pie question?”

“No, silly goose,” Olive bantered back. “I was just wondering.”

“Ask me again after we’ve been dug out of this hellhole.”

“Okay, fine,” she conceded and read off the card in her hand, “‘Who is the most voluptuous female in Toontown?’”

“Jessica Rabbit,” Emerson replied emotionlessly and stuck his plastic piece of “pie” into his game piece. “Your turn, Pie Man.”

Ned took the dice in his hand and rolled them, moving his piece the appropriate number of spaces. “Ugh,” he whined, “History.”

Emerson leaned forward long enough to grab the box of cards and pulled one out, reading, “‘Over which country did Pan Am flight 103 crash in December 1988?’”

“Oh, I remember that,” Olive proclaimed as Ned thought of his answer.

He opened his mouth to make a guess when Emerson made a buzzing sound and then said, “Time’s up.”

“Emerson,” Chuck chided. “You didn’t even give him a chance.”

“He was never going to get it anyway. It was Scotland.” He slipped the card in the back of the box and set it on the end of the table closest to Ned.

“He’s right,” Ned replied. “I would’ve never gotten that.” He frowned, but perked up as he looked to his left. “Chuck?”

She picked up the dice from the table with a half-smile at her boyfriend and tossed them. “Seven,” she read and moved. “Entertainment. Good,” she rubbed her hands together excitedly.

Ned read, “‘What 1961 movie has Audrey Hepburn note: “Personally, I think it's a bit tacky to wear diamonds before I'm 40”?’”

“Oh, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I love that movie,” Chuck said dreamily. “And the music. I could listen to ‘Moon River’ all day.”

“And has,” Olive revealed with a roll of her eyes. “Okay, my turn.” She rolled and moved and listened to Chuck ask her question:

“‘What was a gladiator armed with, in addition to a dagger and spear?’”

She slumped against the back of her chair. “Oh, like I’m going to know that. A shield?”

Chuck shook her head. “A net.”

“Oh, poo. What would they do with that? Catch fish?”

Nobody had an answer, so the game moved on. Emerson didn’t know the answer to how tall the Eiffel Tower was – 984 feet – and when it was Ned’s turn, he quickly answered the question about which fruits were crossed to produce the nectarine.

“None. The nectarine is a smooth-skinned variety of the peach,” Ned answered easily.

Emerson’s eyes narrowed. “You read the answer.”

“No,” he shrugged.

“You got the answer right word-for-word. That can’t be a coincidence.”

“I work with fruit.”

“I think you’ve seen this question before.”

“Are you accusing me of cheating?”

“Of not being an honest player, yes, I am.”

Chuck and Olive both sensed the argument that was building, but the two men were talking so quickly that they couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Emerson was not-so-politely reminding Ned of their agreement at the beginning of the game, in which they would stop playing when they reached the end of the cards, or at least mention when they got a question they’d already heard before, so that no one would have an advantage. But Ned sincerely hadn’t heard this one.

“I am being honest,” Ned said, still in protest. “I’ve never heard this question. I just know about fruit. I work with it every day.”

“He does, Emerson,” Chuck added when there was a lull in Emerson’s dispute. “I’ve caught him studying about fruit at the Pie Hole,” she said as if revealing a secret.

Ned stared at her for a moment, and the two shared flirtatious and blushing grins.

“I still don’t believe you,” Emerson went on, almost unnoticed by Ned and Chuck.

Olive stood up between the three of them and proclaimed, “Okay, I think we’re all suffering what’s called ‘cabin fever’, here.” She looked to the couple. “And you two: get a room, for crying out loud.” She held up her hand in front of Ned’s face when she knew he was going to say something argumentative – namely that they had planned to be alone before the storm trapped them all inside. She prodded, “Let’s try to just finish this game and then we’ll move on to something else. We’ve got to stay friendly until we get out of here, or we’re going to be miserable. Let’s just believe that Ned is telling the truth, okay?” she specifically aimed at Emerson.

“Mmhmm,” Emerson muttered disbelievingly, eyeing Ned suspiciously, but still allowing the game to continue on without pursuing the disagreement any further.

Chuck’s turn didn’t earn her a pie, so it passed to Olive’s chance, and she rolled and landed on the pie space she needed. But before she set her piece down, she held it up with a wry grin. “Anybody else think it’s funny that we spend most of our lives in the Pie Hole and we’re playing a game where we –”

“—have to earn pieces of pie,” they all chimed in and finished her sentence.

Emerson added dryly, “We already had this discussion four hours ago.”

“Oh. Yeah,” she clammed up and sat back in her chair.

“Okay,” Chuck reminded her, “get this one right and we can move on to something else.”

“Yes, something else – anything else,” Emerson droned. “I could have that sweater finished and be wearing it by now.”

Ignoring their friend’s whining, Chuck read, “‘In what 1991 film would you find Idgie, Ninny, Sipsey, and Smokey Lonesome?’”

“OH! I know this one.” She squeezed her eyes shut as she thought hard about her answer. “It had Jessica Tandy it – oh, and Kathy Bates. Did you know she could sing?” she asked Chuck with a giggle. “After I saw her in Misery, I was terrified of her, but then –”

“The answer,” Emerson prodded, rolling his eyes.

“Oh. Right.” She went back to thinking. “Oh-OH! Fried Green Tomatoes!” she bounced in her seat.

“Yes!” Chuck cheered for her friend, who hugged her.

“Finally,” Emerson said, standing to stretch. His stomach growled in response and his face grimaced as he rubbed his mid-section. “I’m going to need something more than pie and potato chips if we’re gonna be stuck here much longer.”

Ned’s head tilted slightly and he thought out loud, “Do I hear an engine running?”

All four rushed to the door and front windows and listened intently, in fact hearing the sounds of an engine. “I think it’s a tractor,” Olive guessed. “It sounds just like the one—”

“Thank God,” Emerson said emphatically.

“Seriously,” Olive agreed. “I don’t like you very much when you haven’t had food.”

Emerson turned to collect his jacket and shoes, mumbling something under his breath - but the others only understood the word “mutual” and knew that he was just cranky. “I’m going to that restaurant by the entrance to this place if anybody wants to join me,” he said and the others agreed it was a good idea.

As soon as their front door was cleared, they knew it because someone knocked. It was the manager of the cabin rentals who quickly apologized for their confinement. “We weren’t expecting such a bad storm and then had to get the tractor running,” she told them. “I hope you weren’t too inconvenienced.”

“It’s okay; we understand,” Olive allowed for all of them, although Emerson quickly pushed past her – partly smiling cordially to the manager – to the outside, going toward his cabin he was supposed to share with Olive, waving back to them as he walked.

All they heard him say was, “Meet you at the car,” before he was out of sight over the hill.

The three continued their conversation with the manager, who promised to have the phone working by the time they returned, and offered their last night’s stay there at no charge, plus a free night to use on another occasion. Ned gladly accepted it for the rest of them and then apologetically announced, “We have to go. I’m afraid he’s going to leave without us,” referring to the hungry Emerson who’d practically sprinted off so quickly.

After their dinner, as they left the restaurant, Emerson was much more cordial to his friends, even apologizing for his earlier behavior. “Now you know how cranky I get when I don’t have meat.”

Olive hugged his side and said, “We know, Big Guy. Next time, we’ll just have to bring—”

“‘Next time,’ hmph,” he wryly chuckled and they all stared at him, believing he wasn’t ever going to vacation with them again. But he surprised them by putting his arm around Olive and finishing, “Next time, I’ll bring the food. Just so I make sure I get what we need. Which, I found out today, is more than just pie.”

They began to walk to the car and Chuck asked, “Does this mean we’re not going to see you around the Pie Hole as much anymore?”

“Shoot, no,” he rebutted. “You know I can’t get through a day without a slice of your Mixed Berry. You ain’t gettin’ rid of me that easily.”

“Good,” Chuck laughed, hugging his other side; the wounds of the day were healed.

Once they were back in their respective cabins, Chuck went straight to the bedroom while Ned volunteered to tidy up the kitchen. But it didn’t take him long, and as he was headed toward the back of the cabin, he heard Chuck call, “Ned, think you could help me with something?”

He entered the bedroom, realizing when he found it empty that she must be in the adjoining bathroom, and replied, “Sure. What with?”

“Oh,” she proclaimed when she knew he was close. “Well, did you ever see that movie that we were talking about? Fried Green Tomatoes?”

“Yeeeeaaah,” he rolled out on a long breath, wondering where she was going with this line of thinking.

“Well, you know that scene where Kathy Bates greets her husband at the door dressed just in plastic wrap?”

Eyes narrowed in interest, Ned walked to the door of the bathroom to see if she was indeed busy doing what he suspected, but was surprised to find that although her arms and legs were already wrapped, she was otherwise naked. His eyes then widened. “What are you doing?”

She shrugged. “I figured that if we can kiss through plastic wrap, then we can – I don’t know – at least, sleep, holding each other.”

His expression softened for this brilliant woman that he loved so dearly and his fought the overwhelming desire to kiss her. But that want reminded him, “What about your head?”

“I’ll wear this ski mask,” she waved it between them, “and just sleep facing away from you.” She could see that he was already beginning to doubt the possibility of this working, so she pleaded, “At least for just a little while. Please?”

Just as with anything, he couldn’t resist her and reached for the box of wrap. “And when you get too hot in this?”

“We’ll open windows and put on our ski clothes.”

Nodding in agreement, he carefully wrapped the rest of her body in the thin layer of plastic. Once she was completely covered, Ned stood back and surveyed their work.

“Well?” she asked, holding out her arms to each side. “What do you think?”

His eyes traveled down her shapely body and back up again, taking in the fact that he could still see everything he wanted to and touch her at the same time. “Perfect,” he summed up all his emotion in one word. Then he too put on gloves and a mask, just for safety’s sake, and reached out for her…and folded her into his arms.

It was sometime in the middle of the night that Chuck had to get out of her plastic suit, and the two put on a full set of clothes, covering themselves from head to toe. Then they were able to lie back down in the same spooning position they’d been in throughout the night so far.

The next morning, when they met the other couple at their cabin to go to breakfast before heading to the slopes, smiles plastered their faces, making Olive curious. “What’s up with you two?” she asked as she put on her own bright pink gloves and Emerson locked the door. “What’d you do last night?” she asked nosily.

Holding gloved hands, Chuck and Ned shared a look, and without taking her eyes off of him, she answered for the both of them, “Oh, nothing. We just…” she shrugged, “…went to sleep.”

~End

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PS: Anyone know where I can get some more Ned/Chuck icons???

Superman Fic (B-day fic for rizny!): February Song

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:55:55 GMT

Squeaking in just before the day is over... ;)

Title: February Song (b-day fic for rizny)
Fandom: Superman (movies)
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Rating: PG-13
Genre/’Ship: Angst/Romance – Superman/Lois, Lois/Richard
Timeline: During and after Superman Returns; Spoilers for Superman I, II, and Returns
Disclaimer: Lots of people own the rights to Superman…except me. *cries*

Summary: Superman left her pregnant and alone. Inspired by Josh Groban’s February Song.

A/N: There was just way too much bitterness, anger, and hostility in Lois’ voice in SR that I just couldn’t let the idea go that there’s a history between her and Superman that hasn’t yet been told. This is my attempt to tell that story, especially now that we’re not getting another movie. *tear*

Also, just so you know, I haven’t read much in the way of Superman fic (or comics, etc.), so if I seem a little green (esp. since this is my first Supe story), I apologize. rizny only asked for a nice, happy fic (Clois, I assumed ;) ) that included Richard, and surprisingly, this plot that I’ve had rolling around in my brain for the last two years totally fit that criteria. So yay!!

This story has taken so many avenues, being written and rewritten and completely discarded only to be resurrected almost two years later… Let’s just hope this is its last trip. :) Thanks to htbthomas for the beta!! *hugs*

Enjoy!! :D

- - - - - - -

Part One: Lost in a February Song

The words repeated in his mind, like a broken record:

Were you in love with him?

He was Superman – everyone was in love with him.

But were you?

And her reply, one simple word that now haunted him even more than the others: No.

It hadn’t turned out anything like he’d thought it would have. Sure, he was gone a long time but he’d always thought that love had no time limit; Lois would wait for his return. Surely she knew he would come back, even if he hadn’t had the guts to tell her why he was leaving instead of just disappearing the way he had, at least in her eyes. But in retrospect, he should’ve said something.

She’d been a little foggy after he’d erased her memory with a kiss, but didn’t harp on it too long; after all, she’d written the article covering their experience with General Zod and his band of Kryptonian rebels, so there was no need for the memory. Still, he could tell that it bothered her, at least now and then.

He tried working with her, but it turned out to be as difficult for him as she’d claimed it to be that first morning back at work, trying to pretend they were just friends. But he knew what it was like to kiss and intimately touch her and could not just push it to the back of his mind. His apartment was empty and lonely each night, so he spent some time visiting with Martha back in Smallville, eventually confessing at least some of what had transpired between him and Lois when his mother called him on it.

Without going into details, he told her about their brief relationship, confessing why he’d had to put an end to it and Martha just sat back and listened until he was through. Then she asked some pointed questions that led to the epiphany that Lois’ problem had been that she knew the truth about his identity. She loved Superman and could probably handle his busy lifestyle, but having to pretend that she wasn’t in love with her awkward partner was a bit tougher.

Superman can have a relationship with her, but that doesn’t mean that Clark has to, she’d said, and suddenly he saw the world open up before his eyes.

He presented Lois with flowers and a confession of love on her balcony the next evening, and almost immediately, they were inseparable.

Lois already had the exclusive reports on his rescues, but now she didn’t have to chase him down for them; he volunteered them. In fact, on a few occasions, she was an actual eyewitness, since things would happen while they were out and he had to be the hero. Soon, the press got wind of it, and random pictures would show up in tabloids with headlines for stories blown out of proportion, but for the most part, they ignored them. So far, no one had any real proof of anything except that they were spending more time together, and her frequent articles explained away most of the rumors.

They spent a few nights at her apartment, but for the sake of privacy, his Fortress became their prime nighttime spot, spending entire weekends there when she (or he) wasn’t working at the paper. For the entire month of February, she was wholly his, and she never once suspected that he and Clark were one and the same.

And then he saw the article.

It was a short, mundane story published in the science section of the paper, tucked away almost unnoticeable. But with his x-ray vision, he’d seen the headline even before opening the pages to read it more slowly. Astronomers Find Evidence of Krypton. What if they’d found his home world? What if there were survivors?

He’d intended to tell Lois that he was planning a trip to see Krypton for himself, but he didn’t want to see her happiness turn into that same sadness he’d seen that fateful morning, when he’d kissed her, expecting never to hold her in his arms again. He didn’t want to taint the beautiful bond they’d built with the prospect of a dangerous trip, from which he might not ever return. If and when he did come back, he thought she’d simply be relieved, and the two of them would pick up where they left off. He had no idea that she would be angry enough to move on without him.

Speeding up as he reached outer space, he heard his father’s voice in his mind, reminding him, you are not one of them. She had a right to move on, and Richard did seem like a decent enough guy and Jason… He was a great kid, and he knew she was lucky to have him, too.

He just hadn’t expected it to hurt so much knowing that she’d moved on so soon after he’d left. It would’ve been nice to know if she’d pined for him at least a little…

He had to focus on his purpose. They could be a great people, Kal-El – they wish to be, his father had said, going on to tell him that that’s why he was sent to Earth. So, as he floated in space, he closed his eyes and listened, focusing all of his attention on his adopted planet, trying to live his purpose. Whatever it was, he knew he had to let Lois go, and not expect her to be a part of it anymore.

- - - - - - -

Part Two: All that You Need to Love

From the moment Lois stepped onto the yacht with her son, she’d known she was asking for trouble. And she regretted it the moment he realized his own power and killed one of their captors in her defense.

Locked up in the pantry, Lois tried her best to steady her breathing, but all she could think about was how badly she’d screwed up. It was just like on the plane, strapped to the space shuttle, when everything went wrong; even though he hadn’t been around for more than five years, she expected Superman to save her, just like he had from all of her other fiascos. For some reason, she’d managed to stay out of any other major pickles until that one, and the moment he returned, she found herself taking more risks, expecting to be rescued. But now she’d unwisely gotten her little boy involved and she hated herself for it.

She felt so sorry for the little thing, sitting on the floor across from her, once she’d tried all she could to get them out of that room, doing his best to entertain himself with putting olives on his fingers or using spoons like drumsticks on the floor. How could she do this to him? It wasn’t his fault that he was brought into the world and had to have the unusual abilities attributed to his birth father. She’d known it was a possibility since the day she discovered she was pregnant.

Her month-long tryst with the superhero was something of the past now, just memories she tried to forget during the months after he disappeared. Except Jason became a permanent reminder and something she’d never regret.

He was only gone a couple of days when she knew that something was up. She searched the news for stories, scanned the skies day and night, and even called out his name on occasion. She’d even been tempted to get herself into trouble to see if that might bring him back around, but before she had a chance to plan something that she would survive through if he didn’t show up, there were a string of accidents and robberies and disasters that he surely would’ve been there to stop or help out with. Lois knew he was really gone.

Writing up a story about his disappearance the way she knew Perry would expect, Lois went through the motions of her daily routine, searching every face on the street as if expecting him to reappear and blend in with the crowd. She wondered what she would do for article ideas since Superman had been her main topic for so long…and then Perry gave her a new assignment.

This is my nephew, Richard. I’d like you to show him around. Help him get settled here in Metropolis, Perry had said.

Lois hadn’t felt up to playing tour guide, but apparently, Perry had thought it would be just the trick to help her forget Superman. So she grudgingly took Richard out to look for a place to live, and in the meantime, she got to know him. They spent the next three weeks together, every day, looking at house listings and having meals together, and she even allowed him to take her up in his plane.

But then her whole world changed when she got the news from her doctor during a regular check-up that she was expecting. And she knew exactly how and when it had happened, and just who, extraordinarily, was the father.

Richard had taken her out to dinner that night as previously planned, but Lois had been quite reserved for much of it. It wasn’t until he’d walked her to her door that he asked what was wrong. She tried to let him down easy, having already decided that her life was now going to be wrapped around her child, and she probably wouldn’t have room in it for someone else. But that’s when he surprised her with a proposal.

You hardly know me, she’d complained, but after he went inside with her to continue his argument, he explained that she’d captured his heart. That’s when she dropped the bombshell and told him she was pregnant, expecting that to scare him off.

That did set him back but he didn’t leave, and he promised that if she would have him, he’d gladly raise the child as his own. Lois couldn’t believe that such a man existed.

Over the next few months, as they settled together in a house, Lois’ fretfulness over Superman’s departure grew to anger. She knew things about him firsthand that others had only read about. And she was certain that he must’ve known she was pregnant, thanks to his x-ray vision, and that was why he’d left. He was just like every other typical guy out there, afraid to death of commitment. When just a hint of commitment had surfaced in the creation of a new life, he’d run away.

Soon, her anger at him was just her easy way of coping with the loss of the man she’d loved.

Richard, on the other hand, had been her rock. He’d never once asked who the father of her child was, although she knew he must’ve had suspicions; he just accepted Jason as his own, even while he was in the womb. Lois never denied him as Jason’s daddy, and their friends and family and the world accepted it as truth.

It seemed only right that Richard was the first one that came to their rescue.

- - - - - - -

Part Three: Forgive Me if I Slip Away

They’d installed a door chime for Jason’s protection when they moved into the house, knowing that living on the water held drowning risks for small children and they’d need to know if he ever went through the door. Being the middle of the night, Richard was surprised to hear it now, but thought it might be worth checking on for safety’s sake.

Standing just inside the French doors, Richard watched Lois walk to a spot in the backyard, starting to pull out a cigarette, only to put it away again. He knew she was still upset about Superman being so near death, which only cemented in his mind what he’d suspected. She had been different since the hero had returned after being gone for so long, and Richard didn’t believe her when she said she didn’t ever love him. It was written all over her face, on her sagging shoulders and sad eyes, and laced throughout the desperation in her voice on the plane after they’d saved him. She’d once loved Superman with everything in her, and he suspected she still did.

As if conjured up by his own imagination, Superman drifted from above their house and hovered over the water. Richard half-smiled when he heard Jason yell out his “goodnight” to the hero he’d admired so much, and then realized the truth that he was speaking to his real father. Superman and Lois carried on a very short conversation that Richard couldn’t hear, lest he open the door and make his presence known, and then he flew away. Richard watched as Lois’ eyes followed him out of sight, ending with a smile at her son, and then slowly made her way inside. Richard didn’t try to hide.

It’s him, isn’t it? He asked as soon as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

Yeah, that was Superman, she smiled as if relieved, pointing over her shoulder to the outside. He’s better now.

He’s Jason’s father. He wasn’t mad – he just wanted her to confirm it, but Lois bit her lip and tried to leave the room. But he wasn’t done. You still love him, don’t you?

Lois tried to leave the room and avoid his questions, but he just kept making his assumptions, until finally, he offered to leave to give her the room she needed to tell Jason the truth. Richard swore that he’d be fine since he idolized Superman so much, but she convinced him not to do anything drastic.

We’ll all sit down and figure out something together, she suggested, and it was only then, when she’d admitted that he was speaking the truth, that Richard gave in.

That was a conversation he was looking forward to witnessing, but he doubted it would end with him still a part of Lois’ family. More than anything, he wanted her to be happy, and he knew from her behavior since Superman returned that she could never love him the same way she did the man in blue. And Jason deserved to know his real father. Richard was sure he’d just be in the way from now on.

- - - - - - -

Part Four: I’ll Come Back to You One Day

Lois, we need to talk. He practiced the words in his head all day long as he worked beside her, all the while she had no idea the father of her child was in the same office. Finally he got his chance when they went out to cover a story that turned into a disaster. He managed to make an excuse and leave, only to return as Superman, and once the fire was contained and the victims were tended to, he found Lois on the sidewalk and made his request quietly known.

Lois suspected what the topic of their conversation might be, but in an area of town surrounded by photographers and reporters and onlookers, it wasn’t the right time or place. She nodded a curt goodbye and walked past him, knowing he’d hear her when she whispered, “Not here. Top of the Planet, one hour.”

An hour later, she was waiting on the roof of the paper’s building, this time determined not to be caught off guard. She scanned the sky, walking in circles, looking for him until he appeared just past the rotating planet that topped the building. She kept her eyes on him as he floated down to the floor, crossing her arms on her chest in subconscious defense.

“Thank you for seeing me,” he spoke first. “And for telling me about Jason.”

She nodded and stared down at the floor beneath his boots for a moment. “Richard knows. He thinks Jason should know.” He opened his mouth as if to protest, and she held up her hand. “I told him that I think he’s too young, but Richard insists he needs to spend time with you as soon as possible. He’s afraid he might resent us for keeping the truth from him for so long if we wait.”

“We’ll talk about that.” He took a few steps closer. “I came to say I’m sorry.”

Laughing sardonically, Lois shook her head. “You’re gone for six years and you’re sorry? You’ve couldn’t have said anything before you left??”

“I…” he mumbled speechlessly. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“You didn’t know that leaving without a word would do that?”

“I…didn’t think I had a choice.”

She was letting the anger build again. “You left me alone and pregnant, Ka—” She clammed up just a syllable away from saying the birth name he’d shared with her all those years before, during their brief relationship. He remembered hearing the way she’d whisper it in their most intimate of moments and understood why she didn’t want to say it now.

“I didn’t know you were pregnant,” he quietly vowed. “If I had, Lois, you know I would not have left.”

His promise combined with her brief embarrassment from nearly speaking the name she’d had in her confidence for all these years – having never shared it with the public – made her mute.

He drew even closer, now only a few feet away from her. “I wish I had known,” he whispered. “I would’ve loved to share that with you.”

She shook her head at herself, suddenly feeling stupid. “All this time, I thought you had seen the baby with your x-ray vision and you just didn’t want to deal with it. So you left.”

“No, Lois,” he stated emphatically.

Tears in her eyes, she started laughing. “We must have the worst timing of anyone in the world. You leave right before I find out we’re having a baby, and you come back, after five years that our child has been raised with another man as his father. I don’t know how we’re supposed to fix this now.”

“Especially since you have Richard,” he pointed out and Lois’ expression sobered.

“Yeah, well…” she sighed. “He’s only still around because I asked him to stay until we figured out what was best for Jason. He wants to leave. He thinks he’s in the way now.”

With just one more of his steps and he was right in front of her. “Of you and me?”

He could hear her heart beating faster, even as she admitted, “What he doesn’t get is that I’m still mad at you for leaving.”

One half of his mouth quirked when he knew she hadn’t answered his question. “Can’t you forgive me for making a mistake I will never repeat?” He reached to caress her cheek, glad that she obviously still had feelings for him as he did her. “And know that I will never stop loving you?”

She closed her eyes and a tear ran down her cheek, as she tried to hold on to her senses. “Jason will be confused.”

“We’ll help him through that.”

“He’d miss Richard.”

“We’ll make sure that he gets to see him often.”

“Everyone will know that he’s different.”

“No one has to know. We’ll keep him safe.”

Out of arguments, Lois lifted her hands and placed her palms on his firm chest, pressing her face against him, feeling his warmth. There she let out a sigh she’d been holding onto for nearly six years. “I’ve missed you.”

He hugged her, holding her close for several minutes as she allowed the anger she’d harbored for so long to just float away on the breeze around them. But he knew it might soon return.

“Lois,” he began carefully, without letting her go. “There is something else I need to tell you, only in the interest of being completely honest with you from now on…”

She pulled away and looked up at him, slightly worried. “There’s something else?”

His lips pursed in reply, he reached into his suit, pulled out a pair of glasses that he slipped over his eyes…

And Lois gasped.

~End

♥

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Chuck Drabble: Secrets and Lies

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 23:03:07 GMT

Title: Secrets and Lies
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Fandom: Chuck
Rating: PG
Genre/Ship: Romance (Chuck/Sarah)
Timeline/Spoilers: During 2x10 – Chuck vs. the DeLorean
Word Count: 250
Disclaimer: LOL, I so WISH I could make money writing this stuff – I spend enough time on it!

A/N: Just a little drabble I thought of while re-watching the ep. Enjoy! :)

- - - - - - -

She had two choices: slip Chuck’s ATM card into his pocket before he noticed it was missing, or come out with the truth that her father had stolen it off of him. Who knew she would choose the honest option in that moment she heard Chuck’s voice in the hall?

For a girl that was used to secrets and lies, Sarah was letting her heart get sucked in to a new world of trust and openness and honesty. Not with everyone, not with Casey or even Bryce, or her father, anymore. She hadn’t trusted him since she joined the CIA and finally learned the difference between right and wrong. Her father was a criminal, and Chuck was…well, he was a much nobler person than she could have imagined in any human being.

If she had one secret left that she was keeping from him, it was that Chuck was becoming a great deal more than her fake boyfriend put in place to protect him and her cover. He was her asset and her partner in the beginning, and now her best friend. He was the one she wanted to go to with any news; and in a longing to know every detail of his life, she spent many of her free hours going over his personal files. For the cover. Yeah, right.

If they could be free, Sarah knew that Chuck could easily be her lover; a man whose presence would never leave the confines of her soul.

B-day Fic for auntof3

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:14:23 GMT

Title: The Hardest Thing
Fandom: Alias
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Rating: PG/T
Genre: Angst/Friendship Encouragement (Weiss/Vaughn)
Ship: (only mentioned) Syd/Vaughn
Words: 2,700(ish)
Timeline/Spoilers: Set between 2x12-The Getaway and 2x13-Phase One.
Disclaimer: The difference between owning the rights to a TV show and me? I’m still writing these characters just for fun and NO PAY over two years after it ended. TPTB – the ones making the money – have moved on to other things.

Summary: B-day fic for Tracie auntof3. Her guidelines: Any character in any fandom we share (either Alias or Supernatural), and a quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the TV show): “The hardest thing in this world…is to live in it.”

A/N: A couple of things: I am not a BtVS (TV) fan, so I don’t know what context this quote was used – the muse just used her imagination. :D Secondly, I skimmed through watching “The Getaway” while I was making lunch and I think I got all the details ironed out. If not, though, and you happen to catch something my betas and I missed, please forgive us. It originally aired five years ago, for crying out loud. ;)

I have to admit: I’ve always wanted to write a fic covering the switch from “The Getaway” to “Phase One” since it always seemed like such a jump. I’m so glad the muse was finally inspired! (Thanks, Tracie! :D )

*smooches* to biba79 and yumytaffy for betaing on such short notice!!

Hope you like it, Tracie! Once again, happy birthday! *squeezehugs*

And to everyone, enjoy!! :D

- - - - - - -

Since arriving home after handing in his report, Vaughn had just sat down on his couch, thinking. He’d managed to somehow fudge his way through his debrief after meeting with Sydney, making something plausible up – even he didn’t remember what, exactly. The mission had been a success despite their stupidity, so he and Sydney had decided that doing whatever it took to keep their partnership was the most important thing. And if that meant lying through their teeth…well, it was what they would do.

He hadn’t bothered to change clothes or make himself anything to eat; he could only sit and recall every second of that wonderful dinner he’d had with Syd…and how it would probably be their last. He had to get over her and get her out of his mind, his heart, his soul, or else the CIA would make it easy for him by having him transported somewhere across the world.

Yes, Weiss was right: Their feelings for one another probably were the reason they’d been a successful team. After all, if it hadn’t been for their closeness, he probably wouldn’t have risked his career by breaking protocol and going into SD-6 when they’d be taken hostage by McKenas Cole; and Sydney wouldn’t have jeopardized her SD-6 mission in France, in order to find him after they’d been separated in Taipei. In either situation – if not for their concern for one another and they hadn’t broken the rules – one of them would have otherwise died. Although Sydney sometimes went against orders if she felt it was for the good of her country or the mission or the welfare of another human being, Vaughn rarely compromised his good standing with his superiors…except when it involved one Sydney Bristow. But he feared that with growing closer, they might lose that success; he was sure they’d have to remain at arms’ length and swallow their feelings as they always had, in order to keep up their good record.

Vaughn held his head in his hands when he realized just how close he’d come to crossing the line he’d so meticulously avoided in the year and a half of knowing Sydney. To keep her safe, he couldn’t be seen with her in public – except for the occasional clandestine meeting – and since having a relationship would be difficult only seeing each other at work, they’d kept their feelings hidden, and pretended that there was nothing between them. Kissing her as he’d wanted to in that alley that night would’ve changed all that.

Sighing, Vaughn’s left hand slid down to his mouth and he took a breath, trying not to think of how it would feel to kiss her as he did a thousand times since meeting her. Every time she talked, he found it difficult not to stare at her lips; he had to fight to keep his distance and not give in to the pull of gravity to her arms and kiss her senseless. It was a daily battle, and yet, it was one he wouldn’t trade for all the cushy assignments in the world.

He sighed again and leaned back against his couch pillows, trying to figure out how they were going to get through the next months and/or years it was going to take to abolish SD-6, now that their mutual feelings were known. With his invitation to dinner and her acceptance, they’d admitted that there was an attraction; all traces of their previous argument simply melted away. Over dinner, he even went a step further by suggesting that they take advantage of the hotel room the manager had given to them for the night, and she’d blushed – and, oh, man, how he loved to see her flustered – accepting his proposal before they were interrupted by the gunmen who’d tracked them down. Looking back, he wasn’t sure what might’ve transpired in that room had they had the opportunity. There was still SD-6 to contend with, and he still hadn’t dealt with officially breaking up with Alice…

Wincing at the thought of his semi-girlfriend, Vaughn sat up again and rubbed at his face. Since she was the one he’d had listed as his emergency contact back when he was sick with the virus, the hospital had called her. She’d sat by his side as much as possible, and she nursed him back to health when he was released, using up all of her sick days from work. He couldn’t ignore her sacrifice, and he was lonely; so when she suggested giving their relationship another shot, he decided that it might be a good idea, hopefully using Alice as a distraction to keep his mind off of Sydney.

Not that it worked. If anything, his relationship with Alice only made him compare the two women on a daily basis. And there was no comparison to the way Sydney made him feel.

Stop it, his mind thought, arguing with his heart that naturally wanted to call and meet with her and fold her into his arms… He’d had many a fantasy like that while meeting with her alone and safe in that warehouse – and they weren’t all sexual. Sometimes he imagined what it would be like to have a normal occurrence like greeting with a kiss, or hugging her when she was discouraged, or holding hands as they discussed what their future would be like together without SD-6. And many times, he’d rationalized that that kind of partnership would work better than what they had now, but that was just his selfishness talking. He couldn’t give her half a relationship, meeting only in the warehouse or other authorized safe houses, constantly risking her life for the sake of making him feel better. No, it was better if they went back to hiding their feelings, pretending that they were just friends and great partners.

A knock at his door only annoyed him; he didn’t want visitors. If it was Alice, she’d think he wasn’t home and leave, as would anyone else, he hoped. He just kept his position on the couch and didn’t make a sound.

But a few seconds later, the door opened, and Vaughn cursed himself for not locking it when he’d arrived home. “Hey, man,” Vaughn heard behind him, and he didn’t want to admit how relieved he was to discover that it wasn’t Alice. Before he could greet his best friend, Weiss commented, “Why are you sitting here in the dark?”

“It’s not dark,” Vaughn lightly argued, but at the same time, he lifted his head and realized he hadn’t turned on even one lamp since arriving home. He corrected himself with a laugh, “I don’t know.”

“So, how’d it go?” he asked, rounding the end of the couch. He clicked on a lamp on his way by. “Did you meet with Syd?”

“Yeah,” Vaughn smiled, blinking back the shock of the light as he looked up at him. “She gave me the real gyroscope.”

“What?” Weiss chuckled as he sat on the arm of the loveseat. “How’d she manage that?”

Vaughn shook his head, and relayed the account of Sydney’s amazing on-the-spot thinking. Once she knew that Ariana Kane’s agents that Vaughn had killed in that alley wouldn’t be searched for, she’d gone ahead and given Sloane the fake gyroscope, knowing she was out of danger. “Always be prepared,” she’d said, impressing Vaughn, and he relived that emotion with the expression on his face.

“Wow, that’s smart,” Weiss had to agree. “And your report? Did you leave out the date?”

Nodding, Vaughn admitted, “Yeah.” Then he remarked, “It’s probably not the greatest career move I’ve ever made…”

“Yeah, but it was the right one. Come on, you and Sydney didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yeah, not yet, anyway,” Vaughn mumbled, sobering a bit.

“Okay, so, you went on a date,” Weiss granted. “At least now you know that she feels the same way about you. You should be celebrating.”

Vaughn looked up at his friend for the first time and with a laugh, he repeated incredulously, “Celebrating? Sydney and I almost…”

Weiss seemed to hang on the words, as if waiting for the other shoe to fall when he could’ve heard a pin drop.

“We just… We could’ve made things a lot worse for us,” Vaughn half-admitted, but as suspected, it only made Weiss curious – not that he wasn’t interested in confiding his secret with his best friend.

“How could it be worse? It’s not like you were going to sleep –” The realization dawned on him, and it was so clear, it was almost as if a light bulb had actually appeared over his head. “You mean, it was actually discussed—?”

“Not…exactly,” Vaughn tried to explain. He told Weiss how the hotel owner had given them a key to a room upstairs, offering it to them for the night.

“Whoa,” exclaimed Weiss, chuckling. “And Syd agreed to it?”

“After some convincing, yeah,” Vaughn solemnly confessed.

Weiss thought out loud, “She must’ve been drunk,” but quickly backpedaled when Vaughn glared up at him. “I just mean that I can imagine Syd trying to stay grounded in that kind of situation. I mean, I could see her breaking the rules for the life of another, but sleeping with you on a mission? Just doesn’t seem like something she’d do.”

“Well, she wasn’t drunk,” Vaughn reiterated. “And, like I said, I had to convince her to give it a shot, despite all of our…problems. I’m sure there would’ve been a lot more discussion in the room before anything happened, if we’d made it there.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Vaughn saw Weiss nod. “Does this mean you broke up with Alice?”

Vaughn shook his head slowly, as if he didn’t want to admit it.

Weiss leaned forward and warned, “You’ve got to, man. You can’t keep her hanging on like that.”

“I know,” he quickly accepted. “It’s just not an easy thing – she keeps saying that our relationship would be perfect if we just worked on it—“

“And that’d be fine,” Weiss interjected, “if it weren’t for the other woman that you just happened to love.”

Vaughn’s head snapped up and he stared at Weiss for a moment. “You think I’m in love with Syd?”

“You think you aren’t?”

Refocusing on the signed hockey puck in its clear plastic case that sat in the middle of his coffee table, Vaughn considered that. He’d never been in love before so he wasn’t sure what that felt like.

Anticipating his ambiguity, Weiss asked, “Do you think about her all the time, even when you’re not at work?”

“Yeah, but she’s my asset, so I would think that would be a good thing for a handler, anyway.”

“Okay,” Weiss nodded. “Well, can you imagine your life without her? I mean, how upset would you be if you were transferred to another assignment or city or country? And before you answer,” he rushed ahead, “forget for a moment about how well you work as a team.”

“I…” Vaughn opened his mouth and then seriously thought about his friend’s question. Could he get by without seeing her anymore? Without hearing her voice or seeing her smile that drove him crazy, or longing for her touch, whether intentional or accidental…? “No,” he answered on a long breath. Then he covered his face with his hands. “Oh, god, I love her.” He inhaled, fighting against the tightness in his chest with just the thought of having to say goodbye to her forever. “There’s no way I could live without her.” He looked up again. “What am I going to do, Eric?”

“You’re going to do exactly what I told you to do the other night, and tell her how you feel.”

“What? Are you crazy? I already tried to do that and look how that turned—“

Interrupting again, Weiss reminded him, “No, we’ve already discussed this: you asked her to dinner; I didn’t tell you to do that.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to say how attracted I am to her in a room full of agents.”

“I’ll give you that,” Weiss allowed. “But that shouldn’t stop you from getting her alone – which can be done any time, any place you normally see her – and telling her how you feel. Especially since now you know for sure that you love her.”

Vaughn shook his head. “So, I just pull her to the side and say, what? ‘I love you and I don’t know what to do about it’?”

“Well, she might be a little shocked to hear The Three Little Words, so you might want to hold off on that until the time is right, but I’d at least admit to your attraction to her, just so that’s out in the open.”

“I think she already knows by my actions the other night,” Vaughn muttered embarrassedly.

“All the more reason to discuss your feelings,” he continued. “At least this way you’ll find out just what she’s thinking too, and hey, maybe you can figure out a way to deal with it, once you know you’re on the same page.”

Sighing once more, Vaughn knew, “It may be a long time before SD-6 is brought down, and Sydney and I may never get to be together.”

“Then, if things get harder and you can’t deal with it anymore, I’m sure the two of you will figure out a way to run away together.” Vaughn looked up at him as if he’d never considered that possibility. “Just remember to let your best friend know what deserted island you end up on, okay?”

The weight of the world seemed to rest on Vaughn’s shoulders in that moment and Weiss didn’t miss it. Reaching over to clasp his friend’s shoulder, he told him, “Remember: The hardest thing in this world,” he paused dramatically, “is to live in it. But that shouldn’t stop you from trying; especially when it comes to the woman you love.”

He stood up, preparing to leave. “And now that I’ve injected some impressive wisdom into your otherwise unimpressive life,” he teased and Vaughn snorted, “I’m going to leave you to sleep on it.” He turned for the door. “See you tomorrow.”

Smiling as his friend left, Vaughn barely registered the clicking of the door latch. And he knew Weiss was right again: If he and Sydney shared their feelings, they might be easier to deal with, working together with them as a team as always. It made sense, and not only that, but it seemed like the only way through this crazy little thing called love – at least in their convoluted circumstances.

Suddenly exhausted, Vaughn got up and readied himself for bed, curiously wondering as he drifted off to sleep just how Sydney might react to his confession, and what he would say in that moment when it came. He figured he’d wing it instead of trying to write out some ornate speech that sounded rehearsed and dry and lacking in the love he truly felt for her. It was so fulfilling to have a name for what he felt for Sydney: he loved her. He’d finally found his soulmate.

He was woken up by the ringing of his phone, and was shocked to see that it was almost eight o’clock, since that was later than he normally slept in. The previous mission and all the emotion wrapped up in it must’ve wiped him out more than he’d thought. But it didn’t matter now – he had a conversation to get to, among other things – like the business of his assignment.

The phone call was an announcement that everyone was being called in by nine for an emergency meeting. Something big was going down, and anyone who was part of the SD-6 and Alliance team was required to be there. Vaughn didn’t bother asking the peon who’d made the call just what was involved because he knew he wouldn’t know. Instead, he jumped up and quickly showered, hoping to catch Sydney before the meeting, as soon as she got in.

Whatever happened with what he was sure was going to be a fateful conversation, he knew one thing: he was in it for the long haul. No matter how hard it was going to be and what challenges they would face, Sydney was going to be his one true love forever.

- - - - - - -

♥

Moonlight Fic: To Life - Chapter 8

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:30:37 GMT

A/N: Hello, my friends! Before I give you the next chapter, I have to say thank you so much for your patience with me in updating this story. I had no idea that RL stress would cause my muse to leave me, even when I DID find the time to write. I actually had this one mostly written before my writer's block kicked in, but I'm happy to say that I'm already halfway into the next chapter as well. So, fingers crossed, it shouldn't be TOO long before the next update.

*smooches* to coffeebean_newsfor the beta! Thanks again for reading! And enjoy!!

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Link to Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, and Chapter 7

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Chapter 8: New Beginnings

The filtered rays of the rising sun began to spill in through the windows by the time Mick was through with his shower. Instead of drying off, he stepped out onto his towel and stood naked in his bathroom, hoping that allowing his body to air-dry under the A/C vent would help simulate a freezer. But he knew that this ritual wouldn’t suffice for every day; he would need to acquire another unit and soon. He couldn’t keep subjecting Beth to his unusual scent night after night, especially with her current condition, and sleeping in such close proximity. Most of the time, he didn’t have to worry about it, since sleeping in a freezer kept the scent to such a minimum that other vampires were the only ones that could even detect it. But the fact of the matter was that it was just another facet of his existence, and it was only noticeable to humans if he’d been away from his freezer for a while and they were close enough to him to smell it. Beth had been the unfortunate victim of both of those factors this morning.

The door suddenly burst open and Beth, dressed in a robe, practically ran in, straight over to the toilet, where she knelt and hugged it just in time to heave her guts out. Mick panicked, grabbed his towel from the floor for cover, and rushed to her side. He felt powerless, and yet, he knew that it was all part of the miracle of life and there was nothing he could do to help her. So, he just knelt beside her, pulled her hair back, and placed his hand on her in silent support until she was through.

After a minute or two, she sat back on her heels, looking very pale. Her face was wrenched in a grimace, but it appeared that the vomiting had passed. “Feel a little better?” he gently asked.

Keeping her eyes closed, she nodded. “I made the mistake of letting my feet hit the floor,” she joked. “I barely got my robe on before I knew I was going to…” She groaned from deep within, “God, I hate this.”

Mick gently smiled. “Well, it won’t last forever,” he assured her. “Just remember that.”

She peeked out at him through one eye and questioned, “Oh yeah? Then how long does it last, hot shot?”

He shrugged. “I think it ceases after the first trimester.” When he’d gone through his medical training to be a field medic back in the military, he’d thought it was ridiculous that he had to learn the basics of pregnancy and childbirth. After all, he figured, when would soldiers ever use that knowledge? But he was silently thanking the Army for that now. Looking at Beth presently, though, he knew that vague answer was not going to be enough. He rubbed her back again. “We’ll get some books.”

“Good idea,” she nodded, chuckling, leaning into his shoulder. “Ugh,” she whined. “This baby is no bigger than a grain of rice, and already he’s kicking my butt.”

He laughed with her, but it did bring up a question in his mind. “I wonder what we’re having. I mean, boy or girl,” he clarified, anticipating some sarcastic remark from her.

She nuzzled his neck. “Mmm,” she mumbled, “I want a boy that looks just like you.”

“That’s funny. I was thinking I’d like to have a girl like you.”

“No way,” she shook her head as best she could, given her position with her head on his shoulder. “I was a lot of trouble for my mother. I can’t imagine having a little me.”

He kissed her hair and lightly argued, “I could.”

Thoughtfully, she tilted her head up to look at him. “Will that be weird for you, if we have a girl, when she’s four like I was when we met?”

“No,” he honestly didn’t think so. Then he added, “Other than being head-over-heels in love with her, like I am with her mother. But that’s a good thing for a father to be, right?”

Beth smiled and bit her lip. “Yeah.” Then she narrowed her eyes, studying him.

“What?” he finally had to know.

She almost didn’t want to admit what she was thinking. “I…just… I can totally picture you as a ‘daddy’,” she grinned. Then her smile faded a touch. “It’s weird. I honestly thought for a few days that I’d be going through all of this alone.”

He pulled her against him, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry,” he tried once more.

“No,” she said, sitting up on her own power. “Stop apologizing.” She touched his face and gazed at him. “I’m only saying that I’m glad that I’m not completely inexperienced and going through it all by myself.”

Mick started to chuckle with her when she suddenly covered her mouth with one hand and said, “And I just realized how horrible my breath must smell right now, so before we kiss and make up, I think I’ll brush my teeth.”

His reply was a laugh as he stood and helped her to her feet.

By mid-morning, Mick was just starting to think about getting back to life as it used to be. He’d begun to look through his files and figure out if there was some way to repair the damaged relationships with his clients he’d had open cases with when he disappeared. Sighing when he came across John Wyler’s file, he knew that was surely a ship that had long sailed away. It had been almost two months, and since Wyler had been so desperate to have his security system installed, he surely would’ve gone with another P.I. by now. But Mick knew he still owed the man an apology along with a return of Wyler’s deposit that must be demanded in the stack of mail he had yet to go through. Thankfully, he’d always paid his apartment rent a year at a time, and the utilities were included; otherwise, he and Beth would’ve had nowhere to live as well, since his other bills had gone unpaid.

There was a knock at his door a second before Josef entered, and greeted with a silly grin, “Oh, good, you’re up.”

“Josef,” Mick smirked his hello. “I’m just as surprised to see you out of your freezer this time of day.”

“Yeah, well, I figured that this would be the only time I could catch you.” He glanced into Mick’s apartment through the adjoining door. “Where’s, uh, Beth?”

Mick stood to walk around the desk. “Still asleep,” he said and almost regretted it when he saw Josef’s face light up. He held up a hand and tried again, “We didn’t get much sleep last night—”

“All right,” Josef cheered, sliding his hands into his pockets and rocking back on his heels.

“Ha ha,” he mocked, walking over to make sure to close the door to his apartment to keep from waking Beth. “Just go ahead and get it over with,” he gestured with a wave of his hand, expecting Josef to want to dig a bit deeper.

“So, you worked things out, then?” Josef appeased and Mick nodded. “And? How was it?” He lowered his tone a notch. “Everything you expected?”

Mick went with total honesty, but couldn’t do so without smiling slightly. “Better.” Walking over to the couch, he plopped down on the cushions. “We just decided not to think about what’s going to happen a few years down the road.”

“That’s good,” Josef commended as he turned one of Mick’s clients’ chairs around to sit down as well, noticing that Mick’s tone didn’t seem to concur with his words. “Something tells me you’re not completely convinced.”

Looking away, Mick figured that if he could be candid with anyone, it was Josef. “I just…” he pursed his lips. “I don’t know how wise it is to sit around in a state of denial while the clock is ticking, you know?”

“You don’t think Beth realizes that, too?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I think she just doesn’t want to waste a moment we could be together with an argument as to why we shouldn’t be.”

Josef leaned back and crossed his legs, thinking. “So, come up with a solution,” he offered lightly.

Mick almost glared at him. “You got one in your back pocket?”

“Well,” he clicked his tongue thoughtfully as his eyes lifted to the ceiling. “Let’s see… You can’t become human again, unless by some miracle Coraline escapes her brothers, with the cure, and offers it to you a second time,” Josef rationalized, and then realized, “Wait. Didn’t you keep a sample of your human blood?”

“Yeah,” Mick nodded. “But I’d had Coraline’s blood tested and since there was nothing out of the ordinary found, I doubt I’d be able to recreate it. Coraline admitted that it was an herbal compound, and it was only temporary anyway, so…what would be the point?”

“Right,” his friend deadpanned, “And we both know how much you despised that ‘temporary’ cure to begin with.”

Mick did glare at him this time. “All I’m saying is that I’d rather spend my time trying to figure out a permanent solution instead of wasting my energy on one I know won’t last.” He cast his head down. “And I’ve…I’ve decided to give up trying to find a way to become mortal again, anyway.”

Josef’s look expressed his shared sadness and grief for his friend’s resignation, but after a moment, it came as expected with a touch of teasing. “Good. It’s about time.” He half-grinned. “Too bad you’re not willing to try turning Beth, because you have the baby to worry about now, but…would you ever do it?”

Mick’s expression clearly answered his question, so it was unnecessary for him to reply verbally, although he did. “No. And she wouldn’t want it either.”

“So…” Josef sighed, standing up from his chair. “You can’t both be human, you don’t want her to become a vampire,” he tapped his lips with his fingertip. He spun to face Mick. “I guess you could say, no, I don’t have an answer.”

“Thanks, Josef, you’re a lot of help,” Mick replied sarcastically. “So, is there another reason for this visit, other than reminding me that Beth and I are doomed?”

“Actually, yes,” he said, wandering toward the desk to toy with the various items he found there as he spoke. He picked up a pen and busied his hands with twisting the ballpoint in and out of its barrel. It was obvious he didn’t want to bring up whatever it is he needed to discuss with Mick. And he soon found out why. “I actually have some…information…about the occupants of the car that shot at you.”

“What?” Mick exclaimed with a chuckle, sitting up straight. “Since when?”

Josef peered at the ceiling and slid his hands in his pockets. “Since…about six hours before you were shot.”

Mick stood up in shock, feeling anger starting to build up. “You mean that you knew before—”

“Relax,” Josef interrupted with a hand held up between them. “I didn’t know that you were their next target. Don’t stake the messenger, alright?”

Shaking his head, Mick had to know. “Well, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to. Remember, I called you?” Thinking back to that fateful day and remembering his friend’s phone call when he teased him about his impetuous marriage, Mick nodded once in reply, allowing Josef to continue. “You and Beth had just eloped – I wasn’t going to bog you down with work or vampire business.”

The younger vamp’s eyes narrowed. “You’re saying that the shooting was vamp related?”

Josef smacked his lips again. “Yeah,” he mumbled disappointedly. “I’d heard an unconfirmed rumor – or at least it was unconfirmed until you were shot – that there was an unusual group of vigilantes out there. They were exposing vamps in front of humans by shooting them in public places.”

“Why the hell would they do that, and risk exposing themsel—”

“They’re not vamps.”

It suddenly clicked in Mick’s mind and he lowered his body back down to the couch in distress. “Hunters?”

Josef nodded, pursing his mouth into a thin line. “Since then, I’ve had my guys searching for them, but after your shooting, they seemed to have disappeared. My guys haven’t been able to catch them.”

“So, they’re not after the vampires that exist in the traditional way; they’re after the ones like us that live and work and mingle among the humans in the daylight,” Mick realized.

Nodding silently, Josef concurred. “Guess we all have to start watching our backs.”

“We should put out a warning to the others.”

“Already done,” he revealed. “It’s a long list, but word is traveling fast.”

“Good,” he bobbed his head when they both heard a noise from the other room. Mick jumped to his feet and rushed over to the door to open it and check on Beth. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, she was opening a fresh bottle of water from the refrigerator, and greeted him with a smile when she saw him emerge from the office. “Hey,” he smiled back at her, walking straight toward the kitchen to kiss her in greeting. After sharing that kiss, he stroked her arm and asked cordially, “Sleep okay?”

“Oh yeah,” she stated emphatically. “I probably could’ve slept for another hour like the lazy bum that I feel, except I got a phone call that woke me up.”

Covering his face with his hand, Mick apologized. “I meant to bring your phone downstairs with me so you could sleep, and I forgot it.”

“No, it’s fine,” she was quick to assure him as she rested her arm on the island counter. “It was actually a…” her face wrenched in curiosity, “a job offer.”

He shared her surprise. “What?”

“Yeah, that was my reaction, too. I’m supposed to meet with the guy that took Josh’s place at the DA’s office. Ben…Talbot, I think his name is.”

He started to ask if she knew what the offer was when she caught a glimpse of Josef over Mick’s shoulder and realized they weren’t alone. “Hey, Josef,” she said with a friendly tone and a smile. “What are you doing here so early in the day?”

Mick answered for him, “Actually, Josef’s here on business.”

“Business?” It clicked in her mind and then on her face. “Vampire business?”

“Sort of,” her husband replied. “He had some information about the guys that shot at me.”

“Oh, the tan Thunderbird?” She looked to Josef, but received stunned expressions from both of them.

Mick found his voice first. “You know the make of the car?”

“Yeah,” she shrugged one shoulder. “It was the story I was working on that day; Mo called me and told me that the car was spotted in your shooting – that’s how I knew you were probably hurt.”

“That’s right,” Josef recalled, coming closer to the couple. “She knew you’d been shot and the location when she called me, asking for my help to find you.”

Mick shuffled his feet, thinking. “What do you know about the car and the other shootings?” he asked his wife.

“Not much,” she replied. “They were spotted here and Seattle and three other cities across the northwest for about six months, involved in at least six shootings, including yours, and then they just…disappeared. Why is this coming up now?” she asked the two men. “Are you looking for revenge?”

“Not exactly,” Mick answered. “Apparently, they’re hunters.” He glanced at Josef for confirmation. “We’re going to have to find them and stop them.”

Mick could tell by Beth’s sigh that she was not in complete approval of his decision. But to his surprise, she was optimistic. “Well, if I do get this job,” she said, twisting the lid back onto her water bottle, “then I might actually be in a position to help you guys out with that.”

- - - - - - -

Phones were ringing off the hook as Beth walked into the District Attorney’s office. She didn’t bother having to ask where Talbot’s office was located; she was sure he’d been given Josh’s old office. In fact, considering the tightfistedness of the government, she knew he was most likely using Josh’s desk, chair, and other furniture as well. She even wouldn’t put it past them to have the same law books on his shelves and decorations on his walls.

Sure enough, Josh’s old office door held a new nameplate that had Benjamin Talbot’s name engraved on it, so Beth knocked. After hearing a male voice telling her to come in, she opened the door and greeted, “Mr. Talbot?” He nodded without looking up from whatever he was writing, so she stepped one foot into the room. “I’m Beth Turner – you called me this morning, wanted to meet with me?”

When his head lifted and he gave her his attention, Beth got her first real look at the man. Dressed in a classy, navy blue suit with a politician’s red, printed tie, Talbot stood up and smiled, buttoning one button on his jacket, as if merely out of habit. “Oh, Miss Turner,” he spoke and rounded the desk to extend his hand. “Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh?” she shifted uncomfortably on her feet as she shook his hand. “Good things?”

“Mostly,” he grinned like an underwear model and Beth secretly wondered if he’d ever been one. “Lieutenant Davis has said that your only bad quality is being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Her chest rumbled with a chuckle. “Yeah, that sounds like something Carl would say. But I bet he meant that I’m usually at the right place at the right time, asking the right questions. You know how it gets under the cops’ skin when the reporters know as much as they do.”

“Yes,” Talbot smirked. “He did warn me about your spunk.” He stepped back and gestured to the couch. “Please, come in, have a seat.”

She did sit as Talbot closed the door and then pulled over one of his guest chairs and turned it to face her, where he sat down. “So,” she tried to break the ice as they got settled. “What’s this job offer?”

“Well,” he began on an exhale, getting comfortable in his seat and clasping his hands between his knees. “I’ve only been here a couple of months, but I’ve run across your name more than half a dozen times. It seems you’ve been instrumental in the capture of your fair share of criminals.”

“Oh,” she grinned proudly, “thanks. But I didn’t do it alone. I…had help.”

“Yes,” he agreed, reaching for a file on his desk. “I know my predecessor, Josh Lindsay, worked with you on several cases, as well as this P.I.,” he checked the file, “Mick St. John?”

Beth felt heat rising to her face, wondering if she should say something about the fact that that particular P.I. was now her husband. But she was afraid that Talbot might know more than he was letting on about her association with Josh, and the timing of the two relationships would seem…odd. “Yes…” she replied slowly, deciding to go with a noncommittal answer, until she knew exactly what he knew.

“What can you tell me about him?” he asked, leaning back in his chair, and Beth suddenly felt uncomfortable.

“Who, Mick?” she stalled, posing the question with a bit of incredulity. When Talbot nodded, staring at her with an uneasy, yet knowledgeable, smile, Beth queried instead, “What, is he under investigation? What does he have to do with my job offer?”

“Oh, nothing, really,” Talbot stated easily. “I’m just…curious as to how much you’ve worked with him.”

“Oh,” she muttered, studying his expression for truthfulness. “Well, he’s a well-established Private Investigator; I met him at a crime scene about a year ago, and since we worked well together once, we…kept it up.”

Talbot agreed, “Yeah, the cases you two solved were pretty…impressive.” Consulting the file, he left it open on his lap and wondered, “There were a couple that had some pretty strange conclusions—”

This conversation was making her increasingly nervous. “I hate to change the subject, but can we get back to the job offer, please?” she purposely interrupted. “I have a busy day ahead of me, as I’m sure you do.”

His eyes focused on her for a moment before he nodded and closed the file. “Well, despite the few inconsistencies in your reports and the unusual outcomes, I have to say that I’ve been pretty impressed by your investigating skills. If you’re interested, I’d like to hire you as a civilian investigator. You’d work exclusively for me; there are no set hours, but that means that you’d have to be available day or night.”

“I think I could handle that, but…I’m not a cop,” she warned.

“Yeah, but you have instincts, and that counts for a lot more than training and experience. Take some time to think about it and give me a call,” he spoke, standing up. Sure that he was concluding the meeting, she stretched to her full height as well, and he passed her a business card from his desktop. “Thanks for coming by, Miss Turner.”

“Beth,” she corrected. It didn’t seem right to still go by her maiden name, even though she did live in a modern world. But she wasn’t ready to confess to Talbot her new last name either, since he seemed to be overly interested in Mick as it was.

Talbot smiled once more and countered, “You can call me ‘Ben’.”

- - - - - - -

:-)

Alias Fic: CPO: 4x04 - Détente

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:59:15 GMT

A/N: Next installment! :D (And my favorite so far. ♥ )

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

Link to 4x01, 4x02, and 4x03

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

4x04: Détente

“There’s a lot of basic geometry used in playing pool,” Vaughn explained as he rounded the table, walking toward Sydney on the other side. “For a shot like this,” he gestured to the balls on the green felt, “your best bet is to use the diamond pattern.” Adjusting the cue stick in his hand, he said, “Here, I’ll show you. Do you mind?”

Sydney shrugged and shook her head at the same time. “Does this mean our game is over?”

“We can play again,” he offered as compromise.

Grinning as if she’d gotten exactly what she was hoping for, Sydney shrugged again. “Okay,” she said lightly. “I was losing this game pretty badly anyway.”

He laughed with her and then proceeded with his lesson. But standing in front of her and leaning over the table to explain what he’d meant by the “diamond pattern” was not a great idea. Sydney’s eyes were immediately focused on a certain part of Vaughn’s anatomy that was tightly – and gorgeously, she mentally added – wrapped in light blue denim, and thoughts of pool were pushed way off to the side of her mind.

“…And that’s how you do it,” he finished a minute later and stood up to look over his shoulder at her.

Sydney pried her eyes off of him just in time and glanced at the table and noticed that the ball he was trying to sink was missing, meaning that he must’ve been successful at banking his shot. “Sorry,” she blushed and grinned, leaning on the cue stick in front of her. “I was a little…distracted… Could you repeat that for me?”

She knew that he knew where her mind had been the second he started quietly chuckling, and that only made her grin widen. “Okay,” he conceded, “but you’re going to do it this time.”

A mildly frustrated sigh was Sydney’s answer as she stepped closer to the table at his coaxing and he took a moment to reposition the balls on the table to recreate the shot. “Okay,” he started again, leaning close to her side over the table to show her. And when she silently giggled at his nearness, he grinned and leaned in an inch more, just enough to where she could smell his aftershave. It was quite unnerving, especially when she was honestly trying to pay attention.

“Try to follow this line,” he was saying as he showed her the line he was talking about by pointing the stick at the other side of the table. “Hit the cue ball pretty hard to make sure it knocks the other ball all the way to that corner pocket,” he pointed. And then he stepped back to give her some room, much to her disappointment.

Focusing on the shot and executing it perfectly, Sydney landed her target ball into the back corner pocket, and then she stood up and cheered, “I did it!”

“See?” he grinned, stepping in front of her, “I knew I could make a pool shark out of you yet.”

Sensing the tense moment building as they continued to stare at each other, nearly toe-to-toe in such close proximity, Vaughn felt the need to pull away a little. “Wanna play again now?” he offered, moving over to reach for the triangle hanging on the wall to set the balls in place on the table as Sydney nodded.

He’d only gotten about three balls in place when some drunk stumbled over to their little alcove from his seat at the bar, mumbling one pick-up line after another, directed at Sydney. She was just ignoring him, but by the time he walked up right behind her, and Vaughn could actually make out what he was saying, he heard him comment, “Now, that’s one fine piece of a–” But his word was cut off because he had the unfortunate gall to reach for Sydney’s jean-clad butt at the same time. She’d immediately grabbed his hand and spun around, twisting his arm at the wrist until the guy was on his knees.

“What was that?” she asked in a confident tone right to the drunk’s face, but the guy was too pained to answer. “You weren’t just reaching to touch my ass, were you?”

He shook his head pathetically, his mouth still agape with pain as Vaughn continued to look on to the scene with amusement. And then she twisted his arm some more and threw the man to the ground. Another man came over to her, complaining something about not being nice to his friend, but just as he got within reachable distance, Sydney took care of him with a few swift moves to the groin and gut, finally using her clasped fists on the back of the guy’s head when he doubled over to knock him out and made him fall to the floor.

Looking around defiantly at the other men in the room, non-verbally challenging them to do their worst to her, she eventually laid her cue stick across the table and shook her head at Vaughn. “Can we get out of here?” she almost pleaded and Vaughn was quick to answer affirmatively, set his stick down as well, and escorted her to the door.

“I’m sorry…” Sydney spoke quietly, several minutes after they’d left and drove in Vaughn’s car in silence. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

She was looking down at her hands in her lap in shame, but Vaughn couldn’t understand why. “That’s okay, Syd. That guy deserved every bit of what you gave him. Both of them did.”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” she shook her head. “I mean…I’ve done this before on dates and it’s so embarrassing. It always scares guys off.”

“Why?” he laughed, glancing over at her from the road in front of him.

She stared at him from her seat on the passenger’s side. “Because it should be the man’s job to protect the woman on a date. Doesn’t it bother you?”

He chuckled, “It never has before.”

“But…”

“Sydney,” he interrupted before she could argue any more. “From the moment I met you, I knew you were a strong person. If you had waited in there for me to step up and protect you, I would’ve thought something was wrong with you. You do a heck of a lot more damage to a jerk like that than I could. I’m just glad I was there to see it.”

When he finished his little speech with a smile, Sydney knew that he wasn’t kidding. And a few days later on their next op, Vaughn proved that he meant what he’d said.

After Vaughn met with an informant whose boss stole a container of Black Thorine and he passed on the routing number to his superior’s bank account so that the CIA could keep tabs on it, the Russian police bust in and killed the informant. Holding their guns on Vaughn in a position of surrender, he spoke what he knew to be the truth, “I’m not the one you need to worry about,” referring to Sydney waiting and watching from her hiding spot. And within moments, Sydney single-handedly had all of the men subdued enough for the two of them to make their escape.

On the flight home, as they recapped the mission and laughed about the shock on the policemen’s faces when Sydney attacked them, their conversation gradually turned to back to their last date as they compared the two incidents. “I really enjoyed playing pool with you,” she admitted.

“Me too,” Vaughn smiled, reaching over the armrest between them to toy with the fingers of her right hand. “I’ve wanted to do that since…our first date.”

She narrowed her eyebrows slightly as she tilted her head at him. “We did talk about playing pool together during our dinner in Nice, didn’t we?”

“Mm hmm,” he nodded affirmatively.

Sydney smiled with the memory and lifted her hand a little to give him better access to the valleys between her fingers. “You were such a flirt that night.”

“Says the kettle,” he teased and she grinned.

“I was really nervous.”

“You?”

“Yeah…” She paused, letting the sensation of his feathery-light touch on the skin on her hand send chills throughout her body to the ends of her appendages. Then she managed to regain her focus. “What we…considered doing that night… The risks we thought about taking,” she squeezed her eyes shut with the enormity of it.

“I know,” he quietly agreed, completing the move to lace his fingers with hers from the back of her hand.

But she wasn’t finished with what she was trying to say. “I was ready to sacrifice it all for that one night with you, and I know that it would’ve been well worth it.”

“What?”

Instead of answering, she turned her innocent eyes to his. “Isn’t that what you’re thinking?”

“Now or that night?”

“Now.”

He seriously considered that for a few seconds, weighing all of the risks with the importance of her safety, along with how amazing he later found out she was in the bedroom. “I don’t know,” he finally answered, shaking his head and looking down at the plane floor in front of him. “Your life has always been most important to me. I hated myself for putting it at such great risk that night. In fact, that was the first time I ever killed out of instinct; it had always been well-thought-out and planned in every other instance before.”

Sydney stared at him beside her for a long moment, letting that knowledge sink in. “That was why you almost kissed me in that alley. You were relieved…”

“Yeah,” he nodded definitely; proving that “relieved” was way too small of a word to describe the emotions he had felt in that moment. “More like ‘desperate’ to make sure you were okay.”

Understanding with a nod, Sydney turned to look out at the darkened sky beyond her small window. Then from his vantage point, he saw her eyes close and smile; he could just see the faint dimple in her right cheek. “It was perfect though…” she sighed softly and he grinned with her in agreement as he lifted her hand to his lips to kiss it, knowing she was still thinking about that night in Nice before they were interrupted.

Arriving at home once Vaughn had dropped her off, Sydney walked into her apartment and stopped in her tracks when she saw her boss, her mortal enemy, and her sister’s father all wrapped up in one Arvin Sloane, sitting at her kitchen counter, in the privacy of her own home. It was the first time he’d ever had the nerve to step foot into her house, and Sydney had never felt so violated in her life.

He asked about the mission and Sydney brushed him off by saying there was a report waiting for him in the office. Nadia tried to explain that she’d invited him to come there, so that she wouldn’t place the blame completely on him for his presence, but Sydney was too overwhelmed to accept it. “Get out,” she demanded, and fortunately, for his sake, Sloane got up, said goodbye to his daughter and Sydney and left.

Nadia was all apologies but Sydney was still not in the mood to hear it, trying to explain why she hated him so much. But her sister interrupted and divulged that she knew about how her father had killed Sydney’s fiancé and her best friend. But Sydney still couldn’t understand why she’d allowed him inside, knowing all of that. “It’s not easy to reconcile the past,” Nadia said pointedly. “I thought you had.”

And then she walked away to the privacy of her room, leaving Sydney replaying the conversation in her head and wondering if she’d said anything out of line. Defiantly deciding that she hadn’t, she moved to the other side of their shared apartment to her room, shut the door, and prepared for bed.

But one night’s sleep wasn’t enough to quell her rage against the man that had been unwelcome in her house, and it was quite evident in their morning briefing when she questioned him and his unnamed “sources” repeatedly, making the tension in the room palpable. She managed to pay attention for the rest of the meeting to know what the mission ahead held for them, but she still hadn’t completely let it go even when she was in her shared office with Dixon getting completely prepared.

Noticing she was just staring off into space for several minutes, Dixon made his way over to her desk and perched himself on the edge to ask what was wrong and she immediately confided in him, knowing that he was one that would certainly understand, having lost a loved one at the hands of their boss. Then he told her about a reoccurring dream that he often had about Diane and how it always ended the same…with Diane telling him to do the right thing. And when he admitted to Sydney that that’s how he makes his peace with working for Sloane – that it’s “the right decision…today” – Sydney suddenly felt more at ease. And when he left, she knew what it was she had to do.

Vaughn was just getting ready to go into her office when she came out, asking if their plans to go out to dinner with Weiss and Nadia were still on, as soon as they finished this next mission. She’d told him about Sloane’s appearance in her house and the mild fight she’d had with Nadia over it while he was driving her to work. Presently, Sydney nodded, assuring him that she would find out and then headed toward the gun range, where Dixon had mentioned seeing Nadia go after the meeting.

Her little sister was making a very large hole in the head of her paper victim with her speeding bullets as Sydney approached and waited for her weapon to be emptied. But as soon as there was quiet, Sydney spoke quickly, getting Nadia’s attention and making her apologies. Nadia was understanding, especially when Sydney confessed that she’d felt the same way about their mother after her return, regardless of the woman’s criminal background.

Then the sisters bonded the way they knew how: by firing off some more rounds to their targets, side-by-side. Once they were out of ammo, they each took off their goggles and ear protection and secured their weapons to put them away. “Are we still on for tomorrow night?” Sydney asked her sister without looking up at her.

“Of course,” Nadia answered easily. “But we all could have dinner tonight, couldn’t we? I mean, we still have plenty of time before we leave for the operation.”

Thinking about that for a moment, Sydney offered, “You know what? Let’s you and I just hang out at home tonight. We’ll raid the ‘fridge and eat ice cream, watch old movies…”

Nadia was almost chuckling as she nodded. “Sounds like fun.”

On her way out, Nadia made sure to let Weiss know of her plans with her sister before heading home to pack and relax like she and Sydney had planned. They’d made tentative plans to spend the evening together going to a movie, but she was sure that it was more important that she and Sydney get to know each other a little better too. “Besides, we’re going to all be together on the mission and then have dinner tomorrow night–”

“I know,” Weiss interrupted. “All of us…together…” She cocked her head a little but didn’t answer, hoping he would elaborate. Weiss sighed lightly and admitted, “I was hoping that maybe we could spend some time together…alone.”

“Hey, we were alone last night, when you showed me those magic tricks.”

“Yeah, but that was, like, a half an hour, and I was just goofing off. I want to…spend some real time with you. By ourselves...”

“Oh,” she smiled knowingly, not resisting the urge to tease him just a little bit. “You mean…like a date?”

“Yes – No!” he corrected. “No, you know, just us…hanging out…getting to know each other…”

“Alone,” she added and he nodded. “And you don’t call that a date?”

Smiling embarrassedly when he realized he was caught, Weiss sighed again. “Okay, fine. Call it what you want. And I’ll pick you up Friday night at seven.”

He walked away before she could argue with him, while Nadia thought, Hmm…well, I like a guy that knows how to take charge…

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

Nadia could not resist toying with Weiss even at the beginning of the mission, once the four of them were all set up in the hotel room adjacent to man’s whose computer and PDA hard drives they needed to copy. She was busy putting on her maid’s uniform when Weiss read her nametag and made a comment that he didn’t “buy” her as a “Gretchen.”

“Oh no?” she replied and turned around and impressed him with her perfect German, smiling while putting him in his place. One point for Nadia.

But he was ready with his next comment and had actually been thinking about it since the moment they’d found out each of their positions for the mission. Waiting until she came back to the room after vacuuming the hall to distract the guards while Sydney drilled a small hole in the connecting wall to the other room, Weiss opened the door to her knock and mildly complained, “Oh, I’m sorry. I ordered a French maid.”

She could only laugh as they went back into the room, and he gave himself a mental point in this little game they were playing.

Within a few minutes of watching Tambor at his computer, the group of four began to wonder why it was taking him so long to leave for the gambling tables downstairs, as was his habit. Instead, when he sat down to watch a soccer match with a drink in hand, and they discovered that he owned the team, they knew they’d have to come up with another plan to get into his room.

Once Nadia recognized a bottle of perfume on the dresser in Tambor’s room, the two women started noticing other details and within seconds, they’d hatched a new plan…and the guys were clueless because they hadn’t voiced any of it. While Nadia went to a room across the hall where she’d seen a woman returning with numerous packages from designer clothing stores, in order to “borrow” some clothes, Sydney explained everything to the men, including the ones listening via the comm.

Sloane balked at the idea of using Tambor’s apparent girlfriend to get into the room because they knew nothing about her, but Sydney continued to convince him and her father that it would be easy. And all the while she was detailing the information she’d gathered from just the things visible on the camera they had in their room, Vaughn was in complete and utter awe.

Sydney finally took notice. “Why are you smiling?” she had to know.

And Vaughn couldn’t hide his smile, no matter how hard he tried. “I don’t know,” he placated and then the attention was off of him when Nadia came back into the room with shopping bags in hand.

Weiss was sincerely impressed as well, with just the fact that Nadia had stolen the clothing, and then when the women appeared in the room next door with the girlfriend within a couple of hours, they were truly blown away. Watching the girls via the camera, Vaughn and Weiss were sitting back and enjoying the show.

Vaughn’s eyes were all on Sydney, of course, and he was amazed. “She’s cloning the hard drive and he’s in the room.”

Likewise, Weiss was busy watching Nadia discuss the game with Tambor. “How the hell does she know about the Slovac Devils? Was that in the file?”

“Maybe she’s a soccer fan,” Vaughn lightly replied.

“Oh, God,” he laughed. “This is the greatest girl ever.”

Sydney finished with the hard drive on the computer and got up with the cloning drive in hand. “She got it,” Vaughn quietly cheered. And then when he realized something, he commented, “I didn’t know you like soccer.”

“I do now. Oh, by the way, it’s called ‘futball’.”

“I’m sorry…?”

“Futball.”

“Futball,” Vaughn humored him by repeating the word.

“Fuuut-ball,” Weiss continued to correct him. “Fuuut,” he nodded. “Right.”

“Right.”

Sydney made the move to the couch to lean over Nadia’s shoulder under the guise of showing her something in a magazine, and Nadia secretly handed her Tambor’s PDA.

“Wait. Did you see that?” Weiss chuckled. “She just palmed the PDA from his jacket! That’s magic, man. I showed her that with like a business card. It’s like fazsham! You know? She’s amazing--”

“I get it – she’s incredible,” Vaughn placated. “‘Fazsham’?”

“Yeah, fazsham,” was Weiss’s confident reply and Vaughn laughed. But his mind was on his few minutes spent with Nadia the night before while Vaughn and Sydney were out playing pool when he’d taught her a couple of magic tricks – palming a business card had been one of them. He was duly impressed that she’d actually learned something from him that was useful while on a mission…and he could see himself teaching her a lot more things… …And maybe learning a few too, he mentally added.

“It wouldn’t be weird for you, would it?” Weiss asked Vaughn when it occurred to him that it might be. “If we were…dating sisters?”

Vaughn just gave him a look and shook his head slightly. And then their attention was caught up wondering how Nadia was going to get Tambor’s PDA back into his pocket once he’d jumped up from the couch. And their fears only worsened when Tambor noticed it was missing and called his guards and demanded that both Sydney and Nadia be searched. But Nadia was quick on her feet and pretended to pick up the electronic device from the floor, accusing the man of freaking out over something he himself had dropped. It was a perfect reason for the two girls to get out of the room, so they went along with it when the girlfriend suggested they leave.

Once they were safely back out in the hallway, Weiss leaned back and chuckled. “Okay, it’s official. I’m in love.”

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

Sloane was bitter and angry that his daughter and Sydney had blatantly disobeyed his orders while in the field, regardless of the fact that they’d succeeded. He reprimanded them in his office shortly after their arrival home and while Nadia was apologetic, Sydney only got angrier as Sloane lectured them about what was acceptable. She immediately got right into his face and let him know exactly how she felt, which was really no different than she had three years earlier. Fortunately, Marshall’s timing was perfect when he appeared at the door to Sloane’s office and announced that he’d cracked Tambor’s hard drives and knew where they could find the Black Thorine they were after.

Although they ran up against several roadblocks – Sloane’s reluctance to send Sydney and Nadia in after their insubordination as one of them – the mission to retrieve what turned out to be several vials ended up successful. Jack had been the one to convince Sloane that he would not be able to keep their daughters from working together no matter how hard he tried; Sydney got to use her hatred and knowledge of her boss to their advantage and thereby release some of her anger; and the two sisters spent their half-hour waiting for the helicopter to pick them up from the boat, drinking Vodka and talking and getting to know each other better, none worse for the wear.

Vaughn could not have been more relieved when he heard Sydney tell him via the comm that they were ready to be picked up. As soon as they rendezvoused at the airport, he visibly relaxed and hugged her just as he had after the last few missions. Sydney actually giggled a little. “Vaughn, I’m okay.”

“I know,” he breathed, still not letting her go just yet. “I’m just glad.”

Once they were back home and their reports were typed and handed it and they could officially call it a day, Sydney sighed and told her sister that she needed to talk to Sloane. Having an idea what it was about, she wished her luck and then finished cleaning her desk until Weiss came up and smiled at her. “I’m impressed,” he grinned. “Have I told you that?”

“Impressed by what?”

“That my magic genius was so beneficial to our successful mission.”

She furrowed her eyebrows slightly. “And how’s that?”

“Oh, come on, the PDA…? I taught you how to do that the other night, remember?”

She teased, “Hm…it’s not ringing a bell.”

“Uhh, you’re not serious!” he complained as he sat down on the edge of her desk. “Come on, you know, after Sydney and Vaughn went out, I came over to borrow a cup of sugar and I showed you…”

“Oh, so that’s why you were there…to borrow sugar? Funny, but I don’t remember you leaving with any.”

Weiss blushed but pointed out, “So you do remember me showing you the business card trick.”

“Yes,” she finally confessed. “I take it you know more.”

“Of course. In fact, here…” he pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket, which made her laugh out loud. “I’ll show you my favorite card trick. But you have to be nice if I screw it up because it’s been a while.”

“Okay, I promise,” she nodded and he started by having her pick a card from the middle of the deck.

After he’d successfully completed the trick and while she was still flabbergasted by it, he complimented her smile, saying that it was “unbelievable”. Vaughn’s timing was impeccable and when he asked if they were going to go, Weiss’s short reply was, “Uh, yeah, we’re going. We’re just…flirting here, if you don’t mind.”

“Sorry,” Vaughn smiled, surprised by his friend’s openness. And then as usual, he immediately wondered, “Where’s Syd?”

Nadia answered, “She’s talking to my father. I’m sure it won’t take long. Should we start heading out?”

Standing up with the men, the three of them made their way to the main hallway in direct line of sight from Sloane’s office so that Sydney would see them when she was through setting things straight with their boss.

Vaughn started a lighthearted conversation to keep from wondering what was being said in that office until he could find out from Sydney himself. “So, Nadia…you like futball, I’m assuming.”

“Football, no,” she shook her head disgustedly. “It’s too barbaric and boring. Soccer is my sport. I thought you would’ve guessed that when we were with Tambor.” She tossed a confused look between the two men when Vaughn snorted.

“I was talking about soccer. Weiss said it’s supposed to be called ‘fuuut-ball’,” he joked and the two of them started laughing as Weiss pointed to his chest in surrender.

“Hey, in my defense, that’s what it’s called in everywhere but the U.S.,” he laughed with embarrassment.

His comment only made Nadia laugh even more as she turned when they noticed Sydney walking toward them.

“What’s going on?” Sydney asked suspiciously, curious about the topic of conversation that had them laughing so much.

“We’re just picking on Eric,” Nadia said, leaning into his side as she half-hugged him.

“Uh, yeah,” he agreed, nodding.

Sydney joined in the smiles, even though she was still in the dark about the subject, as they all turned to head toward the hallway to leave. While they waited on the elevator, Vaughn asked seriously, “Is everything…okay?” gesturing with his head back toward the offices.

She nodded. “Yep. I still have my job.” She rocked her head to the side and quietly finished, “And Sloane knows how I really feel about him now, so that’s a load off of my mind.”

“Good,” Vaughn replied, reaching over to squeeze her hand as they stepped onto the elevator with the other couple. He knew that Sydney always had trouble concealing her true feelings from her friends and her hatred from her enemies, and at long last, he was glad that she no longer had to keep them hidden. Finally.

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

♥

TBC...

Alias Fic: CPO - 4x03: The Awful Truth

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:20:56 GMT

A/N: The good news is that the first half of the new chapter for this story is done. :) Now, if I can just finish up the second half and get it beta'd, and the first part of the story all posted here, I'll be doing good. ;)

I may have edited this a bit since you read it last (if you're a former reader). Enjoy!!

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

Link to 4x01 and 4x02

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

4x03: The Awful Truth

Sydney and Nadia were back from Moscow in less than twenty hours, only to have to go directly to another briefing, followed by another mission. Nadia hadn’t been approved to be a permanent member of the team yet, and didn’t go with Sydney, Vaughn, Dixon, and Marshall to hack into a bank president’s safe in the Bahamas, but she took it lightly, telling her sister that she was going to spend the day off getting settled into their apartment.

Surprisingly, everything on the mission went right according to plan. While Vaughn and Dixon were causing a distraction for the bank president, Sydney and Marshall broke into the safe in his office and retrieved the information they were looking for – the location of a computer called “The Valta”. And then they all boarded the plane to head home; Sydney and Vaughn sitting together to discuss the details of the party and those friends they still needed to call over the weekend.

Once they had that all planned, Sydney leaned back in her seat and sighed, and Vaughn watched her and smirked, leaning back as well. “That mission was actually fun, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, it was,” she grinned back. “It seems like you and Dixon had fun staging that fight.”

He laughed. “That was the best part, actually,” Vaughn joked. “I felt like I was twelve again.”

After their mutual laughter had settled down and they fell into a comfortable silence, Vaughn remembered that he forgot to ask her, “How was your trip to Moscow?”

“It was good,” Sydney stated solemnly, and then decided that if there was anyone on earth she could confide in with the truth, it was Vaughn. She shrugged one shoulder, “Nadia wanted to know if I knew who killed our mother… I hated lying to her.”

“But could she handle the truth?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head slightly. “But she deserves to know why mom was killed. I don’t want her to romanticize what kind of person she was because it’ll only hurt her when she does find out the truth.”

“So, you’re planning on telling her then,” he correctly assumed by the way Sydney nodded, biting her lip.

“After the party on Sunday, though… I don’t want that to ruin it for Eric.”

He nodded, understanding her reasoning and tried to subtly change the subject again to get to what he’d been thinking about since their dinner plans had gone awry, and he stuttered, “Hey, um…” He forced the lump away from his throat by swallowing and started again, “So, I was thinking that since it’s still early, maybe we could out to eat tonight? Save us the trouble of having another meal ruined.”

She genuinely smiled at his lightheartedness. “I’d like that.”

Sydney rushed home as soon as she’d quickly typed up her report, just to get started on tidying up the apartment. She knew she had a couple of days, but with going out with Vaughn that evening and the knowledge that at any moment, they could be called in to work again, she wanted to get anything major done. Plus, she knew there were things to buy and food to plan for…

She was still going over a mental checklist when she entered her apartment and found that Nadia had not only gotten the rest of her things out of the main rooms of the apartment, but she’d cleaned too, judging by the fresh, chemical smells of cleaning supplies Sydney noted as she came into the kitchen. And, on top of that, there was a paper bag full of party goods on the counter. She was just peeking inside the bag when Nadia emerged from her room.

“Oh, hey,” Nadia spoke casually. “How was the mission?”

“Fast. You cleaned and went shopping for the party?”

“You said you wanted help,” Nadia smiled. “I got plastic plates and cups so that we won’t have to worry about doing as many dishes afterward – I hope that’s okay.”

“That’s perfect,” Sydney assured her. “And here I thought I’d be spending every spare minute this weekend getting the house ready for guests.”

But Nadia took that the wrong way, “If I’m being too intrusive–”

“You’re not,” Sydney stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “I’m just excited that I don’t have to worry about getting home early tonight after my dinner with Vaughn just to clean.”

Her sister’s eyes lit up, “You’re going out?”

“Yes, finally,” Sydney rolled her eyes slightly. She walked toward her bedroom to change and Nadia followed because Sydney was explaining, “We have a long history of bad timing when it comes to dating. What most people consider mundane in the way of going out to dinner or a movie usually gets interrupted with us. You’ll see,” she tossed over her shoulder as she reached into her closet for fresh clothes.

“Well, hopefully things will get easier for you.”

“Yeah, I hope so too.”

“Where are you going for dinner?”

Sydney pulled a dress out and glanced at the floor to chuckle, “You know, I completely forgot to ask him. But I don’t care – anywhere will be nice at this point, as long as we can get through one dinner without being interrupted by armed gunmen.”

Nadia laughed too. “I take it that’s happened.”

“You would be surprised what we’ve been through.”

Fortunately, there were no weapon-toting assassins or even anyone that recognized them at all, which made for a nice evening. Choosing to eat at a popular seafood restaurant in Malibu that sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean, they had to wait about an hour for a table and chose to sit outside on the wooden deck, listening to the waves crash up on the shore below them. During that time and all of dinner, they avoided talking about work and the heartache of the previous year, and instead focused on finding out as much about each other as they could; talking about what they each were like as children, and in high school and college. They laughed more than anything, and by the time Vaughn dropped Sydney off at home, they were a new couple.

“This really felt like a first date,” Sydney commented as Vaughn walked her to the front door. “You know, without all the nervousness.”

“Yeah, it was,” Vaughn agreed. Then as they turned to face one another, it was unclear what should happen next.

Sydney slowly dropped her eyes from his. “Vaughn… Thank you for tonight,” she quietly prefaced, knowing that there was something deeper she was going to say. “But…I still don’t–”

“Syd,” he interjected, shaking his head and knowing they were going to have a conversation they’d already had. “This was our first date; that’s all it was.” Then he smiled to assure her that he was fine with her earlier decision to take things slowly. Taking a step forward and reaching for her hand, Sydney held her breath, but he just lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, never breaking eye contact with her. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” she answered back, and as he released her and she went through the door, she tried to ignore the way her heart had been pounding with expectation, and the way it sped up with what had ended up being his parting gesture. He was still the perfect gentleman she remembered.

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

Weiss knocking on the door of Sydney’s apartment was a rare thing for him to do, but since Nadia had moved in, he felt weird just walking in anymore. …Although his mind did race when he imagined Nadia in the same position as Sydney had been that one time late one night, fresh out of a shower, topless… Wasn’t she topless? his mind strained to remember just as the door opened and he found himself standing on the other side of the stoop from Nadia.

“Hi,” she smiled. “You’re here early. The party doesn’t start for over an hour.”

“I know; I just thought I’d come by to see if there was anything I could do to help,” he fibbed. Truth was, although he was looking forward to the party and spending time with his friends, he doubted that he would be able to get to know Nadia very well in a crowd. Going early to “help out” while they chit-chatted seemed like a better plan.

She led the way into the kitchen and gestured to a stool opposite the bar. “I’m just cutting up some vegetables for dinner–”

“Vegetables??” Weiss cringed. “Please tell me that’s not all we’re having.”

“The main course is pizza,” she consoled him and he let out a breath.

“Thank God – that’s more my style.” Pleased at seeing her smile, he asked, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Sure,” she said lightly and then lifted up a strainer to place it on the counter next to him. “Snap the green beans.” She put an empty pot on his other side as he got to work.

Sydney showed up from her run on the beach a few minutes after his arrival, and headed for the shower, and Weiss knew he had to talk fast if there was anything he really wanted to know about Nadia. “So, what brought you back to L.A.? Last I heard, you had left us for good.”

Nadia bobbed her head in acknowledgement. “I wanted to talk to Sydney about our mother, and then I decided to look for a job when she invited me to move in.”

“Oh yeah? Any offers yet?” he asked just a touch too hopefully.

“One,” she smiled, trying to keep APO’s existence a secret. “I should hear in the next week or so if it’s definite.”

“So I guess you’ll be staying.”

“I hope to.”

He smiled with her and then they each went back to their veggies as Sydney came into the room. “That was a fast shower,” Weiss commented.

“Comes with the training,” she answered. “Plus, I have to keep an eye on you.”

“Why, because you don’t trust me with your sister?”

“No, I was just thinking of the safety of the contents of my refrigerator, but now that I think about it… Nadia, is he behaving himself?”

Her sister laughed, “Yes, he’s being a good boy so far.”

“Ha, ha,” he mocked. “You two think you’re so cute.”

“And you don’t think so?” Nadia asked directly, hiding her smirk.

Meeting her eyes, Weiss froze with a bean in his hand in mid-air as he was preparing to toss it in the pot and tried to think of something witty to say. But his mind was blank.

“Eric?” Nadia prodded, waving a hand in front of his face.

Sydney made a big gesture of leaning over his shoulder from behind to look at his face. “I think you’ve attained the impossible, Nadia: you’ve completely stumped him.”

He rolled his eyes then and went back to his chore, mumbling, “You are way too much like your sister.”

“Good,” Sydney answered, “Then I know I can trust you with her because she would kick your ass otherwise.” And then both women laughed.

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

The party went off without a hitch, and Weiss genuinely seemed to enjoy spending time with the friends he hardly got to see anymore thanks to his job. And it was during that evening that Vaughn and Sydney started noticing the little attraction going on between him and Nadia, which was something they discussed as they watched them from across the room. It wasn’t a bad thing to happen, as long as they ended up happy and not hating each other.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time, until Jack showed up and wanted to speak privately with Sydney; she had an idea what it was about before he even brought it up. He wanted to keep their little secret about his killing Irina to themselves, especially because Nadia had determined to kill the man responsible. By the end of the conversation, she’d made it clear that she was going to reveal everything to her sister whether he liked it or not.

Jack was a little desperate, Sydney knew, when he asked if she was going to tell her before their next mission the next morning just after he’d informed her that he was going to do a psych-eval on her. Sydney also knew he had something more than just volunteering to do the necessary tests on her sister to be able to accept her into their organization, but she just didn’t know what as of yet.

The next thirty-six hours were harrowing ones as Sydney single-handedly had to get herself invited into a killer’s house by pretending to be a victim of an abusive relationship when he happened upon her staged car accident. It worked like a charm as usual, but that didn’t stop the fear from building in Vaughn’s mind and heart as he watched the scene play out on a screen in the safety of the van that he and Marshall and Dixon were in nearby. Of course, it didn’t help that Marshall kept bringing up Bishop’s reputation as a wife-killer – something that Vaughn himself hadn’t yet put in its rightful spot in his own past. He was actually glad for the reprieve of getting out of the van to contact Sydney via a parabolic microphone.

As he waited on a hillside hundreds of feet outside of Bishop’s house, Vaughn decided to make the best of the mission. When he saw Sydney in her blonde wig emerge on a back upstairs balcony, the corners of his lips turned up. Pointing the microphone toward her, he lazily drawled, “Shotgun to Phoenix…how do you read?”

She automatically smiled, hearing his voice materialize out of nowhere. “That’s so weird. It sounds like you’re right next to me,” she told him as her eyes scanned the horizon, looking for where he might be. “You can hear me?”

“No,” he teasingly laughed.

She grinned back, dropping her head. “Good… It’s like talking to my conscience.”

“It is a little bit, isn’t it?” he finished their upbeat conversation and then checked in with Marshall to get the mission over with as soon as possible, passing the information she needed on to her as it was given him.

Within minutes, they had what they needed and all she had to do was get out of the house. But Vaughn’s nervousness turned into fear again when she was headed for the front door only to run directly into Bishop as he returned home. Over the next couple of hours, Vaughn moved around on the hill to see if he could find her through each and every window, finally finding her sitting on the terrace beside his indoor pool as Bishop handed her a drink. So far, he knew she was okay, and when he was able to contact her with the mike, he desperately pleaded with her to just blow her cover and get out.

But Sydney was always a stickler for details, and all she could think about was making sure the CIA obtained the Valta before she tried to make her escape as she used every trick in the book to secretly communicate with Vaughn. But after finding out that the CIA team was down and Weiss had been captured, Bishop received a phone call that alerted him to Sydney’s agent status. She knew before he hung up that she was in trouble.

Remembering Vaughn’s teasing but serious words as she left the van that morning, telling her that if she got in trouble, she should just cry “uncle”, Sydney realized that she would have to use it.

Vaughn’s heart leapt into his throat when he heard the code word, and the next few minutes were even worse as he and Dixon ran to the house to back her up and couldn’t find her anywhere. They eventually tracked her down, and Vaughn was only mildly surprised to come face-to-face with his best friend in a stairwell as they both chased down Bishop and his men. But Weiss’s comment for finding out the truth about both him and Sydney was classic Eric Weiss: “Dude, I knew it!” Vaughn could only shrug and accept that Eric would want to know everything, which he’d believed would’ve happened eventually. He was just glad it was sooner rather than later.

In the end, Nadia was the one to deliver the fatal shot – or shots, as she unloaded her weapon – on Bishop, using the excuse that he’d been the one responsible for their mother’s death; and for the time being, Sydney knew that her father had once again manipulated everything his way. She just wondered how long the lie would hold.

But before she could really take a chance to react, a door opened in the distance, and Vaughn ran toward them. Sydney watched as a wave of relief passed over his face when he saw her unharmed and she approached him halfway, declaring that she was alright, but he still pulled her into his arms and let out a breath as he held her. He imagined that he would always feel that sense of relief after every mission from now on.

Weiss walked past as they were still locked in their embrace and mumbled, “You two make me sick. Pretending to want to become a teacher again.” He shook his head at Vaughn and then turned to Sydney, “And you…using the same cover story that you had at SD-6? That’s lame.”

“No, that’s our job,” she countered as Vaughn released her. “You actually believing it was lame,” she teased him.

He was shaking his head again, unable to retort as he glanced around and saw the others there. “Jack…and Nadia??? You’re in on this too??”

Vaughn reached over and patted his friend’s shoulder, “It’s okay, Eric.”

But Weiss was busy adding the old faces to the mental list he had going and waved him off, “Okay, whoever you guys are working for, I want in.”

It didn’t take much convincing to get Weiss on the team with the rest of them at APO – especially after he found out that their black ops division had also confiscated Marshall after his unexpected layoff from the CIA. At that point, seeing that all of his friends were there, he would’ve sold his soul to get a spot on that team. Fortunately, Chase didn’t make him go quite that far; he just had to fake-quit the CIA like everyone else. Weiss did it eloquently by turning in his resignation saying that he was going to be a full-time magician.

“Now, that, my friend,” Vaughn told him pointedly as soon as he heard, “is really lame.”

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

♥

Link to 4x04!

Alias Fic: CPO: 4x02 - APO, Pt. 2

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:10:45 GMT

A/N: Just FYI, this was originally posted online in the winter of 2004-05. I'm just recycling the first chapters in order to complete the fic. :)

Enjoy! :D

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

Link to 4x01

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

4x02: Authorized Personnel Only, Pt. 2

Vaughn wasn’t going to tell Sydney that her father had tried to communicate with her through him again when she came to his desk the next morning, until she brought it up. “What were you talking to my dad about?” she asked right away, and he knew that she must’ve seen them from somewhere in the office.

“I wasn’t,” he answered simply, looking up at her from his chair. “He wants to talk to you, and he thinks that I’m his solution, that’s all.” He reached over to rest his hand on hers as she leaned on his desk. “You should talk to him, Syd.”

“No,” she murmured right away, and stood up to pull her hand away from him; changing the subject to keep herself distanced. “I came by to tell you that Sloane is sending me to find Nadia in Argentina, and I won’t be back until late. Do you want to cancel dinner?”

“No, we can eat late,” he offered.

“Yeah, but I wanted to make something special, and I’m out of a few things. I won’t have time to go to the store first.”

He considered that for a moment. “What if I went to the store for you? What time will you get home?”

“At about eight, I guess. You really don’t mind?”

“No,” he chuckled. “It’ll be nice.”

She nodded and smiled with him in agreement. “I’ll call you when I land.”

Watching her take another step toward the door, his smile softened. “See you tonight.”

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

Finding Nadia had been pretty simple because she was not using an alias, and she had a lot of friends in her hometown that knew where she liked to hang out. But Sydney had expected that she would be able to convince her to come back to the States with her; she simply didn’t know the extent of the pain that Nadia had suffered in her life as a spy. Sydney could certainly relate.

Still, she didn’t push her into doing something she didn’t want to do, and instead Sydney came home alone, but with the necessary information they needed in her possession. She communicated that to Sloane while on the plane as per protocol, and waited until she’d safely landed before calling Vaughn and informing him she was home, and telling him what to get at the store. He was just leaving the offices, so she chatted with him about what she was planning to make as he walked to his car and she to hers.

“I was thinking about spaghetti, just because it’s easy to make, and it’s the only thing I really make well.”

“Oh, come on, Syd. You’re a great cook.”

“Says the man with the appetite and no culinary skills,” she grinned into the phone. “I think you’d eat anything as long as someone else made it.”

“Hey, you’d be surprised how much I’ve learned in the past few years. I can make pasta too now.”

“Ooo,” she teased as she walked through the small airport terminal toward the parking lot. “Along with your scrambled eggs and canned cream of mushroom soup?”

“And salad,” he added in a mock-hurt tone. “Give me a little credit.”

She laughed and went back to the original subject. “Well, I have all the things needed for a salad too, but I just need some bread.”

“Just like last time,” he joked, knowing she would remember their first night together so many years before. “French bread?”

Sydney stifled her chuckle. “I’ll let you decide that this time.”

He reached his car and unlocked the driver’s side door. “Okay. Anything else?”

“Some spinach for the salad and dressing, and umm…something to drink would be nice.”

“What kind of salad dressing?”

“Anything,” she replied lightly. “Whatever you’re hungry for.”

“Mmm,” he spoke in a sultry voice, dropping it just a notch. “That’s a dangerous offer.”

“Down, boy,” she giggled. “This is just dinner tonight.”

“I’ll behave.”

“Good,” she continued to smile. “I’ll see you soon.”

An hour later, Sydney had the sauce cooking, the salad nearly done, and was worried because she didn’t have the type of noodles she wanted to use as a base for the sauce. She had the traditional spaghetti and angel hair and macaroni in her cupboard, but none of those were special enough for her first official dinner date with Vaughn since his false marriage, even if it was a casual one that would not end in sex. She still wanted it to be perfect. So she decided that because he was sure to already be on his way to her apartment, she’d wait until he arrived, and then she would run over to Eric’s and see if he had anything better.

When the doorbell rang, she’d already decided which kind of noodles she’d prefer, so she hurried to the door and opened it in mid-sentence, saying that they needed penne, and that there wasn’t any in the container in her cupboard she’d specifically designated for those noodles, when she suddenly stopped, realizing that it was her father and not Vaughn on the other side of the door. Then she tried to slam the door on him before moving quickly away from the entrance to get back to her dinner preparations, hoping he would get the hint and go away. But he didn’t.

After a few minutes of trying to communicate to her dad just how much she despised him now that she knew the truth about how deceitful he could be, he asked the question that made her realize his true motive for stopping by: to find out if she’d told Nadia that he’d killed their mother. Immediately, the purpose of his visit all came into light. He was worried for his own well-being, as she should have expected. Vaughn came in the door just as she was assuring her father that she hadn’t told Nadia anything; although she was currently regretting that decision.

Vaughn had unconsciously let himself in to Sydney’s apartment, thinking that she would be alone, so when he bounded down the stairs and found her and Jack finally locked in a tense conversation, he stood back to wait it out and let them finish. But instead, Jack looked to him and pivoted to leave the apartment without a goodbye, while Sydney turned back to cutting her yellow bell peppers for the salad; the painful emotions flashing across her face as she fought them.

Walking over to set the bagful of groceries he’d brought on the counter, he watched her out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she’d enlighten him to the topic of the conversation with her father. But she didn’t, and instead, she shook her head and apologized before leaving the kitchen for the safety and privacy of her bedroom.

He knew she’d need a few minutes alone, so he went about the business of putting everything that needed to be kept cold away – including the coffee ice cream he’d bought as a joke and another reminder of their first night – making sure that the stove was off so nothing would get burned or ruined, and put the wine he’d bought in a cupboard out of sight. He doubted that the night would end up being as romantic as he’d hoped after all.

Not knowing if she’d actually open up, he went into her room and stood near the doorway and asked, “What’s going on?” hoping she would answer.

She offered a weak smile before saying the most shocking thing he’d heard in a while, “It was Lauren that told me.”

“What?” he asked out of sheer curiosity.

“Told me where to look.” She paused. “Safety deposit box in Wittenberg…” And suddenly he knew she was going to explain what had happened between her and her father at last. It irritated him quite a bit that his deceased ex-wife had been the one to cause Sydney this much pain, and he knew it was something he’d have to deal with at his next therapy session before he let the anger get the best of him. But for now, he sat down beside Sydney and just opened his ears to listen to her pour out her heart.

When she was done telling him about the contents of that box, she was crying in grief over losing her mother again, this time at the hand of her father, and she seemed so frail. Vaughn wanted her to feel secure that he understood her pain and was there for her if she needed him, so he reached over for her shoulder to pull her into his arms, and she ended up curled up in the fetal position with her head in his lap, repeating the same phrase over and over again in a sort of chant: “He killed her. He killed my mother.” He was sure that she was taking the news of her mother’s death a lot harder than she had the first time as a child. But this time, he ached right along with her, leaning over to kiss her shoulder in silent support, and then held her until she’d cried it out.

She fell asleep in that position, and when he realized it, he maneuvered her into his arms and carried her to the right side of the bed where he remembered she always slept, and tucked her in, hearing her murmur something about the sauce burning. He assured her that it was fine and that he would put it away, and as he walked back into the kitchen, he remembered that she could have been sleep-talking like she used to do occasionally. The thought brought a tiny smile to his face as he searched for a container to save the sauce in.

Once that was done, he quietly cleaned up the few dishes and put them away in the most logical places, hoping that he was right, and wiped down the counters before leaving her a note that said that he would see her in the morning, and if she needed him, she could call him at Weiss’s.

“Did you get my note?” he asked after their typical greetings the next morning at the office while they were on their way to the briefing room from the entrance.

“Yes, I did,” she replied with her eyebrows furrowed just a little. “But why are you staying at Eric’s? Did you sell your house?”

“Uhh…” he muttered dumbly, realizing he’d never told her what he’d done to get rid of the home he’d shared with Lauren. Stopping her just outside of the room where the team was going to meet in a few minutes, Vaughn figured that now was as good a time as any to confess, “I burned it down.”

Her eyes widened as expected as she quietly exclaimed, “What??”

He shrugged, “I wanted to erase Lauren from my life completely. So after I got back from Palermo, I set it on fire. That’s…part of the reason that I was in Psych-Eval in D.C. for so long.”

She could understand his reasons for doing it because she felt the same way about wanting to forget Lauren’s existence and the last miserable year and a half of her life. Then she wondered, “So…since you came back from D.C., you’ve been at Eric’s?” She could hardly believe she hadn’t noticed that he was just a few doors down from her own apartment.

“I hope that’s okay with you,” he hoped when he saw the look on her face.

“No, it’s fine; I just…” she lifted one shoulder, “didn’t know.”

“I wasn’t keeping it from you.”

“I didn’t think you were.”

They stopped to smile at each other and Dixon as he walked past to go into the room, and then she finished up their conversation with her thanks for the night before and how he’d cleaned up. “Can we try again tonight maybe?”

He gestured to the doors beside them. “Let’s see how this briefing goes first.”

Sure enough, by the end of the meeting, they knew that trying to have a romantic dinner that evening would be a mistake. First, they found out that they would have to do something really illegal and steal a famous samurai sword from a museum in London, and then they had to try to recruit Marshall to get them into the museum safely before leaving for the mission in the middle of the night.

Marshall took the news that he would join the team under Sloane’s direction really well, and as soon as he was safely ensconced in his new office with his task at hand, Sydney went home to get some much needed rest before their trip.

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

Vaughn wished Sydney luck before she began the most difficult part of the mission, and he found it humorous that she smiled back with her thanks as if she were a kid about to break into a candy store. He could tell she really lived for this kind of life. And when she encountered trouble, he was glad that she was the best at it.

Fortunately, they got the sword, although she had to run for her life until her father rescued her when Vaughn, Marshall, and Dixon couldn’t get to her in time. Jack wasn’t even supposed to be on the mission, but Vaughn assumed that he knew more than they did about the danger of the operation and took it on himself to do something about it as he usually did. Vaughn was just glad that he was there because he saved Sydney’s life.

Sleeping on the plane ride home, the team made it back to APO in time to use the facility’s showers to clean up and change and start another work day. Vaughn ran into Sydney as he was going to his office and together they walked. She hit on the same topic of conversation every time they saw each other, “As soon as this whole thing with Tomosaki is over, we should try having dinner again.”

“I agree,” Vaughn nodded. “I’ll just have to keep putting off Weiss until then – he thinks we should’ve gotten past the first date days ago.”

“Wait,” she touched his arm to get him to stop and look at her. “What does he think you’re doing now? Since you ‘quit’ the CIA?”

“He thinks I’m looking for another teaching job. Or possibly that I’m out sowing my wild oats.”

She grinned with his joke and teased, “Well, we can’t have that,” just as a junior agent came up to them with some paperwork she needed to sign.

Vaughn took that as his cue to leave because they had a lot of work that had to be done, and he waved and smiled at her as they went their separate directions.

Within hours, they were all in another briefing, and Vaughn could sense the hostility radiating from Sydney as she requested that her father replace Dixon as her partner for the next mission. But Sloane didn’t back down, and Vaughn did his best on the flight and in the hotel as their team prepared for the operation that she could deal with working with her father long enough to get through the ordeal.

She was unusually quiet and non-talkative for the first hour as she and Jack waited in their designated location for Tomosaki to contact them with instructions on where to meet him to sell him the sword. And when he did call on a nearby payphone, demanding that she come alone, Vaughn heard via her comm and quickly change into a suit to blend in and moved into the building she was headed toward to be her backup.

When Vaughn heard that they’d lost Sydney’s comm, he got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, and had Marshall double check the location where Sydney was supposed to meet Tomosaki. Without even waiting for an answer, he was already on his way out of the building to get into the tunnel she’d gone through to reach the meeting to find her. And when he and Jack met at opposite ends of the tunnel with their weapons drawn and there was no sight of her, Vaughn had flashbacks to the night they were supposed to go to Santa Barbara that had never happened.

He was probably more desperate sounding than any member of the team as they conversed with Sloane about where Sydney might’ve been taken, as he paced around the small space in the hotel room, and convinced them that he could coerce Nadia to help because she was their only chance for a lead.

Nadia came through as he’d hoped, and when he and Dixon and Jack stormed the meat factory where Nadia was sure Sydney was being held and had gotten inside with a stolen keycard; he wouldn’t stop searching until he intercepted Sydney in a hallway, looking tired and beaten, bearing news of Tomosaki’s death. He still pulled her into his arms and breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon their arrival back at the office, after Sloane congratulated them on a job well done and welcomed Nadia to the team, Vaughn got to understand a little about what was going on with Sydney. She wasn’t at her desk when he went searching for her to confirm plans for another attempt at dinner that evening – especially since they were getting off from work a little early – so he went looking for her and found her in the hallway leading to the exit, unmoving, shoulders trembling, and knew she was crying again.

He automatically called out her nickname and watched as she stood up straight and dried her cheeks before turning around to face him, and even then, she remained turned away from him a little like she was embarrassed that she was caught. But he needed to know, “Syd, you okay?”

“Yeah,” she spoke quickly, attempting to hide it and convince herself of that, and then tried to fight more tears to no avail. When he saw her face start to scrunch, he stepped forward and offered his embrace, wrapping his arms around her. After a moment of crying, she moved her chin above his shoulder and told him thank you, and although it wasn’t necessary, he still nodded in reply, and held her as long as she needed him.

After a few minutes, Sydney slowly pulled away and Vaughn waited for her to say something. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she whispered, “I found out why my dad killed my mother.” He kept his mouth shut for her to go on. “To save me,” she sobbed, and then choked out, “She’d hired Tomosaki to kill me.” Again she broke down and Vaughn didn’t waste any time pulling her against him once more, rubbing her back in care and concern, knowing that that kind of information must be killing her inside. He moved his hand to her head and gently nudged her cheek to rest on his shoulder, where he stroked her hair in a soothing motion over and over until her sobs slowed.

When she was quiet, he offered to take her home and she accepted, allowing him to lead her to the elevator and to the tunnel leading to the parking garage where his car was located. She didn’t talk much during the ride to her house, and as they got close, she told him to just pull into Weiss’s driveway where she would walk home from there.

“Are you sure?” he asked as he slowed down to turn sooner.

She nodded and said, “That way you can warn Weiss not to come over tonight.” He smiled with her, knowing that they’d decided they should just get their first dinner together over with once and for all. But then a flash of worry crossed her face. “Not that anything’s going to happen.”

“You don’t have to keep reminding me,” he guaranteed.

“I know,” she looked down to her lap. “I just…feel like if I don’t say that…then I’m leading you on.”

“You’re not,” he promised, reaching over to rest his hand on top of hers on her knee. “Don’t worry.”

She looked up at him again and smiled. “Will I see you in a few minutes then?”

“Actually, I need to make a few phone calls first.”

“Oh?”

He nodded and divulged, “I have to start the first of my monthly appointments with APO’s shrink.” At her confused look, he explained, “It was one of the stipulations for joining the team; for at least the first six months until they know I can handle it.” He rolled his eyes. “And I have to call a couple of schools for interviews to keep my cover with Weiss.”

“Okay,” she replied, reaching for the handle on the door. “I’ll just see you…when I see you, then.”

“An hour at the most,” he vowed, and she smiled a final time and got out of the car. And thinking back to that fateful night and another parting conversation in a car, he couldn’t pry his eyes off of her until she was safely inside her apartment.

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

Sydney walked in her front door and saw Weiss poke his head out of the kitchen. “It’s about time you got home.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Hey,” he pointed the neck of his beer bottle at her, “in my defense, you were not here…to tell me to leave.”

“Well, I am now. Go away.” She slowly grinned to his surprised face and set her keys down on the counter. “I’m only kidding. It’s probably better if you’re not at home right now anyway because Vaughn’s trying to make some phone calls and I’m sure he could use the peace and quiet.”

“Ha, ha,” he answered dryly and moved around the counter to sit down on one of the barstools. “So…” he eyed her carefully, “I guess he told you what happened to his house?”

“Yeah. Why didn’t you tell me he was staying with you?” she asked as she pulled a clean pot from one of the lower cabinets.

“Right,” he held up his free hand. “I’m not getting between you two. You have to work things out on your own.”

Sydney chuckled and teased, “Well, then, you’d better leave within the hour because Vaughn’s coming over here for dinner.” She reached into the refrigerator for the sauce he’d put away for her and dumped it into the pot on the stove to reheat it, and then began making a fresh salad.

“Yeah, I definitely don’t want to be here for that.”

She just grinned and got to work. Once the meal was started, she looked toward her bedroom. “Watch this for me while I change clothes,” she asked him and then trotted off to do just that.

She came back a few minutes later and Weiss was the one to initiate the conversation: “So you and Vaughn are having dinner, huh?”

“Yup,” she nodded, stirring the sauce to make sure it wasn’t sticking.

“You know, I’m surprised he has the time. He’s really been working hard to find a new job since making the stupid decision to leave the Agency.” She turned and gave him a look and he back-peddled. “Sorry; you know what I mean. I can understand your reasons; it’s just that he and I both wanted to work at the Agency since childhood. I can’t believe he’s giving that dream up.”

“Well, some people get burned out, I guess,” she placated as she began chopping vegetables across the counter from him.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he shrugged and reached for a piece of one of the carrots she was cutting. “So, what are you doing now?”

She told him about her new cover job working at a “bank”, which just happened to be identical to her old cover story she used when she was at SD-6; but it was picked mainly because she knew it well. Weiss bought it hook, line, and sinker, and when she noticed that he was eating more of the vegetables off of her cutting board than what she had cut, she told them that he was welcome to stay for dinner, regardless of her earlier teasing.

As he stood to leave, he answered in his typical eloquence, “I’d love to, but…I gotta save the world.” And she giggled as she said goodbye, just as there was a knock at the door.

Assuming it was Vaughn, she let Weiss answer it, and was surprised to hear him say hello and introduce himself; and even more so as, “Eric Weiss, thirty-eight,” and “single.” She’d stepped out of the kitchen when she heard her sister’s voice and introduced Nadia to Eric, making sure to mention that Weiss was leaving when she knew her sister wasn’t there just to say hi.

“No, I can stay,” he offered lightly, but Sydney waved to him to get him to leave. “Or go,” he finished. “Nice to meet you,” he told the pretty girl that had immediately impressed him, and then he closed the door as he left.

Nadia didn’t waste any time getting right to the point, needing to have some answers about their mother and what had happened to her. Asking if she brought her passport, Sydney offered to take her to their mother’s home in Moscow and explain everything on the way. “Do you need time to pack?” she wondered, thinking she might still have time to squeeze in dinner with Vaughn.

But Nadia surprised her by answering that all of her possessions were in her car until she could find a place to stay, so she was ready to go anywhere. Turning toward her bedroom to throw together a small suitcase for their impromptu trip herself, Sydney stopped just short of her doorway when she had an idea. “Nadia, I have an extra bedroom… Why don’t you just move in here?”

“No, I couldn’t ask that.”

“You’re not asking; I’m offering. Besides, I could use the company.”

She still argued, “But you and Vaughn–”

“Vaughn’s living with Eric,” she informed her sister. “And anyway, it’s going to be a long while before you have to worry about running into him in the kitchen in the middle of the night. We’re not rushing into anything.” She was still smiling.

Finding that she didn’t have much of an argument left, nor a place to sleep that night, Nadia looked toward the other side of the kitchen where Sydney had pointed the room out, and then back to her sister. “Are you sure?” she questioned again, and Sydney reached over and touched her arm and smiled.

“Go bring your stuff in while I pack and arrange our travel, okay?”

Studying her face for a long minute, Nadia conceded with an “okay” and the two women went their separate directions. As soon as she was within the privacy of her bedroom, Sydney picked up her phone and called Vaughn’s cell. “Hey, bad news,” she said right away.

“Eric said Nadia came over. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. She just wants to know about our mother. I’m going to take her to Moscow.”

“I see,” he paused, feeling the weight of what she was going to have to share with her sister. “So I guess this means I won’t see you until you get back?”

“Yeah, but I was thinking we should have a party for Eric’s birthday this weekend. How’s that sound?”

“I love it. And you and me?”

“We’ll work something out, I promise. But I would like for you and Eric to come back over and eat this food for me tonight. I don’t want it to go to waste, and I don’t think it’ll reheat well a second time.”

Relaying the message to his best friend, Vaughn came back on. “We’ll be over in five minutes.”

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

♥

Link to 4x03!

ML Fic: To Life - Chapter 7: Borrowed Time

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:46:57 GMT

A/N: I’m using a little artistic license on this chapter, so bear with me. It may be a little bit of a wait for the next chapter, since I’ll probably be busy with other things (and fic) this week. But we’ll see if I can squeeze some writing in there somewhere for this one. ;)

Thanks again to coffeebean_news for the beta! Enjoy! :D

- - - - - - -

Link to Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, and Chapter 6

- - - - - - -

Chapter 7: Borrowed Time

“Can you reach that box up there?” Beth asked as she straddled another box, pointing to a shelf high up above her head. As Mick was coming over to help, she added, “I could probably reach it myself, but I’m not sure how heavy it is…”

“That’s okay,” he said, and then thought of a way to tease her. “You get to play the part of the delicate flower now.”

Beth giggled as he took down the box and set it on the floor. She unfolded the flaps and exclaimed, “Oh, good, this is what I was looking for.” She pulled out a book and hugged it to her body to look through the rest of the box. “I don’t know why I packed my address book away. I still have to call my relatives and tell them about the baby.”

“Relatives?” he repeated, slightly surprised. He knew that Beth’s father had died before she reached adulthood and her mother had passed from kidney disease three years earlier, and he wasn’t sure exactly who she was referring to.

She peered up at him from her squatted position and replied, “My Aunt Margo would kill me if I didn’t give her the news. She’s kind of stepped in for my mom the last couple of years.”

Mick nodded in understanding. “Do I have to meet her?”

“I think it would be a good idea,” she smirked, downplaying his trepidation. “She’ll want to know who the baby’s father is. In fact, I’d really like to start telling people that we’re married.”

He took in a sharp breath. “I don’t know about that…”

Completely at ease with his apprehension about everything, Beth laughed. “Well, I’m not going to pretend that I was artificially inseminated or just got so drunk at a party one night that I don’t know who the father is, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“No, I—” He abruptly shut up when he realized he didn’t have a better idea.

She tapped his denim-covered leg, and assured him, “Believe me, it’ll work out better if we just go with the flow for now and discuss other options much later in life.”

He nodded once more and bent down to pick up a doll he saw peeking out from amongst the books and newspaper-wrapped trinkets in the box between them. He half-smiled as he fingered the floral-printed apron on the doll with its braided yarn hair, letting his personal memories flood back to the front of his mind.

“I’ve had that since I was little,” Beth divulged casually as she continued digging through the box. “It was my favorite doll for a good portion of my childhood.”

“I gave it to you,” he suddenly revealed and Beth’s head snapped up to look at him.

“What?” She slowly smiled. “You did?”

“About a week after I brought you home when you were four; I stopped by to check on you and brought you this as a welcome-home present.”

Standing up again in amazement, Beth kept the grin plastered on her face and shimmied over to Mick’s side, slipping her arm around his waist. “Thank you,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.

His brow furrowed just a touch. “Your mother made you thank me when I gave it to you.”

“I’m sure she did,” she replied. “I’m thanking you now for telling me.”

They shared warm smiles when Josef’s voice suddenly reverberated through the cold basement room. “Well, well, well. Didn’t expect to see the two of you so soon. Figured there’d be at least a day of make-up sex—”

Mick held up his hand toward the door. “Josef,” he complained, shutting his eyes.

Beth simply laughed at Mick’s obvious discomfort and joked with their friend, “Oh, that’s okay. We just thought we’d wait and stay up all night instead.”

Josef’s reaction was merely a stunned silence followed by a chuckle, while Mick’s expression was the classic deer-caught-in-the-headlights look. Beth just grinned mischievously as she went back to her boxes.

“So,” Josef continued the conversation, “what are you doing here? Looking for your black lace negligees?”

To her credit, Beth took Josef’s teasing in stride and bantered back, “What do we need those for?” She grinned again and then answered seriously, “No, I had to get a few things and show Mick all that we need to go through together.”

Mick finally found his voice…after he cleared his throat. “Yeah, thanks for letting us store Beth’s stuff here. And for bringing me home.”

“No problem. All in a day’s work,” he smirked. “Give me your firstborn and we’ll call it even.” Without missing a beat, he added, “Just kidding, of course. I’m just happy to see you two back together.” He turned back toward the hallway to leave them but stopped to add, “But you know, you could always name your firstborn after me. If it’s a boy, anyway. I know this is the twenty-first century and all, but I’m not too sure the name ‘Josef’ would work for a girl.” Intent on leaving on a comedic high note, he smiled his goodbye and rounded the doorjamb.

While Beth laughed and shook her head, Mick knew there was one more thing he wanted to ask and he started through the maze of boxes and furniture to the door to follow his friend. “Josef?” he called out and caught up to him in the hall. He checked behind him to make sure Beth hadn’t followed and then dropped his voice to question carefully, “I know you have experience in this area, so…I wanted to ask…” He took a moment to straighten out his thoughts. “Are there any side-effects from having sex with a human? Anything I should worry about?”

“Yes,” Josef said seriously, clamping his hand down on his friend’s shoulder. He stared at Mick straight in the eye and told him, “Severely over-thinking it.” He relaxed and grinned and dropped his hand again to tell him, “Come on, Mick. Stop worrying and enjoy it. You have the most control I’ve ever seen in any vamp – I’m sure you won’t hurt Beth. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t ask you to…you know, be a little more aggressive. She’s a pistol, that one.”

With a jump of his eyebrows, Mick had to agree. But he still had some concerns. “You don’t think it would hurt the baby, do you?”

“One thing I’ve learned in my four hundred years: the safest place for a child is in its mother’s womb. Stop thinking the worst is going to happen. In fact,” he said in conclusion, “just stop thinking.” And with that, he half-waved and scooted on down the hall.

While he knew Josef was right, Mick still had doubts. There were numerous consequences to consider. But he didn’t say anything and didn’t plan to until the time was right, knowing it was a difficult subject that might not end well. And with nightfall quickly approaching, he unfortunately knew the subject would be broached sooner rather than later.

Arriving back at their apartment, Beth went about setting the things she’d brought back with them in various, strategic places: address book in the drawer beneath the cordless phone cradle, her favorite quilted throw across the back of the couch, and some books that she found a home for on Mick’s diagonal shelves. She even propped her now precious little doll on the edge of one of the shelves as a visual reminder of how well-connected she and Mick had always been.

Mick watched her with a hand on his hip and caught her smiling as she turned away from the books and dusted off her empty hands. “Well, my work is done,” she joked. “And…it’s been a long day…”

Her eyes smoldered in a way he recognized. And his apprehension naturally took hold. “Uh…Beth…”

She shook her hips as she slowly walked toward him; acting very much like a seductive temptress. He was starting to hate that, despite the fact that he wasn’t human, he still had his manly desires. And the closer she got, the richer and more intoxicating her scent became to him. She stopped directly in front of him and reached up, beginning to unbutton his shirt. He was frozen to the spot; the doubts and arguments running through his mind could not form words on his tongue. And it only worsened when she leaned in and began kissing his cold flesh where his shirt had been. “Beth,” he managed to mumble and then fell mute again. The light kisses didn’t feel the way they would on human skin, but he wasn’t completely void of emotion; and with her head tucked just beneath his chin and the fragrance of her shampoo and of her filling his nostrils…well, it was almost too much.

Beth knew what she was doing, or at least, she hoped her meticulous touches were helping to reduce his doubts and fears. She continued her journey down his chest, slowly undoing one button at a time, replacing the fabric with her lips, bending to reach his stomach as she traveled lower. She might’ve imagined it, but Mick shivered when she reached his belly button, and suddenly pulled her up and tight against his body.

“What are you doing?” he questioned huskily; his voice raspy and deep.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder with a flick of her head, she wiggled her eyebrows and smiled. “I’m…seducing you.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned back in his embrace and whispered, “Do you know how sexy you are?”

“Do you know how stubborn you are?”

Beth smirked. “Yes.” She lowered her eyelids sultrily. “Especially when I see something I want.”

Mick suddenly pushed away from her and took a few steps to his right, rubbing at his face. If his heart pulsated, he knew it would be beating hard and fast right now.

But Beth didn’t leave him alone for long; her arms slipped around his waist from behind and she proceeded to untuck his shirt and finish opening it by slipping the last button through its hole. Her right hand explored his bare stomach and chest while her left slid beneath the waistband of his jeans and traveled lower—

She only managed to navigate about an inch further before he squirmed out of her arms once more.

“Beth,” he said again, this time a touch more agitated. “I’m still not sure about this whole…arrangement.”

She snorted, “What, living together, our marriage, or just the sex thing?”

“All of it,” he revealed as he spun on his heel.

Sobering, Beth nodded. “I see.” She moved to the closest chair and perched on the arm, keeping her distance as he so obviously wished. She sighed heavily. “So, what’s the problem?”

He let out a nervous breath, and began to pace back and forth between the stairs and the couch. “I don’t know,” he confessed and Beth stood up again.

Her eyes narrowed a little bit. “Well, what did Josef have to say about it?”

Mick stopped walking and looked up at her in surprise.

“Oh, please,” she rolled her eyes. “I know you asked for his opinion.” Still, he was silent and when he resumed his pacing, she knew, “He told you to go for it…and yet, you still have doubts.” She wondered, “Why?”

He scoffed, “Josef has always had the motto of ‘pleasure first’. I can’t trust his opinion as the last word when it comes to something this…delicate.”

She tilted her head to one side. “And what about mine?”

Mick stopped again and stared at her. “What do you mean?”

Chancing a few steps toward him, she told him, “I mean…I know what the risks are – we’ve discussed them; we know what’s coming in the future, and one or both of us may end up miserable and alone. But I don’t care. All I know is that I want to spend every possible moment I can with you, and every night making love to you, for as long as we can.”

He met her eyes and held her gaze. “What about the consequences? The grief? The pain?”

“Every life has all of that,” she answered, “but I’ve learned that taking the risk, even though we know what’s coming, is what makes life worth living. Otherwise, we might as well go ahead and die now. But, if we did, we’d miss out on a whole lot of happiness. And while others have decades to work and live together, fight and make up and be happy, you and I may only have ten years of that.”

Mick absorbed her words, finally understanding what she’d meant all along. She wasn’t going to live forever in the same way that he was cursed. Josef had lived through half a dozen lifetimes, and when Mick considered it that way, Beth would be gone from his life practically in the blink of an eye. If he wanted to enjoy any happiness with her, it was now or never. “We’re on borrowed time,” he mumbled, thinking out loud.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “And we’re wasting it right now by having this argument.”

Suddenly, he knew without a doubt what he needed to do, and in two quick steps, he had her in his embrace, kissing her again. Beth accepted it and moaned in his open mouth when he scooped her up into his arms and quickly started for the stairs. He obviously wasn’t going to wait and lose even one more minute of what little time they had. If he did, he’d have all of his eternity to regret it.

- - - - - - -

Mick was wide-awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark room, smiling as he recalled the night he’d just spent with Beth. He’d surprised himself, maintaining control of the beast that raged within him throughout each of their unions. But when he allowed his mind to remember just how many times he and Coraline had consummated before their wedding night, and how he’d never once suspected that she was such an unbelievable creature as a vampire, he realized he should’ve known all along that it was possible to manage.

“Stupid,” he murmured, talking to himself. Beth stirred beside him, rolling back to her left side, facing him again. Her breaths returned to their deep and even pattern, and he knew she wasn’t yet awake. But he didn’t blame her; it wasn’t quite dawn and they had been up for most of the night… His lips curved up as he stared at her and the memory washed over him once more. Every second had been perfect and beautiful. Even in the dark, she looked like an angel laying there on her pillow, with her golden hair spread out around her head like a halo. And for once, he felt like his supernatural eyesight was a blessing.

He rolled to his side to be able to study her better, and reached to grasp her left hand resting palm-side-up on the mattress between them. Her fingers were so soft against his rough, dead skin that he just couldn’t resist drawing her hand to his lips, where he lightly kissed it. Taking a moment to stare at the ring on her finger again, he realized his was missing from his hand. He’d taken it off the day he’d run from his client’s house after he’d been shot, completely despairing that his life was over and Beth was forever lost to him. But what had he done with it?

Retracing his steps in his mind, Mick realized it must be at his family’s home. He’d been so out of it those first couple of days, there was no telling what he might’ve done with it. He’d even skipped procuring some much-needed blood and holed up inside the house, praying that he might die and get it over with. But the damned vampire within him wouldn’t allow that to happen, instinctual survival took over, and even though he fought it with all his might, he ended up draining the life of a homeless man. Mick had been out walking one night, trying to fight off the hunger that had driven him from his hideout; sticking to alleyways where he might avoid the living…and stumbled upon a haggard, old man doing his best to keep warm on the chilly February night. He didn’t have a chance against the hungry monster inside of Mick, and even though Mick apologized in that second before he fed, it still did not assuage his guilt for killing an innocent. It was all he could do to call the cleaner, anonymously announce the location, and flee for his hiding place again.

Bringing his mind back to the much-happier present, Mick realized just how blessed he was, considering all that he’d done in his existence. Of course, he also feared he might lose Beth if she knew some of the mistakes he’d made, and he wondered how long he could go, guilt-free, before feeling the need to confess and expound on those errors with her. Damned conscience. Even in his immortal life, it still lived on and haunted him.

Mick’s attention was drawn to the way Beth’s breaths increased, larger in depth; and his ears tuned in to her quickening heart rate. Judging by that and noticing that her eyes were moving beneath her lids, he knew she was dreaming. And, if he was right by sniffing the air and tuning into her thoughts, he knew he was the subject of her dream. He smiled slightly, wishing that mind-reading was one of his superpowers. But when Beth squirmed and moaned his name, he had an idea what she was fantasizing. Letting go of her hand, he brushed back a strand of hair that had fallen across her face, when she grabbed his hand, kissed his palm, and pulled her body closer to his.

With her snuggled up against him, Mick closed his eyes and inhaled her scent, being reminded once more of their interaction throughout the night. Burying her face against his neck, she began to place light kisses there, and he realized she was waking up.

“Mmhm… You smell funny,” she suddenly mumbled against his skin, making him chuckle.

“Yeah,” he admitted, knowing exactly why. “That’s kind of why I need a freezer. It helps slow the decay.”

She pulled away, still holding the back of his head, and peered at him in the dark, blinking her sleepy eyes up at him. “That’s the smell of decay?” Her words slurred slightly in fatigue.

“Yeah,” he replied disappointedly, hating having to confess something so…disgusting. “I could take a cold shower to help get rid of the smell. Does it bother you?”

She squinted, wrinkling her nose up in that adorable way he loved. “If I say yes, will it hurt your feelings?”

“No,” he said, adding a chuckle, but his tone of voice told her that it did, just a little.

“It’s not that it bothers me all that much,” she tried to explain. “It’s just that every morning, I wake up nauseated and unusual smells—”

“I get it,” Mick interjected, truly understanding her. He stroked her cheek and suggested, “Why don’t you get some more sleep and I’ll go get cleaned up and come back?”

“Okay,” she smiled. And before he could get away, she held his arm fast to keep him from getting away. “I love you.”

Leaning over to kiss her again, he beamed. “I know. I love you too, Beth.”

- - - - - - -

♥

TBC...

Alias Fic: CPO (Chronological Production Order)

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:16:15 GMT

Thought I should start posting this since it will soon be updated!

Title: CPO (Chronological Production Order)
Fandom: Alias
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Rating: PG/PG-13
Genre: Romance
Pairings: Syd/Vaughn, Nadia/Weiss
Spoilers: All of Season Four
Betas: auntof3 and, starting with 4x06, biba79 *smooches both of you*
Disclaimer: If I had any part of the creation team of Alias, I would’ve pushed for the S4 eppys to be played in the right order until I got my way. *glare*

Summary: Missing scenes from the eppys of S4 in production order, not the order in which they were aired.

A/N: If you didn’t already know it, the airing of the episodes in Season 4 were grossly out of the order in which they were planned, written, and produced – more so than any of the previous seasons. Well, I wanted to fill in the S/V missing scenes like I’m doing in “YYY: More”, but in that fic, I’m sticking to the order the episodes were aired, not the way they were written. So, this is my romantic version of S4, if the eppys had been aired in the order they were written.

Thanks for reading!! Enjoy!

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

4x01: Authorized Personnel Only, Pt. 1:

She hadn’t seen him in a month; not since leaving him at the hospital in Palermo, recovering from a punctured lung before heading home to face his punishment for killing his wife. After that, Vaughn had been sent back to D.C. for psychological evaluation, and Sydney had done the only thing she knew how to do to cope with the events of her typically complicated life: she went back to work and tried to sort out the good from the bad. But the information about the safety deposit box in Wittenberg that Lauren had alluded to just before her death was just too much of tease. Sydney needed to know what was in that box, no matter what.

Two weeks after watching Vaughn’s seven shots to Lauren’s chest permanently rid them of her, Sydney walked into a bank in that city, made her way to the safety deposit boxes using an alias, and discovered some very revealing documents about her mother’s whereabouts that her father didn’t want her to see. And for the second time in her life, she had to grieve the loss of the mother she hardly knew.

After that, Sydney didn’t know how to relate to anyone, let alone Vaughn. She’d stopped answering his phone calls, using the excuse that she was too busy at work when she’d phone and leave a message on his voicemail; timing her calls when she knew he was in therapy and unable to answer. She still had the nagging sensation that everyone involved with her would wind up dead, and secretly, she hoped that he might be able to move on with his life again without her, for his own good. Although those first few days back together after Lauren’s death had been a welcome and they’d gratefully clung to each other, sharing intimate kisses, she was glad when they called her back to L.A. and she had the excuse of work to keep their relationship from moving too fast as he healed. She didn’t want to fall into bed with him without discussing all of the things they’d gone through, even as much as her body argued that she did.

She’d only been working a week when she quietly went to Director Chase seeking advice and told her that she needed a fresh start. Originally planning to hand in her resignation and trying something new, maybe even in a new city, Chase had closed the door and made her an offer that she couldn’t refuse.

A week after that, everything was in place. After staging an entire mission that resulted in the fake threat of a demotion which led to her pretending to quit theCIAaltogether, she had a secret new job with a black ops division of theCIA(for real this time), and another double life.

She knew she could handle the lying to her family and friends because she’d done it for so many years before; and she knew that she would only feel fulfilled without Vaughn beside her if she immersed herself in work and protecting government secrets. It was the only way. Little did she know that Chase had other plans.

One step into her new office, and she knew that she had everything she’d wanted and more. With its secret entrance and light homey appeal, she felt that she’d fit right in with her new colleagues and boss…and then she saw that there was nothing new about any of them – at least to her. In the briefing room, Chase introduced her to her partners: Dixon, a man she could work with and had for years with no major problems; her father, someone she’d vowed to never speak to again; and Vaughn.

She stared at Vaughn the longest, wondering if she should say something sarcastic and quirky and inappropriate like, “Oh, hi, honey,” but was distracted by the fact that her father, the murderer, was included in this elite group. She wanted to know who had assembled the team, but that was even more of a shock; when she turned to see her evil former boss as her new one: Arvin Sloane. Again, she went with her instincts and demanded answers in private, which Chase did satisfy, but only with the understanding that she, Vaughn, Dixon, and her father would be the ones to watch Sloane for any signs of betrayal. Suddenly, she dreaded this job more than the old one.

Entering the briefing room again and facing the men she worked well with, loved, and hated in turn, Sloane showed that he was indeed in charge by leading the meeting and outlining the mission ahead of them. She could hardly look at Vaughn, couldn’t speak with her father, could not contain her hatred for Sloane, and did not think she’d be able to live with the job until Dixon spoke with her in her new office after the meeting and reminded her that she wasn’t alone in her anxiety. If he could deal with it, so could she.

Over the next couple of hours as she prepared for her first mission in her new position, leaving late that night with Vaughn, she knew she’d have to cope with seeing him regularly and deal with the circumstances of her new post. She knew it would be tough, but deep down she was surprised that she liked the idea of having Vaughn back in her life, even as much as she’d tried to push him away over the previous couple of weeks. She definitely didn’t want them to rush into anything, considering the delicate nature of their jobs and the knowledge that what had happened before to tear them apart could happen again. If they were destined to be together, it would have to happen in its own time.

Sydney was packing up the last of the little essential items she’d want on her first trip as an operative with APO before getting ready in order to leave early, when the doorbell to her apartment rang. She knew immediately that it wasn’t Weiss; he had his own key and came and went as he pleased. In fact, she’d had to warn him to announce his arrival with at least a shout, after she’d walked through to the kitchen in her underwear one night months earlier and caught him on the couch, nursing a beer. The moment had only been slightly embarrassing for her, but he’d felt like crawling under the couch in shame, and had since learned his lesson, calling out a greeting every time he walked in the door from then on.

She knew that Weiss wouldn’t ring the doorbell, nor would her father have the guts to show his face after their confrontation in Wittenberg when she basically told him to drop dead; and she’d already talked to Dixon earlier that afternoon at the office. Which only left one person: Vaughn.

Sydney felt only a little apprehension as she opened the door and saw his warm face, the way he was casually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, wearing one of his leather jackets that she loved. He apologized right away for dropping by unexpectedly; she assured him that it was okay. And then he did something he’d been trying to avoid for over a year and spoke his heart, “I miss you. I wanted to say that I miss you.”

Wanting to explain herself, Sydney began stuttering out responses to his assumptions about why she hadn’t talked to him in so long when the truth about her fears of where they’d been headed after Wittenberg came out when she turned down his request to come in to her apartment. He seemed to understand her need for time and space before things could be like they were supposed to be and were three years earlier, but he was just ready to hash out a lot of the problems right then and there to get them out of the way. “We need to take it slow, Vaughn,” she pleaded with him. There was just too much pain still there.

“Yeah,” he whispered back, only slightly pleased that she was still attracted to him enough to want to keep him at arms’ length. “You’re probably right.”

There was an awkward moment that passed as neither one of them really knew what to say. Finally, Vaughn gestured to his car in the driveway. “I-I guess I should go. Unless you want a ride to the office…?”

She shook her head, “That’s okay–”

“I’m already all packed.”

“No, I mean – I’m not ready,” she clarified. “I still have to shower and get dressed.”

She watched as his eyes darkened slightly and she suddenly regretted mentioning the shower. She knew without a doubt that he was remembering how they almost always showered together during their short-lived relationship before the Two Years that had drastically changed her life.

Just as she suspected, he offered, “I could wait.”

“No,” she answered definitely. “But thanks.” And with that and their shared smile as he nodded and prepared to walk away, she lifted her hand in a wave before shutting the door.

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

Missions, he was good at…especially when it involved working with Sydney Bristow. From the dawn of their partnership, they’d never once had a bad fallout on an operation from an inability to work with each other. They’d had a few close calls, sure, but as far as teams go, they were the best. And this operation was no different, even if it didn’t go exactly as planned.

From the lighthearted banter as they were preparing for the assignments at hand, when he showed off his knowledge of the few dirty words he’d learned in Russian by flippantly complimenting her breasts; to the stress of listening to his pulse race in his ears when he heard her endlessly fighting with her opponents via their comms, and couldn’t seem to get his own adversary to stay down when he hit him so he could get to her; nothing was more rewarding than getting through another mission unharmed and successful, even if it was just by the skin of their teeth.

Vaughn had panicked when he’d tracked Sydney’s location to one of the baggage cars on the train they were on and found her dangling outside of the open door by a piece of mesh that the scumbag she’d been battling was busy cutting to make her fall to her death. His anger really took over then and he fought until he’d thrown the guy out of the door and heard him yell in agony on his way down from the high bridge. But he’d only paid attention for a moment because he was more preoccupied with getting to Sydney and pulling her to safety.

She was in his arms in a moment, and when he felt her trembling, he too had the realization that he’d almost lost her again, and he hugged her tighter in response, burying his face into her neck. But he didn’t want her to think that he was asking for anything; he didn’t want to push her, and he wanted her to have the space that she’d asked for. So he pulled away, but only slightly; just enough to gratefully hold her face next to his before letting her go.

He wasn’t expecting the look on her face to be so loving in its intensity. After staring into her eyes for a long moment while in each other’s arms, he understood what she was feeling; recognizing the look of that one he saw across the room at the fallen SD-6 offices so many years before. She needed him, and following the order of his life, he wasn’t able to deny her anything.

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

It started with a kiss.

She’d initiated it, she knew. On the train, she’d been so thankful for Vaughn’s existence in her life and especially on that mission, that she would’ve given herself to him right then and there without a second thought. Being in his arms, looking into his loving eyes, thankful that she was given yet another chance at life because of his presence, she kissed him. And it wasn’t just a kiss, but a lover’s kiss that would lead to much more intimate activities had they been in a more secure place. Vaughn was actually the one to stop it, reminding her that they needed to stay safe and had to get off of the train and rendezvous with Dixon in Latvia, in which they should have been arriving soon.

It was the three of them together all the way home that kept her thinking more than acting, but she couldn’t deny Vaughn’s whispered offer on the plane to come over to her apartment as soon as they got back home. Still, she wondered if her decision was a wise one after being so resolved to take things slow.

By the time he arrived at her front door, Sydney had beaten herself up about leading him on. She’d gone home and just changed out of her work clothes into the hardly worn tank top and gym pants she was wearing before the operation when he knocked on the door again. As she made her way to the door, her steps gradually slowed until she stopped completely when she realized she didn’t know how to apologize that what they’d both hoped would happen wasn’t going to after all. She still wanted to take things slow as she’d earlier suggested, but she didn’t know how convincing she’d be with that half-truth a second time, especially in light of what had just happened with the two of them on the mission.

The unlocked door opened a minute later and Vaughn poked his head inside and called out her nickname before seeing her standing against the counter in the kitchen. Watching her curiously, he went ahead and stepped into the foyer, shut the door, and remained on the top step of the entry, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You’ve had second thoughts,” he assumed correctly.

She needed him to understand, “It’s not that I don’t want you, Vaughn; I really do. It’s just…”

As her words trailed off, he could see that her face was scrunched as she agonized over her decision. “Syd…we can just talk if you want to – I promise I won’t pressure you into anything.”

She let out a breath and squeezed her eyes shut. “It’s not you that I’m worried about.”

Smirking just a tiny bit, he walked down the few steps until they were on the same level and said quietly, “Well, then…we both know that there are only two ways to change things: either we do something to get this sexual tension out of the way or we stay apart like we did when you were at SD-6.”

“No,” she shuddered just thinking about it. “I can’t go through that again.” She lifted her eyes to his face. “But I don’t want to just fall into bed with you either. I don’t want the fresh start of our relationship based on meaningless sex.”

“I don’t either, Syd,” he shrugged, “but…” He paused; seeking to hold her gaze so that he could communicate that what he was about to say was only the full and complete truth, “…Sex with you has never been and could never be meaningless to me.”

Sydney stared at him and thought about his words long and hard…for the whole of about thirty seconds before she stood up straight, crossed the room, and forcefully and passionately kissed him. Running her palms up his chest to his shoulders, she didn’t waste any time slipping his jacket off and letting it fall to the floor. When she went to work grasping at the hem of his t-shirt to take that off of him as well, he moved his lips to her neck so that he could question between their kisses and wandering caresses, “Syd…we don’t have to…do this…”

She captured his lips again and sucked hard; leaning into him so much that he stumbled backward toward the wall. Seemingly pleased with his new position, she lifted his shirt and only broke away long enough to lift the garment over his head, hoarsely whispering, “We need to get this out of the way, Vaughn.”

She had slipped her tongue into his mouth and was holding his head still as she pressed her body into his before he could clarify what she’d said when it suddenly dawned on him. She hadn’t been talking about getting his shirt out of the way, but the tension – the physical need that they both had eating away at them. And as he guided her toward the bedroom, each of them removing their unwanted articles of clothing, he knew she was right.

As soon as they were done satisfying their mutual need mere minutes later, Vaughn relaxed and took a full breath, stroking her face as she held his head and shoulders in a hug, and then rolled off of her to give her the space that they’d discussed, now that the pressure had been eased. As they stared at one another and he noticed that she was still wearing her shirt, he realized that he’d never had the mind to take it off of her and caress and kiss her breasts, which was his favorite part of lovemaking. Then he realized that that was not what it had been. Although it could never be meaningless as he’d said, it had been just sex.

She had a wry, almost embarrassed smile on her face as she reached out to touch his cheek and finger the dimple in his chin as was her ritual habit after making love in their very physical relationship years earlier; and he almost chuckled at the way some things never change. Sydney then turned her attention to the ceiling above their heads and Vaughn heard her quietly sigh, and peered over at her to find that the look on her face seemed to be one of lament.

She spoke his question before he did, “Any regrets?”

He shook his head, “No. You?”

Keeping her gaze on something across the room, she took a second longer to answer quietly, “No.”

“Good,” he put his focus across the room as well, but reached out for her hand between them. “Now we can take it slow.”

She snickered for a moment and then relaxed a little bit more to say, “Thank you for saving my life on the train.”

“I think you’ve thanked me well enough,” he teased and saw her grin out of the corner of his eye. But thinking of the mission they’d just been on, he remembered something he wanted to ask her. “Syd…” he carefully approached the changed subject, “before we left, Jack came to see me with a message for you.” Her face slowly grew grim and she gently slid her hand from his to lay it across her stomach. “Your father wanted me to remind you that in Belarus, we’re not going to have a tactical team.” He rolled to his side and propped up on his elbow to see her face. “So why is your father talking to you through me?”

As expected, she didn’t answer, but he could tell from the pained look in her eyes that something had happened, and he had an idea what it might involve. It was time to ask the direct question, “When I was in D.C., I know that you went to Wittenberg, and I know that your father was there. What happened in Wittenberg?”

Her eyes glazed over and he knew right away that she was remembering some event that was apparently painful enough that she didn’t want to talk about it. But he also knew that she wouldn’t heal from whatever it was unless she confided in him. “You want to tell me what happened in Wittenberg?” he prodded.

She turned her head and looked him dead in the eye to answer softly, “No, actually, I don’t.” And then he watched as she sat up and crossed the room to the bathroom door, where she disappeared around the corner. A moment later, he heard the shower turn on and he knew that their moments of intimacy would have to wait until they could rebuild a real relationship again.

Thinking to her noncommittal answer to his questions about Wittenberg, he could surmise that she’d found out some truth about her father that she just couldn’t deal with, and that was why they hadn’t spoken in weeks. Whatever it was, it must’ve been bad, and Vaughn knew that only the two of them could resolve whatever the problem was. No matter what, he wasn’t going to help Jack keep in contact with her by being the middleman; if he wanted to talk with Sydney, then he’d better fix their relationship himself.

Presently getting up when he knew he should go, he quickly retrieved his clothes from the floor and put them on, and then poked his head in the door of the bathroom as he put on his jacket. “I’ll see you in the morning, Syd,” he spoke loud enough for her to hear over the running water.

She didn’t even pull back the curtain to answer him with an “okay”, but she did a moment later just as he was leaving the room. “Vaughn,” she called out and he peered back in the doorway to see just her head and one shoulder exposed. She let out a breath before softly adding, “Thanks.” And she knew that he would understand what she meant.

He did and offered her a half grin. “Let’s have lunch tomorrow.”

She brightened to that idea, but suggested, “How about dinner here instead? I’ll cook.”

He could never resist her offers or her smiles, and lightly replied, “Even better.”

~ C ~ P ~ O ~

♥

Link to 4x02!

To Life - Chapter 6: Reunion

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:39:35 GMT

A/N: Sorry I’m a little slow getting this story updated – I had a little trouble with characterization this time and had to seek the help of my beta, coffeebean_news, and add a bit more to the chapter as a result. Bless her heart, she beta’d it twice for me! *hugs C*

(Oh, warning: there’s a teensy bit of a spoiler for 1x15, just fyi.)

I hope you’ll all be happy with this chapter that I’ve named for the many of you that have said they were looking forward to Mick and Beth’s “Reunion”. Thanks for reading, for all the wonderful reviews so far, and enjoy!! :D

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Links to Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5

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Chapter 6: Reunion

Beth was standing in Mick’s kitchen, cutting up some vegetables for a salad for her lunch – adding a generous amount of bacon bits to the top. For some reason, she’d been craving those things, despite how bad she knew they were for her. And the baby, she mentally added. She was trying hard to remember to include the baby in her thoughts as much as possible. Until she and Josef found Mick and knocked some sense into him, she was going to have to act as both mother and father to the child and responsibly take care of it.

She took a breath and forcefully let it out, wondering for the umpteenth time what she could do to help Josef find him. He hadn’t verbally said it, but she knew he’d be out looking as often as he could until he succeeded. The fact that Mick hadn’t even given her a chance to hear what had happened and be in on his decision to leave had enraged her for several days after his disappearance, but had quickly subsided into depression. And since finding out about the baby, Beth’s attitude had greatly improved. Her only fear now was that Josef might not find Mick and then he’d never know about his baby.

There was a knock at the door she recognized as Josef’s, and she tucked away her fears. And then as he’d become accustomed, the door opened as he let himself in. “Hey,” she spoke up before she even saw him. “You didn’t happen to bring any food for me, did you? I’m having a sudden craving for French fries.”

Josef stopped with the door open and stared at her in mild disbelief. Was she serious? She thought he’d bring food? But Beth then half-smiled as she dried her hands on a towel, answering his unasked question – she was teasing, but only slightly. The craving was, unfortunately, real.

Josef still used her joke as a jumping off place. “No, sorry, no food, but…I did bring you something else.”

He stepped to the side, pushing the door open wider…and Mick appeared around the doorjamb from the hall, stepping inside the apartment.

Beth gasped and her stomach lurched when she saw her long-lost husband. She abandoned her salad and practically ran over to the door to throw her arms around Mick’s neck. She was crying in seconds, holding him so tight he couldn’t move – or perhaps he could but just didn’t want to. Whatever his reason for not squirming his way out of her arms, she didn’t care. She just took advantage of it, any way she could, to keep him there, safe, and in her embrace.

Beside them, Josef quietly ducked out of the door and closed it behind him, leaving the couple alone to work things out. His consideration didn’t go unnoticed by either of them, and they each knew they would have to thank him, but it was understood that it would have to be much later, once they were past their other issues.

His arms securely around her, Mick just held her, lost in the hold she had on him, taking in her scent and the warmth of her body against his, recalling their intimate moments of weeks before that had been too short. The sensation of her touch against his skin was now gone and he had only his imagination and memory to recall that feeling. It was saddening to think he’d never feel her touch again. Regret, guilt, and shame were running rampant through his body, but mostly, he was wishing there was something he could say to make things right. She was holding him so tight that it made him believe that she wasn’t harboring any anger toward him for his absence. But how could that be possible, after what he did? If Josef hadn’t gotten to him before he completely disappeared, he would’ve left Beth to deal with life alone, pregnant with his child…

His ears immediately tuned in and he heard it too, deep within her womb, a resounding, fast, th-thump-th-thump-th-thump. The slight sound made it all so real…and his stupidity that much worse. “I am so sorry,” he finally spoke his first words, still hugging her tight, keeping his words soft and humble.

“Shh, it’s okay,” she shook her head against his, running her fingers down through his hair. “You’re okay; that’s all that matters.”

“I’m not human anymore,” he argued, and she pulled away just to hold his face and look him in the eye.

“I don’t care,” she spoke adamantly, feeling relieved that she could finally say that to his face. “I didn’t fall in love with you as a human. Being what you are – a vampire,” she added so that he wouldn’t think she was afraid to say the word. “You are the man I love. Turning back doesn’t change my feelings for you.”

Temporarily putting the vampire reality aside, he was worried that she didn’t quite understand the severity of his guilt. So he confessed zealously, “I was going to leave and never return, Beth. I almost left you alone…to deal with this—”

“But you didn’t,” she opposed. “To me, that proves that we can work things out.” He was still skeptical, so she added jokingly, “Don’t make a pregnant woman angry, Mick. I may not have vampire abilities, but I’ve heard that hormones can give a woman superpowers too.”

It worked to make him smile, and she shared it with him when he took a small step back to cast his glance down at her mid-section. And it made her wonder, “Can you hear it?”

He nodded and his hand automatically reached out to place his palm on her stomach and she helped guide it, unashamed. “We won’t be able to feel it for a while.” Their eyes met and she recognized his surprise that she had even that little bit of knowledge. So she explained, “I went to the doctor this morning, and he told me the basics. Would you like to see it?”

His puzzled look was enough of a yes, so she scurried over to her purse on one of the chairs in the living room, and came back with a small piece of paper in her hand. Mick had followed her as far as the couch and when she handed him the picture, he sank down on the arm, staring at it in total bewilderment. Finally, after a moment, he asked, “What am I looking at here?”

She chuckled, “I asked the same thing. I thought it looked like a satellite photo of space or something.” She leaned over to view the picture and pointed. “That’s my uterus.” She went on, “And that little white dot inside that black space that looks like a grain of rice? That’s the baby.”

That knowledge washed over him like a tsunami wave, flooding his body with an almost human-like warmth. He was looking at a picture of his baby – his own son or daughter. “Wow,” he uttered the small word in such a big way that Beth grinned.

“I know,” she concurred. “It’s unreal, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” tears formed in his eyes. “I never thought I could be so…so…fortunate, considering what I am. And yet, I feel the same way I did the day you agreed to marry me.”

She closed the gap between them until their knees were touching and said, “I’ve been thinking about that too.” She took a breath, preparing her speech that she’d had planned for weeks, if she ever got a chance to see him again and would need to convince him to stay. “When we said our vows, we agreed to stick together until ‘death do us part’. But…when I said mine, I was thinking ‘forever’. Just because you died and turned back into a vampire, I don’t consider myself free from our marriage commitment. That’s just a technicality and my feelings haven’t changed – I don’t want to spend a moment of my life without you.”

Mick pulled Beth into his arms again and softly cried over her shoulder, choking back a lump in his throat to whisper, “I don’t deserve you.”

She chuckled out of turn and teased him, “Well, don’t think you’re getting off that easy. You can’t leave me all knocked up and alone. I have no idea how to deal with a baby.”

He pulled away with a much happier expression on his face. And when she continued to hopefully stare up at him, he realized she was looking to him for help and replied defensively, “Well, don’t look at me. For the most part, I’ve avoided children for the last sixty years.”

She lifted a hand from his shoulder and dropped it again. “Well, what are we going to do? Take classes?”

“That’s an idea.”

“I’m just afraid this kid is going to come out screaming and those maternal instincts that everybody talks about will be severely lacking in my life.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

Beth sobered a bit and let out a calming breath. “So, we’re in this together?”

After a moment, he nodded. “I won’t abandon you or the baby. I promise.”

Smiling pleasantly, she replied, “Good. I was afraid you were going to say that you would support us but that we couldn’t be together.”

“Oh,” he seemed to be caught off-guard. “Well, I don’t think we could let our marriage to continue—”

“What? Why not?”

“Beth, how would that work exactly?”

“We live together and raise our baby like any other family,” she answered incredulously.

“And we would…sleep together?”

She made a face. “Gee, I hope so. I wouldn’t want my husband sleeping somewhere else.” Then she thought to add, “Of course, except for when you need to be in your freezer for a while.”

He tried again, “I-I’m specifically talking about…physical relations.”

She smirked, “So am I, Mick. I’d like to have sex with my husband regularly, you know.”

This was starting to get frustrating. “I think you’re missing the point,” he spoke with a gentle tone, despite the slightly annoying miscommunication going on. “Vampires can’t… I mean,” he breathed out through his nose, “we tend to get, you know…violent during…intimate moments.”

“So?”

He spoke vehemently, “Beth, I wouldn’t want to hurt you or the baby.”

The left side of her mouth curved up into a smile and she meandered back into his personal space to touch his jaw. “That’s what you’re worried about? Don’t.” Her finger lightly trailed down his face. “You won’t hurt us. I’m not afraid of being with you, vampire or no vampire.”

He still wasn’t convinced. “It’s just not a smart idea.”

“Why not? You said that vampires can have sex with humans.”

“Yeah, but I also said it never ends well. What did you think I meant by that?”

“Not all human relationships end well either, so I didn’t think much about it.”

He tried a different approach, in an attempt to explain his argument a little better. “Beth,” he made sure to speak gently, “I’ve never slept with a human as a vampire because of the tragic stories I’ve heard over the years. Men and women that vampires have loved that weren’t left behind as the years passed and the human aged, were either killed in a passionate moment...or turned just before they died.”

“But there were some human/vampire couples,” she pointed out, “that had many happy years together. Right?”

He pursed his lips, unwilling to answer, mainly because he had heard at least a story or two of vampires having a relationship with humans for as long as they lived. But the downside was that they’d also watched them age and die.

“Why are you so afraid when I’m not?” she questioned, not understanding his reluctance. But she couldn’t comprehend the pain of losing someone in that manner the way he could.

“I’m terrified,” he blurted out in confession, “…of having this wonderful life together, only to have to say goodbye to you later.”

“Oh,” her mouth formed the word and the sound was almost inaudible. Then she said rationally, “But we shouldn’t have to worry about that for another fifty or sixty years, right?” She then pictured the two of them together with her at an age of ninety and Mick appearing to still be around the age of thirty like he was now. “Wait, I guess that won’t work,” she sobered. “Can’t have you becoming some old lady’s gigolo.”

He laughed at the picture she painted with her words, but the subject was far from over. “Now you see my dilemma.”

Beth sighed and put her hand on her hip. “I don’t know. I mean, it’ll be a good ten or maybe even twenty years before anybody notices that we’re not a typical couple. And that’s a long time – maybe we can figure out another solution by then.”

“Or say goodbye then,” he spoke somberly.

“Hey,” she reached out for his hand and held it. “Don’t you get it yet that I’m in this for the long haul? You know I’m a stubborn person; I will figure this out.”

Mick sat back down on the arm of the couch again and pulled her close with both hands in his. “I’ve thought about this for a long time, Beth – a lot longer than you have – and I’ve never been able to find an answer.”

She set her hands on his shoulders, contemplating what he was saying. “Well,” she pleaded softly, “can’t we just…try to have a regular relationship?” With her hands on both sides of his face, she toyed with his ears between her fingers. “For a while, anyway?”

Needing to get away from her touch for a minute to think, Mick got up and moved past her, pondering deeply on her request. Could they try to be as close to a normal couple as possible? Or would that be foolhardy and selfish? For so many years, he’d always leaned toward the latter, believing that anything close to normal and human was out of his reach forevermore. Yet what she was asking was something so innocent and seemingly so easy; all she wanted was whatever he had to give, for her and the baby.

Her arms slipped around him from behind and she hugged him in silent support of the tumbling emotions running through his soul. Mick rested his hand on top of hers on his chest, letting his fingers slide across her ring – now back in its rightful place on her left hand – and he leaned back into her, shutting his eyes. Yes, he wanted what she did: a marriage with the one he loved. He just wished it could last forever instead of having to bring to it a time limit.

“I’ll bet you’re thirsty,” she said out of the blue as she pulled away from him and rounded the island. “Want something to drink?”

“Uh, yeah, but I—” he started to argue, but was stunned to silence when she opened his secret refrigerator.

She pulled out a bottle of A-positive and held it, noticing his surprise. “I called Guillermo. I knew that once Josef found you and told you about the baby, you’d come home. And I knew you’d need blood, so…”

Without waiting for his reaction, she went ahead and got out a glass for him, filling it to the top with the blood. Then she replaced the bottle, closed the ‘fridge, rearranged the vase on the shelf that hid the door, and walked over to him with his drink.

He just stood, stupefied, watching her. “Why are you doing this for me?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “You have to drink to live, especially after being out in the sun today, and I thought we could have our lunch together.” Again, she offered him the glass and this time he took it, albeit reluctantly.

Beth picked up her salad and walked over to the table to sit down. Mick followed but only by a few feet, eyeing his glass of blood. “I don’t have to drink this now – I don’t want to make you sick.”

“Please,” she rolled her eyes. “It won’t bother me. Come here, sit down,” she patted the chair next to her, “and take a sip. I’ll prove it to you.”

Looking down into the deep red liquid, Mick realized that he was thirsty, but this was a new world that he was living in. It was surreal. He took a chance…and a sip, and then slowly opened his eyes and forced them to meet her gaze.

Beth was smiling warmly and gazing at him with nothing but love in her azure eyes. He’d expected some kind of negative reaction, if even slight and nearly unnoticeable – maybe even just a speeding up of her heart rate – but she was continually surprising him. “Come here,” she whispered, again coaxing him to the table. This time he obeyed, but hesitantly took the chair beside her, holding the glass between his two hands on the table. She picked up her fork, preparing to take a bite, but asked, “So, where were you?”

It took another moment for it to sink in that she was past the whole blood-drinking thing and was on to regular conversation just like any other couple, when her question finally registered in his mind. “Uh… Home,” he finally replied, saying the word automatically. Then he realized he’d have to clarify when he saw her confused expression. “My parents’ house, where I grew up.”

She blinked in surprise and swallowed the bite of food in her mouth to ask, “You…you still own it?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, and then rethought what he’d said. “In a roundabout way; it’s in a trust. Josef helped set it up once my family…was gone,” he concluded, hoping that his tone of voice would put an end to any questions she might have in that reporter’s inquisitive mind of hers.

Absorbing that information, she was afraid to touch the depressing subject of his dearly departed family and bring down the current state of coexistence they’d managed to temporarily build. But to keep the conversation going, Beth wondered instead, “Where is it?”

“Over in West Adams,” he stated matter-of-factly, the emotion in his voice barely discernible.

Her next question was a natural one. “Why don’t you just live there? I mean, do you just prefer being in the city?”

“Mostly,” he answered. His mood turned a tad more dull. “I also can’t seem to…”

“Push past the memories?” she finished for him when his voice trailed off, and when he met her gaze, he found only empathy behind her irises. He couldn’t respond, and she nodded once, tapping her fork on the side of her bowl in pensive thought. She was smiling compassionately when she looked up again. “Can I see it sometime?”

“Sure,” Mick agreed, but even though the thought did cross his mind to ask why, he didn’t give in to it. He knew why. He loved her and wanted to learn every detail of her life that he didn’t already know if she’d let him, and because he knew that she felt the same about him, it was only natural that she’d want to know that part of his life as well.

Silence reigned in the room for a few minutes with the exception of Beth’s eating and Mick turning his glass in his hands and taking the occasional sip. Then he realized there was much more that needed to be discussed. “Josef told me that you lost your job at BuzzWire.”

“Yeah, well,” she momentarily widened her eyes and relaxed them again. “It’s probably for the best anyway. As I get bigger, it won’t be as easy to chase down those hot stories and wanted criminals.”

“Not to mention, unsafe,” he commented. “Have you looked for something else?”

“Not yet,” she admitted. “My first concern was making sure I got you back. Now, I might start sending out my résumé.” She took a sip of her glass of water. “But, um, that’s something I wanted to talk to you about… I don’t mind working while I’m pregnant, but uh, when the baby comes, I’d really like to be able to stay with him – or her,” she quickly amended, “for a few months or even a year, but…I didn’t know if that was something we could afford or—”

“Of course,” he interrupted her run-on sentence. “Whatever you want, Beth, we’ll work it out.”

She nodded and smiled. “That’s what I thought, too.”

Mick thought about all of the changes that had come to Beth’s life because of him when it occurred to him that he didn’t see much of her stuff in his living space. What had happened to all of her furniture? Taking another glance around, he couldn’t even pinpoint one item in the room that was hers, and his brow creased in confusion. “I thought you lost your apartment.”

“I did,” she replied after she scooped the rest of the bowl and ate the last bite of her salad. She sat back in her chair to divulge, “Josef let me store my things in the basement of his new office building. I thought maybe you and I could go through the furniture together and decide if there’s anything we’d want to keep.”

“You’re going to get rid of all of it?”

She shrugged. “If we don’t want it. There’s really no room for it all here.”

“Yeah, but, don’t you want to incorporate some of you in here – give it a little bit more of a feminine touch?”

Beth slowly smiled as he spoke, waiting for several seconds after he was through to point out, “So…you want me to stick around then, I guess.”

He’d been caught before he’d made the conscious decision to keep their marriage intact or not. But, looking at her beautiful face, golden hair, bright blue eyes, and white gold wedding ring she wore just for him, he only knew one thing: “I can’t imagine a day going by without you in it.” He reached for her hand and held it, caressing it with his thumb. “But…”

She stopped him by placing her free hand on top of their joined ones. “No, don’t, please. Let’s not talk about what’s going to happen in a year or ten years, okay? Not now. Let’s just enjoy the time we have instead of focusing on the end. Today and tomorrow, I’m just your wife – your pregnant wife.” She grinned and then tugged his hand closer, leaning over to reach his mouth and kiss him.

Letting his lips linger on hers for several moments, Mick surrendered to her love and knew he didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world. Sitting at his dining room table, with his wife and unborn child, sharing what would soon become an average lunch in their unusual cohabitation, he’d found his own personal heaven on earth.

- - - - - - -

PS: I looked up West Adams on the internet and discovered it doesn’t look anything like the West Adams in the show, so I’m writing this in the Moonlight universe. In this story, it’s a nice neighborhood in L.A. with a lot of old-fashioned, two-story houses, just like we saw in 1x15-What’s Left Behind, okey-dokey? :D

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♥

TBC...

Link to Chapter 7!!

To Life - Chapter 5: Dedication

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:56:54 GMT

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews so far and many thanks to coffeebean_news for the beta! Enjoy!! :D

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Link to Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4

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Chapter 5: Dedication

Josef’s car dropped him off as requested in a middle-class neighborhood and he stood out on the sidewalk, staring up at a particular two-story house across the street, just letting the memories flood back. No, they weren’t his memories; they were stories he’d heard in the years since he’d met Mick after he was turned. Mick didn’t speak much about his past; Josef knew that he was still in that early phase of vampirism where he regretted everything about his existence. But that would change one day, once Mick got a grip on what he was and started to enjoy it a little. After all, there were definitely perks to being a vampire, and Mick had yet to even scratch the surface of it all.

But when Mick did talk about his former life as a mortal, Josef absorbed it all in total interest, just listening, hoping that it might help him move past it. He never knew that one day the information might come in handy. But today was unquestionably one of those days.

Crossing the street, Josef walked up to the front door of the house and knocked, not expecting an answer. A listen with his vampiric ears confirmed the fact that no one was inside. Heaving an irritated sigh, Josef bounded down the porch steps and walked around to the back, thankful that it was nighttime and he could break in unnoticed. A quick jump to the upstairs deck and the fortune of an unlocked door, and Josef was inside. Now, just waiting was the only thing he could do.

And checking things out, he mentally added when he saw and remembered that the house was still furnished. Mick had taken out most of his own belongings, but the house was filled with other treasures belonging to his parents, sisters, and younger brother. It was like a museum in some respects – knickknack shelves in perfect order, not one thing out of place, and not even any dust to speak of – while in others, it looked as if the owners of the house would walk right back in from a leisurely day of shopping or some other such human ritual. Josef never could understand the mortal need for picnics and sunbathing at the beach. Golf, on the other hand…oh, how he often wished he could hit the links in the middle of the day instead of sneaking onto the courses after they were closed and teaming with other immortals like himself. Unfortunately, he hadn’t come across one undead that was any good at the game and he always creamed them by at least twenty strokes.

Moving through the house, Josef noted that all the beds were still made, and he wasn’t surprised that there was a newspaper, no more than a week old, opened up beside a leather chair next to the fireplace in the living room, with a half-spent cigar in the ashtray on the adjoining table. A half-finished crossword puzzle sat on the coffee table with a pencil, and fresh flowers were situated in a vase in the middle of the dining room table.

Josef had never asked and Mick had never divulged, but he assumed that the well-kept, homey appeal was Mick’s homage to the family he’d once had. Josef also knew that to keep up the appearances the way he did, Mick either had to spend at least a couple of hours at the house each week…or hire someone to properly falsify the atmosphere. Considering that he couldn’t recall even one instance that Mick might’ve spent time at his childhood home, he settled on the decision that it must be closer to the latter.

He’s got dedication, Josef thought as his eyes scanned the kitchen and he noted that there were even clean dishes beside the sink, as if freshly hand-washed and waiting to dry before being put away. The wood floors were clean and polished, and the only thing missing was a nice, tall pitcher of iced tea in the refrigerator.

He checked, and as suspected, found it empty. Even Mick wouldn’t be careless enough to leave food in the refrigerator where it would be forgotten and spoil. He couldn’t take the chance of anyone coming in to investigate suspicious smells.

Shaking his head, Josef could not understand why he hadn’t just sold the place, and let the burden fall by the wayside, but again, it was just something he and Mick never discussed.

With another breathless sigh – a mere habit from his former life – Josef wandered around the living room, staring at framed pictures on the walls, trying to pick Mick out in large groups and see if there was anyone else he might recognize. After all, he’d lived a long time, and many people he’d never thought he’d see again had appeared in his life, decades later, as vamps. It definitely could happen and had.

He picked up a picture from an end table and grinned wolfishly. Mick’s older sister was definitely a looker. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear he might’ve seen her in a club in the twenties as a barmaid flapper, and he tucked away the curiosity in the back of his mind as a question he might one day ask Mick. She did live in the right era, so maybe he had seen her in one of his favorite nightclub haunts in that decade.

Meandering over to the bookshelf, Josef recognized a few more popular titles of classics kids had read for a century or more – Moby Dick, Charles Dickens, a few Jane Austen and the Bronte Sisters’ novels – as well as book after book of poetry – Keats, Wilke, Shakespeare. Then his eyes caught a glimpse of several spines of books with no names. He pulled the first one to the left off of the shelf and opened it to the first page, reading the handwritten title, “The Life and Personal Journal of Edward James St. John”.

“Boring,” he sang to the empty air, shoving the book back in its place, and went in search of something, anything better to read and occupy his time while he waited for Mick.

Near dawn, Josef was checking out some old girly magazines he felt fortunate enough to find under a mattress and plopped on an easy chair with one leg draped over the arm, when he heard the sound of Mick’s car approach and park. Knowing that once Mick reached the porch, he would sense and possibly hear him and might flee when he did, Josef dropped the magazines and ran to catch him, cutting him off in the front yard. He had been on his way back to the car just as Josef suspected.

Mick was annoyed, if nothing else. “What are you doing here?” he barked at his friend.

Josef eased his hands into his pockets, keeping his position between Mick and the road so that he couldn’t easily escape. “Besides snooping through all of your old family history? Not much,” he joked.

Trying to push past him, Mick floundered. “I don’t have time for this—”

He interrupted, keeping Mick at bay with the real reason for his visit, “I’m here to remind you that your life isn’t over, my friend.”

Mick snorted and rolled his eyes. “Obviously, you know that’s not true. It IS over. I had a week – that’s all.”

Half-smiling because he was right, Josef knew he’d have to try another approach. “Beth has been worried about you.”

At the mention of her name, Mick turned his face away. But he couldn’t say anything, so he just pivoted and went up the stairs to go into the house. Josef followed, continuing to speak. “I haven’t been as worried because I knew where you would go. I just thought I’d give you the time and space you needed to figure things out.”

Stopping in the middle of his foyer, Mick spun around and glared at him. “Figure things out? How the hell am I supposed to do that? My life is over, Josef. I’ve just been here long enough to get a new place and name set up, so I can get out of here and hopefully forget what I had.”

“Like Beth,” he said pointedly and Mick’s eyes began to water. But instead of letting the tears fall, he turned and continued on into the house.

“Especially Beth,” Mick tossed over his shoulder, painfully. “Everything is done now. I’m leaving tonight.”

“You can’t.”

“Oh, yes, I can,” he argued, moving through the living room to the kitchen, where he tossed the bag he was carrying to the table. Opening the empty refrigerator, Mick pulled away a false back on the bottom shelf and took out all the pouches of blood he had stashed and began setting them on the counter. “I have to get away; I can’t stay here anymore. It’s part of the agreement I made with Beth.”

“I think she’ll be happy if you changed your mind.”

Ignoring him, Mick walked over to the table and grabbed his shoulder bag and returned, shoving the blood pouches inside.

“This is ridiculous, Mick. You’re not even going to give Beth a chance to say goodbye?”

“She’ll get over me faster this way.”

“She doesn’t want to.”

Mick then yelled, “She didn’t want to spend her life with a vampire either! What kind of future is that for her?!” He went back to filling his bag with the rest of the blood, shoving the packs in even more forcefully.

Josef continued to remain calm even though Mick was harried, and he told him, “She’s not worried about her future.”

“She should be,” Mick proclaimed, dropping the last pouch in the bag and putting the strap over his arm and storming out of the kitchen. He went on, trying to make his exit noble, “Maybe this way she can move on with her life; find someone else, get married, have kids—”

“Well, you’re partly right,” Josef smirked again, following him back toward the front door. He dropped the next bombshell slowly, timing it just before Mick made his final escape, “At least she’s already pregnant.”

Mick stopped abruptly with his hand on the doorknob and slowly turned to peer at his friend with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What?” he shook his head in complete perplexity.

Josef didn’t bother repeating what he’d said because he knew Mick had heard him right. Instead he confirmed, “It is yours, just in case you were wondering.”

Mick’s face fell, recognizing the seriousness in Josef’s voice. He’d heard him correctly, but Mick’s mind was suddenly in a fog, and he fought to work out how that could be possible. He had been human, after all; he and Beth had discussed this very option before they married. He’d just never considered that it would actually happen.

Shaking his head as if it would further help straighten out his thoughts, Mick let all of his emotion out in a laugh. “A baby… A baby?” he chuckled, happy and sad and frightened all at the same time. Josef simply nodded, and Mick covered his mouth with his hand. “I never would’ve thought…” he rubbed his palm over his chin. “We were only together one night.”

“It only takes once,” Josef retorted like a teacher explaining the facts of life to a student who didn’t know any better.

Mick dropped his hand back to his side and his bag to the floor when it occurred to him to ask, “Is she going to keep it?”

“What do you think?” his friend deadpanned.

He didn’t even have to ask what that meant, knowing Beth well enough to know that she’d want any connection to him that she could possibly have. She’d see this baby as a gift, as he did – since vampires couldn’t conceive – and there was no way she’d ever let that go. He was practically shaking as he asked, “Does she know…where I am?”

“No,” Josef shook his head. “I never told her where to look. Figured I should first talk to you and see if you could pull your head out of your ass and do the right thing. Don’t want her to kill me for knowing where you were all this time.”

Mick chuckled nervously and then sobered when he realized just how coming back now would be accepted. He sighed, “She must hate me.”

“No,” the other vamp chuckled. “Funny thing is that she doesn’t. Not one bit. She just wants you back.”

“And, what, I just walk back into my apartment and say, ‘Hi, honey, I’m home,’?”

“Add an apology for being such an idiot, and that might work,” Josef remarked lightheartedly.

Mick swiveled and leaned his hips against the closest wall. “I don’t know,” he sighed again. “I never thought I’d have to deal with this. I mean, how is this going to work? By the time my child hits thirty, he and I will look like brothers instead of father and son.”

“Or brother and sister,” Josef added. “It’s too early yet to know if it’s a boy or girl.”

Staring at him as he spoke, Mick was flummoxed. He shook his head once more. “I still can’t believe it. When did Beth find out?”

“When I told her.”

“What?”

Josef briefly explained how it had all transpired, sitting on Mick’s apartment steps, listening to the baby’s heartbeat, and being the one to inform her of the pregnancy.

“And she’s…happy about it?” Mick wondered, just a touch fearfully.

Josef nodded. “She’s just afraid of going through it alone.”

Shaking his head, Mick vowed, “I-I…I wouldn’t.”

“Then you’d better get back to her soon.”

Mick stood up again and pushed away from the wall. “Is she…at my place?”

“Well, considering she could no longer afford her apartment after she lost her job, yeah.”

Concerned, he clarified, “She lost her job at BuzzWire?”

Josef nodded solemnly. “She was apparently grieving too much having recently lost her husband. She got canned.”

Again Mick covered his face. “Oh, god, what have I done to her?”

Shuffling on his feet, Josef teased with a smirk, “Basically everything you didn’t ever want to do to Beth – swept her off her feet, married her, and then left her knocked up and unemployed. It’s a good thing you’re still paying for your apartment; otherwise, she’d be homeless too.” He clapped his friend on the shoulder. “But, the good news is that all you have to do is go back and support her,” he smiled as he instructed, “and that’ll make everything right again in her world.”

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♥

Link to Chapter 6!!

To Life - Chapter 4: Surprise, Surprise

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:24:58 GMT

A/N: *smooches* to htbthomas again for the beta! Enjoy!! :D

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Link to Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3

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Chapter 4: Surprise, Surprise

Despite being a Los Angeles native, Beth had visited the ever-popular restaurant frequented mostly by tourists a couple of times as a kid. She remembered her mother as being the one who wanted to go to the “Musso and Frank Grill” because the food was spectacular, just as Mick had said. But she also recalled how her father hated the time spent waiting, and often expressed his opinion that he just didn’t think the food was worth it.

But that didn’t stop her from wanting to sit across a table from the man she loved – just as her mother had – to share the meal that he enjoyed most. She was so excited about it, in fact, as she stood outside the building decorated in the late fifties art deco, she had butterflies in her stomach.

Mick was late. She didn’t think much about it, knowing he probably had to meet with a client and most likely got held over longer than usual. He’d show up soon, or her phone would ring with his sweet, honey-toned, apologetic voice, promising he’d be there as soon as he could; she could just imagine his words of love tickling her ear even through the cellular airwaves.

She started to lose hope as time dragged on. She eventually did try calling him; it went straight to his voicemail and she left a pleasant, not-quite-worried-yet message for him. Ending the call with her love, she scanned the streets for any sign of him or his car.

After almost an hour of waiting, Beth began to pace. This just wasn’t like Mick, not to be on time or call. She’d just decided that calling him again wouldn’t hurt when her phone rang, and she answered in relief, “Hello?”

“Ah, the bride of Frankenstein,” a sardonic voice spoke on the other end of the line. Beth recognized it immediately, but it wasn’t Mick.

“Josef?” She smirked, realizing, “Mick told you?”

“Well, he didn’t have much choice when I called him today and got that message he left for you.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, that was sweet, wasn’t it? But,” she admitted, “I think he knew that might happen.”

“Yeah, and I was a little shocked, but…welcome to the family. You know, sort of.”

“Thanks, Josef,” she responded to his almost audible grin. But then her worry for her husband took over. “Hey, do you know where Mick is?” she quickly asked.

“No,” he replied. “I was just getting ready to ask you the same thing. He’s not answering his phone again.”

“For me either,” she frowned. “You don’t think something’s happened to him, do you?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t worry about Mick. He’s resourceful.”

“Yeah,” she mumbled. “I might usually think the same thing but…we were supposed to meet for dinner almost an hour ago, and he’s not here yet.”

There was a pause and then Josef suggested, “Keep trying him. He’s more likely to answer your phone calls than mine. I’ll…check around.”

“Okay,” she agreed, relieved that she wasn’t alone in this. “If he’s not here by eight, I’m going to go on home and see if I can find something there that might tell me where he is.”

She said goodbye and hung up when her phone rang again. The caller ID revealed that it was her boss. Groaning, she answered reluctantly. “Before you say anything, I have plans that I really can’t break,” she told her.

Mo was almost giddy with new information for Beth. “Oh, you will when you hear this. There’s been another shooting.”

“Where?”

“Here in L.A. Happened less than two hours ago – I want you on it.”

“Mo,” she began to complain, but she stopped her.

“Beth, this is your baby. Besides, I think your friend might be involved, either as a victim, or in the least, as a witness. The intended victim said that he thought your friend had gotten shot, but he wasn’t sure because he fled the scene before the police arrived.”

“Who?” she questioned, feeling like her heart was in her throat. “What friend?”

“That, uh,” she seemed as if she was consulting papers. “Mick something. Here it is, Mick St. John?”

Beth felt the blood drain from her face and for a brief moment, she thought she might faint. But her worry for Mick took over and she gripped the phone even tighter, pressing it hard against her ear. “Was he shot? What did the report say?!”

Mo was unnervingly calm, although taken aback by Beth’s abrupt change of mood from annoyance to desperation. “It just says that he was covered in blood, but it wasn’t the intended victim’s – Mick apparently protected him from getting shot. When he saw all the blood, he just ran. The victim did say that he doesn’t see how he could’ve been shot with the way he ran off, but they’re not sure where the blood came from.”

Hurriedly starting for the parking lot and her car, Beth said, “I’m going to have to call you back, Mo!” and she clicked the phone off without waiting for a reply. She began running as best she could in four-inch heels, digging her keys out of her purse at the same time. As soon as she was behind the wheel, she dialed Mick’s number one more time, willing him to answer. But it was the same sweet message as before, and it was clear he hadn’t had a chance to change it nor was he going to answer her calls. What had happened?!

Driving like a madwoman back to Mick’s apartment, Beth did what she always complained about and scrolled in her incoming calls to phone Josef while she drove. And as soon as he answered, she told him, “Have you found Mick yet?”

“No, why?”

“He might’ve been shot! He ran so I’m on my way to his apartment to look for him.” She pounded the gas pedal, willing her car to move faster. Her heart constricted in fear that Mick might be suffering somewhere alone. “I need your help,” she pleaded with his friend.

“Where was the shooting?” Josef asked. “I’ll go there and see if I can track him.”

She rattled off the location and asked him to hurry. “Please, Josef, don’t let anything happen to him.”

Surprisingly, their usually jovial friend was reassuring, “Beth, I swear I’ll do my best.”

Beth was shaking as she entered Mick’s building and when she noted that the doors were just closing on one elevator and the other was way up in the building, she went straight for the stairwell door. Kicking off her shoes, not once caring that she was leaving behind her favorite pair of designer heels, she ran as fast as she could up the flights to Mick’s floor. She was out of breath and exhausted halfway there, but she made herself push through it, thinking only of Mick.

But he wasn’t in his apartment. Calling out for him in every room, upstairs and down, Beth returned to the living room in defeat. And despite the optimism that she normally clung to, she felt a lump forming in her throat and tears burning her eyes. Whatever the outcome, she knew deep down that the wedded bliss they’d shared for that one night would not be the same again.

- - - - - - -

Josef got out of the taxi cab at the address Beth had given him, paid the driver to let him go on his way, and walked slowly toward the entrance, smelling the air. There was blood, all right. Even though it had been washed away, Josef recognized the scent as Mick’s…and human. But the weird thing was that there was the lingering smell of vampire as well, which didn’t make as much sense. Instead of knocking on the door and not being able to get much information out of the human who’d already told what he knew to the police, Josef went with his instincts and followed the scent down the road.

He lost it after a few miles, once he reached the highway. The cascade of smells – from the garbage thrown out of cars to the stench of urine under the bridge to the wind gusts mixing it all together before blowing it away – was just too much to contend with. He’d lost his trail. Now it would be up to Mick to come home and face whatever had happened on his own.

But it was definitely not news he was looking forward to sharing with Beth; if Mick hadn’t already arrived back at his apartment, anyway. But judging by the way he’d run, Josef had an idea that things were back to a normalcy that he hadn’t anticipated so soon. He knew his friend well enough to know that Mick only ran in fear. And what would he have to be afraid of if he had just turned back into the vampire they knew well?

Beth met him at the door, her eyes wide and expectant. Josef could smell the saltiness in the air; she’d been crying, even though she now appeared somewhat calm. But that didn’t stop her from pelting him with questions.

“Any luck? Were you able to track him? Do you have any idea where he might be?”

Josef held up his hands to hush her and explained what he’d done and how far he’d tracked Mick.

“Where could he have gone?” she asked the very thing he wondered himself.

“I don’t know, Beth, but…” He dropped his voice to a more comforting tone to warn her, “If he wasn’t scared of losing you, he’d come home.”

“Why would he lose me?” she questioned with a bewildered expression on her face. That should be the last thing he’d have to worry about.

Josef swallowed, hating being the bearer of bad news. “There was the scent of vampire at the sight of the shooting. Mick’s scent.”

Beth blinked, absorbing the information, feeling those damned tears burning her eyes once more. “You really think he turned back?”

“I think it’s a definite possibility.”

“But why?” her voice cracked. “How? I mean, he would’ve had to die first—” As soon as she spit the words out that had been haunting her mind since she arrived at the apartment and found it empty, it hit her. “Oh god,” she began to sob into her hands. “No. Not yet. He had so very little time…”

Josef reached out and pulled her against his chest, hoping to be of some comfort. He hadn’t wanted to see his friend miss out on his second chance at life either, especially since he’d done the right thing and didn’t waste a moment telling Beth how he felt about her. Of course, he’d gone one step further and married her impetuously, but that was Mick. And now, it looked like it might already be over and Mick was back to his former life as a vampire.

After several minutes, Beth managed to get her crying under control and stood on her own power, drying away her tears with her hands. “Where could he be? I mean, it’s not like I would reject him for being a vampire again. Doesn’t he realize that I still love him?”

“I don’t know,” Josef replied honestly. “But, unfortunately, since we don’t know where he is, we’ll have to wait for him to come to that realization on his own.”

Beth grimaced, and Josef could tell her heart was breaking. He gently held her by the arms and said, “Look. The best thing for you to do right now is go home. Go back to your apartment, go back to work, and just give him some time alone to think. He’ll come around when he’s ready. And when he does, we’ll be here waiting for him.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“He will,” Josef assured her. “Don’t worry.”

Worrying was the one thing she was really good at; at least, that was what she soon discovered about herself when it came to Mick St. John. The first few days were the hardest. She barely dragged her body out of bed and made it to work. After that, she sort of numbly went through her days, one at a time, one project or assignment to the next, in a sort of fog. Nothing else mattered but finding Mick.

She looked for him everywhere, as she drove on the street, walked along the sidewalks, searched the crowds she was reporting in front of, or scanned page after page of internet sites for John Does. For all she knew, he’d been hurt but not killed and turned back. Maybe he was in a coma somewhere. Maybe Josef had been mistaken.

It all came to a climax one night when Beth broke down and called Josef from Mick’s apartment. She’d checked his house every day since the shooting, looked in his freezer and his closet and every corner of his apartment and balcony and roof, hoping that he might be hiding somewhere. She’d even called out to him, letting her voice carry out over the city, assuring him that no matter what, she still loved him, just in case he was out there and was just hiding from her. But he’d never replied. Tonight, she’d given up and had been crying, completely overwhelmed by the blinding truth: Mick was gone, he was most likely a vampire again, and he’d left her for good. And she’d called Josef out of desperation, just needing to hear a friendly voice.

Josef let himself into Mick’s apartment and found Beth with her head in her hands, sitting on the stairs in complete despair. Even though she was dressed well and her hair was groomed, she looked horrible, like she hadn’t slept in days. She didn’t move as Josef came in, but she did glance up and gave a faint half-smile, at least giving as much effort as she could.

“Still no word?” he asked out of habit, since that was the first thing he’d ask whenever they would meet every few days.

Beth shook her head, too tired to even reciprocate and ask him the same.

Slipping his hands into his suit pockets, Josef nodded once. “Yeah. I haven’t heard anything either.”

She blinked teary eyes up at him and said, “It’s been over a month. Six weeks, Josef. How could he just walk away and leave us worrying about him?”

“He probably didn’t think we would worry. I’m sure he just wanted to give you and me both a fresh start by distancing himself. Of course, he also doesn’t realize how much of an ass he is,” he tried joking, and to her credit, Beth did react, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

She stared off in the distance. “How could he think I could ever go on without him?”

Josef didn’t have an answer, and truth be told, if he got a hold of his best friend first, he’d probably beat some sense into him. Instead he sat down beside her on the step and turned his attention on her. “Are you getting any rest at all?”

“Some,” she admitted, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’ve lost my job at BuzzWire, so I’m home all the time now.”

Concern creased his forehead. “Why’d you lose your job?”

“Well, Maureen’s been pretty disappointed in my work over the last month; she’d demoted me to research, but felt she had to let me go when I started coming in later and later. I tried to explain about Mick,” her voice faltered a little on his name, “but I couldn’t without revealing more about him than I knew I should.” Their brief marriage was included on that list of no-nos. “It’s probably for the best anyway,” she sniffed. “I’ve been making myself so sick over this, I wake up every morning and just throw up to get it over with.”

Josef’s eyes narrowed, but Beth missed it. “Every morning?” he clarified, and Beth nodded. “For how long?”

“A couple of weeks,” she shrugged. “Why?”

Since sitting down beside her, he’d heard something faint, a rhythmic, slightly faster thump than Beth’s slower, much louder heartbeat. He thought out loud, “My gosh, it’s a baby.”

“What’s a baby?” she stared over at him in confusion, too out of it to be able to piece together even the simplest of riddles.

He was just as puzzled as she was when it dawned on him that she didn’t yet know. His eyes softened and dropped to her stomach and it slowly and painstakingly registered on her face.

“You think I’m having a baby?”

He nodded slightly. “I can hear it.”

“Hear what?”

“The heartbeat.”

Beth’s heart was pounding slightly harder and faster now as she started to panic. And she breathlessly warned, “Josef, don’t joke around about this—”

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this, Beth.”

She stared and didn’t speak for a moment. Then the tears started again. “I’m pregnant?” she whispered, not really asking the question but already knowing it was true. She held her face with her elbows propped up on her knees and cried softly. “Oh, god,” she sniffled, “when I didn’t start this month, I thought it was just stress over Mick’s disappearance.” She hiccupped as she cried. “What am I going to do?”

“Well, you do have options these days…” he began but she was shaking her head.

“I can’t… I can’t deal with this. Not now. Not alone.”

Putting his arm around her shoulders, Josef quietly promised, “You won’t be alone. If you need anything, you know you can just call me.”

Beth leaned into him, unable to hold in her tears, but trying to smile at the same time. “I’m having a baby,” she softly cried. “It’s not exactly the way I wanted it to happen…”

His eyebrows furrowed, he completed her sentence, “But it’s what you want?”

She nodded. “Mick’s baby.” Her crying continued and she leaned into her friend once more. “You have to find him, Josef. He needs to know.”

“I know,” he whispered against her head, still hugging her close.

“Bring him home,” she begged him, “no matter what it takes.”

- - - - - - -

♥

Link to Chapter 5!!

To Life - Chapter 3: Back to Life

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:47:46 GMT

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this – what with out-of-town trips and preparing-our-house-to-sell stress. Hopefully, I’ll have the next couple of chapters finished, edited, beta’d, and posted without too much fuss. :)

Many thanks to embitca for her insight on the name/location of the restaurant mentioned in the show that I’m using in this fic – without her help, I would’ve had it ALL wrong! And *smooches* to htbthomas for the beta!! :D

Enjoy!

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Link to Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2

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Chapter 3: Back to Life

“When did you realize you were in love with me?” Beth wondered as dawn approached. She was lying against Mick’s chest and he was propped up on a pillow against the headboard. They’d been talking about everything in between spending all night getting physically acquainted.

“Hm,” Mick murmured and stopped tickling her arm. “When you kissed me the first time.”

She slapped a hand over her face in embarrassment, trying to hold back her laugh. “Ugh, I was so bold that night. What was wrong with me?”

“I don’t know. You tell me,” he teased.

She chuckled, recalling that special evening that had ended so much differently than either of them had planned. “Actually, I know what it was,” she then realized. “When I fed you,” she paused, almost as if she didn’t want to confess it, “it was…exhilarating.”

“It was?”

She moaned, closing her eyes as she recalled that day. “They say that there’s a fine line between pleasure and pain – I experienced it that day.”

He hugged her tighter. “I felt differently after that too.”

“You did? How?”

Mick’s voice was quiet and serious. “Scared. I was afraid…”

“Of what?” she craned her neck to see his face.

“That I would eventually hurt you or turn you, even if it wasn’t what you wanted.”

“I don’t think you would’ve ever done that,” she comforted.

His face flinched in disagreement. “I wanted to that day, and that’s what scared me.”

She slid her hand up his chest and neck to his face and guided his chin toward her. “But you didn’t, and that’s what matters.” She took a contented breath and let it out. “I came by that night…” she started.

“I know,” he let her in on that secret. “I was here. In fact, I was already on my way to the door when you knocked.”

She smirked knowingly. “I thought you were home,” she snuggled back against him, “and you just didn’t want to answer.”

“I could feel you that night, even through the door,” he told her. “It was different than any time before that.”

She took in a breath and let it out in contentment. “I love that we had that kind of connection.” She changed the subject slightly, “Do you think that we still do?”

“We have so much more now, Beth,” Mick reminded her, kissing the side of her head. “We have this.”

She tilted her head back to receive his now-familiar kiss when her cell phone rang. Groaning, she rolled away from him and retrieved it from the floor beside the bed, pushing the button to answer. “Hello?” she greeted, and had to fight the pleasurable sensation of Mick’s hand on her bare waist and his lips on her shoulder as he scooted close behind her.

It was her boss, Maureen – or “Mo” as she was known to her masses – and she was asking for Beth to come in. To her credit, Beth fought to keep from having to, reminding Mo that she was off until Monday, since she was “grieving” Josh, but eventually, she conceded. “Give me about an hour,” she pleaded and her boss agreed.

She hung up the phone and dropped her arm to the bed, sighing. “I have to go in.”

“I heard.”

“Will you be mad if I go?”

“No,” he promised, kissing her shoulder once more. “Actually, it’ll give me a chance to return some phone calls I’ve been avoiding.”

“Okay,” she said, feeling a little better as she rolled to her back and stretched out underneath him. “I do have some time…” she teased, slipping her arms around his neck. “How about a shower?”

She knew when he slowly grinned that he wasn’t going to turn down that offer.

- - - - - - -

A permanent smile was plastered on Beth’s face as she walked from her car to the BuzzWire offices, and she even caught herself starting to hum. But when she reached for the outer door with her left hand and saw her ring, she knew she didn’t want to have to explain her impromptu marriage to her colleagues just yet. Call it silliness, but she liked being able to share that secret just with Mick, at least for now.

Slipping the ring off her finger with a little struggle, she put it on her right hand’s ring finger where it wouldn’t attract as much attention. She was again wearing her engagement earrings as another more subtle reminder of her new committed relationship; and outwardly, she was prepared to face her coworkers. But the smile might’ve given her away, she knew, so she took a deep breath and put on her typical professional expression as she opened the door and stepped inside.

Mo accosted her before she even reached her desk and handed her a copy of a police report. Beth scanned the page and then wrenched her face. “You called me in to investigate your run-of-the-mill drive-by shooting?”

“Ah, I knew you’d say that,” Mo proclaimed, holding up one finger. Then she revealed, “But I thought the M.O. sounded familiar, so I called one of our sister stations. A similar sixties-style Thunderbird was involved in a shooting in Seattle a few months ago.”

Beth’s eyes widened. “You think those same shooters are in L.A.?”

She nodded. “Matches the vehicle’s description from this morning, plus, the Seattle shooters were never apprehended.”

Sighing, Beth could taste the story there and knew she couldn’t walk away from it, no matter how much she would’ve preferred running back to Mick’s – her new – apartment and spending the day in bed. “Okay, I’ll look into a bit more and see if there are any other locations they might’ve been.”

“That’s my girl,” Mo grinned and walked away.

- - - - - - -

Mick sighed as he went into his office, now having to spend the second day of his honeymoon alone. But it was his own fault – being spontaneous, not planning ahead, and getting wrapped up in the moment – not that he would trade what he had with Beth now for anything in the world. He was happy and alive and so was she, and that was plenty good enough.

And he hadn’t been lying about the things he needed to get done while she was gone. There were at least two phone calls he’d been avoiding – one to collect money due him, and the other, to dispute an overcharged fee for some equipment he’d rented while on a case. When he checked his phone, he discovered a new call and possibly a new case, but he made sure to get the difficult calls out of the way first before moving on to the next one.

The new case was an intriguing one, if nothing else. His potential client, John Wyler, wanted a security system installed in his house and home office, since he’d been burglarized a few times. Wyler also wanted Mick to test the system by trying to break in himself. It was at times like this he wished he did still have his vampire abilities, as it would prove that no human could get in unwanted. But no. He could do just as good a job as a mortal, and he’d do his best to prove it.

Setting an appointment to meet with Wyler just after noon and check out his home to give him an estimate and suggestions for the type of security system he might need, Mick decided to spend the rest of the morning hours working out, since he’d been neglecting fitness more and more since he became human. Now knowing that his body would only get worse, he knew he had to take better care of it than that.

He got up from his desk and emptied his pockets, setting his cell phone down, when he realized that he might miss Beth if she tried to call…and he was suddenly struck with an idea. Picking up his phone, he called his cell…and changed his outgoing message.

- - - - - - -

Ten A.M. rolled around and Beth stretched, realizing she hadn’t gotten up from her desk even once since she sat down to start her investigation. She made a quick trip to the restroom just for a break, and on her way back, pulled her cell phone from her pocket, dialing her newlywed husband’s personal cell phone. She got his answering service and heard his voice: “Hey, honey. I figured you’d be the only one to call me today, so I thought I’d leave you this message in case I wasn’t able to answer the phone. If you think you’ve gotten this message by mistake, you probably have. This is just for the woman I love, my bride.” Beth could practically hear his smile and it was infectious. “I was wondering if you could take a break and have a late lunch with me today. Leave me a message to let me know. I love you.” And then the phone clicked off and beeped.

Beth ducked into the empty conference room to reply. “Hey,” her voice was soft. “I liked that message.” She couldn’t stop smiling. “But that was a little risky, don’t you think? I mean, I know most of your calls go through your office, but what if Josef or Guillermo or one of your other friends calls you?”

She changed the subject, “Anyway, I would love to have lunch with you, but, unfortunately, I don’t think I could get away. How about dinner instead? We could go to Musso’s.” She turned slightly away from the door. “I’ll talk to you soon. I love you,” she whispered into the phone and hung it up, slipping it back into her pocket. Again, she had to restrain her smile to get back to work.

She remembered the way his face had lit up when he talked about that restaurant and knew it had to be one of his favorites – if not the only one. She wanted to share a meal with him there, now that they finally had the chance.

- - - - - - -

Fresh from a cold shower to cool down after his workout, Mick jogged down the stairs to his office, buttoning his shirt on the way. The light on his phone was blinking, so he stopped to check his messages, discovering that the first was from Josef, sarcastically asking if he’d dialed the wrong Mick. Chuckling, he knew he had to call his friend as soon as possible, but when he then heard Beth’s message about meeting for dinner, his priorities changed.

He called her immediately, only slightly disappointed that he got her service instead. Playing phone tag was only sometimes annoying, but with her, it seemed like fun. He grinned all the way through leaving his message, mostly stunned by her restaurant suggestion.

His need to speak to Beth temporarily out of the way, he then called Josef, and had to explain what had led them to their spontaneous decision to elope and not tell anyone. But Josef still complained, “Damn, after all these years of being your friend, I thought I’d earned the right to be your best man, or at least, a witness to your wedding.”

“I’m sorry, Josef – I swear we didn’t do it intentionally. We just weren’t thinking about anything except…getting married.” He chuckled. “Man, can you believe it?”

“Not really,” Josef deadpanned. “Then again, I didn’t think you’d ever get married again after your last experience.”

“It’s a completely different set of circumstances.”

“I’ll say. Now you’re just two regular humans living ‘the dream’.” He spoke the words with almost a tone of distaste. “Planning on getting the house with the white picket fence around it to keep the dog in the yard?”

Mick snorted. “You’re just not going to let this go, are you?”

“No. Why should I? I am hurt, my friend,” Josef proclaimed, but Mick could just picture him with a hand on his chest, overacting the feigned emotion.

“Right,” Mick chortled, disbelieving his friend’s protests. “Is there a reason why you called before?”

“Yeah, but…it can wait. I’ll give you a few days to think about the importance of the real friends in your life.” Mick grinned and shook his head, but Josef wondered, “Are you two going to have a honeymoon?”

“We haven’t really planned one, and it might be difficult to get away now since we both have work. I don’t know. Why?”

“I’m just curious as to how long I need to leave you alone.”

“Well,” Mick realized, “I know one thing: Beth and I would love to have you over for a visit as soon as possible, so don’t worry about that. How’s…tomorrow night?”

“Alright,” he conceded. “If I have to accept this, I guess it’s only fair that I play nice.”

Mick knew Josef had been nothing but nice to Beth since the day he’d met her, so there was no worry there. Still, he pretended that it would mean a lot to him if he did, so Josef agreed. They said their goodbyes, cementing plans for the next evening, and hung up, with Mick happy in the knowledge that he had at least one friend that would be around for all eternity.

- - - - - - -

Two hours later, Beth returned to her desk after a meeting with Mo to discuss where she was on the story, only to find that she had several new messages on her phone. Delighted to see that at least one of them was from Mick, she listened to it with anticipation, wondering just how he would surprise her next. “Musso’s?” he said without even a greeting. “How in the world did you remember that? Even though I didn’t think it was possible, Beth, I think I love you more because you suggested that place.

“Yes, I would love to have dinner with you at Musso’s. I’ll make the reservations and since I assume you’ll be working until the very last minute, I’ll meet you there. Seven o’clock?”

She saved the message and hung up, staring with girlish glee at her phone. “Seven, it is,” she thought out loud, vowing that come hell or high water, she would get this story put to bed in time for her to leave to make that dinner meeting. Then she sighed when she realized that lunch would have to be a risky sandwich from the break room’s vending machine or a quick trip across the street to the deli. She chose the latter option and realized she might just be able to find an overeager intern willing enough to run that errand for her. Finding one, her lunch problem was solved and she had more time to get her work done to achieve her dinnertime goal.

By six o’clock, she’d done her report, alerting the public to be on the lookout for the tan Thunderbird, as the occupants were wanted in five related shootings over the past six months in various cities. She promised more information as it was available, and ended her report, quickly passing off her microphone and getting compliments from her boss for a job well done. But she didn’t dawdle; with apologetic excuses, she hurried to her desk for her purse, and rushed to her car to make it to her old apartment to change and then to the restaurant in time for dinner.

- - - - - - -

“So, I’ll get started first thing tomorrow?” Mick concluded, trying to end the meeting with Wyler so that he could make his dinner date with his bride. They walked together through the front door and on to the front sidewalk, finalizing the plans. Mr. Wyler seemed to be a worthy client, and had already paid a deposit on the work Mick was to do, and Mick was just thrilled to have an easy job to start out his new mortal life.

They were just shaking hands when they heard the squeal of tires, and turned to see a light-colored, old-style car come speeding up the road. Mick’s eyes furrowed but he didn’t think much about it until he saw the dark tinted window roll down halfway and the end of a rifle appeared. Within a split second, he yelled for Wyler to get down and dove to cover his client, and shots were fired all at once. It didn’t seem like it had all really happened until it was over and the sounds of the car were long gone.

His eyes closed and feeling pain in his back, Mick struggled to his feet, grimacing. He panicked a little when he saw blood on Mr. Wyler’s shirt. “Are you hurt?” he asked, panting for breath.

Wyler shook his head, his eyes wide. He pointed to Mick’s chest. “I-I-I think you are, though.”

Looking down at his own body, Mick’s chest suddenly constricted in shock. His shirt was soaked in blood, with a hole right above his left nipple, where his heart rested beneath his ribs. There was so much blood, in fact, that he had to assume that he’d actually been unconscious for at least a couple of minutes. But how could that be possible?

One touch to his back revealed the horrible truth when he drew back bloody fingertips. Touching his chest and finding that the through-and-through wound was no longer bleeding profusely told him the whole story. And being able to hear and see Wyler’s pulse and feeling thirstily drawn to it cemented the inevitable. He was a vampire again.

“No,” he murmured in disbelief. And then anger took over. “No! NO!!” Not now, not YET! It couldn’t be happening – he must be dreaming. But that didn’t explain how he could feel his body getting colder, how the setting sun was beginning to hurt the way it used to, or how every sound was amplified a thousand fold. There was no denying it, no matter how hard he tried.

Panicked and afraid of what other humans would think, especially this man who was still laying on the ground, staring up at him in fear, Mick did the only thing he knew how to do with his fifty years of experience: he ran.

- - - - - - -

Link to Chapter 4!!

ML/SPN X-over Fic - To Be with You - Pt. 5 (Complete)

Wed, 07 May 2008 01:01:52 GMT

Just click on the "moonlight fic: to be with you" tag to read the rest of this story. :)

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Part 5:

Fortunately, the boys knew their place and stood up cautiously, each rubbing at their wrists. Beth rejoined her friends and sat on the couch beside Mick. Dean appeared sheepish as he came to stand on the other side of the coffee table and said, “Sorry about, you know, shooting you and all. If we’d known about this cure…”

Sam nodded in concurrence with his brother, but had one question forming in his mind. “Yeah, it just makes me wonder: If this cure really works – which you’ve proven – why don’t you use it too?” he asked of Josef.

Josef had been busy eyeing the two men warily, making sure they stuck to their word and didn’t try to attack them once more. So Mick answered for him. “Josef is…one of the oldest vampires we know. I think he prefers it to mortality.”

“How old are you? If you don’t mind me asking,” Sam queried curiously.

“I do mind,” Josef stated, leaving his reply at that. “But Mick is right – I don’t think I could go back to a mundane human life at this point.” He took a step toward them and crossed his arms. “And now I wonder what your plans are now for my fellow immortals.”

The brothers looked to each other, shrugging, and Dean voiced their thoughts first. “Well, this has definitely been an educational experience.”

“Yeah,” Sam agreed. “We’ve never come across vampires with morals before. We’ll be sure to take it one case at a time from now on.”

“You know: Shoot first, ask questions, then eliminate them if necessary,” Dean added. Then he wondered, “Are there many out there like you guys? You know, looking for a cure?”

“Not that I know of,” Coraline replied. “I only wanted it for Mick’s sake because I turned him against his will.” She held up the small silver box. “Most vamps would probably see this as a threat to their existence…which is why I’m going to hide it.”

Sam pointed out, “But this is revolutionary. I mean, if Dean and I could use it, we could save lives instead of having to kill vamps to stop them from killing humans.”

Coraline started to open her mouth to protest, but she paused to think before giving her opinion. “Perhaps we can talk to work out a deal. For the most part, we have to keep this a secret. If those who oppose the cure find out about it, they might come after Mick or me or anyone else that has changed back.”

A feeling of community settled in the room, as if the worlds between mortals and immortals were lining up in some sort of harmony. But a sneering, seething voice cut through their temporary contentment. It was coming from the top of the stairs. “Well, well, well, look at this. My dear sister giving away all our secrets.” All eyes turned and watched as Lance sniffed the air, flanked on each side by his cohorts. “And as a human too,” he spoke the word with distaste and his face took on an even more evil look than usual with his one eye that was solid black. “How disappointing.”

The group was frozen, each mind racing as to how to go about defending themselves from this vampire and his two immortal lackeys. Josef was busy berating himself for being the only vampire in the room that hadn’t noticed the three intruders’ entrance. It was then he realized that the click of the upstairs balcony door he’d faintly heard had been them and not that persistent bird that liked its own reflection.

Mick unconsciously drew Beth closer to his side, trying to shield her from them with his arm around her as if that would help. And he was wide-eyed, unblinking, waiting for them to make a move – not that he had any idea of what they would do then. As a vamp, he’d had a few options; as a human, he was as helpless as she was.

Knowing this truth, Josef stepped a few feet closer, purposely putting himself between the humans and the vamps. “You’re Lance, right?” he asked, trying to keep the tension on even ground. “I’ve heard about you.”

“Josef Kostan,” Lance replied, walking down two more steps, followed immediately by his companions. It was clear that Lance wasn’t going to allow Josef to have the upper hand in the conversation by being unknown. “I have a respect for your age, Josef. I don’t want to have to kill you to get what I came for.”

Mick stood, pulling Beth up with him, still shielding her with his body, and began slowly guiding her toward his office as Josef moved to the foot of the stairs, chatting with the other immortal as if to distract him. Once Mick and Beth had cleared the couch, he tugged Coraline’s sleeve to get her to come as well.

Meanwhile, Dean and Sam were eyeing the table where Beth had stashed their guns that they could use in this situation. They were just in front of the couch and the table was behind it, but if they moved even a little bit, they knew they’d be toast. They had to wait for just the right moment.

Josef had questioned what it was Lance had come for, pretending he didn’t know, just to stall for time for the others to get in position. It was unlikely that the situation would be resolved without a fight, and they all knew it. And just before Mick could get the three of them safely behind the door to his office, Lance lunged for Josef to knock him out of the way first, and threw him to his two guard dogs while he made a beeline for Coraline hiding behind Mick.

His teeth bared, Josef fought with his assailants, tossing one aside, just as the Winchesters grabbed for their guns and made sure they were loaded. But the tossed vamp saw what they were doing and jumped toward them, grabbing Sam and knocking him to the ground along with the gun in Dean’s hand, several feet the other direction. With his hands around the vamp’s neck, Sam fought to hold him off. Dean grabbed a vase and hit him on the back of the head, breaking it into tiny pieces. Nothing happened and the immortal continued to attack. “Dean! Do something!!” Sam pleaded through clenched lips.

“I’m trying!” Dean tripped over his brother and rushed to the crawl under the long table where his gun had slid to retrieve it; Sam’s gun had disappeared.

On the other side of the room and as soon as Lance had made the first move, Mick had darted into the office, pushing the women in first, but he didn’t get the door shut in time. Beth ran and hid behind the desk, dragging Coraline with her, but once Lance had hit Mick enough to have him dazed, he came after his sister with a vengeance. The girls backed up against the wall of windows in fear; Beth saw her love on the other side of the room bleeding and staggering to stand up, and wished she could help him instead of cowering in fear as she was.

There were several shots in the living room and Lance spun around to see one of his cohorts recoil and slam against the side of the stairs before sliding to the ground. He growled, but when Josef’s adversary left him to tend to his friend, he chuckled meanly and turned back to Coraline. “Now you see what’s happened? Why must it come to this, dear sister, when all I want is that cure?”

“You can’t have it,” she proclaimed. “You’ll destroy it.”

“It’s mine to destroy, if that’s what I wish.”

Beth spoke up, “If she gives it to you, will you let her go?”

Lance laughed as if he couldn’t believe he was entertaining conversation from mere humans. “No,” he didn’t bother hiding. He glared at his sister. “Coraline has debts to pay.”

Three more shots rang out; this time, getting more of Lance’s attention when he knew he could be the only one left against all of them. But before he’d even turned around completely, Josef had successfully tackled him to the ground and the two began to tussle. Beth used the opportunity to rush to Mick’s side and make sure he was okay, and then she hurried the three of them back out of the room and out of harm’s way of the two wrestling vampires.

Mick lowered his body to the couch, clutching his sore head with one hand while Beth assessed the room. “Where’s Sam?” she asked as Dean reloaded his gun with more silver bullets.

“I sent him down to the car to get more of that herbal concoction.” He shrugged. “We figured you guys at least wouldn’t want these three to live.”

“Beheading is faster,” Mick pointed out. Using her tail of her shirt, Beth dabbed at Mick’s forehead wound and discovered that it wasn’t very deep and it had already stopped bleeding.

“I know,” Dean was saying, “but… Sam doesn’t really go for that anymore, since he had to use barbed wire to behead a friend who’d been turned.”

Mick grimaced, picturing that in his mind, and they all suddenly jumped with the sound of a crash in the office. Armed and ready, Dean headed for the doorway, studied the ongoing fight in the room, and disappeared out of their line of sight. Sam opened the front door and hurried inside with a bundled up shirt and set it down on the table, opening it to reveal three more syringes full of the stuff they needed to end the vamps’ lives in the most humane way they knew how.

The vampire lying by the stairs was still conscious but mostly out of commission with two wounds to his chest and a third in his neck. Sam injected him and tossed the syringe over his shoulder to deal with the other one, and soon, he too was on his way to a slow but mostly painless death.

Josef and Lance were still fighting, banging against the walls now and then, shoving the furniture out of the way, knocking things down; Dean was stuck in the corner, trying to find a good shot at Lance, but was starting to get frustrated. Finally, knowing that silver bullets wouldn’t kill either of them, he took a shot and another and another, until the two stilled.

The four humans in the other room listened and watched intently to see who would emerge from the office first. Dean stuck his head out and gestured for his brother to come in with the last syringe. “One more in here, bro.”

Mick stood up with the intent to walk over to the door to check on the status of his friend, when Josef came out of the office, clutching his arm. He made eye contact with each of them, conveying that he was alright, and then told Beth, “Nice shot, that friend of yours.”

There were traces of pain and humor in his tone, and when he moved his hand from his arm, they knew he’d been hit. Mick checked out his wound, commenting, “Looks like it went right through.”

“Well, that’s good news. Still hurts like hell.”

“I’ll get you some blood,” Beth offered, and moved toward the kitchen to do so.

The brothers walked back into the room, just as Beth was handing Josef a pouch of blood.

Stepping forward, Coraline asked hesitantly about her brother. “Is he…dead?”

“No,” Sam replied. “Not yet. It’ll take a little bit of time.”

Without hesitation, she went back into the room, presumably to speak to her brother for the last time. The rest of them knew just to give her the time she needed to say her goodbyes. Still, Dean warned, “Don’t get too close.”

Josef walked over to sit in a chair and Beth took the pouch from him to help him rip it open. Then she went to sit on the arm of the couch next to Mick where he was chatting with the boys.

Dean was saying, “We’re used to leaving our dead bodies where they lay, but since this is your apartment…”

Mick nodded. “We’ll take care of the cleanup. In fact, you should probably go before it’s discovered that you were the ones responsible for Lance’s death. Josef and I will take the rap.”

“No, I will,” Josef disagreed and they all turned to look behind Mick at his friend. He explained, “You’re no longer a vampire, Mick. Explaining to the cleaner what happened here tonight will not be possible for you anymore. You should be far from here as well.”

“You can come to my place,” Beth offered unthinkingly, and then blushed when all the male eyes looked at her. “I mean, you know, until it’s safe to come back.”

“It may never be safe here for you again,” Josef went on as he stood up again; his wound was already healed. “Once word gets out, Lance and Coraline’s other brothers might come to seek revenge.”

“You’re saying I should move?” Mick questioned.

With a nod, Josef offered, “And I just happen to know of a vamp that’s currently homeless…”

Mick sensed what Josef was alluding to and he smirked, “You want my apartment.”

Josef shrugged. “It’s not a bad place, okay neighborhood; and you already have a freezer that you’re not going to use anymore.”

Rolling his eyes, Mick answered, “Yeah, yeah, we’ll talk about it.”

Coraline reappeared with her eyes red and teary from crying. “It’s over,” she announced. “He’s getting weaker, and even with all of our disagreements, I can’t sit and watch my brother die.”

Standing, Mick reached out for his former wife and gently pulled her in close until he was hugging her. Beth stood beside them both, comfortingly placing a hand on Coraline’s shoulder in silent emotional support.

“Well, I hate to break up the festivities,” Josef concluded with his usual sardonic tone, “but rotting immortal flesh will not do well for the resale value of this apartment.”

“Yes,” Coraline stood up again, drying her face. “I need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

Josef amended, “All of you need to leave, since I’m the only one of our kind left here. So, if you’ll make your goodbyes short…” he gestured with both hands as if shooing them to the door.

Beth turned to her old college boyfriend and half-smiled. “Dean, thank you for helping us out tonight. I don’t know what we would’ve done…”

“All in a day’s work,” he joked. Then he eyed Mick. “It definitely worked out a lot differently than I thought it would.”

She shared a look with Mick and had to agree. “Yes, it did,” she murmured, leaning into him as he wrapped his arm around her.

Dean took a step back, heading for the door, and stopped to ask curiously, “Just answer one thing: did you fall in love with him after you knew he was a vampire?”

“Yeah,” she shrugged, admitting it openly. “It was the only way he could’ve saved me as a child and serve as my protector as I was growing up, and that’s part of what attracted me to him.”

“Amazing,” Dean shook his head, speaking sarcastically. It was clear that he was still just a tad jealous.

Retracting his arm from Beth so that he could shake hands with the other two men, Mick spoke gratefully, “Again, thank you for your help tonight.”

“Yeah,” Dean remarked as he shook his offered hand. “And I’m sorry about the whole attack, you know…” he bobbed his head childishly.

“Yeah, I do. Good thing it all worked out,” he teased, and then turned his attention to the younger brother. “Sam,” he shook his hand as well, “it’s been interesting.”

“I’ll say,” Sam laughed. “Coraline, if you need some help disappearing, Dean and I have some experience with that. And maybe we could discuss getting some of that cure from you…?”

She nodded in agreement, and then hurriedly said farewell to Mick, Beth, and Josef, not knowing when or if she’d ever be able to come back or see them again. Then the Winchesters and Coraline walked out together.

Beth and Mick turned to Josef and hesitated leaving him to deal with things alone. “You have to get out of here, too,” Josef reminded them. “Come on, stop with the long faces. I know that you two are just itching to be alone after tonight’s events.”

Mick was still concerned. “Are you sure you can handle this okay by yourself?”

“Please,” Josef scoffed, putting his hands on his hips. “I’m going to enjoy taking the credit for this.”

Chuckling because he knew that his friend would jump at the chance to take responsibility for eliminating that menace, Lance, Mick clasped his friend’s hand and then gave him a friendly one-armed hug. “I’ll come by tomorrow to discuss the apartment. But for now, my house is yours.”

Josef smiled. “Yup.”

“Stay out of my files,” Mick warned with a pointed finger of warning, and then he walked with Beth to the door after she too had hugged Josef goodbye and thanked him for his help.

The couple walked side-by-side to the elevator and except for the guiding of his hand in the small of her back as they walked through his apartment door, they didn’t touch either. Beth was starting to feel anxiety building up inside of her, mainly because she hadn’t once heard what Mick thought about anything she’d admitted throughout the evening. Yes, she was in love with him, but had she jumped ahead of herself by believing that he felt the same way? Now that he was human again, would he even want to waste his time with her anymore?

By the time they reached the lobby, she was a bundle of nerves. She was trying to come up with a casual question to start the conversation, knowing that confirming that they were going to go to her apartment was a good place to begin, but finding it difficult to get her tongue to form words. She was ready to give up, convincing herself that they were just friends and would always be ‘just friends’ as they stepped outside onto the sidewalk, when he suddenly grabbed her hand, pulled her into the alley into his arms, and kissed her completely. She fell into it, feeling the tension melting away from her body with the tingling sensation that traveled all the way down to her toes. In just that one kiss, she’d become jell-o in his arms. She was thankful that he had her pressed against the wall of his building and he was holding her up completely, or else, she might’ve crumbled to the ground.

When they parted, Beth found it difficult to force her eyes to open, but when they did, she was staring up at his loving gaze on her. “For the record,” he mumbled huskily, “I love you too.”

“You do?” she smiled, slipping her arms more securely around his neck. “When you didn’t say anything…”

“I wasn’t going to in front of everyone. I wanted to share this moment with you, not them.”

She was pleased with his answer, but searched his eyes with one more question on her mind. “How long?”

“How long have I wanted to tell you? Or, how long have I loved you?”

“Both,” she grinned completely.

“Since you walked back into my life, and stole my heart all over again.”

She kissed him for that answer.

He went on, “I’m just glad I can now share my life with you. I’m human again.”

He was laughing blissfully and Beth joined in, hugging him tight. “How does it feel?” she asked with her head over his shoulder.

“Amazing,” he pulled back to cup her face. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, adding, “Even touching you feels different. And so much better.”

She turned her head to kiss the palm of his hand, and questioned, “Well, what do you want to do first? Get something to eat?”

He shook his head, thinking. “Let’s go for a walk.”

“A walk? Aren’t you tired?”

Shaking negatively, she knew he must still be in a sort of shock and the reality hadn’t quite hit him yet. But he was also going to enjoy every second of it, no matter what. He stepped back and reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers and smiling for all he was worth. “All I need and want right now is to go to the beach and stay there to watch the sun rise,” he told her, “...just to be with you.”

~The End

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!! :D

ML/SPN X-over Fic - To Be with You - Pt. 4

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:58:03 GMT

Just click the "moonlight fic: to be with you" tag to read the rest of this story. :)

- - - - - - -

Part 4:

The Winchesters were the lucky ones, since Beth hadn’t been alone on the elevator and it made a couple of stops on the way up to Mick’s floor. In the meantime, the boys were able to knock and wait for Mick to answer, calmly asking to speak to Beth before they charged in once the door was open, with their weapons loaded and ready. Dean shot Mick in the shoulder twice, knocking him to the floor, and then told Sam to look around the apartment for “the other one”. Mick stumbled further into the apartment away from them, struggling with the silver bullets that were beginning to poison his body. But Dean got to him with a loaded syringe before he rounded the couch, and injected it into his bicep.

“There. That should take care of him,” he commented to no one in particular, just as Beth charged in. And in a force she didn’t know she had in her, she grabbed Dean away from Mick, pushed him against the wall partition and glared at him before shoving him out of the way to give her attention to Mick.

“Mick!” she cried, bending over him. “Oh, god, Mick.” She fidgeted, grasping at anything and everything in her memory that she could do to help. But she just felt helpless. He’d been shot and Dean and Sam weren’t going to leave until he was dead. She had to do something to stop them.

She glanced up to the furniture, remembering the gun he’d stashed there earlier that evening and had an idea. “Let me get you to the couch,” she said to Mick as a ploy to get to the gun. She helped him up and he limped with her help to plop down on the couch and lay down, clutching his shoulder. Then she slid her hand under the cushions, and with an imperceptible nod to Mick, she pulled the gun out and stood up, pointing it straight at Dean. “Put the gun down,” she spoke forcefully.

“Whoa,” Dean held his hands up. “Sneaky. Didn’t know you had it in you, Beth.”

She gritted her teeth. “Pull the gun from your waistband and set it on the table.”

“Alright, alright,” he commented, but did what she said. “Can’t we just talk about this?”

“I gave you the chance to listen downstairs, but you wouldn’t, so…just slide the gun over.”

He did that too. She picked up his gun and handed it to Mick just as she heard Sam’s footsteps coming back down the stairs. She spun on her heel and while Mick kept Dean at bay, she forced Sam’s gun away from him in the same manner.

“There’s…rope under the sink,” Mick told her when Sam was neutralized. After making Sam come to sit in the chairs opposite Mick with Dean, she handed Mick the second gun and took his with her to retrieve the rope and two of Mick’s dining room chairs. He was able to hold both of them, but she knew he was quickly becoming weaker, especially when he cried out for her to hurry.

Forcing the guys at gunpoint to sit in the two chairs back-to-back on the other side of the coffee table, she tied them up and made sure she did a damn fine job. Dean kept making snide comments throughout the whole ordeal, but she did her best to ignore them.

Once they were secure, she could tend to Mick’s needs, and she breathlessly asked him, “Where’s the first aid kit?”

“In the kitchen – the drawer by the sink.”

She ran to get that and ripped open some gauze to press against his bullet wounds. “What do I do, Mick?”

He grabbed her wrist with his free arm and told her, “You’re going to have to get the bullets out. They’re silver,” he grimaced with pain.

“H-how?”

“Pliers,” he explained. “In the toolbox. Under the sink”

She rushed over to retrieve the toolbox, dragged it out to set it on the counter, and dug through the tools until she found them. She hurried back when the realization of what she was about to do hit her. “Uh,” she groaned, feeling her stomach flop with nausea. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“You can do it, Beth. Just reach in and dig them out. I’ll be fine.” He tried to smile but it was weak. “Just like you did with the stake that time, okay?”

She tried to smile with the memory, but found it difficult. “Okay,” she nodded, blinking to gather her courage. She lifted the gauze and felt another flip in her midsection, forcing it away so that she could focus. She could see one bullet close to the surface of its wound, so she dug into that one first, apologizing to him for the pain as she tugged at it until it was free. Setting that one on the table behind her, she soaked up the excess blood with the gauze and moved on to the second wound. “How could you do this to him?” she blurted out to the boys, only in part to make sure they were staying put while her back was turned and not just to distract her mind from what she was doing.

“It had to be done,” Dean replied, and she was relieved to hear his voice in the same location as before. “We didn’t have a choice.”

She pushed away the hair from her face with the back of her hand, realizing all at once that she was sweating. “You always have a choice,” she argued, just as she found the location of the second bullet when it tapped the tip of the pliers. And it was deep. Mick’s moans were increasingly louder than with the first one as she worked to pull it out. Between apologies for hurting him, she cursed at Dean, “Why does your motto have to be ‘shoot first and ask questions later’?!”

“It’s a lot safer way of working in our business,” he spoke calmly – exactly the opposite of her current anxiety. “Otherwise, we might be the ones who get killed.”

The second bullet free, Beth wiped her brow and took a deep breath to focus her full attention on Mick once more. “Now you need blood,” she knew. “Is there some in the—”

He nodded. “In the cooler.”

Disregarding how she must look to her former boyfriend with her hair damp and matted and disheveled, she dashed to Mick’s secret cooler, carefully moving the glass out of the way to get to it, and came back with several pouches. “What do I do? Rip them open?”

“Give one to me,” he instructed, and then with all he had, he tore off the end of the tube with his good arm. Beth had to help him squeeze it so that he could drink.

Dean scoffed. “Just look at yourself, Beth. Feeding blood to a vampire – it’s not exactly a fairy tale.”

“Shut up, Dean.” She didn’t even look over her shoulder at him while she worked to make Mick better.

“I’m just saying… If you’re looking for romance, you found it in the wrong place.”

“Oh, what? And what I had with you was better?”

“I never would’ve subjected you to this,” he reiterated. He shook his head. “It amazing what foolish things someone does for love.” Beth didn’t reply, paying more attention at the moment at the way Mick didn’t seem to be improving all that much – or at least not quickly enough to satisfy her. Sure, his wounds were healing as miraculously as they always did, slowly, but he was still weak. Dean was continuing to babble about something, but she did catch it when he said, “I’m right, right? You love him, don’t you?”

Catching Mick’s gaze as he drank, she held it and couldn’t answer. And Dean then voiced her thoughts, “Of course you do. You wouldn’t be sitting there, doing what you’re doing if you didn’t love him. I just have to wonder why.”

She whipped her head around to glare at Dean. “You don’t know anything about Mick or what he’s done for us!”

“Oh yeah,” he snorted sarcastically. “Like eating us for lunch.”

She’d had enough and stood to her feet, still holding a pouch. “Shows what you know. He doesn’t kill people and hasn’t had a live feeding in more than twenty years. Why do you think he keeps a stash of these,” she held up and shook the pouch, “in his house?!”

That shut up Dean, at least temporarily, and left him with a stunned expression on his face.

She knelt back down beside the couch and calmed once more, worrying so much more about him. “Why aren’t you getting better?” she wondered out loud when his improvement was minimal.

He pulled the tube from his mouth. “Must be the syringe,” Mick forced out. “He injected me with something.”

“What?” Shocked, Beth stood up and stared at him for a moment, processing what he’d just informed her. “What did he give you?” she asked ridiculously, and then stormed over to Dean. Grabbing the front of his shirt, not hiding the fire in her eyes, she demanded to know, “What did you give him?!”

“Just a little something that drinking blood won’t cure.”

She let him go and backed off, stunned and scared. “How could you?” she whispered desperately, and then stood in the middle of the living room, her eyes darting back and forth, fretfully knowing that she just didn’t have the knowledge required to make him better. She moved back to Mick’s side, feeling tears forming in her eyes. “What do I do?” she asked as she knelt once more, holding onto Mick’s hand with both of hers.

He covered her hands with his free one, blinked hard as if fighting unconsciousness, and spoke calmly, “Call Josef. Tell him to come…quick.” She was practically already headed for his phone on the counter and was dialing before he even finished his sentence.

She quickly relayed Mick’s condition and was relieved when Josef said that he was already on his way back. But she still told him to hurry. She didn’t voice it, but she honestly didn’t think Mick was going to hang on much longer. While she waited, she knelt back in her place on the floor, held Mick’s hand and brushed his forehead with the other. “Hang in there,” she whispered. “Don’t leave me.” She kissed his head, hoping that the intimate contact would encourage him to hold on a bit longer.

Josef let himself in several minutes later…but he wasn’t alone. Coraline was right behind him, alive and well. When she saw her, Beth stood up in mild shock and fear and stepped back, but the other woman smiled slightly. “Hi, Beth,” she stated simply and affably.

Hearing her voice, Mick lifted his head from the pillow an inch. “Coraline?” He was too weak to continue holding it up and rested once more. He peered at Josef over the back of the couch. “You found her?”

Josef came around the wall first, answering, “Yes, I was right about our mutual friend. He knew exactly where she was.” Eyeing their prisoners almost hungrily from his position across the room, Josef asked, “What’s the story with these two?”

“They’re hunters,” Beth proclaimed. “They gave Mick some kind of poisonous injection.”

Obviously debating whether to take care of their prisoners first or concern himself with Mick’s condition, he went with the latter, when it appeared the humans were tied and helpless. “Where’s the syringe?” he asked Beth.

“I don’t know,” she realized, glancing around the room. “I didn’t think to look— There,” she pointed to a needle laying on the floor near the table on the edge of the room.

Josef retrieved it and held it to his nose, inspecting it. “Some kind of herbal combination,” he told them. Then he rolled the syringe around in his fingers. “I’ve heard that there’s a collection of herbs that, when combined, can kill a vamp, but…usually they don’t get close enough to use it.”

Beth lifted the cloth she’d had pressed against Mick’s healing shoulder wounds.

“Oh, I see. Silver bullets, huh?” He smirked, “Works every time. Did you get them out?”

“Yes. And I gave him blood.”

Josef smirked as he moved closer to examine the patient. “Fresh would’ve been better. Didn’t you offer?” he teased Beth and she glared in response. But that didn’t stop him from going on, “Isn’t that what you usually do?”

“Mick’s dying,” she said seriously. “Joke later.” She gazed down at Mick’s weakened body. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Well,” Josef said as he lowered his body to sit on the coffee table, “to be honest, I’ve never heard if there’s a cure for that combination. Every one of our kind that has come up against it has…eventually died from it.”

Fresh tears burned Beth’s eyes. “Well, there must be something we can do, to try…” she begged.

“There is something…” Coraline began, but Josef looked at her sharply.

“Coraline, no. Not now.”

“Think about it, Josef. The blood would heal his wounds from the silver, and the rest is just…herbs, which are harmless to humans. It makes sense.”

Beth went from looking at Coraline standing behind Mick’s head to Josef, who was being unusually reticent. “Uh, somebody care to fill me in?”

It was Mick who explained by weakly saying, “She’s still human.”

Darting her gaze back up to Coraline, Beth wondered, “How? I thought we agreed that she had to have turned back to have disappeared so quickly from the hospital.”

“I did,” Coraline confessed. “The mortal cure I have now is permanent.”

There was a dead silence in the room for several seconds until Coraline prodded, “I could give it to Mick – it might just be the only thing that will save his life.”

“Then let’s do it,” Beth exclaimed enthusiastically, but they didn’t have all the votes just yet. Both women waited for Mick’s thoughts on the matter.

With a temporary renewed sense of strength, Mick’s eyes opened and locked with Beth’s and he admitted, “I don’t want to go yet. If there’s a chance…” his voice cracked. “I never wanted to be a vampire.”

With the bullets out and healing and Mick close to losing consciousness, Josef and Beth and Coraline all exchanged looks, trying to think what would be best for Mick, knowing that Josef would be the only voice of dissention among them. “Fine,” Josef conceded when he knew he was outnumbered. “I wash my hands from whatever you decide to do.” And he stepped out of the way to prove it.

Mick’s breathing had slowed, his eyes were once again closed, and he looked pale. Determining that he was going to die if they did nothing, Beth nodded to Coraline. “Do it.”

“Okay, give me some room,” Coraline instructed, dropping her coat to the hall table. “I’ll need a sharp knife.”

Beth rushed over to the weapon box and set it on the table to open it, and came back just as Coraline was getting situated on the coffee table with a small, silver box in hand. She went about making a long cut on Mick’s arm – Beth noticed with some horror that he didn’t even flinch – and then spread something that looked like hamburger meat on the open wound. When she was done, she closed the box and sat back.

“That’s it?” Beth asked, and Coraline nodded.

“It soaks in through the bloodstream and works from there, spreading out. Now we just have to wait to see if it helps.”

She covered the cut with gauze and tape that Beth handed her, and then got up to move and make room for the other woman. But she didn’t take the seat and instead knelt close to him once more where she had been before, holding his hand. Every few seconds, she’d feel for a pulse, but he was not only still and unmoving, but almost cold to the touch. If she hadn’t had such hope that he would survive, she would’ve been sure that he was truly dead.

But after five minutes, she began to lose that hope she clung to, and the tears that had been threatening since she walked in and found him so wounded began to fall freely down her cheeks. Angry, she got up and stalked over to Dean, slapping him across the face. “You’ve killed him!”

“Hey!” he recoiled. “I’m sorry! If I’d known that you had such strong feelings for him, maybe I wouldn’t have!” His tone changed, “But you can’t blame me for doing my job, okay?”

“Your job? Your job?? Do you know what Mick made his job for the last twenty years? Protecting me! He saved me when I was a little girl and he’s been taking care of me ever since! I considered him my guardian angel – and you’ve just killed him! All because you think the only way to do your job is to kill those that are different than you. You’re the judge, jury, and executioner all in one,” she shook her head disgustedly.

“Hey, I said I was sorry!” he spoke just as loudly as she was. “I was actually rooting for that cure thing to work.”

“Well, it obviously didn’t,” she began to cry harder. “And now, he’s gone from my life forever.”

She broke down then, sobbing into her hands as bent down and turned away from Dean. She was crying hard, so loudly that she didn’t hear the faint calling of her name the first time. But the second time was louder and she immediately quieted when she heard Mick’s voice saying, “Beth.”

She sniffed and dried her eyes as her face turned toward the couch and she saw Mick reaching out for her with one hand, gesturing for her to come back. That’s when she gasped and ran over to him, and knelt beside him, hugging him as best she could with his arms around her. She didn’t even contemplate what exactly had transpired until she felt a soft rhythm in his chest beneath her cheek. He was alive.

Sitting up from Mick’s chest, Beth touched his face and felt warmth and she searched his eyes as she mumbled, “Mick, you’re…”

“Human,” he finished for her and faintly smiled.

Without any hesitation and just a small gasp, Beth leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, kissing him triumphantly. Then she sat back on her heels to speak to Coraline, still clinging to Mick, sniffing and wiping her face. “Is he going to be okay? You said this was permanent?”

“It is,” Coraline vowed. “After the hospital, I went back to working on the cure again, and within days, we’d figured out the missing ingredient to make it permanent. I was…planning to come over here to give it to Mick this evening when Josef found me.”

“Wait,” piped up Sam finally, after almost an hour of letting his brother speak and joke and pester them while they worked and waited. “Are you saying that you’ve actually created a permanent cure for vampirism?”

“Mm hmm,” nodded Coraline affirmatively. “I borrowed the original, temporary sample from some other vamps and worked on it personally until I had the formula right.”

“Why would you do that? I thought you vamps liked having immortality,” Sam continued to question.

“We do, usually, but Mick didn’t.”

“So you did it for him?”

She nodded again.

Mick’s strength was returning and he was able to sit up a little. And in the meantime, he was piecing what Coraline was saying all together with what he knew. “Wait a second, by ‘borrowed’, do you mean that you ‘stole’ the sample from Lance?”

Coraline’s eyes widened. “How do you know that name?”

“He came to visit me earlier this evening.”

Dean realized, “Oh, those three creepy dudes?” Four sets of eyes glared at him to shut him up. “Okay, sorry,” he said, lifting his hands up defensively, even though they were still tied at the wrists.

“Who were they, Coraline?” Mick prodded.

Sighing, she sat down on the opposite arm of the couch and began to tell him the story of how she’d become a vamp, including the incredible tale of King Louis the Sixteenth’s royal vampire bloodline, admitting reluctantly that she was part of it. Lance was her brother and someone who wanted to keep the cure locked away for good, and she’d gone boldly against him by stealing and modifying it. Dean and Sam were just as glued to the story as the others were, only butting in twice to clarify and confirm some of the almost unbelievable details.

“I’m going into hiding,” Coraline confessed when she was through. “A new name, a new city… It’s the only way I’m going to be able to live my life without him trying to take me back.”

“Another ‘Morgan’?” Mick asked pointedly, but she shook her head.

“I like photography, but ‘Morgan Vincent’ is dead. I’ll have to start over.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dean interrupted. “Call me slow on the uptake, but are you saying that you were Morgan Vincent?” They all nodded in confirmation. “See, Sam?” he tossed over his shoulder. “I told you that there was something otherworldly going on.”

Sam rolled his eyes, but agreed. “Well, it seems our work here is done. We found the reason behind Morgan’s disappearance, she’s alive and well, and everybody seems happy, so…why don’t you guys just let us go?”

“Yeah, right,” Beth was the first to speak. “After what you did to Mick?”

“I said I was sorry,” Dean replied, “and we’re obviously not going to try to kill him now if he’s human, so we’ll just call it a draw and walk away.”

“No, I don’t think so,” she retorted.

Josef concurred, “I’m inclined to agree with Beth.”

“Let ‘em go,” Mick told them, getting everyone’s attention. He sat up completely, swinging his feet to the floor, massaging and stretching his shoulder. But it was mainly Beth that he was speaking to, as he gently squeezed her hand in his. “If I’m not holding any grudges against them for what they did, why should you?”

“Well, since I’m the only immortal left in the room and the only one in danger of being eliminated by these two,” Josef said, “I suppose that’s my cue to leave.”

“No, Josef, I don’t think they’ll be any problem to us now, especially since we have their weapons. Right, guys?”

Both Dean and Sam affirmatively agreed, not that they would’ve had much choice given the circumstances.

“Beth, please go ahead and release them,” Mick requested and she reluctantly conceded. And she did so without looking Dean in the eye.

- - - - - - -

ML/SPN X-over Fic - To Be with You - Pt. 3

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:55:02 GMT

Just click the "moonlight fic: to be with you" tag to read the rest of this story. :)

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Part 3:

Crunch, crunch, cr-crunch. Sam was just finding solace in the sudden quiet when it started up again. Crunch, crunch-crunch-crunch. “Dean, do you mind?” Sam finally burst. “How can you eat that crap anyway?” he asked, gesturing to the bag of pork rinds with his eyes.

“Hey, I offered you some,” Dean defended and went on crunching.

“Yeah, well, it stinks. Eat a breath mint, for crying out loud.” Sam went back to watching the sidewalk outside of Mick’s apartment building ahead, waiting for the possible-vamp-in-question to return home. He just hoped it would be soon, because the infrared scanner was starting to get heavy. Researching Mick’s past and family had been useless, since there was nothing since the early fifties – a blurb in the local paper about a missing musician with the same name. It only worked to confirm their suspicions that Mick was an immortal, probably starting around that time.

Dean went on crunching away at his snack as Sam adjusted the scanner in his hands and propped his elbow on the car door. The other man’s chewing stopped so he could announce, “Dude, there he is.”

Sam’s first instinct was to lift the scanner to eye-level to check it. But, other than a woman that was out walking her dog, the screen was solid green. “He’s not showing up. We were right,” he added almost disappointedly.

“Well, I’m hardly ever wrong,” Dean smugly interjected and smiled. “What about the other guy?”

“What other guy?” Sam peered around the scanner and saw the tall, young guy walking and talking with Mick. He checked the screen again and noted that it hadn’t changed. “Whoa. Two of ‘em?”

Tossing his pork rinds to the side, Dean reached for the door handle. “Let’s go.”

“Dean,” Sam stopped him, setting the scanner down on the seat. “What about Beth? You can’t just charge in and kill her fiancé without some explanation first.”

“I can if he’s a danger to society.”

“I don’t know… He seemed harmless.”

“Yeah, now. What about when he gets hungry?”

“Beth seems to trust him.”

“Beth might not even know him! And are we willing to risk her life, waiting around before we take action and take him out?”

Sam couldn’t argue that, but… “She still needs to know, before we confront Mick.”

Dean wanted to fight it, but his conscience got to him. “Well, how do you suggest we do that, genius? You know, since we just let two vamps walk inside the building where Beth is currently?”

- - - - - - -

Beth had been enjoying a leisurely bath…until her cell phone rang after just ten minutes of soaking in the hot water. “Damn it,” she almost growled and reached for where it was sitting on top of her towel. “Hello?” she spoke into the phone after answering, hoping her voice didn’t reveal her annoyance…at least too much.

It was Josh. “I left some files at your apartment, and I need to get them, and I figured that now was as good a time as any to get the rest of my stuff.”

“Tonight?”

“Beth, you know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important,” his tone pleaded.

She sighed, shutting her eyes. “Okay, give me half an hour.”

She’d just finished getting dressed when she heard voices in the apartment, and leaned against the bathroom door, recognizing Mick’s voice. She grabbed her phone and made her way downstairs.

“Beth,” Josef acknowledged when he saw her. “Mick didn’t tell me you were here.” He walked over and held out his hand to greet her.

Beth smirked, having the knowledge of his true nature, but extended her hand to take his and squeeze it. “Nice to see you again too, Josef. How was your flight?”

“Boring,” he continued to grin. “But at least it was a short trip, unlike the month-long voyages we had to take to cross the continent in my younger days.”

She let go of his hand and nodded, just as Mick noted how she was dressed. He expected to see her in much less, given the time of night. “Are you going somewhere?” he wondered.

“Yeah,” she said somberly. “I have to see Josh – let him get some of his things from my apartment.”

Mick’s nod didn’t distract Josef from nosily asking, “Oh, trouble in paradise?”

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Beth teased, “but yes, Josh and I are no longer together.”

“Oh, really?” he commented, casting a prodding glance at Mick.

Beth noticed it, but she didn’t dare fan the flame of his suspicion by pointing it out. “I should be back in an hour or two.”

Mick took a step forward. “I’ll come with you.”

“No,” she said a touch too quickly. It certainly wouldn’t prove well if she showed up to meet Josh with the very man he accused her of leaving him for. “I was thinking tonight: I don’t think I’m in any real danger. If Coraline was going to come after me, she would’ve done it already. I-I’m sure I could even move back to my apartment soon.”

Mick blinked back his disappointment. “Oh, uh…”

“She’s probably right,” Josef interjected when his friend seemed speechless. “Coraline is probably just hiding out, trying to recuperate.”

“So, you think she’s turned back?” Beth wondered.

He shrugged. “Her disappearance just doesn’t seem logical otherwise. And I think I might know who may be helping her readjust to vampirism.”

Her eyes darted to Mick, but he too seemed surprised by the news. Still, he turned his attention back to Beth. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

She made a face. “I think I should really deal with Josh alone. But I-I will come back here for tonight, if you’re worried…”

“Until we find out what happened to Coraline, I’d feel better…” He ended the sentence with a nod.

“Okay,” she smiled assuredly, taking a step back, toward the door. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

Once Beth was gone, Mick faced Josef. “When were you going to tell me about this mutual friend of yours and Coraline’s?”

“I just thought of it. And, you’re not going to like this, Mick, but I really should go alone.”

“Why?”

Josef sighed. “The vampire I’m thinking of… Well, he’s a bit of a recluse. Likes to keep to himself, doesn’t go out much…”

“So?”

“Doesn’t take well to visitors, wants to be left alone, gets violently angry when meeting new vamps,” Josef went on, emphasizing his words.

“Okay, I get it,” Mick sighed, shuffling his feet. “So, I’ll stay put and you go.” He pointed a finger at Josef’s face. “But I tell you what: you’d better not leave out even the tiniest detail of what happened when you come back.”

“Come on, Mick, don’t you trust me?” All Mick had to do was raise an eyebrow. “Oh, fine.” He lifted three fingers in a traditional Boy Scout pledge. “I promise.”

Mick just snorted and shook his head as he walked away.

- - - - - - -

Sam and Dean were trying to figure out a believable way of getting Beth alone and out of Mick’s apartment when Beth emerged from the building by herself, getting the boys’ attention. “Whoa, hey, look,” Dean said when he noticed her first. “Seems like she’s gonna make the job easier for us.”

“Let’s follow her,” Sam suggested, but Dean shook his head.

“I’m not leaving and allowing Mick to disappear on us again.”

“Okay, fine,” Sam relented. “You stay here, and keep an eye on the door to make sure he doesn’t leave, and I’ll go and talk to Beth.”

The thought processing going on in Dean’s face was pretty evident on his face. “No, I’ll go talk to Beth—”

“Why? Because so far you’ve done such a great job of breaking news to her?” He chuckled sarcastically. “She’s not going to believe a damn word you say, Dean.”

“Alright, alright, you go,” he agreed reluctantly. He took the keys out of the ignition. “But I’m not staying here empty-handed.” He got out, popped the trunk and took out a forty-five that he had filled with silver bullets for just such an occasion. “You’ve got one hour. Then I go in alone.” And he stalked off for a secure place to hide in the alley, leaving behind his threat with his little brother.

Following Beth’s car all the way in the Impala, Sam pulled up a half-block away from where she stopped in front of another apartment building. A third car parked between them and a man in a suit exited, getting Beth’s attention. They chatted for a moment in the yard and then went inside together. Sam wondered for a moment if she was having an affair, but judging by their body language as they walked separately into the building, it didn’t seem right. He waited a good few minutes and then walked through the entrance, and searched the mailboxes for a name that looked familiar. There was Beth’s name in black-and-white. It was her apartment.

He took in the number and made his way to the stairs. Once in front of her door, he strained to listen but could only hear muffled conversation, and decided it wouldn’t hurt to knock. The door swung open and the dark-haired man he’d seen outside stood on the other side, with his jacket off and his tie loosened. “Uh,” Sam uttered. “Is…Beth here?”

After eyeing him from head-to-toe, the man stated skeptically, “Yeah. Come in.” Then he tossed over his shoulder, “Beth, it’s for you.”

“Sam?” she said as she came from the kitchen, shocked. “What’re you doing here? How did you find me?”

“Sorry, but I followed you from Mick’s.”

The man tossed a derisive expression her direction. “You were at Mick’s?” he scoffed and Beth hushed him with just a look. He held up his hands in defense. “Sorry. None of my business anymore.”

Sam changed the subject by extending his hand out to the strange man. “I’m Sam.”

“Josh,” he replied, shaking Sam’s hand. He gestured to the woman with his head. “Beth’s ex. I’m just here, getting the last of my stuff.”

“Oh,” Sam said quietly, suddenly feeling the intensity of the moment. “Beth…told me that you’d broken up.”

“Yeah, last week,” he revealed and although Sam’s eyebrows shot up, he didn’t comment. “Actually, I’m kind of surprised she’d already have a third guy on the hook.”

“Josh,” Beth scolded and his jaw twitched as he glanced at her.

“Right,” Josh conceded. “I’ll just get my stuff and get out of here.”

Sam turned to Beth, awaiting an explanation, and she sighed. “I lied. Josh and I just broke up. Mick and I aren’t together, and we’re definitely not engaged.”

Josh had moved to the bedroom and was seemingly out of earshot, but he came back to the doorway of the room and complained, “That’s what you told him? That you and Mick were not only together, but engaged? Wow, I’m sorry I stood in your way for so long.”

“Josh, it’s not what you think,” she consoled. “It just… It’s hard to explain.”

“Well, far be it from me to expect an explanation. This is just the guy you dumped me for.”

“I did not dump you for Mick,” she argued. “How many times do I have to say that?”

Feeling in the way, Sam backed toward the door while they continued to argue. “I’m gonna go,” he said meekly, not sure if they heard him.

But suddenly Josh quieted, glared at Beth with his lips pursed and shook his head. “No, stay. I’m out of here anyway.” And he took his coat and his small box of stuff from the couch and left.

The door slammed behind Josh and made Sam jump slightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to start something.”

“No, it’s fine,” she rolled her eyes. “It was bound to come out anyway, and at least this way, Josh will stop trying to get us back together.”

“So you’ve only been apart a week…” he thought out loud. “How well do you know Mick?”

“Oh,” she answered, walking over to her phone on the kitchen counter when it started vibrating. “Not long. We met at a crime scene a few months ago and started working together off and on.” She held up her finger and answered her phone when she realized it was her boss. After less than a minute of conversation, she hung up and apologized. “Sorry, I have to go back to work. There’s new information for a story I’m working on…”

“I understand,” he nodded and made his way to the door. “We’ll be in touch.”

She smiled and nodded as well, and he left to go back to tell Dean what he’d found out.

Back in the car, Sam explained to his brother, “She hasn’t known him very long after all. It’s possible she doesn’t know what he is.”

“You didn’t ask?”

“Didn’t have time. She had to go back to work.”

“Hmm,” Dean thought. “Well, I say it’s no time like the present. If we end the day with one less vamp in the world, that’s a good day, in my opinion.”

“They’re both still in there?”

“They didn’t leave out the front,” he replied smugly. “And I’m sure that if they left out the back because I was watching, they would’ve attacked me.”

“Okay, so…how are we going to do this?”

“What do you mean?” Dean balked. “Same as always: go in, catch them off-guard, chop their heads off. It’s most effective.”

“I don’t know, man. This time, it just seems…insensitive,” Sam shrugged. “I mean, Mick seems like a nice guy – he seems like someone we’d be friends with.”

“Dude, are you P-M-S-ing? Where is this coming from? Did you buy any bows for your hair while you were out?”

“Shut up,” he complained, clearly annoyed. “All I’m saying is that there could be a nicer – and safer – way of handling this.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “You’re talking about that vamp poison, aren’t you?”

“We haven’t yet had a chance to try it out,” Sam pointed out. “Now is as good a time as any.”

“Wuss.”

Despite his brother’s underhanded, mumbled comment, Sam knew he’d gotten through when Dean didn’t argue the point anymore, and he also knew he could trust that he would go along with his request. After killing their former friend-turned-vampire with his bare hands and barbed wire, Sam much preferred a less ‘hands-on’ approach. Guns with silver bullets and a syringe filled with a concoction that would kill them was a much better way to go.

Slowly coming back to the present, Sam’s eyes focused in on something that got his attention. “Look at these guys,” he pointed with his eyes at a group of three skinhead-looking people in dark trench coats. “They seem a little…out of place for this neighborhood, don’t they?”

“What’s the infrared say?”

Sam picked it up, turned it on, and pointed it their direction, catching them before they ducked into Mick’s building. “Damn. Three more.”

“What is this, a vampire convention?” Dean snarked. “How’d we get so lucky to catch five in one night?”

“We’re outnumbered. No way we’re going in there now.”

“Aw, come on, Sam,” Dean joked. “I’ll give you the three little ones.”

He wasn’t going to go for it and snorted to make his point. “We’ll just have to wait until Mick’s night-walking visitors leave and find them later.” He then slid down in the seat to get comfortable and Dean gave in and did the same.

- - - - - - -

Done with her work for the night, Beth parallel-parked on the street and headed for Mick’s apartment building when she caught a glimpse of Dean and Sam’s car with the trunk open. She practically tiptoed over to spy on what they were doing when she caught the gleam of something silver that they were shoving into a gym bag. “What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly, without thinking.

The boys glanced up and Dean chuckled. “Nothing.”

Even though he lowered the lid of their weapon compartment, Beth still got a good look of what they had stored in there as she moved closer. “What’s with all the weapons?” Then the realization struck her. “You’re going after Mick, aren’t you?”

Sam came around his brother to hold up his hands defensively. “It’s not what you think,” he pleaded. “We found out that Mick isn’t… Well, he’s not exactly human. It’s kind of hard to explain, but he’s a—”

“Vampire,” she finished for him, frowning. “And a damn good one at that.”

“So you do know,” Dean commented, sharing a look with his brother.

“He’s not a typical vampire,” she pleaded.

Dean’s eyebrow shot up. “Are you listening to yourself?”

“He’s a good person—”

“Not human,” Dean retorted.

“Not evil,” she bit back.

He laughed, “Come on, all vampires are evil. It’s their very nature.”

“You don’t know Mick.”

“I know enough,” he said finally, clicking a fully-loaded ammo clip into his gun with a snap. “And unfortunately, they still have to be eliminated. Can’t have their kind walking around, waiting for that moment they decide to feed on innocents.”

“That’s what you think he does?”

He picked up the bag and slammed the trunk lid closed. “No, Beth, that’s what I know from years of experience. Sure, they may seem nice in the beginning, but it’s only to lure you in.”

“You’re wrong. Mick’s not like that.”

“That’s what they all say,” he quirked. “And I wish I was wrong, sweetheart, but I’m afraid—”

Frightened for his safety, Beth suddenly left them and darted for the door of the building, and he shut up in shock, grabbing Sam by the shirtsleeve to chase after her. They ran fast after her, but with her head start, she beat them to the elevator and the doors closed before they could get to it.

“Looks like we’re huffin’ it,” Dean remarked and they ran for the stairs, taking two or three steps at a time all the way up.

- - - - - - -

ML/SPN X-over Fic - To Be with You - Pt. 2

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:50:44 GMT

Just click the "moonlight fic: to be with you" tag to see the rest of this story. :)

- - - - - -

Part 2:

Dean pulled the car up to the curb beside the courthouse and watched as his brother bounded down the stairs. As soon as he had the door open and was sliding into the passenger seat, Dean asked, “So what’d you find out?”

“Everything checks out,” Sam replied. “I talked to her father and sister and, other than saying that they haven’t talked to Morgan in a while, they seemed normal.” He held up the copies in his hand to flip through them. “She has a business license as a freelance photographer, graduated from Northwestern, doesn’t own any property, has never been married… Nothing’s out of the ordinary, Dean. Nothing to explain why she disappeared.”

Dean shook his head. “Yeah, the hospital was a dead-end, too. Heh,” he snorted when he realized he’d made a joke, but didn’t bother laughing anymore when Sam didn’t seem to see the humor. He cleared his throat. “I got copies of all the tests they did on her, the heart monitor readout, the EKG…all seemingly normal. But, something interesting did pop up in her blood tests.”

“What, unknown chemicals or something?”

“No. Nothing.”

Sam frowned. “What?”

“Absolutely nothing, Sam. The woman’s blood was completely clean – there were no impurities. Everybody has impurities in their blood.”

“Yeah, I remember that from biology class,” he said thoughtfully.

“So what do you think?”

“I don’t know. We still have no idea where she could be to find out what it means, and if there is something up with her identity, we’d have to go all the way to Chicago to interview her family face-to-face to prove it.”

“You’re right. And who wants to do that in the middle of January? I say we stay here and follow Mick for a while,” he half-grinned.

“Mick St. John, Beth’s fiancé?” the younger one shook his head. “Why him and not her?”

“I don’t know,” Dean grimaced. “But something’s off with him – you thought so too, right?”

Sam chortled. “Damn it, you are jealous. Dean, when are you going to start thinking with your northern brain?” he tapped his temple.

“Shut up, you twerp.” He started the car and pulled it away from the curb.

“‘Twerp’?” his brother outright laughed. “Oh yeah, I haven’t heard that since I was about eight.”

“Yeah? Well, it’s appropriate here and now.”

Sam stared out at the road in front of them. “Where are we headed?”

“I told you I wanted to tail Mick,” he smartly retorted. “You got any better ideas?”

Gurgling out a muttered reply with no real answer, Sam was momentarily speechless.

Dean smirked. “Yeah, I thought so,” he said, and stepped more firmly on the gas pedal.

- - - - - - -

With a bag of groceries in hand, Beth let herself into Mick’s apartment as she’d become accustomed and smiled when she saw the vampire himself coming down the stairs. She forcibly kept her eyes on his face – taking in his damp hair – to keep from focusing on his bare chest beneath his unbuttoned shirt. He’d obviously just gotten out of the shower. “Hey, sorry I missed you this morning,” she greeted. “Were you home by dawn?”

“No,” he admitted while starting to button his shirt and therefore, keep her eyes from the temptation to wander anymore. She moved past him to start unloading the bag in the kitchen. He went on, “I didn’t get back until almost eight, which is why I’m leaving early tonight. That cocky friend of yours and his brother were following me all night.”

“What?” she complained, not hiding her annoyance. “You saw them?”

“Couldn’t miss the sound of the engine in that muscle car of theirs,” he quirked. “Not sure why they thought they could outsmart and tail a P.I., but I’m not going to let them follow me tonight.” His shirt closed up, he grabbed for a duffel bag on the couch and headed for his weapon box, starting to pack it with various knives and stakes.

“Are you going…hunting?” she asked, lacking a more appropriate word.

“No, but if those guys get even the least bit suspicious about what I am, I’m going to be prepared to defend myself.”

She rounded the counter and came closer by a few feet. “You don’t think they’d actually try to kill you…”

He met her eyes. “They’re hunters, Beth. That’s what they do. They don’t take the time to think about whether or not we’re a danger to the people. To them, we all need to be executed.”

He put the box in its place and stood up with the bag in hand and Beth changed the subject slightly, “Any luck finding a lead on Coraline?”

“No,” he repeated disappointedly. He sighed. “I’ve asked everyone I know; I’ve put the word out throughout the entire vampire nation… It’s like she actually disappeared.”

Beth felt his frustration. Not knowing where she was meant not knowing what she was up to…or planning. For all they knew, she could be lying in wait somewhere, watching and studying them for the right time to attack. “Do you think it’s wise to keep going out night after night, looking for her? I mean, if someone is watching us – including Dean and Sam – they’ve got to know your pattern by now.”

He moved to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of blood as he did before leaving each evening. “Don’t worry about me; I can lose them,” he assured her, and replaced the blood pouches back in their hiding spot.

“They’ll know I’ll be here alone too.”

“Then don’t let them in.”

“That’ll work for Dean and Sam, but as for Coraline…”

Realizing her fear, Mick leaned his hips against the counter and reminded her, “Beth, the doors and windows will be bolted and are reinforced. The glass is bulletproof – it can’t be broken.”

Her eyes automatically lifted to the windows beside and above them, and she momentarily recalled when she’d been attacked by another vampire who had broken through the skylight with ease.

Sensing her hesitation, Mick pointed to the ceiling. “That’s unbreakable now, too,” he promised. “Nobody’s getting in here unless we want them in.”

She nodded and relaxed, leaning on the counter on her elbows. But after a moment, he sighed. “Okay, I don’t have to go. I’ll stay here.”

“No,” she spoke guiltily, standing up to hold up her palms in front of her. “You’re right – I’ll be fine.”

She could tell Mick was really wavering between his need to go and his desire to stay with her, but his phone rang, barring any more conversation on the point. Since Beth was closest to it on the counter, she picked it up and looked at the screen. “It’s Josef,” she told him and he came over to take the phone from her.

He answered and put it to his ear, greeting his friend. “Hey. When are you coming back?”

“I’m on my way now,” his friend almost whined. “That’s why I’m calling you – I don’t have any transportation since my identity got blown to hell along with my office and all my money. I don’t think my doorman would be too thrilled if a dead man walked through the lobby of my apartment building either.”

“So you need me to pick you up,” Mick assumed the obvious, and Josef replied with a sarcastic “yes”. Mick went on, “And I suppose you want me to put you up in my apartment until you get your new identity all set up.”

“Now you’re thinking with both sides of your brain,” Josef deadpanned. “And don’t make me wait too long. You know how I hate waiting.”

Mick chortled as he got the last of the details and hung up the phone. Then he relayed the message to Beth.

“And he’s going to be staying here?” she wondered as she went back to putting the food she’d bought away in the cabinets and ‘fridge.

“Maybe for a day or two, just until he gets his new papers.” Beth knew they had a vamp in their nation that was superb at doctoring new, believable identities for them when necessary. “After that, I’m sure he’ll be able to get a new place to live.”

“You don’t want him to live here with you?”

Mick shook his head. “He’s…still a little too wild. I can’t trust him.”

“With your stuff?”

He partially agreed and added, “And with you.” He explained, “Josef tends to take what he wants when he gets too hungry.” He walked over to the couch and held up a gun. “I’m putting this here in case you need it,” he told her and shoved it under the back cushions. “Don’t be afraid to use it.”

“I won’t,” she vowed.

Mick came back to stand even closer than he had been before. “Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself? I’m not sure when we’ll be back.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” she revealed a tiny smirk. “I’ll probably spend my evening taking a bath and reading.”

“Okay,” he conceded after a moment.

She tilted her face up to him with a smile, “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

He nodded, “Goodnight.” And then he spontaneously bent down and kissed her on the cheek. He’d taken a step back before he realized what he’d done, and when he did, he was just as shocked as she. “I…I-I don’t know why I did that,” he spoke apologetically.

“Don’t be sorry,” she mildly chided. “We are friends…right?” She chuckled, “We’re practically roommates now.”

“Right,” he uttered after a moment and stepped back another foot. “I’ll…see you.”

“’Bye,” she replied and watched him go.

- - - - - - -

Mick was gone less than a half an hour when there was a knock on the door. Beth knew better than to answer without checking out the door camera and panning around to make sure no one was hiding in the shadows, and she groaned when she saw that it was Sam and Dean. She opened the door a few inches with her foot propped behind it to keep them from barging in and grumbled, “What do you want?”

“Ouch,” Dean remarked with a hand over his heart. “Nice greeting. Mind if we come in?”

“Yes, I mind. I was just…getting into the bathtub.” She regretted spitting out the truthful words the second they were out. And Dean reacted typically, lifting his eyebrows in curiosity.

“A bath?” Dean mouthed incredulously. “Alone?”

“It wasn’t an invitation,” she glared.

He chuckled at her brassiness. “Right. I just wondered if you and Mick…uh…I mean… Is he here?”

“No, he’s working.”

“All night?”

“Yes, you know, you’ve heard of it, people actually working at night,” she said dryly.

“Does he sleep during the day?”

“When else would he sleep if he works at night?”

“Wait,” Sam interjected, “Why doesn’t he work during the day? I thought he was a P.I.”

“He is. He trails his targets most nights since that’s usually when they’re cheating on their wives. Anything else you want to know?”

“Yeah, uh,” the boys looked at each other. Sam went on, posing the question tenderly, “We noticed that he shielded his face from the sunset as he was leaving. Does he have any aversion to sunlight?”

“He doesn’t want to get skin cancer. His father died of that last year.”

“Oh,” Dean mumbled and grinned. “Well, that explains it then.”

She crossed her arms on her chest. “It doesn’t explain what you were doing watching Mick. Don’t you guys have anything better to do with your time than tail my boyfriend?”

“I thought he was your fiancé,” Dean remarked.

“He is, but…the engagement’s still so new; I haven’t gotten used to calling him that.” Thank God she could think quickly on her feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, my bath is getting cold.”

“Hope you enjoy it!” she heard Dean add as a final thought as she closed the door between her and them.

The door slammed in their faces, the Winchester boys stood and stared at one another for a moment, thinking. Then they started for the elevator. “Maybe she doesn’t know what he does,” Sam offered.

“No, she knows,” he shook his head. “She knows. And I’m not just talking about his ‘investigations’,” he said with a roll of his eyes, using air quotes with both hands.

They waited for the elevator side-by-side, watching the numbers above the door light up as the car ascended. Sam wondered, “You really think that Mick is the key to this Morgan’s disappearance?”

“Listen, all I know is that the guy is weird, goes out all night, comes back at dawn, and is inside the entire day before leaving for the night again. And how do you explain how he lost us? One minute he’s walking down the sidewalk and we’re on his tail; the next, we round a corner and he’s gone. There’s definitely something going on here.” The elevator doors opened and the two stepped inside as Dean said, “There’s only one supernatural thing I know that sleeps during the day, has a dislike for sunlight, and can disappear in a moment’s notice.”

Sam nodded, already having agreed with his rationality in the car before they came up to confront Beth. “Good thing we have that infrared scanner.”

“See?” Dean quirked as the doors opened again on the bottom floor. “I told you it would be a good investment.”

The stepped off and began to walk across the lobby to the outer doors. “And this way we can’t be accused of jumping to any conclusions and attacking an innocent…”

“It’s good all around,” Dean agreed.

“If we do confirm our suspicions, I think we should tell Beth,” the younger one advised as they stepped outside. He dropped his voice a notch. “She has a right to know if her fiancé is a vamp.”

“Like she wouldn’t know already. What, she’s never tried to have a meal with him? Drinking blood for breakfast is not something you can get away with on a daily basis. If he is a vampire, she knows it and is protecting him.”

He nodded. “Assuming he sticks to his pattern, we should know by tomorrow morning. Until then, I say we see what we can find out about the other things she told us, like what really happened to Mick’s father. If she lied about that little thing—”

“I know, I know,” Sam interrupted again. “It’s a good chance she’s lying about the big stuff too.”

“One step at a time, bro,” he replied and the two tapped their fists in agreement.

- - - - - - -

ML/Supernatural Crossover Fic - To Be with You

Tue, 06 May 2008 23:58:46 GMT

Title: To Be with You
Fandom(s): Moonlight and Supernatural
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Rating: PG-13/T
Genre/Ship(s): MickBeth with mentions of Beth/Josh and Beth/Dean
Timeline/Spoilers: Takes place post-1x10-Sleeping Beauty and then goes AU, with some mentions of events in 1x11 (Love Lasts Forever) and 1x12 (The Mortal Cure); post 3x07 (Fresh Blood) for Supernatural.
Betas: auntof3 and alex-rocks4ever. *smooches*
Disclaimer: If I’d found a way to make money off of writing fanfiction, I’d have gotten a new computer long before now. :P

Summary: In response to Challenge #1 on MickBeth Fanfiction: a Moonlight/Supernatural crossover. While working on a case, Beth runs into her old college boyfriend, Dean Winchester, and his brother, and discovers that it’s a reunion that might change her life forever.

A/N: It’s been a while since I’ve watched Supernatural regularly (I don’t own the DVDs yet!), so I’m guessing at a few minor (I think) details and taking some artistic liberties. So if you happen to notice some detail that’s off from canon, you’ll know why. And feel free to mention the mistakes – if they’re fixable without changing the fic too much, I’ll do my best to fix them. :)

[Btw, I wrote this a while back and I’m just posting this tonight before our trip so that I don’t forget about it. I promise that Alias fic is in the works – just ask biba79. ;) ]

Enjoy!

- - - - - - -

Prologue:

Beth Turner was just finishing up her report from the front of the hospital, hoping that what she was saying was making sense and not too much information. Since she knew the woman who was missing, and in fact, was the very reason that Coraline – or “Morgan Vincent” as she was reporting – had been admitted, having to announce her unusual disappearance to the public was not a comfortable thing. But it was probably better that she did it, so that she could steer all suspicion away from the world of vampires, since she was such good friends with one and didn’t want them to be discovered for his sake.

As if conjured up with just a thought of him, Mick St. John appeared in her line of sight, beyond her cameraman, and Beth allowed her eyes to flit to him for just a split second before focusing to finish the job at hand. She was surprised but glad he was there, having not seen him since they parted beside her taxi cab in New York hours before, and with Coraline’s sudden disappearing act, she had a lot of questions he might be able to answer.

Satisfied that she did a good enough job as tired as she was, Beth ended her taping as usual with her name and affiliation, and paused as Steve turned off the camera. “Was that okay?” she asked typically, and he nodded.

“Great,” he smiled. “Left just enough suspicion to get viewers to tune in again tomorrow.”

She chuckled and handed him her mike. “Be sure to get a few shots of the window and the entrance surrounded with cops.”

“Will do, Boss.”

Beth scooted on past him, feeling her heart rate accelerate slightly as she approached Mick. Although she enjoyed spending time with him, she hated that her body often reacted this way – heart racing, sweaty palms, nervous stomach – all because of the sight of him. But she couldn’t stop it, no matter how hard she tried. And believe it, she tried, especially since meeting Josef’s Sara, and finding out what alternative she had to look forward to if she chose to live with Mick forever.

“Hey there,” she attempted to sound casual as she got within earshot. She pointed over her shoulder. “Did you hear my whole report?”

He nodded and smiled warmly. “It sounded great.”

She stopped a comfortable distance from him. “I’m sorry that I had to do it, but once Maureen found out about it—”

“It’s okay,” he interrupted. “It was bound to come out anyway.”

She fell into step beside them as they walked away to get a bit of distance from the crowd of reporters, police, and other passersby, and asked, “Do you have any idea what happened to her?”

“No,” he admitted. “She was human, so the logical thing to have happened if she got worse was death. I can’t imagine why she would want to disappear if she got better. The only alternative is if she—”

“Turned back?” Beth finished for him and he nodded again.

He spoke his suspicions out loud, “Maybe the human cure was only temporary, which would explain why she had to disappear so suddenly.”

“Where could she have gone?”

“I don’t know,” he confessed with a touch of concern in his tone. “I only worry…”

Beth halted her steps and stared at him. “What?” She did fear for a moment that his feelings for Coraline were still as evident as they had been the day that Beth had tried to kill her. His having an attachment to Coraline simply because they’d once been married didn’t seem to matter to Beth’s jealous heart.

But his thoughts were far from worrying about Coraline’s safety and were instead on hers. “She might seek revenge…” he started and she knew where he was going with that statement.

“On me because I stabbed her,” Beth finished his thought out loud.

“That’s why I came here when I heard that she’d vanished.”

“To find her?”

“No, not exactly,” he confessed. “To protect you.”

Beth’s heart warmed at his guarded nature over her, but steeled her resolve even as she smiled assuredly. “I’ll be fine.”

“Beth, I know you think you can protect yourself, but if Coraline turned back and she’s out to get you—”

“Okay,” she held up a hand to stop him. They’d covered this kind of ground before, and Beth knew that up against her “guardian angel”, she’d lose every time. “What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t want you alone. Will…Josh be spending the night with you?”

“Uh,” she dropped her gaze, missing his discomfort as he asked the question. “No. He’s…working,” she lied. What she didn’t say was that Josh had been waiting for her when she returned home from New York, even though it was midnight. He’d wanted to talk and knew that something had changed in the months since she’d met Mick. She wouldn’t confirm it, but she couldn’t deny it either, and in the end, she’d confessed to Josh that the love they once had just wasn’t there anymore. And within minutes, her longstanding relationship with the assistant D.A. was over, just like that. “I’ll be fine by myself,” she said to Mick, to hopefully steer the conversation away from Josh so that she wouldn’t have to confess what had happened. For some reason she didn’t want to explore, she just wasn’t ready to reveal that she was now single.

“No,” he spoke adamantly. “If you’re going to be alone, I want you to stay at my apartment until we find her.”

She met his eyes then, and found that he was serious, and was really concerned for well-being in this situation. And having known him long enough, she knew she couldn’t argue. “Alright, I’ll stop by my place for a few things and meet you there in an hour.”

“No, I’ll come with you.” And by the way he added that, she knew she didn’t have a choice.

- - - - - - -

Emptying the last tiny bottle of scotch into their hotel’s thin paper cup, Dean Winchester mumbled a curse under his breath. “Uh oh, time to leave,” he muttered, just as the door opened and his brother, Sam, stepped inside, carrying a small brown paper bag of groceries. Dean waved the empty bottle in the air. “I hope you brought alcohol because we’re all out of these little bottles.”

Sam shook his head and walked past him to set the bag down on the room’s only table. “Nope. We need to keep our heads clear. We have a new lead to follow.” He held up a newspaper he’d grabbed from the top of the bag.

“Finally!” Dean shouted unexpectedly. “Some place good, I hope. Preferably somewhere with better cable TV than the crap we’ve had here.” He gestured to the television with fuzzy, gray picture and the rabbit ear antenna sticking out of the back before taking the paper Sam offered.

Dean began searching the headlines for a clue to what story had spurred Sam’s interest when his brother offered, “Page ten.” While he waited, he pulled a soda can out of the bag and popped the top to have a sip.

Flipping to the page in question, Dean’s eyebrows wiggled. “Yes. Oh yeah, I won’t mind this at all,” he pointed to the paper. “I will totally enjoy investigating every inch of this beauty pageant—”

“Bottom right,” Sam rolled his eyes.

“I’m just saying – if we change our minds—”

“We won’t,” Sam stated firmly. “Right now, we have work to do.”

Dean begrudgingly read the headline and a first couple of lines of the story picked up by the Associated Press and wondered, “So what? A woman disappeared from a hospital.”

“Read on,” he commanded. “Between the lines.” As Dean read, Sam explained, “Strange blood work, unusual healing, infection, body temperature dropping when she should’ve been feverish… Come on, Dean.”

“Okay, so,” he shrugged. “What are you thinking? Witch, demon, vampire?”

“Could be any of those. It’s worth checking out.”

“And it’s in L.A.,” Dean added optimistically, “and you could definitely use some sun. You are starting to look a little pasty.”

An empty soda can clocked him on the side of the head. But the decision was made: they were headed to the City of Angels.

- - - - - - -

Part 1:

For two days, there was no sign of Coraline. Beth would spend every minute with Mick at her side or watching from a safe distance. The only time he felt she was safe was when she was at work around other mortals, but that was only after the first day, when Beth assured him that she would be fine and managed to convince him to leave her so that he could sleep and get a break from the sun. He still wouldn’t allow her to spend the night at her apartment when she admitted that she would be alone and made sure that she called him whenever she was about to leave the office. It frustrated her a little bit because she knew he wasn’t getting enough rest by worrying about her safety, but there was no convincing him otherwise.

Mick had also come to work with her the first day to follow up on some sightings of Coraline through tips that had been called in to BuzzWire. But there hadn’t been any real solid leads. Beth was wondering just how long this was going to go on. She enjoyed the extra time spent with Mick, but she didn’t like that it came with so much concern, and she was really looking forward to life as usual.

Walking from the phone operator’s office with a few more called-in tips on “Morgan’s” possible location, Beth sighed. If only she hadn’t been the one assigned with her colleague’s disappearance... But it was expected, since they’d been considered friends until she found out the woman’s true identity. And in the long run, it was better, since Mick wanted to be informed with any information before the news was made public.

“Beth,” Mo stopped her mid-thought and got her attention. “There are a couple of FBI agents in the conference room wanting to question you about Morgan’s disappearance,” her boss told her.

“Oh, okay,” Beth stated suspiciously. FBI? What in the world would they want with Coraline? She pondered the possibilities as she walked toward the room, assuming that they suspected she was the victim of a kidnapping – or maybe something else more sinister – and suddenly recognized the profile of one of the supposed “agents” through the windows. Planting a smirk firmly on her face, she stepped inside, shut the door, placed a hand on her hip, and commented, “So, you’re an agent now, huh, Dean? Is that what you got with your fake degree from UCLA?”

Sam had been facing her and scrunched his face in confusion as Dean spun around and started shuffling nervously. “Beth,” he chuckled, clearly surprised. He tried to cover the fake badge that had his alias with the palm of one hand that was hanging on the breast pocket of his suit jacket, but Beth noticed it. “I had no idea that you were the woman we’d be interviewing.”

“Obviously. I’m sure you would’ve been on your way out of town if you had,” she pointedly reminded him. “What are you doing here pretending to be with the FBI? And what is it that you want with my story?” She crossed her arms and waited.

The boys shared a look and Dean let out a breath. “Alright, Beth, look. I’m sorry if I didn’t leave under the best circumstances—”

“Ha!” she interrupted. “One day we’re the college’s ‘Cutest Couple’ – the next, you’re gone with no explanation.”

The other man snorted and shook his head as he put his hands on his hips. “Dean strikes again. Can’t we go anywhere without running into some woman you’ve wronged?”

Dean turned back and glared at his brother, clearing his throat. “Ix-nay on the other women, bro,” he pleaded with a constricted chuckle. He spun to face Beth again, flirtatiously offering, “Listen, maybe we could talk about this more over dinner…?”

“Nice try,” she said dryly. “Just say what you came to say so you can go back to your womanizing. I’m not interested anymore.”

Sam was holding back a silent laugh behind Dean as the other man was fumbling for words. The taller of the two stepped past Dean and held out his hand. “Guess there’s no need to disguise ourselves anymore… I’m Sam, Dean’s brother.”

Beth shook his hand, realizing, “Oh, yeah. You were in high school when Dean and I knew each other. He mentioned you a couple of times.”

Sam cast a glance at his brother, somewhat surprised. “Oh really? That’s shocking,” he added dryly.

Dean laughed nervously again and tried unsuccessfully to shake it off. “Yeah, you know… I’d never forget my baby brother…”

“Just girlfriends,” Beth interjected directly.

Sam was grinning knowingly and was trying not to laugh, but decided to get down to business. “Well, obviously, you know we’re not with the Bureau… Is there anyplace we can go to talk? Not here?”

She sighed. “Yeah, I guess… We can go back to my apartment…” she thought out loud and then regretted her words the second they were out – especially when Dean’s eyebrows lifted slightly. But then she recalled that she had Mick’s apartment keys in her pocket, he was most likely asleep (she hoped), and she could pretend it was her place just as it practically had been for the last few days. Mick would even prefer that she take them there in case he felt she needed protection. “Let me just tell my boss I’ll be gone for a while.”

The two men waited until Beth had a chance to talk to Maureen and she came back for them, waving them out of the conference room. She grabbed her keys and purse from her desk and led them out to the parking lot, making arrangements for them to follow her to the apartment.

All was quiet when she opened the door to Mick’s home and let their guests step inside. They both looked around, with Dean commenting that the décor didn’t seem to be what he’d expected of her. “What, do you live with your boyfriend or something?” he asked offhandedly.

She thought about her answer for less than a second and knew it couldn’t hurt to reply affirmatively for a number of reasons. “Yes,” she said simply. She glanced toward the upstairs. “In fact, uh…let me just see if he’s home. Make yourselves comfortable,” she gestured to the living room grouping, and trotted up the stairs.

Sneaking quietly through the gray door, Beth felt unnervingly bold for just letting herself in, but she didn’t feel as though she had much of a choice under the circumstances. She certainly didn’t want to catch Mick off guard with unknown visitors, and he did tell her to warn him about any suspicious people asking questions. Dean and Sam’s visit fit those guidelines.

Stepping forward with her weak reasons in mind, Beth hesitated a few feet away from his freezer bed when she wondered if he wore anything to sleep. And for a moment, she was torn. The womanly side of her that had been so attracted to him for so long – since childhood, even – wanted an innocent peek. But as a friend, she knew she respected him too much. He was, after all, her protector for many years, and she owed him his space.

Beth was just thinking of something to say to get his attention, but when she swallowed and tried to clear her throat, she heard him move. The lid to his freezer opened and Mick sat up, stunned – and shirtless, which answered her other question. “Beth,” he spoke worriedly. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“No,” she took a step closer, trying hard not to focus on his bare chest, and then stepped back again. She held up her hand. “Nothing’s wrong. You told me to warn you if anyone came around asking questions…”

“Someone did?”

“They’re downstairs,” she nodded. “Dean and Sam Winchester. They said they were FBI, but I know Dean from a long time ago and knew they were lying. They said that they just want to talk and ask me some questions about Morgan.”

Mick’s face wrinkled worriedly. “Why would they pretend to be FBI?”

She shrugged. “I guess because they knew no one would give them any information.”

“Have you said anything?” he asked with his eyes wide. He was fully awake now.

“No, not yet. They wanted to speak privately, outside of BuzzWire, so I brought them here.”

“Good,” he relaxed. “We need to be careful, Beth. They could be vamps.”

She made a face. “I doubt it. I mean, Dean’s a con-artist and he doesn’t seem to have changed. I think it just has something to do with her disappearance.” She shrugged once more, thinking out loud, “Maybe they have information that we don’t have.”

“That’s true.” He thought for a moment and then suggested, “But I want to make sure. Why don’t you go on downstairs and start talking to them; I’ll come down to check them out after I…get dressed.”

She felt the heat rising to her face, if only slightly. “Of course,” she agreed and turned toward the door. “Oh,” she stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. “One more thing. I…kind of told them that I live here…with you.” She blinked down at the floor. “I thought it was better…”

An unexpected expression of glee flashed through Mick’s eyes before being replaced with seriousness once more. “Oh, yeah. That was probably a good idea…you know, since I’m…here…”

Shrugging a shoulder and feeling the same sense of uneasy tension, she concurred. “That’s what I thought too…” She took a step toward the door again. “Okay, I’ll…be downstairs.”

He nodded just as she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Dean and Sam were chatting quietly as Beth descended and stopped when they heard her approaching. “I take it the boyfriend’s home?” Dean questioned smartly and Beth nodded, avoiding taking the bait.

“He’ll be down in a few minutes.” She took the chair opposite from the couch where the two of them were sitting, but chose to lean her weight on the armrest instead of sinking down to eye-level. “So, while we wait, why don’t you tell me what it is you do now? You know, since I was never really clear on that before,” she narrowed her eyes just a little.

Sam looked to Dean to answer the question, since it was he that had painted himself into that corner. He took in a breath and laughed it out. “I tell you what, you still don’t pull any punches, do you?” She just continued to glare. He looked to Sam for strength. “Well, we, uh…well, it’s hard to explain what we do…”

Sam tried, “How much do you know about the supernatural?”

Beth frowned curiously. “As in…?”

“Ghosts, ghouls, demons, things of that nature?” Dean elaborated bluntly.

“I…I don’t know,” Beth ventured a reply. “I’ve never had any experience with anything like that.”

“Well, you may be closer than you think,” Dean told her. “We think,” he glanced at Sam again. “We think your friend Morgan’s disappearance may have been caused by something…not of this world.”

“Like what?”

“We’re not sure yet,” Sam added, as if suddenly putting on his investigator’s hat. “It could’ve been a number of things. You see, Dean and I have been following unexplained stories for years, finding evil spirits of all kinds, and have been…putting them to rest.”

“So to speak,” Dean added satirically.

Beth’s eyebrows rose. “So, you’re what, like ghost-hunters?” She had to hold back her laugh. “You do this for a living?”

“Thrown in a demon and a vampire or two and you’ve basically got it,” Dean joked, but he missed the way Beth’s body stiffened with the mention of the latter of the folklore creatures.

Fortunately, Mick was there to speak when she couldn’t. He bounded down the last few steps, asking with a half-smile and a ridiculing tone, “Vampires? What interesting conversation did I miss?”

Relieved that Mick seemed so relaxed by the open discussion, Beth stood up and greeted him. “Oh…honey,” she spoke a lot more reflexively than she would’ve expected. “This is Dean and Sam Winchester,” she directed to each of them in turn. Slipping her arm possessively around Mick’s, she introduced, “And this is Mick St. John, my…” her voice trailed off as she caught his profile and the automatic smile on his face as he allowed her to introduce him to their visitors. He almost glowed with a happiness she hadn’t seen in a while, and she couldn’t articulate what he was to her, even though they’d already agreed that he would be her boyfriend in front of these two men.

Missing her speechlessness, Sam stepped forward first and shook Mick’s hand and greeted him, followed quickly by Dean. Then Sam sat down, while Dean continued to stand and stare. “So… How long have you two been together?” he asked almost jealously.

“Oh,” Beth was the first to speak. “About a month,” she fibbed, coming up with the amount of time off the top of her head. But actually, she wasn’t too far off from the time that she realized she was in love with Mick St. John, even though he didn’t yet know it and she was terrified to voice it. “Why?”

“Well… I’m just…surprised you got over me so fast,” Dean blurted as an obvious joke to her, winking as he did so.

“Excuse me? What’s he talking about?” Mick piped up and Beth had to explain that she and Dean had dated during that time period they knew each other before.

“Oh,” he mumbled, inwardly wondering if this was the guy that Beth had admitted to being “crazy about” in her college days. A feeling in the pit of his stomach made him hope he wasn’t.

“So, what do you do?” Dean asked, sizing Mick up.

“I’m a Private Investigator.”

“Oh?” He snickered, “What, you couldn’t pass the police academy exam?”

“Didn’t want to. More freedom this way,” Mick answered easily. Then he returned the condescension, “Get kicked out of college, did you?”

“Never actually went,” Dean lobbed right back and Beth was beginning to feel like she was at a tennis match. “Those few months Beth knew me, I was undercover, not an actual student. Didn’t really need a degree for what I do.”

“No, I would guess not,” Mick assumed sarcastically. In truth, he could’ve said much more to this arrogant, self-righteous youngster – for he was a juvenile compared to Mick’s true age – but he was wise enough to know better.

Beside him, as she watched on, Beth found each of their stances humorous – almost as if neither was willing to back down first. They were like two lions in the jungle fighting over a mate… She inwardly laughed and then her stomach lurched when she realized that she was the mate they were fighting over. She suddenly felt sick. “Dean,” she abruptly interrupted the ego-fight to battle her nausea by ignoring it, “why don’t you tell Mick what you were telling me about the kind of investigation you’re doing?”

“Yeah,” Mick added with a twitch of his eyebrow, “what’s this about vampires?”

She was relieved that the topic had changed to more level ground, discussing Dean and Sam’s freelance occupation, but she did note that Mick made sure he was the last to sit, if even by a second. He lowered his body into the chair that Beth had just been perched on, and with less than a moment’s thought, she sat back down on her spot, not completely unaware that her rear-end was directly in Mick’s line of sight and so very close. She could practically feel his eyes on her tight denim, if only briefly.

But Sam was explaining what the three of them had been discussing before Mick’s entrance, and she forced her ears to listen as he wound down.

“What can you tell us about Morgan?” Sam asked when he was through bringing Mick up to speed.

Mick turned his eyes Beth’s direction, giving her the floor since he couldn’t claim to have known Morgan previously without revealing himself. And she knew that. “Well, I met her several months ago. She moved from Chicago to work for BuzzWire. Before that, she was a freelancer and we used to buy a lot of her pictures. She’s a great photographer.”

“Did you ever know her family?”

“I’ve talked to them on the phone once – her father and sister. They’re nice.”

“Was she ever married?”

Beth inadvertently shared a sideways glance with Mick before answering, “Uh…” she faced Dean and Sam once more, “not that I know of.”

Dean’s eyes narrowed for a brief second but he didn’t speak his thoughts.

Sam went on with his interview, “Do you have any idea where she may have disappeared to?”

“No,” Beth shrugged. Then she thought it appropriate to add, “We’re all worried about her. She had a…chest wound that was pretty severe.” Beth couldn’t meet their eyes as she’d spoken that half-truth. “I can’t imagine why she would disappear.”

Dean leaned forward. “How did she end up with that chest wound, by the way? Was it an accident?”

“Yes, uh,” Beth opened her mouth to answer, but felt Mick’s hand slip around and rest on her hip and she shut up – partly because he was touching her so familiarly.

“Neither of us were there when the accident occurred,” he explained, “but we were the ones that found her and she was alone. She never did get a chance to tell us how it happened.”

“Hmm,” Dean mumbled and after a pause in the conversation, Sam stood up.

The others stood with him as he concluded, “Well, that should be fine for now, but, um, would it be okay if we called you if we have any more questions?”

“Of course,” she stated and then rattled off her cell phone number while Sam wrote it down. As they all walked to the door, she felt it necessary – as Morgan’s “friend” – to add, “And if you find Morgan, please…tell her that we’re worried about her.” They all stopped by the door as Beth allowed Mick to pull her close to his side, completing the act.

“We will,” Sam promised.

Dean eyed the couple for a moment and then chuckled. “So funny seeing you again,” he told Beth. “I knew you’d never give up going after the bad boys.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she wondered a touch angrily.

He quickly shrugged. “Just that when you started reporting on BuzzWire, I didn’t believe the rumor that you were dating some goody-two-shoes lawyer.”

“I was,” she divulged and then revealed evenly, “Josh and I broke up.”

She sensed that Mick was looking at her, but she still couldn’t yet face him with that truth. Dean was continuing to talk.

“Still, I never figured you for the settling-down type. Guess I was right,” he smugly commented and Beth felt her temperature starting to boil.

But it was Mick that came to her rescue as usual. “Actually, Beth and I are getting married in the spring.”

“Whoa, after a month?”

Mick dryly retorted, “When it’s right and you know it, why wait?”

“Oh,” said Dean, obviously taken aback. “Well, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend—”

“None taken,” Mick cut him off. “Now if you don’t mind, we had plans for dinner.”

“Right,” Sam spoke up and held out his hand to Mick. “Thanks for your time.”

The men shook hands and Mick led them to the door, with Beth trailing the group. She mutely waved and politely smiled her goodbye before Mick closed the door and mumbled, “Jerk,” under his breath.

“Yeah,” she breathed out as she practically floated away from the door. She was distracted and a bit hung up on the “Beth and I are getting married in the spring” line that was playing over and over again on a loop in her brain. She was busy thinking about what life would be like for them in the spring, if they would still be friends or…something more. Would they ever give a relationship a chance? And what of the mortal cure? If there was such a thing, and Mick decided to use it for a second chance at a human life, would there be a future for the two of them? Was he even interested in her that way? She’d often felt that he might be, but she had taken the lead in every step closer that they’d had so far. And what if there was no cure? Would she ever be willing to try to become immortal so that they could be together? Would he want her to, ever?

Mick only noticed that something was off with her when she didn’t speak or face him for a full minute. “Beth… What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she shook her head to clear it and kept her back to him. “Thanks…for…for defending me there.” She rubbed at her temples when a headache started to form.

“Well, I felt I had to say something. He was being very disrespectful—”

“I know, but we should’ve just been honest from the beginning to keep out the confusion.” She dropped her hands back to her sides and wiped the unnoticeable sweat from her palms on the hips of her jeans.

Mick was contemplating what she’d meant when it hit him. “Right, because if and when they meet Josh and see you two together—”

She was shaking her head and slowly turned just until she could see him from the side. Even then, she couldn’t fully meet his gaze. “No, they won’t. I…I wasn’t lying when I told them about Josh.”

He had to replay the conversation back in his mind to pinpoint exactly what she meant, and when he did, he felt mild tightness in his chest. “You…broke up?”

She nodded. “The other night, when I got home from New York, he was waiting for me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know,” she vowed, but not honestly. “It just didn’t seem important.”

“Did he, uh…? It’s none of my business,” he changed his mind and walked in the direction of the kitchen.

She lifted her chin, divulging, “I broke up with him,” as if reading his mind, since that was what he was going to ask, and he stopped to listen to her. “It just…it wasn’t working anymore. Ever since I got my promotion, life has been really hectic, and it was just too hard to keep it going.”

He wondered if her reasons were true or if by chance there was something else hidden behind her words, possibly involving him…?

He changed the subject to avoid speaking feelings that couldn’t be shared, else they face consequences they weren’t prepared to handle. But he still had to fight to focus. “What we tell them isn’t important,” he shook his head. “Right now, we have to worry about finding Coraline before Dean and Sam do. If she’s turned back or is somewhere in between, she might be exposed, and then we all will be.”

As she absorbed his words and nodded, he sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. “I never thought I’d have to deal with hunters so soon.”

“What do you mean?”

He paced away a few steps. “Josef has told me stories of being chased by torch-bearing mobs… That hasn’t really been a problem in the last century. Vamps have been able to fade into the background for the most part; and to have a couple of hunters end up on my doorstep…”

“I’m sorry,” she put in, realizing suddenly that she’d put him in danger by bringing Dean and Sam to his apartment instead of dealing with them alone. “I shouldn’t have—”

“No,” he quickly amended. “You were right to bring them here, Beth. I just have to figure out what to do. I should probably talk to Josef.”

“Is he back from New York?”

“Not yet. He called last night and said he’d be back this weekend,” Mick replied, staring at the floor, thinking.

Beth sighed with the weight of it all. “Never a moment’s rest,” she muttered and Mick glanced up, smiling assuredly.

He closed the gap between them and gently held her by the elbows, forcing her to meet his eyes. “It’ll be okay.”

She searched his eyes and felt his hope. “If you say so,” she faintly smiled back, “I’ll believe it.”

- - - - - - -

Dean was quiet for several miles as he drove his old car away from Mick’s apartment to find a hotel to settle in for a few days. Finally, Sam just had to know what he was thinking. “So, Beth seemed nice,” he began, hoping to strike up conversation. “When were you two together?”

“Back during the UCLA slayings – I thought it was a demonic influence or a…an alien invasion or whatever…” he spoke jovially, shrugging. “I went in undercover as a student for six months; Beth and I were hot and heavy for most of that time—”

“Oh, god, please tell me you did not just use the phrase ‘hot and heavy’.”

“Well, we were,” Dean said defensively, still with a smirk. “I taught her how to pick locks and guzzle beer,” he proudly admitted, and Sam knew his mind was turning to things more of an amorous nature when his grin turned wolfish. “And she taught me all about multiple—”

“OKAY,” Sam interrupted loudly, talking over whatever it was his brother was going to say. “Too much information, thanks.”

Dean chuckled, readjusting his lazy hand on the steering wheel as he sobered. “She’s hiding something, though.”

“You think so?”

He nodded. “I think we should look into Morgan’s past a bit more. Something’s off there. I can’t put my finger on it, but…Beth knew more about Morgan than she was letting on. So did Mick, I’m sure,” he added with a frown.

“Are you sure it’s not just jealousy there, bro?”

“Jealous? Me? Please,” he scoffed, chuckling as he glanced at the scenery outside of his window. “Believe me, that’s all water under the bridge. I’m just interested in the case.”

“Alright,” Sam sighed, not sure if he should believe him, but deciding that there was always a first time for everything. “First thing tomorrow, I’ll check the public records.”

“And I’ll find out what they know at the hospital.”

- - - - - -

PS: Yes, I will be posting the rest of this tonight (there's only 4 more parts). Sorry for the spammage. :P

To Life - Chapter 2: Making the Most

Sat, 03 May 2008 19:23:18 GMT

A/N: First of all, I am so sorry I didn't get this posted last week as planned. Life has been crazy-hectic this week. I'm just so glad to have the time today to relax at last.

Secondly, I am thrilled with all the feedback this is getting! :D Thank you guys so much! I'm just so glad you're enjoying it so far. Hopefully, I won't disappoint with the rest of the story.

Thanks to htbthomas for the beta!

Enjoy!! :D

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Links to Summary/Prologue and Chapter 1

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Chapter 2: Making the Most

They were third in a line of three couples waiting to go in to be married on the spot. One young couple was surrounded by what looked like were their parents. It looked like an old-fashioned “shotgun” wedding, since the teenage girl was just starting to show in pregnancy. The second couple was an odd match; him, tall and skinny, her, short and chunky. Beth inwardly thought of that childhood rhyme: Jack Sprat could eat no fat; his wife could eat no lean. She wondered if that would be true in their future marriage.

But most of her focus was on the man she was to marry. Since they’d filled out and turned in their paperwork, all they had left to do was wait. They waited in silence, with Beth’s arm hooked around his, leaning into him. At one point, she had her chin propped on his shoulder, just staring at the way his five o’clock stubble was beginning to appear on his face. She reached up with her free hand and ran it along his jaw, garnering his attention. That’s when it occurred to her to whisper, “I love you. I don’t think I said that before.”

“No, you didn’t,” he divulged. “And since you agreed to marry me, I thought it didn’t matter.” He paused and she saw his mouth curve up on her side. “It does.”

“When you met me as a child,” she wondered, “did you think then that we would someday fall in love?”

“No,” he answered honestly. “You were a child. I just wanted to protect you, especially from Coraline. After that, watching over and protecting you became a habit. But doing that changed who I was.”

“You started helping people more,” she recalled him saying that once before. Then she furrowed her eyebrows, thinking out loud, “What did you do that was so terrible before?”

“Oh.” He seemed to be taken aback by the question slightly, but appeared that he didn’t want to hide anything from her. “Well, you know, with the way I had to live,” he knew she’d understand what he meant, “I got what I needed fresh.” He made sure the understanding was in his eyes before moving on. “I lived a lot like Josef still does.”

“Egotistical with a side of hunger for human blood?” she teased. She’d made sure to drop her voice a notch, even though they were across the waiting area from the other people and it was unlikely they’d be heard.

In spite of himself and his friendship with the other vamp in question, Mick chuckled. “Yeah, exactly.”

She peered at him thoughtfully. “I could see that.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” he confessed, reaching up with his free right hand to rest it on hers on his arm. “There were other things I’m not too proud of… But we can talk about that another time.”

She knew what he meant; since it was evident he still carried so much guilt about the events of his life before Beth came into it. And why would they want to bring down their wedding day?

The first couple and their entourage of parents were called back to see the judge, and Mick waited until they’d passed before asking Beth, “Are you having any second thoughts?”

“Surprisingly, no. I thought that once we were sitting here, waiting to go in, I’d think of a thousand reasons why we shouldn’t be doing this.” She smirked. “But all I can think about is how much I want to get this over with so we can go back to your apartment and find out how comfortable that new mattress of yours is.”

He stared at her with his eyebrows raised and smiled. “Sounds great.” Then he corrected, “But, uh…after we do this, I hope it’ll become ‘our’ apartment.”

“Oh,” she realized. “Yeah, of course.”

The large group that had gone in the back soon came back out with the older women crying and the bride and groom looking shell-shocked. Beth and Mick watched as the elder men shook hands and took their wives by the shoulders to lead them out the door. Meanwhile, the groom scratched his head, as if wondering what he was supposed to do, until the bride’s face brightened, she whispered something in his ear, and the two shot out of the room with some destination definitely in mind.

Once they were gone, Mick and Beth shared a chuckle, communicating what they think had just transpired, when there was a commotion across the room. The heavyset woman had stood up, but had knocked her chair over in the process, and the couple was clearly arguing. Their names were called, but they ignored it until she finally dug a set of papers out of her purse and slammed them on the counter, yelling, “Oh, forget it!” And she stormed out of the room. The groom sheepishly followed behind, but it appeared he didn’t look regretful by her decision not to get married.

“Turner, St. John?” the clerk called out and Beth and Mick glanced up. It was their turn.

They followed the clerk down the hall to a type of conference room and were told to wait just a moment before being left alone. In less than a minute, before they could even think about sitting down to wait, another door opened, and a judge wearing his typical robe stepped through with a smile on his face. “Are you ready to get married?” he asked like a game show host, and the couple answered affirmatively. They passed over the paperwork and he scanned it for something, nodding when it all appeared in order. “Do you have rings?”

Mick nodded and dug the box from his pocket. On the way to the courthouse from Bionalysis, they’d stopped at a jewelry store and mutually chose a set without having to search for too long. Since Mick was used to wearing white gold and Beth preferred silver against her skin color, they settled on a white gold plain band set that had three small diamonds inset in the center. Beth had decided to forego having an engagement ring since their engagement had been so short before their marriage, accepting a pair of diamond earrings instead when Mick insisted she needed something else. She wore the earrings now in honor of the ceremony.

“Alright, if you’re ready…” Judge Stone began once another clerk came in as a witness, giving them one last opportunity to back out. Neither made a sound. “We are here today to join you, Mick David St. John and you, Elizabeth Anne Turner in holy matrimony.” He went on making sure that they were not under duress to make the decision, and went through their obligations as husband and wife, leading up to the vows. Then he had them repeat them, starting with Beth first.

She faced Mick and held his hands when it hit her – the enormity of the decision they were making. But she didn’t hesitate when it was her turn to speak, “I, Elizabeth Anne Turner take you Mick David St. John, to be my lawful husband. To have and to hold, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, ‘til death do us part.”

Mick squeezed her hands on that last part and waited for his turn, repeating what she’d said with all of his heart. It was so different a feeling from when he married Coraline; he’d been so young and naïve then, when all he could think about was physical relations and passion and how that brought about love in his eyes.

But with Beth, he’d fallen in love with her over time; he just hadn’t realized how much until he began associating with her as an adult and the love quickly fell into place. And here she was standing in front of him, promising to be his until one or both of them came to the end of their lives. He hadn’t dared to hope that this day would ever come, especially so soon. He’d only known her as an adult for four months, but so much had transpired in that time. And they had yet to become intimate, unknowingly saving that for their married life. How special their first time would be as husband and wife!

He knew it was selfish to take a wife with the expectation that she would understand if and when he “died” and turned back to vampirism. What if she refused to let him go? No, he wouldn’t stand for that. He could disappear, just as all vamps do eventually to stay off of the radar. Yes, he would miss her, but that’s the price he’d have to pay for this beautiful and memorable event.

“Do you Elizabeth, take Mick to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honor, and cherish until death do you part?” the judge was asking when Mick came back to his senses.

“I do,” she vowed, never breaking eye contact with Mick.

“And do you, Mick…”

He honestly meant each and every word, even if he didn’t hear them all. “I do,” he replied at the right time.

“Her ring,” Judge Stone offered, handing it to Mick to put on her finger. “Repeat after me. With this ring…I thee wed.”

“With this ring, I thee wed.” Mick slipped the silver-colored ring onto her left hand.

“And now you, Elizabeth,” he handed her the bigger of the two circles of silver. She was shaking as she took it and he assured her, “We’re almost through. This is the last step.”

She chuckled nervously and listened and repeated the significant words, staring deep into Mick’s eyes, meaning them.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Still holding hands, the couple giggled anxiously, but took that step forward to seal the marriage with a kiss. Then they parted and stood back to look at the judge for his final words.

“Congratulations,” he told them. “May you have a long and happy life together.” Then he signed the papers, handed them a copy and passed the rest over to the clerk. “Goodbye now,” the judge said hurriedly, and he slipped out the door with the other woman in tow.

Alone, Mick and Beth stood facing each other, and for a moment, Beth understood how that young couple before them had felt. But there was no regret present and she smiled up at Mick. “I guess that’s it.”

He nodded, feeling that same kind of stunned bliss for a moment. Then he realized exactly what he wanted to do next. Squeezing her hand in his, he suggested softly, “Let’s go home.”

- - - - - - -

The apartment was eerily quiet when the couple stepped inside and Beth set her small, overnight bag down on the floor. The quiet ironically matched their mutual, unplanned silence. They weren’t cold to the commitment they’d just made; on the contrary, Beth had snuggled up to Mick for the entire car ride home, sitting in the middle of the bench seat, staring down at her ring and happily twirling it. Now, regardless of the fact that neither was inexperienced in the bedroom and intimacy was what they both ultimately wanted, they seemed as though they were a little nervous about consummating. Beth was contemplating the reasons why as Mick closed and locked the door behind them.

He spun and smiled and reached out for her, and she stepped into his arms, allowing him to plant kisses on her neck and face. “Mick?” she inquired before he reached her lips. “Are you hungry?”

“Famished,” he teased as he started down the other side of her neck leading toward her shoulder.

“I was thinking maybe we could order in; have a nice candlelight dinner first…?”

His kisses stopped and he lifted his head to meet her eyes.

“It might help take some of the pressure off the evening,” she offered and he understood.

He reluctantly pulled away, smiling to reassure her that everything was fine. “I’ll get the menus and we’ll decide what to eat.”

Fifteen minutes later, the food was ordered and the couple was working together to set the table up as a romantic setting. Mick pulled out a bottle of red wine he had stashed away, and he opened the bottle to let it breathe while they waited. With everything in place, Beth retrieved her bag and told him, “I’m going to go change. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

He nodded and watched her go, reminding himself that he loved her, she loved him, and they had all night to go to show it.

The food arrived before Beth was back downstairs, so Mick accepted it and paid, shutting and locking the door once more. But he wasn’t prepared for the sight in front of him when he turned back toward the kitchen. Standing on the second to the last step was Beth, dressed as scantily as she had that night she’d been high on Black Crystal, wearing the very same, thin, black dress that he’d thought for sure was a nightie, and maybe it was. And even though he was even more attracted to her now when he was finally free to be, he did notice that there was something a little different and sexier about that dress than the first time he’d seen her wear it.

“If you really wanted to eat, you should’ve worn something that covered a little bit more,” he openly flirted. “I cannot hold myself responsible for my actions during dinner.”

She was grinning. “I wore this again for a reason. I have a confession to make – well, two actually. First, I shortened this dress since you saw it last,” – that was the difference – “and two,” she paused for effect, “I wasn’t completely out of it that night.”

He stopped a couple of feet in front of her and laughingly asked, shocked, “What?”

Beth gestured for him to continue on to the table with their food while she followed behind. “I would’ve never come over if it hadn’t been for the drug, but…once I was here, I knew exactly what I wanted.”

Setting the plastic bags with the styrofoam containers down on the table, he turned to face her. “Well…that’s in the past,” he reminded her. “Let’s start our future.”

He pulled out her chair and sat down at the end of the table beside her, and they worked together to serve their plates. Once that was done, he poured the wine and picked up his glass, and she followed his cue. “What should we drink to?” she asked.

He could only think of one thing that summed up all of the merit he wanted to honor in one word: “To life.”

“To life,” Beth repeated, clinking her glass against his. Then they each took a sip and picked up their forks to begin to eat. Beth watched Mick take his first bite with interest. “It just occurred to me that I’ve never seen you eat.”

He waited until he’d chewed and swallowed before answering. “I have to remember my table manners because it’s been so long. I hope you’ll forgive me if I slip up.”

“Why not? You’ve forgiven my need for more time before we…” She couldn’t seem to finish the statement, even though they both knew where the evening was headed.

He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, sensing her thoughts. “We have a lot of time.”

“What if we don’t?” she suddenly realized. “What if you get into a car accident or someone on a case catches you—”

“I’ve already promised that I’ll be careful. No more dangerous cases. You come first.”

She hadn’t quite made her point. “We could’ve died on the way here, Mick, and then we never would’ve been able to share our love.”

“What are you saying?” he asked confusedly. She still had yet to take a bite of her food.

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling overwhelmed by emotion and random thoughts, but the gist of them told her what she needed to do, for both of their sakes.

Rising to her feet, she held Mick’s gaze as she reached back to unzip her dress. His line of sight dropped to her chest as she pulled down the straps and slipped the dress off, down, revealing her bare breasts. “Beth,” he tried to stop and assure her that she needn’t rush for his sake, but she shushed him, continuing her striptease.

When she pushed the dress past her hips to drop it to the floor, he got a real surprise, in that she was wearing absolutely nothing else underneath. He set his napkin down on the table and rose to his feet in response, gingerly taking her into his arms. There he kissed her, pulling her tight against his body, responding the only way a man knew how.

She began fumbling for the buttons on his shirt until he pulled his body away just enough for her to get both hands in position to do so. She undid each one, making her way down; and when she reached his jeans, she didn’t stop, pushing the button through its hole and carefully unzipping the fly.

The mood quickly changed from desire to need to fiery passion and the rest of the clothes were pulled off on a short but stumbling journey to the couch. Their first time was hurried but feverish and full of love, and they soon lay in a twisted pile of sated bliss. Mick was still out of breath when he began to chuckle, garnering Beth’s curiosity.

She asked what he was thinking, and he replied, “I bought a bed, thinking and dreaming of the moment we would finally be together…and we made love for the first time on this couch,” he spoke lightheartedly, and she saw the humor and laughed with him.

“Yeah, well, look at me. I was hungry, made you order food for our first dinner as a married couple, and didn’t even take one bite, and let it get cold while we made love on the couch.” She added, “And I’m still hungry!”

“Well, at least we got the first time out of the way – dinner should be a lot easier to get through,” he thought out loud, lightly pushing a strand of hair away from her face with his fingertips. “We’ll reheat the food and eat it, and then go upstairs for the rest of the night. How’s that sound?”

“Wonderful,” she admitted, keeping her arms around his neck and closing her eyes. “But…let’s wait just a couple more minutes.”

He was thrilled to be able to forever please her.

When they did eventually get up, Beth took his shirt to wear instead of her tight dress, so Mick slipped on his jeans again, sitting back down at the table shirtless when their meals were reheated. And he was right: eating their dinner was a lot more comfortable than it had been before they succumbed to the passion in spite of themselves. They managed to eat it all and clean up, and Mick caught up to Beth as she was picking up her dress from the floor where she’d left it.

He spun her around in his arms, holding her by the waist. “You shouldn’t bend over like that in front of your husband.”

Her heart warmed and she bit her lip as she slipped her arms around his neck and the realization hit her for the first time. “You’re my husband,” she blinked in amazement.

“You’re my wife,” he stated likewise, swaying with her in his arms, lightly kissing her lips. “At least for as long as I’m a human.”

She closed her eyes, holding her forehead against his. “Mmm, let’s not talk about that now. I want to go upstairs and finish what we started, and check out that new bed.”

“Mm,” he practically growled. “So do I.”

“Well, come on then,” she spoke in a teasing voice, and moved out of his arms to coerce him up the stairs.

But unlike the last time she’d done that, he didn’t wait until she was out of sight to follow her, and instead captured her only a couple of steps up, spinning her around to kiss her deeply. She moaned in his kiss, and he knew she wanted him as much as he did her. So he scooped her up into his arms, causing her to gasp in his mouth, and he carried her up the stairs, where the two would become one as God had intended.

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Thanks for reading!

Link to Chapter 3!!

To Life - Chapter 1: Tea and Confessions

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:21:58 GMT

A/N: Many, MANY thanks go out to alex-rocks4ever and Tracie [auntof3] for the beta for this chapter! *hugs*

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

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Link to Summary and Prologue

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Chapter 1: Tea and Confessions

He didn’t expect to hear from Beth anytime soon, so when Mick got a knock on his door a few days after the funeral and didn’t have the door camera on to see who was calling, he assumed it was the delivery men with the new bed he’d purchased. So he swung the door open wide and stood there for a moment, briefly in shock.

“Sorry to drop by unannounced,” Beth greeted him.

“No, don’t be,” he smiled at her. “I told you to come by if you needed anything. Is there something I can do?”

Her expression was timid and she stood ringing her hands in front of herself as if at the beginning of a first date. “Can I…come in?”

“Sure, of course,” he replied typically, allowing her to come inside so he could shut the door. “Can I…get you something? A drink? Water, iced tea, beer?”

She cracked a smile. “I see things have changed around here.”

“Yeah, you should see my ‘fridge,” he joked. “It’s full.”

“Iced tea would be nice,” she answered his question and they both moved in the direction of the kitchen. She caught a glimpse of the stuff packed into his refrigerator through the clear door and commented, “Wow, you weren’t kidding. You know, you should probably watch your weight.”

“I know,” he chuckled as he got out the container of tea and reached for a glass in an adjacent cabinet. “The first night, I ate like a pig. I ordered everything I could remember missing and ate it all in one sitting. Now I’m being more conservative and I’m still working out to ‘keep my figure’,” he teased and she laughed, reminding him of the most beautiful sound in the world. “I’m just afraid to crave something and be out of it, so I’m staying well-stocked.”

“That’s a good idea,” she assured him as he poured her a glass of tea and handed it to her. She then watched as he put the tea away and pulled a beer bottle from a six-pack in the refrigerator, opened it, and took a swig. “Looks like you’re starting to feel like your old self again.”

“Fifty years too late, yeah.” He took another sip and set the bottle down, leaning with both palms on the counter. “But I’m…guessing you didn’t come over to see how I’m handling mortality,” he mildly teased, lifting his eyebrows inquisitively.

“No,” she dropped her eyes and toyed with her glass. “I mean, I have been curious, but… What I really wanted to talk to you about was…Coraline.” She took a sip of her drink to help swallow down her anxiety.

“Coraline?” he parroted, just as there was another knock on the door. Beth’s expression didn’t mask her annoyance at being interrupted again – last time by Coraline herself – but he assured her with a palm raised, “I’m having a bed delivered. It’s probably them.”

“Oh,” she perked up a bit, and leaving her tea, she followed him to the front door.

Sure enough, three burly, sweaty men in jeans and t-shirts bearing their company’s name came in with a king-sized bed frame and mattress set. Mick instructed them to take it upstairs and then followed them, with Beth trailing interestedly. The gray door that Mick had humorously warned her about in the past was wide open…and the freezer she knew he kept there was gone. The bedroom where he’d had workout equipment and a big screen TV and a recliner all spread out was now pushed off to the side or stowed away somewhere. Beth wondered if his walk-in closet was just as packed full of stuff as his refrigerator.

She stood back and watched as the bed was put together; the headboard and railings were attached; the plastic was torn off of the mattress and box-springs, and the room began to look homey. When they were through, Mick signed a paper on their clipboard and thanked the delivery men. He walked them to the stairs and made sure they got out okay, and then came back to the newly furnished, appropriately-named bedroom and stood beside Beth to take it in.

“Your freezer’s gone,” she revealed that she’d noticed and Mick smiled.

“I gave it to Josef. You know, since he has to start over with a new name and place.”

She turned her head to look up at him and smiled. “You have a regular apartment now.”

“I know,” he grinned back. “It’s weird, isn’t it?”

“No,” she surprised him. “It’s normal. And you do deserve it.” She focused on the bare mattress again. “Do you have sheets?”

“Yeah, I bought some after I got the bed.”

“Go get them. I’ll help you make it,” she proposed.

“Oh no,” he waved away her offer. “I’ll do it later. You wanted to talk.”

“We can talk while we work.”

Since she was so insistent and he was anticipating having his bedroom completed, Mick gave in and retrieved the sheets and comforter from his closet. He shook out the freshly laundered, new fitted sheet from its folds and Beth rounded the bed, catching the other side.

As they worked to fit the sheet over the corners of the mattress, he began, “So, what did you want to know about Coraline?”

She took a moment to answer. “Not much. I mean, obviously, she was the one that gave you the cure. But, uh… Where did she go after that?”

Mick’s memory ached for his former wife. “She was taken back to her family by her brother. I assume they’re going to punish her.”

Beth’s head shot up. “Punish her? For what?”

“For bringing me into the bloodline without their permission.”

“I don’t understand,” she shook her head.

He picked up the flat sheet and shook it out as well. “Coraline was part of a royal bloodline, including King Louis the Sixteenth.”

“What?” she asked incredulously.

Since he could see the curiosity in her eyes, he went ahead with the long story Coraline had told him about the infamous Reign of Terror, how the temporary human cure she’d shared with him had been stolen from her brother, and how desperate Lance was to get it back. When he was through, Beth still stood dumbfounded, taking it all in.

“Wow, I would’ve never known…”

“Neither would I,” he admitted. “And when Coraline first told me the whole story, she left out that she was part of the family.”

“And you never knew this? Not when she first turned you?”

“Not until the night she cured me.”

She absorbed that as well, bending down to straighten the sheet on her side. Mick busied himself by taking the new comforter out of its bag. “Was there more you wanted to know?” he asked without looking up.

“Yeah, I, uh…” She grasped the other edge of the blanket as he shook it over the bed and set to work by putting it in place as she talked. “Is… Is she coming back?”

“I…I doubt it. Why do you ask?”

She temporarily avoided the question by asking him if he had pillows and waiting for him to come back with those and the cases. But once they were working across the bed from each other again, he didn’t allow the subject to drop. “Why do you want to know if Coraline is coming back?”

“I guess I… I just want to know…if she’s mad at me. You know, for what I did to her.”

Mick’s face scrunched curiously, and he wondered if that was really what she was going to say. “No, I don’t think she is. I think she’s more afraid that you still hate her for kidnapping you as a child.”

“No. I don’t,” Beth blinked, and the information surprised Mick, if only slightly. “If she hadn’t,” she paused as she set the pillow in place on her side, “I wouldn’t have met you.”

She didn’t hear any reaction from him so she looked up to see if she could tell what he was thinking from his expression. But he was momentarily speechless and was just staring at her with an incredible warmth coming from his eyes. “I’m not going after her,” he spoke finally, as if relieving her from having to ask that question as well. “Her fate is her own.”

“But I thought you still loved her.”

“I did once. I don’t anymore. I haven’t really loved her since she turned me,” he confessed. “Yeah, we had passion and there were good moments, but they aren’t enough to keep me committed to her forever. She knew that when she gave me the cure.”

“So, even if she were here…”

“Coraline and I will never be together again,” he vowed, making the statement final. Then he repeated the question she hadn’t truly answered, “Why do you want to know?”

Beth made her way around the foot of the bed to slowly walk past him, crossing her arms on her chest, and keeping her back to him as she talked and pretended to find interest in a modernist painting on his wall. “Remember when I told you that if Josh had proposed, I wouldn’t have known how to answer?”

“Yes,” he spoke with bated breath. What was she getting at?

“Th-the reason I-I…I…didn’t know was because…he wasn’t the man I…I wanted,” she struggled to get out. “There’s been someone else for months.”

“Who?” Mick found himself asking, praying to any god out there that there wasn’t a third man vying for her love.

“I just didn’t know how to end things with Josh,” she went on, ignoring his question. “We had so much history, and I really did love him for most of that time. It’s just that things had changed.”

“Beth,” he felt a bit more empowered. “Who is it?”

She lifted a hand and rubbed at her eyes. “I shouldn’t be doing this. Josh was going to propose to me, and he’s barely cold in the ground, and I’m already trying to move on to someone else.”

His heart was pounding now, and it didn’t even occur to him that it was a new sensation in his now mortal body. “I think that’s what he’d want, Beth. As long as you were happy.” He moved a foot closer to her and repeated quietly but with a touch more firmness and empathy, “Who is it?”

She continued to avoid answering his question. “I wouldn’t even be saying anything, except the words that damn priest said at the funeral keep pounding in my head. ‘Our time is limited. Make the most of the time we are given.’” She sighed. “I know the timing is right on the one hand, but on the other,” she took a breath, “it seems selfish and insensitive to Josh’s memory.”

Instead of protesting what she was saying, Mick understood her perfectly. “I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

She lifted her head to the right so that he could see the side of her face. “You have?”

He nodded, moving toward her side by a few steps. “And not just about Josh, but Coraline too. She gave me this gift of mortality – even though it’s temporary – to me out of love. And I don’t even feel all that guilty that I’m using the time I have for selfish reasons instead of going to search for her as repayment.”

“Selfish reasons?”

“Love,” he stated simply. “Sharing my love with…another woman.”

She hesitated asking, but did so softly, “A-anyone I know?”

He smiled, knowing that she couldn’t be that clueless. “Very well. She changed my life when I found her twenty-two years ago.”

Their gazes locked, Mick noticed when the tears began to form in Beth’s eyes. And try as she might, she was fighting a losing battle against them. She blinked to try to think rationally. “Isn’t it wrong, though, to trample on their memory?” she asked. “Shouldn’t there be a long period of mourning their loss to us?”

“I don’t know,” he almost whispered, full of emotion himself. “All I do know is that I’m afraid we’ll lose our chance if we wait. We have to do what Reverend James said and
make the most of the time we have. We can’t afford to dance around our feelings anymore, Beth. We don’t have that kind of time to waste. I’m sorry if it’s too soon, but I can’t stop the way I’ve felt for the past four months. I love you,” he added in one, final, breathless confession.

Frozen except for the tears, Beth stared at him unmoving. “What about the cure? How temporary is it?” she managed to get out, even though it appeared she was now trembling.

“It’ll live as long as I do. And as long as I have life, I want you in it.” He paused, keeping their distance so as not to overwhelm her because he knew he was about to with his words, while she finally reached up to dry her cheeks. “Marry me.”

Beth’s face paled and she stared blankly at him; wiping her tears had become a memory. “What?” she mumbled out in shock.

He closed the distance between them and reached out to grasp one of her hands with both of his. “I’ve been thinking about this the last few days and…I know it’s soon. But, the last few months, I’ve been so jealous of Josh’s presence in your life… Now that we have our chance, I want to marry you; I want you to be a permanent fixture in my life. I’m going to love you for the rest of our lives and for all of my eternity anyway and, if you love me too, why shouldn’t we spend what time we have together?” He realized that theirs were special circumstances and it also needed to be stated, “I won’t hold you to our commitment once I’ve turned back. It’ll take death to make me immortal again, and that would be a breach of our vows. I’d let you go; you’d be just as free as any other widow.”

She suddenly chuckled out of turn, considering the moisture on her face. She squeezed his hand in hers. “If you’re trying to sell me on marriage, talking about the end of it is kind of a mood-killer.”

He smiled with her and then clarified, “I just didn’t want you to think that I’d make you stick around for my eventual, immortal death. Forever is a long time to wait for that.”

“Who says I won’t kill you myself for leaving the toilet seat up or forgetting to pay the electric bill?”

She was clearly thinking of the lighter side of life as a normal couple would. Then it hit him that they were basically that. “Is that a yes?”

She bit her lip, thinking. “What about kids?” she asked first.

“What about them?”

“Can…we have a baby?”

Mick’s bliss crashed when it hit the brick wall she’d thrown up and he let go of her hand to put his on his hips. He honestly hadn’t thought about the possibility of Beth wanting to have a family – something he’d thought for sure was long-gone to him in the great scheme of things. “I-I…” he stalled, hoping that he’d come up with some kind of an answer that would satisfy her.

“You are human, right?” He managed a nod. “That means that all of your human capabilities should be back to normal?” Another, more reluctant nod. “Then, if you’re going to live until you die, just like other humans, why can’t you have a family like other humans?”

She made a good point, and he couldn’t argue it. “I…don’t have the answer that you’re looking for, Beth. I can’t even fathom the consequences that would arise if we had a child and I died and turned back…”

“We would deal with that if we had to, with whatever seemed best for all of us,” she encouraged.

“And what about the child’s safety? What if I couldn’t protect him?”

Her gaze softened in compassion. “I think you could. You protected me through all of my childhood. Why would ours be any different?”

“He’d have a vampire for a father, Beth. That alone would put him in danger.”

She closed her eyes when she felt like she was losing the argument. “It’s something to think about at least. Will you?”

“If you marry me, then yes,” he countered.

“When?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “Whenever. There’s no time like the present. Every second spent waiting is a second lost to us.”

She quickly agreed, speaking her thoughts, “The courthouse is open today. I’m sure we could get Alison at Bionalysis to rush the blood tests, and we could get married before the day is through.”

Mick slowly smiled when he realized she was accepting his proposal and his timing…and they had yet to kiss to seal the deal. Recognizing this, he stepped forward, wrapped one arm around her waist and reached the other up to cup her face, drying her cheek with his thumb for a moment before drawing her lips to his.

The kiss was so much better than the one they’d shared before, when she’d caught him off-guard and pecked his lips in an impetuous gesture of the nearness she felt at the time. She didn’t even really give him a chance to respond – only slightly with her second kiss. But this one… Within a second, her lips were parted and she tasted him in a way she’d never dreamed. And he was human and so ruggedly masculine and sexy; her hands were quickly around his waist, pulling him closer to her body.

But there was much more to her attraction to him than just the physical. She was in love with him, and there hadn’t been much denying that for weeks. Josh had just been a stumbling block; even as much as she cared for him, she knew he would’ve been gone from her life soon even if he hadn’t died so tragically. She had been planning what to say in her break-up speech for a while and just hadn’t yet had the courage to spit the words out. But how could she have gone through with it? As proven by her actions since Josh’s death, she’d had to step out of her comfort zone and vulnerably confess her feelings for Mick in the hopes that he would return them. It hadn’t been easy…but as she readjusted her mouth on his, she knew it had been extremely worth it.

Mick pulled away slightly just to look at her face for a moment before capturing her lips once more, now dropping his hands from her cheeks to wrap them around her. Beth could feel the change in the mood from bliss to passion and even though she fought it, her mind thought rationally.

She broke away, out of breath, and begged, “Mick, wait.” She swallowed and tried to calm her pounding heart, blinking her heavy lids up at him. “We’ll have plenty of time for this later…if we hurry.”

Knowing she was talking about getting married as soon as possible, Mick slowly and genuinely smiled, shrugging as he asked, “Then what are we waiting for?”

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♥

Link to Chapter 2!!

Moonlight Fic - To Life - Prologue

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:00:19 GMT

Title: To Life
Fandom: Moonlight
Author: Em aka Old Romantic
Rating: PG-13/T
Genre/Ship: Romance, angst, comedy; total, unadulterated fluff/MickBeth
Timeline/Spoilers: Post-1x12-The Mortal Cure
Disclaimer: Move along. No money being made here. The only thing of value in regards to this story is reader reviews.

Summary: In response to the challenge set forth by Garnet on MickBeth Fanfiction. Mick and Beth face an unexpected role of parenthood.

A/N: I wasn’t going to do this one. Really, I wasn’t. I wrote a similar fic in a fandom (Alias) some years ago and didn’t want to go down this road. But the muse had other ideas and wouldn’t shut up. So, here’s my offering. Hope you like it. :)

Side note: I’m writing this on the idea that the cure is “mortal itself” as Coraline suggested, meaning, it dies when they do. Not sure exactly what TPTB have in mind for how long it lasts – I’m spoiler-free and wish to remain that way – and I thought that this was just easier, especially since it seemed that Coraline “died” at the hospital before she turned back. I just thought it necessary to explain where I and this fic stood.

That being said, enjoy!

(*smooches* to auntof3 for the super-fast beta! ♥ )

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Prologue: Mortality

The minister’s words during the opening of Josh’s funeral rang through Mick’s mind throughout the entire ceremony, and he missed much of the rest of the priest’s eulogy. Those words alone had been too poignant for the reality that Mick was currently going through, and each point held so much meaning.

We’re all mortal. For the first time in fifty-five years, Mick could associate himself into this group again. He was mortal. Despite the nagging issues following behind that truth, such as the mortality of the human cure itself, and the fact that he was at a funeral of a man he considered a friend – another one he’d outlived – Mick felt incredibly gleeful about that fact. He was human again.

He’d told Josef after he’d discovered the truth of his friend’s true love that he believed that anything was possible, just because Josef himself had loved a human. Again, he felt that way now. Anything was possible. He could eat and co-mingle in the sunlight, sleep at night, in a bed, and as long as he didn’t do anything irresponsible enough to get himself humanly killed, he might live a long life as a mortal. He could do anything…like confess his love to the woman in his life.

Mick’s eyes darted to watch Beth dry away her tears as she said goodbye to a few other mourners and she glanced up at him, and was quickly distracted by more friends of Josh who wanted to pass on their regrets. He wondered briefly if she’d heard his thoughts in that moment their eyes had met. But that was ridiculous, so he pushed it from his mind. Tell her, his heart screamed, but his will wouldn’t budge. Not now, he answered back, reminding his heart, she’s just lost a man she loved.

His heart replied with another quote from the minister: Our time is limited.

Feeling as though that particular comment was put in place just for his sake, Mick could feel the truth in it. His time was extremely limited; especially if he counted the number of times he would’ve died over the last five decades had he been human. Coraline had warned him that the cure was mortal, meaning that when he died, so would the cure, and he’d be back to living the rest of eternity as a vampire. I’ll have to be more careful. No more dodging bullets.

The only exception would be if Beth was in danger. No matter what, he couldn’t lose her.

It’s part of what allows us to love and hurt.

Mortality. Something he’d dreamt of for fifty years, thought was forever lost to him for the majority of those, and the wish he dared to hope for since re-meeting Beth as an adult. He’d always pictured her as that child he’d rescued and restored to her mother…until she looked at him differently. She made his undead heart beat again, and made him feel alive when there was no life. There was something in her eyes, something that filled his whole body with warmth and a love he would’ve never allowed himself to feel. And it was far beyond what a victim feels for her rescuer. Respect, admiration, and gratitude – all of those emotions were behind her eyes, but there was more. She made him believe that anything was possible before he ever dared to reach for something so distant and irrational in his own mind and heart.

And in the end, it inspires us…

His heart swelled as he watched Beth smile weakly to an elderly lady as she held her hand and chatted with her. He knew that Beth needed to know his feelings, mostly for his sake. He’d hate himself if he didn’t take the chance. But he had to be patient and allow her to mourn Josh and whatever they had. When it was the right time, he’d know it.

Make the most of the time we are given.

That was the line that was repeated the most in his mind since it had been spoken. Yes, his time was certainly precious, and he didn’t want to ruin it by doing or saying the wrong thing. It all had to be perfect and beautiful, just like her. No, he wasn’t naïve enough to think that she didn’t have her flaws and imperfections; he just knew that she was worth making each and every moment as special as she.

Make the most…

His now-living heart sped up a beat when Beth appeared to be out of those who wanted to greet her. The crowd was thinning out, and she looked up at him again. Pulled by an invisible force, the two walked toward each other, meeting in the middle. Neither spoke for a moment, and then Mick thought out loud, “It was a nice service.”

“Yes, it was,” she agreed. “Reverend James was a friend of Josh’s. He used to counsel Josh when he was frustrated or restless with his casework.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. How nice that he could perform the ceremony,” Mick commended and she nodded. There was another long pause and Mick felt it had to be said, “I really am sorry about Josh—”

She stepped forward and hushed him by putting a hand on his arm. “No, please, don’t be. You were right – you did everything you could.”

Mick tried to ignore the long-forgotten sensation of feeling another human’s touch on his human flesh and stared into her eyes, afraid to breathe. “I should go,” he finally spoke and she slowly dropped her hand. “If you need anything…”

She nodded again. “I will call,” she promised. He took a step back and turned to leave. “Mick,” she called out when he was just a few feet away and he stopped to look at her beautiful face once more. “Thank you,” she stated sincerely, and he knew that she was referring to his help with Josh along with much more.

He bobbed his head and half-smiled, and then limped his way back to his car. For the first time in fifty-five years, he felt like a young man with his whole life before him yet to live.

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Comments are love! ♥ Thanks for reading!

Link to Chapter 1!