The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

A place for Darkstarrising's G to PG-13 stories
User avatar
darkstarrising
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:25 am

The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by darkstarrising »

Hi all :wave:

What follows is my answer to the challenge to 'fill in' some of the blanks about what Mick did in his six days of being human. One thing that bothered me in the series was how Coraline was effectively written off with Mick's simple line of 'it was never meant to be'. Somehow, I think there was more to it.....

The Gift

Day two of being human started out like day one, with just a couple of twists.

I still hurt and look like hell. One other thing? If I’m going to be human, I really have to get a bed. Maybe Beth can sleep on this couch, but I can’t. Landing on the floor in the middle of the night got that point painfully across.

Twice.

Sleeping in the middle of the great room? Not a great idea, something I again learned the hard way. It’s just not private enough, especially if you’re thinking about someone special. On my second day of being human, the sun wasn’t up yet, but something else was.

“Dreaming of Beth, are we?”

Like I said, not private enough. My eyes opened to find Josef’s face inches from my own.

“Jesus!!!” Next thing I know, I’m on the floor, again, trying to preserve what little dignity I have left. It wasn’t working.

“Not likely. ” Josef muttered as he surveyed the sorry mess of my human self and the rancid remnants of my first real meal in decades.

“So, this is why you haven’t been over for cocktails. Gorging yourself on…this…this….what is this anyway?” His disgusted expression told me what he thought of day old take-out. I’m surprised he could stand the smell.

“It’s called food, Josef. You know, the stuff humans eat. Anyway, shouldn’t you be hitting the freezer? It’s almost sunrise. ” I flopped back onto the couch, balling the blanket in my lap. It only made matters worse.

“I will, but unlike yourself, I won’t be ‘up’ all night.” It was all Josef could do to keep a straight face as he watched the blanket slowly collapse along with my ego.

“So, are you going to tell me why you’re here or not?”

“Only if you tell me why you’re black and blue and human all over.”

“In a word - Lance.”

“And here I was, worried that you’d thrown yourself on the proverbial pyre over Beth’s rejection or that Coraline had thrown you on a real one. You know, payback. But taking on Lance? What the hell were you thinking?”

“I couldn’t just stand by and let him take her!!”

“Take who?”

“Coraline. She stole the cure from Lance and he wanted it back.”

“Coraline gave you the cure? Why? I’d have bet anything she wanted nothing more than to sink her fangs in you. Again.”

“No! Coraline’s changed. She’s tired of being a vampire. She said that maybe love couldn’t exist without mortality.”

I could tell Josef wasn’t buying it. In his mind, people like Coraline didn’t change. Before two nights ago I’d have agreed with him.

“Coraline gave me the cure because she wanted to make amends, Josef. She gave me back my life because she’s the one who took it.”

“And you jumped at the chance, never thinking about the consequences.”

“Like what?”

“Like getting your human ass kicked by a pissed off, powerful vampire. Don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you still alive?”

“Because Coraline offered to go with Lance if he left me alone.”

I could see my friend’s skepticism turn to surprise, and trust me, Josef doesn’t surprise easily.

“Where are they now?”

“My guess? Back in whatever hole Lance crawled out of. Speaking of consequences, he told Coraline there’d be some for stealing the compound. Maybe we should…”

“No!” Josef’s eyes flashed as he spun on me. “I told you once before to leave this alone. I’m telling you again, and this time, you’re going to listen!”

“You didn’t see Coraline’s eyes, Josef! She was terrified ….”

“She should be.” Sorrow replaced anger as Josef tried to reason with me. “Look, Mick, I know these…. people, Coraline’s family. They’re old-time vamps; arrogant, proud, rigid in their rules and ways. Anyone who breaks those rules will have to pay the price. Even Coraline.”

On top of everything else, I was starting to feel sick. “What are they going to do to her, Josef?”

My friend shrugged. “For stealing the cure….”

“That and for turning me…Lance said Coraline brought me into their bloodline without permission.”

Josef turned away from me, his silence telling.

“We have to go after her, Josef! I can’t just sit back and let them destroy her!!”

“You can and you will! You go after her now, you’ll both end up a pile of ash.”

Human or vampire, I can be stubborn, but Josef shut down any further protest. “I once told you that you had to stop carrying Coraline, that you can’t let the past keep you from moving forward. If you won’t listen to me, listen to her.”

“I don’t get it.”

“You wouldn’t. You’re too young. Unlike myself, some vamps do get tired of eternity, and maybe Coraline has joined their ranks. If so, giving you the one thing you want most and leaving with Lance is her way of letting you go. She’s given you a gift, Mick, not just to be human again, but the chance to love again. Don’t blow it. Let Coraline go. Make peace with Beth. And if you’re ‘up’ to it, do something more, before it’s too late.”

Dawn was breaking, Josef’s cue to leave. “While you may not understand or agree with Coraline’s decision, you have to respect it. Who knows? Maybe she’ll change her mind, do her penance and return to the fold. Maybe she’ll come to understand something I finally did; mortal or immortal, love makes no distinction.”

Later, as I stood on the balcony, relishing the warmth of the LA sun, I knew Josef was right. Coraline was my past, one filled with passion, love and loss. Beth is my future, one filled with promise and uncertainty. How long will I stay human? No idea. All I know is Coraline’s gift was an act of love I could finally accept and without it, any future with Beth would never be possible.
darkstarrising
Love – the universal language, the story of Moonlight
View My Fanfic Index

Image

Thanks to the talented and generous Phoenix for my beautiful banner!
User avatar
librarian_7
Forever Moonlightaholic
Posts: 23481
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 7:21 pm
Location: wherever Josef is
Contact:

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by librarian_7 »

I love this, dsr! I was laughing (at poor Mick's loss of dignity) and teary over the situation with Coraline.

Great job!

Lucky
User avatar
francis
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 11556
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:45 am

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by francis »

So often situations change from the meaningful to the ridiculous, this story changed the other way round. Love Mick's predicament, Josef's snark and then it all turning into a serious discussion and some good advice from Josef.
I wonder if there had been a season 2, would we ever have gotten a glimpse what happened to Coraline, really?
User avatar
fairytoes
Rogue vampire
Posts: 1443
Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 1:52 pm

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by fairytoes »

:clapping: Wonderful answer to the challenge, dsr.
I really liked the banter at the beginning (and I really felt sorry for poor Mick) and then you turned it into a very serious conversation. Wonderfully written. Thank you. :flowers:
Image
Wonderful Banner by Redwinter
Gorgeous Avi by Lilly
Thank you!
User avatar
allegrita
Moonlightaholic Admin
Posts: 45960
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 9:22 am
Location: Snuggled under the brown afghan, watching the fire

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by allegrita »

Wow. Beautifully done, DSR! :clapping: :notworthy: You moved us seamlessly from the ridiculous to the sublime, and tied up a lot of loose ends in the process. :hearts: I can see this whole scene playing out. I love the way that humanity turned our neat-freak, ascetic vamp into a bit of a slob. :snicker: The scene at the beginning of FtP showed every surface of the kitchen covered with food--loaves of bread, succulent fruit, wine, orange juice, coffee... a feast at his fingertips. I think Mick reveled in all that deliciousness, his for the taking... and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he started his "mortal slobbishness" by neglecting to throw out that huge lot of takeout that he gorged on the first night. And it's perfectly in character that Josef would let himself in and discover the embarrassing evidence that Mick was dreaming about Beth. :coffee: What perfect fodder for Josef's needling. But, as we've seen elsewhere (and that's what makes this scene so believable), Josef and Mick can go in an instant from teasing banter to deep and meaningful communication. They've been there for each other time and time again, and this is one of the times that Mick needs Josef's wisdom and clear sight. He needs to accept the gift that Coraline gave him--the sacrifice that she made for him. Not just temporary mortality, but freedom from harassment by her family, and the chance to find love again. :heart:

Josef is right. Coraline made a choice, and Mick needs to respect it. And the future will bring whatever it brings. Personally, I think that Cora has a strong love for life (or unlife); if I were writing future seasons of the show, she'd definitely be back. But I love the fact that you've left that uncertain. You've started Mick out on the "right here, right now" track with this story. He needs to stop living in the past, and to let the future take care of itself. For now, he should savor the moment. :cloud9: Because, "like they say, life is short." :sigh:
Image
jen
Cleaner
Posts: 6411
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:11 am

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by jen »

DSR

This. was. amazing!!!

I never put events together as you did here and it was quite wonderful! We have all wondered about Coraline's apparent change in the Mortal Cure and Josef put it together in a way that would be healing and, exactly as you say here, a gift to Mick. She was letting him go and giving him his future.

Fabulous answer to the challenge!

Jenna

:hearts: :flowers: :hearts: :flowers:
Mick and Beth--two of the lovely faces of Moonlight
Image
Beautiful banner by the Fabulous Phoenix
User avatar
Fleur de Lisa
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 15867
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 8:42 pm
Location: I wish I may, I wish I might, have the gorgeous man on the right>

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by Fleur de Lisa »

Love, love, love this. :clapping:

I was going to quote certain passages, but then realized there would be about 3 sentences not quoted, so I left it alone.

You write a fabulous Josef, my dear. Pitch perfect.

And speaking of pitching........love the humor with the 'tent' Mick was sporting! I love that you mentioned this, not only bc I have a 12 year old boy's mindset, but bc this is another example of something so simple that was (unfortunately) never addressed on the show. This is real life and especially real human male life. For Mick to have to suffer the indignity of morning wood with Josef there? Brilliant!!!

Super job, dsr. :hearts:
User avatar
Marigold
Courtesan
Posts: 2482
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:57 pm

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by Marigold »

DSR ~ This is fantastic! :rose:

This story starts out light and funny :snicker: , but quickly becomes serious:
“While you may not understand or agree with Coraline’s decision, you have to respect it. Who knows? Maybe she’ll change her mind, do her penance and return to the fold. Maybe she’ll come to understand something I finally did; mortal or immortal, love makes no distinction.”
Very true. Coraline chose to go with Lance. Mick needs to accept this, and move on. A future with Beth is waiting for him. :cloud9:

Thank you! This is a great response to the challenge! :hearts:
Image
Fantastic banner by Kath40! Thank you!
User avatar
darkstarrising
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:25 am

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by darkstarrising »

Thank you all, ladies :ghug: I had a little fun with this one

Lucky - thanks, but I think my muse is schizophrenic - I really intended to do something lighthearted, but the whole issue with Coraline kept bugging me, so the tone of the story changed near the end. Still, once he fully understood the extent of Coraline's gift, it put things in perspective for Mick.

francis - thanks. How could Josef resist poking fun at Mick's predicament? Like yourself, I wonder what the writers were thinking for Season 2 regarding Coraline? Would she return? Was she destroyed? Did Mick go after her? Would her family go after Mick? So many possibilities....

fairytoes - thanks and you're welcome. I love writing Mick and Josef especially when Josef has an opportunity to tweak Mick a bit.

alle - wow and thank you!! I agree about Mick letting himself go, at least in the beginning. Even when we see him on the beach on day 6, he's still eating. First it's hot dogs, then the picnic Beth prepared. Having Josef walk in at such an 'inopportune' time however, is something Josef would truly revel in. But he goes from the teasing 'older brother' to serious friend / father figure as Mick explains how he got 'cured' and the 'consequences' Lance threatened. While Mick sees those consequences in terms of what happens to Coraline, Josef understands the broader implications. Like francis said, I, too, wonder how Coraline would have been brought back (if at all) in the second season. The writers tended to be a bit inconsistent with how she viewed Mick. In 'The Ringer' and 'Fleur de Lis' I was left with the impression she wanted Mick back. By the time we get to the end of 'Mortal Cure' she seemed almost ambivalent as to whether he came with her or not. Maybe in Season 2 she might have decided to try again, especially if things were getting serious between Mick and Beth.

jenna thanks!! I love filling in some of the 'blanks' left in the series. We see Mick on Day 1 of being human, wounded and realizing that his life with Coraline was 'never meant to be' (which in my humble opinion was one of the greatest cop outs in the series). By Day 6 he's having a blast and connecting with Beth. So what happened in between? As I said before, so many possibilities, but I think there had to be some discussion of trying to help Coraline and why it never happened.

Fleur - thanks, sweetie. What actually inspired the initial idea of poking fun at Mick's *ahem* 'condition', was the scene near the beginning of BC when Josef pounds on Mick's freezer to wake him up. If you watch closely, this is one of the best comedy scenes that Alex and Jason played in the entire series. Watch Jason's eyes....they keep wandering from Mick's face to someplace else, ultimately causing him to toss a towel into the freezer - and he wasn't tossing it at Alex's head. Go ahead. I dare you. :devil:

Marigold - thanks. I really had fun with this, but there was a serious price for the gift that Mick had been given and I wanted to acknowledge that.
darkstarrising
Love – the universal language, the story of Moonlight
View My Fanfic Index

Image

Thanks to the talented and generous Phoenix for my beautiful banner!
User avatar
cassysj
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 12740
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 5:58 am

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by cassysj »

This is wonderful. Coraline made a sacrifice and for the price she'll pay it would destroy her if it was for nothing. I'm glad Josef told him to move forward even though it was only for so short a time. :clapping:
Image
User avatar
darkstarrising
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:25 am

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by darkstarrising »

cassysj wrote:This is wonderful. Coraline made a sacrifice and for the price she'll pay it would destroy her if it was for nothing. I'm glad Josef told him to move forward even though it was only for so short a time. :clapping:
thanks, Carol :hug: That's the point that Josef was trying to get Mick to see - that if he didn't take advantage of Coraline's gift, everything she did would be in vain. If nothing else, Josef knows how to appeal to Mick's sense of guilt.
darkstarrising
Love – the universal language, the story of Moonlight
View My Fanfic Index

Image

Thanks to the talented and generous Phoenix for my beautiful banner!
User avatar
Lucy
Ancient
Posts: 4823
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:07 pm
Location: polishing Mick's Mercedes hood ornament

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by Lucy »

Dignity??? Josef seems to have that effect on many of us.... :laugh:
:clapping: :clapping: :clapping:
User avatar
darkstarrising
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:25 am

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by darkstarrising »

Lucy wrote:Dignity??? Josef seems to have that effect on many of us.... :laugh:
:clapping: :clapping: :clapping:
Thanks, Lucy :hearts: Yes, yes he does :snicker:
darkstarrising
Love – the universal language, the story of Moonlight
View My Fanfic Index

Image

Thanks to the talented and generous Phoenix for my beautiful banner!
User avatar
Luxe de Luxe
Sire
Posts: 3285
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:50 pm

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by Luxe de Luxe »

There's so much to love about this, dsr.... the humour, Mick's early morning 'dilemma' :laugh: , Josef snark, but most of all the way you handle the exit of Coraline. Our Mick would have wanted to go after her... and you make his transition from letting Coraline go to looking to the future with Beth entirely believable.
Image
Banner by the talented Hot Micks
User avatar
darkstarrising
100% Moonlightaholic
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:25 am

Re: The Gift (PG) Challenge 138 4/15/12

Post by darkstarrising »

Luxe de Luxe wrote:There's so much to love about this, dsr.... the humour, Mick's early morning 'dilemma' :laugh: , Josef snark, but most of all the way you handle the exit of Coraline. Our Mick would have wanted to go after her... and you make his transition from letting Coraline go to looking to the future with Beth entirely believable.
thanks, Luxe :hug: It just bugged me the way Coraline's fate wasn't resolved (I blame the writer's strike, in part, for that). Josef loves needling Mick as an older sibling would a younger one, but once the conversation turns serious, so does Josef. There's far more at stake than what Mick thinks, and he makes it clear to the younger vampire what the 'consequences' of his actions could be.
darkstarrising
Love – the universal language, the story of Moonlight
View My Fanfic Index

Image

Thanks to the talented and generous Phoenix for my beautiful banner!
Post Reply

Return to “Darkstarrising's Office”