FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster, Part 2. {PG-13}

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FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster, Part 2. {PG-13}

Post by lionsonleashes »


DISCLAIMER: I do not own ‘Moonlight’, or any of its wonderful Characters. I’m just taking them out for a run!

SUMMARY: A multi-chapter action-adventure, featuring Mick, Beth, Josef, Talbot, Guillermo, Logan, Simone, and a couple really big werewolves, among others.

SPOILERS: Follows on from all 16 episodes of ‘Moonlight’, as aired on CBS. Follows on from Desdemona’s wonderful FanFic, ‘Silver’, Chaps 1 thru 7 only. (Talbot finds out about vampires in general, and Mick in particular, the hard way! He also shares the List with Mick and Josef.) Follows on from Allegrita’s very steamy FanFic, ‘Presto Agitato’, Chaps 1 & 2. (Mick and Beth seal the deal!) Borrows, with her kind permission, Eris’ OC, ‘Karl’, from her many incredible & completely awesome FanFics.

Ready? Here we go!


*******************************************


If only you knew what’s inside of me now,

You wouldn’t want to know me somehow,

But you will love me tonight,

We alone will be alright,

In the end……………..


From “Never Comes The Day”
By the Moody Blues




****************************************


Mick was dreaming. If someone had been standing beside the glass cold box, in Josef’s well-appointed basement Newbie Suite, at that moment, they would have seen the handsome vampire’s eyes shifting rapidly to and fro beneath his closed lids.

Vampires have no biological need to dream, as humans do. Most of the time, their brain……all of their brain…..rests completely when they sleep. Quiet and dreamless. Their preternatural regenerative abilities made dreaming unnecessary to their well being. Unless…….. there is some issue that they’re subconscious mind desperately needs to process. Then, a vampire will dream.

Mick tended to dream more often than most………


*****************************************************

He was with Beth……. They were laughing and talking……..His Beth was so beautiful and joyous……. everything was good one instant, bright and happy…….a feeling of well-being, even joy, filled Mick’s heart….
And the in next moment…..

A strange darkness began to roll in and swirl around them both, a dark fog……malevolent and threatening…..blotting out the beautiful starlit night above them. Mick felt trapped, cornered, without knowing why. He reached for Beth…… wanting to protect her……

Suddenly, a wooden stake the size of an Olympic javelin rocketed down from the blackness above them and speared him…..right through his heart.

He felt the terrible paralysis and pain of that wooden spear……he couldn’t move…..it hurt…..it hurt so much…….but he couldn’t even cry out. And, worst of all……he knew he could no longer protect Beth from the menace that was surrounding them……….closing in on them from all sides.

He felt himself crumpling to the ground beneath him……the long shaft of the wooden spear wobbled……. wagging crazily above his chest. He saw Beth’s beautiful face hovering over him, her expression now having become one of terrible anxiety……and anger. He watched as her eyes became a brilliantly deep shade of iridescent sapphire. She grasped the spear in his chest and pulled it free of him as though it were nothing. She hurled it away from him with a flip of her arm, never taking her now-inhuman, gleaming sapphire eyes from his face.

The darkness still swirled around them, growing heavier, blacker. And even though the spear was out of him……he was still paralyzed……unable to move……. He should have been able to move now……he was frantic to be able to move……….. to protect Beth from whatever dark, unknown, threat lurked out there in the swirling blackness.

“You’ll be okay, Mick…..”, dream Beth whispered, “I’ve got you…..it’s okay….” She smiled down at him, in the same torn and tearful way she had looked down at Josh when he lay dying before her…… She blinked back tears…..as she had when Josh was dying in front of her……..

But something was very different this time…… her iridescent sapphire eyes gleamed in the dim light now, and when she forced a brave smile for him, as she had for Josh that terrible day, the tips of razor sharp fangs now showed beneath her trembling lips….. lower jaw as well as upper…..unlike a vampire. Wolf, Mick remembered, she’s a wolf now…..

I’m dying, he thought helplessly to himself, Just like Josh…… But he couldn’t speak or move…… I can’t even say goodbye…….. A stake shouldn't be killing him.....this made no sense........

Then, dream Beth leaned over him and scooped him up in her arms…… all of him, as if he were just a small child…….a kindergartener….…. She suddenly seemed so big……..and he felt so tiny in comparison….. She stood, cradling him gently in her impossibly large, strong arms.

Dream Beth cuddled him close to her chest, and with one hand, she palmed the back of his head, pressing his face to her silky throat, pushing until he bit down………

He drank from her…..felt strength and life flowing back into his body. Her blood was like molten lava…..at once searing and healing……filling him with the raw power it contained. Werewolf blood….the vampire’s panacea…….

He heard her murmuring to him again…… “You’re okay, sweetie…….you’ll be fine…….I’ve got you…….”

But……he also heard, and felt, a low growling within Beth. Her chest rumbled with it as she held him close……a sound so angry and deep……but not directed at him. He sensed that her anger was aimed outward……into the strange darkness that swirled around them.


***************************************************


Mick’s eyes snapped open as he woke from his vivid dream. Momentarily confused, he turned his head rapidly, hazel eyes darting the room…… Where was he…..? His brow pinched……. The last thing he remembered, besides that weird-ass dream about Beth, and a six foot long wooden stake, was being out on a double date with Beth, Josef, and Simone……..

Now he was waking up here……

Okay……okay……..relax……this was the ice box in Josef’s Newbie Suite.

He began to let some tension go as he recognized his surroundings……but still……Mick didn’t remember going to bed…… He didn’t remember their evening out coming to an end. When had he turned in? For that matter, when had they even come back to the mansion? And where was Beth?

He reached up and shoved the ice box’s lid open. It raised smoothly at his touch, like an automatic door, which it probably was…… Mick sat up and inhaled, scenting the room. Beth had been here recently……he could still, just barely, smell the sweet wild musk of her new werewolf nature. She smelled like wildflowers in an open meadow……..like sunshine and clean mountain air. And, something else……… There was something….. slightly off….. about her scent now. Mick couldn’t place it. His brow furrowed again. Her scent was faint, and growing fainter quickly……. that werewolf sensory-camouflage thing, he remembered. In alittle while, her scent would be gone altogether.

He caught the scents of Claudia, and Logan as well. And the rapidly fading, barely there, scent of Phelan too. All of them had been in the Suite within the past few hours. Why didn’t he remember that? How long had he been asleep? Mick felt utterly disoriented.

The large king sized bed, in the huge master bedroom adjoining the smaller ice box alcove, was unmade….. Beth must have been in it at some point……and then gone upstairs? A disquiet ate at him……..he couldn’t shake the feelings of looming danger from his daymare…….. or from his apparent memory blackout.

Mick stood fluidly, feeling rested and strong, and sprang down from the ice box’s platform. Stretching, and trying to shake the feelings of doom from his bizarre dream, he looked around for his clothes. All he found were his dress shoes from……last night???...….sitting beside the ice box…..but no clothes hung on the nearby wall hooks…..as he would normally do when going to bed. What the hell……..? What happened to his clothes? Not even a pair of socks was left to him.

Huh…..

He shook his head at the oddity of the situation and then strode across the bedroom toward the large walk-in closet. Josef kept it stocked with assorted clothing for both women and men. He grabbed a pair of jeans in his size and stepped into them, not bothering with underwear, and zipped up. Rummaging in the nearby chest of drawers, he found a pair of dark socks and a gray Henley, pulling them on as well.

He snorted a short laugh……Josef had added a few Henleys, in Mick’s size, at some point, to the Newie Suite’s clothing selection. The Newbie Suite, built and maintained by Josef, was the vampire version of one of those warm and fuzzy “birthing centers” humans had these days. It was his gift to the LA Tribe. Here, a new vamp could be Turned, and kept secure, in comfort and safety with their Sire, until they were ready to face the World. For Josef to have added Henley’s to the selection suggested that he believed Mick would have eventually given in and Turned Beth, so he wouldn’t lose her to aging and death. Maybe he would have……. Another bark of laughter had Mick shaking his head. Beth had been Turned alright…….but not by him, and not into a vampire.

Details………..Beth was as immortal as he was now. That was all that mattered. He would never have to fear hurting her, or losing her altogether, ever again. She was force of nature now.……stronger than even the oldest vamp. What’s the one thing any predator fears? A bigger predator……and Beth was very, very big now. And very, very strong. No one would mess with her, menace her, ever again. She was safe……forever. He imagined the Late Dr Anders trying to grab Beth these days! The thought made Mick alittle giddy.

He grinned when he spotted his own comfortable everyday black leather shoes and stepped into them, crouching to lace them up.

As he stood again, it struck him that he felt none of his usual ‘morning’ hunger. He felt sated. He must have fed from Beth last night…..fed a lot……..but he didn’t remember doing that…..other than in the bizarre dreamscape he had just awakened from……

Mick’s brow pinched again. He needed to find Beth…..now. Finger-combing his light brown hair, he exited the bedroom, and then the Newbie Suite, heading upstairs. Someone had been kind enough to leave the sally-port entrance unlocked and standing open.


*******************************************************


Beth sat Indian-style on the manicured lawn below the Terrace Room’s little infinity pool. She had her back to the embankment leading up to the pool. She could hear the Freshies enjoying its waters, and lounging around it, as they did every moment they had free while rotating through their ‘duty’ at their employer’s mansion.

The girls were being unusually quiet this evening, nervously respecting Beth’s dark mood, and the she-wolf’s desire to be left alone.

Beth appreciated that…… She sat gazing silently out across the magnificent view of LA’s cityscape far below, stretching out towards the Pacific. The sun was setting, casting the skyline in beautiful hues of pink and gold. The darkening blue of a cloudless Summer sky hung above it, and the first stars of the night were becoming visible.

Resting her dainty hands on her knees, blinking slowly, Beth searched for the feeling of peace, mixed with awe, that such a lovely sight should evoke. It eluded her.

She had heard….. and tried to take to heart…… the wise counsel of both Claudia and Phelan today. She tried to make herself believe that they were right…..and that she was…..justified….. in what she had done last night. But, in the end, that belief eluded her also.

Nothing mattered but what Mick would think of what she had done. What Phelan, and Claudia, thought made no difference to her……only what Mick thought. And knowing Mick’s self-loathing for his own past atrocities, things he would never tell her about…… she was certain she knew how he would feel about what she had done last night. She was sure Mick would be appalled by it…..by her……

She felt hollow and numb…… Mick would wake soon, perhaps he was waking now. Then he would find out what had happened…..what she had done. Even if no one told him before he found her here, he would know it anyway……the moment he caught her scent. That maneater scent trace that Phelan had told her about……she could even smell it on herself now. Tears gathered again in her sky-blue eyes.

She drew in a shuddering breath, focused on the sunset, and waited.


******************************************************


Josef looked up as Mick strode into the Terrace Room. The elder vamp was casually dressed in jeans and a dark tee-shirt, indicating he had no intentions of going into work this evening. He smiled at his young friend’s tense bearing and expression…..brooding, as always.

“Mick! It’s about time you got up, you slacker!” Josef’s grin widened, even as Mick’s brow pinched tighter still, “I was about to send Karl down to drag your sorry ass out of that ice box! The rest of us have been up for hours.” He was lying, of course, as he motioned with one hand around the large room.

Aside from the usual Freshie traffic to and from the Infinity pool, Claudia leaned back on a plush leather couch, looking as poised, and in control, as ever, her sleek black leather outfit hugging her figure. She quirked a faint smile at Mick. He glared back……still not trusting, or liking, this Lead Cleaner. All he could see, in his mind’s eye, was her presiding over the executions of Emma and Jackson.

Simone sat beside Josef on a different couch. She smiled tiredly at Mick, looking drawn and worried. On the other side of the room, Phelan sat on still another over-stuffed leather couch. He watched Mick calmly, green eyes glinting, as he nodded a silent greeting to the young vampire. The Freshie, April, was asleep on the couch beside him with her head pillowed on one of the big Irishman’s demin-clad thighs. Phelan was gently stroking the sleeping girl’s silky red hair.

Mick’s normally warm hazel gaze was stormy this evening. He was not in the mood for his old friend’s devil-may-care humor just now. “Where’s Beth?”, he snapped, returning his attention to Josef, “And what the hell happened last night? I don’t remember a damn thing!”

Josef sighed and leaned back on the couch, lacing his fingers over his flat abdomen. Getting Mick to stop taking life so seriously was one of his missions in this world. He could tell he wouldn’t be making much headway towards that goal tonight. “She’s watching the sunset, of course, like a true LA denizen.” He grinned at Mick, “And as to what happened last night, that, my friend, is a long story that you need to hear right now.”

Mick looked out across the pool area outside and started for the open patio doors, only half-hearing Josef. His need to find Beth was escalating by the second, as was his anxiety. Why wasn’t she nearby? Why did everyone seem so nervous all of the sudden? They were trying to hide it, but he could smell anxiety on all of them. And, why couldn’t he remember last night?! Something had to be wrong…..very wrong….

Josef was in front of him in a blur of movement, blocking his path. “Wait a minute, buddy.”, the elder vamp said, his tone becoming more serious, “We need to talk first.” He quirked another sardonic smile at his young friend’s dour expression.

“After I see Beth.” Mick tried to walk around Josef, but was stopped by a firm palm in the center of his chest. He looked down at Josef’s hand, and then back up to meet his friend’s eyes…... Now he knew something was terribly wrong….. In his peripheral vision, he saw Phelan slide April’s head from his lap and rise silently to his feet. At the same moment, he saw the Lead Cleaner, Claudia, rise to her feet as well. What was going on?

“No……”, Josef replied calmly, “Now. You need to be brought up to speed first….. before you see Beth.”

Mick’s brow pinched even tighter, just above, and between his eyes. He met Josef’s even gaze with his trademark St. John glare.

Josef grinned, “You know…..if you keep doing that, one of these days your face is just gonna freeze like that…..didn’t your mother ever tell you?”

“Get to the point, Josef!”, Mick snapped, “I want to go see Beth.” He craned his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of her out past the Infinity pool.

“Alright……”, Josef replied mildly, “Take a seat.” He indicated an arm chair across from Simone, as he returned to his place beside her.

“But….”

“Sit!”

Mick lowered himself into the arm chair and watched Josef, while at the same time, keeping both Phelan and Claudia in his peripheral vision. They both sat back down quietly, once Mick had taken the chair. Right now, in particular, he didn’t trust either one of those two any farther than he could throw them…….alot less far actually……since he could throw them quite a distance. Clearly, both the Irish werewolf and the Lead Cleaner had no intention of letting Mick near Beth until he had heard Josef out. The question is…… why?

Josef turned to Simone, “This isn’t for your ears, my dear, or April’s either, for that matter. Would you be a doll and take April to her room for a nap? Then take yourself to the comfy bed in my suite upstairs? You’re in dire need of a solid nap too. You’re both exhausted.” He smiled fondly.

Simone blinked up at Josef once, glanced at Mick, and then nodded. She had been around vampires long enough to know that there were things they wouldn’t discuss in front of humans. She had learned to accept that…….and Josef was right. She was completely wiped out. And April……well the petite young Freshie was already keeled over.

Simone stood and walked over to where April dozed beside Phelan, curled up with her head against his thigh, her long red hair fanned out around her on the couch cushions. She gently woke the sleepy Freshie with a touch to her shoulder, and as April focused her bleary blue eyes on the brunette lawyer, Simone motion for her to follow. April rose, and after giving Phelan a quick hug, she followed Simone down the hallway to the human wing of Josef’s sprawling hillside estate.

“Josef….”, Mick said slowly, watching the women go, “You’re starting to scare me……..what’s going on?” What…. about Beth…… could be so bad that Josef didn’t want the humans to hear it? Simone was with them……was it last night?….. when whatever happened…..happened…….right???...... So wouldn’t she already know what Josef had to say?
Apparently not. Mick felt his gut tightening.

Josef smiled. “Relax buddy. It’s not a big deal…..not really. But, Beth has taken it pretty hard. She isn’t ready for any humans to know about this…..issue….. yet.”

The elder vamp leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, and tenting his fingers in front of him. He met Mick’s nervous gaze. “Now, here’s the thing….. You’re a knee-jerk kinda guy, and I don’t want you doing any knee-jerking around Beth.” His smirk widened. “If you upset my Foster-daughter with even a micro-momentary facial reaction…..well, then I’d have to kick your ass.”

“Me too.”, said Claudia coolly.

“Count me in as well.” Phelan added.

Mick gaped at them all in confusion, looking at each in turn, “A facial reaction to what?!!!”, his voice was tightening into a growl, “What happened to Beth?!”


**********************************************************



Beth heard Mick’s familiar foot falls approaching across the lawn. Her nostrils flared as she instinctively reached for the warm, earthy musk of his scent. She found it, and her eyes slid shut in relief……he was indeed alright again. As she had hoped, her blood…….the vampire panacea……. and that half-assed wound drainage system she’d rigged on the fly, had restored her mate to health and vigor. No trace of the silver taint remained in him. He smelled clean, strong……powerful….and completely fit.

She smiled slightly, briefly, sighed, and opened her eyes, holding her cross-legged, meditation-like, posture, her hands resting on her knees. Here it comes, she told herself………

The fickle wind changed directions, swirling about her, lifting her long golden-blonde hair into the air around her shoulders and arms. She knew that breeze would carry her scent straight to Mick……her tainted scent. The scent of a maneater. Face it now….get it over with……

Beth turned her head slightly, just enough to see Mick striding towards her across the lawn….. He was smiling…..no….. he was beaming…..at her. His beautiful hazel eyes caught the fading rays of the setting Sun and appeared to twinkle slightly, reflecting the last of the Sun’s glow. Beth offered a tentative smile in return, and waited…… the breeze carrying her scent should hit him…..right about…..now……

No change. Mick’s stride didn’t falter. Neither did his warm smile, or the love in his eyes for her. She saw his nostrils flare ever so slightly just then…… so she knew he had to be able to smell the change in her scent….. the maneater-trace…… but he showed no reaction to it at all.

Beth turned back to the sunset view and put her right hand to her mouth, giving one relieved, soft, sob into it. The Sun had just dropped below the horizon now. Only its pink and gold traces remained, dappling what few low clouds there were. She blinked furiously as tears threatened to well up again.

“Hey…”, that beautiful voice…..the voice she had feared, only last night, she might never hear again, “Mind if I join you, gorgeous?”

Beth turned to look up at Mick, where he now stood beside her, and she patted the soft turf beside her on the lawn. Mick lowered himself down beside her, arranging himself into the same cross-legged position as she.

They watched the waning orangey-scarlet glow along the horizon in silence for several seconds.
Then, “Josef filled me in on….. what Phelan and Claudia had filled him in on. You saved my life, again…..Josef’s too.” Mick turned to look at Beth, his expression a mixture of love and wonderment, “It seems I have the best girlfriend in the world.” He offered her one of his trademark lopsided grins.

Beth glanced over at him, “Your girlfriend’s a monster.”

Mick frowned slightly, Josef hadn’t been exaggerating. “Sweet heart…..,” he replied gently, “I understand that you feel badly about killing those assassins, but, that certainly doesn’t make you a monster. It’s not like they didn’t pick the fight, and….” Mick hesitated, “it’s not like it’s the first time you’ve……”, He fumbled with the words, this wasn’t coming out right……he knew he shouldn’t have said that last part the moment the words left his lips. Can’t un-ring the bell.

Beth shot him another quick, pained, glance. “Killed? No, it’s not the first time I’ve killed. But this was different……I didn’t…..EAT……Lee Jay.” She paused…… might as well tell all ……what difference does it make now…… “Or Foster.”

Mick’s gut dropped, but he schooled his expression, “Foster? Dean Foster? That slimy photographer-slash-stalker guy? What about him?” He knew without asking…… but couldn’t stop himself from asking anyway. “He disappeared. No one knows what happened to him……right?”

Beth turned her face to meet his gaze, her expression suddenly hard, “He was ‘disappeared’, Mick. There’s a difference. The Cleaners are good at their jobs.”

Mick blinked in surprise, “Beth….what are you telling me? Why would you….. I don’t understand. Are you saying you…… killed Foster?”

She shook her head slowly, long blonde hair swinging gracefully around her arms and shoulders as she did so. “No, I didn’t actually kill him myself…….but I…..pointed him out to Josef…..what he was doing……and I knew full well how Josef would ‘handle’ the problem.”

“What was Foster doing? Besides being a slimy stalker, I mean.”

“He was starting to stalk YOU, Mick. He had pictures of you being hit by that car, and then getting up and walking off. He was very interested in you, and he tried to blackmail me at BuzzWire for exclusives, essentially in exchange for not exposing you…..but I knew he would eventually expose you anyway. His kind always does.” She paused and looked back towards the last vestiges of the fading sunset, “I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t want to lose you……for you to have to relocate…… because of him.” Beth squared her shoulders. “He was a threat.” She snorted derisively. “Josef made sure I couldn’t pretend that Foster would be dealt with in any other way……and that I understood what he would have to do. He made me face what I already knew.” She paused, “And then…..I surprised myself by not really caring what Josef had to do in order to ‘handle’ the problem of Foster. All that mattered was keeping you safe.”

Beth sighed, “I may not have actually pulled the trigger, like I did with Lee Jay, but I killed Foster all the same. They were both threats to you, Mick. And it seems that killing threats to you is a habit I’ve developed along the way.” She glanced sidelong at Mick and offered a trembling smile, struggling to hold back more tears.

Mick pulled her into an embrace.

That did it…..Beth broke down and sobbed in his arms, deep, racking sobs, returning his embrace and twinning her fingers around handfuls of his gray Henley shirt. Mick began to gently rock her to and fro, as they sat together on the grass, murmuring reassurances in her ear.

He held her tenderly, stroking her long, golden hair, but his mind was racing. In retrospect, he supposed Beth had always been cut out for life as a supernatural predator. He had simply not seen it, or admitted it to himself…… until now.

He remembered that night in the warehouse, when Beth had shot Lee Jay. She had demonstrated her familiarity with handling a gun to him out in the car before he went in alone……. smoothly chambering a round with ease. But, Mick had had no idea just how good she could be with a gun…… until she took Lee Jay down with a single deadly shot through the throat…...

The bullet had severed the man’s left carotid artery on entry and his right carotid artery on exit. In a heartbeat, with both carotid arteries severed, all blood flow to Lee Jay’s brain had stopped.

In the next heartbeat, with no further blood finding its way to his depraved brain, Lee Jay lost consciousness and went down like a sack of grain. This had been a very good thing for Mick, since Lee Jay had previously been seconds away from setting him on fire with a blow torch.

In one more heartbeat, the thug’s oxygen-deprived brain stroked out. Lee Jay had finished bleeding out on the warehouse floor in less than a minute. Then there were no more heartbeats for him.

Beth had killed a man to protect Mick……before she really knew anything about him. Or…..perhaps she had always remembered him as her childhood rescuer, on some subconscious level, and struck to save the one who had once saved her…… without really understanding why? Mick didn’t know……

Whatever the reason, Beth had shown herself to be quite capable of killing that night, and, as far as Mick could tell, she hadn’t lost any sleep over having to take Lee Jay’s life….. She just did it, because it had to be done, and never brought it up again.

Then……. Mick remembered the look in Beth’s eyes just before she plunged the wooden stake into Coraline’s chest. After hissing, ‘How could you?!’, at him, Beth had turned back to face Coraline in Mick’s loft, approaching slowly, with a faint…. disturbingly coy….. smile on her lovely face, and that odd look in her eyes.

Stalking her, Mick realized now. Neither he, nor Coraline, saw it coming. When Beth was within range of her target, out came the stake and down went Coraline.

Of course, Beth had not been trying to actually kill Coraline. Mick understood that…..and so did Coraline. Beth hadn’t realized, at the time, that the vampress had rendered herself temporarily human to become ‘Morgan’, and therefore, very vulnerable. And, during that time, Beth was still human herself, with no werewolf nose to tell her who was human….. and who was not. She had been stricken and remorseful when she realized that Coraline might actually die. She had intended the stake to be an ‘up yours’ message to Coraline, nothing more. Stake her……yell at her while she was helpless…..vent…..then pull the stake out. Beth had come to actually like the Morgan-persona that Coraline had taken on……before she thought ‘Morgan’ might have been fooling around with Mick, and before she realized ‘Morgan’ was actually the ‘scary woman’ from her childhood trauma.

The whole thing……Morgan being Coraline……had to be very confusing for Beth. Mick understood that…….so many different emotions swirling together for her…….. Morgan, the friend, became Coraline…..the terror of her childhood……..

But still……the look on Beth’s face, and in her eyes, as she sauntered towards Coraline that night……

Predatory…..definitely. Beth was born for this new life of hers…....she had become what she was always been meant to be. Some kind of fate had stepped in…...blindsided by the Universe yet again.

So, Mick decided, it was not surprising that Beth had turned Foster over to Josef, even knowing what would happen to the man as a result. She had been protecting him, and, indirectly, the entire vampire community, in doing so.

And, last night, she had fought for him again…..fought for all of them. And won in a very big way.
Mick held her as she cried herself out, gently rocking her in his arms as they sat together on the grass. “Ssshhh…..Beth…..it’s okay…….”, he murmured, stroking her soft pale-golden hair.

She sat back, ending the embrace, and looking at him with an unreadable expression for a few seconds. She mopped her eyes with the backs of her hands and drew in a shaky breath. “It is definitely NOT okay, Mick!”, she blurted out, “I’m a cannibal!”

Mick blinked again, giving a huff of surprise. “Well….I just saw Phelan……so I know he’s okay. What werewolf did you eat?”

Beth gaped at him for a moment, then, “What?! No…..I ate three men!”

“Three humans?”

“Yes!”

“You’re not human anymore, Beth.”, Mick replied calmly. Josef had braced him for this..….. “Cannibalism requires the devouring of one’s own kind. You didn’t do that.”

Beth stared at Mick for several more seconds, then, “But…..I used to be human! So that still makes me a cannibal!”

Mick dropped his gaze to the lush grass in front of them. He was silent for many of Beth’s heartbeats, then, “So……that’s what you’ve really thought of me all along then? That I’m a cannibal……a monster?”

Beth’s sky blue eyes widened, “What?! No! I never thought that! Why would you think that I did?!”

It was growing dark now, though neither of them noticed or cared. A faint yellow glow clung to the horizon, almost gone……but the scattered clouds above, drifting across a darkening sky, where a brilliant and blazing scarlet. Its beauty went unnoticed by the troubled lovers.

Mick lifted his eyes and met Beth’s gaze again. His beautiful hazel eyes carried a sadness now……his own, long held self-loathing. Beth could see it lurking in there, just behind those beautiful eyes……. as it always did. “Blood is meat, Beth…..liquid meat.”, Mick said, “It’s human tissue, and I drink an average of a pint a day, minimum.”

“No…..”, Beth protested, shaking her head, “That’s different…...you’re a vampire…….it’s different from what I…….”

“No…..it’s not. Human tissue is human tissue, Beth. Liquid or solid…..it’s all human tissue……all meat in one form or another.”, Mick replied softly, holding her gaze, “If you’re going to call yourself a cannibal…….. then you have to label me a cannibal too.”

Beth shook her head in mute protest, and after several seconds of silence, she dropped her eyes to the grass. She buried her delicate fingers in its lush pile, inhaling its warm scent, trying to think……… but her thoughts ran in dithering circles instead…...scattering in confusion, like flushed birds.

When Beth remained silent, Mick sighed and said, “I told you once before that I did horrible things….. after I was first Turned….. things you can’t even imagine. You don’t know what it is to be a monster, Beth. But I do……because I was…….” He hesitated, “If it will help you realize that you are not the monster……” another pause, “Read my scent……read the things I did…..see them for yourself through my eyes. Then you’ll understand. You’re not a monster, Beth. You’re not even close.”

Beth stared up at Mick, stunned by his words…..and his offer. He had never been willing to even talk about the supposed atrocities he said he committed long ago. Now he was willing to let her see them herself by reading his scent! She gauged his expression quickly…..his features were tight…..anxious……and his scent was suddenly awash with rapidly spiking anxiety. He didn’t want to do this……she could feel his growing terror of how she might react to what she saw in his memories……

“No…….”, Beth answered softly, “I don’t want to see anything you wouldn’t want me to know.”

A sigh of relief escaped Mick, and his facial muscles relaxed alittle, but his resolve remained, his face becoming somber, “You were fighting to protect your Pack, Beth. A terrible threat to your Pack had set up camp in your Territory. You were catastrophically injured in the battle. And you instinctively fed on the only source of nutrition available to you because your higher brain functions had been knocked off-line temporarily. You were a werewolf……doing what comes naturally to a werewolf, with no frontal lobes left to regulate that behavior. That’s not your fault, Beth. It’s theirs. Those bastards all got what they deserved. They threw down with us first. They started this fight.”

Beth started to turn her face away from him at this, but Mick quickly caught her chin in a gentle grip and turned her back to meet his gaze. “You are NOT a monster, Beth. Lee Jay, now THERE was a monster..…..but you’re not. You’re beautiful and brave and loving, with more self-control than anyone I know. I have no doubt that, if you hadn’t been shot in the head, you’d have left the bodies of those assassins intact and run all the way to Vince’s Game Ranch for some venison. You are also NOT a cannibal, unless you’re willing to hang the same label on me. You’re a werewolf…..and, with both werewolves and vampires, sometimes…… shit happens.”, he shrugged, “Sometimes things spin way out of control.” He cocked his head, gazing into her eyes, still gently cradling her chin in his hand. “Are we clear on these points?”

Beth nodded, “I guess so.”

“No…..not good enough. I want to hear you say it……. Repeat after me…..I am not a monster.”

Beth stared at him in silence.

“Come on…..you can do it……say it out loud.”

“I’m not a monster.”, Beth breathed.

“That’s my girl!” He rewarded her with a warm smile, his hazel eyes alight. “And what’s the other thing that you are NOT? Because if you are, than so am I…..”

“Neither one of us is a cannibal.”

“Okay!” Mick’s smile widened, “Now we’re getting somewhere!”

Beth smiled softly in return, and it felt like a terrible burden was sliding from her shoulders. She could breathe again.

Mick continued, his smile fading away rapidly, “Now……since we’re telling secrets……I have one too.” He hesitated for a moment……his expression tightening again……. just say it…… “I hunted down, and drained, Tejada.”

Beth blinked in mild surprise, “The drug lord who had Josh killed? When?”

Mick nodded, “Uh huh…..and who also ordered your death at one point, I might add….. had his goons take a shot at you. That didn’t endear him to me very much either. And I did it that first night, right after Josh’s murder.” He paused and drew in a breath, “Josh wasn’t going to get to see the Sun rise the next day……so I made sure Tejada didn’t either.”

He paused and looked down at the grass in front of him. “Josh was a good man…..I liked him. He treated you well…… he really loved you. At that point, I wasn’t willing to even consider Turning you. I wanted you to have a happy….. normal….... human life, with a husband who loved you. Josh seemed like that guy. A good man who could give you the white picket fence home, with 2.5 children, and a Collie Dog in the yard.” He paused again, glancing at Beth, who was smiling sadly back at him.

Mick continued, “Even though part of me was dying, knowing you would be another man’s wife someday……it was the life I wanted you to have……happy and normal…….safe. But then that low-life, Tejada, ordered Josh’s death, kidnapped and murdered him in the prime of his life…….and……that made you cry.”, Mick drew in another breath and sighed again. This was difficult to discuss…..harder than he thought it would be. “A good, honest, man…..one of the good guys……was dead, and you were devastated, while the vicious drug lord who murdered him was still alive and free…..possibly still a threat to you…...just to send a message, reinforce his brutal reputation. As much as I try to avoid doing the judge, jury, and executioner thing…….I couldn’t stand it. I had to end Tejada.”

Mick glanced up at Beth for a moment and smiled sadly. She was watching him intently, listening in silence, with a suggestion of tears beginning to glisten in her eyes again. Mick looked back to the grass in front of him, and continued, “Now Tejada….HE was a REAL monster. I couldn’t let what he’d done go unanswered. Josh’s murder required vengeance…….and to a vampire, blood is vengeance. I persuaded Detective Carl to let me talk to the one very cocky henchman…… alone. Once I had said henchman to myself……him with his ‘no habala englesh’ horse-shit line…… I showed him something that didn’t need a translator……my teeth, and my eyes……. and asked him where Tejada was hiding out. I made a show of scenting him, and I topped it off by snarling at him a few times.” Mick grinned faintly, “I confess that I very much enjoyed the smell of his terror, once he realized what he was seeing. Anyway……when he got done pissing himself……the henchman told me where I could find Tejada. I really wanted to kill that worthless thug too, but I was pretty sure Detective Carl would have been upset if I splashed one of his collars all over an Interrogation Room.”

Beth grinned at Mick’s narrative, finding the sudden mental image of Detective Carl flipping out over finding his suspect dripping from the walls in numerous pieces. Then, her grin faded as she wondered why such a grisly mental image amused her now? She was pretty sure it wouldn’t have in her pre-lupine days….. and that bothered her.

Mick continued, “So, that guy got to live, even though he didn’t deserve it. Then I lied to Carl……sent him on a wild goose chase……while I went to the real location the hired gun had given up. Lying to Carl was the only thing I felt badly about doing that night.”

Mick paused, sighing to release tension, before continuing with his confession, “That night, I very deliberately let my ‘inner-vampire’ out to ‘play’, as Josef calls it, ……I let go in that Bar in Hollenbeck. The bartender really pissed me off with his, ‘no se’, response to my question of where Tejada was……. ‘no se’ my ass!” Mick grunted and shook his head slightly, “He knew exactly where Tejada was, I could smell the lie all over him. I showed teeth, threw people around, got shot at……people were screaming and running…….and I didn’t care. It felt good…..their fear felt good. My inner-vamp loved it…….but I kept my eyes on the prize. I knew where Tejada was too……I could smell him……I didn’t really need to ask anyone. But my inner-vamp was having a ball tearing the place up……so I vented…..rolled with it.”

Beth watched Mick, listening quietly as he told his story. Her expression was impassive….. She had privately suspected this…… All her sources had told her Tejada had been brutally slaughtered in one of his own Bars, even though no evidence of this alleged bloodbath had ever been found…….but neither had Tejada. He had vanished. Her mind, back then, had whispered, Mick…… But she had never asked.

Mick continued, “Then, I cornered Tejada in his private back office. I can still see him, standing there with a pistol in each hand, trying to intimidate and threaten me……he was going to spill my blood, he said.”, he snorted at the memory, “I let him see what I was first…..I wanted him to be afraid…..to know he was going to die….. and how he would die. I wanted to see the fear in his eyes…..I wanted to smell, and taste, his terror…… and he didn’t disappoint. I pinned him up against a wall, let him get one more up-close and personal look at my fangs, and then I tore his throat out. I drank my fill….. I gorged, and I reveled in it……. It felt so good to hunt again….to get fresh, hot, blood from the throat of a terrified enemy. My inner-vamp was having a field day at Disneyland.”

Mick paused and met Beth’s gaze, “And remember….. I hadn’t been shot in head before I did this…….I wasn’t confused. I knew exactly what I was doing……I chose to do it.”, squaring his shoulders, he continued, “And, I do not regret it…..I’d do it again.” Beth was still watching him intently, but there was no judgment or disapproval in her eyes.
“Once I’d drunk my fill, I called the Cleaners to come fix the mess, as only they can……like nothing ever even happened.” He snorted a brief laugh, “Boy……… were they ever surprised to get a call like that from me….. of all people! Once they showed up, I went home to shower and change clothes before coming over to check on you.”

“So……”, Beth responded quietly, “That night, when you showed up on my balcony and came in……”

“Yeah……” Mick answered, “Tejada was already dead….. and I was stuffed.”

Beth watched him evenly for several seconds. Then nodded, as if arriving at a decision. “A public-service homicide if ever there was one.”, she said softly, a faint smile gracing her lips, “Thank you for avenging Josh. Thank you for ridding the World of Tejeda. And thank you for telling me about it now.”

Mick nodded, his expression remaining somber, “Did it help? Telling you, I mean……. Do you understand now that we aren’t human anymore, either of us. And that, sometimes, humans who cross us, try to hurt us, end up getting hurt themselves? It is our nature…… both our natures…… to fight back hard, and defend the ones we care about…… sometimes with very lethal force.”

Beth nodded solemnly. “Yes…..I think I finally get it now. I’m not human anymore…… Not at all.”, she sighed, “I’m a werewolf…… and a provoked werewolf can be very dangerous. Just like a provoked vampire can. Sometimes our inner-beast runs the show.”

“Exactly.” Mick smiled gently, nodding, love for her shining in his eyes.

Beth smiled back, ever so slightly. “I’ll make a deal with you, Mick.”

“Uh oh…..”, he grinned, “What?”

“I will accept what I am…… and stop hating myself for what I did…… if you will do the same for yourself. Cut yourself the same slack you are asking me to give myself.” Beth gazed unflinchingly into Mick’s eyes, making it clear that she was completely serious. “All that guilt and self-hatred that you drag around with you everywhere? Like Jacob Marley’s ghost dragging his chains? Let it go, all of it..…...once and for all. For me?”, she sighed, “I can’t do this….this new way of life….. alone. We’re a team. Forgive….. and accept…..yourself. Just as you’re asking me to do for myself. If you promise to stop hating what you are, then I will do the same. Let the past go…….. Deal?”

Beth paused and waited, cocking her head slightly, and smiling at him gently.

Mick blinked at her in surprise. She had just echoed what Josef had once said to him, not that long ago….…… That’s your entire problem….. You’ve got to stop hating what you are……

“It’s a deal.”, Mick answered without hesitation, his soft smile returning, because he knew he could do it….. now……finally. After all these years…….he could do it…..because of Beth’s love. He could do anything, as long as his Beth was at his side. Since the love of his life was now also a supernatural predator…..a werewolf…..suddenly, being a vampire didn’t seem so awful anymore. It had its perks. He’d discovered that…. the hard way…. during his week of restored humanity. Sure……hot dogs, donuts, and sunlight had been great. But, he had quickly found himself missing the speed, the strength, the mad jumping ability, the acute senses, and the rapid healing.

He had embraced a return to vampirism, literally, with the help of his buddy, Josef. After only a week of humanity, he had realized that, without his vampire abilities, he was powerless to find, and protect, his Beth. She had been in big trouble ………again. But, this time, not only was it his fault, because he had failed to recognize the threat in time...... he could do nothing to rescue her from her vampire captor……not as a frail human. Thanks to Josef, that changed quickly. He willingly became a vampire again, for Beth.

Now, everything was different. Both he and his Beth were immortal and powerful. With his love beside him, they would walk forward through time, together…..a team….. facing whatever eternity threw at them.

With their arms mutually circling each others’ waists, Beth rested her head on Mick’s well-muscled shoulder. She sighed in contentment. Mick gently kissed the top of her head before inclining his own head to rest his cheek against her silky blonde hair.

Together they quietly watched the lights of LA stretched out below them. It was going to be a beautiful night.


**********************************************************


I’m so glad I found you, I’m not gonna lose you.

Whatever it takes to stay here with you,

Take it to the good times, see it through the bad times,

Whatever it takes, is what I’m gonna do.

Let’em say we’re crazy, what do they know?

Put your arms around me, baby, don’t ever let go.

Let the world around us just fall apart,

Baby, we can make it if we’re heart to heart.

And we can build this thing together,

Standing strong forever…….nothing’s gonna stop us now!


From “Nothing’s Going To Stop Us Now”,
By Starship



******************************************************



As Mick and Beth savored the first stars of that Sunday night……thousands of miles to the east, across the Continental U.S., across the mighty Atlantic Ocean, and several Time Zones…… an important Briefing was gathering.

Being eight hours ahead of L.A., it was approaching 5am, already Monday morning, in the lush English countryside. It was still dark out, and hints of the coming dawn were just beginning in the Eastern sky, but local farmers had already been up for over an hour. Live Stock needed feeding…..cows needed milking……eggs needed to be gathered.

Not far from the assorted small farms, a beautiful old English Estate stood on a gentle hillside, surrounded by tall stone walls and iron gates. The stately stone and beam Manor House, a Tudor-influence, and its substantial lands, were meticulously maintained by a large staff in residence.

Despite the pre-dawn hour, the grounds of the sprawling Manor House were bustling. Numerous business-like people were arriving, seemingly in a great hurry. Cars pulled up in front of the Manor. Attendants took the vehicles and drove them to parking, while the arriving men and women quickly hurried inside the Manor House. Once inside, these quiet, but intense, men and women walked quickly to a Parlor off the main entryway, heels clicking rapidly on marble flooring. They each entered, a few at a time, and closed the heavy mahogany doors behind them.

Once inside the opulent Parlor, safe from the eyes of the maintenance staff, they waited in groups of two or three as the room itself scanned them. Chips beneath their skin confirmed their identities, and a soft affirmative trill sounded. Then, one by one, they stepped forward and gazed intently into the lifeless eyes of a marble bust on a tall pedestal.

The bust was of a dignified older gentleman with a mustache and goatee. Inside each marble eye of the bust was a tiny scanner which read a person’s unique Retinal pattern. Like finger prints, no two were alike.

Another trill sounded softly as the marble bust confirmed each person’s Retinal scan.

Then, a false wall of warm mahogany paneling slid back to reveal an elevator door. An instant later, the elevator doors also slid open, inviting them to proceed. This group of arrivals boarded the elevator, or lift, as they called it in England. The doors slid shut silently and the elevator began a rapid descent, even as the paneled wall slid shut above them to conceal its presence.

The next group of arrivals would have to go through the same process in order to join the Briefing that was gathering several stories below their feet.

The servants watched quietly as these groups of important people arrived and disappeared into the mysterious parlor, a room that was off limits to them most of the time. The gardeners, maids, and cooks didn’t know who their employers were exactly, or who these guests were……and that was okay with them.

Some murmured that they must be Government…..some secret shadow branch of it. Others thought the people who owned the Manor were part of a well connected secret society. Still others thought them to be just wealthy Aristocracy, with more money than sense, who liked to play at some secret game.

Either way, all the servants knew that…. knowing….. could be hazardous to their health, and was none of their business anyway. They honored their stations in life, collected their wages, and asked no questions.
None of them knew of the sprawling underground installation that lay beneath the Manor House, and spread out for acres all around it, unseen beneath the manicured lawns and gardens. Many stories deep, many levels, with different R&D Labs, corridors, Conference Rooms, Offices, Weapons Storage Rooms, and Firing Ranges. One of the R&D Labs was outfitted with several holding cells, each with titanium bars….. the concrete walls, floor, and ceiling of each having been poured around a titanium rebar cage, and laced with silver. All the holding cells were empty……..at the moment.

In the large third floor conference room, the current presiding Chairman of The Legion sat waiting at the head of the long oak table. He was growing impatient, and it showed in his rigid expression.

Like the marble bust upstairs, he was a very dignified fellow, with graying hair, a three-piece dark blue suit, and a neatly trimmed goatee and mustache. The bust was not of him……but the resemblance was obvious. The bust that kept watch over the parlor upstairs was of his great, great, great grandfather, a former Chairman of The Legion in his day. England had always been the center of The Legion.

The Legion began, many hundreds of years ago, in England……and so, out of tradition, England remained the center of this secret society. Since its humble beginnings, so long ago, The Legion had spread until every Nation on the planet had a local Base of Operation. Each Nation’s Legion Base had a Leader……but there was only one Chairman, and he was always in England.

The current Chairman watched as the latest arrivals nodded in his direction and found seats for themselves at the table. Others arrived soon after…..the conference table rapidly filling all its seats. The Chairman could see unspoken irritation behind a few of their eyes……being summoned for this Briefing at such an unholy hour…..but no one voiced any complaints. They knew better.

As soon as the last one arrived, the Chairman motioned for the door to be closed. The last arrival pushed it shut.
Before speaking, the imposing Chairman swept his eyes over each face in turn. They waited, returning his gaze placidly. Assembled at this conference table now was the Leadership of Europe’s Legion……England, of course, but also France, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Norway, and Switzerland.
The Chairman noted, with satisfaction, that the Leaders of The Legion in Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Turkey had also managed to get here. Considering the short notice, this was no small feat. Among The Legion, politics and religious differences carried no weight…..they didn’t have time for such concerns. The only thing that mattered was their shared struggle to keep the power of the World’s vampire population in check. They, at least, were all human here, in this room…….and humans must retain control of their own World.

The Leader of the American Branch of The Legion, based in New York City, had also taken a red-eye flight to London and was seated at the table. He was looking drawn and distracted, with a substantial five ‘o clock shadow.

Russia, Japan, India, and China had not been able to get here in time, and had asked to be included via Tele Presence. The Chairman’s aides had seen to that detail. As well as sending a recording of this Briefing, and its conclusions, out to the other Legion Nations…..those who could not be gotten ahold of in time, or had other pressing matters to attend to.

The Chairman cleared his throat, informally bringing the meeting to order. All heads turned towards him. The Leaders of the Russian, Japan, Indian, and Chinese Legions watched and waited, their careworn faces gazing out on the room from large screens mounted on the wall beside the Conference Table.

“As you may have heard already,” the Chairman began, his voice deep and strong, his British accent refined, “our Field Station in LA, California, was hit yesterday.” He paused, fixing the Leader of the American Base of Operations with an icy stare, “We were caught quite with our pants down…….and there were no survivors.”

There was a brief murmuring among the group’s members, which died quickly. Most of them had already heard this through the rumor mill, but had hoped it was not true. Only the Leader from New York didn’t react to the news, sitting in silence, staring at the table top before him.

“It seems the vampires in LA have developed some unexpected allies.”, the Chairman continued, “We must decide how we will respond to this attack.” He paused, glancing around the room, connecting with each gaze, “So, without further delay,” he pressed a button on a remote in his hand, “here is what happened in LA yesterday.” The lights in the Conference Room dimmed, and a large plasma screen, on the wall at the far end of the room, brightened.
Last edited by lionsonleashes on Fri Dec 30, 2011 10:10 pm, edited 12 times in total.
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster.

Post by jen »

Oh, WOW!!!!!

You have made my day. Week. Month!!!!!

This is amazing and totally worth the wait. It was perfect that Josef talk to Mick before he sees Beth, but I must confess a teensy bit of regret that we didn't see Beth talk to her surrogate sire. No matter. Josef was able to clue him into what the current situation was so that he didn't make her pain and anxiety worse.

Their conversation was perfect. It summed up so much of Moonlight in that simple exchange and we saw how Beth's angst and Mick's was the same. Mick needed this external situation to heal and Beth needed his love and support to accept herself, so just as Beth's werewolf blood healed her vampires physically, their unconditional love, acceptance and support has healed her and them psychologically.

This is far from over

But right now, we have a brief respite from the battle--a moment of peace to heal and enjoy what they have right here, right now.

There will be consequences coming. The Legion is coming. Now they know what they are facing.

Bring. it. On.

:clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :hearts: :flowers: :hearts: :flowers: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:
Mick and Beth--two of the lovely faces of Moonlight
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster. {PG-13}

Post by lionsonleashes »

Thanks Jen! :hug: :flowers: :curtsey:

I thought about having a Beth/Josef interaction in this one, but my Muse wanted to focus on Beth & Mick in this Chapter.

However, fear not, Josef and Beth will no doubt have a chat later on in Chaps to come! :winky:

But first.....Josef has a BIG webcam-shaped bone to pick with Claudia and Phelan! :witsend:

Lions :mooncat:
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster. {PG-13}

Post by jen »

Oops!

Yeah. I remember that bone.

Looking forward to it! Fabulous, fabulous job.

:cheer: :cheer: :cheer:
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster. {PG-13}

Post by allegrita »

Oh, Lions-- I'm so glad Mick and Beth had that conversation, and that Josef prepared Mick for it. Finally-- there are no secrets anymore between them. Mick knows about Dean Foster, and Beth knows about Tejada. And Mick has volunteered to let Beth know everything there is to know about his dark and violent past. He's willing to show her what a monster he once was, in order to help her see that she's not a monster at all. He said all the right things, and I can feel Beth's relief and joy just pouring out in this beautiful chapter.

And Beth is so smart... she uses this opportunity, this moment of total trust and sharing between them, to make him agree to give up his own guilt and shame over what he is. They are finally free to move on together, partners at last in every sense of the word. No space, no secrets, no lies between them. Only love. :cloud9:
:heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:

But ooooooh... :chair: then you show us the power and wealth and organization of the Legion. :gasp: Those guys don't fool around. They're bad news for our heroes, and they're gunning for all of them. You're so good at leaving us on the edge of our seats at the end of a chapter! I'm really looking forward to the next part of the story. Because it's going to be GOOD! :teeth:
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster. {PG-13}

Post by lionsonleashes »

Thank you so much, Alle, for your warm encouragement and feedback! :hug: I'm so glad you enjoyed this Chapter! :yahoo:
Your are my Mentor, my friend. :comfort2: Without your encouragement and advice a couple years ago, I might never have begun writing this Story at all. So here's as close as I can come to an 'apple' for the teacher..... :rose: :heart:

Thanks again! :curtsey: :notworthy:
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster. {PG-13}

Post by allegrita »

Wow... that makes me very proud, to have been a part of your inspiration, Lions. Thank you so much - I'm incredibly touched. :hug:
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster, Part 2. {PG-1

Post by francis »

Such a great story. I think Mick and Beth are at a point where they both are happy and in love, they let go of the past and are looking out for the future. The Legion, on the other hand, now knows about two Werewolfs helping the L.A. tribe. Will they now wage war agains weres and vamps alike? They probably won't take it as a singular event. Now the cowards of werewolfs will have to decide which side they are on.
Wonderful story. I am looking forward to a continuation at some point.
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster, Part 2. {PG-1

Post by lionsonleashes »

Thanks Francis! :hug: Your feedback means alot to me!



Now, to all my Readers........

There has been a pause in both writing Ch 32, and in visiting this Site, due to.....drum roll please, :confused2: .........I fell from a ladder on 12/3/11 outside while decorating our outdoor Christmas Tree. :dunce: :dizzy: :thud: Dropped 8 ft! I broke two bones in my lumbar spine (lower back). :eyeroll: I've been unable to get to the Computer upstairs, and in too much pain since the fall to work on Ch 32. :hankie:
I got to ride on a backboard to the ER in an ambulance! :wtf: Then I was hospitalized for a couple days, and then home with a Walker and pain pills. :dizzy: It has all been a new adventure in pain and humility. My Doc says I will be incapsitated, and unable to do much of anything, including work for a living, for 6 to 8 weeks. :gasp:

My wonderful stepdaugther stays with me while my hubby's at work. She's awesome! And she hooked my up with an early Christmas present....... a wireless router! So I can now go online from my laptop computer downstairs......hence this note! :type: :yahoo:
My pain is getting better, so soon I hope to be able to pass the time by working on Ch 32. :yes:
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster, Part 2. {PG-1

Post by allegrita »

Oh, HONEY!!! :gasp: :eek2: I'm so sorry about your accident! :comfort2: :comfort: Please take it slow, follow your doctor's advice, and work on making your body healthy, and THEN work on your story. If we can help you through this recovery stage, that's wonderful, and we'd love to see you whenever you can visit us. :ghug: But you need to work on YOU, dear Lions. We know that your vision will wait for you to feel well enough to bring it to our computer screens when you are up to it. :hearts: :heart:

Lots of love and prayers for a swift recovery! :pray: :pray: :pray: :pray: :pray:
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster, Part 2. {PG-1

Post by francis »

Oh Lions! That's awful. :gasp: Poor girl!
I'm just thankful there's no damage to the spine itself. Imagine that! :confused2:

Give my thanks to your stepdaughter for giving you a wireless router. I missed you here.
:wave:

Now would be a good time to let Josef turn you. You could get rid of the pain and be a new improved Lions! :teeth:
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster, Part 2. {PG-1

Post by jen »

Lions

:eek2: Next time you want Christmas decorations hung outside, please consider hiring someone to put them up!

So very sorry to hear about the accident and very thankful that you were not hurt worse.

So glad that wireless router is working so well! I totally agree with Francis' comment about letting Josef Turn you, except that there are more options on the table. It may be too soon for Beth to undertake the role of a Sire but what about Phelan? Just sayin' and besides there is all that beautiful wilderness to explore.

Jenna

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lionsonleashes
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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster, Part 2. {PG-1

Post by lionsonleashes »

Thanks Alle, Francis, and Jen for all your concern and warm wishes! :ghug: You are all awesome! :flowers:

And Alle, :hug: :rose: I am being very careful and taking it very slowly. :yes: I've been using my laptop to work on Chap 32 alittle bit at a time, and I'm able to post this message with the wireless router my step-daughter gave me. :blinksmile:

Francis & Jen, :ghug: :hearts: Let Josef Turn me in order to fix my back, huh? Hmmmm..... there's an idea.....but, as much as I adore Josef, I think I'm with Jen on that idea. I'd rather be a werewolf.....Phelan would be a great Sire! :laugh: I live in an area surrounded by wilderness.....perfect for wolfy activities! :hyper2: And maybe I'd get the same 'body-lift' side effect that Beth did in her human form?! :winky: I could sure use that! :rolling:

Well.....got to go. Need to put ice pack on my back again. :sigh:
I'll keep plunking away at Chap 32, as I'm able.
Hugs & loves to you all! :ghug:

Lions :mooncat:

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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster, Part 2. {PG-1

Post by jen »

Just reread this chapter again and it is fabulous!!!!

Josef did good. Josef did GREAT by talking to Mick ahead of time and this could have gone the other way easily. It will not be a matter that will be easily resolved, but they will find their way through it. You know, Mick may find resolution to a lot of his issues through this situation with Beth.

Sorry you are still dealing with ice bags and discomfort, but issues with the back are different from ordinary broken bones. We never really realize every movement we make is connected to our back until we hurt it and then learn that truth the hard way.

I hope you are warm, comfortable. That your Christmas was enjoyable (or whatever your celebrated) and that you New Year will bring you peace, joy and no more accidents (visualize a ladder, now see a circle with a line through it--the universal signal for NO).

Hugs!

Jenna

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Re: FUll MOONLIGHT---Ch 31---Define Monster, Part 2. {PG-1

Post by lionsonleashes »

Thanks Jen! :hug:

I'm on the mend, feeling much better, and moving much better, these days. :phew:
And yes, all ladders have the "no!" symbol surrounding them, in my mind's eye, forever more! :snicker:

Hugs! :rose: :hug:

Lions :mooncat:
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