Mick's Errand - PG, Third Anniversary Fic

[MickLifeCrisis]

For Moonlight's Third Anniversary. The usual MickBeth fluff. Many thanks to Lorig for the prodding and especially for the ending! This had been sitting around half written with no direction for many months. Then Lorig showed me the way! (She laid out M&M's in a little path...)

Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight or any of its characters.
Rating: PG
Characters: Mick, Beth, Josef, Simone



Mick’s Errand


Beth and Mick sat at opposite ends of the couch. She was polishing her nails, her legs stretched out with her feet in Mick’s lap. He was absentmindedly massaging her feet.

“Hey,” she said as she finished her last fingernail and held her arm straight out in front of her to admire her handiwork. “Let’s invite Josef and Simone over tomorrow night.” She handed Mick the bottle of nail polish.

“Sure, if you want to.” He began to paint her toenails.

“After all, it’s our third anniversary.”

Mick looked up, puzzled. “Third anniversary of what?”

“Of when we met! You know, at the fountain!” Beth waved her fingers in the air to dry them.

“Oh, right.” Beth didn’t notice his slight eye roll.

“I’ll stop by the store on my way home from work tomorrow and pick up some cheese and crackers for Simone and me. You be sure to call Josef, okay?” Suddenly, she started giggling. “Hey, stop that!”

Mick was blowing gently on her toes to dry the polish. He was grinning mischievously. “Stop what?” he asked innocently.

“You know very well what!” Mick was now placing feather light kisses on her toes and feet, working his way up her smooth, bare legs. Beth’s giggles were becoming soft moans. “Just don’t smudge my nails!” she managed to get out before Mick’s kisses smothered her lips.


MLMLMLML


Beth looked at her watch and at the piles of file folders still on her desk. Sighing resignedly, she reached for her phone and called Mick.

“Hey.”

“Oh good, you’re awake.”

“Of course I’m awake. You make it sound like I sleep all day!” Beth could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Well, you DO sleep all day! Listen, can you do a favor for me? I’m not gonna make it out of here as early as I hoped. Can you run to the store for me and pick up some crackers and cheese? And maybe some fruit?”

“Sure. I was going out anyway to make a pick-up from Guillermo. I can stop on my way home.”

“Thanks, that would help a lot. Love you! See you when I get home!”

“Love you too. Bye.”


MLMLMLML


Mick stood staring at the varieties of fresh fruit in the grocery store. She just said “some fruit”. What does that mean, exactly? How much fruit do I get for two humans? He slowly walked past all the displays, then he spotted a cooler with containers of mixed fresh fruit already cut up in chunks. Bingo! He picked up the largest container he could find and put it in his cart. He stood looking at it, and then placed a second one in the cart as well. That should be enough for Beth and Simone.

The cheese counter was next. Mick couldn’t believe all the choices! Cheddar. Sharp cheddar. New York sharp cheddar. Swiss. Baby Swiss. Lacy Swiss. Cheese with herbs. Cheese with jalapeno peppers. He paced back and forth in front of the counter several times. There’s a reason Beth does all the shopping, he thought to himself. Looking around for inspiration, he found a display of ready-made cheese platters. All nicely sliced and arranged. He picked up a small one. That doesn’t look like much. He put it back and picked up the largest one, setting it carefully into his cart.

Mick was feeling pretty good about himself now and briskly walked to the cracker aisle. He figured this would be the easiest; he knew Beth liked the little square woven ones. He scanned the pictures on the boxes. Triscuits! That’s the one! Then his mouth went dry. Original. Reduced Fat. Hint of Salt. Garden Herb. Rosemary and Olive Oil. Fire Roasted Tomato. Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil. Deli-Style Rye. Roasted Garlic. He managed a small smile at that last one, remembering when Beth had first offered him a chip “without garlic”. Gotta get the garlic one! He chuckled as he put the Roasted Garlic box in his cart. Then he looked at the huge cheese platter, and the one lone box of Triscuits. Looking at the cheese platter again, he counted five different kinds of cheese. Well, then I’ll get five different kinds of crackers to go with them! And he placed four more boxes of Triscuits into his cart.

Mick wasn’t sure how much wine they still had at home so decided to be on the safe side he would pick up a bottle or two. He selected a red and a white, and then picked up some champagne as well. After all, she said it was our anniversary! In the center of the aisle was a colorful display of paper plates and matching cocktail napkins so he picked up a package of each. Then he headed for the check out.

“You must be having a big party!” the cashier commented as she scanned Mick’s items. Mick just smiled at her as he swiped his credit card. It planted the first seed of doubt in his mind that he had perhaps gone a bit overboard.

His second clue was how many bags of groceries he had to carry up to the loft. He approached the door quietly, sniffing for Beth’s presence on the other side. Relieved that she had not yet arrived, he quickly deposited his bags in the kitchen and raced back downstairs for the second load.

He really started worrying about how much food he had when he started to run out of serving dishes. The fruit required two bowls; he spread the crackers out on separate plates. At least the cheese slices were already on a platter! He decided to set out only some of the fruit and crackers and leave the rest in the kitchen, in case they were needed. He set out the cheese platter, along with all the paper plates and napkins. He was carrying some wine glasses and silverware to the sitting area when he heard the elevator ding and scented Beth walking towards the door.

“Hey, everything looks great!” Beth said, casually glancing at the table in front of the couch and chairs. Then she spotted the cheese platter. “Look at all that cheese!” Her eyes narrowed as she caught Mick’s eye. “Just how much do you think Simone and I eat?”

“I thought… I mean, I didn’t know… I tried to…” he stuttered, glancing between the cheese and Beth’s face, knowing if he had still been able to blush his cheeks would be crimson by now. He took a breath and tried again. “There’s a reason you usually do all the shopping you know,” he said somewhat defensively. He met Beth’s eyes, and was relieved to see a twinkle in them. He broke into a grin as Beth started to giggle.

“I got your favorite kind of cracker,” he said proudly.

“I see you did!” She kissed his cheek. “And I appreciate it. Two different kinds, even! But really, one box would have been plenty.” Beth began to head upstairs to wash up before their company arrived.

“Variety is the spice of life, you know!” Mick hollered after her.

“So they say!” she replied, grinning and shaking her head. That Mick! How in the world did he think that she and Simone could eat all that cheese? Not to mention that huge bowl of fruit!


MLMLMLML


Beth was walking down the stairs as Mick opened the door for Josef and Simone. “Hi, thanks for coming,” he greeted them.

“Hi Mick, happy anniversary!” Simone said as she gave Mick a peck on the cheek. “Beth, there you are! I brought us some dessert.” She held up her hands. “I couldn’t decide between the triple layer chocolate brownies and a dozen deluxe chocolate chip cookies, so I bought some of each.”

Beth greeted her friend with a hug, careful to avoid smooshing the baked goods. “C’mon to the kitchen and we’ll find some plates for those.”

As they walked away, Josef held up an expensive bottle of scotch. “I didn’t come empty handed either!” he grinned.

“You brought the good stuff because you knew you’d be drinking it too,” Mick chided as he headed towards the glasses.

“You know it!” Josef retorted, following after. He glanced at the fruit, cheese and crackers set out in front of the couch. “Um, Mick? Is all that just for Beth and Simone, or are you having more humans over?”

“Nobody else – that’s just for Beth and Simone,” he said a bit distractedly as he poured the scotch. Setting the bottle down he looked at the food and then at Josef, his brows furrowed in worry. “Why, do you think it’s too much? I had to do the shopping.”

Josef stifled a laugh. “Nooo, that looks fine. Just fine.”

Beth and Simone were talking and laughing as they walked into the kitchen. Their conversation stopped suddenly and they froze on the spot, staring at the counters. Every available space seemed to be covered with plates of Triscuits. Through the glass door of the refrigerator they could see a second large bowl of fresh fruit salad. Simone shoved some of the cracker plates aside in order to set down her desserts. The girls looked at each other and Simone had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

“Oh, Mick?” Beth called out sweetly. “Could you please come in here a minute?”


MLMLMLML


Mick sat in the corner of the couch with his arm around Beth. They sipped on their wine and watched the flames dance in the crystal fireplace.

“This was a fun evening – I’m glad we had them over,” Beth said as she snuggled closer to Mick.

“Yes it was. I only wish I could have seen your and Simone’s faces when you first went into the kitchen!” Mick chuckled.

“Really Mick, what where you thinking? How could you possibly think that Simone and I could eat all that?”

“I just wanted you to have a selection.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

“I’m not. I think you didn’t have the slightest idea what to get and were trying to cover all the bases.”

Mick laughed and kissed the top of Beth’s head. “Well, maybe. Too bad Simone doesn’t let Josef keep freshies around anymore – he could have made use of some of that food.”

“I tried to get Simone to take some for herself, but she only took one small serving of fruit.”

Mick looked down at Beth and clicked his glass to hers. “Happy Anniversary.”

Beth smiled as her glass connected with Mick’s. “Happy Anniversary!” She took a sip of wine and sighed happily. “Three years. Who knew?”

“I did.”

“You did?”

“Sure. The moment I saw you walking barefoot through that freezing cold fountain at two in the morning. You captured my heart then and you’ve had it ever since. It just took me a while to admit it.” He leaned down and kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Beth said returning the kiss. She raised her glass to Mick’s again. “Here’s to three more wonderful years!”

Mick’s hand paused in mid-air. “Only three?” he said, frowning, setting his glass down.

“Yes,” Beth said, grinning. “That’s how long it will take me to finish eating all that food you bought!”

Mick raised his eyebrows in surprise, and then broke out in laughter. He took Beth’s glass from her and set it on the table next to his own. Pushing her down onto the couch, he whispered huskily into her ear, “Let’s see if I can help you work up an appetite.”


The End

[Lilly]

Oh, MLC! This is just delightful! It brought such a smile to my face to be celebrating with such a lighthearted look toward their future.

Thank you for this -- and thank you to lorig for prompting you to finish it.

[redwinter101]

This is so super, MLC. I love hapless, fish-out-of-water Mick, and this ending made me giggle. A lot:

Mick’s hand paused in mid-air. “Only three?” he said, frowning, setting his glass down.

“Yes,” Beth said, grinning. “That’s how long it will take me to finish eating all that food you bought!”

Red

[librarian_7]

Good thing she didn't ask him to pick up some cold cuts, too.

Poor guy...but he gets an A for effort!

Lucky

[MickLifeCrisis]

This is so super, MLC. I love hapless, fish-out-of-water Mick, and this ending made me giggle. A lot:

Mick’s hand paused in mid-air. “Only three?” he said, frowning, setting his glass down.

“Yes,” Beth said, grinning. “That’s how long it will take me to finish eating all that food you bought!”

Red

I must give credit where credit is due... those lines are both Lorig's! Told ya she was a big help on this one!

Thanks Red, Lilly and Lucky - so glad you found it enjoyable! MickBeth fluff always makes me smile!

[jen]

Micklifecrisis

This is absolutely charming! Mick and Beth are doing regular couple things and dealing with shopping issues just like a normal pair.

Loved the casual warmth between them.

Thank you

Jenna

[MoonlitRose]

Mick's lost his sense of human food volume, that's for certain!

Thank You MLC, and Lorig too!

[MickLifeCrisis]

Thank you Jen and MoonlitRose, for reading and for commenting! I'm happy you enjoyed the fluff.

[allegrita]

What a darling story--and poor Mick, he just wanted to be sure there was enough. Gotta love our ever-prepared vampire.

I loved this sweet look into the "future" (actually, the present, huh?) of our friends...

[cassysj]

Poor Mick although considering how much food he shoveled in his mouth after he was cured I can understand why he had so much trouble deciding. Very cute!

[MickLifeCrisis]

Thanks, Allegrita! Hmm....maybe Mick was a Boy Scout in his youth. You know, "Be Prepared".

Thanks, Cassysj! I guess Mick's eyes are still bigger than his stomach. Or Beth's.

Thank you so much for reading and leaving comments!

[fairytoes]

Lovely story MLC! Thank you so much, just what I needed today!

[MickLifeCrisis]

Glad I could help brighten your day, fairytoes! Thank you for reading!

[jen]

This is adorable!!!

Mick was human for thirty years. Guess he forgot.

He was probably one of those guys who could eat everything within his field of vision and never gain an ounce.

Now, that Simone has outlawed all the freshies, either Josef is drinking morgue blood (unlikely) or he is arranging for a regular delivery of fresh (possible), or the stable of freshies may be at a different location and they are still the source of the fresh blood.

I love it! Josef orders in!

Fabulous, MLC!!!

Thanks

Jenna

[Marigold]

This was hilarious, MLC! Very well done!

Mick paints nails and grocery shops? I'm impressed! (but not surprised!)

I can totally see him in a grocery store, buying way too much food.

Thank you!