Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

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Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by redwinter101 »

Title: Cul-de-sac, part 1
Author: redwinter101
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own Moonlight or any of its characters.
Note: this was written for challenge #129, "The Road Not Taken". It was a challenge I really wanted to participate in, but I was struggling for inspiration. The ever-wonderful Grace came up with the idea for this story and graciously let me write it. The premise? Someone makes a minor decision, with major consequences. And that's all I'm giving away! (Part 2 to follow soon.)


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--- Cul-de-sac ---


It was easy to forget how much blood a human body held.

Drawn off in pint-sized portions, sucked from a willing vein, packaged, bottled, tidy. Not like this. Spatter across every surface, thick and wide, brightest scarlet to clotting black. Pooling, creeping, it spread a grisly halo around the battered, defeated body on the ground.

For a moment he thought he was looking at a corpse. Eyes closed, head cocked to one side, he blocked out Beth’s frantic sobs to listen. There was still a heartbeat. Faint, faltering, his wounds mortal, his life fading. The firecracker scent of recent gunshots lingered, overlaid with the stench of irreparable damage to a body frail and human. Sweat oozing, skin torn apart, organs shutting down.

Kneeling at his side Beth clutched at his clothes, trying to urge sense back to his senseless carcass, willing him to remain, to persist, to take one more breath. Frantic fingers clawed at his shirt and torn, tattered jacket, stroking his cheek, seeking every last remnant of warmth and life and hope.

“Don’t leave me! Please, stay. Please.”

Her tears splashed to the floor, his blood smeared across her shirt, soaking through the knees of her pants, saturating the jacket she'd pressed across his chest, a vain attempt to staunch the bleeding. But her pleas yielded a flicker, no more, the effort so great. His final moment of connection. She bent over him, her hair falling, dipping into his wounds, oblivious to the surrounding carnage until the tap of new shoes heralded an arrival and she turned, startled. Her blotched, shattered features fell from anguish to hope.

“Help him. You have to help him. He’s dying.”

Josef cleared his throat, buying a precious moment to think. A snatched survey of Anders’ salesroom revealed the aftermath of Mick's night's work. Beth unscathed, Anders staked, two cohorts dead, Talbot out cold in the corner. Smashed cabinets, shards of glass twinkling under the bright, fluorescent light, broken jars of blood mingling, distracting, a wash of scents. And then there was Mick. Josef stepped closer, his shoes dipping into the sticky edges of the blood. Transfixed. Mesmerised. Tiny movements shifted Mick's battered frame. Air sucking in and out, shallower, his body giving up the fight.

“Josef!” Beth’s sharp desperation jolted him from his reverie. “He needs you."

Pulling out his phone to summon assistance, the missed call counter blinked. Another five calls. All from Guillermo. Messages waiting, too late, useless now. The damage was done. His first call was to the Cleaner - fuzzy on the detail, unsure of how many bodies she would need to sanitise - and his second was to Guillermo. Josef was surprised at how much he wished for his solid, practical presence, used to dealing with the frailties of the human body; used to dealing with death. If only he'd had the sense to answer that first call. If only.

The phone rang twice; the third ring echoed through the hallway, announcing Guillermo's arrival.

“Josef. Thank God you got here-"

He broke off, taking in the scene. “Holy Mother of God!” No questions, no time-wasting, no need to weigh the pros and cons, he rushed to Mick’s side, down to his knees, ear pressed close to sense the faintest signs of life.

“It’s okay, Beth. He’s still alive. Barely, but alive.” He leaned over Mick’s motionless body, paler in life than he'd ever been in death, whispering encouragement as he started compressions. “Breathe when I tell you, Beth, okay?” He counted out a rhythm, so careful not to damage further, to crush the human ribs that bowed and strained under his touch.

“Josef. He can’t take this for long. You need to decide. If you’re going to call an ambulance, you need to do it now.”

Beth paused, "If? What do you mean 'If'?"

The death rattle in Mick's chest told them it was already far too late. This was beyond Josef's realm. Saving humans was the work of healers or saints and he was neither.

Her sobs rose, “He’s dying. Do something. You have to-"

"What the hell was he thinking coming here, like this?" Josef tossed his jacket to the floor and lurched to his knees beside Guillermo, reaching out to run his fingers over Mick's wounds. His first impressions had been accurate. Mick had finally got his wish. A brief, mortal life and an ugly, mortal death. There was no more to be done.

A sound from across the room startled them all as Talbot moaned his way back to semi-consciousness, forgotten in the aftermath.

Josef looked to Guillermo, his voice low and soft and dark, “Get him out of here,” he growled, gesturing to Talbot. “Get him to a hospital. Dump him in the parking lot if you have to. And don’t come back.”

"But what about-?"

"Just do it," Josef snapped. Guillermo opened his mouth to protest but acquiesced. He nodded and rose, scooped Talbot’s arm around his shoulders and left.

Josef sat, still. Beth reached across to grab his arm, shaking, tugging, desperate.

“He came for me. To save me. You have to help him.”

“I…”

“Please,” she begged, “You can’t let him die.” A smear of tears and blood as she dragged her fingers across her face. Taking a deep breath she whispered, “You have to turn him back.”

Josef recoiled; it hadn’t occurred to him it was even possible.

“Mick said it himself, not that long ago,” he mumbled, half to himself.

“What? What are you talking about?”

Josef turned to stare, raising his bloodied hands, “He’s human. This is what happens. Remember?”

“He told you.” A whisper, shamed.

“Of course he told me. He wouldn't do it and I won't do it, either.”

His attempt to stand was thwarted as she flailed, pulling him back to the floor, her breath hot against his face. In his long life Josef had smelled fear and pain and grief and death and desire but now all he could sense was love, desperate love. Until that moment he’d doubted her feelings for Mick were true; it was easy to dismiss as childish fantasy – the princess and her guardian angel. But this was real and hard and hot and suffocating.

He gripped her shoulders, shaking, “This is what he longed for – to be human again. All these years.”

“But he isn’t human. He’ll turn back – you know he will. If you don’t do this, he’ll die. He’ll die, Josef. Is that what you want?”

“None of this is what I want.”

Fury surged. Mick had got what he wanted and it fell to him, once again, to pick up the pieces. Josef Kostan playing God, a role not even the most imaginative Hollywood casting director would believe. For a moment his self-control slipped, the words building, inexorable, words of blame and pain and grief.

“He’s only here because of you. He knew he was no match for Anders but he came anyway. For you. To save you." She flinched. "To protect you. And now you want me to kill him – for you.” He rocked back on his haunches, “No. I won’t. I can’t. I don’t have the right.”

“But I do.” Her fingers dug tighter into his flesh. “You’re right – he did this for me. To save me. You can’t let him die for that.”

"You don't know what you're asking."

"Yes, I do. And if he hates me for forever, at least he'll be alive."

"There are worse things than death."

"You don't really believe that."

A sad shake of his head, "No. But Mick does."

Josef leaned forward, face to face with Mick, his own tears falling, unable to hold them back. There was no right answer, no magic and no mystery, just a choice between a futile death or a hated half-life. Trembling fingers brushed his temple, through his hair, matted with blood.

"Mick," his plaintive prayer, knowing there was no chance of response, guidance, admonition.

Beth held her breath.

"I'm sorry."

Dipping to the near-depleted vein he pierced and drew. A sip, a taste. Superstition more than necessity; there was barely any blood left in his mangled body.

Flashes of memory, the final moments before he fell, the sensations overwhelming: fear, exhilaration, desperation, love.

Life.

That’s what Mick felt as the first bullet shattered his breastbone – he'd never felt more alive. A sob rose in Josef’s throat and he forced himself to swallow. Concentrating, he closed his eyes, blocking out every sound except the rhythms of Mick’s fading body. Electric hum and traffic noise faded into the background and all that was left was Mick. He felt the flutter, the moment of surrender and pulled back, pushing away thoughts of souls and sins and reckoning as he bit into his own wrist. Deep; to the bone. A drip to Mick’s lips, to heal and kill.

“Come on, Mick. Rise and shine."

He could have stood to one side, watched him die the death he desired. Interfering with the universe’s plans was becoming a nasty habit. He leaned forward, stroking his fingers through Mick’s hair as he offered a silent prayer to the ancient gods of his ancestors and to the only man he’d ever called friend and meant it.

A prayer for forgiveness.
A prayer for understanding.
A prayer for their uncertain futures.

“Forgive me, brother.”
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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by maggatha3 »

redwinter101 wrote: “You’re right – he did this for me. To save me. You can’t let him die for that.”
So, this seems to be the equivalent to ''He has my Beth", right? But it took a lot more for Beth to persuade Josef to turn Mick in that story..even though Mick was almost dying. And it seems only fair, since he doesn't have Mick's approval of re-turning him this time.

What a powerful story, red. How many feelings around dying Mick.. Beth's fear and remorse, how awful it must be for her to see Mick now in the position of Josh and have to beg again to turn her beloved to a vampire.. Josef's pain and hesitation over doing to Mick what Coraline had done- turn him without his approval. And above all, their love for that special man who brought them together at this moment and has them fighting over his life or un-life..And oh, what an irony, Josef really wants Mick back as a vamp and Beth wants him as human, but now the choises are totally different for both of them....Quite a cul-de-sac, indeed..

Thank you red, looking forward to the second part and :pray: that Mick doesn't end up like Sarah...
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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by LadyAilith »

For a moment, I thought that Josef wasn't going to turn him. I have to agree with Beth...he may hate it, but at least he'd be alive.

Beautifully done red. Thank you so much for yet another stellar piece. I'm looking forward to part 2.
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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by AussieJo »

Hmmmm Red, looking forward to the next part. The outcome is not clear.....
I think I'll hide behind the couch and watch from there! :scary:
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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by librarian_7 »

Beautifully written (no big surprise there, babe), and so perfectly in line with canon and character....

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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by redwinter101 »

maggatha3 wrote:And above all, their love for that special man who brought them together at this moment and has them fighting over his life or un-life.
Thanks, maggatha - I was really hoping that would come across. Even half-dead on the floor, Mick dominates proceedings. At least in my world. :happysigh:

LadyAilith, that made me SO happy - if you weren't sure what Josef would do, then I've done my job. Thanks for reading and the lovely comment.

AussieJo, the outcome may not be clear, but for you and anyone else fretting about part two, I promise there's no need to :chair: . Josef and Beth have acted - now we'll see what the aftermath reveals.

librarian_7, :smooch: :hearts: :rose: thanks for the kind words.

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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by OnceBitTwiceShy »

This gave me goosebumps! What a great what if-Josef never got the call. He wants to do what Mick wants, despite his own personal feelings and Beth's. I can't wait to see what happens in part 2.
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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by redwinter101 »

OnceBitTwiceShy wrote:This gave me goosebumps!
:hyper2:

How marvellous!. Thanks, OnceBitTwiceShy. :rose:

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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by wpgrace »

Ahhh. I LOVE our writers. Soooo much! :heart: :heart: :heart:

And I loved this challenge, the what if quality of it. Cuz so much in this star-crossed story of this man and his various loves and lives is just a matter of fate. And I can think of a what if.... I just got no clue what happens after the question is asked. :snicker: So look what our beloved Redwinter did with this what if... :thud: :twothumbs: :notworthy:

And allll I gave her was, what if Josef missed the phone call from Guillermo? :gasp:

I LOVE the way she started it... the equation between THIS returning and the one for Josh that never happened. It is so beautifully crafted, I wonder if any readers initially think they are going to be reading about Josh's death. But that parallel is classic ML. There are so many parallels in Mick's fate thruout the show... it just works here perfectly.

I LOVE the way, as a couple of you have said, that Mick remains at the center of this piece, even tho he's lying unconscious on the floor. It's still all about Mick. And I love how Josef knows that, begrudges it a bit, but doesn't begrudge Mick one bit.

I LOVE this, as Josef arrives on scene...
redwinter101 wrote:A snatched survey of Anders’ salesroom revealed the aftermath of Mick's night's work. Beth unscathed, Anders staked, two cohorts dead, Talbot out cold in the corner. Smashed cabinets, shards of glass twinkling under the bright, fluorescent light, broken jars of blood mingling, distracting, a wash of scents.
...

...and then this as Josef begins his reluctant work to turn his friend...
redwinter101 wrote:Flashes of memory, the final moments before he fell, the sensations overwhelming: fear, exhilaration, desperation, love.

Life.

That’s what Mick felt as the first bullet shattered his breastbone – he'd never felt more alive.
Mick was a hero. They all know it. But Josef FEELS it, deep inside himself, and because of how Red writes it, we feel it deep down too. :happysigh: :happysigh: :happysigh:

Finally, I LOVE how Josef, as in canon, was reluctant to turn Mick back. It was still someone else's idea. He still had to be begged. He had to be given a reason. It was love. He had to feel their love for one another. Cuz he knew, HE KNEW, as Beth never got, how much Mick resented the vampire and treasured the human.

So Josef never got the call, but Mick still saved Beth, Talbot still was clueless, Guillermo played his role, and Josef did the heavy lifting. They did what they do, they all were what they were. Josef just missed the damn phone call. Beautiful. Emotional. Pride inspiring. Suspenseful. In the end, quiet and touching. :cloud9:

Oh. One more thing. Props to Red for taking on the returning scene. It was the ONE scene we all agreed upon and all treasured equally. I think it took cojones to rewrite it. And a deft deft hand. :clapping:

One other thing. Just fyi, I did BEG her that Mick WOULD be returned... that she wasn't gonna let him die. :phew: But I DO wonder how he's gonna take it, once he wakes up here. This wasn't HIS idea this time... :brow: Can't wait for the finale. :biggrin:
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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by redwinter101 »

wpgrace wrote:And allll I gave her was, what if Josef missed the phone call from Guillermo? :gasp:
Piffle. You gave me a hell of a lot more than that - practically an entire outline, you wonderful woman. :heart:
wpgrace wrote:He had to feel their love for one another.
That's lovely - and I do think it's a parallel with the original scene. It was Mick's heartrending "My Beth" moment that convinced Josef - we could all see it and feel it. Up until then he was totally unconvinced that Beth was in any way worth risking Mick's life for.
wpgrace wrote:One other thing. Just fyi, I did BEG her that Mick WOULD be returned... that she wasn't gonna let him die. :phew: But I DO wonder how he's gonna take it, once he wakes up here. This wasn't HIS idea this time... :brow: Can't wait for the finale. :biggrin:
:giggle: In truth, that was one of the best things about your outline. If you hadn't said that right up front, I'd have spent ages agonising over whether Josef would actually do it or not.

As for how Mick takes it... well, that's a little bit of wait and see. :whistle:

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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by francis »

What a truly wonderful gift this story is!! There I am, thinking there couldn't possibly be a new way for me to see things after all those years (yes, years) of thinking about Moonlight and the characters. Now I'm again mesmerized by how your story makes me feel the same I felt when watching the show, yet in a new way. The small deviation from the show's canon still feels like canon, everything is in place, yet so totally different. And this time, it's Beth convincing Josef to re-turn Mick, and Josef knows exactly what Mick would want, and still takes his death away from him. Kills him to keep him alive, for Beth. I, too, wonder how Mick will take this, as again his decision was taken away from him, but this time he has much more to live for, and kind of knows what he's going to be. It might take Beth's actions to convince him that it was the right decision, but it might throw a wrench into the friendship to Josef, at first.
Thank you!!! :thud: :hearts:
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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by redwinter101 »

francis wrote:What a truly wonderful gift this story is!! There I am, thinking there couldn't possibly be a new way for me to see things after all those years (yes, years) of thinking about Moonlight and the characters. Now I'm again mesmerized by how your story makes me feel the same I felt when watching the show, yet in a new way. The small deviation from the show's canon still feels like canon, everything is in place, yet so totally different.
That's so wonderful, francis - I'm thrilled. Totally thrilled. :hyper2:

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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by fairytoes »

Wow. :thud: I'm at a total loss for words. This is one of the most gripping stories I've ever read. Thank you Red for sharing your amazing talent :flowers: and Thank you Grace! :flowers:
wpgrace wrote: One other thing. Just fyi, I did BEG her that Mick WOULD be returned... that she wasn't gonna let him die. :phew:
:phew: Indeed. And an extra huge thank you for that. :twothumbs:

I'm incredibly looking forward to the second part.
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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by redwinter101 »

fairytoes wrote:
wpgrace wrote: One other thing. Just fyi, I did BEG her that Mick WOULD be returned... that she wasn't gonna let him die. :phew:
:phew: Indeed. And an extra huge thank you for that. :twothumbs:
:giggle:

Yes, Grace was VERY clear on that point.

Thanks so much for reading, fairytoes. I hope part two lives up to expectations. :hearts:

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Re: Cul-de-sac (challenge #129) - PG, part 1 of 2

Post by PNWgal »

You got me with this one, babe. Totally. :rose:

Imagine my surprise when, instead of Beth begging Mick for Josh's second chance...she was begging Josef for Mick's. :hankie:
redwinter101 wrote:Josef cleared his throat, buying a precious moment to think. A snatched survey of Anders’ salesroom revealed the aftermath of Mick's night's work. Beth unscathed, Anders staked, two cohorts dead, Talbot out cold in the corner. Smashed cabinets, shards of glass twinkling under the bright, fluorescent light, broken jars of blood mingling, distracting, a wash of scents. And then there was Mick. Josef stepped closer, his shoes dipping into the sticky edges of the blood. Transfixed. Mesmerised. Tiny movements shifted Mick's battered frame. Air sucking in and out, shallower, his body giving up the fight.

I just loved this look into Josef, how well he knows Mick, how much he knows how Mick would choose to die a mortal rather than go back to existing as a vampire.

redwinter101 wrote:Josef turned to stare, raising his bloodied hands, “He’s human. This is what happens. Remember?”

“He told you.” A whisper, shamed.

“Of course he told me. He wouldn't do it and I won't do it, either.”

I also really liked the lingering doubt Josef has about Beth. He's watched this weird, awkward, painful relationship unfold...Mick seeing Beth again, falling for her, Beth's indecision between him and Josh. But her anguish here at Mick's certain demise convinces him otherwise.

redwinter101 wrote:His attempt to stand was thwarted as she flailed, pulling him back to the floor, her breath hot against his face. In his long life Josef had smelled fear and pain and grief and death and desire but now all he could sense was love, desperate love. Until that moment he’d doubted her feelings for Mick were true; it was easy to dismiss as childish fantasy – the princess and her guardian angel. But this was real and hard and hot and suffocating.

And he's angry...angry to have to clean up another mess. His clarity here, the fact that he realizes he doesn't have the right to make the decision for Mick is just another wonderful facet in the enigma that is Josef Kostan.

redwinter101 wrote:Fury surged. Mick had got what he wanted and it fell to him, once again, to pick up the pieces. Josef Kostan playing God, a role not even the most imaginative Hollywood casting director would believe. For a moment his self-control slipped, the words building, inexorable, words of blame and pain and grief.

“He’s only here because of you. He knew he was no match for Anders but he came anyway. For you. To save you." She flinched. "To protect you. And now you want me to kill him – for you.” He rocked back on his haunches, “No. I won’t. I can’t. I don’t have the right.”

But...Josef doesn't want to lose Mick. He makes the only choice he can, and not because Beth wants Mick to live.

Josef wants it, too.

redwinter101 wrote:He could have stood to one side, watched him die the death he desired. Interfering with the universe’s plans was becoming a nasty habit. He leaned forward, stroking his fingers through Mick’s hair as he offered a silent prayer to the ancient gods of his ancestors and to the only man he’d ever called friend and meant it
.


This was heartbreaking in its gloriousness, Red. Just wonderful.

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