One Hundred Grand - PG13

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Lilly
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One Hundred Grand - PG13

Post by Lilly »

Ridiculously Long Author’s Note: You know how we always say around here that it’s never too late to respond to a Champagne Challenge? Well, I guess I’m going to test that by setting a record for the most outrageously tardy Challenge response ever. In fact, this story is late for TWO challenges – it’s five months late for #149, the "Unfinished Business"Challenge, and it over FOUR YEARS late for Challenge #109. I got the idea for the story as soon as we posted the "One Hundred Grand" theme and I outlined it immediately, but I got sidetracked and was never able to finish it -- even with new incentive and a second chance over the summer. For some reason, I decided to pull it out a few days ago and it all came together.

Big thanks to Alle, who insisted I should -- and could -- do it, and for looking it over before I posted. :blinksmile:

Disclaimer: I don’t own Josef and Mick – but that would be cool, wouldn’t it? Sometimes they tell me stuff and I just write it down. No disrespect or copyright infringement is ever intended.



One Hundred Grand


“Joz’f. I’m in trouble.”

Do I even want to know how bad this is? “You call me during Happy Hour, it better be good. What’s the matter? Did the blood bank have a run on A positive?”

He ignored the dig. Not even a sniff on the other end of the line. All he said was, “One Hundred Grand. 30 minutes.”

“I’ll be there in 20.”

It goes against standard operating procedure. Usually, I’m the one doing the summoning. But tonight’s different. So, tonight, he calls and I go. I didn’t ask why. I didn’t have to. Some things you just don’t need spelled out. He screwed up – again – and he knows it. I should use his sorry ass to wipe up the mess he’s made. But it’s Mick. And asking for my help comes right below feeding fresh on his bucket list Hit Parade. One of these days he’s going to listen to me. Unfortunately, today isn’t that day.

As much as I’d like to run the 430 at full throttle, the last thing I need is to attract an escort of LA’s “finest.” He’s smart enough not to lead them to me – the least I can do is return the favor. At least the lights are cooperating.

He could have picked any place in the city or up in the hills to meet me. But his choice told me all I needed to know. He’s in deep this time and there’s more at risk than his own hide.

You know, when humans say they have history with someone, they mean they go back a couple of years. When you have four centuries behind you, history is more about connection than marking time. It sure as hell doesn’t seem that long ago…

~~~

It was 1952 and I had been buying property downtown. I’d made a sizable donation to Dottie Chandler a couple of years earlier when she was raising money to reopen the Hollywood Bowl, and I’d caught wind of something bigger on the horizon – talk of a performing arts center she wanted to fund. Long before she went public, I knew she had a location in mind, up on a hill over on First, and it seemed in my best interest to invest not only as a patron of the arts, but also in some of the nearby real estate. If she got her music center built – and I had no reason to doubt that woman – it was going to jack up surrounding property values. Abandoned lots and deteriorated buildings could be revitalized. The potential parking revenues alone would make even a decade-long wait worth my while. After all, I had time on my side.

So it was late one night while I was checking out one of those new acquisitions, a vacant lot right on the corner diagonal to Dottie’s dream location, that I came across the most pathetic excuse for a vampire I’d ever seen. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a movement deep in the shadows of an adjacent building, beyond the reach of the streetlight. There he was – dirty, clothes torn – cowering near a trash heap. He had his face turned toward the wall; on the ground next to him was a pile of half a dozen rats, torn in two and sucked clean. He was half starved, totally crazed. He was shaking, sputtering as he warned me away; he didn’t want to hurt me, he said. I almost laughed.

Almost.

I would have left him, but he was newly turned and unstable – and an unstable vampire is a danger to us all. So, I got close enough for him to see my face and I flashed him my best welcome to the neighborhood. The fangs got his attention, and he scrambled back some against the bricks.

I waved my hand at his empties and told him, “You can’t live on that, you know.”

“I don’t want to live. Not like this.”

“Turning not your choice, huh?” That rarely goes well. I moved closer.

He warned me again to stay away; and he pulled out a Zippo, flicked it open, and held it out in my direction like some sort of crucifix in an old Dracula film. Then, he raised his other arm, the sleeve of his jacket dangling just inches from the flame.

“She said it was a gift. But it’s a curse. I didn’t want it. Monday – Monday night, I killed a girl. Because I needed to. I was so hungry.” He was shaking so hard I thought he might light himself up without even trying.

“Listen, kid, you don’t need to kill to eat. In fact, it’s frowned upon.”

“I can’t… go on like this.”

“You wanna take yourself out? Go ahead. You keep the rest of us out of it. Understand?”

“Why should I care about you? Any of you?”

At that point I was starting to think I should take him out myself.

“So, have you always been a quitter? A coward? You get dealt a hand you don’t like, so you run away – throw in the towel? Your sire must be one hell of a screw-up.”

That hit a nerve. He snapped the lighter shut and flashed fang faster than I thought possible in his wasted state. He struggled to his feet and actually snarled at me. “She’s my wife!”

Anger. That was something I could use. So, I laughed at him. “You married a vampire and you didn’t even know it! Your sire must like ‘em big and dumb. I should have you both put down.” That was when he lunged at me. Didn’t know he had it in him, but the guy had some fight left after all.

I spun him around and planted him face first into the wall. And I held him there, while I gave him some advice. I told him he needed to harness his anger. That the fire in his gut meant he had a reason to go on. I kept a grip on the back of his neck with one hand as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a couple of bills, stuffed them into his coat pocket and then released him. He was smart enough to know not to come at me again. As he was turning around, I fished out a card with directions to a safe place where he could get cleaned up and get a “decent” meal. I told him to stay there for a day or two before he went back to make nice with the little woman.

He said he didn’t want my money and tossed it down on top of the rat heap. But he kept the card and limped off into the shadows, heading down the hill.

That was the first time I met Mick St. John, vampire. Oh, Coraline thought she introduced us for the first time a few weeks later, and I did nothing to disabuse her of that notion, but Mick and I – we already had history.

~~~

You didn’t say north or south, boy-o. You’re lucky I’m sentimental. And here we are, back at the scene of the crime, so to speak. One Hundred South Grand.

And there he is, looking almost as lost and mad at the world as the first time I found him at this address. There was no garage here then. Just a vacant lot and a pile of empty dreams. He saw broken promises. I saw potential. Maybe tonight we see which one of us was right.

Right after I make my point…

“You made the news.”
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PNWgal
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8)

Post by PNWgal »

Let me just start with :hyper2:

Brava, babe...brava. :clapping:
And asking for my help comes right below feeding fresh on his bucket list Hit Parade.
How much do I love this wording? :cloud9:

These two go back a ways, and even though Mick hates to ask for it, he knows Josef will give him anything he needs - that's the beauty of this relationship. Two vampires, as different as night and day, yet closer than any two brothers could be.

Just lovely, Lilly. :hearts:
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8)

Post by Lilly »

Thanks so much, Pgal! :hug: :rose:

These two definitely go back -- and I couldn't resist making it a bit further back than popular wisdom has considered. :teeth:

I'm so glad you liked that line. Josef always seems to have his own unique twist on the contemporary vernacular. :winky:
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8)

Post by allegrita »

This is brilliant. :notworthy: Such a unique take on the Challenge--and I'm really awed that you figured out that the parking garage across from Disney Hall is at 100 South Grand! :clapping: But much, much more than that, this is one of those stories that fit perfectly into Moonlight canon. In fact, it fits so perfectly that it immediately became canon for me. When you showed me a rough draft the other day, I was pretty stunned. It was as if you'd read some lost pages of the screenplay. This is what happened. No question at all, this is how Josef got to that parking lot to meet Mick. And the idea that Josef had first met Mick when he was a half-crazed, desperate new turn, and had given him a spark of hope? Well, my reaction to that is, of course that's how it happened. I just hadn't realized it till I read this story.

I love your Josef. His short, staccato sentences, the intensity of his personality, just shine through your writing. I can hear him speaking when I read your stuff. And his multidimensional self is at its best here: in this short piece, we get the snark, the protectiveness of the Tribe, the philanthropist (in ways both very big and very small), the tycoon who's also at home in the filthiest slum, the ruthless pragmatist, and the mentor. This is Josef Kostan, in a wonderful nutshell.

Dig out some more unfinished stories, woman!! :teeth:
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by MickLifeCrisis »

Of course it happened this way! Didn't it?

Excellent! And I don't care how long after the challenge you posted. This was great!

:twothumbs:
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by BlueEyedMonster »

I agree with everyone this was such a wonderful flash back to a Moonlight episode. It just felt so right I could see the desperation of Mick and the unique character that is Josef.

Following the career of amazing actors that made Moonlight real has brought me some amazing discoveries but it is always good to come home. Stories like this put out the welcome mat to that home. Thank you Lilly!
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by GuardianAngel »

I don't care how late this is. I'm just so happy you finished and posted it. It fits perfectly into the storyline and says so much about their friendship. No, Mick doesn't like to ask for favors (no more than I'd think Josef likes to grant them) so if he's asking, it's important; Josef knows it and won't ask too many questions. They got each other's back. Cuz, yeah, they've got history. :winky:
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by Fleur de Lisa »

Duuuuuuuuuude---this is AWESOME.

PGal picked the same quote I was going to. (Great minds). Lyrical wording, perfect Josef and a true surprise as to the address being the reference, not the $$$

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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by librarian_7 »

So...more evidence that ANY work from Lilly is worth waiting for.

I'm not sure anyone writes Mick and Josef...those friends and brothers...any better than this.

Another classic, pure and simple.
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by francis »

I really can't say it any better than allegrita. You made my day.

:hearts:
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by Lilly »

Pgal, Alle, MLC, BlueEyedMonster, GA, Fleur, Lucky and francis -- You ladies have totally made my day! :ghug: :ghug: :rose:

I mean, I was feeling pretty good, having posted my first piece of writing in over 16 months, but your wonderful comments really mean the world to me. :hearts:


Alle - Thank you SO much! :hug: I just knew, as soon as we posted the prompt, that "One Hundred Grand" had to be an address. I knew that the "Out of the Past" parking garage took up most of the 100-block on Grand Avenue diagonally across form the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. And I always wondered why, of all places, Josef and Mick met there that night. It got me considering the possibility that rather than being a random choice it had some real significance. And for a long time, I'd toyed with the idea of Mick and Josef having a run-in prior to their "official" introduction by Coraline. I wondered if Josef might have been coming from a performance at the Chandler Music Hall, but my research turned up that it hadn't be built yet in 1952. It also turned up some cool history on Dorothy Chandler and that set the wheels turning.

I'm delighted Josef rang true here -- both in the present and in 1952 -- and the encounter was believable. Thank you agan for all of your encouragement. :rose:

MLC - Thank you! :flowers: It certainly happened that way in my mind -- I appreciate your coming along for the ride. :hug:


BEM - Thank you for your treasure of a comment. It actually made me tear up a bit...
BlueEyedMonster wrote:Following the career of amazing actors that made Moonlight real has brought me some amazing discoveries but it is always good to come home. Stories like this put out the welcome mat to that home. Thank you Lilly!
:rose:

GA - Thank you so much! :smooch: They DO have history. And it is great fun to explore that. :teeth:

Fleur - Thank you! I'm really glad you liked that line. :snicker: I'm not sure it completely makes sense, but it sounded like a classic Josef pop culture reference to me. And I'm so pleased you liked the address "twist." :teeth:

Lucky - I don't even know what to say. You've always had more confidence in me than I've had in myself. I can't thank you enough. :hug:

francis -- Thank you so much! The feeling is mutual! :hug: :flowers:
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by cassysj »

I so needed this today. This is a wonderful story and it is perfect Mick and Josef. For some reason I love the idea that Coraline didn't really introduce them. It kind of makes their friendship destiny.
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by Lilly »

Aww, Carol, thank you so much! :hug: I just love this...
cassysj wrote: It kind of makes their friendship destiny.
:hearts:
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by darkstarrising »

What alle said!! Bravo on finding the address of the parking garage and linking it to the One Hundred Grand challenge. That's the level of detail that makes a good story even better.

The friendship between Mick and Josef goes back to Mick's unwilling beginning as a vampire. Love how you have Josef recognize Mick's qualities, seeing his value. Had he not, he might have given in to his inclination to put him down. And Mick - miserable as he is - can't have the woman he loves insulted.

If you have any more gems like this, please, please dust them off and let them shine :flowers:
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Re: One Hundred Grand - PG13 (*new - 11/8/2013)

Post by Lilly »

dsr - Thank you so much! :rose: I'm not sure if Josef was convinced that Mick was worth saving at this point, but he gave him a chance. When he got close enough, could he have smelled Coraline on Mick? Maybe. :winky: In any case, we know that when Josef and Mick "met," Mick told Coraline that Josef was a "jerk" and Josef told her that Mick "wasn't cut out to be a vampire." Wonder how long it took them to change their minds... :chin:
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