Ambient Noise (G)

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Catmoon
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Ambient Noise (G)

Post by Catmoon »

Note: Just another little one I wrote a long time ago, and never reposted anywhere.

Title: Ambient Noise
Author: Cat Moon
Rating: G
Genre: Mickbeth
Warning/Spoiler: Inspired by a certain conversation in "The Ringer."
Disclaimer: Moonlight and it's characters are not mine, I make no profit and do not intend to infringe on any copyrights.
Summary: Beth has some thinking to do.



Ambient Noise
By Cat Moon


The only sounds in the apartment for a long time were the sounds of eating; utensils scraping against plates, chewing, swallowing. The clock ticked softly in the background. The couple across the hall was having another one of their fights. Beth Turner barely registered her surroundings at all. Her thoughts were on a story she was doing on illegal dumping – she needed an angle to make it sensational enough for Buzz Wire.

Gradually she became aware of a new noise filtering in. It finally hit her that it was Josh’s voice.

“What did you say?” she asked, earning herself a disapproving look. “Sorry, my mind was on a story I’m working on.”

This time his expression was doubtful, for some reason she couldn’t figure. What else would she be thinking about so intently?

“I said, I won’t be able to make dinner tomorrow night, I have a late meeting with the new ADA. She wants to go over my case files, get up to speed on our pendings.”

“She, huh? “ Beth teased. “Is she pretty?”

Josh broke into a grin and pointed a finger at her. “You’re jealous,” he accused, sounding happy about it.

She shook her head. “Don’t flat—“ Suddenly realizing what she was about to say, and when she’d said that very thing recently, she quickly revised her response. “Oh, don’t be silly, I trust you.”

“You’re jealous,” Mick had accused, smiling at her. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she'd finally responded, when her brain could focus on something else besides that smile. “Okay,” he replied, but it was clear he knew better.

“Sure,” Josh said, clearly not believing she wasn’t jealous but still grinning. “Don’t worry, Beth, you have nothing to be jealous about. She’s in a committed relationship with a nice guy.”

“Good for her,” Beth murmured, distracted again but for a different reason.

“Okay,” Josh said after a moment, rising from the table and beginning to clear it. “I’ll do the dishes; you go in and work on your story.”

“You sure?” she asked, already heading for the bedroom.

“Sure.” He said to the empty room.

XXX

Beth sat on the bed with her laptop in front of her, pretending to work. She’d been staring at the screen now for several minutes, but wasn’t seeing a word.

You’re jealous.

After playing out that same scene with Josh tonight, it was hard to keep lying to herself. An eerie echo, almost the same but just wrong enough to be jarring. Right person, wrong person. Like when Josh said they made a good team – the same thing she’d told Mick. One, a pretty decent team, the other was – just – amazing. Or when Josh… kissed her bandaged arm, and she’d had to fight not to flinch away. Because in some crazy, impossible way she almost felt like he shouldn’t be touching it. As if it belonged to someone else.

You’re jealous.

The same accusation from both men, but only one of them was right.

It wasn’t Josh.

It was supposed to be Josh. He was her boyfriend; they’d been together for a whole year. Yet the prospect of him working late with a good looking coworker had no affect whatsoever on her emotions. All she had to do was replay the painful scene when Mick had told her about his intense feelings for Coraline to see the glaring difference. She could tell herself it was because she trusted Josh that she was secure enough not to be jealous. She could tell herself a lot of things. The question was: how much longer was she going to?

Josh came out of the bathroom, ready for bed. She scrubbed a hand over her face, and shut down the computer. He was a good man. A “real catch” as the saying went; good looking, prestigious career, decent and honest. She was lucky to have him.

“What the hell am I doing?” she murmured to herself.

“Huh?”

She gave him a fleeting smile, and started turning down the blankets . “Nothing, just working out that story.”

Lying to yourself, that was your own business. Lying to someone else was a whole other story. Soon. Soon now, she was going to have to have a talk with Josh.


The end
11/12/07
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by one.zebra »

Yeah, poor Josh....once she'd 're-met' Mick, Josh didn't have a chance...

Really, couldn't he have noticed her lack of interest and said, 'This is not what I'm looking for in a permanent relationship. I need someone who's more into me, for me to be really happy.' Or, was he just too nice a guy to realize that? Is this why nice guy's finish last? Because they take too much stuff?
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by wpgrace »

Woulda been a good way for the show to go... she waited too long... and got sidetracked...
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by Catmoon »

One.Zebra: Yeah, I guess for awhile I was into writing "poor Josh" stories. :lol: I think you probably nailed it there. Too nice.

Wpgrace: Well, that's what fanfic is for, to explore all the ways the show "could have gone."

Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by heartagram_lala »

there was a nail... and u just hit it on the head =P

Josh never stood a chance against Mick, i mean... LOOK AT HIM (Mick)

then add in the whole vamp appeal, AND the whole you saved me when i was little... i mean... yeah not a chance :lol:

Loved it =D
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by francis »

Wow, great. That's exactly what I imagine Beth to think in that situation. You did a great job in giving her a voice.
I noticed the parallels too, with the "We make a good team". But I was never able to lay my finger into the feeling I had when he kissed her arm.
Or when Josh… kissed her bandaged arm, and she’d had to fight not to flinch away. Because in some crazy, impossible way she almost felt like he shouldn’t be touching it. As if it belonged to someone else.
I have the urge to scream and jump up and down and cry "She did it!" You put into words the connection that was lying on my tongue: Mick marked her, and she belonged to him, even when he was denying it. It's a vampire thing. In that point of the show we didn't know much about vampires (a little more than Beth), so I didn't make the connection.

Oh. I just realized that you write a scene in a totally different timeline and I have an epiphany about the end of "Fever". That's what great writing does.
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by redwinter101 »

Cat, you have such a gift for these explorations of motivation and emotion. Really marvellous. They illuminate in such a wonderful way. This,
Catmoon wrote:Or when Josh… kissed her bandaged arm, and she’d had to fight not to flinch away. Because in some crazy, impossible way she almost felt like he shouldn’t be touching it. As if it belonged to someone else.
is just perfect.

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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by nutmegger911 »

Cat,
This is a nice story. It captures Beth's conflict well. Thanks for posting.
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by Fleur de Lisa »

Another great exploration of Beth and her feelings for Mick.

Great job.
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by starbucksjunkie »

red is right.

You do motivation and emotion so well.

Nice work!
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by Catmoon »

Heartagram_lala: For some reason I'm remembering how Beth was quite happy when Mick was acting jealous of Ben. Yet when Josh was questioning her feelings for Mick it was a whole different reaction. Here's another Cat observation: In "Sleeping Beauty" when the knock comes at her door Beth goes to open it with a happy expression on her face thinking it's Mick -- then see her face fall, almost like she's dissappointedly thinking, "Oh, it's only Josh." :lol: Oh yeah, Josh was the love of her life alright. Not.

Francis: Poor Josh again, if he ever saw Mick and Beth work together he'd know what a good team really is. Some people are just made for each other. Nothing wrong with Josh, he was a good catch for the right girl... but that wasn't Beth.

Nutmegger911, Fleur de Lisa, SBJ, Redwinter101: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed. I think most people write about what interests them, and for me it's exploring the characters motivations and figuring out what makes them tick. Well, since I never did actually make a career out of the subject I studied in college, at least those psychology courses are coming in handy for something! :lol:
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by bluedahlia3 »

Fan fic, well at least to me, can be like soup. Filling in the cracks and holes and sustaining the reader. This is a great example of that. Good job. Yep...once he bit her, he marked her, and Mick knows it. May not like it, but he knows it. :rose: I read a review once that talked about the vampire bite. :bat: The reviewer said there was penetration and exchange of fluids and right there was the most intimate of circumstances. (Apologies to the original commentor, who I can't credit). You catch that instance well. :clapping:
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by jen »

Josh was a good guy, but after Mick came into her life it was all over. Josh never had a chance.

Lovely, Cat,

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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by Lucy »

great insight.
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Re: Ambient Noise (G)

Post by jen »

Just came by for a reread.

Sometimes things happen very fast. Or maybe it just seems ery fast to us.

Josh was a nice guy. Attentive, loving, safe. But Beth was drawn to the enigmatic Mick St. John. You do have such a gift when it comes to writing about the emotional shift here.

Thanks, Cat!

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