By Virtue of Life is Death. Rated G.

[halfcent]

Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight or anything related, and I make no money writing about them.


Warning: Character Death.


Summary: Mortality was the one thing Mick had wanted above all else. What if he'd kept it? Josef's point of view on the end of Mick's life.


By Virtue Of Life Is Death



“You're sure?” Josef asked his friend. His voice was full of sorrow and his eyes matched.
“I'm sure.” The answer was breathy and thin; there wasn't much time left.
“It could be like....like before.”
“No it couldn't.”
“You could try. Why won't you even try?”
“You want me to try for you, Josef. Not for me. You have to let me go.”
Josef did not answer, but his silence spoke for itself. Josef would do what his best friend, his brother, requested. Even if it meant that Josef spent the rest of eternity alone.
Mick looked up at his friend with rheumy eyes. There was no fear in them. Only peace, and sympathy for Josef.
“This is right, Josef. This is what I wanted. What I always wanted. A full life with a natural end. You know that.”
Josef came closer and sat next to the ailing man's bed. “You miss her so much. You're anxious to join her.”
“Yes. I miss her. These past months have been hard without her. She was my life, for so long. Anxious to join her? No. I've loved life. I have family. I don't like leaving you behind. But I'm ready. I'm so ready, Josef.”
Josef nodded, pretending he understood. He'd long become used to Mick's aging face, the body that had begun to die the moment he'd regained his mortality many years before.
Mick's body had followed the natural course of nature while Josef had remained as he always had been.
If Mick would allow Josef to give him back his immortality, Mick's body would keep much of it's aged appearance, but he would feel like a kid again, fully healed inside and out of the pain and stiffness of the elderly.
Josef didn't care what his friend would look like. He'd have Mick back. A slightly different Mick, older and wiser in the ways of life than when he was last a vampire, but Mick all the same.
Mick was right, though. He did seem ready; it was Josef that wasn't.
Mick had lived a full life, one fully enjoyed with the love of his life, Beth. Josef knew it was true; he'd been there every step of the way, part of Mick, as always, yet somehow still on the outside.
Three truly was a crowd.
Josef had been there to see their tentative love grow into something true and special. He'd been there for the births of children and seen them grow. His god children. He'd also seen a couple of them die. They were not young anymore, either. Some had grandchildren of their own.
Josef had traveled the life with Mick and Beth, the good times and the bad. The loves and the losses, the good fortunes and the bad, the successes and the failures. Josef had listened with an open ear as his dear friends battled illnesses, offered advice or solutions over lost jobs, fears and hopes for the future.
Josef had been there every step of the way; he'd watched as they'd lived.
He couldn't pretend there hadn't been occassional envy at what he would never experience.
Both Mick and Beth had been resolute in seeing it to the end. Neither of them ever gave a thought to accepting Josef's occasional offers to bring them to immortality- in Mick's case, for the second time.
Josef had to admit it had been purely for selfish reasons. He could see the time coming, even so many years ago, when they would be gone from the earth.
And he would be alone.
But he respected their wishes. He never offered vampirism to their children or grandchildren, never considered forcing it upon Mick or Beth, no matter what happened.
Beth had given in to her aged health months ago. She'd fought valiantly, but she'd gone in peace. Her life had been full and happy. On her deathbed she'd reminded Mick of their pact to see the end of life, to never take the offered mortality. To let their souls rest as they should.
Josef missed her. He'd come to love her almost as he did Mick. He could not be angry with her for reminding Mick of the promise her would never go back on. That their souls would meet again some day.
Josef had known, even then, that Mick would not be long for the world without Beth. He was at peace, yes. And Josef didn't doubt that Mick was ready. But Mick would never convince Josef that no longer having his Beth wasn't a part of it.
Josef sat through the night with Mick. They sat quietly, comfortable and at peace with one another. Waiting.
Josef watched Mick as his friend's breaths became shallower. He listened as Mick's heartbeats stuttered and became weaker.
Josef reached out and grasped Mick's hand near the end, careful not to squeeze the old bones too tightly.
“I'm gonna miss you, man,” Josef said. For one of the few times in his life, Josef allowed tears.
Mick smiled, not afraid at all. He squeezed Josef's hand back, surprisingly tight for his frailness. “I'm sorry, Josef,” Mick said faintly. He would soon be out of the breath required to speak. “I know this is hard for you. Promise me something?”
“Anything,” Josef gasped in a sob. Mick's eyes were already dimming. Josef's tears flowed freely.
“Don't mourn too long. Okay? And don't-” a small pause as his lungs missed a breath. His hand tightened in Josef's minutely. “- don't stay alone forever. Promise.”
Mick's eyes closed as he breathed one last exhale and became still.
“I promise,” Josef said quietly. Mick would not hear the words, Josef knew. Mick was gone now, between one breath and the next. But he had to say it anyway, he had to fulfill that one last deed of friendship.
Josef laid Mick's hand on top of the crisp white sheet. He reached out with his other hand but did not lay it on his best friend's body. His fingers hovered above the shell that Mick had left empty. Josef spoke the words of an ancient language, a blessing of his time and homeland. He'd done the same for Beth; it was the only thing left that Josef could give them that they would accept.
He would make some calls; there were people that needed to know of Mick's passing. Josef would attend Mick's funeral, as he had attended Beth's not long before. He would say one last goodbye to those he'd come to care for; the descendent's of his two closest friends, their children and grandchildren and even a few great grandchildren.
Then he would leave.
They would all go on with their lives, as they should, and their deaths. Josef would not hang around any longer. With Mick gone, it was time for him to move on.
He would try, and probably fail, to keep the promises Mick had extracted from Josef with his last breath.
But Josef would never grow old, never die of age. Never live life as fully as he'd seen Mick live it, with the knowledge that he must make it as good as he could until the end.
Josef would never simply know, without a doubt and with every part of him, that he would someday die just by virtue of being alive.
And he tried to pretend that he was okay with that.

[LadyAilith]

...this one made me cry.

[halfcent]

[allegrita]

That's beautifully sad. I think you did a great job with the conversation. I could hear them talking.

And it made me cry too. But they're not really sad tears. Wistful, maybe. And sorry for Josef. I hope he finds a way to keep that promise he made to Mick.

[jen]

Made me cry, too.

Well done, though.

[MickLifeCrisis]

Very moving. It made me cry. And mine were sad tears. Though I guess I should be happy for Mick and Beth having the life together they wanted. But I wish Josef would have decided to stay in touch with their descendants. It would have kept Mick close to him.

Very good, halfcent!

[Kara]

So sad. Although my true wish would be that after the kids, Mick & Beth agree to have Josef turn them. I can't imagine Josef without Mick. No, not in that way. I'm not into slash, lol. But they are the best of bff's.

Thank you.

[halfcent]

I'm glad you guys liked this one.....it was the first and only 'character death' type I've ever written. I have a close friend that I send all first drafts or finished copies of my stories to, just for her opinion before I post, and she HATED this story lol. But mostly because she does not like fics in which we ose one of the main characters, and I forgot to warn her in the email what it's about So I was not sure of the reception it would get from others. Thank you

[MickBethKiss]

Wonderful writing.

[jen]

This was a reread and it made me cry again.

I'm one of those folks that cry at the drop of a hat. Any hat.

Yes, Mick is ready and he is not afraid. Josef, on the other hand, has the much harder piece to deal with. He has to live. To pick up the pieces of his life and try to reinvent himself again.

Thank you!

[Luxe de Luxe]

A really interesting scenario, halfcent. I really like the promise Mick and Beth made to one another. That was very moving.

[maggatha3]

That was a very touching story! Probably how it should be....

[MickLifeCrisis]

Another case of me reading an older fic and thinking I had never read it before, only to find my comment posted from before. And what really struck me, was that my first thoughts on rereading this, turned out to be exactly what I had written the first time. That Josef should have looked after Mick and Beth's descendants, even from afar.

Josef said in this that he never offered immortality to their offspring. But surely they knew Josef and what he was? Did none of them ever want to ask to be turned??

Very moving, Halfcent. Thanks for bumping this, Maggatha!