An Unexpected Gift (Rated G)

[francis]

This is great. I can see them before my eyes as if that had been filmed and incorporated into the show.
At first I didn't get the Sarah/Beth reference either, but instead of what others got, I thought it meant that Josef had slept with Beth and Mick was delusional, and that shocked me. But then the last sentence wouldn't have made sense, so I reconsidered and got it.
This is no glitch in your writing, but the power of not spelling everything out and making the reader think. I love it, don't change a word.
Wonderful!

[GuardianAngel]

eris: Thank you. That's about all I could come up with. LOL

Aggie: I concur. We DO have some of the best writers on this board. We're so lucky.

Lucky: I appreciate the Mick/Josef friendship more and more. On the one hand it's complicated. On the other it's very basic. Makes it interesting.

MLR: Yes, Mick absolutely would confide in Josef. Josef helped in making it possible for Mick to find such happiness.

francis: *hug* You would defend my making you confused. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[greenleaf9]

GA, this is great!

I love Mick And Josef's friendship, and you captured it here just right.

This line:

"You look happy". It was the understatement of the year.

omg, I lol-ed.

And this one:

The PI was sprawled in the leather chair, arms splayed, fingers tapping. Josef couldn't help but smile in return; he could practically feel the nerves humming across his desk. It was like being in a room with a swarm of bees.

As others have said, it's the little details that bring this to life. The 'swarm of bees' is fantastic imagery.

*applauds*

[coco]

Oh how much I'd have given to see this scene play out on screen. Fantastic GA.

[Luxe de Luxe]

I could practically see Mick bobbing with happiness GA. And that killer line about '..the best gifts being ones we don't expect..' Loved it.

[Fleur de Lisa]

SIgh, lovely GA

I really could picture Mick sitting there, completely at ease with himself.
I'm thinking you and Pgal ought to do this stuff more often!!

Oooooh--a challenge idea--one writer starts a fic, another continues it!!

[GuardianAngel]

gl9: Thank you bunches! I love to hear that a reader thinks that I 'got it right'. It's the ultimate compliment.

coco: I'd loved to have watched this scene on the screen too. But then, I'd loved to have seen ANY additional Mick/Josef scenes. They had awesome chemistry.

Luxe: So glad you enjoyed it. I like that - 'bobbing with happiness'. Great description of Mick.

Lisa: I've made you sigh; my work is done. LOL. In all honesty, that's not really much of a challenge for us. But I'd love to see how others do with it.

[mitzie]

Lovely, just lovely!! What a true gift!!!!

mitzie

[GuardianAngel]

Mitzie: Why, thank you Sweetie. You are always so effusive and I appreciate it.

[Phoenix]

Very sweet, GA.

[MickLifeCrisis]

GA, this was lovely! What a perfect Mick and Josef moment! I could picture it, too. And the last line was perfect as well. Thanks!

[starbucksjunkie]

As several others have pointed out, it's your details that make your pieces so good. And for me, it's how you phrase those details that are so memorable. There are phrases from some of your other pieces that I still remember verbatim.

I think this will be another one:

hazel eyes that sparkled with good humor to the smile that was loose and lively.

Memorable.

[GuardianAngel]

Thanks, Phee!

MLC, almost all Mick/Josef moments are memorable. These two have such wonderful chemistry, whether it be quiet commiserating or a passionate bout. It's always interesting.

sbj, you never fail to knock me off my feet with your compliments. I'm tickled pink that you would remember, verbatim, a phrase that I've written. I admit, I happen to like 'loose and lively' and thrilled that you do too.

[Moonlighter]

Aahhh, happy Mick = happy Moonlighter. I love the ease between Mick and Josef. And you capturing Mick’s mannerisms helps the little Moonlight movie that always seems to play in my head. I appreciate that -- a lot!

And for the record –- I got the Sarah connection immediately so your implication worked its magic on me.

Thanks so much, GA!

[allegrita]

I'm so glad you wrote this great counterpoint to Pgal's story. It's perfect that Mick would go see Josef as soon as he could, and so poignant that Mick's happiness would remind them both of Josef's tragic loss of his own love.

There are a few Mick-Josef private moments that really resonate with me, most of them very short scenes:

"Everyone needs a hobby"
"You made the news"
"Happy hour"
"One of these days, you're gonna have to stop hating what you are"
The scene at the end of B.C. where Mick gulps the Scotch and pours a glass for Josef
Mick taking the bullets out of Josef in Sleeping Beauty
"Are you tan?"
The re-turning
"Dad"
"I don't believe in regrets"

This one fits right in with those wonderful scenes. I see it as a perfect Mick-Josef vignette, where so much is said in between the words. You've done a great job of capturing that dynamic between the two of them here...that rich friendship. Your descriptions of their mannerisms help portray the expressions and body language we remember so well, and make it possible for us to "see" this scene as if it HAD been filmed.