My Bloody Valentine (PG-13) Mick/Beth

[francis]

This is purely Mick/Beth fluff. Inspired by Catmoon’s valentine story. I wondered what Mick would come up with to make this a special day.

Written for the champagne challenge #102.

Disclaimer: Moonlight doesn’t belong to me, but I like to play with the characters.

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Beth wondered where the small package came from that was lying next to her purse on her coffee table when she was about to go grocery shopping on Sunday. It just lay there, a gift about the size of a marker or a cigar, wrapped in sparkling golden paper with a white silky bow.

Curious she smelled it, turned it over and found a small slip of paper hanging out of the wrapping. She pulled it out. In Mick’s old-fashioned writing it said:
„To avoid blood loss. Have a nice day. M.“

She laughed. A few days earlier she had complained that she had almost fallen down the stairs when she carried down the trash and the hall lights went out. She hadn’t gotten a bloody nose, but scraped her left hand on the bannister. Now she was even more curious what the package contained. She opened it in a hurry. It was a torchlight. Small enough to carry around in her purse, or even on her keychain. She was thrilled.

She thanked Mick for his thoughtful gift when she called him in the afternoon. He smiled through the phone.
„I’m glad you like it. Would you come over tonight?“
„Nothing else on my mind all day.“ she grinned.

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Next morning she woke up in Mick’s bedroom to the alarm she had set. She had to get to work. Mick wasn’t at her side, and she put on a shirt to go searching. He wasn’t in the office, nor the living room, nor the freezer. She stepped out on the balcony. He stood there, listening to the sounds of the city waking up, watching the faint light on the horizon where the sun would come up any minute.

Without a word she walked up to him and embraced his broad frame from behind. They stood there in companionable silence.
„Something on your mind?“ she asked finally.
„Nope. Just enjoying the quiet. It’s too early for me to go sleeping, and the bed was too warm.“
He turned around. „Aren’t you cold?“
She shivered. So they went inside and made coffee. Beth loved the quiet everyday life she had with Mick. It was routine, and not. She felt no need to question anything, not having her own apartment, not waking up alone, not eating toast when he had a glass of blood. It was comfortable, safe. She wondered where the difficult and complicated had gone. For now, this was enough.

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When she came home from work, there was another package on her table. She smiled. What was Mick up to? Why the sudden need to give her presents?

She took the square gift in her hands and thumbed it. Soft. Maybe a piece of clothing. This time she took a knife to open the dark blue paper with the silver stripes. A silk scarf in the same colour as the paper fell out. She scooped to pick it up. The long flowing fabric contained intricate silvery patterns and was soft as baby skin.

She tried it on. The colour complimented her eyes. It would be perfect for a drive through the night in the open Mercedes, or for a chilly evening on the balcony. She remembered the day before and saw a pattern. Beth smiled. She felt cherished and cared for.

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On Tuesday Mick called her in the morning before retiring to his freezer to tell her that he had work to do that night and they couldn’t meet.

All day she tried to settle her mind what to do with that spare evening. When her gaze fell on the calendar, she decided to go shopping. Next Saturday was Valentine’s day, and she almost forgot.

She had no idea what to get Mick for that day, but she was absolutely sure she had to find a beautiful gift for him. He would probably give her something really extraordinary, and she wanted to give him something to remember, too.

Browsing the shops that night she came up with no idea. He couldn’t eat sweets, he didn’t smoke, he didn’t need any clothes, and every piece of jewelry she liked was either silver or too expensive. Finally, she decided to do something playful and funny. Grinning to herself over the idea she had, she made her way to Guillermo. She would need his help.

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When she came home late, there was another package on her table. She stashed her groceries in the fridge, then sat down and opened the gift. The green silky paper tore easily, and she found a swiss knife inside. The card read:
„Open a bottle of wine and enjoy a quiet evening. I’ll see you tomorrow. M.“

The knife contained not only a bottle opener, but a forceps, scissors, two different blades, a nail file and – how practical – a lock pick. She wondered if it was custom made. Would they sell a knife with a lock pick, or was it for other purposes?

She settled down with a glass of red wine and thought of Mick. What a gem he was.

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On Wednesday Mick visited her at lunch hour. It was a dull day, on the verge of raining. They took a walk in the park.

„What’s up with all the presents?“ she asked him. „Is there something I should know?“

„You mean, like in, I have a bad conscience because I did something wrong?“

„Yeah. Like that.“ She punched him playfully.


„No. It’s just that I saw those things, thought of you and wanted to give them to you.“

„Really?“ she laughed. „Because that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.“

He kissed her on the cheek. „And you are the sweetest thing that ever happened to me.“

She smiled up at him, wrapping her arm around his waist while they walked. She saw a pair sitting on a bench, eating. „When was the last time you had a picknick?“

He looked almost spooked for a moment, and she wondered.
„I don’t do good in the sun, you know. But we had that picknick on the beach and the one on the roof.“ „And before that?“ „Not for a long while.“
„Maybe we could have another one. How about Saturday?“

He grinned. „Is there something special on Saturday? Superbowl? Inauguration speech?“
She punched him again. „You know exactly.“
He pulled up one eyebrow. „I know. You free on Saturday?“
„For you – always.“

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That night she found a big package in her apartment. When she removed the nightblue paper and opened the box, it contained a brown and orange checkered afghan. Just right for a picknick. She laughed. Mick was the eternal boy scout.

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Next morning she got up early to meet Mick before she had to go to work. She bought a bagel on the way, not inclined to make breakfast.
Mick was sitting in his office and filing. „Thank God you’re here.“ he said. „I’m dying of boredom.“
„So have you done this all night?“
„Essentially yes. I decided to throw away some old files and make room for the new ones. It doesn’t make sense to keep those old manila folders that belonged to my late father’s business.“ He winked. „But I went down memory lane with some of them and didn’t get very far.“

She tried to read the files he had spread over his desk upside down. „Is that Leni?“
„Yeah. That belongs into last year’s files. You remember the desert motel?“
She smiled. How could she forget? „Feeding you was the most exciting and emotional thing I have done in my life.“ She walked up to him and took his face into her hand. „I know you still beat yourself up because you hurt me, but you didn’t. There was such a strong bond between us that day, and I was so happy that I hadn’t lost you.“

„I would have wanted our first time to be different.“

„And it was. I don’t really count that as our first time. It was an emergency, and it was feeding. But it wasn’t the loving intimate connection we have now. It was only a start.“

He smiled, still a bit unsure.

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In the evening she found an envelope on her table. Curious and excited, she opened. Mick had given her a glossy picture of the desert. Joshua Tree from the look of it. The sun was setting, and the rocks were glowing in all shades of yellow, red, orange, sand and tan. It was beautiful.
She wished they could experience a day in the desert, the heat, the emptiness of the sky and the horizon, the silence. But Mick wouldn’t be able to stand the sun.

Beth searched her closet for a spare picture frame and decided to hang the photo in her hallway. This was much more important to her than a calendar black and white of Paris.

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On Friday she tried to wrap up as many cases as possible to make sure she wouldn’t get a call all weekend. It seemed that her coworkers were doing the same, eager to get out early. She smiled when Pam gave Talbot all sorts of stolen glances. It would never lead to anything, he was too occupied with his career to even notice her, but Pam had a bad crush on him and wished he would be her valentine. Beth met her at the copier and asked about plans for the weekend.
„I will visit my parents in San Diego.“ Pam offered. She sighed. „Of course, if I had someone to spend valentine’s day with, I would stay here. How is your P.I. coming along?“
Beth smiled. „He seems to have something planned for tomorrow night. But I have a surprise for him, too.“
Pam squeed from excitement. She was living vicariously through Beth and Mick’s relationship, or the glimpses she could see, with a heavy dose of fantasy to fill in the blanks. Of course, with a man looking like Mick, who would begrudge her? And no fantasy could measure up to reality in Beth’s eyes.

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That evening, when she came to Mick’s, another package was lying there, this time on his dinner table, as he knew she would come over from work. She could see the package from the door, but decided to wait.
He took her coat, as always, and offered her dinner. He had prepared a salad and roasted some bread. She took the offer gratefully. When she was ready she washed up the dishes and put them away. He was such a neat freak. They settled on the couch with some wine.
„I have something for you.“ he finally admitted.

„So?“

He fetched the parcel and laid it on her lap. „Open it.“ He was excited. It was adorable.

She opened the red silk bow and unfolded the sun yellow paper. It was a book, a wonderful picture book on astronomy, with lots of NASA photos, a guide to all the stars and planets, and a big foldable map of the nightly sky.

„You told me once you don’t know many stars and can hardly find the big bear. I thought you could use this.“

She laid the book down, got up and gave him a hug. „That’s so thoughtful of you. But I don’t have a birthday or anything, and valentine’s day is tomorrow. Why all the presents?“
He grinned. „You will see.“

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She stayed the night and went home in the morning when he retreated to his freezer. He had spent the night with her, making love to her, then watching her sleep. When she came home she tidied up her apartment, watered her plants, stocked the kitchen and took a light lunch. Then she sat down to write her valentine card for Mick. She wanted it to be something special and took her time to get the words just right.

In the afternoon she got a call from Mick.
„Hey, beautiful, how was your day?“
„Relaxing and quiet. Did you sleep well?“
„Like the dead.“ he laughed. „I want you to do something for me.“
„Whatever you want.“
„Oh, you’re giving me carte blanche here. I want you to come over for dinner, and to bring everything I have given you this week. Everything, okay?“
„Even the blanket and the photo?“
„Especially the blanket. And the knife and the scarf and the torch and the book.“

He hung up before she could ask any more questions.

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She packed a basket with the gifts and included her own gift and the card.
When she left the elevator she wasn’t sure if she should knock or open with her key. Maybe he would want to surprise her. But he was at the door before she reached it. He gave her a peck on the cheek and then let her in.

The room was lit with candles and his fireplace was on. Dinner was already prepared, the table was set. He took her coat and led her to her place, never saying a word. Then he poured a glass of her favorite wine and served her some antipasti.
She wanted to say something. „Mick, I …“ but he silenced her. „I want to take care of you tonight, Beth. Let me, please.“

She smiled. If that was what he wanted for now, she would humour him.
They sat down for dinner, and enjoyed the company. She enjoyed the food. He was a good cook, despite being unable to taste anything. His superior sense of smell made up for it. Afterwards they snuggled on the couch.

Mick looked into her eyes. „Beth, I have a surprise for you.“
„This wasn’t it?“ she asked.
„No, not nearly.“
„I have a surprise, too. Please let me give you my gift first.“
He nodded. She got up to retrieve her bag. He fingered the squishy package and then opened it cautiously. It was a blood bag, A positive.
He looked at her, insecure. What did she want to say with this?
„Read the card, please.“ she said.

„Dear Mick.
You are my life,
and I can never tell you enough
how much you mean to me.
I can’t invite you to dinner,
so I brought take-out.
But this is only a voucher.
My blood is yours to take.
Have a bloody Valentine.
Your Beth.“

She watched him closely. How would he react?
He suddenly put everything down and hugged her to his chest. He trembled, and she felt wetness at her neck. He was crying. She was appalled. Had she done something terribly wrong?

But then he pushed himself away slowly and looked into her eyes. He smiled through his tears.
„Beth. This is – I don’t know what to say. You trust me so much, I am so in awe of you. And I know you tried to make light of this, but it’s not something to joke about for me. You are giving me your life, and I don’t deserve you.“

„Are you angry with me?“ her small voice asked.

„Angry? No. No, Beth. I’m flattered, and thrilled, and this came totally out of nowhere for me. I don’t really know – I’m scared.“
„But you took my blood already, in the desert and sometimes when we made love.“
„Only a few sips. I’m so afraid of hurting you.“

„I know. Just – I just wanted to tell you that it’s okay, that I want you to, that it’s not something I just put up with because you are a vampire. I love all of you, and I offer what I have.“
His tears began to fall again. Tears of joy and love. She cried, too. They hugged each other close and let the emotions wash over them.

After a while they settled down on the couch again.

„Mick, I still want to know what your surprise is.“

He laughed. „You almost ruined it. More than once, actually. I was afraid you had it figured out on Wednesday.“

„What?“

He stood up and pulled an envelope out of his bookcase. She read the card inside.

„Dear Beth, my heart.
This is an invitation to a stargazing in the desert.
Take all my previous gifts with you.
You are the most precious gift I ever received.
You are my life.
Mick.“

She laughed through her tears. „You set all of this up so you could take me stargazing?“
„Well, the idea evolved. The torchlight was standing on it’s own, but then you were cold and I thought about the scarf I had wanted to give you for a while already, and then I thought we could do a picknick and would need a bottle opener, and so it rolled. When you asked about the picknick I thought you had gotten wind of my idea.“
„No, that was totally unrelated. When do you want to go?“
„How about now?“

She was in her shoes and coat in a heartbeat.
„Vampire speed is rubbing off on you.“ Mick huffed.

They packed her basket, adding a bottle of wine and some assorted cheese.
When they reached Joshua Tree National Park it was almost midnight. Mick took the basket and led Beth on the hand. She used the torchlight to avoid stumbling. They found a place that was surrounded by rocks, but wide open to the sky. Mick spread the afghan, and they settled down.

Laying on the blanket and snuggled into Mick, Beth felt like she was in heaven. She never had seen the stars so clear, almost as if they were nearer here. No smog, no light, just the stars and them.
They used the map in the book to find the constellations. She had some wine and cheese, and then Beth settled into Mick’s broad chest and took a nap. When she woke up it was early morning, maybe an hour before dawn, and Venus was shining down on them.

They made love under the stars, keeping each other close, sharing their connection and finding completion in each other. Beth offered her neck, and Mick took her life blood. The rush of feeding him intensified Beth’s emotions and almost shattered her.

Afterwards they had to hurry to get back to the car before the sun came up and the park rangers would find them. They were giddy like children on too much sugar. Back in the car she fell asleep again.

It was the best bloody valentine’s day she had ever had.

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The End.

[skbnjgirl]

Francis,

This was simply divine! I absolutely loved it. Very, very well done!

Tessa

[coco]

francis that was beautiful.
So sweet and romantic

[Raven]

That was just wonderful francis! Their relationship is still new and even though they are lovers they each have their own space and time schedules and still call to make dates. It's the time after they are a couple but before they are fully committed...and the love they have for each other is fresh and so beautiful.
Thank you francis!

[cassysj]

That is so sweet!

[Fleur de Lisa]

Sweetly romantic and just plain adorable!

[francis]

Thank you for your nice comments.
Raven, I love you. You got the point in time just right.

Don't read this if you are diabetic, by the way!!!

[Carisa ITT]

How lovely, Francis!

The measure of familiarity you are describing, mixed in there with the still remaining traces of how extraordinary their situation is. And you make me want to take a trip to Joshua Tree myself now

[nutmegger911]

Francis,
What a sweet story! Thank you for posting.

[mitzie]

That was so beautiful and romantic!! Loved it!!!! *happy sigh*

mitzie

[Catmoon]

I'm so glad Mick told you what he had planned -- great, unique idea Mick! Very beautiful story, too. I'm glad to see their relationship going from complicated and difficult to safe and comfortable, because after all she did say she always felt safe with him. It's really only them who made it difficult, by not being open and honest with each other, and also by letting fear control. The night in the desert would be very romantic. I live in an urban area but I've also been out in the desert and seen the stars there. Huge difference. It's unbelievable how gorgeous they are out there. There are millions of them and they look close enough to reach out and touch. It was a long time ago, but I'll never forget the sight. Thank you for bringing back the nice memory for me, too.

[darkstarrising]

Francis,

this was absolutely lovely. Each of them are trying to do something special for the other and each of them succeeds... Mick's gift was truly original and from his heart, while Beth was trying to show just how much she loved and trusted him.

[wpgrace]

Delightfully sweet. As Valentines should be... lovely.

[francis]

Thank you for your comments.
Carisa, I saw a short movie once that was made in Joshua Tree Park, and the images are with me. It’s such a magical place, I would love to go there, but alas, I don’t travel much.
Thank you nutmegger.
Thank you mitzie.
Catmoon, Mick had a unique idea once he got over the ribbing he got from JayShay. Yes, the stars are huge and gorgeous when you’re out of the city. At my parents I can see them from my window. In the city I can hardly see the brightest ones.
Thank you, dsr. They really tried hard to find something special for their first valentine together.
Thank you, wpgrace.

[starbucksjunkie]

francis,

Such a lovely, sweet story. Thank you so much for sharing.