The Double (PG-13)

[librarian_7]

A/N: Allegrita and I recently discovered in conversation that we were both planning to write a Mick and Beth double date with Josef and a freshie (hers is Josef and Simone, mine is Josef and Lucky, of course!)…we arrived at this scenario independently, and wrote our stories without seeing what the other was writing, or exchanging ideas. So, any similarities are purely coincidental, the result of two writers thinking along the same lines.

Disclaimers: Blah, blah, blah…the usual. Don’t own Josef, Mick, or Beth. I’m not sure who does these days, but it is not me, that’s for sure.


The Double

“Breadstick?” Mick stretched his long legs unapologetically under the table, and laid his arm along the back of Beth’s chair. He picked up his glass of scotch, and sniffed at it with tempered approval. Not his preferred Macallan, but the Talisker would do in the absence of anything better.

Beth, on the other hand, perched on the edge of her chair, feet braced against the legs like a runner in the starting blocks. Ignoring the glass of white wine in front of her, she grabbed one of the slender, crisp breadsticks from the artfully arranged basket in the center of the table, and started breaking it into small, even pieces. She’d really wondered about the sudden invitation to join Josef and a friend for dinner and a movie. She’d swear that he still carried some disapproval of Mick’s relationship with her. So this seemed almost suspiciously friendly. “They’re late. And aren’t you dying of curiosity?”

“They’ll be here. Josef likes to make an entrance.”

“Yes, but who’s this mystery woman he’s bringing along?” Beth looked around and lowered her voice conspiratorily. “Do you suppose she’s—you know—like you?”

Mick shook his head, and sipped his scotch, the heavy ring on his forefinger catching the light. “Somehow, I doubt he’d’ve asked us to join him for dinner, if she were.”

“I’m still trying to figure out why he asked us to join him for dinner anyway.” She gestured with the stub of the breadstick. “And a nice, but not fancy, Italian place? So not Josef.”

“I’ll admit, it’s a bit unusual. But this is Josef. He invented unpredictability. As well as hidden motivations.” He paused for another sip, then set his glass down carefully. “Besides, he just walked in.”

Beth started to ask another question, then stopped and crinkled into a smile at her beloved vampire. It had to be that amazing nose of his. She quickly swept the fragments of breadstick into a small, untidy pile on the red table cloth, and tried, with limited success, to sit back and look casual. “You realize, if I were still working for Buzzwire, this would be a major scoop.” She spread her hands dramatically. “High Finance Bad Boy’s New Romance.”

“You’re always going to be a reporter, aren’t you?” Mick asked with feigned dismay.

“Lucky for him I quit, huh?”

“Beth.” Mick’s gaze shifted up, focusing on the middle distance, and his eyes widened a little as he repeated, “Lucky.”

That caught Beth’s attention, and she whipped her head around to see Josef making his way toward them, guiding a young woman with a possessive hand at the small of her back. Mick stood, as they approached, eyeing Josef’s companion with altogether too much appreciation. Beth noted, with her reporter’s eye, that the stranger was tall, perhaps 5’9”, with a thick red braid snaking over her shoulder. She wore a sleeveless turquoise tunic, caught at the hip with a gold-accented, vaguely Southwestern belt, over a matching print three-tier broomstick skirt, and low-heeled, strappy sandals. Her makeup was restrained, and her expression serious to the point of apprehensive. As Beth watched, Josef moved closer, and murmured something in the woman’s ear, and she brightened perceptibly, smiling shyly up at him. And as for Josef, Beth thought she could spend the whole evening trying to read behind his usual controlled mask, but he seemed…relaxed. Definitely relaxed. Beth tried to remember if she’d ever seen him so easy with anyone except Mick, ever seen that snarky coiled spring mentality of his drop guards with anyone. Of course, she reflected, she had very little experience of what he might be like around women other than herself. Sarah Whitley didn’t count, and the only other one had been, as it turned out, a passing blip on the radar. Just as well, as it turned out. Beth’s smile tightened a little. She wondered how much this woman knew about Josef. About his—the word was distasteful in her mouth—freshies?

Josef kept that possessive hand on the woman as they reached the table, and he pulled out a chair for her. “Lucky,” he said, “this is Beth Turner. Beth, Lucky Alexander.”

Lucky nodded and smiled. “Hi, Beth. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Mick spoke up then. “It’s good to see you, Lucky.”

“Hey, Mick. It’s been a long time.”

“Too long.”

Lucky seated herself, thinking Mick’s smile seemed genuine. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all. While Josef signaled for a waitress, he glanced at Mick’s glass and sniffed.

“I’ll have a Talisker, and the lady would like—what do you think, sweetheart? Red wine?”

Lucky blushed. “I think, ice water. I had enough red wine night before last to hold me for some time.”

Josef’s chuckle was indulgent, and he kept his eyes on her as he replied, “Oh, I don’t know. I thought you had just the right amount.”

Lucky’s blush, Beth was interested to see, actually deepened at that. These two were more intimate than she’d thought, given the in-jokes they were sharing.

Josef patted his date’s hand, and the conversation moved on, both men putting themselves out to be charming, as they watched the ladies eat.

Finally, though, Beth couldn’t stand it any longer. “So, Lucky,” she asked, “have you known Josef long?”

Lucky looked at Josef with just a hint of question in her eyes. “Sometimes it seems like—all my life. Or maybe just a day or two.”

“Really. Have you been dating long?”

Again, Lucky looked a little unsure, and this time, Josef answered for her. “Actually, this is our first date. I decided it was about time I asked her out.”

“I’d’ve said, second date, Josef,” Lucky commented. “Remember Halloween?”

Josef snorted. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. Although, as I recall, I didn’t ask you out for that one.”

“That sounds like a story,” Mick said, ignoring Josef’s shut-the-hell-up look. “Halloween, huh? What did you two go as?”

“Well, it might surprise you, buddy, but the lady here is one black dress and a set of fake fangs away from being a very dangerous vampire. Dangerously sexy, anyway.”

Mick smiled, his eyebrows climbing his forehead. “Do I even want to know what your costume was, Joz’f?”

His friend’s smile was very tight as he replied, “I went as her—blood donor.”

Mick put a hand over his mouth to hide his grin, and Beth’s eyes got very wide, as she struggled not to burst into peals of laughter. She didn’t dare meet Mick’s eyes, or it would have been all over.

After a brief internal struggle, Mick looked at Lucky and said, “I sure hope you got pictures.”

Lucky glanced at Josef and shook her head. “Oddly enough, no.”

Beth chuckled. “I’ve got to know, how in the world did you convince him to go along with that?”

Josef rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “That may be the most embarrassing part,” he muttered.

“Shall I tell them, Josef, or do you want to spin it?”

“Allow me,” he replied, and took a deep breath. “I needed some arm candy for a charity function, and Lucky was available. No big deal.”

“Josef, I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted by that,” Lucky said.

“Attractive date, I’ll buy,” Mick said. “I think I want to know who decided on the costumes.”

“As it happens, I was living up to a bet.”

“Which you lost?” Mick asked, enjoying the sight of Josef squirming. “How did that happen?”

“There was a small wager on a test of knowledge.”

“He lost a game of Trivial Pursuit,” Lucky clarified.

Mick did laugh at that. “Damn,” he said. “Impressive work, Lucky.”

“Okay, give, Lucky,” Beth added, “what’s his weak category?”

“He doesn’t have a weak category. I had some good rolls,” she said loyally. “It’d never happen again.”

Mick snorted. “If I know him, only because he won’t play you another time.”

“Well, I’ll tell you, Mick, Lucky and I will take on you and Beth any time.”

Before Beth could respond, Mick commented wryly, “Over the years, I have learned when not to bet with you, Joz’f.”

There was a lull, then, and Josef steered the conversation elsewhere, but Beth wasn’t listening. She was quietly putting pieces together, and not liking the picture she saw emerging. Lucky, with her odd name, was an old friend of Mick’s, was she? She thought about what Mick had told her about Josef and his rules about getting emotionally involved with humans, and what he had never been willing to tell her about how he’d kept himself supplied with blood, all these years. “I get most of my blood from a blood bank,” he’d said. Not all, just…most. Suddenly it seemed that maybe Josef had brought along someone who knew Mick much, much better than anyone was saying, and she was the only one not in on the big joke. She could almost feel the anger rising in her. Mick had warned her about her temper, but he had no idea. Beth frowned, and waited for the next lull.

“You know,” she said, “you two make such a cute couple. Josef, how did you and Lucky meet?”

He tilted his head down a little to give her that shrewd look she’d learned meant that he knew exactly what she was thinking. “We met through the—good offices of a mutual friend, Beth.”

“Oh.” Beth ignored Mick’s warning hand on her shoulder, and continued in an arch whisper. “So, does that mean she was passed on to you from another vamp?”

Lucky gasped, and Mick groaned, “Beth!” but Josef’s gaze never wavered.

“And we were having such a pleasant evening,” he said. “Any particular reason you’re being insulting, Beth?”

She smiled sweetly. “Because I don’t like you passing off one of your—many—freshies as a girlfriend.”

Mick was the only one who saw how Lucky’s hands shook as she put her napkin on the table, draping it with elegant, practiced folds, but her voice was rock steady as she said, “Josef, Mick, you’ll excuse me. I—I find I need to visit the ladies room. And,” she leaned forward, keeping her tones low, if icy, “Ms. Turner, I know you don’t like freshies, but I’ll tell you this. At least I feed my vampire.”

The two men rose as she turned and walked away, Josef watching the straight-backed, retreating form with focused intensity. When he swung around to face Beth again, his expression was stormy. No one spoke for some time, although perhaps for different reasons. Beth regretted her words already, recognizing the impulsiveness that had led her astray before. She didn’t know how to frame her apology, though, or even whether it ought to be directed to Josef or Lucky. Probably both, she reflected ruefully. Mick sensed her regret, and it was almost enough to deflect his own anger and embarrassment. He felt like he owed his old friend the courtesy of the first response, however. He was going to have to trust in Josef’s legendary control.

Finally, Josef picked up his drink and stared at the pure amber liquid that mirrored the color of his eyes. “You know, Beth,” he began in a thoughtful tone, “usually Lucky, or one of the other girls, flavors my scotch with a few drops of blood. She pricks her finger with a lancet to get it. She…derives no physical pleasure from this, in fact, I have it on good authority that it’s rather painful. But she does it—with considerable dignity, I might add—because she knows that I like it. She didn’t want to come on this little outing tonight, largely because she has this idea that Mick doesn’t like her.”

He made a quick gesture to silence his friend before Mick could speak, and went on. “I assured her that was not the case, and that Mick was always a gentleman. It never occurred to me that either of you would purposely attempt to humiliate a woman that I—that I care for.” He set his glass down again. “I suppose I ought to thank you for making me admit that, to myself. And I suppose I should go find her and apologize for subjecting her to this. I’m finding that when it comes to our relationship, she’s usually right, and I’m usually wrong. But I wanted to give her—something normal.”

It was Beth’s turn to blush now, and when Josef finished speaking, she couldn’t meet his eyes. Mick wasn’t exactly leaping to her defense, either. She supposed that was reasonable. There wasn’t much defense. Still, it was time to man up and try to fix what she’d broken. If possible.

“Josef, I’m sorry. But when I realized she was—you know—one of your freshies, and Mick seemed to be old friends with her…I guess I jumped to a conclusion.”

Josef turned his glass idly on the table with the tips of his fingers. “And this conclusion made you think it was all right to accuse my date of being a slut. Very charming, Beth.” He paused, and nailed her to the wall again with his laser gaze, keying his next words to her expressions of chagrin. “So. Were you a virgin when you first came to Mick? No? Really.”

Beth winced.

“Now, look, Joz’f, that’s not fair.”

“Really?” Josef let some of the heat of his anger stain his tones. “And tell me, is it fair that Lucky is crying her eyes out in the ladies room, because she’s been made to feel like a worthless tramp? And just so you know, Beth, she is neither worthless nor a tramp. Now, if you’ll excuse me—“

“No, wait, Josef. Let me go,” Beth said. “You can’t go in there, anyway.”

“Do you seriously think I’d let a sign on a door keep me out? Catch a clue, Blondie.”

Mick relaxed. The storm was passing, provided no further provocation was offered. Beth threw her own napkin on the table in an abrupt, graceless move, and rose. As she walked off, she heard Josef starting on a comment to Mick.

“You know, boyo, it sounds like time you had a long talk with her about some of the facts of life around us.”

Beth found Lucky in the anteroom of the ladies lounge, seated at one end of the worn turquoise vinyl couch, staring at the wall and twisting a tissue to shreds. The redhead appeared not to notice as Beth took a seat beside her, but before Beth could start pouring out apologies, Lucky said, “Is Josef all right?”

Startled, Beth replied, “Josef is Josef. He’s indestructible.”

“He’d like you to think so.”

Beth propped her elbows on her knees, and leaned forward to rest her chin on her hands. “Look, I—I came in to tell you I’m sorry. I get crazy where Mick’s concerned.”

“I can tell. But that’s no excuse to take shots at Josef.”

Beth giggled. “I had to stop him from charging in here to see if you were okay, you know.” She glanced up as a pair of women came through from the restroom. “I’m not sure that would have been appreciated by everyone.”

That brought a faint smile to Lucky’s face. “You think?”

“So…are you okay?”

“Maybe.” Lucky paused. “Beth, you know, we’re both in kind of …unconventional relationships. Me, even more than you, I suppose. And maybe I’m oversensitive, but you wouldn’t believe the snide remarks I get, because of my choices. I really don’t need more of it, coming from someone who ought to understand.”

Beth closed her eyes. “I may have been out of line. I just—I just thought Josef was yanking Mick’s chain with this whole deal. He really hates that Mick is dating a human. So I thought maybe, you know, he was setting us up to show how awkward it could be. And I had to yank back.”

“By making my life harder?”

“I guess I didn’t think that you might actually care for each other. From what Mick’s said…what I’ve seen, I just didn’t think. ” Beth answered. Apparently, a simple “I’m really sorry” wasn’t going to get her out of this.

Lucky sighed. “We could stay in here for hours, while I explained it, but just be aware that things are enormously complicated, for Josef and me. And I don’t want to make it too much trouble for him to keep going with it.”

Beth laid a hand on her arm, impulsively. “He cares about you. I think he cares a lot more than he says.”

“I’d really love to believe that.” Lucky’s voice was bleak.

“He’s here. And so are you. That counts for something.” They both fell silent for a few seconds, before Beth broke the silence again. “Lucky, I think sometime you and I ought to sit down and talk. Share girl stuff, and all that. Or girl and vamp stuff. You know.”

“Maybe.”

“But for now, we probably should get back to the guys.”

Lucky stood, nodding. “Yeah. Josef’s not always very patient. You’d think at his age…”

Beth’s head whipped around to stare at Lucky, who was looking in the mirror to make sure her face and hair were in order. “Not patient? You don’t mean—”

“I mean that I’d rather not get lectured about wasting his time.” She gave Beth an exasperated look. “What in the world did you think I meant?”

“Well—”

“Josef is not a monster,” Lucky snapped, then stopped and giggled suddenly. “You know what I mean.”

Beth gave her the most genuine smile Lucky had seen all evening. “Yeah,” she said. “I know.” Then her eyes got a twinkle. “Before we go, I have to ask you something.”

Lucky braced herself. “Uh, okay,” she said, voice tentative.

“Did you really beat Josef at Trivial Pursuit? I mean, really?”

Lucky grinned. “Yeah, I did. I really did,” she said. “But—” she added loyally, “he may have thrown the game. I mean, how likely is it I could have beaten him?”

“I’m beginning to wonder about that.”

With their usual old-fashioned courtesy, Mick and Josef both stood as Beth and Lucky approached the table. Josef gave Lucky a searching look, and she smiled as best she could, trying to let him know all was at least marginally well.

“So, ladies,” he said, “are we on for the movie?”

Josef had been very cagey about where they were going, and he kept a satisfied smirk on his face as he led the way, with Mick following, to Hollywood Forever cemetery. Lucky was astounded that he would have chosen an outdoor film screening. It seemed far too plebeian for his tastes. Mick commented as much, himself.

“Not exactly your style, Joz’f,” Mick commented drily as they walked through the crowd. “And don’t we need a blanket to sit on or something?”

“Not to worry, old son.” He took Lucky’s hand as they made their way through the crowd, his other casually thrust into the pocket of his slacks. Mick slung an arm around Beth’s shoulders, more comfortable with proclaiming their couple status. It was obvious Josef was looking for something, or someone, and finally, stepping carefully between the spread blankets where couples and groups were enjoying picnic dinners as they listened to the disc jockey, he took his hand from Lucky’s and waved at a couple who occupied a large, soft blanket spread in a prime spot. They rose at once.

“Mr. Kostan,” the young man said. “You’re just in time.”

Josef nodded, and handed him a couple of folded bills. “Good job, Bernard.”

“Yes, sir.” Bernard and his girlfriend vanished promptly into the dusk.

“Okay,” Mick said, “I take it back. This is your style. Do we get to find out what the movie is, or is that a surprise, too?”

“You’ll see. Soon enough.” Josef helped Lucky to sit down on the blanket, offering her a cushion, and made a long arm to snag a wicker picnic basket sitting conveniently at the corner of the blanket. He produced glasses, and a bottle of red wine. He had to fish around a bit to find the corkscrew, but found it eventually and extracted the cork with a quick twist of his wrist. Pouring the first glass, he passed it to Lucky. “I believe you favor Los Perditas merlot, don’t you, doll.”

She accepted it, shaking her head at him. “You just love to tease, don’t you?”

“It’s what I live for.” He handed another glass to Beth.

Lucky watched as Josef passed glasses of wine to Beth and Mick. After the first flurry of getting themselves seated, Beth crossed her legs, leaning a little on a pillow, and Mick lounged back, his head resting in her lap so she could toy idly with his wavy dark curls. They were the picture of physical ease with each other. Whatever awkwardness might have arisen earlier was forgotten. Lucky wasn’t really used to sitting on the ground, aside from occasionally at Josef’s feet when he had too many of the other freshies clustered around him. It wasn’t easy to find a comfortable and elegant pose. Josef was still busying himself with the wine and the basket, and besides, she felt she needed to fight the instinct to get closer to him, uninvited. She was sure he wouldn’t like it, if she got all clingy on him. She sipped at the wine, the taste of it reminding her very strongly of the night before last, when Josef had asked her out.

It had been so easy to say yes to this, lying in his arms when nothing in the world seemed more important than the feel of his skin against hers, and the sound of his voice heavy with sex and satisfaction. That had been intimate.

And here she was sitting on a cashmere blanket, under what few stars could pierce the light pollution of the city, not knowing what to do with her hands. Then Josef scooted in close behind her, and she found herself framed between his long legs.

“Lean back and relax a bit, babe,” he said. “I’ve got you.”

Heat flared up inside her, and she shivered, feeling his hands skimming down the sides of her arms.

“Don’t tell me you’re cold, doll,” Josef said in her ear. Lucky glanced over at Mick and Beth. She was bent over, her head close to his, murmuring something to him. They seemed off in their own private world.

Lucky rested her head back on Josef’s shoulder. “I think you know I’m not cold, Josef.”

She heard a sniff and a low, amused rumble. “Indeed,” he said.

She closed her eyes, listening to the music. This wasn’t bad, although she wished they were alone, so she could twist around and face him. Lucky thought she was so euphoric, after the earlier stress, along with a few sips of wine, she was hearing buzzing in her ears. Then she felt a sting at her neck, and slapped at a mosquito, at the same time Beth clapped a hand to her forearm, and it came away with a bright smear of blood.

“Damned bloodsuckers!” Beth exclaimed. “This is going to make such a welt.”

Lucky waved a hand in front of her to chase away the offending insects. “Mine too.”

“We’re going to get eaten alive,” Beth said, then looked more closely at Mick and Josef. “Hey. They aren’t even lighting on you two. This is so unfair, how come they aren't biting you guys?”

Josef smirked. “Professional courtesy?”

Lucky groaned and rubbed at the spot on her neck. “That’s so bad. And this is starting to itch.”

The strong arms around her tightened. “I can do something about that, I think.”

“Really?”

“Close your eyes, tilt your head over to one side, and just pretend I’m a vampire,” Josef said.

“What are you going to do?”

“Trust me, Lucky. You’ll enjoy it.” He set his mouth against the tiny wound, and began to stroke his tongue over it in slow deliberate movements like the lapping velvet of some great cat. Without thought her breath took on the steady rhythm of his licks, her eyes closed and the rest of the world a distant memory. She could slide over the edge from this contact alone, with his arms and his legs around her.

Close by, Beth was watching avidly. “What is he doing to her?” she whispered to Mick, scratching at the bite on her arm.

“Taking away the itch,” Mick replied. “We think it’s something in the saliva that does it.”

“Yeah, prove it,” Beth responded, holding her arm in front Mick’s face. “Because this really, really itches.” He took it , his big hands engulfing her slender limb. By now, the touch of his tongue on her skin was familiar, and even though she’d never thought of her forearm as an erogenous zone, the working of his mouth, and her memories of the pleasure it could bring, employed elsewhere on her body, made the sensuality of his actions acute.

The vampires were finding their own pleasures, in the taste of familiar flesh, the warmth of human contact. Josef, surrounding Lucky, placed himself between her and the rest of the world. Mick, supported by Beth, reached out to the world through her.

The lights around them dimmed, and the music stopped as the crowd sent up an anticipatory hubbub. Josef moved his head to give Lucky a kiss on the cheek. “Looks like the movie is about to start.”

“If you could bottle what you just did,” Lucky said, “it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.” She glanced over to Beth, who was staring at the arm Mick had just released with a bemused , slightly glazed over, expression.

“I agree,” Beth said, “but it would still sell.”

The screen flickered, and the movie began. Two young men in improbably bright nylon fiberfill jackets trudged across a moonlit English moor, as the sweet strains of “Blue Moon” floated from the speakers.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Lucky muttered. “This is what you picked for our date? A cheesy ‘80s flick?”

“What is it?” Beth asked her. “I don’t think I recognize it.”

Josef smirked. “An American Werewolf in London. Shown in a cemetery. What could be more perfect?”

“Huh,” Beth responded. “I’ve just never been into—monsters.” She caught Lucky’s eye, and their smiles turned into outright laughter.

Josef tried to look severe. “Ladies,” he said with emphasis, “focus.” Which did not serve to extinguish their laughter in the least. Mick covered Beth’s laugh with another kiss, and Josef tightened his embrace a little, and Lucky snuggled back against him, content.

A few minutes later, when everyone had sunk into the story unfolding on the screen, she felt a light touch on her arm, and looked over to find Mick regarding her, his lips curved in the beginning of a smile.

“I just wanted to tell you, Lucky,” he said quietly, “you’re good for the old man.”

Josef, overhearing, snorted, and nuzzled her neck. “I hate to admit it, but he’s right,” he whispered in her ear. “Although I’ll show you later just how ‘old’ I am.”

[AggieVamp]

AHHHHH..... That was wonderful....though there were a few times I wanted to smack Beth for being so insensitive. But she realized the errors of her way - and apologized to Lucky.

And I love that Josef is realizing how much Lucky really means to him....

Karen

[seamus3333]

"Professional courtesy." I loved it ,LOL funny! Great, true to characters' story. Your Josef is spot on.

[tucutecats]

I loved it , loved it. that Beth she can be such a bitch, but Joseph handled it well.
they're watching a werewolf in london, fun flick. and are we in for a little lovin next chapter. You are such a great writer Lucky., and you feed my soul.

Hope Mick sets beth straight in a future chapter.

[cassysj]

Beth does drive me crazy a lot of times with her bull in a china shop style. But I love Josef and Lucky together. It was great for Mick to hear about the Trivial Pursuit story. I love the idea of a movie screening in a cemetery. I actually saw Gone With The Wind in a local cemetery once.

So happy to see new Josef and Lucky.

[librarian_7]

The cool thing is, that this is a for real event.

http://www.cinespia.org/ --and last weekend's movie was...An American Werewolf in London.


tucute...umm, no, Beth isn't a bitch. She's a bit thoughtless, and sometimes engages mouth before putting brain in gear, but then again, don't we all?

Lucky

[Lilly]

I think this is a wonderfully realistic look at the interactions of people functioning under mistaken perceptions and misunderstandings. These are all good, caring people (but don’t tell Josef I said that) who are operating under erroneous assumptions.

Lucky has always mistakenly felt that Mick didn’t think much of her. Mick in his tentativeness with humans has never been able to communicate his genuine concern for her.

Beth mistakenly thinks that Josef disapproves of Mick’s relationship with her. That fueled with misperceptions about freshies in general leads to some unbecoming behavior on her part. But the blame is not entirely hers. Josef makes a very good point about Mick needing to explain the facts of life – or rather un-life – to her. An awful lot of misunderstanding in their relationship might have been avoided if Mick had just explained the whole feeding thing to her from the get-go. As it was, he was vague and contradictory with what he told her.

Mick mistakenly assumes that those he cares about will automatically understand and respect one another.

And, Josef assumes that by virtue of his age, status and charm he can control every potentially difficult situation. That may be true in business, both vampire and financial, but not so much where emotions are involved.

This is intricate and delicious. We as readers get the “whole picture” and are able to watch an awkward situation from a unique vantage point. Not all was resolved, but gains were made by all four here, and Lucky and Beth found some common ground. Now, how about that girl to girl talk?

[ari]

Awh, so sweet. Such a perfect continuation of the Lucky-Josef storyline

[francis]

Josef, surrounding Lucky, placed himself between her and the rest of the world. Mick, supported by Beth, reached out to the world through her.

This is such a profound way to describe the difference of Mick and Josef.

Josef smirked. “Professional courtesy?”

Grin.

“I just wanted to tell you, Lucky,” he said quietly, “you’re good for the old man.”

Josef, overhearing, snorted, and nuzzled her neck. “I hate to admit it, but he’s right,” he whispered in her ear. “Although I’ll show you later just how ‘old’ I am.”

Perfect ending! Mick and Lucky reconciling whatever differences they had; Beth and Lucky bonding after some f*ck-up by Beth (really, I sometimes want to wrap her mouth in tape, but that’s Beth), and Josef and Lucky finding some semblance of normality and comfortableness.
I really love your Lucky stories.

[tucutecats]

Lucky, I stand corrected.

[allegrita]

I love this, for so many reasons. Josef is "coming out of the closet" with his relationship with Lucky. This is a very big step for him. And then for him to admit he cares for her? To his best friend and another human? Huge!

I love to watch Josef and Mick interacting. They have such ease with each other, and a wonderful combination of sincere friendship and friendly ribbing underlying everything they say. It makes me happy to see these friends hanging out.

I love that Beth is learning a little more about the vampire world, including freshies. Yeah, she's a bit, um, impulsive... but she doesn't make the same mistake twice, and she's not mean-spirited. She's trying to learn how to figure it all out, with not a lot of help from Mick. So I give her a bit of a slide on this one--and bless her, so does Lucky.

I love Lucky's dawning realization--and her happiness--that she really is much more than just a freshie to Josef. It's not easy, and it's certainly not settled yet, but she is learning to relax a little, to be less formal with him, to trust him in a new way. It's lovely to watch. However, it's incredibly telling that Lucky's first words to Beth show her concern for Josef, not her own pain.

I love the different ways Lucky and Beth put down their napkins. That little gesture says so much about both women.

I wanted to slap Beth silly for the hurtful things she said. But she's trying to make it right, and maybe she and Lucky will find a way to become closer. Friends? Well, maybe...they both really need a woman friend, that's certain. In a lot of ways they are opposites, but they compliment each other. I think they could help each other a lot if they could overcome the difficulties of this first meeting.

There were a couple of lines in this story that just sang to me.

“Ms. Turner, I know you don’t like freshies, but I’ll tell you this. At least I feed my vampire.”

Ooooh--zingggggggggg! But interestingly, that one misses its mark. I don't think it's Beth's doing that Mick doesn't drink from her. Maybe this, along with Josef's advice to start giving Beth information, will make Mick think about his relationship to Beth--and about the damage he's doing by trying to "protect" her from his vampire world.

Loved the "Damned bloodsuckers!" line Oh Beth, queen of foot-in-mouth disease. And Josef's response was perfect... “Professional courtesy?”

“Close your eyes, tilt your head over to one side, and just pretend I’m a vampire,” Mmmmm, just...

And then, “Trust me, Lucky. You’ll enjoy it.” That's what she needs to learn.

The itch-relief was just delicious. Gorgeously described. It brings this story almost into the Not Safe for Work category.

But my favorite line was this one, because it perfectly encapsulates the differences between the two vampires and their relationships with their women:

Josef, surrounding Lucky, placed himself between her and the rest of the world. Mick, supported by Beth, reached out to the world through her.

Beautiful!

[coco]

Oh I absolutely love this, Lucky.

What a wonderful situation to have our two vamps and their companions in. Beth is never intentionally mean but she always has a knack for saying absolutely the wrong thing and getting herself in trouble. When things start off with a misconception I guess that's an easy thing to do but I'm pleased she realised her error and went about sorting things out herself.

The Mick/Josef interaction was absolutely brilliant, as always.

[RangerCM]

Josef, surrounding Lucky, placed himself between her and the rest of the world. Mick, supported by Beth, reached out to the world through her.

Yep, Yep. My favorite part too. They say a picture says a thousand words, and this short "word picture" certainly does that.

Wonderful story *sigh*

[AussieJo]

I loved this!
I too loved the "professional curtesy" line as well.
Clever and inspired.
And Mick's Joz'f.
Oh Lucky, I can hear him saying it in that sexy, dark chocolate voice of his...."sigh"

[lunalux]

Lucky,

This was great. I loved seeing this side of Josef and we all know that Lucky is really good for him...seems like he's finally coming to grips with it.

I loved your description here. In so few words, you conveyed so much about their need for a relationship whether vampires choose to call it that or not as well as the stark difference between Josef/Lucky and Mick/Beth respective relationships:

The vampires were finding their own pleasures, in the taste of familiar flesh, the warmth of human contact. Josef, surrounding Lucky, placed himself between her and the rest of the world. Mick, supported by Beth, reached out to the world through her.

And I will say, even though I am a total Beth shipper, I would have smacked that girl --how could she be so mean? But then again, we find that Lucky in her own quiet way can hold her own. She's no pushover.