Exclusivity version 2.0 Chapter 3 (PG-13)
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:56 pm
Disclaimer: The characters from Moonlight are copyrighted by CBS, and no infringement is intended. The characters from the WFS do not bear any resemblance to their online counterparts.
A/N: This work follows the events of "Within the Empty Reaches of the Night," and you might want to read that one first, if you haven't. If you’ve read this elsewhere, this is Version 2.0. The story originally reference events taking place in an RP long ago and far away, on another site. I’ve tried to rewrite to make it more my own. I hope you enjoy it…this is the last of my old stories to be reposted here. It originally appeared on MLL back in December 2007/January 2008.
Exclusivity
Chapter 3
Lucky was surprised to see Josef at her door. It was early evening, and she knew, from what Julian had said earlier in the afternoon, that Josef had plans with her this evening. But here he was. She invited him in, and he came to the point without preamble.
“I’ve got something for you, Lucky.” Josef reached into the breast pocket of his impeccably tailored suit and withdrew a small, flat box. “Wear it in good health,” he said with a wolfish grin that suddenly made his boyish face look far older, far more predatory.
Lucky shivered at that look, even knowing it wasn’t directed at her, but she took the little jewel box. Inside it was a pendant, something gleaming white mounted in gold. A vampire’s fang. Lucky breathed in carefully, fighting a sudden wave of nausea, and an urge to throw the awful thing as far away from her as possible. She raised fearful, questioning eyes to Josef’s face.
“We caught up with Lunos,” Josef said simply.
Lucky closed her eyes, clutching the box in shaking hands. She didn’t know how to react, whether to smile, cry, or break down into hysterics. She ended by swallowing hard. “He’s dead?” she whispered.
Josef sat down beside her. “Trust me, babe. He’s dead. And if it helps any, he suffered. In fact, at one point he said to tell you he was very, very sorry he hurt you.”
Lucky buried her face in her hands, and began to weep, perhaps from relief. The next thing she knew, she was in Josef’s arms, her face pressed against the smooth wool of his jacket, and he was making oddly uncharacteristic comforting noises. That in itself shocked her. She pushed away, and if she thought there was any reluctance in him to let her go, it was more mental than physical. When they were very close, she sometimes thought she could feel the pull of his mind on hers, but maybe she just imagined that.
“You really want me to wear this?” she asked. “Against my skin?” The thought repulsed her. That he would expect her to wear the very thing that had caused her so much pain…
Josef closed his eyes, as if picturing something he wasn’t going to share with her. He huffed out a sharp breath. He took the box from her hand, opened it, and pulled out the shining piece of bone, dangling it by the long chain. He slipped it over her head, and it fell at once into the neckline of her blouse, between her breasts. “Think of it as a talisman, Lucky. You wear that, and no vamp will touch you wrong again. I personally guarantee it."
&&&
A few days later, Lucky was sitting at Belinda’s, reading quietly. She was wondering if she was ever going to get a chance to talk to Mick again. Somehow, he just hadn’t been around much of late, or at least not when she was there. Ever since she’d come back, in fact. Ah, well, she thought, he’s got more on his mind than a bunch of silly freshies. It’s not like he ever feeds from us. Still, she wanted to talk to him.
He’d had a lot to do with whatever had happened to Lunos, she thought. She’d worn the necklace, in fact had not dared to take if off since Josef had placed the chain around her neck. It wasn’t that she was afraid to remove it, exactly, but more that every time the chain shifted, or she felt the pendant against her skin, she was reminded of Josef and the look in his eyes as he’d hung it there. Even more viscerally, she was reminded of what they must have done to get it. While she was sensible of the fact that her role in the conflict between the vampires was small, that she’d been a pawn in a larger game, she was fairly sure that had Lunos not attempted to kill her, and in the obscene way that he’d chosen to try, Josef’s vengeance would have perhaps been somewhat less spectacularly—messy.
She was still pondering this when the door opened and Mick walked in, handsome as always in his dark coat with the collar turned up. She’d always wondered about that—was it just comfortable that way, or did he know how well it framed his face? In any event, on this particular occasion, he smiled warmly at the greetings from the freshies. Then he sniffed, and a shadow seemed to pass over his face. He turned his head sharply, and looked straight at Lucky. Then he was standing in front of her. He extended a hand to help her up, all traces of the smile gone. “We need to talk,” he said as she rose. “The library, I think.”
After the door closed behind them, Mick silently came to stand directly in front of Lucky, looking down at her with troubled eyes. He lifted one hand to her throat, and delicately slid a finger inside her neckline to capture the chain of her necklace, gently pulling it into view, bringing the pendant into sight. Seeing the gold-chased, gleaming fang, he made a sharp intake of breath. “Son of a bitch,” he said. “He did it. He really did it.” With the fang against his palm, Mick was suddenly back at the scene, standing over the ruined body that still quivered and struggled against its bonds.
“Joz’ef,” Mick said, “it’s enough. We need to kill him, and get it over.” Now that his own lust for blood and justice had been slaked, he was sickened at what they had done.
His eyes still silver, his brain still in the grip of his fury, Josef had snarled back through his fangs, “Not quite. One more thing I need to do, Mick, then we can end him.”
“He’s dying already. What more can you do?”
Josef growled. “I promised myself I’d give Lucky one of this bastard’s fangs for a necklace. That I’d rip it out of his undead skull.”
Mick would carry the sound of Lunos’ scream with him forever.
He shook his head a little, coming back to the present. He dropped the fang and turned away, not noticing as Lucky put it out of sight again.
“Mick?” Lucky was always shy at speaking to him. No matter what the others said, he always seemed a little unapproachable to her. He turned back to her, and although his eyes were kind, she sensed too much pity in them. “Josef told me to wear—that thing. I—I didn’t plan on anyone else knowing about it.”
Mick took in a long slow breath, and nodded. “I think that’s probably a good idea. I don’t know why he’d want to saddle you with it in the first place.”
“He told me it was to help keep me safe. Like a talisman.”
Mick raised his hand, as though to caress her cheek, then stopped and dropped his hand back to his side. “We do want you to be safe. Trust Joz’ef to find his own way of achieving that.”
Lucky saw his gesture, or lack of one, and it devastated her. She knew he was trying to be kind, trying to respect her feelings—but for him to avoid touching her—it made her feel dirty, like she was unworthy of his attention. She suddenly realized that to Josef, to Josef, the whole incident had made him more aware of her as a person, as more than just another willing freshie in a crowd of them. She was going to have to think about this, and think about it very hard.
A/N: This work follows the events of "Within the Empty Reaches of the Night," and you might want to read that one first, if you haven't. If you’ve read this elsewhere, this is Version 2.0. The story originally reference events taking place in an RP long ago and far away, on another site. I’ve tried to rewrite to make it more my own. I hope you enjoy it…this is the last of my old stories to be reposted here. It originally appeared on MLL back in December 2007/January 2008.
Exclusivity
Chapter 3
Lucky was surprised to see Josef at her door. It was early evening, and she knew, from what Julian had said earlier in the afternoon, that Josef had plans with her this evening. But here he was. She invited him in, and he came to the point without preamble.
“I’ve got something for you, Lucky.” Josef reached into the breast pocket of his impeccably tailored suit and withdrew a small, flat box. “Wear it in good health,” he said with a wolfish grin that suddenly made his boyish face look far older, far more predatory.
Lucky shivered at that look, even knowing it wasn’t directed at her, but she took the little jewel box. Inside it was a pendant, something gleaming white mounted in gold. A vampire’s fang. Lucky breathed in carefully, fighting a sudden wave of nausea, and an urge to throw the awful thing as far away from her as possible. She raised fearful, questioning eyes to Josef’s face.
“We caught up with Lunos,” Josef said simply.
Lucky closed her eyes, clutching the box in shaking hands. She didn’t know how to react, whether to smile, cry, or break down into hysterics. She ended by swallowing hard. “He’s dead?” she whispered.
Josef sat down beside her. “Trust me, babe. He’s dead. And if it helps any, he suffered. In fact, at one point he said to tell you he was very, very sorry he hurt you.”
Lucky buried her face in her hands, and began to weep, perhaps from relief. The next thing she knew, she was in Josef’s arms, her face pressed against the smooth wool of his jacket, and he was making oddly uncharacteristic comforting noises. That in itself shocked her. She pushed away, and if she thought there was any reluctance in him to let her go, it was more mental than physical. When they were very close, she sometimes thought she could feel the pull of his mind on hers, but maybe she just imagined that.
“You really want me to wear this?” she asked. “Against my skin?” The thought repulsed her. That he would expect her to wear the very thing that had caused her so much pain…
Josef closed his eyes, as if picturing something he wasn’t going to share with her. He huffed out a sharp breath. He took the box from her hand, opened it, and pulled out the shining piece of bone, dangling it by the long chain. He slipped it over her head, and it fell at once into the neckline of her blouse, between her breasts. “Think of it as a talisman, Lucky. You wear that, and no vamp will touch you wrong again. I personally guarantee it."
&&&
A few days later, Lucky was sitting at Belinda’s, reading quietly. She was wondering if she was ever going to get a chance to talk to Mick again. Somehow, he just hadn’t been around much of late, or at least not when she was there. Ever since she’d come back, in fact. Ah, well, she thought, he’s got more on his mind than a bunch of silly freshies. It’s not like he ever feeds from us. Still, she wanted to talk to him.
He’d had a lot to do with whatever had happened to Lunos, she thought. She’d worn the necklace, in fact had not dared to take if off since Josef had placed the chain around her neck. It wasn’t that she was afraid to remove it, exactly, but more that every time the chain shifted, or she felt the pendant against her skin, she was reminded of Josef and the look in his eyes as he’d hung it there. Even more viscerally, she was reminded of what they must have done to get it. While she was sensible of the fact that her role in the conflict between the vampires was small, that she’d been a pawn in a larger game, she was fairly sure that had Lunos not attempted to kill her, and in the obscene way that he’d chosen to try, Josef’s vengeance would have perhaps been somewhat less spectacularly—messy.
She was still pondering this when the door opened and Mick walked in, handsome as always in his dark coat with the collar turned up. She’d always wondered about that—was it just comfortable that way, or did he know how well it framed his face? In any event, on this particular occasion, he smiled warmly at the greetings from the freshies. Then he sniffed, and a shadow seemed to pass over his face. He turned his head sharply, and looked straight at Lucky. Then he was standing in front of her. He extended a hand to help her up, all traces of the smile gone. “We need to talk,” he said as she rose. “The library, I think.”
After the door closed behind them, Mick silently came to stand directly in front of Lucky, looking down at her with troubled eyes. He lifted one hand to her throat, and delicately slid a finger inside her neckline to capture the chain of her necklace, gently pulling it into view, bringing the pendant into sight. Seeing the gold-chased, gleaming fang, he made a sharp intake of breath. “Son of a bitch,” he said. “He did it. He really did it.” With the fang against his palm, Mick was suddenly back at the scene, standing over the ruined body that still quivered and struggled against its bonds.
“Joz’ef,” Mick said, “it’s enough. We need to kill him, and get it over.” Now that his own lust for blood and justice had been slaked, he was sickened at what they had done.
His eyes still silver, his brain still in the grip of his fury, Josef had snarled back through his fangs, “Not quite. One more thing I need to do, Mick, then we can end him.”
“He’s dying already. What more can you do?”
Josef growled. “I promised myself I’d give Lucky one of this bastard’s fangs for a necklace. That I’d rip it out of his undead skull.”
Mick would carry the sound of Lunos’ scream with him forever.
He shook his head a little, coming back to the present. He dropped the fang and turned away, not noticing as Lucky put it out of sight again.
“Mick?” Lucky was always shy at speaking to him. No matter what the others said, he always seemed a little unapproachable to her. He turned back to her, and although his eyes were kind, she sensed too much pity in them. “Josef told me to wear—that thing. I—I didn’t plan on anyone else knowing about it.”
Mick took in a long slow breath, and nodded. “I think that’s probably a good idea. I don’t know why he’d want to saddle you with it in the first place.”
“He told me it was to help keep me safe. Like a talisman.”
Mick raised his hand, as though to caress her cheek, then stopped and dropped his hand back to his side. “We do want you to be safe. Trust Joz’ef to find his own way of achieving that.”
Lucky saw his gesture, or lack of one, and it devastated her. She knew he was trying to be kind, trying to respect her feelings—but for him to avoid touching her—it made her feel dirty, like she was unworthy of his attention. She suddenly realized that to Josef, to Josef, the whole incident had made him more aware of her as a person, as more than just another willing freshie in a crowd of them. She was going to have to think about this, and think about it very hard.