Exclusivity version 2.0 Chapter 4 (PG-13)

[librarian_7]

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 4

Looking back, Lucky could never remember whose idea it was to go clubbing that night. At the time, she’d been more than half convinced it was Cinda’s urging, but she had no real reason to believe it. Lucky and Melody weren’t all that big on clubbing, and Felicity never made suggestions like that. She honestly didn’t remember any of the others speaking up until after the idea had been floated. So maybe it had been Julian’s idea after all. Somehow that seemed more likely. Whoever had the initial idea, everyone at Belinda’s salon took it up as a great idea. Everyone wanted to get out, to forget about their troubles, to see a little color and a few bright lights. Besides, at least Julian immediately got on the phone, and wheedled Josef into coming over and picking them up. Lucky had to see that as a positive. Lately, Josef had been largely absent from Belinda’s place. As far as Lucky knew, he’d spent every evening with Julian. She’d certainly intimated as much, dragging in to the salon in the afternoons looking both drained and satiated, and endearing herself to everyone with her arch insinuations about her close relationship with the vampire. Lucky hadn’t had so much as a telephone call for days, just when she’d thought they were growing closer. She kept reminding herself, “I’m just another freshie.” It wasn’t a terribly comforting thought.

The freshies scattered to the four winds, rushing home to dress for the clubs. Both of the L. A. freshie bars maintained high standards, and though it was unlikely that either would turn down Josef’s freshies regardless of what they were wearing, everyone wanted to do their vamps justice.

“Trot out your best bling, ladies” Josef told them, arriving at Belinda’s to oversee final preparations for the outing. “When I walk in, the place shines.”

And before she left, he caught her eye, questioning. In response, she put a hand to her neck, and pulled the chain that held Lunos’ fang very slightly into sight. She knew Josef could see it, would recognize it and know that she was complying with his wishes that she wear it. She had no idea what the reaction would be at the clubs. Not that she had intentions of going near any strange vamps. Even if she wasn’t exclusive to Josef, she did trust him to look out for her. He’d proven that he would, and she had no reason to expect anything so kind from a stranger. She was quite happy to be one of the coterie of freshies in company of such a respected vamp. Let others be the favored ones. If Josef was most happy in the company of someone like Julian, or most desirous of showing her off around town, well, she knew that he was not disinterested in her.

She had watched with interest as Ivoire and Julian circled each other warily, engaging in verbal battles and not-so-subtle ploys for Josef’s attention. Julian had the glitter of novelty, and the polish of a wealthy upbringing, but Lucky was convinced that she had nothing on Ivoire when it came to brains—street smarts especially. And among the other freshies, despite her occasional flashes of temper, Ivoire was well liked, which Julian would never be. That gave her some advantages. In addition, Lucky could see that Ivoire was genuinely fond of Josef, genuinely cared about looking out for his welfare. Julian was so self-absorbed, she could have been on any vamp’s arm, and it would’ve made no difference to her. Lucky only hoped Josef was smart enough, after all his long years, to see who really cared.

At last, Josef ushered his flock of freshies into two limos for the trip to the club. Mick had decided at the last minute to come along, heaven knew why. Maybe just for some company, and to get away from his lonely apartment. Or possibly, he thought even Josef would have a hard time watching over this many freshies at once. There had been some discussion as to whether the action would be more interesting at Pulse! or Club Valis, but when Julian had pouted prettily at Josef, hanging on his arm, he’d laughed down at her and said, “Valis it is, doll. We can always move on to Pulse! later, girls.”

Lucky had to admit, it was rather a thrill to pull up in front of an exclusive club in a stretch limo and be handed out by an obsequious doorman. No standing in line, no waiting to be admitted. She’d come to Club Valis once, and Pulse! a few times when she was first exploring the lifestyle, wanting to become a freshie for real. Then, she’d envied the girls arriving with vamps, studied them carefully to see if there was anything she could learn from watching them in a club crowd. They were all so different, it seemed hopeless. Tonight, it was the others watching her, watching all of them. She could see the curiosity in some faces, wondering if it was true, if the vampires were really what they were rumored to be, or if it was all some elaborate fantasy. Others, the ones on the outskirts, had the look of the once-bitten. She could tell from the way they looked at Josef, surreptitiously lifting a hand to throat, or absently feeling a forearm, remembering the feel of, as Josef always said, fang on flesh. But if that were true, and they were still outside the club, then they probably wouldn’t be admitted again. There were plenty of would-be freshies, and not all of them were found acceptable by the vamps. They had alternatives, and Lucky put that out of her mind, firmly. She didn’t want to think about it tonight.

Mick was displaying his darkly scruffy leather-jacketed charm for all the wannabes, and had gathered a couple of the girls he was friendliest with close to him. Cinda and Melody were by his side, just as Julian and Ivoire had taken their places by Josef, himself looking debonair in a black velvet jacket. Lucky, Felicity, Becca, Desiree, and the others had ranged themselves as near to the boys as possible, throwing off what Lucky thought was an astonishing glare of massed beauty and shine. Even inside the club, heads turned instantly when they entered, and a club flunky rushed to escort them to the VIP room, finding them spacious booths. Lucky noticed that her friends at Mick’s booth had stopped just long enough to drop off their purses before rushing off to hit the dance floor. Josef, however indicated with a gesture to those at his table that they should stay.

“A drink first, ladies,” he said. “Let’s get you in the proper frame of mind for dancing.”

A waitress appeared almost at once, bearing a tray covered with glasses of varying shapes and sizes. She deferentially set a large Scotch in front of Josef first, then deposited her tray on the table for the women to take their choices. Lucky, who had not happened to be a part of this particular ritual before, noticed at once that Josef made no move to pick up his drink, and that Ivoire, Julian and one or two others were suddenly fumbling at their bags, pulling out small lancets. Ivoire, deftly pricking her finger with the lancet, squeezed a little drop of blood into the Scotch, then picked up Josef’s drink and passed it on. Each of them contributed, while Josef looked on with a sort of benevolent avidity. When the drink returned to him, he sipped it delicately.

“There is nothing on this earth,” he said, “to equal private reserve.” And with that, everyone else drank, and soon they were drifting off to the dance floor, feeling somehow more cherished for the ritual.

It seemed that the next few hours passed in a haze for Lucky. She danced several times, both with her sister freshies, and with random strangers. She always seemed to have a feeling of being under the eye of one or the other of the vamps, and she was glad of it. She had no idea how many other vamps might be cruising the club tonight, looking for fresh blood. She knew that drill, and she was glad to be out of it. Even before Josef had given her “Lucky” as a freshie name, she knew she’d been fortunate to fall in with his group. Dancing, drinking, more dancing. Laughing with her friends, time was passing very pleasantly. At some point, Mick and his freshies decided to see what was going on at Pulse! and took their leave, but with the rest scattered around the dance floor, Josef said he was happy to stay in one place. No one had even seen Julian for ages.

At one point, Lucky had come back to the table, discovering Josef sitting by himself, which was very unusual, until she noticed that Felicity had fallen into a dreamy doze next to him, and was lying down with her head pillowed on Josef’s thigh. “Lucky, come sit by me, doll,” he smiled, then looked down at the sleeping girl, shaking his head good-humoredly. “I can’t believe she could drop off in this racket.”

“You don’t like the music?” Lucky asked, sliding in next to him.

“String quartets are more my speed. But, hey, you move with the times.”

“I guess you’d know, J’.”

He laughed at that, and they chatted as best they could in the noise of the club for several minutes. She carefully didn’t mention that he had barely spoken to her for some time, and he acted as though there had been no interruption in their ongoing conversation. She supposed that in a 400 plus year long life, a week or two hardly counted as a blink. Even so, she knew he was not giving her his full attention, and he hardly seemed surprised when Melody rushed up, trouble plain in her dark eyes.

“Josef,” she said, “I think Ivoire needs you.”

He nodded, and Lucky slid out of the booth to let him pass. As he stood, Josef put his arm around her. “Lucky, if you’d be kind enough to accompany me?”

They found Ivoire looking a bit nervous, which was highly unusual, backed into a corner by a strange vamp. He was tall and slender, and his lank dark hair fell over one eye in what he doubtless thought was very vamp cool. Josef put on his most venomous grin.

“Ivoire,” he said. “I’ve been looking for you.” She bit her lip, and slid out under the stranger’s arm.

“Josef—“ she started, her eyes stormy.

“Take off, sweetheart. I’ll deal with this.” Josef waited until Ivoire was well away, then stepped closer to the stranger, and drew Lucky with him. “I’m guessing, friend, that the lady informed you she was taken.”

The stranger snarled at him, showing more than a glint of fang. “Dancing by herself—here? That doesn’t look taken to me.”

“Trust me, if she says she’s spoken for, she’s spoken for.” Josef sighed. It was obvious this bozo had no idea who he was, and was not going to either show the proper respect or back down. “Look, asshole, let me show you something.” He raised his free hand to Lucky’s neck, and slipped a finger under her necklace chain, lifting the fang into view. The stranger went suddenly very still, his eyes fixed on the shining pendant.

“Is that—“ he said.

“The last vamp who messed with one of my freshies,” Josef replied flatly. “He regretted his foolishness.” He didn’t wait for a response, but turned to walk away, muttering down to Lucky, “What a dipshit.”

Lucky giggled, but Josef’s attention was already elsewhere. He lifted his head and surveyed the room, and she could see his nostrils flare, searching for scent. “Where’s Julian gotten to?” he asked absently. Suddenly, his head snapped to one side, and he inhaled deeply. “Lucky, go get the others. We’ll be leaving immediately.” He released her, and she went at once to comply.

When they climbed back into the limo, two things became obvious, and neither was mentioned. For one, Julian was no longer in the party, and for another, Josef was quietly, coldly enraged.

[francis]

Uh oh. One, I don't believe Julian is as close to Josef as she pretends. Second, this smells like trouble, and I don't need a vampire nose to get that. Three, it's nice to see Lucky enjoy an evening out, but it's bad that it again ends badly. Why doesn't Josef wear the fang himself and not drag Lucky into every fight? Doesn't seem fair.

[darkstarrising]

Oh boy, what an ending, Lucky!! What trouble has Julian gotten herself into?

Love the fang necklace. Sends a perfectly clear message to anyone wishing to horn in on Josef's territory. Don't!

Seems that Lucky is still learning the ropes here. She feels so much for Josef, yet isn't quite sure where she fits in his life.

Great chapter

[allegrita]

Oooooh. That was quite a night! I've got to say, Josef is not being very considerate of Lucky lately. What's he been up to? Is he working on some huge deal? Or maybe Lola's in town (I don't know the chronology of this story in terms of the show). Well, if Julian really has been occupying that much of his time, I'd be willing to declare pretty positively that things are about to change on that front. Not to wish ill on anybody (well... not much), but it sounds like Julian's about to find out what happens when you displease Josef. *ulp!*

Back to Josef and Lucky: is that fang really to keep Lucky safe? Or is Josef just using her (and her necklace) as a pawn in any number of games? Or maybe both...? In any case, I worry about her. She's still in a very fragile state, and very much unsure of her status. I do wish that Mick would figure out that Lucky needs a friend who doesn't have an agenda...

I'll be on the edge of my seat till I find out what happens next!

[tucutecats]

Not a good idea for an exclusive to go wandering. This will end badly
I'm sure. I loved J showing vang to the other vamp.Don't mess with me and mine. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr this is getting good.

[mitzie]

I think Julian thinks she is above it all and doesn't really have to listen to anyone!! I love this story and can't wait to see what happens with all this...


mitzie

[librarian_7]

Thanks for the comments, I will try to get the next chapter posted sometime tomorrow...I'm cooking (with husband!) an early Thanksgiving dinner for my parents.

Lucky

[Phoenix]

When they climbed back into the limo, two things became obvious, and neither was mentioned. For one, Julian was no longer in the party, and for another, Josef was quietly, coldly enraged.

So the bit- *ahem* the young lady is in trouble?

[moonlight_vixen]

“The last vamp who messed with one of my freshies,” Josef replied flatly. “He regretted his foolishness.” He didn’t wait for a response, but turned to walk away, muttering down to Lucky, “What a dipshit.”

That's our Josef--straight to the point with no pretense

This was one of my favorite chapters in the story, and it still is..

[jen]

This is wonderful!

The vamp had heard something, so word must be out about Lucky's attacker, the price he paid, and the fang jewelry.

An effective, if somewhat gruesome, warning.

Thank you!

Jenna

[jen]

Don't remember now if Julian has taken off for parts unknown of her own choice (which would be a spectacularly bad move, in my opinion) or if another vampire has decided to sample the delicacies (which would also be a spectacularly unwise)

Lucky seems to be adjusting to wearing that grisley pice of jewelry.

Perhaps in time Lucky will view it as a symbol of how much Josef is willing to do to protect her, but for now....

Ewwwwww.

[maggatha3]

OH....trouble trouble trouble!! And Josef is pissed off!! I love it!! Now, Julia isn't trouble...she is in trouble!!