Adrift in the Dark (In Between 4 and 5, PG)

[Shadow]

Disclaimer: Moonlight is not mine and no copyright infringement is intended.




IN BETWEEN
four and five




Adrift in the Dark



Mick felt Beth pull away from the door, heard her soft footsteps moving down the hall toward the elevator. He leaned against the other side of the door for a moment longer, then turned and walked blindly to the window. He stared out at the city for a long time, not seeing anything in front of him. All he could see was Beth, her face set and determined, her hands pushing back her hair, folding back her collar. All he could feel was her blood in his veins.

After all the long years of drinking from glass or bottle, of turning down every freshie that Josef had pushed at him – he’d sworn never to touch a human again, ever, because of the way Beth had changed his life – after all that, what had he done? How had it come to this, that he had fed not just from a human, but from Beth herself?

He leaned against the window, pressing his forehead to the glass. I want to do this, she’d said – and if he’d refused her, if she’d had to watch him die, it would have destroyed her. He knew that. It was the reason he’d let her take the risk. And it had been a risk; he’d been so near death that vampire instinct could easily have overpowered everything else. Everything except – perhaps - his connection with Beth. That’s the truth of it. We’ve always been connected.

Traffic swirled through the city below, bright lights stretching to the horizon, and Beth was somewhere out there, the lights of her car lost in that vast sprawl. Mick didn’t see the lights. He saw Beth, kneeling by the tub in that dingy motel, trembling with fear but desperate to help him. He felt ice water dripping from his sleeves, felt her arm so cool in his cupped hands, heard her startled gasp as his fangs pierced her wrist. He was so hot, he was on fire with the fever, he was nothing but vampire and all his instincts were calling out for blood . . . he was burning, he couldn’t think, he couldn’t remember what was happening. Only blood could quench the fire, cool in his mouth and in his veins. Only blood, and he was lost in it, lost. Red haze clouded his vision when he opened his eyes. But through the haze he saw a glint of gold – her hair, catching the light as she turned her head and pressed her face against his shoulder. Beth. Suddenly he could feel her again, and he remembered the danger, knew what he had to keep under control. Be careful. Be safe. Don’t hurt her.

Beth’s free hand moved, sliding behind his back to embrace him, and she relaxed against him, her fear melting entirely away. She was lost too, lost in sensations she had never felt before. But she should be afraid – he’d warned her, hadn’t he? He’d told her that she’d have to stop him, he was sure of it . . . he tried to listen to her pulse, but her grip on him tightened, she drew him closer, and then all he could feel was what she was feeling. Pain, compassion, relief, desire. His mouth against her wrist, who could have imagined that it would feel so sensuous? Feeding a vampire, what a disconcerting image – she stifled a giggle at the thought, lightheaded, dizzy, elated. He knew she was feeling too faint, he had to stop, it was time – but he was clinging to her frantically, the vampire was screaming for more blood, and he couldn’t, couldn’t, let her go. He fought desperately to pull away from her, and then he heard her voice, soft but clear, saying his name. “Mick.”
















A faint sound came from the hallway, and Mick swung away from the window, startled, wondering what he’d heard. Was Beth still there?

No.

He went to the door and opened it. Elaine sat at the end of the hall by the elevator, staring straight ahead, as blankly as he had stared out the window just a moment ago. Mick walked slowly down the hall and knelt in front of her.

“I saw her,” Elaine whispered.

Mick sighed. “Beth.”

“She was holding her wrist. I saw the marks.” Elaine’s gaze was glassy. “You’ve told her what you are, haven’t you? And she didn’t run away. She let you feed from her! Why didn’t – why couldn’t –"

“Come inside. Please.”

Elaine let Mick pull her to her feet and lead her into the apartment. He closed the door, locked it, settled her on the couch, and went to get drinks for them both. Alcohol, not blood, and plenty of it. He handed her a glass, sat down in a chair, and took a deep pull from his own drink. If only he could still achieve total oblivion through alcohol – but he couldn’t; vampires metabolized it too quickly. Still, it would take the edge off things. Elaine was drinking deeply too, perhaps with the same thought in mind.

“Elaine, I didn’t tell her. She found out by accident.”

“Accident?”

“After the silver. She was there when it happened and she saw me. Changed.”

“What did she do?” Elaine’s voice was wooden.

Mick hesitated. “She was frightened. She didn’t want to believe it.”

“But she didn’t freak.”

“No. She didn’t.”

“Right.” Elaine’s eyes sparked with jealous tears. “You barely even know this woman. Kevin was my husband. Why couldn’t he accept me, when she can accept you?”

Because Beth is special. He didn’t say it aloud - it was the last thing Elaine needed to hear, with its clear implication that Kevin was not. But there was another reason that Elaine would find easier to understand. “Elaine, think,” he said. “It wasn’t the first time that Beth had seen a vampire.”

“What?”

“She saw me, remember? And Coraline too. When she was a little girl.”

“I thought she didn’t remember you.”

“She doesn’t. Not specifically.” Not yet. “But she still saw us when we were vamped, and it’s in her subconscious somewhere. For her, seeing a vampire is something – familiar.”

“But other people do it too.” Elaine didn’t look up. “Manage to be around vampires, I mean. All those stupid freshies.”

“Most freshies aren’t exactly normal people.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Elaine twisted her hands together, picked up her drink, and took another gulp of it. “Then I guess Beth isn’t very normal either, since she let you feed from her.” Mick flinched, and Elaine said, “I guess that promise of yours didn’t mean much either.”

Mick’s hand tightened on his glass, nearly breaking it, and he carefully set it down on the table. Elaine always struck out when she was upset; he knew that. She wanted to hurt him, yes, but she couldn’t possibly realize just how much pain she was inflicting. Mick took a deep breath and said evenly, “I kept my promise for twenty-two years. Then I was caught out in the desert, in the sun. When Beth found me out there, I was dying. She gave me her blood to save my life. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“You were dying?” Elaine’s voice was suddenly uncertain, and her eyes were wide. “What were you doing in the desert?”

“It was a case,” he said shortly. “I was trying to protect a woman – Leni - from an arms dealer. Our car got blown to bits, so we ended up on foot.”

“How long were you out there?”

“I don’t know. Hours.” He’d misjudged, badly, how long it would take to find shelter, and how long he’d be able to endure the sun. Had those last traces of silver still been affecting him? He’d been feeling twinges of pain in his shoulder, and the sun had brought him down so quickly . . . He shook his head; there was no way to know. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter! My God, Mick, hours? In that kind of sun? How did Beth find you?”

“I had Leni call her.” He wasn’t actually sure why; he’d never meant to take Beth’s blood, and what else could she have done for him? But in the nightmare of the fever, she had been all he could think of, all he’d wanted in the world. He remembered what he’d told Leni, and said, “I trust her.”

“You don’t just trust her.” Elaine looked into her glass, gazing at the amber liquid within it. “You love her.”

Mick closed his eyes. “Yes.”

“What are you going to do? God, you’re the one who told me I was crazy . . . Mick, you know it can’t work.”

He got up abruptly, unsteadily took out another bottle, and refilled his glass. “I know,” he said. “It has to stop, and it has to be now.” He drank down the glassful, refilled it again, and finally said the words aloud. “I’m never going to see her again. Ever.”



















“Mick,” she’d said, her voice soft and low, but he’d heard her clearly, he’d felt her hand at the back of his head, such a gentle touch. “I feel – Mick, I don’t know – I think you’d better stop.”

At the sound of Beth’s voice he won the battle, he was in control – he pulled his mouth from her wrist, sat up straight, backed away as far as he could from the call of her blood. She was still kneeling in the same place, watching him, her eyes wide and dilated, her right hand pressed firmly against her left wrist.

“I didn’t know when I should stop you,” she said, her voice faltering. “Is that enough? Will you be okay now?”

It wasn’t enough to sate him, not nearly, but it was all that she could give – more than he had meant to take - and it was healing him. It would keep him alive. He nodded, and cautiously reached out to touch her wrist, lifting her right hand away for an instant so that he could check the wounds. He was shaking, drawn to the blood on her wrist in spite of himself, but he had to know what he’d done . . . So deep. Bleeding so badly. He’d bitten her much harder than he’d meant to – desperation and lack of practice made a bad mix - and his fangs had torn all the way through her vein. He’d punctured a small artery as well, which bled profusely as soon as he lifted Beth’s fingers away. But it just needs pressure. It’ll heal. She’ll be fine. He hadn’t taken too much of her blood, even though his warning to her had been worse than useless. You’ll have to stop me, he’d told her, as if she were some experienced freshie who would know how to do that, and when. What had he been thinking? I wasn’t thinking. I was too far gone. He closed her hand back over the bite marks and pressed it against them.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she whispered. “Your hand’s still so hot.”

“I will be. The ice water will work now . . . I just have to lie here for a while. It’ll cool me now.”

She let go of her wrist to touch his face, but he caught her hand and gently put it back against the wounds. “Those are deep punctures. You’ve got to keep pressure on them, or they won’t stop bleeding. Five minutes at least, all right? Ten minutes would be better.”

She nodded, and he let himself slide back down into the tub. The ice water had hurt him before, its cold such a sharp contrast to his fevered body, his body too weakened to absorb the chill. The water had kept him alive, but had done nothing to ease him. But now the ice was a dream of comfort, the pain slowly disappearing into it, dissolving in the cold. It was almost as good as a freezer – no, it was better than a freezer. Nothing had ever felt better. He slid deeper into the tub, resting there in unutterable relief.

Until he caught the scent of blood in the water.



















I’ll never see her again. I can’t. It’s too dangerous for her to be near me. I have to get her free of the vampire world.

“Just like that?” Elaine said doubtfully.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you love her. It’s not so easy.”

“I never said it was going to be easy. I have to do it, that’s all.”

“Oh.” Elaine still looked troubled.

“Just - don’t ever say anything like that about Beth again, okay? She’s not some damn freshie.”

Elaine put her glass down on the table and quickly got to her feet. “Look, Mick . . . I shouldn’t have come. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” It wasn’t, but he was calmer now, and he didn’t need to hurt her back. And he’d realized what she was actually upset about. “How’s Kevin?”

“He’s not doing so well.” Elaine’s voice was very low. Unsteadily she said, “I was just down at the hospital. And, and, I think I’ll go back there now.”

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“It’s cancer. Not your fault.”

“I’m still sorry.”

"Thanks." She nodded to him stiffly and headed for the door, but he moved suddenly to cut her off.

“What is it?” she asked.

“You didn’t come here about Beth. So why did you come to see me? It must have been important.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Come on, Elaine. Tell me.”

“It’s just – " She trailed off, looking down at the floor, her long dark hair hiding her face.

Mick waited, standing between her and the door. “Just what?”

She took a deep breath, then let it out. “It’s just that when anything bad happens to one of your friends, you always do something about it. Like with Tyler, you know. So I thought I should tell you that if anything happened to me, if there was, I don't know, a fire or something at my place – well, you wouldn’t need to do anything.”

He grabbed her hands. “Elaine, my God – "

“Not that it’s going to happen,” she said, as if trying to reassure him. “I’m telling you just in case, because I’d feel bad if you got yourself killed over nothing.”

“Please. Don’t do it.”

“I’m trying not to.” She was crying now; she let Mick draw her close and hold her, just for a moment. Then she pulled away, her hand trailing lightly down his sleeve before letting go. “You’ve got a bullet in your arm.”

“I know." His voice was hoarse, and his eyes burned with tears. "I’ll take it out one of these days.”

“I don’t know how you’re still alive. Don’t worry about me. I think I’m gonna outlive you.”

“You’d better.”

“I’ll try.”

And then she was gone, and Mick sank back down onto his chair, his head in his hands.

He didn’t think she was going to outlive him.

Did I do this to her? She hates what she is – is that because I hate being a vampire so much? Did she get it from me?

His head hurt. He gulped down the remains of his drink, and then went back for the rest of the bottle, but it didn’t help nearly enough. He was losing Elaine, he could feel it in his bones - Kevin seemed to be all she was living for. He had already lost Beth. And I think I’ve been living for her . . . He could still feel her, standing on the other side of the door, her face pressed against it, as close to him as she could get. He could still feel her hands, so gentle on his face as he lay in that motel tub. He could feel her.


















There had been blood in the water. Mick was in the water too, all the way under, and even his face felt cooler now. His eyes opened to watch the red swirl of blood drift past – where was it coming from? Suddenly he felt hands pulling at him, and he lifted his head out of the water with a gasp.

“Oh God, Mick, what’s wrong? Didn’t it work? Do you need more blood? Don’t die, please! Don’t die!”

Beth was holding him, both hands against his face, and blood dripped swiftly and steadily from her wrist into the water. She hadn’t even noticed the bleeding . . . he turned instinctively toward the blood, like a moth to the flame. So thirsty, he was still so thirsty . . . No! He fought off instinct and grabbed her wrist, clasping it between his hands, putting pressure on it. How much more blood had she lost? The water had turned red with it, and she’d had none to spare.

“Beth! How long have you been bleeding?”

“You went all the way under the water. Mick, I thought you were dying.”

“I wasn’t. I’m fine under water, I can’t drown. But you can’t lose any more blood. Beth, listen to me – tell me how long were you bleeding.”

“I don’t know. You were under the water, and I couldn’t wake you up. I couldn’t pull you out, I wasn’t strong enough – oh. Oh, I don’t feel good.”

“You’re okay.” She really was, he realized with relief; he could hear it in the way her blood moved. She was weak, disoriented, not at all well . . . but she was safe. She was still safe.

“So dizzy.” She stared at him blankly. He scrambled awkwardly out of the tub, holding her wrist, and grabbed the washcloth from the rack, quickly tying it in place as a pressure bandage.

“Here,” he said, steadying her. “Put your head down. A little lower. Good, that’s it.”

“I can’t see. It’s all dark.”

“It’s okay. You’re just faint. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

She should lie down – but the floor was cold and hard, and it would be worse for her to rest against him; he was sopping wet. He saw her discarded coat on the floor, quickly reached for it, and spread it over his lap. Gently he pulled her down to lie on it.

“Promise me you’ll be all right?” Her voice was muffled against the coat.

“I promise.”

His face was wet, with tears now as well as water. She cared so much; she was still so frightened for him, even knowing that he was sitting up and holding her. And I’m still frightened for her, even though I can tell she’ll be fine. Old memories surfaced in his mind, flickering in and out of his awareness, mingling with all the fear he felt for Beth. Memories of Rosie. He’d held Rosie like this, when she was hurt – when I hurt her – and he hadn’t known, then, if she would live or die. Memories of a freshie named Rebecca. He’d lost control with her when he was feeding, a long time ago – she’d told him to stop, she’d tried to fight him off, but he hadn’t heard her or felt her. Tyler had had to drag him off her. That had happened in ’67, and after that Mick had never fed from a freshie when he was alone. He always made sure someone else was there, Tyler or Josef or another vampire who was capable of stopping him. Until now. It was no wonder he still felt frightened for Beth. Not like this, not alone, not when I’m dying . . . it still terrified him to think of it. She couldn’t have begun to physically stop him, and a dying vampire was as dangerous as a newly turned one.

But he was connected to her, and he’d been sure, somewhere in his mind, that with her he would be safe.

And she couldn’t have borne it if he’d died. Not when she had the power to save him.

He put his hand to her head, very gently, and stroked the soft waves of her hair. She sighed and nestled against him, her eyes closed. He leaned over, tears falling, and kissed her forehead. I love you.



















Mick had been saving the bottle of single malt that Beth had given him, perhaps as a treasure to keep forever, perhaps as a drink for some profoundly special occasion. He took it from its box now, opened it, and drank it all. The gift was gone forever now, an apt symbol for the woman who had given it to him, and he stared at the empty bottle for a long time before setting it aside. No comfort here, only pain. A vampire couldn’t find oblivion in drink or drugs, but dreamless sleep in a freezer might bring him close to it. He didn’t want to think, to feel, to be aware. He made his way slowly upstairs.

He slept for days. His body needed rest and cold, to heal from the sun, and he was grateful for his prolonged unconsciousness. He woke only to stumble downstairs for blood, and then climbed back into the freezer and slept again, never dreaming at all. When he finally came to consciousness feeling healed, his body was rimed with frost, and he didn’t have any idea how much time had passed – his sense of time had slipped away from him; it could have been hours, or centuries. He took a shower to wash away the frost, then dressed and went downstairs to check the computer for the date. It’s been seven days. It was exactly the same amount of time that had gone by, before, while he was waiting for Beth to call him. Hesitantly he went to get his phone, and sat down at his desk to check for messages.

“Mick, it’s Beth. Call me back. I need to talk to you.”

“Mick, it’s Beth. Please, I need to talk to you. Are you okay?”

“Mick, call me, damn it!”

“Mr. St. John, this is Sandra at the District Attorney’s office. We’ve received a message from the Victorville police department that your car has been impounded. Please contact me about this matter at your earliest convenience.”

“Um, yes, I was just wondering – I think my husband – well, I think he might be having an affair. Oh God, I can’t believe I’m actually calling a private detective! No, I must be out of my mind. I can’t do this.”

“Mick?” A long silence. “Please, at least let me know if you’re okay. On the drive back you really didn’t look so good, and I’m worried. I’m scared.” Another long silence, before she hung up.

Mick played the last message back twice, and then set the phone down on the desk. He couldn’t call her back. He couldn’t. But how could he leave her like this, worried and afraid?

















Leni had been the one to drive Beth’s car back to Los Angeles. Rescuing herself, Mick thought, and who was doing the protecting here? Beth huddled in the other corner of the back seat, uncharacteristically quiet, fingers resting lightly against the plastic bandage on her left wrist. Mick watched her, wondering what she was thinking. He leaned his head against the side window, letting it cool his face, wishing he could have spent more time in the ice water. But they’d had to leave, in case the assassin who’d found them had shared their location with others.

“How did he find us?” Beth whispered. “I didn’t tell anyone where you were. Not even Josh. I told him you were alive, but that’s all.”

“There were only so many places we could have gone. Once they knew we were alive, they’d just have to set up a search pattern.”

“But how did they even know you were alive?”

“From the Victorville P.D., probably. Once the car cooled down, it’d be common knowledge. No bodies.”

Beth shuddered. “I thought you were dead,” she said, her voice low. “I mean, it was fire. Josh said it was so hot they couldn’t even get near the car.”

“We were out of the car, hidden, when it blew.”

“Out of the car,” Beth said. “Into the sun.”

“Beth, I’m okay.”

“You’re not.” She leaned toward him, reaching out to take his hand. “Mick, you’re still burning up.”

“It’ll get better.” Well, as soon as he got back to his freezer it would get better. Beth was still holding his hand, and her hand felt shockingly cold. Mick’s eye was drawn to the bandage on her wrist, the bandage that Leni had supplied from a stash in her pocket. Leni had come up with a soda and chips for Beth, too. I don’t do so well with blood, Beth had said apologetically, explaining her faintness to Leni. When Leni had asked about her arm, Beth had woven a story about falling against a fence earlier in the day, the wounds breaking open when she’d bumped her arm in the bathroom. Beth had somehow managed to make it sound plausible, but Mick wondered if Leni believed it. Had Leni seen anything she shouldn’t? He’d dreamed that he’d attacked her. He hadn’t, but had his eyes changed while she was watching? Had his fangs extended? He had no idea.

“How’s the temperature back there?” Leni asked, swinging the car onto the ramp leading to Highway 15. “Should I keep the air conditioning going?”

“Yes, keep blasting it,” Beth said instantly. “As cold as it will go.”

Mick shook his head. “Beth – "

“I’m fine. I’m not too cold.” Her hand was like ice, though she was wrapped both in her coat and in a blanket from the motel bed. In front, Leni wore Mick’s jacket on top of her own – Mick hoped she wasn’t going to notice the bullet hole in the left sleeve. Leni seemed to be warm enough, but Beth couldn’t possibly be, not after losing so much blood. Beth said firmly, “You need it cold. And it’s helping you, isn’t it?”

It was helping. It was cooling him and easing the blood craving, and that could only make Beth safer. And I can keep her warm. His unnatural body heat had already dried his torn shirt, and even his jeans were nearly dry. He moved closer to Beth, took her other hand, warmed it in his own – it was so strange, so amazing, to be able to give warmth to her. “Come closer, okay? You’ll be warmer.” He put an arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her to him; she sighed and leaned against him with the same utter trust she had always given him. How can she still trust me, when I nearly bled her dry? He wrapped his arms around her and felt the warmth from his body slowly spread through hers.

Leni changed lanes, moving in and out of traffic, and glanced in the rear-view mirror. Mick heard her faint chuckle, and heard her whisper under her breath, “She’s not your girlfriend? Riiight, Mick.”

But she’s not, Mick thought, and she can’t be. Still – Beth shifted to nestle even closer to him, her body warm all the way through now. Her hair brushed against his bare chest, intoxicating, drowning out even his craving for more blood. She fell asleep in his arms and he held her, looking out over her head at the world rolling past the car. Mountains stark against the night sky, intermittent lights of small communities, the outer edge of the great sprawl of Los Angeles. L.A. had grown so huge, it had crept almost all the way over the mountains to the north. A few more years, and it would merge with Palmdale. So much change since his childhood – what would happen over the next century? Will I spend any of it with Beth?

The lights blurred in Mick’s vision. With Beth sleeping in his arms he drifted into sleep as well, and though the car was cold it was no freezer. His dream was vivid, and felt real.

Beth. She was running on a beach at sunset, barefoot with her jeans rolled up, holding a little boy by the hand. The boy was about six years old, with a sweet smile and dark hair just the color of Josh’s. They ran into the waves together, laughing, and then Beth scooped the boy up in her arms and carried him back to the golden sand. His little arms were tight around her neck, and her gaze on him was fiercely maternal.

The scene flashed in his mind. Beth. In an echo of his fever dream, she knelt staring into Mick’s eyes, slowly tilting her head to offer her throat to him. He gazed back at her, and then struck, his fangs sinking deep into her flesh. Her blood rushed into his mouth, warm now as it should be, sweet and rich; he buried his hands in her hair, shifted his grip on her, held her tighter. She moved, trying to pull away, but he couldn’t let go –-

He woke with a start, jerking away from Beth, and she sat up wide-eyed, looking around fearfully, as if she’d been dreaming the same thing. The dream pierced Mick, its symbolism painfully obvious. With a normal life, with Josh, Beth could be happy - she would live in the sun. She could have a child of her own. If she stayed with Mick, she would be lost in his world of darkness and blood, unable to escape it. And vampires can’t have kids. There was something impossibly compelling about the little boy he’d dreamed . . .

Beth put her head in her hands, trembling, and pushed back her hair.

“Beth?”

“Just a dream.” Beth swallowed. “Well, a nightmare. I dreamed about that man grabbing me, putting his hand over my mouth – but then in the dream he turned into the scary woman. The woman in white, the one who kidnapped me.” Of course – Coraline had clamped her hand over Beth’s mouth when she’d taken her as a child. Mick had seen it happen, breathing it in as he’d stood in Beth’s dark empty bedroom. “I never told you, did I? I was kidnapped when I was a little girl. It was days before someone found me and brought me home. I don’t remember much – just the woman who took me. She terrified me.”

“You dreamed about her?”

“I dream about her all the time, these days. I don’t know why.”

“What happened in your dream?” Mick asked quietly.

“You were there, all of a sudden. You saved me.” Beth managed a laugh. “Well, you certainly saved me when you came crashing through the door tonight. I guess it’s an obvious projection. But – I keep having the nightmare about the woman in white, over and over. And ever since I met you, you’ve always been in it. You fight her, you save me. I don’t know why I keep dreaming about you.”

“Well, I have saved you a couple of times.” Mick tried for a light tone. “Though not as many times as you’ve saved me.”

“We save each other,” Beth said soberly. “Maybe we need each other.”

No. You don’t need me. You’ve never needed me. She wouldn’t even have been at that motel, if it hadn’t been for him. He’d brought her into darkness, danger, and blood. Her whole life had been tainted by his presence; Coraline would never have kidnapped Beth as a child if she hadn’t been trying to fulfill Mick’s dreams. Being near him didn’t just put Beth in danger – it drew her away from her humanity. Away from home, family, children, all the things Mick wanted and could never have. I can’t take those dreams away from Beth. It has to stop.
















Mick couldn’t face the world yet after all. He went back to the freezer, hoping for more dreamless oblivion, and managed to sleep for another day. But his sleep wasn’t entirely dreamless – when he woke there was an image in his mind, a fragment of the dream he’d had in the car. Beth stood against the sunset, barefoot in the surf, her dark-haired little boy in her arms. The look on her face enchanted him – so protective, so loving. So happy. Mick couldn’t help smiling when he thought of it. I love her, and that’s what I want. I want Beth safe and happy. He got dressed again and went to the window, looking out, and saw the sun bright in the sky. Beth’s world.

It was bittersweet, but Mick felt content. Beth was safe, with her normal boyfriend and her normal life. Now, she was even safe from him. Elaine was still alive, she was still holding on, and anything might happen in her future. He would be there for her, and that was all that he could do.

Mick took his phone from his pocket and played his two new messages. One was from Josef – “Where the hell are you, anyway? You missed poker night again. You’re spending far too much time among the mortal ones, my friend. Call me.” The other was from the D.A.’s office, a reminder about his car. Nothing more from Beth. He erased the message from the D.A.’s office, found Beth’s last message, and played it again. “Mick? Please, at least let me know if you’re okay. On the drive back you really didn’t look so good, and I’m worried. I’m scared.”

He couldn’t go to her, he couldn’t call or even e-mail her, but he didn’t have to leave her with fear and worry. He went to his desk, found paper and pen, and wrote a simple letter, telling her that he was safe and well, telling her why he couldn’t see her again. It should have been hard, but the words came to him easily, and as he sealed the letter in an envelope and addressed it, he wondered why. I haven’t felt like this since . . . when?

Since the war, he realized. That strange, sun-washed time between his hospital stay and his transfer to the Ardennes. After his discharge from the hospital he’d been sent to the front lines again, and it should have been a shock to return to the fighting. He should have been in misery, since he’d believed that his best friend was dead. But for that golden time he’d lived only in the moment, trusting in fate, not thinking of what he’d lost, not caring if he lived or died. Strange things had happened during that time. A doctor had passed through, stranded overnight with Mick’s unit because of a bombed-out road, and that night a local farmer had brought his pregnant wife to their aid station. The woman was near death from hard labor, her baby in a disastrous position within her, and Mick could not have helped her. What did any soldier know about such things? At any other time, the woman and her baby would certainly have died. But the stranded doctor was an obstetrician in civilian life, and that night, in the middle of a battlefield, Mick had found himself holding a newborn baby. He’d watched the mother recover. How many coincidences had come about to make that happen?

The golden time hadn’t lasted long, and he’d never felt that way again. Until now. The bright simplicity he felt now wouldn’t last either, but it didn’t matter. For now he would let fate carry him along, even though it meant a life without Beth. As long as she was happy, he could endure it easily enough. For now, he would live moment to moment.

And in this moment, he needed more blood. He went to the kitchen, opened the sliding panel, and was startled to see that he had almost none left. He didn’t remember drinking that much – but it had been eight days now, after all, and he’d been ill. It was a good thing he finally felt well enough to set up a meet with Guillermo at the morgue. Though maybe he’d be able to talk the man into making a delivery – it was worth a try.

He picked up the phone and made the call, but Guillermo wasn’t there, and wouldn’t be for two more days. Mick’s second contact never answered the phone at all. The third one did, but Mick would have to make a pick-up before 5 pm. He glanced at his watch: it was past four already, and his car was still in Victorville. But he could make it somehow, he was sure of it – and even though the taxi driver took three wrong turns, he made it into the building with ten minutes to spare.

Inside the building, it was more of the same. Things seemed to conspire to slow him down, just a little: as soon as he took off his sunglasses he walked into a beam of sunlight and stumbled over a baby carriage; as soon as he reached the elevator, he found it too full to enter. But there was still time, and there was another elevator. He turned toward it, and nearly ran straight into Beth.

As he struggled to find the right words, trying to think how to explain what he was doing there – I’m out of blood, I need to re-stock the fridge was probably not the wisest thing to say to her in public, when she had Josh by her side - he realized that the fate he’d trusted so blindly had brought him here. The sum of a thousand coincidences had brought him to this place, to this time. To Beth.

Mick looked into Beth’s eyes, and she looked back at him intently, almost with wonder, as if she was thinking of fate as well. He glanced at her wrist, at the twin puncture wounds he’d left there, and his heart went out to her as he remembered all she’d done. His hand brushed against his coat pocket, feeling the letter concealed inside. He didn’t need to send it now. She obviously knew he was safe and sound. And now that he’d seen her, well - there wasn’t much sense in explaining that he was never going to see her again.

I won’t seek her out. I’ll try to stay away from her. But if this really is fate . . . if our paths should cross again . . .

Maybe it doesn’t have to stop after all.
















-

[LadyAilith]

You're doing such an incredible job filling in the blanks between the episodes. Each one is better than the last...Thank you so much!

LadyAilith

[lorig]

I love this!! I really do. I am so intrigued by Elain and how she knows Mick. I have my ideas, but I will wait to see. Incredible job...

[Shadow]

You're doing such an incredible job filling in the blanks between the episodes. Each one is better than the last...Thank you so much!

LadyAilith

Thank you, that's wonderful to hear! I'm delighted that you think they're getting better as they go along ....(I think that progression really fits the first few episodes, too. )

[AussieJo]

Shadow, I was so excited to see this update, and I wasn't disapointed.
Brilliant story within the story!

[Shadow]

I love this!! I really do. I am so intrigued by Elain and how she knows Mick. I have my ideas, but I will wait to see. Incredible job...

Thanks so much, lorig! I'm not sure yet if Elaine will show up in the next story, but she'll definitely be back.

[Shadow]

Shadow, I was so excited to see this update, and I wasn't disapointed.
Brilliant story within the story!

Hi AussieJo! I'm glad you were not disappointed! I thought this interlude was an especially interesting one - and a good place to advance the additional storyline. Thank you so much.

[allegrita]

Shadow, this is a spectacular story. I've been so moved by it. Your writing is just amazingly evocative of the mood of the episodes, and you've woven in the story of Elaine seamlessly. Thank you!

[wollstonecraft61]

The sadness, and tenderness, in your story is so touching. This is the real Moonlight. In all its glorious beauty.

[francis]

Wonderful!!! Inspired!!! I love it. How you mix the flashback to that scene in the bathroom into the story, is great. And Elaine wondering about all of it, compared to her own situation. Mick thinking about fate, sleeping for a week, needing blood urgently and stumbling over Josh and Beth. It all makes sense when the episodes seemed to have no connection at all. Lovely!!!

[wpgrace]

Oh another marvelous chapter!

I LOVE the details you provide about the motel, their recovery in the bathroom and in the car... that long ride home, awkward but lovely all at the same time.
And the whole Elaine thing is just a wonderful addition, creating a depth of experience for Mick that of course he must have had given all those years...
And you're slowly but surely unveiling just what that experience, what this relationship, between these two vamps was...

Soooo, I am just loving this... and looking forward to more of the In Betweens, but also more backstory with Mick and Elaine. She's a wonderful OC!

[lynnrxgal]

I have to add my voice to the chorus: absolutely amazing! Your interludes are just flawless! Can't wait for the next one! Just loved Leni's comment about the girlfriend issue!

[helloeeze]

This is wonderful and brilliant! You've filled in those "spaces" with Mick's thoughts that we've all been longing to hear. The beginning and the endings match up perfectly. I loved the scene with Mick and Beth embracing in the back of the Prius. It made total sense, Beth being cold, Mick being hot. They were perfect for each other in that moment. They even dreamed together!

Poor Mick! We can really sense his torn-ness loving Beth! He almost made a breakthrough at the end but then fate stepped in in the beggininng of episode 5

I love Elaine, too. So Mick did turn her. She is another voice through which we can hear Mick speak his longings and frustrations.

Just beautiful! I know I will want to read this again. It was so emotionally touching. Your story is bringing me closer to Mick.....which is where I love to be, cuz I really kind of lurve the guy!

[Shadow]

Shadow, this is a spectacular story. I've been so moved by it. Your writing is just amazingly evocative of the mood of the episodes, and you've woven in the story of Elaine seamlessly. Thank you!

Thanks allegrita, I was hoping to catch the feel of these early episodes ... it's great that Elaine's story is fitting in, too.

[Shadow]

The sadness, and tenderness, in your story is so touching. This is the real Moonlight. In all its glorious beauty.

Real Moonlight - that is quite a compliment, wollstonecraft!