Season 2, ep 5 'Legion, Part I' (PG13)

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Tam
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Season 2, ep 5 'Legion, Part I' (PG13)

Post by Tam »

Rating : PG13
Spoilers : Ep 1-16 of Moonlight, season 1, previous chapters of 'Season 2'
Summary : The Legion-plot from Ep. 4 continues, Mick and Beth investigate the circumstances of Sarah’s death.
First posted : ff.net, November 2008

Disclaimer : The characters are not mine, no money is being made and no infringement is intended.

Legion, Part I

Previously on Moonlight :


Mick, sitting crouched against the wall, looking pale and clutching a plastic transfusion bag. Blood is running down his chin. He looks up, and says: "I'm a vampire".
Josef Voice-Over: "The Legion is a human organisation of vampire hunters.”

Sarah Whitley on her bed, unmoving. Josef, Mick and Beth walk into the room. “This is Sarah Whitley.” Josef stands next to her. “I tried to turn her. It didn’t work.”

Josef, standing outside of his villa in a blood drenched shirt. “"The Legion killed Sarah."


Josef is standing by his pool, in the rising run, looking out over the hills and the awakening city. Mick is standing near the broken window of the living room, half in shadow, shielding his eyes from the light with his hand.

"You know, even after all this time, I had still hoped that one day..." Josef says, and breaks off. He smiles sadly, the corners of his mouth curling up. "I had even wondered what to say, you know? When she'd woken up. 'Hey honey, you missed the Millennium-party, it was a blast!'"

Mick frowns, unsure of what to say to offer his friend comfort.
"There would have been so much for her to discover, to learn," Josef continues, "not just about being a vampire - about the world. The end of segregation. Moonlandings. AC/DC. The Internet." He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I took that away from her. But we could have discovered it again together."

"Josef, it's not your fault."

Josef laughs bitterly, shaking his head. "You keep saying that. Tell me then, Mick," he says, still looking out of the city, "how is this not my fault? I took her life. I turned her into what she was. I rendered her helpless for these maniacs to find. I wasn't even there." He turns back at Mick, his eyes pale. "I hired people to take care of her because I couldn't bear seeing her like that. I moved away, coming back only for short visits. A scheduled confrontation with my own failures, twice a year. Welcome to Guilt-trip Tours, fasten your seatbelts," he scoffs at himself.
"She loved you," Mick argues, "She wanted you to turn her. No one could have known this would happen."
Josef looks away, his eyes shifting back to their mortal hue. "No. But she was my responsibility, and now she'd dead. Truly dead."
"Let's go inside," Mick offers. "You can't stay out here in the sun."
Josef gives his friend a sad smile. "I thought I was the practical one," he says, and follows Mick inside, stepping back into the living room through the broken window.

As they enter, the Cleaner walks up to them.
"Close call, Kostan," she says, "If our services hadn't intercepted the emergency call, your place would have been crawling with police by now."
"Yes, I understand that. I really appreciate your help," Josef says truthfully.
"So does our bank account," Bella replies, grinning.
"Of course," replies Josef, some of his old businesslike self shining through, "I'll have my accountant see to it right away." His eyes wander to the other cleaners in the room. The body bags have been removed, and two of them are carrying out a rolled up carpet that is heavily stained. "Where are they taking that?"
Bella looks over her shoulder and shrugs. "Just outside, to torch it."
"That's a real wool-" he starts, but stops himself when he sees Bella's expression.
"We're Cleaners, Kostan. Not dry-cleaners," she says. She gives Mick a look. "Is it safe to retreat my team?"
Mick nods. "It won't happen again," he says solemnly.
"Not on my premises, anyway," adds Josef under his breath. "I can't afford to destroy more furniture. My indoor decorator will kill me." He looks at Mick, who raises one eyebrow at his friend. "Um, yes, and killing humans is wrong," Josef adds dutifully, studying his shoes like a schoolboy reciting a lesson.

Bella nods curtly and walks away towards a member of her team, giving instructions. The women gather up the last of the incriminating evidence and leave. As the men watch them go, Josef says pensively:
"It's a good thing I sent Simone away on time."
Mick turns toward his friend.
"What exactly happened here?" he asks.
"I can't really tell you, man," Josef says self-consciously. "It just happened. I was feeding when they called me. I don't usually answer the phone during dinner, but the call came from the land line at Waverly Place. You know, for a moment I thought-" Josef paused. "A man was on the phone. He told me to check my emails, and then he hung up. So I checked them." He frowns and closes his eyes, rubbing them before pinching the bridge of his nose, as if to erase what he had seen. "They staked her and cut off her head, Van Helsing-style. They used her blood to paint their symbol on the wall. And when I saw her...I just lost it." Josef lowers his hand and opens his eyes, looking around the apartment, avoiding his friend's eyes.

"I wanted to destroy something...Anything. Everything." He swallows. "Everything that was dear to me. To finish what they started. I couldn't stop. It was like all the blood in the world couldn't satisfy my thirst. They were dead before I knew it." He finally looks back at Mick, anxious at his friend's reaction.
"It's exactly what they want," Mick says. "To force you into doing something that will expose us all."
"I realise that now," Josef says ruefully.
"Are you sure the picture is real?" Mick asks.
Not surprised by the question, Josef replies: "I knew it was real from the moment I saw it. I've seen enough killings to be able to tell. You can't Photoshop something like that."
"Can I see it? There might be something that will lead us to the killer."
"My phone's on the bottom of the pool," Josef says, "but I'm sure I can recover the mail from the main server. It automatically archives copies of all my emails." Mick nods.
"What about Sarah? Someone will find her."

"Yes," Josef replies, lost in his thoughts and looking ahead without seeing the room around him, "I'll need to make a few calls. I-" Josef breaks off and turns away from Mick, squeezing his eyes tightly and taking a deep breath, calming himself.

"Do you want me to go to New York?" Mick offers.

Josef's face visibly relaxes and he lets out a relieved breath. He smiles slightly.
"Thanks, that means a lot to me," he says quietly, before clearing his throat and turning back at his friend, his features controlled once again. "Simone can help you with the red tape. Before I...tried to turn her, I told Sarah about relocating, new identities, and all that. She thought it was exciting. She even picked out a name for herself, you know? Vivien Barnes, after her grandmother." Josef smiles warily, putting his hands in his pockets and turning towards the window, looking out. "Then she didn't wake up, and I moved to L.A.. I had a lot of time to think. I saw how it was between you and Coraline and I realised that if she did wake up, it might not be as we'd hoped. She might not take to being a vampire. She might hate me for doing it to her. I set up a fund in her name - her new name- and arranged for her financial independence. Identity papers, records, everything updated on a regular basis to match her visual age. She would only have to step into her new life. I told myself I'd give her a choice."

He pauses. "So it won't be a problem to add a death certificate."
"I'm sorry," Mick says.
"So am I," Josef replies.

Mick is driving his car. He is going fast, the lights of the buildings and the other cars flashing by in a blur. With one hand, he activates his cell phone in the hands-free set. He keeps his eyes on the road. Beth's voice is on the line, sounding worried.

"Mick? Are you okay? And Josef?"

"Yeah. I'll need to go to New York."
Beth pauses. "Is it Sarah? Has she..." she starts.

"Sarah is dead," Mick says, looking ahead at the traffic. "She was murdered."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Beth asks hesitantly. Mick looks at his phone. A picture of Beth shows on the display, taken on the beach. She is smiling cheekily at the camera. Mick smiles back. A car horn sounds loudly and he whips his eyes back to the traffic and brakes abruptly, avoiding crashing into the car in front of him by mere inches. He blinks, and glances back at his phone.

"Will you come with me?" he asks.
"Do you really want me to?" Beth replies, sounding surprised.
"Yes. I need you. We're a team," Mick says. Traffic starts up again.

Mick in his apartment. He shoves a wooden panel aside and walks into his closet. Several jackets and shirts hang neatly lined up on clothes' hangers. Most of them are dark, but there is a cream-coloured suit and several colourful shirts that look like early 80s fashion sins - glossy and Miami Vice style. Three pairs of shoes stand under the rack, looking almost identical. On a shelf are folded pairs of trousers. He reaches up to a shelf over the clothes' rack, and takes out two pullovers, that were stacked further away- the kind of clothing that one hardly ever needs in L.A. He walks out of the closet and folds the pullovers into an overnight bag.

Mick voice-over : The last time we went to New York together Sarah Whitley was still alive. And so was Josh. It was before I knew Coraline was alive. It almost feels like another lifetime.

He walks over to the kitchen with several small plastic bottles and takes out a bag of blood from the refrigerator. From a drawer, he takes a funnel. He places the funnel into the first bottle and pours some of the blood inside. Mick voice-over: The liquid ban for hand-luggage on inland flights is a real pain for vampires.

In the airplane. The sun is rising over the clouds. Light is shining inside the cabin, but the blind is half-drawn and it only reaches the seat near the window, where Beth is sitting. Mick is sitting next to her, looking outside. A glass of water sits untouched on a paper towel on his tablet. Beth is sleeping, her hands curled around his arm. Her head is resting on his shoulder. The pink and orange glow shines through her hair, giving her an angelic, peaceful aura. Mick softly leans his chin on her head. Mick voice-over : Mostly, I wanted Beth with me to keep her away from Josef. I think he'll be okay, but I'm not willing to risk anything when it comes to Beth.

Mick and Beth at the JFK Airport. Beth is dragging a suitcase behind her. Mick has his bag slung over his shoulder. Both are dressed for autumn weather.

"So where do we start?" Beth asks.
"We need to find out how the Legion knew about Sarah and Josef," Mick replies, putting on his sunglasses. "And there's one man who might be able to tell us."

Mick and Beth stand in front of the door of Mr. Whitley's apartment. It is open, and a wreath with black ribbons stands next to the entrance.

"...or not." says Beth. An elderly woman dressed in a formal black outfit comes to the door.
"Are you here for the funeral?" she asks. Mick opens his mouth to speak, but Beth beats him to it.
"Yeah, we're neighbours," she says. "We didn't know Mr Whitley well, but we want to pay our respects."
The woman nods and leads the way inside. Mick gives Beth a surprised look.

"What?" she whispers quietly. "No one knows their neighbours here anyway! Let's take a look inside."

They enter the living room. It looks the same as when Mr Whitley was still alive. His leather armchair stands by the window. Its emptiness emphasises the room’s sombre, almost museum-like look. The outside sky is clouded over, the windows not letting in much light. The medical equipment has been moved aside to make room for the coffin. Its lid is closed. A gilded picture frame with a black and white picture of a young Mr Whitley, his wife, and his daughter stands on top of it, next to a silver crucifix with a small green twig tied to it. The Whitley family are posing in front of an old-fashioned car, looking into the camera seriously. Mr Whitley casually rests one foot on the bumper of the car. His hands are in his sides. The women stand together. Beth and Mick walk over to look at it.

"It's Sarah," Beth whispers. Sarah looks exactly as they have seen her before her death. Mick nods. His eyes are wandering around. Above the door hangs a silver cross, identical to the one on the coffin, its decorational twig dried and yellow. Mick looks over at the cabinet. The handsome wooden boards are filled with a small selection of books, leather-bound and with gilded backs, several awards and memorial plaques, and a few elephant figurines. Mick grimaces. Mick voice-over : Elephants. They grow very old and never forget. He walks over to the cabinet and takes out a large, leather-bound volume and opens it. It's a family bible. A sheet of parchment is glued to the inside cover. On it is a handwritten family tree, going back several generations. It lists Sarah's birth- and death date, a shakily written 1955. The last entry is that of Sarah's mother, departed 2006. Mick turns the page. A different style of handwriting adorns the page like a dedication, under the book's title.


To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield-
roma victor!
Constantine Edgar.


Beth joins Mick at the cabinet. He holds the bible so that she can read it.
"Roma victor?" she asks quietly.
"I guess now we know how the Legion knew about Josef," Mick says.
"He must have come in contact with them after his wife died," Beth says. "After he read Sarah's journal."
Mick nods.

"Who's this Edgar?" Beth says. Mick shrugs.
"Someone from the inside, a friend, maybe. Maybe he has helped Whitley find Josef’s identity."

The woman who let them in walks up to them.
"Will you join us in the house chapel? The Reverend Constantine Edgar will be leading the service."

Beth and Mick exchange looks and follow the woman. "A house chapel," Beth whispers as they walk down the carpeted hallway, "my parents' house didn't even have a guest room."

"I guess Mr Whitley was too ill to attend church out of doors," Mick replies quietly. They enter a room that is decked out with flowers. Several rows of foldable chairs are set up, but only a few seats are filled. An elderly man in clerical robes stands at the end of the room, looking at the entrance. Mick and Beth take a seat in the back.

"I feel like a party-crasher," Beth whispers, "only without the empty box wrapped up as a gift."

Everyone rises as the coffin is rolled in and installed in front of the rows of chairs.

"…let us take comfort in knowing that John Whitley is in the arms of our Lord, reunited with his wife and daughter who have gone before him, and that they are at peace, together, until all eternity." The priest closes his bible and looks around the room. Mick and Beth wait until the last of the mourners have said their goodbyes at the coffin and take their leave. As Mick gets up to approach the priest, Beth takes his arm, holding him back.
"Let me," she says. "I think it's better if I talk to him."
Mick looks at her questioningly.
"Trust me," she says, and lets go of his arm. She walks over to Edgar. Mick stays behind, looking over at the wall and pretending to examine the portrait facing him.
"Father Edgar?" Beth asks. Constantine Edgar looks at her and offers her a kind smile. "Yes?" he asks.
"Were you with Mr. Whitley when he died?" Beth asks.
"Yes, I was," Edgar replies, "why do you ask?"
"Did he say anything about his daughter?"
Edgar smiles again, the friendliness not quite reaching his eyes. "Last confessions are for God's ears only, my dear," he says, a little patronisingly. "Did you know him well?" he counters. "I came by often, yet I have not seen you before."
"I'm-" Beth frowns. She looks into the priests' eyes. "Father, can I be direct with you?"
"Of course," he replies, looking over at Mick. Mick has his back turned to the both of them. His eyes are still on the painting, but he is listening intently. He hears the suspicion in Edgar's voice, and Beth's quickened heartbeat.
"I didn’t come here for the funeral. I came to talk to Mr. Whitley. I know about Sarah Whitley, and I know about Josef Kostan. Charles Fitzgerald," Beth says, looking intently at the priest's face to see his reaction. He looks at Mick again, then back at Beth.
"Not here," he says, "Let us go into the other room."
They walk down the row of chairs. Beth shakes her head at Mick almost invisibly, signalling him not to follow. He stays behind but follows them with his eyes. The door of the adjoining room closes. Mick walks over to the wall. He can hear two pairs of footsteps come to a halt.

"What do you know about him?" Edgar asks.
"I know what he is," Beth says boldly. "And what he has done. What he is still doing."
Mick frowns, narrowing his eyes. He cocks his head, listening on.
"What do you want?" Edgar asks. There is a pause.
"I want him dead," Beth says. Mick blinks.
"Has he tried to harm you?"
She pauses again. Mick leans his head to the wall, breathing shallowly, staring at the wall as if willing his look to pierce it.
"No."
Mick lets out a deep breath, closing his eyes.
"I found out about him by coincidence. I am - I used to be a reporter. I covered the attack on his office. I know Mr. Whitley ordered it. I was here, I talked to him."
"Then why do you want him dead?" Edgar asks.
"Because of what he is. He's...a monster. Father, I...was kidnapped by a vampire as a child. A she-devil. She wanted to turn me into what she was. To kill me and feed me with her blood. She almost succeeded."
Mick turns away from the wall, leaning against it with his back. He gives the portrait a sad look.
"Did she bite you?"
"No," Beth replies. "But...I have been bitten. By another vampire. He was starving, desperate. It was-" she breaks off. A pair of footsteps moves in the room. Mick closes his eyes. A flashback to the desert - Mick sinks his teeth into Beth's arm. She throws her head back, gasping in pain.

"It was disgusting. I was able to stop him in time. But I felt...like he was draining my soul." Her voice drops to a whisper. "I have never felt as worthless and deserted as I did then."
Mick covers his face with his hands, blocking out the rest of their words.
As Beth returns, he looks composed, giving her a neutral look. She smiles at him.
"I think it worked," she says, "Edgar invited me to a meeting tomorrow."
"Great," Mick says emotionless, and he starts to walk out of the room.
"I thought so," Beth says to herself, raising an eyebrow at his reaction. She catches up with him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Mick replies. "Let's go to the hotel."
Taken aback by the coldness in his voice, Beth follows him without another word.

Mick opens the door of the hotel room, switches on the light, and carries in Beth's suitcase. He keeps his own bag over his shoulder. Darkness has fallen. Beth walks into the room and looks around.
"There's only one bed," she says, a little insecure. She glances in his direction.
"Take it," he says curtly, "I'm not tired. And I have no use for beds. I'll find somewhere cold." He looks over at the window. It has started to rain, the drops hitting the glass in a fast rhythm. "I'll meet you back here in time for your meeting."
Beth crosses her arms in front of her chest.
"You're not going anywhere before you tell me what's wrong with you," she says.
Mick looks away, clenching and unclenching his jaws.
"Are you jealous because I managed this breakthrough with the Legion? I thought you said we were a team."
"I'm not jealous," Mick states.
"Then what?" Beth asks insistently.
Mick bites his lower lip before speaking, still avoiding her eyes. "Draining your soul?" he echoes dejectedly.
Beth's jaw drops. "You heard that? Oh…right." She gestures at her ears. "Super-hearing." She uncrosses her arms, letting them fall helplessly by her sides. "I only said that to get him to trust me," she says, a little exasperated. "You know...Legion...ruthless vampire killers?"
Mick looks back at Beth, locking eyes with her. "Are you sure?"
Beth frowns. "Yes, I'm sure. I volunteered, remember? You were dying. And I didn't want you to die."
"Look, I know we didn't exactly talk about it afterwards," Mick starts uncertainly, but Beth stops him, laying a finger on his lips.
"I lied to Edgar to help you find Sarah's killer. I want to find them, and stop them, before they kill you," she says. "We can talk about everything else later." She takes away her finger and replaces it with her lips, kissing him softly. She draws back. "Would the bathroom with the window open be cold enough?"
Mick smiles at her.

The next day. Beth stands at a diner, waiting. Across the street, Mick is leaning against a lamppost, looking at her from behind a newspaper. Constantine Edgar walks up to her. He is dressed in civilian clothes. He greets her warmly.
"Let's go inside," he says, gesturing for her to lead the way into the diner, shielding her back with his arm protectively. Inside, he points over to a table. A middle-aged woman in a smart business suit and glasses nods at him in greeting, and gets up, holding out her hand. Beth shakes it.
"This is Miranda Holland, representative of the United States Congress," Edgar introduces her. "Ms Holland, this is Ms Turner."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Ms Turner," Miranda Holland says politely, offering Beth a seat. They sit down and offer coffee. They wait until it served before speaking.
"Father Edgar contacted me yesterday," Ms Holland says. "He says we have common interests."
Beth nods.
"Before we take this any further, I have to ask you: who else knows about this?"
"No one," Beth replies quickly.
"And the gentleman who was with you yesterday?" Edgar asks, "and who is, if I am not mistaken, waiting for you outside?"
Beth looks over her shoulder at the window.
"Boyfriend," she says dismissively. "Possessive. Jealous. Trusts no one. He thinks I am here for work."
Miranda Holland nods, satisfied with her answer.
"Father Edgar also said you might have some information for us concerning...one of our subjects."
"What will you do with it?" Beth asks.
"That depends on the value of the information," Ms Holland replies.
"Does it involve beheading comatose patients?"
Miranda Holland and Constantine Edgar share a look.
"How do you know about her?" Edgar asks.
"Did Mr Whitley know his daughter was still alive?" Beth asks, ignoring his question.
"She wasn't," says Ms Holland. "He turned her."
"But she never hurt anyone. She couldn't even move!"
"I thought you said you wanted to see Kostan dead," Edgar says testily.
"I do," Beth replies. "I just want to know how far you are willing to go to get to him."
"As far as it takes," Ms Holland says grimly. "If you can't deal with that, we are through here."
"No, I'm..." Beth backs down, "I'm just confused. I'm not a killer."
Ms Holland smiles. "You don't need to worry about that. We have been in this business for generations. Our network is well-connected. Now, tell us what you know..."

Mick and Beth's hotel room. Beth's sitting on the bed, her legs crossed. Mick is poised on a chair at the dresser, listening intently.
"...and so I told them what we discussed. That Whitley gave me the journal and I traced back Sarah's apartment and found out she was still there. And I told them Josef didn't care about her death. That I had seen him with his freshies shortly afterwards."
"How did they react?" Mick asks.
"They were surprised," Beth replies. "But I think they believed me."
"Did they say anything about the others? About the list?"
"No. But they gave me a name of a contact in Los Angeles. And they asked me if I wanted to join the Legion."
"And what did you say?"
Beth looks at him. "I said yes."
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francis
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Re: Season 2, ep 5 'Legion, Part I' (PG13)

Post by francis »

Beth is so in danger now, and Mick and Josef by association too. How much can she tell them about Josef that they will think she's valid, when at the same time she endangers Josef? I hope she's not wrong to do that. I can understand that Mick is on edge with this.
jen
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Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2009 12:11 am

Re: Season 2, ep 5 'Legion, Part I' (PG13)

Post by jen »

Wow!

I suspect that Beth does not really understand the danger she is placing herself in. In order to be credible threats to vampires, and obviously the Legion is, they must be quite formitable opponents. We have seen the abilities possessed and successfully used by the Moonlight vampires.

I'm hoping that Beth finds a way to save the day!

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