Something is Found (In Between 6 and 7, PG13)

[Shadow]

Moonlight is not mine and no copyright infringement is intended.









IN BETWEEN
six and seven






Something is Found





“When you’ve lived as long as Lola, it tricks you,” Josef said quietly. “Into thinking you’re above it all. That you really are immortal.”

“Yeah,” Mick said, troubled. “Then it ends.”

He finished his drink, poured another, and got up to set the glass in front of Josef. He walked slowly away, putting a comforting hand to Josef's shoulder as he passed, and circled the room, thinking.

Lola was five hundred years old.

At least.

No one’s really immortal.

But how could I have brought her down so easily?

“It was too easy,” Mick said at last. Then he wondered if he ought to have said it, because even though Josef had wanted Lola destroyed, he’d been badly shaken by her death. There was something real between them once, something that endured for a very long time. If only she hadn’t gone down that dark path.

“What do you mean, too easy?” Josef muttered.

“I’d swear she let me kill her.”

Josef stared at Mick blankly for a moment, and then narrowed his eyes. “All this time I thought she was just trying to stir up some excitement for herself. Maybe she was really trying to stir up something else.”

“What, you mean from the beginning?”

Josef shrugged. “Killing other vampires was a sure way to get a vamp to come after her and take her out.”

“Hell.” Mick thought about that, and went back to pour himself another drink. Surely it couldn’t be true. “It’d be so much easier just to suicide.”

“She wasn’t the type,” Josef said, and smiled faintly. “But I know she was bored out of her mind, the last few decades. Maybe she really did want to end it all. She just couldn’t do it herself.”

“Josef, that’s crazy.”

“Maybe. But when you get that old, you start to see things differently. You’re young – you don’t know what it’s like.” Josef tossed back the last of his drink and put the glass down. “I’m going home. To drink some more. Do you know, I can’t even remember what it’s like to get properly drunk? Getting plastered – the one and only advantage of being mortal. I’m sure I didn’t do it often enough back when I could.”

“Hey,” Mick said, watching him go. “Will you be okay?”

“Of course I will.” At the door, Josef glanced back at Mick, then rubbed a hand across his face and said awkwardly, “How are things with Elaine?”

Did you have to ask at a time like this? When we’ve been talking about suicide? But Mick knew Josef’s question was meant kindly. He looked down at his glass and said, “Her husband’s about to die. And when he’s gone, I don’t know if she’ll survive it. I don’t know what will happen.”

“She could turn him.”

“That’s not an option.”

Josef nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t think it was. Well, I hope she makes it through.”

“Thanks, Josef.” Mick hesitated, then said, “I’m sorry about Lola.”

“Don’t be. I didn’t even know her any more. And she probably got exactly what she wanted.”

“It still seems crazy.”

“Trust me, it won’t seem so crazy when you’re older.” Josef went out the door, shutting it behind him, and a moment later Mick heard the elevator descend.

Mick sighed and finished off his drink. It drove him mad when Josef said he didn’t understand things because he wasn’t old enough. But this time it scared him too. He knew more than he wanted to know about suicidal despair, but he couldn’t even imagine being too bored to go on. Would life really become so empty as he grew older? Was it already like that for Josef? The man was over four hundred, after all. And Josef couldn’t stand to be alone, couldn’t stand to be still. He always surrounded himself with people, and kept busy to the point of frenzy. Mick wondered if he was trying to fill a void, and if Josef would tell him the truth if he asked. If he answered me at all, he’d probably just tell me I wasn’t old enough to understand. And maybe I’m not.














After Josef left, Mick tried to work on his vintage case, but he couldn’t concentrate, and he kept thinking of Elaine. Seeing all those other vampires imprisoned in silver, he’d realized how easily she could have been among them, and it had frightened him. Elaine’s mind was always on other things, and she didn’t look out for herself . . . she would have been easy prey for someone like Lola. Mick needed to see Elaine, tonight, to reassure himself that she was safe.

Her house looked just as sad and decrepit by night as it had by day. Mick parked the Mercedes in the street in front of it, and he was about to get out of the car when he heard the faint sound of music. He sat back behind the wheel, listening. Inside the house, Elaine was playing guitar, her melodies shifting and changing from old familiar songs to new ones he’d never heard before. Was she writing new songs again, too? Mick sat motionless, drinking in the music, hardly daring to breathe as Elaine started the introduction to ‘Wish.’ He’d only heard the song once before, on a bright June day in 1967, and it had haunted him ever since.















On that day Mick had meant to sleep till sundown, but Tyler had other ideas.

“Come on, get up! Mick, you’ve gotta hear this!”

The freezer lid banged, and warm air and light rushed in. Mick sat up with a start, jolted out of sleep, and blinked painfully in the light. “Tyler?
What’s going on?” It couldn’t possibly be a crisis – Tyler was smiling, and he looked delighted.

“There’s something you’ve gotta hear.”

“And that’s why you’re acting like a maniac? What time is it?”

“I don’t know. Will you get up already?”

“Oh, hell. It’s still day, isn’t it? I told you, I’m skipping the afternoon concert. I don’t even like sitar music.”

“The Ravi Shankar thing is over. This is something else. You have to hear it.”

“I want to sleep. Go away.” Mick pulled the freezer lid closed, and groaned when Tyler immediately yanked it open again.

“Oh no you don’t. I’m not letting you miss this. I’ll unplug the freezer if you go back to sleep.”

Mick eyed him. “You would, wouldn’t you?”

“Get up and get dressed, and we’ll never find out.”

“Oh, all right.”

Tyler hovered while Mick got ready, and then he led the way down the narrow creaking stairs to the open kitchen on the ground floor. A woman in a red dressing gown sat at the table eating an orange; she smiled at Mick and said, “Morning. Want breakfast?”

“Thanks, Rebecca, but Tyler’s lost his mind and I have to go humor him. Maybe later?”

“Sure.”

“See you,” Mick said, and Tyler dragged him out the front door into the daylight, heading for the fairgrounds.

It was mid afternoon, the sun still high in the sky, and it would be a long time yet before the evening concert started. There had been rain last night, but now the sky was clear and cloudless, and Mick, wincing, wished for a properly overcast Monterey day. With this weather, he might as well still be in Los Angeles. He’d gone to the afternoon concert yesterday, braving the sun, and had come away with a fever and a world-class headache. It was worth it, though, to see Janis Joplin singing her heart out. This was the last day of the festival, but the streets outside the fairgrounds were still littered with Monterey Pop Festival posters, and the beautiful people were out in force.

“Y’know, the hippies here are different from the ones in L.A.,” Tyler said, swinging around to stare at a group of barefoot girls wearing sheer gauzy dresses and flowers in their hair. “In L.A., they just want to get stoned.”

“I think they want to get stoned here, too,” Mick said, dodging a staggering, vacant-eyed man who reeked of hash.

“Well, yes. But the ones here, they also really believe in the whole peace and love thing. It’s far out.”

Could there be a stranger place for a vampire to be? “I guess we don’t exactly fit in,” Mick said.

“Hell, Mick, we could both vamp out right now and drink blood in public, and no one would even notice. Look at these crazy people! Hippies love everybody; I’ll bet they love vampires too.” One of the flower-wearing girls ran up to Tyler, kissed him, and dashed back to her friends, giggling. Tyler grinned. “See?”

“That’s not about being a vampire. That’s just you.”

“The vamps at Half Moon House fit in though, don’t you think? Where else can you just stop by and get a freezer and a freshie for the weekend?”

“Guess they’re into peace and love for all vamps. And the freshies definitely fit in. I swear, every one of them has drugs in their blood. You can almost get high just from feeding.”

Tyler looked wistful. “Wonder what it’s like getting high? I miss getting drunk.”

“Yeah, me too.” And God, how I miss walking in the sun without pain. Mick put up a hand to shield his face as they approached the fairgrounds. Little booths were set up along the way, selling crystals and flutes, trinkets and incense. The smell of incense was everywhere, mingled with marijuana and the salt air from the sea; he could hear the rhythm of flutes and bongo drums, a constant background swirl of sound. Tyler led the way toward a wooded lot near the entrance, and over the atonal noise Mick suddenly heard someone playing a guitar, and a girl’s voice.

She was a smoky alto, singing a gorgeous bluesy song he’d didn’t know. The guitar was smooth as silk beneath her voice, rippling with intricate runs of notes that perfectly complemented the singer. The guitar player and singer were both sitting in the shade under the trees, so intent on their music that they didn’t notice Mick and Tyler in their audience until the song was over. Then the singer, a pretty blond teenager, looked up in pleased surprise, her eyes taking in the two handsome young men, and the plain, plump girl with the guitar blushed and looked away.

“Tyler!” the blond girl said. “You came back!”

“Told you I would,” Tyler said with a grin. “Mick, this is Chloe. And that’s Elaine. They’re from L.A. too. Hey, girls, would you play ‘Wish’ again? So Mick can hear it?”

“Sure,” Chloe said, smiling at Mick. “See, Elaine? I told you people would like it.” The other girl looked hesitant, but after a moment she nodded stiffly and bent over her guitar. Her hair was long and mud-brown, falling straight from a center part and hiding half her face. Not looking up, she started to play, and Mick froze, captivated by the tune. When Chloe began to sing, the sultry smokiness had vanished from her voice; for this song her voice was sweet and clear as crystal, but somehow there was still a world of pain within it.




I’m dead to you, but I won’t die
You think I’ll change, but that’s a lie
The pain lies under days and dreams
And nothing here is what it seems
In my world


Nothing is ever what it seems
In my world


My life is darker than you know
And it won’t ever let me go
There’s beauty here you’ll never see
But still I wish that I could be
In your world


I’ll always wish that I could be
In your world





When the last note died away, Mick was still lost in the song, stunned. No wonder Tyler dragged me here. There was an aching beauty in the melody, and so much emotion in Chloe’s voice . . . “What song was that?” Mick asked at last. “Who wrote it? I never heard it before.”

Chloe smiled. “It’s called ‘Wish’” she said. “And you haven’t heard it before because Elaine wrote it.”

“What?” Mick turned his gaze to Elaine, who glanced up at him nervously. “You wrote it? I mean – you’re so young – how old are you, anyway?”

“We’re both twenty-one,” Chloe answered for her friend, her head held high.

Tyler snickered, and Mick hid a smile. There was no way either girl was older than seventeen, but he’d let them have their fantasy. Still – how could anyone so young have possibly written a song like that?

“Come on, play another,” Tyler said. “Mick’s hardly heard anything yet.”

The girls complied immediately, and Mick noticed that Elaine’s shy awkwardness faded as soon as she began to play. At first sight he’d thought she was plain, even homely, but as he watched her play he was fascinated by the animation in her face, by the beauty of her deft hands. Chloe, beside her, was one of the most beautiful girls he’d ever seen, dark eyes and golden hair and a porcelain-doll face, and her voice was extraordinary - but Mick could hardly take his eyes off Elaine. She wrote these songs. All of them. The second song was a world of difference from the first, bright and sweet, but it was almost as good, and the third was a jazz-inspired number that brought the smoke back into Chloe’s voice. Soon a crowd clustered around them, calling out comments, tossing coins and bills into Elaine’s guitar case. Mick slipped two fifties in among the other offerings, and was rewarded with the girls’ sheer delight when they finally packed up.

“Oh God,” Chloe gasped. “Who put those in?”

“I don’t know! I didn’t see.” Elaine’s eyes were shining.

“Wow,” a man in a fringed vest said, ogling the money while a velvet-gowned woman clutched at his arm. “What’ll you do with it? If it was me, I’d go to the Starfire Club tonight. Did you know? The Beatles are playing there after the evening concert.”

“The Beatles?” Elaine said, looking up.

“That’s right,” the woman in velvet said. “They got invited to play at the festival, too, but they couldn’t get a U.S. work permit ‘cause of drug busts back home.”

“I thought that was Donovan,” Tyler said.

“Him too,” the woman said cheerfully, lighting a joint.

“But how can they play at the Starfire Club, if they don’t have a work permit?” Chloe asked.

“They’ll be incognito, see?” the woman said. “George and Paul were here at the festival today, in the audience. They were in disguise, ‘cause they’re not supposed to be here, but I recognized them.” The woman smiled and walked away, one hand buried in the fringe of the man’s vest, and Chloe and Elaine stared at each other.

“George and Paul,” Chloe breathed. “They’re here.”

“Do you think they’re really playing at that club tonight?” Elaine asked hopefully.

“Who knows! But we have the money, so we can go there just in case! Oh, wow - it’ll be so amazing even if they aren’t there!”

“Oh, don’t say that! I want to see Paul.” Elaine transferred the money from the guitar case to her bag, and put her guitar in the case.

“I’m starving,” Chloe said. “Elaine, let’s go find some food, okay?” She turned to Mick and Tyler. “You’ll be at the evening concert, won’t you?”

“Oh, yeah. No way we’re gonna miss Jimi Hendrix and the Who,” Tyler said.

“Maybe we’ll run into you again. It was really nice to meet you. Both of you.”

“Same here,” Mick said. “I think we heard the best music of the whole festival just now.”

Chloe laughed, her eyes sparkling. “I’ll love you forever for that, Mick,” she said. “See you.”

She headed off, and Elaine picked up her guitar case and followed her. Elaine glanced over her shoulder as she left, and gave Mick a small, shy smile. He smiled back at her, and watched her until she disappeared into the crowd.

“Well?” Tyler said, leading the way out of the wood. “What did you think?”

“I think we really did just hear the best music of the festival,” Mick said, still feeling stunned. “I can’t believe it. I’ve never – damn it, that girl’s too young. How can she write music like that?”

“Maybe she’s an old soul.”

“She’s not a vampire.”

“I didn’t say she was.” The ring on Tyler’s finger flashed silver as they walked back into the sun, and he looked down at it thoughtfully, tracing the lines of its ornate raised cross. “Just an old soul.”

“She doesn’t fit in either,” Mick said.

“She’s a teenager. Of course she doesn’t fit in. That’s what the lyrics are really about in ‘Wish’, you know. Still . . .”

“Yeah,” Mick said. “Still.”

“I knew you’d dig that song,” Tyler said with satisfaction. “So, are you still mad about me waking you up?”

“Well, no,” Mick said reluctantly, wondering if Tyler would ever let him sleep in peace again.

“Good. Let’s go find some more music.”

“Let’s go find a freezer. The evening concert won’t start for ages.”

“Oh, all right. But after the concert, you have to come with me to check out this Starfire Club. Who knows, maybe the Beatles are really gonna play.”

Mick rolled his eyes. “In your dreams.”

“You never know.”

They headed back to Half Moon House side by side, Mick’s mind full of the music he’d just heard. The sunlight had brought on another headache, and he was feverish again, but he scarcely noticed the pain. He felt as if Elaine’s songs had cast some kind of spell over him.

And however long he lived, he didn’t think he was ever going to forget ‘Wish.’















“Mick?”

Elaine stood next to the car, watching him, and he wondered how long she’d been there. He’d been so deep in memory, he hadn’t even noticed the music stop.

“Elaine. Hi.”

“How long have you been out here?”

“I don’t know. I guess I lost track of time.” He felt almost as if the whole night had passed, but there was not yet any trace of dawn in the sky.

“Most people knock on the door when they come over.”

“I didn’t want you to stop playing.”

Elaine looked away, bowing her head, her long hair hiding her face. Mick knew she hadn’t meant for him to hear.

“It was good to hear your music again,” he said, as gently as he could. “Really good. It’s been a long time.”

“I never meant to play again. After Chloe.”

“I know.”

“But a couple of years ago I needed money, and I thought it would be okay to give lessons to beginners. I mean, it’s not like you really have to play to do that. Most of them learned three chords and then decided that was enough.”

“But you ended up playing anyway.”

“Yeah. It happened.”

The music drew her in, Mick thought. Music had saved his life once, long ago . . . would it possibly have the power to save hers now? “I’m glad it did.”

“I don’t really know what to do with the songs, without Chloe to sing them. My voice isn’t very good.”

“There are other singers.”

“Yeah. But I don’t think I could do that. I always wrote my songs for Chloe. I don’t know how to do it any other way. I just wish -- ” She glanced at him, then broke off and shook her head.

“What?”

“It’s stupid.”

“Come on, Elaine.”

She sighed. “It’s like when I was sixteen, and I crashed the car. The accident was my fault, but I couldn’t stop thinking - if only the other driver had just swerved, it wouldn’t have happened. And I can’t stop thinking that if you’d just reacted a little faster, Chloe would still be alive. You know.”

“I know.” Mick had probably replayed the scene in his mind a million times now. He was sure Elaine had too. They both needed to let it go, to let the past be past, but neither of them seemed able to do it. For an instant he saw Chloe again, lying pale and still in the alley, her dead eyes staring up at him. I got there too late. Because I tried to do something I didn’t know how to do.

“Told you it was stupid,” Elaine said.

“It wasn’t.”

She shrugged uncomfortably, then crossed her arms and leaned against the top of the passenger door. “What about you? Did you try picking up a guitar while I was gone?”

“No.” He hadn’t picked up a guitar since 1952.

“Maybe you should try it.”

He shook his head. It makes me remember being human. It makes me remember Coraline. “I can’t.”

“It does bring back memories, and that’s hard,” she said, her gaze faraway. “But some of the memories are good ones.”

“What is it like physically?” he asked, curious. “Is it different from when you were human?”

“Yeah, it was really weird at first. I can’t feel the strings like I used to, but my hand’s stronger and I can move it faster. I guess it sort of evens out.”

Tyler had said much the same about playing the piano. “Do you get calluses?”

She laughed. “No. I was always careful not to let my students see that.”

“Let me see?”

Elaine opened the passenger door and got in, and Mick took her left hand in his. Her fingers were soft and supple, cool in his grip. He tightened his hand on hers, wishing he could hold on to her forever, and somehow keep her safe. But after a moment she pulled her hand free and said, “So are you going to give me a ride? I always liked having the top down.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere. I like driving, and I don’t have a car.”

“You don’t have a car?” He grinned at her. “Isn’t that illegal in L.A.? How do you get around?”

“Ever heard of buses, Mick? Come on, drive.”

Mick put the car in gear and drove off, making turns wherever he felt like it. At this predawn hour the streets were nearly empty, and the night air felt good against his skin. He would have been happy just to spend this night with Elaine, with no words, but it was long past time for him to tell her about Beth. The last time he’d talked to Elaine, he’d told her he was never going to see Beth again, and though he’d meant it at the time, it was far from true now. “Elaine,” he said, “I need to tell you something. About Beth.”

“About how you’re staying away from her forever?” Elaine glanced at him sideways. “How long did that last?”

“You knew?”

“I guessed.”

“I really did mean to stay away. It’s just – it was like fate kept throwing us together. Like it was meant to be.”

“It’s not meant to be, Mick,” she said quietly. “You’ve said it yourself, over and again. It can’t work.”

“It’s different with Beth,” he said. He pulled the Mercedes into a sharp turn, listening to the hum of the engine. The sound was sweet, and he didn’t want to hear what Elaine was saying.

“How is it different? She’s human. And somehow I don’t think you’re planning to turn her.”

“No.” He flinched at the thought of it. “Of course not.”

“Then how is it supposed to work?” Elaine shook her head helplessly. “I swear, Mick, she’s going to break your heart. You’ve never fallen for anyone like this before, have you?”

“No. I haven’t.”

“I didn’t think so. You never even had a hope of staying away from her, you know. Well, go on, tell me. What’s happening between you?”

“She kissed me,” he said dreamily.

“She kissed you? Is that all?”

Is that all?

She came on to me when she was high on black crystal, and even though she did it because of the drug . . . she came to me. She didn’t go to Josh. She came to me.















“Come on, Mick,” she’d said, her voice low, her gaze fixed on him. “Join me.”

He watched her, rapt, as she climbed the stairs, a picture of seduction in her high heels and short dress, her golden hair cascading over bare shoulders. Then she vanished from sight, and he shook his head, dizzy, trying to fight off his response to her. This isn’t real. It’s just the drug. If it was real, he would follow her up the stairs, he’d take her in his arms and kiss her and slip the straps of her dress off her shoulders . . . . but it isn’t real. It isn’t.

He hardly dared go near her, he wanted her so much - but any moment now, she was going to discover that he had no bed upstairs. God, don’t let her find the freezer, I’m not ready for that. Mick ran up the stairs two at a time.

Beth was wandering along the hall, looking perplexed, and when she saw him she flung her arms around him. “Finally,” she said. “I can’t find the bedroom.”

“We’re not going to the bedroom.”

“Why not?” She reached up to kiss him, her mouth touching his before he managed to step back. “I want you, Mick. Please.”

“Beth, you’re drugged. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“It’s not really a drug though, is it? Vampire blood, you said. That sounds like a natural substance to me. And I know exactly what I’m doing.” Her hands moved across his back, stroking and massaging him from shoulders to waist.

“There’s nothing natural about it,” Mick said, catching his breath as Beth slipped her hands under his shirt. “Beth -- ”

She kissed him again, and for a moment he was lost in it, her lips so warm and soft against his, her mouth so enticing. Dreamlike flashes of images came to him – he could almost remember lying on her bed with her, her hands caressing his bare skin, her mouth on his as she kissed him, deep and desperate. But those images could only be dreams or fantasies; they weren’t any more real than this was. I can’t do this. I can’t. With an effort he pulled away from her again, and tears came to her eyes. “Please, Mick,” she said. “I just want to be close to you.”

He stroked her hair gently. “I know. But not like this. Not when you’re drugged.”

“It hurts,” she whispered.

He looked into her eyes. She was starting to come down off the high, her body absorbing the drug, clearing it from her circulation.

“Why does it hurt? I want it back. I want to feel that way again. God, Mick! You feel that way all the time, don’t you?”

“No, Beth. I told you.”

She wasn’t listening. “Half the world is night. That’s what she said. You could turn me, and then -- ”

“Don’t even say that, Beth! No!”

“ – and then I could be close to you. It wouldn’t even be inadvisable.”

“We’ve got to get the rest of this drug out of your system. Come on, Beth.”

He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the bathroom, and she went willingly. “Are we going to the bedroom? Oh. Oh. The shower, Mick?”















“Ah,” Elaine said. “I take it there was more than just a kiss.”

Mick came out of the memory to find Elaine giving him a wicked smile. He thought of those flashes he’d had, of what seemed like the memory of dreams – lying beside Beth in her bed, on his roof, her voice breathing his name, her hands caressing him. He thought of holding her in the shower, her dress soaked and clinging to her curves, her body swaying against his as she whispered I want to be close to you.

If it had been real – if she hadn’t been drugged – he would have given in to her in a heartbeat, right or wrong.

But none of it was real.

“No, just the kiss,” he said simply. “In the Buzzwire parking lot. It was . . . amazing.”

Elaine raised her eyebrows, her smile genuine now. “That must have been some kiss.”

“Yeah, it was. But I’m not really sure what’s happening now,” he said, suddenly morose. “I know she’s interested in me, but – it’s complicated.”

“Does she still have that boyfriend?”

“Josh. Yes.”

“Well,” Elaine said, “if you’ve been telling Beth that it’s impossible for a human and a vampire to have a relationship -- ”

Mick winced.

“ -— which I’m thinking is pretty likely, then it’s no wonder she’s not letting go of what she has. This Josh, is he a good person?”

“Yeah.”

“Too bad. So was Kevin’s girlfriend, back when. I guess he really should have stayed with her.” Elaine’s hair whipped over her face in the wind, and she shoved it back. “It’s almost dawn. Do you know where we are?”

“More or less. You want me to take you home?”

“No. But I could use a lift to the hospital.”

Mick wondered how much time she spent there, and how often she actually got to see Kevin. She must spend most of her time in corridors and waiting rooms, listening, waiting, hiding. Hiding from Kevin. How could her heart endure it? “Are you sure?” he asked. “It can’t possibly be visiting hours yet.”

“No, but I want to be there.”

“Which hospital?” Mick knew perfectly well which one, but he didn’t want to admit it to Elaine.

“Saint John’s,” she said. “Kind of ironic, huh?”

“Coincidence,” Mick said, wondering if it was fate instead. Saint John’s had a good cancer center, but they didn’t seem to be able to do anything to help Kevin. And I don’t know of anything that will help Elaine. He fought off the thought – Elaine was doing better, he was sure of it. She seemed happier. And she had her music again - it might be enough to pull her through.

Hold on, Elaine. Please hold on.

He dropped her off at the hospital in the gray light of dawn, and watched her disappear inside.
















Mick was still getting nowhere with his vintage case, but he took on a new missing-persons case, and he threw himself into the job. Steve Miller, a middle-aged sales consultant, had left his wife and family and had disappeared, presumably somewhere in L.A. “He was bored with me, I know that,” Anna Miller had told him in a small, stiff voice. “But he loved our daughter so much. I believe he would have stayed in touch with her, if he could. So I’m afraid something might have happened to him.”

Boredom. As he searched, Mick couldn’t help thinking of Lola, of Josef. But even mortals could suffer from the problem, it seemed, deeply enough that they would leave their families in distress as they sought out new horizons. Might they even end their own lives because of it? It didn’t take Mick long to learn that in a way, Steve Miller had. He’d followed the lines of an old story – a younger woman, gambling debts, shady loans, drugs and guns. The story had ended with a single gunshot in a trash-strewn alley behind a bar. It had happened a week ago. It had been too late for Steve Miller even before his wife – his widow – had hired Mick.















In the morgue, Anna Miller looked at the man’s uncovered face, nodded, and looked away. Her sister Lauren took her arm and led her out of the room while Mick pulled the sheet back into place. Then he followed Anna and Lauren out into the hall. Anna was blank-faced, not crying. She hadn’t been surprised to learn that her husband was dead – Mick thought she’d half expected it – but it still had to be a shock. Mick looked at her pale face, frowned, and moved closer, listening. Her heart was pounding hard and fast, which was normal enough after what she’d been through, but something was subtly wrong with the beat.

“Anna? Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

Mick shook his head. “You don’t look fine.”

“She just needs some time,” Lauren said. “Anna, do you want to go back to the hotel? You could lie down for a bit.”

“I just want to go home,” Anna whispered.

“The hotel, then,” Lauren said. “We can check on flights from there.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.” Anna headed for the exit, Lauren trailing after her.

“Wait. Please.” Mick stepped in front of them, moving a little faster than he should have; Lauren blinked in surprise. “Look, I used to do some – some ambulance work, when I was younger. Just let me check.”

He reached for Anna’s hand. She frowned but let him take it, and he put his fingers to her wrist. He didn’t need to touch her to hear her heartbeat, and he’d lost the deftness he’d once had for feeling a pulse, but it was what she would expect. He leaned closer, listening. Blood was flowing into the coronary arteries, but in a few of them the flow hesitated and stopped midway, creating a backwash in the stream. Even as he listened, he thought he heard another vessel close off.

“Mr. St. John, really – I just want to go home.” Anna pulled her hand away.

“I know, but you’re not well. Your heartbeat’s not normal.” He glanced over his shoulder and down the hall – the county hospital was the next building over. “I think you’d better see a doctor.”

“Why, what’s wrong?” Lauren looked worried.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Anna said. “I’ve just had a shock, that’s all.”

“You’ve definitely had a shock, and that’s what set this off. Please, Anna. Humor me.”

“Maybe you should see a doctor, Anna,” Lauren said. “You do look pale.”

“Here.” Before Anna could speak again, Mick lifted her in his arms and set off toward the hospital.

“Honestly! I can walk,” Anna protested.

“I know. But I don’t think you should.”

A thoughtful, inward look crossed Anna’s face and she subsided. Maybe she was starting to feel it. Mick heard her heart miss a beat, and could barely keep himself from moving at full speed. As it was, he’d already left Lauren behind. He pushed through the doors of the morgue and crossed the street outside, his head down, trying to let a fall of hair shade his eyes from the sun. He found the hospital’s emergency entrance and carried Anna inside, quickly crossing the waiting area and bypassing the line of people waiting at the desk. The girl at the desk started to open her mouth, but he cut her off. “Heart attack. She needs to be seen immediately.”

Anna looked up at him, startled and embarrassed. “It’s not that bad. I can wait.”

“No.” To the girl, he said, “I’ve had medical training, and this woman is critical. Get a doctor to see her. Now.”

The girl, thankfully, did as Mick asked, and Anna was whisked away promptly. Lauren arrived and was sent after her, and Mick let out his breath. It was up to the doctors now – he’d done all he could. He looked around the waiting room for the first time. He was worried about Anna, and wanted to wait and find out how she was doing, but he wasn’t sure if he could bear being in this place for very long. How does Elaine do this every day?

In the plastic chairs he saw old men with blank stares, mothers with sobbing children, a little boy who was dripping blood from a cut on his forehead. The blood called to him, and Mick shivered and quickly moved away. A young man in a powered wheelchair gave him an envious stare, and Mick couldn’t help thinking of Tyler. He hadn’t been there to see it, but Tyler must have looked much the same, once. Mick turned away, and found himself staring straight at Beth.

How long had she been there? He’d been so focused on Anna, he’d been oblivious to everything else around him. Beth was standing just inside a staff-only hallway, gazing back at him. They both moved at once, and met in the middle of the waiting room.

“You know,” she said, “this really is fate.”

Mick smiled. “I think I’m starting to believe you. What are you doing here?”

“I was following a lead for a story, but it didn’t come to anything. How did you end up here? Who was that woman?”

“A client. She just had to identify her husband at the morgue.”

“And then she had a heart attack?”

“Well, she was about to.”

“You can tell something like that?”

“Sometimes. I was close enough to hear the change in her circulation.”

“Wow. You should have gone into medicine. Or – what kind of medical training did you have?”

“Not much.” He’d had only the most minimal training as a medic, before being thrown into the field during the war. Everything else, he’d learned the hard way. “I only said that to make sure she got seen right away.”

“I guess it wouldn’t be a good idea for you anyway, would it? Because of the blood.”

“Yeah. Not a good idea. And when you can hear things that other people can’t, that kind of knowledge can get you in trouble. It’s hard to explain where it comes from.”

“Huh.” A mother and daughter in the corner were called back by a nurse, and Beth caught Mick’s arm and pulled him over to their vacated seats. “Listen, I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve been wanting to ask you some things. Do you have a minute?”

Mick had a feeling this would be a good time to have an urgent appointment; Beth had the intent look on her face that meant awkward questions were coming. “Sure,” he said instead. “I was going to wait anyway, to find out how Mrs. Miller is doing."

Beth fiddled with her bag for a moment, opening and closing the catch. "I wanted to ask you about Lola," she said. "About the things she told me at the club."

Mick closed his eyes. He remembered how Lola had hovered over Beth, murmuring in her ear as if sharing a secret. He lets you know what we are, then leaves you on the edge of our world looking in. Don't you want to do more than just look? How had she made it sound so attractive, so tempting? “She was just trying to unnerve you,” he said. “I wouldn’t pay attention to anything she said.”

“But some of it made sense. She said that when I get older -- ”

“Beth -- ”

“ – that when I get older, you won’t be coming around any more. Is that true?”

“Beth, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.” She stared at him, distress all over her face, but he couldn’t make promises he might not be able to keep. Quietly he said, “You know I’ve tried to stay away from you before. To protect you, to try to let you have a normal life.”

“You mean you might do that again?”

He hesitated. “If I have to.”

“And as I get older -- ”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t it?” Beth lifted her head and tossed back her hair. “And what if I don’t want a normal life?”

“What do you mean?”

“I remember what I asked for, the other night.”

Mick remembered, too. But he’d hoped, desperately, that she would not.















“Turn me,” she’d whispered. “Turn me. Do it.”

“No, Beth.”

“Do it.” She leaned against him, letting her head fall back, the spray from the showerhead cascading over her face. Her hair and clothes were drenched, and her dress clung to her body; Mick, holding her, wished the water could drown his desire.

“It’s just the drug,” he said, his voice ragged. Her throat was too close to his face, her breasts too close to his hands. He clasped his arms around her waist and looked away from her, fighting for control. Her legs were starting to give out, and he had to hold her tightly to keep her from falling.

“I want it back,” she whispered, and the drug was almost gone now, exhaustion overtaking her instead. Had she really walked all the way here in those heels? He could feel her heart racing, he could smell the lactic acid buildup in her muscles – she was close to collapse.

“No you don’t. You don’t want it.”

“I do! I don’t want to get old, Mick, I don’t want to die, and you won’t let me near you as long as I’m human; you said it can’t ever work, and I want – I want -- ”

“Beth, please. You don’t know, you can’t understand.”

“I know what I felt like when I came here. I want to feel that way again.”

“You got a high from the drug, but that’s not how you’d really feel. It hurts, Beth, it hurts like you wouldn’t believe, and it goes on and on, and you think the pain will never stop . . .”

But she hardly seemed aware of him now; she couldn’t possibly understand anything he was telling her. And it’s just the drug. She doesn’t mean it. He half carried her out to the bathroom, and let her slide down the wall to sit on the floor in the corner. He slipped her shoes off, and she sighed in relief. “I’m going to get something dry for you to wear,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

He gave her a towel and went next door to change out of his own wet clothes, grabbing an extra shirt for her to wear. When he returned she was still sitting where he’d left her, holding the towel, looking, even in that dress, like an exhausted child. Her hair was sopping wet, dripping down her face, and water pooled around her. He took the towel from her limp hands and gently dried her hair with it, then helped her out of the wet dress and into his shirt. She was silent, subdued, not herself at all, and it was easier than he had imagined to keep from looking at her. Right now, she needs help. She doesn’t need someone to take advantage of her.

In his too-large shirt she looked small and childlike, and when he picked her up she wrapped her arms around his neck the way she had when she was a little girl. She clung to him as he carried her down the stairs, and sighed when he settled her on the couch. He went back upstairs to get his threadbare blanket, and when he returned, she was asleep.

He covered her with the blanket and stood looking down at her. I should get more blankets. And a bed. Josef had always been after him to get a bed, for cover, but Mick hadn’t been able to bring himself to do it. If he had to look at a soft warm bed every day, he didn’t know how he’d ever manage to climb back into the freezer. No. I can’t do the bed. But he’d definitely have to get some decent blankets. Another image flashed in his mind . . . lying with Beth on a pile of blankets on his rooftop, under the light of a three-quarters moon. Where were these images coming from? Some dream that he couldn’t remember? Whatever they are, they’re not real.

Her dress was still lying in a puddle on the floor by the shower; he went upstairs to fetch it. While he was wringing it out in the shower, he thought again about his freezer. What would happen in the morning, when Beth woke? He hesitated, then went to lock the door of the freezer room. Just in case.

After he’d hung her dress to dry downstairs, he sat in a chair beside her, watching her sleep. She was restless, an aftermath of the drug, and he wondered how much of what she’d said to him was true.

She doesn’t really want me to turn her.

Does she?















“It was the drug talking,” Mick said firmly. “Not you.”

“Most of it was the drug,” Beth said. “But part of it was me. After what Lola said . . . after trying that drug . . . I can’t help but wonder what it would be like.”

“Beth, I’m here on this side,” he said, very low. “And the only thing I want in this world is to go back to mortality.”

Beth leaned forward intently. “But you didn’t have a choice. Did you?”

“No.”

“Wouldn’t it make a difference if someone did? I mean – don’t you know anyone who made that choice deliberately, and was glad of it?”

Tyler, of course. As a human, Tyler had never come to terms with the killing he’d done in the war – a good soldier, he’d left death and destruction in his path - and as a vampire, he’d somehow managed to get through his fledgling stage without killing a soul. And physically --

Beth went on, “What about Josef?”

“Josef?” Mick hadn’t even thought of Josef as the answer to her question, and he wondered at that. Josef certainly embraced his nature . . . but he’d understood Lola all too well, and had he actually made the choice? Mick said slowly, “I don’t know how Josef was turned.”

“You don’t?” Beth was startled enough to be diverted from her original question. “Haven’t you asked him?”

“I’ve asked. He doesn’t talk about it.”

“Oh.” Beth looked thoughtful. “Has he ever done it? Turned anyone?”

“Yes,” Mick said uneasily. “But it was all before my time.” He was afraid of what her next question might be, and went on quickly, “You asked about having a choice.”

She nodded.

“The thing is, there isn’t actually any such thing. Because you can’t know what it’s like without trying it. And then it’s too late. You can’t go back.”

Beth’s brow was furrowed. “And it really doesn’t feel the way it does with the drug?”

He wasn’t sure exactly what she had felt, but even Tyler hadn’t been on a high all the time. “Sometimes it does,” he said honestly. “But there are so many lows. So much pain.”

“But what about staying young? Living forever? Isn’t that worth the pain?”

“Think about it, Beth. If you live forever, you lose everyone. You go on, and on, and you watch while everyone you love dies.”

“But -- ” Beth’s voice was hesitant. “You don’t lose other vampires.”

“Not as often. Not as fast. But vampires aren’t really immortal. We’re just harder to kill.”

Beth was silent.

“You can’t know, Beth. You can’t. And it’s my fault. There are a lot of things I haven’t told you.” Things that are so painful, I don’t even know how to talk about them. Things like what happened to Elaine. He lowered his eyes, feeling overwhelmed, suddenly, at the very thought of Elaine.

“It must be really hard to talk about.” Beth’s voice was gentle, now.

“Yeah.” Mick put a hand to his face. There were tears in his eyes; he hastily brushed them away.

“It was a crazy thought anyway. I mean, I know I don’t really want to be a vampire.”

He looked back up at her, unutterably relieved.

“But I wish I could be closer to you,” she said. “Somehow.”

She was watching him. Her heart was beating faster, and a faint flush came to her body and face. She wants to be close to me. He could hardly believe she’d said it, here in the light of day. That’s the part I wanted to be true. Does she really mean it?

“What about Josh?”

She started fiddling with her bag again, and she looked away. “He’s leaving town on a business trip. It’s a long one, and I don’t think he really needs to go. I’m not sure what -- ”

“Mr. St. John?” The voice startled them both, and they looked up at a crisp young woman in a white doctor’s coat.

Mick got quickly to his feet. “Yes?”

“I’m Dr. Davison. You came in with Mrs. Miller?”

“Yes, I did. How’s she doing?”

“She’s doing well so far.” The doctor regarded him curiously. “She’s a very lucky woman. She said you knew what was happening before she even had any symptoms.”

Mick shifted uncomfortably. “Well, she’d had a bad shock. I think she was having plenty of symptoms – she just didn’t notice them.”

“How did you notice?”

“Well, her color was bad. And her pulse was irregular.” Mick trailed off, hoping that was enough to satisfy the doctor’s curiosity. “Can she have visitors?”

“Yes, but just for a moment.”

Dr. Davison led Mick down a hall, and Beth followed, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Anna Miller lay in a bed in a curtained-off cubicle, with Lauren in a chair at her side. The doctor moved on to the next cubicle, and Mick hesitantly pushed past the curtain, brightening when he saw how much better Anna looked. He could hear her heartbeat, still not quite right, but stronger and steadier than it had been.

“Oh, Mr. St. John!” Lauren jumped up and clasped his hand. She said softly, “The doctor said we were just in time. Thank God you realized something was wrong.”

“I’m just glad she’s doing better.”

Anna was half asleep, eyes closed; Lauren pulled Mick farther from the bed and whispered, “Will she be all right now? Can you tell?”

Mick shook his head. “I’m not a doctor.”

“But you could tell how sick she was.”

“I can tell she’s better now,” Mick said gently. “But that’s all.”

Lauren nodded, looking embarrassed. “Well. I just wondered. Thank you so much, Mr. St. John.”

Mick smiled awkwardly and slipped away, walking silently through the hospital corridors with Beth at his side. Beth said nothing the whole way, and she had a thoughtful look on her face. When they got outside, it was almost a relief - the air smelled better to Mick, smog and fumes instead of antiseptics, blood and illness. But the sun was bright, and he squinted painfully, quickly reaching for his sunglasses.

“It always hurts, doesn’t it?” Beth said, her voice low.

“Yes. But I’m used to it.”

“I wish -- ” She stopped, and said instead, “Where are you parked?”

The dazzle of the sun made it hard to see, but he pointed out the parking lot where he’d left the Mercedes. “Over there.”

“Oh. I’m the other way.”

“Then I guess I should probably say goodbye.”

She gave him an impish grin. “I guess you should. Who knows what might happen if you didn’t? Which reminds me . . .” She took both his hands in hers, and looked up at him. If only it was night, so he could see her properly . . . but he knew what she wanted. He leaned down to her, taking her face in his hands, and pressed his lips to hers, so warm, so soft, so real. She pulled him closer, her hands in his hair, for a long and lingering kiss. His sunglasses were in the way; he broke the kiss just long enough to take them off, then drew her into his arms again. After a long, long time she pulled away, her hands still buried in his hair, and said softly, “I wish it didn’t hurt you so much to be out in this. There’s not a scrap of shade around here, either.”

“Doesn’t matter.” He slipped a strand of her hair through his fingers.

“Yes it does. Any is too much, remember? We could go back inside.”

He shook his head. “I really don’t like hospitals.”

His sunglasses had fallen to the sidewalk; she knelt and picked them up. “You should put these back on, at least,” she said, and when he did, she put her arms around him and simply held him. The sun was still beating down on him, harsh and painful, but he didn’t even notice it. He rested his head on her shoulder and put his arms around her, and he could have stood that way forever.

“Just so you know,” she murmured, close to his ear, “that kiss wasn’t an accident.”

“Was the first one?”

He could feel her laugh. “No.”

One thing you learn when you live forever is not to get too set in anything, because it’s all going to change. This moment wouldn’t last. Beth would leave to go back to work, and he would go home to his freezer; he’d wake up alone in the dark, doing his morning workout while she got ready for bed. There were still far too many things he hadn’t told her; she needed to know, at the least, that he was the one who’d saved her when she was little, and he didn’t know how to explain it to her. She was still a human; he was still a vampire.

But nothing was set. Everything changed, when you least expected it.

Even pain doesn’t last forever. With just one embrace, it can turn to joy.

“Beth,” Mick whispered, too low for her to hear.

He felt as if he’d been searching for her all his life, and that now, finally, he had found her.

My Beth.














-

[francis]

I love this in between stories. I love the Elaine backstory and the song. Did you write it for her? And the theme of boredom and life, featured with Lola, Josef, and Elaine. Love Tyler, too, want to know more about him.
And then the Mick/Beth in the hospital - lovely. It fits so well with the next episode when Mick thinks he fell for her, and then bang his ex shows up. And Josh is on a business trip because we don't see him until episode 10.
Great story, great dialogue, so much emotion. Can't wait to read more from you.

[allegrita]

Oh, Shadow... another wonderful In Between story. And this one features the Monterey Pop Festival! My sister went... I'm still jealous. I was too little. I love the way you tell us little bits of Elaine's story, and the way you weave them through the strands of the episodes.

Mick and Beth kissing outside the hospital... and this one she admits isn't a mistake. She wants so much, but is afraid... and who wouldn't be? Especially with Mick telling her about the downsides. The pain, the scrounging, the loss of people you love. She still can't see it... no one can who hasn't lived it. But Mick tries to tell her anyway... but he's falling for her, falling hard. And now BAM, the ex is going to show up.

I'm looking forward to learning more about Elaine, Tyler, and Chloe...what happened? And what's going to happen to Elaine when Kevin dies?

I love these stories. Thank you!

[redwinter101]

This is beautiful, Shadow - I just had to read even though I'm racing out the door. I'll be back later for a proper comment.



Red

[Shadow]

I love this in between stories. I love the Elaine backstory and the song. Did you write it for her? And the theme of boredom and life, featured with Lola, Josef, and Elaine. Love Tyler, too, want to know more about him.
And then the Mick/Beth in the hospital - lovely. It fits so well with the next episode when Mick thinks he fell for her, and then bang his ex shows up. And Josh is on a business trip because we don't see him until episode 10.
Great story, great dialogue, so much emotion. Can't wait to read more from you.

Thank you francis! Really glad you liked the backstory, and Tyler, and especially the song .... I did write the lyrics for Elaine, which was a bit scary since I've never tried anything like that before. Hopefully you can imagine some really brilliant music to go with them.....
It's good you found that this fit with the next episode; Mick and Beth were just so close at the beginning of 7 - it sure seemed like something significant must have happened in between.

[Shadow]

Oh, Shadow... another wonderful In Between story. And this one features the Monterey Pop Festival! My sister went... I'm still jealous. I was too little. I love the way you tell us little bits of Elaine's story, and the way you weave them through the strands of the episodes.

Mick and Beth kissing outside the hospital... and this one she admits isn't a mistake. She wants so much, but is afraid... and who wouldn't be? Especially with Mick telling her about the downsides. The pain, the scrounging, the loss of people you love. She still can't see it... no one can who hasn't lived it. But Mick tries to tell her anyway... but he's falling for her, falling hard. And now BAM, the ex is going to show up.

I'm looking forward to learning more about Elaine, Tyler, and Chloe...what happened? And what's going to happen to Elaine when Kevin dies?

I love these stories. Thank you!

Oh, I'm so glad you enjoyed that bit of Monterey Pop! I have to admit to that I knew almost nothing about it to start with, and had to read a lot of personal accounts of people who went. (Unfortunately, they tended to conflict a bit .... )
It was nice to give Mick and Beth that kiss outside the hospital (especially considering what's coming next). . . and it seemed reasonable considering how happy Mick was at the beginning of episode 7.
How wonderful that you want to know more about these OC's .... there will be more coming ...
Thank you SO much, allegrita!

[Shadow]

This is beautiful, Shadow - I just had to read even though I'm racing out the door. I'll be back later for a proper comment.



Red

Wow, thanks Red! Hope it didn't make you late but I'm glad you couldn't resist reading ....

[wpgrace]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh

So Elaine is an amazing musician... and now we have a new vamp, Tyler. I LOVE getting this stuff. Mick HAS to know somebody besides our beloved cast members, so learning about these new vamps is so supercool.

And the lovely interlude with Beth was just an unexpected treat... for Mick to, actually.

How perfectly set up we are now, for The Ringer. Brava, honey. You continue to enthrall.

[lorig]

Shadow that was wonderful. I am so intrigued by the OCs and their stories. Love how Mick saved the woman having a heart attack. Always the hero... And the KISS....Oh my God that was awesome!! Now Cora comes back!!! Oh man.

Incredible story telling!! Perfect...

[Shadow]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh

So Elaine is an amazing musician... and now we have a new vamp, Tyler. I LOVE getting this stuff. Mick HAS to know somebody besides our beloved cast members, so learning about these new vamps is so supercool.

And the lovely interlude with Beth was just an unexpected treat... for Mick to, actually.

How perfectly set up we are now, for The Ringer. Brava, honey. You continue to enthrall.

Grace, it is so good to know you're liking these other characters .... it sure does seem that Mick would just have to have a lot more in his long life than what we ever saw....
Just had to give Mick a good moment with Beth, too, considering what's about to happen.
Thank you!

[Shadow]

Shadow that was wonderful. I am so intrigued by the OCs and their stories. Love how Mick saved the woman having a heart attack. Always the hero... And the KISS....Oh my God that was awesome!! Now Cora comes back!!! Oh man.

Incredible story telling!! Perfect...

Oh, it's wonderful you're intrigued by the OC's, lorig!
Thanks so much for the awesome comment.

[wollstonecraft61]

Oh, Shadow, that was the most touching scene I think I have ever read between Mick and Beth outside of the hospital. The kiss reminded of the one that was an "accident" at Buzzwire. That was my favorite kiss since it foreshadows what might be. I love these in-betweens, too. Excellent job!!

[moonlightlover60]

Wow Shadow outstanding. I'm just enthralled when reading your stories. Yes I often thought it was too easy the way Mick dispatched of Lola. Maybe she ended up the way she did because she was bored with her long life, and her way of suicide was to get someone to come after her.
We learned at little more about Elaine but still don't know the full story of what happened. Btw that song was hauntingly beautiful and the words so apropos to the vampire's life. Mick was captivated by the lyrics when her heard them.
You've brought in Tyler now and we need to know what his story is also. What happened to him that he wanted to be turned, sounds like he wasn't able to walk before he was turned if I read that correctly. What happened to Chloe, were her and Elaine in an accident, is that why Mick turned Elaine but was too late to save Chloe? Ah....questions, questions, questions. Can't wait to find out the answers to all of these as the story unveils.
Mick running into Beth at the hospital was an unexpected surprise or was it fate again? Mick and Beth are both torn between what they feel and want and what the reality of it all really is. He loves her and dreams of them being together but in reality knows that there is always an eternal wall between them, and right now as he sees it he will never turn her and bring her into his world. But maybe someday his thoughts on that would have changed. If we ever would have got a second season, I think Mick would have started softened to the idea of maybe someday turning Beth. You manage to completely capture these two perfectly, with their longing, desire and love for one another but yet they hold back because the rational part of them say's "it will never work".
Beth got more kisses in on Mick then we got to see, she even got some in upstairs at his loft. But the one at the hospital was amazing and he let it happen and reveled in the moment of it. You know when you stop to think about it, yes they did seem very close in the beginning of Ep 7 with they way they looked at each other and how Beth touched his arm. Then Coraline showed up or should I say Morgan and then Mick's happiness over Beth was shot down in the flames of the Franklin fire.
Thanks Shadow for the amazing update. I'll be looking forward to the next one.

[aolver]

Your in betweens are so true to life, or should I say true to Moonlight. They remind me of episodes we never saw. I got wispy eyed at the end when they were holding on to each other desperately in the hospital parking lot. In my own private Moonlight world they live happily ever after, working through the difficult parts. Thank you Shadow. This story is so amazingly good.

[Shadow]

Oh, Shadow, that was the most touching scene I think I have ever read between Mick and Beth outside of the hospital. The kiss reminded of the one that was an "accident" at Buzzwire. That was my favorite kiss since it foreshadows what might be. I love these in-betweens, too. Excellent job!!

That is such a lovely ocmment, woll, thank you ....
I was really playing off that A.D. kiss when I was writing the scene by the hospital, so I'm ever so pleased it reminded you of that!