Where Evil Lurks

Welcome to Moonlight Madness - Where Evil Lurks



This is the fourth story in my Moonlight saga.



Story One - The Beginning - Beth's Diary

Story Two - With Arms Wide Open

Story Three - Barely Breathing

Cast of Characters



Monday, May 16, 2011

Chapter 32 Sonata Part 2



Again, a special thanks to Lynn, Moonlightlover60 for the gorgeous banner.  Lynn, you rock!

This chapter has no beta, hope it's not too bad.  My friend who is helping until Engbunny is better graduated this past weekend so she's been very busy.  Hopefully she will have WOS back to me in a day or so - if not I'll post it as is. 

A note about Engbunny, she is doing better and may even get to go back to work next week, part time.  Eng, I'm so happy your better.  Love you lots!

Part 32 Sonata 2

Mick, Beth and Josef watched as Simone was taken in for questioning regarding Dominic’s murder. Josef’s eyes narrowed dangerously at Ben Talbot who cast an inscrutable glance at them as he left the complex. At least Simone hadn’t been in handcuffs.

“Find the bastard that did this and get Simone out of that damn jail!” Josef spat tersely. He headed out the door, already on his cell talking to another of his lawyers.

Elka walked up to Mick and Beth and smiled for a brief moment. Beth reached out and squeezed her hand lightly and Elka regarded her with a perplexed expression. “What do you think?” she asked.



“I don’t think Simone did it; she was with Josef. I’d say Hank was the most likely person to have done it; he was very resentful that Dominic made it to the big league and he didn’t,” Mick told her.

“Hank was the other player that argued with Dominic earlier?” Elka asked.

Mick nodded briefly and saw Dominic’s managers, Emma and Jackson and murmured ‘excuse me’ as he walked over to speak with them. Elka and Beth stood quietly for a moment and Elka watched as Beth let out a long, shaky breath.

“Are you okay Beth?”

“Um, yes. I’ve never met Simone before but I’d bet that she didn’t kill Dominic. But you never know,” she trailed off.

“True, you don’t. On a different subject, you look very lovely this evening. You and Mick seemed very happy, until they found Dominic anyway.”

Beth shook her head and frowned, thinking about what she had wanted for the evening. It was no longer a possibility and she tried to not feel resentful about it. “Yes, it was mostly a fun evening, until then. Except I discovered another ‘vampire’ secret that Mick hadn’t told me about: freshies,” she said, feeling the irritation surfacing again.

“He had never told you about them? Well, that is probably because as long as I’ve known him he hasn’t ever…well, you know.”

That perked up Beth’s attention and she suddenly felt a bit lighter. “So, he doesn’t do that?”

“No, he gave all that up when he saved a 4 year old girl in 1985 Beth. She changed his life.”

Beth’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Mick had never told her that she had changed his life exactly, never those words. She knew that he had killed Coraline that night to save her, but that was about all. “Elka, there is so much he doesn’t tell me; honestly, I don’t know if he thinks I couldn’t handle it and he doesn’t want to worry me or if he just doesn’t want me to know about vampire… things.”

“Beth, he is trying to build a relationship with you; give him a bit of time to sort it all out. As vampires, we live our lives cloaked in secrecy; our very existence depends on it. And trust me, there are many secrets Beth and knowing Mick I’m sure he doesn’t want to overwhelm you with it all – not at one time. You two are destined for one another; you both have special gifts that will create a magical life for the two of you together. Give it time, please.”

Beth listened and lightly chewed her lower lip. “Magical huh?” she tried to joke. “We could sure use some magic now, that’s for sure.”

They both watched as Mick walked back to them, his long strides bringing him swiftly to their sides. “They don’t know anything. They think it could have been Hank, but who knows at this point. Beth, are you ready to go? I think I’ve had about as much of this ‘gala’ evening as I can handle. Elka, can we drop you somewhere?”

“No thanks Mick, I drove down.” She leaned down and lightly kissed Beth on the cheek and whispered, “Time Beth, don’t forget,” and then she was gone, mixing in with the crowd that was rapidly pushing towards the doors.

“What was that about?” Mick inquired as he wrapped his arm around Beth. The crowd was pushing against them and he didn’t want to lose her. Not that it was likely to happen, he would recognize her scent if she stood with a million people.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” she said, smiling at him. She felt better after talking to Elka. Patience though? A hard sell for her.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Lani stood looking out the window of her penthouse apartment at the city lights. The skyline of LA could be beautiful at night she acknowledged, if you didn’t mind all the flashing lights and traffic sounds that drifted upward. She took a sip of her wine and turned to look at her apartment; all her household goods had finally cleared customs and had been delivered. She had spent the day decorating and putting things to rights, along with Cami. She had been a big help and Lani was thankful for that, as well as for her help at work. They made a good team, as much as Lani hated to admit it. Dare she even say that she trusted Cami? Well, she did.



The penthouse was exquisite, it really was. It was done in white, vivid turquoise and brilliant greens; there was a relaxing and peaceful feel to it that soothed her well. The carpet was white and the furniture white leather, soft as butter and comfortable to sit in. The accents were the blues and greens with a large abstract over the fireplace that comforted her for some reason. Whenever she felt stressed she just stared at it and breathed deeply and let the calm flow over her.

Her phone rang and she went to look at the caller ID. An unfamiliar number popped up and she considered letting it go to voice mail but curiosity got the better of her and she answered.

“I heard you were back here, but I thought to myself that my informants must be wrong!” a warm voice said on the other end of the phone.

“Took you all these months to track me down did it? Not very good informants!” she laughed.

“No, of course not. I was just letting you get settled in is all,” he laughed.

Her laughter was bright and quick, Eric always made her laugh. “Okay Eric Jameson, what do you want anyway?” she teased.




“You of course; barring that how about dinner with an old flame? Say tomorrow night?”

A warm shiver crept up Lani’s spine; there was still a little something between them and she realized that she wanted to find out just what that was. “Okay, tomorrow night it is. Where shall I meet you?”

“What, don’t trust me to pick you up?” He listened to her giggle and said, “Alright, you win, as always. How about the Arbor Bistro, 8 o’clock?”

“Sounds wonderful! I’ll see you then.” After a brief goodbye she hung up the phone, more excited than she had been in a long time. Tomorrow evening couldn’t come soon enough for her.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Beth was awed and amazed by Emma and Jackson; she had read all their marriage certificates in their home with curiosity. There had been a new one every 20 years or so with new names and to think that they had been married for 150 years just blew her away. Would she want that with Mick? With anyone?

If she were going to have that then that meant being turned. Right now she just couldn’t imagine it happening, but she had no idea what the future held. She loved Mick and if she could spend eternity with him wouldn’t she want that? Fear coiled in her stomach; fear of what it meant to be turned, fear of not being turned. She could chase it in circles for years and never solve the riddle she thought.

She pulled up at Mick’s loft and climbed out of the car. Simone had been released but Ben still wasn’t 100% sure she hadn’t done it. Right now she had a lead on Hank and she wanted Mick to go with her to check it out.

When she opened the door at the loft she got the shock of her life; Mick had his mouth on Simone’s arm and was obviously drinking her blood. It stunned her; it infuriated her. A cloud of seething red rage wrapped fiery arms around her and held her motionless.



He hastily pulled away, wiping his mouth and he wore the guilt of his actions all over his face. Josef and Simone hurriedly left leaving Mick and Beth alone, separated by a mile-wide chasm. It wasn’t far enough to contain her anger.

“Police found blood on Dominic’s body; I was just making sure it wasn’t Simone’s.”

“They have laboratories for that. I have a lead on Hank Bishop; are you coming with me?” Her words were clipped, each one slicing through him like a dull knife.

Wordlessly he followed, trying to think of what to say to her but nothing came to him. He had a whole list of could says and should says but somehow they seemed inadequate to explain things. He cast a sideways glance at her in the car and saw her face was set in stone, expressionless as she stared straight ahead. He wanted to apologize but knew that right now she didn’t want to hear anything he had to say so he just drove.

When they reached fraternity row at Hearst they parked and Beth silently got out of the car, not waiting on him to open her door. The impatient gesture somehow irritated him and he asked her if they were going to talk about what happened.

“What do you expect me to say,” she said, still angry.

“I wasn’t feeding on Simone. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Then why do I feel like I walked in on you two making out?”

“We weren’t making out – the only person I want to make out with is you!” he declared.

“But you don’t want to drink my blood.”

“You want me to drink your blood? Where is this coming from?”

Do I want him to drink my blood? Why doesn’t he want to?

“It’s just that when you were dying in the desert you made it seem like a big deal and now you’re telling me it isn’t so please forgive me for being a little confused.”

How do I tell her it’s because she is not food to me, that she will never be and the reason it was such a big deal in the desert was because I love her, even then and Simone, well, it was nothing.

He decided he couldn’t win and silently followed her into the frat house. The inside looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in years with stuff covering every available surface. Some of that ‘stuff’ included a couple who were engaged in a bit of romance.

Once they knew that Mick and Beth were looking for Hank it all went downhill quickly. Someone yelled to him that the cops were there and Hank made a hasty retreat out a second story window. Beth ran for the front door and Mick got hit in the head with the before running after Hank outside where he caught him.

“You okay?” Beth inquired.

Mick shrugged and said, “I got hit in the head with the sacred ass paddle.”

“Karma,” Beth said and couldn’t help the small bit of satisfaction that crept into her voice.

They turned Hank over to Ben and Mick drove back to his place with a still silent Beth by his side.

“Want to come up for a drink?” He wanted to try to explain, he just didn’t know if she was ready for it.

Beth fixed him with a sad look and thought about it for a moment. Too much was going on and she was tired, so tired. He was trying and perhaps she owed him the chance to explain but it wasn’t going to be tonight.

“Look Mick, I want to talk to you, but I’m wiped out. Can it wait until tomorrow?”

For a moment he thought of offering her the sofa again, which made him remember that the new bedroom suite was being delivered in the morning. He wanted it to be a surprise so he only smiled at her and nodded his head. “I understand. Beth, I have so much to say to you…”

She felt hot tears sting her eyes and she blinked quickly to keep them at bay. She stood on tip-toes and gave him a quick kiss and started to pull away from him but he grabbed her and pulled her back to him, burying his face in her hair and breathing in deeply, scenting her sorrow and exhaustion.

“I’m sorry I hurt you Beth. Please, please forgive me.” His voice broke as he choked back his own emotion.

She nodded and he captured her lips in a kiss, soft and gentle and infinitely tender.

“Tomorrow?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He watched as she made her way to the Prius and drove off. Tomorrow he was going to do it, have that talk. It was time.



OOOOOOOOOOOO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcCTKtyzaXc


Oh, a storm is threat'ning
My very life today
If I don't get some shelter
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away



Colleen slipped past the watchful eye of Roberta, Katrina’s faithful receptionist and opened the door. Kat was sitting behind her desk, going over some files. She looked up when Colleen came in and nodded towards a chair. “Have a seat.”




“Thanks. I’m glad you could see me now, before I go to work.”

“I take it things aren’t going well?” Kat said, leaning back in her chair.

“On duty things are fine. She’s doing exactly as she is supposed to. But I followed her the other day when we got off, just because I don’t trust her. And I was right, she is stalking Beth Turner, on her own time now.”

Kat leaned forward in the chair and slapped her hand down on the desk. “Is she an idiot? Does she really think we wouldn’t find out? Josef called me again a little while ago and told me I had better get her under control or he would.”

Understanding flickered in Colleen’s eyes and she nodded. “Look Kat, I don’t want any trouble from this. If the other cleaners find out I’m spying on one of their own I’ll never get a partner to work with that I can trust. They like Kelly and many of them don’t like vamps getting busy with humans.”

Kat nodded; these were all things she knew. Hell, she didn’t like it either but while Kelly was in her employ she was responsible for her behavior on and off of work. She frowned and then rubbed her temples, frustration rolling off of her. “Alright, I’ll take care of it. Thanks for coming in Colleen.” With a curt nod she dismissed her and Colleen left, trying not to be spotted. That would only make things worse.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away


The next morning Beth’s bedroom furniture was delivered. Mick stood in the doorway, admiring the light colored wood and the soft colors of the linens in the room. The walls had been painted a creamy white; just a shade lighter than almond and the linens were all mint greens and sea-shell pink. It actually looked like Beth Mick decided. The bathroom had matching towels and curtains. He decided it would do for her and if she hated it, well they could do whatever she wanted with the rooms.

That off of his list he headed over to talk to Jackson about someone he had seen talking to Dominic the night he was murdered. It turned out her name was Lisa and she was a vamp, as well as a cheerleader.

While Mick talked to Lisa at Hearst Ben talked with Hank. Both of them got the same news, that Emma had murdered Dominic. Lisa and Emma had both been having affairs with him and Jackson didn’t know about it. As Mick headed out to find Emma he got a call from Beth, telling him that Ben knew and that they were on their way to pick up Emma. Mick told her to stall them and rushed to Emma’s office but he got there a few minutes too late.

They were trying to take her into custody and she was tossing all the officers and Ben around like there were beach balls. Mick strode in and grabbed her, telling her that this wasn’t how it would go; she had to go with them and they’d get her out later. Emma was livid, but allowed herself to be cuffed and taken out.

Ben stared at the room that had been torn apart in the scuffle. “How did she do this?” he asked, stunned.

“I don’t know; psychotic break maybe?” Mick suggested.

“Psychotic definitely,” Beth echoed as they left.

When Mick and Beth talked to Jackson he seemed stoic, considering his wife of 150 years had an affair with a 22 year old basketball player. He also seemed sure she would be okay in custody until they could get her out. He was wrong.

Beth got him in to see Emma and she threatened to expose every vamp in LA if Mick didn’t get her out. While they spoke in hushed vamp tones, Mick still heard her threat and knew that she had just sealed her own fate when they did get her out of custody.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Simone decided to pay a visit to Beth; she had seen how upset the other woman had been when she walked in on them the other day and she wanted to apologize and try to explain.

Beth looked less than pleased to see her but told her to come in anyway. She wasn’t sure what Simone wanted, but she’d find out she guessed. And part of the guess was right, Simone apologized for what happened.

Beth listened to Simone tell her that it was nothing and finally said, “It’s just that it looked kind of…”

“Intimate?” Simone finished. “Well I think so but to them – vampires don’t care about humans like that. To them we’re just a blip in their lifespan. To love us is to watch us die.”

Beth listened to Simones words and thought about their implications; was it true? Did Mick only see her as a blip in his life? She was sure he’d never turn her. Wasn’t she?



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Ooh, see the fire is sweepin'
Our very street today
Burns like a red coal carpet
Mad bull lost its way



A plan was set for that night; Josef, Logan, Guillermo, Katrina and two other cleaners met at Mick’s place to discuss it. In the middle of the meeting there was a knock on Mick’s door. He immediately caught Beth’s scent. They hadn’t had a chance to talk yet today and he knew that was why she was here.

He answered the door, stepping out into the hallway and pulling the door closed behind him which immediately made Beth curious.

“Hey, can we talk?”

Mick’s heart sank, this wasn’t the time. “Right now? It’s not a good time.”

Beth tried to peek around his shoulder and said, “Let me guess – vampire business.”

“You can’t be involved,” he answered her.

“No, I guess I can’t.”

Mick watched her walk away, torn because he didn’t want her to leave like this and knowing that she couldn’t be here. He finally went back in and closed the door so they could finish their plan.




Each person would have a specific job to do; Guillermo and the cleaners were going to stage an accident. Logan was going to hack the city’s main computers and make sure the van that would be carrying Emma to county lockup would make the lights until they came upon the accident. At that point Mick and Josef would pull Emma out of the county van. From there they would hand her over to the cleaners in the ambulance that was part of the accident set up.

“Uh, can my code name be ‘Lando Calrissian’,” Logan asked.

They all stared at Logan in disbelief. “Let’s go,” Mick said.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Beth went home, barely holding back the tears until she was safe in her apartment. Once again she was sitting on the outside looking in as Mick kept secrets. Vampire secrets, vampire business, it was all the same and it excluded her. He didn’t trust her, it was just that simple.

He didn’t trust her to be a part of his life except in some periphery manner. She had opened up to him about her life, welcomed him into it, told him that she cared for him and she got nothing in return.

Beth trudged into the bedroom, pulling off her clothes as she went and hopped into the shower where the water could run down her face and wash the tears away. She didn’t know if they were angry tears or hurt tears but they flowed freely, streaking down her face. After a few minutes she felt a bit more in control and climbed out, drying off before pulling on some comfortable lounging pants and shirt and an old sweater. Despite the warm shower she felt chilled.

She fumed as she opened the freezer looking for a little magic elixir otherwise known as Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream. Not bothering with a bowl she pulled a spoon out of the drawer and as an afterthought opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass. She had no idea if red wine and ice cream would go together but she wasn’t too concerned about it either. She headed over to the couch and sat down, pulling an afghan over her legs that she curled underneath her and began the battle of pulling the top off of the ice cream.

The victory over the top was a moot point when she realized the top was totally torn apart and would never fit on the container again. It didn’t matter; she doubted if there would be any left when she was done. She plunged the spoon into the frozen creation and dug out a huge bite and popped it into her mouth.

The creamy concoction melted in her mouth and soothed her wounded soul for a moment but it was all too brief. Her thoughts had turned back to Mick and what had happened and the tears flowed again, sobs wracking her small body.




Travis had been watching and finally jumped onto the couch next to her and pushed his nose against her leg before rubbing his cheek against her. He blinked as he looked at her and a breath caught in Beth’s throat because it seemed like a gesture of comfort to her.

“Travis,” she said, reaching out to stroke him. His soft fur was silky beneath her fingertips as she scratched him behind his ears and heard his answering purr of contentment. He crawled up into her lap and nosed the container of ice cream, licking his lips.

“You want some Travis?” Beth dug the spoon into the carton and held out a heaping bite to Travis who delicately licked at the treat, his small pink tongue lapping at it with delight. Beth watched and took a sip of her wine and then another; before she knew it the glass was empty. She piled a couple of spoonfuls of the ice cream onto what was left of the lid and sat it on the floor. Travis immediately followed it and went after his treat with abandon. Beth dug the spoon back into the container and ate another bite; she should have been appalled after having fed Travis from the spoon but somehow she just didn’t care.

She tried to call Lani but her phone went immediately to voice mail and Beth remembered that Lani was going out with Eric tonight. Beth had always liked him and she was glad they were going out. Then another thought occurred to her and she dialed another number and waited impatiently for someone to answer.

“Hello?” the voice on the other end of the phone said.

“Uh, Cami? This is Beth, Beth Turner. Am I bothering you?”

No Beth wasn’t bothering her; it took her mind off of what was going on right now. She, like many of the other members of the vampire community in LA were waiting to see what happened this evening. She had received a coded message earlier from Logan and knew that they were all in danger of being exposed by Emma Monaghan. Cami couldn’t help but wonder what Beth wanted though. “Hi Beth. No, you’re not. What’s going on?” She heard a small muffled sob on the other end of the line and sighed.

“Cami, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure Beth. What’s wrong?”

“Is it possible for a vampire to love a human? Are we just a blip in your lifetime?” Simone’s words rang like tympani in Beth’s memory.

So this is about Mick. Did they have a fight or what? “Beth, I think it’s possible; I think that a vampire is totally capable of loving a human. But Beth, it’s dangerous, some things about it, you know?”

Beth stifled another sob and said, “That’s exactly the point Cami; Mick says that all the time but he won’t tell me WHY. He says relationships between human and vampires are difficult, dangerous and complicated. Cami, I’m not an idiot; any relationship is complicated and difficult, I get that. But the dangerous? What is that about?”

Cami let out a long unnecessary breath. Mick had obviously never talked to her about relations between the two species. Damn him, damn most all men for being afraid to talk to a woman. No, they wanted to direct your life and keep things from you to ‘protect’ you. And evidently Mick was the same as all the others. Cami saw red and it wasn’t blood. “Okay Beth, here’s the truth of it; vampires, in order to reach orgasm need to bite. Trust me, it’s not the kind of bite that will kill you, it’s only a small bite and it enhances your pleasure in ways you can’t even imagine.” She was quiet while she let Beth digest that news.

Beth felt stupid for a moment; how could she not have guessed that? It made sense though, from Mick’s perspective. He was always afraid of what he called the monster and if the monster emerged at a time when most people already had little control he was probably afraid that he would hurt her.

No wonder he never let her get too close.

“Thanks Cami, for the honesty. I appreciate it.”

“No problem Beth. I just can’t stand it when men pull that ‘in control’ card, you know? He loves you; he should just be honest with you.”

He loves me she wondered? Did he?

“Well, thanks again. Goodbye.” She heard Cami murmur the same words on the other end and the line went dead. No sooner had she hung it up then it rang again.

“Beth, its Ben. Emma Monaghan has escaped custody. I thought you should know.”

When she hung up the phone for the second time she was shaking badly. She now knew what the vampire business was earlier and why she couldn’t be a part of it.

Finally she understood; she really couldn’t be a part of it, of any of it.



OOOOOOOOOOOOO



War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away
War, children, it's just a shot away
It's just a shot away



Ben sat in his office, talking to the DA about Emma Monaghan. The police had gone to her house to talk to her husband and found him gone too. They had managed an escape together. As he hung up the phone he noticed a folder on the floor and went to pick it up. Inside he found a list; typed on many pages were names, hundreds of them. He scanned though them, some he recognized as historical characters, some of people that were alive and some were fictitious characters. He stared at it and wondered what it was about.

His phone rang and he picked it up. “The list is for your eyes only. We’ll talk again…”



OOOOOOOOOOOO



After they got Emma out of the van that was transporting her to a new location she was taken into custody by the cleaners. Emma was charged with treason for her threats to her brothers and sisters in the vampire community; the penalty was her life. Jackson decided to be executed with her and Mick and Josef watched as the flamethrower’s powerful burst disintegrated them both.

Watching Emma and Jackson Monaghan executed was harder than Mick every thought possible. Two people, who had loved each other so much ended as a pile of ash because Emma’s thoughtless words that threatened to out the entire vampire community.

Mick parked in front of Beth’s apartment and turned the car off. He wanted to see her, to tell her everything. If they were going to make this work he had to let her know what she was in for, what the future held. If she chose to walk away after she knew he would accept it.

He sat for a moment fiddling with his keys; the problem was that he didn’t know where to start. He finally opened the car door and headed into her building. When she answered his knock he could see the pain and betrayal in her eyes. He knew that he was fighting for more than just the right to talk to her – he was fighting for them.

When he told her about what had happened to Emma and Jackson he saw the anguish written on her face, and disbelief as well.

It didn’t take long for her to get to the point – that she had decided he was right, that the river between them was too wide to cross. The words stunned him as he listened to them, as Beth pushed him out of her life. He turned and silently walked out and down the hall, the pain bursting in his undead heart.

He stopped and leaned his forehead against the wall a few feet from her door. He heard her close the door that he had left open and then her heard her sobs, muffled but still achingly loud to his ears.

I spent the past 55 years trying to close the door on forever. But I can’t anymore; I can’t close the door on Beth.

He knocked on the door and when she didn’t answer he opened it and strode into the room. She was standing with her back to the door, her face buried in her arm as she cried. It broke his heart and he knew he would give anything, do anything to hold her right now, to make it better.

She had told him that Emma and Jackson had made her realize that it couldn’t work between them. Well, they had made him realize that it could. “This isn’t about being a vampire or human – this is about us, right here, right now.”

She asked him what she was wearing that first night at the fountain. That puzzled him, but he told her, “Blue jeans, white striped shirt, cream jacket.”

“And my shoes?”

He couldn’t hide the small grin that tweaked up the corners of his mouth as he answered, “You weren’t wearing any.”

“How can you remember that?” she asked.

“Because I love you.”

She moved to him and he met her, pulling her into his arms, as their lips met. He drank her in, her love, her surrender. This was a kiss of promise, of hope, of love in its rarest form – acceptance. Mick scooped her up and went to sit on the couch with her in his lap, never breaking the contact. Finally she sighed and laid her head against his shoulder.

He ran his fingers through her hair and caressed her cheek. “Beth, I have so much to tell you; will you listen?”

Beth gazed into his beautiful hazel eyes and smiled. “Yes Mick, there is so much I need to hear.”

He nodded and took a deep breath. He was scared, afraid once she knew the truth he would lose her, but he was wise enough to know that if he didn’t explain, he would surely lose her.

“Beth, I love you, you are my reason for living, all these years. When Josh died, you asked me why I went on living and the answer was so simple, and yet I couldn’t tell you – the reason is you.” He paused for a moment and before he could go on there was a knock on her door. It continued and got more insistent.

“Beth? BETH? I need to talk to you!”

It was Ben Talbot they both realized. “I’m sorry Mick, I need to answer it.” She moved to get down off of his lap and he held her tight for a moment, kissing her once again.

“Hang on Ben, I’m coming.” She opened the door and he strode into the room and stopped short when he saw Mick on the couch.

“Sorry, don’t mean to interrupt, but the DA wants us down at the accident site where Emma escaped. He’s waiting for us there. I tried to call but your phone is off I think.” He cast a quick look at Mick and nodded.

Beth closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. “Okay, let me change; give me 5 minutes.” She looked at Mick and tried to smile.

“I’ll just go on home Beth. Uh, I’ll talk to you later?”

She nodded and watched as he left the apartment.

“I’m sorry Beth; I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”

“No, it’s okay. Things are okay,” she said.

And she meant it.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



I tell you love, sister, it's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
It's just a kiss away
Kiss away, kiss away

There wasn’t much left at the accident site to see. The only survivor of the accident, the guard was in critical condition at the hospital and unconscious. Not much help and neither was the accident site.

It was almost dawn when they left. Beth climbed into the Prius and instead of heading for home turned in the direction of Mick’s loft. He loved her and he was going to talk to her! The thought thrilled her and wiped her weariness away. AND – she couldn’t help but grin when she thought about it; they were going to finally make love. Talk first though, and then crawl into a shower and into his arms.

Mick had been restless ever since he had gotten home. He had showered and put on a pair of pajama bottoms but couldn’t bring himself to climb into the freezer. Not yet, he decided. He poured a glass of O+ and sat and sipped it, going over the past few hours. It was going to be okay he realized. She was willing to listen and that meant everything.

He hadn’t lost her, but it was close. He couldn’t keep secrets from her any longer.

He heard the elevator ding and immediately scented her. She was tired, but exhilarated at the same time; he met her at the door, throwing it open before she could knock. She walked straight into his arms.

Her kisses seared him, full of passion and heat and he felt his body respond immediately. Beth shrugged her jacket off and let it fall to the floor and started working at the buttons on her blouse next. She forgot the need for talk – all that mattered was this need that burned within her.

“Um Beth, we need to talk,” he said against her mouth. He tried to step away but she held on to him as she wriggled out of the blouse.

“No Mick. Talk later, right now I need you. Make love to me Mick,” her plea was emphatic and it resonated within his soul. He picked her up and headed up the stairs to the room that he had created just for her, laying her gently on the bed.

Her arms wound around him as she whispered in his ear, “Now Mick, I need you now!”

“Whatever you want my Beth…”



To be continued…



Thank you all so much for coming along the journey that relived the episodes of this magical story. I know many of you wanted more after the door closed, and I promise that there will be. My feelings were that their first time to make love was a new beginning for them and as such, it deserves its own chapter as we begin the story after the episodes.

The next chapter is called Shook the World and will start Mick and Beth on the path of their newly found love. There will be more new characters to join the party and we’ll see more about some of the others as well as how Mick and Beth create their new life. Shook the World will be posted in two weeks; in the meantime I will post a new cast of characters as we continue on. I sincerely thank you all for reading along with me and I hope you will enjoy the next part of the journey.

Hope

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the post, it was amazing..I can't wait for the new story!! Will you continue to post the Freshie Friday's during the two weeks?

Hope said...

Hi Anonymous!

I'm so happy you enjoyed it. I think you'll enjoy the story as we continue on.

Yes, I'll continue with Freshie Friday as we go on with the Road Trip. It is important for you to read that as we move into the new story for Mick and Beth.

Thanks so much for reading!

Micklover said...

This knocked my socks off Hope! So much better than the epi. But grrr, having to wait for the good stuff???

I suppose I can, especially as we never got it in the show. And, I think Mick and Beth will be tangling up the sheets in the next chapter of the road trip!

Bravo Hope!!!

Joangel said...

Wow Hope! That was amazing!!! I was reading on the edge of my seat. Can't wait to see what happens next!

Hope said...

Hey Micklover!!

Thank you!! I'm so happy you enjoyed it.

You could be right about the next chapter of The Road Trip! Hope you enjoy it.

Thanks so much for reading!

Hope said...

Hi Joangel!!

When that episode aired we were all on the edge of our seats. We took it for granted that the next season would give us what we wanted, i.e. Mick and Beth together.

But that didn't happen...:(

We'll get lucky in my story though! Thanks so much for reading!