DISCLAIMER: The setting and characters belong to CBS, a production company or two, and pretty much anyone who isn't me; I do this for fun and not profit and I only really own Gracie and Charlotte. Well, that and a new addiction to 'Moonlight'. ;O)

Fancied doing another one shot and have recently become hooked on the show ''Moonlight' (though I'm still waiting for the show in the UK, You Tube is brilliant for clips!); so here's my little story about what Beth tells her best friend…..

'Thoughts'

"Speech"

Summary: Beth Turner wonders what her best friend would make of Mick?

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WHAT IF?

Beth Turner sat cradling the coffee cup her best friend, Charlotte O'Reilly (Charlie to her friends), had made her. She sighed for the fourth time and stared at the dark liquid. Charlie rolled her eyes. "That's the fourth time you've sighed in as many minutes, what's up?"

Beth raised large bright blue eyes to her friend "nothing, nothing all right? It's just……" she ground to a halt, how did she broach the subject of Mick St. John? Did she just blurt it out? "oh I should mention my new friend is a vampire" or hedge? "what's the worst thing a man could be Charlie?"

She sighed yet again and Charlie rose "I'll check the pasta…..maybe you'll tell me while we eat?" Flashing a cheeky smile she went into her tiny kitchen.

Beth couldn't suppress the smile at her friend; they'd been pals for the longest time and she was even godmother to Charlie's daughter Gracie. Yet no one could explain why they were so close; Charlie and Beth were as different as chalk and cheese. The former was ten years older for one; with dark hair and her eyes were a deep dark blue, she was a lot curvier than Beth and a real tomboy.

Beth was blond haired and her eyes a pale blue. She was more petite and ladylike; both in her body shape and the way she acted and dressed. The differences didn't stop there; Charlie was sarcastic, brutally honest and, despite her jokey manner with Beth, she was a well respected lecturer in Ancient History and Legends and Mythology at the nearby University.

Bearing that in mind Beth stood and wandered into the kitchen "do you believe in vampires?"

Charlie did a double take "do I believe in the what now?"

Beth blushed slightly at the incredulous look on her friend's face "vampires."

Charlie stopped stirring the pasta sauce and looked at her "why?"

Beth forced a shrug "just wondered."

"Why?" That was one of their few similarities, a burning curiosity that would not be put off or diverted.

Beth schooled her face into a placid mask "well, you know – you do lecture on all that legends stuff." She paused "so, do you?"

Charlie eyed her "are we talking about Anne Rice's 'Lestat' and Stoker's 'Dracula' or a more realistic sort."

"Oh" Beth thought for a moment "realistic I think."

Charlie seemed to consider this before answering "then - kind of."

"What does that mean?" Beth perched against the counter as Charlie returned her attention to the evening meal.

"We-ell – logically they can't exist. I mean a person that lives on nothing but blood should be scientifically impossible….."

"Why?" Beth broke in.

"We need fats, carbohydrates and protein to survive – blood doesn't have any of that." Charlie stopped and thought "at least I don't think it has protein; it might, I didn't exactly ace biology at school – but it definitely doesn't have fats and carbs; so technically anyone using only blood for sustenance couldn't survive."

"I feel there's a but coming." Beth smiled at her friend.

Charlie returned it "yes there is, sort of. Hypothetically I disagree with logic; in my studies and through my lecturing I've found there is a wide sweep of stories about vampires across the globe that all have marked similarities."

She nodded as if in answer to someone else "I know that there are a lot of scientists and such that would say traders and travelers would be responsible for spreading stories, and thus were the reason for the similarities; but to be honest that's only half the answer."

"There's more to it than that?"

"I think so – some of the stories are from areas that were, for the most part, quite isolated in ancient times. There's no way that someone could've gone into those areas and told them stories about the 'undead'."

"So do you think that Stoker and Rice are right then?" Beth gave Charlie her best innocent look.

"Hardly; of course the legends have been embellished with various myths and from there they've been written into our modern history and story telling." She smiled "how did you guess this was a pet peeve of mine?"

Beth was surprised "is it? I hadn't actually" she fished around for a reason to stay on the subject "I read an article somewhere about how ancient stories give way to modern mythology and wondered what you thought. Vampires were the first thing I thought of to ask about."

Charlie smiled "well, they're a very interesting subject."

"Really?"

"Yeah they are" Charlie grinned; she loved her work and would talk about it with gusto. Her lectures were always full because she brought it all to life; Beth knew that as well as anyone, as she'd sat in on a few "I mean there's no real explanation for how they came about, and yet here they are."

She stopped stirring and lifted her head towards the ceiling "GRACIE!!" she bellowed, knowing her daughter would hear and come running "DINNER'S READY!!"

Beth grimaced "I didn't need my eardrums anyway."

Charlie grinned "well it's not like it's a new thing is it? You'd think you'd stick your fingers in your ears by now!"

Gracie, an eight year old smaller blond version of her mother came trotting into the kitchen, now filling the small room completely "is it homemade spag bol?"

"Would it be anything else, knowing what a little fusspot you are?" her mother arched an eyebrow at her.

"I am not fussy; it's just your spaggy tastes way better than the store's." she picked up her plate and made for the table.

Beth and Charlie followed; over dinner they chatted to Gracie about school and her friends. Charlie turned to her daughter "do you believe in vampires Grace?"

The little girl thought for a minute "yeah, pretty much; why?"

Charlie nodded her head at Beth "she was wondering if I did and that got me to wondering if you did."

"Gotcha – yeah I reckon I do. I mean, all those stories had to start somewhere right?" Gracie took an avid interest in her mother's work, and everyone said she was an old head on young shoulders.

"Shouldn't you be scared of them?" Beth asked her Goddaughter.

"If they existed – maybe." Gracie nodded.

"But you just said you thought they did exist."

"Yeah but just coz I thinkthey do, doesn't mean they reallydo." Gracie smiled "can I watch tv now? 'That's so Raven's' on."

Charlie nodded with a smile "knock yourself out kiddo; you've done your homework so the evening's yours."

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After she and Beth had cleared up, her best friend broached the subject again. Though she wondered how long it would be before Charlie started to get suspicious. She decided to try a circular route "do you believe in werewolves too?"

"Oh absolutely – though not in actuality; there's a mental illness called Lycanthropy."

"Oh?" Beth wondered at her friend's knowledge on all things weird and wonderful; still, it was useful right now she had to admit.

"The sufferer believes they become a werewolf." Charlie nodded "Of course they don't in the literal sense, but they believe they do and behave accordingly." She grimaced "the results are not pretty."

Beth pulled a face, and steered the conversation back to vampires. "So do people suffer the same way when they believe they're vampires?"

Charlie regarded her for a moment; Beth gave her her best curious reporter look……and crossed her fingers behind her back.

Her friend sighed "no; it's quite different actually. As I said, logically vampires can't exist – but, at least hypothetically, I think they do."

"So you believe in them?" Beth was surprised; as much as Charlie lectured in ancient history and myths and legends, she was a particularly pragmatic soul at heart.

"Sort of; I think their existence is possible – in a real sense anyway."

"What does that mean?" Beth was confused.

"Not like LeStat or Dracula, not like Angel from Buffy. I mean as another section of our society."

"What, like real people?"

Charlie smiled "just 'coz they're dead doesn't make them any the less 'real people' Beth." The young woman knew when she was being lightly admonished and blushed.

"You don't think they're evil then?" Beth pressed as they returned to the living room, neither noticing the odd shadow on the fire escape; loitering by the open window.

"Not any more than the rest of us. There's good and bad in every race Beth, why should theirs be any different?"

Beth shrugged "they're vampires" was all she could come up with; though she had to admit that Mick was different. Kind ,thoughtful...she dragged her mind away from him and back to her friend.

Charlie rolled her eyes "that's what they are, not a reason. Anyway" she continued "remember that Stoker based Dracula largely on Vlad Drakulya, or the Impaler as he was lovingly known. He was a human, and I use that term loosely, and a more evil mongrel you couldn't wish to meet."

Charlie's eyes glowed with dislike for a moment "everyone remembers him most for the impalings he committed; but he did a lot of other unspeakable things."

"Such as?"

"Well for one he had an oubliette, a sort of dungeon where he would imprison people and leave them to die of starvation and thirst. That was if he was feeling generous – otherwise another favoured trick of his was to peel the skin off their feet and leave the rats to lick and bite them. basically be eaten alive until such time as they died from their wounds or shock or he fished them out to be impaled, or otherwise slaughtered."

Beth shuddered "you're joking?!"

"Nope" Charlie shook her head "do you know he had that dungeon situated under his bedroom, so he could hear the screams and cries of his victims while he slept? Now that is a monster."

Beth nodded "I see; okay so what about not having a reflection, a crucifix hurting them, umm holy water, garlic, being staked……..oh and afraid of sunlight?"

Charlie arched an eyebrow at the sudden rush of questions "Well, in ancient times and actually still today some people think that to have a reflection you need to have a soul. As vampires are technically dead, they no longer have a soul – ipso facto, no reflection." She grinned "though its not necessarily true; the first thing I'd ask a vampire, assuming I met a nice one, is to have a look in a mirror for me."

"Crucifix?"

"Ah and there in lies the rub; it has to be a crucifix, not a simple cross. Before you ask, yes there is a difference. A crucifix has the likeness of Jesus on it, while a cross is just a cross. The power of the crucifix comes from the Christian religion and Jesus' ability to combat and force out evil.

Vampires are considered to be demonic agents by most religions. However, the crucifix will only have control over evil if you believe in its power. If you don't believe in the power of the Christian faith then the crucifix will be of little use to you."

"What about holy water? Surely that works the same way then?"

"Sort of; it's basically another religious item used to combat vampires. Holy Water is plain water that's been blessed by a priest or religious holy man. The same can be done with wine, as it's meant to symbolise the blood of Christ. When holy water is cast onto the vampires skin it burns like acid leaving bad burns and causing extreme pain; I have to say though that it rarely kills, despite what the movies tell you." Charlie nodded in mock solemnity "so once they recover you have one seriously ticked off vampire hunting you down."

"What about Garlic, surely that's true?" Beth wasn't finding all this out because of Mick; he trusted her and so she had to trust him. But…….well, if there was a bad vampire out there it didn't hurt to be prepared right?

"Ah the old faithful" Charlie smiled "actually garlic is another ancient method of fending off all sorts of evil spirits. Garlic has been used in cultures throughout the world as a healing medicine and natural vitamin. It was thought to have a purification principle much like the metal Silver. People would hang it outside their doorways to keep evil spirits from entering their homes.

The ancient societies got a little carried away with garlic though, condemning anyone who had an aversion to garlic as a vampire. Garlic was also passed out during church ceremonies so that church official could be sure that no evil spirits were attending. I think you could call it overkill, pardon the pun. Like I said, silver is the same."

"Silver? I thought that was for werewolves?" Beth looked a little confused and Charlie was wondering what had sparked off all this sudden interest in her normally diligently down to earth pal.

She nodded "you're right; when most people think of silver weapons killing monsters, they think of silver bullets and werewolves. However, silver stakes, spears and daggers have also been known to slow down and kill vampires as well.

Silver is considered to be a metal of purity you see, and so it's been used for protection against evil in almost every world culture throughout history. Silver can be melted down to form amulets, jewelry, bullets, daggers and religious symbols such as crucifixes." she ticked off the various items on her fingers "silver amulets and daggers can be put into the ground above the grave to prevent evil spirits from escaping. Silver nails driven into coffin lids are said to help prevent evil spirits from rising from the grave."

"Is that why you wear a lot of silver jewelry?" Beth asked.

"No, I just prefer it to gold; but now you come to mention it, it can't hurt right?" the two women chuckled.

"Staked?" Beth sipped her coffee.

"Well, staking a vampire in the heart with a wooden stake is the most popular way of destroying vampires; certainly in all the movies anyway. However, this method of killing a vampire has been around for literallyhundreds of years. The stakes were typically made of ash or aspen, I'm not really sure why but there must've been a reason that's been lost over time.

However, the stake must penetrate the vampire's heart to destroy it. In medieval times the stake was also used as prevention of vampires actually rising. Deceased individuals who were thought to have a higher risk of becoming a vampire were staked in their coffins so that the stake would pin them to the ground and stop them escaping their graves." She pulled a face "choice; still I suppose it saved waking up to find someone dining out on your jugular."

Charlie smirked, but Beth just shuddered "what about beheading them? Oh and can't you burn them too?"

"Beheading always works, probably because even the undead can't run around without a head!" Charlie grinned as Beth merely smiled weakly "Cut off the vampire's head and you basically end the creature's undead existence. Many past cultures combined this with other methods to fully destroy the vampire. Vampires were beheaded, had their hearts staked and then cut out, and the remains of their bodies were burned to ash and buried on consecrated grounds. I guess they figured why take any chances when you can really make sure they're definitely gone.

As to fire; it's bad for vampires, they do not like it any more than any of us. Burning the body of a vampire is a really effective method of destroying it. However, the vampire must be thoroughly burned to ashes or it will eventually heal itself and return for bitter vengeance; not good.

The best method is when the vampire's head and heart have been removed first before the corpse is burned – you know, belt and braces." Charlie thought for a moment "of course I'm fairly sure there's plenty of other ways – like blowing it into a zillion pieces with a bomb, or burying it in quick drying concrete and dropping it in the ocean; which if not strictly killing it, the latter method would at least render it unable to be a nuisance anymore."

"What would you do?" Beth was curious; although knowing Charlie like she did, she was pretty sure of her answer. "Belt and braces – stake, behead, and burn. Of course that would only be with those that deserved it; as I've said, there's good and bad in all societies so I wouldn't judge them all the same."

"Are they really afraid of sunlight?"

"Nope; that's another myth – something to do with daylight being 'God's light' and so detrimental to evil spirits such as vampires. But if you read the ancient texts they're actually fine in sunlight; mainly because they're not 'evil spirits', just different to us. However, it might affect their powers of regeneration, etc so they don't heal so fast and it may hurt their eyes a bit, but apart from that they're fine. A good SPF and some decent sunglasses and they're good to go."

Charlie grinned "much like me" there was a pause "hey, maybe I'm one and didn't know!"

"Oh, ha ha!" Beth rolled her eyes "not funny."

Charlie's dislike of sunshine and hot weather was legendary. She rarely tanned, instead going lobster red before returning to milk white, and the bright light hurt her eyes meaning she wore sunglasses pretty much permanently throughout the summer and a lot of the winter months too.

Charlie loved the winter; she didn't tolerate heat very well, garlic upset her stomach (she suffered from colitis) and Beth realized that in ancient times she probably would've been staked as a vampire. She said as much.

Charlie nodded "yup, see why you shouldn't judge people? I am not a vampire; I like my steak well done anyway. I could think of nothing worse to be actually."

"Really? Wouldn't it be nice to live forever?"

Charlie shook her head "think about it; vampires are rarely turned by their choice. Any documented case I've read about a new vampire being sired is when another one has changed their mind once they've commenced feeding, but its too late to just leave the victim as they've taken too much blood; if not that, then the other vampire has formed an attachment to their victim or are just lonely and need company.

Either way that vampire has changed their victim into this eternal parasite against their will; coz that's what they are, a parasite – like a mozzie or a leech; living off the blood of others.

Then the new vampire is forced to move around for fear of being discovered. Knowing, even if they don't stay to watch (for fear they'll be rejected), that their family and friends will grow old and die even as they live on – never really making friends, unable to trust anyone with such a secret" she shook her head "I feel sorry for them; it must be awful."

"You really wouldn't want to live forever?" Beth was surprised; Charlie loved life with a gusto that was reflected in her daughter. They were a real team and Beth adored them.

"No" her friend shook her head emphatically "I wouldn't; the price is too high – it's not a life, it's an existence; and one that would never end. It'd be like not dying and still ending up in hell."

Beth thought of Mick and had to agree; Charlie continued "would you want to spend eternity on the outside of life, forever looking in but never really being a part of it?"

Beth shook her head "No, I don't think so. But then some of them are evil."

"Yeah, and some are not – some are just bone crunchingly lonely; and that's just so sad. I don't hate vampires, neither am I afraid – mostly I just feel sorry for them; hypothetically speaking of course." She shook her head with a smile "anyway why all the interest?"

Beth took a deep breath "because I know one…….." As she said it, Mick stepped in through the living room window.

"Ummm, hi?" he smiled a little uncertainly.

Gracie looked over "are you a real vampire like Beth said?"

"Yeah, and a PI actually."

"Cool!" the little girl grinned. Her mother merely sat open mouthed.

Beth rolled her eyes in irritation "didn't I say not to come? Didn't I say to wait, at least until she'd got used to the idea?"

"Yeah" he smiled warmly at her.

"So why didn't you?"

"I was bored?" he offered a little shamefacedly, but not contrite enough for Beth who merely poked her tongue out at him.

Charlie sat open mouthed as he turned to look at her "you got it all right by the way. You really know your stuff."

She nodded dumbly; Beth looked a little concerned "she's not been this silent in years."

"Meeting a real live vampire is not an every day occurrence though is it?" Mike offered by way of explanation.

"N-o" Beth admitted "but even so she's not usually this stuck for words."

"Can I see your teeth?" Gracie asked, completely un-phased by Mick's appearance.

"What? Umm, sure" he flexed his incisors for her……..there was a gentle thud as Charlie hit the floor.

Beth looked at her suddenly unconscious friend "well, that was……unexpected." She looked at Mick "I thought she'd be thrilled to be finally proved right."

Mick shrugged "no accounting for the unexpected….."

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When Charlie finally came round Beth introduced her to Mick; they shook hands – though Charlie's was shaking a little.

Mick smiled "I don't bite, you know."

Charlie gave a weak smile "not helping."

Mick grinned and she stopped shaking, as she realised he was alright; Beth breathed a sigh of relief, they were going to be friends and she hadn't realized how important that was to her. She also wasn't going to analyze why, Mick was just a friend after all……wasn't he?

She watched him as he chatted to Gracie; his eyes gentle and his voice full of humour. She mentally shook herself – he was definitely just a friend, absolutely. Totally.

Charlie looked at her "oh you star crossed lover you!"

"What the hell is that? And we're not lovers, Charlie!" she hissed as her face flamed.

"I'll tell you another time" Charlie grinned, though it didn't quite reach her eyes "and I believe you……thousands wouldn't."

Beth glared and muttered; Charlie smiled at Mick as he glanced over, his eyes softening even more as they rested briefly on Beth. But inside she worried 'falling for a vampire is not bright, as nice as he seems. How well could this end?'