Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight. But I am back writing another story about it.
Readers, I am returning with a continuation of my stories; Girl Talk and Remembrance. I will blend my OC, Kira Starling into the final nine episodes of the show. I am enjoying the chance to revisit the development of Mick and Beth's relationship and getting to know the whole Moonlight world again. I hope you enjoy my attempt to fill in parts of the show, seeing them through Kira's eyes. Thanks.
A Second Look; a New Perspective
Chapter 1 12:04: Explanations
The sun was sinking into the ocean, ending another glorious day in Los Angeles. The beginning of this day had seen Beth on Mick's balcony, finally holding all the missing pieces to her life's mystery in a manila folder. Mick was her guardian angel, the reason she had felt safe all these years. He had gone so far as to kill his wife to save her. And yet he expected Beth to hate him for it. Couldn't he see that he had made it possible for her to grow up safe and happy? Sadness filled Beth as she felt a wall go up between them as he had walked away from her.
She wished that this had been clear to her sooner. For twenty two years she had tried to clear away the haze from her memory of that night. From the first moment she had seen Mick, he had looked familiar. Why hadn't meeting Morgan done the same thing? According to Mick, she was a dead ringer for his ex-wife. Shouldn't she easily remember the scary lady's face?
And that led to another, realization. Kira had known Coraline and she had been in town when Beth had been kidnapped. Yet when Beth had gone to talk to Kira after Mick's confession that he had killed his wife, the vampiress had said nothing. A small flame of anger started burning in Beth to know that things were being kept from her. It hurt to think that the woman she had begun to see as a friend would keep such important information a secret. It was time to clear the air.
******
Beth stalked into Dusk to Dawn and headed directly towards Kira's office. Her anger had built on the drive over and she glared at Eli Wolfe, backing him off as she went into the hallway leading to the private office. With all Kira's cameras, she knew the vampire would see her coming. Almost on cue, the office door swung open to admit her when she reached it.
Beth swept inside and then turned to glower at the lovely redhead standing by the door. Coolly Kira closed the door and gave her full attention to the irate human standing by her desk.
"Yes Beth?"
"You knew!" Beth exploded. "You knew and didn't tell me."
Kira arched one brow but didn't answer. She moved to stand next to her desk and crossing her arms over her chest she leaned against it, waiting.
"Why didn't you tell me it was Mick who saved me as a child? Why didn't you tell me his wife was my kidnapper? You knew all of this yet you said nothing," Beth demanded.
"Ground rules Beth," Kira reminded her gently. In their first meeting Kira had set down the rules under which she would talk to the reporter. Rule number one was she would not discuss Mick's personal life.
"Ground rules be damned. This is my life we're talking about. I thought we were friends," Beth exclaimed.
"I am your friend Beth. But I have been Mick's friend longer. This was not my story to tell. I am sorry. I told Mick to be honest with you. I offered my help but he refused. I had to honor his wishes," Kira said kindly.
Beth felt some of the anger leave her and she sank into a chair in front of the desk. She looked at Kira in bewilderment.
"Why am I only given pieces of the puzzle? Why wouldn't Mick want me to know? Kira, he saved me."
"Think about it Beth. It was his wife who kidnapped you. She wanted to create a happy little vampire family. Mommy, Daddy and baby. How could Mick tell you what his wife intended to do to you? He's been protecting you all this time," Kira said bluntly.
Beth sucked in her breath as the full truth hit home. Mick had saved her from spending forever as a vampire child.
"He feels responsible Beth. By now you should know how Mick takes on guilt," Kira added in a gentler tone.
"It's not his fault. I'd never blame him for what she did," Beth said softly. "What else isn't he telling me?"
"I couldn't say," Kira replied.
"And you won't say even if you know, right?" Beth said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She saw the pained look flash across Kira's face and felt sorry for her hasty words. "Just what do you owe Mick? Help me understand. Are you still in love with him? Please don't keep me on the outside," Beth pleaded. She could still hear Lola's taunting voice telling her that Mick was keeping her on the edge of his world looking in.
Kira sighed deeply at Beth's persistence. She liked the young woman but her curiosity was bound to get her in trouble. Perhaps she needed to make it clear how dangerous it was to mix with the vampire world. Beth needed to see the darker side of vampire glamour.
"No, I am not in love with Mick. I owe him my life. Fifteen years ago I murdered my human lover and Mick cleaned up my mess," Kira said harshly. "He made it look like a car accident and saved me from facing human murder charges."
Beth sat there, shocked into silence with this confession. A quick flutter of fear ran through her and then she calmed down. There was more to this story than just those hard facts.
"There is more you aren't saying. I don't believe you just murdered someone on a whim. I can't be that bad a judge of character. You aren't a killer Kira," Beth said with conviction.
Kira smiled tightly, shaking her head. Her chin-length bob of hair swung with the movement.
"I'm a vampire Beth. But no, it wasn't a whim," she reflected. "I lost control. It was a mistake."
"Were you trying to turn him?" Beth asked considering the possibility.
"No," Kira said with a bitter laugh. "When I snapped I meant to kill."
Some of Beth's earlier nervousness returned.
"Why?"
"Brad…….Brad Walker was my attorney and my lover. It was the early nineties; Mick had pulled away from everyone but Josef after killing Coraline. I was lonely and Brad was handsome and charming. I knew better than to get involved with a human but I was tired of being alone. I thought I knew what I was doing," Kira began.
"Did he know you were a vampire?"
"No, I kept my secret from him. He didn't mind that I didn't intrude on his days. He would come to the club in the evening. Four months into the relationship I found out why he liked the privacy. He liked control; he wanted to run my business and my life. He belittled my decisions and tried to take over. Then he got physical……"
"But you're a vampire. How could he……?" Beth asked.
"We can be hurt. We recover quickly but being hit does hurt. I was stronger physically but emotionally I was not in a good place then. Beth, we live a long time and there are highs and lows in our lives. I had lost Mick and Josef was distant at that time. I felt alone and to be alone forever is a daunting prospect. I let Brad take control and I'm not proud of that."
"What changed that night?" Beth asked sympathetically.
"Brad never liked that certain aspects of my business were handled through Josef's people. I couldn't have him knowing about the blood suppliers. He threatened to ruin me and the club unless I gave him access to everything. He started to hit and I finally revealed my true nature. I let go and when the rage died, Brad was dead," Kira finished, rubbing her temples. Fifteen years had not dimmed the memory of Brad's drained body lying at her feet. She had been sickened by what she had done. She had never lost control like that before.
Beth felt a wave of compassion flow through her. This had not been an act of cold blooded murder by the woman. Kira may feel guilty for what she had done but Walker had pushed her to the brink and like many abused women, she had fought back.
"You were only protecting yourself Kira," she said kindly.
"I still killed him Beth. I lost control and I drained him," Kira said dully. "I called Mick and he came and fixed things. He made it look like Brad died in a car accident and bled to death. No one connected me to his death. I owe Mick everything."
Beth got to her feet and went to Kira, gathering her close in a hug. The vampire stood stiffly in her embrace while Beth patted her back lightly and then stepped away. She smiled up at the older woman.
"You and Mick are a lot alike," Beth observed. "You let all that guilt dig deep inside, don't you?"
"We are very aware of our darker sides Beth," Kira said drawing way from the human. She was overwhelmed by the sympathy and understanding she felt from Beth. "The capability to harm never leaves us."
"But it doesn't own you," Beth argued. "You are not a monster and neither is Mick."
"We all have our "monster" moments," Kira contradicted. "What makes a difference is what we do with the rest of our lives."
"Why didn't you call the Cleaners when Brad died? I thought they were the ones who covered up your mistakes," Beth asked.
"I panicked. I could only think of Mick. And Brad was well known in town, I needed a believable explanation to his death," Kira said. "We had to stop all questions."
Beth nodded in understanding. She smiled warmly at Kira.
"I promise I don't judge you," she said.
Kira gave her a small smile and went to pour two glasses of red wine. She returned to Beth and met her gaze levelly.
"You are an unusual human, dear Beth. Please be careful when you are in my world. Not everyone is like Mick and me," Kira warned. "I don't want to lose my new friend."
End chapter
So here we are; a new story. I hope you liked it. Please give me a review and let me know. Thank you.
