THE DEAL
Hi everybody!
This is not the first fanfiction I write but it's the first I dare to post...remember this and remember also that English is not my first language.
I've been a great fan of the love story between Mick and Beth since the first episode of Moonlight, but this plot bunny was born watching episode 14: after the scene in which Beth asks for Josef's help, my husband commented: "Is she crazy? She should know that this kind of favours is very expensive". That was it, not to mention the fact that Josef really grew on me during the show.
So, here we go...
"So, what do you want me to do, Beth?" Josef looked at the pictures she had brought, scattered on his mahogany desk. The pictures which showed Mick thrown over by a car without suffering any damage. Beth watched his face: he was very sombre. She hesitated: "I…I don't know, I thought you could take care of this somehow…". In less than a second he was in front of her; Beth gasped: she hadn't even seen him move. He was so close she could smell his designer cologne: suddenly she felt a lump in her throat. Fear, that's what it was: deep down, she had always been scared of him because she had known from the start that he was nothing like Mick. He was a predator. And he enjoyed it.
Josef talked, his voice smooth as silk: "Why did you come to me, Beth?" Focusing her eyes on the knot of his blue tie, she tried not to stammer: "I thought you could talk with Foster…pay him…". He cupped her chin and gently lifted her face, so that he could see her eyes: "And you think it will work?". His voice was still soft, but his brown eyes were steely; Beth blushed and against her will admitted: "No. Not with Foster. He won't stop unless…" "Unless he gets what he wants. Or unless someone else stops him. Beth, you know what it means. You know how I will take care of the situation, don't you?" The firm grasp of his cold fingers didn't let her lower her head: he saw her blue eyes filling with shame and tears, but at last she whispered: "Yes. Yes, I do". He let her go. She turned and went to window, wiping away the tears. She couldn't believe it: she had just asked him to kill a man. True, Foster was mad, a stalker, a threat to the man she loved and who had saved and protected her since she was four, but nonetheless…
When Josef spoke, she gave a start: "This kind of favour is expensive. What will I get if I satisfy you request?" She turned to face him again: he was sitting on a corner of the desk, a playful look on his seemingly young face. He laughed openly seeing her amazed expression. "You didn't really think I would do it for free, did you? " "Well, I did: I thought you too cared for Mick". He cut short his laughter: "And I do. But it's not Mick who's asking for help. You are. And you don't want him to know anything about it. You decided to handle this on your own, so you must take responsibility for your choices. So, what will I get?" "I don't know. What do you want?" she blurted out, without thinking. He seemed to ponder the question, then he smiled. It wasn't a pleasant smile, not at all. It was the grin of a wolf that has cornered its prey. Beth felt scared again; she could hear her heart beating louder, the blood running faster in her veins…and he could hear it too, as she understood when he smirked in that arrogant way of his. Josef got up from the desk and slowly, lazily, walked towards her. Run!, she silently screamed to herself, but her brain knew better than that. Running would have been useless. She knew he could sense her fear, she saw he was relishing it. He stopped a few inches from her: leaning, he whispered in her ear: "What do you offer me?" Beth moved away abruptly, shocked by the hint in his voice. His face was impossible to read, though. What does he want? What could he want from me?, Beth mused frantically. Then, like a flash, she got the answer: my blood. What else could it be? She swallowed and finally succeeded in saying: "Everything you want". Her voice sounded shaky and hoarse, but the words were clear. Josef twisted his mouth in a crooked smile: "Everything? Are you sure?" She held his gaze fiercely: "I'm sure". He suddenly turned away from her: "Fine. It's a deal, then. I'll contact you". She didn't bother to answer: all she wanted to do was get out of that office as soon as possible. The last thing she heard before slamming the door behind her was his cheerful voice: "Remember, Beth: a deal is a deal".