Moonlight on Twilight

What if Mick read "Twilight"?

"I find it quite disturbing actually," Josef said, sprawling across the couch as he watched Mick roll his eyes. "How can anyone actually read this stuff?"

Mick looked down at the book Josef gracefully threw on his coffee table. He grimaced; it did seem like an odd statement that a book could have been the narrative of his life had things been different. And that it was mostly gushed over by teenage girls did nothing for his defense.

"I mean if I would have known how easy it was to entice young females into believing we were elegant creatures of both the day and night, I would have written this. And," Josef added, sitting up, "I would have done it with less romance. I mean really, how can a vampire resist the urge to sample the very thing he craves?"

He swept his hand in Mick's direction. "Okay, obviously there are a few odd ones who feel this is something of importance. Indulgence. That is what these characters need. They lack the very drive to take full advantage of their situations. I suppose they have some misplaced regret and self-loathing issues to get over with, but to have a snack dangling in front of them, and they don't latch on is a bit far fetched."

"I don't know, Josef, sometimes restraint is the highest form of love."

Josef cocked his head to the side. "I guess there is some elegance in not plunging in fangs first," he chuckled.

"I'm glad you can see that side so clearly." Mick said. "I think the whole relationship and the complexity of the wanting and the resisting is very…" he glanced at Josef, "human, even for an old vampire."

"Ah, humans. Yes, they do possess a certain finesse."

"After all, look how long you had to wait, and are still waiting, for Sarah."

The older vampire sat in silence for a moment, piercing his lips. "The depths of your observations astound me. So, are you really saying that if you had told Beth earlier in her life who you were, than this book would be an autobiography of sorts?"

Mick sat back and steeples his fingers, looking at Josef. "I think there are some marked parallels that cannot be ignored. Sure the work is fiction, and clearly the author thinks the notion of vampires is only for the imagination, but the fact that several million of flocking girls and adults, I may add, have bought the series. I think the concept of having a vampire and a human connect on a level that is dangerous for both of them makes the story even more powerful. Of course, in the end, they both get what they want, so I can't help but think of it as a road map for me."

Josef watched his friend's face for a moment before he sat forward, keenly looking at Mick's face. "So in all seriousness, are you the stupid lamb, or the sick, masochistic lion?"

Mick flashed a grin as the front door clicked open. "Depends on what game we're playing."

Josef stood and shook his head. "Cheeky. You are almost as bad as Edward."

"I like playing with fire."

Josef coughed as Beth came to stand beside them. "Yes well, better men have been torn to shreds for standing between love. I shall depart before I become one such victim."

"Wise," Mick said, watching his friend leave.