Authors Note: Hello out there! I was first introduced to Moonlight during a 2009 sci-fi channel marathon-and I've been hooked every since. I believe it was a literal crime it was canceled-especially before we could see Mick and Beth as a real couple and find out if vampire/human sex involved biting. And Alex O' Loughlin (sexy man!)-it's just not the same watching him on Hawaii Five-O all over muscled with that terrible haircut. And they aren't utilizing his ability to smile the pants off any heterosexual woman or gay man at all. Serious tactical error on the part of the producers of that show.

Anyway in my Moonlight fever I realized there were so many scenes I would have liked to re-write just to see how the story changed and pivoted based on the smallest action. In the end I decided to stop daydreaming my changes to the story line and get them down on paper. Don't you just love that there's an outlet for this kind of this? Whoever created this website I'd like to give you a huge hug and a slap for taking up so much of my time since I was twelve.

Taking Chances: Arrested Development

Don't know much about your life

Don't know much about your world

But I don't want to be alone tonight

On this planet they call Earth

Mick's Voice over: The geniuses who came up with Chaos theory illustrated to the world that the slightest act can have the largest repercussions. A butterfly flaps its wings in China and there's a hurricane in Florida. You turn right instead of left or run ten minutes late for work one day and your life changes without you even noticing it; without you ever knowing it. But there are some choices we are in control of. Free will is paramount after all. All the chances we take are on our own head for we are responsible for our actions. Which is maybe why people take so little of them. After all, who knows what might happen.

Something awful.

Something wonderful.

That's why it's called taking a chance.

Chapter one

There are a few things Beth knows about Mick. Being a reporter instilled early in her education a love-no an obsession-with facts. The facts have to be right or the whole story is worthless. Which is one of the things she likes about buzzwire-the place might have an overall vibe of sleaze but Maureen is absolutely paranoid about double checked sources and correct facts. And she hates posting retractions. So Beth's love of facts can be indulged and encouraged.

Which is why she has a list of facts she knows about Mick. It's not written down-it could never be written down, someone might find it. And yes, some of them are more observation than true fact. But they're truthful observations-and it's his own fault anyway because he tells her so damm little.

Fact number one: Mick St. John is an eight five year old vampire. None of which she believed at first. Yes, there was blood and fangs and those weird and beautiful eyes-eyes that haunted her sleep and made her toss and turn with half awake dreams that burned her up and she passed off to Josh as nightmares-but its not like she stuck around that night (that morning really) to see if any of it was, well, costuming.

And then he told her everything and it remained pretty much unbelievable. Ok sure, he was eight five, that's fine. Everyone has a fantasy. And he doesn't age-who would want to? There was a point during that case-the case of the rogue vampiric doctor- when she started to seriously wonder why she was in this man's car.

Except, even if part of her thought he (and possible herself as well) was insane and the other half of her was wrestling with accepting the idea that vampires might be real, she felt safe with him. Totally safe. Like an atom bomb could fall right on top of her and everything would still be fine because Mick just wouldn't let anything hurt her. Like for him, a reality didn't exists where she could hurt with him around. And somehow she knew it was true.

And then the whole stake in the heart thing happened and all of a sudden she had to believe. Because there was a moment there when she was watching that terrible, horrifying, almost made her faint wound heal when she saw his heart. His slowly, too slowly for a human, beating heart. And then it was gone, the wound vanishing beneath new pink skin that absorbed the blood and closed up without even a scar.

So Mick was a vampire.

Fact number two: sometimes Mick stood so still she thought that maybe he was a statue or a cardboard cutout or something. Like when she reunited Cherish with her parents (what was that girl's real name anyway?) and she looked over and there he was-dirty and tired looking but so damm still that she thought if she turned around for just a second he'd still be there. He'd always be there. But he wasn't, which leads her to Mick fact number three.

Mick doesn't hang around. He vanishes, evades most of her questions and disappears whenever anything good gets started. And after she fed him (she FED him!) he just totally ignored her. Even when she was right outside his door and she knew he was inside because in some way she could never hope to explain she could feel him through the door, he just wouldn't let her in.

Which is why this time she chased after him. Cherish was hugging her parents and Maureen was in a snit because none of it was going to be online. And Mick was gone and seeing the spot where he stood-the spot he looked so much like a permanent fixture in-so empty made it so Beth couldn't breathe.

"I've gotta go." She told Maureen, and she went.

She'd only known him for a little under a month (hard to believe, but oddly true according to the calendar) but Mick's silhouette-hell everything about him, everything that she knew anyway (and a whole hell of a lot she imagined) was burned into her brain. The fact he wasn't in the parking lot was a blow, but his car was still there.

God she loved that car.

She wandered over to the beautiful classic (not unlike its owner in that fashion), eyes skimming the shadowy areas of the lot. He must be here if his car is still here right?

And then he popped up in front of her like an extremely graceful jack in the box. She gasped, more from his sudden proximity to her then from the sudden movement. Even in the dim light she could see the patches of what looked like machine grease on his face and hands-and a darker stain running down the neck of his shirt that looked suspiciously like dried blood. She opened her mouth to ask but then he jiggled his car keys and smiled at her-just a quick little half smile- and her stomach flopped like she was a thirteen year old and the question fled from her brain.

That was another fact about Mick. One look from him made her forget everything-including any reason she shouldn't be (among other things) kissing him right now.

God she loved his lips. And his smile. And his hair.

Beth curled he hands into fists to keep herself from touching him. It had been like this since the moment she met him, and this force that was pulling her towards him, pulling them together (she could see it in his eyes, see him fighting it) had only gotten stronger since the desert. Since she demanded he drink her blood to keep him alive and he responded with a vehement, "Not like this!"

She had spent countless hours since then stroking the scars on her wrist and puzzling over the phrase.

Not like this?

Like what then?

She'd seen a vampire movie or two, and though she now knew most of the vampire details were way off she had to wonder about the whole orgasmic biting thing. The bite in the desert has been pure survival for Mick, the simple fact that there had been no gentleness in it made it clear how far gone Mick really was. So what would it be like when he was healthy? If he was not dying or even hungry but…just wanted to taste her? To drink her in?

The possibilities made her shiver and gasp. And the desire had only gotten stronger since he clacked his teeth together in the morgue when asking if the killer's odd MO was that of "a biter" and it made the twin puncture marks on her arm (among other places) tingle.

"You just took off" she said, hating herself for sounding like an abandoned child.

"Well, you were kind of tied up with your editor" he said.

Yep. Mick evading and running. One of the few things she really knew about him.

"You could at least have said goodbye." Now her nails were digging into her hands she was trying so hard not to reach out and stroke his face-or grab him and force him to stay by her side. She wanted…she wanted…

Mick smiled again and her brain was gone. "Ok." He said. "Good.."

He didn't get to finish. Her lips interrupted him and all sound coming from him stopped. She wasn't even sure if he was breathing. He definitely wasn't moving. But his mouth was partially open and she could taste the faint tinge of copper, which was a little sharp but not at all unpleasant. The feel of his lips below hers was nothing short of divine but his overall lack of response almost made her feel like crying.

She pulled back and the happily astonishment when his mouth followed hers as they pulled apart and it made pooled heat between her legs. She couldn't help smiling at him, sure a mixture of smugness and lust were showing on her face. He breathed, a big drawn in gust of air. His eyes, his beautiful, beautiful eyes were shocked and…was that awe? Confusion? Regret? Want?

"Bye." He finished, and spurned on by the emotion she couldn't identify by name but understood and yearned for all the same she unclenched her hands and reached forward. Gently stroked his grease stained face. And leaned in again.

This time he was breathing. And even if it was slight, his lips moved beneath hers. She raked her teeth over his lower lip and kept herself from moving closer. Because Mick may have been participating, but it was so slight. Maybe just the reaction of any man being kissed by any woman. Any second now, she told herself, she was going to pull away, run away. And then wait and see what he did. That was the safe course of action.

And then she felt it-so gentle and soft that it was barely there. His hand, the same one still holding his keys, gently came to rest at her hip. His fingers skimmed the tiny barrier of skin between her shirt and jeans. It was a butterfly touch, so very tentative but it was there.

She leaned forward and curled her fingers into his hair, wrapped her other arm around his neck and pulled him as close as she could, nestling into his hard body. His hand became more present, moving backwards to cup her hip as the other arm wound around her back. She could feel his keys digging into her side. And she didn't care.

Because now he was kissing her back.

…..

This was really not a good idea. Or maybe it was. Maybe it was a great idea. Mick couldn't decide.

After all he'd been telling the truth when he said sex between humans and vampires was seriously inadvisable-there was the whole biting thing and the whole being ten times stronger and able to crush like them a paper cup accidentally thing. And Beth-despite her endless questions and perseverance-was basically an innocent when it came to the realities of his world. And 58 years younger than him. And she had a boyfriend.

But if there was one thing he'd learned in eight-five years, it was that what he wanted didn't always matter.

Except when it was the only thing that did.

And kissing Beth-he wanted that. He wanted that so much it hurt and holding her close to him, sharing skin and breath, well that was heaven. And the thought of giving it up was hell. He could stay like this forever, wrapped around her, discovering the exact taste and texture of every inch of her mouth. Memorizing how her tongue moved against his own, how she kissed him like the air she needed to survive could only be found in his lungs.

It had been so long since he'd let himself have something he wanted.

And so long since he wanted anybody this way.

He was vaguely aware that Beth was stealing his car keys out of his hand, and he only noticed that because of the momentary absence of her hand around his neck. His vampire hearing registered the key in the lock, but then her lips delved deeper into his and blood rushed south of his brain and he was gone. Then the click of the drivers' side door opening and Beth was shoving him (shoving a vampire! He really needed to talk to her about basic self preservation) through the door, which sent him sprawling on his back across the front seat of his Mercedes, with the gear shift digging into his back and the steering wheel nudging his ribs a little painfully. Not that it mattered. He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow question and she smiled-a pure playful smile filled with desire and need-and then Beth crawled through the door and was lying on top of him.

The position was awkward-his feet were still on the parking lot pavement and the gap between the front seats didn't make for good back support. But Beth's lips were fixed on his like they were fused together and his hand was making lazy circles on her stomach as hers ran through his hair and stroked the back of his neck. And he could feel the heat emanating from her body in waves and smell pure desire in the air and taste trust in her saliva. So nothing else mattered.

He was just inching her shirt up and starting to discover how very close the resemblance the skin on her upper back was to silk when she stopped.

…..

It took every ounce of self control Beth had to pull away, but she managed to do it. She straightened up so she was straddling Mick's waist and looked down at him.

And the second she did she saw the pure panic in Mick's eyes. Even before he started to open his mouth she knew what he was going to say. Something along the lines of how it shouldn't have happened, how it could never happen again, how she should run home to her very safe and very human boyfriend.

Josh…the thought of him stopped her for maybe a nano-second.

Beth put her finger in front of Mick's lips to shush him and then traced them gently, enjoying how firm and soft-and slightly cool- they were beneath her finger. It wasn't easy to get out what she wanted to say. The possibility for rejection was enormous.

"There's a hotel across the street" Beth said, focusing on a spot somewhere above Mick's eyebrows, "a Hilton I think. If I'm there in ten minutes…could you meet me?"

Now Mick was sitting up, bring them face to face-and groin to groin. Beth bit her lip to keep from moaning. If he said no she needed to walk out of here with her self esteem as intact as possible.

But he didn't say no. He brought a hand up to her face and stroked his thumb gently along the curve of her jaw, lifting her chin up and forcing her to look at him.

Once again she couldn't identify what was in his eyes. Some mixture of awe, sadness and confusion. And desire-that was there too.

"Beth.." he started to talk.

Once again she interrupted him with a kiss. This time she poured all of her confused, mixed up feelings for him into it. Every dream of him that left her aching, every memorized time he'd smiled at her, the pure terror she'd felt when she thought he was dead-and the complete joy that he wasn't and the more than slightly inappropriate euphoria over the fact that she was the one who would bring him back to life. Their tongues dueled and Beth curled her fingers into his hair, unable to keep herself from rocking her hips against him. She could feel him rock hard underneath her and just that small amount of friction against the fly of her jeans was enough to rip a moan from her. Only this time she didn't have to worry about being on equal ground because now he was moaning too.

She pulled back slowly, not stopping the movement of her hips, and was met with a dazed, slightly drugged looking expression on Mick's face. She was sure she didn't look much different. She was hallow, empty, wet and aching. She wanted him inside her so badly that it almost hurt.

"Yes" he rasped, his voice heavy with lust. She rocked against him again, this time grinding her hips down on his as hard as she could. He growled (the sound rumbled through her body and made her even wetter) and for a second his eyes flashed from smoky blue/green to silvery-blue. She loved it.

"I'll meet you." He chocked out, eyes back to normal now. "But you have to stop that or we won't make it there."

Beth smiled and leaned in a final time to kiss him. Short and sweet-and promising better things to come. "I'll text you when I have a room number." She said.

"No" Mick was stroking her hair, making her feel like a contented cat in heat. "Just leave the window open. I'll find you."

…..

Mick had something to do before the hotel rendezvous.

But getting them both out of the car was difficult. Not only in the emotional sense-he didn't want to let go, didn't want to give her time to change her mind, and wanted her to change her mind all at the same time. He managed to quell those feelings. Physically getting out the car was the hard part-their awkward position left her crawling backwards and him doing a weird sort of scrunch which left him sitting in the driver's seat. Not to mention the physical contact (rubbing really) that ensued during the movement which left her gasping and him trying desperately not to throw her down under him and bury himself inside of her. It didn't help that he could smell how desperately turned on she was.

Beth started to hand him his keys and stopped, staring at him. She moved her hand back to keep them out of his reach. "You're not going to run away from me, are you?" she asked.

Mick smiled and did a quick vamp move to steal his keys back. "I'm not running." He said, as much to himself as to her, "I just need to grab something."

'Ok." Beth smiled and he could feel nervous tension radiating off her. "Ten minutes right?"

"Ten minutes" Mick promised.

AN: Thanks to everyone out there who read this. There is more to come in the very near future. Eventually I hope to a whole series of Taking Chances fics- each one based in a different episode and spiraling out from that point. I just to say that when I was newer to I often read without reviewing-even on stories I really loved. So please let me know you think. My self esteem could use a boost (or can take the hit, whatever the case may be.) Have a happy day and Blessed Be!