All Moonlight characters and storylines property of WB and SP. No copywrite infringement intended. Author reserves all rights to the below work, Lady Hawk, and original characters.

Lady Hawk: Out of the Past

Andy was folding clothes.

A nice, normal, domestic thing to do while watching T.V. Some mindless game show on, how I wish the writers strike would be resolved so we could get back some real shows, Andy reaches down again into the basket without looking. Her fingers touch unfamiliar fabric. She glances down and freezes. In her hand is an old Henley. She turns the shirt over; the bloodstain is completely gone. Huh. Tide and Shout really do work. Her thoughts spin back to the day she ended up wearing a vampire's old clothes: Called to help a man desperately injured and threatened, Andy answers only to find that she was sent to save a vampire. Years of helping people out of innumerably impossible desperate situations hadn't prepared her for the possibility that there could be good vampires. Vampires that were something more than monsters; ethical, sane, good men.

"Honey, are you done with the clothes yet?" Andy's husband Mark calls from the garage. "I could use the basket for the next load."

"Almost." Andy quickly rolls up the shirt and tosses through the rest of the basket to find the lounge pants and tucks both under a few of her own things. Dumping the rest on top of the pile on the bed, she takes the basket out to Mark. "Here you go."

"Thanks. Are you going to see the ponies tomorrow?" Mark pulls some sheets from the dryer and tosses them into the basket.

"Yeah. I have to toss them a bale and clean, and I'd better turn them out." Andy puts her hand on the doorknob back into the house.

"Your shoulder up to that?" Mark looks over the dryer door at her, "The baby did a number on you."

"Next time Taver dumps me, I'll make sure not to land on a stump. I'm just going to do chores tomorrow, I promise." Andy smiles at Mark and heads back inside. Oh, and I have to bring a vampire back his clothes I borrowed when mine got soaked in his blood. A two-year-old horse is the least lethal thing I fool around with, honey, but he makes a great excuse when I get shot. Swallowing back the sudden urge to tell him, anyone, about her insane alternative reality, Andy shuts off the now annoying game show and works on finishing folding the remainder of the clothes. Pulling out a pair of worn jeans, a T-shirt and some underthings, she tucks the vampire's clothes beneath the pile and sets the lot out on her bathroom counter.

Mark pads into the hallway carrying the basket of sheets. Andy joins him in making the bed. "You going to head out surfing tomorrow after work?" Andy asks while trying to stuff a reluctant pillow into its case.

"I think so." Mark smiles at Andy struggling with the pillow, "those suckers are hard to tame, huh?"

"You have no idea." Andy grins up at Mark and cuffs him with the pillow. He grabs his and a mild pillow fight ensues. Laughing, they both sit on the bed and try to put their pillows back into their respective cases. Andy looks over at her husband, his face flushed slightly from their game, concentrating on getting the pillow into its over-tight container; I've been married to him for nine years. I've known him since I was a freshman in college. Why don't I have the guts to tell him what I am? Admit it, Hawk, you're afraid. Terrified that he'll see the monster in you, and forget about the girl he married. You'd think that being able to read someone's mind and heart would lead to fewer misunderstandings, but it doesn't. It makes everything so much harder—you can feel his love, really FEEL it, deep inside. And so, you can't bear to lose it. It would shatter your soul. Suddenly completely out of the mood for fun, Andy tosses the pillow on the bed and pulls up her side of the comforter.

Mark looks up, "Hey little bird, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, hon, I'm just tired, I guess." Andy lies, uncomfortable with Mark's choice of endearment. He'd always called her that, and she squirmed inside from how close to her secret it was. I'm actually a kind of big bird…

The hot torch in his face only a distraction from the searing pain spreading from the silver buckshot in his back and chest, Mick St. John feebly raises his hand in a futile gesture of warding. Suddenly, an unlooked-for reprieve, a shot rings out. Lee Jay jerks, and puts his hand up to his neck, dropping the welder's torch. He crumples to the floor. Mick looks up to see Beth, holding his gun, a guardian angel. Her expression is indecipherable, a mix of shock and fear and something else. Mick slowly sits up, staring at Beth, who lowers his gun. She turns away, in a daze, and fumbles out her cell phone. Mick closes his eyes as she steps out of sight.

Knowing that it would be only minutes before the area would be flooded with police, Mick staggers to his car and falls into the driver's seat. He tries to control the violent shaking of his hands long enough to get the key into the ignition. Like a blessing, the Mercedes finally rumbles to life. As he backs the car, Mick hears sirens in the distance. Feeling his eyes fading and fangs descending from the effects of the poison, Mick turns the car towards the morgue, grateful he had Guierrmo's number on speed dial. I'm so sorry, Beth. Great way to thank you, abandoning you here, like this. You are such a coward, Mick St. John.

Mick stumbles from the elevator and falls against the wall. He looks down the seemingly endless hallway to his door. By now nearly paralyzed from the silver, he staggers to his door and presses the remote on his keys. The door clicks open and he stumbles against it. In his desperation, he forgets to push it closed. Falling against the sofa table, Mick fumbles the cap from a bag of blood and begins to feed. The relief was indescribable as the cool liquid begins to put out the fire of the poison in his back and shoulder.

"Mick?" Beth's voice shoots through Mick's heart, freezing him with panic. "You ran off again, one second you were there, and then you were…gone. A-are you okay?"

Knowing it was useless, Mick chokes, "Please leave," as he hides his face against his chest.

"Not without answers," Beth steps into the apartment, circling around the pillar as Mick struggles to breathe, his heart rabbiting faster than it has in fifty years.

As she moves into sight, Mick dives away from her, turning his face to try to hide. He shudders in pain and despair, the bag of blood clutched in his fist forgotten. "I keep dreaming about you. Why?" Beth steps back around the pillar.

Mick pleads, "Please don't look at me." Gasping from both the poison and the inevitability of Beth finding out his secret, Mick keeps his face turned away from her.

"Oh my God." He can hear the shock in her voice.

Mick feels his soul crumble. He turns his head to look up at Beth.

She puts her hand to her mouth, eyes wide with horror, "What are you?"

Completely defeated, Mick admits, "I'm a vampire."

Beep…beep…bee-click. Mumbling under her breath about the indecency of getting up before dawn just to go shovel horse poop, Andy rolls out of bed without waking anyone but the dog, who simply moves to take advantage of the free pillow space now available. I swear, I'm gonna sell you all, Andy thinks. The whippet gives her a reproachful look over his shoulder before tucking his nose back under the covers. Sorry. He doesn't even acknowledge the apology, instead just snuggling a little closer to Mark. Andy shakes her head, and heads to the bathroom to take care of necessities and get dressed.

She gulps down some coffee, debating with herself. Horses or vampire first? Mick will probably be up for a little while longer but I'd hate to wake him if I waited. Decided, she puts down her mug and picks up his clothes. Mark would be safely asleep for at least another forty-five minutes, so she quietly steps outside. The barest hint of dawn is coloring the sky to the east, but the birds aren't awake yet. She shifts and pictures Mick's hallway in her head as clearly as if she were landing there already. She lifts her wings and jumps into the darkness of the place between where she was and where she's going.

Andy lands in Mick's hallway. His door hangs open and she hears a woman's voice, "Oh my God." Still clutching Mick's shirt and pants to her chest, Andy slips up the hallway as quietly as she can. She nears his door, puts her shoulder to the wall, and slowly peers around the threshold. As the apartment comes into view, Andy sees a petite blonde woman standing frozen, with her hand to her mouth. Her eyes looked terrified. "What are you?"

Out of view, Mick's voice sounds harsh, ragged. "I'm a vampire."

Andy pulls back into the hallway, her back to the wall and mind racing. Oh Mick…no. What could have happened? Andy stands there a moment, unsure of the best course of action. He's a friend, damn it. He sounds awful. At least if I go in there, it may blunt the shock of "vampire" with the shock of "wings". Andy takes a deep breath and a step away from the wall. She squares her shoulders and walks resolutely into view. Mick turns sharply towards her, his expression heart-wrenchingly pitiful. He is sitting with his back to a support pillar, his face and hands bloody and he was sweaty and shaking. Andy tosses the clothes to the floor and runs to his side. She spreads her wings a little, her back to the blonde woman, shielding Mick from view and kneels next to him.

Touching his shoulder gently, Andy breathes, "God, Mick. What happened?"

Mick closes his eyes and whispers, "Silver."

Andy winces, "Shit." She looks over her shoulder at the blonde and back to Mick, "Who's that?"

Mick stifles a sob and chokes, "Beth. She…was…a friend." Mick looks up at Andy with tears in his eyes.

Andy bites her lip, voice muffled with sympathy, "I'm sorry."

Mick turns away and closes his eyes. Andy watches him for a few seconds but he won't look back up. She turns a little, keeping her wings out to hide Mick, towards the blonde woman who stands, eyes wide, both hands over her mouth, trembling slightly from head to foot.

Their eyes meet, and Andy spreads her hands, palms up, gesturing peace. "Neither of us is going to hurt you."

Beth just stares, continuing to shake.

"Mick's hurt, and I need to help him, okay?" Andy can't tell if the woman even hears her, "Beth?"

Beth jerks and blinks, then turns and stumbles out of the apartment, sobbing. Andy watches her go, then turns back to Mick. He is staring after Beth, looking as if she had taken his heart with her as she ran out.

"Mick?"

He looks up at her, eyes empty.

"You should finish that." Andy takes Mick's wrist and puts the opened bag of blood back in his hand. He looks down at it and back up to her. His face crumples.

"Mick, shh…I'm so sorry." Andy puts her arms around his shoulders and pulls the unresisting vampire close. As he sobs into her shoulder, her eyes fill with tears. "I know, its okay," she murmurs and touches the back of his head, gently. He quiets after a few moments and lifts his head. Andy releases him and he sits up. He awkwardly rubs his nose with his knuckle and glances up at her briefly and looks away. Andy half-smiles at him and shakes her head, "Eat, silly. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

She stands and pointedly turns her back to him and walks to the door. She looks out, down the hallway. Beth is nowhere to be seen. She closes Mick's door, and leans her forehead against it. "What do you think she'll do?"

Mick stops drinking and swallows, "I don't know."

Andy turns and puts her back to the door. "And here I was just going to stop by to give you back your clothes. What happened?"