Chapter One:

Mick St. John was a very hungry, irritated, and tired vampire, and the blonde walking behind him was not helping. The pair had just left Josef Konstan's house after hearing the centuries-old vampire bemoan the fate of the world in his usual pessimistic, paranoid manner. The vampire ran a hand through his hair, approaching his car and unlocking it.

Beth Turner, who had been following him silently, chose this moment to break her silence. "What're we going to do now, Mick?"

Mick shrugged silently, opening the passenger side door. "After you." Slamming the door after Beth climbed in, he made his way around the car, climbing in and resting his forearms on the steering wheel. "Search me." He replied, removing his sunglasses to rub his tired eyes with the heels of his palms.

Beth rubbed the vampire's arm soothingly, squinting out the windshield. "Josef said that we'd be able to sense something if anything was going to happen…right?"

Mick let a soft chuckle escape his mouth. "ONLY if I was in my right mind. Which I'm not, really."

"What are you talking about?" The blonde's voice rose slightly in alarm, causing the vampire to wince reflexively. "Sorry."

Mick shook his head, replacing his sunglasses as he started up the engine. "I haven't had a lot of time recently, so I haven't been feeding as much. I'm a little off kilter right now."

Beth arched an eyebrow with a frown. "What precisely does off-kilter mean, in this case?"

"Lowered senses, higher sensitivity to light-" He pulled out into the main traffic, slamming the brakes quickly as a car beeped loudly, speeding past. "Slower reaction time, lessened alertness."

The blonde placed a hand over her racing heartbeat, watching the vampire warily as he started off down the main road. "I think I should drive, Mick."

Mick snorted mirthlessly. "I know where I'm going, Beth. You can't sense what I can."

Beth frowned again. "No, but apparently, that's not much considering your current state!"

Mick turned into an apartment complex, pulling into a parking spot rather haphazardly and throwing the car into park. "Beth, leave it! Right now, all I need from you is silence, and a little cooperation."

The blonde lapsed into hurt silence, getting out of the car and following the vampire. "Is he here, Mick?"

The vampire pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his coat pocket, slipping them on as he slammed the car door shut. "He should be." He replied somewhat coldly, starting for the building. Beth trailed after him silently, and after a moment, the vampire spoke. "Beth, I'm not mad at you. I'm just really tired and I need to feed before we have a repeat of the desert."

Beth nodded slowly. "I didn't have a problem with that." She muttered as she entered the building after Mick.

Removing his sunglasses, the vampire didn't turn to look at her as they walked past the receptionist's desk. "I did."

The pair made their way upstairs, Mick leading. As luck would have it, the room they were looking for had it's door slightly ajar, and Mick entered without knocking. "Keep close to me." He hissed to Beth, his hand finding hers. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Beth simply nodded, squeezing the vampire's hand in reply. Mick crept quietly towards the bedroom area of the apartment, pushing Beth gently against the wall next to the door as he entered. "Nothing. He's not here, Beth."

"Good. Can I come in?"

There was a period of silence, before. "I'm not sure if you'd want to see what he's done."

Beth frowned, starting into the bedroom. "Oh my god, Mick…"

The vampire was bent double, covering his mouth and nose with a pale hand as he pointed towards the bed. A young woman was lying there, half conscious and barely alive as a steady stream of blood flowed from lacerations in her arm, and two puncture wounds near her collarbone. "We need to get her to Josef."

Beth turned to stare at him in alarm. "Josef?! Are you mad, he'll tell us to let her die!"

Mick shook his head. "Tell me who she looks like." He slurred, the scent of blood beginning to get to him.

Beth frowned, approaching the bed and examining the half closed eyes, and the pale face. "She looks like Sara…what are you saying, Mick? Sara's dead."

"Precisely."

Beth had leaned down, gently feeling the woman's forehead. "Mick, you're insane. And hungry. I'll make a deal with you."

Mick shook his head. "I hate deals." He spat, standing shakily.

"Too bad." Beth snapped, approaching him and all but pinning him to the wall. "We'll take her to Josef…if you feed."

Mick frowned, trying to ignore the closeness of her skin and the scent of her hair, both of which were slowly driving him a little insane. "On WHAT, Beth?" Beth shrugged, rolling up her sleeve to reveal to scars from Mick's last meal on her arm. Mick shook his head. "Beth, you KNOW I can't do that!"

"No. You're scared to. You won't hurt me. I know how to stop you."

"Beth."

"Mick…"

Mick sighed, hunger slowly starting to get the better of him. He glanced towards the unconscious woman on the bed, and the open door, before reaching out and gently taking hold of her arm. "Stop me." With that, he sank his fangs into her arm.

"I am NOT going to babysit your stupid pet!" Josef roared, scaring Beth senseless, and extracting a soft groan from the unconscious girl lying on the couch. Mick and Beth had stopped the bleeding as they carried her to the car, but it was fairly obvious that if she didn't get any blood or help, she was going to die.

Mick started as Beth darted behind him, burying her face in his shoulder, but he ignored it for the moment. He was a bit more interested in the elder vampire before him. "Josef, you're the only one here strong enough to help her."

Josef rounded on the detective, causing the vampire to step back reflexively. "What? You're asking me to TURN her now?? Is THAT it?"

Mick flared up. "Well, we CAN'T exactly feed her Beth's blood, and how do you suppose a hospital will react to the puncture wounds? Would they believe it? Probably not. Josef, for once in your pitiful, secluded, self-centered life, help me out!"

Josef calmed slightly, turning to glance at the woman on the couch. "She looks a lot like Sara…you remember what happened with Sara?"

Mick and Beth both nodded.

"How do you expect me to react when I may KILL this girl trying to help her?!"

"It shouldn't matter, Josef." Mick interrupted. "You don't know her. She's just another mortal to you."

Josef sputtered a little at that, before finally conceding. "This goes against my better judgment, but being that it is you…" He turned the young woman on the couch, kneeling next to it.

Moments later, the young woman gasped into consciousness, gripping Josef's wrist gently with both hands, mouth locked around what must have been an open cut.

One could almost see Josef relax as the young woman's brilliant blue eyes met his own hazel ones, and he gently removed his wrist from the young woman's grasp. "What's your name?"

A pause, before, "Arianna."

A/N: Sorry if it got too out of character, or a little AU. I tried, this is my first Moonlight fic. Be nice, please?