A "Moonlight" Mick/Beth flick. Has to be my new fave show. Love it, love it, love it to pieces. I hope it gets picked up for the season!
There are spoilers here! There's a breif spoiler from next week's episode that I slipped into my story. Hope that won't bother anyone. :P Major spoilers for the episode as well.
This story just features a couple of forgotten scenes from "B.C.". Mick's thoughts and emotions the night he has to detox Beth...then her thoughts and emotions the morning after. Just some angsty, romantic fluffy rated T to be careful. Enjoy!
Sadly, I do not own the show or characters. If I did, the show would already be picked up for the season and it would get way more press.
The cold shower water flowed down both of their bodies, each drop mingling with the other. Mick could feel each drop of cool moisture against his skin and imagined it meeting the water on Beth's. He would have given anything at that moment to be a drop of water on her skin. It was probably the closest the two would ever be.
"Turn me. Please, Mick," Beth gasped in his arms. Her voice was soft and low, like a seductive breeze against his cheek. She thrust her head towards him again, exposing the sweet expanse of her neck. He jerked his head away from her, burying it against her shoulder, hiding his mouth from her.
"This is just the drug talking," Mick cried, wrapping his arms more firmly across her chest. "It's not you, Beth. It's just the drug."
Even soaking wet and stoned out of her mind, Beth still smelled delicious and enticing – and not just to his vampire side. She always smelled of meadows, sunlight and wheat fields. Whenever he was near her, he would feel a sudden wave of freedom come over him. Pure, unaltered freedom. It was as if he could see her running through a field of wheat, her golden hair bouncing behind her like a cape. He could see her bare porcelain legs kicking through the field, causing her white sundress to whirl around her. He could even hear the sweet sound of her laughter as it flew over her shoulder. It was deadly, intoxicating picture, but it felt so right, so normal. What he wouldn't give to be the fool in love chasing her through that field. It didn't help matters that after he had tasted her a few weeks earlier, he knew that she tasted beautiful and free. She almost tasted like lo-
"Please, Mick," Beth begged, her soft, small body wrapped in a now soaking black dress. She squirmed again, but he gripped her tighter against his own body to stop her. "I want to be close to you. I need to be close to you – forever."
"No, not like this," he growled, turning his face away again and placing them more squarely under the showerhead.
He was going to kill that vampire bitch, Lola. Maybe his friend Josef too. It was all Josef's fault really. If the idiot hadn't been stupid enough to let Lola knick a million dollars out of his own pocket – then she wouldn't be brewing a drug mixed with silver and vampire blood. She wouldn't be stringing out empty headed models and actors just so she could torment them with a taste of the vampire world. Now Beth – his Beth – was under the influence of Black Crystal and experiencing everything he had wanted to keep hidden from her. It was putting dangerous ideas into her head that he didn't want her ever to think about.
Beth moaned in his arms and leaned further against his body.
"I feel so alive," she whispered. "Why can't I feel like this forever?"
"You don't want this, Beth," Mick said firmly. "Believe me. This is just a drug-"
"But it feels so good – so right," she said, grinding against him once more. Mick had to shut his eyes at that. His body shuddered in such an alarming urge of lust that he knew for certain that Beth felt it too. God, she was just so beautiful, so alive, so – human. He could never forget that one plain and simple fact. She was a mortal, fragile woman and he was a blood-sucking immortal vampire. She was too precious to be hurt in any way. She had to hate him – he was a monster, not a white knight in shining armor. He couldn't make turn her into a monster like himself. She was too good for that.
"Don't you want me, Mick?" she breathed. Mick couldn't suppress a low moan of desire. Of course he wanted her. Ever since he had rescued her as a child from his murderous ex-wife, he had felt their connection. He had kept track of her as dog scents out his favorite toys. She was just someone special to protect – that was all. Then when he watched her walk through that fountain twenty years later…he realized that he wasn't watching her as a friend. Somewhere along the line he had fallen madly in love with her. He now wanted to protect her as a lover, not as a wayward guardian. She was a bottle of sweet passionate freedom that he wanted opened only to himself. Yet, deep inside his dark lonely heart, he knew it was a freedom that he would never taste completely. He could never turn her or hurt her in any way. He knew it would physically kill him faster than any fire if she was hurt in any way. He was sure as hell not going to be the one to hurt her now when she was high and standing under a cold shower.
"Shhh. You're just high, Beth. It's not you talking," Mick told her, praying the drug would wear off soon. He didn't exactly like where this drug rant was going.
"No, I can feel you now," she cried. "I know you want me too. I can see it in your eyes whenever you look at me- you want me as much as I want you. Just turn me and we can have that. We can be together."
"No, Beth!" Mick growled. Not like this, he repeated in his head over and over again. He fought against every urge to spin her around and give her what her heart desired. Maybe if she was sober and awake and asking the same question – no. NO. He would never do that to her. He'd never destroy that beautiful image of freedom just so he could feel loved for a few centuries. He'd never take away that beautiful glow from her face, the mesmerizing beat of her heart, the intoxicating scent – and taste – of her blood. He would never turn her into a vicious, cowering demon that had to hide in the shadows to avoid discovery by the human race. He could never be that cruel to her. If it meant that he would prowl the nights of LA alone for the rest of eternity – then so be it.
"Please, Mick. I just want to be with you. I like you. I think I – I –might - ohhhh," Beth whispered, her voice growing quieter and quieter until she finally slumped in his arms.
Mick closed his eyes and breathed a silent prayer of relief. Finally. He reached out and turned off the shower faucet. If she had begged him any longer, he might have finally given in. Most definitely. Whether he would have taken her as a vampire or a man, he didn't know. All he knew was that he had been hanging onto his control with the very tips of his claws. At least he could hope she wouldn't remember any of this in the morning.
He scooped her up into his arms, ignoring the flutter of passion that the movement caused in his heart. She was so small in his arms, her face peaceful in sleep. As he began to walk out of the bathroom, she moaned a little and clung closer to his body. Mick suppressed a sigh as he gripped her tighter in his arms. He slowly then slipped down the stairs towards the living room.
It didn't take him long to strip off Beth's drenched dress, dry her and dress her in one of his shirts. The shirt barely reached her thighs as she lay asleep on his couch. Mick uttered a bark-like laugh. He either was a complete idiot or Hercules not to attempt anything at that moment. At least he could appreciate the view. If only she wasn't so beautiful...if only she didn't mean so much to him. Maybe then he could – Shut up, Mick, he growled to himself. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind of blood and human lust once again.
Slowly, he reached down to brush a wet strand of blonde hair off of her forehead. She moved in her sleep as if she could feel his touch. A soft, sweet smile slipped over her face until sleep overtook her again.
"What am I going to do with you?" Mick whispered, letting his touch linger a bit against her cheek.
Abruptly he stood and headed for his dressing room. He was going to need a fresh change of clothes too. Then he should probably stick her dress in the dryer. Then maybe he could tidy up the kitchen, the bathroom, his freezer bedroom. Count the tiles in his ceiling, the panels in his walls. Finish reading War and Peace, Catch-22 or Gone with the Wind. He would do anything and everything he could to keep his mind off of the angel asleep in his living room…and his own turmoil of emotions.
Hours later, the sun finally began to rise behind his tinted windows. After longing for the night each day, as a fish longs for the sea, this night could not pass quickly enough. Mick stood in his open kitchen brewing coffee that he hadn't tasted in years. He had busied himself throughout the night, but her scent still followed him from room to room like a curse. It didn't take him long to just stop fighting it. Instead, he cherished her essence for the few hours he would have her in his flat. For a few hours he could pretend he was just a man and she was just a woman. For a few hours he could pretend they could be together for the rest of their lives like every other normal couple in the world. For a few hours he could pretend.
As the coffee machine popped and gurgled behind him, Mick turned towards the living room again. He leaned against the counter, his eyes never leaving the vision of innocent beauty on his couch. Her breath moved easily in and out of her chest and her face was one of peace. He didn't even remember what it felt like to sleep – let alone dream. Mick hoped the smile that darted across Beth's face was from a good dream at least.
Not for the first time, Mick wondered what his life would have been like if he had never met Coraline, his dead ex-wife. If she had never turned him into a vampire on their wedding night. If she had never cursed him with her very existence for the next thirty years.
He flashed briefly towards that party 50 years ago when he first met Coraline. He had been so happy just getting a gig with his band – even if it was a fairly cheesy beach party. That night a woman in red had taken everyone's breath away…and Mick had been the one lucky enough to win her.
He could picture her still now. One curse of a vampire was that memories never faded over time. She cut through the crowd like a knife that night, her red dress clinging to every delicate curve on her body. Yet, now when she turned towards the band, it wasn't Coraline's face that looked up at him. Instead, it was Beth's sweet face. She didn't leer up at him seductively or meanly. Instead, she grinned her eager, excited smile that he knew so well. She smiled at him because she was happy to see him – there was no cunning or malice in her blue eyes.
As soon as the music stopped, Mick saw himself jumping off the stage to meet that vision in red. Instead, of luring him towards a dark patch of beach, Beth simply stood on the sand waiting for him. He wrapped his arms around her as if he had known her for years – for some reason he felt that he had. Her smile only grew larger and she wrapped her slim arms around his neck and pulled herself up towards him.
When his lips finally met hers, she didn't taste of the cold, dark night. She didn't taste of mystery and magic. She didn't send a curious thrill of excitement through his body that made him long for danger. Instead, Beth tasted as real as the beach and the people around them. Her soft lips were warm and inviting. He could taste the summer sun and warm peaches in her kiss. He knew as he kissed her there was no scheming or planning in her mind – only love. Her small body felt so right against his – as if he were made only hold her in his arms.
Mick blinked away the fantasy and watched as Beth slowly began to awaken in the living room. A familiar pang of dark loneliness hit his chest hard enough to take his breath away. What if he had met Beth at that party instead of Coraline? For a minute, he could see their wedding, their honeymoon, their lives together. He could see their children – some dark like him, some sweet like her – all of them mischievous, intelligent and happy. He could see himself growing old with her, happy with the idea that he had married his true love and that he would be able to spend eternity with her. Not as a dark, brooding monster, but as a happy, mortal man.
After the familiar loneliness hit him, a just as familiar lurch of anger soon followed to cause his blood to boil. Anger at Coraline for betraying him and turning him without his permission. Anger at her for stealing his life – his humanity – just so she could have a playmate for the next millennia or so. Anger at her for trying to turn Beth as child so they could be one happy, messed up family. Anger at her for trying to force her vampire curse on everyone around her so she could feel a scrap of the human love she had sacrificed long ago.
Mick watched Beth and he vowed he would never do that to her. He would never steal something so rare and pure from Beth. He would never take her innocent mortal life just to ease his loneliness. He loved her, he knew that now. He loved as he had never loved any woman – even Coraline. Yet, he wouldn't make her into a monster. He would always protect her and watch over her…except from the shadows as always. She would soon forget him and move on. It was better, safer for her that way. Maybe she would marry that creep Josh. Maybe have a few kids. He would watch her be happy with another man and stay on the sidelines. Yet, the minute she was in danger, he would be there for her. Quicker than one of her lovely heart beats.
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It wasn't long after Beth awoke on Mick's couch that she soon found herself upstairs in his bathroom. Again.
She groaned and gripped the sink in front of her. The night before was still fuzzy and made her feel woozy as hell. Yet, the memories were slowly coming back to her like a tape stuck on slow motion. She still could not believe that she came all the way to Mick's dressed like some skanked-out hoochie mama. How she was able to string together sentences in front of him was beyond her understanding.
Beth laughed and then winced as the laughter caused her head to throb even more. Grimacing, she leaned towards the shower and flicked on the water. Warm water soon flooded the shower stall, causing steam to quickly fill the room. Not only did it chase away the cold, it chased away the last of the fog over her memories.
She stared at the shower, her mouth hanging open with an O of surprise. The night's events now played in front of her eyes at normal speed and in glorious Technicolor. She had begged Mick to turn her into a vampire – in the shower! They had been wet together in the shower! In the shower! Never mind the fact that nothing actually happened. Yet, she could still remember the feel of his arms against his body. He had felt so strong, so confident…and yet so alive.
With a groan, Beth pressed her face against the cool glass of the fogged bathroom mirror. She could remember begging Mick like a dog in heat. Either she wasn't that convincing or he had unending self control. She was beginning to feel more and more like an idiot for coming to his flat as high as a kite. What the hell had she been thinking? At least Mick hadn't listened to her sick pleas.
Her fingers stroked the soft green shirt that clothed her body. His shirt. She impulsively pulled the collar up around her nose and inhaled. The shirt still smelled of him. She closed her eyes and breathed in his delicious aroma. He smelled of the night – of the moonlight actually. He reminded her of a crisp cool autumn night in New England – well, what she imagined New England might be like in the fall. She could see him walking through the dark night, dead leaves rasping under his feet. He was so dark, mysterious, guarded. Yet, she could still see the sunlight at the end of the road he walked. He may call himself a monster and a murderer, but Beth knew he was much more than that. He may be a vampire, but he was still the kindest, gentlest man she had ever met. It was funny as hell to think of a vampire as gentle. Yet, Mick was gentle, sweet, honest, loving. He thought he was condemned to an eternity of hell on earth, but Beth could still sense a sliver of hope and happiness in his future.
Abruptly, Beth shook her head. Whoa – just how much of that drug did she take last night? She needed more coffee if she was going to have to think clearly for the rest of the day – and think of some lies for her boyfriend, Josh.
She bit her lip and wiped the steam off the mirror. It wasn't Josh that she thought of as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. As she took in her smeared makeup and flushed skin, she thought again of Mick. If she came to him now – completely sober - and asked him – would he do it? Would he turn her into a vampire? She closed her eyes at the memory of his arms against her body in the shower, the feel of his mouth against her arm as he drank from her in that hotel room. If he did turn her, there could be worst people to spend the rest of eternity with.
"Stop being an idiot," she grumbled and threw off Mick's shirt. It landed in a puddle at her feet and she stepped over it towards the gushing shower water. As she stepped under the warm spray, Lola's words came back sharply to her.
Beth leaned against the shower wall as sudden tears pricked at her eyes. The idea that Mick would leave her or that she would never see him again crushed her heart like a vice. She had to put her hand over her chest to stop her heart from exploding in pain. The strength of emotion that hit Beth shocked her, but didn't completely surprise her. It wasn't the first time that she had realized how much she was falling for Mick.
What if Lola was right? What if the only way to make Mick stay with her was for her to become a vampire? Could she accept that? Could she give up everything – mortality, food, sunlight – to be with one man for an eternity? Mick had told her that Black Crystal had given her the positive effects of the vampire lifestyle. She had felt so energized and alive. She had been able to sense so much around her. She would be more than happy to feel that way again – it had felt so natural and free. Would she be willing to take the negative side of life as well as the positive? Would she be able to become a monster – even a blood bank connoisseur like Mick? Would she sacrifice her entire world and future just for Mick?
Beth sighed and let the tears fall as they might. They slid down her cheeks slowly, warming her now cold skin. She couldn't help but let a sob of misery escape from her. She was kidding herself if she wanted any other life without Mick. He had saved her life twice and she had saved his more than once. They were connected whether he liked it or not. She longed for that connection more than anything. He was the first thing she thought of every morning and the last thing she thought of before sleep took her at night. She longed for Mick more than anything else in her life. Why else would she find excuses to call him or visit his apartment? She hadn't felt such a deep love for anyone – not even Josh.
She could still feel Mick on her lips. She had stolen two kisses from him on impulse, but now cherished the memories of them. He had tasted so soft, so comforting, so real. He wasn't cold or harsh or stiff like she would imagine a vampire to feel. He was soft and comfortable. Yet, he was still dangerous and exciting at the same time. She didn't care. She loved him even more for his dueling personalities. God, why couldn't she just be with him now? Why couldn't they just forget the barriers between them for more than five seconds? She longed to be with him so much that it made her feel physically sick inside. God, why couldn't he just be a normal mortal guy like every other man in LA?
Beth wiped off her tears and slowly stepped back under the comforting shower water. The warm water coursed down her body and soothed her troubled mind. For a moment, she let her mind wander. She imagined a normal life with Mick. She couldn't stop herself as a smile widened over her face at the idea.
She could see herself lunging at the alarm clock in the morning, elbowing Mick's chin in the process and causing them both to tumble off the bed. He would laugh with her and rub his sore chin. She would apologize for being an idiot and touch his face. He would then laughingly tuck her into his arms and kiss her, morning stubble be damned.
They would try to dodge each other over breakfast in the kitchen. She would run through the flat, trying to juggle coffee and a stack of papers as she tried to slip on her heels. Mick would slave over the stove and try to make her eat some of the eggs and bacon he cooked that morning for breakfast. She would steal a few bites and then a few kisses from him as she had to flee out the door for work.
Mick would still work as private detective, helping others in any way he could. She would still work at Buzz Wire, trying her hardest to be a serious reporter on a tabloid website. She would come home late and Mick would either be home or on a case. If he wouldn't be there when she came home, he would always be there when she fell asleep. Just as she would drift off, she would feel the bed sink as he climbed in next to her, wrapping his arms around her small body. She would then be able to fall completely under, knowing she was completely safe from harm while Mick had his arms around her.
Suddenly, Beth shut off the shower water with a snap. Why couldn't that fantasy come true for them? She could almost taste the reality of waking up in bed with Mick every morning. Sure, he drank blood to survive, he could crush a man's skull with one hand and he was immortal, but that didn't mean they couldn't have some kind of relationship.
Beth laughed as she slipped a towel around her body. She didn't say it would be easy on any level, but they could make it work. Beth could feel it in her bones. The alternative was just too painful otherwise. A life without Mick was a life half lived, a life half forgotten. Whether Mick liked it or not, Beth would not let him sink out of her life like a shadow in the sunrise. If that meant someday he would have to turn her…then so be it.