Title: From Safety to Where

Series: The Eternity Series (First Instalment)

Rating: ranges from PG13 to NC17

Pairing: Mick/Josef, Mick/Beth

Warnings: contains some drug use, sexual references and explicit descriptions of M/M pairing

Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: Josef re-turning Mick has had some interesting consequences for their relationship...how do they handle it and where do they go from here?

Author's Note: Many of my Fics are currently being reworked in an effort to constantly strive for improvement of my writing. After some consideration I have decided not to re-work this piece, this was my first attempt at creative writing in close to 20 years and although there has been some minor editing done to it in the past, I am keeping it as close to the original form as possible to serve as a reminder to me of how my writing has progressed.

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Part 1

As the last golden rays of the sun sunk behind the earth, giving way to the first silvery traces of twilight, Mick could feel the last vestiges of sleep leaving his body, his mind rising up from the depths into consciousness. He had been dreaming, dreaming of blood and sweat and tears and desire, dreaming of....

Josef!

The sudden realisation caused him to sit bolt upright, banging his head on the door of his freezer that hadn't yet had a chance to quite open properly. He clambered out of the cold sarcophagus in a rush, moving quickly towards the bathroom and the shower that he hoped would wash away the last vestiges of the dream that were still clinging to his confused mind.

He stood underneath the jet of water, arms bracing against the wall, letting the water pour over him. He let out a sigh, leaning forward and placing his head against the cold tiles, uninvited images of his best friends face rising unbidden and unexpected in his mind.

"What the...." He reared back with a start, quickly slamming the shower tap from warm to cold. He stood shivering under the icy needles of water hitting almost painfully against his skin, stood there hardly daring to breathe or move until he was sure that the image of Josef had been frozen out of his mind, until the erection that had risen sharply and suddenly at the mere thought of his friend had abated. Moving quickly he stepped out of the shower, briskly towelled himself dry and dressed rapidly.

"Beth", he had to see Beth, good old dependable non sexually confusing always there for him Beth. He shoved his feet into his favourite pair of worn leather shoes, grabbed his coat and raced downstairs, throwing open the door to his apartment in one fluid movement.

"Josef"...the word came out as a low desperate snarl, he suddenly lunged towards his best friend, knocking him off balance, carrying him across the hallway and slamming him against the wall on the opposite side. He covered his face and lips with desperate kisses, his breath coming in short ragged gasps; he wanted to devour his friend with the passion of it all.

Momentarily thrown off guard, Joseph quickly regained his composure, pushing Mick away and holding him at arms length as he quickly manoeuvred him back into his apartment, slamming the door shut behind him with his free hand. Still holding the struggling vampire at arms length he shouted a commandment at him...

"Relax...Mick, Relax"

Mick swallowed hard, once...twice and concentrated on steadying his breathing, bringing himself back under control. Once Josef was sure Mick had steadied himself completely he released him and took a step back and spoke with his usual cocky aplomb.

"Well hello Mick it's nice to see you too"

The reply tumbled out of Mick in rapid fire succession "Josef oh my god I'm so sorry I don't know what came over....." looking into his friends eyes he felt even more confused than before "Wait, you don't look surprised" Josef thought about making some sort of smartarse quip to ease the tension of the moment, but seeing the look on his friends face decided against it.

"No, no I'm not...it's just something that happens after a turning, it's designed to increase the bond between fledgling and sire...you just never noticed it with Coraline because you two were already in a relationship"

Mick's eyebrows shot up in an arc of surprise..."You mean...?"

"Yes Mick, for the next 12 months at least every time we are near each other we are going to want to...do it like they do on the discovery channel"

Mick ignored that last little quip and looked at Josef incredulously.

"And you were going to tell me about this when?"

"I'm telling you now aren't I", Josef replied "besides if you had known about this beforehand would it have made any difference, considering the circumstances"

An image of Beth, Beth in danger, Beth needing her "guardian angel" rose in his mind. He felt the last vestiges of outrage slip away.

"No, no it wouldn't have"..."So what do we do about this now"

Josef placed one hand on his hip, cocked his head and spoke in an entirely too come hither tone.

"I don't know Mick, what should we do about it", seeing the look of desire that quickly flashed across his friends face he shifted his position back to a more neutral stance and spoke again, this time the tone was serious.

"Nothing...We, do nothing", he nodded towards the door "give me your keys, I'll lock up for you...go on, get out of here ("before I do something we'll both regret", he added silently)

Mick considered this for a moment and then nodded once in silent agreement. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans he retrieved the apartment keys and tossed them at Josef, then turned heel and hurried out of his apartment without so much as a backward glance or goodbye.

Josef watched the lithe muscular silhouette of his friend as it disappeared down the hallway, then stepped back and closed the door of the apartment behind him. Releasing a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding, he slumped against the door and slid down it, his body trembling, his breathing coming in ragged little gasps.

"Shit. Shit Kostan, what the hell have you done this time"