A/N: This is my second story for Moonlight, and my first multi-chapter story for this fandom… JosefMuse is a demanding Muse and hopefully he will stick with me and see me to the end of this journey. I hope all of you stick around for the ride with me and enjoy! Many, Many, Many thanks to my wonderful, lovely beta, Aragorns Arwen for helping me to improve my story, and help make sense of all my late night writing. Without her, I'm sure none of this would make much sense and would be riddled with plot holes, spelling and grammar errors galore! So Aragorns Arwen, I thank-you deeply from the bottom of my soul, as does my JosefMuse. Everybody should go read her story, Redemption.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Moonlight and all characters you recognize from the TV show belong to WB and Joel Silver. If I owned Moonlight, it would be in production for the second season and the season 1 DVD would have already been released for those of us in the USA (I think I heard Europe already has at least a release date… too bad it won't work on a Region 1 dvd player… (grumble, grumble.)

On with the story and enjoy!

Sleeping Beauty

Prologue

7 February 1955 - NYC Penthouse

"Charles, Darling, You do know what holiday is approaching quickly, don't you?" Sarah Whitley asked her boyfriend.

"Of course. Valentine's Day, on the 14th." Charles Fitzgerald grinned as he and Sarah snuggled on the sofa in his den.

"Do you know what I want?" She asked coyly.

"Diamonds? Pearls? Rubies?" He asked, trying to tempt her from the answer he knew she would give. They had been going back and forth on the subject for months now.

"No… I can get all those things from my Father." Sarah smirked. "What I want from you is immortality."

"But I'm not immortal." Charles smirked back. "I can die… I just won't die of natural causes… I can only die if I'm killed, and so I'm not immortal, I just have a long life span." He laughed.

"Fine. I want to be like you. I want to be a vampire." Sarah stated, determined to change his mind.

Charles sighed, even though breathing was not necessary for him. "It's dangerous. You don't know what you're asking."

"I have seen your world, and I wish to be part of it," Sarah insisted. "How can you deny me? How can you deny us? I want to be with you forever, I do not wish for you to see me whither and die while you stay the same."

Charles sighed again, feeling his resolve weaken. "Fine! I will make the arrangements. But, do you understand all that you will be giving up? Your family, your friends, everybody you care about. You'll have to change your name, move out of the East Coast, drink blood and sleep in a freezer… no more sunbathing, no more outdoor events during the day time…"

"Well… I won't lose everybody I care about. I'll have you." She smiled. "And as for the other things… My parents will grow old and die, whether I am a human or a vampire. I will always love them, but they do not always know what is best for me. My friends… My friends are nothing more than vain superficial elitists. Those friends I care about, I will say my goodbye's to because I know I will miss their company." Sarah tried to reassure. "As for the blood drinking, sleeping in a freezer, no more tanning or enjoying the sunshine… I gladly give up food, a warm bed and the sun. I'd much rather be with you forever than to only have one human lifetime together."

14 February 1955 - NYC Sarah's Brownstone

"Are you sure you're ready, my love?" Charles asked as they sit next to each other on her bed.

"Yes. I love you. I trust you." Sarah said before curling up in Charles' lap, then kissed him sweetly.

"I love you too. But, just so you know, once I start, there's no stopping. Once it's done, there's no going back."

"I know." She reassured him. "You've explained everything, more than once. You said yourself it's like a short nap." She laughed. "I've never seen you so nervous… I'm ready."

"Okay. I love you." He kissed her neck at the pulse point.

"I love you too." Sarah whispered as her lover sank his fangs gently into her neck.

He drank deeply from her life's blood, tasting her love, trust and acceptance. He monitored her heart rate as he drank. Once her heart slowed to a near stop, he removed his fangs from her neck, and then bit into his own arm, tearing open a deep gash. Charles held his arm over her mouth, letting his blood drip down her throat. He smiled as he saw her react to his blood, darting her tongue out to lick her lips clean.

"Come on, Doll-face, drink up." Charles grinned. Sarah obediently raised her head to his arm, gripping it with both hands, and drank deeply. "That's it Sweetheart, drink." Soon she let go and dropped back down to the pillows.

"Rise and shine, Doll-face," he coaxed. Sarah remained against the pillows, unmoving.

"Come on, Sweetheart. Time to wake up." He coaxed again, starting to feel panicked. Still she remained unmoving.

"Sarah! Sarah! You need to wake up now! Please!" Charles begged. "Oh God! Please! Sarah! Sarah! Wake up! Please! Sarah!" Hysteria set in. "Oh Sarah, please forgive me!" He sobbed, begging her forgiveness.

Present Day - 14 February 2008 - LA, California - Josef Kostan's Mansion

"Sarah!" Josef startled awake, sitting up suddenly, hitting his head on his freezer lid, "Ow… ugh…" Josef groaned impassively.

Every February 14th for the last 53 years, he dreaded Valentine's Day. Even worse, his freshies always tried to cheer him up. 'I wonder… If I go back to sleep and not get up until tomorrow, whether anyone would notice?' Josef thought to himself. Just then, a bubbly blonde bounced into the room, opening the lid to his freezer.

Josef responded stoically before she could speak. "Leave me be, Candy. I wish to sleep the day and night away."

"But Josef!" Candy pouted. "It's Valentine's Day! All of us girls have a whole day of surprises in store for you!" She whined, thinking she was being cute.

"I know what day it is. You need not remind me." Josef seethed.

"Why do you hate Valentine's Day? Every year, you're always grumpy." She said, still pouting.

"Because, it is not a holiday! It is completely commercialized, allowing women to be spoiled with gifts, chocolates, and flowers, while industry makes billions in profits." Josef sighed, giving her his standard answer.

Josef knew he could not get out of the day of surprise's his freshies had planned for him, so he sighed again as he got out of his freezer. He put on a pair of black silk pajama pants and a black silk robe. "You shouldn't be in here. You'll catch a cold," Josef chastised, ushering the bubbly blonde out of his room.

A/N: Please read and review! My JosefMuse and I will be pleased to hear what you have to say. We both have fragile egos that need to be fluffed. lol. More to come soon!

As Always… Take What Ye Can… Give Nothin' Back!
VAMPIRE SOLIDARITY, RAH RAH RAH! (and all that!)
Mrs. Capt. Jack Sparrows