Moonlight – Virtual Season 2
Episode Thirteen – Seward Alaska
Rating: M/NC17
Writer: ClChen (with the collaboration of the group)
Beta'd: Writers Group
VS2 Writers Group includes Candomom, ClChen, Conni4, Evilous, Misfit, Mx wwmickd, Night Owl, Phantom Phoenix, Photosue and Sunny.
Disclaimer: Moonlight and its characters are owned by CBS and Warner Brothers. All use of Moonlight and its characters in this venue are for entertainment purposes and completed solely for the pleasure of Moonlight lovers. The original storylines and episodes have been created by the VS2 Writers and Discussion Group. We hope you enjoy.
It was dawn. Mick stood in Josef's den, contemplating another bottle of Johnny Walker as he poured the amber liquid slowly into a glass. It had been one more night of hunting Legion members and the second time he had been told that Beth was in Legion hands. With all his vampire hearing and senses, everything was telling him it was true, they had her.
Mick's hands were shaking and his rage was slowly building. He fought against the notion of her being in danger, his albeit brief conversation with her telling him she was safe. It wasn't enough, a single phone call would never be enough to reassure him of Beth's safety.
Mick slammed back the drink and then smiled bitterly to himself, wondering how much this stuff was costing Josef. Josef was still keeping things from him. Why was he always left in the dark? He knew Coraline and Lance were playing a double game, but he had double and triple checked Coraline's information and she hadn't lied… yet. Josef on the other hand…
He poured more of the scotch, well past the two finger mark, and Mick closed his eyes as he slammed back the well aged scotch and then rested his hand on the bar. The helplessness ate at him. Telling himself that if low level Legion punks said they had Beth, that didn't make it true. Again he filled the glass, this time the liquid sloshed over the rim of the glass and onto the ebony bar. He twisted the tumbler around on the table, then picked it up and threw it against the wall, the liquid spilling everywhere, glass shattering. Soon the bottle of Johnny Walker suffered the same fate, shards of glass everywhere, the expensive liquor now running down the wall.
Mick's rage ignited, he had been almost to the point of no return. He wanted to tear the little fight-club wannabe limb from limb. But now his rage went past his own control and he didn't remember ripping the room apart, slamming bar stools over the bar. All he remembered was slumping to the floor against the wall, his knees to his chest. Josef was going to regret insisting that Mick move in. He rubbed his forehead several times before giving into the pain and grief that he still continued to feel. His arms still ached for Beth, his heart still ached for Beth. He couldn't remember what she smelled like; all scent of her had vanished days ago. He lowered his head to his arms and sobbed, tears falling, his heart breaking. He needed Beth, he knew now beyond a shadow of a doubt, he truly couldn't live without her any more.
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Beth looked out over the harbor in Seward, Alaska. With only six hours of daylight, she was beginning to feel like a vampire, which caused a soft giggle to pass her rosy lips. Polar fleece and a Gortex Parka made her look like she was wearing a bag. She wondered if Mick would find this new look attractive.
Oscar had been doing that vampire sniffing thing a lot lately. Did that mean they were being followed or merely that he enjoyed the climate? Unfortunately, it probably means we're being followed. Beth closed her eyes and gave herself a hug, her mind imagining Mick holding her.
Mick had tried for so long to keep Beth sheltered from the vampire life. Now she was learning more than she ever wanted to know. How could she not, she was with Oscar 24/7. For example, when Oscar fed it meant hanging out in bars waiting for someone to become too drunk to notice a bite in public. Oscar scared most of the unwanted attention away from Beth, especially with his habit of following her to the ladies room. Even so she had received two proposals of marriage, three offers of employment to work above the Arctic circle for the pipeline and one as a pole dancer. Me a pole dancer?- Beth shook her head and smiled to herself. I have to laugh at the ridiculous nature of my current life. If I don't, I'll end up in the fetal position lying on the floor. I've done my share of crying under the covers. The truth is I physically ache... ache to hold Mick... ache to see Mick. Bitter tears fell down her cheeks as she hugged herself tighter.
Oscar checked her door to make sure it remained locked, thinking Beth was finally understanding the meaning of the word "stay". Trying to convince her to obey a simple command was like asking her to not breathe, but he was determined to make sure she saw things his way. If it pisses her off, all the better. He made his way down the hall to the main desk to check for his paper.
Oscar was increasingly short tempered. He felt trapped in Seward; there was only one road into the place. If they could leave undetected in a fishing ship, anyone following would have to guess at their ultimate destination. He and Beth should have been long gone, but the Russian fishing vessel he planned to meet was either delayed or had left without them. He cursed Kostan and his demand for location, location, location. Usually Oscar cheated… publishing their location from the previous week.
They abandoned the Crown Victoria in Chico and had actually stolen a car to get them to Eureka. It had been another long night in a Chico bar, when one of the patrons, well beyond driving, was hunted down by her ex-husband and hauled unceremoniously home. Joint custody wasn't all it was cracked up to be. No one was going to miss the aging Nissan Sentra until morning. The first thing Oscar had done after stealing the Nissan(car) was toss the pine tree air freshener out the window and drive for a half an hour with the windows open. Only when Beth's teeth started chattering did he consent to roll up the windows. He hadn't been able to buy another car with the same trunk space as the Crown Vic. It forced them to hole up in motels more often than he wanted.
They were being herded north, Oscar was sure of it, and now they were cornered. Come on Oscar.. Think… Oscar looked back up the stairs and his mind's eye tried to see into Beth's room. If he was a gambling man he would wager Beth was crying in the hotel room with the covers pulled over her head.
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Mick stood in Josef's office. He was calmer than two nights previously, but he still longed for Beth. He had forced himself back to his freezer, willing himself to rest. He knew... deep down, Beth wouldn't approve of his rage; it wouldn't become her guardian angel. After a war of wills, his body finally gave into the cold oblivion, dreamless sleep over taking him.
Mick turned his attentions back to Josef's office, picking up a paper sitting on Josef's desk... it was the Financial Times. Josef maintained it was the only thing he ever read. Mick started to thumb through the pages, anything to avoid pouring himself another drink. It was ironic, Josef and the Legion both reading the Financial Times. Mick didn't think Josef subscribed to Soldier of Fortune magazine.
As he looked through the paper, a personal's ad caught his attention. "The tundra of the cold always looks good, an old Russian port... But across the ocean from the father land?" Was someone advertising a time share in the artic? Mick focused on the words as he noticed longitude and latitude coordinates. His brow furrowed forward in concentration and his eyes went wide. He closed the paper and looked around, it couldn't be? He opened the paper again, slowly easing into Josef's couch. As he read it again, he realized they were coordinates. Coordinates published in a national paper. His mind wandered to pictures of Beth and Oscar he had found the night before, it looked like they were taken north of San Francisco. They sure as hell couldn't go west… and Nevada was too sparsely populated. The Legion could locate the car from the air. Mick's breaths soon became excited as it dawned on him what exactly he was looking at.
"I'll be damned." Mick smiled wide and then folded the paper as Josef came in.
"Well, you look better… I'm still sending you the bill for the den." Josef quirked an eyebrow at Mick as he passed by him, "at least I can thank you for not smoking." He gave Mick a puzzled looked, more than a little confused by this shift in mood.
"Well, it's the least I could do… Listen, I need to borrow your jet. I ah… I think if… I got out of town it would help, maybe clear my head. Los Angeles is filled with too many memories of Beth…" Mick covered his mouth with his fist, acting as if he needed to cough, trying to hide the self satisfied smiled that was plastered on his lips. Again another quizzical look shot at Mick as Josef rounded his desk.
Mick walked toward one of Josef's ceiling to floor windows, his mind working, trying to figure out where in Alaska Beth could be.
"Vacation? Where?" Josef was really intrigued, of course Mick had an ulterior motive. How much had he learned? Josef decided to play it out, this could prove to be good, maybe a few freshies... and a reasonable excuse to watch over Mick. Has Mick finally fallen off the wagon?
"Does it matter?" Mick forced a nonchalant grin on his face as he tucked the paper under his arm.
"Um... Yes... Look, Mick, you haven't been the usual epitome of self-control that is, well, Mick..." There needs to be a whole other word for you man... Josef couldn't help but shake his head at Mick, he knew his friend was hiding something.
"Where are we going?" Josef sat in his chair, toying with a pencil he picked up off his desk. Mick heaved a sigh, quirking an eyebrow as he made his way back to Josef's couch.
"Alaska... It's vamp friendly and... I've... Always wanted to go." Mick beamed a smile at Josef as he became more confident with the plan working in his mind.
"Alaska, eh... Okay, I think I can do Alaska, and yes, I'm going." Mick couldn't help his frown that replaced his happy grin. "Beth would kill me if anything ever happened to you, and I um, have grown attached to my head." Mick snorted and shook his head as he rubbed his jaw, listening to Josef as he made the call to tell his pilot to fuel the jet and have it ready in two hours.
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Mick settled into the plane as it made its way over Seattle airspace. He toyed with his scotch as he watched Josef finalize a couple of deals. His best friend looked quite different in jeans, a fleece jacket and Nike tennis shoes. Mick lifted his booted foot to his knee, pulling it closer to his lap. He kept his hand on his ankle as he laid his head back. He was suddenly ambushed with memories of his last night with Beth. Her caresses, her soft moans, the taste of her blood on his lips. Her whispers of love and devotion playing in his ears. He jerked his head up as his breathing became heavier. He lifted his glass to his lips as his hand shook from the intensity of the vision. He slugged the whole glass back and set it down, rubbing his forehead trying to keep himself calm.
"Being haunted, Mick?" Josef asked, startling his friend.
"Just the usual, visions of Beth, things I hope to have again..." His voice was hoarse and filled with longing. He shook his head and grinned at Josef.
"What's with... This is so not you." Mick chuckled after he spoke, watching as Josef pulled on the jacket stretching his long legs and rubbing his thighs. "I don't know, Mick... Soon we'll be neck deep in lovely ladies who'll need our unique... abilities." Josef gave Mick a fanged smile, who in return chuckled softly, shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Cold women, whose blood should taste quite well." Josef wiggled his eyebrows at Mick as he tipped his AB- laced scotch to his lips.
"You do realize men out number women in Alaska." Mick's brow quirked in amusement.
Josef snorted as he sat his glass down. "Mortal men, but they don't have our charm or our finesse."
As Josef's plane landed in Anchorage, Mick released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He could feel his body hum with excitement. He could almost feel Beth. He fought to get his emotions under control as the hatch unlocked and opened. The cold air that embraced Anchorage circled around him. He closed his eyes and concentrated on Beth's voice, telling him that she loved him. He jerked as he felt Josef's hand grip his shoulder.
"Why the hell do women insist on covering themselves with so many clothes?" Mick turned to Josef who gave him an annoyed grin as he started down the stairs.
"Well, maybe 'cause they don't do well in the cold like we do."
"Simone likes the cold." Josef said as he took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.
Mick shook his head, contemplating the details of exactly what Josef meant. "Well, not every woman is adventurous as Simone."
Josef nodded and looked around, then pointed Mick toward their limo. "We're headed to a Hotel in Downtown Anchorage. You can actually land on a lake right by it, with a small plane of course."
Mick took off his sun glasses as he listened to Josef, but his friend knew Mick's mind was else where. The ride in the limo was quiet, barely a word passed between them. Josef sighed and looked out his window, looking out over the cold city, hoping that Mick was telling him the truth, that there wasn't a dark motivation behind this trip.
Once inside, Mick went straight to the concierge's desk. It was a vamp friendly hotel, attracting fanged vacationers who enjoyed the cold and the long nights. He nodded at the pretty young woman before him and then gave her one of his winning smiles before he spoke. "How far is it to Seward?" The desk clerk smiled shyly back at Mick and then looked at her computer.
"First we're going to get a drink," Josef interrupted. "I'm not roughing it again like we did in Tierra del Fuego."
"Yeah, polar bears might have something to say about a willing contribution." Mick grinned again at the young brunette as she continued to arrange his car rental.
"A few penguins, that's all it was…" Josef took the car keys and then dangled them at Mick. Mick groaned and snatched the keys before following Josef to the bar.
The bar was a mix of humans and vampires. Mick looked for a quiet corner, he was in no mood to socialize. He nodded Josef toward a table in the corner and then went to the bar.
"Two… scotch… neat." As Mick waited for the bartender, his sensitive ears picked up on the buzz of conversation around him. He heard something he wasn't expecting.
"Two in Seward, well one vampire, guarding a human. Pretty blond too. I think she's the one we're looking for." Mick could feel the hairs on the back of his neck slowly raise. He closed his eyes as he felt his fangs elongate.
"Should be easy pickins if we play our cards right."
Throwing his drink back in one gulp, Mick considered how to proceed. Josef was chatting up two freshies in a booth. He signaled the bartender over, "What do you have in the way of special reserves? Girls who've already had a bit to drink this evening."
"Light or Stout?" The Bartender inquired.
"Two Stout, the highest alcohol content you've got... for that gentleman over there. My boss," Mick indicates Josef with a glance "likes a party." Mick gave him his best charming smile, trying to reassure the suspicious bartender.
"Those are local girls, we don't take kindly to anything happening to our girls around here." The bar keep continued to clean a glass as he glared at Mick.
"I'm the designated driver, my boss only lets me drink fresh when I'm not on duty." Mick pulled out two one hundred dollar bills, his hazel blue eyes slowly traveling to the bartender.
The bar tender gave Mick a questionable look and then went to a room in the back. Mick turned his attentions back to the two gentleman that he had overheard before. His jaw clenched as he overheard them making plans to leave in a few minutes. He shot another look back to Josef and straightened as the bartender escorted a couple of tipsy freshies over to Josef's table. Mick gave a quick smile and made his way back to Josef and presented him with the brews.
"Mick, I was just telling... Bridgette?" The girl looked from Josef to Mick and smiled nodding her head. Mick gave a smug grin in return and looked back at Josef. "That you like blondes and red heads..."
"Yeah, well, I need to go back up to the room. Those are for you enjoy." Josef quirked an eyebrow and then nodded, watching as Mick left the bar.
Mick cut around the corner and watched the two men he had overheard get up and leave the bar. He turned his head and acted like he was talking on one of the service phones. Once they were in the street, Mick made his way to his newly rented car.
Mick kept a laid back tail on his prey, wanting them to lead him. The drive from Anchorage to Seward was a long drive, giving Mick too much time to dwell on his thoughts. His mind kept replaying the events of the last several days, especially his brutal killing of one of the Legion members. He could vividly see terror in his victims face as he crushed vertebrae and severed his spinal cord, the smell of his fear and the foul taste of his blood. Reminding Mick again that couldn't remember the smell or taste of Beth, but reliving the satisfaction of a savage hunger and revenge was as real as…
Mick closed his eyes and then jerked the wheel of the car. He went off the road and then back on, avoiding a caribou that he almost struck. He wiped his face with his hand taking in several breaths. He allowed his vampire to venture forth, shutting his lights off, and allowing his own night vision to guide him down the road.
The closer he got to Seward the more anxious Mick became. He wanted Beth, to see her, touch her, to know that she was unharmed, untouched. He could feel his fangs ache, his arms ache, her blood no longer pumped through his veins, but as he got closer Mick recaptured the memory, the memory of how alive and sweet she tasted, how good love tasted as it coursed through her body. That was the reason he could feed from no other.
Mick swallowed hard, trying to quell the need to feed. He turned his lights back on as he came into the outskirts of the town, pulling the car into an alley. He took a few cleansing breaths before he stepped out, the cool brisk air rushing over his face, calming his frazzled nerves. He scented the air, hoping to pick anything, Beth. His head jerked as a husky that was tied up next to a door growled, his teeth bared, his fur standing on end. Mick growled back, his eyes iced over, his fangs bared. The husky whimpered in reply and tucked his tail firmly between his legs, retreating away from the predator that stood before him. Mick refocused his attentions to his surroundings; he hoped the two men hunting Oscar and Beth were as clueless as he was about their exact location. But what he needed most was just to find Beth. Further down the alley the back door to a bar was flung open as a fight spilled outside. May as well start asking questions here.
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