Disclaimer: Don't own…if I did, we'd have a second season already.
A/N – this is Beth's POV of the balcony scene at the end of 12:04. Mick's POV soon to come.
12:04: Somehow, I Always Felt Safe
Beth watched as Mick walked up his stairs, to the second floor. Beth smiled at Audrey as she laid on Mick's couch, finally falling asleep after a long night. After informing her of Shepherd's decapitation, Beth guided Audrey to the couch, where she covered her with a blanket. Only when Audrey's eyes closed and she heard the stable breathing of the young woman, did Beth leave her side. She walked back to the spot where she had hidden the file in Mick's office, and walked up the same stairs that Mick had gone up minutes before.
Once on the second landing, Beth looked around. The only time she had been up there was to grab Audrey who was cowering in the bathroom and then bolt down again. Now that she was in no danger she took her time to observe. She saw the grey door that Mick had been talking about before he left, and wondered what was in there that Audrey couldn't see. It was obviously something to do with him being a vampire, but she wasn't sure what it could be. She wanting nothing more than to look inside, but she knew she had to find Mick; she needed an explanation.
Thankfully, Beth didn't have to look far for the stairs, Mick had left the door slightly ajar. Pushing the door, and allowing it to open soundlessly, she quickly walked up the short flight of steps and stopped at the top. She saw Mick standing at the edge of a concrete wall, looking over the city. Knowing he knew she was already there, she stepped out of the shadows and made her way towards the vampire. She couldn't help clutching the file in her hand a little tighter as she approached.
"How is she?" he asked, obviously concerned.
"Sleeping," Beth informed him, leaning against the barrier that protected them from falling.
"What did you tell her?" he asked.
"As long as Shepherd's gone for good, she doesn't need an explanation," she informed Mick. She paused, the feeling of the file in her hand very evident as she said her next statement.
"But I do."
"I know you saved me when I was a little girl."
Beth watched as Mick closed his eyes, and after a moment, hung his head. It was almost as if he was resigning himself to a terrible fate.
"I think you've known for a while," he said, head still hanging. She heard the guarded expression in his voice, and she knew he was afraid that she would reject him because of it. How little he knew her.
She smiled. "Maybe I have."
"What else do you know?" he asked, obviously thinking that she had found the file.
The smile left her face, and an empathetic expression replaced it. Thinking that it would help lessen the blow if she used third person, she said, "That he had to kill a woman he cared about." She saw as Mick raised his head, swallowed hard, and nodded jerkily. It obviously still bothered him, and he obviously still cared about Coralline, even after all she had put him through. The first love is something special, something that can't be forgotten or thrown aside easily. He had loved the woman, married her, and even after finding out her horrible secret, he couldn't help but love her still.
"Maybe he would have done that anyway," he said, trying not to cry. She saw the tears in his eyes and it made her tear up a little as well.
"Maybe, but that night he did it to save me."
Mick rounded on her and tried to speak before stopping, collecting his thoughts, and trying again. "How was I suppose to tell you?" he asked, his voice full of emotion.
"Why did you hide it?" she asked, putting the file up on the wall. "Make it think it was my imagination?"
She watched as he almost instinctively reached for the file that he had made on her. "You have every right to be angry," he said, obviously thinking that she was.
Beth smiled. "I'm not angry," she told him. When he looked up with a confused look in his eye she clarified, "I found my guardian angel."
Mick laughed at the term she used for him. But he then grew somber. Beth gave him a "What did you expect" look, and wiped away a stray tear that had escaped.
She thought for a moment. Wondering how she could get him to talk. She smiled. "I just wished – I just wish he'd talk to me."
He nodded slightly. "First I murder my wife, then I stalk you, it just gets better and better, huh?" he said, wiping away his own tears.
"No," she said with a smile. "I could have lived my life in fear. But somehow I always felt safe."
Just then the sun came over the horizon and the light lit up the area around them. Mick had to shield his eyes from the sun's harmful rays. She looked from the sun back to Mick.
"And now I know why."
Mick looked at her with a sad look in his eyes. "Now you know why it can never work."
The statement was a useless excuse to her. "All I know is, since I met you, I've stopped using the word 'never'," she said, undaunted.
She glanced slightly at the rising sun, and getting an idea, placed one hand over Mick's to help block out more of the sun from his face, and leaning in to him, placed the other on his chest. She kissed his cheek, hoping that he would stop being stubborn and take what she was trying to give. When she pulled away, the look she saw in his eyes, told her volumes. She felt her heart break as he pulled away, looking at her, and almost as if he couldn't stand to look into her eyes anymore, kept his hand covering his face, and walked away from her, not even stopping to look back.
Beth let her hand fall from where it had been on his arm, in sadness. She watched him leave, his shoulders bowed as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Even when he reached the safety of the shadows, he still didn't look back. He walked back down the stairs and into his house.
She wasn't sure where they would go from there, but knew that she had made the first move and Mick would have to make the next one. She felt helpless, standing on the balcony, the file behind her reminding her of the man who had effectively slapped her in the face. She couldn't stop looking from where Mick had disappeared, but knew that it was time for her to go. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the file and slowly walked back down. Staunching the tears that had filled her eyes. She had been rejected, and she just had to deal with it. She walked back down to the living room where Audrey was still sleeping. Beth looked around for Mick, but didn't see him. That was probably a good thing. She walked back over to his office and carefully opened the door to the filing cabinet that read: 1982-1985. Deciding against putting it back and messing up whatever system that he had, she opted to just leave it on his desk, hidden partially by his computer keyboard.
She wished that Mick would stop running from her. Every time they started to get close, he would pull away, every time rejecting her. She was starting to get tired of all the rejection. Looking around the office once more, she decided to not snoop again. Looking back at the chair, she saw the shirt that she had picked up and smelled earlier. She felt sadness wash over her and the tears that she had stemmed, come back. Biting her lip, she tilted her head back, hoping to stop them before they could fall.
Deciding to go check on Audrey, she walked back out of the office, and toward the couch. Audrey was sleeping quietly, so she sat down in one of the armchairs adjacent to the couch, and sighed. She didn't want to stay, not after the exchange she just had with Mick. But she couldn't leave Audrey, and she wasn't going to wake her just so she could feel more comfortable.
But soon, the events of the night took it's toll and she found herself getting drowsy. Closing her eyes, she knew that she was safe here, even if she felt uncomfortable. That thought alone allowed her to sleep.
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Beth slowly awoke. The memories of the morning came back to her and she felt a sadness grip her chest. She opened her eyes slowly to find that she had been covered at some point with a blanket. She looked down, surprised, and smiled. Mick still couldn't resist taking care of her, after all he had done already. When she looked up, she saw Audrey was still asleep. She smiled and looked at her watch. It was nearly noon.
Beth sat up and stretched. She was a little stiff from being in the same position for a few hours, but she had to admit that the chair had been comfortable non the less. She stood up, and looked around. Mick was still no where in sight. Not that she expected him to be, but she wished that the vampire wouldn't ignore her.
She had the feeling that Mick was asleep. He had exerted a lot of energy the previous day, and probably needed the rest. She sighed and felt her stomach start to rumble. She smiled. It had been a long time since dinner the night before.
Suddenly Audrey started to stir. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled when she saw Beth.
"Have a good night sleep?" she asked, walking over to the couch.
Audrey sat up and stretched. "Even with all the events last night, it was the best night sleep I've had in over fourteen years," she told Beth. It was obvious. There was a light in the young woman's eyes that hadn't been there before. She knew that Audrey would be alright from now on; Shepherd didn't have any more control over her. He was gone for good.
"I'm sure you'll be glad to get back home," she said, sitting down next to her.
Audrey nodded. "Yes, I'll be staying with my grandmother for a little while, so that she knows I'm alright. Then I'll go back to my place." Audrey sighed and smiled. "It's finally over."
Beth smiled and nodded. "Yes, it's finally over." She paused for a moment before rising. "I'll take you to your grandmother's if you like," she offered.
Audrey smiled. "Thank you, Beth. You've been so kind. I really appreciate it. But I don't want to inconvenience you."
Beth shook her head. "It's no trouble, Audrey. Don't worry about it."
Audrey nodded and stood. "Where's Mick? I want to say goodbye," she said, looking around for her protector.
Beth hesitated for a moment. "I think he's asleep."
Audrey's face fell. "Oh."
Beth thought for a moment, trying to figure out where he would sleep. She didn't even know what he slept in. Then an idea occurred to her.
"Hold on a second," she said, then ran to the steps. She quickly made her way up the stairs and to the grey door that she had been curious about earlier. She stopped in front of it, but didn't move to open it. She glanced back toward the staircase and said quietly, with a hint of sadness in her voice that she couldn't help, "Audrey wants to say goodbye."
She heard a faint hiss, and satisfied that he was coming, but curious as to what the hiss was, she decided that she didn't care and walked down the stairs to Audrey.
Beth smiled when she saw the young woman. "He's coming."
Audrey's eyes lit up as she said that, and then sparkled as she looked behind her. She knew that Mick had come to the stairs, but didn't look back. Audrey walked past Beth and toward Mick. Being so close to him made her want to just run to him and slap him. But she restrained herself. That would pose unwanted questions by Audrey, and Mick couldn't afford them. So she made herself satisfied with walking to the counter, grabbing her belongings, and then slowly walking to the door, but feeling Mick's eyes on her.
"Thank you so much, Mick," she heard the woman say. "You don't know how relieved I am. I didn't even feel this way at the execution. I know he's gone now, he has no more power over my life." She paused. When she spoke again, it was obvious she was turned looking to Beth when she said, "Beth was right. I can't let Shepherd control me, even in death. I have to block it out." She turned back to Mick. "I won't ever forget what he did, but he can't hold it over me anymore. And I have you to thank for that."
Beth sighed and closed her eyes. Another person who owed Mick their life. The list was growing by the day.
"It was no problem, I was happy to help." There was a pause and a ruffle of clothing and Mick said, "I hope your life is a happy one now."
"It will be, thank you. I'm sorry for waking you, I just wanted to say thanks, and goodbye. I don't know if I'll ever see you again."
"I'm always around," he said vaguely.
Beth almost laughed. Yeah, he's around. He's been around for 85 years! But she shook her head. It wasn't Audrey's fault, it was Mick's. Feeling a small hand on hers, she turned to see Audrey standing next to her with a concerned look on her face.
"Ready?" Beth asked.
Audrey nodded. "Yes, I am. I finally am."
Beth nodded and smiled. She opened the door and saw Aubrey look back and wave at Mick. When Audrey turned the corner, she couldn't help but look back too. Mick was standing there in his normal clothes, with a sad and regretful look on his face.
She was sure that the look was mirrored on her face, but she tore her eyes away from his, and with a great sadness, closed the door behind her. She had to get Audrey to her grandmother's and then go to Buzz Wire. She had work to do.
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Hope you all liked it!! If you did, please let me know. I LOVE reviews!!
Again, if anyone has any ideas about scenes for me to do, let me know!