Part 2

It can't be Josef would never have seduced her, he may be a playboy but he would never do that with Beth. He knows how much I love her; he knows she is my heart. Beth wouldn't go for Josef anyways, but what was she doing here, what have I missed?

The door flung open and there she stood, looking as beautiful as ever, her long blonde hair bouncing in soft waves on her shoulders, wearing jeans and a black blouse, she just stood there staring at me. I know I should just throw myself at her feet and beg her to forgive me, forgive me for leaving her. I will do that I don't need to know, if something happened while I was gone, it is my own fault.

"Beth," I can't sit and do this, I cross the room to her, "I'm sorry."

She takes off, but Josef stops me from going after her. "Let her go Mick."

"What? Let her go, where is she going? I have to make things right, why is she running away from me?"

"Because she knows it can never work between the two of you."

"WHAT?"

"Mick you have no idea what you have done—"

"I love her I have to talk to her; I have to tell her make her see nothing is standing in our way now."

Josef tries to get me to stay but I won't hear it. I chase after her down the hall finding her room in Josef's place. I want to be with her more than I have wanted anything in my life, how could getting one thing rip everything else away, getting my life back only to have my heart ripped out.

She is sitting on the bed, crying, legs pulled to her chest, head in her knees. I go to her; she keeps her head down not looking up at me. I fall to my knees, "Beth please forgive me. I shouldn't have left you like that, but you have to know I wanted nothing to be between us, and I know that with me as a vampire there would be too many complications. They could have been worked out, I could have turned you if you wanted that but it would kill me. I never wanted to see you like that; I love you I couldn't bear the thought of taking your humanity making you walk in darkness when you are the sun in my world. Seeing you as undead bringing you into the world and the darkness I have hated—"

I stop I have to catch my breath, my voice is ragged with emotion I know I can feel it. She is still crying if anything I think it has gotten worse, I was only making her more upset.

"I am sorry, but Beth it worked. I have been human for over 4 months. Our month together was what got me through these past few months, being away from you. When I left I felt the vampirism returning, remember the first night we made love I told you it was getting close, but now I am human again 100 and all tests show continued success. Don't you see there is nothing stopping us from being together now as a normal couple. If you can forgive me, if you still want me."



I am pleading with her; I just wish she would look at me. I have my heart in my hands offering it up to her praying that I haven't really screwed this up. She doesn't look at me, but her sobs stop and she begins to speak.

"I remember that night, I remember every second of that night. I remember out bodies responding to one another, everything was perfect, you had let me in. You had finally truly let me in. If I had only known it was a lie—"

"A lie, Beth nothing I said to you was a lie."

"Really," she lifts her head up I don't see sadness but anger. "I asked you that night, I begged you to be honest with me. I asked you if you were going to push me away, to leave me. You said you weren't going anywhere, that you loved me, that you would stop making choices for me."

"Beth I—"

"What, did you forget? You get what you want from me, get your fill then run off chasing your wife and her cure."

Her voice is full of anger now, she is jealous. I can see how any woman would be I left her here while I chased after my ex who is still crazy in love with me. I was thinking she may have been with someone, how could she not think the same of me, and she knows of my control issues in the Coraline department. I told her about my fever for her, but I never told her how she changed it, how I no longer had that feeling for Coraline anymore that she replaced it. I didn't get a chance to, I was to busy running off to save my humanity.

"It wasn't like that Beth. I didn't chase after Coraline. Did you read my letter?"

"What letter?"

"I wrote you a letter, explaining why I left. I knew I couldn't stand to see the look in your eyes, but I couldn't bring you with me it was to dangerous. I left it on your counter. You didn't find it?"

"I haven't been home."

Hasn't been home, where has she been for 3 months? Has she been staying with Josef? No wonder she was mad.

"All I know is what Josef told me, that you left, that you went off to find the cure and that he was going to be keeping an eye on me on your orders."

I pull her hands into mine, she pulls away crossing to the far side of the room keeping her back to me.

"Beth I went to get the cure for us, I would never leave you to chase after Coraline. I am so sorry you thought that."

"Why you made it perfectly clear you have a fever about you where she is concerned. So tell me held up for 3 months with her you didn't get caught up."

Before I can say anything she laughs, "I knew it. She put her moves on you and you gave in didn't you. I was a fool to think I could compete with her, when you clearly have it so bad."

"Beth nothing happened. She tried, but I made it clear that it was over between us. I told her if she couldn't leave me alone then I would leave, cure or not."

She stops pacing, and looks at me almost like she is trying to judge the truth of the statement. Coraline did try to seduce me, use her influence; she didn't get far nothing more than a kiss. She was actually jealous and envious of Beth for having my heart, which is apparently what she has wanted all along.

"Mick while you were gone—"

"I don't need to know. I have no right to expect anything from you, you begged me not to leave and I did anyways. Let me make it up to you, let me take you out for the day, take you to dinner, a stroll on the beach, anything."

"Mick I am sorry, this breaks my heart, again" she slowly walks towards me, having gained her composure. "I am happy for you. I am happy that you finally got what you wanted; I know being human again was your deepest desire. I wish you all the happiness in the world—"

"Then let me make it up to you."

"I'm sorry, I can't. It can never work between us, I'm sorry. Please don't follow me; it's for your own good."

She leans in and kisses my check, before dashing off again. How did we end up like this, I stop running and she starts. I go out to the hall but she is gone, I run through the house looking for her calling her name, but no one in the house has seen her. I find my way back down to Josef who is sitting in his chair with a glass of scotch, another empty glass and bottle next to him.

"Sit down Mick."

"Josef what happened, why hasn't she been to her place. I left her a letter trying to explain."

"You need to understand what is going on here Mick. A lot has happened since you left her."

"I didn't leave her," I snap at him.

"Yes Mick you did. You left her; you used her and left her, at least that is how she felt."

"I never meant…what did I do?"

"You screwed up. No sugar coating it you screwed thing to hell. Everything fell apart when you left and I was left to pick up the pieces."

"What happened?"



Josef takes a swig of his drink, "When you left she was mad. She had no idea where you went, she was staying at your place and when you didn't come home she called me worried something had happened with the reversion. I had gotten your letter by then and told her I would be over there shortly to talk to her. When I got there she was sitting on your couch in on of your shirts and a pair of jeans, looking at home. I could feel her love and worry for you pouring off of her, Mick I wanted to stake you then and there."

"I brought food, not sure what you had knowing she would need something. I show her the note you left me. I figured letting her read what you wrote, would be better than me trying to explain. She was pissed and hurt Mick. If you had any idea how much you hurt her."

"I—"I try to say something to defend myself but Josef wont allow me that, and I didn't deserve it.

"No, you wanted to know so here it is. She was hurt, but that grew to anger. She was pissed off at you for what you did to her, how you lied to her which later she explained. She started to smash things against the walls I was actually amazed at her sheer determination to ruin the place, but I stopped her before she did too much damage to your place or herself. I brought her back here; I knew her staying alone at that moment was not the best thing, so I was on babysitting duty."

"After a couple of days she had to return to work, she was ready to move forward. I had sent some of my girls to her place to get her some clothes while she was here. She was fine after a while, well as fine as a person can be when they burry their boyfriend, then have the man they love promise to never leave them, only to fuck her and do just that—"

"It wasn't like that!" I yell my temper is boiling.

"Shut up. You wanted to know what you missed and here it is. She found solace in work, but she wanted to leave. I thought she was going home, but she asked me for the key to your place. Said she wanted to be close to you, even if you weren't there, she wanted to remember being happy. I gave her the key, the least I could do for her."

"She wanted you back, she got it in her head that if she started taking stupid risks, taking on dangerous stories that if she put herself in enough danger you would come back to save her. That girl is a trouble magnet, seems she was in something every other day. I went to you place to tell her it had to stop, that she had to just forget about you or something. She was curled up on the couch wearing one of your shirts hugging a pillow. She missed you, I tried to get through to her, but she loved you Mick she wanted you back for the life of me I don't know why. After what you did to her, I can't believe she wanted anything to do with you but that is Blondie always surprising me."

"She agreed to stop doing stupid things taking unnecessary risks, to try and will you back. I told her it would be okay, that you loved her and would back. Yes I was comforting her for you."

"Thank you," everything he says is washing over me.

"I didn't do it for you. Everything was going okay she was back to her normal life, still sad but she was done acting out. Then she got a lead on a story, a serial killer who was targeting blondes yeah you know she had to be involved. I tried to talk her out of it but she wouldn't hear it, said it had nothing to do with you it was her job. I had guards on her at all times; I couldn't be by her side 24/7. She managed to 

sneak past them; yes they are in the tar pit. She stumbled into a club, more like she was trying to forget about the case, my guards on her, not having you seems everything was hitting her at once she watched a movie and it all came back, go figure. Turns out the serial killer was there, he liked her she fit his profile perfectly he spiked her drink and she called me when she started getting dizzy tried to stay at the bar with the bartender keeping herself safe until I could get there."

"I was too late; he had gotten her to the back alley. Mick she was barley hanging on. She was at deaths door, I couldn't let her die. You would hate yourself for not being there either way but at least maybe this would come as a blessing, you wouldn't have to be worried about turning her, killing your beloved. She asked me to, she asked me to save her, so I did. I turned her."

"She…you…Beth…" I can't believe it, Beth was a vampire. How did I not notice, how did I let this happen?

"Yes Mick, the Beth that you say today she is a vampire, has been for almost 2 months now. She is a great fielding, she has learned quickly faster than most of course I think it has to be that she had something to work for, or at least she thought she did, until you showed up here like this. It's a good thing you aren't a vampire I think I would have staked you just for all of that, I still haven't decided if I want to lay you out or not. The waves of heart ache coming off of her when she saw you, if you had any idea."

"Why didn't she tell me, why did she run away? Josef I love her."

"That's why I agreed to turn her. Because you love her and she loves you, but as irony would have it that is why you can not be together."

"I have to find her, where would she go?"

"I don't know."

Before Josef can say anything else I jump up and run for my car. I will drive all day if I have to, I have to find her. I have to see her.

End Part 2