Title: Stand by Me
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Pairing: Mick/Beth
Spoilers: through 1x08, 12:04 AM
Summery: "It's an interesting feeling; not caring whether you live or die." Sequel to Through the Years and Watching Over You.
Chapter Title: Truth
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Mick/Beth
"They say the truth will set you free. They're wrong. The truth binds us in more ways imaginable. With a lie you can go a million different directions; the truth leaves but one course open to you."
Mick knew she was there even before the first knock echoed through the apartment. He'd been expecting her, knowing that she was unsatisfied with this morning's conversation and that she'd be back once she'd come up with her plan of attack. She was getting better and better at maneuvering around his evasions and he was getting worse and worse denying her. It was becoming dangerous. He contemplated ignoring her for only the briefest of seconds. He'd tried avoiding her before and he had wound up being kissed in the parking lot of BuzzWire. That "accident" that kept happening, kept haunting him. He pulled open the door with a resigned smile of welcome.
"Okay so I remembered something today and I wanted to ask you about it," she said walking in without hesitation, her face determined.
"Beth," Mick greeted her. The implied sarcasm of the unspoken "please, come in" not lost on either of them. She ignored it.
"Did you give me these?" she asked, waving around the item she had brought with her.
"A shoebox?" Mick asked, hoping that was what she was talking about.
"No, these cards," she opened the box and held one out to illustrate her point.
Mick reached for it, stunned. She had kept them? "You still have them?" he asked, looking over the faded card in wonder.
"Every one," she confirmed quietly.
"Just completes the stalker image doesn't it?" Mick asked humorlessly.
She shook her head firmly. "I just want to know why?" she asked, looking up at him. There was no trace of disgust or fear, only curiosity and something else he was afraid to examine closely.
Why? It was her nature to be always looking for why. His mind drifted back to that construction paper card she'd given him over twenty years ago. Love Beth she had signed it, that's why, but he wasn't about to go down that road. He shrugged and moved away from her as if a few feet of distance would stop the pull of her eyes on him.
"Damnit, Mick! I deserve some answers," she said, once again closing the distance between them.
He was forced to look at her again. "You deserve a lot of things I can't give you," he said pointedly, pleading with her to just let it go.
She didn't of course, but he expected that. She just reached up to touch his face. He leaned into the touch, he couldn't help it, pressing his cheek into her palm.
"Please," she whispered, "running isn't doing either of us any good."
No, but it was better than the alternative. He pulled away again, turning his back on her and staring out the window as if the Los Angeles skyline held some answer for him.
"You can't just tell me 'no' with no explanation as to why." She was frustrated now, he could hear it in her voice and in the way her pulse quickened.
He gave a short laugh. "I thought that would be obvious," he replied.
She moved to stand beside him, but her eyes looked to him and not the view for answers. "Not to me," she said softly.
"I'm a vampire, Beth!" It was his turn to be frustrated.
"I'm aware of that," she stated blandly.
He shook his head. Didn't she get it? Didn't she see how this could only end in pain?
"Beth you're human. You have a good life, a nice human boyfriend to go home too," he deliberately threw Josh in her face. It was an underhanded blow but maybe it would make her see reason.
She didn't blink. "Just because I have it doesn't mean it's what I want." she said. "It's ridiculous to give up something you want just because it could end badly. Anything can end badly. If people lived like that they'd never leave the house."
"The grass isn't greener on the other side, Beth, trust me," he said harshly, turning to face her.
Big mistake. Her eyes caught and held his, paralyzing him more effectively than any stake.
"I'm tired of dancing around this, Mick," she said firmly. "We always talk in riddles and never just say what we mean to." She looked him squarely in the eyes as she leaned up and placed a soft kiss against his lips.
"It's not an accident and I'm done running," she said softly. "I love you, the rest is your decision."
She turned and headed for the door, picking up her shoebox on the way. She was almost to the door when Mick found his voice again.
"Josh?" he asked, uncertain of exactly what about him he was asking.
She stopped but did not turn around. "Whatever happens between us now, Mick, Josh and I are over. I'm not in love with him anymore and it wouldn't be fair to him to keep up the pretense," and with that she was gone.
Mick continued to stare after her long after the sound of her pounding heart had faded from his awareness. There we so many reasons why it wouldn't work, why he shouldn't even consider it but, as Beth had pointed out there were just as many reasons why it could. She was right, making a choice was inevitable, and it was obvious that he couldn't make her decision for her, as much as he wished he could. He had to make his own choice now. He walked into his office and sat down at his desk. He unlocked the bottom drawer and pulled out the gaudy, construction paper card that had turned his world upside down.
-Love Beth
"I love you"
He'd once wanted nothing more than to say that back to her and now she had given him the chance. He was tired of denying himself and he couldn't bare to deny her too. It was going to change everything and quite possibly end up destroying them both, but he loved her. It was the simple truth and there was only one choice left. He smiled at the sheer insanity of it all as he grabbed his coat and headed out after her.
Mick was surprised to see her leaning against his car, but it was not completely unexpected. He quirked an eyebrow at her as he approached but his expression was ruined by the smile that refused to go away.
"Just because I said was it was your decision doesn't mean I'm above influencing you," she informed him when he reached her.
Mick just shook his head and pulled her into his arms. "This is beyond stupid, and I shouldn't, but I want it," he said. "I love you." The words slipped from his lips effortlessly as if he'd said them to her a thousand times before. Maybe he had, it didn't matter now.
Her sharp intake of breath at the words was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard and when she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly he didn't hesitate to kiss her back.
The few kisses they had shared before had been brief; a soft press of lips in a moment of unwariness, so Beth wasn't entirely prepared for what it felt like to really kiss him. Mick had surrendered everything and she could feel him pour every dizzying emotion into the kiss. It wasn't sweet and romantic, it was passionate and consuming. He wasn't going to hold back and all Beth could do was not hold back in return. She felt his tongue tracing her lips and she opened for him. The faint taste of copper startled her slightly but it wasn't unpleasant. Her tongue gently slid over his fangs and he pulled back chuckling.
"Careful there," he cautioned, placing a kiss at the corner of her mouth.
"I'll be fine, stop babying me," she complained, pulling him back so she could continue the exploration of his mouth. She once again traced his fangs with her tongue and smiled in satisfaction at his groan.
"Beth," he said firmly, taking her face in his hands.
She grinned up at him smugly, pleased with herself.
"Let's take this one step at a time," he said, brushing his thumbs across her cheekbones. "There is a lot of opportunity for things to go wrong here so let's take as many precautions as we can."
Beth pouted. She saw the wisdom in it but her libido was definitely not in favor. "Why do you have to be the voice of reason?" She complained half-heartedly.
Mick bent down for another soft kiss. "Because one of us has to be and you decided to be the voice of insanity," he replied with resigned amusement.
"Oh, OK," she leaned up for another kiss.
"Beth," he said warningly.
"Oh, fine," she was really pouting now.
"First things first. You have to talk to Josh," he was adamant about that.
Beth nodded, sobering slightly at the thought. "Right, Josh first."
She had almost forgotten that is wasn't going to be as easy as all that. She buried her face in Mick's chest, soaking in his nearness. Things were going to be rough for a while, she knew from experience, but Beth was content with the knowledge that he was worth it, even if he didn't see it himself.
AN: okely dokely here's part two!