oAuthors Note: Read and Review if you would like. I don't own anything from Moonlight. Even if they are complaints, please leave a review it helps me know what I need to do with my writing pattern and style. I will know be adding a song to each chapter to make it feel more like an episode then an actual "story" . Update: If you have already read this chapter I've made some changes, I'm trying to keep with the characters and I just didn't like they way it read out.
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Meet me after dark again and I'll hold you
I am nothing more then to saviour of that
And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away
We'll be lost before the dawn
If only night could hold you, where i can see you, my love
Then let me never ever wake again
And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away
We'll be lost before the dawn
Before The Dawn- Evanescence
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Outskirts of Paris
A gleaming mansion, shone brightly in the sun, the reflection bounced off many of its gold pillars. It sat on a remote farmside, hidden from many, with trees growing around it like fence. The long driveway wound down unto the dirt covered road, where a tall gate stood, majestic and royal. Outisde the safety of the trees, there were herds of sheep that would pass by, completely unaware of the house sitting hidden within the branches.
It was a house of vampires. Social elite vampires who dabbled politics and government. Who used their wealth to get their means anyway necessary. Some ran for office, some offered large sums of money for certain laws to be passed, still others used their charm and sexual proweress to make politician heads turn anyway they would want.
Inside the mansion held many ancient statues of Gods throughout time, they lined the pathway to the regal staircase that seemed to ascend into the heavens. The floor was tiled with gold and silver and the walls painted a deep blue. The walls hung huge portraits of different people, some old, some young, all beautiful and very mysterious.
The house it seemed had many bedrooms, one grand ballroom, a dining hall to fit an army and many bathrooms. Its what was underneath that would make jaws drop. For underneath the house lay another room, much darker, and sinister.
Beneath the mansion held a wide room, the walls painted deep crimson and not an ounce of light shone through. There were no marvelous statues or manficent painting, just brick and wood. In the farthest end of the room there was long table that held 10 people, the table was draped in a black cloth, as were the chairs. A few feet from the table was a podium, to which the "appointed" vampire would take the place.
There was only one chair in the center of the room, for which the prosecuted would sit and find out their fate.
It was where, the head vampire Lance, held the trial of Coraline Duveull.
*flashback*
Coraline stood, as her fate was sealed , the council had decided and they stepped down from the podium to deliver the verdict.
It was Thesus,a tall, burly man with dark eyes and blazing red hair, one of Lances henchmen, that spoke.
"Coraline, we find you guilty of treason, theievery and putting the council and vampires at risk" his voice rang out, "You knowingly took the cure out of the country, had it contaminated, involved others, not in the council, in the issue and put the vampire community at risk, we hereby condemn you to 300 years purgatory, in which you will be staked, paralyzed and kept in a suitable environment, there will be , however, blood infusions just enough to keep your pathetic non existent soul alive until your sentence is up".
They should have just killed her, she thought, as two men came up behind her and made her kneel before the council.
"Coraline" Lance stepped down and addressed her "my dear, sweet sister, I hope this gives you time to think about where you stand in the council"
He then took out a stake from his coat pocket and bowed before his sister, "Do not take it personally my dear, I voted to have you killed, but the other council members seem to think it would not be wise to kill more of the family off" , then he drove the stake into her heart.
She gasped and clung to the stake as she felt herself no longer feeling anything.
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Talbots Office
How would it go missing, he knew where he set it, its where he set every night since he received it. Ben Talbot just couldn't believe he had misplaced it, and he couldn't believe that he wouldn't remember either. He had tore his office up, tearing it up and down looking for the paper. More than once, a co worker would pop in and ask if they could help, he just ushered them, the risk wasn't worth it if they had found and saw the list for themselves.
He wouldn't stop until he found it, there's no way anyone could have got into his office without his key, the one he had kept on him at all times. It was the only one that could unlock the office door. It didn't look like anyone had tried to bust in, someone would have had to be inside the office when he left , or the alarm would have went off, especially if they tried to pick the lock.
There was barely anyone in the office when he left, and none of them had a reason to take the paper. He wondered whether...no, he thought, she wouldn't.
She didn't even know about the existence of the list.
But, maybe St. John did.
He quickly dialed the security number, "I need to have access to your north and southside view of the parking lot last night, ASAP"
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Beths Apartment
Beth hadn't got a lot of sleep last night, she had commited a felony and had a list that would crumble an entire community that barely any humans knew existed. She knew Talbot would be quick on her tracks, he was smart and knew she had a motive, what she didn't know is if he would act. She knew Talbot had feelings for her, but she didn't know if it would stop him from pressing charges.
She looked at the list for at least the 50th time that day, she could only assume all the names were vampires, and someone, she thought as her stomach churned, was keeping track of deaths. It wasn't good, it would cause a definite uprsising of the vampire community. The list that no one knew existed, how would it affect Mick or Josef or anyone who was a vampire. would they plan a war of some sort, would they track down the person who made the list, would they leave the country?
Beth didn't like the idea of any of those, which is why, she kept the list from Mick, she couldn't lose him. It was selfish of her, she admitted, but maybe there was a way she could handle it herself, at least for now. She just didn't know how.
Mick, she thought, would move out of the country, keep a low profile, Josef would be the one to hunt down the list maker, it could result it a lot of blood shed, and she knew Mick, the ever faithful friend would probably aid Josef. It wasn't going to end well either way. The list will be kept hidden, she thought, at least until maybe she could find help.
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L.A Streets
Micks POV: I don't need to have vampire senses to smell the smoke, or quick eyespeed to see the flames approach, as I drive closer my heart seems to tighten for what I'm about to find. Its never good when a house burns down, but its really never good when it belongs to an immortal.
Mick didn't have a lot of time, he thought as he drove through the busy streets of L.A, a new case had opened up, and he only had a short window to investigate further in the crime scene.
A house had been burnt down on the southside of L.A, a modest home, 3 bedroom, 2 bath he probably thought, nice yard, picket fence, it also had happened to house a vampire.
It may have been a coindence but he wanted to investigate further, to put his mind at ease. He drove for another 15 minutes before, the smell of smoke led him to the house. Most of the flames had subsided, as firefighters were trying to put out the last embers.
He drove up a little farther and parked his car. He had his I.D handy, he knew he'd be bombarded with people, especially officers, asking why he was in this vincity.
Just as he suspected, three cops stopped him, he showed them his I.D, they asked the standard questions. Sometimes. Mick, thought, as the cops finally let him pass through, he grows tired of humans.
He took in what was left of the house, which was not much, the only thing seemed to left standing was a fridge, or what the cops assumed was fridge, Mick knew it had other purposes. He walked around and surveyed the back. Pretty much all rubble, and no way of telling where the fire had really started.
He saw a younger cop, taking notes, no doubt doing the "bitch" work. Perfect way of getting information, he thought.
Mick casually strolled up to the young officer, "First day on the job?"
The cop looked up at Mick, his green eyes startled, "Second day, is that easy to tell?"
Mick chuckled, "The paperwork sort of gives it away, cops giving the rookie all the dirty work"
The young officer glanced at the other cops aiding the firefighters, "Yeah, I guess that's how it works though"
"Mhhmmm...so..any news on what went on here?" Mick asked as he looked at the other officers also.
"Uh..I don't think I can give out that information" the cop said timidly as he held his papers closer to him.
"Oh, well I'm a P.I I'm investigating this case for another source besides the police department" he said showing him his I.D
The young cop examined his I.D carefully, no doubt wanting to make sure it was legit, for fear of the wrath he might face from his superiors.
"Well" the cop said slowly, taking his eyes off the I.D "the fire seemed to have started from the kitchen, we were thinking electrical fire of some sort"
"Did the police find the body?" Mick asked
"No, but there was ashes, which is weird, because skeletons usually remain somewhat in tact, especially any dental bone, but nothing"
Smart kid, Mick thought as he listened to the rest of the information.
"Although we did find an empty jug of gasoline, which could prove an arson crime, but it was by the grill, so they just chalked it up to being empty because it seemed the grill was recently cooked on".
Convenient , Mick thought to himself, as he scanned the rubble more.
"Hey, I gotta go give this to my sheriff" the cop said "It was nice to meet you though...Mick was it? " he said bring out his hand
Mick shook his hand, "Yes..George is it? " he said peering at the I.D on his jacket.
"Yea," George said, "I might see you around the town" he said departing gave one last wave to Mick.
Nicer than most of the cops he thought watching him talk to the other police offers, no doubt asking what he had told Mick.
He continued to pitter around the burnt remains of the house, nothing was really left to investigate, he only had one more issue to tend to, the vampire who lived there.
He picked up his phone and dialed Josefs number.
"Hello" Josefs voice filtered through the phone
"Josef, its Mick, I need you to track down an address and the current tenats who lived there"
He heard Josef sigh "Do you ever stop working, its making me get a wedgie being around you later, so uptight, even after sex with Beth"
"Josef, can you please focus, the address is 5462 West Prairie Lane, fnd out the name of the tenant, and I'll be there in about 20 minutes"
"Fiinnneeee" Josef mumbled "But at least bring me some A- back"
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Security Office in the D.A Department
"This is everything from the other night" the security office told Talbot, showing him the sped up version of the camera. "Every car that was parked here will be shown on here, I don't envy you though, looking through hours of security footage is no walk in the park"
"I know what I'm looking for" Talbot said taking a seat next to the security officer.
The office only snickered and went back to the other side of the office, leaving Talbot to peruse the cameras.
Talbot began the search, his eyes flickering back and forth at the images, sometimes he would speed up the images , sometimes he made them go slower, he saw the rotation of the sum in the images going from day to night slowly. He saw cars zooming in and out frames, some staying, some leaving.
It was tedious, he thought as only 10 minute shad gone by, but he felt like ti was an hour. He shifted from the north to the southside , and there he saw what he was looking for. Beth had zoomed into the parking lot, got out and made her way into the building, he noted her casual walk, she didn't seem to in a hurry for anything.
He sped up the camera, until he saw her come out again, this time she seemed liked she was in a frenzy, he peered more closely, he couldn't tell what was in her hand, but it looked like papers. He paused the images and zoomed up, it was still pretty pixelated, but it confirmed it was indeed paper, and he had a sneaking suspicion what they held. He checked the time frame, it had only been about 20 minutes from the time Bath arrived to when she left. And it also happened to be the time Talbot was out of his office.
He caught her.
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Josefs Apartment
Mick arrived at the Josefs apartment a little before the afternoon sun had rose in the sky. He made his way to Josefs floor, he always had to be on the top of any building Mick thought as the elevator he mounted had opened up to let a few people out.
After a few more stops, he finally arrived on the final floor, and without knocking, opened the door to Josefs apartment. He was surprised as he made his into the southern most part of the apartment, where Josef kept all his computer and security devices, to see a famialar face. Ryder England.
Ryder gave him a toothy smile, "Nice to see you again"
Mick grinned back at him, "Out of your sabbatical in the south?"
"Yeah, the government thought I served enough time" Ryder said pushing a few buttons on the computer. "Little did they know that they didn't authorize it though, our friend Josef helped me out of the system and got me a one way ticket back to America"
"So, Josef cant handle the computers by himself" Mick said with humor
"Mick I'm an expert at everything, I just choose to have it done by other people" Josef said walking into the room, "I wouldn't want my hands to get too dirty"
"Did you get the name of the vampire" Mick asked taking a seat at the table with Ryder.
"Well, I didn't, but Ryder here did" Josef said patting Ryder on the head.
"His name is Daniel McDermont, and Abbot Green in the 1800s" Ryder replied to Micks question. "He was a lawyer for civil cases in the district, mostly family disputes and such"
"Any information on his cases, any motives for anyone to kill him" Mick questioned
"Not much, he didn't make to much off a spectacle of himself, like I said mostly small cases, nothing that stands out"
"Mick" Josef said "You cant assume every time a vampire dies someone's whacked him like a mafia vampire gone bad"
"Arent you just a bit suspicious the house was burnt down?" he said to Josef
Josef merely shook his head "No, now if there was a vampire execution going on outside, then id start be worried"
Mick only shook his head.
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D.A Office
She arrived at work, she didn't realize how much she had she sweated on the way there, her nerves kept creeping up on her. He would be bound to know the paper was missing by now. Each step she took her hands shook more, she had to keep them clasped together to stop them, she finally arrived at the building and opened, she got looks and any other day they wouldn't have bothered her, but her paranoia was telling her that they all knew.
"Hello Ms. Turner" the office secretary Fiona greeted her with a smile.
"H...hi" Beth stuttered, come one, she thought pull it together, as she took the stairs to Talbots office.
This is how criminals feel going to the electric chair ,she thought as she finally came to the end of the stairs and went into the hallway. She could hear Talbot talking on the phone from the end of hallway, she gulped and started making her way down the hallway .Each step felt like her feet were made of lead. Beth closed her eyes and silently prayed that Talbot hadn't found the paper yet. She opened up his office door and found him hunched over the desk on the phone talking fast and holding some papers reading from then. She didn't wait to be offered a seat and just took the one farthest from him.
He finally met her eyes and offered her a warm smile, her heart immediately lifted and her stomach finally settled down a little, maybe he hadn't found it was missing. He talked for a few more minutes and then gently hung up the phone.
"Morning Beth did you get any coffee?" he said noting her tired appearance.
"Oh,, no, I just, got up too late to stop anywhere" she said as she felt her cheeks go red, she must look like how she felt.
"Fiona made coffee in the break room if you want any" he said setting a stack of papers and getting up. "I cant stay long, but heres a folder of some background information of some criminals we are sending to court soon, I want you to go through them and make sure all the information is correct" .
He went over to the coat hang and put on an overcoat, "After that is done, if you have time, there's some computer work that Fiona will inform on if you get to it, but I have to run, sorry we aren't working together today" he said offering her a sad smile
"Its ok" Beth said, "You probably wouldn't want to deal with my crankiness today anyways"
He merely smiled at her as he opened the door and it one stride was gone from Beths view.
Well, that went better then she expected , as she grabbed the folder, noting how heavy it was, this was going to take all day.
Paper after paper made her eyes more tired and harder to focus, every criminal story was the same, came from a bad childhood turned to drugs and finally turned on society.
Everyone of these people was sent to be seen by the judge, she assumed from their track records, most would be put away.
She sighed as she looked at clock, tick tock, the noise seemed to mock her. Everything she had gone through and found these last couple months just weighed on her. And to be sitting alone in an office with only the clocks noise to keep company just made everything rush back into her.
The panic of having the list, and not telling Mick was the hardest thing that weighed on her, it had ate her up the last two days, especially to lie to his face like that.
Beth wanted to not involve anyone in it not yet, but deep down she knew it was because of her own selfish needs, of keeping Mick here and safe. Who knew if the person who sent the list even knew who Mick was. Maybe they sent it to Talbot because he was head of the department and didn't even know that Mick was connected to him.
And...And...she knew she was just making up excuse for not telling Mick. She also knew Mick would want to know to, he wanted t keep the human world and vampire world safe and separate.
Perhaps it was time to tell him.
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-(5 hours later)-
Micks Apartment
Micks POV: I wake up to to a strange scent filling my nostrils, and I can feel the presence of a human, that's never good.
He felt like he had slept a century as he climbed out of the freezer, all the activity of the morning had made Mick feel weary. He threw on a pair of pants and a loose fitting shirt as he made his way downstairs, only to be surprised to see Beth waiting on the couch.
"Beth?!" he said more to himself then anything "What are you doing here?"
She met his eyes with hers, she rose from her seating position and merely looked at him with sad eyes.
"Is everything ok?' he asked making his way down to her.
"No" she finally said, "I need to talk to you..."
"Ok" he said, "let me start a fire though, you look chilled", he walked to his electric fire, and rand the gas until the flames caught.
Beth immediate felt a little heat for the sudden burst of flames. Mick turned around to face her, taking in her sad features, he offered her to sit back down with him on the couch.
"What is it Beth"?
This was the time do it, she thought,let him know, show him the list.
But it seemed her mouth had a mind of its own and instead blurted out. "What happened to the vampires who survived the Reign of Terror?"
Mick seemed taken back, "Um...I guess...I don't know ...they moved on?"
"Moved on to where?"
Mick eyed her suspiciously now, "I guess to different countries so they could be safe...I don't know it wasn't exactly taught in highschool history?"
Beth remained silent before asking slowly "Is...that what you would do if it where to happen again?"
"Ok, Beth" he said "Where is this coming from?"
Beth tried to remain nonchalant, "I was ...had a dream about it last night, and I guess was curious...and scared" she quickly lied
Micks face softened, "Oh, well you don't have to be" he said stroking her blonde hair "It will probably never happen again".
Now, Beth, she thought, tell him, her mind was egging her on. She had came here with one resolution, and it was to tell Mick, why couldn't she bring herself to?
"I mean if we were discovered" he continued, "We obviously would have to go into hiding, leave the country, make ourselves disappear, like we never lived, that's how its always been"
That's why she couldn't bring herself too. Everything she loved about Mick, gone, disappeared. Like he never existed.
"Beth" he said softly noticing her sadness again, "Its not going to happen, we have been safe and cautious, no one knows about us"
But someone did know about them Beth thought. Someone knew about all of them.
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Streets of L.A
Ben drove through the highway, maneuvering around the night traffic, he had battled with himself all day, but he knew what he had to do. Laws had been broken and most off trust had been broken. The one thing he was taught about being a cop is too never let your emotions get the best of you, you had a job and you must do it. Ben had a job and he must do it.
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Micks Apartment
They spoke for a bit longer, talked of light things. Things to steer from the darkness that Beth was feeling. It was only until the clock struck that 12 that Beth needed to leave.
"You can stay here if you're too tired to drive" Mick as he watched her rise from the couch.
It was tempting she thought, as she did feel rather sleepy, and staying with Mick just always a bonus in any situation, but she needed to be alone with her own thoughts and to make sure she burned the list. No one else was going to be able to see it.
"I think I should probably go home tonight, Travis is probably hungry again for the 50th time" she said.
Mick went to open the door for her and gave her a kiss on the forehead, she closed her eyes at his touch.
"Call me when you get home so I know you got there safe" he said helping her put her coat on.
"I will" Beth said opening the door "Goodnight".
She gently closed the door behind her and excited the hallway. The car still smelled like cat food she mused as she got in and put her key in the ignition.
It had only taken her 15 minutes to get home, not a lot of traffic this time of night. As she opened her apartment door, she noticed it had been unlocked already, and when she turned to see her living room, the reason was sitting on her couch
"Ben!" she jumped at least a foot back, "What...how...what are you doing here?"
"Beth, we need to talk" he said firmly
"I need to know how you got into my house!" she said taking another step back.
"How did you get into my office?" he countered
Beth knew her face turned white, how was she going to get out of this.
"I don't know what you mean" she lied "Ive only been in your office when you have been there"
"Beth" Talbot stood up "I saw the surveillance cameras, I know it was you, you took the list"
"Not only did you break the law, but you have sabotaged our working relationship" he continued.
"You broke the law too, breaking into my house, keeping a list that is clearly some sort of hit list. Your hands are just as black as mine" she said angrily.
"Beth, i'm not here to send you to jail, but I want to know what's going on" he said putting his hands up in a calming manner, "Please just sit down"
Beth cautiously sat on the other edge of the coffee table.
"There's nothing going on"
Talbot sighed, she saw him take out a folder labeled Mick St. John, He handed it to her.
She opened it up, and what she saw made her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach. The photos of the night Mick was hit by a car, the photos she had paparazzi killed so they would never see the light of day again.
"I'll ask again Beth, what's going on"
How was she going to explain this.
"Beth, answer me, or I'll have to make this a public investigation, especially since the photographer who took these was found dead a couple days later"
If Beths face could have turned whiter she would have been a ghost. It was like a nightmare with no where to run.
She did the only thing that would save Mick and the others from being exposed to the public.
"You aren't going to believe me" she said.
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Next on Moonlight:
"Nothing was ever meant to be found out, I'm sorry" she was close to tears now
He didn't respond, he didn't even look at her, he only slammed the door behind him as he left her sobbing on the couch.