Beta'd by: Anaman and 12 Whitering Roses

Spoilers: up to episode 12, AU from then.

Author's note: This story will be separated in three cycles, the cycles are separated in chapters.

A/N 2: Again, sorry for the long wait. I thought to update two weeks ago but real life can be a b sometimes… Also, I tried something new in this chapter (you will understand as soon as you'll read), I hope you will like it !

A/N 3: some curses (what can I say, I love it, in french or in english whatever, lol).

The italics are Beth's thoughts.

A/N 4: A big thank you to the very kind 12 Whitering Roses for helping me with the grammar and the vocabulary.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Moonlight and its characters are the propriety of CBS

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Cycle 1 – A New family member

Chapter 4

Beth's POV

Beth awakened suddenly. Her eyes shot wide open and she panicked. She was still in that damned chest! She took a deep and useless breath to clear her mind.

Think Beth! You're not in the chest. There is some light, you're not paralysed anymore which means not staked, and you're naked. Naked? I'm naked!

Beth was about to let the panic overwhelm her. The last time she had been naked…She blocked out the memory. It hurt too much. Instead, she focused on what she saw. She was lying in a big, silver box. She felt good for the first time since the turning. She put a hand on her chest, but found no trace of the stake. She had a feeling of familiarity, as if she knew this place. Carefully she lifted the lid, then sat up and gasped.

She was in Mick's freezer! She remembered…

Earlier

It was hot. Her whole body hurt from the stake. She couldn't move, and she didn't like the sensation of being powerless. She liked to have control of her life, and obviously she had lost it. Hell, that was an understatement! In the last few days, so many things had happened…

Beth was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't feel the chest being moved. She was unaware of what was happening until she heard some voices.

"Hi."

"Good evening Sir…you're Mick St John?"

"Yes, I am."

"I have a package for you…"

No way, thought Beth. It really was Mick's voice. Oh God! She didn't understand. It had never occurred to her that He would send her to Mick. He was cruel and vicious. When He had staked her and put her in the chest, she thought it was because they were moving. She didn't want Mick to see her like this! And she didn't want to have to explain what had happened… she didn't even know where to start.

She heard the door being closed and then some other noises. She had not quite adjusted to the intensity of sound. She had been turned very recently, and she still had to become accustomed to her new heightened senses. The sound was louder and more intense when she heard a crack, like something being broken. She knew what it was: Mick was opening the package. Soon, he would discover the chest…and Beth. She really hated being in this state of paralysis, because she had no choice but to hear and see everything, but she was not able to speak.

Finally, Mick took the chest out of the wooden box, unlocked it, and lifted the lid. Although her eyes were partially closed, Beth saw the shocked expression on Mick's face.

"Oh, no. This has to be a nightmare!"

This is worse than a nightmare, Mick. A nightmare is only temporary, but this…this is forever.

Beth saw the lid close and was hurt that Mick didn't want to see her like that. Obviously, Mick had a problem with the sight of a staked Beth. A problem he had to deal with. She heard the muffled sound of Mick's footsteps for a moment, and then she heard what sounded like a telephone conversation.

"-Josef, stop! I didn't call you to joke. The cure wore off a few days ago, but that's not why I'm calling you. I… Could you come to my apartment?"

Beth was not sure, but she thought she heard Josef's answer. Before the knock on the door, Beth knew someone was coming. She caught a powerful scent. It had only been two days since her turning, but she was beginning to understand all the new sensations she felt, and to trust what her senses told her. And right now, her sense of smell was telling her that another vampire was close. She heard Josef enter the apartment. She knew that Mick had called him about the chest, about her.

Great, I feel like an exhibition! Josef will think I deserved it. He never really did like me… he always thought that I endangered the vampire community.

"What the hell!"

You didn't expected that, did you, Josef? …Surprise!

Then, she saw Josef take something, a letter, it seemed, from the chest and read it aloud.

"Now, you have to face the consequences of your behaviour. (...) Your punishment is what is contained in the chest"

Oh! So He turned me to punish Mick? Why not just kill me? If He wanted to punish him, killing me would be simpler… Why bother kidnapping and turning me? There is something else…something I don't yet understand…I'll have to think about it later, when I'm not famished and staked.

She couldn't understand why neither Mick nor Josef had pulled out the stake yet. At the moment, they were just watching her.

"Oh, God, this is my fault! Forgive me, Beth!"

There's nothing to forgive, Mick. It isn't your fault a sick, sadistic vampire decided to play with my life.

Beth wanted to tell him all of that, but she was still paralysed and unable to voice her thoughts. She couldn't stand to see Mick like this; pacing around the room looking so profoundly lost.

"Mick! Buddy, come on! We have a situation here, you have to focus! Mick, aren't you going to do something about her? She's not dead… Yet!"

"Dead… She's dead."

"What? Well technically she is, but-"

"No! It would be best for her to die. She shouldn't have to live this non-life!"

Wow, thanks Mick! That's really comforting to hear! You know, I think I might prefer this non-life to nothing at all. Hell, how can he say that? How can he decide the fate of my life?

Beth was so hurt and upset by Mick's word that she didn't notice that he had left.

"Well, Blondie, it looks like it's just you and me."

What? Wait a second! Where's Mick ? No! Don't touch me, Josef! I want to see Mick! Jo-

Beth was panicked. She didn't know what Josef was going to do. She was surprised when he pushed some hair locks fallen on her face and gently said,

"It's going to be okay Blondie, I promise. I know that you probably want this stake out but first you need blood because I don't want you go all feral."

This was so unexpected. Josef was taking care of her. She saw him go into the kitchen and retrieve some items. When he came back, Beth saw a glass, some bagged blood, and a syringe.

What? Is he going to inject me with blood?

Beth was afraid. She hadn't had blood since the turning and she was starving…or at least her body was craving the blood. Her, she was disgusted by the idea of drinking blood, and she was a little relieved to see the syringe. Still, she was scared. She didn't know what Josef was about to do, and she didn't like it.

"I know that you can hear me Beth, so I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do. As a fledgling you should feed on your sire's blood, but obviously your sire is not here, and you're still too young to absorb human blood… So it'll have to be my blood, I hope it will be okay. Also, you're paralysed, so I'll have to inject you with the blood."

Beth cringed when she heard Josef mention her sire's blood. This was not something she wanted to think about. Maybe Mick was right…maybe she'd be better off dead. But this was not going to happen now. Beth watched as Josef plunged the syringe into his arm, filled it with dark red blood, and then injected it into her neck. As soon as the blood was in her veins, Beth felt better. She was so tired before, and now…now she was feeling so alive! The sensation was new; she didn't remember having felt anything but pain and disgust during her turning. Now, she sensed a new kind of pleasure, a pleasure she had never experienced before, so powerful that it made her forget the pain from the stake. She barely noticed the two more injections of blood, she was so overwhelmed by the feelings. Images began to run through her mind, places and people she didn't know, people who seemed to be from another time.

But then she felt Josef stroke her hair and say,

"Time to put this stake out Blondie. It's gonna hurt, I know, but try to stay still. You can do that, right?"

When Josef withdrew the stake, Beth cried out in pain. It was excruciating, as if some part of her body was being ripped out. She tried to focus on Josef, on the feel of his arms around her, rocking her, and on his voice.

"It's over now, you're okay, it's over!"

Josef's voice was soothing, and Beth passed out, finally succumbing to pain and exhaustion.

Present

Beth remembered now… Yes, she remembered Mick leaving and Josef saving her. She wouldn't have thought that Mick would give in and run away, or that Josef would be the one to end up taking care of her.

She climbed out of the freezer and saw some clothes sittin on a nearby chair. They were women's clothes, and she concluded that Josef had put them there for her. Josef… he had seen her naked, which meant that he had seen the tattoos! Beth knew that she would have to explain everything now, and the tattoos were part of the story. She was not looking forward to this particular discussion. She put the clothes on, and silently thanked Josef for having chosen a pair of jeans and a shirt with long sleeves, so that her tattoos were completely hidden.

She would have to leave the freezer room sooner or later. She would rather sooner, as it was time to regain control on her life. She tried to calm down, and after a moment's pause, pushed open the door. She went slowly downstairs and spotted Josef, asleep on the couch. He seemed so young and inoffensive. She walked closer and noticed Josef stirring. He opened his eyes, turned icy white, and turned his face toward her in a fast move. He just stared at her, not saying a word.

Time for the explanation.

End chapter 4 – Cycle 1

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I know that I didn't answer to your reviews, so here it is.

xosummerxo: Thank you for offering your help. About the tattoos, you will know more in the next chapter. Beth will explain things to Josef and the tattoos are part of it. But I can tell you that you guessed something with Coraline…

moonjat54: Thank you for always rewieving. Don't worry, there will be more of Mick.

Sci fi fan30: Thank you. I have to say that I like Mick but I really love Josef, so he will be very important in the story but Mick will come back at some point.

NeteleJala: thank you so much! I'm glad you like the story because I really like yours and your writing. As I said, you will know more about the tattoos in the next update. And I so agree with you about Josef and Mick! lol. Josef is definitely my favorite character but I think everybody had guessed it by now.

scrappyearnhardt: Thank you for reviewing each time. :)