Title: Blood Feud (4 of ?) Author: Lindyrb Rating: PG-13 Pairing: Mick/Beth Spoilers: NoneDisclaimer: CBS owns Moonlight. They've got all the neat stuff (like Alex's phone number...)

From last chapter:

At the other end of the line, Josef moved down the hall to his private study and moved aside a false set of books, revealing a wall safe with optical security verification. Removing a small address book from the vault, he quickly sat down and began thumbing through the leather book.

"Unfortunately, I agree. This could pose a much larger threat than we have faced in over a century. If someone's gunning for us, I want to know who and why, St. John," he ground out.

When he continued, Mick could hear the tension in his voice. "I'm also going to have to call the Council Elders and fill them in." He found the rarely used number he'd been looking for. "Let me know if you find anything else."

Mick hung up and clenched his teeth. In nearly sixty years of knowing Josef, he'd never known Josef to contact the Council. Located somewhere in the NYC area and made up of the oldest vampires on the North American continent, they served as a type of government entity and supreme court combined. If Josef was contacting them, things were likely to get very hot in sunny LA.

Part 4

It had been nearly 48 hours since the police had arrested Trent and the others. Trent had continued to spout his pseudo-religious diatribe and, after a brief attempt at questioning, had been bundled back to the state mental institution. The other two hoods had, as Mick predicted, only been there for lack of anything better to do and were now guests of the county jail. As far as the police were concerned, the arrests, together with the resulting two nights of quiet, closed the book on the situation.

Mick knew better. He, Beth and Josef had run down every lead and gotten frustratingly few answers. Josef told them the council was taking a wait and see attitude, although they were making discrete inquires into extremist groups in the Atlanta area. Emergency blood supplies had begun trickling in and security had returned to normal at the medical facilities.

The blood banks and hospitals would be fully resupplied tonight thanks to two groups of refrigerated semis arriving from San Francisco and Phoenix. With blood supplies back to normal, the hospitals would resume full operations tomorrow morning.

All in all, Mick figured the situation was ripe for another strike. He didn't for a minute believe Trent had masterminded the string of break ins. No, he figured the Atlanta connection was going to factor into this somehow.

Situations and people you wish would stay gone have a way of showing up at the worst times.

Mick's sleep had been restless today, his mind unable to find a calm place. Finally giving up, he got out of his freezer and padded into the bedroom to shower and dress. He smiled as he moved a pair of drying pantyhose and a bra from where they were draped over the shower door. He marveled at how his life had changed in the last year. After 85 years of bachelorhood, more or less, he'd adapted amazingly quickly to having Beth living with him.

There were the obvious changes – smiling photos on the end tables, flowers in the entryway, food in the fridge and a significant loss of closet space in the bedroom. The less obvious changes, though, were the most important ones, the main one being that the townhouse was no longer just a place to sleep and keep his files. It was now a home – vibrant and alive.

A couple weeks ago, he'd arrived home having been out tracking a missing person. As he entered, he'd been greeted with the blaring sound of Fauxliage and the sight of Beth dancing towards him from the kitchen grinning and singing along. Coming from the kitchen had been the unmistakable aroma of spaghetti sauce. He'd been struck with just how alive their home was. Beth was an unstoppable force of nature. He had no doubt it was part of what attracted him to her. He loved her unpredictability, her stubbornness, her 'joie de vivre'. If Mick couldn't be human again, being with Beth was pretty damn close.

Hair still damp from the shower, Mick headed downstairs and fixed himself some 'breakfast' checking his phone for messages. A brief text message from Guillermo let him know that his friend would set aside a six-pack of A Pos for him when the shipment came in this evening. He text messaged him back his thanks, letting him know he'd be in when he got up tomorrow. Another message from Beth told him to check his email for some more crime scene photos she had gotten from her source. Mick wandered into his office and booted up the computer.

With a smile, he hit speed dial on his phone.

"Beth Turner, Buzzwire…"

"You know, we haven't talked about whether or not you're going to change your name."

He could hear her snort in reply. "Why does the girl always have to change her name? Why not the guy?"

Mick smiled. "'Cause I've had my name longer. A lot longer."

"Yeah, but Mick Turner has a certain ring to it," she teased.

"Nah," he drawled, "I'd have to buy all new monogrammed sheets."

Beth laughed and leaned back in her chair. "I'm sure you had some reason to call other than just to play Miss Manners. Did you get my text about the additional photos?"

"Yeah, I just pulled them up," Mick answered quickly flipping through the new scans. "Nothing really new, though. Just more of the same."

"Did you see the copy of the report listing the possessions on Trent when he was picked up?"

Mick quickly pulled up the attachment and scanned the list. "No cell phone."

"Which means," Beth answered, "that he either ditched it or left it behind. I know we've already searched the hotel room he was staying in and the police obviously didn't find it, so he must have tossed it after the morgue attack. Somehow I doubt he was smart enough to do that on his own. My guess is somebody figured he would get caught and told him to get rid of it."

Mick clicked through the new images again. "Why don't I pick you up around six. That way we can drop by Josef's place and see if he has anything new after we swing thru Chin Chin's for some Kung Pao for you."

"How lucky can a girl get," she replied dryly. "Take out and an evening at your bud's house."


Beth sat comfortably tucked into the corner of Josef's Italian leather sofa, noshing on her Kung Pao chicken and reviewing her notes. Beside her, Mick scanned through his email on the laptop, shoes off and feet propped up next to a tumbler of blood on the dark wood coffee table.

Josef entered from his office and grimaced. "Could you two try to look a little less…human? I mean, you've got the whole Hepburn and Tracy thing going on." He straightened his tie, looking as though he'd taken a bite of something (or someone) spoiled. "I've got a reputation to maintain and you two aren't helping."

A hint of a smile lifted the corners of Mick's mouth. "So…I shouldn't have used the coaster under my glass?"

"Of course you should use a coaster. Your 'foot rest' is solid Brazilian mahogany and set me back nearly ten grand. I said less human, not less civilized."

Josef started to say something else when his Blackberry phone trilled. "Yes?...Who is this?...I don't know who you think…."

Mick stood up slowly and moved towards Josef. The older vampire's face betrayed his shock and anger as he listened to whoever had called his private line.

The caller abruptly ended the conversation, leaving Josef angrier than Beth had ever seen him. His eyes had frosted over and he stood in the middle of the room staring at the now silent Blackberry. Suddenly, he whirled around and strode toward the media center where Ryder continued to research their leads. Mick and Beth hurried after him.

Moving purposely into the midst of the screen lined room, Josef barked out orders. "Pull the tape on the last call to my number. I want audio NOW!" Never wavering from the data screen in front of Ryder, he acknowledged Mick and Beth. "For security purposes, I have every call, text or data transfer recorded."

Ryder's fingers flew across the keys, calling up the needed file. A clear digital recording suddenly filled the room.

Joseph Konstintin

Yes?

You are an abomination who must be cleansed from the earth.

Who is this?

Nothing your kind can do will prevent our telling the world of your evil.

I don't know who you think…

You will no longer be allowed to walk among us in darkness. Those that are tainted by association with you will be washed away in the light of truth and the apostles that are martyred in our crusade shall be accorded a place in heaven. Tonight we call down the wrath of God upon your world and take from you the blood that belongs to the living, yet is used by the undead. Tell your kind your existence is at an end

A deathly silence blanketed the room broken only by the sound of Ryder's rapid keystrokes. Within seconds, he spun around to Josef. "It was another disposable cell phone. Purchased in Atlanta again, but this call was placed from somewhere in the LA area."

Josef spun around and moved slowly back to the living room followed by Mick and Beth. His mind already whirling into action, Mick walked over to where Josef was busy pouring himself a tall glass of brandy.

"By name. On your private line."

"Yeah."

Mick leaned on the bar next to his friend, given his silent support. Finally, Josef set down his drink and looked at the younger vampire beside him. "Brings back bad memories, you know? I mean, there hasn't been any real vampire persecution in over 200 years. We've all worked so hard to bury our society in the shadows, to erase us from human knowledge. Even if this guy is as certifiable as Trent was, it brings unwanted attention everytime he speaks out." He took a deep breath and clenched his hands around the edge of the bar.

Beth let out a gasp. Mick and Josef snapped around to look at where she sat on the couch, laptop in front of her.

"I think he'd done more than just speak this time," she said, pointing to the news report on her screen.

At that moment, Ryder came sliding into the room. "I think you guys are going to want to see this."

They raced back into the media center where a news report was projected on a widescreen monitor. The helicopter shot showed a fire lighting up the night. The byline at the bottom identified the location as I-10 near Palm Springs.

"Less than 30 minutes ago, this convoy of refrigerated semis was attacked in a commando-style raid. Reports of automatic weapons fire and explosives are coming from the survivors. The trucks, filled with emergency blood supplies for the Los Angeles area, were being escorted from Phoenix by two state trooper vehicles and although emergency personnel are still on the scene, initial reports are that at least six individuals were killed in the attack, including at least two state police. As you can see…"

The anchorman at the station interrupted suddenly. "Just a minute, Bob….we're getting word of another attack…this one on Interstate 5 about 100 miles north of Los Angeles…."

The trio in the room didn't need to hear any more.

"This goes way beyond threatening," growled Josef, his eyes locked with Mick's. "This bastard's declared war."

TBC