QUICK AUTHOR'S NOTE: Obviously this is written in Moonlight AU. Although based on what has been seen in the show, this was my take on how I thought the Beth and Josef meeting should have gone and what would have happened afterwards. :-)

The Confrontation Part 4

Beth attempted to keep some semblance of control while she continued to stand before Josef, tears streaming down her face and emotions on display for the world to see. She hated that her declaration of love had been made before a man she knew nothing about. The words she had just spoken should have been saved for a private moment between Mick and herself, but there was no taking them back now. In fact, in some small way, her heart felt lighter for it. She realized quickly, how much of a burden it had been to keep the feeling buried, even from herself. She knew that she'd been developing strong feelings for Mick, but had never allowed herself to admit to what depths those feelings went. Taking a long shaky breath, Beth finally found her voice.

"Well…..I don't think that there's much more to say. I know that you have no reason to believe me, but……."

"I do. I do believe you," Josef interrupted, his voice soft, almost reverent.

She couldn't quite read the look on his face. Was that awe she saw in his eyes? Or perhaps it was something else…..maybe even….sadness? Again, she pondered how old this being was. How much had he gone through in his perhaps centuries old life? How much did he wish he could have back? What pain and sorrow had those eyes seen in their extended life?

Josef slowly turned and walked toward the front door, his head bowed as if in deep thought. Beth watched with a look of puzzlement and uncertainty as it appeared as if he was just going to leave without another word. A few feet from the exit, Josef spoke in a quiet voice.

"I think it's time you faced the music. Don't you think?"

Beth's eyebrows knit together and a frown turned the corners of her mouth. To say that she was confused would have been an understatement, for it seemed as if Josef was addressing the door itself and not her.

A few seconds ticked by before Beth finally understood. She watched as the door handle turned and the door opened. Mick slowly walked through the door, his eyes downcast, his shoulders slumped. Her eyes widened, and a cold stone of fear dropped into the pit of her stomach. How long had he been outside that door? How much had he heard? She watched for a moment and had her answer. He wouldn't look at her. In fact, he had yet to even face her and acknowledge her presence.

She watched as Mick stopped just a few feet away from Josef. Only then did he raise his head. The two exchanged some sort of look, a look that Beth was hard pressed to describe let alone interpret. And still, Mick refused to look at her. As each tick of the clock sounded in the eerily quiet apartment, Beth felt more and more nauseous. She had feared revealing her deepest secret, but that paled in comparison to the idea that Mick may have no feelings for her in return.

Josef broke the stand-off, and turned slightly as he obviously prepared to address the other two occupants of the room.

"Well…..it seems like the two of you may have…..certain…..matters to discuss. I think perhaps it would be best if I excused myself." A sad smile played at his lips as he quickly glanced at his friend. Fully turning toward Beth once more, Josef continued, "I do believe you, Beth. I do believe that you would never knowingly or deliberately divulge the secret of our existence. That does not mean, however, that you are not a potential threat." Beth noted the way that Mick's eyes narrowed and flashed for but a second as he watched Josef speak. If Josef had seen the display, he had chosen to ignore it. "Know this," he continued, "I'll be watching."

Josef then nodded his head in her direction before turning toward the door, pausing only briefly at Mick's side. As he did so, the elder reached out a hand and laid it almost respectfully on the younger man's shoulder, keeping it there for but a moment before continuing on. Seconds later, Mick and Beth were left alone in the apartment.

The two remained frozen in both space and time. Not for the first time since Beth had met Mick St. John, did she wonder how her life had become so incredibly complex, so uncertain. At this moment, she could hardly remember what her existence had been like before she knew that vampires were real. Had it really only been just weeks before?

The tears that had dried, now threatened once more. She could read so much just watching him from across the room. He still had yet to look at her. And as the moment expanded, Beth felt her heart almost literally breaking. He'd heard everything through that door. Had listened while she poured her heart out to a total stranger. And now he stood there, refusing to look at her. She could only come to one conclusion. He truly did not love her in return. Closing her eyes against the thought, Beth thought back through all of the moments she'd had alone with Mick. Had she really misinterpreted every look he had given her? The way he'd so selflessly risked his own life to save her? The implied meaning behind sharing his most important secret? How could she have been so mistaken?

"Say something," she was finally able to croak out, her voice raw and wavering with emotion. Trembling now, almost as if she had stepped into a Siberian winter, she opened her eyes and watched as he slowly pulled himself to his full height before turning to finally face her.

She had expected many things. Indifference, perhaps. Maybe even anger or awkwardness. What she saw in his eyes, in his face, broke her heart all the more. Pain. It was the only way to describe it. His eyes looked hollow and she could have sworn in the dim light that for the first time, he looked all of his 85 years. Physically, of course, he hadn't changed. But it was as if all pretense had been stripped away and he'd laid his soul bare for her to see. And through the torture and anguish, she could see what was lying underneath. He did love her. He loved her and it was killing him.

Beth drew in a shaky breath, and had to look away. She knew what he was going to do, and she died a little inside at the thought.

"You're going to send me away," she practically whispered through her now freely falling tears. "Aren't you?" she added, hoping beyond hope that maybe….just maybe…..she had read him wrong.

The silence was almost deafening as Beth waited, eyes now tightly shut. She desperately wanted him to answer, while part of her prayed that he never would. It felt as if her entire future hung in the balance, and only he could tip the scale one way or the other.

"Yes," he finally answered, his voice as shaky as hers had been just moments before.

A sob broke forth in the silence, as Beth practically collapsed against the counter.

To be continued……………