A/N: I continue to appreciate all your great reviews, as well as all you lurkers out there who read but are too shy to review. Please, don't be. Unlike Josef, I won't bite! This next chapter is sort of transitional, but I hope I included enough stuff to keep you satisfied. Hope you like it!

Chapter 7

JOSEF

If you'd like a lesson in frustration, try helping a four-year-old pack. And not just any four-year-old, a four-year-old girl. I thought adult girls were ridiculous packers, but my entire frame of reference has now radically changed. Lily could not make up her mind about anything. Not clothes, not toys, not books. Simone and Beth had tried to be helpful, but the child was having none of it. It was already after dark, and I wanted to be home before daylight in LA. As I surveyed the wreckage that was Lily's room, I was having some serious doubts that would happen.

"No, I don't want Mr. Wiggles in here," she whined to an irritated Simone. "He always fights with Spot." Lily was concerned about the close quarters relationship between her stuffed pig and cheetah. Understandable, of course, in the animal kingdom, but in a child's suitcase? The permanent smiles stitched on each of the animals didn't make them seem violent to me.

"Lily," I said from the doorway, trying to rein in my annoyance. "Tell Mr. Wiggles and Spot that if there is any fighting, we'll simply throw them out of the plane. Threats always tend to work with your employees."

I watched as her eyes went round in horror, and she clutched the two toys to her chest protectively.

"Josef—" Simone began, foreseeing a meltdown in the making. It was unclear whose, however…

Lily looked at her small subjects and abruptly placed them in the same suitcase. She shook her finger at both of them.

"Did you hear that you two? Uncle Josef doesn't like fighting, so you better behave in there." I grinned in spite of myself at her adult imitation.

"Well, that's settled," I sighed. "Now look here, Lily. We have to get to the plane or it'll leave without us. Pick up the pace a little, will ya? And remember, I told you I'd have someone pack everything up here and ship it out to you in LA, okay? Just pack light to tide you over until your stuff arrives."

She looked around her room in dismay. "But my things will miss me staying here all alone! Uncle Josef, you have a big airplane. I know it will all fit."

I felt Mick's presence in the doorway behind me, and could practically feel him holding back his laughter at my predicament.

"Not once all Simone and Beth's stuff is on there," I deadpanned, earning deadly glares from the ladies.

"You know what I bet, Lily," Mick said. Lily turned adoring eyes on my best friend, who seemed to have that effect on all womankind. "I bet that if you hurry and pack your things, Uncle Josef will take you to Disneyland when we get to California."

Lily squealed with delight. "Really, Uncle Josef? Oh please, oh please, oh please!" She was hopping from one foot to the other, looking at me imploringly. I had a sudden vision of throwing Mick off the plane. She attached her little arms around my waist almost painfully, her curly blonde head pushed into my stomach. I shot Mick a murderous glance and reached my hand down to pat her soft hair.She looked up at me, her eyes beseeching and very blue.

"Alright, but you heard Uncle Mick. You have to hurry and pack. If you can do it in ten minutes, Uncle Mick and I will take you to Disneyland."Mick looked extremely rattled by the suggestion. So there, I thought immaturely. But the promise had launched Lily into action, and she began throwing things into the two suitcases in earnest.

Beth looked at Mick and me in disapproval. "Bribery, guys? Really?"

Mick shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"

"I prefer to call it negotiating," I countered.

"Well call it whatever you like," Beth said, "but when you're sitting in a giant teacup for the tenth time in a row, we'll see who got the better deal in this negotiation."

"Teacup?" I said in dismay. I turned to Mick, who was wearing a similar expression. "I swear, if you weren't already dead…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

One of the reasons I'd bought a private jet in the first place was to avoid the howling and chattering of little children. So the irony—or was it Karma—of the longest flight in history was not lost on me. Lily prattled on endlessly about everything she saw, heard, or thought, and even though we all tag-teamed talking with her and answering her million questions, we were all mentally exhausted by the time the plane touched down in LA. She fell asleep in the freezing limo on the way to drop Mick and Beth off.

I looked at my friends desperately as they disembarked in front of Mick's high-rise, Lily's head resting in my lap.

"Please don't go," I implored. "Stay at my place for awhile, as my guests."

"Not even if you paid me," said Mick with what I would call an evil grin.

"That could be arranged—"

"Start hunting for a nanny," Beth suggested.

"We definitely will," Simone replied.

"Look, guys, I really appreciate your coming with us to Tulsa. It's been a really rough couple of days, and I couldn't have gotten through it without you."

"That's what friends are for, Josef," said Mick, and I knew he wasn't just saying the words.

"Friends would also help babysit occasionally," I said, only half-kidding.

"Sorry Josef; even friends have to draw the line somewhere."

Beth gave Mick a dark look, then punched him in the arm. He winced at the strength of his vampire newbie. "Ow!" She ignored his cry of pain and turned back to me.

"We'll be happy to, anytime, Josef, once she's settled in." Beth reached back into the car to caress Lily's pale cheek. "She really is a sweet girl; you guys will do fine."

"Thanks, Buzzwire." But as we waved good-bye and the driver pulled away, I looked at Simone and saw my own bleak expression reflected on her beautiful face.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

MICK

Up in my apartment, I tossed my overnight bag on the kitchen counter and grabbed a bag of blood from the fridge, pouring it into two glasses and liberally lacing each with scotch. For once, Beth didn't refuse the offer of my favorite mixed drink. She accepted it gratefully, and we toasted each other wryly.

"I give them a month," I said, taking Beth's hand and leading her to the couch in the living room. We both sat down with a moan of appreciation.

"Well that's pretty pessimistic, even for you, Mick."

I grinned. "Maybe. But I know Josef. He's not good under non-business pressure. The worst thing is, once he finally realizes he can't handle this, his guilt is gonna make my past guilt trips look like...well, a trip to Disneyland." I picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles, noticing that she didn't smile at my little joke.

"I think you're wrong on this one, Mick. He loves this little girl, and he has Simone there to help. Once they get a nanny, things will start getting better. Once Lily adjusts—"

"It's not going to be that easy," I said softly. "I know he cares for the child—you saw how upset he was when we'd lost her at the mall. But this requires a level of maturity that I don't think Josef will ever reach."

"You underestimate him. After all, you never thought he'd actually marry, did you?"

"No," I conceded.

"Well, that took a major leap of maturity on his part, didn't it? Give him a chance, Mick. I think he'll surprise you. And also, Lily needs someone in her life to love her unconditionally, to protect her and put her welfare first. I think Josef and Simone are the best ones for the job."

"I hope you're right," I said sincerely.

We sat a few minutes, drinking our blood cocktails and enjoying the kid-free silence. I turned to look at her, my beautiful fiancé.

"You still want to try for kids some day?" I asked, my lips quirking. We still had some of Coraline's Cure, and had agreed that someday we'd both take some and see if Beth could still conceive in a human state. But that was a long way in the future, and now that we were both vamps, it felt like we had all the time in the world to decide. For now, we were content to plan our wedding and be together as a couple, just the two of us.

Beth smiled in return. "After this weekend, the jury is still out on that one."

I took her drink from her hand and set it alongside mine on the coffee table, turning to her with a look she knew well.

"Nothing wrong with practicing a little first," I opined sagely, pulling her beneath me on the couch. Her hands slid beneath my shirt, caressing my back and making me shiver with sudden need. Her blue eyes turned a smoky silver, and I gasped as she raised her hips up to meet mine.

"Well, I think we've already attained perfection, but I'm willing to indulge you until you feel more confident in your abilities."

I chuckled and nuzzled into her neck. "How…accommodating of you." I nibbled on her earlobe, sensing how my breath in her ear was increasing her desire. "My confidence is rising by the second."

"Oh? Is that what you call it?" She reached between our bodies to feel how much I was straining against my jeans.

Our smiling mouths met in a deep kiss, and by the end of the night, we'd practiced enough to impress even the harshest critics, or, at the very least, the neighbors.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two Weeks Later…

"How goes The Great Nanny Search?" I asked Josef as I sat in my car across the street from a suspected adulterer. I'd been tailing his movements all week. His so-called mistress had gone inside about thirty minutes before, on the very night his wife had claimed she'd be out of town. Quite tawdry and ordinary, I know, but it paid the bills.

It was about midnight on a Thursday night, and I'd been hearing about nothing else from Josef all week. Nanny this, and nanny that. As I'd feared, finding a reliable, vampire nanny was not as easy as the Kostans had assumed. I could hear the strain in Josef's voice, even over the phone, and I wished there was something I could do to help. Unfortunately, he and Simone would have to make this decision, with Lily having the final say. The child had not been easy to please.

"It sucks worse than syphilis," he said dryly. I didn't ask.

"Look, Simone and I have got this business thing I have to go to tomorrow night. Could you and Beth…?"

I sighed. We'd watched Lily three times since we'd been back, and while it hadn't been a complete disaster, it wasn't all fun and games either. I was secretly glad I had a legitimate excuse this time. "I'm really sorry, Josef, but Beth and I have both been working cases this week. I can't make any guarantees. You can ask Beth, though." Then, inspiration hit me. "Why don't you ask Daryl and Carrie? They seemed to really hit it off with her at the party."

It had been Lily's birthday last week, and while she would never physically age more than four, it was still a good excuse for Josef to indulge her with more gifts and to show off his new charge to our close friends. It had been hard on Lily to have this first birthday without her parents, so Josef had gone all out. He'd employed a nighttime circus show on the front lawn, complete with pigs and cheetahs (no fights were reported), jugglers and acrobats. There had been no other children in attendance, as we knew of no vamp kids her age in the area, and Josef was still hesitant to introduce her to any human playgroups. He was being way too overprotective, if you asked me.

"I don't know, Mick. They've only met her the one time. I hate to ask them…"

But you don't mind asking me, I thought in irritation. I shook my head at myself. I knew I was being uncharitable, but he really needed to find a nanny pretty damn quick.

"It won't hurt to try," I encouraged. "Otherwise, until you find a nanny, you'll be staying home from a lot more business functions."

"You're right. I know you're right. I'll give them a call. Thanks anyway, Mick."

"Don't mention it."

I hung up just as I heard a light tap on my window. It was the adulterer's wife.

"Is the bitch in there with him?" she asked, after I'd rolled down the car window.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, she is. I was just about to call you. You still want to go inside and confront them?"

The woman didn't look so good—I mean, she was beautiful, and obviously wealthy, but she looked fit to be tied. I was frankly worried about what she might do to the cheating pair inside that house.

"You don't have a gun do you?" I tried to sniff inconspicuously for the smell of gun oil. The slight increase in her heart rate and the blood rushing to her cheeks told me more than the faint smell of her weapon.

"No, of course not," she lied. I held my hand out for her purse. She huffed and handed it over, and removed the small handgun—a Lady Smith .357 Magnum.

"I'll go in with you," I said dryly, getting out of the vehicle.

She looked guiltily at the gun. "I suppose that would be a good idea."

We went across the street to the front door, and Olivia-that was her name—unlocked it with shaking hands. I smelled the blood immediately and held up my hand. "Stay here," I whispered.

"What? Why?" I didn't answer her, but followed my nose to the bedroom. Olivia's husband and mistress lay naked, still joined in passion, the gun shot having gone through his back and into her chest. No heartbeats. I don't know how I had missed the shot, except that the murderer must have had a silencer on and I was too damn busy talking to Josef. My mind flashed back to the scene I'd recently witnessed at Josef's house in Tulsa, and I hung my head in defeat. Someone had come in here and shot them, and I had totally missed it.

"Shit," I muttered. "Shit."

I looked up suddenly at the sound of a car starting. I rushed through the house to the door to find it standing open, Olivia Sommers nowhere to be seen. I watched her rear car lights fade into the distance, and I pinched my nose between my eyebrows, feeling the need for a stiff drink. Instead, I took out my cell phone and dialed 911.

A/N: This new case was supposed to be background noise for Mick, but I might consider making this a part of the larger story if you are curious. If not, I'll just continue with my original plan. Please leave a review and I'll be eternally grateful. Thanks for reading!