AN: If you haven't read the first chapter of the story Songs of Life: Josef -- "Great Balls of Fire" you may want to do so before this chapter, as it helps explain the events of this chapter. There be Mickbeth in this chapter. Oh, and next chapter? I start torturing them again. ;-)
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Chapter Eight:
Can You Hear the Wind Blow?
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Over the mountains, across the sea
I know life is waiting, for you and me…
Can you hear the wind blow, for me and you?
Signifying changes we're going through
--Whitesnake 2008
I take a walk down a road, it's the road I was meant to stay
I see the fire in your eyes but a man's gotta make his way
Are you tough enough for my love? Close your eyes to the heaven above
I'm comin' home
--Cinderella 1988
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Even when you live forever, change is constant, that's one of the things we share with our human friends. That being said, Cinderella was also right when they sang, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." My advice? Make peace with it. --Shane's wisdom
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Darkness had just fallen over the city. Mick stood in his favorite spot on the roof, watching the night come to life. In the old days he'd come here to think, or mourn, or brood. Even though he rarely did the last two anymore, he still enjoyed spending the quiet time alone. Of course time spent there with Beth, especially making love under the moonlight, was great too. Just another thing he had to be thankful for.
"Wow, you've got a fantastic view." The voice seemed to echo his thoughts.
Mick turned to see Shane approaching. He'd taken Sara and Beth to dinner at the Hard Rock Café; Mick had been working on a case and bowed out. "Have a good dinner?" he asked, a bit sardonically.
"Any dinner I don't have to actually eat, is a good dinner."
"You mean you sometimes eat?" Mick asked dumbfounded.
Shane walked up beside him, resting his arms on the top of the wall. "Gotta blend in, baby." Mick was still staring at him, so he continued. "You get used to it. Don't get me wrong, the getting rid of it afterward is…less than fun, so I do try to get around the issue other ways if I can."
"You're kidding."
"How do you think I've survived so long? Take my advice, the more you can do to appear human the better. After awhile it becomes second nature. I get ready for work and happen to glance at the box of Band-Aids in my medicine cabinet and realize it's been awhile since I've had a "cut." So I slap on an extra large and tell everyone I cut myself slicing a bagel for breakfast."
"Are you sure you're not just paranoid like Josef?"
"Three words: touch bearing mob."
"Would that be Josef's torch bearing mob?" Mick asked with a grin.
"Could be one and the same," Shane admitted with an answering grin.
Mick would have loved to have heard the story, but knew better than to ask. If Shane wanted you to know something, he told you.
They lapsed into silence, each enjoying the view. Mick sensed something, he wasn't sure what, but it was almost as if he was waiting for something, for Shane. Shane shifted, seeming uncomfortable, which was an odd look for him.
"I want to ask you something. Just wondered, did you ever –" He hesitated, and this made Mick very curious indeed. "Every time I'm with Sara and there's this point you know where I'm vamping out, and it just hits me right in the gut – how much she trusts me. Here's this vulnerable, fragile human life that I could end in an instant, and she's laying there just putting her entire faith in me to keep her safe. It never once crosses her mind to doubt it. It's so amazing it just blows me away every time. "
Mick was absolutely stunned; it was the most revealing thing Shane had ever shared with him. An elder vampire, questioning him about his experiences. "It was a long, hard road getting to the incredible part. I was terrified of her trust, because I didn't trust myself."
Shane looked at him surprised. "From what I've seen you've got a remarkable amount of control for a vamp your age."
"Uh, thank you. " Mick was absurdly pleased at the compliment. Maybe he'd underestimated himself more than he realized. "I didn't feel like I was worthy of her trust, it took her awhile to convince me that I was." He smiled fondly, remembering. A brief silence fell, then Mick dared to break it with a question. "I uh, when I'm with her I don't often need to bite. I was just wondering if that's 'normal' or not…?" He may have suspected it was Beth's blood but really didn't know for sure; it would be nice to get some answers. At Shane's age (whatever that was) he must have a lot of them to share – if he would.
"There's no more normal for vamps than there is humans, it varies by individual. The older we get the more control we have though," Shane told him.
"Doesn't seem like it sometimes," Mick commented. He didn't know of any vampires that would willingly refrain from biting during sex.
"There's self control and then there's self control – the kind you have because you want to have it. Then there's the kind you choose not to have. Lot of vamps don't have much because they don't care. It's a bit like how human men don't want to wear condoms. You can do it, it's just more fun the other way. Men being men…"
"And vampires being vampires… " They tended to be a very hedonistic, sensual species. The pleasure lines were definitely blurred, although Mick still fought to keep his more delineated.
"Do you know when Sara asked me about vampires? She didn't! I told her what I was and she didn't even blink. It wasn't until a couple days later that she told me to tell her about us. In the meantime… she had no clue what she was getting into, just trusted me completely."
"Wow. Beth's got that reporter thing," Mick grinned. "After a week of 'processing' it, she came armed with more questions than I wanted to answer. You've never been in love with a human before, have you?" he asked, deciding to press his advantage since Shane seemed to be in a receptive mood.
"I've been with more women than I can count, vamp and human. Men, too," he rolled his eyes at Mick's scandalized look. "Oh, grow up – when you get this many centuries under your belt you'll pretty much have tried everything. I've cared for them very deeply, maybe I loved them. But it never felt like this," he admitted.
"Life is funny, isn't it? We think we have so little in common with the human population and something comes along to remind us we all have certain things in common."
"Still. Living forever… it changes all the rules. You'll understand more when you're older."
"So Josef keeps telling me."
"So listen to your elder, he knows what he's talking about."
"Maybe that's what I'm afraid of."
Shane slapped Mick on the back. "You'll do okay. Well, I gotta collect my girl and go get ready for the show."
"Are you ever going to tell me how many centuries you've got 'under your belt'?" Mick asked boldly.
"My age is something I don't tell anyone," he explained.
"Not even Sara?"
Shane didn't answer, which was telling, Mick thought. "If it got out, my life would be an undead hell. There'd be those that wanted to challenge me, just to prove they can take on a supposedly more powerful vampire and win. Others would want to dissect me to get the secret of my longevity – yet others would expect me to serve as some kind of elder vampire chieftain or something."
"And you just wanna rock?" Mick said, amused.
"I just want to live my life the way I choose – isn't that what everyone wants?"
"Too many of us aren't lucky enough to have the luxury."
Shane shook head. "It's a choice, Mick. Believe it." He headed for the stairwell, pausing at the door for one more offering. "Let's just say I'm older than Lola. considerably."
XXX
When Beth was with Josh, 'date' night consisted of a couple of rental movies and the couch, maybe some Chinese takeout. With Mick, it was a roof, the moonlight, and champagne. They had a blanket spread out to sit on. It was as close to perfection as Mick could imagine.
"The lights from the buildings are kinda like modern stars, aren't they?" Beth said.
"You're philosophical tonight."
"I was just thinking about what a shame it is you can't see the stars in the city."
"Then we should take a drive some time, to where you can see them clearer, maybe the desert."
"You just wanna make love under the stars," she accused teasingly.
Mick ran his hand over her body. "I want to make love with you every place, every way possible. Fortunately, I've got eternity to get to them all, so I'm not in a hurry."
Beth beamed at him, then leaned over and kissed him.
"Wanna hear something weird?"
"Hmm… I guess…" she answered, distracted by the curve of his mouth and his eyes that were glittering in the light from the full moon.
"I'm afraid of getting old. Isn't that a weird thing for a vampire to be afraid of?"
"I guess it depends on why you're afraid."
"I can't even imagine what it's going to be like. Do you lose every last shred of your humanity, get to the point where anything goes, like Lola?"
"You know what I think? I think you're too young to be worrying about stuff like that yet. But if you want to look at someone, look at Shane. You said he's really old, right? But he's got youthfulness about him, a passion for life. Maybe it depends on what you were like before you were turned."
"Maybe so. Maybe the dark things I saw in myself that I attributed to being turned were really just part of me all the long…"
"We all have our dark sides, you know that. You know what I think being a vampire is? Freedom. Freedom and time."
Mick goggled at her.
"Life is short, and humans never have enough time. We don't do all the things we want to do; so many of us struggle our days away, just surviving till the next day or living for the weekend. Work too hard saving money for a retirement so we won't be elderly and homeless, but then maybe die or get sick before we can enjoy what we sacrificed our best years for…"
"I didn't know you felt that way."
"I guess I am philosophical tonight!" Beth said, embarrassed. "I suppose the grass is always greener. I know that there are downsides to everything – even being a vampire," she teased.
"Maybe someday I'll get used to you," he said, leaning over to kiss her. His hands roamed over her body of their own volition, mapping the contours of her curves and pressing into her yielding flesh.
As a vampire, the night excited him too, and tonight he didn't try to rein it in. He could see it in the dark shadows in the corner, smell it in the air, mingling with the scent of his mate so near. The pulse of the city was like a heartbeat, counterpoint to hers. He shrugged out of the shirt Beth had so thoughtfully unbuttoned for him, letting the slight breeze tantalize his skin.
"I'm going to make love to you, right here, right now," he told her, beginning to undress her. She was as responsive to him as always, and he avidly tracked the changes in her body as he got her naked. He slipped out of his pants, pressing himself against her and taking a long kiss. "Maybe I'll even bite you, if you're good." Her heart skipped and then pounded faster in excitement.
Mick reached over the stuck his fingers in the glass of champagne, letting the chilled liquor drip onto the skin of Beth's breasts. She shivered at the sensation, her nipples hardening before his eyes. He chased the droplets with his tongue, lapping them up like a thirsty man in a desert.
"Did you know I can taste you?" he told her. "We can't taste food, but I know all your flavors. I could care less about food." His words and mouth made her shiver harder.
Instinctively she kept silent, not wanting to disturb the mood that had taken him or interrupt his flow of arousing, silken words. His voice flowed over her, as tangible as his touch.
"You feel so good, taste so good." Mick turned her so that her back was to him. He wanted to see the tattoo, the physical sign of her commitment to him that she'd endured the pain of a needle to proudly wear. It was on her right hip just above her buttock, where she could still see it without using a mirror if she twisted around. She wasn't going to be able to wear a really skimpy bikini without showing it to the world, but then that wasn't her style anyway. It was healed already, so he didn't need to use care as he caressed it with a finger. He wasn't a monster, he was Beth's guardian angel. He would be reminded of that every time he saw her naked body.
Beth pushed back against him, and he couldn't resist any longer. He slid into her, reaching around her waist to tease her with his fingers as he rocked into her. The rhythm built, and his fingers rubbing her kept up with the tempo, harder and faster until she clamped around him so tight he knew the moment was right now, and as she screamed he sank his fangs into her welcoming flesh, as promised.
How could he have ever missed the harsh, unforgiving sun? The night was a much sexier mistress.
XXX
It was Sunday night. Mick sat in a comfortable chair in Josef's living room, sipping from a glass of blood and contemplating the appealing idea of going for a nighttime swim with Beth. They had spent the weekend at Josef's; Beth had lounged by the pool in the sun all day, while Mick enjoyed the cool, dark, guest freezer. Being at Josef's was almost like taking a vacation, as he didn't skimp on the luxuries and surrounded himself with the best of everything.
Of course, to Mick the best of everything was the blond-haired woman sitting across from him in the overstuffed recliner, her skin tinged with pink from the sun and her face glowing with life.
The togetherness with their out of town guests had waned somewhat; they couldn't spend all their time entertaining, and the visitors were more than capable of fending for themselves. Shane probably knew the city better than Mick did. Greg and Silas had gone back to Alaska several days ago, as planned. Since Rock & Roll Rodeo was closed on Sunday nights, Shane, Sara and Freddy had taken advantage of the night off and gone off to attend a concert by one of their favorite bands, Poison.
The quiet was broken when Shane and Sara came bursting into the room.
"Damn, I instructed security to keep out the riff raff," Josef quipped.
"We're back – did you miss us?!" Sara asked with a touch of sarcasm.
Josef sighed and looked at Mick. "Well, the peace was nice while it lasted."
"How was the show?" Beth asked them.
"Oh My Fucking God," Shane said.
"It was great!" Sara exclaimed with a palpable excitement.
"I didn't know. I didn't realize. I had no idea. It's back. It's really back. The show was…" His eyes were a bit wild, he looked almost shell-shocked, but wired too.
"You okay?" Josef had to ask.
"I'm in heavy metal heaven." Shane tossed a bag at him, and continued his hyper monologue as Josef opened it to find a bunch of CD's. "Dokken, Whitesnake, House of Lords, Motley Crue – well, that one sucks, but the rest of 'em are fucking fantastic. For a long time the bands thought they had to change their sound to be "current" and it was usually a disaster. But this is IT." He grabbed one of the CD's out of his brother's hand and went over to put it in the top- of- the- line Bose in the corner.
On his way back, he grabbed Josef's shoulders. "Where the fuck was I?!" he demanded.
Josef smirked. "Alaska."
"What the hell was I doing there?!"
"I gotta admit, I've wondered."
Shane grinned at him. "Shoot me."
"Let me just go get my silver bullets first," he responded dryly.
"So I'm guessing the show was pretty good then?" Mick joked.
Shane fell back onto the couch. "Packed amphitheater. Crowd aged ten to fifties, all on their feet, screaming, singing along with every song… You could feel the love, just pouring out. I wanna get me some of that," he said abruptly.
Josef sat forward in his chair in alarm, having recognized the look in Shane's eyes. "What? You can't be famous. You're a vampire. Are you crazy?!"
Mick picked up on his friend's concern. "Josef's right, it wouldn't be smart to have your face splashed all over the internet and rock magazines. Too much attention, don't you think?" It was ironic how Shane had been the one counseling Mick on caution just a few days ago.
Shane didn't look like he was listening. "I am so high right now. This album is fucking awesome!" he said, moving to the music. "Listen to it. This is fucking new. From 2008. Coverdale sounds fucking amazing."
Sara sat herself down on Shane's lap and he buried his face in her neck, almost as if she was calming him down with her close presence. He grabbed her face and kissed her, then sang along with the ballad track that was now playing. "When I look in your eyes I realize all the love that I feel is true, and everything that we been through, baby, it's worth is just to be with you…"
Okay, events around Shane could get rowdy, but Mick had never seen the elder vamp like this before. He threw an inquiring look at Josef.
"Great balls of fire," Josef said quietly.
"Huh?" Mick asked, forgetting the significance of the song, although Shane had mentioned it to him.
Josef looked at Shane with what could only be described as a fond expression. "I remember a crazy man who barged into my office with a record in his hand. It's been about fifty years since I've seen him like this." With his soul on fire. Josef had to admit, if only to himself, he might consider selling his own to keep it that way.
"There's no way I can go back to Alaska. Sure, just long enough to take care of things, but I can't give this up now. I've got it back again and I'm not giving it up this time. We're going on the road!"
Sara was uncharacteristically silent, but there was no mistaking the huge grin plastered on her face at Shane's words.
Josef tried again. "Just calm down and be reasonable. Whatever you want, we'll work it out somehow but I don't wanna lose you to stupidity, okay?"
"You can still play the clubs, and go out on the road. Just keep a low profile, like you did before," Mick agreed.
"I'll have to get a full band together…" Shane muttered, in thought. "Freddy will definitely be in, I think. Have to replace Greg. I mean, somebody has to replace me in Resurrection, besides he's got a life up there he loves. Silas… he didn't act like he wanted to get on that plane, did he?" He asked Sara, who shook her head in agreement. "I'm thinking he'll be interested."
"Who's going to replace him as the blood supplier for the area vamps?" Mick asked.
As Shane shrugged, a sneaky smile spread over Josef's features. "I think I know someone who would be perfect to fill that job. He used to be our supplier, was an assistant ME. He just recently relocated to Fairbanks…"
"Guillermo!" Mick exclaimed.
"That sounds great, if you think he'd want the job. We could use someone will morgue experience too, since we haven't had a replacement for Doc."
Josef nodded. "I'll give him a call. Make him an offer he can't refuse."
"Not the Godfather again!" Mick joked.
"I wonder if I can get Joe to come with us, too," Shane said, oblivious to anything else going on around him. He had convinced Joe to fill in for the missing Greg at the Rock & Roll Rodeo gigs, and it had been great fun playing with him again after all those years.
"He has to run the club, I don't think he could leave it for long periods of time, could he?" Beth put in.
A slow smile formed on Shane's face, and he looked over at his brother. "He might if there was someone else to look after the club for him while he was away. Sort of a silent partner… Making sure everything was running smoothly and it was a success."
"Oh, crap," Jay-Jay said with feeling.
"Well, you did say whatever he wants you'd work it out," Mick said, enjoying his friend's discomfort.
"Good, I'm glad you feel that way," Josef told him. "Because I'm going to need someone with experience in the music business to help me out."
Mick's amused face fell. "What?!"
"Speaking of experience, we need a manager, too. Someone to book the gigs for us. Maybe Joe knows somebody…"
Beth looked over at Mick with a grin, and he knew instantly what she was thinking. Or, of whom. "I think I know of a road manager who might be available," Mick told Shane.
"Cool."
"Why are you so quiet, Sara?" Beth finally just came right out and asked the girl. "You usually have an opinion about most things, I would think this definitely wouldn't be an exception?"
"Shane knows what he needs to do," she answered. "He doesn't need me to tell him."
He needed to follow his heart, and his soul. To be true to himself. He had his rock and roll back and he had Sara. It didn't get more perfect than that.
What more could he need?
XXX
Mick watched Josef take a fortifying swallow of blood-laced whiskey. It was quiet again, Shane and Sara having gone off clubbing. Beth was packing up some last minute things before they returned to their apartment to get ready for another work week.
"You think he'll be okay?" Mick asked.
"Shane's always okay. He's still alive, isn't he? He just gets a little… insane sometimes."
"And the whirlwind that's Shane Alexander takes everyone else along for the ride?"
"Now you're starting to get it," Josef said approvingly.
"I wouldn't have pegged him for having that big of an ego, though."
Josef shook his head. "It's not that he wants the fame and adoration. Not really," he denied firmly, in his brother's defense.
Mick regarded him skeptically. "Then why?"
Josef studied his empty glass, his eyes speaking of a lot of secrets unrevealed. "He, uh, it's the energy coming from the show, I think. Generated by the audience and the band. It's like a drug." And for someone with empathic-like tendencies, hard to resist.
"He's almost as full of surprises as you are."
Josef couldn't help grinning. "He's only like this over rock and roll. It's the only thing makes him nuts like this."
"And Sara," Mick added.
Josef gave him an indecipherable look, but after a pause, nodded. "And Sara." Was that sadness in his voice? Mick never had a chance to figure it out, because just then Beth came in and began chatting about the new story she was working on.
In the end, you can't fight against love. It shows no mercy and takes no prisoners. Unconditional surrender is your only fate. When you do – you discover YOU won after all.
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End Chapter Eight: Can You Hear the Wind Blow?
Credits: ballad Shane singing along with is "All I Want, All I Need, from the new Whitesnake album, Good to be Bad; Coming Home, Cinderella; Can You Hear the Wind Blow?, Whitesnake
