Hi everyone,

Here comes the new chapter. You'll finally get to know how Josef will react with Talbot and how Beth will try to manage the terrible things that happen to her.
A big thank you to Ancholia and especially Moonjat for being my betas!
I hope you'll like my new chapter. Please let me know, I love to read reviews and it helps a lot to write for you guys! :)
Thank you so much for reading my fiction!!

Terrible decisions

The room was silent around the sleeping vampire. Ice covered the glass and only a vague part of the naked body. The vampire woke up slowly, opened his mouth to gasp some fresh air, showing the extended fangs. The vampire was a creature of ice, the eyes and the skin frozen, covered by ice crystals.

He slowly opened the lid of the freezer and stepped outside. He needed to rest after all the things that happened the day before and for what was expected of him. He went downstairs and grabbed a bag of blood from his hidden fridge. As he drank the red liquid, he thought of Beth. He was worried for her. The way she'd looked at him was unbearable and he wasn't sure if it only was because of Talbot. Mick was confused, because he'd finally told her that he loved her and he could feel that she felt the same way about him. But she'd rejected him as if something about him had repulsed her.

Mick went to his office and looked at the files on the desk. He read the list and crossed the name of the second dead vampire. He had to drive and meet Guillermo at the morgue. He hoped that he'd found the reason why they couldn't smell the vampire's scent on the victims. The worst part of the day was after that. Mick was supposed to meet Talbot at Josef's office. He'd called Josef right after he'd left Beth and told him about the incident. Josef had been very calm and understanding, and that was very surprising. Josef's silence when Mick had told him about the accident, had shown two things. The first one was the new problem with Talbot, then that Josef had been worried about Beth. Josef wasn't the kind of vampire to care for someone, unless it was someone really close to him, and Mick understood with that phone call that Beth meant more to Josef than he'd imagined. Mick already knew that Josef respected Beth and that he liked her more than he tried to show. It was the calm before the storm. Of course Talbot didn't know that yet and that was another tricky thing.

Mick left his office and went upstairs to take a shower. When he was ready, he went to his car and drove directly to the morgue. On the way, Mick thought about Beth; he began to wonder if it was a good idea to leave her alone in her apartment. She looked exhausted and she was handling those terrible things alone. She'd asked for space but she didn't know what was good for her or not. Josef and himself had thought that she was ready and she was then, but not for what happened to her and the community. When Beth made a decision, it was difficult to change her mind; he'd seen it many times before she'd been turned into a vampire. But this situation was different; it wasn't only about a case, it wasn't because she was in danger, Beth didn't know how to deal those things. It was all new for her, he had to show her how to do that and for that she needed to stay with him. Mick wanted to protect her but he also wanted to be with her, stay with her; he loved her and now he couldn't bear living without her. He squeezed the steering wheel and made a decision; as soon as he could, he would find her and take her back to his home. His home would be theirs.

Mick stopped the car in front of the main door of the white building. He walked down the cold corridor, which smelled of death. He reached the door and smiled to his friend. Guillermo was filling a bottle of blood from a dead woman.

"Is it lunch break?" asked Mick as he entered the room. He stopped next to the table, his hands on his hips.

Guillermo lifted his eyes from the red liquid to meet Mick's. "Hi man. Do you want some? She has a delicious blood."

Mick looked at the dead face. It was a woman in her late fifties, her pallid face was serene, she seemed to have found peace. "No thanks. So, did you find something about the scent?"

Guillermo put the bottle on the table and went to a drawer behind him. He took out a file and handed it to Mick.

"I have to say that I was quite astonished and I never could have believed what I found."

Mick lifted his eyes from the file to Guillermo who opened one of the drawers with a body lying inside. It was the trunk of the second dead vampire.

"What do you mean?"

Guillermo and Mick stood each side from the body and both inhaled it.

"Well, I didn't believe it at first, but there's no other explanation. I found an old tale which says that only a vampire who died twice looses his scent. To come back from death a second time, gives a greater power of control."

Mick stared at Guillermo completely astonished. "You know how crazy that sounds? That's just impossible. No vampires can come back if he has been killed."

"Yeah, I know man, but the tale supports with what's happening here. The killer is a vampire but we cannot smell him."

"Well this is too strange to be true..." Mick rubbed his chin with his hand. "Is there any way to find who it is?"

"I don't know, Mick. As I told you, until now, it was a legend… But I'll think about it and I'll call you if I find something."

At the same time, steps echoed in the green and white corridor and approached the room where the two vampires stood.

Talbot appeared in the door's frame. Guillermo pulled the material back on the body to hide it, as Mick looked at the attorney for the first time after what happened with Beth.

A strange silence filled the room. Guillermo could feel electricity charge between the two men. Scents of formalin, anger, fear and confusion surrounded the place. Guillermo caught something in Talbot's look that worried him. He wasn't looking at them like usually; this time a kind of fear mixed with curiosity filled the eyes of the human.

On the other side, the human looked at the two men, realizing for the first time what they really were. He didn't know what to do or what to say. He'd received a call from an unexpected man, the assistant of the richest man in the city, maybe even in the country. Well now he knew that this man was a vampire as well. Josef Kostan's assistant had asked him to meet Mick St John at the morgue. It wasn't exactly what he had planed to do, especially after what happened with Beth. But he knew that he couldn't escape them; he was in the middle of something that surpassed him, just like a little mouse in the middle of a room full of elephants. He was tiny among these powerful creatures and he was a danger to them as much as he wasn't safe himself from being crushed. He swallowed, feeling uneasy and slowly entered the room.

Guillermo looked questionnely at Mick who reassured him in a tone Talbot couldn't hear.

"It's okay. He knows about us."

Guillermo was astonished.

"Really man, how do you do it? All the humans around you end up knowing who we are!"

Mick smiled and walked to the door where Talbot stood. Before he walked outside, Mick turned to Guillermo.

"Call me."

Mick looked at Talbot with cold eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"Someone called me and told me to meet you here."

Mick thought of Josef and nodded. Without exchanging more words they both left the room and walked down the cold corridor.

They reached the parking and Mick walked to his Mercedes. He stopped and looked after Talbot who stood some steps behind.

"We're taking my car."

Talbot followed Mick to the Mercedes without saying a word. He knew that he was in a very bad position to argue; Mick St John had a relationship with Beth and that meant that St John knew exactly what had happened in her apartment.

They sat in the car and Mick started the Mercedes up. No words were exchanged on the road to Josef's building. Mick studied Talbot's emotions while he drove; he could feel that Talbot was nervous and felt guilty. Mick didn't envy the human's position because he knew what was expecting him. Josef could be very dangerous and it was a good thing to be on his side.

Talbot looked outside, trying to avoid St John's eyes. He knew that the vampire could feel his emotions, like Beth had told him. Even though he couldn't hide his worry; he knew they couldn't kill him, at least he hoped they couldn't, because he was a public figure. But Kostan was powerful. As he stared at the road, Talbot remembered that night with Beth and her sick face. She'd been so sick. Suddenly Talbot turned his face and his quivering voice broke the silence.

"How is Beth?"

Mick hadn't expected that. He looked at the human, surprised and felt that his question was honest. He stared back at the road and thought before he finally answered.

"She feels better, but she was really bad." He looked back at the human and it cost him a lot to say the next words. "She cares about you, you know."

***

Darkness…

I dance next to the gramophone and I follow the soft rhythm of the music…

Darkness…

He looks at me… He smiles as I dance in my white silk gown…

Darkness…

He dances with me… His eyes reflect the sparkling of mine… We are happy…

Darkness…

"Do you like your apartment, froggy?"… I giggle like a young girl… "I like it very much. Merci Josef."

Darkness…

I stand next to the large window and look at the moon above Central Park… He comes next to me and stands behind me, taking me in his arms…

Darkness…

I turn around and face him. "Why did you want this number?"… He looks at me with fake surprise in his eyes… "What do you mean?"… I smile "You know. The number of the apartment, 1608? The other apartment had a bigger bedroom."… He grins "You don't need a bigger bedroom and I like the sound of this number."… I look at him with suspicion…

Darkness…

I look at the door… 1608… I take my baggage and rub the gold number with my hand… I slowly walk down the corridor to the elevator… 'Ding'… I enter the elevator and before the doors close, I take a last look on my door…

Darkness.

Beth opened her frozen eyes. She looked around and saw that she laid in her freezer. She lifted the lid and stepped outside. She put her gown on and walked to the kitchen. She took a bottle of blood and as she drank, she realized that her vision had been different from the other one.

She walked to the bathroom and stood in front of her mirror. She looked at her reflection. The woman in front of her was pallid, exhausted and sad. Beth didn't recognize herself, she was the ghost of who she used to be. She wondered what happened to her and why. She stepped in the shower and let the cold water cover her tired body. As she felt the water run on her skin, Beth burst into tears. She saw images of Mick and could hear his sweet voice telling her that he loved her. She had to do something to stop those visions; they were destroying her.

Beth stopped the water and dressed. She sat on the armchair and looked through the blinds of her livingroom. The night was slowly covering the last colours of the sky. She remembered the images of her vision and tried to understand what it could mean. This one was soft, a moment of peace between Coraline and Josef. Josef! Beth's eyes widened. Coraline was dancing with him and they'd acted as they were a couple. She remembered that Josef had told her that he'd met Coraline hundred years ago, but she didn't realize that they had been a couple. For Beth, Coraline had only been in couple with Mick. Questions ran through her mind and Beth began to feel sick. She could hear the music of the vision and the number; that number was printed in her mind in large size…1608.

Beth took her face in her hands and tried to delete all the images that haunted her mind. She had to find a way to stop that. She slowly lifted her face up and looked in front of her. There was only a way to do it. That would take time and strength, but it was the only way.

Suddenly she realized that her phone was vibrating in her purse. She stood up and took her phone. She had a message from Josef, he was waiting for her. She went back to her bedroom and took a baggage that she filled with clothes. She knew she had to tell him even if he wouldn't believe her. It would be difficult to understand but it was the only way to get through her visions. She closed the bag and went to the door. She took her keys and looked at her apartment as she opened the door. She wouldn't be there for a long time.

The door number 5 slowly closed as the vampiress walked down the dark corridor.

***

Josef was in his office. Henri had gone an hour ago to one of his townhouses. He'd finally given him his trust. Very few vampires could say they had it. Josef knew how much Coraline loved her brother, she'd kept telling him Henri was different, a kind man, a kind vampire. Somehow he reminded him of Mick. But Mick was stronger. When he'd heard what Henri had told him, he knew he was supposed to believe him, but Josef was never too careful. Maybe it was a trap from the french bloodline. Henri didn't know about the dead vampire and that was the key of Josef's trust. He was trusting him for now, but Josef never gave his full trust.

He heard steps in the corridor and saw Mick and Talbot approach. He stood up and felt fear emanate from the human. Good thing, he thought, it would be easier. They all sat down.

Talbot looked around, hoping he would see Beth, but she wasn't there.

"Oh she's not coming now. She had other things to do." Josef's voice was cold, with a hint of dark humour. "So, I've heard you discovered what we are. It was a lucky thing that Beth got shot in front of you, otherwise you would have never found the truth about that list. You're not as smart as you think Talbot. We have been watching you closely." His voice was now colder, like the look in his eyes, full of threat. "Now that you have found the truth about us, you will have to do something for us."

Talbot was paralysed. The man in front of him looked young, but the strength that emanated from his body was something he'd never seen before. Mick sat next to him and didn't say a word; his eyes were fixing the table, his finger rubbing his lips, lost in his own thoughts.

"I can't work for you, Mister Kostan." His voice was shaking, the words had left his mouth without his own control. He regretted instantly but it was too late. Josef walked around his desk and sat on the edge on the table right in front of him, his arms crossed. The light behind him, made him look like a terrible giant.

"Oh yes you will, because you have no choice. We'll make the decision for you. If you don't cooperate, the solution is simple : I'll kill you. I know that Beth and even Mick wouldn't want that, but I'm not like them. After 400 years I've learned how to protect myself and the community from people like you."

Talbot's heart pounded in his chest. He could see a silver light in the eyes of the vampire.

"Now I want you to tell me everything you know."

***

She sat in her car. The motor was silent, her hands on the wheel, the bag on the seat next to her. She knew it was the right decision, but it wasn't the easiest one.

She'd stood in the car almost an hour. She was parked in a street in the opposite corner of the building. She'd seen Mick and Talbot walk outside to the Mercedes. As she'd seen him, she'd felt her love for Mick. His appearance, the way he looked at the world, his eyes so earnest, so full of hope, she knew that her love for him would last forever. As she'd seen Talbot, she'd noticed he looked concerned and she felt bad because it was her fault.

She finally walked outside the car and directly to the building. Josef stood at the window as she came in the office.

"They just left."

"I know, I saw them." Her voice was low, like a whisper.

He nodded.

"Listen, I feel terrible about-"

He turned around "It's okay Beth. I took care of everything. You didn't know what to do and you weren't prepared for that. Mick and I are responsible, you were our responsibility and we failed."

His face was concerned but soft at the same time. Beth felt bad though. She had disappointed him and it made her feel even worse. She wanted Mick and Josef to be proud of her, but she'd failed them and she'd been weak enough to telling Talbot the truth. Sadness filled her and it reminded her why she was here.

"Josef, I have to leave."

"What do you mean 'have to leave'?"

She approached his desk and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Josef, what do you know about the apartment 1608 ?"

His face became suddenly pallid, Beth even thought she saw him wince.

"How… how do you know about that?"

"I saw it in a dream. That's why I have to leave. There's only one person I know who can help me through this. But you have to promise me that you won't tell Mick."

Josef had fallen on his armchair. His mind was disturbed, for the first time he was lost and didn't know what to do.

"Josef?" Beth was anxious.

"Yes. Where are you going?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Beth you have to. At least so I can help if something happens."

"You have to promise me first that you won't tell him."

"It will kill him."

"Josef, you have to."

Josef stared at her. He wasn't prepared for that. He hadn't seen that coming. He exhaled and rubbed his face in his two hands.

"Okay I promise you."

"Thank you." She felt suddenly relieved.

"Where are you going?"

Beth hesitated then answered his question. Josef nodded seriously.

"Be careful Beth and call me whenever you want. I'll be there for you."

"Thank you Josef." She smiled at him and turned. As she reached the corner of the door, she stopped and looked at him. "Please, tell him I love him."

Josef nodded then saw her disappear. He exhaled loudly and fell back in his chair, thinking of that terrible number.