A/N: This chapter moves the story on to a different stage. I could have made two separate stories, but I haven't written a multi-fic for "Moonlight" in awhile, so I thought I'd just plug right along. Hope you don't mind! Thanks again to all those who have reviewed and favorited. That is so very kind of you!
Chapter 10
BETH
Just before Dr. Fontaine was due to arrive, Mick and I were dressed and smiling, waiting on the couch in Josef's study. Josef himself sat in his chair, nursing a Bloody Carrie, rolling his eyes occasionally as Mick and I cuddled, which was ironic, given that Simone was sitting in his lap.
"I'd say that you two should get a room, but you've had one all afternoon and that didn't seem to get it out of your systems."
"Sorry, Josef," Mick said, smiling into my eyes as we remembered all the ways we'd enjoyed said room. "And I'm happy to tell you that you can have your room back. Beth's moving in with me."
"Really?" Simone asked excitedly. "I'm so happy for you both!"
"Great news," Josef commented. "I was beginning to wonder whether I was running a nursery or a brothel. It was getting very confusing around here."
"Well, thank you both for putting me up the last couple of days while I got my head together," I told my friends. "Oh, and thanks also for all the pep talks. I needed to hear what you were telling me."
"Speaking of which," Mick began, winding up to chastise Josef.
"Mick—"
"No, let me finish, Beth. While I'm grateful to you for helping me with Beth, in the future, you're to talk to my fiancé with respect. You hear me…buddy?"
Josef chuckled. "Why, Mick, whatever could you mean?"
"You are not to reference any part of Beth's anatomy in any negative way, understand?"
"Ohhhh," Josef said, looking at his wife. "He's talking about me telling Beth to get her head out of her ass. I actually thought that was a very positive thing to say, don't you, my love?"
"You didn't," Simone said, slapping his arm.
"Hey! I was dispensing some much-needed tough love. Why is everyone ganging up on me?"
"I'm not," I told him.
"Well, thank you, Beth. And you're welcome, by the way. Now that you and Mick are participating in your own version of tough love, we can all start getting on with our lives here."
Right on cue, the doorbell rang. A moment later, Niles led Dr. Fontaine into the room. Simone politely disentangled herself from her husband's lap as we all stood to welcome my new guru.
When the doctor entered the room, Simone and I looked at each other in mutual surprise. The man was gorgeous. He looked like a young Alec Baldwin-tall, dark, and handsome, bright, crystal blue eyes, with a hint of humor in them just to make them sparkle. And his smile—a thousand watts at least. The men noticed how Simone and I seemed a bit giddy at the sight of him, and they weren't happy at all.
"Josef," he said, his smooth voice just adding to his perfection. And I detected a faint accent, as if he'd been away from his home country for a long time. Was it…Australian? This guy just got better and better. The two men shook hands.
"Richard," Josef greeted. "Please, allow me to introduce my wife, Simone." He watched in irritation as Simone's hand disappeared into the charming visitor's.
"What a lovely woman, Josef. You're a lucky man." His killer smile, directed upon her, made Simone speechless.
Josef's eyes narrowed, but he continued his host duties and turned to me. "This is Beth Turner, the newest member of our community, and your protégé, should you both agree."
I held out my hand and he took it lightly in his. I squinted a little at him, seeing his aura of orange and red. I think that was a good thing, but I somehow couldn't focus on what I'd learned already with this man holding my hand.
"An honor, Beth. I'll enjoy working with you." I was caught in his brilliant gaze, my smile a little goofy.
"Yes, me too," I managed. Then, it hit me-his smell, his cool hand. "You're a vampire, aren't you?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too rude.
Richard Fontaine just laughed. "Why, yes, Beth, that I am. You're learning already, aren't you?"
Mick cleared his throat beside me.
Josef smirked. "And this is Beth's fiancé, Mick St. John."
He let go of my hand in what seemed to be a reluctant manner, and turned to Mick. "Mr. St. John. I've heard about you. It's a wonder we haven't met. I guess we just revolve in different circles."
Mick shook his hand, his eyes narrowed in a similar way to Josef's. I caught Simone's eye, and we both tried hard not to laugh at their jealousy.
"I guess so. Josef tell me you're a professor of what is it—Metaphysics?—at UCLA."
"Yes. Metaphysical Research. I study all things related to the intricacies of the mind. I'm very interested in Beth's case. I've never heard of a vampire developing the ability to see auras after being turned."
Josef motioned that everyone sit, and he nodded to the waiting Niles in an unspoken bid for refreshments.
Fontaine looked over at me from his place in one of Josef's leather chairs. "It's my understanding that you'd had a brain injury shortly before your turning?"
"Yes," I replied. "I'd been damaged in my occipital lobe, resulting in blindness. It looked like it was going to be permanent, before I, well, had an aneurism. But actually, I do remember seeing auras as a child, but the ability faded away as I got older."
He nodded. "It faded because there was no one there to help you focus, or to understand what you were seeing. You might have continued to have that gift had you had the opportunity to hone it. Apparently, your accident triggered the ability again, and it must have manifested much more strongly when you were turned."
"That's what we figured," Mick concurred, exhibiting the typical male trait of not wanting to be forgotten with his mate in the room. He reached for my hand to lace his fingers through mine, a further reminder of his possessiveness.
"Hmmm," Fontaine said, leaning forward to look at me more closely. "Could you describe for me exactly what you see now?"
"Sure." I went on to describe the different colors that shone around those I saw, how sometimes there were various swirling patterns, or rays that emanated from their auras like from the sun. As I spoke, the doctor nodded and hummed a few more times. Then, he sat back, tapping his sensual lower lip in thought.
I saw Josef and Mick exchanging glances of…amusement? I hope it wasn't because they thought I was just exaggerating. But no, I realized, they were just making fun of poor Dr. Fontaine. I squeezed Mick's hand in annoyance, and he looked sheepish before plastering on a serious expression. Josef just grinned.
"Tell me, Beth. What colors do you see around each of us in this room?"
"Well…you, Dr. Fontaine—"
"Richard, please."
"Richard," I smiled, as Mick seemed to mentally roll his eyes. "your aura seems to be orange and blue."
"Well, that's highly complementary," he smiled in return. "That says that I relate well to others and that I am highly empathic."
"That's good to know," I said. "Mick's aura is also blue right now, but it changes. Earlier today it was yellow and pink."
"Awww…he must have been very happy this morning."
Josef chuckled, and Mick looked a little embarrassed. "Yes," Mick said tightly. "Beth makes me very happy. Quite often, actually."
Richard took his meaning and his lips twitched in response.
"And Simone? Well, she always seems to be yellow."
"Aww…the lovely Simone must always be a happy, supportive person, yes?"
"Yes," said Josef territorially, looking upon his wife with pride. "That sounds true enough."
Simone smiled at her husband, and we witnessed a very intimate look passing between them.
"And Josef? What do you see when you look at him?"
"Well, that's an easy one. He is almost always red, sometimes green."
"Not a surprise, from what I know of Josef. Red means power; green, tenacity. Seems to me, with what we know of your friends here, you are accurately seeing the manifestations of their personalities and emotions exhibited in their individual auras."
"Great," said Mick.
"Wow," I said. "That's amazing. So, can you teach me to interpret them?"
"Of course. Once you learn to understand what you are seeing, you can accurately predict when someone is lying or being disingenuous toward you or others. You can tell when someone is depressed or angry, even when their actions or expressions say otherwise. This is a valuable skill, and great gift to have. Combined with your vampire abilities to detect biological responses, you'll be quite the behavior specialist. I suggest you come to my office every day for awhile."
"Not a good idea," Mick said. "She's newly turned, and shouldn't be out among humans yet."
"I see. Of course. I could come here, if that's acceptable to Josef."
"Actually," I'll be staying with Mick, now," I said. "He lives downtown. Would it be alright if he comes to your place, Mick?"
He looked at me, saw the pleading in my eyes, and I felt the tension ease in him.
"Whatever Beth wants will be fine," he said, and the love I saw shining from him made me want to kiss him senseless in front of everyone.
"Thanks," I whispered. He squeezed my hand gently in response.
"Very well, then. I'll just get the address from Mick here and be by tomorrow afternoon."
We small talked a few minutes more, then Dr. Fontaine prepared to take his leave. He suavely took the ladies' hands and made us feel as if we were the only ones in the room for the brief moment he looked at us. The men said their cool goodbyes, and Niles was summoned to escort him out.
"Boy, how 'bout that snake charmer," Mick commented, downing the rest of his scotch-laden blood.
"Mick—" I began.
Josef laughed. "He had those women eating out of his hand. I didn't think glamouring was real, but he sure had you girls drinking the Kool-Aid."
"You're just jealous that he's so well-educated," Simone chided. "He really seems to know what he's talking about. I thought it was fascinating."
"Actually," Josef conceded, "Fontaine's an alright guy. I trust him, or I wouldn't have let him in my house. A real ladies' man though."
"Pot, meet Kettle," I murmured. Josef heard my words and grinned.
"As for the educated part," Mick added, "Fontaine's got nothing on Josef here. Do you know how many degrees Josef has?"
"Mick, please. You're embarrassing me." But he didn't seem embarrassed at all.
"Last you told me, Josef, you had about twenty-five, right?"
He shrugged. "Something like that."
Simone looked genuinely surprised. "Well, I figured you had a business degree, obviously. What else?"
"I've been around a long time, darling; a guy's gotta have some hobbies. You really want to know?"
"Come on, Josef, you're dying to brag, I know it." Simon found her way back to her husband's lap.
He began listing them. "Business, law, psychology, British Literature, Philosophy, Greek, Latin, French, Japanese…" The list went on to include several different languages, arts, and sciences, until he reached the last: Master Chef, Le Cordon Bleu.
"You're joking, right? Why would a vampire need to know how to cook?" I wondered.
"Just something I was interested in, once." He glanced away from Simone, but Mick caught that he was clearly hiding something.
Mick laughed, sudden realization crossing his features. "You were trying to get a woman, weren't you?"
Josef, caught, merely smiled in remembrance. "Ahhhh…Madeline. She asked me one day to go for a stroll around her parsley patch, and I was hooked. Was she ever a tasty dish. Well worth learning how to make a proper rue." He became aware that Simone was giving him a look of disgust and he abruptly finished his walk down memory lane. "Thanks, Mick," he finished, taking a drink, his expression now pained at how Simone would certainly make Josef pay for that one later.
"Anytime, pal." Mick smirked.
"Anyway…" I began, attempting to lead the subject back to less dangerous ground. "Thank you for introducing me to Dr. Fontaine. I'm really looking forward to his instruction."
"I don't blame you a bit," Simone said saucily, exacting a little revenge already. "He can examine my aura anytime."
Josef groaned and put his face into his hands.
MICK
Three days later…
"I've got a client coming over in a little while," I told Beth, spooning my naked body to hers. "He's human. You might want to stay as far away as you can, upstairs."
She'd picked up more of her things from her place, and we'd settled into a lovely routine in mine. Training sessions at night, this time in the mostly deserted downtown area. Making love in every room in my apartment. Sleeping in our side-by-side freezers. The bed, however, was still our favorite place these days.
She turned over in my arms. "Oh, come on, Mick. I've got to do it sometime. How else am I going to learn? I'll drink a lot of blood before he comes, and I'll stay out of your office. Just let me meet him, or at least be in the same room with him a moment. You'll be there to stop me from doing something stupid."
I snorted a little. "I couldn't stop you from doing stupid things when you were human. Now, with new vamp strength? That could be a tall order."
She punched me in the arm, and damned if it didn't smart. "See?" I said, rubbing my arm in confirmation of my words. She rolled me over and pinned my arms to the bed.
"I could beat you up if you don't let me have my way," she said, a wicked gleam in her eye. "Besides needing to test myself around humans, I want to apply what I've learned from Richard."
Dr. Fontaine had also become part of our daily routine, as annoying as it was to have a guy who looked like a movie star visiting my fiancé every day. But he seemed to be helping Beth, and she was very excited to try out her skills.
"I told you, Daryl, Carrie, Logan and Guillermo are coming by tomorrow night for cocktails. You can study their auras all night if you want."
Our friends were anxious to officially welcome Beth into the family.
"But Mick…" she said, wriggling against my burgeoning hardness, leaning down to nip at my neck with her blunt human teeth. "Let me meet someone new. A human. I'll be so grateful…"
I grinned, and let her try for another half hour to convince me. I didn't tell her that I'd already decided to allow it the second she'd asked.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Simon Partridge knocked on my office door promptly at four, and I let him in. He was a business man in his forties, and claimed never to have needed a private investigator before. Beth stood hesitantly in the doorway leading to the rest of my apartment, and I could tell she was nervous at her first human contact.
"This is my fiancé, Beth," I told him. "She's also my uh, partner, so you don't need to worry about her discretion."
He held out his hand and Beth looked at me anxiously. I nodded briefly, and she shook it politely. I saw her nostrils flare at his scent, her eyes widen as she clearly heard the blood pumping through his veins. She gulped, then cleared her throat.
"A pleasure," she said a little shakily.
"Beth won't be joining us for this meeting, but I'll fill her in later. She has other things to attend to in the other room. Right, sweetheart?"
"Oh, yeah. Right."
She excused herself, but before she left, she had a strange look on her face as she looked at Partridge, like she'd seen something she didn't like.
I shut the door to the rest of the apartment, and indicated that Partridge should sit in the chair across from my desk.
"What can I help you with today, Mr. Partridge?"
"My business partner is missing," he said, "and so is a lot of money from our bank account. I think he might have met with foul play. There's not enough evidence for the police to get involved, so I came to you."
I took the basic information I'd need to begin my search, and he left about twenty minutes later.
After I let him out, I went back into the living room where I found Beth by the front door, watching as Partridge walked past the security monitor.
"You did well, Beth," I complimented. "How did you feel?"
"Okay," she said, zooming the camera out so she could follow the man's progress down the hall.
"No desire to attack him?" I asked, amused at her distraction.
"No." When the distant sound of the elevator opening and closing had faded away, she finally gave me her full attention.
"He's lying to you, Mick."
"Huh? Who? Partridge?"
"Yeah. His aura was dark gray. And there was some brown there, too."
"What does that mean?"
"Secretive. Deceptive. He was also distracted, which implies his desire to hide something."
"His pulse and breathing gave no indication that he was lying."
"He must be a good liar," Beth told me confidently. "People can control their reactions through biofeedback. Auras don't lie, as Richard says."
Richard, my ass, I thought uncharitably. And we'd discussed his bill too before his second visit; Fontaine was certainly not doing this service for Beth out of the goodness of his heart.
"No offense, Beth, but you really haven't been at this for very long—"
"You're saying you don't believe me?"
I took her hands in mine, trying my best not to sound condescending. "It's not that, honey. You just lack…experience. Everything new takes time and practice to perfect—"
She let go of my hands and began pacing in the entryway. "You're telling me you didn't get some sort of negative vibe from him, because I got that too. The aura just confirmed it."
Well, I had gotten the feeling the guy was a little off, but that could just be his personality. I couldn't pin down anything particularly unsavory about him.
"Why would he lie to me?" I asked, switching tactics.
"I don't know. Maybe he wants to find his partner for some other, more nefarious reason." I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that she'd been eavesdropping on our conversation.
I considered her suggestion, but honestly could offer no opinion either way. "I guess that's possible," I conceded, "but unlikely."
"Let me help you with this, Mick. I could go along with you on stake-outs or whatever you plan to do to investigate. Come on, it will be like old times. And I really would like to get out of this place a little more. The walls are beginning to close in on me. What's more, I'll happily admit I'm wrong, if nothing bad happens."
She had been an experienced investigator for the DA's office before her accident, and an investigative reporter before that. She knew the ropes. I didn't see how her involvement would hurt, given that this seemed to be a cut and dried missing person case.
"Okay," I conceded. "But you stay close to me, and don't go wandering off on your own, understand? You did fine with one human; things could get dicey and overwhelming in the midst of a crowd of them."
She threw herself into my arms, covering my face with grateful kisses. I really hoped I wouldn't regret this.
A/N: If any of you see auras, or are experts on their interpretation, please pardon any mistakes I've made in my research. I did discover that the interpretation can vary by individual, but there clearly does seem to be evidence that some people actually can observe this phenomenon, and that you can actually be taught! Pretty cool, if you're into that kind of stuff. Anyway, I hope you like the direction I'm taking with this. Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear your feedback!