Moonlight doesn't belong to me. It's just a place I go to play.

xxxxxxxxx

A day and a half later, Beth feels Josef picking her up off the chair in the cold room. She's so tired she can't even fight him anymore. He slips her in her freezer and whispers to her that he will wake her when Mick wakes up. He's been trying to get her to lie down for several hours. He finally decided to wait until she falls asleep to move her. He knows she can't stay awake much longer. He's been reminding her to feed so she's not in any real danger of a complete crash. She told him earlier that she is afraid for Mick because he's not waking up. He knows it's also because she doesn't understand why Mick is pulling away from her. He tries to convince her that Mick will be up soon. He just needs some more time. She insists that she is too anxious to sleep. Frank kiddingly offers up some tranquilizer and gets a dirty look from them.

Josef grabs the financial pages. He sits in the chair Beth's been occupying almost continually for the last few days. He hates it when they put her through times like this. The commitment the three of them have to each other is a little consuming sometimes. He thinks about how he's going to tell her that she needs to go to Canada with Frank. It is not going to be a pleasant conversation, but he needs to find a way to convince her that it's necessary.

A couple hours pass, and Josef looks over at Beth as he senses her fighting to wake up. Damn it "Beth go back to sleep. He's still not awake."

"No, I'm fine." She gets out of her freezer and starts to reach for a robe when she senses movement from Mick. He pushes the lid to his freezer up. Before he's completely awake he realizes he has a very naked Beth wrapped around him. Mick looks at Josef and smiles softly. "I may get hurt more often if I can wake up like this." Mick wraps his arms around Beth and holds her until she calms down. "It's okay, I'm fine."

Josef laughs. "Nice to have you back. We've missed you." Gently Josef unwinds Beth from Mick. "Come on, you need to go back to your freezer now that he's awake. You know he will be fine now." Beth starts to protest but a yawn interrupts her. Mick and Josef laugh. Beth tries to look cross at them but smiles and nods. "Maybe for a little while." She looks at Mick intently. "You're sure you're okay?"

Mick smiles at her, "Yes, I'm going to be fine. Go, on."

Josef gets the I.V. out of Mick's arm and hands him a glass of AB negative and Mick downs it. He gets up and Josef points him in the direction of the shower and some clean clothes Josef found for him.

Mick goes to take a shower. Josef looks through the glass of Beth's freezer at and touches the glass. "What are we going to do with you?"

A little while later Mick returns, looking much better. Like Josef, the healing was complete by the time he was done showering. He sees Josef watching Beth sleep and smiles. "She's been watching us since we got here hasn't, she?"

Josef nods. "I wish she wouldn't do that. It takes so much out of her. Vanessa finally got her to agree to rest when we were both still down, then I took over when I woke up." Josef straightens up and looks at Mick. "Things are not good. Come on and I'll bring you up to speed. There are some decisions we need to make."

Mick smiles ruefully. In Josef speak that means Josef has already decided. What he needs Mick to agree or expand on what he already decided. They enter Vanessa's study to find her and Frank scowling at each other. Josef decides to ignore the anger he can sense. "Frank you and Mick have met. Mick this is my mother, Lady Vanessa."

Mick smiles at her, "It's very nice to meet you."

She stands up and crosses the room and hugs Mick who is slightly taken aback.

"Thank you for keeping Josef from getting himself killed and please call me Vanessa. You and Beth are family."

Mick smiles at her, "It works both ways. We keep each other from getting killed."

Frank stands up "How soon can you be ready to leave?"

Vanessa turns and growls at Frank. "Stop it. Nobody is going anywhere until we have hashed this out. Where is Beth?"

Josef rolls his eyes at the two of them. "She's still sleeping."

"Have you told her what you plan to do?" Vanessa asks.

"No. I haven't had a chance. I want her rested and fed first."

Mick looks at Josef. "Josef, it seems you left something out."

"I want Beth to go with Frank to Canada. I want her out of the country. Frank is very familiar with Canada and he'll know where to hide her."

Mick snorts and sits down heavily on the couch. "Good luck with that."

Josef shakes his head. "Oh, no, you have to help me convince her. This is one time you have to put your foot down and mean it."

"Stick it, Josef. I am not going to Canada."

Josef whirls around to find Beth in the doorway. "Yes, you are."

Beth shakes her head and stands toe to toe with him. "Nope and you can't make me."

"Yes, you are and yes I can."

Beth's eyes slide to Vanessa who shakes her head. Josef looks from Beth to Vanessa and back again. Beth sees the hurt in his eyes when he looks back at her. Without a word he turns and walks out the door.

Beth watches him leave. "Shit. I screwed that up."

Mick looks at her. "What did I miss?"

She looks at Mick a little sheepishly but doesn't say anything.

Frank looks at Mick. "She tried to go over his head to Vanessa."

"I did not. I mean, I looked at Vanessa but not because she's his sire, er mother, but because I was looking for help."

Mick looks at Beth. "Then go tell him."

Beth walks out the door and reaches out to try and find him. She senses him outside under the stars. She watches him standing there with his hands in his pocket looking up at the night sky. She approaches him and threads her arms around his waist from behind. He can feel her tight against his back. He tries to look at her. "I'm not mad."

"No, but you're hurt because you think I was going over your head to Vanessa."

"Yea. It hurts, but I guess I can't blame you."

"Josef it was wrong and I'm sorry. I didn't think. I was looking for any help I could think of to help me change your mind. If Mick had been in my line of vision, I would have gone to him, but Vanessa was there. I never thought about the fact that she's older than you are and your sire. I wanted some help convincing you to let me stay."

Josef turns around and looks at her. "Beth, I need you to do this."

Beth's anger at Josef locking her in the elevator begins to surface again. "No. I'm going where you and Mick go. You can't send me away anymore. No more stuffing me in elevators. No more telling me to go to Canada and no more telling me when to run and when to stay and fight. I've had it. From now on I do what I decide, not what you and not what Mick and certainly not what Frank decide. I will let you protect me, when I agree, but I'm done running."

Josef flashes his fangs at her in frustration. "Dammit woman do what I tell you."

Beth laughs at him. "Oh, get off it. You are not going to hurt me and we both know it."

Beth takes the last couple steps towards him. Before he realizes it, she wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him into a deep kiss. Josef pulls back and looks at her. He lets out a sigh. "That's cheating. I want you safe. I want you out of this."

"Josef, I refuse to believe that you and Mick can't protect me. Especially now that you know the threats and where they are coming from. If we were at home would you send me all the way to Canada?"

Josef thinks about what Beth said. He looks down at her and smiles. "You're right. I wouldn't be sending you to Canada. You know why we got jumped, why this has not gone well from the start?"

Beth shakes her head.

"Because we've been playing in someone else's backyard and doing this their way. This is not how I would normally handle any of this. We should go home. You're right, protecting you in L.A. now that we know there is a threat and what it is gives us a big advantage. I want Ramsey dead first. Him we can kill without problems with the council or anyone else. Beth, what do I do very well?"

Beth smiles at him seductively.

Josef smiles back at her. "Besides that."

Beth shrugs. "You make money, lots of it.

"Yes, and what I can make, I can unmake." Josef taps her nose. "You've given me a very good idea and as long as Ramsey is taken care of it should work very well.

He looks at her pointedly. "But the tradeoff is that you are probably going to have to stay very close until we get this resolved. No going off the estate by yourself. Can we agree to that?"

Beth smiles. "Yes, better than being banished to Canada with Frank."

Beth kisses Josef again. Mick comes through the door and leans against the doorframe. "I'm guessing this means that you two have worked things out?"

Josef smiles. "Beth gave me a very good idea. We should go home, back to L.A. and let Richard come to us. Let him fight us in our backyard instead of the other way around. Protecting her at home now that we know what and who the threat is should be much easier in L.A. What do you think?"

Mick smiles. "Sounds good to me. It makes a lot more sense."

Beth looks from one of them to the other. "I'm going back inside. You two figure out when you want to leave."

They watch her walk away. "Josef, did she come up with the whole going home idea, so she didn't have to go to Canada?"

"No but talking to her gave me the idea. Mick, I want to apologize for not asking you what you think about these things more often."

Mick looks at Josef suspiciously. "Where is Josef and what have you done with him?"

Josef smirks at him. "Yes, I know I can be a little controlling."

Mick laughs as they walk back in the house. "A little? When do you want to leave?"

Josef shrugs. "I'd like to leave now, but Ramsey has to be dealt with before we go back. He's too patient. He could stay out there as a threat for years and I won't have that."

Beth walks back into Vanessa's study and sits down smiling.

Vanessa doesn't need to be a telepath to know that they worked it out. "That didn't take long."

"It never does. We love each other. We always find a way." Beth looks at Vanessa and Frank. "You do that when you love someone."

Frank and Vanessa glance at one another and Beth smiles.

Vanessa smiles at Beth. "You and I need to spend some time together."

Josef and Mick return to the study. "Good idea. Beth can stay here with you while we take care of Ramsey. As soon as someone can tell me where Ramsey is, we are going to take care of that problem and then go home to Los Angles. If Richard wants to continue this, he can do it on my turf, where we have the advantage."

Frank nods. "Good idea."

Mick interrupts. "You know, there is one thing I don't understand. If Richard is head of the council and has all this power, why doesn't he have us arrested? He could have us killed whatever the equivalent is for this type of power structure."

Vanessa smiles. "He would if not for me. He knows there is no way I would allow unsubstantiated charges stand against any of you. If he were to use his position in the council to kill you, well let's just say he knows the gloves would be off. He wouldn't stand a chance. So, he needs to keep it under wraps or try to go through second parties like Ramsey or the security chief. Which means I shouldn't move against him overtly either."

Josef smiles "and that's the one thing that is going to make what I have in mind all that much easier."

Vanessa looks at him wondering what he has in mind.

He smiles at her. "A bloodless coup.

Vanessa looks at the door and sees Juliet trying to catch her eye. Vanessa knows it must be urgent.

"Juliet, what is it?"

She enters the study and smiles at Josef. "Hey big brother."

Beth giggles and Josef shakes his head. He leans over and kisses Juliet's cheek. "Juliet."

She turns to Vanessa and holds up a small package. "This came for Frank. The messenger said that he was given an extra big tip. His orders are to make sure that Frank understands that this is an urgent package and he must open it right away."

Juliet hands the package to Frank.

Frank looks the package over. There is no return address, but he recognizes the handwritten address. "It's from Bishop." He tears into it and his phone drops out. "Hey, my phone. Great."

Vanessa picks up a note that had fallen out as well. She wordlessly hands it to Frank.

Frank thought you might like this back. I took some vacation pictures you might like. Please be sure you look them over with Josef. Maybe this will help make us even.

Bishop

Frank hands the note to Josef to read and then starts to view the pictures. He shakes his head and hands the phone to Josef. Mick watches the grim look of satisfaction on Josef's face. "Frank, if you see Bishop tell him we are indeed even." Josef hands the phone to Mick. He looks at the pictures of Ramsey's disembodied head sitting on a table awash in blood. "I take it this is Ramsey?"

Josef nods.

Mick shakes his head and taps the home screen. Beth narrows her eyes at him. He smiles at her. "I could show these to you, but I would rather you not see them. It's pictures of Ramsey dead."

Mick can feel her getting angry. "I've seen dead bodies before. You forget I'm a crime reporter."

"Beth, please, the pictures are grisly. Ramsey is dead, that is the important thing you need to know. He can't cause trouble anymore." Mick hands the phone back to Frank.

Beth nods her acceptance reluctantly and then brightens. "Does that mean we can go home?"

Frank scowls and turns to Josef. "You still have one problem you have to take care of before you leave."

Josef shrugs. "I'll leave the son of a bitch tied up on the tarmac with a note to Richard."

Frank shakes his head. "He may still have some use. I would rather Richard didn't get his hands on him quite yet."

"What do you propose?"

"Well, you can't take him with you. He's his own kind of trouble."

Mick snorts. "Don't I know it."

Frank shakes his head. "Mick, you know what he's capable of and I'm sorry for not giving you a warning. He manipulates people as easy as the rest of us breath. Please whatever he's done or said, let it go."

Mick shrugs.

Beth narrows her eyes at Frank. "Why do I have the feeling that I've been left out of the loop on something. "

Josef puts his arm around her. "You have been because things have been so crazy. We will tell you when we get back. Frank, what do you have in mind?"

"I'll take him off your hands. I'm sure he has a place to lay low until something can be done about Richard. Richard is Damian's only problem at this point."

Josef smiles. "Yes, well that could change at any time."

Frank glances at Vanessa and Beth. "I'm sure you're right."

Josef goes to Vanessa and takes her hand. He pulls her up out of her chair. "Come on. I know you don't want us to leave but we are, so you better give me a hug."

She hugs him. "I want the three of you back here for a visit."

"Yes, ma'am. Please don't go after Richard. I promise if this becomes more than we can handle I will call and ask for help."

Vanessa nods. "I'll let you take care of it for now." Josef hears the implication loud and clear. If it gets too far out of hand she will step in and take care of Richard, political implications be damned. She turns to Beth and Mick. "Come here, you two."

Beth and Mick hug her in turn. Frank tosses Josef a set of keys. "I had the car you were driving brought here so you can take that back to the airport. I'll follow you and take care of Damian."

Xxxxxx

Josef pulls up to the hanger. Frank pulls up behind him. They all get out of the car and Josef turns to Mick and Beth. "It's going to take a few minutes for them to get things ready to get cleared for takeoff. I need to speak to Damian in private. Please stay down here with Frank."

Mick nods and gently puts his hand on Beth's arm. She scowls but doesn't move to follow him. Josef takes the stairs fast before Beth changes her mind.

Josef enters the plane and sees Damian. "Frank is waiting to take you out of here. I was going to leave you on the tarmac for Richard, but Frank thinks you may still have some use."

"Josef, did you mean what you said about Ramsey?"

Josef nods. "Yes, and actually it's been taken care of. He won't bother anyone again. I have pictures of his demise and it will be instructional for certain vamps to get copies. I learned a long time ago when you need to get a message across to people you need to send it loud can clear. I have a hunch that your group has spawned more than one radical faction. They all better know right now, that if they go after my family the price will be high. They've forgotten the last time, so it's time for a refresher course in pissing me off. I won't have Beth worrying about this happening again. I would like to get her a permanent body guard but that's about as likely as hell freezing over."

Damian starts for the door and Josef stops him. "Stay away from the two of them. They aren't up to dealing with your manipulations. If you do this again, to either of them, I will kill you. I may still have to once I've told Beth your part in this."

Damian nods and disappears down the stairs and gets into the car with Frank.

Beth watches him with deep suspicion. She glances at Mick who sighs. "Never talk to him. He hurts people."

She nods.

Xxxxxxxx

Comments always welcome.