Chapter Ten

"Hey, you're late," a voice called as the group made their way down the stairs to the beach. Zoe spotted the caller first.

"BETH!" Running in sand is hard; Zoe found this the hard way as she tried to sprint to the spot where Beth had set up a large umbrella and a few beach towels.

"Sorry, Beth," Miranda said, walking up to her. "We had to go shopping."

"I see," Beth smiled at the guys, who looked very bright in the direct sunlight. "Under here guys." She pointed to a pair of lounge chairs. "I thought you guys might want to stay out of the sun."

"Thank you, Blondie," Josef said, heading for one of the chairs. Miranda and Aubrey slapped him in the arm together. "Ow!" he said, though everyone knew he wasn't remotely hurt.

"Be nice," Aubrey said, slipping from her cover up. Josef wolf whistled. "I'm going to swim."

"Can I come?" Zoe asked, batting her eyelashes.

Aubrey looked at Miranda and Mick, who exchanged a look. "Be careful," Miranda said, before calling after them, "Stay together."

"They'll be fine," Josef said, reclining in his chair.

Mick slipped into the chair next to Josef. "What are you going to do?"

Miranda looked around. "Sit here I guess."

"Sun bath with me," Beth said, laying out flat on a beach towel. She was just outside of the shade of the umbrella. Close enough to talk to the boys but far enough away to still be in the sun.

Miranda was about to say she couldn't but stopped. She still wore the cover-up that came with her suit. "I don't know."

"For me?" Mick smiled.

Sighing, Miranda stripped down to her suit and lay out between the guys and Beth, on a towel Beth had already lain out. She was in the sun, but just barely. Her shades were still firmly in place.

"I don't know why you have such an issue with swim suits," Beth said. "You have the perfect body for it."

"Here, here," Josef agreed. Miranda chucked a handful of sand at him. "Hey!"

For the next while everyone was silent. Beth and Miranda turned to lay on their stomachs, while the guys looked between them and the two in the water. It wasn't long though and the vampires were feeling the sun's drain.

"One of you want to run and tell them they have, maybe, another fifteen minutes?" Josef asked, of the two sunbathing.

Both women looked up at him and then at each other. Instead of telling him off, like he expected, they both got up and headed for the water.

"That was easy," Josef said, leaning his head back. Even in the shade, he could feel the sun leeching his strength. Not a pleasant sensation. "So do you want me to take Zoe tonight?"

Mick looked at him. "What? Why?"

"You and Miranda need to deal with this. And you can't do that with a little girl under foot." Josef shook his head. "My guess would be this will be hard enough on it's own."

"Josef, you don't need to do that," Mick started.

"Mick," Josef looked at him over his glasses for a moment as he said, "You're wife is pregnant and human, both of which are, supposedly, impossible. You need to deal with the fact that she will be both for, at least, the next nine months."

"And what, exactly, do you think I need to work out?"

"You need to decide things."

"What things, Josef?"

Josef sighed. "You are dense, my friend." He sat up. "You need to decide if you are willing to risk her investigating with you." Josef looked at Mick. "You need to decide if you will even sleep with her, as long as she's human. For me it wouldn't be an issue but with you..."

Mick sat up right. "Josef!"

"You know I'm right," Josef said, looking out at the three (and half) women out in the water. "You have to put some thought into these things. Talk them out."

"I'm not going to hurt her," Mick said, turning to watch them too.

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not going to put her in that kind of danger," He paused and added, "Or any other kind if I can help it."

"You can't make these decisions without her say, Mick," Josef laughed. "Vampire or not, it's not good idea." He looked at his friend again. "You love her; she knows that and loves you too. Talk to her about what scares you and see what she thinks. Get her ideas. Don't cut her out just because she's vulnerable now."

"Since when are you master of relationships," Mick asked, since the advice was probably true.

Josef just turned to watch Aubrey, who was laughing at something someone had said or done.

Mick sat on his chair a minute or so longer before rising and venturing out to where Miranda was standing in the water. Josef stared after him a moment then after him. The water was up to their chests by the time they got to the group.

No one bothered to tell Miranda that Mick was behind her. Suddenly he scooped her up. She squealed, which only made him chuckle. "MICK!" she said, clutching him. She dropped her voice, suddenly concerned. "The sun."

He put his forehead to hers and whispered, "I'll be fine for a few minutes."

"You're pushing yourself," She said, trying to get him to put her down.

"Dunk her," Aubrey yelled, laughing at her sister's struggle. Josef stood next to her. A grin crossed his face. Seconds later, both went down in a splash.

Zoe floated next to Beth. Zoe giggled like crazy while Beth just smiled.

Aubrey resurfaced first, mock anger on her face. "You could have warned me."

"Like you warned me?" Miranda countered, still in Mick's protective arms.

Mick suddenly dropped her. Miranda went splashing under the water, soaking him. She came up as second later, just as Josef came up next to Zoe.

Miranda was on Mick the moment she had broke the surface. She jumped at him, pushing him with all her strength, which wasn't all that much. "OH THIS SUCKS!" she growled, shoving on him.

"Welcome to the club," Aubrey said, swimming over to Josef so she could smack him one.

"Here," Mick said, letting her push him under.

When he resurfaced, Miranda just said, "Not the same."

Mick just smiled, "I know."