Many thanks for the lovely reviews. Apologies for the slight delay in posting up but hopefully i'll be back into the swing of things soon. Things are going to begin to go downhill for Mitchell from now. All errors are my own, as always, would love to hear your thoughts!.
Eleven:
He feels wounded. He had a moment of utter clarity while accusing Josie of not trusting him and it nags at him like a toothache. Three times now she's accused him of something, the first time it was Victoria, then the shirt and now it's taking Rosemary out to lunch to celebrate her birthday. It's Rosemary for Christ's sake, if she knew her then she'd understand that she's not his type. He realises that he's been a little unfair to Josie, the blood on his shirt had come from someone that he'd hurt but Joey Campbell was a vampire and he hadn't killed him. Yeah, he'd kicked him about a bit but as far as he knew, the idiot was still alive. Next time he'd be quicker and more willing to pay what was owed.
He parks his car behind the club and for a moment he sits there and stares at the steering wheel with a black frown on his face. How can she accuse him of all this shit, can't she see how much he loves her? Doesn't she understand that all of this, he's doing for her? He sighs raggedly and grabs his jacket from the passenger seat and he gets out.
Max sees Mitchell walk into the main ballroom and he sees the expression on his face. He's pissed off and he pities the fool who's done that to him. People are tidying up, preparing for the evening and he walks towards the bar, not acknowledging the greetings he's receiving at all which is unlike him; Mitchell is always polite, always sociable. He watches him pause at the bar before pouring him a beer and pushing the glass towards him. The look Mitchell sends him is sharp and surprised.
"Thanks" he mutters and roots in his pocket for money to pay him.
"No, it's okay, it's on me" Max replies and Mitchell glances at him again and this time just nods.
Max watches him sup his pint. He debates whether to talk to him and risk getting his head bitten off or just leaving him alone. Mitchell catches him looking at him and his frown is dark and threatening.
"What?" he snaps and Max quickly looks away. He hears the clunk of the glass hitting the bar.
"What's the matter?" he demands sharply and Max looks at him. Oh what the hell…
"You okay Mitchell?" he asks tentatively and watches him lower his head momentarily to look into his drink.
"Everything is fine" he replies in a manner that tells Max that he doesn't want to talk about it. He lifts his head again and looks at him once more.
"Though I'll give you one piece of advice; never, ever get involved with a human, it just isn't worth the hassle" he drains the rest of his pint and leaves, striding across the room as if he owns it.
The staff room is empty though he knows it'll get busy soon. It's a medium sized room next to the locker room and it's furnished with chairs and sofas, there's a table which has newspapers and magazines scattered across its surface. Mitchell sits on one of the sofas and reaches for a newspaper. He waits for the irritation and the hurt to fade.
He stands in the main ballroom and watches the festivities unfolding around him. The music is loud, business is brisk and the waitresses are run off their feet. Mitchell stands at the back and just observes. He still feels off kilter, annoyed at Josie and at life in general. It eats away at him like a cancer and he sighs in frustration. She'll be sitting by the phone, waiting for him to call and he'll be damned before he'll do that.
"Hey!" he hears the cheery voice above the music and he turns his head. Then he smells her, that perfume that likes to kick at him. He feels something rise up inside of him and he almost lets it take over. Instead he blinks and beats it back. He smiles.
"Suzie" he replies, it's Suzie who lives upstairs from him and Josie.
"What are you doing here?" she asks. He scans her face. Her make-up is heavier than what he's used to seeing, her dress is tight and revealing and he can smell perfume and hairspray and something else. His eyes flick up to her wide blue eyes.
He can smell sex. The musky, taunting scent of sex.
"I work here" he replies. Her eyes widen with surprise.
"I thought you worked at a hospital?" He shrugs one shoulder.
"I did, packed it in and started here" he shifts slightly.
"Really? What do you do here?" Mitchell looks away, over her shoulder at the other punters milling around and having a good time. He envies them.
"A bit of this and that" he answers instead. He frowns when he sees her come into the ballroom. He glances at Suzie.
"Gotta go. See you later for a drink yeah?" He sees how her eyes light up at the invitation.
"Yeah. Sure" she replies, pretending to play it cool but he can see that she's interested. He nods and strides away.
"Hey" he puts his hand on her shoulder and she spins around in fright, her eyes going wide. Instinctively he lifts both hands, palms outwards in surrender and watches how she smiles.
"What are you doing here?" She smiles.
"Mr Marshall said I should come, experience the place at night" Rosemary replies.
"I think it's the first time I've seen you here. Are you meeting anyone?" he watches her shake her head and he reaches for her hand.
"Come on, I'm buying you a drink" he tells her and he leads her to a table.
Max sees Mitchell amongst the crowd and his eyes widen slightly when he sees who he's with. Shy Rosemary from the office and her eyes are shining behind those glasses that she wears.
Mitchell installs her at a table away from the hubbub. He orders champagne and her eyes go wide.
"Mitchell!" she hisses and he looks at her with twinkling eyes.
"It's still your birthday isn't it?" he answers and he smiles "so you'll have champagne" he tells her.
Alexander makes his entrance a short while later and he's surprised to see Mitchell. He's sitting at a private table and he's pouring someone a glass of champagne and laughing. He raises an eyebrow when he recognises Linda's assistant. He turns his head and gives Victoria a quizzical look. Her expression is distinctly sour.
"He took her out for lunch this afternoon, apparently it's her birthday" she tells him in a semi disgusted tone.
"The rumour mill also says that he came back here this afternoon in an absolutely foul mood so I'm wondering whether there's trouble in paradise" she tacks on and he hears the satisfaction in her voice.
"Anything to do with you?" he enquires in a mild tone. Her eyes widen marginally. He smiles slowly at her obvious discomfort.
"Then you're not trying hard enough are you?" he tells her in a silky voice.
He's twirling a very giggly Rosemary around the dance floor when he gets the message that Alexander wants to see him. He remembers Alexander's tantrum of earlier and he pauses. He looks at Rosemary and he feels regret. He's been having a genuinely good time with her, she's managed to make him forget about his problems at home and just laugh. His head still feels on the muzzy side from the champagne. He sighs. He turns to Max and he digs in his pocket and pulls out a wad of notes. He peels a couple off and pushes them into his hand.
"Make sure Rosemary gets home safely, okay?" Max just nods. Rosemary looks at him in askance.
"It's time for you to go home now or you'll never get up in time for work tomorrow" Mitchell tells her and he sees the disappointment brew in her eyes.
"But we were having such a great time" she sighs and Mitchell's expression turns sympathetic.
"I know sweetheart but I have to go to work now and Max here will make sure you get a cab home" he indicates the bar man. Rosemary gives him a brief, suspicious look. Mitchell captures her hand and squeezes it.
"He's a friend of mine, you can trust him" he reassures her and she nods. He passes her off onto Max.
"Make sure she gets a cab and that the driver delivers her to the door you understand?" Max nods briskly and Mitchell watches him wait as she collects her jacket and her bag. He follows her across the ballroom and out. Once she's out of sight, Mitchell lets out a deep sigh. He then straightens his shoulders and tightens his tie and goes to collect his jacket.
By the time he shrugs it on and buttons it up, he's in complete control.
He walks up to Alexander's office.
At this time of night, the outer office is empty and quiet. He sees the flowers in a vase on Rosemary's desk and the row of pretty cards. He smiles slightly to himself. She's had a nice birthday and that's all he wants for her. He pauses in front of his door and closes his eyes briefly. He slowly inhales and opens his eyes again and knocks and waits.
At his summons, Mitchell enters.
Alexander is seated behind his desk and this time its Victoria standing behind him, the huge picture window framing her, the soft light making her look sexual, alluring almost but she leaves him cold. His eyes flick dismissively over her to fix on Alexander's face.
"Ready?" Mitchell nods just the once. Alexander picks up a small piece of paper and hands it to him.
"Morgan's address. There's a car outside to take you there. He needs to be taught a lesson Mitchell, I want you to put the fear of God into him, do I make myself clear?" Alexander's tone is as hard as granite.
"Perfectly" Mitchell replies.
"Once you're done, I want you back here with a report. Don't disappoint me" and like that he's dismissed.
Mitchell makes an anonymous exit from the club and into the back of the gleaming black Daimler that's waiting for him outside. He sits back in the leather seats and he smooths his hand over the upholstery as the car slides into late evening traffic.
The car slides to a halt outside of what looks like a glorified pool hall. He moves closer to the window and looks up at the building. It's a far cry from the Moonlight, almost another world but it seems to be doing a brisk trade judging by the amount of people going in and out.
"Park around the back" he tells the driver.
He slowly gets out of the car and stands on the pavement for a moment. He straightens his suit jacket and makes sure that his shirt cuffs are straight.
News of his arrival travels fast. He walks into the building and he waits. Barely a moment passes before he's approached by someone far down the vampire food chain, judging by the smell coming off him. Mitchell regards him suspiciously.
"Can I help you with somethin'?" he asks him.
"Arthur Morgan, where is he?" Mitchell demands.
"Well that depends on who wants to see him" Mitchell slowly turns around to face him more fully. He towers over the vampire by at least three inches. He lets his eyes scorch black for a moment and he sees his eyes widen.
"He'll want to see me"
"Oh shit, you're him aren't you? The big bad one? Holy Christ there've been rumours you might show up…" he babbles.
"Well I'm here now and you have ten seconds to tell me where he is" Mitchell interrupts impatiently, already annoyed by his rambling. He seems to snap to attention.
"Wait here, I'll tell him you're here" he mumbles and goes to turn and walk away but Mitchell grabs the back of his shirt and hauls him back.
"Better yet, I'll just follow you" he whispers and the other vampire nods frantically.
He follows him through a large room that is filled with pool tables, players and the sound of clacking balls and conversation. Mitchell doesn't look right or left as he follows his new friend to a door at the back. The door is closed. Mitchell watches the vampire lift his hand to knock and grabs his wrist. He shakes his head and indicates with his head that he should get lost.
The vampire gets lost.
Mitchell doesn't knock on the door; he twists the knob and enters.
He stops in his tracks when he sees the single figure seated behind a desk. He doesn't seem especially surprised to see Mitchell and he takes his time about getting to his feet.
"I'm not afraid of you" he tells him. It takes Mitchell momentarily by surprise. He's used to shock and awe. He's used to going in with guns blazing, fangs on show and eyes as black as pitch. He's used to seeing them cowering and begging for mercy. What he isn't used to is someone telling him that he's not afraid of him. He watches as Arthur Morgan comes around his desk and walks towards him.
"You should be" he tells him. Arthur pauses in front of him. He looks at him. He looks to be in his early forties with slicked back black hair and piercing blue eyes.
"Why? Because Alexander Marshall said so? I know about you John, you're kind of hard to miss within the vampire community"
"You're threatening to go public Arthur, that's not a very sensible thing to do" Mitchell replies.
"Why shouldn't they know about us? We're a sub-culture, we lurk and exist in the shadows, we need to come out into the light and be recognised"
"And do what? Be praised and exalted by the humans? Get a clue, it'll never happen, there'll be fear, there'll be paranoia and there'll be lynch mobs out there hunting us with torches and pitchforks, do you really want for that to happen?" Mitchell retaliates.
"It has to be better than all of this secrecy"
"But that's how we operate best, behind the scenes. We just want a quiet life Arthur, when someone like you proclaims to all and sundry that he wants to announce to the world that vampires exist, well you rattle a lot of cages. You've rattled Mr Marshall and Mr Robinson particularly which is why I'm here" He notices how Arthur stiffens slightly at the mention of Charlie's name. He tilts his head very slightly to one side. Just his name strikes bone chilling fear into the sturdiest of hearts. Mitchell pushes his hands into his jacket pockets and he strolls towards Arthur's desk.
"You really do not want to upset Mr Robinson now do you? We all know that Mr Marshall has the charm but its Mr Robinson that you have to watch, he's like a rattlesnake that one, I really wouldn't like to be on the wrong side of him" His eyes scan the surface of Arthur's desk. There's the usual clutter, paperwork, a diary, a phone, pens and pencils, the usual detritus. Then his eyes halt on a cheap gold coloured picture frame. He reaches for it.
"Don't touch that!" Arthur hisses and Mitchell lifts his eyes to Arthur's face and he picks up the picture frame.
She's a pretty girl with long curling brown hair and laughing hazel coloured eyes. She resting her head in her hand and giving the photographer a saucy grin.
"Who is she?" he asks, staring at her face. She looks happy and carefree.
"No one" Arthur retorts and Mitchell looks at him again and he sees the raw naked pain in his eyes. Mitchell sighs quietly.
"This is really getting us nowhere now is it? Is she human?" Arthur looks away for a moment. Mitchell looks at the photo once more before carefully replacing it on the desk.
"She's pretty. What's her name?" Arthur doesn't answer and Mitchell slowly comes around the corner of the desk.
"Look, I get it, your girlfriend is human, you don't want to tell me because you think I'll hunt her down and kill her after I've dealt with you and you know, once upon a time that was a very logical thought but I'm not that man any more Arthur. It's natural to want to protect someone that you care about so deeply"
"I can ask someone else but that'll take longer and all it'll do is piss me off and after the day I've had, you don't want to piss me off at all"
"Like I said, I'm not afraid of you" Arthur tells him. Mitchell makes a show of widening his eyes as he slowly walks back towards him.
"Oh so this is your personal tragedy? Was it your girl in the photo by any chance? What happened?" He sees the agony cross the other vampire's face.
"What happened to her?" he gentles his tone and Arthur looks at him.
"She died" he whispers and Mitchell sees tears well up in his eyes and slip down his pale face.
"And you're so devastated that by spouting your mouth off, you'll get the Old Ones all riled up and they'll send someone to sort you out, is that it? Suicide by vampire?" He pats Arthur's shoulder.
"Not going to happen friend" he assures him. He then frowns as Arthur pulls something out of his jacket pocket. Mitchell realises what it is and tries to dodge out of the way but not before he feels something jab along his ribcage. The sharpness of the pain causes his eyes to blacken and his fangs erupt in raw anger. He grabs Arthur's wrist with one hand, his other hand seizing him around his throat. Rage makes him lift him clear off his feet and he slams him up against the wall.
"Ow, that fucking hurt!" he snarls. He can feel blood sliding down his side, making his shirt stick to his skin.
"Was that your plan? To stake me instead? Was that the message? Because believe me, if you'd succeeded then you would've unleashed the wrath of Christ onto your unholy head" he hisses at him.
"I tried to change her!" Arthur grinds out, his face turning an interesting deep shade of scarlet as Mitchell tightens his grip around his throat.
"And you left it too late is that it? How many have you changed? How could you fuck it up, how old are you, a century maybe?"
"She was my first, she was going to be my only and I messed it up, it was all my fault" Arthur chokes and Mitchell lets go. He falls to the floor in an untidy heap, like a puppet with its strings cut.
"What? Seriously?" he lifts his head and looks up at him. He nods miserably. He watches him wipe at his face.
"She died and it was all my fault" he admits. Mitchell stares at him uncomprehendingly.
"So because you fucked up, you thought you'd announce to the world the existence of actual monsters and demons? Jesus!" he pulls his fingers through his hair and then winces at the pain in his side. It hurts like a bastard.
"How can you be so stupid? You keep your fucking mouth shut do you hear me? Right now everything hurts and it will for a while but it isn't worth exposing your entire existence because you fucked up and you got your heart broken" he leans down and grabs the front of his jacket and he hauls him to his feet.
"You don't want me back on your doorstep because if you say you're not scared of me now, I guarantee you will piss your pants if you see me again" he pushes him so that his back hits the office wall with an audible thud.
He gets back into the rear of the Daimler and winces at the pain in his side. He peels back his jacket and sees the large red patch of blood staining the shirt. He curses, another shirt ruined. He sighs and slowly shakes his head.
He gets back to the club and the loud music hits him like a wave. He knows Alexander is still here and will want to see him but he wants to change his shirt first. He heads into the locker room and opens his locker. He shrugs off the jacket and hangs it up. He pulls off his tie and unbuttons the shirt. He peels it free and scowls at the red patch on his vest. He drops the shirt on the floor and the vest follows. He looks down at his side and sees the ugly bloody gash. It's already beginning to heal but Jesus it hurts. He snags a towel from the bottom of his locker and walks to the sink. He soaks it in water and presses it against the wound, wincing and cursing at the same time as he feels it begin to burn.
"What the hell happened to you?" he flinches when he hears Victoria's bemused tone and the scowl he sends her way is dark.
"Morgan put up a bit of a fight" he replies and presses the towel to the wound again, feeling the coldness penetrate his already chill skin. He turns and heads back to his locker and takes down a clean shirt. He shrugs it on and quickly buttons it up.
"And how is Arthur Morgan?" she asks him. He turns his head and watches her walk towards him. She puts her hand on his chest and he stops buttoning. She takes another step towards him and he feels her hand slip beneath the cotton and slide across his stomach.
"What do you want?" he demands. Her eyes drop downwards and then up again. He's no fool, he sees her calculation.
"Do you really have to ask?" she stands on tiptoe and presses a kiss on his mouth. For a second his mind turns blank and he thinks about responding, just forgetting and going for it but that's what Victoria wants, has made it blatantly obvious that she wants him.
"Hey. Enough" he hisses and pushes her back. Her stagger backwards is ungraceful.
"What is wrong with you?" she hisses. He glares at her.
"I'm not interested, get the fucking message and leave me alone" he snarls at her.
"I can make things very difficult for you with Alexander" she threatens. He stares at her, weighing up her challenge.
"Go ahead, see if I care" he replies eventually and he watches her leave.
