Disclaimer: No infringement intended, but hey, accidents happen!
A/N- This chapter is why I started writing this story at all. I just wanted Mick to have a bed. I thought I might get 3 or 4 chapters out of the story line. Here it is #12 and he is just getting his bed delivered! Who would have thought it?
Many thanks to NeteleJala and Silvanelf for their encouragement right from the start. Otherwise I would not have gotten past chapter 1.
Also to NeteleJala for being my primary beta-reader and ErisFury for stepping in on chapter 11 for a back-up beta. All three are wonderful and prolific writers and if you haven't checked out their stories then get a move on and do it. You're depriving yourself of much enjoyment.
I've taken a few liberties in this chapter with how I perceive the vampire world. I agree with some other authors I've read lately and don't think vampires have the luxury of dreams. So I ripped that little prize away from them. I do think they have a slow heartbeat and can breathe when they find it appropriate.
So, let's help Mick get to sleep.
Wish him-Nighty night. And sleep tight.
Oh yeah. And don't let the vampires bite.
Chapter 12-To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
Surprisingly enough the two delivery men from the furniture store arrived just shortly after 5:00. They eyed the staircase critically and shared their dismay with Mick that they would have to negotiate so many steps so late in their workday. However, an hour and a half of sweating, swearing and struggling finally found all the furniture in the appropriate room; the deliverymen dispatched with generous tips; leaving Mick alone in the apartment with his new acquisitions.
The room he had always used for storage was transformed by the appearance of a real bed that he was now covering in soft sheets, warm blankets and downy pillows. This was a totally human amenity. A place of comfort made for sleeping and dreaming. And, perhaps, lovemaking. He ran his hand over the coverlet to smooth it and allowed himself a moment to envision Beth laying on its surface. The softness of the material proving no match for the silkiness of her skin. It was a tantalizing thought and he closed his eyes to hold it a moment longer.
With the bed finally, made he retreated to the doorway of the room, folded his arms across his chest and leaned his shoulder against the door jamb. Bearing his weight on his stronger leg he crossed it with the other and planted the toe of his boot into the carpet.
He ran an appraising gaze over the room and pursed his lips to one side. It lacked the personal touches that came with use and time but it certainly met his one requirement of a decent place to sleep at night. He dropped his head and shook it as he chuckled. Strong sentiment from someone who has slept in a freezer for the past 50-plus years. What a difference a couple of days can make.
He checked his watch. It was only 7:30. Much too early to think about going to bed even though weariness was starting to nudge at the edges of his mind. He'd been up since before dawn and had been going non-stop most of the day. The previous nights of marginal sleep were catching up with him. He was tired. He almost felt 85 years old. He looked wistfully at the bed once more before turning the light out and heading downstairs.
It was also still too early to call Josef. His best friend usually hit the floor on the run during his business nights and didn't have much time to spare for casual conversation. On a normal night-normal being one when Mick wasn't human-Mick might talk to him around 1:00 in the morning. Years ago, if he was in Josef's part of town before daybreak, he would occasionally stop in for some small talk and a quick bite before heading home to bed. Josef usually had an extra willing freshie available for guests.
Since Mick had given up live feedings he satisfied himself to partake in the donated bottled variety that Josef kept in stock. The flavor was crisp and sparkling compared to the somewhat sludgy taste of the blood he purchased from his contacts at the morgue. But his tight rein on the residing predator made his self-imposed restriction on using freshies necessary.
He yawned widely as he stepped off the stairs and rounded into his office. He'd never make it till 1:00 but he might make it till 10:00 if he could keep his mind occupied. He wanted to speak directly with Josef if he could and not leave a message.
There were two cases to make final notes on before filing them away and a few messages on his business line he needed to respond to. He'd call Josef before going to bed and ask him to drop by around 4:30. He could get up early and be ready and somewhat more rested by the time Josef arrived.
However, 10:00 came and went without him picking up the phone to place the call. He conceded to himself that he could easily have left a message for Josef but was putting off meeting with him. Mick was currently enjoying his little bubble of human happiness and, frankly, did not want Josef to destroy it with his rapier witticisms that hit entirely too close to the truth. He wanted just a little more time before having this dream sacrificed on the altar of reality. He wanted to pretend, just a little longer, that this was his life and not just a brief diversion from immortality.
He grabbed the phone from the desk once again and held his finger over the speed dial to reach Josef. Then moved it to Beth's number. He could call and check on her. See how things had gone at Josh's apartment. See if she was alright. If she sounded like she wanted to hear his voice as much as he needed to hear hers.
He looked at the time again. After the day she'd had she probably would be more interested in sleeping right now than talking. He rubbed his hand over his eyes then turned his chair around to face the window behind him. The silky darkness was spotted with city lights. A week ago he would have been up only a couple of hours. Now, the bed upstairs beckoned to him with promises of comfort, and sleep rich with dreams, and he decided to give in to it.
MOONLIGHT MOONLIGHT MOONLIGHT MOONLIGHT
The mattress was even under his naked body. There were no voids between cushions to try to position his hips and shoulders around. And the pillows were meant for sleeping rather than as colorful decorations.
He'd never been able to sleep on his back as a human. He preferred to lie on his left side with his right knee bent over his left extended leg and his hand under the pillow. He'd had to stay within the confines of the sofa before. But now, the expanse of the bed allowed him enough room to find his natural sleeping position. He turned and rolled on the mattress, flipped and squished the pillows and bunched the blanket up under his knee until he finally settled in.
He breathed out a deep sigh of contentment and closed his eyes, luxuriating in the feel of the cool pillow against his face. For this experience alone, he would give up immortality.
He snuffed sleepily and stretched his arm out lazily over the empty space between him and the edge of the bed.
Vampires used human terms when they spoke of the daylight hours they spent alone in freezers, coolers or whatever dark and frosty places they could find. He still talked of going to bed or sleeping during the day as if he worked a different shift. They were explanations that could be used in the presence of humans but didn't portray the true state he was in while lying in the freezer in the adjoining room. Josef often said "Hitting the ice." A term, no doubt, held over from the cooling options of another era.
But the truth was that it wasn't sleep as a human would experience. There was no dreamy in-between stage to span the moments from wakefulness to slumber. It was more like a switch. If he'd used the freezer regularly, and wasn't injured, he could lay awake and reflect on whatever thoughts struck his fancy for some time. But once he gave in to the cold, it consumed him in mind and body. There were no dreams to fill the hours and consider upon waking. Until he was rested and strong, or something intervened to bring him to alertness, his state of existence while resting was much closer to death than to life. That he could, for whatever time the cure gave him, tread the faint path of partial dreams before sleep overtook him was a miracle he knew mortals took for granted. You had to lose that kind of miracle in order to appreciate it.
His drowsy mind wandered back in time, unchecked by any restriction he would have placed on his thoughts had he been more awake. He couldn't help it that his mind brought to the surface a comparison of this bed and the last bed he had slept in, be it all too briefly. It had been on his wedding night. And up to that point in his life, he had never been happier.
July12th, 1952
The wedding had been small. Cynthia, a girlfriend of Coraline's had stood up for her and the drummer of his band, Sam Pressman, had been his best man. A civil ceremony would have been easier but his mom wanted to have some semblance of a wedding for her youngest son and he couldn't deny her that. He knew that she didn't approve of Coraline but what mother ever thought the girl their son brought home was the right one. He, for one, couldn't believe his good fortune. And his pals were green with envy.
His dad had dwarfed Coraline with his 6'2" frame. Taking her delicate hand he'd bent nearly double to give her a hug after the ceremony. Afterward he'd clapped Mick on the back and given him the sage advice to "Watch out for this one, son. She'll eat you alive and spit out the bones if you're not careful." Mick had laughed with his dad over this but noticed the laugh never quite reached his eyes.
Cake and champagne all around. The girls drank but didn't eat. Nerves and form fitting dresses no doubt restricting their intake of food. Goodbyes and good-lucks said. Tears from mom and that tense smile from his dad as they drove away in Coraline's T-bird convertible with the usual cans and streamers dragging from the back bumper. Drove away from everything important to him until Coraline had entered his world. Drove away into the last few hours of his life.
Present Day
Mick roused briefly, rolled to his other side and punched the pillow into a different shape. Still not finding it satisfactory he flipped it over to its cool side and burrowed his head into it.
July 12th, 1952
Mick
She was a beauty. He saw how other men looked at her on his arm and was proud and relieved that he could call her his own. His life with this woman would span decades of happiness that would match those he'd seen his parents enjoy. They would share their lives with their children, family and friends. He was so lucky. He would love her forever.
Coraline
She ignored the looks from other men and only watched Mick. She gauged his spirit and mood and anticipated this night together as the first one in an endless progression of nights. She would show him tonight what gifts she had brought to their marriage bed. Gifts of love that he would have not believed possible. And a treasure she had been holding back until she was sure he was hers. Tonight would begin a marriage that would span centuries. He was the right one. The one she'd waited for. They would love, and hunt, and live only for each other. He was so lucky. He would be able to love her forever.
Present Day
Mick pulled the pillow out from under his head and switched it with the one on the other side of the bed. He sat up long enough to push the comforter down to the foot of the bed and bring only the sheet back up over his shoulders as he plunged back down on the mattress and into a slightly different position. He held the pillow lengthwise to his body and rested the side of his face at the top while both arms bear-hugged the lower portion. Had the pillow been alive it would have been strangled.
July 12th, 1952
Mick
While their foreplay had always been intense and even rough at times, their lovemaking had always been slow and deliberate. She had never left him unsatisfied but he had never thought he had completely satisfied her. She'd always held something back. Had never completely let go and enjoyed her obviously sexual nature. Now that they were married he would get her to release herself to him. He would find the way to release the animal in her that would escalate their lovemaking to the heights he had planned for them.
Coraline
She'd been careful up to now. She had done everything she could and still maintain control while they loved. He was such a kid yet. She would teach him so much. There were so many different ways to experience and enhance pleasure when you had senses that were a hundredfold what humans could enjoy. She would teach him well and release the predator that would soon inhabit a portion of his soul. She would stop at nothing to bring him to the pinnacle of his new heritage.
Present Day
He was hot. And the pillow was not working for him. He shoved it off the bed completely and kicked the sheet from his body to allow the cooling air to relieve the heat. Unconsciously reverting to sleeping on his back with his hands at his sides he tried again to drift off.
July 12th, 1952
Mick
He'd had a little too much champagne. They had an extra bottle delivered to their room and he had pretty much finished it off all by himself. Feeling very relaxed he laid down on the bed with his bride beside him. She had removed her wedding gown and the silk slip she was still wearing was molding to her lithe form. She had straddled his hips and leaned over him to nuzzle and kiss his face and neck. He wanted nothing more than to respond in kind but found his limbs heavy and unresponsive. This was not how he had planned for the night to progress. But he was having difficulty staying focused. He tried to sit upright and reverse their position but she pushed him back down with surprising strength for her small frame. He didn't have the energy to resist and simply let her do with him as she liked. Later, when he was more alert, he could do his part.
Coraline
The champagne had relaxed him and made him so much easier to handle. She had never had him completely enthralled before although she had given him little pushes to make him more docile if she thought he was liable to excite her too much. This was exactly how she had planned for the night to progress so far. Even with the alcohol in his system, however, he had still tried to play the strong male but she had easily been able to subdue him. Now he was all but asleep. She didn't want anything to go wrong. This was her first turn in over 100 years and she didn't want him to fight and risk being damaged before it was complete. The color bled out of her eyes as she inhaled Mick's human scent. It was the last time she would smell it. Everything about Mick was about to change for the better. She licked at the pulse in his neck and felt her fangs descend at the closeness of the blood to the surface of his skin. He was hers now for the taking. The lust for his blood overpowering her lust for his body.
Lying prone on his still form she turned his head to better expose his neck. He made a small sigh and smiled gently at her touch. The noise stirred the beast just enough, and with a growl of satisfaction she made the bite and started to drain the blood from her sleeping husband.
Present Day
Mick was sweating in spite of being completely uncovered. He wanted to, desperately needed to, sleep. Yet all he could do was watch the past replay in his head. This was not the miracle he'd been anticipating earlier. This was more of a horror. If he could just get past this he would fall asleep instantly. He'd give it just a little more time.
July 13th, 1952
Mick
There was some sort of brilliant light streaming into the room blinding him. He turned from the window groggily and saw Coraline across the room. In an instant she moved to the bed. So fast that he was sure he had misjudged the distance. But with the hangover he was currently experiencing his judgment was not something he was likely to put a lot of stock in at the moment.
He rolled over to his side and saw blood on the pillow and bedding. A lot of it. Too much. You didn't need to be a medic to tell the difference between a nosebleed and a mortal wound. And the amount of blood he was seeing was not in the nose bleed category.
He sat up on one elbow and looked down at himself. He was still dressed but his clothes were saturated in blood as well. What the hell had happened? It had to be his blood. Coraline was sitting on the far side of the bed and looked fine although very apprehensive. She spoke his name and the sound echoed in his head. He reached up to the stickiness on his neck and pulled away a hand filmed with red. He stared at his fingers feeling a desire to lick them clean. Instead he rubbed his hand on the sheet trying to remove as much as he could. But he couldn't get away from the smell. It was everywhere. He could feel a rush of anxiety grow in his chest and his teeth shift slightly in his mouth.
"What have you done?" he asked her. He couldn't say how he knew but whatever had happened while he had been passed out was of her doing. He could feel it coming off of her in waves.
"I've given you my wedding gift, Mick" she responded softly and moved closer to him.
He was on the opposite side of the room before he realized it. He wasn't sure what was going on but he definitely wanted to keep as much space as possible between them.
The blinds moved as he bumped up against the far wall and the weak filtered light of the early morning sun burned into his flesh like liquid fire. Startled by the pain he backed quickly into the corner and then flew around his wife and into the bathroom.
He examined his face and neck in the mirror. The blood seemed to have come from a specific point on his neck but he could find no wounds. Seeing the reflection of the blood covering him brought on an intense overpowering hunger and he actually saw himself lick his lips in anticipation. Feeling movement against his lower teeth he leaned closer and lifted his upper lip to determine what was happening. He saw the fang elongating and let out a short bark of horror as he dropped his hand and backed away from the mirror.
Coraline walked into the room looking much more composed and talking about giving him the greatest gift she had to give.
He had never been a coward before. He'd seen lots of action in the war and always managed to stand his ground. But he had never felt such unreasonable terror as this. War was something he understood. Death, destruction, fear. But this was…what? He couldn't even put a name to it. But he was terrified. And so he ran.
Coraline
The bite was not positioned as well as it should have been and she had nicked the jugular. She had never been overly careful where she bit before because it was not important to her whether or not her meal survived the feeding. But now Mick's heart was pumping his blood faster than she could take it. She was going to have to turn him soon or he would bleed out and she would lose him. All of her plans for him would be for naught.
She lifted one slender arm and ripped open the vein roughly to keep the wound open longer. She might not have time to do this again at the rate his blood was starting to pool on the bed.
She turned his head back toward her and stifled a sob when she saw he still had the smile on his face. She pressed her arm to his blue lips and mentally ordered him to drink. When he didn't she cried his name out loud and pleaded with him to do his part even though she had made such a mess of hers. Precious seconds ticked by before she felt his tongue lapping at her wrist, drawing drops of her life giving blood into his body.
"More, Mick! You need to drink more!" His weak lapping was starting to be replaced by a more urgent sucking and his hand came up to grip her arm. Her fear subsided as she saw and felt strength returning to him.
She had to stop him from feeding which was a very good sign. She watched over his body for the subtle changes it would make. The puncture wounds on his neck slowly closed. The artery she had so carelessly opened moments ago, no longer pulsed to the beat of his nearly silent heart. She could hear the soft whine from his lungs as they released the unnecessary air within them.
She had thought that her fear was over when he lay quietly back on the bed. Resting through the changes his body was experiencing. But she hadn't anticipated him running away.
Present Day
Mick sat upright in bed and uttered a growl that was more vampire in nature than human. He looked at the clock beside the bed and groaned. He'd spent the better part of three hours trying to sleep in a perfectly fine bed. He'd fallen asleep almost immediately when he slept on the sofa. It was the getting up part that caused problems.
He crawled out of the bed and stalked across the room to the door before he realized his sweating body was now too cool as he moved through the room. He slipped his lounging pants back on and grabbed his robe angrily. What was he supposed to do at 2:30 in the morning if he couldn't sleep?
He stood in the hall undecided. There was no reason to go downstairs. He wasn't hungry and working on the computer would only drive sleep farther away. He opted for going to the roof. The fresh air and quiet had always relaxed him before he became human. Maybe it would help now.
He climbed the stairs, noticing it was easier than it had been yesterday morning when he had made his trek up to see the sunrise. He hadn't thought at the time he would make viewing the sunrise part of his daily routine but at the rate this night was going he was likely to see it happen again in a couple of hours.
MOONLIGHT MOONLIGHT MOONLIGHT MOONLIGHT
Josef stepped out of the elevator hoping against hope that Mick had something decent to drink. He hadn't fed well during the day because of meetings and hadn't run across anything he fancied on the way over. If Mick had his usual swill he'd opt for some good scotch and use Mick's blood supply as a thin mixer for the drink. A little friendly conversation that was not about making money and then it was a quick ride home to hit the ice.
He punched Mick's override code into the key pad and heard the door lock release. He took only a few steps into the foyer before going on alert.
The smell was wrong. Mick's scent was there but it wasn't fresh. It smelled as though he hadn't been in the apartment for several days. But there were at least three other human males who had been in the last few hours. He sensed some sort of struggle but no injuries.
The scent of one was still strong but the other two seemed to have left. The one remaining was upstairs and he knew Mick would never allow anyone upstairs where he would be most vulnerable. He opened his mouth slightly and ran the scent of the apartment along the back of his nose to get a better idea of who it was.
He didn't think he knew the man but was getting confusing signals. It had to be the smell of food in the place. There was a nauseating mixture of odors that included greasy meats and…Chinese food?
He heard the sound of footsteps crossing the rooftop and coming down the steps to the upper floor. The color in his eyes faded and he growled softly as the footsteps padded down the hall. The decision was made in an instant. An intruder into Mick's apartment was about to descend the steps. Josef prepared himself to do what startled hungry vampires are wont to do.
Attack and feed.
A/N-Mick's had a rough night and it looks like it's not over yet. How bad do you want Josef to work him over? You have the power to tell me just by clicking on that little button down in the corner. I'd love to hear your response. The next chapter isn't complete yet so there is still time for your voice to be heard!
Awww…go on. You can do it! Be brave!