The wonderful shows Moonlight and Veronica Mars are owned by companies and people other than me. They are just places I go to play.

This is a Moonlight / Veronica Mars crossover. The series starts with Who Are You? This installment follows the last one The Fountain of Youth.

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Thane looks down at his ringing phone and smiles. "I take it all is well."

Derrick grins into the phone. "Yes, went off without a hitch. The hunters are no longer a threat. How about at your end?"

"We've got your tech people loaded along with their equipment. Just waiting to hear from you on bringing them in." Thane tells him.

"What about Serena?"

"Well," Thane smiles into the phone. "I haven't exactly let her out." He tells Derrick why and waits to hear if the boss agrees.

Derrick laughs. "Can't say as I blame you. Send the men this way with the techs and let her out. I won't be here when you get back. If you need to get a hold of me, I'll be in New York."

Thane is quite for a minute wondering what's going on. It's not like Derrick to leave before all the loose ends are tied up. "I'll probably be back in New York in a few days. Buy me a beer?" he asks figuring he can check on his friend then.

"Sounds good. See you then." Derrick says and hangs up.

Derrick looks around for Mick and finds him pacing in front of the house. He clears his throat and Mick turns.

"It won't be too much longer." Derrick says quietly.

Mick nods. "I know. Are you heading out?"

Derrick nods. "I am. Look, I just wanted you to know I never wanted anything except for her to be happy. If I thought, I could do that now..."

Mick nods knowing he's talking about Veronica. "You did the right thing. She'll never have peace as long as she thinks of what could have been. She'll have to find out for herself if it can be."

"Well, I've said my good-byes to everyone else."

The two vampires shake hands. "If she ever needs anything...If any of you need help. I can count on you to call?"

Mick nods. "We'll do."

Mick watches Derrick drive away.

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Thane turns to his men. "Go on, take them to Josef's. I'll follow as soon as I let Serena out of the bunker."

Randle stifles a laugh. "Did you get the cooler out of the van? She may be hungry."

Thane nods and points to the cooler behind him. "All set."

Thane looks down and grasps the lock. It only takes one quick jerk and the lock pulls away from the hasp holding it in place. He flips the heavy steel plate up and looks down smiling at Serena. "Want to go home?" he asks

Serena looks up at him and lets out a shuttering breath. "You have no idea. Stand back."

He does as she requests and watches as she jumps straight up landing in front of him. "Thank you." she says as she wraps her arms around his neck.

He rubs her back gently. "It's ok. We'll go to Josef's and you can see Gabriel."

She narrows her eyes. "The humans are all dead?"

"Ah, mostly. You'll have to talk to Gabriel about that. I'm just here to set you free and take you back. Do you need some blood?" He points to the cooler.

"No, I can wait. Once I talk to Gabriel and clean up maybe you could drive me to the Bella. At one time I did have a hotel room and a rental car. Once I find out what happened to my stuff I'll take care of the rest."

Thane nods and smiles to himself thinking maybe he could stretch helping Serena into a couple of days. "Sure. If the rental is gone, maybe I could drive you where you need to go until you get another."

Serena flashes a smile at him. "That would be really nice." she tells him hoping the rental agency already came and got her car.

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Beth swivels towards the door when she hears the ping that signals that someone has activated the coded panel on the other side. Keith and Leo both stand, guns drawn. Beth smiles as she sees Mick swing the door open. She runs to him the relief that he's safe. He kisses her like he's never going to let her go. "it's over." he whispers and kisses her again.

Janice edges past the pair intent on Bowden who she sees standing in the doorway behind Mick. He takes her in his arms and whisks her away.

Keith and Leo holster their guns and move out of the room, not really interested in the reunion in front of them. Emily smiles and swings Shannon up into her arms. Mick stops kissing Beth for a moment as Emily moves past them. He kisses Shannon's forehead and takes her from Emily. "Thanks Em, but I think we need some family time."

Emily smiles. "Do you know where Josef is? I want to ask him about the girls coming home. The house doesn't feel right without them."

"I imagine he's letting Sarah know it's alright to come out." Mick tells her.

"Thanks. I better give them some time before I go looking for him."

Mick carries Shannon on one side and with this free hand he intertwines Beth's fingers with his own. He brings her hand to his lips and kisses their linked hands. "Come with me?"

"Always." she tells him

While still carrying Shannon he leads Beth out of the panic room and out to what Josef fondly calls Shannon's garden. Between the fight with the hunters and Victoria's crew's work most of the day is gone. It's not dusk but it is late and the sun is low enough that most of it is blocked by the tall trees that shelter the property. Josef had an area not far from the house redesigned just for Shannon. There is a swing set, a sandbox and a Victorian style playhouse that looks like it came out of one of Shannon's fairy tales. Mick sets Shannon down on the bench and then sits down next to her. He smiles and motions for Beth to sit on the other side.

Beth watches Mick with interest. She knows this man well and can see that he has something on his mind. "What are we doing out here?" Beth asks. "It's a little late for play time."

Mick smiles. "Hopefully we won't be out here that long. I want to talk to you in private and well, I wanted Shannon out here because she's part of us, part of who we are and part of this concerns her."

Beth looks at him suspiciously. "Let's hear it."

Shannon giggles and stands between them. Mick puts a gentle hand on her to make sure she can't fall. "Shannon, sit down. I want to show you something."

"What daddy?" she asks as Mick sits he down again.

He leans back and takes a small box from his pocket.

Beth's breath hitches in surprise. She's pretty sure she knows what is in the box. He said he was going to ask her to marry him again once this business with the hunters was over. He's apparently not waiting one more minute.

Mick carefully opens the box. He smiles at Beth but before he can say anything Shannon reaches for the box and touches the ring. "Pretty."

Beth grins at her daughter and picks her up, her intention is to put Shannon on her lap, but Shannon has other ideas. "Down." she says and tries to wiggle free. Beth sets her on the ground. "Alright but you stay close." Beth knows Mick will be able to track Shannon whether they can see her or not but sometimes Shannon is watched by humans who can't track her.

Shannon points "My fairy princess house."

"Yes, baby. You can go to your fairy princess house but nowhere else."

Beth turns back smiling at Mick. "It's very beautiful. With all that's been going on, when on earth did you have time pick it out?" Beth asks him.

He remembers back to the last time he was going to ask her, the night she left him and senses none of the turmoil she was feeling then. He's so relieved that she seems happy about the ring and what it represents.

"Well, this one I picked out last week, Josef as you can imagine has a jeweler on speed dial. He came out and I met him down at the guest house so you wouldn't see him. He took the first one back when I decided it was bad luck to try and use it twice."

She frowns. "I never saw another ring. I think I would have remembered you asking me to marry you."

"I was going to ask you the night you left." He says quietly. He was going to keep that to himself but they needed to get all of this out on the table.

"I'm so sorry." Beth says softly as she realizes how much she must have hurt him.

Mick waves it off. "As long as it's over, as long as you know in your heart that I love you and want you to be my wife."

"Nothing in this world would make me happier." Beth tells him.

Mick gently takes the ring out of the box and places it on her finger.

"It's beautiful." Beth looking at it on her hand.

Mick cups her face. "Good because I want you to wear it always, to be with me always."

Beth grasps his wrists. "Yes. always." she sighs as he kisses her.

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With some trepidation Josef opens the freezer holding Sarah and Coraline. He'll kill Coraline if she's done anything to hurt Sarah. He's taken aback when he hears peals of laughter as the door comes open. He glances at Coraline who looks at him, a smug look on her lips.

"Sarah?"

She gets up and runs to him, hugging him tight. "It's over? Everyone is safe?" She asks.

He nods still a little confused. "Yes, it's over and we're all safe. I see you and Coraline seem to have gotten along all right."

She shrugs. "She kept my mind of worrying about you."

"Is that so?" Josef says suspiciously, knowing Coraline never does anything kind especially for him or Mick, without a good reason.

Coraline grins at him like the cat who ate the canary. "Yes, I was just telling Sarah about Marie Antoinette." Coraline purrs.

Josef narrows his eye at Coraline knowing exactly what she's done. She's told Sarah just enough to make him the butt of a joke knowing he isn't going to want to tell Sarah the rest of the story as it paints him a monster instead of an idiot.

Vanessa?

Yes, Josef?

Be sure and tell Coraline that paybacks are a bitch.

Vanessa sighs across their connection. Yes, Josef.

Josef puts his arm around Sarah's shoulder. "Come on, we'll go tell Logan and V they can come out of the freezer."

Sarah wraps an arm around his waist hugging him tight. "I'd love to."

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Josef looks down at one of the young computer techs that Thane had brought back from the hunter's compound. "My people are very good with computers but they say the encryption on the laptops isn't anything they've seen before."

Ian smiles from his seat on the couch. He's in what appears to him to be Kostan's study. He looks around and knows that every person in the room, except for himself is a vampire. He's resigned himself to his death. They've already told him that Shea and Elliot are dead. There is no reason for them to keep him alive. Even the information on the laptops isn't enough to save all of them but it might give him the leverage to make one or two bargains.

"Your coworkers say the reason we can't get through the encryption is because it's a home brew, your own special design." Josef says quietly. He can smell the lack of fear from the human and there is only one reason the young man wouldn't be afraid for his life and that is because he's already come to grips with his own death.

"Maybe we can strike a bargain." Ian says.

Josef tilts his head not sure what's coming. "You would bargain the knowledge for your life?'

Ian shakes his head. "I think we're probably past that."

Josef glances at Vanessa who is standing behind Ian. Ian can't see the smile on her face. When she meets Josef's eye's she gives a shake of her head. Josef, no matter what happens this one stays alive.

Josef snorts. Let's not tell him right away. I'd like to see what's on his mind, what he wants to bargain for if not his own life.

Vanessa nods once. She already knows the answer.

Josef turns his attention back to Ian. "If not your life than what?"

Ian looks at his hands for a moment and then back up at Josef. "Two things. I'd like you to spare my friends. None of them would have gotten into this if not for me. I misjudged Elliot and led them down the wrong path. I'll take responsibility since I was in charge."

Josef nods slightly. "We'll give it some consideration. What else, you said two things?"

Ian looks up at Josef. "I want to see the child, the little girl that was taken out of St. John's apartment building. Once I see that she's alive and well I will give you the codes."

Josef looks at Ian perplexed. "Ok..." he turns to Mick to ask him to go get Beth and Shannon but before he can Vanessa speaks. "I've spoken to Beth. She will be down shortly."

A couple of minutes later Beth walks through the door, Shannon in her arms. She looks down at herself wondering what's wrong that everyone in the room is staring at her. "It's a good thing you called when you did. I was just about to put Shannon down for her nap." Beth looks around curiously. "What's going on?"

Josef looks down at Ian again. "Satisfied?"

Ian nods. "Yes. I...I just wanted to know that they were wrong and the child would be alright."

Beth sighs. "You took the pictures that Elliot showed me at the meeting."

He nods. "Yes...I've been worried that we wouldn't get to her in time that she would be dead."

Beth shakes her head and walks across the room to Josef. "Do you have the pictures?" she says more than a little irritated.

He nods and pulls them out of a desk drawer. He tries to hand them to Beth but trying to take the envelope while holding Shannon it too much of a struggle for her. "Here hold her." And Beth hands Shannon off to Josef who wants to laugh out loud at the look on Ian's face. Mick looks over Beth's shoulder. "You know I never did get a good look at these."

"Actually they're pretty good for candid shots." Beth says.

Mick snorts. "You're just saying that because our beautiful baby is the focus of them."

Beth laughs. "Well of course."

Ian watches Mick and Beth and sighs. If he didn't know anything about the pair, he would say they were just proud parents. He glances at the little girl who is laughing and trying to fish into Josef's shirt pocket which, from her excitement, most likely contains a treat.

Beth lets out a small hurmph. "Well apparently this guy," she jerks her thumb in Ian's direction, "didn't look at the pictures and he took them."

"I looked at them." Ian says defensively.

Beth pulls them out of the manila envelope. She hands him the first one. "What do you see?'

He shrugs. "I see the little girl,"

"Shannon." Beth interrupts. "Her name is Shannon."

"I see Shannon, and three vampires." He tells her.

"Very good. Do you want to know what I see?" Beth asks him

"Sure." he says curious as to what she sees that he doesn't.

"I see a happy laughing baby girl, her great grandfather," Beth taps Finn's picture. "A woman who, while not her great grandmother, might as well be." she taps Vanessa's picture. "And uncle Frank."

Beth looks at Ian again. "In front of you is Josef, who is her godfather and for some reason Shannon calls his son Logan, brother and Veronica treats her like a little sister." Beth hands him the next two pictures. "For the most part (she scowls at Coraline) there isn't anyone in this room who wouldn't do anything they could to make sure she's safe. We had to remove her from her home because of you people. The vampires are her people. She's always been safe with them."

"We were no threat to her." Ian says. "I never hurt a child in my life."

"But if Camden had gotten his way he would have killed Logan and Josef in particular because they are father and son." Beth snarls "and if they had found out Mick is actually Shannon's father he would have come for her next."

Ian pales. "I don't believe you."

Mick puts his arm around Beth. "We may now know why." he hadn't gotten around to telling her about their last conversation with Camden before he was put to death.

"Why?" Beth asks.

Finn clears his throat. "Let me tell it." He tells Ian what happened to Camden's family and what Finn and Gabriel had done about it. "We think that the idea of us having children after his was taken from him sent him even farther over the edge. It's what brought him out of his own stomping grounds to this unfamiliar land."

Ian nods and looks at Josef. "Give me a few minutes with your tech people and I'll tell them how to open my encryption. Then you can" he glances at Shannon. "take care of me."

"I may have a proposition for you." Vanessa says quietly.

Ian turns and looks at her suspiciously. "What kind of proposition?"

She smiles. "We'll talk after you take care of the computers."

Frank moves away from where he's leaning against the wall. "Come with me. I'll show where they are set up."

As they are walking towards the door Shannon lets out a scream of delight. Most of the vampire's cringe at the ear piercing squeal. Ian turns to see Shannon eating a piece of candy, slobbering all over Josef's handkerchief as he watches her, a broad smile on his face.

Ian snorts and looks at Frank. "We should all be that happy."

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Vanessa looks up as Frank escorts Ian back into Josef's study. Vanessa is sitting at Josef's desk he's standing behind her. "You're sure this is a wise idea?" He asks her quietly.

She nods. "Yes, I've done some digging...Elliot lied to Ian and the other techs to get them to work for him."

Ian stops in front of the desk.

"Please, sit down." Vanessa says and motions to the chair.

Ian looks between the three vampires. He shrugs and does as she suggests. "You said you had a proposition for me?"

Vanessa nods. "First you should know, I'm a telepath."

He tilts his head looking at her questioningly. "You've digging around in my head?"

"Yes, normally I would never do it without permission. However, when your part of an organization that's sworn to kill us it kind of takes the gloves off. Wouldn't you agree?"

He sighs and nods. "Yea. I can see where the lines can get redrawn. What did you find out?"

She leans forward. "I found out that while you and your tech friends worked for Camden and Shea, you aren't fanatics, you were drawn in under false pretenses and then afraid to leave."

Ian nods. "Yes, he made it plain that if we tried to leave his employ we would regret it."

"That said, we can't really just let the whole thing go. You understand, don't you?" Vanessa asks.

He nods. "Yes, I can see that's a problem. What do you suggest?" he asks.

"We can go about solving this one of two ways. Either, I wipe your memories of us and your time working for Elliot or you join the tribe. Each one of you makes your own choice."

"Can we have time to decide?" Ian asks.

Vanessa nods. "Of course. While you're deciding though, you'll have to stay in the holding cells, in Josef's security office. Fair?"

Ian nods wordlessly. He's in shock there is a way out of this with all their lives intact. He stands as the head of Josef's security moves into the room to escort him out. He stops and turns to Vanessa "Thank you."

She smiles and tips her head.

Once he's gone Josef turns to her. "So, tell me what they'll do. I'm sure you already have a pretty good idea."

"I do. Ian will join the tribe. He's the only one without family. The rest will go back to their old lives thinking they were working for a secret government operation. Ian got into this because he wanted an adventure." she laughs. "He's about to get one."

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One more to go…..