Author's Note: I hope you guys are doing well, and I want to say thank you to my newest followers to this story. It really does inspire me to continue writing. As always I'd love to hear you guy's thoughts about the story, and the best way to do that is to review please.

Mick glanced at his cell phone as it began ringing. He frowned seeing the name flashing on the screen. He knew Beth was wanting to help him and Josef, but she had agreed to let them handle the situation. They had come up short in their stakeout and decided last night they needed a new strategy. Mick sighed answering his phone knowing Beth was missing him as much as he was missing her.

"Hey, Beth…"

"Mick, I'm sorry. I know I said I'd stay out of this…"

"Beth, what's wrong?"

"Ben's dead, Mick. We were attacked by a vampire…"

"Beth, where are you?"

"I'm on the third floor of the parking garage below the DA's office."

"Are you safe?"

"Yeah, I'm…"

"BETH!"

Mick starred at his silent cell phone. The commotion he heard seconds before the call dropped told him Beth was anything but safe. His guy told him he needed to get to her now, and his feet would get him there faster than his car. But no matter how much he wanted to throw caution to the wind he knew he couldn't expose himself. He grabbed his keys and was out the door seconds later.

He reached the third floor parking garage in record time. He parked his car and slowly climbed out. Ben's body laid still a few feet away from him, but Beth was no where to be found. He sniffed the air and quickly looked around for the Vampire he knew was near by.

"You got here faster than I expected you to, Mick."

Mick spun around hearing the silky voice behind him. "I'm not here to impress you. Where's Beth?"

The vampire smiled and shook her head slightly. "Your human girlfriend is safe for now, but you aren't."

Mick glanced over his shoulder hearing the laughter from behind him. "Two against one isn't really fair, ladies."

"When have you ever known us to play fair, Mick?"

"Isabella, taunting him will not help your case."

Mick raised his eyebrows hearing the aggravated snap from the vamp in front of him. "Someone isn't happy."

"Being a smartass isn't going to help you either, Mick. The Vampire Council isn't very happy with you."

"Enough talking Vivian, I want to taste blood," Isabella growled snapping her sharp teeth.

Vivian, nodded her head as she slipped on a pair of black gloves. "You're right, Isabella. But what makes you think you'll do any better against Mick when a mere human vested you?"

"She might be human, but the abomination in her belly isn't."

Mick growled at the insult as his fangs extended ready for the fight to begin. The sooner he finished with these two the sooner he could begin searching for Beth. He felt a pair of sharp nails dig into his shoulders causing him to hiss and grab Isabella's wrists. Showing his sharp fangs, he used his vampire strength to easily throw her over his shoulder. He looked up not expecting the right hook that stuck his jaw or the instant dizziness he felt with the blow. He stumbled shaking his head before he was knocked to the cold concrete from behind.

"What's wrong, Mick? For an eighty-five year old vampire you have slow reflexes," Vivian taunted while Isabella hauled him to his feet.

As his eyes refocused on Vivian's blue eyes, Mick noticed the whitish gray metal knuckles on both of her gloves hands. If she was wearing gloves then it couldn't be anything else but solid silver metal knuckles. That was the only explanation he could come up with on how he got dizzy from her blow. He kept his eyes on Vivian and her poisoned knuckles while sending his elbow into Isabella's mid-section. Mick felt Isabella's hold on him loosen allowing him to step toward Vivian. She laughed at him throwing a left hook that he blocked, but her right hook connected once again knocking him to the ground.

"This is a battle you can't win, Mick," Vivian taunted. "Why are you even trying?"

"Because he's weak," Isabella growled kicking him into his mid/section. The force of the blow threw him on to his back. "And he's thinking like a pathetic human instead of the vampire that he is."

Mick glanced up a second before the stake Isabella held pierced his chest. He felt the searing pain radiate through his entire body. He was frozen in place helplessly watching the two vampires descend on him. His first thought was of Beth and their unborn child. He had failed them, and now she would be forced to face the Vampire Council alone.

"And you have been sloppy at your job, Isabella. A mistake that's unforgivable by the Vampire Council."

Mick watched Vivian come up behind Isabella and grab her head in her hands. The echoing snap told him she had broken Isabella's neck. But it was an injury he knew she would quickly heal from. The silver stake Vivian stabbed through her heart on the other hand wasn't. He knew she would suffer both blood loss and lethal poisoning from the silver. Her death was going to be slow and agonizing.

His eyes followed Vivian as she slowly approached him. She ripped out the wooden stake sending a new wave of pain through his body. He gasped sharply and struggled to regain his footing. Unfortunately for him, Vivian was ready for him. She punched him hard in the solar plexus knocking what little air he had out of him. She hit him again in the face with her silver knuckles slicing open his left cheek.

He staggered backwards losing his balance when he tripped over Isabella's still body. He fell hard on his back as Vivian landed on top of him delivering blow after blow to his face and body. He blocked the blows he could, but he found he was getting weaker with each cut caused by the silver knuckles. With his strength quickly disappearing, Mick threw the hardest punch he could knocking her off of him. He heard her laughing as he climbed slowly to his feet.

"Perhaps, Isabella is right about you, Mick. Maybe you are weak after all."

"Let's see whose laughing after you face me without your silver knuckles," Mick said then spitting out the blood in his mouth,

"I've hit a nerve I see," Vivian taunted smiling up at him. "Don't worry Mick, this will all be over soon."

Mick frowned and clenched his hands into fists. "If you hurt Beth, I'll kill you."

"Oh, it won't be me that hurts your sweet Beth, Mick. I have a feeling Lords Edgar, Nathaniel, Cornelius, and your master sire Dominic will hurt her tremendously before they kill her and your child with her. She'll be begging for death by the time they're finished torturing her."

Mick growled and took one step toward Vivian before she grabbed a metal pipe at her feet. She swung it at him and in his weakened condition he couldn't deflect the blow that connected with his head. He hit the concrete floor blinking back the black dots that threatened to consume him. He couldn't lose consciousness. If he did, Vivian would get away taking Beth with her. He glanced up at his attacker's smiling face before she punched him one final time sending him into the darkness…

"He has a pulse. It's strong. Yeah, I think he's coming to. Mick,…Mick, can you hear me?"

Mick blinked several times before his hazel eyes focused on Carl's face. "Carl…"

"Yeah, Mick, what the hell happened?"

"Beth…Where's Beth " Mick tried to sit up only to find Carl easily pushing him back down on to his back.

"Hey, take it easy, Mick. From the beating it looks like you took, you probably have a concussion."

"Carl, where's Beth?"

"I don't know. When I arrived all we found was Ben's dead body and you unconscious. What happened?"

Mick slowly sat up with Carl's help shaking his head at Carl. "I don't know all the details. Beth called me in a panic. She said she and Ben had been attacked. She told me she was here then the line went dead. I rushed over here and found Ben's body."

"Why didn't you call the police, Mick?"

"I wasn't thinking, man. All I was thinking about was getting to Beth as fast as I could." And I knew calling the police would expose vampires to the world he silently thought.

Carl nodded his head and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Okay, I get that, Mick. What happened next?"

"I got the crap beat out of me by Beth's attacker and her accomplice."

"What do they look like?"

"They're both about 5'8". One is blond with green eyes, and the other is a red head with blue eyes."

"Do you think you could give a sketch artist a good description for them to draw up composites of them?"

"I should be able to, but what about the cameras around us?"

"They've been disabled by someone. All we have to go on is what you've told me."

"And it's not much."

"No, it's not much, but it's better than nothing. We'll find Beth."

Mick nodded his head climbing to his feet. He felt some of his strength returning, but he needed blood to heal the bloody scratches still on his face. "I know we will, Carl. I'm just worried about her."

"So am I, Mick. You should get yourself checked out at the hospital."

"No, I'll be all right."

"Mick, you'll be no help to Beth if you pass out from a concussion. It could kill you."

"All right, I'll get myself checked out by my doctor. I promise," he said reaching into his jeans pocket for his car Keyes. He blinked slightly when Carl took them from his hand.

"I'm not about to allow you to drive with a concussion, Mick. I'll have a car follow us to your place all right."

Mick nodded his head in agreement. He was too tired to argue with Carl anymore. And his head was pounding. It was a strange sensation feeling the pounding headache. And he hadn't felt nauseous since being turned into a vampire. Carl equated his symptoms to a concussion, but he knew it was more than that. His body was reacting to the silver poisoning now in his bloodstream. And only blood would flush it out of him.

Mick starred out of the passenger side window a few minutes later shading his face from as much of the sunlight as he could. He was lost in thought as the landscape went past him in a blur of colors. Carl was driving his car with a black and white following behind them. All Mick could think about at that moment was Beth. Where was she? Was she hurt? He didn't have the answers to any of his questions, and he didn't like it one single bit. Carl parked outside of a building he had said was his. As the car came to a stop, he could feel Carl's eyes on him.

"Are you sure you're going to be all right on your own?"

Mick nodded his head and turned toward the detective. "Yeah, I'll be fine, Carl. Thanks for bringing me home. I really do appreciate it."

"Hey, it's no problem. We've been through a lot of ups and downs when it came to Beth. And for what it's worth I do appreciate how much you did to save Josh's life."

Mick smiled slightly at Carl. "I only wish I could have done more."

"I know, but you've been looking out for Beth, and I know Josh is grateful for that."

"Yeah, until now," Mick said unbuckling his seat belt.

"Don't do that to yourself, Mick. You were outnumbered."

"I know. I'll come by the station in a few hours to give your sketch artist details about Beth and my attackers."

"Are you sure? I can send him here to you."

"No, that won't be necessary, Carl. I'll come in."

"Alright, I'll see you in a few hours then."

"I'll see you," Mick replied watching Carl turn off the car and climb out.

He remained in the passenger seat unmoving until Carl, and the patrol car was out of sight. He then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Dialing Josef's number, he waited for his friend to answer his call. A minute later, he heard Josef's unhappy voice on the phone.

"This had better be important, Mick. You woke me from a really sound sleep."

"Josef, if it wasn't important you know I wouldn't have called."

"Mick, what's wrong? You sound like crap."

"That would be because I feel like crap. I'm on my way to your place after I stop by my loft for some blood. We need to talk."

"No, you head home, and I'll meet you there."

"Sure," Mick replied hanging up his phone before climbing out of the car and walking around to the driver's side of the vehicle.

He climbed back inside the car and started it. He pulled into his parking garage ten minutes later. He wasn't surprised to see Josef leaning against his car waiting for him. He parked, turned it off, and climbed out. Mick shut his eyes and grabbed the door to keep himself from falling to the cold concrete floor as his world spun on it's axis. He opened his eyes feeling Josef's strong grip around his waist.

"Mick, you really do look like crap."

"Thanks, Josef," Mick said leaning against his friend. "I really feel your love," he continued after hitting the button to unlock the door to the loft once they stepped out of the elevator.

"You know I tell you like it is."

Mick nodded his head as Josef set him on the couch and walked toward the kitchen. "You always have."

"What happened, Mick?"

Mick took the glass of blood from Josef's hand and took a large drink before speaking. He felt the new blood flow through his system reenergizing him and flushing out the silver currently in his blood. He looked up at Josef after he sat down in the loveseat across from him. "Beth called me in a panic. She said Talbot was dead."

"Talbot's dead?"

Mick nodded his head taking another drink from his glass. "Beth said they were attacked by a vampire. She told me where she was then the line went dead. I rushed over to the DA's parking garage, and found Talbot's body."

"Was it really a vampire who attacked them?"

"Yeah, it was. Believe me Josef, I was skeptical at first, but you should have heard the fear in Beth's voice. And when I smelled the vampire's scent my mind went in a hundred different directions."

"Where is Beth, Mick?"

"I don't know. The vampire hunters or hunter now has her."

"Are you saying there are two hunters in LA?"

"There was until Vivian killed her partner. She's the one who kicked my butt, but in my defense she has a pair of deadly silver knuckles."

"And she's the one who took Beth?"

"Yeah, and unless we find them soon she's taking Beth to Europe to face the Vampire Council."

"We're going to find her, Mick," Josef said pulling out his cell phone and dialing a number. "Rider, where are you? Good, I need you to check on the location of the Vampire Council. Are you sure? Okay," Josef said hanging up the phone. "Mick, we have a problem."

"What's wrong?"

"The entire Vampire Council is here in Los Angeles and has been for three weeks."

"What? Josef, how could we not know?"

"We weren't looking for them, Mick. And until now I've honestly never heard of them leaving Europe much like Lance."

"Okay, so we find Vivian we find Beth."

"Mick..."

"No, Josef, I won't accept that it's too late to save her. She's still alive. I know it."

"But for how long, Mick?"

"Josef, this has all been about me. They want me because of the compound. What better punishment than to wait for me to show up to kill Beth. That's what they did to Lance all those centuries ago."

"What are you talking about?"

"When Lance visited Beth he told her about his human love. That's how she knew it was the compound that allowed her to become pregnant with my child when we talked to you last month. And like you said they would the Council did kill Lance's love and child once they found out. His blackened right eye was also part of his punishment for his indiscretion. But my question is why did the Council come here?"

"You told me there were two hunters. The one who kicked your butt..."

"Vivian."

"Yeah, Vivian, maybe she was tasked with keeping an eye on you. She found out about Beth and reported it to the Council."

"I would have smelled her if she was close enough to us."

"Yes, but you know just as well as I do a skilled hunter doesn't allow it's prey to catch their scent."

"But until today she didn't know about the baby's existence, so that still doesn't explain why they'd fly all this way."

"That's a question we have to ask Vivian once we get our hands on her."

"How do you propose we do that? She has Beth all ready."

"We give the Council what they want. We give them you."