Chapter 2
"What's the occasion?" Josef asked with a bemused smile as he watched Mick walk through the door with the tiny bundle of mortality in his arms.
"Josef" Mick blurted in response, staring at him and blinking incredulously for a few moments, before pointedly adding "in all the years you've known me, name one time that I have ever. Ever. Fed off a child"
"Never?" Josef ventured cautiously, looking more confused and bewildered with every passing second as he regarded the wriggling, squirming package in Mick's arms with a mixture of dread and curious fascination.
"Yes. Exactly, Josef. Never. So what makes you think I've suddenly decided to start now?"
"Well maybe the fact that you've just walked in here with that thing in your arms" Josef snipped, pointing a finger at the tiny infant with a sharp gesturing stab, "without offering me a word of explaination, tends to make me the tiniest bit suspicious of your motives, Mick"
'It's a baby, Josef" Mick stated, rolling his eyes and letting out a huffed breath of exasperation.
"I can see that, Mick" Josef replied slowly, gritting his teeth as he began to lose patience, "and we're Vampires. Or have you forgotten that particular little tid bit of information"
"Of course I haven't, Josef"
"Then why have you decided to bring a child into our home, Mick"
"I found it" Mick replied with a matter of fact shrug, as if that was the only explaination he needed to give.
"Why of course you did, Mick" Josef quipped back in response, "and now you can just unfind it." he added with a more serious tone of challenge in his voice, "We cannot have a baby in this house. We're Vampires, Mick. Vampires do not have children. It isn't safe for us to be around them"
"Josef, you're over 400 years old and I'm over a hundred. We're not exactly a pair of rogue fledglings who can't control their appetites"
"Well, that's true" Josef began with a delicious smile playing over his features, "at least not in that regard"
"Trust you to turn a serious conversation into a discussion about sex" Mick spat at him, rolling his eyes in disbelief and annoyance.
"Says the man who decided to crack jokes about blow jobs when I was trying to propose to him" Josef shot back. "Speaking of which. We also have a wedding to plan, or had you forgotten that as well"
"Of course I hadn't forgotten", Mick snapped at him, "How could I? You certainly take it upon yourself to remind me every five damn minutes, Josef"
Seeing the dark look that fell over Josef's face as he spoke those words, Mick immediately wished he could take them back. Now was certainly not the time for them to be having yet another argument about the wedding.
"What is that supposed to mean" he heard Josef growl at him.
"Nothing. Ok, Josef. Nothing. Please let's not fight about this now, we have other more important things to discuss"
"More important than our wedding?" Josef looked at him incredulously then shook his head and regarded Mick sadly, "It's nice to know where your priorities lie, Mick"
"That isn't what I meant, Josef" Mick replied, lowering the tone of his voice to a gentler level to try and defuse the situation before it got out of hand. "You know us being married is just as important to me as it is to you, I've told you that often enough."
"Maybe you should tell me again, Mick" Josef responded, still with sad regard, "Because I seem to have forgotten."
"Josef" Mick began tenderly, pausing to carefully lay the small infant down on the floor next to him before moving over to wrap his arms around Josef's neck and pull him into his embrace; wanting to defuse the situation before it got out of hand, "you know I love you and you know I want us to be married. If you think otherwise then you're an idiot" he teased with a small note of laughter in his voice, "But" he quickly added after that, gesturing his head towards the small bundle on the ground just behind them, "there is something seriously wrong with this situation".
"Gee, you don't say" Josef interrupted snarkily.
"Josef, I'm serious" Mick said, holding him at arms length for a moment and holding his gaze with an expression of deep concern. "Something isn't right. Go and smell that baby"
"I beg your pardon?" Josef blurted, wrinkling his nose in an expression of disgust.
"Josef, the baby is clean. Now just go and do it and tell me what you detect"
Mick waited and watched as Josef hesitated for a moment and then cautiously approached the tiny infant, sniffing the air around it experimentally before crouching down next to it and inhaling it's scent deep into his flaring nostrils.
"Well?" Mick asked
"Drugs" Josef replied, looking at Mick with some bewilderment, "gun metal and" he paused and took another whiff of scent, "money."
"Exactly. You don't think that's more than a little suspicious?"
"Maybe Junior's just starting early," Josef half smirked and then shrugged, not really knowing exactly what to make of the situation and trying to cover up the way his brain reeled in response to a closer look at the child's face, through defensive sarcasm.
"Or maybe" Mick pointed out, "whoever left this child on our doorstep is in serious trouble" he drew in a breath and held Josef's gaze for a moment before adding emphatically, "and I intend to find out why."
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"Miriam" Josef spoke suddenly into the surrounding darkness of the Freezer later that evening.
"Huh, what?" Mick mumbled, still half asleep, in response.
"Miriam, we should call the baby Miriam. I mean we've got to call it something, we can't just keep saying 'the baby' all the time" Josef quickly explained, quite matter of fact.
"Why Miriam?" Mick stifled a yawn and opened his eyes, trying to blink the sleep out of them as he waited for his vampiric vision to adjust to the surrounding blue glow of the Freezer he shared with Josef.
"It was my sister's name" Josef replied with a simple shrug.
"I didn't know you had a sister?" Mick replied, rolling over and raising himself up onto one arm as he stifled another yawn.
"Four brothers and 3 sisters. All dead now of course"
"Well I didn't exactly expect them to still be alive after more than 400 years, Josef" Mick replied with a tiny snort of laughter, "Anyway" he shook his head briefly in a slightly dismissive gesture meant to convey the desire to get the subject at hand back on topic, "Why a girl's name? what if the baby's a boy?"
"It's not, I checked" Josef replied with the same simple matter of fact tone and shrug as before.
"What. When?"
"While you were up here sleeping"
"What else have you been doing while I've been up here asleep, Josef" Mick asked with a note of suspicion creeping into his voice.
"I turned the baby, "Josef deadpanned, "she's downstairs now, quite happily suckling away on a bottle of blood; thought it would make it easier for us to look after her"
"YOU WHAT?" Mick blurted out, suddenly wide awake and making a failed attempt to sit bolt upright; cracking his head on the lid of the freezer in the process.
"I'm joking, you idiot" Josef spluttered with laughter in response, as he pressed the release button on the freezer, "relax"
Waiting for Mick to lie back down again, he moved over closer and draped an arm across his body; resting his head on Mick's chest. "Actually. If you must know" he said, pausing to kiss the side of Mick's face tenderly, "I went to the all night supermarket and picked up some formula and a bag of nappies"
"How very domesticated of you, Josef" Mick quipped in response, before turning his head towards Josef and saying in a more serious tone, "I thought you weren't happy about all of this?"
"I'm not" Josef stated emphatically, before dropping the level of his voice to a more matter of fact tone and adding, "but I get the distinct impression that this is something that is important to you. So fine, I will go along with it. For now" he finished pointedly.
"Thank you" Mick replied gratefully, placing a hand under Josef's chin and guiding his lips towards his; planting a warm kiss of appreciation upon them, "and you're right," he continued "this is important to me. There's something seriously not right here, Josef. Oh I don't mean the whole 'there's a baby living in our house and we're both Vampires scenario" he quickly clarified, "I'm really worried for that child downstair's mother. I have to find her. I have to know what she's gotten herself mixed up in and if she's alright."
"Yes. You do Mick. You do have to find her, because we can't keep that baby with us forever" Josef replied simply before planting his tongue in his cheek and teasingly adding, "By the way, I've also polished your armour and saddled up your white horse. Sir Galahad"
"Oh ha ha, Josef. Very funny"
"Really? Thanks. I thought so" he quipped back in response, before raising his head to Mick's ear and whispering seductively, "I'd almost forgotten how incredibly sexy you are when you're on one of your missions"
"Josh used to say the same thing about Beth"
"Did he?" Josef replied distractedly, kissing his way along Mick's neck as his fingers stroked their way over is chest.
"Josef?" Mick said with a slight snarl in his voice as Josef's hand found it's way down his body and gripped hold of his stiffening cock, "I thought you always said the freezer was too uncomfortable for this."
"It is" Josef replied nonchalantly, releasing his hold on Mick's cock and climbing out of the freezer, "which is why we're going over onto the bed"
He quickly lifted Mick out of the freezer, carrying him over to the bed with ease, and laid him down on the black satin quilt before covering his body with his and crushing his lips against his mouth.
"Mick," he said, breaking away from the kiss for a moment and regarding him with a serious expression, "this situation, with Miriam, it is only temporary", it was a statement not a question.
"Of course it's only temporary, Josef. I don't intend it to be otherwise" Mick replied and then added with a teasing laugh, as he pulled Josef back down towards his waiting lips, "I'm not the one whose just gone ahead and named the baby, now am I"
"Mick, I'm not joking with you" Josef responded, breaking away from the kiss once more and looking at Mick with the same serious regard, "that baby stays with us only as long as it takes you to either find the Mother or make alternative arrangements. Not only are we both Vampires who cannot look after a human child on any sort of permanent basis, we also have a wedding to plan. And I will not have anything interfere with that."
"The wedding is important to me too, Josef" Mick stated with quiet sincerity, reaching up to trace a finger down the side of Josef's face and along his lips, "I wish you'd believe that."
"I know it is, Mick" Josef replied, mirroring Mick's same tone of sincerity; although not entirely managing to make it quite as convincing to his ears as he had hoped, "and I am sorry I've been a little difficult about the whole wedding thing lately"
"A little difficult, Josef" Mick blurted, stifling a splutter of laughter at the same time, "you've been damn near impossible."
"I said I was sorry, Mick" Josef replied defensively, prompting Mick to once more reach up and pull him back down towards his waiting lips.
"Josef" he told him, just before he pressed his mouth against his and probed his lips open with his tongue, "just shut up and fuck me."
"Ok" Josef muttered heatedly in reply, as he returned Mick's kiss with equal passion for a few moments before moving away briefly to fetch a tube of lubricant from the dressing side table drawer next to the bed.
Quickly applying some of the viscous liquid to the necessary areas, he pressed himself against the entrance to Mick's passage and then pushed the full length of himself inside; pausing to reach under Mick's arse with his hands and raise his hips up slightly, adjusting the angle of penetration to give his prostate gland more direct stimulation.
Downstairs the baby, Miriam; as Josef now thought of her, awoke and stirred noisily, revving up her vocal chords in preparation for a full blown screaming session; the sound quickly reaching Mick and Josef's ears.
"Ignore it" Josef commanded as he started fucking Mick with slow langurous strokes.
"I said ignore it" he commanded again, keeping one hand under Mick's arse and bringing the other up to Mick's face; quickly turning his attention back towards him as soon as he saw Mick try and look off in the direction of the sounds that were coming from downstairs.
Mick hesitated for a second and then nodded his agreement; wrapping his arms around Josef's shoulders and digging his nails into the skin of his back as Josef picked up the pace of his thrusts; smiling to himself in triumphant satisfaction as he listened to the panting snarls of pleasure Mick had started to make in response to their coupling.
Mick's panting snarls of pleasure changed to deep growls of vocalised arousal, as Josef stepped up the pace even more and Mick wrapped his legs around his waist and continued to cling to his shoulders; bucking his hips and matching time with Josef's thrusts as he felt the first impending stirrings of orgasm approaching.
"Oh fuck" Mick snarled with final release as he arched his back and felt the first wave of orgasm rush over him, raising his head to Josef's neck and sinking his fangs sharply into the soft flesh there at the same time. The force of Mick's climax, as he bit into Josef even harder and went into near convulsions of pleasure, pushed Josef over the edge with him and he roared his own release in response and sank his own fangs deep into the muscular flesh of Mick's shoulder.
Downstairs, Miriam's whimpers and cries had charged up to continuous screaming, hiccuping wails; the sound reaching both Vampires ears simultaneously as they continued to cling to one another and ride out their respective peaks.
"Shit" Mick muttered in frustration as he felt the last pulsations of climax fade off into the distance and listened to the racket that was coming from below, "I'd better to go check on her.
"Yeah, you had" Josef stated with nonchalant agreement, slipping himself out of Mick's body and quickly rolling to one side to allow him to get up.
"Mick", Josef directed after him, just as Mick reached the door of the bedroom and turned his head back towards him, "this. Is only temporary. You remember that"
"Of course, Josef. Didn't we just discuss this. I've already told you I'm not intending it to be any other way. I'm not that stupid you know," he added with a note of annoyance, pausing to pull one of Josef's silk robes from it's hanger behind the door and quickly wrapping it around his naked body.
"I never said you were, Mick" Josef replied, regarding Mick with tender grace, "but I also know what you're like sometimes when it comes to playing the role of the hero, so yes I do feel the need to remind you of certain" he paused for a moment, searching for the right word, "let's just say 'conditions' regarding this particular situation."
"Fair enough" he heard Mick reply and nodded and smiled in response. "By the way" he told Mick then, "we have a fitting for our Wedding suits tommorow evening at seven, I expect you to be there"
"You know I will be, Josef" Mick responded with a hint of defensive sadness in his voice, as he regarded Josef's expression and realised that in his mind he still didn't quite believe the wedding was as important to Mick as it was to him, "just tell me where I have to be and exactly how to get there"
"There's a notepad with the address and a map of how to get there on the kitchen table downstairs" Josef said, getting up off the bed himself and walking over to give Mick a quick kiss, "I'm heading back to the Freezer to get some more sleep. I'll see you back up here whenever your finished playing fathers and daughters downstairs" he added with more than just a slight note teasing of sarcasm.
"Oh ha ha again, Josef" Mick rolled his eyes and smirked at him in response, before he returned Josef's kiss and told him he, "wouldn't be long" and then turned and headed downstairs.
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"Josef" Mick spoke into the glowing blue light of the Freezer, pressing the lid release button and tapping Josef's shoulder gently to rouse him from his undead sleep, "Josef. come on wake up"
"What? Mick, what time is it?" Josef yawned and stretched as he slowly blinked and fought his way through the veil of sleep.
"It's early", Mick replied apologetically, "but I need you to be up before I'm gone"
"Gone? gone where?"
"Cologne"
"What's in Cologne?" Josef mumbled sleepily in response, stifling another yawn.
"Ryder" Mick replied matter of factly, quickly pulling on a pair of jeans and throwing a shirt over his shoulders; fingers fumbling at the buttons with distracted annoyance as he hurried to finish getting ready, "I rang him last night, just before you came to bed" he explained, still fiddling with the buttons on his shirt with rising frustration.
"Here" Josef said, as he climbed out of the cold receptacle and walked over to Mick, "let me do that"
"Thanks" Mick replied with a soft smile, as Josef's fingers moved deftly over the buttons and he planted a quick kiss of gratitude on his lips.
"There" Josef said once he'd finished, straightening the collar of Mick's shirt at the same time and placing a hand on his chest, "now what's this about Ryder and Cologne"
"He's going to run some checks for me, computer stuff. Try and see if we can't at least put a face to that whoever left that baby on our doorstep"
"Miriam" Josef corrected him matter of factly.
"Yes. Miriam" Mick stifled a snort of laughter in response, "you know for someone who is so insistent that Vampires cannot possibly look after a human child for any length of time, Josef" he said, tongue in cheek as he regarded him with a slight smirk and a half cocked raise of an eyebrow, "you're certainly going out of your way to make sure you don't do anything foolish like become too attached"
"I am merely showing grace and good manners" Josef replied somewhat haughtily, pulling himself up to his full height and regarding Mick with a hint of defensive challenge. "that's not a thing we have downstairs with us, Mick. I think the least we can do is address her by some sort of name whilst she's under our roof"
"Ok." Mick replied hesitantly, flashing a look of bemusement in Josef's direction, "Ok. Ok" he quickly repeated again as Josef held his gaze with steely determination, forcing him to back down.
"Josef?" Mick ventured cautiously, "are you sure you're ok?"
Josef's response wasn't immediately forthcoming. What could he tell Mick? That the child downstairs had the same upturned nose, the same deep set eyes, the same rosy cleft in her chin that his own baby sister had had over 400 years ago; when he was still human and had watched helplessly as she had been cruelly taken from the arms of her family and consigned to the ground, thanks to an unknown plague that had swept through their village, sparing few but the strongest of individuals.
"It's nothing" he muttered distractedly, after a few moments of silent reverie, "wedding jitters" he quickly waved a hand dismissively through the air in front of him and then asked Mick with forced casualness, "So tell me why you need me to be up with you at this ungodly hour?"
"Well you'll need to be awake to look after" he paused and caught himself just in time, "Miriam"
"You're leaving her with me? Mick, you can't. Are you insane" Josef spluttered in protest, "What the hell do I know about taking care of an infant for a day"
"I'm sure you'll be fine, Josef. It's not exactly like you're going to vamp out and drain her, now is it"
"No, but...."
"Josef. You'll be fine, ok" Mick repeated to him, cutting him off before he had a chance to voice any further protest, "Just, whatever you think you should do. Do the opposite" he added with a teasing smile.
"So if I think I should pick her up and cradle her in my arms, I should really nail her to the wall and crucify her? Is that it?" Josef snarked at him in response.
"Perfect" Mick quipped back at him as he wrapped his arms around Josef's neck and gave him a brief kiss.
"I have to go, Cologne is a long drive from here" Mick said with a more tender tone of voice, as he pulled Josef closer to him and pressed his lips against his in a slow, deep kiss, "I love you" he whispered to him, hearing Josef's whispered response of "ditto" just before he reluctantly broke the embrace and started to move away towards the open bedroom door.
"Mick?" Josef called out after him "don't forget we have an appointment tonight at seven," he reminded.
"I won't, Josef. I'll see you there. At. Seven pm" Mick stated emphatically before he turned away one last time and headed downstairs and out the door.
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Mick sat behind the wheel of Josef's Ferrari, foot planted to the floor and watching the speedometer climb higher and higher as he raced along the main highway towards Cologne. He needed to make this trip in record time if he was going to do what he needed to do at Ryder's and make it back to Salzburg in time for the wedding suit fitting he was supposed to be attending with Josef that evening.
"Josef", Mick thought to himself, his mind drifting towards visions of his partner in unlife, "Something's not right, it's not just the wedding, it's...", he racked his brain for a few moments, trying to figure out exactly what it was that was bothering Josef. The wedding, having a baby under the same roof with two Vampires, something Mick had or hadn't done, all of the above?.
He shook his head and gripped the steering wheel harder, forcing the thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrating on the road ahead of him. Four and a half hours later he was pulling into the parking space outside of Ryder's house and pressing the button on the Intercom to be let inside.
"Mick" Ryder greeted him happily as he opened the door and motioned for Mick to come inside, "good to see you. How's Josef?"
"Good to see you too Ryder, Josef's fine thanks" Mick replied.
"Is he? That's not what I heard, Mick" Ryder said pointedly, raising an eyebrow and flashing him a 'don't lie to me Mick St John' expression. "Actually, according to Beth, your exact words were, he's gone insane".
"Yeah, well" Mick waved a hand dismissively, "I didn't come here to talk about Josef. He's fine, we'll work it out"
"You always do don't you, Mick" Ryder replied with quiet simplicity, "it's called being in love. You sure you don't want me to have a word to him for you though?"
"No Ryder, it's ok. Really. But thanks anyway. I thought about it after Beth's offer, but I think this is something we just need to sort out ourselves" he couldn't quiet explain his change of mind, he had been keen on the idea of Ryder having a word to Josef about his recent behaviour beforehand, but now something just seemed different, something told him that whatever was bothering Josef he would talk to Mick about it and Mick alone. "I just have to be patient with him" he added, more to himself than Ryder"
"Well the offer's there if you change your mind" Ryder replied with a matter of fact smile, "Now. What brings you here exactly Mick, you said something about needing my computer tracking expertise." he said as he lead Mick down the hallway towards the room where he kept his array of hardware.
"I need you to help me locate someone" Mick told him, pulling up a seat next to Ryder as he powered up the main computer and quickly filling him in on recent occurences.
"Wait. What?" Ryder spluttered when Mick had finished bringing up to date on the situation with the baby that Josef had so thoughtfully chosen to name, Miriam. "Are you serious? You've got a human child living under the same roof as two Vampires?"
"Well I know it's a little unorthodox, Ryder...."
"Unorthodox?" Ryder interrupted in disbelief, "Mick, it's practically unheard of. We just don't do that sort of thing, you should know that" he chided.
"Yeah. I get that. That's pretty much what Josef's argument was as well..."
"I don't blame him"
"Anyway" Mick continued looking at Ryder pointedly, "it's an unusual circumstance. I certainly didn't ask for the child to be left on our doorstep now did I? But now that it's happened..."
"Now that it's happened you plan on charging in like a knight in shining armour and saving the day" Ryder finished for him, regarding Mick with a crossed arm teasing expression.
"Yeah, something like that" Mick muttered under his breath, then shot Ryder a determined look and said, a little more abruptly than he had intended, "Can you help me or not?"
"Of course I can" Ryder replied, matching Mick's same abrupt tone. "Just tell me what information you've got for me to work off of"
"Here", Mick handed him a small computer chip with an apologetic smile, "it's the video storage chip from our security system. The person I assume is the child's mother appears at" he paused and handed Ryder a piece of paper with the exact details written down on it, "this date and timestamp. Trouble is" he continued, "there's no clear shot of her face"
"That's fine, I can run a few filters over the image and see if I can clear it up a bit for you. I can also tap into the main network for the security cameras you've got mounted opposite your place. See what I can come up with there as well. Then I'll run some facial recognition programs I've got and see if we can't put a name to whoever's face it is"
"That'd be great" Mick said, placing a grateful hand on Ryder's shoulder as Ryder set to work, clicking and tapping away at the mouse and keyboard in front of him. "How long will it take?"
"Hard to say, Mick. I could have the information for you in the next five minutes or it could take five hours" Ryder replied distractedly, his concentration locked on the computer in front of him.
"I don't have five hours. I have to be back in Salzburg by seven pm, we're being fitted for our wedding suits" he explained quickly, unable to supress a smile when he mentioned the words 'wedding suit'.
"How lovely for you" Ryder replied with cheeky aplomb, "You'd better let me get on with this then."
An hour later, Ryder leant back in his seat and stretched then placed his hands behind his head and looked at Mick with a triumphant smile.
"You've found her? Who is she" Mick asked, quickly turning his attention to the display on the computer screen.
"Read for yourself" Ryder told him and got up so that Mick could take centre seat in front of the numerous screens of information he had bought up for him. "I can print you out a copy of all this as well"
"That'd be good, thanks Ryder" Mick replied, then locked his attention on the volume of information and data on the identity of Miriam's mother, laid out on the screen in front of him.
Several hours past. Hours in which Mick continued reading and rereading the information he now had at hand with wrapt interest and focus, completely losing track of time.
"Mick? What time did you say you had to be back in Salzburg?" he heard Ryder prompting him.
"Seven pm. Why?"
"It's four pm now"
"SHIT!" Mick exclaimed loudly, leaping up and knocking the chair he was sitting on over at the same time.
"Josef is going to kill me", he thought to himself anxiously, as he hurriedly gathered up the information Ryder had printed for him and practically fled out the door.