Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Moonlight, anything that occurs in this fanfic from the show, or any of its characters. I do, however, own this plot and any characters I decide to throw in. Yayz!

Rory awoke one morning three weeks after she had been attacked and, climbing out of her freezer and throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of Black silk boxers (she thought boxers were really comfortable) she'd bought for herself last Christmas, went straight to the fridge to pour herself a cup of blood. As she did every morning, she avoided using the bathroom until after she fed. This was because of the first morning she'd awoken after becoming a vamp, when she had been startled to find that, when she glanced into the mirror, her reflection was not her own. Instead, her eyes were met with a pale face, with opaque, milky-white eyes, and long, piercing fangs. She stared straight into the face of a monstrosity. She hated what she had become, hated seeing herself as a monster. For the first week, she had attempted to use the bathroom without looking into the mirror, until eventually she decided that she would stop going in there altogether until after she'd fed, so she wouldn't find herself face-to-face with the monster that lay dormant within.

She was still staying at Mick's apartment for the time being, while Mick's friend Josef, with whom Mick had had several meetings regarding Rory, was having her apartment renovated to suit the needs of a vamp. She had never actually met Josef, but Mick had told her that he was an older vampire who was almost like a guardian for younger vamps in the area. Mick had said he'd introduce her to Josef at some point in the near future, although had not said exactly when.

Rory downed the blood, despising herself for having to consume it and cursing herself for feeling better physically afterward. She felt her fangs retreat back to normal-looking canine teeth, and was positive that at the same time, her eyes were returning to their normal, clear blue-green pigment. He heard movement behind her and, turning around, was startled to find herself face-to-face with Mick. He, too, had just awoken, and his face was transformed into that of the vampire within.

"So." he said, pouring himself some blood and sipping it. He leaned back against the counter, dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a tattered, faded black t-shirt. "I just got off the phone with Josef. He said that your apartment's almost ready. You should be able to go back to it either tonight or tomorrow."

"Really? That's great." Rory smiled, genuinely smiling, for the first time in what felt like an eternity. As much as she appreciated all that Mick had done for her, being her mentor, arranging for the proper modifications to her apartment, letting her stay with him until she had gotten to the point where he felt she could take care of herself, et cetera, she hated feeling as though she were depending on someone. It made her feel as if she were imposing. Although Mick insisted time and time again that it was no problem at all, that she was far from imposing, Rory couldn't help but feel that she was getting in the way of things, even a little.

"Yeah. I know how strange everything must have been for the past few weeks. Now you can go back to something somewhat normal." He smiled at Rory, his face having returned to its normal state. Rory couldn't help but feel as though he had just read her thoughts, and wondered whether or not he actually could, if it came as part of the vamp package deal. "Josef wants me to bring you by your apartment later today so you can take a look at the changes. It'll also give you two a chance to finally get acquainted."

Rory was lost in her thoughts, and it took a moment for her mind to register what Mick had just said. "What? Oh, yeah…sounds great." She plastered a smile on her face before saying, "You know what? I think I might just go and take a shower. You don't mind, do you?"

"Sure. Knock yourself out." He said with a small smile. Rory tossed her cup in the sink and, heading upstairs, grabbed a clean towel, locked the bathroom door behind her, and climbed into the shower. Upon turning on the water, she was greeted by a sudden cold shock that nearly made her scream. She hastily turned the hot water on full, so that her shower became almost scalding. She had always liked her showers so hot, especially when she had something on her mind. On this particular day, she found she had many things on her mind. Her jumbled mess of thoughts just wouldn't stop or even allow themselves to be separated until she stepped in the shower where, amidst the scalding water, they would finally allow her to separate and sort them out.

It had been three weeks since Mick had last talked to Beth. After Rory had hurried off to take a shower, Mick had sat in an armchair in his living room, becoming lost in his own thoughts. After that night at the hospital, after he had once again left Beth hanging, he couldn't bring himself to call her or to go and see her. He had been getting all of his information on what was going on with Beth through Rory, who talked to Beth almost daily. Absent-mindedly, Mick traced the rim of his cup, which was resting on the arm of his chair, with his finger, remembering a conversation he'd had with Rory about five days after Beth had been attacked.

Rory walked through the door at about seven o'clock in the evening. As usual, she found Mick sitting in an armchair, waiting for her to get back. Rory dropped her back by the door, removed her boots and jacket, and poured herself a cup of blood. Then she walked over and sat down on the sofa. Mick was silent as she drank, although he was giving off a definite vibe of impatience and urgency. Setting down her glass on the coffee table, she turned to face Mick, as a signal that she was ready for the interrogation Mick always gave her after she visited Beth.

"So how is she?" He began immediately, urgency clear in his voice.

"She's fine." Rory assured him, noticing the relief that filled his face when she said so. "She's doing really well, in fact. They released her from the hospital today. They said the only reason they kept her this long was to ensure that there were no complications after the surgery, and because they wanted to make sure she didn't develop an infection. They said her energy levels were great, considering that just five days ago she was almost dead."

"That's good to hear." Mick said, sitting back in his chair, clearly relaxing. His look of worry was immediately replaced with a look of deep sorrow. Rory picked up on this immediately and continued with her report.

"She talked about you a lot." She said, noticing that Mick wouldn't look at her. "She was wondering how you were. If you were still blaming yourself." Rory paused, gauging Mick's reaction, before continuing. "I think she was wondering why you hadn't come to visit her since Sunday." Mick said nothing. His expression changed only slightly, betraying yet a deeper sense of shame and sorrow. Rory wasn't sure if she should say what she was thinking, and after a moment of silent debate, decided she should. "It's obvious she misses you. She's so obviously in love with you. And it's so obvious you're madly in love with her too. What I don't understand is why you keep denying yourself this. Why you keep denying her this."

Mick looked up at her, looking with a very serious expression into her face. "Because I'm a monster." He said quietly. "Because all of this is all my fault. Because I'm just fooling myself if I think that it could ever possibly work between us. Because I only complicate her life and put her in danger. But most of all, because I love her. I don't want to subject her to the same hell I have to live with for the rest of eternity, and I don't want to lose her because I was stupid and selfish. She's almost died more than once because of me. Next time she might not be lucky enough to walk away."

He got up and began pacing the floor. He was obviously hurting bad, and nothing Rory could do or say could change that. This made Rory miserable. Mick was her friend, one of her only friends since she'd been turned less than one short week ago, and seeing him like this, pining over Beth was heartbreaking. Especially since she had just come from watching Beth pine over Mick. It was clear that the argument that had stopped communications between them had not changed the way they felt about one another. It was obvious that they were mad for each other, and couldn't stand to live without one another.

"Anything else?" Mick asked, breaking the silence that had lasted for nearly five minutes.

"No," Rory sighed, then added, "but I would suggest you call and talk to Beth. It's obvious she really misses you. And it's obvious that you really miss her. You two need to talk thing out, because you're both miserable. Not to mention," she added with a small smile, "I'm tired of being the messenger."

With that, Rory picked up her bag and stalked off into her temporary room to go and get some sleep. Mick thought about what she said. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He knew the only reason Beth hadn't called him was that she knew he needed time. He missed the sound of her voice, the way he felt when he was around her. He missed her. Somewhat begrudgingly, he picked up his home phone and hit the speed dial button under which her cell phone number was saved. It rang only once before Beth answered. Clearly, she had seen that it was his number on her caller ID.

"Hello?" She said, almost urgently. Mick sighed, and, knowing he would regret it later, hung up.

She hadn't tried to call him back. She hadn't even stopped by his apartment to try and coax him into opening the door to her. She'd just left him be. Part of him wished she wouldn't, wished that she would come after him, knowing full well that he couldn't resist her. But part of him thanked her for making it slightly easier for him to phase himself out of her life. It was for the best, he thought miserably to himself…

Seth had spent three long, sleepless weeks thinking about her. The mystery girl. She was constantly on his mind, especially since, only three weeks ago, the night after he had found her near-death on the sidewalk, he thought he'd seen her pass him on the street. It was impossible, though. It must have been his imagination. There was no way anyone who had suffered such extensive injuries could have been able to get up and walk around as though nothing had even happened. And besides, he had no idea if she was even still alive. With the extent of her injuries, she could easily have bled to death. This prospect was devastating and haunting. Haunting like the girl that would not leave his dreams, nor his every waking thought.

He couldn't get the girl off his mind. This was especially startling considering he didn't even know her name. Then again, it wasn't easy to forget a girl you'd rescued from some random psycho, he thought.

She had been on his mind so much lately, in fact, that he had had a falling-out with Hanna and had been surprised to hear himself say that it was over. It wasn't totally because of the mystery girl that he'd ended things with Hanna, though; his and Hanna's relationship had already been strained and it was a long time coming. But still, he couldn't understand the power this girl held over his thoughts. He was beginning to scare even himself a little with his obsession over this girl.

It was Saturday morning, and Seth found himself on his way to the apartment of Mick St. John, the private detective, where he'd left the girl just three weeks earlier. It was hard to believe it had only been three weeks. It felt like so much longer…

Seth left the building's elevator, stepping out into the hallway. He took a deep breath as he approached the door, debating with himself whether or not he should be doing this. For all he knew, the girl was recuperating from her injuries in some hospital somewhere. Or worse. But he had to know. He knew he would never be at peace until he knew what had happened to her. Even if it meant discovering that she was long dead. Summoning up all of his strength, he knocked on the door. He waited impatiently, hearing someone moving behind it, all the while feeling fear and anticipation that bubbled up inside his stomach, making him feel as though he were about to vomit. He passed the slow seconds mentally preparing himself for what might come…

Hearing a knock on the door, Mick was jerked from his thoughts. He arose from his seat; walking over to the monitor he had mounted to the wall, he looked to see who was behind it. Mick was somewhat surprised and a little relieved to see that it was not Beth, whom he had secretly hoped it was, but the man who'd brought Rory to his apartment after she'd been attacked. He paused for a moment, debating whether or not he should open the door. He remembered the way he'd treated the poor guy, and realized that he deserved at least some closure in the thought that Rory was still alive. Wondering in the back of his mind whether or not he was making a mistake, Mick opened the door.

"Hey," The young man said, somewhat awkwardly, "I'm…"

"The guy who brought a half-dead girl here in the middle of the night. I remember." Mick said, stepping aside to allow the young man in. He stepped in, stopping just inside of the doorway. Mick closed the door behind him and walked over to the sink, where his and Rory's cups from earlier lay, still filled with the remnants of their breakfast. While the man was looking away, Mick quickly rinsed his and Rory's cups clean, ridding them once and for all of any incriminating evidence. Thankfully, his private fridge was safely hidden away. He gestured for the young man who was still standing in front of the door to take a seat, and then followed him into the living area. The man sat on the sofa, while Mick opted for a seat across from him. There was silence for a minute before the young man spoke.

"My name is Seth." He said, finally looking up from the floor, where his gaze currently rested. "I didn't mean to drop in unexpectedly, or to intrude on anything. It's just…" He hesitated. Mick stayed silent, waiting for Seth to continue, although he thought he had a pretty good idea of what Seth was going to say. "You see," he finally continued, "ever since that night, I just haven't been normal. A lot of shit happened that I just can't seem to forget. And…" he paused, struggling for the right words. "I just can't get the image of that girl out of my mind. I've been trying for weeks to forget the whole thing ever happened, but I just can't. I keep reliving it all in my dreams. The worst thing about it all is the fact that her face haunts my dreams. I feel like I failed her somehow, just leaving her here. I should have stayed with her, and I can't stop feeling guilty. There's no way I can put it all behind me until I get some answers." He finished. He wasn't sure why he'd said all of this to Mick, especially considering that he didn't know Mick personally, but somehow he felt like he needed to tell someone, and because Mick was involved, because he had seen the extent of the damage, Seth couldn't help but feel that Mick was the one person who would best understand what he was trying to say.

Mick had remained expressionless throughout Seth's explanation, but had realized by the end of it that Seth was venturing into dangerous territory. Mick knew he would have to tread lightly throughout this conversation; for fear that Seth might get too close to the truth. He didn't want to just send Seth away, for fear that Seth might become suspicious, but at the same time, he knew he'd have to if Seth asked too many questions.

"What kind of answers?" Mick finally asked.

"Well first of all…" Seth said, and Mick began to fear what might come out of Seth's mouth. "I want to know what happened to he girl."

Mick almost sighed with relief before answering, "She's alright." Mick saw a look of relief spread across Seth's face and could sense the tension leave the room. It didn't take a vamp to sense that kind of change in atmosphere. Mick continued. "Her name is Rory. After you left, I was able to get some help for her, and despite some serious blood loss, she pulled through in the end." True, Mick wasn't telling him the exact truth, but he told enough of it that Seth didn't ask any further questions about her, for which Mick was very grateful for.

"That's a huge relief." Seth said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Look…" Mick said to Seth. "I know I seemed like a real asshole, sending you off on your way like that after you brought her here. It's just…" he paused. "I figured there was no way for you to really help after that, and you'd probably end up getting in the way." Again, not exactly the whole truth. But it wasn't a lie either. He felt that Seth deserved at least that much.

"I understand." Seth said simply. "You were looking out for her best interests. I would have done the same in your situation."

There was silence for a while after that. Something had occurred to Mick about a week and a half ago. He had been looking into Jeff, the vamp who had not only attacked Beth and Rory, but who also appeared to be involved with a recent string of mysterious human deaths. Although The Cleaner had taken care of most of the bodies, three were discovered and reported to the police, who had launched an official investigation. All of the victims had been young women in their twenties or early to mid-thirties. Rory had been the only one so far, it seemed, that Jeff had attempted to turn. He shuddered to think what would have happened to Beth, had he not arrived in time. When he had been going over Seth's story in his mind, something jumped out at him. Seth had said that he'd stabbed Rory's attacker, and that the attacker had run off. Mick knew that Jeff was a vamp, that he could easily have killed Seth. But Seth seemed to have no idea that vamps even existed, let alone that Jeff was a vamp. Mick began formulating his own questions: What could Seth have possibly done that stopped Jeff from killing him right there on the spot?

"I know this may sound like an extremely random and unnecessary, but I was wondering if I might be able to see your pocketknife; the one you used on the attacker?"

Seth hesitated for a moment, startled by the sudden change of subject to the topic of his pocketknife. In the end, however, Seth decided to let Mick examine it, and handed it over, pulling out the blade so that Mick might be able to have a better look.

"I cleaned it the morning after the attack, so I'm not sure what use it will end up being to you."

Mick turned the knife over in his hands, and even as he did so, he felt a faint yet noticeable burning sensation in his hands. He also felt slightly weak. He immediately understood why it had repelled Jeff; the knife was made of silver. He quickly handed it back to Seth, startled by this sudden revelation. It arose in his mind a whole new set of questions; where did he get this knife? Why was the knife made of silver, when most pocketknives were made of stainless steel? Who but a hunter would even carry a knife made of pure silver?

"It's a nice knife. May I ask where you got it?" Asked Mick, trying to keep suspicion from entering his voice.

"My great-grandfather left it to me in his will after he died." Seth said simply. "After I got it, my grandfather told me it was special because it's made of pure silver." Mick resisted the urge to begin interrogating Seth further, by force if necessary. Seth had practically admitted that he was a hunter. After all, he knew that the knife was made of silver, and so he must have known what the properties of silver were. Mick's anger and suspicion abated, however, when Seth continued. "I figure it's really valuable, being silver. Not to mention the fact that it's probably rare. I mean, how many pocketknives do you know of that are made of silver?"

"Not many." Agreed Mick. He could sense that Seth was telling the complete truth, that he wasn't making any attempts at hiding anything, which put Mick's mind even more at ease. He decided that he could believe Seth. For the time being, anyway.

"So…" Seth continued, changing the subject. He wanted to get back to the subject that he was most interested in; the girl named Rory. "Would you happen to know where Rory ended up? I mean…I was hoping I might be able to see her. Just to put my mind at ease."

Mick hesitated. He wasn't sure whether or not he should let Seth see Rory. To let him know that she was okay was one thing, but to actually let him see her…that was something entirely different. Unfortunately, he didn't have much opportunity to think the situation through, because at that very moment, Rory, who had finally gotten out of the shower and dressed, appeared on the stairs, still rubbing at her hair with a towel in an attempt to dry it. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, staring silently at the strange man on the sofa. For what seemed like an eternity, everything was silent.

AN: Yeah, so sorry for the lack of updates people...damn schoolwork, thinks it's more important than Moonlight fanfics! Lol. Anyway, so yeah, here's the latest chapter. I'm not sure whether or not things are too slow, or maybe even rushed a bit, so any impression you get, maybe even that some of the characters are off, let me know and I'll do my best to correct it. As always, thank you so much for reading and reviewing, so enjoy!

Luvz, Cat.