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!

It was about seven-thirty. Beth had been driving around for a while, not exactly sure where she was going. She just drove. She couldn't stop thinking about Josh…about how he'd betrayed her. Granted, she had kissed Mick. But she'd done nothing else. And Josh had cheated on her even before he'd found out about that.

Somehow, as she always did when she was troubled, she found her way to Mick's apartment building. Sighing, she parked her car, got out, and headed for the elevator. Although she'd managed to find her way here purely by accident, she knew that Mick was the only person she wanted to talk to right now.

Fresh tears made their way down Beth's cheeks as she approached the door. She knocked, still sobbing, and waited for Mick to answer the door, praying to god that he was even home. How could she have been so stupid?

Mick picked up her scent on the air even before she knocked. He was in his office working at his computer when her familiar aroma filled his nostrils. For a moment, he'd thought maybe he imagined it. Until the knock came at the door.

Abandoning his work at the computer, Mick immediately got up to answer the door. He always answered the door to Beth. He didn't even bother looking at the security monitor mounted on the wall before opening it. He answered the door with a smile on his face, but as soon as he saw her crying, his smile faded.

"Beth…what's wrong?" He asked, startled, as she immediately flung herself into his arms. He wrapped both of them tightly around her.

"It's…it's Josh." Beth replied in between sobs. "He…he…he cheated on me!"

"What?" Mick asked, anger blazing in his eyes. He looked down at Beth, buried in his chest and crying inconsolably. He felt the immediate urge to go and kill the man that had made this angel…his angel cry. He shook himself mentally, realizing that going and killing Josh wouldn't solve anything. He had to remind himself that violence wasn't always the answer.

Mick pushed thoughts of killing Josh from his mind and instead focused on Beth.

"Here…why don't you sit down? I'll make you a cup of coffee, and then we can talk. Okay?" Mick asked gently. Beth looked up into his face and nodded, sniffling. Mick's heart broke for her. As she finally let go of him, he wiped a tear from her face and smiled reassuringly at her. Mustering a weak smile in return, Beth gratefully accepted the proposal and went to sit down on the couch.

Half an hour passed as Beth explained to Mick what had happened earlier in Josh's office. Mick listened and gave Beth his support. Beth finally calmed down and, once she had finished her story, sat in silence beside Mick on the sofa.

"You know," She began, looking at Mick and managing a faint smile. "I was really upset after I first found out that Josh cheated on me. But now, I have to say, I feel kind of relieved." She looked at Mick. "Does that make me a bad person?"

Mick smiled reassuringly at her. "No, Beth. You're not a bad person."

"I guess I wanted out of the relationship all along. I was just fooling myself, thinking that maybe somehow I could make things work with Josh."

"I know you loved him…" Mick began. Beth interrupted him.

"But that's the thing…I'm not so sure I did. All this time I've been fooling myself. I've really been in love with you."

"Beth…" Mick began wearily.

"Mick…I can't deny it anymore. I love you. Now that Josh and I are through, there's nothing standing in the way of us. Except you." Beth said. Mick sighed. He knew she was right. But he also knew they could never be together.

"Beth…you're really messed up right now. You just ended things with Josh. You're not thinking clearly. Once this is all over, you'll realize what you're feeling is nothing more than-"

"You're wrong, Mick. I'm thinking clearly for the first time in god only knows how long. I love you, Mick. And I'm not going to let anything stand in the way of that." Beth said. She moved closer to him and took his face in her hands. She looked into his eyes for a moment before gently placing her lips to his.

Mick resisted for a moment before finally giving in. He was tired of holding back. Tired of being noble, of doing the right thing. He wanted this, wanted this more than he'd ever wanted anything. Finally giving in to her, he released the passion he'd felt build up over so long. He let it all rush forward in one dizzying, mind-numbing kiss. Beth returned his passion, letting all of her pent-up emotions flow into the kiss as well. The result? Pure mind-numbing ecstasy.

They kissed for nearly five minutes straight, their tongues clashing for supremacy. Finally, they broke apart for air, both slightly disoriented, and grinning somewhat stupidly.

"I love you, Beth." Mick said. He'd finally gotten out the words he'd said over and over to himself in his mind. The words he'd been longing to say to her for as long as he could remember. She beamed at this. She then proceeded to attack him once more in a fierce kiss.

Mick found that he was losing himself in Beth's embrace. And for the first time, he didn't care. Yes, he was being selfish. Yes, there would be hell to pay for it later. But right here, right now, this was his moment. Damn the consequences, he would give in to her sweet temptation.

Still in a lip-lock with Mick, Beth managed to find the buttons of his shirt with her hands. She began undoing them, only to have Mick pull away from her and stand up. She felt disappointment flare up within her. He was going to push her away again, just like he always did.

Mick grinned at Beth and lifted her effortlessly into his arms. With his vampire super-speed, he had them up the stairs and in front of his guest bedroom in seconds flat. Beth looked at him, shocked.

"I figured we might as well do this right." He smiled at her. He carried her through the door and set her down gently in the bed. Ripping his own shirt off, he grinned, a playful look in his eyes, as he climbed into the bed on top of Beth. "Now, this won't do." He said, pulling her shirt off over her head and removing her bra. Looking at her like this, he could feel a bulge in his jeans.

Beth was shocked at Mick's sudden change in attitude, but thrilled all the same that he had finally given in. She let her hands roam freely up and down his chest and back, stopping just at the waistband of his jeans. She looked Mick in the eye, grinning mischievously at him, before unbuttoning them and undoing the zipper. Grinning, Mick stood up and removed both his jeans and his underwear, leaving him completely exposed in all his glory.

For a moment, Beth's breath caught in her chest at the sight of him. Then she remembered to breathe.

Mick climbed back onto the bed, capturing Beth's mouth in a kiss. His hand cupped her breast as he kissed her, before he finally decided that it was his turn to see her naked. He unbuttoned her jeans and almost tore them off of her. He took a moment to marvel in the sight of her before climbing on top of her. He stayed there, poised for a moment. He looked her in the eye. He had to be sure.

"Beth…" He whispered softly.

"I'm sure, Mick." She reassured him with a smile.

"Things could get-" Mick began.

"Messy. I know, Mick. I want this." She looked into his eyes and he knew she meant it. He thrust into her. Then pulled back.

Their bodies soon fell into rhythm. Both revelled in the joy of each other. Mick could feel his excitement rising, and as he did, he felt the beast escape. He vamped out.

Beth watched as his face changed. She wasn't scared of him. She saw him stare hungrily at her neck.

"It's okay, Mick." She whispered. "Go ahead."

Mick looked in her eyes for the briefest of moments before plunging his fangs into her neck. Beth felt pain for the briefest of seconds before it melted away into pleasure.

The tension mounted and mounted until, at last, both felt the rush of release. Mick removed his fangs gently from her neck and rolled off of her onto the bed. He looked over at Beth, who grinned back at him. What Mick saw in her eyes in that moment gave him hope; he saw no fear in her eyes. He just saw love, and absolute devotion.

Mick shifted over closer to Beth and took her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head softly and held her close.

"I love you Beth."

"I love you too, Mick."

With that, Mick just stayed there and rested as he felt Beth drift off to sleep in his arms.

Seth ran up the stairs carrying Rory in his arms. The scene was all too familiar in his mind. He tore open a door leading into the hallway. Finally reaching Mick's apartment door, he banged frantically on it and hollered.

"HELP! I NEED HELP!

Mick heard a pounding on his front door and groaned. He felt Beth stir as he placed her on the bed, threw on his jeans, and went to answer the door. When he looked into the security monitor, he was met with an eerily familiar sight; Seth was standing there, carrying a bloody Rory.

Mick immediately opened the door and pulled Seth and Rory in.

"What happened?" Mick asked immediately, pulling Rory from Seth's arms. Rory began once again convulsing. Mick instructed Seth to clear off the coffee table, which he did with one sweep of his arm.

"We were walking back to her apartment after we had gone to see a movie, and then out of nowhere this psycho with a gun jumps out of the bushes and shoots her! Seth explained, hanging back as Mick inspected the wounds. "She looked like she was having some kind f reaction to the bullets. And her face got all weird. What the hell is happening to her?!"

Mick looked at Seth and saw only fear and concern in his eyes. He could sense that Seth was telling the truth.

"What's going on down here?" Unnoticed by anyone, Beth had crept down the stairs, dressed in one of Mick's overly long button-up shirts. She caught sight of Rory convulsing on the coffee table.

"RORY! OH MY GOD!" Beth yelled, running over to take a look at her.

"Look, Seth. You're gonna have to go." Mick said, grabbing Seth by the arm and leading him to the door.

"No!" Seth said, pulling his arm out of Mick's grip. "I'm not leaving her this time. I made the mistake of doing that once, I'm not gonna do it again!"

"You need to go!" Mick said.

"Wait Mick." Beth said. Mick turned to look at her. "He should stay. He deserves to know."

"Know what?" Seth asked. Mick sighed. He didn't have time to argue the matter. Every moment he spent arguing was precious time wasted.

Mick ran over to a kitchen drawer, grabbed a pair of tongs, and ran to the fridge, grabbing a blood pack. He ran back over to Rory and proceeded to pull the bullets out. He then tore open the pack of blood with his teeth and poured it into Rory's mouth.

"What the hell are you-" Seth began to ask, but stopped partway through. He watched as Rory's wounds healed almost instantaneously. Seth backed away, looking incredulously at the scene. "What-"

"She's a vampire." Mick said. Seth backed away.

"How do you-" Seth began, but again Mick answered before the question was complete.

"Because I'm a vampire too." Mick stated. He allowed the change to overtake his features. Seth fell backward upon seeing this.

"You mean you-"

"Drink blood? Yeah. Unfortunately one of the downsides to being a vamp."

Seth sprang to his feet and pulled out his knife, flipping it open. Beth gasped. Mick's body tensed, but he remained where he was. The kid was obviously shocked by what he'd just found out. He was scared and Mick knew it. He was reacting because of fear. Mick wanted to resolve this peacefully. He knew that if Seth tried anything, he could easily disarm him long before Seth could attack him.

"My grandfather told me all about vampires." Seth said slowly. "I never believed him. I always laughed it off. Always thought they were just the ramblings of an old man. But now…" Mick took a step closer to Seth, his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Stay back!" Seth warned. "I know you kill people-"

"Actually," Mick began slowly, "We don't. For the most part, vamps feed on willing human volunteers. Not the general populace. And some, like me and Rory here, feed on pre-packaged blood from blood banks and morgues. Now, I'll be the first to admit that there are some psycho vamps out there that give all of us a bad name, but for the most part, humans and vamps coexist peacefully."

"But my grandfather always said-"

"Your grandfather is a hunter, Seth. They hunt and kill all vampires. My guess is, he was trying to train you to be one too. He lied to you to try to make you hate all vamps." Mick watched Seth very carefully. He could sense that Seth was thinking about what he'd said. He continued. "Think about it. How many times have you and Rory been alone together? She could have easily killed you on any one of those occasions. But she didn't."

Seth looked over at Beth. Beth smiled reassuringly at him. "Look, I know this may all seem so overwhelming right now. I know what you're feeling. I was terrified when I first found out about vampires. But they're not all evil and scary like you've been taught to believe."

"You mean you're not-"

"No, I'm human, just like you. I know from experience. Trust me on this. Please, out down the knife."

Seth considered everything he'd taken in. He took a step toward Mick, knife still firmly in hand.

"My grandfather always told me that I should kill a vampire if I ever got the chance, because they'd kill me first." He said. He looked from the knife in his hand, to Rory, to Mick.

Mick tensed, thinking that maybe Seth was planning an attack.

Seth looked back at his knife. "But I can't imagine Rory killing anyone. And seeing as how you haven't come after me yet…"

Seth shocked Mick be folding up the knife and placing it in Mick's hand. Mick stared at him with wide eyes for a moment. His features reverted back to normal. Seth reached out a hand to shake Mick's. Looking Seth in the eye, Mick took it.

Mick looked back over at Rory. "It'll be a while before she wakes up. But she'll be fine. She was shot with silver bullets, but you got her here just in time."

Seth looked over at Rory, and then back at Mick. "Do you mind if I stay with her until she wakes up?"

Mick sighed. "Yeah, I guess you can stay."

Seth grinned and went to take off his jacket. At that moment, he felt a burning pain in his arm that nearly made him scream.

For the first time since Rory had been brought in, Mick realized he smelled fresh blood from someone other than Rory. He looked over at Seth.

"You alright?"

"I dunno…my shoulder is killing me, though!" Seth replied.

Beth walked over to where Seth stood and examined his shoulder, just below his collarbone.

"Mick!" Beth said, "He's been shot!"

Mick walked over and examined the wound. "Here, let me get Rory out of here and then I'll take care of that wound."

Seth looked at Beth, who replied, "Don't worry. He was in the army during the Second World War. He knows first aid."

"What?" Seth asked, clearly confused. "The second World War?"

"Yeah." Beth confirmed. Then she explained, "Vampires don't age like we do. In fact, they don't age at all."

Seth looked as though he couldn't wrap his mind around this idea. He was still struggling to accept the idea of vampires in itself.

Mick moved Rory into his freezer, and then returned to the living room. He dug the bullet from Seth's wound, cleaned it, stitched it, and then wrapped it in bandages. Throughout this whole process, Mick and Beth explained to Seth what he didn't know about vampires. Seth seemed to relax a little after this conversation. After they had finished, it was about eleven o'clock at night. Mick showed Seth to where Rory was sleeping in the freezer, giving him a chair so that he could sit and wait for Rory to wake up.

Mick quietly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He crept to where Beth sat on the couch.

"Well?" Beth asked expectantly.

"Okay, so I was wrong. He wasn't a hunter. But his grandfather was. He could very well have been one." Mick replied.

"So what do you think now?" Beth asked him. Mick thought for a minute.

"I trust him." Mick said simply. "He had the chance to kill me, but he didn't." The enormity of this statement was not lost on Beth. Aside from her, Rory, and Josef, Mick didn't trust anyone. But somehow he trusted Seth.