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!
AN: Okay, so just a few things I'd like to mention here. First of all, thank you all for the wonderful, encouraging reviews I've been receiving. It means a lot to me that you enjoy my writing so much and continue to follow the story. Secondly, I know that I tend to jump around a lot with the time line. I realize that it gets sort of confusing when I jump a few months into the future every few chapters. There is a method to my madness, though. You see, rather than have everything take place in an overwhelmingly short space of time, I skip the insignificant details that take place in between and skip to the action of the story. It would be very long and dragged out if I were to fill in all of the details about what happens in between each space in time, and it would eventually get boring and you wouldn't want to read. Therefore, I make sure that everything that takes place is spread out over a believable amount of time, but at the same time, I'm not dragging it out and boring you all to death. This is the easiest way for me to keep the plot going. Finally, this chapter is a Christmas-themed chapter. I know it's kind of late, but I had been meaning to work this in, and I couldn't put it in until now, simply because of the basis of the plot. So, here you go. Better late than never. And don't worry. Things will get very interesting from here. This chapter sort of marks the beginning of the end of the story in my mind. But never fear; I have ideas circling in my head for a sequel. So, based on how many people would like to see a sequel after this story has ended, I may or may not continue with this plot. Anyway, enough of my incessant noise-making. Here's chapter 16!
About a year had passed since that fateful night when Seth had become privy to the existence of the vampire world. It had taken some time, but he had managed to completely accept and even embrace the existence of vampires. He and Rory had since moved in together, and were happier and more in love than they'd ever been.
Mick and Beth's relationship had also evolved in the year that had passed, although Mick had taken a long time to finally ask Beth to move in with him.
A lot had happened in the past year. Mick and Beth had done several investigations, many of which had involved vampires, and even Rory and Seth had gotten in on the action. They had all become extremely close friends, what with everything they'd been through together.
Probably the most significant occurrence had been when Mick and Seth had taught Rory and Beth to fight. As Beth would never stay out of harm's way, and Mick had found himself having to save Rory's ass from another vampire more than once, Mick and Seth had decided that the women learn how to fight. Mick had been Rory's trainer, simply because he knew that Seth would be no match for the female vampire, and Seth had taught Beth. Both women had become extremely good fighters, thanks to their highly skilled instructors, and could even outmatch their respective fighting partners. When Beth had first learned to pin Seth easily to the ground, Mick had laughed hysterically at him…until Rory had done the very same thing to him. It was a long-running joke now that Rory and Beth were "The Terminators."
Presently, Rory and Seth were preparing to head over to Mick and Beth's apartment. It was Christmas Eve, and after a week of arguments as to where the festivities would be held, it had finally been agreed that Mick and Beth would host the celebrations this year. Rory and Seth would have next year.
"Rory!" Seth called from outside the bathroom door. "Rory! For God's sake hurry up! You've been in there for over an hour, and I still have to shave."
"ALRIGHT! JUST GIVE ME A MINUTE!" Rory called back through the door, putting the final touches on her makeup.
Seth just sighed. "Come on Rory! You said that half an hour ago. Look, you're gorgeous, okay? You can just go as you are."
The door swung open to reveal Rory, dressed in figure-hugging jeans and a low-cut, V-neck black shirt. The sleeves of the shirt came down to her hands, where her thumbs poked through neat and intentional holes in the sides. The sleeves seemed to be almost detached from the rest of the shirt, as her shoulders were exposed. She wore her usual stylish black fedora hat to complete the look.
Seth just stared in awe, his mouth slightly open. Rory smiled and approached him, kissing him softly on the lips.
"Bathroom's all yours." She said, grinning at the look of shock on his face. Then, still smiling to herself, she walked off to wait for Seth to shave.
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"Mick! Mick, where are the Christmas decorations!" Beth yelled from upstairs, where she was digging through a closet. She had moved in less than a month ago. Mick groaned. He knew he'd forgotten something.
Within seconds, Mick had raced up the stairs and stood behind Beth. He began to speak, and she jumped, whirling around. Mick smiled at the look of annoyance in her eyes.
"Damnit, Mick! You know how much I hate it when you sneak up behind me like that!"
"Mhmm." Mick said simply before placing a quick kiss on her lips. She couldn't help but smile at this. She knew she couldn't stay mad at him for long, especially when he kissed her like that. She silently cursed herself as she repeated her question.
"So? Where are the decorations?"
"Well…" Mick began. Beth just stared at him expectantly. He sighed. "I don't have any. Usually, I don't bother with Christmas. I haven't since I was turned. I haven't really had a reason to before now."
Beth didn't know whether she should pity him or feel honoured that she was the reason he was celebrating this year. There was also an annoyed part of her that felt an overwhelming urge to smack him.
"Why didn't you tell me? I could have gone out and bought some!" She said, annoyance making itself known in her voice. Mick looked at her sheepishly.
"I'd planned on picking some up earlier, but I guess I forgot. I'll go get some now. There should still be some stores open. It's only five o'clock."
"Well hurry up. Rory and Seth will be here shortly, and I think Josef is planning on showing up around eight."
Mick smiled and placed another chaste kiss on Beth's lips before running downstairs and out the door, grabbing his jacket, sunglasses, and car keys as he went.
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Mick had arrived back home with a wide assortment of decorations, as well as some food for Beth and Seth. He handed the decorations to Beth, who took them and decorated the apartment in about twenty minutes. Then she put all of the ornaments Mick had bought on the small plastic tree that Beth had brought with her when she'd moved in. Then, stepping back to stand beside Mick, she admired her handiwork.
Mick stared around him in awe at his transformed apartment. Where there had been no sign of the holidays only twenty minutes before, there were now wreaths and mistletoe and tinsel scattered tastefully around the living room. He smiled at Beth, looking at her in awe. She had given him back one of the things he missed most about being human; a reason to celebrate. He had to swallow the lump that rose in his throat, threatening to make tears fall from his eyes.
Beth looked over at Mick and saw him staring at her intensely.
"What?" She asked with a chuckle, grinning back at him. It took Mick a moment to gather himself enough to be able to answer.
"It's beautiful." Mick replied, and then added, "You're beautiful."
Beth grinned sheepishly at him. Mick grabbed her hand and dragged her under the mistletoe.
"I love you Beth." He said, looking into her blue eyes with wonder. "You've made me the happiest I've ever been. You've given me my life back."
Beth looked deeply into his dark eyes and found herself hard-pressed to find the right words to reply. What he'd said had taken her breath away. For the first time in her life Beth Turner, the woman who had a reply to everything, was speechless. She just smiled and said the first words that came to mind.
"The stuffing's burning."
Thankfully, Mick understood her silence and then her sudden random outburst. He quirked an eyebrow at her, fighting the urge to laugh. Beth looked immediately mortified. She felt the sudden urge to smack herself. Had she actually just said that?!
"Oh my god! Please tell me I didn't just say that?" She groaned. Mick smiled, thinking to himself how sexy she looked when she was embarrassed.
"It's okay Beth." He laughed. Beth looked him in the eye and tried once again to speak, hopefully coherently this time.
"I love you too, Mick."
Mick looked at her with devotion in his eyes, then gestured up at the mistletoe. She smiled, reaching her hands up around his neck and pulling him down into a passionate, dizzying kiss.
They kissed for about five minutes, caught up in their own little world. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. They pulled apart just far enough to look at each other, then Mick leaned his forehead against Beth's.
"I guess we should get that, huh?" He asked with one of his trademark, knee-weakening smiles. Sighing, Beth agreed. She walked over to the door and, without bothering to look at the screen on the wall, opened it. Rory and Seth greeted her, as she had expected.
"Hey!" Rory said with a smile, rushing forward to hug Beth. Beth smiled and hugged her back. Mick came up behind Beth and smiled.
"Hey Seth. Good to see you!"
"Hey Mick. Good to see you too." Seth grinned, extending his hand. Mick waved it away and hugged him. Seth grinned, and as Mick let go of him he walked into the apartment.
"Wow. Nicely decorated." Rory commented, admiring the Christmas decor as she let go of Beth and looked around the apartment. Mick smiled to himself as she said this.
"It was all Beth." He said simply. "God knows I'm hopeless when it comes to decorating."
"Obviously." Seth said, rolling his eyes and gesturing around the stylish apartment. The four of them broke into laughter. Then there came a sudden and annoying beeping sound, followed by the smell of smoke.
"The stuffing. Oh, shit!" Beth cried, racing into the kitchen. Rory laughed and followed quickly behind.
Seth stayed behind in the living room with Mick. After a moment of silence, Seth handed Mick a handful of large gift bags.
"I come bearing presents." He said with a laugh.
"Thanks." Mick said, taking the bags. "You know you didn't have to."
"Of course we had to." Seth said with a smile. "Besides, Rory took full advantage of the excuse to go shopping!"
They shared a laugh. Mick then stooped to put the gift bags under the tree.
"Hey Seth, you want a drink?" Mick asked him.
"Please!" Seth said, laughing. Mick handed him a glass of scotch, which he accepted gratefully. Mick grabbed a glass of blood and, seating himself in a comfortable armchair, began chatting animatedly with Seth.
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Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Beth was looking at the stuffing with dismay. It was black. Rory couldn't help but laugh.
"Poor innocent stuffing. Never had a chance, did it?" She asked. Beth shot her a look. Sighing and grumbling to herself, Beth dumped the inedible stuffing into the trash and was going to start again.
"Whoa, hold on there!" Rory said, grabbing an apron and rolling up her sleeves. She couldn't help but poke a little more fun at Beth's inability to cook. "For the love of God, step away from the stove before you commit any more crimes against nature!"
Beth scowled at her and stepped aside, pouring herself a glass of wine. Rory stepped in front of the stove and began throwing together ingredients. Having grown up with a chef for an uncle, she'd learned quite a bit about how to cook.
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About an hour or so after the burned stuffing incident, the four of them finally sat down around the table. Seth sat beside Rory on one side of the table, while Mick and Beth sat side-by-side on the other side. The feast was small, as only Seth and Beth would be eating any of the food. Mick and Rory had a pitcher of blood, drinking it from wine glasses. It was about six-thirty, and as they sat there, they talked and laughed and simply enjoyed themselves in general. Somehow, during the course of the conversation, they got onto the topic of names.
"So, Rory. We're all dying to know. What's Rory short for, anyway?" Beth asked between mouthfuls of turkey.
Rory sighed. "I knew this day would come." Everyone looked at her expectantly, so she continued, taking a deep breath. "It's short for Aurora. My full name's Aurora Marie Rochelle Callaghan."
There was silence for a moment, then Beth began to snicker. Within seconds, everyone at the table was laughing hysterically. Everyone except Rory, that was.
"Yeah, yeah…laugh it up. I blame my parents. Them and their sick and twisted sense of humour. They named me after a small town in Ontario. Actually, it was where I was born." She grinned. Everyone stopped laughing and looked at her.
"Wait…" Mick began, looking at her. "You're Canadian?"
"Uh, yeah…" Rory said. They all burst into laughter again. "Okay, Mick. It's your turn. What's your full name?" Rory asked, in the hopes of deflecting the attention from her own name.
"Michael Noah St. John." Mick replied simply, a wide smile on his face.
"Okay…" Rory said. "How about you, Beth?"
"Elizabeth Madison Turner." Beth said. Mick laughed. "Elizabeth?"
Beth scowled. "It's better than Michael!"
"Ouch." Mick replied, feigning hurt.
"So what about you, Seth." Beth asked. "What's your full name?"
Seth looked uncomfortable for a minute. "Actually…" he said, a small smile spreading across his face. "Seth is my middle name." Everyone looked at him, clearly expecting him to go on. He sighed. "My name is really Dante. Dante Clay Seth Masters." He paused for a moment, before adding, "The third."
Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Rory spoke up. "So in other words, I'm the only person here that doesn't have a somewhat normal name."
They all laughed. Then Seth spoke up. "Actually, I don't have a normal name. That's why I go by Seth."
"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, clearly stunned. "Dante's a perfectly normal name. I have no idea why you wouldn't want to use it. In fact, I think it's an even better name than Seth!"
"Yeah." Beth agreed. "You really should consider going by Dante."
"Nah." Seth said, shaking his head. He looked to Mick for support. Support that he should have known he wouldn't get.
"I agree with them." Mick said, smiling. "You should go by Dante. It'd be a lot less confusing that way. Seth and Beth just sound too close together."
Everybody shared a laugh. Then they went on to another topic of discussion.
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After dinner, Josef finally showed up. It was close to eight-thirty p.m.
"Josef!" Mick greeted, shaking his hand and clapping him on the back. Josef grinned.
"Hey Mick. Hey Beth. Hey Rory." He paused for a moment before giving his final, somewhat cold greeting. "Hello Seth."
"Hi Josef." Seth said, nearly as coldly. He unconsciously wrapped an arm around Rory's waist as Josef just stared.
Mick couldn't help but chuckle to himself. All in all, despite the coldness between them, Seth and Josef had managed to overcome a lot of their opposition in the last year. In fact, Mick was almost sure that, under different circumstances, Seth and Josef might actually be good friends at this point. The only thing stopping this from happening was the fact that Josef had developed an infatuation with Rory, one that Seth had noticed immediately, and it had created tension between him and Josef.
At least they got along better now than they had before. Mick remembered all too well the day he'd informed Josef about Seth…
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"What do you mean, this guy knows about us?!" Josef demanded angrily, pacing back and forth in front of Mick. "I must say, Mick, that, all in all, you've gotten a bit too liberal with our secret. You're letting far too many humans into the loop. I had a hard enough time with the fact that you told Beth our secret, and now you've gone ahead and told another guy!"
"It's not like I had much of a choice, Josef…either time. Beth walked in on me while I was feeding-"
"All the more reason to learn to lock the door behind you-"
"And Seth brought Rory back to my place after she'd been shot. She'd vamped out. I could hardly just tell him to ignore the fangs!" Mick continued as though Josef hadn't interrupted.
"Which brings me to my next point…if you had suspected this Seth guy of being a hunter, why were you letting Rory spend so much time around him? Furthermore, why didn't you just waste him like I told you to?" Josef asked, clearly becoming annoyed.
"Because, Josef. Unlike you, I have a problem with killing an innocent party. He's not a hunter. He had the chance to kill me, Josef. And he didn't."
"But he threatened you, Mick! Why didn't you kill him right then and there?"
"Because he was just a scared, confused kid. He was reacting instinctively. He was only trying to protect himself!"
But his grandfather was a hunter, right? Do you have any idea how dangerous information like that is in the hands of someone related to a hunter?! I'm just as opposed to killing those who don't ask for it as you are, Mick. But a human's a small price to pay to ensure our secrecy. And safety."
"I trust him Josef!" Mick nearly yelled. "And Rory trusts him. And he hasn't done anything yet to make me think I shouldn't. That should be enough for you."
"Not when it comes to our secret. To something as crucial as this!" Josef hissed. "You act without thinking of the consequences, Mick! You have no idea the position you've put us in by letting this guy live!"
"I do know, Josef. And I take full responsibility for whatever happens because of this. He's my problem. And he's under my protection." Mick said in a stern voice.
Josef stopped pacing and thought about what Mick had said. "Fine. But I hope you're right about this guy, Mick. Because the moment I her even a whisper, a rumour about our existence, I'll come after him and kill him myself. And then I'll have no choice but to punish you. You're my best friend, but when it comes to something as important as this, I can only protect you so much. Am I clear?"
"Crystal. Thanks, Josef. Nothing will happen. I promise you."
"For your sake, Mick, I hope you're right."
MLMLMLML
Thinking about it, Mick realized that Josef had warmed up at least somewhat to the idea of Seth. After all, Seth was still alive and breathing. And they were even civil to each other, despite the fact that they weren't the best of friends.
Mick smiled and offered Josef a drink. Then, all five of them sat down in the living room and exchanged presents. Mick was in awe at the gift he received from Rory and Seth; a beautiful black acoustic guitar. After they had all finished their exchange, Mick began to sing and play, entertaining everyone with various holiday tunes and other songs.
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The rest of the evening was spent doing various things…chatting, watching movies, playing cards, etc.
Twelve o'clock found Rory and Seth snuggled up together on Mick's couch, watching the movie Underworld. Rory couldn't help pointing out all of the inaccuracies of the movie, while Seth just smiled and nodded. Then, at one scene in the movie, Rory suddenly paused it, on a close-up shot of one of the characters, a vampire named Erika. Seth at Rory in confusion as she called Beth into the room.
Hearing Rory call her, Beth came into the living room.
"What is it?" She asked. She was drying her hands on a dishtowel, having been washing dishes when she had been called.
"Take a look at this!" Rory said, gesturing to the paused screen. Beth just looked at it with a blank stare.
"So?" She asked, clearly unaffected by what she was seeing. "I've seen this movie a couple of times. It's pretty good."
"No!" Rory said, looking from Beth to the screen and back. "Look at that actress! She looks exactly like you! You could be her twin!"
Beth looked closely at the screen. Perhaps there may have been some similarities between herself and the woman onscreen, but she wasn't sure about twins.
"No." Beth said simply, shaking her head. "What are you talking about? She looks nothing like me."
"Well…" Seth began, looking back and forth between Beth and the screen. He could see where Rory was coming from.
Beth looked once more at the screen before shaking her head again. "Nah. Definitely not." She said.
"Whatever." Said Rory, clearly giving up and turning back to the TV.
MLMLMLML
At about one o'clock in the morning, everyone decided that it was time to finally end the festivities. All in all, it had been a pretty good night. Except, maybe, when Josef had gotten Rory under the mistletoe. Rory smiled and gave him a quick kiss, while Seth sat fuming in the corner. After which, Josef had shot Seth a smug smile.
For a while, Mick had been concerned that they would erupt in a fistfight, and he would have to break it up. Not that Seth would be any match for Josef. Mick knew he'd have the most trouble keeping Josef from killing Seth if a fight broke out between them. But, with a little help from Rory, Seth and Josef had smoothed things out by the end of the evening. She had finally understood what had been causing the tension between Seth and Josef, and decided that she needed to set things straight. Rory had spoken to Josef in private, telling him that there could never be anything more than friendship between them.
"Not even a chance?" Josef asked, only half-joking. Rory looked at him with a pitied expression.
"I'm sorry, Josef. I never meant to lead you to believe I felt that way about you. But I'm in love with Seth. Nothing can change that. Besides," She grinned at him, pulling him into a hug, "you're like the older brother I never had."
Josef had still looked hurt, but had nodded and smiled in response. After that, he had shocked everyone by apologizing to Seth.
"Look…I guess we sort of got off on the wrong foot. Maybe we can just put this all behind us?" Josef had said, extending his hand to Seth. Seth had looked somewhat suspicious, but had taken the offered hand.
"Yeah. I guess so." He'd said.
After that, there had been no further problems between Seth and Josef. In fact, by the end of the evening, they had even begun to behave somewhat amiably toward each other. And even though they weren't exactly the best of friends, it was a step in the right direction.
When the evening's festivities finally drew to a close, the five people had gathered in a circle in the middle of the living room, making a final holiday toast. Beth held a glass of wine, while Seth had in his hand a glass of eggnog. Rory, Mick, and Josef all held in their hands glasses filled with blood. Mick began the toast.
"I'd like to thank you guys for coming here tonight and helping me to celebrate the holidays. This is the first time in a long time I've cared enough to bother to celebrate. So here's to the holidays!" He raised his glass in one hand and put his other arm around Beth's waist, pulling her closer to him. Beth just looked up into his eyes and smiled. He looked back down into hers and grinned.
Josef raised his glass and continued the toast. "Here's to new beginnings." He said. He and Seth shared a look of understanding. Seth gave Josef a silent nod and everybody smiled.
It was Seth's turn to say something. Raising his own glass and looking at Josef, he said, "To friendship!"
It was Josef's turn to give Seth a nod. They both smiled and shook hands with heart-warming sincerity. Now that Josef knew where he stood with Rory, knew that there was no contest between him and Seth for her affections, he realized that there was no reason to continue the bitter feud between them. Besides, he knew that Rory would want them to be friends. And considering the fact that their secret hadn't gotten out, Seth had proven himself more than trustworthy over the past year. Seth was glad to be able to end the bitterness and tension between them.
"Here's to love!" Beth said, raising her glass and smiling up at Mick. Mick beamed back at her.
Rory stood silent for a moment, thinking of the perfect thing to say. After a minute or so, she smiled and raised her glass.
"To making out in the rain!" She said with a mischievous grin. Everybody looked at her. "What?" She asked defensively, "I can't help it if it's hot!"
Everyone suddenly burst into laughter. Mick smiled a contented smile to himself, looking at the group of people surrounding him. He was happier now, in this moment, surrounded by people close to him, than he'd been in nearly 60 years. Once everyone had quieted down, Mick cleared his throat. He decided on the perfect toast to finish off the evening.
"To family." He said meaningfully, giving Beth a squeeze and looking around at everyone. It was completely silent for a moment. The impact of this statement was lost on no one.
"To family!" The other four chimed in. They all clinked their glasses together and drank. Mick just looked around him for the millionth time that evening. He was truly happy. Everything was peaceful. Little did he know, however, that this peace wouldn't last very long. In fact, this peace wouldn't even last until the end of the week...
To Be Continued…
AN: Muahahahaha! Me and my evil cliffies again! Grins Evilly So, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Despite the fact that it's several weeks late. Sigh Anyway, this is the last chapter that Seth will officially be known as Seth. After this chapter, he'll be called by his first name, Dante. Speaking of names, I actually had fun with some of the names in this chapter. Especially with Aurora. If you look up the name Aurora, you'll find a rather cool irony that I hadn't planned on when I had named her. Also, if you look up Dante, Clay, and I guess perhaps even Seth, you'll also find cool stuff. Maybe even hints as to what I plan to do with his character. Wink wink, nudge nudge. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter…It certainly took me long enough to write. But for you dedicated fans, it was a labour of love on my part. Please feel free to review and to tell me what you think. I'm dying to hear from you. It keeps my confidence up. Keeps me happy. Keeps me in a mood to write. So, anyway, look forward to hearing from you!
Luvz, Cat.