More fluff! I am having soooooooo much fun with a mortal Josef!!!!!!!

A/N: I am not a vegetarian, but I worked as a short order cook for a while and the sight, smell and taste of hamburgers makes me sick, so my descriptions of fast food might be a little bias. I tried to add humor, but it might come off a tad sarcastic.

Note: Mick and Adriana are just friends!

Enjoy!!!!!

Food and Friendship

"Ughhhhh!" Josef doubled over and grabbed his stomach. "Turn around. We have to go back." He groaned.

"What? Why?" Beth looked concerned. She stopped the car and tried to comfort Josef.

"My stomach…" Josef said. He look discomforted and spoke in short breaths. "Something's…wrong… We have to… go see the doctor."

Beth panicked. "What do you mean?"

"My stomach feels like it's…" Josef trailed off groaning. Then Beth heard a rumbling growl from his stomach.

Beth couldn't help but laugh. Josef glared at her. If Beth hadn't been so amused she would have been intimidated. "You're hungry, stupid." She said between giggles.

"Hungry?" Josef continued to clutch his stomach.

"Yeah, you know…hungry, as in, you haven't eaten anything in 400 years…hungry." Beth was trying to keep her composure, but Josef looked ridiculous doubled over in the passenger seat. "So what do you want to eat?"

"Ummm…"

"What? Don't tell me you don't know."

"Well, it has been 400 years since my last meal. I don't remember what food taste like."

Beth remembered Mick mentioning that and felt a little sorry for Josef. She said, "Well, it's not fancy, and probably not what I would want for a first meal, but cheeseburgers are cheap, fast and we are conveniently parked at a fast-food joint." Beth smiled and turned off the car. "I will be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Beth hurried inside and ordered the largest meal she could. She waited impatiently, nervously glancing at her car every ten seconds. She didn't trust rabid Josef to eat politely in public, but she was worried about what he was doing in her car as well. She grabbed the food and hurried back outside.

She sat down and began rummaging through the bags for one of the cheeseburgers. She unwrapped the greasy hunk of meat and cheese and handed it to Josef.

Josef looked at the cheeseburger begrudgingly, but started devouring it. His expression changed from disgust to something of pleasure. Once he had devoured the double meat, double cheese monstrosity he said, "Now I understand why people eat this stuff, even though it makes you fat and can kill you. It's good." He looked slightly impressed. "It was a bit dry, the red sauce helped, but still it lacked… lacked…"

Ever the critic. Beth smiled as Josef tried to describe the subtleties of the cheeseburger. She nibbled on some of the fries as Josef helped himself to seconds.

"The sauce was sweet, yet bland. It lacked-"

Beth cut him off, "It's called ketchup. The sauce is ketchup, it is a tomato, sugar mix."

"Interesting. None of this," he motioned to the food setting in their laps, "was around when I was mortal. What is that you're eating?"

"This is a French fry. It is a salted, deep fried potato." She handed him one.

Josef took a bit and looked at her quizzically. "Are they supposed to taste like this? It's… I'm not sure. I've never tasted anything like that."

"What?!" Beth almost choked on the piece of fry in her mouth. "You've never had a potato?!"

"Can't say I have. If I am correct the Spanish brought potatoes back from the 'New World' in the mid 1500's, but I lived in eastern Europe, by the time the potato had spread to my small corner of the globe I had been turned and was long gone."

"Try it with ketchup." Beth offered.

Josef dipped the fry and tried it. "Hum… the sweet and salty is a great contrast. The potato absorbs the grease well..." Josef continued critiquing their meal. Beth just smiled. Only Josef would critic fast food.

"I have wondered about some foods over the years." Josef said, as they were finishing up. "Like, what is the deal with chocolate?"

Beth choked on her drink. "You've NEVER had chocolate?!"

"Well yeah, it, like potatoes, was introduced in the late 1500's. I saw some in the Spanish court, but I never did have any. Humans seem to go nuts over the stuff."

Beth struggled with this idea, He's never eaten chocolate. He NEVER eaten chocolate! I should buy him some… wait, if he tries it and then goes back to being a vamp, he won't be able to taste it. Wouldn't it be more cruel to be left with the memory of how divine chocolate taste then to have never eaten it?

"Could we get some of it?" Josef asked innocently. "I would like to try it, see what all the hype is about." He looked almost giddy. Like a schoolboy who had found a new toy. "Oh, ice cream too." He added.

"Josef," Beth started cautiously.

"Not right now Blondie. But in the next few weeks, while I am stuck in this retched form, I might as well get something out of it. Maybe a sun bath too… It's been a long time."

"That's not it Josef." Beth looked at him seriously. "Are you sure you want to try all this? I mean, won't it be hard to give it all up?"

"Are you kidding? Nothing, no matter what it taste like, could make me remain human." Josef looked at her in all sincerity. "You mortals are so attached to your little sensory delights, you can't see the whole picture. Nothing, not even chocolate, could keep me in the mortal coil."

Beth laughed at her own stupid notions and started up the car. "So, off to downtown?"

Josef shoved the last few fries in his mouth and motioned with his hand, "Onward, my good man, onward."

Mick awoke, shivering. Josef had let him borrow his freezer, being it looked like he wasn't going to be needing it any time soon. Mick opened the door and sat up. Josef must set his freezer colder. Mick reasoned.

He got up and pulled on his pants and headed for the kitchen. In the kitchen he found Adriana brooding. "I thought you went to bed?" Mick asked.

Adriana looked up and answered, "I did, but I couldn't sleep. I'm worried." She looked back down. "Besides, draining Josef made me more vamp then human, it's too warm in the bed."

Mick sat down next to her and laid a comforting hand on her back. She leaned her head on his shoulder and silently began to sob. Mick embraced her and held her quietly for a few minutes, letting her sob into his chest and offering comforting words.

"I blew it." She cried over and over.

"No you didn't. Look at me." Mick held her by the shoulders and forced her to look into his eyes. "I have know Josef for 50 years. I probably know him better then anyone else alive. He is not mad at you. If he was, you wouldn't be here. He would have kicked you out the moment he figured out what happened."

"But… he will never trust me again. We can never be together." She protested.

Mick tried to smile reassuringly, but he couldn't. A piece of him knew she was right. Josef wasn't one to forgive and forget. Adriana broke down crying again and Mick wrapped her in his arms. "Don't give up, just yet. Josef has a way of surprising you." Mick offered.

"Wait. We need to go back to my place real quick." Josef said as Beth pulled up to a stoplight.

"Why? Shouldn't we just go get this over with?"

"No, this is important. It will just take a minute or two."

"Whatever," Beth said as she made an illegal turn against the light to head out to Josef's.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Josef screamed.

Beth looked at him quizzically, "Like you never broke a few traffic laws…"

"Yeah, but I was immortal then. Do you know how many people die in car accidents each day?!"

Beth grinned. "Are you saying you're afraid of dying?"

"Hell yes! Why do you think I love being a vamp? I don't have to worry about traffic accidents."

"Live a little." Beth said. Then she saw the horrified look on Josef's face. He was pale white and near hyperventilating. "Sorry, no more traffic violations." Beth apologized.

"Good. And could you slow down a little, the speed limit is 35." He said. Beth chuckled, but slowed down.

"So why are you up?" Adriana asked Mick after she had calmed down.

"I was cold." He answered.

"Really?" Adriana puzzled, more to herself then Mick. I wonder if my blood is affecting him too? She pushed the thought from her head and asked. "Would you like anything?"

Mick opened his mouth to say 'no thank you,' but before he could respond his stomach growled. Adriana smiled knowingly and pulled a glass from the cupboard. Mick started to protest, but she shushed him and filled the glass with her blood.

"You need this." She handed it to him.

"Thanks." Mick gulped down half the glass, then asked "Adriana, your blood taste like a vamp's."

"Really? Well, I filled some bottles earlier. They are in the fridge." She walked over and grabbed a bottle. Then she emptied the glass she had just filled and re-filled it with blood from the bottle. She took a small sip, smiled and then handed it back to Mick. "All better."

Mick thanked her and took the glass. They talked for a little bit about meaningless things.

Finally, Mick said, "Well, I think you need to sleep, you have a business to run."

"One last question?" Adriana waited for Mick to look at her, "What is between you and Beth?"

Mick sucked in air. The question hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. Nothing in their conversation had been this personal.

Adriana continued, "I can see that there is attraction, on both sides, and I was wondering if you had done anything about it?"

"It's complicated." Mick sighed.

"Love always is." Mick started to protest, but Adriana silenced him with a finger. "My dad always says that love is the one emotion that vamps and humans share. Love is universally powerful and no vamp or human is immune to it. Love is a blind. Love is a leap. Love is a test… all these are true. And denying love will only make life unbearable."

"Life would be more unbearable if I was to lose her." Mick poured out his soul in these simple words.

"You've already lost her, if you are unwilling to try." With this, Adriana got up and walked out of the kitchen.

Mick was left at the table brooding over her last statement, You've already lost her, if you are unwilling to try. Well, Beth, you were right. And now…I am willing to try. Together.

With that he finished the last of his drink, stood up with determination and returned to the freezer to await twilight and Beth's return, We have a lot to talk about…