This is it people. The last chapter. I never imagined all this when I made my first post almost three months ago!!! I can't begin to explain the changes this story has been through, but it has been one wild ride!!!!!

I have titled this peace "With Hope" because everything should end with hope.

This piece is a lot more angsty than most of my past posts, and a lot darker. I don't want to scare anybody off, but I want you to be warned.

A note on vampire turnings: in my mind vampire turnings require the sire to stay with their new turn because the new turn needs to be taught the ropes. I don't see the turn as physically dependant on the sire after the turning, nor weakened by the turning. There is a fair amount of bloodlust, but the sire sticks around to keep their fledgling in check. After the turning there is a short time, where the new vampire's body has to adjust, but the hardest part is for the new turn to adjust to their new lifestyle and to learn to curb the bloodlust.

I also wanted to add that there may be some topics in this post that some might find controversial. I don't want to make anyone angry. Please respect my choices on the characters views and if you have a problem, PM me to discuss it. I'm not sure how people will react, so I just want to cover myself if someone gets angry.

Oh, and Josh is getting a mention in my fic. I know I said I wasn't writing him in, but I wanted to show that I didn't kill him off, I just pushed him out of Beth's life.

Enjoy!!

With Hope

Mick sat in an armchair next to the bed. Josef was perched on the edge of the bed next to Beth, facing away from Mick, so Mick couldn't see his face. Beth's chest didn't rise and fall with breath nor did her heart beat. She lay in a pool of her own blood—its stench filled the room.

Mick didn't understand. What happened? Why was she in pain? Why did Josef step in? Mick kept going over what happened in his mind, but he was no closer to an answer than before.

Mick had been tired, hassled and apprehensive when he had arrived home. He had spent a long day in court and was about to leave when DA Josh Lindsey had cornered him and demanded answers. Josh had been relentless in asking about Mick's involvement with Beth. His encounter with Beth's ex-boyfriend had caused Mick to rethink the idea of turning Beth. This is what she is giving up. A normal life with a man who cares so deeply for her…

Upon arriving home, he had found both Beth and Josef waiting. Beth's inhibitions and fear had permeated the room, only adding to his own inhabitations. He remembered the look Josef had given him. A 'Too late to back down now, boyo' knowing smile crossing his face. Mick had stalled, but finally—begrudgingly—he had taken Beth up to the bedroom, this room. Mick looked over at Beth's still form on the bed.

He had laid down next to her and assured her everything would be alright, Oh, what a lie… Beth had tilted her head to give him access to her neck and he had bitten down, starting the process. What went wrong? Maybe my own apprehension passed to her? Maybe her fears overwhelmed her?

Mick looked back to Beth on the bed. Everything had been going fine, until he tasted it. Something bitter in her blood, something that made him want to stop. He'd never tasted it before. Was her body on self-defense mode? Did it create some poison that made her unappetizing? His muddled brain couldn't figure it out.

That's when the pain had started. A dull, numbing pain in his abdomen. Mick felt it in his own body as if it was he who was in pain. He watched as Beth gasped and moaned. He could smell the blood pooling beneath her, the smell that now poisoned the room.

Mick didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was happening. He vaguely remembered Josef pushing him out of the way. Mick watched as Josef tried desperately to finish the process. Josef had bitten his own wrist and held it to Beth's mouth, but she hadn't swallowed.

That's when her heart stopped. Mick had listened in horror as the high loss of blood had taken its toll. He was frozen with fear, but Josef had acted. Mick could smell as Josef ferociously bit into his own tongue, filling his mouth with blood. Mick had watched passively, as Josef placed a forceful kiss to Beth's dead lips. He had used all 400 years of experience to force his blood into her mouth and then massage her throat so she would swallow.

The next five minutes were an eternity and Mick was finally starting to come out of his stupor, and realize that Josef was kissing Beth, when she moved. Her heart wasn't beating, but she moved. Josef pulled back and bit his wrist again, holding to her mouth. The smell of her sire's blood had been too tempting. Beth's eyes flew open and she latched onto Josef's wrist, greedily drinking.

Mick's heart had rejoiced. Beth was alive! BETH WAS ALIVE!! After Josef had removed his wrist from her mouth, she had fallen back against the pillows.

Beth now lay in the death coma of a new turn. Josef was watching her intently for any signs of danger. Satisfied that his fledgling was out of harms way, he turned to Mick. Mick could see that he was paler than usual. Beth took a lot out of him, Mick thought.

"Mick," Josef started, tentatively. "We need to get her cleaned up. It will be traumatizing if she wakes up in this state." Josef motioned to the blood on the bed.

Not knowing what else to do, Mick nodded. He walked to the bed and, with Josef's help, picked Beth up. Josef motioned to the bathroom and Mick took her to the shower. He vaguely heard the sound of Josef dialing his phone before the noise of the water overwhelmed his senses. Who is he calling? Mick stripped Beth and carried her into the shower. Taking his time, he gently cleaned her skin. Her lack of heartbeat unnerved him, but her quiet moans reassured him that she was living or at least un-dead. He stayed with her in the bathroom, not wanting to face the questions that would arise in his mind when he left.

After the shower he gently dried her off and dressed her in his bathrobe. He walked back into the bedroom to find the Cleaner's crew in full swing. The bed was gone and they were steam-cleaning the walls and carpet to get rid of the stench.

Josef walked to Mick's side and looked at Beth, like a father would a beloved daughter. He was drinking from a glass of blood to replace some of what Beth had taken. The Cleaner directed the crew as they maneuvered a brand new mattress up the stairs. Mick marveled at their response time. I guess money can buy you anything, not to mention a personal relationship with the Cleaner, Mick thought as Josef handed the Cleaner a wad of cash and bid her 'Goodnight.'

Josef motioned for Mick to lay Beth down on the freshly made bed. Mick sat next to her and stared down at her beautiful face. Josef sat on the other side of the bed and gently brushed a few strands of her hair off her cheek.

Mick finally found his voice and asked, "What happened, Josef?"

Josef looked up at Mick, his eyes full of sadness. Mick's chest tightened. "Mick…" Josef started in a warning tone.

"Don't baby me, Josef! I need to know," Mick demanded.

Josef sighed and looked back down at Beth, "She miscarried, Mick."

Mick blinked and looked down at Beth. "Pregnant? But…how?"

"Do I really have to explain it to you?" Josef said, trying to bring some levity into the situation. The blank stare he received from Mick sobered his attempts at humor. "When her body died, so did the fetus."

"But…" Mick continued to stare at Beth. "Vampires can't have children."

Josef closed his eyes and took a calming breath. Then he looked at Mick. "No, not normally, but you drank Adriana's blood. It allowed you to taste food—who knows what else it affected…"

Mick's eyes widened with realization and he looked up at Josef. "You mean…your saying…"

"Yes, Mick, it was your child," Josef said softly, trying to judge Mick's reaction.

"But why couldn't we hear the heartbeat?" Mick's eyes pleaded with Josef as they watered with tears.

Josef looked at Beth. "She would only have been about two and a half weeks along," he stated. "A fetus doesn't have a heartbeat until about the fourth week."

"Why do you keep calling it that?" Mick asked, anger seeping into his voice.

"What? A fetus? That's what it was, Mick. A fetus. It wasn't a life yet. It didn't even have a heartbeat," Josef responded.

"Yes it was. It was a child!…my child…" Mick's voice choked up and he stood up suddenly. "I killed my child."

Josef's fears were confirmed. "No, Mick. There's no guarantee that the pregnancy would have held anyways. Most pregnancies end in miscarriages within the first few weeks. Fetuses are-"

"STOP CALLING IT THAT!" Mick yelled. "It was my child, Beth's and mine, and I killed it, I killed her…" Mick backed slowly away from the bed.

Josef stood up and cautiously approached Mick. "Mick…"

"No, Josef. Don't say it. I'm a monster! I killed my own child! If that doesn't make me a monster…" Mick's eyes watered with tears and he turned his face away from Beth. He crumpled to the floor. "How can I face her? How can I make up for what I've done?"

Josef swallowed thickly. "Give Beth some credit, Mick. She loves you and she wanted this too. You're not the only one responsible for what happened. It was no ones and everyone's fault."

This was the wrong thing to say. Mick lunged forward, pinning Josef to the floor. "Don't you ever say that! Beth is innocent…Beth is an innocent." Mick bared his fangs in a threatening gesture and growled at his friend.

Before Mick could comprehend what happened, he was lying on his back with Josef sitting on his chest, pinning him to the floor. "You done yet?" Josef asked calmly.

Mick lashed out, striking the side of Josef's head and pushing him off balance. Mick took the opportunity to leap to his feet and bolt from the room.

Josef watched Mick leave. He contemplated chasing after him, but Beth needed him right now. He got off the floor and walked back over to the bed, sitting down next to Beth.

She slept on. Not moving, not reacting to his gentle hand on her forehead. He pulled out his phone and called Adriana.

"Hello?"

"Adriana, I need you to do me a favor," Josef said.

Adriana paused. "Sure, what do you need?"

"I need you to find Mick. He ran off and I need to make sure he doesn't do anything…stupid."

"Okay…Why did he run off? I thought he was going to turn Beth this evening?"

"Yes. Something happened. Beth's okay now, she's sleeping, but…" Josef paused, weighing his words. "She had a miscarriage during the turning. Mick blames himself. I need you to make sure he doesn't do anything self destructive."

Adriana took a deep breath. "Oh, my. I'll find him Josef, don't worry. I love you." She hung up.

"Love you too," Josef whispered to the dead line. He hung up and looked back at Beth. She stirred. She's starting to wake up, he thought. I should go get some blood.

He stood up and went downstairs. He rummaged through Mick's hidden fridge and came up with about three bottles of fresh blood. Beth really has changed his eating habits…

The three bottles from the fridge added to the two flasks on the counter made a pretty fair amount blood, But not enough for a new turn. I'm going to need more. Josef pulled out his phone again.

"Hello, Rose. It's Josef…I need you to come over to Mick's…Yes, I know, but it's your new employer that needs you…Yes, she is just coming to and we could use some more fresh blood…Thanks." Josef hung up and took the collection of bottles and a couple glasses upstairs.

Mick stumbled from his apartment building. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't care. He just needed to get away. Mick took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. The cool night air stung as the tears streamed down his face.

Mick ducked forward and spilled the content of his stomach into some nearby bushes. He smelled the blood, Beth's blood… This thought made him retch again and again, until there was nothing left in his stomach.

He could still feel her, her closeness, her pain and her hunger. He could see her, as if she was standing next to him. He could feel her stirring, awakening from her stupor. I need to get out of here…I can't stay here! Mick wandered off into the night, trying to escape Beth's presence.

Adriana grabbed her purse and was halfway to the door before she thought of the state Mick might be in when she found him. I should take along some blood, just in case…

Adriana went back to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of blood from the fridge and a syringe from the drawer. She was going to make Mick eat, whether he wanted to or not.

She had no clue where to start looking, but she figured Mick's place would be best. She grabbed the keys to Josef's Shelby Mustang and headed out.

When she arrived at Mick's she decided to go upstairs and talk to Josef first. He might know where his friend would go, but as she approached the building, she smelled blood. She didn't have vampire senses, but being a half-vamp who grew up with a house full of vampires, she could pick up the scent of blood in a second.

Adriana approached the bushes, expecting to find a body, but recoiled as the stench of stomach bile washed over her. Someone threw up blood, she realized. [/iIt must have been a vampire. Probably Mick…[/i Adriana looked around, hoping to find him, but to no avail. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She concentrated on the blood and followed its trail through the air.

She opened her eyes. Mick must have walked off in that direction. The scent of the lingering blood on him left a trail that wound off down the street. Adriana started walking, slowly. She checked the scent every so often. It was dying. The other smells of the night were starting to overpower it. She picked up her pace, not wanting to lose the trail.

The trail weaved through Mick's neighborhood. Adriana wondered where his destination was, but realized, he probably didn't know himself. The further she went the straighter his path became. It like he's honing in on his target, she thought. Oh God! I hope he's not hunting! She doubted Mick would become a predator, but he wasn't in his right mind right now and he had just thrown up all the blood in his stomach.

Adriana doubled her pace, nearly running down the streets. Suddenly, she stopped. Mick's scent surrounded her. He'd stood here. He'd stopped here. Adriana looked around. She was standing on a normal apartment lined street. Nothing to indicate anything out of the norm. Then she noticed the address. Wait, this is where Beth lived.

Adriana looked up at the apartment building in front of her. She took a deep breath and walked inside. She scanned the doorbells and was glad to see that Beth's was still labeled. She climbed the stairs, cautiously, not wanting to startle Mick. Beth's door was partially open and she pushed it the rest of the way.

Mick was kneeling on the floor of the living room among mountains of boxes. His back was to her, but she knew he was devastated. She could feel his tension, fear and hatred in the air.

Mick slowly turned to look at her. His eyes were pale and his fangs extended, but he didn't look frightening, he looked heartbroken. Tears steamed down his face. "I lost her…I lost Beth," he sobbed.

Adriana's heart went out to him. She crossed the room and knelt in front of him, grabbing him into a comforting hug. Mick hugged her back, sobbing into her shoulder.

Beth stirred. Josef was by her side. He had dimmed the lights, not wanting to overwhelm her in what was already going to be an overwhelming enough night.

"Mick…" Beth choked out.

Josef swallowed and replied as soothingly as he could, "It's Josef, Beth. Can you hear me?"

"Josef?" Beth whispered, opening her eyes slightly. "What happened?"

"It's a long story, Beth. I'll tell you soon, but for now, are you okay?"

Beth shifted in the bed and groaned, "I think so. But I was in pain before, was that normal? Why didn't Mick tell me about that?"

"It wasn't normal, Beth. You should have slipped peacefully into death," Josef said, not sure what exactly to tell her.

"Am I okay?" she asked.

"Yes. You're going to be fine," Josef reassured her.

"Where's Mick?"

"He left," Josef said cryptically.

Beth's brow knitted with confusion. "Bu-but he's not supposed to abandon me. He told me horrible things happen when a sire abandons their fledgling. Shouldn't I feel his absence? Don't I need him here?" Beth spurted out question after question.

Josef chuckled at her nature. Even dead she is the most inquisitive person I know. "Beth, Mick's not your sire. I am."

Beth looked at Josef, trying to read his face, "What," she blinked in confusion. "What happened? I remember Mick draining me, then… What happened, Josef?"

Josef took another deep breath and said, "There was an accident. Mick stopped right before the end. I took over."

"An accident? What kind of accident? Josef tell me, please, what happened?"

Josef looked away from Beth to the floor and said quietly. "You were pregnant, Beth. You were only a couple of weeks along, and when your body died so did the fetus."

"I…I had a miscarriage?" Beth asked.

"Yes," Josef answered. Beth stared at him. He still wouldn't look at her.

"Where's Mick?" she asked.

Josef finally looked back at her. Her eyes pleaded with his and he looked away again. "I told you, he left."

"But, why? Where did he go? Josef, I need to talk with him, I need to tell him..."

"What? You need to tell him the child wasn't his? Because right now, that's all he wants to hear," Josef snapped at her.

Beth recoiled from Josef's statement. "What do you mean? Of course the child was his. How could it be anyone else's? Why wouldn't he want it to be?"

"You need to understand Beth, Mick is blaming himself for killing your child, for killing his child. He's gone back to the self-loathing monster he was before you came around."

Beth's mouth fell open as she realized what Josef meant. "He...he thinks it's his fault? But…it was an accident. He didn't mean to do it, there was no way he could have known…"

"I know, Beth. I tried to tell him that, but he thinks you aren't going to talk to him for the rest of eternity, that you'll never forgive him."

"Of course I will forgive him. I don't blame him. It is sad, but…but there is nothing we can do about it now."

"I know. I hope you can tell him that soon, but for now…Are you hungry?" Josef held a glass of blood in front of Beth. Beth could tell he was uncomfortable speaking on this subject, and the contents of the glass did looked appetizing…

Adriana held Mick to her. He continued to sob. He repeated, 'I've lost her,' over and over again. Adriana let him cry. She didn't offer up any resistance.

Finally, Mick's hysterics began to wane. Adriana pulled back, but stayed near him, for support.

"How did you find me?" Mick sniffed.

"I followed the scent of blood from your apartment building to here," Adriana answered.

"How did you know to come after me?"

"When a vamp loses the entire contents of his stomach, it's not a good sign. I wanted to make sure you didn't go feral with blood loss," Adriana told him, "And… Josef called me."

Mick grimaced at the mention of Josef. He had knocked his friend's head pretty hard back there. Adriana continued, "Josef told me what happened…with Beth. I understand that you're upset, but I think you might be overreacting."

Mick's eyes welled with tears again and he said, "I've lost her, Adriana. I killed our child. How can she ever forgive me?"

"You might be surprised," Adriana told him as she sat back on her heals. "Beth loves you, Mick. Truly loves you. And she would never let anything tear you two apart."

"But…it was our child." Mick didn't understand, Why doesn't anyone understand what this means?

"Yes, Mick, but neither of you knew. It's not like you did it on purpose, you didn't force her to miscarry. In fact, you are so broken up by the loss, it proves that you deeply regret what happened."

"But I should have known…" Mick tried to protest.

"You couldn't have. That's the point. Beth is understanding, she won't blame you."

"And what if she does?" Mick asked. "What if she never wants to speak to me again?"

Adriana sighed, "Mick, there's a saying in Hindi, 'kabhi alvida naa kahena.' It means never say goodbye. You can't just give up on Beth. So what if she is mad at you? So what if she refuses to talk to you? You can never say goodbye. You love her and she loves you. Sure this is going to hurt for a while. Sure it will take a while to get over, but you have to work through it. She can't stay mad at you for eternity, and that's what you have, eternity. It might not have started off on the greatest note, but you can make it through this and begin to heal and move on with your life. But you can't just give up. You have to fight for what you want in this world."

Mick looked at Adriana. He wanted to believe her. To be strong enough no matter what Beth thought, but he couldn't stand to see rejection in her eyes. It hurt him just thinking about it. If Beth looks at me like I'm a monster, I won't be able to take it. There will be nothing left worth living for.

"Love isn't easy, Mick. I may be young, but I have heard centuries of tales of love earned and love lost. And all those stories share the same theme…It is better to have dared to love and lost than to hide from love. You can't take the easy road in love and sometimes you have to do something you don't like, but in the end you will win. By daring to love you have already won."

Again, Mick stared at her, not sure what to say. She made sense, Didn't I give this speech to Josef a couple weeks ago? But somehow his mind still gawked at the prospect of seeing Beth.

"Mick," Adriana continued, "Marriage isn't easy. I know that you and Beth are not married, but by accepting to turn her you basically proposed…for eternity—which is a greater commitment than any human man could give her. You have to take the good with the bad…'For richer, for poorer, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health'…You are together. You have to work through this together." Adriana finished.

"Together," Mick breathed. "Together…"

Mick stood up and wiped his eyes. He looked around Beth's apartment and then back to Adriana. "You're right. I need to go back and talk to her, 'kabe albe da na ka hena,'" Mick tried to imitate Adriana's Hindi.

Adriana grinned as he slaughtered the words, but the meaning was there. Mick was going to fight for Beth, no matter what. Adriana stood up and bowed him to the door, but Mick didn't move. Adriana looked back up at him. He looked nervous. She arched her eyebrow at him questionably.

"Um," he stammered, "I'm really hungry."

Beth nestled back into the blankets. She had drunk all the fresh blood Josef had. She felt full and sleepy. A warm glow swept through her system, but she forced her eyes to remain open. "When is Mick coming back?"

Josef chuckled at his fledgling's stubbornness. "I'm not sure. Adriana is looking for him."

"I want to-" Beth yawned, "-I want to talk to him, when he gets..."

Josef smiled as she fell asleep mid-sentence. He stroked the hair out of her face and kissed her on the forehead, Sleep well, my dear. Dream happy thoughts. Who knows what the future holds?… Josef looked down at Beth's sleeping form. If I ever find Mick, I'm going beat him to a pulp, let him heal and beat him again. No one hurts my girl… Josef stood up and cleaned up the bottles, Beth had emptied. He watched and listened to Beth, like a father would a child. She was at peace, but he wasn't sure how long that would last.

Josef was roused from his thoughts by the sound of someone at the door. He left the room, looking back at Beth one last time.

A second knock came from the door as he crossed the room. He opened the door to find Rose standing there with three other of Josef's old freshies. They eyed the empty bottles in his arms and looked at him suspiciously. Josef Konstantin was not the kind of guy to be caught dead (literally) doing household chores.

"Come in ladies. Thanks for stopping by," Josef said, motioning them inside.

"Where's Beth?" Rose asked.

Josef headed to deposit the bottles in the kitchen. "She's asleep upstairs. I don't think she is ready to see any of you yet, but I was hoping you could give a little donation." Josef smiled and held up a plastic tubing and needle. "I know it is not as fun, but it's a lot safer then putting your beating hearts in the room with a new turn."

The girls all nodded and Josef set up the collection bottles, as the freshies spaced themselves on the couch.

"You look famished, Josef. Sure you don't want a drink?" Becky asked, one of the more nit-witty girls.

Josef shook his head. "My meal is coming later," he said. Becky pouted, but didn't press the issue. The girls finished up their donations and got up to leave. Josef thanked them and lead them to the door. He was about to open it, when it swung open by itself.

Mick and Adriana stood in the doorway. They stepped back to allow the girls to leave. After they had left, Mick walked through the door with Adriana right on his tail. Josef glared at his friend and crossed his arms. "Where have you been?"

Mick swallowed. "I'm sorry Josef. I went to Beth's. Adriana found me and talked some sense into me. I'm back to see Beth."

Josef's featured softened and he looked over to Adriana for confirmation. She nodded and Josef replied, "It's good to hear that, Mick. Beth's sleeping right now, but you can see her when she wakes up." Mick nodded and looked to the freshly filled bottles in the kitchen.

"Hungry?" Josef asked.

"No," Mick replied. "I just ate. Adriana was smart enough to bring along a bottle when she went looking for me." Mick smiled at Adriana who returned it with one of her own.

"That's my girl, thinking ahead. But, Adriana if you don't mind?" he beckoned her towards him, "I could really use a drink." Adriana smiled and tossed her hair back, allowing him access to her neck. Josef's eyes paled and he breathed her in. Mick felt the exchange of emotions and decided to go sit with Beth.

Mick climbed the stairs, but was met halfway by a sleepy, black-haired ex-reporter wearing nothing but one of his shirts. She was startled by his appearance and looked at him as if expecting him to vanish into thin air. Here it comes… Mick thought. She's going to tell me she never wants to see me again.

"Mick? Is that really you?" she asked.

Mick's heart swelled with hope, "Yes, Beth. It's me…"

Beth jumped into his arms and hugged him tight. He could tell her vampire strength was already kicking in, because he was pretty sure she had just broke one of his ribs. Mick didn't mind the pain. He hugged her back.

"I'm sorry, Mick. I'm so sorry…" Beth cried.

"What do you have to be sorry about? It wasn't your fault," Mick replied.

"It wasn't yours either," Beth said.

Mick didn't respond. It was going to take him a while to believe her, but the important thing was that she was here…with him.

"Don't ever leave me," Beth whimpered into his chest.

"I won't. I promise." Mick held her tighter as tears of joy welled up in his eyes.

"We're in this together."

Finis

That's the end…but not quite. There will be an epilogue, that is more of a segue into my next story. A companion piece to 'The Clubhouse' called 'Together.'

A warm thank you to all my readers, you guys have been great in inspiring me, I can't thank you enough. I never would have made it through this without you.

But the biggest thanks has to go to my betas, greenleaf9 and nightcap, you guys have made my work look great, without you guys I would have posted 'tot eh' (that's Chandi speak for 'to the'), 'strait' (instead of 'straight'), and 'defiantly' (when I mean definitely) You guys saved my writing and made my vision for this story come to life!!! Thank you sooooooo much!! (Even this thank you had 5 mistakes in it!!!)

And before this gets too sappy, or they start playing me off the stage, I'm going to bow out gracefully and get started on my next fic