Disclaimer: Moonlight and characters don't belong to me; I'm simply a fan having fun with the characters.

They had been driving for ten minutes now and Beth still hadn't said a word; not since she had unsuccessfully tried to argue that Mick might have been mistaken about Shane. He knew she knew the truth, but he understood her reluctance to accept it so he had let her rant. Still, her argument had collapsed fairly quickly—after Mick reminded her that vampires had a distinct "smell," she had nodded mutely and withdrawn into silence. He told her he would take her home and when that didn't draw a verbal response from her, he made no further attempt to draw her into conversation. He understood how she must have felt but he didn't know what to say to make her feel better. So he drove. Drove and kept glancing at her, concerned and wishing he could protect her from feeling this way.

"Beth," he said finally, breaking the tension that had been building up with the increasing silence. "You don't have to do this. This is my case—I dragged you into this. You're not obligated to stay."

She didn't hesitate to respond. "That's very gallant of you Mick, but I can do this. I want to do this—it's my job."

"But you don't have to," Mick insisted. "I could find Shane's trail, have Gilly safely returned. Wrap up this case. I can do this on my own… and you can still have your story."

"This isn't just about the story, Mick," she sighed, rubbing her temples. "Gilly's young; she won't remember any of this as she's growing up. She'll have a chance at a normal childhood. This is about making sure she has that chance and I couldn't live with myself if I just stood by and waited for the outcome. I know she's in good hands with you Mick, but I still need to do this."

"Okay," Mick agreed quietly. He understood her need—he had felt that same need 22 years ago when Coraline had kidnapped Beth. He had known he wasn't responsible for Coraline's actions but even after he had seen Beth safely home, he still felt as if he was to blame. After all, hadn't Coraline taken Beth because in her deranged mind she believed that the three of them could be one big, happy family? He could make all the excuses he wanted for her but he couldn't deny that they all led back to him. Ultimately, what Coraline had done, she had done for Mick.

He stole a glance at Beth, still surprised that she didn't hate him for what his ex-wife had put her through, especially considering how she had reacted to Shane being a vamp. She was intelligent, quick to make connections—she must have guessed why Coraline had taken her.

"What are you thinking?" Beth asked suddenly, head cocked, eyes locked with his.

Mick looked away and kept his eyes focused on the road, realizing that she must have caught him looking at her. He debated over how to answer her; he was tired of always keeping her an arm's length away, of never giving her the whole truth. Tonight, he could feel his ability to craft responses that held only bits of truth ebbing.

"Mick?"

"I was thinking…" Mick trailed off. Just this once, he told himself. "The way you're feeling now, that need you feel to help find Gilly… that was the way I felt after I saved you from Coraline… that's why I stayed close all these years."

Beth managed not to gasp but her eyes rounded in shock. She had expected a response that danced around the truth without quite touching it but he had surprised her again by giving her the truth when she least expected it. She thought about her dream and all the questions she wanted to ask him but before she could voice them, they died out on her tongue. They all seemed so insignificant compared to what he had just confessed to her. His confession proved to her what she had already known: vampire or not, Mick St. John was good. He wasn't a monster as he liked to believe but someone who cared and for now, that was enough for Beth.

All too soon, Mick pulled up in front of Beth's building. They sat there, in silence, for a moment, Mick because he didn't know what to say, didn't know how Beth felt about his admission and Beth because though she was tired, she suddenly didn't want to go home.

"So…" Mick began. He looked at her expectantly.

"I should go…"

"It's been a long day; you could use the rest."

"Yeah…" Beth opened the door and climbed out. She held the door without closing it. "You'll let me know if you get a lead?"

"I'll call. Or stop by. Wouldn't dream of going on the chase without you."

"Good." She pushed the door closed firmly and walked around the front of the car but instead of going to her building, she stopped at Mick's door. "Thank you, Mick."

"For what?"

"For the truth… for being there… just… thank you." She pressed a light kiss on his cheek, then turned and left.