Eve didn't call him. She had to erase the memory of that night and that included Josef. Only that left her with a void that she couldn't seem to fill up. She did not leave her apartment very often, only to go to work or to get some groceries. She never left after dark, even when she knew that rapists or killers could always come after her even if it was day. She also kept imagining her rapist in every guy that looked at her when she walked down the street. She simply didn't know what happened to the rapist and knew she should go to the police but she knew that would not help her. And she definitely did not want to call Josef to ask what had happened.

She opened the door to her apartment and sighed finally relaxing now that she was home. She again had seen the rapist's face on a passing stranger. She had sprinted to her home. Her breathing was uneven and she could not get her heart beat more regular. She walked to the kitchen to get some water when her side began hurting. It signalled Eve that something was seriously wrong. She sank on the ground, her legs giving out underneath her. She grabbed her phone and speed dialed a number. Everything in front of her eyes went black when the phone was picked up at the other end.

"Hello?"

"Help…" She whispered before slipping in the dark.


Slowly Eve opened her eyes. The light was bright and she shut her eyes again.

Where was she? She did not know what happened. What had happened? She tried to open her eyes again and squinted her eyes so that most of the light was blocked out.

"Wheremai?" She asked to no one in particular. She felt someone beside her jerk up.

"Eve?" She recognized the voice of her mother.

"Mom?" She whispered back, opening her eyes further now and seeing her mother sitting beside her hospital bed.

"You're in the hospital." Her mother answered, "I'll let the doctor know you are awake."

"Oh." Was all she could say. Eve dreaded the worst but she did not let the image pop up in her mind.

"Evelyn Stevens?" The doctor walked into the room and Eve nodded. She did not like her full name.

"What happened?" She asked.

"You have had an emergency surgery because you had an internal and external bleeding. If you were not find in time then you'd died." The doctor stopped for a moment to let Eve take it all in.

"My baby?" Eve whispered.

"I'm sorry….Your baby could not be saved." Eve did not hear anything else.

"No!….NO! My baby…...my baby…...not my baby." She howled broken, her mother's arms around her.

When Josef heard Eve howl in the other room he couldn't take it anymore. Mick was standing beside him but there was no way to stop Josef from walking into that room.

"Eve..." Josef said softly, walking to the bed and ignoring the shocked faces of the doctor and her mother. He only saw Eve lying in that bed, tears streaming down her face. When she heard his voice, she looked up immediately.

"Josef, my baby…." She choked reaching out and Josef wrapped his arms around her. She clutched his shirt and buried her face against his chest. Josef looked to Mick asking him silently to help him.

"Ehm…. Maybe we should give them some time alone?" Mick muttered. The doctor nodded but her mother was eyeing Josef suspiciously. However, when she looked at her daughter she reluctantly walked out. Mick closed the door behind him, leaving the two of them alone.

They sat in silence for a long time. Eve quietly wept and after awhile they just sat there.

"Eve?" Josef asked softly. She stirred and finally lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"Did I call you?" She asked. He only nodded and her eyes widened. He stared into her beautiful blue eyes and he slowly bend down. When his forehead touched hers, she reacted slowly, mostly dazed. Her lips grazed his and he let her, wanting to take her pain away. She kissed more profoundly and deepened the kiss. Her tongue slid against his lips and he opened his mouth slowly. She lost herself in his taste and feel. Their tongues slowly moved around each other and Eve momentarily forgot everything around her, everything that had happened the last week.

Josef reluctantly broke the kiss. His lips nearly touching but not quite. When he opened his eyes, she looked slightly dazed at him.

"Try to get some rest." He whispered.

"Will you stay?" She asked while she leaned back in the cushions.

"Yes, I'll stay here." He promised her and gave her soft kiss on her cheek. When he withdrew, her eyes were closed and she was fast asleep.

He opened the door to find Mick talking to the doctor but Eve's mother immediately walked over to go in again.

"She is asleep." Josef said when she stood beside him.

"Who are you? Are you the one who impregnated my daughter?" She said eyeing him distrustful.

"My name is Josef Kostan." Josef said offering her his hand. He had to keep his temper under control because it would not benefit anyone. But this woman seriously was trying his patience. This peace offer seemed to surprise Eve's mother and she extended her hand as well, taking his.

"Mary Stevens." She said.

"She told me she was pregnant but it is not mine. She must have been already two, maybe three months pregnant and I just met her a week ago. I saved her from the guy that tried to rape her." Josef answered Mary's question with clean precision and his final tone warned her not to ask too many questions.

"My apologies. I assumed...that...well, you were with her...when…"

"Don't assume too much." Josef said walking towards Mick but he made sure that he could see Eve from his position in the hall. Mick finished up his conversation with the doctor and turned to Josef.

"She has to stay in the hospital for a week at the most. They want to make sure that there are no complications."

"Hn." Josef barely reacted because he kept looking at Eve, "I should have noticed her bleeding internally."

"The doctor said the bleeding was very gradual and it got worse when she ran such a long way. That's probably how it got worse." Mick said explaining what the doctor told him.

"Stupid girl, running like that when she's pregnant." Josef said his voice clouded with emotion.

"Josef? If you don't me asking you this but what is going on?" Mick asked tentatively.

"I have no idea actually. Probably the hero/victim-relationship that functions for you and Beth." Josef replied mockingly. Mick sighed, he couldn't make Josef talk to him. That much was obvious.

"Ok, I'll just go for now. I'll call, all right?" Mick said to him. Josef nodded.

"I just wait here till she wakes up and then I think I'll need to feed." Josef said.


"Hey, where have you been?" Beth asked when Mick finally got home.

"Well, I think Josef is in love." Mick answered, walking straight to the kitchen. Hospitals were difficult places for a vampire.

"No, seriously where have you been?" Beth repeated smiling, "Josef cannot possibly be in love."

"Well, I think we'll live long enough to see it happen." Mick stated, "I think he is in love with a woman named Evelyn Stevens."

"No way! I know her!" Beth exclaimed, "She is a columnist and works at Buzzwire."

"Really? Are you sure?" Mick asked Beth, looking disbelievingly at her.

"Yeah, if she has short blond hair and sparkling blue eyes then it's her." Beth stated while Mick nodded his head vigorously.

"Do you know her well?" Mick asked.

"Well, I have worked with her on a few stories but she has whole different perspective on things then I do." She said settling on the couch.

"Hmm...Did you know she was raped recently?" Mick asked when he sat down in a chair.

"What?! Oh...my God, that's terrible."

"That is not all. She also just lost her baby because of the attempted rape. Josef rescued her basically. He killed the guy."

"Jesus…." Beth was speechless. Then she came into action.

"What are you doing?" Mick asked while Beth was stumbling around trying to get her shoes on.

"I am going to her." She said.

"Really? You just said that you did not know her that well." Mick said, admiring Beth's compassion for someone else's sorrow.

"Yeah, but she needs a friend. A female friend to talk to. She must have been terrified. Imagining that guy's face in every crowd she saw." Beth said, when Mick looked at her in surprise, she explained.

"I know what that feels like. Seeing someone's face that cannot be there. I had that after I was kidnapped as well."

Mick nodded getting up and pulled her in hug.

"Take care. And don't piss off Josef."

"I'll try not to." Beth said mischievous grin on her face.

------------------

"Josef?" Beth asked nearing Josef who sat on a chair bend over, closed eyes. He had smelled her already but Mick told Beth that she should always announce herself when it came to vampires.

"Hello Beth. What do you do here?" He said still not looking at her but acknowledging her nonetheless.

"Well, I thought to come and see how my colleague Eve Stevens is doing." That got his attention.

"She works at Buzzwire?" He asked looking at her.

"Yes, she does. She is a columnist. We worked together a few times. When Mick told me, what happened….Well, here I am. And I brought a snack." She opened her bag and showed him a pack of A positive. Josef's eyes turned silver for a second but he quickly recovered.

"I begin to understand what Mick sees in you." Josef said sliding the pack in his jacket.

"Is it ok if I went in to see her?" Beth asked him while he was walking towards the men's room. Vampires can be very protective when it comes to someone they have feelings for, Beth knew that. Josef nodded and she went in.

Eve was fast asleep and Beth did not want to wake her. Her colleague was lying there with all kinds of machines monitoring her. Beth could not begin to understand how she must feel. In that instant Beth made a decision. When Eve was recovered enough, she wanted to ask her to come and live her. Beth's apartment was quite big and she thought that Eve maybe did not want to live in her own apartment after what happened there.

She retreated quietly and found Josef looking at her from the doorway.

"I hope she will recover from this in the positive way." Beth whispered to him. His eyes widened and he waited for her to continue.

"After what happened, I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to lock herself up and live quietly the rest of her life. Never impulsive again."

Josef shook his head.

"I won't let that happen." He said firmly and Beth inclined her head which indicated her curiosity.

"How?" Was all she asked. She had him where she wanted him. Where Mick gave up, Beth pushed a little more.

"I….I...I don't know yet. There is something…. A fire, a passion in her. I won't let that turn into a soft flame of a candle." Josef whispered, knowing Beth would hear his every word. She reached out and put a hand on his arm. Josef looked up at her surprised, she only smiled at him.

"I think she would be very grateful for it." Beth said. Josef looked at Eve and she stirred slowly waking up.

He left Beth in the doorway and walked over to her side.

"Hey…" He said softly as she opened her eyes.

"You're still here?" She whispered, her eyes never leaving his as if she might drown if she looked away.

"Yeah… You asked me to." He answered smiling. Beth wanted to leave them alone when Josef looked up at her, permitting to come closer. Eve followed his eyes and finally saw Beth.

"Beth? What are you doing here?" She asked uncertainly.

"Well, that is a long story but the main thing is I was worried about you." Beth answered taking Eve's hand to make her relax.

"Oh… I have time." She replied. Beth smiled sadly and explained to Eve that Mick was a friend of hers and he knew Josef and had been with Josef when Eve had called. So she was shocked to hear that Eve was in the hospital.

"Eve? Why did you not tell me when we had lunch Wednesday?" Beth asked softly, tears in her eyes.

"What was I supposed to say? 'Hey Beth, I got almost raped two days ago?' I was at work and I just need some distraction." Eve said and both women started to cry. Beth hugged Eve close.

Josef had been listening with growing surprise and admiration. Beth had a knack to say just right things at the right moment. He now definitely knew why Mick loved her so much.

After that emotional moment they started talking about a lot of things but avoiding Eve's loss of the baby and the rape. Beth even convinced that Eve should really see her apartment and that she was looking for a tenant.

Josef could not thank Beth enough for that offer because as much as he wanted to ask Eve if she wanted to stay with him, he was still confused about… well, everything. Eve would be safe with Beth, he and Mick would take care of that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight.