Hi, here comes a new chapter. A lot of things happen and will lead our favorit characters to difficult situations. I hope you'll like it, I have to warn you from a bad cliff... Sorry :)

This chapter was betaed by my dear friend Ancholia and the great and so kind Moonjat54 :)

I don't own Moonlight's characters but the other are mine.

Please let me know what you think of it, it always makes me happy :)

Chapter 7 : A broken night

The sun was slowly surrendering its place to the moon and their meeting in the sky was a beautiful sight. Mick was in his car looking at the colors of the sky. He realized that it was the part of the day he preferred. Like him, the sky was divided in two; one part was the day, like his human self and the other one, the night, was his vampire's self. He lost himself in the thought of the metaphore in front of his eyes. The warm colors of the sun reminded of all the humans who were soon going to sleep and the dark colors of the night around the moon showed that the vampires were among them. He understood that for thousands of years humans and vampires had lived together in peace and the sky was the proof that the good and the dark side of things were inseperable from each other. That was part of life.

That thought brought Beth to his mind. He looked at his watch and he wondered what she was doing. Last time he'd seen her, she'd been on a fresh crimescene involving a vampire and he knew that it was a difficult situation for a newly turned vampire to deal with. But Beth was strong, she'd handle it well. He wasn't worried about her, he only realized that he missed her. He'd been a fool to leave her room that night.

He pushed down on the accelerator and drove faster on the road of L.A. He finally stopped his car and walked down the green and white corridor. As he reached the door, he could smell her scent still hanging in the air.

"Hi man! Yes, she was here this morning with that stupid human."

"Hi Guillermo. Do you have the body?"

"Yes, the Cleaner's team brought it hours ago." He went to one of the drawers and opened it. "You know that this ADA got blood from the first vampire that got killed?"

"Yes, I know. Beth told me." Mick took a step towards the second body. The morgue's light gave another picture of the body.

"He's kind of pushy. I don't like him. I wouldn't even want him as a meal. The guy talks too much!"

Mick looked at Guillermo amused. "I'm not kidding. The man is a nightmare!"

"Can we talk about the case, please?"

Guillermo lifted his eyes "Yes, sure. So we don't know who the vampire is, because the killer burned the fingerprints and there's no head."

"I'm sure we'll have the identity soon. Beth will be there and take care of that. We'll soon know who the dead vampire is."

"Was, Mick. 'who the dead vampire was'. "

"Yeah, right. What about the scent? Did you smell the same thing?"

"No, there's definitely something wrong." Guillermo closed the drawer and went to the cabinet. He took a sample of blood. "I didn't find out what it is yet. There's no reason why there shouldn't be a scent. I have to make some research."

"Okay, great. Call me if you find something." Mick went to the door.

"Of course. Tell Beth I said hi."

Mick stopped and turned, surprised that he suddenly cared so much about Beth. "I will."

As he walked back to his car, he dialed Josef's number.

"What!"

"We've got another dead vampire."

"I know that!"

"How?"

"Listen, I'm in the middle of something."

Mick looked at his phone, Josef had hang up. A smile appeared on his face, not surprised by his friend's attitude.

***

Leaning against a tree trunk, he looked at the paper in his hands, the one he'd found in the mouth. He'd seen it so many times that the words had just become letters with no meaning. People in the park were gathering aroud, looking at him strangely. His face was livid, tired and lost. They looked at the man sitting in his expensive grey suit, trying to understand what he was doing there with such a strange box. Some of them thought that he might be drunk, others that he'd lost his money and the red box was the last thing he owned.

Talbot didn't notice all the looks aimed at him. His eyes were tired as the light became darker. Finally he made a move; he grabbed his cellphone and dialed a number.

"Lieutenant Davis?"

"It's Talbot. Meet me at Lincoln Park on Pacific Avenue. Take one patrol with you, I've got a head next to me."

"What?"

"Just get over here!"

He hung up and looked at the box remembering the eyes of the victim staring at him with despair. A sudden nausea grabbed him as the memories of the smell of decomposition mixed with the metallic heat from the box hit him like the first time he'd opened it. He turned his face to the opposite side and tried to inhale fresh air.

Some minutes later Talbot heard the familiar sound of the police patrol. He slowly stood up, holding onto the trunk to keep himself upright. He saw the two cars approaching and Carl Davis walking in his direction followed by three police officers.

Talbot showed the officers the red box next to him. "Be careful with that."

Carl Davis came closer to the ADA and looked at the man with worry. "Are you feeling ok, Talbot?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You're sure? You look like a dead guy."

Talbot snickered. "I assure you I'm fine and alive. The dead guy is in the box."

"Is it the same killer?"

"Yes, I think so."

"How did you get it?"

"I'll explain it back at the police station."

The cars left the park under a violent red and yellow sky.

Talbot was sitting in his office looking at the files on his desk. His ankles were crossed and his elbows were on the armrest, Talbot rubbed his lips with his finger while the other hand rested on the files. Doubt, questions and disappointment surrounded him. Papers with unfamiliar names that he couldn't make sense out of, pictures of his closest rival, Mick St John and a little piece of paper with one single name John Wu. He knew he'd seen the name before and finally he'd found out where. It was one from the list. That strange list which made no sense to him. Why would Rasputine, Virginia Dare, John Wu and Mick St John be on the same list?

The lamp on the desk was the only source of light in the little office. Outside, the sky had turned completely dark. His hand turned the pages, pulled them away and back again until he suddenly stopped. What did the killer want to point him out? In one second, Talbot's face changed from doubt to shock. He sat up straight in his chair and took the file from the morgue. The first crime scene had no piece of paper, but only blood. The killer followed the special scheme so why would he suddenly give a name? They didn't know who the first victim was, Guillermo had told them that. Guillermo… Talbot suddenly realized something. Adrenaline pumped fast in his blood, to his brain. All his thoughts were clear. He grabbed the list and let his finger run under the names and finally stopped under Guillermo Gasol! Was he hiding something? It was possible that he'd found it and hide it, but why?

The corner of a picture appeared under Guillermo's report and Talbot took it. He looked at the blood on the motel's bed. Something was wrong, he could feel it. He took a closer look at the bed and the stake. The picture had been taken at the crime scene before they sent the evidence to the morgue. He took another picture, one with a closer angle of the blood and the stake on the bed and he could clearly see that there was no piece of paper. He looked into the void and tried to remember everything from that day. They were the first on the crime scene. He'd opened the door and the horrible smell of death had reached them. He'd been the first to come in, followed by Beth. No one had been there before Beth and… No it can't be possible. Then he remembered. He'd left her alone in the room.

He leaned back heavily in his chair and rubbed his hand along his face. He'd trusted her with his heart, his soul, he'd shared all the details of his important cases, because he trusted her and he'd wanted to have her close to him.

Talbot finally stood up. It was too overwhelming. He put all the files in his briefcase and slowly walked to the door. Before he closed it, he looked at the little desk next to his and turned the light off.

***

She closed the door of her apartment and sighed. The light of the red and purple sky pierced the blinds and entered the place. She let her keys on the table next to the door and slowly walked inside. She focused on the silence in her home and tried to forget the incessant sounds made by humans all day and night long. She went to her kitchen and took out a bottle of blood. As she drank the vital liquid, she realized how weak she'd felt.

Beth looked around and saw how much her life had drastically changed in one month. She hadn't been prepared to be turned into a vampire, which was a big change in itself, because she had to control her new skills. But Beth wasn't only dealing with being a vampire, shekept having those strange dreams and she knew that was unusual. Josef couldn't explain it and thought it was because of the trauma, but she could feel that it was something else.

She slowly went to her couch, let her shoes fall on the floor and put her feet on the table. Her meeting with du Plessis had opened new doors and raised many new questions. The story about Coraline had given her a new description of the woman she hated most in the world. She'd understood it wasn't that easy. Coraline had a long past before she'd kidnapped her and even if she couldn't forgive her for all the terrible things she'd done against her, Beth realized how miserable Coraline had been. Du Plessis had told her a few things about her past and there was nothing that had explained why Coraline had chosen her as a child and why she'd turned her. He'd told her that Coraline might have had a good reason to do it, maybe it had something to do with her dreams.

Beth suddenly felt her phone vibrate in the pocket of her jeans. She grabbed it and saw that it was Mick. She looked at his name on the screen and for the first time since she'd met him, she couldn't answer his call. She was afraid to talk to him. She put the phone on the table and let it vibrate until the sound died into silence again.

All her visions had drained her and she was starting to feel like Coraline herself. She couldn't talk to Mick, not after her meeting with du Plessis who'd described how Coraline had loved Mick. Beth now realized what Mick had explained her once; Have you ever had an intense affair? It's like an infection. It burns you up. Makes you do things you wouldn't normally do. Coraline had loved him as intensively as he had in her own way; Beth knew it, because she'd felt it. Du Plessis' explanations explained some of it, but her dreams were so vivid, so intense that she'd felt Coraline's passion for Mick.

Just thinking about it, Beth remembered the force of Coraline's love when she died in Josef's arms I'm sorry. I just loved him so deeply. Even now Beth could feel Coraline's dead heart beating for the last time for him. Images from her first kidnapping through Coraline's eyes came back to her mind. Beth had felt what Mick had described. Coraline was burned up by her love for him and she did the worst thing she could do; she had taken an innocent child. Beth had felt the insanity of the situation through her vision. Coraline had gone completely mad with love. Madness, yes it was madness. Beth knew that her love for Mick was different. Her love was pure, because she felt that they were meant for each other. Then it hit her that Coraline's love was true at the beginning. Was she going to be like her sire? Coraline and you are two completely different vampires. Du Plessis' voice echoed in her mind. Their past was different too.

A cold tear rolled down her cheek. She couldn't handle it anymore. It was too hard, too painful. She wasn't ready to take on this responsibility. Why was this happening to her? A light appeared on her phone's screen. She had a message from Mick. She couldn't listen to it even though she needed him so much right now, she needed his arms, his voice, his love. It was impossible to see him. She feared that he would see Coraline through her eyes or think that Coraline and her were one person, one vampire. She couldn't handle his rejection. She dreaded the look on his face. She began to feel like a monster, like the one who'd turned him, the one he'd killed once.

She closed her eyes as a strong sadness took control of her. She cried silently, she was all alone and she had to face her destiny without the one she loved most. Beth began to feel weaker and weaker; she needed to rest even if she didn't want to. She slowly stood up and went to the dark room. Only the shy moonlight pierced the darkness. She closed the doors and took off her clothes. Every movement required for an additional effort and she began to lose her strength. Responsibility and sadness were too heavy to carry.

Beth opened the lid of her freezer and as she saw the cold fog escape, she hesitated one second. She knew she needed it, but it was also the place where all the visions happened. She slowly stepped inside and lay down. She kept her eyes open, trying to fight her tiredness, but without noticing it, she fell into a deep sleep.

Darkness…

The fresh air of the night caresses my skin… I feel good… I look at my husband walking next to me… I feel his happiness, it has been so long.

Darkness…

I'm nervous, something is wrong… I'm in danger, all my senses are in alert… I feel something..

Darkness…

He's there, I can smell him… He's not alone…

Darkness…

He's in front of me… "Hello sister."His cold voice paralyzes my body…

Darkness…

"You set me up. Didn't you?"… His eyes, the way Mick looks at me… I can't bear it… He thinks I betrayed him…

Darkness…

I lie on the ground… He hurts Mick badly … My Mick…He's going to kill him…

Darkness…

I stand up… "Wait" it escapes from my mouth… "I'll go with you"… This is the only way to save him, even if I'll never see him again…

Darkness…

I kneel down… I'm scared… I feel his lips on my cheek… Mick is looking at me, lying on the ground, wounded… A terrible pain rippes through me… I can't move anymore, the wood in my chest burns me…

Darkness…

Mick lifts his head and looks at me…His beautiful eyes… This is the last time I see him…I'll miss him so much…

Darkness.

Beth jolted awake in the freezer as she felt her body taken by Coraline's brother and hit her head on the lid. She finally opened her eyes and her hand going toher chest. There was no stake, nothing. Only a light layer of ice. She slowly stepped outside and covered her body with a dressing gown. She went to the bathroom and as she caught her reflection in the mirror, the only thing she could see was Mick's look. Coraline's feelings were still fresh in her mind and she could feel that terrible pain. She went back to her room and picked out some clothes. As she dressed, she realized that her dream was what had happened when Mick received the cure. Coraline gave it to him! She slowly understood the look he had as he saw Coraline taken by her brother.

Then for the first time she noticed that it was the first dream without her physic presence on the scene. In all the previous dreams, her body had been next to Coraline; her first kidnapping, her turning and Coraline's death. Now something was different, Beth wasn't there. She still could see everything around; Coraline and Mick walking in the dark street, Coraline's brother and his servant. Beth had never been there. So how could that be possible?

Beth spotted a chair and sat down. She put her face in her hands and tried to think with a clear mind. They weren't dreams like she'd thought. It was more than this, visions? Suddenly her phone vibrated on the table in the living-room. She stood up heavily and went over to the phone. She saw Talbot's name on the screen. "Yes?"

"Beth, meet me at the bar next to the office. It's urgent."

Beth started to answer but she realized that the line was dead. She sighed and looked outside. It was completely dark; night had taken over. After having a glass of blood, she grabbed a jacket, her keys and left her appartment.

***

The sound of the car's motor slowly faded as he approached the villa. The place was completely deserted and he could hear the sound of his feet stepping on the shattered glass breaking the silence of the night. His hands in his pockets, his heart heavy with sadness, he looked at the house where he'd been many times before. He still could see the living-room full of guests, drinking Champagne and expensive wine, surrounded by candle light everywhere in the house and around the swimming-pool. As he walked to the terrace, he could distinguish her long-limbed figure in a dress that showed how much she wanted to be noticed. Even now he could see something in her eyes that he hadn't understood then, but it was obvious now. His sister has been sad, life had left her.

Henri walked around the empty swimming pool, but he was surrounded by memories which haunted the place. Scents of the past were everywhere and Henri was caught by them. He remembered that he'd been there before she'd met her husband. That night Coraline was talking with someone he'd met one time before, in New York…

Coraline sat on a white chair and looked at the candles and the flowers floating on the water. Her eyes had a lost look, she was somewhere far away, then a smile suddenly appeared on her face illuminated by the candles.

Henri who was standing on the opposite side, in the living-room, stared at his sister, worried. As he saw her smile, he noticed a male figure standing in the shadow behind her. He was saying something to her, that he tried to hear, but couldn't because of the glass wall. Henri didn't like that man, Josef Kostan. But every time he was near Coraline, her sadness disappeared and her smile came back. That was the only reason why he let her be with him.

Henri saw that Coraline had lifted her eyes from the water to a blond woman in a white dress. Josef Kostan had put his hand on her shoulder and was now leaning down next to her ear. They were both staring at the woman, a human. Henri guessed they were talking about her and as he saw the human's face, he recognized who it was. He'd forgotten he was in Hollywood and realized that all the humans in the villa were movie stars. The blond woman had the same white dress than in the movie that made her an icon of seduction. She was surrounded by three vampires who were after her blood. Henri saw that Josef Kostan made a little gesture with his hand and the blond movie star left the starving vampires. She approached the other side of the swimming pool and took the hand Josef Kostan offered her. He pulled her closer to him and held her tight. Coraline was still sitting on her white chair that she'd turned it so she could watch them.

Henri looked at the strange scene that only he seemed to notice. All the guests were lost in their own occupation. He saw Kostan stand behind the blond movie star and brush the hair from her neck. He let a soft kiss before he bit her. At this instant, it was like time had stopped around Henri and the three figures he was observing. Coraline was grabbed by the wave of pleasure emanating from the human. Kostan looked at Coraline staight in the eyes as he filled his mouth with the warm, fresh blood. The freshie lost consciousness and Josef sat her down on the bench next to him. He turned to face Coraline with a mischievous smile. Henri could only see his sister's back but he could guess that she was smiling. He saw her lift her hand to Josef who helped her stand up and whispered her something in her ear. Coraline looked around and didn't notice her brother staring at them. She took Josef's hand and went to a grey door hidden by artificial flowers.

Henri now saw the destroyed terrace. The place was like his sister had been, beautiful and admired by everybody, but now it was ruined and only memories could restore its former greatness. Images from the last time he'd seen her in this villa came to his mind. It broke his heart to remember her so sad, so desperate. He'd thought she was dead; she'd lost her mind and she couldn't find a way to express her love. Those images were rooted in his memories for ever.

He walked outside the house and went to the taxi still waiting for him. He opened the door and before he settled inside, he turned and took a last look at the place. He knew it would be the last time he would see the villa. He wanted it to be destroyed and replaced with something else. He sat in the seat and closed the door. "You can drive."

As the car drove off, he could see the ghosts of past slowly disappear in the night. A few minutes later, the taxi was in the city. The darkness of the night was hidden by hundreds of lights. It occurred Henri how humans were afraid of the dark. Lost in his philosophical thoughts, Henri let his eyes take in the living city.

Minutes later, the driver stopped his taxi in front a building and helped his passenger with his luggage. Henri paid him and looked at the doorman in front of him.

***

Josef sat at his office and studied the list with the vampire's names. He'd crossed out the name of the first vampire that had been killed and waited for the call from Mick for the second victim. The shadow of the french bloodline behind the murders made Josef even more concerned about the vampires' fate.

He heard some steps in the corridor and lifted his eyes to see a blond girl coming inside. He stood up and took her to the couch. He pulled her hair back to reveal her neck. As he saw the veins pumping the vital liquid through her skin, Josef's eyes became ice-blue. He kissed her neck and took her arm. He inhaled the delicate scent of her skin that he pierced with his fangs. The girl pulled her head back as she felt the vampire's mouth on her arm.

***

Henri followed the man to the elevator and gave his bagages to another man. The doors of the elevator opened and they went inside. Henri was uncomfortable; he hoped he'd made the best decision and would find a way to stop this terrible war.

The elevator stopped at the last floor and the doors opened. Henri walked behind the man who showed him another door. As he went inside, Henri looked at the man with questionning eyes. The man nodded and Henri entered the room.

First he thought that the office was empty but as he walked, he could smell that he wasn't alone. He finally saw the man who could help him, looking at him with a shocked face.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, mister Kostan, but I have an important message for you from France."

***

She stopped her car in front of the bar. The air was cold this evening and she took a deep breath as she enjoyed the coolness of the night. She went to the door and when she opened it, she was assaulted by the strong smell of beer, cigarettes and male sweat. The wave of bad scents made her stop a second before a guy pushed her inside. The sound of music, of the television and the voices were joined into an unpleasant hubbub.

Beth looked around and finally found the familiar figure who'd called her. He was sitting at the bar, his briefcase on the chair beside him. As she approached, she noticed the four empty glasses of whisky, the fifth in his hand. Not good, she thought. She stopped next to him and the first thing that she could smell, was the awful smell of alcohol. She remarked that he didn't notice her presence. She took his briefcase and put it on the bar. As he saw the briefcase in front of him, Talbot finally lifted his head and looked at Beth with fuzzy eyes.

She sat down, without waiting for his permission. An awkward silence settled in between them, until Talbot took something from his pocket that he put on the bar in front of Beth. Her eyes fell on a little piece of paper and her body shivered as she saw what it was. It was the same kind of paper than the one she'd found on the bed. She discretely inhaled the paper and caught a smell of decomposition. She slowly opened the paper and her eyes grew wider as she saw the name on it. It was the same writing as the one she'd found in the motelroom.

Talbot stared at Beth as she opened the piece of paper. A sudden disappointment grabbed him and he turned his attention back to his glass. "I've got a call this afternoon. I found a head in a park. It was in a box and I found this paper in the mouth."

He turned back to look at Beth straight in the eyes and he noticed that she wasn't surprised. "The killer is very particular about the signs he leaves on the scene, so I guess there was a piece of paper on the first crime scene that we missed. But the problem is that I've been there and checked. I found nothing." Her silence confirmed his thoughts. He left a note on the bar, took his briefcase and walked to the door.

Beth was completely shocked and slowly realized that Talbot knew she had found the first piece of paper. She suddenly came back to reality and grabbed the paper before she joined Talbot outside. When she got outside, she found him trying to take his car keys. He was too drunk to drive and Beth couldn't let him drive home in this state.

"Ben, let me drive you home."

He didn't look at her and began to walk. She followed him, worried. "Please Ben, let me take you home." She grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Please." He saw her blue eyes looking into his and he couldn't stop himself thinking how beautiful she was. Beth caught the change of emotion which turned into anger again. He walked away, but this time, Beth didn't move. "I'm sorry Ben. I had to."

Ben suddenly stopped and turned to her, his face red with anger. "I trusted you!" As he yelled, he noticed two men walking towards them. Ben went to Beth and saw one of the men taking something from his pocket that he pointed towards them. It was a gun.

"Give me your money!"

Beth finally turned and saw the two men in front of them, both holding guns. She could feel their hearts beating fast in their chest. They were nervous, the heartbeat irregular; she caught a faint whiff of drugs. She tried to stay calm and handed them her purse. "Take it easy." She said in a calm voice.

"Shut up!"

Talbot tried to open his briefcase but he was too nervous and still drunk: the contents fell to the floor. Beth saw that the men began to lose control and as Talbot tried to put the stuff back in his briefcase, he made a nervous movement at one of them. Suddenly a loud sound broke the silence of the night and Talbot saw Beth slowly fall on the floor as the two guys ran away. He let go of his briefcase and dragged Beth into his arms. He looked at her worried and saw one bloody hole in her chest.