The courtyard in front of Mick and Beth's villa was open to the sun in the center but surrounded by trees. In their shade Mick had set up a work table and tools.

Mick and Beth had bought a villa across the valley from Josef and Sandrina. It was ten minutes by car on a narrow winding road or two minutes as the vampire runs. The valley between was heavily wooded but not good for hunting. It was too isolated for a teen hangout and difficult to get through so no one went there. The vampires had discovered several ways to cross. It was a good idea to have quick access to each other's villas in case of emergency.

The villa was solid structurally but it had been empty for awhile and needed some minor repairs. Mick decided to do them himself. Josef and Sandrina had arrived two weeks before and Beth and Sandrina were planning the redecorating.

Mick wore his oldest jeans and no shirt. His hair was tied back. Josef was also shirtless but wore baggy plaid shorts that fell below his knees. They would have been at home on any retiree in Florida. Josef liked them because they were comfortable and he didn't care how he looked. This was a side of him that Sandrina and Beth hadn't seen before and they were a little shocked the first time.

"You're always so ..." Beth began.

"Sartorially splendid?" Josef finished.

"Exactly."

"That was me in L.A. This is me in provincial Italy. I'll dress up when we're in company."

"Mick, you don't seem surprised to see him like this," Sandrina said.

"At least he's showering and washing his hair," Mick replied. "You should have seen him in the '70s."

"Twice! It only happened twice," Josef protested. He explained to the girls: "It was before I had freshies of my own. I fed a couple of times from girls who had serious drugs in their blood. I had a bad reaction. I was wasted for a few days."

"That's certainly what you smelled like," Mick agreed cheerfully. "Waste."

Now Josef sat in the shade sipping blood and watched Mick work. "How did you learn carpentry?"

"My dad was handy and he let me help when I was little. He died when I was 12 but he'd taught me a lot by then. I kept the house fixed up for mom and later helped Leila."

"You let your hair grow, you're starting a beard, and you're a carpenter. Going to give a sermon on the mount next? Pass around some loaves and fish?"

"Water into wine," Mick replied. "That's my favorite miracle. Sadly, it's not to be. I'm a 'Saint' not the savior."

Mick finished a board and took it into the villa. It fit perfectly into the staircase to replace a step.

"Nice," Josef said. "You're good at this."

"Only the basics. There are a few places on the molding that I'll have to find someone to fix."

Josef inspected the ornately carved wood around the top of the wall and came to a decision. "I'll do it."

"You know someone?" Mick asked.

"Yes, me. It'll be my villa-warming present."

"Seriously? You do woodworking?"

"I'm not just a pretty face. I have skills. I'll have to send for my tools."

"Where are they?"

"Remember my castle in England? I did some work there ten years ago."

So Josef had his tools shipped overnight and got to work. He was meticulous. There were three places that needed restoration. One of them he wasn't happy with when he finished.

"It looks great," Mick said.

"I don't see what you think is wrong," Beth added.

"If Beth and Mick are happy ..." Sandrina put in.

Josef just shook his head. "I can do better."

He was right of course. The second try was flawless.

"Have you considered woodworking as a profession?" Mick asked. "You're an artisan."

"No, I'm good at copying what already exists but I don't have much creative inspiration of my own. An occasional project is fun but full-time it would be drudgery."

"That's how I feel about carpentry. I'm not sure what to do now. I can't be a PI anywhere but L.A. I grew up there, I have contacts. You have to know a city to be an effective investigator."

"Don't do anything for awhile."

"I haven't done much since we came to Italy."

"And you were working for decades before that. Just because we don't age doesn't mean we don't need a break."

"It feels wrong to be lazy."

"You're not lazy. You're a product of the American work ethic. It's a great way to build a country fast but like many good ideas it's been corrupted. Hard to stop once you get on that treadmill. But don't worry. You're next career is waiting if you're interested."

"What do you have planned for me?" Mick asked warily.

"You go to med school and learn all about humans. Then I set you up in a private lab where you can study vampires and compare the two. You have three vamps besides yourself right here. Plus Logan and Guillermo and the Cleaners would probably provide blood and tissue samples."

"Yes!" Mick's eyes were wide with excitement. "But I didn't think you were interested in the compound."

"That's not the only thing to research although I'm sure you'll want to try and replicate it. It's time for modern medicine to take a look at vampire physiology. Knowledge is power."

"This is a great idea," Mick said sincerely. "Thank you, Josef."

"You're welcome. Now that you know you'll be working your ass off eventually, will you please relax and ..."

"Take time to smell the roses?"

"Over-rated. Just slow down and savor the hemoglobin."


A/N: Once again it's time to take a break from writing about Moonlight. I have several ideas but they aren't developing right now so I'll stop thinking about them for awhile and see what happens. As always, thanks to everyone for reading and especially those who took the time to review. I appreciate your comments.

These are some ML stories I hope to write someday:

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch
While the gang is in Italy, Tokita visits L.A. and stays at Josef's mansion. Guillermo may be penthouse-sitting for Mick and Beth. Mick offered it to Logan first:

"Are you interested in taking over the penthouse while Beth and I are in Italy?"

Logan recoiled visibly then scrambled to recover. "It's a great place, Mick, for someone who's ... not me. All those windows. And a balcony." Logan shuddered. "I couldn't be comfortable that far off the ground."

Fresh Perspective
The diary of an L.A. freshie employed by Josef Kostan.

All Hallows Eve
It's practically mandatory to have a Halloween story when writing about vampires. This would be a costume party in L.A. or Italy.

Crossover with Fringe
Seventeen years ago when Sandrina Linden was practicing psychiatry as Cassandra Wells on the East Coast, she was called in to consult on a patient named Walter Bishop. In the present, when weird things start happening in Boston, Sandrina tells Josef (and Mick and Beth?) about her sessions with Walter.

Crossover with Dollhouse
Could a vampire become a Doll? Could a human Doll be imprinted with a vampire personality?

Josef and the Amazing Technicolor Dream
Josef dreams about being human. Everyone else is human as well because there's no such thing as vampires.

Fade To Black
Some years in the future Josef and Sandrina attend Denny Crane's funeral and meet the Boston Legal team.