Chapter 34

In the past week, Mick had gorged himself. Every possible kind of food had gone down his gullet and he was beginning to fill out his clothes. But, hey, carpe diem. He would seize the day and it was gonna be a good one for Beth had finally called! She had suggested a picnic on the beach in the California sunshine, of course. How well she knew him. He felt wonderful, fully alive, and ignored the sidelong looks from all the young things with bikinied bodies. They might be beautiful but he was going to meet his woman.

There she was, setting out a feast and looking like one. How could she look so demure in white with those luscious breasts peeking out from her lacy orange camisole? She smiled and he felt the past melt away. This was a new beginning for them.

Josh was gone -- so was Coraline --and no ghosts remained to haunt them, save one: the spectre of his eventual re-turning. How long would it last? He hoped for six months, but privately he thought, with his luck, sooner. For now he would enjoy the day, catch the rays, laugh, eat her wild strawberries and dream of when she would be his completely.

Beth had been honest with him, admitting how she felt and telling him to make a decision. But he had that old familiar hesitation to open himself to hurt. He could not say it to her then; only later to Josef would he admit it.

Josef saw things in black and white; Mick always in shades of gray. Sex was the goal for his friend but not for Mick. After decades of guilt, shame and hiding himself, he would have to ease back into the human -- and dating -- world. He would cook for Beth, serve dinner by candlelight then see where the rest of the night took them.

But he was not given the chance for Maureen's murder brought them both back to earth with a start. Once again, he and Beth were investigating a death but this time it was different for he was human which proved to be a lot harder than when he was vampire. In fact, he felt pretty lame.

Guillermo mocked him; he made friends with a cat which he then had to protect from Logan; and he got to eat a doughnut for the first time in 30 years! Oh, yeah, and he nearly got killed! Several times. Christ, it hurt and the worst of it was, he didn't regenerate. Plus he was so weak. As a vampire he would have wiped the floor with these guys, instead Guilllermo had had to stitch him back up.

Once again Josef was there and once again, dammit, Josef was right. He couldn't protect her as a human but this was Beth, his Beth; he made the decision.

And became undead again, to save her.