Chapter 14

Danger Zone

Intro Song: Undisclosed Desires, Muse

Author's note: Hopefully, I'm back on a more regular writing schedule now that the holidays are over! The story will start to get more complicated - and dangerous - for our favorite fictional people. Hope you enjoy it & would love to get your feedback!

Wednesday was a lost day for Beth. Though she had made a valiant effort to get ready for work as normal, the stress, worry, and activities in the pre-dawn hours had exhausted her to the point of near uselessness. She made the decision to capitalize on Talbot's mistaken impression that she had had a death in the family and called in for a personal day. He wasn't mistaken, you lied. In her opinion, she and Mick needed time with each other more than she needed to be a desk jockey today. She'd make it up to the ADA later.

Unfortunately…what we need isn't always what we get, Beth thought to herself, looking around the empty penthouse in frustration. She had tried to convince Mick that he, too, needed a 'day off', to no avail. Even when she pointed out that it would look suspicious if she didn't take Ben up on his offer of time off for her 'family emergency', Mick had insisted that he needed to follow up on the New York City investigation.

"Just don't be gone too long then, okay?" She laced her fingers together at the back of his head, holding him in place as she looked into his eyes, frowning at what she saw there. He's tired…and worried.

"I won't, I promise…scout's honor." Mick made the sign of the cross over his heart and held up his hand to pledge to her. "I was a boy scout when I was young, you know – and a damn good one."

Beth laughed at that in spite of her worry. "Why do I think you probably broke every rule in the handbook?"

He shook his head ruefully. "You know me too well already." He bent his head to kiss her. "Take a nap; I'll be back before you know it."

With that, the vampire was gone, the feel of his lips on hers lingering behind him, leaving her alone with her worry. The fact that he had not been able to solve the mystery of Sara's murder or Victoria's attack was clearly weighing on Mick. Even so, she could tell that he appreciated her concern for his well-being. If only he'd be concerned for his own welfare...

Beth sat up with a start, pushing against the soft butterscotch-colored cushions on the couch, to see an amused private investigator sitting at the other end, sipping the ruby-colored elixir that kept him alive. Far from disturbing her, his drinking blood had already come to feel like a normal part of life.

"Mick! You came back! What made you change your mind?" She pushed her disheveled hair out of her eyes.

He shook his head in amusement. "Um, I was gone for four hours, Beth. I saw Logan and went to Josef's to give him an update – you were out like a light when I got back."

Chagrined, she glanced at her watch – it was after noon! "I can't believe I slept that long; I would have sworn you had just left!"

"Beth, you needed it." He put a comforting hand on her leg. "And it looks like you could use some more sleep at that."

She laughed and poked his arm. "Is that your kind way of telling me I'm a mess?"

"Nope. Just my kind way of telling you to take it easy. I need some freezer time anyway, so why don't you come wake me up around seven and we'll go out to eat?"

"You mean I'll eat, don't you?"

"You know I don't mind. I enjoy just spending time with you - your company is my nourishment." The vampire paused and shook his head ruefully. "Did I just say that?! That was pretty corny, wasn't it?" He rubbed his hand up her leg lightly, the touch of his fingers sending shivers up her spine.

She crawled on her hands and knees across the couch to the vampire, planting a kiss on the 'v' of skin showing at the top of his navy Henley shirt. "It doesn't sound corny, it sounds... sweet." She laughed as he rolled his eyes and grimaced, a quintessentially male response. "What if I'd rather eat… in?" she asked in her sexiest voice, tilting her head to look up into his eyes.

He kissed her then, a long, lingering kiss, full of love and passion, before movng his lips to her ear. "That could be arranged," he whispered throatily.

They didn't made it out of the penthouse that evening.

Thursday saw a return to normalcy - or at least the Mick and Beth version of normal. The old Mercedes roared down the freeway in the morning sunlight, heading toward the L.A. County District Attorney's office. It was earlier than her normal commute to work, but she was feeling exceedingly guilty about taking the previous day off, especially given the current case load at the office.

Mick St. John stared at his passenger over the top of his sunglasses, eyebrows raised. "What has gotten into you, Beth?"

The object of his attention was currently leaning toward him, hand seductively caressing his thigh. "This is me... but only when I'm with you." Her blue eyes looked innocently up at him, her smile sweet.

"It's not going to distract me from continuing this conversation with you, you know." He had tried to broach the subject with her the previous evening, but Beth had resisted, and he hadn't wanted to ruin a rare day of relaxation for her by forcing the issue. And now...

She protested. "This is not a conversation. This is brooding. You are brooding. That's why I didn't want to talk about this last night! You are just so, so... OCD over this whole thing!"

Mick shook his head emphatically. "I'm not brooding. You don't understand. And, I realize it's not your fault - there is no way for you to be able to understand. I would just never forgive myself if I hurt you."

Beth removed her hand from his leg, and crossed both arms across her chest defensively. "Oh, so now you're being pejorative. I'm not a child, Mick. I understand more than you give me credit for, but you keep insisting on treating me like a kid about this."

Mick contemplated interjecting that he had, in point of fact, known her as a child, but her current mood made him think better of it. Nothing good could come of that… "Beth, I told you sex with humans doesn't end well – and I wasn't exaggerating. Most of the time, it doesn't end well. I'm trying to keep that from happening with us."

Beth hesitated. "I get it, Mick. You don't want to hurt me, not even accidentally." One hand stretched out to rub his cheek. "And that's one of the reasons I love you." She paused again. "Maybe - hear me out - maybe we should find a way to allow that part of you to come out. Under control. It's who you are, after all."

One eyebrow raised notably above the line of his sunglasses. "Look, Beth, I appreciate your... adventurousness. I really do. It would be fine if it were as easy as all that. The problem is that I'm afraid that I won't be in control." He repeated, "You just don't understand."

Beth blew out another breath in frustration. There it was again. The Great Wall, the thing that always put a layer of separation between them. "You keep saying that. Maybe I would understand if you'd actually explain what goes on with you. I've asked you this before, but you keep shutting me out. You have to let me in, Mick, if there is any hope for us."

"I guess this really isn't a conversation for the drive to work. My mistake. Maybe we should wait and talk about this at home." He stared at her as they flew down the highway, his eyes impossible to read behind his dark glasses.

Beth stared back at him, arms still crossed. "And give you another excuse to put off this discussion? Uh-uh."

He gave in. "If you are going to insist - I'll try. But, this doesn't mean I'm going to change."

She rubbed his leg again, this time more with affection than lust. "I never asked you to. I... I just want to know you - and I just want you - us - to be happy."

He was silent for a few moments, trying to determine the best way to start the discussion. There is no good way. "The most important thing for you to understand is that I am not really in control of this…thing…vamping, when I'm under extreme stress. Anger, fear, passion, pain - any of those emotions can cause me to change. And then the vampire kind of takes over." He stopped to glance sideways at her, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Okay... well, so far, no big surprises, believe it or not."

He tilted his head down to smile at her over his sunglasses, grateful for Beth's casual acceptance. "If I catch it at the beginning, I can restrain the urge - you know, if I start to get angry, or when things got so... heated between us in the shower. When I chased down Tierney's killer and caught up with him on the fire escape, I almost vamped out in front of him. I wanted to, but I was able to repress it. Once I'm caught up in it, though, it's very difficult to control. When I've crossed a certain line, it's like surfing a big wave - you have to ride it through to the end. The problem is, I don't always know exactly where that line is, or when I'm too far gone. To 'let it out', as you suggest, is playing with fire. What if I can't rein things back in? I won't risk hurting you, Beth."

"But, is it good for you to stop ALL the time?"

For that question, he had no ready answer.

The couple continued toward Beth's office in silence.

Talbot sat staring at the papers and photographs fanned out on his desk, a frown gathering like a storm cloud on his face. It was becoming a morning ritual for him. Whenever possible, he would arrive early at the office, before most of the staff, before the phones started ringing, before his attention was pulled in ten different directions at once. Grabbing coffee, he would close his office door and spread out the pages of Mick St. John's file - credentials, case records, photos, his and Josh's notes.

Every morning, he read over the information, sifted through the records, reviewed the photographs - and every morning, the puzzle of Mick St. John remained unsolved. There was something going on with the P.I., he could feel it. Whatever it was, it went far beyond the fact that St. John had, purposefully or not, stolen Josh Lindsey's girlfriend. And, just how did Beth play into all this? The answers had to be here, somewhere in all this information, if he just put the pieces together in the right way.

And then there was the matter of the list. That goddamn list! He pulled it out of its separate folder, placing it neatly on his desk, in the spot he had reserved for it when he arranged the papers from St. John's file. Talbot liked order in his universe - which was why the list was driving him to distraction.

It had appeared suddenly, shoved under the door one evening, shortly after he set up his office. Most likely, it was someone's idea of a practical joke. Jerking the new ADA's chain. Some of the names on the list certainly supported that theory. He picked up the list and flipped through it yet again. Sir Thomas More, Gaius Julius Caesar, Vlad Tepes...Francois de-fucking Sade?!

He knew he should discard it. It was a red herring that distracted him from the hard facts related to Mick St. John, which was why it resided in its own, separate folder. What stayed his hand were some of the not-so-bizarre, yet still unexplainable, names catalogued there. The Monaghans - before the murder case that brought the couple to the attention of the District Attorney's office. Pierce Anders, the psycho plastic surgeon who had abducted Beth and him. Josef Kostan, one of the country's wealthiest men. Mick St. John... Not to mention that some of the names, including the Monaghans and Anders, were crossed out. Andall three of them mysteriously disappeared…

He slurped the last of his coffee, wrinkling up his face at the now-cold taste, and looked up to see members of his team filing in to their cubicles and offices. Phones were beginning to ring up and down the hall. With a last glare at the puzzling photographs - how the hell did he walk away from that car - he carefully placed the information back into the accordion file he had unloaded an hour earlier, no closer to answers than when he started. It was time to get on with his day and the many pressing cases facing his office. Another morning ritual completed. More like obsession...

It was 10:36 AM at the District Attorney's office. Beth would have sworn that the clock was broken, as each time she looked at it, it seemed as if no time had passed at all. Though she'd only been in the office a few hours, she was already going stir-crazy.

The changes in her schedule and routine had thrown her off and she had completely forgotten that she'd need her car to do field work. She could have easily picked it up from her apartment, had she been thinking clearly and not allowed her discussion with Mick during her morning commute to distract her. Not that we got very far. The questions - and issues - were no closer to being resolved in her mind.

So here she was, stuck in the office, with mounds of paper work to finish, phone calls to make, and multiple other desk jockey activities to keep her mind sufficiently numbed. Completing reports, contacting witnesses, scheduling appearances - all were fine in small doses. To do it non-stop all day... well, she just wasn't cut out to be an office drone.

Beth had a suspicion that Talbot's terseness with her all morning, and the pile of projects and busywork that had coalesced in her in-box, were somehow tied to the fact that he had seen Mick with her earlier. The P.I. had insisted on escorting her to her desk rather than just dropping her off at the building. If she were a betting person, she'd say Mick wanted Ben to see her with him.

She wasn't sure if the ADA's apparent aversion to her was imagined, purposeful... or even perhaps out of fear. A sly smile crossed her lips. Beth could have sworn that Mick growled under his breath this morning when Talbot approached. Though she knew Mick would never intentionally or capriciously reveal his immortal identity, she was well aware that he just didn't tolerate some things - or people - very well. And she had to admit, this time it didn't originate with Mick. Talbot seemed to have been trying his hardest to push Mick's buttons ever since the two men met.

"Hey, girl, how you doing?"

Beth almost jumped out of her skin. She hadn't seen Jamie approach.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I know that's a pet peeve of yours." Jamie was genuinely apologetic.

Momentarily embarrassed at her reaction - or rather, overreaction - Beth attempted to make amends. "No, Jamie... I... I've just had a rough morning." That wasn't a lie.

The young woman smiled sympathetically and pointed out, "More like a rough week." She motioned her head towards the hallway. "New pot is almost done."

Beth needed no further prompting. The promise of fresh coffee and distracting conversation was more than sufficient to coax the civilian investigator from her seat almost before the words were out of Jamie's mouth.

Jamie noticed the zeal with which Beth fled her desk. "Wow... you hate it that much, huh?"

"What?"

"Being chained to a desk. Not really surprising - you just don't seem the type, especially given your prior career choice."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She took a breath, and forced herself to relax. "It's really my own fault I'm stuck in the office today."

"Why? Did you do something to piss off Dickbot?"

"No, actually I – " Beth stopped and looked at Jamie, blue eyes wide. "Wait, what did you just say?!"

"Whoops, sorry! I thought you knew!" Jamie lowered her voice to barely above whisper. "That's Talbot's nickname among the support staff. You're more likely to hear the acronym 'DB'." She couldn't suppress a snicker. "Crass, I know, but it's our coping mechanism. Some of the attorneys around here think their you-know-what doesn't stink, and he is, shall we say, amongst the most fragrant."

Beth put a hand over her mouth to stifle her own laughter. "I've never heard that one," she admitted, once she'd regained control.

The two women entered the small kitchen area, and found it already occupied. Recognizing the tall, dark-haired man, Jamie relaxed. "Oh, it's just Phil," she stated dismissively.

"Don't give me attitude before my second cup, sweetheart," the man shot back.

"Hey, take it easy Phil." Jamie winked at Beth. "You know I love ya more than my luggage."

Her friend immediately recognized the line and laughed. "You can be a pig from hell, sometimes," he quipped back.

The native southerner put her hands on her hips. "Spoken like a true smart-ass!" she returned with her full New Orleans drawl.

Beth watched silently as the two obvious friends doubled over in laughter, feeling like she'd somehow stumbled into a private party.

"Beth," Jamie started once she could speak. "I'm sorry… Phil and I were having a 'Steel Magnolias' moment. It happens when things get stressful. Phil McDonald, meet Beth Turner."

After shaking Beth's hand, the tall young man snickered at Jamie. "So, is DB already workin' your last good nerve?"

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

A cell phone rang and Phil reached into his pocket, to grab it. Sighing when he caught sight of the screen, he said, "Speaking of drama, I gotta take this… Steve."

Jamie nodded. "At least you have a boyfriend. Everyone in this room does but me!"

"It's your own damned fault! Carl is hot and interested - and you're playing hard to get!" Phil laughed as he sauntered through the kitchen door, disappearing down the hallway. "Hey, Steve..."

Beth quirked an eyebrow as she stared at her new friend. "Really?"

"Oh, now, don't you start!"

"Me? I'm not starting anything," Beth responded innocently as she walked to the cupboard and grabbed a mug.

"Tell you what, I'll share if you do."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Come on… you look happy. Okay, flustered with DB, that's a given… but you really look better, if you don't mind me saying so."

"Well...Mick got back in early yesterday morning," Beth admitted with a shy smile.

"Oh… so that's why you were out. Catching up, eh? Jamie winked at her colleague, grinning wickedly.

Beth rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Her red cheeks betrayed her. If you only knew, Jamie.

"What?! I'm just saying you had some things to talk about - like a certain woman answering his phone? I hope you gave him a piece of your mind on that one!" Jamie nodded emphatically, her eyebrows bobbing up and down dramatically.

Their conversation was interrupted by Jamie's cell phone. "Dammit, I thought I'd put this on silent." Retrieving the phone from her pocket, and looking at the message on her screen, Jamie knew this call had to be taken. She was unaware that her expression had grown serious until Beth spoke.

"Jamie, what's wrong?"

The admin turned to Beth, thinking quickly. "Gotta take this one… family…I'll catch up with you in a bit."

"Let me know if you need anything," Beth offered.

Jamie sat down at the break room table as her new-found friend left the kitchen, mug in hand. Alone now, she organized her thoughts before answering the call. "Yeah… what's going on? Is what I heard from Remy true?" She frowned as she listened to the caller go into detail. "No… this is moving faster than… I'm just afraid we're not ready…"

The young woman dropped her already soft voice even lower. "What… no! No one else can come close to him, or Beth Turner! I'm on good terms with her… I think I can get to him soon." She rubbed at her forehead as a sudden headache announced its presence. "I do - I think the situation is becoming urgent. There are some... complications. I'll contact you this evening to give you an update, but I feel sure we are going to have to move everything up."

"Jamie…" Beth re-appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Quickly - and purposefully more audibly - Jamie added, "I have to go… I need to make arrangements. Tell Dad I said hello." Disconnecting the call, she tucked her phone back in her pocket and, propping her elbows on the table, she dropped her head into her hands.

"Jamie, are you alright?!" There was genuine concern in Beth's voice.

The admin raised her head and took a deep breath before answering, "It's…complicated. I don't want to bother you."

Beth took a seat across from Jamie and reached out to grasp the young woman's hand. "Bother me, please. I've certainly bothered you enough."

Jamie paused to give the appearance that she was hesitating before responding. "That was my - family. We've gotten some disturbing news, and I need to find some way of helping them." Beth's expression encouraged Jamie to go on. "Someone is… missing." She glanced at the wall clock and quickly changed the subject. "Wow, it's after eleven! I'd better get back before DB sends the hounds after me."

Beth caught her sleeve as she rose from the table. "Jamie, this sounds a lot more important than anything Talbot might have waiting for you. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Jamie shrugged her shoulders, hating herself at that moment for her subterfuge. It's to help them, remember that. "I don't know what it would be unless you can conduct a missing person investigation from here."

Beth looked at her thoughtfully, then rose. "Well I can't do that, but I may know someone who can."

As they silently walked from the room together, Jamie thought, Yes, as a matter of fact, you do.

Victoria Silver stirred, opening her eyes to the familiar surroundings of her bedroom. Puzzled, she looked around, her eyes finally lighting on the familiar faces of Gabrielle Sinclair and John Spector. Spector's here, that can't be good. "What happened?"

"Take it easy, Victoria." The physician pushed her gently back down in her freezer. "How do you feel?"

She noted concern on both their faces - but on Spector's, there was also something else. He was studying her. Clinical interest, perhaps? The bigger question was…What the hell am I doing here? What happened? She voiced these questions to her hovering audience.

"You don't remember anything, Victoria?" Gabby's serious face pushed itself into her field of vision.

"About what?" She sat up in the freezer again, exasperated. "Would someone please tell me what's going on? What are you doing here, John? Where are Josef and Mick? And...what am I doing in this freezer? The last thing I remember is being on the street outside Marble Cemetary." She frowned, looking from Gabby's face to the physician's and back again.

"You don't remember being attacked?" Gabrielle pressed, her eyes concerned.

"Attacked?! NO! Tell me what happened!" Victoria swung herself out of the freezer, waving off their assistance and grabbing the long silk robe always left next to it. Sitting down on the antique bench positioned at the foot of the large freezer,she tried to recall her last coherent thought. Visions of leaving Marble Cemetery after the brief service for Sarah Whitley swirled through her memory. She was wearing a black dress and standing on the street, talking with Mick St. John, while Josef entered the limousine. Then, nothing...

Raising troubled eyes to her anxious audience, she relayed her memory of the evening. Gabby filled her in on the details of the attack and its aftermath, including Mick St. John's ingenious method of delivering blood to her until Dr. Spector arrived. That individual was busy disconnecting the IV tubing he had inserted into her arm, its work now done.

He chimed in when Gabby paused for breath. "In all honesty, I don't think you would have survived, my dear, had he not been successful in getting blood into you until I got here." John Spector patted her hand as he praised the absent vampire.

"What time is it? And, where is Mick - and Josef?" Victoria looked around, re-orienting herself to place and time.

"It's Thursday, Victoria, late Thursday afternoon. Mick and Josef left - once they knew you would be all right, of course." Gabby was stretching the truth a bit, but had decided that Victoria did not need to know about Josef's 'tail between his legs' departure, as she herself would characterize it. Not yet, anyway.

Victoria frowned, making a mental note to discuss this with Gabrielle later. "All right," she said briskly. "Bring me up to speed on what happened and what's been going on." Gabby quickly reviewed the key details.

"Have we captured the attackers?" Victoria was a vampire, after all...and a vampire's code was 'an eye for an eye'.

"No, Victoria, they got away." Gabrielle weathered the angry glare from her friend and mentor. "It was a quick judgment call on Mick's part - save you or go after the attackers. Personally, I'm glad he made the choice he did. I have every team out looking for them, but so far, we haven't been able to come up with any trace. Dr. Spector thinks the way you were attacked is the way the other vampires, like George, were killed."

Victoria turned her attention to the physician. "Tell me what you know, John."

"Not much more than what Gabby just said. You know the other autopsies showed us that they were all exposed to massive doses of silver. I believe that this attack on you has demonstrated quite graphically how it was done. Mr. St. John had the presence of mind to retrieve the syringe with some of the compound still in it; I have a lab analyzing the silver now, just to see if there are any other significant components that we need to be aware of. If your attack was typical of what's been happening, I think that they are succeeding from the element of surprise - injecting so much silver into a neck vein so quickly. It is overwhelming the system before a vampire's normal healing abilities can take effect. Honestly, I- I don't know what I can do to combat that." The balding physician shook his head despairingly.

Victoria took charge. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, as they say." She deliberated for a moment, deciding on a course of action. "I want the rest of the Council here within the hour, Gabby - everyone who is part of the council here in New York. No exceptions. See to it. Doctor..." she added, turning to the physician who has so recently tended to her, "I want you to be prepared to give a full report to the council tonight - what happened to me, what you think we are up against, and - most importantly - the best strategy for combating future attacks if this happens again."

Suddenly tired, the vampire leaned back against the side of the freezer. Catching sight of their concerned faces, she barked, "You hear me. Now, get it done - oh, and bring me some more blood." She kept her face carefully expressionless as she watched them leave the room. Sighing, she closed her eyes, hoping for a few moments of oblivion.

Why did you and Mick leave me when I needed you most, Josef?

End Song: Trouble, Cage the Elephant