Chapter 65

Back to Life

Author's Note: The singer of the end song for this chapter may sound familiar to you – Mazzy Star sang the beautiful song Into Dust at the end of the 4th episode, Fever, which ironically was the 1st episode of Moonlight I ever saw. You know the scene – when Beth comes to Mick's penthouse after she let him feed on her in the desert to save his life. He sat alone, afraid to respond to her pull because of the danger it might put her in. He kept the door between them. Such a bittersweet moment when it played. I became an instant fan of Mazzy. Fade Into You has a different vibe but it's lovely – hope you get a chance to enjoy it.

Intro Song: It's Not My Time, Three Doors Down

Pausing in front of the freezer room long enough to pull on her cold weather gear - Uggs, fur-trimmed parka, thick woolen mittens, all in black, Beth Turner muttered, "Well, at least now I have an outfit to wear if I ever want to go skiing on a weekend again." Wait, is it the weekend? She had to look at her watch to confirm that yes, it was, indeed, Saturday. Time had lost its meaning and the days were all running together without the grounding of work and a regular routine to identify them. Shaking her head, she finished draping a woolen scarf around her neck and faced the freezer door. Opening this door had been an act of dread just a few days ago, when she couldn't be sure if she would find Mick alive or dead. Now, it was a source of happy anticipation.

When she pulled it ajar, the escaping cold air smacked her face as the sound of men's laughter billowed out.

"What's the joke?" Beth asked, smiling as she stepped into the room. The two vampires jerked their heads around guiltily at the sound of her voice.

"Hey, Beth... nothing much, why?" Logan replied evasively. He immediately grabbed the remote control to silence the huge, flat screen TV that Ryder had installed just that morning to give Mick something to do while he was sequestered for long periods in the freezer room. It had been tricky because of the extreme cold, requiring Josef's technology geek to come up with some creative solutions to insulate delicate electronics. His creative cursing had been a source of entertainment for Mick for several hours.

"Will Josef mind?" Beth had asked when she first heard the plan.

"Nah," Ryder had responded. "Besides, just think of the porn he can watch on this baby when he's in there. Sixty inches of pure sex." The tall, lanky vampire had flashed his toothy grin at her. Everyone, it seemed, was in good spirits now that Mick was finally on the mend.

"Well, when you put it like that..." Beth had answered with a grin of her own.

Now, she wondered if Logan and Mick weren't putting that idea to the test. They certainly looked guilty enough! "So," she teased. "What's on the 'telly'?"

"Nothing you'd like!" Logan blurted, casting a surreptitious glance at Mick.

Beth's eyes narrowed to slits and she put her hands on her hips. "Oh my god, you guys are watching porn!"

"No, we aren't!" the two chorused together like guilty schoolboys. Their eyes met and they burst out laughing.

"Oh, damn!" Mick groaned, pressing one of Josef's thick towels to his chest in an attempt to splint it. "He's trying to kill me, Beth!"

"So, if it isn't porn, what are you watching?" Beth glared at the now-dark screen, her curiosity piqued. Truthfully, she didn't care what was going on. Anything that could get Mick laughing and put such a look of glee on his face was fine with her.

"Tell her…Logan. Can't…talk," Mick managed to gasp, groaning as he hunched around the towel supporting his chest.

"Yeah, Logan. Tell me!" Pink-cheeked, Beth did her best to act angry, but her sparkling eyes and twitching lips gave her away.

"Okay, just remember, you asked for it." Logan shifted self-consciously from foot to foot. "Have you ever heard of a movie called 'Teeth'?"

"No, what is it? Don't tell me - a vampire movie."

Mick snorted, biting the inside of his cheeks. Don't laugh, don't laugh... It was just too painful.

"Nooooo," Griffen responded. "Actually, it's a movie about a girl who discovers that she has teeth in her, um..." He looked helplessly over at Mick for help. That vampire just shook his head, a stiffened curl falling onto his forehead with the movement.

Beth looked from one to the other. Honestly, men were all alike - even if they weren't all human! "What, Logan? Just spit it out!"

"Shehasteethinhervagina!" The words came out in a rush before he turned away from her, embarrassed, his shoulders heaving with laughter.

"Oh. My. God." Beth said again, feeling herself growing red.

On the bench, Mick howled helplessly at the look on her face. "Need... more morphine. Please!" he begged.

"Oh, hell no, you don't! I should turn off what you are getting! Is this some kind of sick S&M stuff?!"

"No, no! Beth, it's nothing like that, I promise you!" From the appalled look on Logan's face, she could see that he was telling the truth.

"It's a mainstream movie, Beth. Just kinda…tongue-in-cheek." Mick had gotten himself under control enough to talk again.

"Yeah," Logan echoed. "Tongue in cheek... or teeth in vagi-." Both vampires started laughing uproariously again.

"Men!" Beth muttered. Raising her voice, she said, "Show me!"

"What?!" Griffen abruptly stopped laughing. "You aren't serious!"

Yeah, she is, Mick thought, wiping tears of laughter from his face before they could freeze there. He almost felt sorry for Logan - the poor guy had no idea who he was dealing with. He looked on, amused, as his friend tried, unsuccessfully, to dissuade Beth from watching the movie.

Finally, Logan recognized the lost cause. Beth had the same look of determination on her face that she'd shown on the fateful night she had visited his basement lair and demanded to learn how to play World of Warcraft. "Okay, don't say I didn't warn you." With a grimace, he turned the giant television back on.

Within a few moments, all three were laughing, Beth's breath swirling around her in puffs on the frigid air. At the end of the movie, she wiped her face with one mittened hand. "Thank you, Logan."

"No problem." The youthful-looking vampire beamed at the implied praise.

"Yeah, thanks Lando," Mick echoed, reverting to Griffen's preferred nickname. Gingerly, he removed the towel, dotted with bloodstains, from his chest.

"Mick, are you all right?" Beth asked, horrified. To her worried eyes, it looked like there was far too much blood on the towel.

The injured vampire groaned. "As long as Logan doesn't get to pick the next movie, I'll be fine." His voice had improved considerably, but he still sounded like a three-pack-a-day smoker.

"Hey!" Logan protested. "You said you wanted to see something different!"

"Well, it certainlywas that!" Beth chimed in.

Griffen noticed the way Mick's hand stole out to take Beth's and her quick, delighted smile at his touch. He immediately felt like an interloper. "Look, I'm gonna go get some blood and see what Ryder's up to. I'll see you guys later." With a smile, he took off out the door, almost before Beth could blink.

She turned to Mick, secretly glad to be alone. "He's a really good guy, isn't he?"

"Logan? Yeah, he's great."

Beth pulled off her mitten and reached out to push the stiff curl off his forehead, her hand lingering there.

Mick studied her face for a moment before pulling her close to the bench. "You've been in here too long, you know."

"I have?" Grinning, she made her eyes wide and innocent.

He reached up to trace her chapped lips with his forefinger. "Yes, you have. You aren't fooling me, Beth."

She shook her head vigorously. "But, I don't want to leave you yet!"

"Then I'll come with you!" As soon as he said the words, his spirits lifted. The walls of the freezer room suddenly seemed to close in around him and his body craved freedom – or at least new walls to look at. "I need to come with you."

"But, Mick, you're still..." Beth gestured toward the raw, livid gash running the length of his torso.

"I don't care." His jaw set stubbornly. "Have Logan slap a bandage on me if you want, but I need to get out of this room. I feel like I can't breathe in here, Beth. Please." His tone was pleading now.

When he looked at her with his silver and hazel eyes, she couldn't deny him.

"Okay. But, here are the ground rules, stud." Beth ticked off the points on her fingers. "First, I'm going to bandage you up - and dress you," she added, eyeing his body, naked except for the stiff sheet draped across his groin. "Second, Logan and Ryder are helping you out. Third, you get to go to one spot only. You pick it, but we aren't doing a tour of the house. Fourth, you take blood with you and you keep drinking. And last, you get one hour in a chair somewhere, no more - and no arguments!" She wagged her thumb, representing her fifth, and final, rule, in his face when she saw his mouth open to protest.

Mick sighed, acquiescing. "All right. It's a deal. Better than nothing I guess," he grumbled.

"Oh, don't pout. It doesn't become you," Beth grinned. Her spirits were lifting as well at the thought of spending time with Mick outside this frigid, sterile room. "I'm gonna go find the bandages Dr. Spector left for us to use - and something for you to wear. I'll be right back."

Mick watched her go, thinking again how this amazing woman continued to surprise him. How did I get so lucky? And when will my luck end?

"You sure you're ready for this?"

Logan eyed his friend doubtfully. He and Ryder had been called into service to help get Mick ready to leave the freezer room for the first time in five days and just the process of dressing his wounds seemed to have worn out the injured vampire. His torso was securely wrapped in layers of gauze, the white bandages already adorned with spots of blood. It had been necessary for him to sit up in order for Beth to reach around him and, despite her moving as quickly and efficiently as possible, he had leaned on his friends more and more as she worked.

"I'm fine," Mick insisted. "I want to get out of here!" He was wearing a soft pair of thin navy sweat pants of Josef's that Beth had uncovered while rummaging through closets. At least, they all assumed they were Kostan's - none of them had ever actually seen that dapper vampire in sweats.

Skeptically, Mick eyed the white t-shirt Beth was holding in her hands. "You think that will fit on over all these bandages you put on me? I feel like a reincarnation of the Mummy. Where's Brendan Fraser when you need him?!"

"If I can undress you, I think I can get you dressed," she retorted tartly. "Besides, the shirt will help hold the bandages in place."

"Yeah, Mick," Ryder chimed in from his side, where he was keeping a steadying hand on his friend. "We don't want a reenactment of that scene from Alien here, right Beth?"

The single human in the room grimaced. "Nice image, Ryder. But no, we don't..." She raised the shirt in her hands and Mick reluctantly nodded.

Deftly, she threaded the IV bag and tubing through the t-shirt before slipping it over Mick's head and helping him work his arms through the sleeves. Tugging the hem of the shirt down over his bandages, she stepped back and eyed him. "Better. Logan's right though, Mick. Are you sure you're ready for this? You are as white as that shirt."

"Get me out of here." Mouth set in a straight line, Mick's voice contained a note of desperation. He wanted - needed - to leave that room, even if it meant his chest exploded as John Hurt's character's had in the famous movie scene Ryder had referenced.

Beth groaned inwardly. Men were the absolute worst when it came to convalescing. "All pains in the ass," she grumbled.

"What?!" the three men chorused.

"Nothing. "Damn vampire hearing. "Okay, Mick, this will be the first time you've stood up in days, so please... take it slowly. Ryder, Logan, hold on to him. If he hits the floor, Josef is going to stake us all."
Beth chewed her lower lip worriedly as the two vampires positioned themselves on either side of their friend, helping him to his feet. He stood, swaying slightly for a moment, the sweats hanging loosely from his hips. "How do you feel, Mick?"

He flashed her a delighted grin. "Great." Taking one tentative step, he winced as the movement pulled at his incision.

"Uh-huh," she said dubiously. Looking more closely at him, she said, "Before you go back in this room, I am going to wash you up, that's for sure. You still have blood in your hair."

Ryder snickered. "Leave it to a girl to think about a bubble bath at a time like this."

"Not funny," Beth growled. "Can we please get him into a chair somewhere? I'll feel a lot better when he's stationary."

"I like being upright."

Logan couldn't resist. "Yeah, that's what I hear."

She sighed. It was like being in a room with The Three Stooges. Or three teenage boys! "Okay, Mick? Where do you want to go? Josef's study?"

"No!" he exclaimed petulantly. "I want to go outside. Breath some fresh air."

Ryder snickered slightly. "Um, Mick? You are a vampire, you know. Sure that's a good idea?"

"What time is it, Ryder," Mick almost snarled.

The vampire glanced up at the clock on the wall. "After 8:00."

"Exactly! Sunset is at 8:15. I'll be fine." Take it easy. He's just trying to help. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"No worries." England took a firmer hold of Mick's arm. "To the terrace then. Grab him, Logan."

"Wait a minute, guys."

"Geez, Mick, what now?"

"Ryder..." Beth said warningly "What is it, Mick? You need to sit back down?"

"No. I need to pee, though." His words were still slightly slurred, thanks to the continuous morphine infusion.

"Great, that's gonna take forever!" Logan groaned as Ryder started laughing.

Beth failed to see the humor and said so.

"Beth, have you seen Mick pee even once since he's been here?" Logan pointed out.

The small blond woman looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Welllll…now that you mention it... no. Don't vampires go to the bathroom? How is that possible?!"

"Of course we do! We drink, don't we? We're real. Sheesh!" Ryder exclaimed. He went on to explain more patiently, "When vamps are in freezers, we go into kind of a... hibernation mode, I guess you'd call it... we don't eat or drink – and we don't pee - till we wake up and get out. Same thing when we need blood - or when we're hurt. We don't pee. It's a great sign that he needs to go to the bathroom."

Beth, ever curious, probed. "That seems so strange. Why is that?"

Ryder guffawed. "Hell, I don't know. I'm a geek, not a doctor! If you ever meet a vampire scientist, feel free to ask him why Mick didn't pee for five days."

"Oh," was all Beth could think of to say.

"Thanks for talking about me as if I wasn't here," Mick complained irritably. "Now, can I go? I'm bursting!"

After a brief trip to the luxurious marble bath and shower room off the freezer space, the three started a hesitant march toward the door, Mick leaning heavily on his friends. Holding the door open for the trio, Beth couldn't resist reaching up and cuffing Ryder on the back of the head as they went by, standing on tiptoe to reach him.

The tall vampire wailed as if he'd been staked. "Hey! That hurt! What was that about?!"

Pussy! The word flashed through Mick's head, even as Beth answered him.

"You know perfectly well what that was for, don't play innocent with me." Beth followed behind the slow parade, juggling the morphine IV bag, a fresh bag of blood, and one of the thick towels as a precaution. Ryder frequently glanced back at her as they made their way to the terrace, as if he were anticipating another blow.

The group reached the veranda without incident, and Beth breathed a sigh of relief as Mick lowered himself into an oversized, cushioned lounge chair with help from the two other vampires. Fastening the clip on the IV bag to the top of the chair, she smiled brilliantly at their helpers. "Thank you both."

Mick nodded his approval. "Yeah, thanks. Now, get the hell out of here so I can have some time alone with my girlfriend for a change."

"Mick!" Beth protested. "You couldn't have gotten here without them, you know."

Logan laughed. "Don't worry, Beth. We know he's kidding. At least, we think he's kidding. Right, Mick?" The curly-haired vampire bent down toward his friend, arranging the cushions behind him.

"Not about being alone with Beth, I wasn't." The smile on Mick's face took any sting out of his words. He felt as if he'd turned a corner... finally... and the short walk to the terrace had left him feeling jubilant and triumphant, even if he had been given assistance. He motioned for Beth to sit beside him on the wide chair, wanting nothing more than to enjoy the transition from sunset to darkness with her in his arms.

Logan nudged Ryder. "Time for us to make like a drum and beat it." Turning to Beth, he added, "Call us when you're ready for Mick to go back. Notice I'm not asking him when he wants to go..."

Stripping off her heavy coat and mittens, she handed Mick the bag of blood she was carrying and sank down on the chair beside the injured vampire. Smiling up at the two men, she thanked them. "I really appreciate…everything. Everything you have both done to help Mick. And me."

As she watched them leave, she spoke over her shoulder. "You have some very loyal friends."

"And I have a girlfriend every single one of them would kill to have," Mick said softly, reaching out to touch her, his fingers raising goose bumps as they slid down her bare arm to pull her closer.

"Because of my blood," she said with a wry smile, twisting to face him.

"No. Because of the person you are." He tugged at her arm and Beth wiggled in closer. Much as he wanted her there, Mick couldn't hide his grimace of pain as she leaned up against him - an expression she caught immediately, prompting her to scoot back.

When he protested, she responded, "I'm afraid to even touch you, Mick! Is there any place that doesn't hurt?"

"Sure. Here." He grinned wickedly as he put a finger to his lips. "Mouth doesn't hurt at all!"

Beth cautiously kissed him, savoring the fact that his lips were not as cold as they had been in the freezer room. They felt almost... normal? Don't kid yourself, Beth. "Since you met that guy, screwed up has started to seem normal." She buried the thought - and Josh's voice - deep in the back of her mind. Well, it's our normal!

When Beth broke the embrace, Mick declared, "See? That didn't hurt me a bit!"

"You are still so stoned, Mick St. John." Carefully, she tucked herself back in beside him on the chaise, almost – but not quite – touching him. "You sure this doesn't hurt you?" Her face peered up at him worriedly.

Mick laced his fingers in hers as he kissed the top of her head. "Nothing could possibly feel better to me right now."

They were quiet, enjoying the sounds of tree frogs chirping, and the ever-present sprinklers hissing to life, frequently reaching out to kiss and touch one another as nightfall floated down over the vineyard.

End song: Fade Into You, Mazzy Star