Moonlight, The Next Chapter: Darkness

Chapter 11

I Can't Tell You Why…

Intro Song: Secret, Maroon 5

"What's happened, Jamie?"

Carl Davis carefully handed the steaming yellow mug to his guest. Placing his own cup on the coffee table, he sat next to her on the sofa, turning so that he could look into her face as they spoke. Carl could almost hear his mother's voice admonishing him for not changing into more presentable attire. But, hey… It's really late on a Friday night, Mama, and I don't think straight around this woman anyway. Actually it was more pre-dawn on Saturday but that was splitting hairs.

"Feeling better now?" he inquired, his voice gentle.

Jamie Sommers looked up at him with troubled eyes. "I don't know if I'd say…better…but the coffee helps, thank you." After a long pause, she added, "So does the company."

The detective's trained mind formed the questions he wanted to ask as he looked at her. Perhaps now, he could finally get the answers from Jamie that he so desperately wanted. "Okay, let's start over. What happened today?"

The young woman took a sip of the hot liquid to calm herself before answering, staring down into the mug's dark contents as she stalled for time to collect her thoughts. "How closely did you follow Ben Talbot's media appearances after the San Diego incident?"

It wasn't lost on Davis that she'd answered his question with a question. A common evasion technique. For now, though, he would play along. He shrugged his broad shoulders noncommittally. "I watched."

Jamie smiled slightly, fixing her large brown eyes on the officer. "Well then you saw that Ben had… help."

Davisran one hand over his close-cropped hair. "Uh huh. I noticed," he responded bitterly. "Since when did Ben Talbot, of all people, have a fan club? And what do you know about it?" He sat up, and leaned forward; the lines of his mouth tightening. "Do you know this Durand character? The one whose name you whispered on the phone? He seemed to be the main cheerleader. I looked him up after you called, but I want to know who he really is, not just his Wikipedia bio. Because I'm not seeing the connection. And I need to know why he had you in such a panic."

The detective had, of course, read the press releases on Christophe Durand and knew of his work as head of the philanthropic agency, CHOIR. There had to be more to him, though. Why would this man get himself involved in Ben Talbot's troubles? And what he done to frighten Jamie so badly? Given all that had recently happened, unknown players did not sit well with him, especially those who seemingly came out of nowhere and aligned themselves with the ADA's office. And especially not when they threatened the young woman sitting in front of him.

Her jaws clenched, a vein visibly throbbing at her temple. "The most charitable thing I can say about Durand is that he's a really bad man," she spat out from between gritted teeth.

"So you do know him!" Carl crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm sorry, but in that case, you're going to have to give me more. When I looked up Durand and his organization, I couldn't find anything suspicious. Just the opposite. I also couldn't find any connection to Talbot. If you want me to play ball with you and this group of yours, you have to start talking to me."

Seeing her fidget under the intensity of his stare, Davis started again. "Now, about Durand… who is he? Where is he from? And why is he a 'bad man'? Has he threatened you?"

The Auxilium agent considered her words carefully. Some things she could not yet reveal to him if she wanted to continue to work for that organization – an open question for her at the moment - but the man deserved the truth. At least as much of it as she could share.

"Christophe Durand is the CEO of an organization called CHOIR – Center for Humanitarian Objectives and Institutional Research, to be exact. CHOIR is known for its worldwide outreach, but here in the United States they were relatively obscure until Hurricane Katrina." She took a deep, shaky breath to clear her mind of the images triggered by the mention of that tragedy.

"That much I got from the news archives." He added encouragingly, "Sounds like you have some first-hand knowledge that the papers didn't cover."

The lovely young woman nodded, her face a mask of concern. "I lived there then. It was every bit the nightmare y'all saw on TV. Actually worse than what you saw. CHOIR came into the middle of the madness, got things organized, and people started getting food, shelter, medical attention because of them. The things that our government was supposed to provide but either couldn't – or wouldn't. As we all know, they failed miserably."

"Sounds to me like this Durand would be considered a hero by most. Suppose you tell me what makes him the bad guy you say he is."

"He'd like for you to think he's a hero, but he's the opposite of that. I wish I could tell you more but there are things I can't disclose -"

Carl shook his head, his dark eyes sternly holding her gaze. "Uh-uh. No good, Jamie. Not acceptable, not this time. I'm tired of the games and the half-truths – and I'm damn straight tired of me and my friends being shot at!" His voice rose on the last sentence. "You want my help – you'll have to do better than that. Otherwise…" He cleared his throat, where the words seemed to be sticking. "Otherwise, I'd suggest you finish your coffee and head on home."

She looked up at him, surprised at her own reactions – cut to the quick that he might be willing to send her away, wanting to touch him, wishing she could just be held by him. Watch a movie, talk about books, make love… What normal people did. Anything other than what she was doing now. Where is that coming from? She had to play the hand she was dealt, however; wishing for different wasn't going to change her situation. She'd learned that hard lesson long ago.

"Christophe Durand is very dangerous. CHOIR isn't all he's involved in, it's just his cover. He is someone you do not cross. And now that Ben may be in league with him..." She closed her eyes. "Talbot is not to be trusted, Carl, especially not if Durand is now his ally. If he's joined him..." She trailed off, disturbed by the thought and what it could mean, not only for her safety, but also for those around her that she had come to care about. Like Carl.

The vague response only served to irritate the detective more. "Still not good enough, Jamie!" he barked again before softening his tone. "Look, I get why you don't like Ben. I don't much like him either. But what does this have to do with a man like Durand? You say he's bad, dangerous even, but you're not telling me why."

"I can't say – and you wouldn't believe me if I did." Jamie could see the change in Carl's expression. He was getting truly angry, and she didn't blame him. "He isn't what he seems," she insisted. "Please, you have to trust me on this." Her words sounded weak, even to her own ears.

Carl snorted derisively. "Well, it looks to me like you're not what you seem either. The only thing I do know in all this is that I don't know shit!" His upbringing caught up with him and he added defensively, "I'm sorry about the language. My mama would have my hide if she heard me just then."

"No need to apologize. I don't blame you," she said miserably, folding her hands on her lap and looking down, her voice almost inaudible. "I'd give anything to not be part of this."

There was something about her tone that struck Davis and rang true. He recalled the cryptic transcripts on his laptop, and how she'd expressed her concerns and worries. Sure, she could be acting; that's what undercover agents did - hell, when he was involved with stings, he'd had to do the same thing - but she hadn't meant for him to discover those chat logs.

So, if Jamie Sommers was not a professional spy - and she sure as hell didn't act like one - there was another possible explanation ... what if...

"Are you... are you being forced into this, Jamie?"

She exhaled sharply, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "You could say that."

At last, progress! Carl felt a twinge of victory over the admission, though he kept that to himself. "So then, tell me - at least as much as you can - how you got yourself mixed up in whatever the hell is going on."

Jamie tensed. This was a question she dreaded, mostly because there was no way to dance around it - at least not with someone as sharp as Carl. To gain trust, she had to give it; she had to tell the man something. He deserves at least that much.

"It was an accident..." She paused and straightened, looking him in the eye. "No, I need to be honest with you. It was my own curiosity and stupidity that got me here." She smiled wanly. "You might say I know a little something about how Alice must have felt, falling through the looking glass."

"So can you at least tell me which bottle to drink from?" He reached out tentatively, only meaning to touch her hand, but instead entwining their fingers, surprising them both. "Please... Jamie. You said yourself, I've seen too much - but I can't even make any sense of it. And whether you tell me or not, I have to help Mick if he's in danger. I owe him that. And…I'd like to help you, too." Carl gave her hand a gentle squeeze, as if to emphasize his point.

Jamie's mind fogged over, from his words, his kindness, his…touch. He was a good man; he didn't deserve this, but how could she help him without disobeying the direction she'd been given?

Seeing her waver, Davis added, "Look, I- I'm already involved, aren't I? Whether I want to be or not. Because of Mick…and you." She looked up suddenly at him, fear evident in her eyes. Fear for herself or for you? He didn't know, but he decided to press his point. "This isn't fair, Jamie. I'm in this now, we both know it. I'm probably a target the way Mick seems to be. You at least owe me an explanation so I know what I'm up against. If what happened to him is any indication, I'm in serious danger too."

Something in Jamie broke and she made a decision. Though her head warned her against it, her heart knew that the letter of the law could not supersede its spirit. Auxillium will just have to understand. And if they don't, then...

"Screw it!" she exclaimed. "You're right – and I'm so sorry you've been dragged into this, Carl. I truly am. To answer your question, yes, Durand is the focus of our group, Auxillium. For very good reasons."

"So, what is he? A sociopath? A killer!? A mob boss? What is he, Jamie?"

The young woman's expression grew hard. "All of the above. And I'm one of the ones who had to 'disappear' once I found out what he was. What they were. Which is why I'm asking – no, begging - you to please stay away from him. Auxillium will deal with him when the time is right."

Carl's face was grim. His instincts about her were correct - there was a lot more going on with Jamie than she was telling. Not for the first time, he wondered what this girl had gone through. The thought of her on the run, in fear for her life, called up every protective instinct he had. He tightened his grip on her fingers and asked her again, "You said you were forced into this. Has he threatened you, Jamie? "

Her large brown eyes widened, surprised by this side of him, touched that he seemed to care. Just as quickly, she reined it back in… Don't take it there, she admonished herself, he's just being a good guy.

The detective ducked his head slightly to look into her eyes as he squeezed her hand gently. "I mean it," he said quietly. "You need to tell me. Has that man hurt you? Or are you talking in the abstract here?"

Jamie could not speak, moved by his worry. It could be a ploy... No... No, it's not! He cares about you. After everything you've done, he cares. She blinked rapidly to hold back her tears. "I... um... sorry..." She swiped at her eyes.

Carl ached to hold her, comfort her, tell her that everything would be all right, that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, but he resisted. Barely. Instead, he settled for squeezing her hand again and waiting for her to regain her composure.

The young woman swiped at her face with her free hand and sniffed woefully, taking several deep, shaky breaths to calm herself. Finally, she began. "I was in the same position as you not so very long ago and I... saw something I shouldn't have... My entire life has been uprooted because of it. I just don't want that to happen to you."

Carl read between the lines. "It was because of him."

The lovely young woman nodded sadly. "Yes. Because of him," she whispered.

"I did read about his little group and their work in the aftermath of Katrina." A look of realization crossed his handsome features. "You were there. You told me before that you came from New Orleans. Were you involved in all that?"

"Yes. In fact..." She caught herself. Be careful what you say to him. "In fact, I went to work for CHOIR. To help the good work I thought they were doing. But I can't tell you much more about that... it's- it's for your own safety."

"For crying out loud, Jamie!" Carl exploded, jerking his hand away and jumping to his feet. "Enough!" he bellowed. He glared down at the startled young woman for a moment before waving his arms in the air and stalking to the other side of the room. "Dammit, woman!"

"Enough?! You've had enough?! You don't know one goddamned thing about enough!" Jamie shouted back, shooting to her feet to confront the detective. She was stunned by the intensity of her own reaction, but she was just too hurt by all of it – hiding, worrying…and now Carl's understandable lack of trust. It was just too much.

For a moment, Davis was shocked by the fire she displayed, but his anger crept back quickly. Running his hand down his face in exasperation, he spat out, "I'm tired of it! Tired of the riddles and innuendos and insinuations!"

"Do you really think I want to do this to you?! That I like screwing with your life? That I like having my life screwed with?!" Her voice rose until she was almost screaming. "Oh my god I would give anything to just go back to who I was before-"

Carl pounced. "Before what, Jamie?!"

This time, she could not stop the tears from flowing. "Before I had to run."

"I still don't quite understand why you had me do it," Simone commented, stretching languidly out on the bed like a cat.

Josef snorted and took another sip of cognac. He lamented for the hundredth time that his... misfortune... had resulted in the destruction of all that amazing Hardy Perfection.

"Elementary, my dear," he began, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Sometimes the best way to get Mick to do what I want - which, of course, is in his best interests - is to leave the impression that I'm about to do something he doesn't want."

He poured another cognac and brought it over to Simone. Bending over to kiss the lovely brunette, he held the glass away at arm's length. "For instance, you want me to give you this glass of, regrettably, just acceptable cognac. Whereas I might give you the impression that I intend to drink it myself…" He paused to take a sip from her glass, smacking his lips dramatically. He waved the glass in front of her as he continued. "Causing you to…"

Simone sprang up, naked, and snatched the glass from the vampire, who grinned broadly as he pronounced triumphantly, "Causing you to run around naked, which is what I really wanted all along!"

His lawyer stuck her tongue out at him as she plopped back on the bed with her prize. It was the only response she could think of, one that he found especially appealing at that moment.

Simone picked up the conversation where they had left off. "I am already well aware that you enjoy goading Mick. And I can see how it could be fun, but - I mean, weren't he and Beth going to... you know... anyway? What was the point of calling her?"

Josef stared meaningfully at her, the corners of his mouth turning upward. "You're a smart girl. You tell me."

He studied his guest as she considered the riddle, enjoying watching her mind at work. Despite his reluctance to sire, he had to admit Simone had the potential to be one hell of a vampire - as well as being gorgeous enough to make the idea of staring at her for an eternity not particularly onerous.

Her eyes narrowed in her thin face. "You had me plant that story with Beth, knowing she would of course warn Mick... and Mick, being who he is..."

Kostan smiled enigmatically.

"Still, this doesn't explain why. Not really," the brunette continued. "Of course, you, lover of all things awkward, enjoy knowing that you have caused at least some minor mayhem. But," she continued, carefully placing the crystal snifter on the nightstand before rolling onto her side to face him, "I also know how much you care about Mick. So, what's the real reason, Josef?"

He took another sip of the cognac, enjoying the burn in his esophagus and sat down on the bed beside her, his face growing serious as he studied the glass of golden liquid. "There are things I can't tell you, but I'm worried about him. About them," he amended, setting the glass on the nightstand, and staring intently at his companion. "You understand that this stays between us. I don't want Mick to know I've said anything to you."

Simone sat up straight, worry creasing her beautiful features. If Josef was worried... "What's going on?"

Kostan briefly weighed the pros and cons of what to tell her. Not because of mistrust - he knew he could count on her. If he hadn't been sure of it before, their time in Temecula had proven that. This was about his friendship with Mick. Sure, the younger vamp had a head like a bull and could be a royal pain in his ass - but he loved him like a brother, and they had seen each other through some very rough patches. He did not want to tell Simone anything that breached the confidence he shared with Mick. But, then again, Simone needed to know some of the darker aspects of the vampire community - and perhaps she could see something he was missing...

He made his decision. "What I'm about to say does not leave this room... I mean it - not Mick, not Beth - no one else hears this. Got it?"

Simone nodded her agreement, her dark brown eyes huge.

Josef took a deep breath. Forgive me, brother, if I'm speaking out of turn. "Mick isn't like most vampires - and that's not completely his doing. He... he wasn't given the choice to become one. He was turned against his will - before he even knew vampires existed. Can you imagine going to bed a human – and waking up to that?!"

"Oh shit," Simone gasped reflexively. Though she knew bits of the history between Mick and his ex-wife, Josef had left out that little detail. "Coraline?" When Josef nodded, she spat out, "That fucking bitch! How dare she! That explains a lot. Poor Mick."

"Yeah. He doesn't like talking about it. For obvious reasons."

"Even so, he's been dealing with this for decades. That can't be what's bothering you right now."

"Dealing, not dealt - there's a big difference. Mick still hates what he is. He's convinced that he's a monster – and Coraline set him up for that. She didn't teach him how to feed without killing and she would wait until he was starving and couldn't control himself, then bring him an innocent that he would kill because he couldn't stop himself and didn't know any other way to feed. The guilt almost drove him insane. It still haunts him. She's way worse than a bitch. She's a true monster."

"No shit," Simone muttered, taking a large gulp of her cognac. "Why would anyone do something like that?"

"Power. Control." Josef shrugged. "If he didn't really understand how to survive – or even how to kill himself – he'd be dependent on her. And the more guilt she could heap on him, the closer she bound him to her. Who else would care about him or want to be close to him after what he'd done? At least that's the way he saw it."

"When I realized what she'd done, I stepped in. Took him under my wing, taught him the right way to be a vampire, how to survive without killing. He still hasn't put it behind him, though I've sure as hell told him he needs to. I tried over the years to get him out and about - freshie parties, trips, roaming the night, anything I could think of to get him engaged, to get him to see that being a vampire isn't all bad. It seemed to be working - or so I thought - until he took on some case involving a kidnapped little blond girl...who was taken, as it turns out, by Coraline, the monster."

"A blond girl…" Simone's eyes rounded as her quick mind made the connection and her jaw dropped. "Beth?! That's when he met her?!" When Kostan nodded, the brunette dropped her head into her hands, then peeked out from under her mane of hair. "This is seriously fucked up. You know that, right?"

"Welcome to my world," Josef quipped with a cynical smile. "It's even more twisted. Mick had finally split with Coraline, after months of my talking to him and showing him a better way to live. She kidnapped Beth out of desperation. Her plan to turn her as a way to lure Mick back so they could be, as I think he said she told him, 'You, me and baby. It could work.'

Simone gasped. "She was going to…?!"

"Yep. Turn a child. Keep her a child forever to create what passed for a 'family' in her demented mind. How sick is that? Not to mention that it goes against every law we have in the vampire world."

"Does Beth know -"

"Beth didn't know when they first met but she knows almost everything - now. She knows that Coraline was the woman who kidnapped her as a child, but not that the bitch planned to turn her. And she knows that Mick was turned without his knowledge or consent on his wedding night. What she doesn't know about are the things that Coraline forced him to do to survive..."

"Well, she's obviously more than fine with Mick. Why is there a problem?"

He took a few moments to carefully formulate his answer. "Since he's been turned, at least from what he's told me, Mick had never had sex with a human female before Beth. Only with female vampires. And he doesn't exactly let his inner vamp out to play like I do. I'm sure you've noticed that he doesn't feed on humans anymore unless they are someone who deserves to be killed. No freshies for that boy. Not for years."

Josef sighed dramatically, thinking about the parade of lovely young women he'd used to try to entice his friend - all to no avail. "The boy is wound up now - and not in a good way. But, given all he's been through, Beth would probably still be very protective of him, which could include stretching the celibacy farther out than even the good doctor ordered if she thought it would help him. And that could cause more problems than she thinks she's preventing. So, I thought they needed a little…nudge."

The vampire shook his head, making a face as he took another drink of the - to him - sub-standard cognac. "If he accidentally hurt her, it'd be the end of him."

Images of Emma Monaghan and the aftermath of her loss of control were still fresh in Simone's mind. The broken body of her human lover... She shuddered and folded both her hands around his, tipping his glass toward her to take a sip before asking worriedly, "I've seen how in love they are, Josef. I can't imagine anything bad happening between them. Mick is crazy about her. Do you actually think Beth is in any danger?"

I wish I could answer that.

To Simone, his only answer was, "I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" Simone echoed. "That's hardly comforting. Is there anything you want me to do? Anything I can do?"

"Yeah. Be her friend. Give her someone she can confide in. Someone human. I can't tell her certain things directly - but you can." He grabbed his glass of blood and downed the last bit. "And I'm going to have a talk with junior. Soon." Whether he likes it or not…

End Song: I Can't Tell You Why, The Eagles