Just a Kiss, Chapter 5
Title: Just a Kiss
Fandom : Moonlight
Characters : Mick, Beth, Josef, Simone
Rating : R, for some sexual content and strong language.
Spoilers: Post -"Sonata"
Summary: Eleventh in my post-Sonata series. Josef finally confronts Beth with his growing feelings for her, and it has serious consequences for his relationships with Mick and Simone. Told from alternating pov's of all the main characters.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; no copyright infringement intended
Chapter 5
A/N: Well, I’m back from sunny (and cool!) Southern California, where I played tourist and saw relatives. I was mainly in San Diego, but made it up to LA and had fun imagining being on Mick and Josef’s stomping grounds. Even went by La Brea, but I didn’t see any of Josef’s hidden bodies.
So, to reward you for the wait, here is an extra long chapter that I wrote “old school” in a notebook when I had a few minutes in my hotel room and on the plane. If you are new to my stories, the characters of Daryl and Carrie Morgan are vampires of my own invention, and you can read their backgrounds in my past stories, in particular “The Sire,” but they make appearances in several of my fics. I tried to re-introduce them somewhat so you won’t be totally lost. I do enjoy these two-they’re like my own children, after all. Hope you like this chapter-please let me know what you think!
MICK
I was glad the Stake and Fang wasn’t too far from the DA’s office, since I found I was desperately in need of that drink. I walked into the vampire-friendly pub, where Daryl Morgan was pouring shots for a pair of vamps in business suits. He looked up as I entered, immediately assessed my mood, and brought out the best single malt from behind the bar.
“Bad day?” inquired my friend. I sat on a barstool.
“Depends on your point of view. You probably would think it a good thing that I just beat Josef Kostan to a pulp.”
“I don’t know,” he said, filling my glass with scotch. “Kostan can be an ass, and sometimes could stand to be knocked down a peg or two, but you’d be the last person I’d expect to do the knocking.”
I downed my drink and nodded for another. He didn’t hesitate, for which I was eternally grateful.
“Yeah, I never imagined I would do it either.”
I proceeded to tell him the whole sad story, and he was behind my actions one-hundred percent-except that if anyone ever tried anything with his wife, Carrie, they would have had more than two black eyes and a dented Ferrari.
Thanks, cheri, came the faint French accent in my head. His wife, Carrie, also a vampire, had come into the bar from the kitchen, tying on her apron and adjusting her long, black ponytail. It always was a little disconcerting hearing her voice in my head when she hadn’t said a word out loud.
Hello, Mick. Troubles with Beth?
She came up and kissed me lightly on both cheeks.
“No, not with Beth. With Josef. He came on to her so I kicked his back-stabbing ass.”
Well done. Did you come to ask for help disposing of the body?
I laughed, my glass an inch from my lips. “I found I couldn’t kill him, much as I wanted to. But thanks for the support.”
She smiled, and I was struck as usual by her exotic beauty. I cannot see you two apart for too long. You are too much like brothers.
I snorted, setting down my glass for a refill. “Ever heard of Cain and Abel?” I asked dryly.
A customer was calling for Carrie from one of the pub’s booths. Carrie touched my shoulder.
All will be well.
“I wish I had her confidence,” I said to Daryl. “I can’t begin to know how to forgive him for this. I trusted him with my life on more than one occasion. I thought I could trust him with Beth…”
Daryl was quiet a minute, and I tuned in to the other sounds around me. The Southern Rock emanating from the corner juke box, the chatter from the booths, the pool table balls clinking as someone started a new game, the general tinkling of glassware.
Finally, I heard Daryl say softly: “Forgiveness is more for you than the other person, Mick.”
And then it hit me, and I was embarrassed to realize what a hypocrite I was. Daryl and I were only now recovering from the rift in our friendship about six months ago. A rift caused by my unfortunate realization that I had accidentally sired him fifty years before. Daryl’s reaction to me had been similar to my reaction to Josef. I still had the internal scars to prove it.
I looked meekly into Daryl’s serious eyes, remembering vividly how it felt to have one of my oldest friends hate me for something I’d done. How I’d felt physically was nothing compared to the beating I’d given myself for the long-ago mistake.
“There’s a difference,” I said, still trying desperately to justify my anger. “What I did to you…well, I had only the best intentions. While Josef…”
“You said Josef has apparently had a thing for Beth since what-two years ago? I’m not defending him, but from what I know of Josef Kostan, he must have been exerting Herculean self-control all this time, likely out of loyalty to you. And then, all he did was kiss her?”
“Yeah, but-“
“The question you should be asking yourself,” Daryl interrupted, “is if one moment of weakness is worth losing a friendship of over fifty years.” He looked at me and smirked, then filled a new glass with fresh O neg. “I guess you know how I answered that question.”
I smiled and obediently drank my blood. “Now you’ve gone all bartender on me, what with all the empathy stuff and the sage advice.”
“That’s what makes me so successful, Mick.” He indicated the jovial tables and relaxed atmosphere. I knew he was right, though. He began absently wiping down the bar.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t make him suffer a little,” he said slyly.
“You didn’t do that to me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I treated you like shit, even after I beat it out of you.”
“Ha. After I let you-“
His eyes narrowed, and he purposefully flexed his impressive biceps beneath the skin-tight pub logo t-shirt he wore. Well, he had a point there, but still…
“Seems to me that, like Hercules, he should go through a few trials to make it up to you.”
“What, you mean like kill a lion or de-girdle an Amazon? Well, he’d probably actually like that last one…”
Daryl laughed, drawing the appreciative attention from a couple ladies at the other end of the bar. “I don’t know. If he is as eager as I suspect to get back in your good graces, he’ll be willing to do about anything.”
I contemplated this, knowing before that I couldn’t make it easy on Josef, but not really thinking of it in concrete terms.
“Like what?” I asked.
“What does Josef Kostan value most in the world?”
“Money!” we both said in unison, both of us smiling.
“Trouble with that,” I ventured, “is it might hurt him for a minute, but he has somewhere in the neighborhood of ten billion dollars, so it’s not likely to hurt for long.”
We were both quiet, then I heard Daryl mutter, “Ten billion? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”
I chuckled. “Okay, we need to go for what’s left of his heart, ‘cause that’s where he attacked me. For Josef, it’s women-Simone specifically-but she’s already taken care of that for us by leaving him. There’s our friendship, which is already torturous right now. And don’t forget the Ferrari-but I think I can already check that off my list.”
The sweet satisfaction of ramming his car door, the cheerful bending of metal, was way worth the minor repairs I’d have with the Mercedes’ bumper.
“Come to think of it, he’s already suffering on the heart stuff. Money it is, then.”
“Is there a charity he despises?” asked Daryl mischievously. “Save the Whales? Homeless shelters? Children’s hospitals? The Humane Society?”
I laughed. “I can see it now. Kostan’s Home for Homeless Stray Kittens.”
“You could just bring your flamethrower and get it over with,” Daryl suggested.
“Anyone ever tell you, you have a sadistic streak?”
“Vampire at heart, my friend.”
I finished my blood and pondered my next move. Part of me wanted to find Josef and beat up on him some more. Part of me wanted to show up on his doorstep and act like nothing ever happened, that his smirky, over-indulgent, smart-ass mouth had never been on my Beth’s.
As usual, I tried to pay for my drinks. As usual, Daryl brushed my money aside. He wished me luck.
“Thanks, man. I’m gonna need it.”
As I was leaving, Carrie’s voice entered my mind from across the bar.
Josef loves you, Mick. He is just a little lost right now. Be patient.
My eyes met hers, and I nodded in understanding. “Thanks,” I mouthed. She gave me one of those brilliant smiles which no doubt had bound Daryl to her forever.
JOSEF
Even though I had already begun to heal from Mick’s revenge beating earlier, the ice mask on my eyes felt really good, as did the massage the lovely Caroline was administering, carefully avoiding my wrapped ribs. I was back at my house on the patio near the pool, and, after submitting to Niles’s nursemaid act and some reviving blood from a freshie, I was well on my way to recovery. At least physically. The way Mick and I left things weighed heavily on my mind.
As if summoned by magic, I heard the familiar purr of Mick’s Mercedes coming up the drive. Was he back for another pound of flesh? I decided I’d play it cool and allow Caroline to continue her good work, but I was no longer relaxed. A minute later, Mick’s knock was greeted by Niles’s welcoming tones. I tensed, and Caroline commented on the sudden stiffness in my shoulders.
“You make me stiff in all kinds of places, baby, “ I said offhandedly.
She laughed sexily at my wickedness, as I had intended.
“Josef,” said Mick formally. “May I have a word? Alone?”
I sat up carefully and sent Sweet Caroline on her way, removing the ice pack, hating how nervous I felt now with this man I loved like a brother. So I used my best defense mechanism-sarcasm.
“If you are back for round two, I gotta tell ya, I only have so many ribs for you to break. Let me just concede right now and let you avoid the trouble.”
He couldn’t quite hide the flash of guilt at the first sight of my black eyes, split lips, and wrapped ribs, and I winced in pain at my sudden grin.
“No,” he replied, “I’m here to try to come to some sort of…understanding. I’m still pissed with you, but I honestly don’t want to feel like this anymore.”
“That’s just the scotch talking,” I said, having scented the liquor the moment he’d entered the patio. It wasn’t like Mick to drink so much.
“I did just come from Daryl’s bar. He helped me see things a bit more clearly.”
“Oh?” I said dryly. “I’ll bet. Morgan just tolerates me because I’m your-“ I didn’t know how to finish that statement, so the unspoken words hung awkwardly in the air. It’s funny how just kissing your best friend’s girl can change your status really quick.
“Daryl thinks you should be made to suffer a bit for what you’ve done. Beth agrees.”
Mick thinks I’m not suffering enough here?
“She does, huh? Seems to me my jaw is still suffering from that sucker punch she snuck in.”
“No less than you deserved, don’t you think?”
“True,” I allowed. I got gingerly up from the massage table and grabbed the clean silk shirt Niles had left me. I sucked in as the muscles around my ribs pulled. Mick almost reached out to help me with my shirt, but immediately stopped himself. I finished pulling on the sleeves myself and began buttoning, feeling another twinge of hope in his instinctive act of friendship. Old habits…
“So, what’s the verdict from you, Mick? The rack? Waterboarding? Thumbscrews?”
A smile played around his lips, but he put the kibosh on that too. Score another one for me.
“Penance, Josef. Of your own choosing.”
I regarded him a moment, trying to comprehend what he was getting at. He noticed my apparent confusion, and helpfully clarified. “Something money can’t buy.”
“So…let me get this straight. You want me to pay for what I’ve done, but not with money? If you want guilt and remorse, Mick, I’m rolling in it right now. I’ve paid with my face and my ribs-and would you like me to show you the bruises on my ass? What could I possibly do to make this up to you? I’m sorry, Mick. I’ve been an asshole and I crossed over a line I should have stayed well clear of. I betrayed you-“ Mortified, I felt my eyes well with unshed tears, and I looked away, trying to find some self-control, something highly illusive for me lately.
“I’m glad you understand the gravity of the situation, Josef,” he said sincerely, “but everything seems to come too easily for you. This is too important to just let slide by. I want to forgive you, but I want actions, not just words.”
“Can you be more specific?” I asked, still at a loss. Mick wandered over to the glass door, looking out at the pool without seeming to see it.
“You took something from me-from us. You took my trust, my friendship, my girl, like they meant nothing to you. I want you to give up something that means something to you. Something that might balance the scales a bit, make me believe you are seriously interested in making amends. What you choose is up to you. I’ll know as well as you if it’s an appropriate sacrifice.”
He turned back and looked me squarely in the eye. “Let me know when you’ve done it. I believe you’ll make the right decision.”
He turned to go, but I needed clarification on one last item. “If I am successful at this test of yours, can we get past this-go back to the way things were? Maybe never speak of it again?” I felt myself almost begging, and it washed over me again how important he was in my life, that yes, I would in fact give up anything for him. He hesitated, and I felt my insides clench.
“Yes, Josef. And I always keep my promises.”
With that parting shot, he left the way he came, and I stood there watching him, feeling like he’d slugged me one more time-this time, in the gut.
TBC
Fandom : Moonlight
Characters : Mick, Beth, Josef, Simone
Rating : R, for some sexual content and strong language.
Spoilers: Post -"Sonata"
Summary: Eleventh in my post-Sonata series. Josef finally confronts Beth with his growing feelings for her, and it has serious consequences for his relationships with Mick and Simone. Told from alternating pov's of all the main characters.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; no copyright infringement intended
Chapter 5
A/N: Well, I’m back from sunny (and cool!) Southern California, where I played tourist and saw relatives. I was mainly in San Diego, but made it up to LA and had fun imagining being on Mick and Josef’s stomping grounds. Even went by La Brea, but I didn’t see any of Josef’s hidden bodies.
So, to reward you for the wait, here is an extra long chapter that I wrote “old school” in a notebook when I had a few minutes in my hotel room and on the plane. If you are new to my stories, the characters of Daryl and Carrie Morgan are vampires of my own invention, and you can read their backgrounds in my past stories, in particular “The Sire,” but they make appearances in several of my fics. I tried to re-introduce them somewhat so you won’t be totally lost. I do enjoy these two-they’re like my own children, after all. Hope you like this chapter-please let me know what you think!
MICK
I was glad the Stake and Fang wasn’t too far from the DA’s office, since I found I was desperately in need of that drink. I walked into the vampire-friendly pub, where Daryl Morgan was pouring shots for a pair of vamps in business suits. He looked up as I entered, immediately assessed my mood, and brought out the best single malt from behind the bar.
“Bad day?” inquired my friend. I sat on a barstool.
“Depends on your point of view. You probably would think it a good thing that I just beat Josef Kostan to a pulp.”
“I don’t know,” he said, filling my glass with scotch. “Kostan can be an ass, and sometimes could stand to be knocked down a peg or two, but you’d be the last person I’d expect to do the knocking.”
I downed my drink and nodded for another. He didn’t hesitate, for which I was eternally grateful.
“Yeah, I never imagined I would do it either.”
I proceeded to tell him the whole sad story, and he was behind my actions one-hundred percent-except that if anyone ever tried anything with his wife, Carrie, they would have had more than two black eyes and a dented Ferrari.
Thanks, cheri, came the faint French accent in my head. His wife, Carrie, also a vampire, had come into the bar from the kitchen, tying on her apron and adjusting her long, black ponytail. It always was a little disconcerting hearing her voice in my head when she hadn’t said a word out loud.
Hello, Mick. Troubles with Beth?
She came up and kissed me lightly on both cheeks.
“No, not with Beth. With Josef. He came on to her so I kicked his back-stabbing ass.”
Well done. Did you come to ask for help disposing of the body?
I laughed, my glass an inch from my lips. “I found I couldn’t kill him, much as I wanted to. But thanks for the support.”
She smiled, and I was struck as usual by her exotic beauty. I cannot see you two apart for too long. You are too much like brothers.
I snorted, setting down my glass for a refill. “Ever heard of Cain and Abel?” I asked dryly.
A customer was calling for Carrie from one of the pub’s booths. Carrie touched my shoulder.
All will be well.
“I wish I had her confidence,” I said to Daryl. “I can’t begin to know how to forgive him for this. I trusted him with my life on more than one occasion. I thought I could trust him with Beth…”
Daryl was quiet a minute, and I tuned in to the other sounds around me. The Southern Rock emanating from the corner juke box, the chatter from the booths, the pool table balls clinking as someone started a new game, the general tinkling of glassware.
Finally, I heard Daryl say softly: “Forgiveness is more for you than the other person, Mick.”
And then it hit me, and I was embarrassed to realize what a hypocrite I was. Daryl and I were only now recovering from the rift in our friendship about six months ago. A rift caused by my unfortunate realization that I had accidentally sired him fifty years before. Daryl’s reaction to me had been similar to my reaction to Josef. I still had the internal scars to prove it.
I looked meekly into Daryl’s serious eyes, remembering vividly how it felt to have one of my oldest friends hate me for something I’d done. How I’d felt physically was nothing compared to the beating I’d given myself for the long-ago mistake.
“There’s a difference,” I said, still trying desperately to justify my anger. “What I did to you…well, I had only the best intentions. While Josef…”
“You said Josef has apparently had a thing for Beth since what-two years ago? I’m not defending him, but from what I know of Josef Kostan, he must have been exerting Herculean self-control all this time, likely out of loyalty to you. And then, all he did was kiss her?”
“Yeah, but-“
“The question you should be asking yourself,” Daryl interrupted, “is if one moment of weakness is worth losing a friendship of over fifty years.” He looked at me and smirked, then filled a new glass with fresh O neg. “I guess you know how I answered that question.”
I smiled and obediently drank my blood. “Now you’ve gone all bartender on me, what with all the empathy stuff and the sage advice.”
“That’s what makes me so successful, Mick.” He indicated the jovial tables and relaxed atmosphere. I knew he was right, though. He began absently wiping down the bar.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t make him suffer a little,” he said slyly.
“You didn’t do that to me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I treated you like shit, even after I beat it out of you.”
“Ha. After I let you-“
His eyes narrowed, and he purposefully flexed his impressive biceps beneath the skin-tight pub logo t-shirt he wore. Well, he had a point there, but still…
“Seems to me that, like Hercules, he should go through a few trials to make it up to you.”
“What, you mean like kill a lion or de-girdle an Amazon? Well, he’d probably actually like that last one…”
Daryl laughed, drawing the appreciative attention from a couple ladies at the other end of the bar. “I don’t know. If he is as eager as I suspect to get back in your good graces, he’ll be willing to do about anything.”
I contemplated this, knowing before that I couldn’t make it easy on Josef, but not really thinking of it in concrete terms.
“Like what?” I asked.
“What does Josef Kostan value most in the world?”
“Money!” we both said in unison, both of us smiling.
“Trouble with that,” I ventured, “is it might hurt him for a minute, but he has somewhere in the neighborhood of ten billion dollars, so it’s not likely to hurt for long.”
We were both quiet, then I heard Daryl mutter, “Ten billion? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”
I chuckled. “Okay, we need to go for what’s left of his heart, ‘cause that’s where he attacked me. For Josef, it’s women-Simone specifically-but she’s already taken care of that for us by leaving him. There’s our friendship, which is already torturous right now. And don’t forget the Ferrari-but I think I can already check that off my list.”
The sweet satisfaction of ramming his car door, the cheerful bending of metal, was way worth the minor repairs I’d have with the Mercedes’ bumper.
“Come to think of it, he’s already suffering on the heart stuff. Money it is, then.”
“Is there a charity he despises?” asked Daryl mischievously. “Save the Whales? Homeless shelters? Children’s hospitals? The Humane Society?”
I laughed. “I can see it now. Kostan’s Home for Homeless Stray Kittens.”
“You could just bring your flamethrower and get it over with,” Daryl suggested.
“Anyone ever tell you, you have a sadistic streak?”
“Vampire at heart, my friend.”
I finished my blood and pondered my next move. Part of me wanted to find Josef and beat up on him some more. Part of me wanted to show up on his doorstep and act like nothing ever happened, that his smirky, over-indulgent, smart-ass mouth had never been on my Beth’s.
As usual, I tried to pay for my drinks. As usual, Daryl brushed my money aside. He wished me luck.
“Thanks, man. I’m gonna need it.”
As I was leaving, Carrie’s voice entered my mind from across the bar.
Josef loves you, Mick. He is just a little lost right now. Be patient.
My eyes met hers, and I nodded in understanding. “Thanks,” I mouthed. She gave me one of those brilliant smiles which no doubt had bound Daryl to her forever.
JOSEF
Even though I had already begun to heal from Mick’s revenge beating earlier, the ice mask on my eyes felt really good, as did the massage the lovely Caroline was administering, carefully avoiding my wrapped ribs. I was back at my house on the patio near the pool, and, after submitting to Niles’s nursemaid act and some reviving blood from a freshie, I was well on my way to recovery. At least physically. The way Mick and I left things weighed heavily on my mind.
As if summoned by magic, I heard the familiar purr of Mick’s Mercedes coming up the drive. Was he back for another pound of flesh? I decided I’d play it cool and allow Caroline to continue her good work, but I was no longer relaxed. A minute later, Mick’s knock was greeted by Niles’s welcoming tones. I tensed, and Caroline commented on the sudden stiffness in my shoulders.
“You make me stiff in all kinds of places, baby, “ I said offhandedly.
She laughed sexily at my wickedness, as I had intended.
“Josef,” said Mick formally. “May I have a word? Alone?”
I sat up carefully and sent Sweet Caroline on her way, removing the ice pack, hating how nervous I felt now with this man I loved like a brother. So I used my best defense mechanism-sarcasm.
“If you are back for round two, I gotta tell ya, I only have so many ribs for you to break. Let me just concede right now and let you avoid the trouble.”
He couldn’t quite hide the flash of guilt at the first sight of my black eyes, split lips, and wrapped ribs, and I winced in pain at my sudden grin.
“No,” he replied, “I’m here to try to come to some sort of…understanding. I’m still pissed with you, but I honestly don’t want to feel like this anymore.”
“That’s just the scotch talking,” I said, having scented the liquor the moment he’d entered the patio. It wasn’t like Mick to drink so much.
“I did just come from Daryl’s bar. He helped me see things a bit more clearly.”
“Oh?” I said dryly. “I’ll bet. Morgan just tolerates me because I’m your-“ I didn’t know how to finish that statement, so the unspoken words hung awkwardly in the air. It’s funny how just kissing your best friend’s girl can change your status really quick.
“Daryl thinks you should be made to suffer a bit for what you’ve done. Beth agrees.”
Mick thinks I’m not suffering enough here?
“She does, huh? Seems to me my jaw is still suffering from that sucker punch she snuck in.”
“No less than you deserved, don’t you think?”
“True,” I allowed. I got gingerly up from the massage table and grabbed the clean silk shirt Niles had left me. I sucked in as the muscles around my ribs pulled. Mick almost reached out to help me with my shirt, but immediately stopped himself. I finished pulling on the sleeves myself and began buttoning, feeling another twinge of hope in his instinctive act of friendship. Old habits…
“So, what’s the verdict from you, Mick? The rack? Waterboarding? Thumbscrews?”
A smile played around his lips, but he put the kibosh on that too. Score another one for me.
“Penance, Josef. Of your own choosing.”
I regarded him a moment, trying to comprehend what he was getting at. He noticed my apparent confusion, and helpfully clarified. “Something money can’t buy.”
“So…let me get this straight. You want me to pay for what I’ve done, but not with money? If you want guilt and remorse, Mick, I’m rolling in it right now. I’ve paid with my face and my ribs-and would you like me to show you the bruises on my ass? What could I possibly do to make this up to you? I’m sorry, Mick. I’ve been an asshole and I crossed over a line I should have stayed well clear of. I betrayed you-“ Mortified, I felt my eyes well with unshed tears, and I looked away, trying to find some self-control, something highly illusive for me lately.
“I’m glad you understand the gravity of the situation, Josef,” he said sincerely, “but everything seems to come too easily for you. This is too important to just let slide by. I want to forgive you, but I want actions, not just words.”
“Can you be more specific?” I asked, still at a loss. Mick wandered over to the glass door, looking out at the pool without seeming to see it.
“You took something from me-from us. You took my trust, my friendship, my girl, like they meant nothing to you. I want you to give up something that means something to you. Something that might balance the scales a bit, make me believe you are seriously interested in making amends. What you choose is up to you. I’ll know as well as you if it’s an appropriate sacrifice.”
He turned back and looked me squarely in the eye. “Let me know when you’ve done it. I believe you’ll make the right decision.”
He turned to go, but I needed clarification on one last item. “If I am successful at this test of yours, can we get past this-go back to the way things were? Maybe never speak of it again?” I felt myself almost begging, and it washed over me again how important he was in my life, that yes, I would in fact give up anything for him. He hesitated, and I felt my insides clench.
“Yes, Josef. And I always keep my promises.”
With that parting shot, he left the way he came, and I stood there watching him, feeling like he’d slugged me one more time-this time, in the gut.
TBC