Fic: Winner at a Losing Game, ch. 1
Title: Winner at a Losing Game
Rating: PG-13, for now
Word Count: 806
Pairing: Mick/Beth
Spoilers: It helps if you've read Demons, but not necessary.
Disclaimer: CBS is the grand Pooh-bah, I'm just borrowing them.
Author's note: I've been asked to write a sequel to Demons and here it is! Well, the first chapter anyway. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter One
The dark haired woman fidgeted in her chair; she was decidedly uncomfortable. Fortunately for her, the private investigator sitting across from her was used to such nervous clients. He’d seen her kind more times than he could count--longer than he cared to remember. What he didn’t know was that this case would take his already complicated life into the stratosphere of complicated lives.
The case began ordinarily enough. Janelle Davis suspected her new husband of three months was being unfaithful. The husband, Jack, showed all the classic signs: he was distant, rarely home, had strange charges on his credit card bill. Mick didn’t often work on cases of philandering; missing persons were more his specialty. However, something intrigued him about this one; he just couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
Mick took down Mrs. Davis’s contact information and she handed him a manila folder that contained her husband’s vital stats. Mick promised to get back to her in a couple of days; sooner if he found anything. He had just started perusing the folder on the mysterious Jack Davis when his phone rang.
“St. John.”
“Mick, it’s Josef.”
“Hello to you too,” Mick said in a sarcastic tone.
“Do you think you could get off your morally superior high horse and get over here? I have something I need you to look into.”
“This isn’t another of your once-a-decade booty calls again, is it?” Mick asked.
Mick could practically hear Josef’s scowl over the phone. “No. Look, can you get over hear or not?”
It must be serious if Josef wouldn’t tell him over the phone. “Yeah, I’m on my way.”
“Oh, bring Beth with you.”
“Beth? Why?”
“Another pair of eyes never hurts,” Josef said cryptically.
Wow. It must be serious if Josef was asking for Beth. Ever since the Ernst case six months ago, Josef had avoided the topic of Beth whenever possible. Josef believed that Mick was making a mistake, getting involved with a human. But out of respect for Mick, he held his tongue. Mostly.
Mick, meanwhile, dialed Beth’s cell. She picked up on the first ring.
“What’s up?” she said without preamble.
“You busy?” Mick asked.
“I think this is the slowest news day in the history of the world. Tell me you have something.”
“Josef wants us to come over,” Mick informed her.
“Is he still not speaking to me?”
Mick hesitated. “I think he's coming around. He asked that I bring you along specifically.”
“Why’s that?”
“Another pair of eyes. That’s all he said.”
“Guess we’ll just have to wait and see then,” said Beth in a resigned voice.
“Pick you up in fifteen minutes?”
“I’ll be ready.”
Mick hung up the phone and grabbed his car keys. He headed out the door without looking back, his philandering husband case forgotten. As he climbed in the car, he wondered yet again what Josef wanted and especially why he insisted that Beth come. There were times, like now, when Mick really didn’t understand his friend. But Josef had been there for Mick when no one else was through the decades, so Mick was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Fifteen minutes later, Beth climbed into the passenger side of the Mercedes.
“Am I glad to see you.” She kissed him on the cheek.
“That bad, huh?”
“Mo was about to send me out to cover Brad and Angelina’s latest refugee. I told her I had a lead on a story. I got out of there just in time.”
Mick grinned at her. “Glad to be of service.” He pulled out into traffic and pointed the Mercedes in the direction of Josef’s.
“You do anything fun today?” Beth asked.
After six months together, Mick was still surprised by her. Little things like asking about his day did that. It made him feel almost normal. Almost. Mick was all too aware of how un-normal he and Beth really were.
“Got a cheating husband. Well, I did until Josef called. The way he sounded it looks like my client may have to stew for a few more days.”
A few minutes later Mick pulled into the parking garage of Josef’s building. He and Beth got out of the car and headed up to Josef’s. Beth had only been there once but it was a memorable visit. She hoped that Josef did require anything quite so…provocative of her. The elevator door dinged as the exited onto Josef’s floor. Mick made a beeline for Josef’s desk; Beth followed in his wake. Josef was waiting for them.
“Hello, Josef.”
“Mick. Beth. Have a seat.” The two of them sat sown in the chairs opposite Josef’s desk.
“So what’s so important that you had to drag us from our respective jobs?” Mick asked.
Josef smirked. “How are you with industrial espionage?”
To be continued…
Rating: PG-13, for now
Word Count: 806
Pairing: Mick/Beth
Spoilers: It helps if you've read Demons, but not necessary.
Disclaimer: CBS is the grand Pooh-bah, I'm just borrowing them.
Author's note: I've been asked to write a sequel to Demons and here it is! Well, the first chapter anyway. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter One
The dark haired woman fidgeted in her chair; she was decidedly uncomfortable. Fortunately for her, the private investigator sitting across from her was used to such nervous clients. He’d seen her kind more times than he could count--longer than he cared to remember. What he didn’t know was that this case would take his already complicated life into the stratosphere of complicated lives.
The case began ordinarily enough. Janelle Davis suspected her new husband of three months was being unfaithful. The husband, Jack, showed all the classic signs: he was distant, rarely home, had strange charges on his credit card bill. Mick didn’t often work on cases of philandering; missing persons were more his specialty. However, something intrigued him about this one; he just couldn’t put his finger on what it was.
Mick took down Mrs. Davis’s contact information and she handed him a manila folder that contained her husband’s vital stats. Mick promised to get back to her in a couple of days; sooner if he found anything. He had just started perusing the folder on the mysterious Jack Davis when his phone rang.
“St. John.”
“Mick, it’s Josef.”
“Hello to you too,” Mick said in a sarcastic tone.
“Do you think you could get off your morally superior high horse and get over here? I have something I need you to look into.”
“This isn’t another of your once-a-decade booty calls again, is it?” Mick asked.
Mick could practically hear Josef’s scowl over the phone. “No. Look, can you get over hear or not?”
It must be serious if Josef wouldn’t tell him over the phone. “Yeah, I’m on my way.”
“Oh, bring Beth with you.”
“Beth? Why?”
“Another pair of eyes never hurts,” Josef said cryptically.
Wow. It must be serious if Josef was asking for Beth. Ever since the Ernst case six months ago, Josef had avoided the topic of Beth whenever possible. Josef believed that Mick was making a mistake, getting involved with a human. But out of respect for Mick, he held his tongue. Mostly.
Mick, meanwhile, dialed Beth’s cell. She picked up on the first ring.
“What’s up?” she said without preamble.
“You busy?” Mick asked.
“I think this is the slowest news day in the history of the world. Tell me you have something.”
“Josef wants us to come over,” Mick informed her.
“Is he still not speaking to me?”
Mick hesitated. “I think he's coming around. He asked that I bring you along specifically.”
“Why’s that?”
“Another pair of eyes. That’s all he said.”
“Guess we’ll just have to wait and see then,” said Beth in a resigned voice.
“Pick you up in fifteen minutes?”
“I’ll be ready.”
Mick hung up the phone and grabbed his car keys. He headed out the door without looking back, his philandering husband case forgotten. As he climbed in the car, he wondered yet again what Josef wanted and especially why he insisted that Beth come. There were times, like now, when Mick really didn’t understand his friend. But Josef had been there for Mick when no one else was through the decades, so Mick was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Fifteen minutes later, Beth climbed into the passenger side of the Mercedes.
“Am I glad to see you.” She kissed him on the cheek.
“That bad, huh?”
“Mo was about to send me out to cover Brad and Angelina’s latest refugee. I told her I had a lead on a story. I got out of there just in time.”
Mick grinned at her. “Glad to be of service.” He pulled out into traffic and pointed the Mercedes in the direction of Josef’s.
“You do anything fun today?” Beth asked.
After six months together, Mick was still surprised by her. Little things like asking about his day did that. It made him feel almost normal. Almost. Mick was all too aware of how un-normal he and Beth really were.
“Got a cheating husband. Well, I did until Josef called. The way he sounded it looks like my client may have to stew for a few more days.”
A few minutes later Mick pulled into the parking garage of Josef’s building. He and Beth got out of the car and headed up to Josef’s. Beth had only been there once but it was a memorable visit. She hoped that Josef did require anything quite so…provocative of her. The elevator door dinged as the exited onto Josef’s floor. Mick made a beeline for Josef’s desk; Beth followed in his wake. Josef was waiting for them.
“Hello, Josef.”
“Mick. Beth. Have a seat.” The two of them sat sown in the chairs opposite Josef’s desk.
“So what’s so important that you had to drag us from our respective jobs?” Mick asked.
Josef smirked. “How are you with industrial espionage?”
To be continued…