Characters: Josh, Beth, Mick
Rated G
Thanks, Lorig!
What if Mick had knocked on Beth's door to take her to New York just a little bit later...
What If – “It’s Just a Case”
“Josh!” Beth had been expecting Mick when she opened her door and she couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. Her smile quickly faded. “Oh god, I completely forgot… it’s movie night, isn’t it?”
“We need to talk.”
“Come in,” Beth motioned to Josh and stepped back allowing him to enter her apartment.
Josh walked in and stopped short, spying Beth’s carry-on suitcase in the middle of the floor. “Are you – are you going somewhere?”
“Yes. To New York. You know, the Josef Kostan story,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I thought that was wrapped up?” Josh asked, surprised.
“No.”
“So, you going alone?” he asked after a moment of awkward silence.
Beth took a steadying breath. “No.”
“You and Mick I bet, huh?” It sounded like a statement rather than a question. Beth could see the disappointment on his face. She could only nod.
“When were you going to tell me?”
“I was going to call you from the air… airport,” she faltered.
“Look,” Josh said, stepping in closer and shrugging his shoulders. “This isn’t working.”
“It’s just a case.”
“A case?”
“A story, whatever. Work.”
Josh stepped in even closer and stared right at her. “Look me in the eye, right now, and tell me you don’t have feelings for him.” His voice caught a little bit. “Look me in the eye, and tell me that.”
Beth stared right into his eyes and took a breath as if to speak, but remained silent. Wilting under Josh’s gaze, she lowered her eyes.
“I thought as much.”
“Josh, I…”
“And you were just going to call from me from the airport? And say what? ‘Hi honey, I’m on my way to New York with my buddy Mick. See you in a few’? You’ve only known him for a few months! We’ve been together over a year. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? Don’t I deserve something more than a call from the airport?”
“You make it sound like we were going to elope!” Beth lashed out. She could hardly stand the pain in his voice. She moved to the couch to sit down, not trusting her legs to hold her up any longer. She looked down at her hands in her lap.
She had never expected to be confronted by Josh like this about her growing feelings for Mick. She kept receiving all sorts of mixed signals from Mick, especially lately with the whole Coraline disguised as Morgan incident. But regardless of how he worked through that, she couldn’t deny the increasing attraction she felt for him. Discovering he had been her childhood guardian angel hadn’t changed a thing as far as she was concerned. If anything, it had drawn her even closer to him.
She was ashamed of herself for continuing to string Josh along as a safety net. Letting Mick bite her so that she could save his life with her blood was the most amazing experience; a shared connection of sorts. When Josh had kissed that same spot, it was all she could do to keep from cringing. She knew then that things would never be the same between her and Josh.
And yet, she went along with the anniversary party, pretending everything was fine. She figured she could break up with Josh later. When she was more sure of Mick’s feelings for her. When she could convince Mick she didn’t see him as a monster; that she loved all of him. That it could work between them. When she had time to plan what she wanted to say to Josh. When she could let him down easy.
“Beth?” Josh’s voice startled her out of her thoughts. How long have I been just sitting here? Time to own up and face the music. Josh is a good man and deserves better. He can’t help it if he’s not Mick.
Beth looked up at Josh. “You’re right, Josh. We need to talk.” She motioned to him to sit next to her on the couch. She took a deep breath.
“In fact, you are right about a lot of things. Yes, Josh, I have feelings for Mick. I can’t put them into words yet, exactly, but the attraction is there. And yes, you deserve better. I’m sorry I wasn’t more honest with you. It is all just so, so confusing.”
Josh let out a sigh. “I can’t say I’m surprised. In fact I’ve been kind of expecting it. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other.” He paused and added softly, “You used to look at me like that.”
Beth felt her face flush. “I did love you, Josh.”
“And I loved you. I still do. I guess it just wasn’t enough.” He sounded so sad, and Beth felt a few tears slip down her cheeks. “You’re sure about this? About him?”
Beth nodded. “Yes, I am.” She looked into his eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Me, too.” He leaned in and gently kissed her cheek.
The sudden knock on the door made them both jump. Beth looked at Josh, and he motioned her towards the door. “You better answer it. He’s waiting.” They both stood up and walked towards the door. Beth opened it and the heaviness in her heart was lightened by the smiling face looking down at her.
“You ready?” Beth opened the door wider as Josh started heading towards it. “Oh, I can… I’ll come back.”
“No, I was just leaving,” Josh said. “Bye, Beth. You two have fun in New York,” and without glancing at Mick he walked out the door.
MLMLMLML
“Are you okay?” Mick asked as he started the car and headed to the airport. Beth hadn’t said a word since leaving her apartment. Beth nodded as she stared out the window. Might as well ‘fess up. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop…” Beth’s head whipped around and she looked at him in shock and embarrassment.
“What?”
Mick looked sheepish. “Vampire hearing, remember?” Beth’s face was flaming red.
“How… how much did you hear?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.
“From the moment he demanded you look him in the eye. I was just about to knock then, but, well…” Mick squirmed in his seat. “…I wanted to hear your answer.” Beth blushed even more. “I did back away, down the hall. I thought I should stay near by though, just in case. But yes, I could still hear everything.”
“I just didn’t expect Josh to confront me like that. I was totally unprepared for it.”
He reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “Just so you know, it’s confusing for me, too.” He smiled at her now, and was rewarded with a smile in return.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Mick said. “How about after we find Josef, if we have some extra time, let’s you and me go out on the town and do something fun. Something quintessentially New York. We could catch a set at the Village Vanguard, with a couple of martinis and a steak for the lady.” He was positively grinning.
Beth was caught up in his enthusiasm now. “You mean, like a date?”
“Yeah, like a date. Would you like that? It might, you know, help with the confusing parts.”
Beth squeezed his hand and returned his smile. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”
The End.
) I love stories that give Beth a better way of treating Josh - because he was a good guy, even though he never stood a chance...
So glad you liked it! 
