Just One More Day (PG13)

[Catmoon]

Title: Just One More Day
Author: Cat Moon
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own the Moonlight characters, I make no profit and no copyright infringement is intended.
Warning: Warning! Dark fic! Character death. Have tissues handy. This fic was written after the news of the cancellation of Moonlight, it was my personal form of therapy to deal with my emotions. I haven't reposted it until now. FYI: This was written before the last episode aired, so in this story the events of the end of Sonata never happened.



Just One More Day
By Cat Moon


To be, or not to be. Romeo and Juliet. What we want doesn’t matter. These things never end well.

Funny, somehow though, I never thought it would end like this. So soon. If I could see her smile, hear her laugh… feel the touch of her hand upon mine one more time. If I had just one more day I would do so much differently. Turns out I learned nothing in the past 86 years. Now, the cost of the lesson is more than I can bear.

The roof was dark, not even a moon in the sky to shed its light upon the tableau. Nevertheless, Josef Konstantin had no trouble seeing the figure sitting against the wall. Vampire sight was too good, sometimes. Mick St. John was motionless except for his finger flicking the lighter in his hand. On. Off. On. Off. The shiny blade of the sword lying at his side reflected the flame.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

“Go away Josef.”

Josef ignored the plea, and instead sat down next to his friend. He idly picked up the sword and studied the sharp edge before drawing it deeply across his hand. He watched the blood pool for a moment, then begin healing. “I heard Talbot went missing.”

“I killed him,” Mick said matter-of-factly, absolutely no emotion in his voice. “Made him suffer first though.”

“Yeah, I figured. Would’ve liked to have been there.” His voice held no trace of his usual snarkiness.

“It’s his fault. If she hadn’t been working for him…”

If Mick had been there. But just this one time, one time in 23 years, he hadn’t. They’d seen each other the night before, rented “Interview with a Vampire” and laughed themselves silly over it. Then he let her go home. He never even told her he loved her. In his better moments he believed she’d known… but she died never having heard the words of his heart. That knowledge made him long for the oblivion of true death.

One time. One time, she needed him and he wasn’t there. And now two lives were over. In the few short weeks they’d been dating, hell, in the entire seven months she’d known him Mick had been waiting. Waiting for her to leave, expecting to lose the one thing that meant more to him than anything ever had. Instead of enjoying every second that he was blessed to have her in his life, he spent it pushing her away and letting fear come between them. He thought she’d run, long before this. This, this was something he just hadn’t seen coming. He still had trouble accepting it. Believing that it could end like this. It felt so wrong. Despite the devastation rotting his insides, he was haunted with the idea that it had to be some big, cosmic mistake that the universe would put right any moment. She’d walk in and light up his world like she always did, tease him about something intimate and embarrassing, her nose crinkling up in that adorable way it did…

Had he expected it to end long before this, or to last forever?

“She would’ve made a great vamp,” Josef decreed, laying the sword back down with careful precision. “Better than you.”

Mick conceded the point with a slight nod. “I’m done. It’s over, no reason to continue. I never wanted any of this, and she was the only reason I was able to do it as long as I did.”

“You think I don’t grieve for my lost love, every single day of my life?” Josef demanded in a voice raw with emotion.

“Yeah. But for you there’s still hope. Sarah could come out of it one day.”

“Or I could spend the next couple of centuries waiting. At least you have closure. You can grieve and move on.”

Mick laughed. Despite being a vampire, the sound caused a chill to run up Josef’s spine. “You’ve been a good friend. I probably wouldn’t have made it through those early years without you, either. Thank you, my brother -- for everything.”

“Do you think this is what she’d want?” Josef asked desperately.

“What we want doesn’t matter.”

“No. Tell me. What do you think Beth would say if she knew what you’re planning?”

For the first time since he arrived, Mick looked at him. His eyes were dead. “I don’t care.”

“You don’t care about anyone who cares about you then, is that what you’re saying? Anyone who’s invested time and interest and—“he stumbled to a halt.

And maybe Josef was lonely too, and maybe he hated to be alone because when he was the press of centuries wore on him and the darkness wasn’t comforting. And he was losing the only friend who loved him for more than his money. Still, he was a survivor. He clung to life and refused to give in and fought any attempt death made on his undead life. Because living was still better than the alternative – oblivion. Mick however, craved oblivion. He would thirst after it relentlessly until he’d drunk from its soothing black waters.

“What do you want from me, Josef?” Mick whispered.

“One more day.” He grabbed the lighter from Mick’s hand and threw it across the roof. “I want one more day. For me.”

How many One More Days could he negotiate for? Enough? Or was it just postponing the inevitable? Did he have what it takes to find that key that would lock Mick to this immortal coil? In the end it didn’t matter, because he’d take every day, every minute as a gift worth fighting to keep. As long as possible.

Josef Konstantin wanted to survive.

Mick St. John wanted peace.

“One more day.”


The end.

[moonlight_vixen]

Wow, you warned that tissues would be needed and they were. This was heartbreaking

Josef Konstantin wanted to survive.

Mick St. John wanted peace.

“One more day.”

I love that Josef let his emotions out with Mick, who really is the only person that he can do that with. His bartering with him just broke my heart.

Great job, Cat!!

[mitzie]

Very powerful story!! It would be interesting to know how Beth died and why Mick killed Talbot??!! Great story!!!

mitzie

[wpgrace]

OH Cat I had never seen this one before... but it's reallllllllllly nice...

The way you portray Mick is so perfect... yeah, if she died from work, he probably WOULD kill Talbot... and then he'd sulk and then he'd do just exactly what you have him doing... grieve and threaten suicide... and yeah... Josef would ride to the rescue, for Mick's but also his own sake..,

I think Mick really wants to live and would recover... but it'll be a tough go for awhile... and Josef will have his hands full...

You really nailed the boys here... and what a cool way to have worked out your anger at the cancellation...

And again... I just love your dialogue here... sigh. I know she's dead but this is so well done concnerning those circumstances that I am feeling very content...

[Catmoon]

Moonlight_vixen: Glad you enjoyed it despite the depressing theme. I hadn't realized how much this story was also about Josef until I re-read it tonight. I felt sad for Josef, too.

Mitzie: Well I have to say that I won't be elaborating on this particular premise. I think it's suffice to say Beth was killed when working on a case for the DA's office, and Mick went off the deep end in self destruct mode and killed Talbot. Glad you liked it.

Wpgrace: Yes, I felt this was exactly the way both of them would react to the situation, I'm glad it rang true for you as well. Thanks for reading and commenting.

[wpgrace]

Moonlight_vixen: Glad you enjoyed it despite the depressing theme. I hadn't realized how much this story was also about Josef until I re-read it tonight. I felt sad for Josef, too.
.

Oh gosh, interesting you said that... as i was reading it, Josef's desperation to keep his friend was incredibly palpable... my thoughts the whole time were that the boys would survive this together... Josef is facing the loss of Mick and that is as big to him as the loss of Beth was TO Mick... it really comes thru, Cat... you may not have consciously thought of this as equally Josef's story... but it's in there... That is the truly heartbreaking part... that Josef will have to save Mick in order to also save himself...

Their relationship really is beautiful... and I thought it was far deeper and more interesting than MickBeth...I don't mean slash... I mean they truly love one another as brothers and their interdependence is so clear...'

Anyway, you pegged em... Mick will survive and they'll go on to new adventures..

[heartagram_lala]

wow!

That was so powerful.

Mick's pain was so tangible my chest hurt!!! And then Josef's pain... girl you put me through the wringer with this one!

I hope there are many more One More Days to come, i don't think Josef could survive, oh he would live on for sure, but he wouldn't survive mentally, if Mick killed himself, or died another way.

Josef needs Mick the same way Mick needed Beth, but i think Mick needs to realise that Josef is STILL there, always has been and always will be.

I think Josef can pull Mick through this, even if he is kicking and screaming, in the end i think Mick will thank Josef for it.

LOVED IT HUN!!! Once again, you amaze me =D

[francis]

Wow. That's really heartbreaking.

“One more day.” He grabbed the lighter from Mick’s hand and threw it across the roof. “I want one more day. For me.”

Will he really have to measure time in days now, spending eternity coaxing another day out of Mick? Or will one day Mick be able to move on and start new? What a good friend Josef is - and what it cost him. Getting attached to another person makes you vulnerable, and Josef is feeling that.
I almost feel more for Josef than for Mick, because Josef suffers the same, but he doesn't make the decisions.
Will Josef's friendship be enough to make Mick go on?
Sigh.

[Raven]

Whoa, Catmoon...that was a bummer. But letting all that go and immersing my mind in this point in time and acknowledging the situation, hard as it is...this is so well done. Oh wow, really well done. Josef, the great negotiator, sure he got one more day, but truth be told, Mick, with his dead eyes...
I believed his non verbal reply to Beth..."Because you make me want to".

“I’m done. It’s over, no reason to continue. I never wanted any of this, and she was the only reason I was able to do it as long as I did.”

Josef will not be able to stop the inevitable and the last act is the only thing Mick has control over.

[nutmegger911]

You made me cry.

[Moonlighter]

Mmm, this is still so fantastic to read. Mick and Josef made the best friends. I do miss that as much as everything single other aspect about Moonlight, even (*cough*splutter*choke*cough) Coraline...

[Fleur de Lisa]

This never fails to hurt my heart.

[starbucksjunkie]

God, cat. This was haunting.

Mick conceded the point with a slight nod. “I’m done. It’s over, no reason to continue. I never wanted any of this, and she was the only reason I was able to do it as long as I did.”

So simple. So profound. So Mick.

Now. I want to hear about the day.

[Catmoon]

Sorry I missed replying to comments till now. Thanks to all for reading. I don't normally go in for death stories at all -- I want my happy endings, but I needed something extreme to convey my saddness at losing ML. Will Mick surive or won't he? I honestly don't have any opinions on that, so I'll leave it to the readers to decide for themselves.

[toria1521]

Beautifully sad.