Second Glance By 713 Rated PG

[Ella713]

Moonlight Fan Fiction
Second Glance
By Ella713
Rated PG


"I said I would never do this again, but what the heck"

Josef wonders if his mild attraction to Beth is something more!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

There were times when Josef wondered why he bothered. You try and do what's best for everyone and then everyone makes it hard for you to do what's best for everyone! He was tired. But tired in a different way than physical exhaustion. He was tired of the drama of politics. It was no wonder the world was in so much turmoil. And he was sick of flying. He spent the majority of his time on airplanes! He looked at Beth, so full of energy. If she was sick of politics she certainly didn't show it.
"Okay Mr. President, I've cleared your schedule for the next 3 weeks, so you should be able to get some rest, for a bit anyway. Vice President Brewster will be taking over the talks in France and Madame Secretary will be heading the Negotiations Board." She was saying going through her iPad. She turned to look at Josef and became concerned. "Hey Josef" She whispered unbuckling her seatbelt and walking towards him. "Are you ok?" She asked in concern.
"Yeah. All of this is not what I'd thought I'd be." He said staring straight ahead.
"I think every President in the history of Presidents thinks that exact same thing.You're doing a great job Josef" She said laying her hand on top of his.
"Thanks Beth. That means a lot; coming from you" He said with a wink. She slapped his arm lightly and walked back to her seat.

Isabelle knew that Josef would be back tonight so she tried to get as much done as she could then she got words that an employee that they suspected of selling information did not show up for work, she knew that she would miss Josef's arrival. She quickly phone Brian and told him that she would find the employee.

Beth arrived home looking forward to some quiet time, just her and Mick but found that he was not home. She laid her luggage down and sighed.

Josef made his way into the White House and was told that Isabelle would be out for most of the night due to pressing matters at Kostan Industries. He then walked into Oval Office and stared out of the window and thought how lonely his life was.

Beth was getting ready to open a bottle of wine when her phone rang.
"Yes Mr. President" She said in a professional voice. She always tried to main strict behavior where her relationship with Josef was concerned, because his enemies would use anything to bring him down.
"Mrs. St. John do you bowl?" Josef asked with a smile.
"Do I bowl? You're kidding right?" Beth asked.
"Actually no. It seems I 've been abandoned and I'd rather spend some time bowling with a friend than sitting alone"
"You just dropped me off in Los Angeles Josef" She said with a chuckle.
"And my power can be used to pick you right back up" Beth laughed.
"Okay Josef, but I should warn you that I was on the girl's bowling team in college" She said.
"Of course you were." He said jokingly. "That's just one more nail in my coffin. I'll send someone to pick up." He said. Josef knew he could count on Beth. She was the main reason he was able to get this far in politics. He owed her a lot. He hoped Mick knew how very lucky he was.

Beth again landed at the White House lawns and was led in by Secret Service to the residential wing. Josef was sitting in the living room sipping a drink.
"Now that was record time" He joked standing up. "Where's Mick?" He asked.
"Who knows. Probably with Carl working on a case. To be honest, it's been....."
"1 month, 4 days, 48 minutes, 12 seconds" He said.
"Now Mr. Kostan, that's an amazing little trick to pull out of your hat!" She joked.

[Ella713]

"Would you like something to drink?" Josef asked as they made their way to the bowling lanes on the lower level. She shook her head marvelling at room they had just entered.
"So Josef, since you've been walking the earth for a very long time, does the White House get remodeled with each new administration?" She asked.
"Not a complete remodel. Trust me taxpayers would be up in arms about a complete remodel every time someone new took office. Usually the first lady will re-do one room, but pretty much everything sames the same. The bowling alley was inaugurated in 1947 by Truman. The movie theatre gets a rehaul much more frequently"
"So movies take precedent?"
"Pretty much" Josef laughed as they removed their shoes.


Mick was beat. He and Carl had been on this case for long time. A loser named Barry Mitchell killed his wife and burned the house down to make it seem like arson. And for a while that's exactly what it looked like. Carl had noticed something hinky in the testimony of a neighbor, but by the time they had enough evidence to go after the jerk, Barry had received his wife's life insurance check for the sum of $500k and had flown the coop. Mitchell was smart. He knew the cops would lock up airports and trains, so he actually stayed in California. He rented a small track home in the tiny town of Ocotillo.
It took Carl and Mick over a month to track him down, and five hours to stop him from trying to escape. Feeling proud that he and Carl continued to fight the good fight he was glad to be home.
He saw Beth's luggage and became excited.
"Babe! I'm hone!" He called out, but got no reply. He walked through the large apartment and saw there was no sign of her. She was probably visiting the kids he thought.

"Where's Isabelle?" Beth asked looking around "She should be here to witness this" She laughed.
"Isabelle is more than likely at Kostan Industries." He said.
"Yeah, I know how you feel. Mick has been working so much with Carl trying to keep crime down, we always seem to be miss each other. And my schedule is........" She said sliding a glance his way.
"I know. You need a break. A very well deserved break." Josef agreed.
"But you also know that I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I weren't working. You and I have that in common" She said throwing her ball down the aisle and knocking out all 12 pins.
"Among other things" Josef laughed.


Isabelle phone Brian to let him know that she had found out where the employee was staying and that he would be apprehended within the hour. She knew that most likely Josef had arrived back from his trip and hoped he had gotten her message. In many ways Josef was like a little boy he needed to be challenged and entertained often. Yes, he had settled down somewhat since going into politics, but Josef was never more happy than when he was scheming. Isabelle loved her husband deeply but at times found he could be irritating to say the least. But she was sure that marrying a Nosferatu had not been in his plans. In many ways they were exact opposites.

Mick went to visit Gabriel and Zoe.
"Hey Dad, how are things?" He asked.
"Fine. Carl and I caught Barry Mitchell. The jerk was hiding in this small town close to the border."
"That's great Dad! One slimeball down another 10 million to go"
"Yeah you got that right" Mick agreed.
"Zoe's outside playing with the kids" he said heading for the backyard. Gabriel and Zoe had adopted two more children since Haley and Lisa were in college and out of the house. A beautiful little girl around 5 years old from Guatemala and a handsome little boy from Ecuador age 8. The parents came here to migrate and fell on very hard times and turned to earning money illegally. Gabriel fought hard to show that they were good people and good parents, but in the end, they were deported. Gabriel promised that they would keep their children with them, and he would help them get back into the country legally. Gabriel tried and tried to reach them, but to no avail. After a year, they adopted the little ones. Mick could see the difference the adoption had made in their lives. When they saw Mick they came running over to him calling "Abuelo!!!" Yeah, Mick loved being a grandfather!

[Ella713]

Beth kept winning game after game until Josef finally gave up.
"Alright. Mental note, if Beth ever wants to play something and she was Captain of that team, say no!" Josef said laughing.
"Hey, you didn't listen" Beth shrugged. "So what now?" She asked not ready to give up the good time she was having.
"What about a movie?"
'Sure. What do you have?"
"Beth darling, it's the White House movie theatre. Do you really think there's anything it won't have?"
"I know just the one!" She said quickly taking off her bowling shoes.

Josef looked at the movie she had chosen.
"Citizen Kane? Really Beth. Are you trying to tell me something?"
"I'll never tell" She said taking a set.

Mick called Beth a couple of times, but there was no answer.

Josef sat in the seat next to Beth to watch the movie Citizen Kane was actually one of Josef's all time favorite films and he saw a lot of parallels between his life and fictional character. He looked over at Beth her blue eyes fixed on the screen. She really was a beautiful woman as he thought when he first saw her. Even though he thought of killing her at the same time. Mick was so lucky. Then feeling ashamed of himself he thought of Isabelle. She was the epitome of beauty. And he loved her. He truly did. But as of late, things between them felt routine. And he didn't know what to do about it. Beth laughed at a scene and turned to look at Josef to see what he thought, and found him staring at her kind of sadly. She turned around quickly.
"Josef, are you alright?" She asked touching his arm.
"You know Beth, I'm not sure but let's finish the movie. I gotta see the Rosebud scene!" He laughed.

[Ella713]

Beth watched the credit start to roll for the 2nd movie and looked at Josef in surprise.
"All About Eve? Josef, you're kidding me?" She teased.
"I'll have you know that this movie tells you everything about human nature. Eve Harrington was ruthless and conniving. It answers the age old question. How far are you willing to go to get what you want?"
"That's a lot of responsibility to heap on Bette Davis' shoulders" She joked.
"Hush!" He said.

Isabelle had finally found their wayward employee and she had delivered him herself to the tar pits and was now headed home. She knew Josef had returned from abroad and she missed him. When she arrived she heard voices coming from the theatre room. If he was entertaining, she would simply wait.

She waited for a long time before getting up to find out what was going on. She opened the door to the theatre room and saw Josef with his arm around Beth who had her head resting on his shoulder.
"Josef" Isabelle said in her steely voice. Josef looked up and slowly got up. Beth jumped up immediately.
"Crap! What time is it?" She asked in a panicked voice.
"It is 4 in the am" Isabelle said.
"Mick is going to be so unhappy!" She said grabbing her handbag.
"I'll have you flown back to L.A. immediately" Josef said pulling out his mobile phone. As Beth ran out of the room, Isabelle had her eyes fixed on Josef.
"I didn't know you were back" Josef said.
"I should have let you known sooner that I would be back" She said and turned around and walked out.
Josef slumped his shoulders. That's about as much emotion he would ever get from his wife. She would never sparkle with wit or a raunchy joke. She was deliberate and precise. And he was miserable.

Beth finally made it home by 10:30 in the morning and came running through the door.
"Mick! Mick" she called out. She looked around and she had missed her husband again. She sat down on the sofa and placed her head in her hands. Were things ever going to be okay again?

[Ella713]

"Hey Babe" Mick said cheerfully walking over to kiss Beth lightly on the lips. "How was the summit?"
"Where were you? I was hoping we could spend some time together." She said.
"Beth, I'm so sorry. Carl and I were wrapping up that Mitchell case, which is finally resolved. He will be spending the rest of his life in prison. Then I went to Gabe and Zoe's to play with the kids. They are really adapting well." He was saying as he was going through the mail. "What did you do?" He asked.
"Josef invited me to the White House to bowl." She said hoping he would be curious about that fact. Mick was reading a letter and looked up briefly.
"I didn't know Josef bowled"
"Trust me he doesn't. Then we watched old movies all night" She said, hoping for a tiny spark of interest, but Mick was wrapped up in the letter.
"Sounds like fun. Listen babe, I gotta run. This letter is from Bryce Cooper and he needs my help." Mick said. Bryce Cooper was a nice young man who had given up drugs and turned his life around, but now needed help with the dealer he used to work for who won't leave him alone. Beth knew how important this friendship was to Mick.
"Of course honey. You have to help him" She said sadly. Mick kissed her and walked quickly out the door. Beth went into the kitchen to get a drink, sat down and started to cry.

Josef had meeting most of the day and Isabelle was in Los Angeles again. Josef longed to be able to just go away somewhere secluded and be alone with his thoughts for a while but that was no impossible. The media watched his every move. They still kind of thought of him as the "The Playboy President", so sneaking away by himself was a risk he couldn't take. Then he thought about his cabin in the Swiss Alps. Perhaps he should take a little trip there and catch the end of skiing season. The more he thought about it the more it appealed to him. Isabelle wouldn't care. Making up his mind, he rang Claude Brewster and told him what he planned to do.
"Of course. I think I could manage things for a few days without the country falling apart" Claude laughed. "Have you considered what you would like me to say?"
"No. Not really."
"Josef, I don't think I need to remind you of your position. Many people will want to know. And if they aren't told then they will invent." Claude finished. Josef sighed. "Might I make a suggestion? Ask Mrs. St. John along. Then it will have the appearance of being somewhat official." He suggested.

And that however was the last thing Josef wanted to do.

[Ella713]

"I seem to remember Mrs. St. John saying that she was looking for a venue for the marriage of her granddaughter Haley. "You could always say that you were researching facilities" Claude suggested.
"I suppose I could do that......Claude, I just really need a break" Josef said. He then called his secretary and told her to make the arrangements.

Beth thought for a moment. She had never been to The Swiss Alps and it had always been a dream of hers. And this would be the perfect time to scout out a location for Haley's wedding. She let the secretary know that she would meet Josef and the airport.

Brian watched Isabelle all day and knew that something was bothering her.
"Isabelle. A moment." Brian asked softly. Isabelle got up and walked into his office.
"Yes?"
"Is there something troubling you?" He asked.
"I feel Josef has grown tired." she said simply. Brian showed briefly mild surprise at her words.
"You and Josef spend a great deal of time apart. These things take their toll." He tried to explain.
"Perhaps that is the case my Lord." She said with weak smile. She didn't think that Josef and Beth were doing anything illicit. But often two people who spend the most time together eventually find their way together. That was the way for her and Josef after all.
"Is there something else?" Brian asked. Isabelle knew there was no way she'd suggest to Brian that his mother might have feeling for someone other than his father! she shook her head and went back to work. Tonight, she would have a talk with Josef. A real conversation.

Josef and Beth sat in Air Force One each wrapped up in their own thoughts. It wasn't until they landed that either of them spoke. The little retreat that Josef had mentioned was hardly little. And the staff that stood outside in the snow to receive him was a shock. Beth had only seen things like that in Downtown Abby!
"Well, this is my retreat, what do you think?"
"You really know how to rough it Josef" She said sarcastically as they walked inside the home.
"Josef again, I'm impressed! Who are you? Really?" She asked with a smile.
"Wouldn't you like to know? The suites are right up those stairs. Take which ever one you'd like."


When Isabelle returned she was told that Josef had gone on a retreat and did not want to be disturbed. That was quite normal when there were serious things to discuss.

Mick felt guilty. He and Beth saw very little of each other lately and he felt he was to blame. Maybe it was time to cut back a little. Sure Carl needed help occasionally, but there was no need for him to be involved in every case that came up. Maybe Josef would allow Beth a little time off and they could take a long vacation. He knew that when he parked his car in the garage, he and Beth would need to talk about things.
He opened the door knowing that she would be busy on her computer or on the phone, so he was surprised when he didn't see her. He pulled out his mobile and immediately and called her number which went to voicemail. Shutting the phone down, he then called Josef. Again, the call went to voicemail almost immediately. Where the hell were they?

Beth walked into the spacious living area and saw a fire roaring. She sat down on the sofa and laid her head back. Josef hesitated going down the stairs but spotted Beth sitting on the sofa. Her blonde locks thick and luxuriously lying behind her head. Her face was beautiful. Like Helen of Troy or Aphrodite. He wondered what she was thinking right now at this moment. Slowly her head turned and her eyes found Josef's.
"Do you find me attractive Mr. Kostan?" She asked in a quiet voice. Josef had started to approach her but stopped.
"Excuse me?" Josef asked wondering if he had heard her correctly.
"Do you find me attractive?" Beth said making sure she enunciated each syllable.
"Yes I do Beth. Very much" Josef replied taking a seat next to her.

Neither Josef nor Beth said anything for a long while. Josef thought about his best friend. How could he ever do anything like this to Mick. Josef knew he was a bastard, but he wasn't a rat bastard.
"I'm scared Josef" Beth said still staring at the fire.
"I know the feeling........Look Beth...I think that we're both in a very vulnerable place right now. Not to mention we're under a lot of pressure. Maybe....." he tried to say.
"We should try to hide the fact that we're not happy in our relationships" She said interrupting him.
"Perhaps." He said, but but Beth felt for the first time in an extremely long while, she wished to kiss someone other than Mick. She turned to look into Josef's eyes. Josef lowered his eyes from her face, thinking that if he didn't look at her, it would quelch the overwhelming guilt he felt.

[Ella713]

Mick called Isabelle getting more and more frantic with each ring.
"Yes Mick" He heard her calm voice say.
"Isabelle, you wouldn't happen to know where Josef and Beth are?" He asked.
"I was told that they had to fly to the retreat. It must be urgent as they left quite quickly" She said.
Mick closed his eyes in relief. Of course it would be something serious for them to take off like that.
"Of course. I'm sorry Isabelle. I just kind of freaked out for a moment. Beth and I have been spending a lot of time apart lately, I was worried." He tried to explain.
"That does give thoughts. Why don't we both go there and surprise them." She said slowly.
"That's a great idea! You don't think it'll be a hassle?"
"No." She said simply.
"Okay then! I'll pack a bag and wait for you" He said. Isabelle sounded kind of strange. Stranger than usual.

Josef twirled a strand of Beth's hair and gently swept it from her face.
"We need to have a serious talk Beth. Once this is done it can't be undone and we will have to face the music." Josef said never taking his eyes off hers.
"I know." She said quietly. "But you aren't refusing?" She asked.
"I'd be an idiot to refuse. I'm only questioning if its something we should do."
"I didn't know you ever thought of me in that way"
"There was never a time when I didn't want to make love you." Josef replied finally saying in actual words what they were referring to. And with Josef's words out in the open, Beth leaned forward and kissed him. At first the kiss was shy tentative then blossomed with all the passion they felt was lacking in their lives and from their spouses. Josef's arms wrapped around her and Beth clung tightly to him.
They both pulled away from each other trying to gather some real meaning from what had happened.
Josef didn't quite understand. While the kiss was explosive and heady, it ranked along the lines of being the most unromantic kiss he had ever had. It would be like kissing a sister if he had ever had one. He knew Beth felt it too.

Beth looked at him in surprise then leaned forward and placed her hand over her mouth. What had she just done? Josef saw the guilt wash over her and touched her back.
"Beth I'm sorry. I never should have asked you here" Josef said. "This was wrong" He said standing up and walking over to the sideboard and poured himself and Beth a large measure of Scotch.

Mick looked at Isabelle for a long time. He knew that something was bothering her but he knew better than to try any mind games with a cleaner. As if reading his mind, she turned to face him.
"Mick. We are failing those who love us." She said simply.
"What do you mean, who Beth? Beth knows I love her." He said but as of late he had seen very little of his wife.
"Mick you want to keep the city safe. You have devoted most of your life to it and I know it is a hard endeavour. I will work 19 hours in the office to ensure that Kostan Industries is running smoothly on all accounts. We both have failed our mates. I sense that if we do not change our hectic schedules, Beth and Josef shall become one. Surely you can see this happening yourself." She said. Mick thought about her words and he had noticed that things had been a bit strained between them lately, but thought nothing of it.
"You think Josef and Beth are having an affair?" Mick said in a tense voice.

[Ella713]

"I do not think it has come to that yet Mick, but we must change. Brian and Carl will understand." Isabelle said. Mick could understand what Isabelle was telling him, but the thought of Beth having an affair made him livid. And with Josef! "Calm yourself Mick". Isabelle said seeing that his anger was beginning to take hold of him. Mick closed his eyes. He knew that if he dared laid a hand against Josef, Isabelle would most likely destroy him, ripping apart a vampire community that had achieved so much working together.

Josef downed his drink and sat down again.
"Beth, what we've done can't be undone, okay? But let me ask you, when did you first know you were in love with Mick?" He asked her. Beth smiled.
"I think I fell in love with him or at least the idea of him when I was in high school. Even though I couldn't remember what he looked like I always remembered how I felt when he was holding me. I felt safer than I have ever felt in my life" She said. "What about you and Isabelle?" She asked seeing what Josef was doing. Making her remember why she fell in love with Mick in the first place.
"Ah....Isabelle...she was my rock. No matter where I went or what kind of trouble I became involved in, she was always there. And I knew no matter what, that would never change. And having someone who loved me who would love me no matter what.......I...I loved her because she first loved me, to quote the "good book" He chuckled and Beth laughed feeling like the biggest fool ever. "So instead of feeling like crap over something that didn't happen, let's talk about using the retreat for Haley's Wedding" Josef said standing up. "We could do both the service and the reception" Beth stood immediately.
"Josef! Are you sure? This place is amazing! Haley and Colin will love it!" She squealed.
"Great! Let's make some phone calls and see what we can get scheduled. June will be here in no time" Josef said.

Mick and Isabelle made it to the retreat and walked inside to find Josef and Beth and dozen workmen going over some blueprints. Josef looked up and walked over to Isabelle. He placed his arms around her and pulled her in for a passionate kiss.
"Sweetheart, we really need your help on the color scheme" He said pulling her by the hand. Beth ran over to Mick and jumped in his arms placing kisses all over his face.
"Josef is going to let us use the retreat for Haley's wedding!" She said. "Come look at what we've done so far" She said taking him over to the contractors.

Mick smiled at her enthusiasm and looked at Isabelle. Josef and Beth weren't having an affair! They had been all concerned over nothing. But Mick did notice that Josef and Beth were very different around each other. Beth had resigned her position as his Press Secretary which Mick loved! But it was more than that... he couldn't put his finger on it, but when he asked Beth about all the changes she just laughed.
"Honey you know more than I do, that when you get caught up in the world of Josef Kostan it changes you and I finally got to the point where I missed who I was. I missed you and our life together" She said shrugging her shoulders.
"So no regrets?" Mick asked with a smile.
"Not a single one" She said grabbing his face, kissing him passionately and feeling all the love she had in her heart for him flow through her.





The End