Rated: PG
Length: This is a two-shot.
Characters: Mick, Beth, Coraline, Josef
A/N: I had been contemplating writing a new "What If" story at the time the All 4 Challenge was issued, so I combined them. A big thank you to Moonlighter, my idea bouncer and beta, for brainstorming the plot with me - she had great ideas as always!
This starts off when Mick finds Beth waiting in his hallway in The Mortal Cure, so everything in the show that happened up until then has happened. It takes a different spin after that, but you will recognize scenes and dialogue from other episodes mixed in.
Re-turn Decisions – A What If / Fab 4 Story
Part 2
“How can you not know a Roche Bubois couch from a Minotti?” Josef asked Mick as they entered Mick’s loft.
“You invite me to a night on the town. I’m thinking jazz. Cigars. Maybe a fresh-from-the-vein pitcher of Sangria. Not window shopping for couches.”
“So sue me. My new office is almost ready and I just fired my bonehead designers. Four A.M. really is the best time to browse,” Josef said as he poured them both drinks from Mick’s hidden refrigerator. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about though,” he said and motioned Mick to sit on the couch with him. Mick sat down and looked at his friend expectantly.
“Coraline came to see me the other day.”
“She did?” Mick asked in surprise. “What did she want?”
“She wanted me to help her get out of the country and away from Lance.”
Mick snorted. “She asked me the same thing. I told her to get lost.”
“So she said. She came to me directly from your place. She said you and Beth were making, and I quote, ‘goo-goo eyes’ at each other.”
“‘Goo-goo eyes’?” Mick laughed. “She must be jealous.”
“You and Blondie finally got something going on?” Josef pried. “It would explain the good mood lately.”
“Don’t call her that; she doesn’t like it.”
“My apologies. Beth.”
Mick took a sip from his glass and broke into a smile. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“What’d she say to banish Mr. Brooding Mick St. John?”
“She found out that Josh had an engagement ring made for her. And she realized that even if he had proposed, she wouldn’t have said yes.”
“Because…?”
“Because,” Mick paused before continuing, “Because she realized she had feelings for me. And told me I needed to do something about it.” He quickly took a drink and avoided looking at Josef.
“Hot damn! It’s about time. Congratulations, boyo! So, have you sealed the deal yet?” he said with a smirk.
“That…is none of your business.”
“I’ll take that as a no,” Josef grinned and then turned serious again. “Well, I may have something to help you make up your mind.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the glass vial, setting it on the coffee table in front of Mick.
Mick stared at it. “Is that what I think it is? Is that Coraline’s cure? She gave it to you?”
“She gave me a small amount of an ancient compound that will turn you back to human for a few months at most. It was part of the deal I made with her for helping her elude Lance.”
Mick continued to stare at it. “Why did you want it? You said you never wanted to rejoin the mortal coil, even if you could.”
Josef sighed and then launched into the history of the compound as Coraline had told it to him. “So I figured it couldn’t hurt to have some around as a kind of insurance policy in case the world ever turned crazy again. And when she told me about you and Beth, well, I wanted to give you a chance to be human with her. I know it’s what you wanted, and while I applaud your being able to turn it down from Coraline, I thought you might accept the chance from me. I wouldn’t want you to go through eternity thinking ‘what if’.”
Mick stared at his friend. “I – I don’t know what to say, Josef.”
“Say yes. Then go get me a knife. She told me how to administer it.”
Mick broke into a grin and jumped up from the couch to fetch his scalpel from the kitchen. He returned and handed it to Josef.
“Roll up your sleeve.” Mick did, and Josef made a small cut on Mick’s forearm. He placed a small dab of the compound into the cut. “Now put a bandage on that.”
Mick watched the cut, waiting for it to heal, but it never did. “I don’t have any bandages; I always heal. Well, I used to always heal.”
With a sigh Josef pulled out his monogramed handkerchief and tied it around the wound on Mick’s arm. “You owe me a new one. Monogramed.” He put the lid on the remaining compound and put the vial back in his pocket.
“I feel warm. I actually feel warm! It’s already working!”
“She said that’s how it works. Now, go find the blonde and have a good time.”
They both stood up and Mick gave Josef a quick hug. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you seems so inadequate right now.”
“It’s enough. You know I don’t like the sentimental stuff.” They walked towards the door. “Just one more thing, Mick. Don’t waste a single minute. No regrets, okay?”
“No regrets,” Mick agreed. He watched Josef walk down the hall and enter the elevator, then closed his door and called Beth.
MLMLMLML
Mick sped towards home after having his leg stitched up by Guillermo. Stitches! Mick thought to himself. I had to get stitches! Man, right now, being human sucks. But there’s no time to worry about my leg now. That crazy plastic surgeon took Beth for her rare blood type while I lay unconscious on the floor. I’ve got to get some vamp weapons and go save her. He drove a little faster. If I were still a vampire I would have wiped the floor with that guy. Suddenly Mick slammed on his brakes and the tires squealed as he made an illegal U-turn and headed for Josef’s. What was I thinking? I CAN’T save her – not as a human. When a human fights a vamp, it never ends well for the human. I can’t believe this; I’m going to have to ask Josef to turn me back.
Mick barged into Josef’s house, calling his name.
“Josef! JOSEF!”
Josef appeared in a flash. “Mick! What’s the matter? What’s happened? And why are you limping?”
Mick took a deep breath. “Beth’s-been-kidnapped-I-had-to-get-stitches-you-have-to-turn-me-back-so-I-can-save-her.”
“Whoa, hold on there. Take a human breath and slow down!” Josef put up his hands as if to stop the rush of words.
“I can’t slow down; there isn’t time!” But Mick tried to compose himself. “You know Beth and I have been investigating Maureen’s murder,” Josef nodded, “and we were tracking down multiple suspects with motive. When we went to question a plastic surgeon whose patient had died, he vamped out on us and…”
“The plastic surgeon is a vampire?”
“Yes! Will you let me finish?” Mick grew agitated and paced around the room. “He and a couple of his lackeys all vamped out, beat the hell out of me, I crashed through a glass table and they left me lying on the floor of their medical lab. When I came to, Beth was gone. I went to Guillermo’s to have him take the glass shards out of my leg and stitch me up.”
“Hence the limp,” Josef said. Mick nodded. “Go on.”
“Guillermo knew about this guy, Andres. He told me his plastic surgery business is just a front for dealing in rare blood types he takes from his patients. Which explains why he took Beth – she has a rare blood type!”
“And that part I thought I heard you say about turning you back?” Josef probed.
Mick stopped pacing and turned to look at Josef, a pained expression on his face. “I was on my way to go get my vampire hunting equipment when I realized that I can’t save her. Not like this. Not as a human. Josef, you have to turn me back.”
“Mick, do you hear yourself? All you ever wanted was to be human again! I gave you that! It should last a few months at least and it’s only been a week!” Now Josef was the agitated one, pacing back and forth in front of Mick. “I’ve never seen you as happy as you’ve been this week. And I know you and Beth have been getting it on.” Mick whipped his head around to stare at Josef, opening his mouth to protest but Josef raised his hand. “Save it. I’ve been to your place. Vampire senses, remember? Your place reeks of sex. Not that I didn’t enjoy that, mind you.” Mick actually blushed. “But you can’t be serious. You want to give all that up? Just like that?” He snapped his fingers for emphasis.
Mick approached Josef to stop his pacing. “Don’t you get it? I don’t want to; I have to. He has Beth. He has my Beth.” The pain in his voice almost made Josef wince. “None of this matters anymore if I don’t have Beth to share it with. I took the cure so I could be human with Beth. If she dies, I might as well die, too.” He was face to face with Josef now. Mick put his hands on Josef’s shoulders. “Please. Please, brother. You have to do this. Turn me back, now.” He turned his neck towards Josef.
Josef hesitated. “Mick, I…”
“Just do it, Josef.”
“Forgive me,” Josef whispered, just before he bit down on Mick’s neck and began to drink.
MLMLMLML
Mick opened his door and helped Beth enter his loft; Josef came in behind them and went immediately to Mick’s hidden refrigerator.
“I’m fine Mick, really,” Beth insisted as he helped her off with her coat. “I just want to take a shower and lay down for a short bit.”
“I’ll help you upstairs,” Mick said.
“I’m fine! I can manage,” Beth repeated as she headed towards the steps.
“Well, if you’re sure...” Mick sounded unconvinced and followed her.
Beth went up the first step and then turned around to face Mick, now eye to eye with her. She put her arms around his neck and whispered, “Thank you for caring so much. But more importantly, thank you for your sacrifice. For…you know… giving up…” She began to falter.
Mick hushed her with a kiss. “There’s no point in being human if you aren’t here to share it with me,” he whispered back. “No regrets.” He smiled at her and kissed her again.
“Hey, vampire hearing, remember? That’s enough with the mushy stuff,” Josef chided as he came out of the kitchen with a carafe of blood in one hand and two glasses the other.
Beth grinned as she left the stairs and headed straight for Josef. With his hands full he couldn’t stop the hug that was coming and simply stood still with his arms sticking out from his sides as Beth hugged him around the neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “And thank you, Josef, for turning him back. It must have been a hard decision.” She released him and stepped back.
“Yes, well…” he stammered.
“Why Josef Kostan! I do believe you’re blushing,” Beth told him.
Josef regained his composure immediately and headed towards the coffee table to set the carafe and glasses down. “Vampires don’t blush,” he ground out.
“Your cheek felt warm, too,” Beth added.
“Impossible.” He poured himself a glass of blood and sat on the couch. “Weren’t you going upstairs?”
Beth giggled and headed back up the stairs, giving Mick a quick kiss on the way.
“I’ll be up soon to check on you,” he said softly and Beth nodded. When she was out of sight Mick joined Josef, sitting in one of his chairs and pouring himself a glass of blood.
“Ahhh,” he said leaning back in the chair. “You know, that fight was invigorating! I felt stronger than I’ve ever been before.” He took a swallow from his glass. “Must have been your blood. You said with age comes power. Maybe you gave me the equivalent of 50 years,” he said with a laugh.
“Maybe I need to have a few fights more often,” Josef replied. “I actually seemed to flag at the end of it.”
“Really? How long had it been since you fed?”
“Are you kidding me?” Josef asked, rolling his eyes. “I was full to the brim from drinking all of your bl…” He stopped suddenly and stared at Mick.
Mick lowered his glass as the realization hit him as well. “My blood. My human, cure-laced blood.” They stared at each other as unspoken thoughts ran wild through each of them. “Beth said your cheek was warm.”
“But I could hear you and Beth whispering just fine.”
“And you blushed.”
“I did not…”
“You did, Josef. Not much, but you did get a little pink with embarrassment.” Another pause. “Can you still vamp out?” Mick asked.
The change was so sudden Mick was actually startled. “Whoa, okay… no problem there.” Josef’s countenance returned to normal. “How does the blood taste?” Mick continued.
“Like the usual non-fat soy vegan blood you serve around here.” He paused before continuing, “Only maybe a little blander, if that’s even possible.”
Mick went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of orange juice. “Try this and tell me how it tastes.” Josef looked skeptical, but accepted the glass of juice from Mick and took a swallow. He grimaced as he set the glass down on the table.
“Well, it didn’t taste as bad as I expected it to, but I don’t think I’ll be finishing that, thanks. Bland blood is better than that.” He looked up at Mick. “What if my freshies have lost their flavor?”
“They didn’t lose their flavor, Josef. You’ve just lost your vampire sense of taste. I’m sure it’s only temporary.”
“Great. Tasteless food for who knows how long. It’s the closest I can get to being sick.”
“Look at it this way, pal,” Mick said with a grin as he headed for the stairs and Beth. “Your freshies will love your ability to blush.”
The End.
But hopefully it won't last too long.
I really like how you incorporated lines and scenes from the show into your version of events. You gave us the best of both worlds with this story. 
And for all his trouble, Josef gets some ricochet effect. One thing I did like is that Mick's week in the human coil opens up so many possibilities.
Ooh, maybe he should get his freshies to eat lots of spicy food so he can taste their blood that way. 
My humble apologies! I appreciate the comments and am glad you all liked it. "Cure light" is cute, too! 
Josef should get samples of Mick's blood and his, and put some vamp scientists to work. There might be all sorts of cool stuff they might find out. 