Still Killing Time G or PG MickBeth
Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 8:40 am
This is PG. There is nothing in here that you wouldn't have seen on the show.
The pairing is MickBeth.
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.
I own nothing. Moonlight belongs to someone else, and whoever they are they have a true jewel of a TV show. I don't earn any money here. Just experience and a lot of enjoyment
I would like to credit the wonderful, brilliant LionsonLeashes for her encouragement, support and keen insight in advising me how to fix problems. She and the fabulous Lilly handheld me through the posting process. They are amazing, generous, and wonderful people!
I realize that I lapped the 500 word length restriction three or four times. Sorry. I need to work on that.
Still Killing Time
Have you noticed how, from time to time, a strongly held opinion can change in the blink of an eye-- something you felt was totally unthinkable becomes the sum of all you ever wanted....
“You can deny it all you want, Boyo, but I know a make-up gift when I see it, and all this--” he waived the electronic key to a nice beach house, “has, ‘I’m a worthless worm, please forgive me,’ written all over it. So, inquiring minds want to know what you did.” He smirked. I scowled.
“No big secret,” I said, working to keep the annoyance out of my voice, “She still thinks she wants to be Turned.”
“That again.” Josef sounded disappointed. Old news. “You know, you do this to yourself-”
“How do I do this to myself?” I protested. “She’s the one who-”
“If you weren’t so damned truthful, you would have an easier time of it. Lie. Tell her what she wants to hear, just that you need time and in a few years when she brings it up again, make up something else.”
“I’m not going to lie to her, Josef. She doesn’t know what she’s asking for.”
“No. She doesn’t--and she knows that. She just wants you--‘whither thou goest’ and all that.”
“I’m protecting her.” I told Josef. “But she thinks that I just don’t…want to be with her... forever.”
“Yeah. The smart ones always see thru the b.s. faster, but as I’ve said before, forever's a long time.” Josef took a swig of scotch. “You know, Blondie has been an asset to the tribe in more ways than I can count. How many times has she saved us from a major meltdown? On a regular basis, she deals with things I never thought she'd be able to handle. The longer I see you together, the more I see that you are right for each other--hence, the beach house.” Josef smiled smugly.
“Oh, so now there are no conditions?” I took the electronic keys.
“Well, as it's not more interesting…”
Then, my cell rang. You would think that we are used to the world shaking around us in L.A., but this time everything around me stayed motionless and my internal world shook apart as the thing that kept me stable was threatened. Maybe lost.... Ben Talbot doesn’t call me very often--we don’t chat--but when he needed to, he had contacted me before. The police at an accident scene had called him because of Beth's ID stating that she worked for the District Attorney‘s office. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance and paramedics had to revive her when her heart stopped on route.
Josef heard the conversation from more than two feet away.
“I..I’m on my way. Thank you.” I looked up at my friend.
“Beth was…”
“The Ferrari is faster,” said Josef. “I’ll drive.”
*******
Before the car stopped, I was out and looking for the emergency room. On the way over, my mind had been turning tighter and tighter circles around the situation and I knew only that I had to get to her. I had to get to her...
Ben Talbot stood by the nurses station talking to a man in a white coat. He spotted me and waived me over.
“Mick, this is Dr. Carlisle. He was explaining about Beth’s condition. Dr. Carlisle, this is Mick St. John, the man Beth Turner is involved with. As I was telling you, she has no immediate family locally. He is family.”
“Where is she?” I needed to be with her. It was a primal thing. Beyond reason, almost beyond thought.
“As I was telling her employer, Ms. Turner is in surgery. We are repairing some non-life threatening injuries that need to be fixed, but what I am most worried about are the head injuries. When she was first brought in, her EEG was normal, and brain activity has been dropping since then. I understand that you have Ms. Turner’s medical power of attorney. She is also an organ doner-”
“No. I need to see her.” I said. “I need to see her right now!”
I know. I wasn't being logical, but sometimes, logic fails me. This was one of those times. If there was one thing I could not deal with at that point, it was talk of medical power of attorney and organ donation.
“As I said, Mr. St. John. She's in surgery. When she is done, she will be in our Intensive Care Unit after she leaves the recovery room. Her condition is critical--“
Everything narrowed down to the distance between us. If I could be with her, everything would be all right. About thirty feet away were double doors marked, ‘Hospital Personnel Only’ and my Beth was somewhere through there. I had heard enough from doctors and started waking toward those doors.
“No, you can’t go in there--” I heard Carlisle’s words, but they didn’t matter.
“Mick, wait!”
That was Ben Talbot behind me. No way I was stopping. I saw two uniformed officers--guys I had worked with--moving in to stop me. They were closer to those doors than I was, and they wound up uninjured on the floor. They were NOT standing between me and where I had to go.
Then, I heard Josef. He just said my name. No one else in that room would have heard unless they were vampires, but ‘hearing‘ isn‘t really the right word. I didn’t just hear it. I felt it. It resonated through my being. You see, Josef isn’t just my best friend. He’s the leader of the L.A. vampire community and, even though he denies it, he has a bit of a sire’s influence over me. I stopped. I heard his footsteps as he walked up to me and gently took my arm. I looked at him then, and his eyes told me that he knew the pain I was feeling and he was there. Strange, but I felt as if it took a bit of the pain away.
Josef introduced himself to Dr. Carlisle, said he was a very close friend of ours and assumed full responsibility for Beth’s medical expenses, that he would fly in medical experts from all over the world, that we were like family to him. The most important thing, he stressed, was keeping her alive.
Hours later, we sat in a tiny waiting room outside the recovery room. Hospitals have always felt like an alternate universe. Different rules applied here. It was quiet but far from peaceful. Beth was out of surgery, and Dr. Carlisle never said it, but I think he was a little surprised that she was still with us.
“How are you holding up?” Josef had not spoken to me for over an hour. Vampires can read each other as well as humans so he knew perfectly well how I was but must have sensed that I needed to break the silence, say the words--even if he was the only one to hear.
“I don’t think I feel anything.” I answered. “I’m numb. What if she is brain damaged? What if-”
“Shhh. You do nothing now. This is very important, Mick. While she is in this hospital, you do nothing, Do you understand me?” Josef spoke slowly, but very clearly, enunciating each word with care.
“You mean Turn her. You think I will try and Turn her.”
“Yes. That is what I mean. There are too many medical personnel, police, and media figures around, too much attention and she is too high profile. The security of the Tribe has to come first, but it isn’t a problem. I told Carlisle that she had to be kept alive. If necessary, she will be put on a ventilator and we will get her out of here. It doesn’t matter if Blondie’s circling the drain, as long as she doesn’t go down it. The virus can repair any damage that is present. We wait. OK?”
“OK. If she can heal…”
“I know. You’d rather have her human.” said Josef. For now.
Josef thinks he knows everything about the people around him. For years, I have thought he was wrong about me. Perhaps I was wrong about him.
Josef left when Beth was transferred to Intensive Care. He said he had things to attend to, and that he would be back later that night. It was arranged so that I could stay with Beth.
This wasn’t what either of us had planned for tonight and I told her so, as I held the hand that was not tied to the IV.
“You know, this weekend at the beach house wasn’t all I had planned for us. I have a present for you, too. Some candlelight diamond earrings with studs and jackets. They will look amazing on you.” I heard my voice catch, and I pressed on. “You have to come back to me, you just have to. I--need you. I only thought I knew how much. Beth, you keep me grounded. You keep me sane. And I never told you the truth the night Josh died, but it is you that makes my life worth living.” I wiped the tears from my face but more immediately took their place. Anyway, she could still hear them in my voice--if she could hear me.
“I know what you would say, ‘me, me, me--that is all I ever think about’. Well the truth is, this big bad vampire has found another vulnerability beside silver, too much sun and losing my head. Losing you. I may have to Turn you because... I can’t go through this again. I just can't...”
The hours passed slowly as I listened to her heartbeat and watched her draw each breath. May have been my imagination, but I thought I could actually hear her body’s healing processes slowly working.
Josef and Angelina (one of Josef’s A+ freshies) arrived at nearly eleven. A nurse came in and I went outside to see them. There was only one person allowed in intensive care at a time, so Angelina and I ‘took a walk’ while Josef sat with Beth. The staff was very kind. When we got back about a half hour later, then Josef and Angelina went home.
A vampire can tell when the sun rises, even if you are in a room without windows. Maybe the air changes. I don’t know. All I was sure of was that a new day had started. Then I turned my head and looked into Beth’s beautiful blue eyes. The world shifted again, only this time it righted itself.
“Hey,” she said in that breathy, low pitched voice I adore. “Sorry about this weekend.”
“Hey,” I replied, feeling absolutely giddy with relief. “S’okay. There will be others. Lots and lots of others.”
End
The pairing is MickBeth.
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.
I own nothing. Moonlight belongs to someone else, and whoever they are they have a true jewel of a TV show. I don't earn any money here. Just experience and a lot of enjoyment
I would like to credit the wonderful, brilliant LionsonLeashes for her encouragement, support and keen insight in advising me how to fix problems. She and the fabulous Lilly handheld me through the posting process. They are amazing, generous, and wonderful people!
I realize that I lapped the 500 word length restriction three or four times. Sorry. I need to work on that.
Still Killing Time
Have you noticed how, from time to time, a strongly held opinion can change in the blink of an eye-- something you felt was totally unthinkable becomes the sum of all you ever wanted....
“You can deny it all you want, Boyo, but I know a make-up gift when I see it, and all this--” he waived the electronic key to a nice beach house, “has, ‘I’m a worthless worm, please forgive me,’ written all over it. So, inquiring minds want to know what you did.” He smirked. I scowled.
“No big secret,” I said, working to keep the annoyance out of my voice, “She still thinks she wants to be Turned.”
“That again.” Josef sounded disappointed. Old news. “You know, you do this to yourself-”
“How do I do this to myself?” I protested. “She’s the one who-”
“If you weren’t so damned truthful, you would have an easier time of it. Lie. Tell her what she wants to hear, just that you need time and in a few years when she brings it up again, make up something else.”
“I’m not going to lie to her, Josef. She doesn’t know what she’s asking for.”
“No. She doesn’t--and she knows that. She just wants you--‘whither thou goest’ and all that.”
“I’m protecting her.” I told Josef. “But she thinks that I just don’t…want to be with her... forever.”
“Yeah. The smart ones always see thru the b.s. faster, but as I’ve said before, forever's a long time.” Josef took a swig of scotch. “You know, Blondie has been an asset to the tribe in more ways than I can count. How many times has she saved us from a major meltdown? On a regular basis, she deals with things I never thought she'd be able to handle. The longer I see you together, the more I see that you are right for each other--hence, the beach house.” Josef smiled smugly.
“Oh, so now there are no conditions?” I took the electronic keys.
“Well, as it's not more interesting…”
Then, my cell rang. You would think that we are used to the world shaking around us in L.A., but this time everything around me stayed motionless and my internal world shook apart as the thing that kept me stable was threatened. Maybe lost.... Ben Talbot doesn’t call me very often--we don’t chat--but when he needed to, he had contacted me before. The police at an accident scene had called him because of Beth's ID stating that she worked for the District Attorney‘s office. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance and paramedics had to revive her when her heart stopped on route.
Josef heard the conversation from more than two feet away.
“I..I’m on my way. Thank you.” I looked up at my friend.
“Beth was…”
“The Ferrari is faster,” said Josef. “I’ll drive.”
*******
Before the car stopped, I was out and looking for the emergency room. On the way over, my mind had been turning tighter and tighter circles around the situation and I knew only that I had to get to her. I had to get to her...
Ben Talbot stood by the nurses station talking to a man in a white coat. He spotted me and waived me over.
“Mick, this is Dr. Carlisle. He was explaining about Beth’s condition. Dr. Carlisle, this is Mick St. John, the man Beth Turner is involved with. As I was telling you, she has no immediate family locally. He is family.”
“Where is she?” I needed to be with her. It was a primal thing. Beyond reason, almost beyond thought.
“As I was telling her employer, Ms. Turner is in surgery. We are repairing some non-life threatening injuries that need to be fixed, but what I am most worried about are the head injuries. When she was first brought in, her EEG was normal, and brain activity has been dropping since then. I understand that you have Ms. Turner’s medical power of attorney. She is also an organ doner-”
“No. I need to see her.” I said. “I need to see her right now!”
I know. I wasn't being logical, but sometimes, logic fails me. This was one of those times. If there was one thing I could not deal with at that point, it was talk of medical power of attorney and organ donation.
“As I said, Mr. St. John. She's in surgery. When she is done, she will be in our Intensive Care Unit after she leaves the recovery room. Her condition is critical--“
Everything narrowed down to the distance between us. If I could be with her, everything would be all right. About thirty feet away were double doors marked, ‘Hospital Personnel Only’ and my Beth was somewhere through there. I had heard enough from doctors and started waking toward those doors.
“No, you can’t go in there--” I heard Carlisle’s words, but they didn’t matter.
“Mick, wait!”
That was Ben Talbot behind me. No way I was stopping. I saw two uniformed officers--guys I had worked with--moving in to stop me. They were closer to those doors than I was, and they wound up uninjured on the floor. They were NOT standing between me and where I had to go.
Then, I heard Josef. He just said my name. No one else in that room would have heard unless they were vampires, but ‘hearing‘ isn‘t really the right word. I didn’t just hear it. I felt it. It resonated through my being. You see, Josef isn’t just my best friend. He’s the leader of the L.A. vampire community and, even though he denies it, he has a bit of a sire’s influence over me. I stopped. I heard his footsteps as he walked up to me and gently took my arm. I looked at him then, and his eyes told me that he knew the pain I was feeling and he was there. Strange, but I felt as if it took a bit of the pain away.
Josef introduced himself to Dr. Carlisle, said he was a very close friend of ours and assumed full responsibility for Beth’s medical expenses, that he would fly in medical experts from all over the world, that we were like family to him. The most important thing, he stressed, was keeping her alive.
Hours later, we sat in a tiny waiting room outside the recovery room. Hospitals have always felt like an alternate universe. Different rules applied here. It was quiet but far from peaceful. Beth was out of surgery, and Dr. Carlisle never said it, but I think he was a little surprised that she was still with us.
“How are you holding up?” Josef had not spoken to me for over an hour. Vampires can read each other as well as humans so he knew perfectly well how I was but must have sensed that I needed to break the silence, say the words--even if he was the only one to hear.
“I don’t think I feel anything.” I answered. “I’m numb. What if she is brain damaged? What if-”
“Shhh. You do nothing now. This is very important, Mick. While she is in this hospital, you do nothing, Do you understand me?” Josef spoke slowly, but very clearly, enunciating each word with care.
“You mean Turn her. You think I will try and Turn her.”
“Yes. That is what I mean. There are too many medical personnel, police, and media figures around, too much attention and she is too high profile. The security of the Tribe has to come first, but it isn’t a problem. I told Carlisle that she had to be kept alive. If necessary, she will be put on a ventilator and we will get her out of here. It doesn’t matter if Blondie’s circling the drain, as long as she doesn’t go down it. The virus can repair any damage that is present. We wait. OK?”
“OK. If she can heal…”
“I know. You’d rather have her human.” said Josef. For now.
Josef thinks he knows everything about the people around him. For years, I have thought he was wrong about me. Perhaps I was wrong about him.
Josef left when Beth was transferred to Intensive Care. He said he had things to attend to, and that he would be back later that night. It was arranged so that I could stay with Beth.
This wasn’t what either of us had planned for tonight and I told her so, as I held the hand that was not tied to the IV.
“You know, this weekend at the beach house wasn’t all I had planned for us. I have a present for you, too. Some candlelight diamond earrings with studs and jackets. They will look amazing on you.” I heard my voice catch, and I pressed on. “You have to come back to me, you just have to. I--need you. I only thought I knew how much. Beth, you keep me grounded. You keep me sane. And I never told you the truth the night Josh died, but it is you that makes my life worth living.” I wiped the tears from my face but more immediately took their place. Anyway, she could still hear them in my voice--if she could hear me.
“I know what you would say, ‘me, me, me--that is all I ever think about’. Well the truth is, this big bad vampire has found another vulnerability beside silver, too much sun and losing my head. Losing you. I may have to Turn you because... I can’t go through this again. I just can't...”
The hours passed slowly as I listened to her heartbeat and watched her draw each breath. May have been my imagination, but I thought I could actually hear her body’s healing processes slowly working.
Josef and Angelina (one of Josef’s A+ freshies) arrived at nearly eleven. A nurse came in and I went outside to see them. There was only one person allowed in intensive care at a time, so Angelina and I ‘took a walk’ while Josef sat with Beth. The staff was very kind. When we got back about a half hour later, then Josef and Angelina went home.
A vampire can tell when the sun rises, even if you are in a room without windows. Maybe the air changes. I don’t know. All I was sure of was that a new day had started. Then I turned my head and looked into Beth’s beautiful blue eyes. The world shifted again, only this time it righted itself.
“Hey,” she said in that breathy, low pitched voice I adore. “Sorry about this weekend.”
“Hey,” I replied, feeling absolutely giddy with relief. “S’okay. There will be others. Lots and lots of others.”
End
Wonderfully rendered and very touching. 
What's next? I can't wait! 
