Maureen (short) Rated G Pairing: JoshBeth; MickBeth

[jen]

Maureen (short)

I don't own Moonlight and am not making any money here.

Rating G

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.


When Beth Turner turned up on my doorstep looking for a job she was the personification of pushy aggression and drive behind wide, innocent blue eyes (a great combination for a reporter). Education and references all checked out and I was impressed, but what really sold the package was beneath the surface--a vulnerability, or sense of being touched by something that hadn't left her unscathed. We do our research so I knew she'd been kidnapped when she was small. To be honest, it's what got her the interview. She had lots of competition. I thought that sense of being damaged by life would come across on camera better than it did, but she was too good at hiding her vulnerabilities.

After working with her, I learned she was bright and had instincts for the business that can‘t be taught. Her negatives were higher than I expected, but I think that's because she was so attractive women viewers tended to dislike her. Everyone here loved her, except for her competition and from what I've seen, she handled the sharks fine.

She had a boyfriend--an attorney at the D.A.’s office--and that relationship could have proven useful, but I knew enough not to ask her to tap that connection outright. She was young and still had professional scruples. Not that its necessarily a bad thing--I've never completely shaken them myself--but you have to know when they help you and when they hold you back.

In the last few weeks, I've seen another man in the office, a private investigator named Mick St. John. She does draw a crowd of handsome men, I'll give her that. What is interesting about this new one is the way she lights up when he's around her.

Most women would consider exchanging a D.A. for a P.I. trading down, but in this case I’m not sure I’d agree.

I have a sense about people and these two have a real connection.

Something tells me things are about to change...

[allegrita]

Yep, Mo had a very discerning eye. I like the way you portray her. She knows right from wrong. She's got scruples. But she knows when to ignore them. And she has a pretty accurate view of Beth's good AND bad qualities. And of where her attention's focused.

I wish she'd been a little more aware of things toward the end... it might have saved her.

[francis]

Mo really can read people. The way she sees Beth is so right. And you included how she berated Beth in SB for not showing enough vulnerability. She's all business and uses the emotions of people to draw viewers, yet she cares for Beth and is impressed by her.
Really like this!

[Luxe de Luxe]

I was blown away by having Mo talk about Beth's bad points in this. its very rare to see criticism of beth in a fic. I thought 'Mo's' comments were spot on (you've really thought about these characters, haven't you? It's quite impressive.) and I absolutely adored the 'trading down' line. That is an absolute classic. Another great vignette, jen.

[jen]

Alle

Mo had to be a good judge of people to be in the business she was in. She was always so focused on Buzzwire that she deliberately screened out whatever did not directly impact on the issues at hand.

I agree with you--that is probably what got her killed.

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Jenna

[jen]

Francis

Your comment was so very insightful!

One of the qualities Mo possessed was the ability to read people and make fast judgments.

Thank you for reading and leaving the wonderful comment.

Jenna

[jen]

Luxe

Exactly!

Mo was good at picking out the good points and bad points, and sometimes first impressions are off slightly, but Mo seemed to get it right more often than she got it wrong.

I remember her grilling Morgaline over the audio she was having one of Buzzwire's sound specialists work on (I think it was Fleur de Lis).

And about my thinking a lot about these characters...

Yep. Guilty as charged.

Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

Jenna

[maggatha3]

Hey, jen, great to find out you have your own place to meet you .. we seem to keep bumping on each other around the place.. so , I thought I 'd pay you a night visit. And, instead of you, there is Maureen, a woman I used to love in Moonlight world, clever and witty, she could tell a good story from miles away. Sure she could tell an A- male like Mick when she saw him..But for his connection with Beth, I bet even passers-by could tell...

[jen]

Maggatha

Great to meet you, Sweetie!!!

Thanks for reading this little short piece about Maureen. She was an amazing woman and had a knack for reading people.

Thank you so much for reading and leaving a comment here!

Jenna

[Moonlighter]

Yes, Maureen was quite perceptive -- about Beth and her work ethic, and then about Beth and her relationship with Mick. Unfortunately, that perceptive nature was her undoing. You captured her voice here quite nicely, Jen.

[Lucy]

Maureen....she speaks with an older woman's experience. Great words to hear.

[jen]

Moonlighter

Poor Maureen.

She was very focused and could spot a story a mile away, she had a sense about the people she placed around her but when it came down to it, she forgot to watch her own back and it got her killed.

Maureen was a great character, thought.

Thanks for reading and leaving the lovely comment!

Jenna

[jen]

Lucy

Thanks for dropping by, reading and leaving the interesting comment!

It is so sad that Maureen left the way she did. There was so much potential in the character.

Jenna

[Marigold]

Jenna ~ This was wonderful!

I haven't read many stories where Maureen makes an appearance, so it was especially nice to read this one.

Maureen was a great character. Not only was she intuitive and clever, she was fantastic at reading people. Her impressions of Beth and of Beth's relationship with Mick were spot-on. It is unfortunate that her life was cut short.

Nicely done. Thank you!

[jen]

Marigold

Thank you for reading and commenting! I'm very glad you think I captured her here.

Maureen couldn't have attained her position without being a good judge of people and keeping her reporters' instincts sharp.

Unfortunately for her, it only took one small misstep to end a very promising career. I wish she would have stayed around, but I don't think Beth would have quit Buzzwire when Maureen was still there and those same sharp reporters' instincts would have been dangerous for Mick.

Jenna