In memoriam (PG)
Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 8:26 pm
Title: In memoriam
Author: redwinter101
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own Moonlight or any of its characters
Note: For Memorial Day. An imagined missing scene from What's Left Behind.
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--- In Memoriam ---
“That boy who was kidnapped? He might be my grandson.” His past wasn’t just another country, it was another life, another him, one he’d never really shared with Josef. He expected mockery; he got concern.
“Well. I hope you get the kid back. Your last contribution to the human gene pool.”
“Yeah. I guess he is.” Mick’s voice roughened under the weight of worry.
Josef rolled the purple heart through his fingers, concentrated, intense, mirthless. For once.
"It's a purple heart, Josef. It won't turn into something else, no matter how long you stare at it." Mick reached to grab the medal, uncomfortable at the scrutiny of his past, encapsulated in weave and shine.
“Why do you keep it? And this?” He reached for the silver star. “They’re just-”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. ‘Remnants of my lost humanity.’ Yadda yadda yadda.”
Mick replaced the medals in his foot locker and reached for the lid. Josef’s hand, braced against the gunmetal, stopped him.
“I’m serious, Mick.”
“Since when?” One eyebrow raised, hand on hip, an affectionate challenge.
“Touché. But why hold on to reminders of injury? It’s not like there’s a victory medal in there anywhere.” Josef stepped closer to the foot locker; Mick blocked his path.
“Don’t, Josef. Just... File this under ‘things I don’t understand about humans’, okay?”
“I was only asking. Delving into the mystery that is Mick St. John. C’mon, Mick. Humour me.”
“You really wanna know why I keep this stuff?” Josef nodded. “Okay. It was the first time in my life people counted on me. You have no idea how powerful that is.”
“”That, I understand. Believe me.”
“I’m not talking about employees. I’m talking about... Never mind. It’s all ancient history now.” Mick turned away, stowing the past back in its box.
“And bits of tin help you remember the good times?”
“I swear to God, Josef, just let it go.”
Josef raised his hands in mock surrender. “I’ve been in some battles in my time, mostly involving pitchforks or blunderbusses, and I’d as soon forget them.” He shrugged.
“Were you side by side with your friends? Did you know they were counting on you to do your bit, hoping it was enough? Did you lose-?” Mick broke off, the echo of ‘everything’ loud and harsh.
Josef stepped closer, “No, no, and maybe.”
“I was human, Josef. It was... complicated.” He’d never told Josef much about Ray and Lilah. Especially Lilah. She was still his, untainted. Sepia memories, the past leaking into the future, age-old disappointment rearing up to poke and prod at him, taunting him with precious, dangerous hope. Part of him yearned to share the man he once was with the friend who accepted the vampire he’d become.
“Ah.” Josef nodded and smiled.
“Ah? What does ’Ah’ mean?”
“I always knew there was something, someone, from back then. Your best friend’s wife, huh?”
“She-.” Mick turned away. Of all the things they’d shared, intimacies, pain, joy, friendship, brotherhood, he didn’t know how to tell him about this, her. The call of unburdening was powerful but he didn’t want Lilah to be anything other than his and his alone.
“Let me guess. She was the love of your life. Until Coraline, of course. Or maybe Beth. It’s so hard to keep track.”
Mick squared up; Josef took a pace back. Josef never took a pace back.
“You don’t understand, so just leave it alone, okay?”
Josef nodded, a ghost of a smile playing at his lips. “Some day, my friend, some day I’ll get you to tell me all about her. In the meantime, back to procreation. So to speak. Although unless you and Beth re-write the rules of vampire love and figure out how to... procreate.” Josef moved away toward the door, almost colliding with an incoming Beth. “Hi, Beth. Beth’s here.”
His stage whisper signalled his exit as Mick packed up his foot locker, his quest for DNA successful; his search for hope, ongoing.
He turned to greet Beth; sometimes past, present and future fixed their own, inevitable collision course.
Author: redwinter101
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own Moonlight or any of its characters
Note: For Memorial Day. An imagined missing scene from What's Left Behind.
************************************************************************************************************
--- In Memoriam ---
“That boy who was kidnapped? He might be my grandson.” His past wasn’t just another country, it was another life, another him, one he’d never really shared with Josef. He expected mockery; he got concern.
“Well. I hope you get the kid back. Your last contribution to the human gene pool.”
“Yeah. I guess he is.” Mick’s voice roughened under the weight of worry.
Josef rolled the purple heart through his fingers, concentrated, intense, mirthless. For once.
"It's a purple heart, Josef. It won't turn into something else, no matter how long you stare at it." Mick reached to grab the medal, uncomfortable at the scrutiny of his past, encapsulated in weave and shine.
“Why do you keep it? And this?” He reached for the silver star. “They’re just-”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. ‘Remnants of my lost humanity.’ Yadda yadda yadda.”
Mick replaced the medals in his foot locker and reached for the lid. Josef’s hand, braced against the gunmetal, stopped him.
“I’m serious, Mick.”
“Since when?” One eyebrow raised, hand on hip, an affectionate challenge.
“Touché. But why hold on to reminders of injury? It’s not like there’s a victory medal in there anywhere.” Josef stepped closer to the foot locker; Mick blocked his path.
“Don’t, Josef. Just... File this under ‘things I don’t understand about humans’, okay?”
“I was only asking. Delving into the mystery that is Mick St. John. C’mon, Mick. Humour me.”
“You really wanna know why I keep this stuff?” Josef nodded. “Okay. It was the first time in my life people counted on me. You have no idea how powerful that is.”
“”That, I understand. Believe me.”
“I’m not talking about employees. I’m talking about... Never mind. It’s all ancient history now.” Mick turned away, stowing the past back in its box.
“And bits of tin help you remember the good times?”
“I swear to God, Josef, just let it go.”
Josef raised his hands in mock surrender. “I’ve been in some battles in my time, mostly involving pitchforks or blunderbusses, and I’d as soon forget them.” He shrugged.
“Were you side by side with your friends? Did you know they were counting on you to do your bit, hoping it was enough? Did you lose-?” Mick broke off, the echo of ‘everything’ loud and harsh.
Josef stepped closer, “No, no, and maybe.”
“I was human, Josef. It was... complicated.” He’d never told Josef much about Ray and Lilah. Especially Lilah. She was still his, untainted. Sepia memories, the past leaking into the future, age-old disappointment rearing up to poke and prod at him, taunting him with precious, dangerous hope. Part of him yearned to share the man he once was with the friend who accepted the vampire he’d become.
“Ah.” Josef nodded and smiled.
“Ah? What does ’Ah’ mean?”
“I always knew there was something, someone, from back then. Your best friend’s wife, huh?”
“She-.” Mick turned away. Of all the things they’d shared, intimacies, pain, joy, friendship, brotherhood, he didn’t know how to tell him about this, her. The call of unburdening was powerful but he didn’t want Lilah to be anything other than his and his alone.
“Let me guess. She was the love of your life. Until Coraline, of course. Or maybe Beth. It’s so hard to keep track.”
Mick squared up; Josef took a pace back. Josef never took a pace back.
“You don’t understand, so just leave it alone, okay?”
Josef nodded, a ghost of a smile playing at his lips. “Some day, my friend, some day I’ll get you to tell me all about her. In the meantime, back to procreation. So to speak. Although unless you and Beth re-write the rules of vampire love and figure out how to... procreate.” Josef moved away toward the door, almost colliding with an incoming Beth. “Hi, Beth. Beth’s here.”
His stage whisper signalled his exit as Mick packed up his foot locker, his quest for DNA successful; his search for hope, ongoing.
He turned to greet Beth; sometimes past, present and future fixed their own, inevitable collision course.
for alle. 
.
in any way... 
