No Boundaries - part one (PG13)

[Shadow]

Moonlight is not mine and no copyright infringement is intended.







This is the last chapter of In Between, which is so much longer than the other chapters, it needs its own shelf and will have to be posted in several parts . . . hopefully one part each week.

(If you haven't read the rest of In Between, that won't matter at all for this part of the chapter, which starts at the end of Sonata.)








IN BETWEEN
sixteen and . . .







No Boundaries
part one






“The night that we first met – or met again, whatever – what was I wearing?”

Mick was bewildered by the question. Beth was still clinging to the corner of the bookshelf, her back to him, and he could see the terrible tension in her body. But she wasn’t shutting him out. She hadn’t told him to go away. He’d reached her, somehow, and there was still hope. And he might not understand her question, but he couldn’t imagine an easier one to answer.

“Blue jeans, white striped shirt, cream jacket,” he said instantly.

She spun to face him, her gaze suddenly fixed on him. “What about my shoes?”

She’d had them in her hand as she walked through the ice-cold water, and in spite of everything he almost smiled at the memory. “You were barefoot,” he said simply.

“How can you remember that?” Beth’s voice was hoarse from her tears, and she looked up at him imploringly.

How could I ever forget? “Because I love you,” he said, putting all his heart and soul into those words. She had to understand how he felt; she had to. He couldn’t give up, couldn’t lose her, couldn’t walk away. He could not even imagine trying to go on without her.

She stared at him for a long, breathless moment, and then she was moving, rushing into his arms, her face turned up to kiss him. He caught her and held her, desperately returning her kiss, cradling her head in his hands. He pushed the door shut and drew her even closer, wrapping his arms around her, not willing to ever let her go. He kissed her again and again, hardly able to believe she was there in his arms, his heart hammering at the thought of how close he’d come to walking away. Was it all right between them, even now? Her tearful words about why things couldn’t work between them had only echoed his own thoughts, his own misgivings. But there had to be a way. He loved her, and he knew that she loved him, and that was all that mattered in the end. He wanted desperately to do more than kiss her; he longed to take her to bed and make love to her, but her fears were so much stronger than he'd known . . . they needed to talk . . . . He kissed her one more time and then put his head on her shoulder, holding her close, feeling her arms tighten around him. Then she pulled gently away from him. She stepped back, took his hand, and led him toward the bedroom.

“Wait. Beth, wait.”

“No. Come with me.”

“But there are things we need to talk about. Emma and Jackson, and all the things you’re worried about . . . "

With every word he spoke he could feel her slipping away from him, back out of his reach. Her body stiffened and she let go of his hand, shaking her head in distress. “The only thing I need to know is whether it can really work between us, Mick. You’ve told me so many times that it can’t, you’ve pulled away so many times . . . If you really believe it’s possible, I need you to show me that it is.”

Mick hesitated. She needed to know a lot more than that, and he was well aware of it. There were so many things he hadn’t yet told her, so many dilemmas still unresolved. But here and now, his hesitation was only hurting her. Her face fell, and she started to turn away.

Mick caught her hand and drew her back to him. With one smooth motion he lifted her off her feet and into his arms. All the hurt and disappointment disappeared from her face, and she breathlessly wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him. Without hesitating a moment longer, he carried her into the bedroom.















Only minutes ago Beth had been in agony, watching Mick walk away from her, knowing that her own words had caused him to do so. Her doubts and questions were all still there in the back of her mind, and they would have to be dealt with, but she knew in her heart that Mick was right. Emma’s fate and Mick’s strange intimacy with Simone had shaken her, had made her doubt herself, had forced her to ask herself questions that she’d been avoiding – but Mick was right. It was what she’d believed all along. All that truly mattered was the way they felt about each other. Mick had pulled away from her and hidden things from her so many times, she’d given up hope, but this time she knew it would be different. He wouldn’t pull away again, and he wanted to tell her all the things he’d been keeping from her. And she would see that he did . . . but not now. Now, she was floating in his arms, remembering the way he had carried her before, both as a child and as a woman. Her memories of both were only fragments, dreamlike and mixed together, but they filled her soul: Mick carrying her away from danger, away from smoke and into fresh clear air, away from terror and into the pure warmth of safety, her face pressed against his shoulder and his arms around her. Here, now, he carried her away from her fears and her misery, and took her into another world where nothing mattered but their love.

His every touch was endearing, intoxicating, a strange mix of expertise and uncertainty. He must surely have more sexual experience than she could imagine, having lived so long a life, and she’d felt jealous of the times he’d had with both Lilah and Coraline . . . yet she remembered the first time she’d held him in her arms, how he had not even seemed to know what to do, as if it had been so long since anyone had held him, he couldn’t remember how it felt. And she knew that this was his first time, as a vampire, to make love to a human. And this is my first time with a vampire, too, whatever I might have said about college. But it felt so right to be in his arms, as if she had been waiting all of her life for this moment.

She was on the bed without even remembering him putting her there, her shoes and sweater off, and Mick had already cast aside his own coat and shoes. His hands explored her body as he kissed her, roving over her tingling skin, hesitating as he touched the back clasp of her bra. He met her gaze as if asking for permission, then undid the clasp and slipped it off in one smooth movement, his hands stroking her back for an impossibly long time before moving to caress her breasts. She gasped and caught the hem of his shirt, pulling it quickly over his head, ready to reciprocate. But when he bent to put his mouth to her breast she collapsed against the pillows, forgetting what she’d planned to do next, overcome by sensations she had never felt before. Maybe this was a vampire ability – it would make sense, after all - or maybe it was just Mick, making her feel this ecstasy . . . he moved to her other breast at the very moment she longed for him to do so, and she lay there stunned, simply waiting for his touch, waiting as she had never done before with any other man. She could hear nothing but her breathing and his; she could feel nothing but his touch. She was so aroused she could scarcely move, but she couldn’t bear to let things go all one way; she reached for his belt to finish undressing him, but lost track somewhere, when he kissed her again – had she taken his clothes off, or had he? They were both naked now, in each other’s arms, and she drew a line of warm kisses along his throat, pleased when he threw his head back and caught his breath . . . was this a particularly erogenous zone for vampires? She had so much to learn . . . She was finally, finally able to touch his bare skin, running her hands from his chest to his belly, and then lower. Moonlight filtered through her thin curtains, giving the room a soft glow, and she could see the look in his eyes. How intense would this be for him, how much could he feel? He’d told her, once, that as a vampire his sense of touch was much duller than it had been when he was human . . . was that why he’d described vampire sex as being rough, so the vampires could truly feel it? Beth felt momentarily insecure. Was she being too gentle, too timid? But no, she could tell by his every response that she wasn’t. His eyes were darkening now, his pupils dilating as he watched her with deep pleasure, and then, with a moan, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again they were pale as ice.

He faltered then, looking at her her worriedly, as if he was afraid that she would pull away. But she knew that he couldn’t really be afraid of that, not after their night on the beach. This was only a deep-seated reflex, one that she was determined to abolish. She rolled onto her back, pulling him on top of her, and reached up to kiss him and stroke his hair. “I love you,” she whispered to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and turning her head to the side to expose her throat. She wanted him, all of him, and she needed him to know it. She felt his heartbeat quicken as she moved her hands down to his hips and pulled him to her. She felt him kiss her throat, just as he had done on the beach, kissing his way down to the same spot, his fangs brushing lightly against her skin. But this time she knew he wouldn’t stop. She took a breathless gasp of air as his hips moved beneath her hands, and his fangs pierced her throat at the very moment he entered her.

“Oh God, Mick - ” He’d bitten her so gently, so smoothly, that she’d scarcely felt any pain, and his mouth at her throat felt even more sensual than she had imagined. Her hands moved slowly up his back to his neck, and she cradled his head in her hands, holding him where he was, not wanting him to stop. Giving him her blood felt so strangely right, as if it gave her an extra connection to him. She’d felt it in the desert, but she’d thought that was because she was literally saving his life. It was more than that, she knew now.

For an instant she seemed to see herself through his eyes; she looked down at herself, her eyes closed and her hair spread out across the pillow, and felt his stunned joy at the way she had accepted him. All of him . . . and then she was herself again; Mick had pulled away from her throat and was looking down at her, one hand gently caressing her face even as he moved within her. She gazed up at him, time hanging suspended, mesmerized by his eyes, by the love in his expression. She could never have said how much time passed by; he moved as if he were a part of her, just as she wanted, just as she needed. When he brought her over the edge she heard him call out her name, his voice rough, full of love and affection. She felt dizzy and faint, and almost imagined that she could see Mick standing in the shadows by that fountain, watching her more intently than she’d ever imagined or realized. A hundred and fifty years might go by and he would still remember every detail of that meeting . . . every item of her clothing, the way she’d worn her hair, the colors of the lights as they played over the water in the fountain. She could scarcely breathe, and she was trembling all over, but she managed a whisper, and she knew that he would hear it. “Blue jeans, blue Henley, black jacket,” she said, out of her memory, and Mick, leaning over her with his hair falling around his face, froze where he was. “You were wearing shoes,” she said, “and this ring, and this necklace.” She reached up to run her hand along the chain of the necklace he wore even now, lightly touching the fleury cross as it dangled above her, and then she pulled him down to the bed beside her.

When she could breathe again he was lying at her side, holding her close to his body, one strong arm clasped around her. With his free hand he was gently putting pressure on the punctures at her throat. She felt no pain, and wondered what he had done differently this time. Well, of course he hadn’t been dying this time, he hadn’t been desperate with thirst. He’d controlled the bite, and she not only hadn’t stopped him, she hadn’t wanted to stop him.

“Beth . . . why did you ask me that?” he murmured. “About the first time we met?”

“It was something Emma said,” she answered quietly. “She said that even a hundred and fifty years later, she still remembered exactly what Jackson was wearing the first time they met.”

“They really did love each other. And for so very long.” Mick’s voice was sad for a moment, but he didn’t seem to want to talk about Emma and Jackson right now, either. “You remembered everything I was wearing, too.”

“Yes.” She took his hand, caressing his fingers, caressing the ring. “I knew that I knew you, that you were important to me. Even though I couldn't remember, back then.” She’d seen the ring on his finger as well, and had been drawn by it, even beyond her reporter’s sense that the ring held a story. I’d seen it before, just as I’d seen him before. And she’d been right about the story behind the ring, though she could never have imagined what a long, loving and painful story it actually was.

She let go of his hand then, shifting to take him in her arms. She nestled against him, resting her head on his shoulder, and as his body relaxed she thought again of the first time he’d held her, how tentative he’d been, how uncertain. How afraid. As he accepted her embrace now, and held her securely in turn, she could almost feel the last vestiges of fear in his soul fading away. He had been fighting himself for so long, pulling away from her even as he yearned desperately for her touch. How long had it been for him? Since Coraline, at least, and considering what she had done to him, could she even be counted? Either way, he had been alone for a terribly long time, longer than she could truly even imagine.

She had not spent long years alone, as he had, but somewhere in her soul she had always been missing something – his touch, his smile, his arms around her. Even the very first time he’d so tentatively embraced her, it had meant more to her, had touched her more deeply, than anything else she had ever experienced.

She felt his hand at her brow, stroking her hair back from her face ever so gently, as if she were the most fragile and precious thing in his life. Just as he is in mine. What he was made him much more powerful and resilient than most men, but in its own way it also made him more vulnerable. Knowing now what had happened to him in New York, she couldn’t help fearing for him. But she would look out for him, just as he always had for her. She would keep him safe in her arms.

“What are you thinking?” His voice was very low, and he was watching her intently.

“About the first time you ever held me.”

A ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Which first time?”

She had to laugh. “The second one.” The second first time . . . this could surely get confusing.

"It's a night of first times," Mick said. He moved to kiss her throat, just at the spot where his fangs had marked her, and she shivered.

“You see it now, don't you? You didn't ever need to worry about biting me. You must have been able to tell how that made me feel . . .” She stopped, suddenly uncertain, remembering what Simone had told her about what vampires felt – or rather, didn’t feel - when they drank blood. She opened her mouth, then closed it. They needed to discuss the incident with Simone, because she didn’t really understand it and it still hurt, but they didn’t need to do it now . . . but Mick had caught her hesitation, and she could feel his body stiffen.

“I thought I could tell . . .” He sounded unsure now, and she wished she hadn’t thought of Simone’s words.

“Oh, Mick, you could. I felt so connected to you; I don’t even know how to explain it. And you know it really made me hot.”

He smiled a little at that, but his body was still tense. “Then what’s wrong? Something’s bothering you.”

“Simone told me that vampires don’t really – well – that it doesn’t feel that way to you when you drink blood. That it isn’t anything special.”

“You talked to Simone?”

Beth sighed. She might not want to talk about it now, but he needed to; otherwise he would manage to convince himself that he’d done something wrong. Mick had finally let himself bite her, and she wanted him to delight in that, not regret it. Maybe she could try to tone down her hurt . . . but no, she had to be honest, or there was no point in talking. “She came by my place. To apologize, I guess.” Even now, especially now, it hurt for her to think of the way Mick had fed from Simone. After all the times he’d pulled away from her . . . Beth firmly pushed the past aside. He hadn’t pulled away this time. “Was she right? Does it really not mean much to you?”

She’d been afraid her questions would make him withdraw again, but that didn’t happen. He actually seemed to relax, and he kept his arm around her, absently stroking her hair as he answered her. “She was right in a way. In general. Back when I had freshies, it didn’t mean that much. I needed blood; they provided it. With you, it’s completely different. It means everything.”

“Then why did you bite Simone? You didn’t really need to for the case.” Somehow she knew it was all right to ask this question, even at such a time as this. Mick wanted to tell her these things, and she needed to know them, or they would eat away at her.

“I have to go back a ways,” Mick said. “I told you I used to have freshies . . . but I stopped drinking fresh a long time ago. Twenty-three years ago, actually. I meant never to do it again.”

“Twenty-three years ago?” Beth stared at him. It seemed an unfathomable length of time. She had only been four years old then. Four years old. Her breath caught, and she whispered, “Why?”

“Because of you. Because you changed my life.”

Beth could hardly breathe, listening to the memories in his voice.

“I wanted to feel more human, to be more human,” Mick said softly. “For you. That was one of the reasons it was such a big deal in the desert. I’d never meant to feed from a human again, ever. And it was you. I mean, I’d changed my life because of you.”

You need blood, she’d said, and he’d answered, agonized, Not yours! “That’s why you fought so hard against it,” she whispered.

“Yes. But ever since I fed from you that day, it’s been harder, much harder, for me to keep my instincts under control. It woke something in me. You don’t know how close I came to biting you on the beach the other night, even with Jacob right there. God, I wanted to, so much. And when Josef bit Simone and held her wrist up to me . . . I shouldn’t have done it, and I wish I hadn’t. But with her, it was only about blood. It didn’t actually mean anything to me. Simone was right about that. She’s a freshie, and she was offering. That’s all.”

“So . . . that wasn’t a big deal?”

“No. It’s only a big deal with you.” He hesitated, then pulled her even closer, his body pressing against hers. “Ever since the desert, I’ve felt so connected to you, more than ever before. I’m so aware that your blood has been flowing in my veins. Sometimes I can feel what you feel, and I think that’s at least partly why. I couldn’t help wondering, if I drank your blood again, if I could feel even closer to you.”

Beth’s heart melted at his words, and she finally understood. The incident with Simone fell away from her mind, and she found herself caught up in the wonder and mystery of their connection.

“What did happen?” she asked. “When you drank my blood tonight, how did it feel to you?”

“Just like that. Like I was closer to you than ever. It was amazing.”

“And that isn’t something that normally happens between . . . freshies and vampires?”

“No. Oh, no. I’ve never even heard of such a thing before. Beth . . .”

“Mm?”

“Is it really okay between us? Is this something you can deal with? The difficult part . . . it’s not gonna go away, Beth.”

“I know. But now I know it’s possible. That makes me want to fight for us, not give up.”

His smile, so crooked and happy, nearly broke her heart. How could she ever have imagined that she could go on with her life without him? I’ve never been without him, not even for a moment. And now that he’d told her what their connection meant to him, the thought was doubly unbearable.

“I’m so glad you came back,” she whispered. “I was so afraid I’d driven you away. Now I’m afraid to even let go of you, in case you disappear.”

“I’ll never leave you,” he said simply. “You don’t have to hold on. You can rest. Even sleep.”

“Sleep,” she said dreamily. She was so exhausted. But how could she even think of sleep when she was lying naked in this man’s arms? “Sleep would be good. But so would making love to you again.”

“If you get some rest, think how much energy you’ll have next time.”

“Oooh. Now that sounds good. So . . . do you need to rest? With vampire stamina, and all that?”

“Vampires don’t really have all that much stamina,” Mick said, sounding sleepy himself. “We’re predators . . . we’re built for sprints.”

“And then you go off to your sanctuary to sleep the day away?”

“Something like that.” He was holding her as if she was his sanctuary, and maybe she was at that. If only they could both sleep now, wrapped in each other’s arms. The room felt cool to her, enough to make her shiver as she lay naked above the covers, but it still would be too warm for Mick to be able to sleep. He shifted beside her, pulled the folded blanket from the foot of the bed and carefully, tenderly covered her with it. Then he reached under the blanket to hold her. He seemed content as he was, and she knew he’d lie there all night at her side, but the last few days had been grueling, and she wanted him to be able to rest. She tried to make herself suggest that he should go home to his freezer, but she couldn’t do it. She didn’t want to be parted from him; she wanted this night beside him. And she had a plan.















Mick held Beth in his arms under the blanket he’d pulled over her. He didn’t think he had ever felt so happy, so content, so connected . . . he’d never be able to get enough of her, and would have loved to pull her close again, but he could sense the exhaustion in her body. She needed sleep desperately, and after all, tomorrow would come soon, filled with its own opportunities. He wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight himself, but he didn’t care. He had never really thought this would happen, never quite believed that he and Beth could lie in bed in each other’s arms after making love to each other. It almost didn’t happen. I almost walked away, almost closed the door of my life on Beth. That moment in the hallway, when he’d stood with his head against the wall, had been even more a tipping point than the moment he’d stood in the shadows by that fountain, watching her, memorizing every detail. She was watching me too. She remembered what I was wearing. She noticed everything . . .

But now she was pulling away from him, slipping out from under the blanket, gently pulling her hand free of his. “Don’t get up,” she whispered.

“Don’t go.”

“I’ll be right back. Close your eyes. I’ve got a surprise.”

“What is it?”

“Close your eyes. And it’s no fair using vampire hearing.”

He grinned. It wasn’t like he could turn that off . . . he didn’t try to listen, but he couldn’t help being attuned to her movements. She went to the closet first, and he heard the rustling of clothes as she put something on. Then her footsteps, and the clicking of a dial. The freezer door opened with a faint cool blast and she pulled something out of it, something heavy and awkward, by the sounds. Carrying it, she headed back for the bedroom, which was already noticeably colder. She’d adjusted the thermostat, turning on the air conditioning, and it was already getting chilly in the room. She shouldn’t do that; she’d get too cold . . . and now she’d gone all the way around the bed and was standing behind him. Eyes still closed, he shifted, turning his head toward her.

“I told you, don’t move,” she said, pushing his head back against the pillow. There was a soft clink and he felt a delicious chill at the back of his neck, a chill that made every muscle in his body relax.

“Oh, Beth. That’s heavenly.”

“Good,” she whispered, running the ice cube over his throat, over his face, then leaving it tangled in his hair. More coldness brushed against his back, across his side. Ice packs, more than he’d imagined could fit into her little freezer compartment. They felt incredibly good against his tired body.

She moved to the other side of the bed, piling more blankets on her side, and crawled under them, arranging them so they covered her body but didn’t fall between her and Mick. “You can open your eyes now. How does it feel?”

“Wonderful.” He was so tired; the thing with Emma and Jackson had drained him utterly, physically and emotionally, and the near breakup with Beth had come close to destroying him. Now, finally, his body could relax. “How did you get all this in your freezer?”

“Huge sacrifices. I had to throw out the ice cream.” Beth snuggled closer, shivering.

“Beth, you’ll freeze. Turn up the thermostat again, at least.”

“I won’t freeze. Fuzzy robe and slippers, see? And the ice is all at your back, away from me.” She frowned suddenly, looking worried. “It will be okay there, won’t it? I mean, they say you shouldn’t put ice packs directly against your skin.”

Mick smiled. “I’ll be fine. Just don’t let them touch your skin. It’d probably be like a piece of glass.”

“Hey, that’s not fair. You hadn’t exactly given me a vampire manual. I was scared to death.”

“You were amazing.”

“That’s more like it.” Beth moved even closer to him, as if seeking his body heat, and he wished he could warm her the way he had on the way back from Victorville. Her robe was open in front, and he slipped his arm inside it to hold her. She was cold enough that she had to be uncomfortable, but she wasn’t dangerously cold, and he knew she’d never let him get away with resetting the thermostat. And the coldness surrounding him was soothing, so very soothing. Her breathing became more regular, and her heartbeat slowed as she fell asleep. Next time we try actually sleeping together, I’m bringing hot water bottles. The ice felt so blissful, he couldn’t keep his eyes open a moment longer.















Beth woke in the night, shivering, and opened her eyes to find Mick still asleep, his head resting against the shoulder of her fuzzy robe, his arm circling her bare waist beneath the robe. As cold as she was, she simply lay still watching him, treasuring the sight. It was something extraordinary to get to watch him sleep, without having to peer through the frosty top panel of a freezer. The last time she’d stayed over at his place, she’d only gotten a glimpse of him through the panel. Now, she could see how much his face relaxed in sleep, making him look astonishingly young and vulnerable, an effect enhanced by his rumpled hair, which was sticking out in all directions. She let her gaze rove appreciatively over his body . . . he still lay naked on top of the covers . . . and then looked back at his face. His long lashes brushed against his cheeks, and a stray lock of hair fell over his closed eyes.

He was so relaxed, so peaceful, at least for now. It couldn’t last for long; cold as it was, the ice packs must already be melting. Here in L.A., her air conditioner, even at its coldest, could hardly achieve refrigeration temperature. Though it felt like refrigeration to her. Even in her slippers her feet were frozen, and her hands felt like ice. But she really didn’t care. She smiled a little, touched Mick’s face gently with her cold hand, and then cuddled even closer to him, putting her arm around him.










-

[francis]

Shadow!!! This is hands down the best "after Sonata" story I can remember. So tender and loving and full!

I started to choke up around here:

Here, now, he carried her away from her fears and her misery, and took her into another world where nothing mattered but their love.

And in the end I had a little cry.
I love it and I'm so looking forward to more.

[Shadow]

Francis, that is the most awesome compliment! One of the reasons I was a little hesitant to do a post-Sonata story is that it has been done so many times . . . and so beautifully.

I'm so glad to hear that you're looking forward to more.

[Lucy]

I'm having a flashback experience right now.....
Even after all these years of missing Sonata...you have given us a singular view of how it could have happened. EXQUISITE in every way.
Thank-you for sharing your vision with sweet words for our couple.

[Shadow]

Thanks so much, Lucy!

It's so great that this could give you such a flashback to Sonata, too.

[aolver]

It was so beautiful, and realistic, like that is how it would have really happened. I'm weepy. Thank you, and looking forward to more MickBeth goodness.

[susieb]

I've been away so long... a whisper of intuition drew me here today and what do I find? Your In Between. So glad you put that in your introduction - that reading this out of sync would be alright. And it is. Shadow, I suspect this may turn out to be my favorite after Sonata story of all. So tender. So romantic. And so very easy to imagine that this is how it would have been... thank you!

[Cleo28]

Shadow, that´s amazing. You wrote it so great. I love it and I can´t wait to read further.

[jen]

Shadow

This is just stunningly lovely!

Just deciding to push aside all the fears, hesitations and half reasons that separated them for so long, they took the chance and went for it and found that it was not as impossible as they had assumed.

There will problems, obstacles and even difficulties but such is the nature of life. They love each other, watch out for their different needs and are finding out where the boundaries are and that when it comes to their love, there aren't many.

Thank you for this wonderful tale!

[allegrita]

Oh, honey... I'm so very, very glad you wrote this. It made me cry, happy tears. I adore your vision of that first night. I love the things they said to each other, and the things they couldn't or didn't want to say, at least not yet. This is a story about the beginning, with all its promise. They make amazing steps here. And the most important one is that they love and trust each other, and they both know it.

I've never seen anyone else have Beth tell Mick what he was wearing when they met at the fountain. What a brilliant touch. What a perfect counter for her to give him: she didn't just demand that he remember, she remembered everything about him, too. (As if anyone could forget one detail about the time they met Mick... or met him again, whatever.... but Mick wouldn't know that, because he doesn't understand how truly special he is.)

The other thing I love, just absolutely LOVE about this story is that Beth had been thinking about how to make it possible for Mick to sleep with her. She was prepared for the possibility. I love that you made her so thoughtful, because as we both know Beth can sometimes be just a teensy bit, well... self-centered. But she is also capable of great sacrifice and great gallantry... and for her to think of this, and to be willing to shiver through the night so that Mick could relax? Well, it makes me totally happy.

Tomorrow will come, and with it will come all the difficult, dangerous and complicated. But they've made a commitment now. And they're going to find a way to make it work, because that's what people who truly love each other do. They find a way, even through the hard and painful and horrible parts. Together.

[wpgrace]

Oh lovely! So much explained and out of the way, plus happiness.

My favorite part...and maybe I'm odd, but I LOVE this! "Vampires don't really have all that much stamina.... We're predators... we're built for sprints.". I find that a delightful thing to read him saying...

[Shadow]

It was so beautiful, and realistic, like that is how it would have really happened. I'm weepy. Thank you, and looking forward to more MickBeth goodness.

Thank you aolver . . . it's wonderful to know that this felt real to you.

[Shadow]

I've been away so long... a whisper of intuition drew me here today and what do I find? Your In Between. So glad you put that in your introduction - that reading this out of sync would be alright. And it is. Shadow, I suspect this may turn out to be my favorite after Sonata story of all. So tender. So romantic. And so very easy to imagine that this is how it would have been... thank you!

It's so great to see you back here, Susie. The rest of No Boundaries will have my OC characters in it, so it might get a little confusing for those who haven't read any of In Between, but you've read so much of it that I don't think you'd have any problems reading on from here, if you wanted to continue. Your intuition is quite amazing . . . I love it! Thanks so much.

[Shadow]

Shadow, that´s amazing. You wrote it so great. I love it and I can´t wait to read further.

Thanks Cleo, I'm so glad you liked it! Hopefully the next part will be up very soon.

[Shadow]

They love each other, watch out for their different needs and are finding out where the boundaries are and that when it comes to their love, there aren't many.

That's such a lovely way to put it, Jen! And to fit it with the title, as well.

So wonderful to get your comment - thank you so much!