Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight, nor am I making any money from this. No infringement intended.
Warnings: None in this one.
Summary: In 1985, Mick's life changed. And it all began with a photograph.
A/N: Written for Champagne Challenge #139, Photo Op. I chose to tell the story of the first picture of Beth that Mick received.
As always, I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is the source of all inspiration.
~*~*~*~*~
A Picture's Worth
1985
As a vampire, Mick had learned early on that fear had a scent. So did desperation.
His senses had picked up a lot of both before he’d even left his desk, so he’d known immediately that this wasn’t going to be one of those “I think my husband’s a cheating louse,” or “Can you find my lost dog?” cases.
But, he was still caught off-guard when he opened the door and a crying woman stumbled into his arms, her voice thick with tears. “Mr. St. John? Please, help me. Someone took my daughter.”
If the woman noticed how stiff he was, she didn’t care; she just clung to him, one hand curling into his shirt, the other pressing something to his chest. A photograph of her little girl, he realized.
He stared down at the woman for a moment, feeling uneasy. It had become second nature to avoid contact with people - freshies aside. With his clients, he usually kept even handshakes brief, afraid they’d notice the unnatural coolness of his skin. But professional detachment wasn’t an option right now.
Mick hesitated just a second longer before slowly putting his arms around the woman, returning the embrace.
He wasn’t sure how much he was actually able to comfort her, but after a few minutes, she calmed down enough that he could finally, gently pull away and lead her over to the chair in front of his desk. He plucked a few Kleenex out of the box he kept in the office, and handed them to her. She accepted them gratefully, hastily wiping her tears as she tried to collect herself. Mick gave her a minute, and walked back around to the other side of his desk, taking his seat once more.
He cleared his throat. “Can I ask your name, ma’am?”
“Janice. Janice Turner.”
“And you said your daughter was taken?” Mick vaguely recalled the report he’d heard on the news last night about a missing girl. He hadn’t paid too much attention at the time; police business wasn’t necessarily his business, though the lines sometimes blurred.
Janice nodded haltingly, tears threatening again. “The police have nothing. It’s been two days. I just want her back. I don’t care what it costs. Please, please, help me.” She held the photo out to him, her hand shaking.
Mick accepted the picture from her, staring at the cute little girl who was smiling at the camera. Her blue eyes sparkled and light, shoulder-length blonde hair fell just past her chin. She looked innocent. Happy.
Mick ran his thumb over the edge of the picture and frowned.
He would be the first to admit that he wasn’t in the PI business for purely altruistic reasons. That was part of it - he wanted to help people, wanted to, if at all possible, make up for some of the things he’d done when he’d first been turned and the bloodlust had been the worst…when he’d lost himself inside the vampire because it was easier.
But, his work as a private investigator was also a way to pay the bills, to use the abilities he hadn’t asked for. To pass the time while eternity loomed in front of him.
In the end, this was his job, nothing else.
At least, that’s what he told himself. And usually, it was true.
But some cases…some cases were different.
“What’s her name?” he asked quietly.
“Beth,” Janice answered quickly. “Her name is Beth.”
Mick nodded, setting the photo carefully down on his desk before he looked up once more, meeting Janice’s eyes. “I promise, I’ll do everything I can to find her.”
~*~*~*~*~
More often than not, children were abducted by someone they knew, someone with connections to the family. Mick had asked Janice to make a list of all her family and friends, anyone who might have been able to get into the house undetected.
He’d also asked her retrace her steps in the week leading up to that night, everyone she’d talked to, everyone she’d met, every place she’d gone, hoping he could find some clue as to who might have taken Beth. Nothing had stood out, but he’d written all the details down, intending to interview as many people as he could. He’d managed to get his hands on a copy of the police report too, pulling in a favor with Bobby Desmond. Staying in contact with the detective was getting more dangerous as the years passed, but for this, Mick was willing to risk it.
Still, research aside, the best place to start was with a visit to the Turner house. All the signs pointed to Beth being taken out of her bedroom, so that was where Mick found himself. The yellow crime scene tape looked out of place against the rows of stuffed animals and toys lining the walls.
Mick had picked up Beth’s scent as soon he’d stepped inside - the room was infused with it. To his vampire senses, it was that pure, clean scent children always seemed to have, a combination of bubble baths, laughter, and innocence. There was something else there too, something more subtle, something strikingly familiar, but for the moment, he pushed that to the back of his mind and simply looked around.
Nothing was touched - it seemed like every toy was exactly where Beth had left it the day before she’d been taken. And, nothing was broken. The pink sheets and blankets on the bed were wrinkled, flung aside carelessly, but that was the only visual evidence that Beth’s departure that night was anything but peaceful. Either the little girl hadn’t fought back, or she hadn’t been able to fight back. Neither scenario promised anything good.
Mick walked further into the room, careful not to disturb a stack of nearby blocks. He paused when he reached the bed and closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath. The scents painted a colorful picture, and in the theater of his mind, he could see Beth, asleep in bed, already tucked in for the night. A light from her window shown on the pillow, illuminating her young face.
Then, there was someone else, someone stepping out of the darkness, putting a hand over Beth’s mouth to keep her from screaming. Beth’s eyes were wide and startled. Terrified.
And in that instant, Mick’s own eyes snapped opened, stunned.
He’d finally placed the other scent, the one he’d ignored earlier. It fainter and more subtle, but undeniable, and as familiar to Mick as his own.
Coraline.
Mick wanted to deny what his senses were telling him, but he couldn’t.
Coraline was here.
It had been months since he’d seen her.
That last time, he’d told her in no uncertain terms that they were over - he’d said those words before, but this had been different. He’d meant those words, well and truly, and for once, he’d thought that Coraline might have finally relented. That maybe she’d finally given up on their relationship too.
But she hadn’t.
Coraline took Beth.
Whatever this was…this was about him. Mick was suddenly, absolutely sure of that. With Coraline, it was always about him. He’d told her that once, and she’d mocked him for it, calling him egotistical, but he knew her. She loved playing games, drawing him out, punishing him - which one was this?
He wasn’t naive enough to think that getting this case was a coincidence. Coraline planned every move carefully.
But what was her end-game?
It didn’t make any sense! The kidnapping had already drawn a lot of press, and though Coraline was many things, careless wasn’t usually one of them. And why take a child? There were vampires who saw children as the equivalent of a delicacy, but Coraline had always preferred adults. Less hassle, she’d said.
Yet, she’d done all of this anyway, taken Beth and made sure the case dropped into his lap. Mick paused. How had Coraline known that Janice Turner would come to him for help? Unless…
Mick spun on his heel and headed back downstairs to where Janice was waiting in the living room.
Janice sat up straighter as he approached. “Did you find something?” she asked anxiously.
Mick summoned up an expression he hoped was calmly professional, and sat down on the couch next to her. “I might have. I need you to tell me - why did you decide to come to me for help? How did you hear about me?”
Janice frowned. “I…I don’t understand. What does that have to do with-”
“Please. It might be important.”
“Well,” Janice began, “there…there was a woman at the police station. She overheard me talking to one of the detectives. She gave me one of your cards.”
“What did this woman look like?”
“Um…about my height, pretty, dark brown hair - but I’m still not sure what that has to do with Beth…unless, you think that woman…you think she…?” Janice’s voice caught.
“I think she might be involved,” Mick answered carefully. “I’d like to question her. Did she say anything else to you - give you anything else?”
Janice pressed an unsteady hand to her mouth, her mind obviously racing. She reached for her purse suddenly, digging through the contents until she reached her wallet. “She wrote something on the back of the card - an address. She said I could contact her there if I needed to.”
Janice found the card and handed it to Mick - he wondered if the faint wave of Coraline’s scent that came with it was imagined. The familiar, elegant handwriting on the back of the card certainly wasn’t.
He didn’t recognize the address, but he knew it was as good as an invitation.
Come and get me, Mick.
“Do you think she’s the one who took Beth?” Janice questioned pleadingly. “Do you think she’s the one who has my daughter?”
Mick had to tear his eyes away from the card he held, from the graceful lettering he knew so well. Every instinct was screaming at him to go after Coraline. To stop this, whatever it was. But he owed Janice Turner some kind of explanation.
“Janice,” he began, searching for words, “I don’t know what this woman wants, why she might have taken your daughter, but I’m going to find out, alright? I’m going to get your daughter back. Will trust me to do that?”
Janice’s eyes had gotten wider with every word, a sheen of tears threatening to fall, but she nodded. “I trust you.”
“Then give me 24 hours before you go to the police with any of this.”
Janice blinked rapidly. “24 hours? But-”
“24 hours,” Mick repeated, putting every ounce of sincerity he could into the request.
The police would only get in the way, and Coraline was his problem to deal with. He wanted to, needed to, handle this himself.
Janice stared at him for a long moment, her gaze assessing, until finally she nodded again. “Okay,” she agreed unsteadily. “I won’t tell the police anything. Not yet.”
“Thank you,” he told her quietly, and stood, tucking the card into his jacket pocket, next to the picture of Beth he carried with him.
I’m coming, Coraline.
~*~*~*~*~
It had taken Mick a few hours to find the address Coraline had written down. It was an old, abandoned house, far from the LA city limits, and safe from prying eyes.
Unfortunately, that meant a long drive, and it left Mick with far too much time to think.
His mind was roiling with questions and regrets…the jumbled emotions Coraline always evoked. This time, horror and confusion colored them all. What did Coraline want with a little girl? Was she just a lure, the bait Coraline had needed to get his attention, or was she something else?
He searched every memory he had of Coraline, trying to analyze every detail with an outside observer’s unbiased eye.
Coraline had rarely talked about children. Her own childhood hadn’t been off limits per say, but he’d always gotten the impression that she didn’t want to discuss it, and it had been one of the few boundaries he’d never pushed, even when they fought.
For the most part, children had been a sore subject for them both since the night Coraline had told him that vampires were sterile. He’d guessed that one on his own already, but it was still another blow, something else for him to add to the long list of things that had been taken from him. He’d wanted a family…always pictured himself becoming a father someday.
Seeing that dream crumble into dust like so many others had hurt. Badly. What made it worse was that Coraline had known…she’d known what he’d wanted. They’d talked about it before the wedding.
Not a lot - Mick had figured that Coraline just wasn’t ready to settle down that much, and if he were honest, he hadn’t been either; he’d hoped for a few more care-free years with his soon-to-be wife. But, all the same, they had talked about it.
It had been one of the few times Coraline had agreed to go out with him and his friends. Not that he hadn’t preferred spending time alone with Coraline, but he could admit, he’d wanted to show off his fiancé a little.
The night had been cool but comfortable, and they’d spent it in the park on a couple of picnic tables, sharing beers and laughter, and inevitably, conversation had turned to the upcoming wedding.
“So, you talked about kids, yet?” Ed questioned.
Mick blinked, caught-off guard. “Well-”
“‘Cause you have to plan for these things, you know,” Ed continued, interrupting.
Tommy snorted. “Oh, right, and you’re such an expert.”
“I hear things, man.”
Jake waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t listen to these idiots. You two will have a dozen kids. They can call me Uncle Jake, and the missus can be an aunt.”
“What missus?”
“The future missus.”
“Yeah, if you find a girl that can actually stand you,” Ed interjected.
“Fat chance,” Tommy scoffed.
Jake scowled. “Hey!”
Mick shook his head at their antics, and tuned them out as the argument continued. He turned to look at Coraline, admiring her profile until she noticed his stare.
“We haven’t really talked about kids, have we?” he asked quietly.
Coraline gave a small shrug, and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “We have time.”
“I guess. I don’t want to rush things. I just can’t help thinking that it will be nice, you know? I’ve always wanted kids. And you’ll make a great mom.” He pushed a lock of stray hair away from her face and offered a smile of his own.
Years later, Mick still wondered if the sadness he’d seen in her expression had really been there, or if his own feelings had distorted the memory.
Maybe, in the end, it didn’t matter. The past was the past and he couldn’t change it, no matter how much he wanted to.
Faint light from a building up ahead caught his attention, drawing him from his reverie, and Mick slowed, turning down a long, dusty driveway when he caught sight of the address. He shut off the engine, and stepped out into the cool, night air, the closing of his car door sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet.
This was it. The was where Coraline was waiting for him.
The house looked like it had been beautiful once, though it had long since seen better days. The windows were intact, but the glass was veiled by a thick layer of dust, and the wooden exterior had been laid bare by the elements. The porch creaked ominously when Mick stepped onto it, the wood dry and brittle, but the door opened easily, the handle turning with a touch.
It was mostly dark inside, the only light coming from a few old-fashioned lanterns. He grabbed one, knowing that Beth would need it to see, even if he didn’t.
It didn’t take long to find them.
Coraline stood in the middle of the living room, holding Beth by the shoulders, her expression expectant, proud. Her eyes were dark and glittering, and the white gown she wore had taken on a golden hue in the dim light.
Coraline looked beautiful. That shouldn’t have mattered, he shouldn’t have even noticed - but he did. He always did. And he hated himself a little for it.
“Welcome home, Mick.”
He stepped closer, raising the lantern. “Coraline, what are you doing?” he demanded.
Her lips curved into a smile. “Haven’t you figured it out by now? I know what you want, Mick. And I can give it to you. A family.”
“This isn’t what I want. Not like this!”
Beth gave a choked, frightened sob, and Mick held out hand, softening his voice, trying to sooth her. “Everything’s gonna be alright.”
“It’ll work, Mick,” Coraline insisted, ignoring the girl’s distress. “Just you, me, and baby.”
She sounded so sure, so determined…desperate.
She was desperate, he realized. She wanted this to work, needed this to work, because she didn’t have anything else that she could offer him.
Mick shook his head, meeting her gaze steadily, his voice low. “No. I’m not gonna let you hurt that girl. I can’t let you.”
Coraline stared at him for a long moment, surprise, hurt, and finally rage flickering over her features. She pushed Beth deliberately out of the way before her eyes silvered and her fangs extended, a snarl building in her throat.
When Coraline lunged, Mick was ready.
~*~*~*~*~
Beth was warm in his arms, a soft bundle against his chest as Mick walked up the front steps of the Turner house. He had wrapped Beth in his jacket earlier, wanting to protect her from the cold.
His jacket smelled like smoke.
Coraline…
Mick shifted his grip a little so that he could ring the door bell. The door opened right away, and Janice stood there for a moment, stunned. But as soon as she saw Beth, she was moving, reaching forward, pulling her little girl into her arms and holding on tightly, rocking her back and forth as she cried, pressing kisses into her hair over and over.
Words of thanks reached Mick’s ears, fervent and heartfelt, but the gratitude washed over him, doing little to dull the numbness that was slowly settling in his chest. Promises of payment followed, and he managed to summon up a response refusing any money - he didn’t want to be paid for this. The thought made him a little sick.
Coraline…
“Mr. St. John?” The sound of his name spoken with concern was finally enough to break through the fog descending in his mind. “Mr. St. John, you’re bleeding!”
Mick shook himself and reached up to touch his cheek, surprised when his fingers found coppery wetness.
“I’ll get some bandages,” Janice said hurriedly, already starting for the bathroom and a first aid kit. “I-”
“No,” Mick said quickly. “No, I’m okay. It’s not as bad as it looks.”
And it wasn’t. The cuts were healed already, he just needed time to wash it all away. The blood…and the smell of smoke.
“But-” Janice began.
“I’m fine,” he insisted again.
Janice looked doubtful, but slowly, she relented. “If…if you’re sure.”
Mick nodded. “I am.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Janice asked at last.
Mick opened his mouth to refuse again, then looked down at Beth, who was watching him from her mother’s arms, her blue eyes more at peace but still troubled, wary. She reminded him of some of the children he’d seen and treated during the War. The shock, the horror of what they’d experienced always left its mark…an invisible scar that healed over time, but never faded entirely.
Still, Beth was young…young enough that maybe, just maybe, the memories would fade.
“I wanted to ask a favor,” he said, forcing his gaze back to Janice’s face.
“Anything,” she responded immediately, and he could tell she meant it.
“Don’t tell Beth about this. About me, I mean. Don’t tell her my name. Tell her a stranger brought her home.”
Janice shook her head. “But, I-I don’t understand. You’re a hero, you-”
“I’m no hero,” His voice cracked on the last word.
Coraline…
He’d killed her. He’d killed his wife.
Those memories were his burden to carry. Not Beth’s.
“Please,” Mick continued. “If Beth can forget, let her.”
Janice looked ready to protest again, but then she followed Mick’s gaze to her daughter, whose eyes were starting to slowly drift shut, losing the fight against sleep, now that she was home.
“Okay,” Janice agreed quietly. “I won’t tell her who you are. I won’t tell anyone who saved my daughter. I promise you.” She paused, hesitant. “What about…what about the woman who took her?”
The words seemed to burn as they passed his lips. “She won’t bother you again. Beth is safe.”
Janice nodded an pressed another kiss to her daughter’s head, closing her eyes as she whispered a short prayer of thanks.
When she opened her eyes, Mick was gone.
He watched Janice from the shadows, seeing her shock and confusion, hearing her tentatively call his name. When he didn’t answer, she tried again, until finally, she reached for the door, shutting it behind her as she disappeared back into the house.
When he was sure that Janice wasn’t looking towards the street, he started for his car once more, the smell of smoke still lingering around him.
Ashes, he thought. Ashes were all that was left.
Ashes…and the photograph of a smiling little girl, resting in his pocket.
It was too late for him. For Coraline.
But not for Beth. She would have a future. He’d make sure of that.
No matter what.
Fin
~*~*~*~*~
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you think!
-Laughter
I love how you incorporated Beth's picture into this story. Your take on Beth's kidnapping was really well developed. As per usual, your characterizations of Mick and Cora are perfect. 
Little does he know how much he will be a part of it. 
