I settle in for my usual Friday night ritual. Ghost Whisperer at eight o’clock. Numb3rs at ten o’clock. Hmm, the ads during Ghost Whisperer for that Moonlight show look interesting, and that guy is pretty cute, but I’m not going to commit myself to three solid hours of television every Friday night. I might need my brain cells later in life. So at nine o’clock I turn off the television and work the Wall Street Journal crossword puzzle that is published only on Fridays. I look forward to it every week. Keeps those brain cells sharp.
Finished the puzzle. It’s early yet for Numb3rs, but I turn on the TV. Oh, that vampire show.
“You can’t feed here. We have rules.” A fight. A stake. A body in flames.
Two friends sharing a drink and a tale by the fire.
The good looking one, Mick I think his name is, nervously knocks on the blonde’s door.
“You’re the first human that I’ve told any of this to, about who I am or what I am. So yeah, I trust you.” The words. The touch. The music. She watches him walk down the hall. Wow. I have to see more of this.
Saturday morning. Fire up the laptop. Go to the CBS website to see if they show the full episodes. They do! Watch the first one. Boy, this is good. Watch the second one. I have to have more. Watch the entire third one. I am hooked. Who cares about three hours of television? This grabs me deep inside. Never felt like this about a television show before.
Oh, look. There is a message board on cbs.com and people are commenting about Moonlight. I’ve never used a message board before. Wow, look at all the people talking about this show! I come back again and again to read what people say. A guilty pleasure. Someone posts that there is a board especially for Moonlight, called Moonlight Fans. I’ll just take a peek. So this is what a forum looks like! I had no idea. Pictures. Screen names. Lingo. Other people who love this show as much as I do. Who feel drawn to it like I do.
I learn the vernacular. I lurk for a week or two. I come up with a screen name and get up the nerve to join. My name fits what is happening to me. My mid-life crisis. It has to be. What else could explain it?
Several board splits later. Same online friends. New online friends. New computer skills. So this is fan fiction. Wow, these stories bring the characters to life! I have a story inside me. Where did it come from? It bubbles up to the surface. I wasn’t so bad at writing in school; maybe I could try one. But these authors are so good. Dare I post one? What if no one likes it? I’ll just do this one.
The show ended before its time. Not the ending I wanted, but one I can live with. I have a DVD of sixteen episodes. I watch them over and over and over. Mick and Beth are everything to me. The emotions Alex can convey with a look, a gesture; they still move me.
Two years later, and I am still drawn to my computer every night. Every. Night.
Thanks to all of you.
I loved it MLC. Nice to see your journey to where we are now. I see you every night. Every. Night. And I love it!! Talk to you later my friend!! 
I wake up every morning, log in to Facebook, wake Beth up, and get her ready for work. Then I log in on MLA and check the board. And THEN I get ready for work. 
