Part 25: Epilogue

Mick was checking his email at his desk, when he looked at the clock, 8:46pm, looks like we're going to be late. Smiling to himself thinking of why Beth was running late, he finished up on the computer and headed out of the office. Beth was descending the stairs when Mick's jaw dropped. Wearing a simple little black dress, knee length, halter top, which flowed with her movements, her bruises were invisible, eyes bold and piercing, her plump scarlet lips, her hair cascading over her shoulders bouncing with each step. Mick meets her at the bottom step, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing a kiss on her red lips. Mick pulls her into a deeper more demanding kiss, before Beth pulls back.

"We are already running late, for this very same reason."

"This is what you do to me. That dress is not helping my self-control."

Beth gives him a tantalizing smile, patting him on the chest, "guess you will just have to work on that." Walking past him towards the door, looking over her shoulder she adds, "At least until we get back from Josef's."

A smile escapes him as he helps her into her coat, and grabbing his own. They headed off to Josef's; Mick was focused on the road, glancing over at Beth every few minutes. They arrive at Josef's only 15 minutes late, traffic was not too heavy. Josef greets them as they enter the main room, Candice is there as well.

"Well good evening, I was beginning to think you were not going to show."

"Well someone decided to join me in the shower, twice."

Josef raises an eyebrow. "Well can I get you something to drink. I am sure that you must have quite a thirst after all that 'cleaning'. Mick my man can I get you something or are you too full from your earlier escapades?"

Mick steps towards Josef, "I will have a glass of A- if you have it," his eyes were full of a look Josef knew quite well as 'don't go there'. Taking the hint to drop it Josef moves to casual conversation.

"The reason I asked you over this evening, Mrs. Turner is to express my gratitude. I had my doubts about you at first when you did the piece on a vampire slaying, thought you would be a problem. I am glad to say I have never been so happy to be proven wrong. Thank you for you continued discretion with our little secret, and also for keeping Candice's identity anonymous. It would have been fine, we had things planned for it but you made things easier for everyone especially Candice. So Mrs. Turner I thank you and if there is anything you ever want or need don't hesitate to ask."

"Yes, thank you again Beth. I would have went on camera for you, for them, but this way I don't have to disappear for awhile," added Candice with a smile.

"Okay you want to know what I want? I want you to realize that I am protecting 'our' secret, the man I love, who he is, and who his friends are, this is just as much a part of me. I am not doing it, expecting to be thanked or rewarded. Now that we have that cleared up, Josef how many times must I say it, you can call me Beth. I feel like I'm back in school when you call me Mrs. Turner, when I would get called on in class for talking too much."

Mick let out a small laugh, "You in trouble for talking too much…never."

Beth gives Mick a playful punch in the arm, which he pretends hurts. Pulling her into an embrace, he turns to Josef and Candice who was watching their little display.

"I understand you do not expect compensation for your actions. It is just my way of showing you how much I appreciate them. Take it or leave it, I'm not going to force you to go on a shopping trip with Candice, if you don't want –"

"Now I never said I didn't want to go shopping with Candice, on your bill, I was just making sure you know that's not why I did it."

"I didn't think you would object to a shopping trip. Women and their shopping," Josef rolls his eyes and looks at Mick. "Looks like you have your hands full my man."

Mick squeezed Beth, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder.

Candice had been pretty much intrigued by the whole display, "okay so we get to go shopping, you're always so good to me Josef. I would like to know what happened though, if you don't mind filling me in. I only know how it ended."

"I would be quite interested to know everything myself, the non-Buzzwire portion."

"You might want to refill our drinks it is a somewhat complicated story." Josef does this as they settle into comfortable positions; Mick on the couch with Beth leaning on him, and Josef took the chair and pulled Candice to his lap. Mick smiled to himself, Josef would never admit it but Mick could see that Josef wanted the closeness, the love he had.

"Well James Arnold killed Lucas Jones. Jones was a vampire, so we knew it was no home invasion gone wrong, you don't accidentally kill a vampire. We knew there had to be a connection, so we started looking into our victim. Turns out he had a sheet, robbed a bank a few years back in Florida, where shots were fired and a bank tell was killed. Jones got away with some of the money, which he used to buy his vampirism. The teller that died her name was Sandra Owens, and she and her brother Paul Owens were in on it—"

"Okay but where does Arnold fit into this? I thought that his sister died or something."

"Yes, Paul Owens reinvented himself as James Arnold. They are the same person. He planned the whole thing, of course his sister was supposed to have the day off, but she went in to cover for someone. Arnold or Paul whatever you call him, he hired a man, ex-military, to take out Jones that day during the heist. It would be clean, he was just trying to stop a bank robbery, the other two, Patel and Martin two friends of his would get away and no one would be the wiser. Only problem is he hired the wrong man. He was a drunk, who was having some moral qualms about killing a man he knew nothing about. He failed and when shots started to fly, everything went to hell, Sandra caught a bullet and she bleed out. Arnold kept quite about his part in the whole thing and he got Sandra's life insurance money and the settlement money from the bank. He paid off Patel and Martin; well he gave the money to their families. Which is the whole reason they were doing it to begin with, they are good people who just became desperate. Well Paul changes himself into Arnold and he is living here in LA living life up, no one would have ever suspected him. Well you know what happened from there. Arnold kills Jones, and then here we are."

Candice had been listening to every word, completely amazed at everything. "So how did he become a vampire? No one told me that part."

"Oh I almost forgot. Jones turned him, well it was an accident, but that is why he knew little about vampires. He only knew that silver and fire were deadly. So when I told him stakes were deadly to, he was more than happy to believe."

Everyone seemed satisfied with the story and how all the lose ends were tied up. Beth and Candice go into the kitchen to find a snack, and leave the boys to themselves.

"So I take it that you two are going to be doing the whole relationship thing."

"Yes, we are. If there is anything you have to say, say it now."

"Hey, I'm happy for you man, its great to see you content and not moping and brooding around. Although what was up with the look when you came in. She brought it up, not me, although I could smell it on the both of you before you can in the door."

"Josef, you know what I mean. Yes we have made love, it was great but I have not feed from her. Not since the desert. She asked me about it."

"What did you tell her? You haven't done it, which means you have some self-control, but at some point—"

"I told her the truth, that what we did was perfect and it was."

Josef rolls his eyes, catching a menacing glare from Mick. "Hey man, you are going to have to face it. If you want this relationship to work there are going to be a lot of complications, things that will need to be dealt with."

"I know…I know, I'm just not sure I'm ready."

Mick looks over his shoulder as he hears Beth and Candice coming back into the room, laughing and joking. They come in and fall into the laps of the guys, looking at them questioningly.

"And what where you two talking about?" Beth playfully asked, placing a soft kiss on his check.

Josef retorted with, "We were talking about you, my dear Beth, and how Mick here is going to have his hands full with you. We both might be, since you two seem to be hitting it off so well."

"What can I say we bonded, it's nice to have a girl to talk to. A girl who understands and I can be honest with. So Candice when do you want to go shopping?"

Everyone settled into conversation from one topic to another. Deciding not to point it out, and make a big deal about it, she just smiled at the fact that Josef had called her Beth.

The End

What More Do I Have To Do?

Thank you everyone who has read my story and commented on it. It has been such a pleasure to write, your comments have made it even better. I have ideas for the next story to follow this one, they are still a bit rough but I have some really interesting things I want to happen and a pretty good way for them to fit. So let me know what you think. My first fanfic completed…wow.