CHAPTER THIRTY – "Moondance"

A Moonlight NC-17 Fanfic

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

We didn't sleep all that well the night before Mick's return to humanity. Mick never went to his freezer that night—it was turned off anyway. I kept waking up and I'd find Mick awake and we'd kiss and taste and smell each other over and over because we knew that, come tomorrow, everything would change, and all of the little familiar things we loved about being together might disappear.

"How different will I smell to you when you're human?" I asked him, holding his hand as we spooned in our usual fashion.

He laughed softly. "You won't smell like dinner anymore, for one thing."

"Mick! You want to drink my blood? Still?" I rose and sat up on the bed, looking at him, surprised.

"Honey, you're like booze to an alcoholic. I can deny the urge, but the desire is always there." His eyes were smoldering, and I could see the want and need in them.

"You're kidding! I didn't know that!" I thought about his words for a while. This was our last night together as vampire and mortal, and we both were edgy about that. Also, we were denied our one avenue to making peace with turmoil—sex—and I suddenly had a thought.

"Do you want one last taste?"

"You're offering?" He looked at me sideways like he didn't really believe me.

"You couldn't bite me when I was pregnant, but now it would be okay, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, but Beth. . .I don't have to. . ."

I held my arm to his mouth and he looked up at me, his eyes, questioning, not sure what to say.

"It's okay, Mick. It's just between us, and it is intimate, and after tonight, it will never again be part of 'us.' Please—I want you to taste me one more time." He sat up then and took my offered arm into his hands.

"Are you sure Beth?"

"I'm absolutely sure, Mick. I trust you completely, and I want you terribly. I think this might help us get through the night."

I watched as his eyes glazed over and his fangs came out. I loved the way he looked as a vampire, strong, feral, virile, and undeniably sexy! He held my arm as if it were a ruby chalice. His nose roamed over my skin and his eyes rolled back, as though he were anticipating something heavenly. My heart was thudding in my chest—he hadn't bitten me since very early in our relationship—before we knew I was pregnant. Pregnancy had ended any biting, and if Mick wanted one last taste of me, I wanted to give it to him! In fact, I wanted it very much, though I wasn't sure why. Maybe because it was the last time—ever.

I watched his vampy eyes giving me one last look, one last chance to back out, but I only nodded, then watched as he sank his fangs into my skin. I groaned with pleasure at the feel of his mouth on me, drinking my blood, making me crazy with sensations that radiated from the bite to warm me all over my body. I rolled onto my side and buried my head in his lap, untying his Silkies with one hand, searching and finding him with that hand and taking him into my mouth as he fed on my blood. It was a surprise to me that we both came very hard and very fast! It was over quickly, and I laid my head on his thigh, breathing raggedly as he put his head back and reveled in the utter bliss of what had just happened between us.

When I could breathe again, I crawled up his body and kissed his mouth, tasting my blood on his tongue, and suddenly he was insatiable. Maybe he was still half vamped, but he was full of urgency. He flipped me onto my back and was on top of me in an instant, seeking me out, pressing his body against me and rocking suggestively as we kissed. I wanted him so badly—this one last time—as a vampire, my cool, ever-hard, ever-ready lover.

"God! Mick! I want you so much!" I was pulling on his hair and he was kissing me so hard I thought my lips would bleed. He was moving back and forth on top of me and it took all of my willpower not to open my legs to him. "It's too soon, Mick. Oh, but I need you!"

My heart was beating out of my chest now and I could barely catch my breath. He must have heard it because he stopped.

"Beth! Forgive me! I'm so sorry, honey! I wasn't thinking!" He looked frustrated and repentant.

"But I don't want you to stop!" I started to cry. 'Our last night' kept going through my head. Tomorrow it would all be different! This was all I knew—My Mick! My vampire! I was choking on sobs and he picked me up and held me in his arms, pressing me tightly to him.

"Honey—I'd never hurt you! But I can't stop either!" He laid me down on the bed and pulled off my panties.

"Mick—we can't. . ."

"But we can do this!" He straddled me with his beautiful bottom facing me and put his head between my legs, tasting me one last time as a vampire, tonguing me, sucking, licking, and I bucked underneath him, flopping like a fish out of water as he kept on with his highly sensual attack, his mouth pleasuring me so deeply that momentarily I was crying out again as profound waves of bodily thrills took me over and over again under the inexorable pressure of his mouth on me. Desperate to have him, I took him into my mouth once again, sucking, pumping pleasuring him, listening to his own cries, again and again until we were both spent from exertion and were filled with a sense of utterly complete gratification. I lay breathing hard underneath the weight of his body, and I could catch my breath only when he at last rolled over and off of me. He turned around and crawled up to me, taking me in his arms again, kissing me softly and sweetly this time on my hair, my ear, my cheek and at last my mouth.

"Beth!" He breathed my name into my mouth and I could smell and taste myself on his tongue. "Oh,Beth, sweetheart, thank you! Thank you. Omigod. Oh, Beth." He trembled slightly as he held me so tightly now that I was again having some trouble breathing, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to be here forever, in his strong, cool arms, his hard, male immortal body caressing me! How could I adjust to making love to a human man after having this? I felt a tear run down my cheek.

He held me, loosening his grip slightly, but I fell asleep on top of him with his arms still holding me fast and firm. This time I slept until morning.

--

I hated seeing the sun. I had to admit that after my initial fear of being with a vampire, now my fear was not being with one. But today we had to face reality: Mick had to report to the Legion headquarters in Los Angeles. He was reasonably scared, since this was the end of his life, as he knew it, and the baby and I went with him for moral support.

We all entered a small office in a huge building in downtown L.A. I watched as a medical technician swabbed and injected a large amount of fluid from a syringe into Mick's hip/upper butt area. He said the warmth began immediately, spreading from the point of the injection throughout his entire body. He had to stay in the little room until his heart was beating normally on the EKG monitor, and until he had achieved a nice, steady pulse rate. Then we were able to leave. By the time we were back at the car, he was warm all over. He strapped the baby into his car seat, then got behind the wheel and looked over at me to see how I was holding up. I leaned over and laid my head on his chest, and got teary when I heard his heart beating solidly and steadily beneath my ear.

"Honey, don't cry. We're going to be fine." He smoothed my hair back, and I looked up in to his eyes, the same color as always, but changed somehow. Softer, maybe. Definitely still full of love.

"It's just that I've never heard your heart beating before, Mick. And—you're warm to my touch! It's like I'm married to a new man!"

"I am a new man. And I'm also a hungry man! What do you say we go to Muzzo's, eat steak and drink wine, and then go to the beach?"

"All right. You know, it's sunny, Mick—want to put the top down?"

"Definitely!"

Over an early dinner, we were shy with each other—it was like being out on a first date! I knew this man, but yet, I didn't, since I'd never been intimate with him when he was human. I'm sure Mick felt it too, the difference, even though it was he who had changed. Elliot was still a sleepy newborn, and we stayed for hours while Mick sampled a taste of everything he'd missed for so long! The waiter laughed every time we ordered something else! I ended up throwing a blanket over myself and the baby so Elliot could eat! I thought Mick might never stop!

After dinner, we headed for the beach. Mick wore the baby carrier and Elliot happily rode along in the little sling while we held hands and walked barefoot in the sand. This was the beginning of our new life together, and watching the ocean as the sun set made us a little melancholy. Our unspoken thoughts were no doubt in synch--someday the sunset would come for us now, and that was a sobering reflection.

However, for today we were young and very much in love with each other and our son, so I had to believe it would all work out. Mick squeezed my hand, feeling my trepidation.

"Honey—this is another beginning for us. It feels right to me."

Actually, it was how I had always pictured my life before I met Mick, and it was what Mick had always wanted, but thought was impossible. I simply squeezed his hand back.

We sat on a bench after walking a while and watched the sun set on the first day of Mick's new life, now ticking away as mine was, and, in reality, even as Elliot's life was. We stayed there, holding hands, talking about how changed our lives would be—we simply didn't know what to expect, and decided to take it day-by-day. As the moon rose over the water, each wave sparkled, highlighted by the moonlight, making a million diamonds on the tops of the waves.

Mick stood up and held his hand out to me. "May I have this dance, Mrs. St. John?"

I took his hand and rose. "Always, my dashing husband. What song will you sing for me tonight?"

"Good question." He took my right hand in his, facing me, the baby slung between us, and we got as close to each other as we could, his warm check touching mine, his beautiful voice singing in my ear. He began humming the sweet song he'd sung for me at our recent second wedding, and we slow danced, feeling close, even with Elliot between us. At the bridge of the tune, he twirled me slowly, catching me again, dancing close enough for me to feel the warmth radiating from his body, his breath carrying the words of the song to my ear and my heart:

"I will be here—you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older, I will hold you
And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here. . .
I will be true to the Promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me. . ."

I held his hand all the way back to the car, amazed at how different it felt now that it wasn't cold. My cool vampire was now a very warm man, and I found myself wanting him again, and very badly at that! I decided we'd have to find another creative way to love each other tonight because I couldn't wait for him any longer, and I knew he felt the same! Our way of dealing with stressful things was always to make love, and tonight we'd need each other more than ever. I was sorry this whole thing had to happen while I was still healing from Elliot's birth!

That night, for the first time in our bed, we broke a sweat together! It was amazingly erotic and new and satisfying!

"You know what I love about this new life?" He asked me, still breathing hard from our recent activities.

"Probably a lot of things, but what are you thinking now?"

"That I don't have to go to the freezer—I can curl up with you in my arms all night long, and I can sleep with you every single night. Oh! You can't know how much I've wanted that!"

"Me too—I always feel lonely in this huge bed without you next to me!"

"I want to hold you in my arms now and sleep with you, kissing you every time you stir."

I yawned. "Oh, that sounds like sleeping together the way it was meant to be. Don't be surprised if I can't keep my lips off of you either."

"Deal."

--

When Elliot was six weeks old, we took him in for his checkup, and I had mine. We were both healthy, and Elliot had gained two pounds and three ounces! I was definitely ready to begin our new sex life, and (surprise!) so was Mick! We went out to eat, then came home and settled Elliot into his little bed. We'd had Mick's freezer moved out—Guillermo wanted it, and it was nice to have the extra room, especially with all of the baby paraphernalia around! We moved my desk out to the space where the freezer had been and put the baby's small crib in the little alcove that had previously been my office. Not that we planned to wake the baby up, but it made us feel better to put him in his own space.

Mick drew a bath and lit candles around our large tub. He put our fluffy terrycloth robes out and poured champagne. We toasted each other and sipped, practically devouring each other with our eyes. We put our glasses on the tub and began undressing each other. He still looked the same, of course, but he smelled different—now he had a more earthy, manly smell instead of that sweet aroma that always surrounded him before, which reminded me of butter cookies and cinnamon.

I still loved the taste of him, even though the taste was new, and we had found out over the past several weeks that he was beginning to produce fluid again. We thought it was still a little early for him to be able to father a child, but soon we'd have to figure out what to do about that! It was ironic that the whole time I was pregnant, he couldn't get me pregnant, and now that I might get pregnant, he might be able to get me pregnant! Life was strange. I was still nursing without giving the baby any supplemental feedings, and hadn't gotten my period yet. I'd only stopped bleeding for good a couple of weeks ago, and right now we weren't going to let the possibility of pregnancy keep us from each other! Besides, we were still at that stage of not caring if we had another baby, which was fun! Maybe after we had a few more, that would change!

"I can't tell if you want me now, Beth! I can't smell your desire, and I can't hear your heart speed up!"

"Touch me, Mick, and see if you can tell."

He ran his hands gently over me, beginning with my hair, then down to my cheekbones, feathering them with the backs of his fingers, then running his hands down to each side of my collarbone. "You're so beautiful," he said as his hands ran down me, lightly brushing over my full breasts, which, speaking of change, were a lot larger than they used to be! He placed his hands around my waist, as if measuring. "You're thinner, Beth. I'm going to have to be sure you eat enough while you're feeding the wee piglet!" I smiled. Elliot did seem to be using up a lot of my calories! Mick then slid his strangely warm hands down to my bottom, holding me there as he kissed me deeply, pulling me closer to his body. I returned the kiss ardently and pressed up against him, feeling him harden, his desire growing more and more obvious by the second. He cupped me and I moaned out loud, parting my legs slightly to give him easier access as I felt a hot burst of desire go through me, moistening me where his hand held me. I was breathing fast now, and so was he. As he slid his finger into me, he smiled. "Oh. I can tell now, sweetheart—you want me!" Still smiling, his lips came down on mine, and he kissed me again, a kiss full of promise, want and need.

"I do want you!" I said huskily, putting my arms up around his neck, running my hands up through his hair, nipping his lower lip, then opening my mouth to welcome his tongue. Soon his fingers down below weren't enough—I wanted so much more! "Mick, let's get into the water."

He got in first and held his hand out to help me into the deep soaking tub, big enough for two to play in, and it smelled of vanilla and something else—cinnamon!

"Mick! The water smells kind of like you used to smell!"

"Really? I smelled like that to you?"

"Not exactly, but pretty close!" We smiled and hugged. Human or vampire, he was beautiful to me and I was desperate for all of him! He lowered himself down into the water, lying on his back, leaning his head against the back of the tub, looking up at me, holding his arms up for me to come to him. I sank down on top of him and covered him with my body, kissing him deeply, loving the feel of his wet skin under me, loving the feel of his obvious desire under me. The water was warm and lovely, and so was he, and without much thought, I moved so that I was straddling him. He held me around my waist as I slowly lowered myself onto him until I had him completely enclosed within my body. He sighed and arched his back slightly, closing his eyes, concentrating on the sensations, then opening them again, saying how much he loved me with his tender gaze.

"Does it hurt, Beth? Go as slow as you want—I don't want to hurt you—and I want to savor every moment. Ahhhh. Oh, you feel so good around me, so warm, so tight—I need you so. . ."

Taking him into me had only hurt for a moment, and now I was simply on fire with need and want. "It doesn't hurt, Mick, and I want you so much, I don't know if I can go slowly!"

I started out carefully, beginning to move on top of him in a cautiously slow rhythm, feeling him moving gently under me as we began once more to get back to normal, dancing the erotic dance that belonged only to us. It had been so long since the last time we were together like this—since before Coraline kidnapped me!

"Oh! Oh, Beth, I've missed this so much!" He closed his eyes in ecstasy as I moved slowly on top of him, but then he opened them again to watch me in motion above him. I enjoyed seeing the look in his eyes as they roamed over me like a hungry lion ready to devour its prey. I only wanted to be his prey! I imagined my own eyes were raking over him in similar fashion, and both of us were trying to hold back a dam that was ready to burst.

I sped up the rhythm, aware that my breasts, now heavy and full, were swaying close to his face, and he seemed mesmerized by the motion. Both of us were new to each other for different reasons, and the excitement of exploring each other in our new bodies added to our enjoyment. Need took us over as we rubbed ourselves together. I wrapped my legs around his body for deeper contact and felt his hands grip my bottom as they began to slide me back and forth at a pace that was growing faster by the minute. We sighed and enjoyed the sensation of our joining, concentrating on every little movement, aware of each other in a way that we hadn't been for weeks. He pulled one hand away from my bottom and inserted his fingers between us where our bodies were intimately connected, and the friction he created there had me off in about two seconds. My head went back and I arched as I cried out in delight, sure my voice was loud enough to wake the baby, but he didn't seem to be paying any attention!

I groaned as I felt Mick's mouth latch onto one of my breasts, suckling hard as I came, adding to my pleasure, and I cried out again, this time accompanied by his voice as he pressed me to him forcefully, both hands again on my bottom, sinking himself deeper and deeper into me, and losing himself completely. I felt him come inside of me, which was different now, and so erotic that I began to feel myself going over once again, sighing and calling out loud as his hot seed spurted inside of me, as he moved within me, hard and deep, causing me to spasm in rhythm around him at the point where our bodies became one, my body gripping him firmly as our shared pleasure exploded and lit up the atmosphere around us.

"Oh MICK! Omigod!" I was holding onto his shoulders, my eyes still closed as the last waves of pleasure left me glowing in their wake.

When I opened my eyes, I gasped and he laughed. He was covered with milk! His hair was sticky, his face had milk running all over it, and I looked down, surprised to see the two white fountains shooting like Super Soakers in a back yard water fight! My milk was dripping white off of his chin and running down his chest, into our bath water, making it creamy white!

"Ah!" I exclaimed in surprise.

He was laughing with his mouth open, his tongue sticking out to catch the spray. I giggled, watching my cute, happy husband with fascination as he slurped and swallowed the milk shooting into his face. Pretty soon, we were both laughing so hard we started sliding down into the water. He went under, and so did I, where I kissed his milky mouth with mirth and passion. We surfaced to get air, and he moved and slid up next to me, lying on his side, facing me. He put an arm under my head and kissed me until we were both breathless and aroused all over again. We began to laugh again, giddy with love and hilarity over the funny things that happened to humans.

"I've never had a milk bath before, honey, but I hear they're good for your skin. Thanks for adding that to the other stuff I put in the water!"

"I didn't know they'd DO that! Look at all this milk!"

"I love it, and I love you." He pulled me underneath him as he now pinned me down with the weight of his body. We were kissing deeply, passionately, leading up to more need and want. We kept giggling and splashing around in our milk bath, completely insane with love and lust, and overjoyed that everything still worked just as it had before the birth and the un-turning! I could see it in his eyes—the same thing he was no doubt seeing in mine--we were still wild and wanting when it came to this part of 'us.'

"Mick," I said breathlessly. "Take me to bed."

"Just what I had in mind."

We hurried through getting dry, and I even skipped blowing my hair dry to get into bed faster. It was weird that we both brushed our teeth now—a few weeks ago I'd had to show him how to floss! And even crazier, it was now me who got my kicks watching HIM pee! It was like the early days of our relationship in reverse, and we found all of it pretty funny! He told me he couldn't pee with me watching, though, so mostly I tried to let him be alone. It wasn't that he was shy, it was just that, frankly, he got too hard to pee when I was near him. I thought that was really cute! Soon we were ready to hit the sheets.

Mick was in bed first. I hurried up and got in too, already desperate to make love again. I wondered if he could, and afterward he told me he wasn't sure if he could either, but we really didn't notice a whole lot of difference in our ability to get each other aroused and off, and ended up making up for all of the weeks we had missed by staying busy most of the night.

When Elliot cried, Mick got up and changed him and put him in between us, watching us while he fed, then putting him back to bed when he was full as a little tick. He was filling out and getting cuter every day, looking more and more like his daddy as time went on. We weren't sure about the color of his eyes, yet—they were still pretty dark. It would be fun to see the color emerge! Who would win? Gray-blue and dark? Or blue and light?

When we finally got too tired and sleepy to continue trying to satisfy our insatiable urges, Mick curled up around me and tucked me inside of his body, as usual, one arm over me, holding my fingers in his as we got sleepier. I thought I heard him whispering and squeezed his hand.

"Are you talking Mick?"

"Yeah. I'm thanking God for you and Elliot, and for being able to be here with both of you. I love you so terribly much, Beth."

Tears stung my eyes. "I love you more, Mick."

I fell asleep listening to his lips moving next to my ear, aware of the warmth of his body behind me.

--

The next morning, he made breakfast for both of us, and for the first time since we had met, we shared a meal at home.

"Coffee! Mick! You made coffee and it smells heavenly!" I sniffed the air, enjoying the aroma of pancakes, sausages, eggs and COFFEE!!!

"I just got some Caribou, thinking you'd be up for a cup here and there, now that you're not pregnant." He poured me a generous mug—one for me, one for him in the clear mugs from which he used to sip his blood.

We toasted and clinked our mugs. "Here's to our first home-cooked meal as a family!"

"Amen to that!" We sipped and smiled, both rolling our eyes at how good it tasted. "Let's get you fed, now! You need extra calories, so eat hearty! I made a lot!"

Elliot was sleeping in his little infant seat at the end of the table while Mick and I watched each other through smiling eyes. It was so fun to watch him EAT! I now totally understood his fascination with me eating! His appetite was generous, and I loved watching his Adam's apple move up and down when he swallowed. I had to admit to being in lust with his strong neck muscles! I was smiling behind my glass of orange juice when he looked at me and wondered if I was laughing.

"What—do I have food on my face?"

"No, honey, but it's so fun to watch you eat. I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching you."

"Well, there's a switch from the old days, huh? I guess we'll just get off on watching each other now as we do our cute little human things." He gave me a smile that melted me. That smile!

We were laughing and enjoying being together, sharing food, talking and eating each other alive with our eyes. We were so happy to have the difficult things behind us that we laughed like little kids, then ended up on the rug on the floor, wrestling around until we were breathless and naked.

In a second he was inside of me again, holding my hands over my head against the floor, pinning me under his body as he ravished me thoroughly and hungrily. We moved together, creating friction, and it was so strange to make love to a man who was hot to the touch! He was sweating and so was I! He moved in and out of me as I rocked him back and forth, setting the rhythm. He kissed me, deeply, desperately, his heart pounding, his body slick with sweat, and it was so intense and erotic and so completely different from before that I lost my head and began to push against him harder and harder as he plunged himself into me, relentlessly, in a constant rapid rhythm until he finally shoved me over the edge into the blissful abyss that swallowed me completely as I cried out his name.

"Mick! Oh, yes!!! He didn't stop, but allowed my cries to spur him on into a frenzy until at last he found his own euphoria, and as he groaned above me, arching his back, I again felt him release his hot seed into me, making me cry out even louder as he pushed and pushed me on and on and on, feeling the incredible human feeling of his slick fluid inside of me, with his slick body moving over me, his heart pounding in my ears, his warm, wet tongue taking possession of my mouth, and I came until I thought I might die of pleasure. When it was over, he collapsed on top of me, still breathing hard, and I ran my fingers through his damp hair, loving him all the more, my very human lover, my husband, my life.

After several minutes, he withdrew himself from me and rolled us into our usual spoon position, pulling me up close to him, his arm around me, kissing my hair, murmuring his love for me.

"I love you so much, Mick." I clasped his hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. "I'll love you forever."

"It's not forever anymore, Beth."

"Yes it is—I don't know which of us will leave this world first, Mick, but whether it's you or it's me, there's life after this, and I'll love you there forever. We might be mortal, but we do have eternity, and I plan to spend that with you."

"You have a deal, there, sweetheart," he whispered in my ear. "So, it's still forever then?"

"Yes, Mick. It's still forever."

--

In March Sarah told us she was pregnant. She figured it happened the night before Josef left. We told her we'd be with her through it all, since Josef wouldn't even know he had a child until he came home. She was counting off the days until he got back, and was so excited that she'd be able to give him the baby he wanted so badly.

In May, we celebrated our first anniversary. Actually, we celebrated twice—the first anniversary was May 16, the day Mick had at last told me he loved me, ending any attempt at our trying to deny how we felt about each other! It was also the anniversary of making Elliot! Mick cooked steaks and baked potatoes on the grill, I made a salad and some vinaigrette dressing, and we celebrated with a bottle of champagne.

By the time we marked our first wedding anniversary, we were also celebrating our new jobs! Kim at the Ford agency, was for real! Mick's test shoot was beautiful, and his first gig was modeling underwear, which was perfect for his beautiful body! I took the baby along to watch the shoot, and toward the end of the shoot, the photographer wanted to take a few pictures of Mick holding Elliot. It ended up that the photos they used for the magazine ads were of Mick holding his beautiful little-look-alike son in his arms, both of them wearing only their underwear. (In this case, Mick wearing the brand-name boxer-briefs, and Elliot wearing his diaper.) It was such a great ad campaign that he began getting offers to screen test for small parts in TV shows, and he was scheduled to do a car commercial in August. His career was really taking off when Kim asked if I would test for an ad selling baby formula! So Elliot and I got to shoot that together! We had a great time! Who knew? I guess they loved that Elliot was so pretty and his blue eyes matched mine, so we looked great together. I was hoping someday we could all be in an ad together! We hired an agent, and he kept Elliot almost as busy as Mick, since everyone said they had rarely seen a baby as pretty as ours! He had dark hair and long dark eyelashes. His face was all Mick's except for his blue eyes—at least he had one feature that I could claim was from me!

We did get back to Mexico again in June, between jobs. This time, we had a housekeeper AND a nanny, and Mick even hired a cook! The nanny was great—she absolutely loved Elliot, and she stayed in the Nanny's quarters, which was handy for when Mick and I went down to the beach every night. We stayed for three weeks, making love in the ocean and on a blanket in the sand and everywhere else we could think of! We had walks and picnics and enjoyed the margaritas and wonderful food made fresh by our cook. Mick was happy to see that I ate like crazy and might have even gained a couple of pounds! He didn't like that all of my new designer clothes were baggy on me!

The night before we returned home, we headed down to the beach, which happened to be glowing in the light of the full moon. Mick had thought to bring his iPod and cordless speakers so we could have music. When he clicked on the music, the first song was "Moondance" by Van Morrison. How appropriate!

"I know this song!" I said as we danced in the sand, Mick singing along.

"How could you possibly know this song! It was out before you were born!"

"I know, but it was in a really great movie called August Rush a couple of years ago! I absolutely love this song!"

"Oh, yeah—I saw that movie one night on HBO! It was pretty sweet."

"Right—it's the story of a little boy trying to find his mom & dad by playing his music! They all end up finding each other and you know they're going to be a happy family!"

I sighed and put my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart against my ear. "I'm so glad we didn't look any longer than we did for each other because I love being your family. I love you so very much, Mick."

"And I love you more, Beth."

"Do we start this argument again? Or do we just admit we love each other way too much?"

"That works for me!"

He took my hand and twirled me around in the sand, picked me up and twirled me around some more, then set me down and we danced in the light of the rising moon, which shone down on us like a blessing. We both sighed, knowing our life together was truly a blessing--a blessing that transcended this life!

"Well, it's a marvelous night for a Moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes. . ."

The End. . .

EPILOGUE

Josef was astounded and ecstatic to come home to a red-haired baby girl! He and Sarah were so happy that they got married a couple of months later.

Things seem back to normal now with Josef home again. Mick is having fun with his new career, and he's taking acting lessons. He's already being approached for bit parts, and I think he has a great career ahead of him! In fact, I'm also taking acting lessons! Who knows? We might get to be in something together someday! As long as he doesn't have to play a vampire, I'm okay with it!

Elliot is now two and a half years old, and he's looking forward to the birth of his baby sister, Kaitlyn Elizabeth, in September. Mick and I think we still want another baby or two! We are definitely chasing the years of our lives, just like in the song!

Three months ago we moved into our new house just a little bit north of Malibu. We live on the ocean, so Mick and I can Moondance in the sand whenever we feel like it. The back yard is fenced in, and has a large tree with a tire swing, a play yard for the children, and plenty of bedrooms for friends and family who want to come stay at the beach. We even have a dog! Trevor is a beautiful Weimaraner and loves to body surf! Last week we had a housewarming party, and I snapped several photos which made me gasp when I printed them out. I ran to show Mick.

"Beth—it looks exactly like my dream!"

"I had that dream too, Mick! And look at Robert and Jacob! I didn't recognize them in the dream, but they were there!"

"It's so amazing!" We looked at each other, and I got chills.

Last year, Robert had almost died from a very bad infection that threatened his kidneys, so Mick and I had blood tests to see if we were donor matches, and one thing led to another, and as it all turned out, Mick's DNA was almost identical to Robert's. Mick then had to explain to him how he could be his father, and Robert, although extremely surprised, was overjoyed to have another father, albeit a very young father (!) and to find a grandfather for Jacob, even though Jacob calls him "Uncle Mick."

Robert recovered without needing a kidney, and we spent last Thanksgiving together. Jacob still looks up to Mick as his rescuer, and I, for one, can totally relate to being in awe of Mick St. John, since he saved me too.

We see Ben and Julia fairly often. Their first child is still a baby, but they are completely happy and in love! Simone is still seeking a rich, handsome vampire, we hear.

Mick and I still seem to have one of those odd relationships where the honeymoon never ends! I doubt we'll ever get enough of each other! We'll probably be the only 100-year-olds who are still having hot sex! We discussed it one night on the beach.

"Mick—why is it that I still crave the taste of you on my tongue, and I still want you desperately? Doesn't that ever wear off?"

"I hear there is a way to help it get better."

"Oh really? How? How will we ever learn to keep our hands off of each other? I'm still shamelessly undressing you mentally every time I have a chance!"

He laughed. "I think we'll have to do some more honeymooning. That's supposed to help."

"Well, if it helped, we'd be better by now."

"I think we should just consider every day a honeymoon and not worry about it."

"That works for me," I said as I turned in his arms to kiss him.

"And I'll be glad when Kaitlyn is here," he said, kissing me back, slowly, lazily, possessing my mouth, making me whimper with wanting him.

"Why?" I murmured against his lips. "You're getting eager to see what she looks like?"

"No—I'm already looking forward to making another baby with you. It's just so damn much fun!"

"Ah, I love the way you think, Mick!" And once again, we showed each other just how much we needed this amazing love, this gift, this miracle that was 'US!'

---

Here's a picture of Mick and Beth in Mexico: (Sorry--it's really a cute picture!)

Author's note: Here are the links to some of the songs mentioned in my story. I hope you have a chance to listen/see them! (Mick sings "I Will Be Here" in a way that sounds so much like Steven Curtis Chapman! It's amazing!)

The original version of "Moondance" is available on iTunes, but not on YouTube, so I am putting up the link to the very short version that was in the movie, "August Rush." Alex O'Loughlin, by the way, plays a role in that movie! Hah!

Once again, this site doesn't allow links, or at least I can't figure it out if they do, so here are the YouTube tags for these songs:

"Moondance" by Van Morrison: "kollonkuri" (made the vid) tags: "soundtrack" "august rush"

"I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman:
"mytokari" (made the vid) tags: "Will Be Here"

"Forever and Ever Amen" by 8mm:
"TheCruizer" (made vid) tags: "Moonlight" "Mick" "Beth" "Vampire" "8MM"
(This one is an actual clip of Moonlight, Episode 2)

I want to express a heartfelt thank-you to my readers at VampSisters and also at Fanfiction dot net. I have absolutely loved all of your comments! It's wonderful to find so many other people all over the world who see Mick and Beth as I do! Thanks for hanging in there for all 200,000 words! Were this a novel, I'd have a LOT of editing to do! Sorry!

Again thank you for reading my story, and I hope someday we can celebrate by seeing Moonlight return to either the small screen or the big one! We fans deserve so much more than the 16 episodes we got! Let's keep hoping! In the meantime, I can sleep now, knowing that Mick and Beth are together—"Forever and Ever Amen." (VampSisters—I'll post that song too!)

--suzee