Hello potential reader of my story! I would like to expand on my summary to give you a better idea of what my story is about, and then you can decide for yourselves whether or not you would like to continue reading...

This story is divided into 3 Acts. Act I deals with this idea I came up with called 'linking.' It's an idea I've had floating around in my head since I saw episode 4 -Fever. I thought it would be cool if somehow Beth could get inside Mick's thoughts and feelings and be inside his mind when he's not aware of it. To explain how this is possible, I decided that Beth and Mick could become mentally linked through Mick feeding off of Beth in the desert--like a side effect that can happen sometimes. So it's basically like Beth all of a sudden has access to Mick's feelings and thoughts. Act I deals with that idea, and what happens when they are linked.

However, if that idea creeps you out, you can start reading the story at Act II which starts at chapter 11, Placing The Pieces. The mind link has been completely dropped from the story at this point, and the story is now focusing on the part of the summary about the feral vampires and Mick solving the case. You may be a little confused, but for the most part I think you should be able to understand what's going on...

Act III deals with the aftermath of the events that happen in Act II.

So hopefully that sparked your interest. I'll stop chatting and let you get to the story now! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: CBS owns all of Moonlight, and I own none of Moonlight. This story is written purely for the enjoyment and amusement of others. No copyright infringement is intended.

Rating: This is rated a strong 'R' or 'M'. for violence, language, and sex. (not so much in the beginning, but it progressivly becomes more and more 'R'-rated.

Spoliers: Up through episode 4--Fever.

The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

All of a sudden, he was there, his presence. Beth instantly began to turn, a smile coming to her face, "Finally ready to face the big, scary reporter?" She stopped short in surprise. There was no one there. "Mick?" She called out. There was no answer. Beth was confused. She was definitely feeling Mick's presence, but she was obviously alone, there was no place to hide in her living room—not even curtains to stand behind.

As Beth focused on the feeling, she realized her initial impression was off. Mick wasn't here in the room, she was feeling his presence inside her head. Beth felt pretty freaked What's going on? Plus, to make matters worse, Mick seemed off somehow, not himself. He felt detached from everything to her, like he wasn't aware of Beth, though she was finding it hard to focus on anything else but his presence in her brain. I'm going crazy, that's it, Beth thought. No other explanation.

She had fed Mick yesterday evening, and had tried to talk to him at his apartment afterwards, but he wouldn't let her inside. She knew he was in there though, and that he was blaming himself for what had happened. She was mad he wouldn't let her in to tell him otherwise. Whatever he thought, she did not see him as a monster. How could she ever think that about the man who kept saving her life?

Focus on what's happening now, Beth, she told herself. Okay, Mick's presence is inside you, our minds must have linked somehow through the feeding. It was the only explanation she could think of. But then, why hadn't she felt his presence until now? Beth paced the room, trying to answer the question. Her eyes fell on the small clock on the mantlepiece, 10:00am. And everything clicked.

Mick seemed off to her, because He's asleep. Ten a.m., he's fallen asleep, and that's why I can feel him now, because when he was awake he was blocking the connection somehow. Beth was sure she was right, it made perfect sense. Mick was a vampire, and slept during the day. She tried focusing on the presence in her mind, and strangely felt her body growing colder, until she actually shivered. She pulled back from Mick, biting her lower lip, wondering what that was all about.

She was at a crossroad. She had always burned with curiosity about Mick, even before she knew he was a vampire. She told herself she should just try to ignore his presence, respect his privacy and all, but she was starved for information. The little that Mick told her about his life and being a vampire wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her reporter's need to know. And what better way to get information then to be able to personally explore the mind of the man himself? It's not like she would look at anything really private.

She made her decision. If Mick was mad about it, she would apologize later. What else was she supposed to do when he wouldn't talk to her? Okay, Beth thought, here goes. She focused on Mick's mind.

Almost instantly her vision went dark. At first, Beth was worried she might have done something wrong, but then images began flashing across her sight. They were of the hotel, and of her and Leni. But they were changed somehow, the hotel definitely did not appear the same, it was all twisted around. This is his dream, Beth realized. He's dreaming of me and the feeding. Her heart went out to him, and she pulled away from the dream. She was more curious about his memories.

It was easier than she thought to find them. Almost instantly the memories came rushing at her.

Flash: a young Mick laughing and messing around with friends, walking to school, dressed in what obviously was the fashion of the late 1920's/30's.

Flash: an older Mick kissing a beautiful woman. She is tall, with long dark hair. She looks at Mick and says, "I love you so much."

Flash: Mick huddled, eyes wide with terror, in a ditch. Bullets flying everywhere, men screaming, the sounds of battle.

Flash: Mick sinking his fangs into the neck of a young woman. Her eyes are wide and terrified. She's crying. Mick drains her and leaves her body.

Flash: Mick talking to a man. The man is giving him advice, "You just gotta do what you think is right, son. No one can ask anymore of another person." They briefly hug, and Mick leaves.

Flash: Mick is sitting in his apartment. A man with short, blond hair is there, sitting across from Mick. He's telling a story about two monks. Mick seems troubled.

Flash: Mick on his wedding night. This memory lasts the longest, as if it were one he especially dwelled on. Beth could feel his emotions from the night coursing through her veins. Love, confusion, pain, horror, rage, and a deep, deep hunger. Beth felt the satisfaction of his first feed. And the self-loathing that he felt at what he had done. The self-loathing was stronger above all other emotions Beth was picking up on. Mick thought of himself as a monster, and that realization made Beth infinitely sad.

Beth pulled away. The memories receded, and she remembered where she was. Standing in her living room, with tears streaming down her cheeks. She had never known. She had to see Mick—now. She grabbed her keys from the table, and in two seconds was in her car, pulling out of her parking spot, heading towards Mick's apartment.

His sleeping presence was still with her, she hadn't aroused his awareness of her when she took a peek at his memories. She thought over them as she drove. The two she remembered most vividly were the ones of the battle and of his wedding night. She hadn't known that Mick had fought in the war. The things he must have seen. She realized she was on his street, and pulled up to the front of the building, got out, and hurried up the steps. As she approached his door, she remembered that she didn't have a key. No matter, she thought. She accessed Mick's mind and found his override code. She quickly punched it in the small pad underneath the camera. The door clicked open.

Beth stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. It was dark and quiet in the apartment. The lights were off and the shades were drawn. Beth looked around the now familiar kitchen and living room area. She noticed a vial of blood set on the kitchen counter, with a syringe lying beside it. That's how he feeds usually? She didn't think it looked very fun. A couple of files were lying on his desk, but for once Beth wasn't interested in a case.

A door to the side was slightly ajar. Beth went to it, and pushed it open, entering the room, hoping to find Mick asleep inside. But it wasn't his bedroom apparently. It was full of old boxes, and had a general air of being unfrequented, neglected. Dust had settled on the windowsill and shelves. Beth opened the nearest box. A picture of Mick and the woman she had seen in his memories stared back at her. The woman was smiling, wearing a white dress. It was Mick's wedding photograph. Beth stared at the woman...there was something familiar about her. Something that was nagging at the back of her brain. She felt as if she had seen the woman before, but couldn't remember where.

She brushed the feeling aside and looked through the remaining boxes. They were all full of old photographs of Mick's. Of him, his family, his life, Beth imagined, before he was turned. He looked so different back then, and yet exactly the same. He hadn't been lying when he told her vampires don't age, but she had only half-believed him at the time. Now the truth of his statement was staring her in the face. She looked at a picture of Mick and a young, brown-haired woman. They looked enough alike that Beth guessed they were siblings. At least cousins. She remembered asking Mick, You must have had a normal life before you became a vampire. A job, friends, family?

I did, but when I was turned I became a danger to them all. I had to give them up.

Staring down into the photograph of a happier-than-she'd-ever-seen-him Mick and the smiling, laughing woman, Beth placed a hand over her mouth in sadness. She had told Mick once that from where she was sitting, immortality had seemed pretty good to her, but she now knew she was seeing the price for that immortality. She knew that all these people in his photographs must have been people Mick once loved. And without a doubt, Beth knew that all of them must be dead by now. But Mick still lived on, alone. She replaced the photographs in the boxes and left the room as she found it.

She tried accessing Mick's dreams again, but he was no longer dreaming. He had dropped off into a deeper sleep, where even dreams couldn't penetrate. Even when he was sleeping, his presence comforted Beth. She felt less nervous about exploring the rest of the downstairs. Still seeing no sign of him,(although he did have a very nice spare bedroom) Beth decided to climb up the staircase.

Here at last, she was rewarded. She opened the first door she came to and entered a cold, dark room. On one wall was a coat rack and a urinal, of all things. Mick's clothes were hung up on the rack, his jeans tossed in a pile on the floor beneath it. And in the middle of the room was a freezer. A chair sat near it, with a pair of red pajama bottoms draped over the back.

Beth slowly approached the freezer, and after steeling herself, looked down through the slightly frosted glass. There was Mick. He lay completely naked, and Beth couldn't help but blush. (and then take a second, longer look.) There were no blankets or pillow. It didn't look very comfortable to her. Mick had one leg slightly crossed, and one arm up over his head. His face was relaxed, his mouth parted only very slightly, not giving Beth enough room to see if he had fangs.

The whole scene in the motel, why she had found Mick in an ice bath, began to make a little more sense to her. Vampires must need this coldness somehow, when they were resting, as a way to combat the heat of the day. Beth added the freezer to her ever-growing list of questions to ask Mick.

She looked down at him a little longer, and then nervously reached forward. Carefully, she lifted up the freezer lid. A small hiss of air escaped, and Beth felt the cold air rush over her. Goosebumps went up and down her arms, but she didn't stop. Thinking that any second Mick was going to wake up and yell at her for invading his privacy, she raised the lid completely, and then looked down again. Mick still hadn't stirred. Timidly, Beth reached down and brushed her hand along his face. It was icy cold. In his sleep, Mick sighed and turned his face towards her palm, as if even now he could somehow sense she was there and yearn for her touch. Beth knew he wanted her. She had caught some of the looks he shot her when he thought she wasn't paying attention. The way his eyes filled with longing. Vampires are really bad liars, she thought. She softly stroked the side of his face, "Mick," she whispered, now half-wishing he would actually wake up. His presence was still within her. But he didn't wake. After a while Beth removed her hand and closed the freezer, stealing once last glance at his sleeping form. She would go grab some work and wait for him to wake up. There would be no escaping her this time.

Beth was editing a story on her computer in the early evening when she felt him wake. His presence changed from detached to aware. Aware of her. And then just as quickly, the presence she had been feeling all day vanished. Mick was gone from her. A part of her felt sad, because she knew that Mick had realized what had happened, and would probably never allow it again. But Beth had grown to like having his mind within hers. It was somehow comforting.

Beth knew that Mick knew she was there, so she waited patiently for him to come down. She heard slight noises upstairs, and the urinal flush, and then a door open and shut. She turned off her computer and faced the stairs. And there he was. He had put on the pajama bottoms she had seen earlier, but hadn't bothered with a shirt. His necklace glittered against his chest.

"Beth, what are you doing here?" He had fangs. She could see them clearly. His eyes were that pale blue-white she had seen once or twice before. He crossed to the kitchen and picked up the syringe and vial of blood. Beth saw him inject some carefully into his arm. He kept his back to her as she answered.

"Didn't you feel what happened? You were inside me Mick, all day."

"I'm sorry. I didn't think about this possibility when I..." He paused.

Beth finished the thought for him, determined to make him see that she was okay with what had happened, "When you fed on me. It's all right Mick. I wanted to do it, and I don't regret my decision."

Mick turned around to face her now, and Beth noticed that his eyes were no longer the pale white, but seemed to be a little bloodshot, though even now, that was fading to his normal grey, ocean blue. And his fangs were gone.

She looked up at him, completely unafraid, "Can you explain it to me?"

Mick sighed, and came and sat down across from her, "Sometimes, when a vampire feeds, but doesn't kill, nor turn, a linking can take place. It doesn't always happen, and vampires still haven't figured out exactly what causes it."

"A linking? You mean, we're bonded together for—"

"Beth, let me finish. Linking is only temporary. In a few weeks it'll fade away, and we won't have access to each other's thoughts anymore. I'm sorry I invaded you. I didn't realize we had linked, and I let my shields down when I went to sleep last morning."

"Shields?"

"Mental shields. Some vampires can play mind tricks, fool you into seeing or thinking things that aren't real. But they can't do that if they can't access your mind. And they can't access your mind if you have mental shields."

"Ooooooo, kind of like Spock on Star Trek! Right?"

Mick gave her an exasperated look, "Yes, kind of like Spock."

Beth thought about asking Mick about some of the memories she'd seen, or the pictures, but decided against it. He probably would be embarrassed at knowing she had seen some of his private thoughts. Mick seemed to be thinking along those lines, because his face grew serious, and a slight blush appeared on his cheeks as he asked her, "Beth, when I was asleep, did you...did you see anything?"

She nodded, "Yeah, a little. I saw some of your dreams and memories. Who was that blond haired man you were talking with? Is he a vampire too? I think he said something about being 400 years old—"

Mick interrupted her, "That was Josef. He's a friend, but don't ever let yourself alone with him ever. Do you understand?"

Beth nodded quickly, taken aback by the sudden urgency in Mick's tone, "I understand. So I take it he is a vampire then?"

"Why do you think I don't want you alone with him? Josef doesn't always share my viewpoints, and sources of blood are one of those. Just don't ever let him get you alone. Okay?"

"Okay." Beth decided a change of topic was needed. Mick seemed really worried that she knew about Josef. So she asked, "What are you doing tonight?"

"I dunno. I thought I might go up to Josef's place for a while, but I don't really plan out my evenings."

On a sudden impulse, Beth asked, "Well, do you want to go somewhere with me? We don't have to go to dinner, I know, vampires don't eat. But surely they dance, right?"

Mick sighed, "Beth, we can't hang out together. For one thing, I'm a vampire, and for another thing I'm a vampire. It's too dangerous."

"Mick, you're the person I feel safest with. You're not dangerous. You're like my sweet, cuddly, vampire friend."

"Cuddly?" Mick's voice rose a notch, his eyebrows arching.

"Sorry, sorry. I meant tough and macho. Argh!" Beth flexed her arms.

Mick smiled, but it quickly began to fade, "Beth—"

"If you say, 'Beth, you don't understand. I could kill you...blah, blah...' it's not going to work, Mick. Whether you like it or not, I'm sticking around. I know you kill sometimes, but I also know you don't kill recklessly or carelessly. I know you drink blood, but I know you would never hurt me. And I know you need a friend. Just let me be that person. Don't push me away, Mick. I want to be with you." Dimly in the back of her mind Beth wondered what Josh would say if he could hear that little speech. Beth was beginning to worry about their relationship. She loved Josh. She did. She just wasn't sure if she was in love with him anymore. She just didn't know. But she did know that she didn't want to lose Mick from her life.

Mick was looking at her, a strange expression on his face, like he couldn't quite bring himself to believe her yet. Beth knew that a part of him still thought that one day Beth would finally realize that he actually was just a monster and leave him. But Beth knew that day would never come. She knew Mick wasn't a monster.

"Come on," she urged, "Please? Let's just go have some fun, it's what friends do. Let's go dancing."

Mick looked at her, his eyes seemed to light up, and Beth knew that for now at least, she had won him over, "All right. You win--for now," he said. "Know any good clubs?"

Beth smiled to herself as she and Mick planned out their adventure. For that was what it was, she knew, the beginning of an amazing adventure. And even though she wasn't sure how it was going to end, she felt she could face anything as long as Mick was beside her.

Finis.

Well, I hope you liked it!! Reviews are always welcome. i have already written lots more, but unfortunately i don't have to the time to post them all right now, off to class...but if you want me to keep posting the rest of it, let me know!

also, if you see this in the post 'i' or '/i' those aren't supposed to be there. I think i got em all. Those are commands to make my words italics, it's the format the site uses where i originally posted this story.