Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 19:17:25 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 1/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: This is a follow up to my first two stories "Forever is Ours" and "Night Terrors". I would recommend that you read them before this in order to understand some of the references to events that occured in them. They are available from my web site at http://www.homefree.net/view/page.exe?7541 (still under construction), at http://www.fkfanfic.com , or the ftp site (pg version of Night Terrors there last time I checked) . Hope you enjoy it. This story is being posted in both PG and Adult versions. Parts 5,14 & 15 will have two separate posts. 5a, 14a &15a are the Adult ones. 5b, 14b &15b are PG. If you have a problem with getting the Adult list setting working and only get the versions email me with an age statement and I'll send the versions to you. To those of you who do get Adult posts, sorry for the double posts on these parts. Disclaimer: As always, the concept of FK, as well as Nick, Nat and all the others, belongs to Sony, James Parriot, Paragon, and the rest of TPTB not to me. I am only borrowing them for a while and I have no intention of making any type of profit from them. All new characters are mine. Permission to archive this story is granted. Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 1/15 The sun was starting its slow descent, when he awoke for the second time that day. Once again, a smile curved his lips as he recalled the cause of his first awakening. He wanted to be ready to leave as soon as the sun finished setting. Rising from his bed he headed into the bathroom and a quick shower. He was always fastidious about his personal appearance, and even though he was eager to be on about his business, he did not rush as he completed the tasks of dressing and grooming. He had learned over the course of his long life that rushing was seldom truly necessary. He calmly used the time to explore the several avenues of possible action that lay before him. When he finally left, just as the last rays of the sun sank beneath the horizon, anyone watching would have seen a tall, well built, middle aged man dressed in casual but elegant dark gray slacks and jacket who radiated confidence and power. His short, military style hair and the calculating coldness of his blue eyes might cause them to think that he was a retired general. In a sense, they would have been correct. What they could not know, indeed what only a very select group knew, was that Lucien LaCroix had "retired" from mortal life nearly 2000 years earlier. Taking to the sky, LaCroix flew to the roof top of his wayward son's loft. Landing, he was at once aware that Nicholas was indeed still within and awake He was also very aware of the sound of a single mortal heartbeat emanating from the loft below. Using his powers to mask his own presence, LaCroix moved silently to the skylight. Peering into the main room of the loft, he could see Nicholas talking on the phone while seated on the couch. As he watched, Nicholas finished his call and standing up crossed the room. Grabbing a leather jacket from the back of a chair, Nicholas stepped into the lift. LaCroix moved to the edge of the roof. As he watched and listened, he heard the sounds of a garage door being raised followed by that of Nicholas' car being started. A moment later the car itself came into view. As he watched the taillights of the Caddy disappear down the road, LaCroix raised one eyebrow and gave a small shake of his head. 'Ah Nicholas,' he thought as he turned back to the skylight. 'I see you still have not learned to guard your possessions properly.' Taking full advantage of Nicholas' absence, LaCroix was through the skylight and inside the loft in seconds. Once inside, he paused as the scent of human blood mixed with that of some sort of cleaning product struck his nostrils. The scent was coming from an area near the dinning table. LaCroix easily remembered what Dr. Lambert's blood had smelled like and he knew that this was not hers. "Nicholas," he murmured to himself. "What HAVE you been doing here?" Leaving the main room, he moved rapidly toward the sound of the heartbeat. Entering the bedroom like a shadow, LaCroix studied the sleeping form in the bed. Yes, it was indeed Dr. Lambert. Making no sound LaCroix crossed the room to stand next to the bed. As he studied the sleeping woman he could clearly see the two small puncture wounds, undoubtedly caused by Nicholas, on her throat. The raw looking red line that seemed to encircle her throat a short distance above them and the multicolored bruises on her face caused him to frown in puzzlement. He could no more imagine that theses injuries had been caused by Nicholas than he could imagine himself sunbathing on a beach. Deciding that there must be a connection with the bloodstains downstairs, LaCroix made a mental note to see if there would be any mention of what that connection was in the day's newspaper. Satisfied for the moment that his first impression, that Nicholas and Dr. Lambert had managed to become lovers, was correct LaCroix left the room. He could have easily killed Dr. Lambert and left her body for Nicholas to discover upon his return. Indeed, that Valentine's night at Azure, less than a year ago he had been ready to either kill her in front of Nicholas or force Nicholas to either kill or bring her across. He had heard the lie in Nicholas' claim that she meant nothing to him. Nicholas had never been a very good liar and LaCroix had always known when Nicholas had tried to lie to him. The pain LaCroix had felt from the loss of Fleur and his love for her was still strong. That night, however, LaCroix had found that the memory of Fleur's love for her brother as well as his own love for Nicholas had suddenly made the idea of revenge seem petty. LaCroix had not told Nicholas this, of course, as it served his purposes better to let his son flounder in uncertainty. He would leave for now, and return later to confront Nicholas. Nicholas awoke just moments before sunset. Natalie was snuggled up beside him, her head resting on his chest. Smiling, he lightly brushed his lips against her hair as he lay watching her sleep. She had only awakened once during the day, gasping for air as she had relived the events of the night before in her dreams. Nick had held her and soothed her until she had stopped trembling and fallen back asleep. Cradling her in his arms, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the dark bruises that she had received during her ordeal with Roberts. Nick knew he had almost lost her forever last night. The memory, of Nat laying unconscious on the floor, being strangled by the noose Roberts had tied around her neck, still sent a chill of fear through Nick. "Mon cour, je t'aime plus que ma vie," he whispered softly. He knew that he could not exist without her. It still amazed him that he could love someone so much. Even more amazing, to him, was that Nat loved him equally as much. Moving carefully, so as not to awaken her, he slipped out of the bed. Grabbing some clothes, Nick went downstairs. Quickly washing up in the downstairs bathroom, he dressed and taking a bottle from the fridge, went to check the messages on his answering machine. Drinking from the bottle of cow blood, he made notes as he listened to the messages, then picked up the phone. Setting the now empty bottle on the counter by the sink, he crossed to the couch and dialed Capt. Reese's number. "96th, Reese." Even over the phone Nick could hear the tiredness in the Reese's voice. "Hi Capt., it's Nick. I just wanted to see if you had any idea of what time IA wants to see Natalie." "After what she's been trough, I told them that you would call and let them know when it would be convenient for her." Reese rumbled. "How is she doing?" "I think she's going to be okay. She's still asleep and I don't want to wake her." Nick told Reese. "I'll call IA and tell them we'll be in around 11 tonight. I'm going to go over to her place and pick up some clothes for her. I doubt she'll want to wear what she had on last night." "Yeah, she may never want to see that outfit again." Reese agreed. "Can't say as I would blame her. Look, I'll take care of talking to IA. You just concentrate on Natalie." "Thanks, Capt. I will" Nick smiled as he broke the connection. Nick located the piece of paper on which Tracy had written Grace's phone number, before leaving the loft this morning. Nick had last seen Nat's purse and keys in Grace's possession and hoped that she had still had them. Picking the phone back up he dialed the number. After two rings Grace answered. Nick quickly reassured her that Nat was indeed okay and thanked her for taking care of Sidney last night. Learning that Grace had indeed kept Nat's purse and keys, Nick made arranged to meet her at Nat's apartment in fifteen minutes. After hanging up, he arose from the couch and taking his jacket, he left the loft. Backing his Caddy out of the garage he headed for Nat's. He wanted to be back at the loft before Nat awakened. After last night, he didn't want her to find herself alone. Grace was already at Nat's building when Nick arrived. As she watched the handsome, blond detective walk toward her, Grace smiled and raised her hand in greeting. "Hi Nick," she said, "I've got Nat's stuff right here." She indicated the leather purse that hung over her arm. Nick smiled in return. "Thanks for bringing it over. I know that having it back will make Nat feel a lot better. I thought that I would pick up something for her to wear when she gets up.. I'm sure that she'll feel better in fresh clothes and this way she won't have to come over here before the meeting with IA." Grace nodded her agreement. "What time does she have to be at the meeting?" She asked as the two of them entered the building. "I talked to Reese and he is going to set it up for tonight at 11:00." Nick's voice softened, "I hate to wake her any sooner than necessary. She went through a lot last night." Grace laid her hand on Nick's arm. "It's over now. Natalie is a strong person and she has you. She'll get through all of this just fine." "I hope so. I ... She almost died last night." Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. They had reached the door to Nat's apartment. Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out the set of keys that Nat had given him almost two years earlier. Watching, Grace could see that the events of the past night had badly shaken the usually unflappable detective. The haunted look in his eyes and his tone of voice told her that he did indeed care deeply for Natalie. "Nick," Grace said firmly, "she didn't die. You and Tracy got to her in time." Seeing the wan smile Nick gave her, Grace continued. "Are YOU okay? This has to have been rough on you .... Roberts dying in your home, and all the crime scene mess that had to involve." Nick used the time it took to unlock the door to consider his answer. "Grace, to be truthful, none of that seems to matter at all. The only thing I care about is the fact that Nat is all right. After what Roberts did to the Keens family and to Nat, I'm not sorry that he's dead. At least this way I know that he will never be able to hurt her, or anyone else again." "I can agree with that." Grace said as she stepped into Nat's apartment. Glancing at Nick she went on hoping to lighten the mood. "From what Nat said Sunday night, I gather that the two of you had a good time Saturday?" "Yes," Nick said with a large smile on his face, "we had a wonderful time." Nick looked down as a large gray cat walked into the room. "Hello, Sidney," he greeted the cat, "your mom will be by later tonight to see you." Sidney fixed his gaze on Nick, then slowly came close enough for Nick to reach down and scratch him behind the ears. "I bet you missed her last night, didn't you?" Nick spoke softly to the cat. This was the first time that Sidney had actually chosen to let Nick pet him and Nick wasn't about to mess it up. 'Wait 'till I tell Nat,' he thought happily. Smiling, he continued to make small, hopefully friendly noises to the cat. Grace grinned as she watched Nick making friends with the cat. She had always considered Nick to be a bit aloof, georgous but hard to know. It was somehow reassuring to see him trying, if a bit awkwardly, to endear himself to the cat. "I see Sidney's decided that you are worthy of his notice." Nick gave her a sheepish look. "I guess so. At least he didn't decide that I'd make a good scratching post." With a last pat to Sidney's head, Nick rose and headed toward Nat's bedroom. "I better get those clothes." He told Grace, "I'd like to be back with them before Nat wakes up." Walking over to Nat's closet he opened it and stood unsure which outfit he should take. Seeing his confusion Grace watched as reached for a dress that was perfect for a romantic, candlelit dinner, but a bit much for an interview with IA. Shaking her head at the inability of men to pick out women's clothes, Grace gently pushed Nick to one side. "Move, I'll pick out something for Nat to wear. Why don't you go look in the bathroom and grab what she'll need from there." Gratefully, Nick headed to the bath. When he came out Grace was finishing putting the last items of underclothes Nat would need in the carryall that had been on the closet floor. Taking the items Nick had brought from the bath she looked them over and, nodding her approval, placed them in separate compartment of the bag. "I think that will hold her until she gets back here," Grace said with satisfaction handing the bag to Nick. "Thanks again Grace. I didn't have the slightest idea which outfit Nat would want." Together, they left the apartment. End Part 1 comments to Nightlady Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 19:24:07 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 2/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 2/15 A small voice in her head was insisting that she had to get up. As she slowly awakened, Nat instinctively reached her hand out to where Sidney normally curled up next to her. Instead of a warm furry cat, her seeking hand found a silky feeling piece of cloth. For a moment she was confused, then she remembered that she was at Nick's and why. Carefully opening her eyes, she was please to find that the swelling around her left eye had gone down enough for her to be able to see clearly. Moving slowly, Nat sat up and waited for the room to stop spinning. Her head ached and she was sore in more places than she had thought possible. 'Well, when a madman conks you on the back of the head, tries to rearrange your face, and then fixes it so that you nearly choke to death I guess you can expect to feel lousy the next day.' She thought wryly to herself. A glance at the bedside clock told her that it was well past sunset. Standing she slipped into the robe that she had found instead of Sidney, and made her way to the bedroom door. Listening for a moment, she heard what sounded like the refrigerator door closing. 'Just because I slept late,' she thought, 'doesn't mean everyone did. I guess Nick's having his breakfast.' She turned away from the door and crossing the room, entered the bathroom and turned on the light. Taking a deep breath, she looked into the mirror. "Oh wow," she breathed as she got look, for the first time, at the damage Roberts had inflicted. The left side of her face looked like a Jackson Pollack painting. There were multiple bruises in an incredible variety of colors on both sides of her face. Her left eye was still visibly swollen and both eyes were encircled by dark bruising that stood out against the pallor of her skin. 'At least the swelling has gone done some' she thought to herself. Looking at her throat, she saw the angry red line left by the rope. The memory of feeling the rope tightening and her brain screaming for air caused a small chill to run through her. Her spirit did lift a little as she saw, low on her neck just above her collarbone, the two small wounds from Nick's bite. The love she felt for Nick soothed her. Seeing the marks on her neck made her recall how safe she felt in his arms. She gave a small chuckle, as the irony of how something that could have been, and surely would be from someone other than Nick, the cause of her death, instead was her source of comfort. A sudden feeling of light-headedness made her decide that she had better get some food in her before she showered. It had been at least twenty-four hours since she had last eaten and her blood sugar had to be rather low. She had not taken a meal break at work, having been too busy, and then Roberts' attack had caused her to miss dinner. 'And I better try to see if Nick knows how much blood he takes when we make love. I hope,' she thought, waiting for the worst of the dizziness to ease, 'that it's just low blood sugar and not low blood volume that's causing this.' Carefully making her way to the end of the bed, Nat sat and waited for the rest of the dizziness to pass. Having taken care of the mundane tasks necessary to insure a profitable evening at the Raven, LaCroix turned his thoughts to his upcoming visit with Nicholas. The knowledge that once again his wayward son had given him a tool that could be used to bring him back under LaCroix's control pleased him. How much of what he knew should he reveal to Nicholas? Shaking his head, LaCroix sighed thinking how predictable Nicholas was. LaCroix had known that he need only be patient and Nicholas would be unable to stay "detached" from his lovely doctor. What did surprise LaCroix, was the fact that Nicholas had managed to control his beast enough to enable Dr. Lambert to survive. Indeed, her heartbeat had been strong and steady showing no sign of trauma due to any excessive blood loss. LaCroix knew that it was rare, but possible, for a vampire to have a very long, satisfying relationship with a mortal, before the mortal made the final change and became a vampire. When the love between the mortal and vampire was strong enough for the vampire to control the bloodlust that accompanied sexual activity there would be a gradual change instead of the more usual manner of being brought across. This would first manifest itself as a psychic bond. Once formed, this type of bond lessened the vampire's need to take blood in any quantity that would result in harm to the mortal. The emotional need of the vampire being satisfied by taking no more blood than would be drawn by a doctor for testing. 'I shall have to arrange to see if Nicholas and his lover are forming such a bond.' LaCroix thought. LaCroix sincerely hoped that this was the case. The thought of Nicholas' reaction when his dear little mortal finally had reached the point of needing to complete the change made LaCroix smile. He knew that when that happened, Nicholas would either have to give her his own blood to complete the change or allow another vampire to do so. If denied the vampire blood she needed, she would either truly die from the change process or if she managed to survive the process be quickly eliminated by the Enforcers as flawed and therefore dangerous to the community. After several minutes, LaCroix decided that he would make his first thrust at Nicholas on the radio. He was well aware that Nicholas regularly listened to the Nightcrawler. Starting with tonight's show, Nicholas would find that his illusion of safety in his relationship with the mortal woman shattered.. Smiling LaCroix began to type up a portion of his monologue. Nat had still been sleeping when Nick let himself back into the loft, as he listened to her breathing and heartbeat, he could tell that she was starting to awaken. Putting the carryall and Nat's purse on the dining table, Nick crossed to the kitchen and took two glasses from the cupboard. As he opened the refrigerator, he heard her footsteps above him. He quickly opened the refrigerator and got out the bottle of orange juice and a bottle of blood. Pouring a glass of each, he returned the bottles to the refrigerator. With a glass in each hand, Nick left the kitchen and went upstairs to the bedroom. The smile on his face changed to a look of concern when, as he entered the bedroom, he saw Nat. She was seated with her elbows resting on her knees, holding her head in her hands. Placing the glasses on the dresser, he went to her side. "Nat, what's wrong?" Nick asked as he sat down beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her, unresisting, against him. "It's nothing, I just got a little dizzy for a minute." Nat leaned against Nick resting her head on his shoulder. "My blood sugars probably way down. I'll be okay once I get some food in me." Nick kissed the top of her head. "I brought you a glass of juice. Just sit still and let me hand it to you." When she nodded, he stood and retrieving the glasses, handed one to her before once again sitting next to her. Nat took a large swallow of juice. "Oh, that is good," she sighed happily. Laying her head back on Nick's shoulder she closed her eyes and just enjoyed the feelings of safety and contentment that echoed through her. Feeling Nick's gaze on her she looked up at him. Slipping her arm around his waist she hugged him. Although some of the worry left his eyes, he continued to gaze at her, then gently kissed her. Finally, he took a drink from his own glass and returned her smile. "So, what do you think?" Nat said with chuckle, "Do I look like a raccoon that was on the losing end of a fight with a paint truck or what?" "Well, maybe." Nick said after finishing the last of the blood in his glass. "I'd have to say, though, that you are the prettiest raccoon I've ever seen." "I don't think 'pretty' is a word I'd use to describe how I look right now, but I do thank you." "You're right pretty doesn't fit." Nick set his now empty glass on the floor and his voice softened as he continued, "It doesn't do you justice. You are beautiful." Nat gave a small snort of disbelief and started to speak, only to have Nick place a finger on her lips. Cupping her chin in his hand, he looked deep into her eyes. "To me," he whispered, "you are always beautiful." Nat felt tears well up in her eyes. Kissing Nick softly on the lips, she murmured, "I love you so much, I don't know how I ever lived without you." At that moment, her stomach growled, reminding her that it wanted a bit more than juice, causing them both to laugh. "Come on. Let's go downstairs and feed you." Nick rose and pulled her to her feet. Downstairs, Nat spotted her purse and the carry all on the table. "My purse! Thank goodness. I had visions of having to replace all my credit cards and stuff. " "Grace found it last night." Nick explained his early activities to Nat as she fixed a sizable meal for herself. He relished the happy look on her face, when she learned that he had brought her fresh clothes and her toiletries. Pouring another glass of blood for himself, Nick sat across from her as she ate. Nat looked up from her plate, to see Nick sitting there with a very proud and pleased expression on his face. 'He looks like a little kid about to burst with excitement,' she thought. Aloud she said, "I know there's something else, I can see it in your face." Nick grinned at her. Laughing slightly, she continued, "Are you going to tell me or do I have to try to guess?" Nick's grin got even bigger. "Sidney came over to me this morning and let me pat him." "He did!" Nat smiled, "Oh, Nick, that's wonderful." Nat was very pleased to hear that Sidney had finally decided that Nick was acceptable to him. She was even more pleased, however, by the fact that it clearly meant something to Nick too. Glancing at the clock, Nat was a bit surprised to see that it was already after eight. "I better get moving if I have to be downtown to talk to IA at 11." "Go ahead, I'll clean up down here." Nick rose and taking her now empty plate, headed for the kitchen. "Thanks. I want a long, hot shower to try and work out some of these sore muscles." Nat picked up her purse and the carry all. "See you in a little while," she called back over her shoulder as she headed for the upstairs bath. An hour and a half later, Nat, feeling much better after her shower and fresh clothes, was seated next to Nick as they headed downtown. They had decided to go by Nat's office so she could get her preliminary report on the Keens murders to take to the meeting with IA. This would also allow Nat to retrieve her car. "I'm glad Grace remembered to pack the scarf that goes with this outfit," Nat remarked, "otherwise, this rounded neckline would be a bit of a problem." "I hadn't considered that." Nick admitted. "I guess, I've added another complication to your life." Nat reached over and squeezed his arm. "No," she said, "WE added another complication to my life. One that I am more than happy to have." Running her hand over his hair she added, "In spite of all that happened last night, with Roberts, I can't remember ever being this happy." Taking her hand in his, Nick brought it to his lips and kissed it. "Neither can I." End Part 2 comments to Nightlady Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 00:25:57 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 3/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: I'm reposting this as it went out with the wrong part number in the subject. Sorry for the confusion. Guess that's what happens when you're trying to do too many things at once. See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 3/15 At the coroner's office, Nick accompanied Nat inside. As they approached her desk, Grace looked up and saw them. Smiling broadly, Grace rose from her chair and walked over to give Nat a hug. "Girl," Grace said as she took in Nat's bruises, " I am so glad to see you. I don't mind telling you that you had me scared half to death last night." "I scared myself half to death last night, so don't feel bad." Nat joked. "Next time you decide to try to spar a few rounds with a lunatic, do me a favor and wait until I'm on vacation so I won't know about it." Grace shook her head, "I hope for your sake that you look a whole lot worse than you feel." Natalie nodded, "Yeah, I do. I'm a bit sore, but I should be fine in a couple of days. I just stopped by to see you and to run in to my office to pick up my prelims on the Keens cases for my meeting with IA." Nat started to head to her office, when Grace took her arm. "Wait here, I'll get them for you." At Nat's puzzled look, Grace explained, "You don't want to go back there right now...Thompson, from South, is doing Roberts' post." Nick saw Nat pale and, putting a protective arm around Nat's shoulders, said, "Thanks Grace. We'll wait here for you." Grace nodded and left the room. "Sorry, I guess I'm more upset by this than I thought." Nat took several deep breaths, then squared her shoulders. "I'm okay now," she managed with a smile. Nick kept his arm around her, "You know, you can leave your car here if you don't feel up to driving? I'm going over to see Tracy anyway and I don't mind waiting for you to finish with IA." He looked at Nat with concern , as despite her words he could still feel her trembling slightly. "Not necessary." Nat kissed him on the cheek. "I should have realized that Roberts' body would still be here. It just threw me for a second, but I'm really feeling okay." Since she was determined, Nick reluctantly nodded his acceptance. "Okay, but if you change your mind...." , he began. "I know how to get a hold of you.. I promise, if I feel at all shaky on the way over to the station, I'll pull over, lock up the car and let you take over." Nat again kissed him, this time on the lips, a kiss filled with love. . When Nick pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, she did not resist. They were so involved with one another, neither heard Grace returning. "Here you go....OOPS!" Grace said, returning with the papers. Blushing, Nat gave her a "what can I say" shrug while Nick suddenly seemed very interested in the pattern of the floor tiles. "Uh...Thanks Grace." Nat managed to say. The oh so very pleased and knowing look on Grace's face only made Nat blush more. "We'd better get going," Nick said, "don't want to keep IA waiting." Taking Nat by the arm, he led her toward the exit. Halfway there, Nat started giggling and soon Nick, too, was laughing. As they walked to her car Nat shook her head. "You DO know that as we speak, Grace is on the phone to Tracy?" "And once Tracy hears, the world will know." Nick laughed and continued, "I don't mind. I am not ashamed of my feelings for you." For a moment fear of what might happen should LaCroix discover these feelings surfaced in Nick's thoughts, but the radiant smile that lit Natalie's face pushed it away. After a thankfully uneventful drive Nick and Nat arrived at the station. They had barely entered when Tracy, who had quite obviously been watching for them, rose from her seat in greeting. Seeing her approach, Nick and Nat looked at one another. Trying not to laugh they simultaneously mouthed "Grace". Nick broke into a large smile while Nat started giggling. Somewhat confused by their behavior, Tracy stopped and watched them with a puzzled expression. Glancing at her, sent Nat into a new fit of the giggles, and even Nick found it hard to contain his mirth. "Well, I guess you ARE feeling a lot better than you were when I left this morning." Tracy said, still unsure what was so funny. Nat struggling to get herself under control could only nod in reply. She finally managed to say, "Oh, yeah. and feeling better every minute." Mischievously she added, "How much did Grace tell you?" Tracy's eyes widened for a second and her cheeks flushed, then she smiled. "Oh, let's just say we girls have GOT to get together for lunch," Tracy gave Nick an impish glance, "and nice long talk." Nick laughed and rolled his eyes. "Oh oh," he turned to Nat, "I guess I'll have to count on your discretion." Tracy reached out and hugged Nat. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving my life last night." She said softly. "If you hadn't risked your life and caused him to miss, Roberts shot would have almost certainly killed me." Nat smiled and hugged Tracy back. "Hey, good friends are too hard to find to let someone like Roberts hurt them." "VETTER!" Reese's voice rang out across the room. Spotting Tracy with Nick and Nat, he smiled and motioned for the three of them to come into his office. When they entered, Reese took Nat's hand in his. "How are you doing?" He asked in a voice that was far softer than his usual. Natalie looked at how her hand all but disappeared in Reese's. "Much better Capt.," she said smiling at him. "I want to thank you for arranging for me to see IA today, rather than last night." Reese escorted Nat to a chair and waited until she was seated before he sat down behind his desk. "Not a problem," he told her. "You had told me what happened. I couldn't see putting you through it again until you'd had a chance to rest a bit." He studied Nat's face, "Unless you object, I will be at the IA interview with you." Reese smiled as Nat gave him a grateful look. "I know that you'd undoubtedly prefer to have Knight here instead of me, but at least you won't be all alone." Thanks, Capt.," Nick said from where he stood behind Nat, his hands on her shoulders. Nat reached up and laid her hand over one of Nick's. "Yes, thank you," she told Reese. "Your being there makes me a lot more comfortable about this interview." She paused then asked, "Do you know who, from IA, will be there?" Reese nodded, "Wilkes and Collins, and an observer from Winnipeg IA named Stanton. Shouldn't be too bad, the evidence clearly shows that Roberts was the perp in the Keens' murders. IA already has statements from Nick and Tracy. This is just making sure everything is tied up nice and neat." Reese looked at his watch. "If you're ready, we can go on down to the interview room and get this out of the way." Natalie stood. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Giving Nick and Tracy a smile she left with Reese. Nick stayed and talked with Tracy for a few more minutes, then left. Back in the Caddy, he headed for home. As he drove, he switched on the radio. "How many different ways do you lie, not only to others, but to yourself as well?" LaCroix's velvet tones came over the airwaves. "You believe that if you say something with enough conviction, others won't hear the hidden falsehood. You may even be successful with those who do not truly know you, but with one who knows your soul, you will never be successful. It will not matter how hard you try, the falsehood will be known. Perhaps the recipient of your lie will allow you to think that he has been fooled, will allow you to enjoy another falsehood...one of seeming security. Rest assured, dear listeners, that the truth will eventually be known and the price for having lied...will be dear" Nick shut off the radio. The fear that had surfaced earlier returned. 'LaCroix can't know,' Nick thought desperately, 'he just can' t.' Nick knew he was fooling himself. LaCroix had ways of knowing everything. After considering his options for a few moments, Nick turned the car in the direction of the Raven. Arriving at the Raven, Nick noted sourly that business seemed to be doing well. The small parking lot was full as were all of the legal, and a few illegal, parking spaces near the entrance. Parking over a half block away, Nick walked quickly back to the door and entered. The loudness of the music caused him to wince slightly as he threaded his way through the mixture of mortals and vampires on the dance floor. Approaching the bar, Nick spotted Urs and Vachon sitting near one end. Carefully avoiding the hurried waitresses, he walked over to them and sat down. "Is LaCroix' in the broadcast booth?" Nick had to raise his voice slightly to be heard over the pulsating beat of the music. "I'm not sure," Urs replied. "I know he was making a tape of his monologue when I saw him before we opened. That usually means that he is not planning to be in the booth during the monologue" Nick frowned slightly at this news. He had counted on seeing LaCroix so that he could try to judge if the monologue was aimed at him or just one of the damnable coincidences that LaCroix seemed capable of on a regular basis. He eyed Vachon, in the hope that he might have more information than Urs. Vachon gave Nick a small smile. "Sorry, I only got here a short while ago and I haven't seen him at all tonight." He leaned a bit closer to Nick and lowered his voice. "I saw Tracy earlier this evening. She told me about what happened at your place last night." The younger vampire hesitated for a moment as Nick regarded him with a cool gaze. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad your doctor friend is okay." Vachon finished a bit awkwardly. Nick looked at Vachon, recalling the first time they had met. He hadn't care much for the young Spaniard, but he had to admit that he was slowly revising his opinion. Nick still was sure that he completely trusted Vachon, but he did seem to have some good qualities. Nick smiled slightly, "Thanks. She was very lucky." "Trace said your friend saved her from being shot. I'm glad ... I like Tracy." Vachon spoke softly. "Look Knight, I know we didn't exactly start off on the right foot, but I think I have some idea of how you feel about your friend. I mean, I guess having her kidnapped and almost killed had to upset you." Nick stared into Vachon's eyes, remembering the terror he'd felt when Roberts had Nat. "Upset. No, I'm afraid that upset doesn't even come close " Giving Vachon a bitter grin, Nick turned and went in search of LaCroix. Vachon raised his eyebrows as he watched Nick leave. He had been surprised at the emotion he'd heard in Nick's voice. Tracy had said she thought that Nick and his doctor friend were lovers. Vachon, knowing that Nick was a vampire, had assumed Tracy was mistaken. In Vachon's experience, it was very rare that a mortal and vampire could be lovers and the mortal survive. Judging by Knight's behavior, just now, Vachon was beginning to think Tracy might indeed be correct. Raising his glass of blood wine, Vachon silently wished Knight and Dr. Lambert good luck. They were most likely going to need it. End Part 3 comments to Nightlady Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 08:13:36 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 4/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 4/15 For the first twenty minutes, the interview with IA had gone pretty much the way Reese had expected. Wilkes and Collins had asked Natalie for her knowledge of the events that had led to Roberts' death. They both knew Nat's reputation as one of the best M.E.'s in Ontario. They were also aware that she went out of her way to assist the police by making sure that investigating officers did not have to wait unduly for information. Natalie had responded with the same information that she had given Reese, and produced copies of her preliminary reports on the Keens' murders. Then, just when Reese had thought the interview was drawing to a close, Stanton had started asking questions. At first, they seemed innocuous enough, but Reese quickly sensed that Nick Knight was the focus of Stanton's interest. 'Why do you have such an interest in one of my best detectives?' Reese thought as he listened carefully, in hope of finding an answer. Natalie had been relieved by the manner in which Wilkes and Collins had questioned her. She sensed that they were as glad as she was that Roberts was no longer a threat to anyone, and that they would be glad to clear Nick of any wrongdoing in their report. Even when Stanton requested to be allowed to ask, as he had put it, "one or two quick questions" she had not been concerned. All that changed with his very first question. "Dr. Lambert, how would you describe your relationship with Det. Knight?" It was not the question itself that rang warning bells in Nat's head, but rather the tone of voice in which Stanton asked it. 'He sounds like he all ready knows the answer.' Nat thought as she said aloud, "We've worked together for over four years and I would say that we both respect each others abilities." Stanton gave her a small,cold smile that sent a chill down her spine. "I was refering to your personal relationship with Det. Knight, not your professional one." Nat was aware that Stanton was watching her closely and met his gaze. As she stared back at him, she became aware that she could see the pulse in his neck. 'Not a vampire and certainly not an Enforcer,' she mused, 'then what?' Nat stalled for time trying to figure out what game Stanton was playing. "Could you please be a bit more specific? I'm not sure I know what you're asking." "Of course, Doctor. Why don't we start at the beginning? How did you meet Det. Knight?" "I was already working for the Coroner's office when he came on the force. He's in homicide and I was assigned to the cases in his district." Natalie said, giving her standard, if not quiet truthful response the 'how did you meet' question. "So you met in the coarse of duty?" "That's right." Nat did not mention that it had been her duty and Nick had been brought in as one of her 'patients'. "Would you say that the two of you are friends?" "I consider Det. Knight to be a friend." Nat didn't wait for Stanton to ask his next question. She didn't like this man's tone of voice or his attitude. "Would you mind telling me what any of this has to due with Roberts' death?" Nat asked in a firm, but pleasant voice. Stanton ignored her question. "I understand that Det. Knight has some sort of sensitivity to sunlight. Perhaps you would be so kind as to tell us exactly what this problem entails?" The warning bells suddenly turned into sirens. 'A hunter, he's a hunter,' she thought in horror, 'and he's after Nick.' "I am very sorry, but I'm afraid I can't answer that." Nat made no effort to keep the coldness out of her voice. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Wilkes and Collins exchanging confused looks. Sitting across from her, Reese watched Stanton with narrowed eyes. "Really. Tell me Doctor Lambert," Stanton suddenly leaned very close to Nat's face, "is it a case of can't answer or won't answer?" Nat heard the sound of Reese's chair scraping against the floor at the same time she heard his voice saying, "Look Stanton, I don't know how you treat victims back in Winnipeg, but I'm telling you that acting as if their guilty of something is NOT how we do things in Toronto. I think this interview is OVER." Nat could feel herself trembling with both fear and relief as she watched Reese, visibly angry, turn to glare at Wilkes and Collins. Collins was the first to recover. "Yes, I fully agree," he said, looking at Stanton. Turning to her Collins continued, "Dr. Lambert, please accept my apology for your having been subjected to Officer Stanton's behavior. I assure you, neither your relationship, if any, with Det. Knight, nor his difficulty with sunlight have ANY place or consideration in this investigation." "I'm glad to hear that," Nat said with only a slight tremor in her voice, "because MY personal life is NOT open for discussion." Letting her anger show in her face and her voice she turned to Stanton. "I would suggest, that if you have any questions concerning Det. Knight's medical condition you ASK HIM about it." Stanton was clearly furious, "Maybe I will." He said in a low, menacing voice. Glaring at all of them he stormed from the room. Wilkes and Collins followed, after once again apologizing. Reese turned to Natalie, "What in the hell was that all about?" Nat shook her head, "I haven't the vaguest idea. I know that Nick has done some things, in the past that might not have been exactly 'by the book', but IA has always cleared him." She chewed on her lower lip. "Yeah, Nick has a unique style," Reese admitted, "but he's one of the best cops I've ever known." He gave Nat a small smile. "If you repeat that to him, you know I'll have to deny it. I don't want him getting overconfident." Nat laughed. "Understood, Capt.," she laid her hand on Reese"s arm, "thanks for being here and for speaking out like that. I appreciate it." Reese patted her hand. "Anytime," he said. After leaving Vachon and Urs, Nick headed into the back of the Raven, where LaCroix's broadcast booth was located. It only took a moment to show him that it was empty. Closing his eyes, Nick allowed himself to seek out the bond he shared with his master. When he opened his eyes he sighed. He could tell by the faintness of the bond that either LaCroix was not in the club or he was shielding. After checking several other areas in the club, Nick mulled over the idea of trying to trace the bond to locate LaCroix, but rejected it. He knew he would be successful only if LaCroix chose to be located. Leaving the Raven, Nick returned to his car. A glance at his watch told him that Nat was most likely still at the station. Being unable to locate LaCroix made Nick uneasy. The possibility that LaCroix somehow knew, or suspected, that Nick had lied that night at Azure, meant that Nat might be in danger. Starting the car, Nick headed for the station. He had decided to follow Nat to her building and then, if he did not sense LaCroix any where nearby, return to the loft. He didn't want to alarm Nat by telling her of his fear. He didn't know just how much of that night at Azure she actually remembered. LaCroix had used his much stronger hypnotic abilities to control Nat. Later, Nick had taken advantage of her condition and made her forget all that had happened, hopefully forever. The following day, she had appeared to have no recollection of anything that had occurred either on Valentine's day or the night before, when Nick had first told her of his feelings for her. So far as Nick could tell she still had no recollection of that night but he still felt guilty about having tampered with Nat's memory. LaCroix had known the monologue would bring Nick searching for him. He had watched his son's arrival from a rooftop across the street from the Raven. It was only after Nick drove off, that he returned to the club. After checking with the bartender to be certain that there were no problems requiring his attention, LaCroix went back into his office. He sat be hind his desk and considered his next move. He'd wait until tomorrow or the next day before contacting Nick. That way, Nick would have ample time to stew over the possibilities. Only then it would be time to pay his son a visit. If he timed his visist correctly, perhaps he would even see Natalie Lambert. She had, to his surprise, impressed him that night at Azure. Until then, he had always considered her to be just a typical, weak mortal. That night he had discovered he was wrong. Even though she clearly frightened to find herself alone with him instead of Nicholas, she had not allowed her fear to control her. He remembered the defiance that she had shown and the effort it had taken him to finally control her. Closing his eyes, LaCroix recalled the scent of the lovely, young mortal's blood. He had hungered to taste her, to see if the promised sweetness of her scent was fulfilled in her blood. Raising an eyebrow, LaCroix admitted to himself amazement that Nicholas had been able to control his bloodlust if she was indeed as delicious as her scent promised. 'Ah, Nicholas, I hope you won't be too distressed if I take a sample of what you seem to find so very pleasing.' LaCroix's eyes narrowed in anticipation of Nicholas' reaction to such an act. End Part 4 Continued in Part 5a (ADULT VERSION) or 5b (PG VERSION) comments to Nightlady Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 08:23:19 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: ADULT: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part5a/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: WARNING THIS IS THE ADULT VERSION See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 15a/15 Natalie pulled open the outside door to her building. She was still shaken by Stanton's questions about Nick. In addition, she was exhausted and she had a headache that felt as if it was trying to leak out her ears. Climbing the stairs to her floor, she wondered if perhaps Stanton had known Nick in Winnipeg, assuming Nick had ever even been to Winnipeg. She had almost called Nick before she left the station, but instead decided to wait until she got back to the loft. Maybe, by then she could think of some explanation for Stanton's questions other than the obvious one; that he was a hunter and suspected that Nick was a vampire. Reaching her door, Nat unlocked it and went inside. For a moment, her thoughts were interrupted as Sidney wound between her legs in greeting. Reaching down she lifted the large gray cat into her arms, snuggling her face into his fur. Still holding Sidney, Nat closed the door to her apartment. As she locked the door, she finally admitted to herself the most likely explanation for Stanton's behavior. With tears threatening to start flowing, she crossed to her couch and sat. "Why?" She whispered to the cat in a voice that broke with the pain of her thoughts. "Why now, when Nick and I are so happy, does a hunter have to show up?" The tears she had held in check began streaming down her face, landing on Sidney's fur. When he wiggled in protest at being subjected to being used as a sort of Kleenex, Nat released her hold on him. Sidney moved so that he would no longer have to endure being cried upon, and settled instead next to his mistress on the couch. Nat cried for several minutes. Her sadness over this unwanted interruption to their new found happiness with one another giving way to her fear for Nick's safety. She knew that she had to call Nick and warn him, but the events of the past two nights and the headache that had begun on the way to her apartment, combined to make even the act of making a phone call seem overwhelming. 'I'll call him in just a minute,' she told herself, 'when I get myself under control.' Closing her eyes and slowing her breathing, Nat was not even aware as she drifted to sleep. Nick paced back and forth inside the loft. He had followed Nat to her building and, after seeing that she was safely inside and having learned from a phone call to Urs that LaCroix was back at the club, had returned here. He had expected, even taking into account time spent cuddling Sidney, that it would not be more than two hours before Nat returned to the loft. When she had not arrived back at the loft by 3:00am, Nick had grown a bit concerned. Now at almost 3:45am he reached for the phone and dialed Nat's number. After five or six rings, Nick felt relief flood through him as she groggily answered. "Nat, I just wanted to check and see what time you were planning to come over." Nick explained. "Um, what..what time is it?" Nat said trying to get her eyes to focus on her watch. "Almost four," Nick said, "you sound tired. Do you want me to come over and pick you up?" "Four! Oh Nick, I sat down for a minute when I first got here and I guess I fell asleep." Nat paused, "By the time I take care of what I need to do here, it'll be too close to sun rise. Stay at the loft and I promise I'll be there no later than six." "I'll be here." Feeling better, Nick hung up the phone and getting a bottle from his fridge, poured a glass of the cow's blood. Sitting on the couch he sipped from it as he tried to decide what to do about LaCroix. He was still pondering this problem when he heard the familiar sound of Nat's heart as the lift began to rise. Putting down his now empty glass Nick went to meet her at the door. He held the door open for her as she stepped out and then took the suitcase she carried from her. Setting it aside, he waited until she had removed her heavy winter coat before he pulled her into his arms. Nat wrapped her arms around Nick's neck and smiled into his eyes as she stood in his embrace. She knew that she had to tell him of her suspicion concerning Stanton and ask him about the amount of blood he took but, right now, she just wanted enjoy being in his arms. "I'm sorry that you were worried," she said. "I guess everything sort of caught up with me all at once. I had a horrible headache, and was just going to close my eyes for a moment, and the next thing I knew you were calling on the phone." "After what happened last night, I just over reacted. After all you didn't set any particular time that you would be back over here." Nick said as he gazed at her, a smile lighting his own face. "Do you still have a headache?" Nick held her gaze as he slid his hand slowly along the curve of her back, tracing the delicate filigree of her spine through the fabric of her suit jacket. When his hand reached her hips he stopped and pressed his own hips against her. Watching her face he saw her eyes widen slightly as she felt his erection against her thighs. The feel of his body against her fueled her own desire. "No," she breathed, pulling his head down meeting his lips with her own, "I don't." Nat accepted his searching tongue, meeting it with her own. Closing her eyes she gave herself to the sensations of their kiss. She wanted Nick so badly, and not just the human side of Nick. She wanted all of him, the human and the vampire. Deliberately, she sought to release the side of him that he had held in check, until the last moment, all the other times they had made love. Running her own tongue across his teeth, she probed and stroked them until she felt his fangs descend. She felt him move to pull away, to try and regain control. "No," she whispered, and he stopped, then deepened the kiss. Ever so softly and carefully, she teased his fangs with her tongue. The sounds of pleasure this drew from Nick added to the pleasure she experienced.. At last, needing to breathe, she broke the kiss and opening her eyes looked unafraid into his now golden hued ones. "Nick," she told him softly, "I love and want all of you, man and vampire. I want to be loved by both parts of you, not just at the end, but the entire time." She stepped away from him and held out her hand. Each of the previous three times they had made love, Nick had held his vampire nature under tight control. Only in the final moments had he allowed himself the total experience which his nature required. Nick felt the beast emerge as the ardor of Nat's kiss caused his fangs to drop. Concerned that she had not intended to release the vampire side of him, he had made an effort to stop until he could once again control it. When Nat's whisper made him realize that she had known precisely the reaction her actions would produce, he allowed himself to enjoy the sensations. When she had to stop for air, he watched her carefully, looking for any sign that she had reconsidered her actions. With greater joy than he had thought possible, he heard her declare her love and desire for both parts of his nature. Mentally vowing that he would not cause her harm, he nodded his agreement, and grasping her hand in his own, followed her as she walked to the stairs and started to climb. He could hear the singing of her blood as it coursed through her veins, calling to him with a promise of exquisite pleasure. Once in the bed room, he again took her into his embrace. He removed the scarf, baring her throat. Holding her against him, he kissed and licked her lips, the line of her jaw and the area on her throat that pulsated with her heartbeat. He heard her moans of pleasure as he passionately explored her mouth with his tongue. He undid the buttons on her blouse and slipped both it and the suit jacket off her shoulders. Waves of desire, like small jolts of electricity, tingled through him as he inhaled the sweet scent of her blood. Her fingers were warm against his chest as she unbuttoned his shirt. As he slipped out of it Nat reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra. Nick pushed the straps from her shoulders, allowing himself full access to her breasts. Again pulling her to him, he dropped kisses on her neck and shoulders, before he again claimed her mouth with his. All the time, his hands fondled and gently kneaded her breasts. Gasping with pleasure, Nat found Nick's belt and after loosening it undid his trousers. As she was doing this, Nick stepped out of his shoes. Caressing the muscles in his back, Nat moved her hands down to the waist band of his briefs. Pulling her mouth from his she placed her own kisses against the coolness of his throat. She moved slowly and felt him tremble with the sensations her kisses produced as she worked her way across his chest to his stomach. Kicking off her shoes, she knelt in front of him. She ran her hands inside his briefs, and eased them down over his hips, freeing his erection. She slid one hand along the inside of his thigh until she reached his scrotum. As she began to gently caress them, she kissed him from the base of his shaft to the head. Drawing the head into her mouth, Nat licked it running her tongue in a circle around it. She smiled and raised her eyes as she heard Nick's sharp intake of breath. His eyes were partly closed in pleasure and she could see the sharp points of his fangs as he smiled down at her. After several minutes, he took her by the shoulders and gently raised her to her feet. In a voice that was almost a growl, he told her, "I want to come inside you." Smiling, Nat gave herself over his hands and lips. Nick unzipped her skirt and let it drop to the floor. He laid her on the bed and eased off her panties, garter-belt and stockings. Standing above her he allowed his gaze to travel from her eyes down to her throat, where the beat of her heart showed so clearly. Each time he saw her body, it seemed to him that she was more beautiful. He could feel his desire burning in him. Laying beside her, he buried his face in the softness of her breasts. As he kissed them, the scent of her blood so close to the surface and the nearness of her heartbeat was intoxicating. Shifting, he sought the musky sweetness between her legs, with his tongue. Slowly, but firmly, he played his tongue over her mound listening to her sounds of pleasure. Her breath came in short gasps and her muscles tightened as he brought her closer and closer to her release. When he paused before she found it, she moaned in frustration and reached for him. The coolness of his tongue as he entered her with it brought her fulfillment. To Nick the taste of her was like honey. While she was still shuddering with the waves of pleasure that washed through her, Nick returned his attention to her breasts and throat. He could tell by the sound of her heart that she was again starting to rise toward a second release. He felt her mouth against his ear and jaw, as her hands stroked and caressed him. The need to penatrate her became uncontrollable. Covering her body with his own, he moved between her legs. Nat lifted her hips and he gasped with pleasure as he entered her warm slickness. Together, they moved with ever faster thrusts causing their senses to whirl as they sought and gave pleasure to one another. Nick's fangs ached with his bloodlust and his eyes were shimmering gold pools. Nat lifted her chin, and baring her throat, pulled him to her. He sank his fangs into her neck, savoring the salty tang of her blood. He felt the strength of Nat's love for him and shared with her the power of her climax. His beast, exhilarated by the scent and taste of the human blood it craved, was for the moment calmed as Nick found the physical release his body desired. He lifted his mouth from her neck, a small amount of blood still clinging to his lips. Nick looked down into Nat's eyes, only a few inches from his own. Just before she suddenly kissed him, her tongue licking her own blood from his lips, Nick thought that he saw the faintest glimmer of gold deep in the blueness of her eyes. Pulling away from her in surprise, both at her unexpected action and of what he thought he had glimpsed, he looked at her eyes closely. Carefully, he searched their depths, but found no hit of gold. He could feel the gold leaving his own eyes and decided that what he saw must have been a reflection. Nat lay beneath Nick, aware that he was studying her face. Her breath was still ragged, from the power of her climax and from her own reaction to the taste of blood. She'd felt the surprise her impulsive move of kissing away the blood, HER blood, had caused Nick. Hell, it had surprised her but, when she had seen the redness as it clung to his lips, the desire to taste it had been impossible to ignore. Now, seeing the concern in his face, she felt a tiny frisson of fear run down her spine. At last, he smiled at her and shifting his weight off her traced the outline of her lips with a finger. "Nat, what caused you to do that?" He asked as he held her, safe in his embrace. "I...I don't know." She paused, trying to find the best way to explain the urge she had experienced, both to herself and to him. "When I saw my blood on your lips, it was as though I had to know what it was you were tasting. I didn't think about it, I just did it." Her voice was the barest of whispers. Nick could see that she had been frightened by her unexpected reaction to the blood. With soft, gentle carresses and murmurs he reassured her that it was just a response to the intensity of the moment. In his mind he hoped that his words were true, the memory of the those possible flickers of gold still worrying him. "Rest for now," he urged her, "we can talk about it more this evening.:" 'And I can try and find a way,' he mentally added, 'to tell you about the danger I may have once again placed you.' Nat snuggled against his body, knowing that he was right. She was too sleepy to think straight right now. After they had both slept, she would tell him about Stanton. Closing her eyes, she quickly drifted into sleep. Nick held her listening as her heart slowed and her breathing became that of sleep. With his face cushioned against her hair, he let her scent and his memories of her taste soothe him and draw him into sleep. Nick was unaware thatby allowing his beast to be free while making love to Nat, he had enabled LaCroix to also experience all that had transpired. End Part 5a Continued in Part 6 comments to Nightlady Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 08:27:09 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 6/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 6/15 In his chamber, LaCroix carefully sifted through the feelings that he had received from Nicholas. He had to admit a certain respect for Dr. Lambert's insight and willingness to accept Nicholas in his totality. She would indeed make a good member of their little club. She had the steeliness of character required to be a successful vampire. There was no longer any doubt that there was a bond between Nicholas and Natalie Lambert. LaCroix contemplated usurping his son and bringing Natalie across himself. He smiled at the thought of Nicholas' reaction to such an act. 'Of course, I could always just kill her.' He shook his head at that thought. No, he would not kill her. She would be of far more value as his fledgling than she would be dead. By becoming her master, he could use Nicholas' love for her to draw him back into the fold. That there was a bond, would prove tomake it even more enjoyable. LaCroix had only to wait until the need for vampire blood possessed Natalie. When that happened, he would present himself, ready and willing to provide it, should Nicholas prove reluctant. He chuckled, knowing her need would be so great she would literally beg him to finish crossing her. Rather enjoying the undeniably voyeuristic side of the images and feelings, LaCroix savored the passion which his son and his soon to be daughter or grand-daughter had in their relationship. 'She's as fiery as Janette when she's aroused.' He did look forward to one day experiencing that passion first hand. He would see them tonight. Preparing for his own rest, he murmured, "A ce soir, mes enfants." The golden eyes, tinged with red, stared into her own. Trembling with fear, she wanted to struggle to be free of the arms that held her against the strong, solid body of the vampire. Her body would not respond to her frantic thoughts and she was helpless. She wanted to run and hide. She wanted to flee from the words he was saying, words that wounded more than any physical weapon possibly could. "This woman means nothing to me." His voice was cold, not the one that had only the night before held such warmth as he spoke to her, telling her of his love for her. Tearing her gaze from his she looked to see to whom he had spoken. Blearily she saw the other man, watching with a faint sneer on his face. She knew his name, LaCroix. Again she shivered remembering that he was the one who had tricked her into coming here. She had thought that she was meeting Nick, but it had been LaCroix waiting instead. She had wanted to leave at once, but somehow had been unable. LaCroix's words of challenge washed over her as he spoke to....whom? Knowing in her heart who it was, she turned to look again at the vampire holding her. Nick. Not the Nick she had come to know these past three years, but the beast that he struggled against each day of his existance. This Nick was cold, uncaring, and from his words, willing to sacrifice her at the request of his master. In her grief and betrayal she managed to say his name, just as he covered her mouth with his own. Natalie awakened with a gasp, her heart thundering in her ears and a sheen of sweet covering her body. Her eyes focused on the bedside clock. It was almost sunset. She glanced at Nick, who lay still asleep beside her. 'Just a nightmare,' she realized, as she felt her heart slowing to a more normal rhythm. The rush of adrenaline the nightmare had sent into her system made returning to sleep impossible. Not wanting to disturb Nick, Nat slipped from the bed and grabbing Nick's robe, went downstairs. Going to the suitcase they had left sitting by the lift she quickly removed a nightgown and her own robe from it. Taking off Nick's robe, she laid it over the back of a chair and then pulled on her nightgown. As she walked over to the couch she slipped her arms into the sleeves of the robe and belted it around her waist. She sat on the couch, legs curled up and feet tucked beneath the folds of her gown. What had caused her to have that horrible dream? She knew that she was not afraid of Nick or, she honestly admitted, of the possibility of being brought across into his type of existance. When they had first met, before she had fallen hopelessly in love with him, she had found his vampire side fascinating, yet somewhat repulsive. A smile turned up the corners of her mouth as she recalled their most recent lovemaking. "No.. those were definitely NOT feelings of repulsion," she said, with a chuckle. The smile quickly faded as the dream returned to haunt her. First she had gotten the roses and the note asking her to come to Azure and.... Nat felt her heart skip a beat. There had been nothing about roses or a note in her dream, but she KNEW that it had started with them. A sudden wave of nausea gripped her and she gave a small moan of anguish. It HADN'T been a dream. It HAD happened and her memory of the events had been...erased. Her hands blindly found a throw pillow and pressing it against her chest she shuddered as all of the memories came flooding back. Nat sat rocking back and forth, tears of sorrow and anger flowing unchecked down her face as she sobbed into the pillow. Nick awakened with a start, automatically reaching out a hand to find Nat. Encountering only the empty bed next to him, he sat up listening and heard the sounds of her weeping from downstairs. Pulling on a discarded pair of pajama bottoms he went out into the upstairs hallway. Seeing Nat on the couch, sobbing, Nick hurried down stairs. She lifted her tear streaked face as he approached her and the look of smoldering anger and pain she gave him caused him to stop in his tracks. "Nat? What's wrong?" For a moment Nick was not sure that she would answer him. He crosseed to the couch. He sat down near her and reached his hand toward her, stopping when she flinched away from his touch. Wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, Nat took a deep breath and met his gaze. "I remembered, Nick," she said in a voice filled with pain and sorrow. "I remembered what happened last Valentine's Day at Azure. I remember you telling LaCroix that I meant nothing to you." She paused, tears again flowing down her cheeks. She stood and walked over to the fireplace, her back to Nick. "And now," she said so softly Nick had to strain to hear her, "I'm not sure if I can trust anything you've told me." She turned to face him. "Please, Nick, tell me what is the truth? Have you just been using me, like you told LaCroix? Are the past few days, just your way of making sure that I'll stick around? Not because we love each other but because I might still find the answers you want?" She could feel her body shaking, "You know from my blood how I feel about you. I seem to get feelings from you but that could be wishful thinking. I have to rely on what you tell me." Her voice broke, "Please Nick, tell the truth. What can I believe?" With her first words, Nick closed his eyes. The pain in her voice burned in to him like sunlight Opening his eyes he watched the anguish in her face. He allowed all of his love for her and his sorrow for the pain he had once again caused her to show in his face as he spoke the words that filled his heart. "You can believe in us," he told her. "You can believe that I love you more than my own life. You can believe that you are the center of my universe. You can believe that you are my very heart, my soul, and my light." He rose and going to her cradles her face in his hands. Staring into her eyes he hoped that she would see the truth in what he was telling her. "You can believe that I will NEVER leave you, that I WILL STAY WITH YOU FOREVER if you will let me." Nick could feel tears forming in his own eyes. "And that if the day ever comes that you send me away from you or leave me, I will walk into the sunlight. To exist without you, would be unbearable." Nat looked at his face. She saw the pain in his eyes, and knew that he was telling her the truth. Closing her eyes, she released the breath she had been holding. The cold nausea that had gripped her when the memory had returned vanished. When she reopened them, she saw the pink trails of his tears and raising her hand gently brushed them away. Her eyes softened and a tender smile graced her lips as he caught her hand and pressed a kiss into its palm. "I will NEVERsend you away and I will NEVER leave you," she promised. Nick felt his own heart give a beat as he heard her promise. Dropping his hands to her shoulders he pulled her toward him. The feel of her arms around him and her face on his chest as she returned his embrace brought him peace. After a few minutes, Nat raised her head and looked into Nick's eyes. "I thought you said I was a resistor? How did you manage to wipe my memory?" Nick sighed, "LaCroix had weakened your resistance. He's strong enough to be able to control almost anybody, even a resister like you. It was how he kept you there until I arrived. I took away your memories. I was trying to kept you from the pain that they would cause you. I was wrong to do it, but at the time..." He gave a shrug. "At the time you though it was the right thing to do." Natalie finished for him.. "Nick, I know that you want to protect me, but I can't trust you if you hide things from me. I love you and want to be with you forever but I have to feel that I can trust you." She saw him nod in agreement. "From now on no more secrets. We face LaCroix, the Enforcers or whatever danger there is together." "No more secrets," Nick promised. He knew that Nat was right. He had absolute trust in Nat's love for him and he wanted her to have the same trust in his love for her. To continue to try to hide anything that affected their relationship, could only damage it. Their relationship was too important for him to risk by hiding things from her. He had to tell her of his suspicion that LaCroix was aware that Nick had lied when he claimed to have no feelings for Nat. Nat smiled at him, "Good. While I fix some breakfast you can tell me who Fleur is." She linked her arm in his and headed for the kitchen. Nick told her about his sister, Fleur, and how she had captured LaCroix's heart. Nat listened with understanding in her eyes as he explained why LaCroix had sought to punish Nick by attempting to destroy Nat. Nick looked at her, wishing he did not have to tell her of his fears. Covering her hand with his own, he told her about the monologue. "He knows that you lied and now he might try to come after me again." Nat said when he finished speaking. "He might," Nick acknowledged, "I'm sorry Nat. It seems like every time we start to have some happiness, something or someone from my past comes along and ruins it." He steeled himself to say his next words. "It might be safer for you if you didn't move in right now." Nat looked at him sharply. "Is that what you want Nick? For us to let him win by keeping us apart?" "No, I want you here with me, in my arms when I fall asleep and in them when I awaken." Nick traced the outline of her lips with his finger. "But, if you will feel safer away from me then I will understand." "I only feel safe, and truly happy when I'm with you." Nat's eyes glowed with determination. "If you want me in your arms, then that's where I'll be and LaCroix can go to hell if he doesn't approve." She looked down at the remains of her breakfast. "I'm afraid I have some bad news of my own," she said and told him of Stanton's questions during her interview with IA. When she finished, she put her fear into words. "Do you think he's a hunter?" Nick ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "It sounds like he could be one. I think I had better act on the assumption that he is." He saw the fear in her eyes. "Don't worry, I've been hunted before. I'll be careful." He walked over to where she sat and hugged her. "Maybe we're wrong, maybe he just likes to make trouble." She could hear the lack of confidence in her voice. Trying to brighten the mood she added "Well, I have to admit, my life has been anything but dull since I met you." Nick gave her a sad smile. "We'll get through this," he promised. Nat's reply was cut off by the ringing of Nick's phone. After Nick's greeting message, Tracy's voice came over the speaker. "Nick if you're there pick up" Nick crossed to the phone and answered it. "Yeah, Tracy, what do you need?" "Actually, I'm trying to reach Natalie," Tracy said with a slight tinge of embarrassment in her voice. "Grace has been trying to reach here, but she doesn't answer at her place or on her cell phone. Grace called me for your number and I told her I'd call and see if..." Tracy hesitated. Nick laughed "It's okay Tracy. She's right here hold on let me give her the phone." Smiling, Nat took the phone. "Hi Tracy, what's going on.?" "Nat, Grace needs you at the morgue. There's been a bus/train wreck and a multiple car wreck. She said to tell you she was sorry, she knows you planned to stay out for another day or so, but your office is swamped and they really need you to come in and help. " Nick saw Nat's face and knew thee was something seriously wrong. He relaxed a bit when he heard her ask, "How many bodies are we expecting?" It was not something personal. He nodded when she mouthed "Turn on the news," and went for the remote. The pictures of the bus/train collision were on when Nat joined him in front of the TV. "I've got to go in to work." She nodded toward the TV. "We've already got twenty-five fatalities from that, and there estimating another thirty that haven't been removed from the wreck. There's also been a multiple car pile up with six fatalities so far." Nat laid her head on Nick's shoulder, "With so many people at the office out of town for the holidays, I couldn't say no." "I understand," he assured her. "Do you want me to drive you?" "No, I'll be fine. Don't wait up for me. God only knows when I'll get out of there" Kissing his cheek, Nat went upstairs to get dressed. End Part 6 comments to Nightlady Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 18:18:16 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 7/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 7/15 Natalie had been gone for about thirty minutes when Nick felt LaCroix's presence in the loft. Not seeing him anywhere in the loft's main living area, Nick headed for the stairs. When he reached the bedroom, he found LaCroix standing next to the bed, Natalie's nightgown in his hands. The sight of LaCroix touching something of Nat's enraged Nick. "Good evening, Nicholas," LaCroix said in a calm cool voice. "What are you doing here?" The anger Nick felt showed in his voice. Walking over to LaCroix, Nick reached out his hand. "I don't remember inviting you here. Give me that and leave." LaCroix turned a scornful look on his son. He glanced at the gown he held in his hands. "I heard about Dr. Lambert's rather unpleasant experience. I merely wished to tell you that I'm glad she wasn't permanently damaged." With a faint smile he added, "It would be quite a waste to have her die at the hands of someone who could not fully appreciate her." Nick felt the beast in him screaming to be released , but knowing that he had to stay calm, he struggled to keep control. "Fine, you've told me. Now leave." LaCroix kept his gaze on Nick. "I assume the good doctor isn't here right now as I don't hear her heartbeat." With a sneer in his voice he added. "And I shall leave when I have finished my talk with you." . "We have nothing to talk about." "Not even the fact that you and the good doctor are lovers?" LaCroix said as he ran his hands along the soft satiny material of the nightgown. Nick tried to bluff, "I let her stay here after the attack. That doesn't mean we're lovers." LaCroix spoke harshly, "Did you forget that we are bonded? Did you think I would ignore the feelings and images I've received from you the past several days?" He gave a laugh at the stunned expression on Nick's face. "Nicholas, Nicholas you have been away from the fold too long. I must say, I rather enjoyed sharing the experience with you." LaCroix's words had been too much for Nick. The thought of his master experiencing, even through the bond between them, any part of Natalie enraged Nick beyond his ability to control his beast. Eyes glowing with the red of anger, Nick slammed into LaCroix, knocking him against the dresser. "Stay away from her," he hissed at LaCroix. "Stay away from US. I won't allow you to use her or me for your own pleasure. And I promise you, if you harm her I will destroy you!" LaCroix easily pushed Nick away. "I seem to recall you having tried that once before," he said calmly, "and yet I am still here." Seeing that his words had hit home he went on in a cold voice. "As to your precious Natalie, I think perhaps I will leave her alone. It will be amusing to see how long it takes before you lose control and kill her yourself." With a whoosh of air, LaCroix was gone. Nick bent and picked up Natalie's nightgown from the floor where LaCroix had dropped it. Sinking down on the bed he held it clutched to his chest. "I won't kill her LaCroix," he whispered. "I won't." Carefully laying the nightgown on the bed, he rose and went downstairs. Grabbing his keys and jacket, Nick left the loft. Nat had just started working on the first of the bus accident victims, when she suddenly felt her heart start to pound in her chest and a wave of rage sweep through her. Stepping back from the table she pretended to be examining her notes, as she fought to bring her emotions under control. Just as quickly as the feelings had hit her, they were gone. 'What the hell just happened to me?' Her mind sought for some sort of explanation to what had happened. "Nat, are you okay?" Grace asked from where she stood on the other side of the table. "You looked like you wanted to hit something for a minute there." "Sorry. I guess I just get angry when so many innocent people die because one person just had to try and drive while drunk." The bus crash had been caused when a drunk driver, in a large motor home, had sideswiped a city bus. The bus had been full of commuters on their way home from work. The force of the crash had sent the bus over a guard rail to plunge some thirty feet into Lake Ontario. Most of the dead had died from the impact, but a large number drowned when the bus landed on its roof and filled with water. Of the sixty five people on board, only ten had managed to get out in time. The driver of the motor home had suffered only a few minor injuries and was now in police custody. "Yeah," Grace agreed, "I know what you mean. You'd think people would have learned by now." Nat nodded her agreement. "Let open her up an see what kind of internal damage we find." She picked up a scalpel and went back to work. Nick drove around aimlessly for several hours. He was angry and somewhat embarrassed to think of Nat and his moments of intimacy being violated by LaCroix. Nick also feared that despite his words LaCroix might very well attempt to kill Nat or to bring her across. The thought of LaCroix, touching Nat, let alone holding her in his arms and tasting her blood, sickened Nick. The knowledge that he had tried to kill LaCroix and failed, added to his unhappiness. The only thing that gave Nick any hope was his certainty that he would not lose control and kill Nat. After their last session of lovemaking, Nick was knew she was indeed safe with him. "I will protect her LaCroix," he said aloud, "and I will never let you hurt or even touch her as long as I exist." Nick glanced at his watch. It was nearly 4:00am. He started to head back to the loft, then changed his mind and turned his car toward the Coroner's offices and Nat. Guessing that she would not take time to stop and eat unless forced, Nick stopped at an all night diner and ordered a meal of chicken, mashed potatoes and salad to go. He admitted to himself as he drove that the food was just an excuse. He would not be able to rest until had seen Nat and made certain that she was unharmed. Entering the morgue area, Nick grimaced at the number of gurneys with body bags that he saw. Usually, the only time a visitor to the morgue saw any sign of a body was if they went into either one of the autopsy rooms or identification rooms. Tonight, however, the sheer number of dead had resulted in there not being enough room in the cold storage area to put them all. Moving quickly down the hall, Nick spotted Grace as she emerged from Nat's office and headed in his direction. Seeing him, she greeted him with a smile. "Nick, what are you doing here?" "I thought I'd drop by and bring Nat some dinner." Nick indicated the bag he was carrying. "I know her. She'll work all night and forget to eat." Grace laughed, "You're right. She's just finishing up in room three. Why don't you go on in her office and I'll let her know you're here." "Sounds good," Nick said with a smile. He went into Nat's office and carefully removed the Styrofoam containers from the bag. He had just finished when Nat walked in, her weariness showing in her eyes. Meeting her as she neared the desk, he took her in his arms. He held her gently as she lay her head against his chest, resting for a moment. "I stopped and bought you some dinner." Nick told her as he rubbed her back. "Hope you feel like broiled chicken." "Right now, I'm so hungry I would consider RAW chicken," Nat said, smiling up at him. Nick kissed her softly on the lips. "Sit down and eat before it gets too cold." His arm about her waist, he led her over to her chair. When she was seated, he perched on he edge of her desk and watched as she devoured the meal. "This is great," she told him between mouthfuls. "Thank you for thinking to bring it." Nat looked at him closely and asked, "What's wrong? And don't try to tell me nothing, I can see it in your eyes." She watched as he gave her a half grin acknowledging her statement. Nick took a deep breath. He didn't want to tell her, to make her worry. He had promised 'No more secrets' and he wasn't going to break his promise. Leaning toward her he caressed her cheek, "LaCroix came by the loft a short while after you left." Nick heard her sharp intake of breath and saw her eyes widen in concern. He smiled, attempting to reassure her. "What...what did he want?" Nat's voice was quiet. "He knows about us," Nick spoke softly. Feeling the shudder that passed through Nat's body, he took her hand in his. "He knows I lied to him that night at Azure." Nat's lower lip began to tremble as she fought back tears. In a shaken voice she asked, "How did he find out about us?" With a sigh, Nick stood and pulled Nat to her feet. He found himself having difficulty telling her that LaCroix, because of his bond with Nick, had been able to experience their emotions while making love. He finally managed to get out the words and braced himself for Nat's reaction. Nat felt herself turn several shades of red as she realized just what Nick was telling her. The idea of anyone, especially LaCroix, spying on them like that infuriated her. Anger glinting in her eyes she raged, "How DARE he? How DARE he intrude on our privicy like that?" She saw the pain and guilt in Nick's eyes. Of course, he blamed himself for LaCroix's actions. Her anger faded and she wanted to assure Nick that she didn't blame him for his 'father's' actions. For the moment, however, all she could do was wrap her arms around him and bury her face in his jacket. Seeing Nat so upset broke Nick's heart. Holding her as sobs shook her body, he laid his face against her hear. He briefly considered not relating the rest of his conversation with LaCroix to her, but knew that she had to know everything. "There's more Nat," he said softly, "he says he is going to leave you alone." He saw the hope in her eyes as she lifted her head and looked at him. "I don't know if I believe him. He said he didn't have to harm you, that I'll lose control and kill you myself." Nick watched her closely for her reaction. To his great relief, Nat gave him a big grin. "I know that will never happen," she said firmly. Nick looked at her, his love for her showing in his eyes and voice. "No, that will never happen. I love you. You are my heart, and I will protect you from LaCroix as long as I exist." He drew her to him and finding her lips kissed her with all the passion and love he felt for her and she met it with her own. It was not until a knock sounded at Nat's office door that they reluctantly broke their embrace. "Yes, come in," Nat called out breathlessly. The door opened and one of the attendants stepped into the office. "Sorry to interrupt you Dr. Lambert, but Dr. Walsh wants know if you can do another three bodies before you go home?" 'I want to go home right now and finish what you interrupted.' Aloud she replied, "Yes, get the first one set up in room five and I'll be right there." She waited until the attendant left and turned to Nick. "You'd better head on back to the loft, it will be dawn soon. I'll be here until at least 11:00 am. and then I need to stop by my place and feed Sidney, before I come to the loft." Nick nodded, "Don't let them talk you into any more posts after these three. You look exhausted." Nick walked with her to the door. "I have enough time to take care of Sidney and still get home before the sun comes up. When you finish here come straight to the loft" Cupping her chin in his hand he kissed her softly. "Call a cab if you feel too tired. I'll pay for it when you get there." With a final kiss he headed for the parking lot. End Part 7 comments to Nightlady Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 18:19:55 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 8/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 8/15 Nat stood watching Nick walk away, then went in the across the hall to where the next victim was waiting. As she walked into the room, Nat noticed that her assistant for this post was not yet present. Going over to where the supplies were, she put on a fresh pair of latex gloves and a rubber apron. She heard the door open behind her. "Glad you're here...." Nat froze as a voice from her nightmare spoke. "How kind of you Dr." Nat whirled around to find LaCroix standing less than a foot away. She could feel her heart pounding as a combination of fear and anger poured adrenaline into her bloodstream. Recovering her composure she faced him and demanded, "What do you want?" "Merely to say hello Dr. Lambert, or may I call you Natalie?" LaCroix gave her a thin lipped smile. "I do rather feel as if I know you." Anger replaced the fear. Narrowing her eyes Nat glared back at LaCroix. "I think you'd better stick with Dr. Lambert." Taking a step toward him she spoke in a furious voice. "Or even better GO AWAY and then you won't need to call me anything at all." LaCroix gave a short laugh, "Oh no my dear, I'm afraid I can't do that. You see I still haven't decided if I should just deal with you myself or wait and let poor Nicholas distroy you with his 'love'. " Nat aimed a slap at his face, but LaCroix easily caught her hand and stopped her. "Tsk, tsk my dear, not very ladylike behavior." Holding her by the wrist, LaCroix reached out and ran his finger along Nat's jaw and down her neck. He looked closely at her eyes and noted the faint flicker of gold in them that her anger had produced. The ease with which he had caught her hand reminded Nat that she was dealing with a very old, very strong vampire. She somehow managed to keep from shuddering as he touched her face and throat. As he leaned closer to her she met his cold stare with one of her own. After a moment LaCroix unexpectedly released her. "I must admit you do have courage. I offered to let Nicholas make you a part of our little club the last time we met. Perhaps, I should not take the chance of him killing you and bring you across myself." He looked pointedly at her throat. Satisfied with the hint of fear that came into her eyes, LaCroix released her and stepped toward the door. "I'll leave you, for now. Think about my offer, I might even let you make the choice." At the door he stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. "Until later ... Natalie." Natalie held her breath until the door closed behind him. Moving over to a stool she sat down and tried to stop her hands from shaking. When the attendant that was to assist her entered she nearly screamed until she realized that it was not LaCroix. Seeing the look the attendant gave her, she shrugged and said. "I guess I must have dozed off. For a minute I thought it was our patient moving around." The attendant laughed, "Sorry, I'll be sure to whistle next time so you'll know it's not the patient." Nat returned his smile and walked over to the autopsy table. As she was removing the sheet covering the body the attendant added, "I have to say that if one of the patients ever did sit up I'd probably drop dead from shock." He looked at Nat, "How about you Doc? What do you think you'd do if one of them came back to life on you?" Carefully controlling her expression Nat thought 'One did and I fell in love with him.' To the attendant she said, "Oh, probably turn in my resignation, assuming I survived the coronary." She listened to the attendant chuckle as she began the autopsy. Nick drove up in front of his garage door and pushed the remote control. His stop to feed Sidney, had taken slightly longer than he had planned. The big, gray tabby had seemed almost glad to see him and Nick had spent a little time holding the cat and stroking his fur. Now the sun was mere minutes from rising and Nick was anxious to get inside the safe darkness of the garage. Accustomed to the door opening as he approached, Nick had to hit the brakes when this morning it stayed shut. He hit the remote again with no result. 'Great,' he thought, 'just what I need. First LaCroix shows up and now the garage door's on the blink.' Sighing Nick opened the car door. He started to walk toward the garage door intending to open it manually, when he became aware of an unfamiliar mortal heartbeat. By the sound, Nick could tell that who ever was there was coming up behind him. Irritably Nick turned to see a tall, somewhat muscular man standing about three feet from him. The unknown man was pointing a gun in Nick's direction. "Hello, Det. Knight," the man said, "I've been waiting for you. I knew you'd have to be back before sunrise." Smiling at Nick, he fired the gun. Nat's warning about the possibility of Stanton being a hunter suddenly flashed in Nick's mind just as the bullet hit him in the shoulder. Instead of the brief second of discomfort that Nick was used to whenever he was shot, this bullet sent a blinding stab of agony throughout Nick's body. He was only vaguely aware that he had fallen to the ground, until he realized that the man, he knew it had to be Stanton, was standing over him. Nick tried to speak but could only moan in pain. He could feel himself growing weaker as blood poured out of his wound. The man poured a few drops of water onto Nick's forehead. As they touched his skin, each drop caused a large burn causing Nick to groan at this news pain. Nodding to himself the man spoke again. "My name is Stanton. Now that I see what the holy water did to you, I'm sure of what you are. I could just stand here and wait until the sun comes up and finishes you, but I need you alive, for a while." "What are you talking about?" Nick managed to gasp. "I'm a cop, just like you." Nick was trying to figure out why this bullet had caused so much damage and why he didn't seem to be healing. Stanton looked at Nick with scorn. "Oh, I'm not a cop. I'm a hunter and what I hunt are vampires, like you." He gave a harsh laugh. "I use very unusual bullets in this gun. I have them made out of wood, hawthorn to be precise. If I were to shoot you in the heart with one of them it would be just as effective as a stake." Nick looked up at Stanton. "Why? I don't know you. I 've never done you any harm." "You harm me by your very existence. You and your kind are an evil plague that must be wiped off the face of the earth." Stanton 's voice shook with rage, "I learned about you from a vampire named Henri Rosay. In exchange for his information, I let him die." Nick closed his eyes in sorrow. Henri had been a good friend for over 600 years and Nick had last seen him just over a year ago. For him to have betrayed Nick to this hunter, he must have been in unbearable agony." Nick looked back at Stanton. "I'll never tell you the name of any other vampire. You may as well kill me now." "That's what your friend Henri said, but in the end he was willing enough to talk." Stanton glanced at the sky. "Almost sun rise," he observed, "I'm afraid even wounded like this, you might still be able to try to fight me." Stanton aimed the gun at Nick's chest. "Let's hope I don't get you in the heart." He said cheerfully as he pulled the trigger. Nick felt the bullet rip into his chest. Just before he blacked out from the pain and loss of blood, he thought of Natalie, of how upset she would be and how much he loved her.. LaCroix had returned to his residence. Getting a bottle of his special vintage, he poured a glass and took a sip. His mind replayed what he had seen in Natalie's eyes. 'So there is already a strong bond between them,' he mused. 'and poor, foolish Nicholas does not even realize that he is slowly changing her into what he is.' Amused by the idea, LaCroix was unprepared for the sudden burst of pain that came through his bond with Nicholas. Stunned, LaCroix dropped the glass of bloodwine he had been drinking. Ignoring the shattered glass on the floor, he sat heavily in a nearby chair. Nicholas was severely injured in some way and LaCroix was helpless to go to his assistance. The sun was already peeking above the horizon and for him to venture out in to it would be committing suicide. He rose from chair and getting another glass, poured more of the bloodwine. He knew that Nicholas still lived, and when night fell he would go in search of his son. For now, he would feed well, rest, and make other preperations to prepare for the task ahead. It was after 11:00am when Natalie finally left the morgue A sudden wave of dizziness not long after LaCroix had departed , had left her shaken. She had seen Dr. Walsh and begged off one of the last two autopsies she had been scheduled to perform. Indeed, she had instead gone to her office and taken an half hour nap before she started the last autopsy. Although still tired, she was feeling well enough to drive herself home. When she arrived at the loft she was puzzled to see Nick's Caddy sitting outside the garage. Pulling up next to it, she got out of her car and stood looked at the closed garage door. Her puzzlement turned to concern, when she noticed the fine gray ash that lay in front of the closed garage door. Moving slowly she walked over and examined it. There was something very familiar about the pattern the ash made on the concrete. As she searched the area with her eyes, she saw a still damp spot of blood that lay in a sliver of shadow on one side of the Caddy. As she watched, the sunlight reached the shadow and the blood began to bubble away until only ash was left. Nat's stomach turned as the pattern suddenly registered in her mind. She had seen enough victims of violence to recognize the way blood flows and puddles around a body, mortal or vampire. The ash was a blood stain, or what remained of a blood stain from a vampire after exposure to the sun's rays. Looking around Nat was only slightly relieved to realize that there was not enough ash for an entire vampire body to have been burned. Nat hurried to the door, punched in the security code, and waited for the distinct "chunk" sound of the door unlocking. When nothing happened, she looked more closely at the keypad and realized that the red light indicating the system was armed was not glowing. In fact, as far as she could tell, it appeared that there was no power at all being received by the keypad. Fumbling in her purse she located the set of keys to the staircase doors and hurried in that direction. As she passed the electrical box on the outside of the building, she saw that the main cable was severed. Looking up she realized for the first time that the blinds were still open. Reaching the door, she frantically unlocked it and jogged up the two long flights of stairs. Reaching the entry to the loft she unlocked that door and stepped inside. "NICK, ARE YOU HERE!" Nat shouted as she moved toward the stairs. She could see that he was nowhere in the main living area. The sunlight streaming through the open blinds did not reveal any trace of ashes. Almost running upstairs, she entered the empty bedroom. "Nick please, be here." She murmured even though in her heart she knew he was not. Finding nothing unusual in either the bedroom or the bath, Nat stood for a minute trying to decide what to do next. Returning to the main floor, she sat on the couch and tried to make sense of what she had discovered. She picked up the remote control and aimed it at the blinds, but as she suspected the entire building was without power. The damaged cable explained why Nick had not pulled his car into the garage and the location of the blood/ash stain in front of the garage door. "He must have been going to open it by hand when he was attacked." She said to herself. "Now if I just knew who attacked him." She thought of the Enforcers, but they would not have needed to mess with such mundane things as cutting electrical cables. Stanton; the name came unbidden to her mind and Nat felt her heart skip a beat. If he was a hunter and had found Nick.... With shaking hands Nat picked up the phone and called the IA offices. Luckily, Collins was on day shift and was willing to tell Nat the name of Stanton's hotel. Nat rather briskly cut him off as he once apologize for Stanton's behavior. After Collins finally hung up, Nat hit the reset button on the phone. Dialing the hotel, she felt her heart sink as the desk clerk informed her that they had no record of anyone by that name having been registered at the hotel. Hanging up the phone, Nat looked around the loft. Everything looked so peaceful, so normal that she felt as if the room was mocking her. Standing, she began pacing as she tried to work out a plan to find Stanton and, she felt certain, Nick. She considered calling Tracy for help, but that might lead to Tracy's discovering Nick's secret. As much as Nat disliked the idea, the only person she could think of who had any chance of locating Nick was LaCroix. She would have to seek him out and ask him for his help. She looked down at the suit she was wearing and decided to go to her apartment and change into clothes more suitable for what she expected lay ahead. End Part 8 comments to Nightlady Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 18:21:20 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 9/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 9/15 The drive to her place took Nat under fifteen minutes. Inside she was greeted by Sidney. Seeing him she remembered that Nick was to have stopped here before he went home. A check in the kitchen showed that he had done so as Sidney's food and water dishes had both been filled. Picking the cat up in her arms, Nat carried him into the bedroom. Holding him close to her she cried into his soft fur releasing some of the tension her fear had produced. Feeling better, she stripped off her clothes and stepping into the shower turned on the water. Keeping the temperature cool, she washed and tricked her body into thinking it was rested. Drying off she dressed in jeans, a warm sweater, and a pair of thick socks. Carrying a pair of sneakers into the living room she sat down and put them on carefully adjusting the lacings. Making herself a couple of sandwiches and fixing a thermos of coffee, Nat grabbed a warm jacket from her closet as well as a sturdy canvas tote. Putting the sandwiches and the thermos into the tote Nat headed back to her car. Once there she headed for the Raven. Nat sat in her car outside the Raven and pounded on the steering wheel in frustration. Repeated knocking at the door to the club had produced no results. Apparently, LaCroix, unlike Janette, did not live in the small apartment in the rear of the building. Checking her watch, she saw that it was only a few minutes past one. Sunset was still over four hours away.. Unable to just sit and wait, in hopes that LaCroix would arrive at the club soon after the sunset, Nat considered her options once again. A small smile crossed her face as she thought of one other person who might be able to help her. Starting the car she pulled away from the curb and headed across town. Arriving at her destination less than ten minutes later, Nat parked the car and looked out her window at the abandoned church across the street. She had never met Javier Vachon, but she knew that Tracy liked and trusted him. Nat also knew that Nick did not think as highly of Vachon at first, but had mellowed somewhat on his opinion since then. Taking a deep breath, Nat got out of her car and crossed the street. She was concentrating so much on what she would say to Vachon, that she never noticed Tracy Vetter's car parked a few spaces farther down the road. Tracy sat on the old couch listening to Vachon play his guitar. She had come over about an hour earlier, as she often did once or twice a week. There was a certain venerability about the slim, dark haired vampire that drew Tracy to him. She admitted to herself the fact that he was also very handsome didn't hurt. Since their first meeting, in the temporary morgue, following the plane crash that had killed Don Schanke and Amanda Cohen, the relationship between the mortal police officer and the former conquistador had gone from cautious acceptance to a genuine friendship that bordered on deeper feelings of affection. Tracy was still unsure just how much deeper she wanted the relationship to go. Vachon smiled as he watched Tracy. He enjoyed the time she spent with him and valued her friendship. He also found her extremely attractive and had to struggle with his desire to taste her calla lily and apricot scented blood. He knew that she found his vampire side both fascinating and frightening. He wondered how she would react if she knew her partner was an 800 year old vampire? The thought caused Vachon to chuckle. "What?" Tracy raised her eyebrows. "Oh, nothing," Vachon lied, "I was just remembering something Screed once did." Tracy snorted, "Having met Screed, I don't think I want to know." The cockney carouche was not one of Tracy's favorite acquaintances. "No," Vachon agreed, "you probably don't" He suddenly stopped playing as his keen hearing noted the sound of the outer door of the old church opening. Seeing his reaction Tracy whispered, "What is it?" "Someone's coming inside." Vachon spoke softly. He could hear a mortal heartbeat from below as whoever was in the church walked toward the stairs. He looked at Tracy. "Why don't you go behind those curtains and let me see who this is." Seeing her nod in acceptance he moved silently to the top of the stairs. Whoever was down there had stopped just short of the staircase. Nat stood listening to the noises inside the church. She thought she had heard a voice or voices followed by footsteps from above her. Squaring her shoulders, she started up the stairs. "Vachon," she called out, "my name is Natalie Lambert. I'm a friend of Nick Knight's and I need your help." She paused halfway up the stairs waiting for a reply and suddenly questioning the wisdom of coming here. Her heart jumped as a figure emerged from the shadows above her. The slender build, long, wavy, dark hair and somewhat grungy appearence of the person looking down at her matched Nick's description of the younger, Spanish vampire. "Please, Vachon. I think a hunter has Nick and I need you to help me." Upstairs, Tracy listened in confusion. She recognized Nat's voice, but what was this talk about some sort of hunter having Nick? Moving out from behind the curtains, Tracy quietly went closer to the stairway. Vachon stood looking down at Natalie, seeing the distress in her large blue eyes. 'I'll say one thing for Knight. He has good taste in women.' Aloud he said, "Wait there, I'll be down in a minute." Turning he saw Tracy standing a few feet away and suddenly realized if he was not careful he was going to have an answer to his earlier question. "Tracy," he said smiling, "do me a favor and wait here. This shouldn't take a minute." Without waiting to see if she agreed, he started downstairs. "Yeah right." Tracy muttered and crossed the room to hear why Nat was looking for Vachon. Vachon intended to move Natalie away from the stairs before Tracy heard enough to figure out what Nick was. His plan was spoiled when Nat started speaking as soon as he reappeared. "I'm sorry to barge in this way, but I couldn't think of anyone else to go to. I'm certain that Nick has been taken by a hunter named Stanton. I found Nick's car outside the loft and trace of ash from his blood in front of the garage door. I also saw some blood that was still in shadow. I know it was Nick's because it combusted as soon as the sun hit it and...." Natalie's voice faded as she stared past Vachon. Vachon turned his head and saw Tracy standing at the top of the stairs, her mouth hanging open and shaking her head in disbelief. Tuning back to Natalie, who looked almost as stunned as Tracy, he managed a half grin. "Sorry, I had no way of warning you she was here," he said apologetically. Nat met his eyes and he could see tears in hers. He offered her his hand saying, "You might as well come on up. I think we've got some explaining ahead of us." Nat nodded, "Yeah, I guess we do." Following him up stairs, she tried to think of just what to say to Tracy. Tracy was feeling like the world's biggest idiot. When Nat had started talking about Nick's blood combusting in the sunlight, all of the pieces had suddenly clicked into place. She stood aside allowing Vachon and Nat to enter the upstairs room and watched as Vachon indicated Nat should sit. Walking over to where Nat sat, Tracy stood in front of her waiting for an explanation other than the one she had reached. Nat looked up at her, and Tracy could see the stress on her face. Concern for her friend overcame her momentary anger. Squatting down in front of Nat, Tracy asked, "Why Nat? Why did he lie to me?" Nat took Tracy's hand. "He didn't lie to you. He just didn't tell you everything." Nat squeezed Tracy's hand. "The more you know about the vampire community the greater the danger to you. Nick was trying to protect you as much as he could." Tracy was silent for a moment. She felt Vachon put his hand on her shoulder. "Then Nick is," she paused, not quite able to say the words. Nat nodded. "Yes," she said gently, "Nick is a vampire, like Vachon." She watched as Tracy took a deep breath. "And now he's in trouble," Nat went on, "I think Stanton, the IA man from Winnipeg, is a hunter. And I think he has Nick." "I don't understand what you mean when you say Stanton is a hunter." Vachon answered for Nat. "She means he's a mortal who hunts down vampires," Vachon watched as Tracy's eyes grew wide, "so he can destroy them," As Vachon's words sank in, Tracy turned to Nat. "Oh, Nat. You must be worried sick," she said as she hugged her friend. She could feel Nat tremble as she fought for control. "All right," Tracy said. "How can we help?" Nick had slowly regained consciousness. His chest felt as if it were on fire and he couldn't remember the last time he had felt so weak. He was lying on a rough surface that felt like concrete. As the memory of Stanton standing above him with the gun returned, Nick opened his eyes. To his relief, there was a ceiling above him not a sky tinted with the rays of sunrise. His sense of relief was shot lived, as he realized that he was now Stanton's prisoner. Fighting the pain, Nick managed to push himself into an upright position. He was in a small unfurnished, unlighted room. In front of him was a closed door. There were heavy manacles on his wrists that were fastened to a metal loop in the wall behind him by thick chains. A glance told him that while he could sit or lie down, the chains were not long enough to permit him to stand. His shirt had been removed, but other wise he was dressed. Using his senses, he could tell that there was some sort of barrier to his kind forming a half circle around him. Worst of all he could feel the onslaught of hunger caused by the blood loss from his wounds. About ten minutes after he awakened, Nick heard footsteps approaching the room. There was the sound the doorknob turning and the door opened revealing Stanton. He was standing in what seemed to be a lighted hallway. He reached inside and flicked on the lights in the room. "I see that you're awake." Stanton said in greeting. Not leaving the doorway he smiled at Nick. "As you can see, you are mine. You are going to die, but how much you suffer depends on how cooperative you are. All you have to do, is give me the name and location of one other vampire and I promise that your death will be swift and painless." He reached for something outside the door. When his hand came back into view, he was holding a large sword. "Much quicker than being staked, wouldn't you agree?" Stanton laughed as a low growl escaped Nick's lips. "Not interested in cooperating yet?. Then I'm afraid that I will have to convince you." Stanton again reached outside the door and Nick heard a mechanical sound in the ceiling above him. Looking up he could make out what looked like a piece of metal, sliding through a slot in the wall. It was large enough to cover the entire area accessible to Nick. There was more sound and Nick realized in horror that the roof above the metal plate was not solid. It contained thousands of tiny holes, which were now allowing the suns' rays into the room. The holes were small enough that the sun would not instantly destroy him, but merely cause many painful tiny burns. "It takes three minutes for the metal cover to cycle from closed to open and back to closed." Stanton explained. "The cycles will occur at random times throughout the day." He turned away as the first beams of sun reached Nick causing him to moan in agony. "I'll let you think about your answer for a while." Leaving the room, Stanton closed the door behind him. Nick strained to break the chains as the beams of sunlight burned into him, but found he was too weak. Crying out in pain he tried to make himself as small a target as possible. Finally the cycle complete, he was once again protected from the sun's rays. He could feel his body healing the burns, but with his other wounds and needing blood, it would only be a matter of time before he would not heal completely between cycles. Closing his eyes, Nick lay back against the wall and waited for the next cycle to begin. End Part 9 comments to Nightlady Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 08:31:18 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 10/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 10/15 Tracy and Vachon sat together across the room from where Natalie lay sleeping. After hearing her story, Vachon had agreed to accompany her to the Raven to seek LaCroix's help. Seeing her exhaustion, Tracy had persuaded her to lie down and try to get some rest, as sunset was still some three hours away. Nat had finally agreed and had fallen asleep about fifteen minutes earlier. Shortly after Nat had lain down, Tracy had left for several minutes. She had called in to work claiming to be sick and arranging for someone else to take over her shift tonight. She had also removed her gun and holster from the trunk of her car and put them on under her jacket. When she returned to the church, Tracy had chatted with Vachon about a number of things, but had avoided talking about what was clearly on her mind. Her new knowledge that Nick Knight, homicide detective and her partner, was a vampire . Speaking softly, so as not to disturb his unexpected house guest, Vachon broached the subject. "Tracy, how are you coping with finding out about Nick?" "I'm not sure," Tracy replied uneasily. "I mean he's my partner and we're supposed to have trust in one another. Now I find out that he apparently doesn't trust me a whole lot." "That's not fair, Tracy. It's like Nat said, the less you know the safer you are." Tracy looked at Vachon suddenly sensing that there was something he had not told her. "Safe from who or what?" Vachon answered so quietly that Tracy had to strain to hear. "Safe from the Enforcers and other members of the vampire community that don't want mortals to know of our existence." "What are Enforcers?" Taking Tracy's hand, Vachon explained that the Enforcers where rather like the community's police. That their job was to see that no vampire's actions endangered the safety of the community. To destroy any mortal that found out about the existance of vampires, and who could pose a threat to the community. Tracy remembered that Screed had said something about it being Vachon's duty to kill her since she knew that he was a vampire. Tracy grew pale when she understood that by befriending her, instead of killing her, Vachon had placed his life in jeopardy. Just the way Nick had placed his life jeopardy by falling in love with Nat instead of killing her. "Vachon, if just being friends with a mortal is frowned upon, what about Nick and Nat. I mean it's obvious to anyone that they are in love." Vachon shook his head. "Nick is one of the older vampires in Toronto, as a matter of fact the only one older that I know of is LaCroix. That, plus the fact that Natalie has never endangered the community, has kept them safe so far." "Uh, Vachon, just how old is Nick?" Tracy asked. "I don't know exactly, but I think he's about 800." "EIGHT HUNDRED years," Tracy squeaked. Vachon smiled and nodded. Putting his arm around Tracy's shoulder he hugged her. "Yeah, and he doesn't look a day over 500." Vachon quipped. Tracy laughed and jokingly hit Vachon on the chest. "Do you think Nat knows how old he is?" Vachon shrugged, "From what I've heard about the two of them, I would say she knows." They sat quietly for a while and Tracy, her head against Vachon's chest, dozed. The peaceful silence was shattered when Natalie suddenly began moaning and calling out Nick's name. Tracy and Vachon hurried to her side. As Nat suddenly sat up, screaming for Nick, Tracy pulled her in to a tight embrace. "Easy, Nat. You were dreaming. It was just a dream." Tracy said soothingly. Vachon could see Nat's face over Tracy's shoulder and when Nat looked up, he found himself watching as her deep blue eyes changed to pale gold and then back to blue. It happened so quickly Vachon was unsure if he had really seen the gold. "Tracy," Nat said between sobs, "I have to find Nick. He's hurt so badly, and the pain is driving him mad. He needs me." "It was just a dream, Nat. It wasn't real." Tracy tried to comfort her friend. Nat shook her head, "No Tracy. It was real. I don't know where Nick is, but I know that he is suffering horribly." "She may be right," Vachon said to Tracy. He took Nat's hand in his. "If she has a bond with Knight, she may have felt what he is feeling.." Nat looked at Vachon. "You mean like the bond Nick has with LaCroix? But I thought that only happened when someone was brought across." "That IS usually how the bond is formed, but a bond can also be formed between a vampire and a mortal." Vachon explained. He hesitated, "If they are...completely intimate." Nat blushed slightly, "If you mean that I could have a bond with Nick if we were have sex, then yes it is entirely possible." She looked at Tracy and Vachon. "I know what I felt was real." "But if there is a bond," Tracy asked, "wouldn't Nat have felt something this morning when all this apparently started?" "I did," Nat said her voice breaking. "Just before sunrise, I got dizzy and almost fainted I just thought I was tired." She began sobbing, "I didn't know, I didn't know." "It wouldn't make any difference if you had known." Vachon said calmly. "By the time you felt it, there was nothing you could have done." Nat looked at Vachon with gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered, "you have no idea how much that helps." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Crying is not going to help Nick. I need to figure out what I am going to say to LaCroix." The moment the sun set Nat, Tracy and Vachon headed to the Raven. Vachon would go in with Nat to talk to LaCroix, while Tracy waited in the car. If LaCroix was not there or refused to help, then Vachon would try to locate Nick using his ability to sense another of his kind. Arriving at the Raven, Vachon and Nat went up to the door and knocked. After several minutes, the door was opened by a young, blond woman who smiled at Vachon. "Javier, you know we don't open for another hour. Why are you and your friend," she said looking at Nat, "here now?" "We need to see LaCroix, Urs. Is he here?" "Yes, but I don't know for how long. He seems upset over something." She held the door open and motioned them inside. "Wait here and I'll tell him that you and.." "Natalie Lambert," Natalie said in response to Urs' questioning look. "Nick's friend? " Urs gave her a warm smile. "I'll be right back." Nat turned to Vachon. "Just how many vampires know who I am?" Vachon shrugged. "Don't know for sure. I can tell you that they all know you are off-limits unless they want Knight on their case." Natalie's reply was interrupted as LaCroix entered the room. Nat looked at LaCroix and, for the first time, saw past her dislike for him. His bond with Nick was much older and stronger than hers. 'If Nick's pain affected me the way it did,' she thought, 'how much worse it has to have been for him.' "What do you want?" The voice was cold. Taking a chance, Nat walked up to him. "The same thing you do," she said staring into his icy blue eyes. "To find Nick. You may not like me LaCroix, but we both love Nick If we work together we have a better chance of finding him." LaCroix looked at the mortal woman in front of him. He admitted to himself that she was right. They both loved his son. LaCroix nodded, "Come to my office. We have to make plans." "Get Tracy will you please?" Nat looked at Vachon who nodded and left. As they walked to the office, Nat told LaCroix all she knew about Stanton and what she had found at Nick's loft. "I felt him this afternoon. He ... he 's being tortured." Nat looked into LaCroix's eyes. LaCroix closed his eyes, "I know. And you are correct Dr. We both love Nicholas." End Part 10 comments to Nightlady Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 08:32:59 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 11/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 11/15 A half hour later, Tracy and Nat drove away from the Raven. Moments before, LaCroix and Vachon had taken to the air. They would use the power of LaCroix's bond with Nick to locate where he was being held captive. Vachon carried a cell phone and would call in directions to the two women. As they drove along the streets waiting for Vachon's next call, Tracy turned to Nat. "How long have you known about Nick?" Nat gave a small chuckle, "Ever since the night he sat up on my examining table, just over four years ago." She went on to explain how she and Nick had gradually grown to be friends. She told Tracy how they had finally admitted that they loved one another and the near disaster with LaCroix at Azure. Finally she spoke of how they had only six days earlier risked everything to be together and won. Very softly, Tracy asked, "What's it like?" Nat smiled. She knew what Tracy meant. "It's wonderful. It's the most marvelous thing I've ever experienced. When Nick and I are together I feel complete. He is everything I have ever or will ever want in my life. He makes me feel so very loved." Her voice was soft as she spoke. "When we make love, and he tastes my blood... it's an experience that I really can't put into words." Nat smiled at Tracy. "Nick says that he can taste my love for him in my blood and that it warms him." She managed a small chuckle. "The normal, physical side of it is not bad either." Tracy laughed. "I thought both were looking pretty pleased with yourselves lately." She noticed her friends smile fade. "We'll find him Nat." "I hope we find him in time." It had taken over two hours and too many phone calls to count, but at last Vachon reported that LaCroix had located the building where Nick was being held. "Okay, Vachon, we're about ten minutes away," Tracy said into her cell phone. "See you then." Tracy smiled at Nat. "LaCroix's found the building." Nat closed her eyes as relief swept through her. 'Hang on Nick,' she thought, 'the calvarey is about to arrive.' "I'm going to make sure everything is ready." She said to Tracy as she pulled the canvas tote over the back seat of the car and into her lap. For at least the sixth time that evening, she went over its contents. Inside the tote was a folded blanket, two flash lights, several bottles of bloodwine, four one-pint bags of human blood supplied by LaCroix, and two sets of the equipment Nat would need to transfuse blood into Nick should he be unable to drink when they reached him. The rest of Nat's medical gear was in her bag on the back seat of Tracy's car. Nat knew that even though Nick resisted taking human blood, nothing else would heal him faster. She reminded herself that LaCroix had given her his word that no one had died to provide the blood she now carried in the tote. She wasn't sure, but she though he had muttered something about the convienence of fast food delivery persons. Satisfied that she had every thing she needed, Nat closed the bag and tried not to fidget as Tracy drove the last few miles. As the approached a curve in the road, Vachon stepped out from a cluster of trees and motioned Tracy to pull off the road. Tracy did so and killed the engine and lights. "LaCroix is waiting for us about a half mile down the road." Vachon explained to the two women when they joined him. "He didn't want to take the chance of Stanton seeing the car lights if you drove up any closer." Nat nodded in agreement. "Let's get inside and find Nick." She said and started walking in the direction Vachon had indicated. As they rounded a curve, Nat and Tracy saw a fairly large three storied building a little more than 500 yards in the distance. They were no more than twenty feet from the building, when LaCroix stepped out of the shadows. "We must hurry," He said in a low voice, "Nicholas grows weaker with every minute." LaCroix led the way to a window on the rear of the building. In a matter of seconds, he had forced the lock and raised the glass. He started to go through the window but suddenly gave a gasp of pain and withdrew. "The hunter has protected himself, there is a barrier to my kind on the inside of this window. " Reluctantly he turned to Nat and Tracy. "I'm afraid that you two will have to go ahead of Vachon and myself and clear the way for us." Tracy immediately stepped past LaCroix and slipped inside. Taking the flashlight Nat handed her, she switched it on and examined the area around the window. Smiling grimly she tore down the woven garland of flowers tacked to the window frame and tossed them into a corner. "I think I've cleared it," she said to the three waiting outside. "Some kind of flower garland was on the window frame. Garlic maybe?" LaCroix carefully leaned back into the open window and finding that the barrier had indeed been removed stepped on trough. He turned, took the canvas tote from Natalie and then helped her inside. Vachon quickly followed. The four quickly crossed to the door opposite the window. After listening for a moment, LaCroix carefully opened the door and they stepped out into a hallway. Looking around they could see doors on either side of the hall and staircases at either end. "Which way do we go now?" Tracy asked in a soft voice. "Unfortunately, I cannot pinpoint exactly where in this building Nicholas is been held." LaCroix explained, "Only that he is somewhere in here." "So do we stay together or split into two groups to look?" Nat asked. "We can cover twice as much ground and if one group runs into Stanton, the other will still have a chance of finding Nick." "I agree," Vachon said, "I'll take Tracy with me and Natalie can go with you, LaCroix." LaCroix nodded his agreement. "By each of us," he said indicating himself and Vachon, "having a mortal with us, we can get around any other traps that may exist. Natalie and I will start on the top floor, while you and Det. Vetter look on this one. The two of you start on the middle floor from that end of the building," he said pointing to his left. "We will start at the other end." LaCroix waited to be sure that the others agreed with this plan. "If you locate Nicholas, come and get us immediately." Vachon nodded and taking Tracy's hand head down the hall way. Nat looked at LaCroix. "You're afraid that Nick will try to attack them aren't you?" "Yes, He needs to feed. When we find him it will be safer for me to deal with him. In his condition any mortal will be viewed as prey." Seeing Nat about to protest he added, "Let me immobilize him before you try to get near him, for you own safety." Not waiting for her response, he turned and headed for the stairs. Nat and LaCroix had just passed the second floor landing and were headed up the next flight of stairs, when Stanton stepped onto the landing behind them. Natalie's heartbeat had masked Stanton's from LaCroix. "I have a gun with wooden bullets aimed at your friend, Dr. Lambert. I suggest that both of you turn around very slowly and face me." Stanton said in a calm voice. Nat and LaCroix turned around. Seeing the gun pointed at LaCroix's heart Nat calmly stepped in front of him, blocking Stanton's shot. On the first floor, Tracy saw Vachon suddenly cock his head to one side. "What is it?" She asked. "I thought I heard footsteps," he replied, "right above us." "Stanton," Tracy exclaimed, "we forgot that Stanton might be here." She moved quickly out of the room they were in and headed for the stairway Nat and LaCroix had used. As she walked, she reached under her jacket and removed her gun from its holster. Beside her, Vachon grabbed her arm in alarm. "Tracy, what do you think you're doing?" He said, looking pointedly at the gun in her hand. "Protecting myself and my friends." Tracy said angrily. "If you did hear Stanton do you think that he is just going to stand by and let us have Nick?" "No, of course not," Vachon answered, "but LaCroix..." "LaCroix is a vampire, just like you and Nick," Tracy shot back, "and that means that he is just as vulnerable to whatever it was Stanton used against Nick." Vachon realized that Tracy was correct. Stanton was a hunter and from the looks of it a very successful one. Remembering the barrier at the window, Vachon knew that in this case he and LaCroix were almost a liability. He released Tracy's arm. She gave him a smile and moved down the hall to the stairway entry. At the first floor entry to the stairway, Tracy paused and carefully peeked up the flight of stairs in front of her. She could see the switchback landing leading to the second floor was empty She climbed slowly up the stairs trying to make as little sound as possible. Vachon was beside her making no sound at all. Halfway up to the switchback landing they stopped and listened. From above they could clearly hear a man's voice ordering Natalie to step away from "that monster you're with" or be shot. Tracy threw a worried look at Vachon. He took her arm and gestured that she should come with him back to the first floor. Nodding agreement Tracy went with him. Once away from the stairway Vachon spoke softly. "Do you think you can get a shot at him from before he sees you?" Tracy considered, "No, not from below him." She started down the hall to the other stairway. "If I can get behind him in time I might be able to stop him," she explained as she jogged down the hall. She had almost reached the far end of the hall when Vachon grabbed her arm and stopped her. "I can move faster than you, hold on," he said as he scooped her into his arms. Tracy barely had time to grab a hold of him before he started moving at vampire speed. In seconds, they were on the second floor just a few feet behind Stanton. Tracy could see Nat arguing with LaCroix as he moved her from in front of him. Vachon opened the door behind Stanton as Tracy aimed her gun and yelled, "Don't move, Police!" Nat had been surprised when LaCroix had gently but firmly taken her by the shoulders. "I will not have you act as a shield for me," he said quietly, "although I do appreciate the gesture." She looked up at him and he gave her a small smile then moved her out of the way. Nat wanted to scream as she saw Stanton prepare to fire at LaCroix. Tracy's shout caused Stanton to swing around in her direction and seeing the gun being pointed at her Tracy fired once, hitting him in the shoulder. Before she could blink, LaCroix had seized Stanton. Expecting to see him sink his fangs into Stanton's throat Tracy was caught off guard as LaCroix broke Stanton's neck. The sharp snapping sound that this act produced made her feel faint. Turning away from the sight in front of her, Tracy welcomed Vachon's arms as he held her. End Part 11 comments to Nightlady Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 08:34:09 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 12/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 12/15 When Stanton started to turn toward Tracy, Nat turned and dashed up the stairs leading to the third floor. Shouting Nick's name she moved down the hall looking into each room she passed. Five rooms down the hall she skidded to a halt to open the closed door in front of her. Seeing a line of light beneath the door she opened it and stepped inside. As she saw the condition of the figure on the other side of the room she brought her hand to her mouth in horror. She knew that it was Nick lying before her only because she recognized his shoes and the golden color of his hair. His face, hands, and torso were covered with angry red blisters and charred areas. He lay on his back, not moving his eyes closed. Forgetting LaCroix's warning, Nat moved to his side and knelt. Tears streamed down her face as she gently touched his hair. "You're going to be okay, Nick," she whispered as she touched her lips to his hair. Since he appeared to be unconscious, Nat quickly checked the two obvious gunshot wounds. The bullet that had hit him in the shoulder had gone completely through his body. The shot to the chest was another matter. That bullet was still somewhere in Nick's chest but right now, getting some blood in him was more important than trying to remove it. Nat shrugged out of her coat, it was too bulky to allow her to work, and opened the tote she still carried. She removed a unit of blood, the tubing and a large needle she would need to transfuse Nick.. As she was assembling these items, she heard LaCroix calling her name from the hallway. Inserting the needle directly into Nick's stomach and starting the blood flowing, she took a breath to answer. Vachon held Tracy and spoke quietly, "He had to die, Trace. As long as he lived, he was a danger to the entire community." "I know, I'm not sorry he's dead. It was that awful sound his neck made when LaCroix broke it." Tracy pressed her head against Vachon's chest. Once again in control, she pulled away and looked back at the stairway. LaCroix, standing over Stanton's body gazed back at her, but Nat was nowhere in sight. "Where's Nat?" Tracy inquired. Moving in a blur of speed LaCroix headed up the stairs, Tracy and Vachon following only slightly less quickly. As he reached the third floor, LaCroix shouted Natalie's name, then seeing the light streaming into the hall headed toward it. As he neared the door, he heard a low growl from inside the room. Throughout the day Nick had grown steadily weaker. With each onslaught of the sun's rays his body healed slower until the exposed sections of his skin were charred and blackened. The parts of his body still covered by clothing, faired somewhat better, but they too were red and painful. The pain grew until, when lucky, Nick would lose consciousness for brief periods of time. With nightfall, the pain eased somewhat, but the burning hunger grew worse by the minute. Never had Nick known such hunger. Even the pangs of first hunger had not been as bad as what he was now experiencing. His need for blood blinded him to anything else when he sensed the mortal heartbeat next to him and smelled the wonderful scent of human blood, but he was too weak to be able to move. A sharp pain in his stomach, was followed by the feeling of strength returning to his body, but the beast raged for the taste of blood in his mouth and the warm flow of it coursing down his throat. Nick's eyes opened slightly, focusing on the mortal female kneeling so close to him. As she turned her head to where he knew the door was Nick, using the last of his strength, managed to sit up and seize her. Ignoring her soft cry of surprise, he roughly forced her head to one side. Seizing the top of her sweater, he ripped it open exposing the large vein in her neck to his fangs. With a low, throaty growl he sank his fangs deeply into the vein and greedily welcomed the gush of warm, salty blood that filled his mouth. Natalie gasped as she suddenly found herself held in an iron grip, her head pushed to one side. From the corner of her eye, she could see the red gleam of Nick's eyes, just before she felt the sharp pain of his fangs in her neck. Nat understood that she might die in the next few minutes. Nick was not in control, she knew, he was acting on instinct. She reached out with the new bond between them and shuddered as she sensed through it the terrible pain that wracked Nick's body. The pain caused her to feel as if she was falling into a dark abyss. "Nick," she gasped, "I love you. Feel my love for you and stop." Nat tried to focus all of her thoughts on her love for Nick as she felt the darkness surround her. LaCroix reached the door just as Nick sank fangs into Natalie's throat. Shouting his son's name LaCroix attempted to reach him but another of Stanton's barriers prevented him from entering the room. "Det. Vetter," he shouted, "hurry. You must remove the barrier so that I can reach Nicholas or Natalie will die." Tracy ran into the room and seeing the rope of garlic and small crosses on the floor grabbed it. Carefully avoiding touching either Vachon or LaCroix, she stepped into the hall and threw it into an empty box. Turning back to the room she saw LaCroix kneeling beside Nick, who cradled the unconscious body of Natalie Lambert in his arms. The taste of the blood soothed Nick's hunger and eased the pain in his body. After his first greedy gulps, he realized that taste of this prey was familiar. Slowing the speed of his feeding, he tried to place where he had encountered the taste. A name surfaced and a feeling of warmth came over him. Natalie, the blood filling his mouth and easing the pain belonged to Nat. His beast screamed at him to drain all of this wonderful nectar but at the same instant Nick felt the intensity of her love for him and her joy in his love for her. Fighting the desire of his beast to continue feeding, Nick withdrew his fangs and shifted the limp body he held in his arms to see its face. The sight of Nat's pale, still face tore at Nick's heart. "Nat, please wake up...Nat I'm sorry...I love you." Nick moaned as he held his love, his very heart, tenderly in his arms. LaCroix's voice cut through the fog of his pain and still gnawing hunger. Lifting his face, Nick saw his master beside him. "Nicholas, you must give Natalie to me." LaCroix spoke firmly, yet quietly to his son. "Why?" Nick said, his voice breaking with emotion. "You have what you wanted. I've killed her." "Nicholas!" LaCroix said, sharply, "She is not dead, but if your beast regains control she will be." He saw the glimmer of hope that lit his son's eyes. "Her heart still beats. Let me move her from you for just a while until you have regained your control." When Nick narrowed his eyes in suspicion at his words LaCroix added, "I give you my word that she will not be harmed." Nick knew that LaCroix was right. He could hear Nat's heart as it beat in her chest. He had taken a lot of her blood, but she would recover if no more blood was taken. He could also feel the demands of his body to continue feeding. LaCroix had given his word that she would not be hurt and Nick knew that LaCroix would honor that promise. Kissing her softly, he relinquished his hold on her. As LaCroix took her from him, Nick feared that he would never again know the feel of her in his arms. He had told Nat that he loved her and had promised he would protect her. Now, he had broken that promise to her and attacked her. Nick could not forgive himself for doing this, so how could he ever expect Nat to forgive him. He feared she might never want to see him again. As LaCroix stood, Nick became aware that there was another vampire in the room. Confused, he watched as Vachon gently took Natalie from LaCroix and carried her out the door. LaCroix turned back to his son. Picking up a second bag of blood, he opened it. "Here, Nicholas, you must drink this." He held the bag out to Nick. Eyes closed Nick shook his head, "No, let me die LaCroix. After what I've done to her Nat will never be able to trust me again. I would not be surprised if she never sees me again. I've lost the only thing that made my existence bearable." "Do you have so little trust in Dr. Lambert's feelings for you?" LaCroix asked. "From what I have seen of her tonight, I doubt that she will abandon you." He lay his hand on Nick's shoulder. "Drink, Nicholas." He said, in a softer voice.. He met his son's gaze and sighed in relief as Nicholas took the bag from him and began to drink.. Rummaging in the tote, LaCroix found the small packet that containing a scalpel and several tweezers like instruments. He had to remove the bullet from Nicholas if his son was to recover. Making sure that Nick had a fresh bag of blood, LaCroix set about removing the wood bullet still inside Nick's chest. Fortunately, the bullet had lodged against one of Nick's ribs and was relatively easy to get. After it was out, LaCroix looked closely at it. He had to admit that it was cleverly designed. Made of a hard wood, it had been fitted with a small brass cap at its base to prevent it from catching fire when the powder that propelled it ignited. It was quite an effective weapon against vampires. Vachon carried Natalie out into the hall and carefully laid her on the floor. Eyes wide with shock, Tracy knelt beside Natalie staring at the torn sweater and the trickle of blood that flowed from the puncture wounds in her friend's neck. Stepping back into the room, where LaCroix was talking with Nick, Vachon found the blanket in the canvas tote and returning to the hall helped Tracy wrap it around the unconscious woman. "Will she be okay?" Tracy asked as she took Nat's hand in her own. . Tracy was having a difficult time accepting that Nick was responsible for Nat being in this condition. Vachon closed his eyes and listened to Nat's heart. It was weaker and a bit faster than a normal heart, but still steady. Her breathing was regular, if just a bit shallow. Opening his eyes he sat next to Tracy and put his arm around her. "I think so. I don't know how Knight managed to stop himself from draining her." He said, shaking his head in wonder. "Nat said that Nick could taste her love for him in her blood." Tracy leaned against Vachon. "Maybe that's what stopped him." "Maybe." Vachon kissed Tracy on the temple. A few minutes later, LaCroix stepped back into the hall. He was all but carrying an obviously weak and barely conscious Nick. .As Nick struggled to retain consciousness, he saw Nat still unconscious on the floor. He managed to push away from LaCroix and slowly made his way over to her. As he dropped heavily to the floor beside Nat, he noticed Tracy for the first time. Nick dropped his head not wanting to see the blame he was sure was evident in his partner's eyes. Pale pink tears ran slowly down still raw and charred skin of his face as he reached out his hand and caressed Natalie's hair. Concentrating he listened to the sound of her heart, a little weak, but steady. LaCroix set the canvas tote down beside Tracy. "I have removed the bullet from his chest, now we need to get back to the loft." LaCroix spoke with authority. "Det. Vetter," he said tuning to Tracy, "if you will take Dr. Lambert, in your car, I will go on ahead with Nicholas." He turned to Vachon, "Go to the Raven and tell Alma to give you a case of my best stock, then bring that to the loft." "Of course," Tracy said, not looking away from Nick. She had not realized just how badly he was injured. When she had first caught sight of him as he came into the hall, the terrible burns he had suffered made her stomach churn. She knew how fast vampires healed and how strong they were but was stilled amazed that anyone who looked that bad could move at all. "Thank you." LaCroix turned to Vachon. "If you will be so kind as to carry Dr. Lambert to Det. Vetter's car, I will depart with my son." "Sure," Vachon said to LaCroix. Turning to Tracy he asked for her car keys explaining that he could take Nat to the car and then bring the car up to the building by the time Tracy could get downstairs. Tracy nodded and tossed her keys to Vachon. Nick watched as Vachon stood, then bent and lifted Nat in his arms. As Nick attempted to struggle to his own feet, he was surprised to feel Tracy's hand under his elbow helping him. Steeling himself, he looked into her face. She met his eyes and he could only see concern and worry in hers, not the disgust and anger that he had feared. "Tracy.." He began only to have her cut him off with a gentle squeeze on his arm. "Later Nick, we'll talk about everything back at the loft." Picking up the canvass tote, Tracy turned and walked toward the stairs. Behind her she heard the soft whooshing sound she knew meant LaCroix had left with Nick. End Part 12 comments to Nightlady Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 22:25:11 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 13/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 13/15 Vachon had switched to vampire speed when he started down the stairs. In seconds, he was at Tracy's car. After managing to open the passenger side door, while still holding Nat, he gently placed her in the seat. As he was doing this he noticed Nat's medical bag in the back seat. Taking it out he opened it and looked inside. He smiled as he saw the bag of saline solution inside. In just a few moments, Vachon had started an IV flowing into Nat's arm. "That should help," he said, talking to himself as he got into the driver's seat. "The glucose will give her some energy and the fluid in her system will make it easier for her heart." As Tracy exited the building, Vachon was pulling up in her car. She could see Nat slumped in the passenger seat through the side window. Walking to the driver's side she waited until Vachon got out of the car. As Tracy started to get into the car she noticed the IV. Tracy shook her head and looked at Vachon. "Where did you learn to start an IV?" she asked. "During the war, in 1917." Vachon replied with a grin at the stunned look on Tracy's face. He nodded toward Natalie. "She made a few moaning sounds on the way up here. I think she'll come to soon." Vachon leaned down and kissed Tracy. "Drive carefully. I'll see you back at Nick's," Vachon said just before taking to the sky. Putting the car in gear, Tracy drove away from the abandoned building. She had only been driving for five or six minutes, when Nat stirred beside her and opened her eyes. Looking confused she took in her surroundings and turned to Tracy. "Where's Nick?" she asked, a hint of panic in her voice. "He needs blood, we can't leave him." "LaCroix has taken Nick back to the loft," Tracy answered. "Vachon's gone to the Raven for more blood and we're headed to the loft." Tracy paused and regarded Nat who was silently crying.. "If YOU want to go there. If you don't, I'll take you either to your apartment or mine." "I want to go to the loft" Nat managed a half smile. "I have to know that Nick is okay and I have to let him know that I don't blame him for this." Nat touched the wounds on her neck. Tracy gave her a skeptical look. "He didn't know what he was doing," Nat explained, "he was acting on instinct when he attacked me." "I figured you'd feel that way," Tracy said, "I just wanted to give you a option in case I was wrong." She reached over and patted Nat on the hand. "We'll be there in about a half hour. Why don't you try and rest until then." "Sounds like a good idea," Nat replied. She looked at the IV running into her arm. "Who started this?" Tracy laughed, "Would you believe Vachon? He seems to have a number of hidden talents." Nat's smile was genuine, "He did a good job. I 'll have to remember to thank him." With a sigh she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Arriving at the loft and entering through the skylight, LaCroix was pleased to see that the power was on once again. Prior to leaving the Raven earlier in the evening, he had left instructions with Urs to see that repairs were made. He nodded in satisfaction as he carefully laid Nicholas on the bed. LaCroix went down to the fridge and removed several of the green bottles that Nick kept in the refrigerator. After checking to see that the power outage had not caused them to spoil, he returned to the bedroom. Nick lay unmoving on the bed, the burns from his ordeal only barely starting to heal. Trying to cause him a little discomfort as possible, LaCroix lifted Nick's head and shoulders upright and place an opened bottle of cow blood to Nick's lips. Nick was roused from his daze by taste of blood. The trip back to the loft had sapped what little energy he had gotten from the bags of blood and what he had taken from Nat. Remembering what he had done to Nat, Nick was tempted to stop drinking, but his body was demanding the healing nourishment. He barely noticed when Vachon entered the room with the case of blood he had gotten from Alma. After leaving the blood with LaCroix, Vachon went outside to wait for Tracy and Nat to arrive. As he waited he wondered what Natalie Lambert's reaction to the attack would be. He hoped for Knight's sake that she would understand that the attack had been a result of the vampire's need for nourishment and not a conscious act on Knight's part. When Tracy's car pulled to a stop behind the Caddy, Vachon went to help Nat and find the answer to his questions. Nat opened her eyes as she felt the car stop. Fumbling for a moment with the seatbelt, she was reaching for the door handle when Vachon opened it from the outside. "Here, let me help you," Vachon said as he reached in to help Nat get out of the car. "Thanks. I'm still a little shaky," Nat gratefully accepted his assistance. Pulling the blanket tighter around her, Nat wished that someone had remembered to grab her coat. As they moved carefully through the garage to the lift, she gave Vachon a smile. "And thank you for thinking to start this IV or I'd be in even worse shape." The three of them entered the before Nat fixed Vachon with a stern look. "How is Nick doing?" Her voice showed the depth of her concern.. "He was cooperating with LaCroix when I left to come down and wait for you and Trace." Vachon tried to sound positive, "After he gets enough blood, he'll start to heal." Vachon still had an arm supporting Nat and could feel her sway with the effort to stay on her feet. "I can carry you if you'd like," he said. Nat shook her head, "No, I just need some sugar in my system...and to see Nick." When the lift finally stopped after what Nat was sure had been the slowest ride she had ever experienced, she went at once to the kitchen. She knew if she tried to climb the stairs without getting some sugar into her, she would most likely end up flat on her face. Getting a large glass out of the cupboard, she poured apple juice into it and quickly drank it. Leaning on the counter, she waited until she could feel the sugar hit her system. When it did she headed for the stairs, only to be intercepted by Vachon. Without asking, Vachon picked her up and in a blink deposited Nat on the second floor landing. "Save your energy for him," Vachon said indicating the bedroom where Nick was. Nat reached up and kissed Vachon on the cheek. "You're right," she said and turned to enter the bedroom. LaCroix met Nat at the door. "Nicholas is somewhat improved," he said softly. "and is asleep at the moment. He is concerned that you may no longer wish to have anything to do with him because of the unfortunate incident this evening." "My feelings for Nick haven't changed," Nat cut him off, "I love him and nothing or nobody will ever cause me to stop loving him." Nat tried to look as dignified as was possible while clutching a blanket around one's shoulders. She was surprised at the look of relief she saw in LaCroix's eyes. "Since that is the case, I will not delay your seeing him any longer." He looked her over from head to toe. "I would suggest that before you awaken him, it might be better if you," he paused, "freshened up a bit." Nat could feel hysterical laughter building inside her. The thought of LaCroix being concerned about her appearance was almost to much. "I'd planned to do just that," she managed to say. Stepping past LaCroix, Nat entered the bedroom. Her eyes immediately sought out Nick's still form on the bed. He did look better. There were only a few patched of charred skin left. Moving a quietly as possible, Nat found a nightgown and robe and went into the bath. It only took a few minutes to strip off the rest of her soiled clothes and remove the IV needle from her arm. Stepping into the shower, Nat washed off the blood and grime. By the time she had dried off and donned the nightgown and robe, she could feel the energy from the juice rapidly dissipating. She was halfway across the bedroom when she realize that Nick was awake and watching her. Renewed hunger had awakened Nick. Opening his eyes, he looked across the room just as Nat stepped out of the bathroom door. As he watched her slowly making her way across the room, he felt the first real stirring of hope as he noted she was dressed only in a nightgown and robe. When she met his eyes, Nick felt his fear dissolve as he saw the look of joy and love on Nat's face. Murmuring his name, Nat crossed to the bed. When she reached it she sat beside him, the tears she had been holding back running unheaded down her cheeks. Lifting his hand, she kissed his palm. "I was afraid that we would be too late...that Stanton would have killed you before we could find you." She spoke softly, her voice shaking with uncontrolable sobs. "I felt the pain you were in this afternoon and when I saw what that bastard had done to you..." She stopped unable to continue for a moment. Looking into his eyes she spoke softly. "Nick, please hold me. I need to touch you, to know that you're really here. I need to feel your love." Nick could feel tears forming in his own eyes as he pulled her down onto the bed next to him. Nat laid her head on his shoulder as he gathered her into his arms. Holding her tightly he gave into his own emotions and burying his face in her hair wept. For several minutes, they lay there, each finding the comfort they needed in their embrace. The feel of Nat as she pressed against him healed Nick's soul as the blood had healed his body. She still loved him and was not afraid of him. Tilting her face toward his, he kissed away the tears from her eyes, cheeks and lips. "Nat, I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was doing," Nick whispered looking into her eyes. He felt his heart leap as she smiled back at him and then snuggled closer against him before answering. "I know that. I'm fine now that I know you are safe and healing." Nat saw him start to speak and silenced him with a kiss. "We'll talk about everything later, after we've both rested." She looked at him closely. She could see by the look in his eyes that he was still, understandably, hungry. Nat sat up and was looking for a bottle of blood, when LaCroix entered the room. He held two bottles of blood in one hand and a large glass of juice in the other. Handing the glass to Nat and one of the bottles to Nick, LaCroix sat the other bottle on the table next to Nick's side of the bed. "I suggest that you drink those," he said to them, "and then try to rest." Natalie found her voice first. "Thank you, LaCroix. Sounds like a good suggestion to me." LaCroix favored her with a faint smile. He turned to Nick. "I shall spend the day here. Det. Vetter and Vachon would like to see you both before they leave." "Tracy's here?" Nick glanced at Nat who nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. He turned back to LaCroix. "Tell them to come up. I'd like to thank them both for helping tonight." After a brief visit with Tracy and Vachon, which did much to relieve Nick's anxiety concerning Tracy's reaction to his secret, he and Nat were finally alone. After helping Nick change into a set of pajamas, Nat slipped off her robe and slid into the bed next to him. Curling up against him, she gave into the exhaustion that gripped her. Secure in his arms and in his love she quickly succumbed to sleep. Holding Nat in his arms, Nick luxuriated in the warmth of her. The torture he had endured at Stanton's hands, had not been as painful as the fear of losing Nat. That she didn't blame him for his actions still stunned him. That her trust in him had not faltered touched the deepest part of his soul. Closing his eyes, Nick allowed himself to finally relax. The steady beat of Nat's heart lulled him into much needed sleep. End Part 13 Continued in either Part 14a (ADULT VERSION) or Part 14b (PG VERSION comments to Nightlady Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 22:27:52 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 14a/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: WARNING THIS IS THE ADULT VERSION See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 14a/15 It was well after sunrise, when Nick awakened. Nat lay on her side, facing him, one arm across his chest. Her face, while still somewhat pale, no longer looked bleached of all color. As he gazed at her she opened her eyes. At once a smile lit her face and she lightly stroked his face. "You look so much better! There's only a little redness left." Her happiness was clear in her voice. She kissed him gently. "Have I told you lately how wonderful you are and how much I love you?" Nick looked at her in wonder. "After what I did to you last night, I can't believe you are even speaking to me, much less calling me wonderful." Nat heard the guilt in Nick's voice. "First of all you are not totally responsible for last night." She said in her don't even think about arguing with me voice. "LaCroix warned me not to go near you by myself. When I saw you, I forgot his warning. You were so badly hurt you were delirious, you didn't know it was me. All you knew was that you needed blood and a source was available." Seeing that he was listening and starting to accept what she was saying she softened her tone. "Do you remember what you told me when I asked you what I could believe?" She waited until he nodded that he did. "That's what I did, Nick. I believed in us. I believed that our love for each other would stop you from killing me and it did." She kissed him gently. Nick pulled her closer to him, his lips meeting hers. She had been right, he had felt her love and that was what had enabled him to stop. A great burden of fear lifted from Nick. Their love WAS strong enough to enable him to control his beast under the worst circumstances. Last night had proved that, and never again would he have to fear it would cause him to harm her. He gave himself completely to her kisses as his heart rejoiced. Even though both of them were weak from their ordeals, the flames of passion rose in them. They were so intent on one another, that neither heard the soft knock at the bedroom door. "Really Nicholas," LaCroix said as he entered the room, "do remember that Natalie is only mortal and may need a bit longer to recover than you." Startled and a bit embarrassed by LaCroix's presence, Nat tried to move out of Nick's arms. Nick, however, refused to release her and held her at his side. Nick looked at LaCroix, "Since when has Natalie's welfare been of concern to you?" To his surprise Nick noted that LaCroix appeared to have brought breakfast for Nat. Setting the tray on the dresser, LaCroix ignored Nick's question. The tray did indeed have a rather nice meal of fruit, waffles with syrup and coffee, as well as a bottle of bloodwine and two glasses on it. Instead, he gave Nat a pleasant smile. "I trust that you are feeling better this morning?" Nat just stared at LaCroix for a moment. "Uh, yes, much better thank you." She said, finding her voice at last. "Good. I thought you might be hungry," he indicated the tray, "so I fixed you some breakfast. I'm afraid my culinary skills are rather limited." "It's lovely, and I am hungry." Nat started to push herself into a seated position, when the cool air on her skin reminded her that she was wearing only a rather thin nightgown.. Nick realizing what the problem was, reached down to the foot of the bed and handed Nat her robe. Nat gave him a 'what on earth is going on' look, but Nick merely widened his eyes and shrugged. Slipping the robe on, Nat accepted the tray of food from LaCroix. She was hungry and it did look delicious. Saying a quick prayer that LaCroix had not decided to try and poison her, Nat started eating. LaCroix opened the bloodwine and poured a glass for himself and Nicholas. Leaning against the wall he addressed his son. "Let us say, Nicholas, that as a result of last night's events, I gained a certain 'respect' for Natalie." Seeing the wary look Nick gave him, LaCroix smiled. "I have decided that I will not interfere with whatever relationship the two of you decide to pursue. I forgive the debt you owe me for Fleur." Natalie listened stunned, the food in front of her forgotten. LaCroix giving up on trying to get rid of her? She wasn't at all ready to believe him. A glance at Nick told her that he wasn't buying it either. "If that's true LaCroix," Nick said calmly, "then I want your word that you will never try to harm Natalie or attempt to bring her across." "I will do nothing to harm her, you have my word." He looked Nick in the eyes. "As to bringing her across, I will not do so unless she, or you, should request me to do so." Nick snorted, "I will never make such a request of you," he glanced at Nat, "and neither will she." "Never is a very long time." LaCroix turned and headed to the door. "I will be downstairs resting, if you should need me." With a final look in their direction, he left the room. Nick sat back down next to Nat. "He's up to something, but at least, for now, you are safe from him." "Are you sure, Nick?" Nick nodded, "He gave me his word. One thing I have never known LaCroix to do is break his word." He put his arm around Nat. Downstairs, LaCroix sat on the couch. He was pleased with the way his little performance had been received. He knew that Nick was suspicious of his behavior, but by assuring his son that he was no longer a threat to Natalie, LaCroix had removed himself from any blame when Natalie became a vampire. LaCroix's keen hearing had enabled him to hear Vachon and Nick when they had discussed Nick's bond with Nat. LaCroix had been pleased to learn that the young Spaniard did not know that the bond was not just an emotional connection, but the result of her body starting to change from mortal to vampire. He smiled as he imagined Nick's reaction when he finally figured out that each time he had made love to his precious mortal Natalie, he had brought her one step closer to joining him in the darkness. Oh yes, he would have his revenge on Nicholas and from what he had seen upstairs he would not have long to wait. No, he had no doubt that the time would soon come when Natalie was a part of his immortal family. LaCroix left the loft when the sunset. Nicholas, with his recuperative powers, had healed and regained his strength. Natalie, although still a bit weak, was felling well enough to dress and come downstairs. Both of them, while appreciative of LaCroix's care, were glad to see him leave. A call to Capt. Reese, provided the information that IA had not turned in their report and it looked like Nick would be off duty until Monday at the earliest. Nat called in sick, saying she had the flu. Once their calls were done, Nick sat on the couch beside Nat. "Where were we this morning, when we were so rudely interrupted." he said grinning as he took her in his arms and kissed her. Nat gave a short laugh at his words, and as his lips found hers, she met his questing tongue with her own. Her hands caressed his body, one lightly rubbing the muscles in his back, while the other reached down to gently knead his thighs and caress him through the fabric of the jeans he wore.. Nick rubbed the soft mounds of her breasts with one hand as the other played with her hair. Moving down from her breasts, he stroked his hand along her stomach. As he began to ease it into the waistband of her slacks, the sound of the door buzzer made them pause. "That's probably Tracy," Nat said, somewhat breathlessly. "Remember, she said last night she was planning on stopping by before she went on duty." Nat eased out of his arms. After a quick glance at his lap, she got up from the couch. "I'll go let her in," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. "You better sit here and think about cold showers for a few minutes. Oh," she added over her shoulder, "be sure you zip up." Nick knew without looking that the cold shower suggestion was definitely needed, but he had somehow missed the fact that she had undone his zipper. With a chuckle, and being very careful, he managed to make himself presentable. By the time Tracy had ridden the lift up and finished hugging Nat in greeting, Nick was able to join the two women without embarrassment. Nick knew he needed to talk with his partner. She had only learned yesterday that he was a vampire. Last night, after their return to the loft, Nick was barely able to stand and in no condition to answer any questions from Tracy. He liked Tracy and, although concerned that her growing knowledge of the vampire community increased the danger to her, Nick was glad that he no longer had to hide his secret from her. Tracy greeted Nick with a grin. "You look a lot better than when I left this morning." "One of the few advantages of my condition." Nick said as joined them. He casually looped an arm around Nat's shoulder and smiled as he felt hers encircle his waist. "Where's Vachon? I thought he was coming with you?" Tracy smiled as she watched Nick and Nat together. 'They are so right for each other,' she thought. 'When they touch you can almost see the sparks jumping between them' "Vachon's downstairs. As a matter of fact we brought a little something for both of you and he could probably use some help getting it up here." She gave Nick a sweet smile. "Would you mind?" Tracy indicated the lift. Nick looked at Tracy curiously. "Of course," he gave Nat a squeeze, "be right back." As Nick left in the lift, Tracy spoke quickly to Nat. "Are you going to be staying here through Christmas?" "Christmas.. what is the date? With everything that's been going on I'd completely forgot about Christmas." Tracy nodded, "Today's the twenty-third. If I can pick up anything for you..." Nat thought. "No, I've got every thing at my place. I'll get Nick to take me over later or even early tomorrow evening." She gave Tracy a hug. Nick got off the lift to find a somewhat sheepish looking Vachon waiting for him. "I want you to know this was all Trace's idea," Vachon said in greeting. "What is all Tracy's idea?" Nick asked as he followed Vachon toward Tracy's car. "That." Vachon was pointing toward the car. It took Nick a minute to recognize what was tied to the roof. A smile broke over his face. "A Christmas tree! Nat'll love it," he said happily. Relief showed on Vachon's face. "I wasn't sure. A lot of our kind would not be thrilled to have one around." "It's fine. I'd forgotten Christmas was so close." He helped Vachon remove the tree from the roof. "I'll go over to Nat's place. I know she has a bunch of ornaments and lights." Vachon smiled. Nick sounded like a little boy in his excitement over the tree. Together they carried the tree over to the garage door. Even though either vampire could easily manage the weight of the tree, it did take two of them to maneuver it inside the lift. As they rode upstairs, Nick couldn't stop smiling in anticipation of Nat's face when she saw the tree. When the lift stopped, Nick opened the door. Nat's face when she saw the tree was everything Nick had imagined. Giving a whoop of joy she stood grinning in delight, eyes shinning. "A tree!" Nat's voice rang with happiness, "Thank you Tracy and you too, Vachon." Nat crossed to where Vachon was standing and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Vachon quickly cast a look at Nick and was relieved to see the older vampire watching with a relaxed smile on his face. They decided that while Tracy was at work, Nick and Nat would go over to Nat's apartment and retrieve the decorations for the tree. They would also bring Sidney back to the loft with them. Vachon would come to the loft before dawn and Tracy would join them later in the day after getting some sleep. The four of them would spend Christmas Eve afternoon and evening, decorating the tree. Vachon left soon after, but Tracy lingered long enough to reassure Nick that she did understand why he had not told her about being a vampire. When she was ready to leave, Nick and Nat went downstairs with her. After Tracy drove away, they got in Nicks car and went over to Nat's place. Just before dawn, Nick sat downstairs awaiting Vachon's arrival. Nat had gone up to bed about an hour earlier, still feeling the need for extra rest. When Nick had looked in a few minutes earlier, she had been sound asleep with Sidney curled up beside her. The cat seemed to enjoy the vast space of the loft with its many places to explore. And Nick found that he enjoyed watching Sidney's antics. As he waited, Nick smiled as he recalled how animated Nat had been when they were loading the boxes of decorations into his car. He also remembered how she had tried to non-chalantly slip the bag of wrapped presents in without him seeing them. He had, of coarse noticed them, but had pretended not to have. He had purchased a gift for Natalie, weeks earlier and it was wrapped and hidden in a corner of his closet. The change in their relationship over the past week, from close friends to lovers had made him decide that the time was finally right to give Nat a more personal present. He had planned to give it to her almost a year earlier, but LaCroix's interference had prevented him from doing so. He would wait until they were alone on Christmas day to give her that present. Nick hoped that Vachon would think to pick up something for Tracy, as he was certain that she would have a gift for Vachon. When Vachon did arrive, Nick was pleased to see that along with the several bottles of the bloodwine that was Vachon's chosen vintage, he had a colorfully wrapped box. After see that Vachon was comfortable on the couch, Nick went up and joined Natalie in the bedroom. He changed out of his clothes, and slipped between the sheets next to her. Looking at her as she lay on her side, a small smile on her lips, Nick felt his love for her well up inside him. Careful not to disturb her he kissed her softly and curled up along side her. He smiled when after a moment she sighed and snuggled against him. With her warmth giving him comfort he closed his eyes and slept. End Part 14a Continued in Part 15a (ADULT VERSION) comments to Nightlady Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 22:31:41 -0500 Reply-To: CLone Star Software Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: CLone Star Software Subject: ADULT: Discoveries and Deceptions (Part 15a/15) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu X-Status: WARNING THIS IS THE ADULT VERSION See Part 1 for disclaimers Discoveries and Deceptions by Nightlady (c) 1997 Part 15a/15 Christmas Day had dawned bright and sunny, but it was late in the afternoon, when Nick and Nat arose from bed and made their way downstairs. The tree sparkled as Nick turned on the multicolored lights. The decorating party the day before had been very enjoyable. Tracy and Nat had laughed and joked as they directed the two male vampires in the fine art of tree decoration. As far as Nick could figure out the main rule was that too much was never enough. Even Vachon had finally relaxed enough to enjoy himself. They had exchanged presents shortly after midnight. Tracy had been very pleased with the delicate woven vest that Vachon had given her and Nick had to admit that it suited her. She, in return, had given Vachon a hand tooled belt with a silver and turquoise buckle. Nick had received a set of beautifully crafted wrought iron candle holders from Nat along with a note that read 'To remind you of the light.' Nat was delighted with the silk blouse that Nick had purchased for her. Nat had somehow come up with a suitable gift for Vachon from two of them, and had added Nick's name to the card of her gift for Tracy. Best of all, in Nick's opinion, was that LaCroix had left them alone the entire time. As Nick set about lighting the fire, Nat emerged from the kitchen carrying mug of coffee and a glass of cow blood. After placing them on the table near the couch, she went to one of the storage units built into the wall. Opening a bottom door she took out four wrapped items and carried them to the couch. Sitting down she patted the space next to her. "I wanted to wait until we were alone to give these to you," she said smiling. "I hope you like them." Nick looked at the packages. Each was about the size of a sheet of notebook paper and about one and a half inches thick. Picking up the top one, he unwrapped it and froze a stunned expression on his face. Moving rapidly he quickly opened the other three. On the table in front of him, were four miniature portraits. There was a dark haired man of approximately thirty-five or forty, a younger woman with a smiling infant on her lap, a girl of perhaps five or six years of age, and a young blonde haired boy of about ten. The paintings were obviously very old and the clothes worn by the people in them were of the style the upper class would have worn in the early thirteenth century. That they were of the nobility, was also evident by the ring visible on the woman's finger. It was of gold and a deep red smooth cut stone, perhaps a ruby, could be seen on it. Nat seeing the look on Nick's face and his reaction to the portraits touched his arm in concern. He turned to look at her an unreadable expression on his face. "Where did you find these?" he asked in a whisper. "I found them in an antique shop. Nick, is something wrong? I didn't mean to upset you. There was just something about them that reminded me of you." She paused, startled to see tears in the corners of Nick's eyes. An idea suddenly occurred to her. "Nick," she asked softly, "did you know these people?" Nick nodded his head. Reaching to pull her into his arms, he kissed her and smiled. "I'm not upset, and yes I know who these people are." He picked up the portrait of the man. "His name was Etienne, and he was a duke. He was almost forty when this was made. The woman with the baby is his wife, Marie-Claire she was twenty-six and the baby was named Thomas He must have been six months old.. This is their daughter when she was five, and the oldest son at just over ten." As he had spoken, Nat suddenly began to get a strange feeling. How did he know so much about these people? She looked again at the man, and realized that his eyes were the same clear blue color and shape as Nick's. Realizing that he had not said the names of the other two children, she looked at him. "Do you remember what their names were?" she asked, pointing to the children. She suddenly was certain of what his answer would be. Nick tightened his embrace. "Yes, Fleur ... and Nicholas," he said looking in her eyes. He saw the tears fill them as she realized what she had given him. He pulled her head against his chest "You've given me my family, Nat. My father and Thomas both died of a fever less than a year after this was done. I'd almost forgotten what they looked like. Now I have them back. Thank you." His smile was full of peace. "My father had these commissioned as a gift for my mother. I never knew what happened to them. Now after all these centuries, I have them back" Nat lay against his chest listening to the emotion in his voice. She remembered the harp that he had stolen last year and why it meant so much to him because it was from before he had become a vampire. He had eventually seen it returned to what could be considered the proper owners, but Nat knew that he still mourned its loss. She shifted to see his face and the joy and peace she saw there warmed her. The set of portraits had taken most of her savings, but she would have paid twice as much just to see Nick looking like this. Sitting up, she picked up the portrait of Nick. Now that she knew it was him she could see the resemblance. It showed in the unruly hair and the restless pose of the child's body. The hint of mischief the artist had captured brought a smile to her face. 'This is what Nick looked like as a child,' she thought in wonder. She looked up from the portrait as Nick stood. "I have something for you too," he said, as he caressed her face. He went to the safe where he kept his most valuable possessions. In a moment he was back beside her, a small box in his hand. "I had this made almost a year ago, before Azure. Until this past week, I had almost given up hope that I would ever be able to give it to you." He handed her the box and watched as she opened it. Nat could see her hands trembling as she lifted the lid to the box. Inside, nestled on bed of cotton, lay a ring identical to the one Marie-Claire wore in the portrait. Nat raised her eyes to Nick's. "It looks like your mother's ring," she said. "Fluer inherited it when our mother died. When she knew herself to be dying, she gave our mother's ring to me," Nick explained. "I've kept it all these centuries. To me it has always represented true, unconditional love and acceptance. The stone is from that ring, and most of the gold. I had it refurbished when I decided to give it to you." Nat looked back at the ring. Carefully picking it up, she noticed engraving on the inside of the band. Looking closely she saw her name and Nick's were inscribed inside the ring. "It's beautiful, Nick." "I know it's not the typical diamond solitaire, but then our situation is not exactly typical either." Nick paused, letting her absorb what he was saying. "I hoped you would like it. My father gave it to mother when she agreed to marry him." Nat's heart was pounding so hard she could hardly speak. "If you just asked me to marry you, my answer is YES," she said her eyes filling with tears of happiness. "And if you didn't, I may never recover from the embarrassment." Nick smiled and taking the ring, slipped it on the third finger of her left hand. "I did, and you have just made me happier than I have been in 767 years." He pulled her to her feet and held her in his arms. Cupping her chin in his hand, he looked at her radiant face. He lowered his mouth to hers and held her in a deep kiss. When they finally broke so that Nat could breathe, Nick shut off all of the lights in the loft except those on the tree. By the twinkling tree lights and the flicker of the flames in the fireplace, he slowly undid the belt on Nat's robe and slipped it off her shoulders.. Smiling she came willingly into his arms, and he could feel the firmness of her breasts beneath the thin material of her nightgown. Nick busied himself by planting kisses an each inch of the newly exposed skin of her shoulders and along the curve of her throat. Nat moaned in pleasure as Nick's cool lips seem to set her skin on fire where they touched her. She could feel the heat of desire burning in her as she responded to his touch. She undid his robe and slid her hands beneath the pajama top he wore to caress the now healed skin of his chest and back. As her desire grew, she pressed herself closer to him, wanting to feel his body against the full length of her own. Her fingers found the buttons on his top and swiftly undid them. She eased the top from his shoulders and dropped her head to bestow kisses to his chest. With her tongue she toyed with his nipples as Nick gasped with the sensations that rain through him. Nat could feel his hardness as it pressed against her leg. Delighting in the feel of him she slowly rubbed her body against him while her hands played across his strong muscles. She dropped her arms only for a moment when Nick slid the straps of her gown from her shoulders. Letting the gown fall in a puddle around her feet, she stood before him naked, her hair loose and flowing past her shoulders, the stone in the ring catching the firelight and glowing softly as if lit from within by a fire of its own. She looked at him amost shyly. Nat had never considered herself to be much of a beauty and the intensity of Nick's gaze made her somewhat selfconscious. Nick drank in her beauty as she stood bathed in the firelight and the softer twinkle of the tree lights. He felt his own desire rise to almost unbearable proportions. Stepping out of his pajama bottoms and letting them and the top fall unheeded to the floor he went to her and lightly stroked her hair. "I love you," he whispered, "more than I ever thought it possible to love anyone." He softly kissed her on her cheeks and down along the curve of her throat. As he heard the soft sighs of enjoyment she made, he trailed his lips along the fullness of her breasts. His tongue made lazy circles around her nipples, causing then to stiffen with desie. He dropped to his knees before Nat and kissed her soft belly. He felt her hands in his hair as she trembled beneath his hands and mouth. Rising, he sought her lips and held her tightly against him as he tasted the sweetness of her own questing tongue against his. Gently, he pulled her down to the soft rug before the fireplace, never losing contact with her mouth. They lay entwined, hands exploring and caressing one another, as they exchanged kisses. Nick felt as if he would explode with the need he felt for the soft, moistness of her innermost core. Shifting to cover her with his body, he slipped between her open, welcoming legs and entered her. Her soft cry of pleasure that this produced acted to increase his own. For a moment he stayed still in her until she softly begged him to go deeper into her. Moving slowly, so has to prolong the enjoyment they both experienced, he brought her gradually to fulfillment. Watching her face, he saw the golden light deep within them and felt his own eyes change as his fangs dropped. Nat's hand behind his head urged his hungry mouth to her neck and he bit the yielding flesh releasing the sweetness of her blood into his mouth. Her cry of pleasure, coincided with his release as he felt his body shake as he poured his seed into her. Nat's legs were wrapped around him and he lay over her, breathing heavily as the last of the spasms ended. Sliding his weight off her, Nick kept his hold on her as she kissed his face and murmured her love. The sun had almost set when they finally rose from the warm softness of the rug. They redonned their discarded clothing and they made their way to the couch. Watching the lights on the tree Nat thought that never had she had a more wonderful Christmas. Perhaps all of the difficulties they had had in the past were at last behind them. She could sense that Nick was also hopeful of their future together. She was not willing to let anything disturb this new found peace they shared, not even LaCroix. Smiling, she laid her head on Nick's shoulder and started thinking of wedding gowns. THE END Thanks for reading this far . I hope you enjoyed it. comments to Nightlady