This brief bit of insanity is dedicated to and inspired by Nancy Kaminski and her unabashed appreciation of a certain something of Nick's. Reassurances: This is my first attempt at an ... ahem ... adult-oriented story and very likely my last. Be grateful. The following story is based on characters created by J. Parriott and B. Cohen for the Forever Knight television series. The characters, alas, do not belong to me but to TPTB. Permission is granted for this to be archived at Mel's FK fanfic site and at Michael's ftp site. If anyone else would like it, please ask. The Object of Her Affection By Cindy Ingram The flickering light of the TV screen played across Natalie's face as she rested her head on Nick's shoulder. His arm was draped lightly around her, and for the past half hour or more, she had sat motionless, her mind preoccupied with this rare opportunity. Nick didn't usually let her get this close, and Natalie could only wonder at what unlikely impulse had prompted him to drop his guard to this extent. She also hoped Nick wouldn't choose to quiz her about the movie they'd been watching since she seriously doubted she'd recall anything more than the title -- if that. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of the lightly stubbled cheek that pressed against her forehead, and her heart started to race. This was it. She could feel it. After years of waiting, the time had finally come. No more hopeless yearning. No more desperate pining for something that was so close and yet so far beyond her reach. She was ready to make her move. Ever so slowly, she tilted her head back, brushing her lips gently against his cheek. She felt him jerk slightly, then freeze, his arm tightening convulsively around her as she leisurely kissed her way up his jawline and down to his neck. At the same time, her hand came to rest on his chest, sliding across the broad expanse in an excruciatingly slow arc that ended at the top button of his shirt. Deftly unfastening first one, then two more, she was rewarded with a tantalizing glimpse of bare skin. Her hand slipped inside, fingers feather-light, the sudden contact eliciting a sharp intake of breath from Nick. But he didn't push her away. Natalie quickly lowered her head, hiding her triumphant smile in the cool hollow at the base of his throat. She mustn't celebrate too soon. Despite the promising start, she was still a long way from her goal. The rest of the buttons were quickly undone, Nick going so far as to pull the shirt tails free with no prompting from her. As she nuzzled the collar out of the way, her hand left his chest, gliding over his shoulder, trailing upward along the smooth, hard column of his neck, finally burying itself deep in that glorious head of hair. With a wicked grin, she lightly nipped his neck. "Nat, please --" Nick gasped, muscles turning to iron as he fought to suppress the dark passion she knew was building inside him. Oh, no. Not this time. She wouldn't let him push her away. "Shhh," she breathed, an instant before her mouth covered his. Determined not to fail, her tongue teased at his lips until they parted, allowing her inside. His arms closed around her, holding her tightly, threatening to squeeze the breath from her body. But it didn't matter. She reveled in the knowledge that she was closer to realizing her dream than ever before. She wouldn't be satisfied until she finally held the object of her desire in her hand, fondling it, caressing it, lavishing all the love and affection on it that she'd been storing up all these years. She was so close. Sighing into his mouth, she brought her hand back to his chest, then raked her nails lightly along his rib cage before starting the slow journey downward. Nick groaned in response, throwing his head back in helpless anticipation. She bit her lip in an effort to control her own excitement and loosened his belt, gently tugging it free. Then, with a seductive flourish, she pulled it from around his waist and tossed it to the floor. With her other hand, she grasped a handful of golden hair, pulling his head up so she could gaze directly into his eyes. Slowly, deliberately, she reached for the snap on the waistband of his pants. Without warning, Nick's mouth swooped down on hers, devouring it in a savage kiss fueled by years of pent-up passion. She fumbled with the snap, finally freeing it, and blindly grabbed the zipper ... An anguished roar escaped Nick's throat as he tore his mouth from hers. Natalie got no more than a brief glimpse of golden-hued eyes before he was gone. Almost immediately, the sound of the refrigerator door crashing open reached her ears. As Nick stood in the kitchen inhaling cow's blood straight from the bottle, Natalie fought to calm her breathing and steady her shaking hands. That had been close. Too close. She thanked her lucky stars and Nick's amazing self-restraint that he hadn't given in to the vampire's demands and taken her on the spot. By the time he'd finished the first bottle and started another one, she had gathered her belongings and was halfway to the elevator. "Nat, wait!" His voice reflected both panic and abject misery. It stopped her in her tracks. Reluctantly, she turned to face him. "It's okay, Nick," she said, her voice subdued. "It was my fault. It was a stupid thing to do. I'm sorry." She sighed wearily, glancing away. "Look, I think it's best if I go home now and give us both a chance to regroup. We can talk about it later, if you like. Or not." When he didn't reply, she turned and entered the elevator. "See you tomorrow?" she asked. Still silent, he nodded, sad blue eyes gazing into hers until the elevator door hid him from view. +++++++ Natalie entered her apartment, quickly slipping inside and closing the door before Sydney could reach her. Pausing, she leaned down to stroke the cat as he twined himself around her legs, then smiled indulgently as he hot-footed it to the kitchen, glancing back to make certain she would follow. Instead, she made her way to the living room, ignoring Sydney's disapproving glare and plaintive wails. Dropping her purse on the floor, she sighed and sank down onto the sofa, pressing her head back into the cushion. Slowly, a wicked grin formed on her face, growing larger with each passing second. Groping blindly for her purse, she reached inside and pulled forth a long strip of black leather. Holding it up for a better look, she admired the way the light glinted off the breathtaking silver buckle attached to one end. At long last, she had it. The Belt. She'd wanted that belt from the first moment she'd seen Nick wearing it. It had haunted her dreams, teasing her, calling to her. And now, after all these years, it was finally hers. All hers. Forever. Of course, she wouldn't wear it when she was around Nick. Although she was certain that even if he figured out she'd taken it, which he might, he'd be too embarrassed and guilt-stricken about his near loss of control to say anything. Still, it wouldn't be nice to rub his nose in it. Humming happily to herself, Natalie rose from the sofa, The Belt clutched tightly in her hand. Still smiling, she headed off toward the bedroom for a good day's sleep. She figured she'd earned it. ------- END Note: For those not observant enough (like me) to have noticed The Belt without having it specifically pointed out to them, I have it on good authority that three of the best eps for Belt-watching are in "Only the Lonely" (especially the scene near the beginning where Nick and Schanke are walking Nat to her car), "I Will Repay" (the scene where Nat asks Nick to bring Richard across) and "Night in Question." If you're interested, check it out. Comments eagerly awaited at cgi271@airmail.net Cindy Ingram What's another word for thesaurus? ("Say good Knight, Gracie." - G. Burns.)