Nick and Co. belong to J.P. and Co., I am only borrowing them for a short time. This story is the third in a series that began with Puzzles and continued with Excess Baggage. Both are available at the FKFIC web site at: http://www.fkfanfic.com or from the ftp site. You can certainly read this one alone, the previous stories will just give you a better feel for where the characters are at. All three stories occur post Last Knight. Two sections of this story will be posted with an Adult header. Thanks to all my readers, alpha and beta who helped me with this. Also to those who wrote, encouraging me to continue the story. Special thanks to Gehirn Karies for all her hard work. All the errors are mine, I assure you. :-) Oh yeah, I dragged Liam O'Neal from second season's Bad Blood into this. I know everyone hasn't seen it. I hope I sketched him well enough in the first two sections to fill everyone in, if not, let me know. Gee, reading this story suddenly seems like a lot of work. I do hope it's worth the ride. :-) Unfinished Business part 1/19 by Kathy Whelton (c) 1997 "Damn," the ill kempt man muttered under his breath. He was swathed in many layers of mis-matched clothing, marking him to be one of the ever increasing numbers of homeless. "It's gonna be a cold one tonight." He gazed up at the crystal clear sky and the stars, still visible tonight despite the proximity of the city lights. Toronto could be a wonderful city...in the summer. Autumn was already losing it's grip, even in October, winter would not be far behind. It was time to think about heading south. Florida or California this year? The homeless man debated with himself as he edged closer to his small fire. He sat down in front of the ramshackled set of boxes he called home. You sure can't beat the view, he thought, as he looked out over the lake. The man was oblivious to the eyes that watched him out of the darkness, following his every move with intense interest. The eyes were a burning red and spoke of a hunger, a need so deep it was unfathomable. In a blur, the homeless man was taken, drained and discarded. The Florida/California debate turned out to be moot, he would be spending this winter and several more in the overgrown brush surrounding the lake. ------ "Overpopped?" Nick sat back against the arm of the couch and watched Natalie intently as she struggled to make sense of the question. "What?" "The popcorn, I was asking you if I overcooked it. You've hardly touched it," Nick commented, indicating the still full bowl. The credits rolled across the TV screen. Nick scooted across the couch and slid his arm around Natalie's shoulders. It was so nice to be here with her again like this. It was the thing that he had missed the most during their time apart, the quiet companionship that they shared. "No, it's fine....I just got caught up in the movie," Natalie responded distractedly. "Oh, really." Nick struggled to contain the surprise and the teasing in his voice. "Okay then, who did it?" "Well," Natalie started slowly, finally brought out of her reverie by the question. "It was...it was....that tall guy, he did it." She was reluctant to confess that she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. "Nat, no one *did* anything. It was a romantic comedy." Nick continued more gently. "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?" Natalie leaned back against Nick. She had been debating with herself all night whether to bring this up or not. "When I went back to my apartment today, I had a couple of messages on my machine." She paused. "Nick, they were from Liam O'Neal." "Really," Nick responded. That name had certainly caught his attention. "What did he want?" Nick tried to make the question sound a little more casual than it felt. O'Neal was a hunter, a half-drained mortal, one who could sense vampires and destroyed them whenever possible. They had parted on friendly terms, but Nick had taken a lot of heat within the vampire community for saving O'Neal's life. "He's here, in Toronto, for that International Law Enforcement Symposium that's in town. He wants to see me-- get together for a drink or something," Natalie answered, attempting to match Nick's casual tone. Natalie had never shared O'Neal's parting words with Nick--his thinly veiled threat that if they should ever have occasion to meet again, Natalie may not be happy with the outcome. "And are you going to see him?" "I'm not sure... I don't think so. I don't think that would be a very good idea." Natalie thought that the further away she stayed from Liam O'Neal, the better. Still her curiosity was nibbling away at her. What did he want with her? If he truly meant Nick any harm, leaving messages on her answering machine was hardly the way he would go about it. "You know," Nick started softly, treading gently on what was a delicate subject between them. "It might do you some good to talk to him, maybe gain a little... perspective on your situation." Natalie stiffened at Nick's words. She stood abruptly and, grabbing the still full bowl of popcorn, headed for the kitchen. "I can't believe you just said that." Her voice was caught between hurt and anger. "It's not the same situation at all. Besides, I'm fine. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me." Natalie slammed the bowl down on the kitchen counter with a little more force than was necessary. Nick stood and slowly followed her to the kitchen. He knew that she was not being entirely truthful, to herself or to him. He knew that Natalie continued to suffer some residual effects from the night he had bitten her, no matter how painful it might be for them to acknowledge that fact. The nightmares that had plagued her since that night had continued. He had seen her avoid going out in the midday sun, and how she struggled to keep that from him. Nick came up behind Natalie and rested his hands gently on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Natalie turned slowly and faced Nick as he continued. "I just don't think that denying what happened between us will do either one of us any good in the long run." "What happened between us happened because of our love for each other, because we hoped that it would be the cure and that we could have a normal life together." Natalie reached up and placed her arms around Nick as she spoke. "To me, that makes it totally different from O'Neal's situation. Even if it was a mistake, it was a mistake that we made for the right reasons." Nick stroked her cheek softly as she spoke. He still hadn't quite managed to figure out how or why she had forgiven him for that night, her forgiveness was just something he was going to have to learn to accept. "All right, you win," Nick said, grinning. "I'm not going to argue with you about it. I just want you to know that whether to meet with O'Neal or not is your decision. I don't want you to worry about me." "I will think about it." Natalie finished her sentence with a soft yawn. "I promise." "You look tired, you should take advantage of a night off and get caught up on some sleep," Nick commented. "Funny you should mention that." Natalie kissed Nick softly on the lips. "I was just thinking of heading upstairs. Care to join me?" "It's a little early for me," Nick replied, avoiding the implications of her question. "I'll clean up down here, maybe I'll read a while. I'll be up a little later." Nick gently disengaged her arms and began backing away from Natalie. Natalie's shoulder's slumped and a low sigh escaped her lips. "You know, I didn't move in here with the express purpose of evicting you from your bedroom," Natalie stated gently. She had seen how hard her being here all the time was on him. The times that Nick had joined her in the bedroom were all too infrequent. She hated the thought of him always stuck sleeping on the couch. "If this isn't working out for you, maybe I should think about heading back to my place." "No," Nick answered quickly. "I mean, please don't." He rapidly closed the distance that had appeared between them. "I really like having you here." He paused, considering. "Unless you want to go." Perhaps this little arrangement wasn't working out for her. Perhaps she was growing tired of his frustrating, awkward attempts at making love. Natalie slowly slid her arms back around Nick's waist. She looked up into his face, trying to read the feelings that were lurking behind his words. "I'm not going anywhere," she responded. "I just wanted to be sure you were still okay with this." "If there's a problem, you'll be the first to know," he paused, "I promise. Now, go on, off to bed with you." Nick stopped and kissed her lightly on the top of the head. Nick watched as Natalie ascended the stairs to the second floor. Almost as an afterthought he called up to her. "I may go out for a little while." "Sure," Natalie called back down, forcing a tone that was lighter than she felt. What could she say As much as he would hate to admit it, she knew that he was lonely, that he missed the company of his own kind. She suspected that whether he realized it or not, he went out on these nights looking for any others that might still remain. Natalie slowly walked up the remaining stairs to the bedroom. end part 1/19 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Sun, 26 Jan 1997 17:18:49 EST Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (02/19) To: Multiple recipients of list FKFIC-L See part one for standard disclaimers and acknowledgements. Unfinished Business part 2/19 by Kathy Whelton "Well if it tisn't my favorite M.E." Liam O'Neal strode into the morgue and addressed the back of Natalie Lambert. She was bent over, peering into the eyepiece of a microscope, her long chestnut hair cascading down over her shoulders. Natalie smiled in spite of herself. Despite her reservations about seeing him again, there was no denying that O'Neal could be a charming man, when he wanted to be. Natalie rose slowly and turned to greet him. O'Neal stopped several paces from Natalie. He was nattily dressed, a dark tweed cap pulled low over graying hair. His tie was tightly knotted over a crisp white shirt. A sweater vest and herringbone jacket completed the picture. He looked more the part of aging college professor than the efficient investigator she knew him to be. "So it is you," O'Neal commented, his soft brogue immediately apparent. "Now if I didn't know better, I would say you had been deliberately avoiding me, or did you not receive any of the messages I left?" Natalie smiled graciously, determined to match his charm. She extended her hand to him, he took it and kissed the back of it lightly. "Now whatever would give you the idea that I was avoiding you? I've just been busy here at work." "I happen to know that the homicide rate here in Toronto is at an all time low," O'Neal replied. "So it occurred to me that some comment I had made in the past may be distressing you." O'Neal extended his left hand, offering to her the small bouquet of flowers that he held there. "I assure," he commented. "I come in peace." "Why thank you O'Neal," Natalie stated, excepting the flowers. "I can see that you haven't changed a bit, still the charmer." She pressed the flowers to her face and inhaled deeply. They were lovely. Perhaps she had been a bit hasty in suspecting an ulterior motive for him being here. It still wouldn't hurt to proceed cautiously. "Please," he said. "Call me Liam. I thought we had settled all that the last time I was here." Liam looked at Natalie carefully. He had thought of her often and fondly in the two years since they had last seen each other. Somehow, she seemed...different to him. Was it her hair, her make up? He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Slowly, unconsciously, his hand filtered up to the right side of his neck and he rubbed the slight ache that he found there. "Liam, then," Natalie returned. "So what is it that brings you back to Toronto? I wasn't quite prepared to believe that you were really here for that symposium." "Actually, I am, but not necessarily by choice." Liam's face hardened as he spoke. "Dublin CID decided it was time for them to step into the 21st century, and who better to send to a conference than a man of my 'vast experience' as they called it. Idiocy, that's what I call it. The best tool there is to solve a crime is right here." Liam gestured, his index finger to his temple. "I don't need some computer to tell me how to solve a case." "Well, it doesn't sound like you're too happy being here." Natalie replied, responding to the tone in his voice. "I'm sorry," he smiled. "I didn't mean to burden you with my troubles." Liam stepped back very obviously admiring Natalie. "I must say, you are looking particularly lovely. What are you up to these days? Whatever it is, it certainly agrees with you." Natalie flushed slightly at his words. "Oh, nothing much. Same old slice and dice, you know. Nothing much changes around here I'm afraid." "Well, I hope you'll let me change that, at least while I'm here in town," Liam stated. "I'd like to take you out to dinner. I found that after I left here, I thought about you quite a bit. I'd like the chance to talk to you....there's not many to whom I can really talk to...about...a certain mutual interest we share." ----- Tracy smiled to herself as she and Nick entered the Coroner's Building. Their caseload had been so light lately that even Nick was running out of excuses for stopping by here. Tonight he hadn't even bothered , he just headed the caddy in this direction after a quick stop at a roadside flower stand. A single red rose twisted casually in his hands. Tracy briefly considered teasing him about it, but thought better of it. Whatever was happening between he and Natalie was doing Nick a world of good and she had no desire to make him feel self-conscious. She had heard rumors, from the guys who knew him before Schanke's death, that there was even a sense of humor beneath that grim countenance. She hadn't seen too much evidence of it yet, but things definitely seemed headed in the right direction. Nick stopped abruptly as they reached the morgue door. Inside, Tracy could hear the vague murmur of voices, Nick apparently could hear a good deal more. Nick glanced down at the rose he was carrying and quickly tossed it into the trash barrel outside the morgue door. He considered turning and leaving, but then thought better of it. There was really no reason to suspect that O'Neal was here for anything other than a friendly visit, avoiding him would be pointless at best and look suspicious if O'Neal really had another purpose in mind. Besides, he had no idea what O'Neal might be able to sense about Natalie, she may be in need of his support. Nick and Tracy entered through the morgue door, interrupting the ongoing conversation. "Natalie, do you have a copy of that....?" Nick paused in mid sentence, as if realizing for the first time that Natalie was not alone. "Inspector O'Neal," Nick stuck his hand out, "Natalie had mentioned that you were in town, it's good to see you again." "Detective Knight," Liam stated, returning the handshake. "I was wondering if we would meet again. I wasn't sure if you would still be here in Toronto." "I find it suits me here just fine," Nick answered. "And this lovely young lady is?" "Forgive me," Nick apologized. "Chief Inspector Liam O'Neal, Dublin CID, Detective Tracy Vetter, my partner." Liam O'Neal extended his hand to Tracy. "I'm afraid it's just plain Inspector now, but regardless, please call me Liam." O'Neal turned and faced Nick. "I was saddened to hear of the deaths of your colleagues. Capt. Cohen and Det. Schanke were both fine officers--you have my condolences." "Thank you," Nick returned, his calm face betraying none of the pain he felt at the mention of Schanke's name. "They are greatly missed, I assure you." "The last time I was here, Det. Vetter, I had the great pleasure of working with Det. Knight and his partner on a very....interesting case. Fortunately, we were able to solve it in a manner that was satisfactory to all parties concerned." "Really, Nick never mentioned it." Tracy looked uneasily from Nick to O'Neal. She was getting the distinct impression that there was a lot more going on here than she was aware of, and she wasn't quite sure she wanted to know what it was. "Oh, I'm quite sure he wouldn't." O'Neal paused, fixing his eyes on Nick. " We lost another fine young police officer that night, Det. Hellman. She died in a most....unpleasant manner." "It was a tragedy," Nick replied coolly. "What is it that you're here for O'Neal? Is it pleasure or are you here on business? "Well, as a matter of fact, that is what I was just discussing with the good doctor here." Liam turned to face Natalie. "I'm in town for the law enforcement conference, but I was hoping she would add a little pleasure to my visit by agreeing to have dinner with me tomorrow night" "I don't know Liam," Natalie responded, shooting a quick sidelong glance at Nick. "I am off, but I'm second call. I could get called to work in a pinch." "You should go Nat." All heads turned at Nick's unexpected interruption. "You don't get out nearly often enough. Go. Have a good time." Nick smiled encouragingly at Natalie. Nick could tell immediately, by the look on Natalie's face that he had made a mistake. He was spared her reply by the ringing of the phone. "Lambert," Natalie responded into the receiver. "Yes, they're here." Natalie looked up at Nick and Tracy as she scribbled down the address. "Thanks, I'll let them know." "Looks like the dry spell is over, guys, we have a body, down by the lake." Natalie handed the piece of paper to Nick. "That was Reese, he said he'll meet you there. Sounds like a bad one." "Will you be joining us?" Nick asked as he and Tracy headed for the door. "I'll take my own car, I'll be right behind you." "What *was* that with O'Neal?" Tracy asked as soon as the pair were clear of the morgue door. "That, Tracy," Nick responded, exhaling slowly. "Is a long story. Hopefully it's not going to get any longer before he leaves Toronto." "So it's settled then, dinner tomorrow night?" Liam inquired with a mischievous grin. "Shall I pick you up? How does eight o'clock sound?" "Eight o'clock will be fine," Natalie returned. "Here's the address to my apartment. I'm looking forward to it," Natalie called over her shoulder as she headed for the door. end part 2/19 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 20:31:57 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (03/19) To: Multiple recipients of list FKFIC-L X-Status: Please see part one for standard disclaimers and acknowledgements. Unfinished Business part 3/19 by Kathy Whelton Natalie's car slid to an abrupt halt next to the caddy as she arrived at the crime scene. A cold, steady rain had begun to fall, turning the whole area into a sea of mud. The area had been an industrial site at one time. Now it was abandoned, overgrown with bushes and weeds. Up ahead, Natalie could see the police cruiser and the bright lights, all the tell tale signs of a night murder scene. She had pushed the speed limit all the way here, silently seething at Nick's comments in the morgue. "Nick," Natalie called to him as he and Tracy stepped out of the caddy. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" "Sure, Nat," Nick responded. "Tracy, you go on, I'll catch up with you in a minute" "You know, sometimes I just don't believe you, Nick. I... can't...what was that with O'Neal?" Natalie started, stumbling over her words in her anger. Nick followed her movements with a bemused expression. "Go Nat," she continued, mimicking his words, "you don't get out often enough." "Well, you don't," Nick responded lamely in a vain attempt to appease her. "And who's fault is that, anyway?" Natalie emphasized her point with firm, but discrete, right jab to his midsection. "How do you think that looked to O'Neal, your giving me permission to go out on a date with him?" "I wasn't giving you permission," Nick replied incredulously. In truth, he was a little mystified at Natalie's response to this whole thing. "And it's not a date," he paused, "it's dinner with a friend." "I can pick my own friends, thank you very much. I don't need any help from you." "Okay, Nat. I get your point. I'm sorry. I'll stay out of it from now on. I promise." "Ahem." Nick and Natalie turned to see Tracy struggling discretely to get their attention. "Um, sorry to interrupt guys, but we do have a murder investigation to do here. Reese is going to blow a coronary if you two don't get over there. The trio walked over to where Joe Reese was standing beside a parked car. In the front passenger seat sat a disheveled young woman, her clothing soaked through from the rain. Her sobs were audible to all that were standing nearby. "Sorry, Cap," Nick commented as they approached the car. Reese responded to the apology with an annoyed look. Something was amiss between Nick and Dr. Lambert, but he had enough to worry about. He didn't even want to think about some minor interpersonal riff breaking down the professionalism of one of his best investigative teams. "Apparently the victim and this young lady were parked here watching the submarine races." Reese spoke with all the sympathy of a father whose own daughters would soon be of dating age. "Romeo got out to relieve himself, and never came back. After a while, she went out looking for him. The body is about fifty feet through those bushes. She made it out to the road and flagged down a passing car. The driver is the one that called us." Tracy bent over and peered in the window of the car, taking a good look at the young girl. "What are the chances that she killed him, you know, crime of passion?" "None, I'd say," replied Reese, shaking his head. "Wait till you see the body, it's almost torn apart. There's no way she could have inflicted those injuries, at least not alone. I'll be real interested in your opinion on this one Dr. Lambert. These injuries are like nothing I've ever seen." Nick turned to Tracy. "Why don't you see if you can get a statement from the girl? She may open up better to you. I'll go take a look at the victim." Nick and Natalie followed a thin path through the brush to the spot where the body lay. A uniformed officer stood an uneasy watch over the corpse. The body was that of a young man lying face down in an ever deepening pool of mud. Clumps of soil and broken reeds lay atop the body, as if whomever had done this had made some primitive attempt to hide it. The head was twisted at an extreme angle, the light rain falling into the still open eyes. A frozen mask of horror was ingrained permanently in the young man's features. His right arm was pinned behind his back, clearly disarticulated from his shoulder. Natalie could feel the cool mud seep into her shoes as she moved closer to the body. The turgor of the skin and the lack of dependent lividity confirming what she had already begun to suspect; the body appeared to be drained of blood. Deep lacerations covered the face, neck, and upper torso of the body. Natalie moved in closer and examined the neck. Two puncture marks were carefully concealed by one of the deeper scratches . Natalie stood abruptly, trying to shake off the unexpected and unwelcome thought. She swayed unsteadily for a moment, the scene around her spinning. . "Nat, Nat, are you all right?" Nick was beside her, his hand firmly grasping her arm. The sound of Nick's voice brought Natalie back to the present. "I'm fine," she snapped, pulling her arm away from him. "But we have a problem--this body's been drained. There are puncture marks on the neck." "Are you sure?" Nick responded with a trace of disbelief in his voice. "Don't you think that I've covered up enough vampire kills at this point to damn well know one when I see one?" Natalie whispered angrily. "I know Nat, I'm sorry. It just caught me by surprise. I wasn't quetioning your judgement." Nick looked around the scene. The setting, the violence, the rudimentary attempt made to cover the body. There was nothing calculated about this killing. It spoke to Nick of an overwhelming desperation. This boy was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. "What are you going to give for a cause of death?" "I'll stall moving the body as long as possible. The rain will help explain the lack of blood at the scene. We can always pull out the old 'wild animal attack' story. We haven't used that one for a while." Natalie pressed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. "Don't worry, Nick, I'll take care of it." "Thanks, Nat." Nick touched her arm lightly. "I better go find Tracy, we'll at least have to go through the motions. I'll see you at home later." "Go through the motions? Look, Nick, I know we have to keep a lid on this, but I do expect you to do your job. You need to figure out who is this much out of control, before we've got more bodies than I can keep a lid on." "I think you know what I meant." He regarded her coolly. "I'll see you later." "Sure," Natalie responded wearily,"later." Tracy pulled the collar of her coat around her tightly as she stepped out of the car into the rain. She spun suddenly, peering into the darkness. Ever since she arrived at the scene, she had had the distinct feeling that she was being watched. She turned to see Nick emerging from the path. "Everything okay Trace?" Nick questioned. "Yeah, fine," Tracy answered distractedly, still looking off into the night. "I'm afraid she won't be much help to us. She's still pretty hysterical, but from what I can make out, she didn't see anything." Tracy turned and faced Nick. "What about the body? Should I...?" "No," Nick answered a little too quickly. "There's not much to see, the rain has taken care of that. Let's go notify his parents." "I know," Nick responded to the face Tracy made with a deep sigh. "But putting it off won't make it any easier." end part 3 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1997 22:38:45 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: ADULT: Unfinished Business (04/19) To: Multiple recipients of list FKFIC-L X-Status: Please see part one for standard disclaimers and acknowledgements. WARNING: This has been sent under an Adult header. It contains mature themes and sexual situations. Please read the PG version if you are likely to be offended. Unfinished Business part 4/19 by Kathy Whelton Natalie snuggled under the covers and took another sip of her drink. It had taken a long, hot soak in the tub and several cups of tea, laced liberally with scotch, to ease the chill of the crime scene out of her bones. She was finally beginning to relax. She tried, once again, to read the article in her hand, but somehow, tonight, 'The Process of DNA Replication in Lab Rats' wasn't quite the distraction she hoped it would be. She had behaved like a rookie at the crime scene tonight, and she could just kick herself for it. A body was a body, it shouldn't matter how he died--but it did matter. Coming face to face, so to speak, with her first vampire kill since....since....was more of a shock than she expected it would be. The important thing was for Nick to figure out who....or *what* had done this and put a stop to it before it happened again . Natalie heard the elevator grind to a halt on the lower level. She traced the echo of his footfalls, first to the fridge, then to the base of the stairs as he slowly began his ascent. The sound made her smile. She knew he was making the noise deliberately, out of consideration for her, not wanting to startle her. It was unnerving enough living with someone who you knew could hear every little sound you made, no matter how private. Nick had gone out of his way to make her as comfortable as possible living here. "Hi," Nick eased his way quietly into the bedroom. "I thought you might be asleep." He smiled at the sight of her, propped up in his bed, her trademark pink bathrobe wrapped around her. The vision warmed his cold heart. It was something he had never dared dream about. "It's taken me a while to unwind, and to thaw out, I'm afraid." "It was a rough night," Nick acknowledged. "How are you doing?" He sat down on the bed, careful to avoid making contact with her, but finding his body resisting the idea. He settled for placing a cold hand on the warm one that was lying on top of the comforter. "I'm much better," Natalie replied. "Thanks in part to the help of Mr. Cragganmore here." Natalie hoisted her cup to Nick in a mock toast. "How about you? How'd it go with the family?" "Not too bad, considering." The unfortunate truth was that the boy's father seemed more upset about the hockey game on TV than the news of his son's death. "Are you still angry with me about the O'Neal thing?" He looked at her worriedly. "I was more upset than angry. I had already decided to give him a wide berth, you sort of prodded me in the other direction." Natalie set down her glass and twined the fingers of her hand around his. "I'm sorry about that." He looked down at their joined fingers. He seemed to be concentrating intensely on the subtle stroking motions his hands made. It never failed to amaze him that a hand that could so deftly wield a scalpel could be so soft and pliant. He felt a stirring within him and abruptly released Natalie's hand. "Is something wrong?" Natalie asked, surprised by his sudden withdrawl. "No, nothing. Nothing's wrong." Even after a couple of months, he still found this to be a little hard to accept. That she could actually be here. That she could love him, despite everything that had happened. He allowed the feelings, pushing their way to the surface, to grow. He was delighted to find that they were unaccompanied by the cravings of the beast within him, at least for the time being. Nick quickly stripped off his clothing, still damp and covered with mud, and tossed them onto the chair. He slid, naked, into the bed beside her. "Let's not talk about O'Neal, or the case," he said, kissing her softly on the cheek. Nick's actions had taken Natalie by surprise, and she found herself pulling back slightly. Usually it took all the coaxing she could muster to get him to even come upstairs with her. She hesitated, it had been a very rough night for her, and this really wasn't what she had had in mind to end it with. Still, the eagerness with which Nick approached her was intriguing . She never could quite figure out what made him tick, why sometimes he felt the need to keep her at arms length, while at others he felt quite comfortable being close to her. She wondered if even Nick himself knew the answer. Natalie's heart melted as she gazed into his cobalt blue eyes. He was looking at her with such open affection, such sincerity, that she found it difficult to resist. She knew how difficult it was for him to put aside his fears of hurting her. Maybe this had not been in her plan for the night, but its appeal was certainly growing on her. She returned his kiss with a more passionate one and began running her fingers through his hair, still damp from the night's rain. "What should we talk about then?" she asked him with a wry smile. "Make up sex," he returned with a grin. "Make up sex?" "Absolutely, it's the best kind." "I don't suppose you'd like to share with me just how you happen to know that?" Natalie questioned. "Um, no actually I wouldn't," Nick replied with a laugh. "Or we could talk about how great you smell," he commented, nuzzling her hair. "Or about how wonderful you make me feel. Maybe we should just...not talk at all." He kissed her deeply, tentatively exploring her mouth with his own. Nick slid his hand up underneath her nightgown and softly cupped her breast, gently teasing the nipples with his fingers. "Eeow!" erupted Natalie. "What's the...?" Nick knew the answer before he had finished asking his own question. "I'm sorry, I never did get you that electric blanket that I promised you." He slid back against the headboard, withdrawing from her slightly. "You just startled me a bit, and I was so cold earlier." Natalie took his hand in between both of hers and rubbed it briskly. "There, no harm done." She brought his hand to her mouth and let her lips run slowly over the tips of his fingers, gently sucking on the tips of each one, before replacing the hand on her breast. Nick dispensed with her robe and nightgown with a ease that she always found a bit disturbing and began kissing her in earnest. She felt his cool hands ever so carefully exploring every curve of her body and felt the desire within her begin to rise. He began to tease her; slowly, gently sliding his fingers into her. Natalie lay back in the bed, closing her eyes, willing herself to relax and enjoy his attentions. Her eyes flew open. Where the hell did that come from? O'Neal, seeing O'Neal tonight, that was it. Natalie closed her eyes again only to find Brigit Hellman waiting for her once more, drained and discarded by that....monster. "Nat, is everything okay?" Nick lay still beside her, watching her intently. "Yeah, Nick, everything is fine. I'm just a little tired, my mind was wandering." Natalie forced a smile. She embraced him, letting her hands travel over his body, reveling,as she always did in the soft suppleness that she found there. Natalie reached down and took Nick's semi-erect member into her hand, and massaged it to a greater firmness. "How's that?" Natalie asked with a smile. "Much better," Nick groaned softly, his breath becoming ragged. Natalie felt a trail of cool kisses engulfing her body. He lips reached the angle of her shoulder and she felt herself freeze. Memories assailed her. Memories of the crime scene tonight, of her own near death at Nick's hands, of a more distant time when her body had been visciously violated. She would not give into this; she would not let herself become a victim of the past. Reflexively, her hand tightened a little on Nick. She heard his intake of breath and looked up. Natalie opened her eyes and looked at Nick. His eyes glowed a soft amber, as they always did when he reached this state of arousal. She felt her heart rate jump twenty beats and cringed, knowing that Nick would be aware of it as well. She was not going to let her fear win this one. Natalie issued a preemptive strike against her own body. "I want you, Nick, now." She could feel his firmness against her thigh, and knew that he was more than ready. She moved her hands to his back and pressed him closer to her while she arched her body towards his. Nick hesitated, he could hear her words, but in no way did they correspond with what her body was telling him. He could hear her heart racing, and he suspected that her heavy breathing came not from passion, but from fear. He brushed his fingers lightly over her hair. "Nat, maybe we..." "Now, Nick, I want you now." He could hear the desperation in her words. Nick was torn between wanting to please her and his concern for her true feelings. There was also the growing desire, burning in his own groin to be considered. Nick shifted his weight onto her and prepared to enter her. There was no warm, moist welcome for him there. He felt her muscles tighten involuntarily against his pressure. Nick lifted himself up and whispered into her ear. "I won't hurt you like this, Nat. Not now. Not ever." Before she could speak, Nick had swung himself off of the bed and grabbed his dressing gown from the closet. Quickly he wrapped it around himself, as if to hide the evidence of his own arousal. "You're overtired, Nat, get some sleep. I'll see you when you get up." "Nick...please...don't.." The closing of the door cut off Natalie's plea. Behind the door Nick could hear her start to cry. Nick fled down the stairs and pulled open the refrigerator door. He grabbed the first available bottle and downed almost all of it immediately. He wished passionately, for just a moment that it was human blood. Nick sank into one of the kitchen chairs, waiting for the blood to work it's magic on him. Of all the stupid, idiotic, moves to make. Nick silently cursed himself. To think that she would have been anything but repulsed by him after what she had faced tonight. Upstairs Nick could her Natalie crying softly. She was better off without him, not just tonight but every night. Nick went over to the couch and flopped down on it, knowing that today sleep would be a long time in coming. He turned restlessly on the dark leather. She had asked him not to go. Maybe they would both get a little more rest if they didn't have this to sleep with. Nick knocked softly before opening the bedroom door. "Can we try that again from the top, or were you going to call the precinct and have me arrested for criminal bad timing?" Natalie smiled weakly and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "Is there a statute against that?" "Well, if there isn't, there should be. Can I come in?" "Please," Natalie responded, holding her hand out to him. "It was my fault too, I shouldn't have encouraged you when I really wasn't in the mood." Nick sat down beside her on the bed and slid his arm around her. Absently, he started rubbing her shoulder. "Lay down on your stomach." Nick saw the look of hesitancy in Natalie's eyes. "Go ahead," he said softly, brushing his hand against her hair. "It's okay." Natalie turned and laid down, tucking her arms underneath her. Nick covered her back with the sheet and knelt down beside her. He began gently massaging the tense muscles, pleased to feel the knots slowly begin to melt away under his fingertips. "Nat, the case tonight, it really got to you,didn't it?" "Yeah, Nick, it did," Natalie replied softly. Somehow it was easier to say this if she didn't have to face him. "It brought back a lot of bad memories. I don't think seeing Liam O'Neal tonight helped much either." Nick continued softly rubbing her back. It was honest. They couldn't afford anything less than total honesty if this thing ever had a prayer of working out between them. He remembered how disturbed she had been right after Brigit Hellman's death. She had had nightmares for weeks. "I'm glad you told me." Natalie could already feel herself drifting off towards sleep. "Nick, why don't you try to sleep up here...with me today?" "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." end part 4 comments welcome Kathy 103034.22473@compuserve.com Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 20:13:07 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (05/19) To: Multiple recipients of list FKFIC-L X-Status: Unfinished Business part 5 by Kathy Whelton "It's a shame that you can't even try a taste of this, it really is quite good," Liam stated with a smile, taking another sip out of his glass of wine. Unobtrusively, the waiter slid the dinner plates from the table. The meal had been excellent. It had been far too long since he'd had the opportunity to take a lovely young woman to dinner, and he wished to make the most of the evening. He still couldn't seem to get over the feeling that something was disturbing her. "I did warn you that I was on call, and I'm afraid that drinking on duty is frowned upon on this side of the pond." Despite being on call Natalie was truly enjoying herself. As irritated as she had been by Nick's comments, the truth was that she didn't get out nearly often enough. Nick was willing enough to take her, at least most of the time, but the sight of him, sitting there pushing his food around on the plate and struggling to take a few bites gave her little enjoyment. "Ah, yes, one of the many differences between living here or in Europe. I'm afraid I'm prejudiced. I tend to think that we have a much more civilized attitude over there." "And how is Dublin these days, Liam?" Natalie inquired. "The comments you've made so far haven't been very positive." "Dublin is changing, just like the rest of the world. Everything is computers and cellphones. Your colleagues think you are a doddering old fool if you want to do a little leg work to solve a case, instead of sitting down and logging on to the Internet. " Liam spoke with more than a trace of bitterness in his voice. "Technology can be a pretty wonderful thing, we've made remarkable advances in the last couple of decades. Changes that have greatly improved the quality of people's lives." "There you go, talking like a scientist again," Liam stated with a touch of humor. "But the truth is people have too much faith in technology, they've begun to forget the old ways. I think you know what I'm talking about. That's one of the reasons I agreed to come to Toronto, it's been a long time since I've had anyone to talk to about a certain secret we share. Keeping a secret too long can become a terrible burden to the soul." Natalie could feel her face flush. He was right about the burden. Hadn't keeping that secret caused so much damage to her own life over the past six years? All the compromises she had made to protect Nick's secret. She had hoped to avoid this, but now that he had started....the opportunity was just too compelling to pass up. "So I trust you don't know many other hun..., people like yourself ?" "Hunters?" Liam finished for her. "You can say the word. I've heard the term before. The answer is no. A few have crossed my path over the years. Most of them crazy, desperate individuals." He paused as if lost in thought for a moment. "Most of them can't live with it for long, the memories I mean. They either drink themselves to death, or make some wild gesture that invites certain destruction on them." Natalie could feel her body tremble as he spoke. "Maybe I will have just a sip of that wine after all, Liam." She had hoped that the memories she still carried from that night would fade with time. Maybe that was too much to hope for. He stopped and poured the wine into her glass, looking at her intently. He still felt something from her that had not been there the first time they met, he just couldn't quite seem to put his finger on it. "Are you all right, Natalie? You seem troubled by something." "I'm fine, Liam, thanks. I just caught a bit of a chill, that's all," Natalie responded. The wine was helping,taking the edge off the turmoil she was feeling. "So why hasn't that happened to you? You still seem sane enough." Natalie smiled thinly, desperately trying to maintain an air of nonchalance in her voice. "I'm not really sure, maybe it's because I was so young at the time of my attack. Maybe it's because of the religious intervention that I received, or maybe it just hasn't happened yet." Liam smiled. "But I truly didn't invite you to dinner so I could drag you into an old man's melancholia. Tell me about yourself. Anyone special in your life since we last met?" "Me? Heavens no!" Natalie leaned forward as she spoke. "You don't get much chance to meet men in my line of work, no one you'd want to date anyway." "That means your working too hard. Take it from someone whose been there, don't let your youth pass you by. Some of us won't be young forever you know." "Tell me about it." Natalie drained the remainder of her wineglass in one gulp. "Speaking of being young forever--what about Det. Knight?' "Nick? What about him?" Natalie answered a bit too quickly. "I was a bit surprised to find him still here, their kind don't generally hang about a place too long." Liam smiled. "Then again, I have to say he's the first one of them that I've met that's a homicide detective." "You said it yourself, Liam, Nick's not like the others." Actually, Natalie had found the vampire community to be as diverse a group of individuals as she'd ever met, but there wasn't much point in going into that with O'Neal. "That's right you're trying to "cure" him, aren't you? Another marvelous example of your modern technology. Well, at the risk of upsetting you, I have to tell you that I know what the cure for vampirism is, and isn't at the bottom of some test tube. It's at the firm point of an ashwood stake." O'Neal spat out his final words with a vehemence that startled Natalie. O'Neal's comments left no doubt in her mind, this man could be dangerous, to Nick, to her. The sooner this little visit of Liam's to Toronto was over, the better. Natalie jumped at the shrill, piercing sound of her beeper going off. "You'll have to excuse me for a minute while I answer this." Liam rose as Natalie returned to the table. "I'm sorry if I sounded a little harsh there a moment ago. Forgive me, I'm afraid I'm getting a little less forbearing as I get older. Let's not let this ruin the rest of our evening." "Don't worry, Liam, I realize you have strong feelings on the matter," Natalie responded coolly, "and not without just cause. But I'm afraid our evening is over. That was the office. The M.E. on tonight, Dr. Hernandez, is fresh out of residency. I'm afraid that he is having some difficulty at a crime scene, and I'm his backup," Natalie explained. "Do you mind taking a cab back to your hotel? I really should get over there." "How about I tag along? You don't have to be out of the harness too long before you start to miss it." "Sure, I guess that would be all right." The hesitancy was evident in Natalie's voice, but there really was no good reason not to let him accompany her. end part 5 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 22:31:08 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (06/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: Please see part one for standard disclaimers. Unfinished Business part 6/19 by Kathy Whelton Natalie pulled her car into one of the few available spots adjacent to the crime scene. The location was a small park, several miles from the waterfront. Natalie glanced around at the unusually large number of police cars, noting Nick's caddy among them. Whatever had happened here, it certainly was attracting quite a bit of attention. Natalie shivered as she stepped out of the car. She was dressed for a night on the town, not for traipsing around a murder scene half the night. Her evening dress coat was just not going to cut it tonight, but there was not much she could do about it at this point. Out of the corner of her eye Natalie spotted Dr. Ken Hernandez, the new assistant coroner making his way towards her at a rapid walk. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your evening, Dr. Lambert," Hernandez stated, a look of intense misery on his face. "I just didn't know what else to do." "It's all right Ken, don't worry about it," Natalie returned, "and please, please, start calling me Natalie. What seems to be the trouble?" Natalie's question was interrupted by a long slow whistle from Liam O'Neal. "Will you look at that?" Natalie glanced at O'Neal, following his line of vision. There, perched in the crux of a large maple, was the object of all the attention--the body. "That's the trouble." Ken Hernandez pointed upwards. "We've been here for over an hour, and we haven't even been able to get close to the body. Reese is about ready to chop everyone's head off. He keeps asking me for a cause of death. How can I give him a cause of death when I haven't been able to examine the body?" The young doctor squeaked out the last few words. "Relax, Ken, of course you can't. Reese knows that, he's just under a lot of pressure." Natalie looked up. "How in the hell....? Why that must be a good 20-30 ft off the ground." "How in the hell, indeed," countered Liam, walking closer to the base of the tree. There was only one possible explaination that he could come up with for the body being there, and it wasn't good. Ken Hernandez's description of Joe Reese was certainly accurate. Reese was pacing in large circles, practically screaming into his cellphone. "Another hour! You people mean to tell me that it's going to be at least another hour before you can get me a ladder that's tall enough. Don't you realize that I have a murder investigation to run here?" Reese inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself. He would catch heck from Denise, if she could see what he was doing to his blood pressure right now. "I understand that you have problems too," Reese continued, "but tomorrow you can be sure that I'm going to get to the bottom of this." He clicked his cellphone shut, a sound emminently less satisfying than slamming down a receiver. Reese walked over to the spot where Nick and Tracy stood. "Seems like there is some big chemical fire on the other side of town, all available fire and rescue units are tied up there. That was the phone company I was just talking to--they're giving me some song and dance about Aunt Gertie's phone service being more important than this investigation. It'll be at least an hour before they can send a bucket truck to help us out. Heck, I could go home and get a ladder out of my own garage by then," Reese grumbled. "If you give me a leg up, I think I can reach that bottom branch," Nick stated quietly. "I can at least see if there is any ID on the body, maybe get an idea about the cause of death." "A leg up?" responded Reese, a puzzled look on his face. "You know." Nick interlocked his fingers, cupping his hands in an upward motion. "A leg up. Didn't you ever climb trees as a kid?" "I haven't been a kid in a long time, and neither have you. How's it going to look if my star detective falls out of a tree and breaks his leg?" "Oh, I think the odds of my falling out of this tree and breaking my leg are pretty slim," Nick replied with a quick wink directed at Tracy. "But if you want to wait..." "No, I don't want to wait," stated Reese. "I guess anything's worth a try at this point." Nick unbuttoned his overcoat and walked over to where Natalie was still standing with Hernandez and Liam O'Neal. Having O'Neal show up here could turn into a problem, but there wasn't much he could do about that now. "Would you mind holding on to this for me?" Nick asked Natalie as he slid the warm coat over her shoulders. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Natalie whispered. The weight of the coat felt good, but nothing could warm the chill that was seeping into her soul as she looked up at the corpse. How many possible explanations could there be for this? She had only managed to come up with one so far. "Don't worry. I won't make it look *too* good. Anything is better than standing here and listening to Reese for another couple of hours," Nick said with a grin. "Besides, the press is starting to arrive. It's better if we at least look like we're doing something." Funny, Reese thought to himself as he hoisted Nick upwards towards the lowest branch of the tree, Nick isn't nearly as heavy as he looks. He stepped back and joined the rest of the crowd as they watched the blond detective make his way slowly up towards the suspended body. Nick made his way carefully through the branches, mindful of the large crowd that had gathered beneath him. He hoped fervently that he would find something, anything that would indicate that this man had died of something other than a vampire attack. When he reached the body, Nick balanced himself easily between two branches. He allowed himself to indulge his senses as he rarely did at a crime scene. The man had been dead several days, he needed no thermometer to tell him that, and it had been drained. He reached carefully into the man's pocket and removed his wallet. It wouldn't do to have the body come cascading down into the crowd below. He felt a chill of fear grip him. This developement was truly concerning; that someone in this day could be so careless frightened him more than he would like to admit. Another set of eyes was watching the scene with great interest as well. His eyes flared red for a moment as he sensed one of his own kind climbing to the site where he had stashed the kill, his kill. He almost launched himself into the air to defend his prey, then he realized it didn't matter anymore. The body was drained, empty. It was of no use to him anymore, the other could have it. Everything was so confusing. It was almost as though the hunger didn't matter anymore--it was the killing, the pleasure, the pleasure of killing. His eyes were drawn away from the sight of the other as he slowly made his way up the tree. He found himself staring at the tall blonde, standing at the base of the tree. There was something so familiar there, but he could sense something else at the bottom of the tree as well--danger was waiting there. He turned and rose off into the night. Nick dropped easily out of the tree, wallet in hand, and walked over to where the group was waitng. "Any idea about a cause of death, Nick? Or how he got up there?" Reese questioned immediately. "It's a relatively young man, with quite a few abrasions and lacerations. I think we can safely rule out natural causes." Nick stared intently at Natalie as he answered Reese's questions. He desperately needed to speak to her alone, but that was rather unlikely with the crowd that was gathered. Already he could feel O'Neal watching him closely. Nick returned his gaze to Reese. "Tracy and I will check out this ID, notify the next of kin. Why don't you let us know when you get something more on the body?" "Sounds good to me," replied Reese, finally happy that this investigation was going somewhere. "You two be sure to keep in touch." "Nick, your coat," Natalie called after him as he and Tracy headed towards the caddy." "Keep it," Nick responded over his shoulder. "You might be here for quite a while. There are gloves in the pocket." ------- "Okay, Nick, out with it." Tracy started as soon as they slid into the caddy. "Out with what Tracy?" Nick replied wearily, he really didn't have time for this, he had a lot of thinking to do and fast. "Cut the crap, Nick." Tracy could feel her anger rising. "I read the autopsy report from the murder last night; that body was drained. I said to myself, Tracy, this is hard on him, he'll tell you when he's ready. Well now *I'm* ready. I thought we were through playing these games ." "We are through playing games, I was just..." "I know, you were just trying to protect me. I can't say this strongly enough, Nick. I don't want you to protect me. I want us to be partners." The level of Tracy's voice was rising steadily as she spoke. "You don't have to shout, Tracy, I get the message. My hearing's quite good you know." "Sorry," Tracy paused. "So I was right, there is a vampire behind these killings. Behind this one too?" "Yeah," Nick responded. "This one too." "So what do you think? What do you hear, from you know, the Community?" Tracy questioned with an eagerness that Nick found a little frightening. "You don't get this, do you Trace? There is no 'Community.' You're looking at 'the Community'." Nick let his words sink in before continuing. "This is a rogue, and someone not in their right mind, I'd say. I haven't a clue what to do about this." "Oh...that's not good, is it?" "No, Trace, that's not good," Nick sighed. "Let's go check out this guy. Maybe these killings aren't as random as they look. Maybe there is a connection between the victims somehow, where they work, where they hang out. We could get lucky. end part 6 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 19:36:33 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (07/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: Please see standard disclaimers and acknowledgements in part one. Unfinished Business part 7/19 by Kathy Whelton "How do they get a hold of these cases so quickly?" Reese slammed the newspaper down on his desk. It had only been four hours since the discovery of the second body and already the press was having a field day. "'Wild Animal Stalks Downtown TO' Where do they come up with this stuff?" Nick and Tracy sat in silence as Reese continued his ranting about the press. Across the room sat Liam O'Neal. O'Neal had requested to join the case, as a consultant, and Reese had agreed. Nick was still not quite ready to let that decision go unchallenged. "Captain," Nick began. "I still think that our best bet is to keep a low profile on this case. I don't think we need to bring any international implications into the case when there are none." Joe Reese was truly puzzled by his detectives reaction. "It's my understanding that Inspector O'Neal has a great deal of experience solving rather unusual cases. That, in fact, he was rather instrumental in solving a case not unlike this right here in Toronto two years ago." "And very nearly got himself killed in the process." Nick looked intently at O'Neal a he spoke. "I keep trying to tell Detective Knight how grateful I am for his saving my life that night." O'Neal smiled. "He just doesn't quite seem to want to believe me." "The option of whether to keep this case..." Reese was interrupted by the ringing of Nick cellphone. "Knight." "It's me." Nat spoke quickly into the phone. "I need to see you right away, it's about the case." "Okay," Nick responded neutrally. "You can't talk." "That's right." "Just get over here as quickly as you can. And Nick....I think it might be better if you don't bring Tracy with you." Nick snapped his phone shut. "Sorry, Cap." "As I was saying, the option of whether to keep this case low profile is already out of our hands. The press has seen to that. I'm going to have every uniform the department can muster walking a beat until this thing is solved. Have you two managed to come up with anything concrete on either of the victims?" "Nothing yet," Tracy acknowledged. "We're still hoping to come up with some sort of connection between the the two." "Fine," Reese replied. "I also want you to coordinate the canvass in the areas where the murders took place--people out walking their dogs, that sort of thing. Any questions? Good. Inspector O'Neal, I'd like to talk to you for just a minute if I may." "Tracy," Nick spoke quickly as the pair filed out of Reese's office. "That was Nat on the phone. I need to go see her, she's got something on the case. You need to keep O'Neal busy. Take him on a moonlight tour of Toronto or something." Tracy opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off before she could even speak. "Please, Tracy. I'll fill you in later. This is the most important thing you can do right now, believe me." ------ "Take a look at this." Natalie directed Nick toward the eyepiece of the microscope. "Now look at this one." Natalie quickly changed slides as Nick continued to peer into the instrument. "They're identical. Nat, do you mind telling me what I am looking at?" Nick stood and faced Natalie. "The first slide is from blood I took off of the second murder victim, the one in the tree. Non-human blood." "And the second slide?" Nick inquired. "Nick, the blood from the second slide is a sample that I took from Javier Vachon after the fever epidemic earlier this year," Natalie stated calmly. "That's impossible Nat, you must have made some sort of mistake. Vachon is dead, you know that." "Is he? Nick, I've checked it and double checked it. The two samples actually aren't completely identical, there is one minute difference that I can't account for." "So it is possible that these two samples aren't from the same individual, maybe just two closely related ones," Nick posed hopefully. "I suppose it's possible Nick, but I really don't think so. I cross-checked these two samples with one I had taken off of Urs's body after you brought her in. There are a lot of similarities, but not like there is between the first two." "The same family," Nick mused aloud. "Vachon brought Urs across, and I think it's a safe bet that there has been a lot of blood sharing between those two over the years." "I just think that you need to be prepared in case it is Vachon. You're going to have to be the one to take care of this." "Take care of this? Don't you mean destroy him? It's not that simple Nat, he was a friend." There had been far too much death lately, and he was sick of it. "Friend or no friend, if this is Vachon, he has viciously murdered two innocent people, maybe more." Natalie could feel her anger rising. These murders had been brutal, savage, and there he sat calmly debating the ethics of destroying the killer. Where was the justice for the victims? "You managed to destroy my brother quickly enough." The words were out of her mouth before Natalie was even aware that she had been thinking them. She didn't mean it. Yes, she did. It may not be fair, but it was true. Nick looked as if she had struck him. "I'm sorry," he stated quietly. There was nothing else to be said. He rose slowly and walked from the room without turning around. ----- Tracy eased her key into the lock and somehow managed to open her apartment door while simultaneously juggling two bags full of groceries. She had spent half the night driving Liam O'Neal around Toronto and she was quite ready for a hot shower and a warm bed. Not that Liam wasn't charming, very charming in fact, but it hadn't taken her long to figure out what it was about him that was making Nick so nervous. He knew. He knew about vampires and he had his suspicions about this case--not that she had let on that she had figured that out. For the second time in two nights she had managed to use her hair color to her advantage, and Liam had gotten absolutely nowhere. Tracy briefly considered calling Nick and filling him in, but decided against it. Nick could be so grumpy when she woke him during the day. Maybe it was a lack of caffeine in his diet--she'd have to remember to talk to Natalie about it. Tracy pulled her hand away from the refrigerator door and stared at it--it was covered with mud. In fact, as she looked around for the first time, she could see a trail of mud through out her apartment. She glanced inside the refrigerator. Everything had been moved, just slightly, but nothing had been taken. Tracy felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she slowly reached for her service revolver. Tracy inhaled deeply as she followed the trail of foot prints through her apartment. She had had her problems with anxiety since the shooting, and the feelings intensified as she thought of someone here, in the place that she should be able to feel safe. She arrived at the bedroom and saw the window was ajar. She looked out onto the small balcony. The small balcony with no fire escape, no stairs of any kind leading up to it. Tracy sat down abruptly on the bed, as the thought came to her. "No," she whispered to herself. "He can't be." end part 7/19 Date: Sat, 1 Feb 1997 11:49:26 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (08/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: Warning: There is violence in this section, which some readers may find disturbing. Unfinished Business part 8/19 by Kathy Whelton Nick was just getting ready to depart the loft when he heard the elevator come to life. For one fleeting moment he considered leaving anyway, but discarded the idea. This was one bit of unfinished business that had gone on too long as it was, running away from it again would accomplish nothing. Natalie stepped off the elevator and looked around the loft. It had only been twenty four hours since she had left here, somehow it seemed much longer. She wondered idly if the loft would ever seem like home to her, or would it always be Nick's place, and she the perpetual house guest. "I was a little worried when you didn't come home this morning," Nick started gently, walking over to her. "I know. I should have called. I just felt like I needed to go home to my own place. I had a lot of thinking to do." Natalie paused. "Nick, I'm sorry for what I said last night. It was totally uncalled for. I was angry. I wasn't even thinking about Richie, I don't know why that came out." Natalie walked over and took Nick's hand as she spoke. "It wasn't your fault, I know that." "He was my responsibility, Nat, and I blew it. Maybe if I'd stayed with him that night...maybe things would be different." "And maybe they wouldn't. There's no way either of us can know that. I don't want you to feel like you have to take all the blame. I was the one who pushed you into it in the first place," she paused. "I just miss him a lot." Natalie rested her head on Nick's shoulder as she spoke, barely managing to hold off the tears that threatened. "I know you do, Nat. I know. Nothing that happened to Richard was fair, none of it." Nick stroked her hair softly as he spoke. The incident with her brother was something that he wished he could make go away for her, unfortunately it was one of the many things that she had to live with, that *they* had to live with. "I don't know what's wrong with me lately, maybe too much caffeine and too little sleep." She smiled. "I do seem to be having trouble controlling my temper recently." "Is that all you think it is--too much caffeine?" Nick probed gently. The smile begin to fade from Natalie's lips. "Well I think it's only reasonable that this case would upset me a little." Natalie took a step back from Nick. "This has been going on a bit longer than this case," Nick paused. "I just think that you should consider the possibility that there's a little more to it." "There you go again." Natalie glared at Nick. "Trying to tell me that there is something wrong with me. There is *nothing* wrong with me. I wish you would just drop it." "Okay, Nat, I'll drop it. I just want you to know that we can talk about this if you need to." Nick enfolded her in his arms again. Maybe she was right. Maybe there was nothing more to these sudden flashes of anger than all the stress she had been under. He would give anything to make that the truth. "What are you up to anyway?" Natalie asked, looking up. He was obviously on his way out the door when she arrived. "I'm going to test out your theory. I figure that if Vachon is still where Tracy buried him, then he can't be our killer," Nick paused, "and if he's not there, then I guess I better start looking for him." "That's what I was afraid that was for." Natalie indicated the shovel by the elevator door. "Nick, it's a snow shovel. You're going grave robbing with a snow shovel?" "I know," Nick said, with some degree of dismay on his face. "It's the only one I could find," Nick smiled. "Not quite like the movies, is it?" "Um, no. Then again not much around here is like it is in the movies." Natalie returned his smile, then continued on a more serious note. "Nick, please be careful. If this is Vachon, and he is still under the influence of whatever Divia passed on to him, madness or unharnessed evil, he's not the same person you knew." "I know, Nat, don't worry. I'll be ready." Nick kissed her softly on the forehead. "I better get going, I'll catch up with you later." -------- The grave, not surprisingly, had been empty, its location confirmed by the nearby remains of Screed. Coming here seemed like the next logical step. Nick surveyed the basement of the church by the dim light of a single candle. The room was a shambles, with Vachon's few worldly possessions still scattered about. It appeared to be virtually untouched since the last time he had seen it. Apparently Tracy had not been able to bring herself to come back after Vachon's death. It had never occurred to him that perhaps he should be the one to take on the task--that there was no one else. >From where he stood in the cellar, Nick heard the distinctive sound of the main church door being opened. He thought for a moment that perhaps this was not the dead end that it appeared to be, when he realized that the intruder was mortal, frightened, and somehow...familiar. He heard the tentative steps echoing faintly across to the stairwell. "Tracy...it's Nick," he called up to her. "I'm down here. Watch your step, the light's awful." Tracy descended the staircase, her face ashen, Nick's presence confirming her worst fears. "You think it's him too, don't you? You think that it's Vachon." "Tracy, I think that maybe you should sit down, before you fall down." Nick took her gently by the hand and guided her to a chair. It was an offer that she wasn't about to refuse. Her world was spinning. How could this possibly be true? She had gone over the idea in her head a thousand times today while she prayed for sleep. "You know something." She looked pleadingly at Nick. "Please, you have to tell me." "I'm afraid it's true, Trace," Nick started gently. "Blood samples that Nat found on the body of the second victim match up with a sample she had taken from him earlier, just after the fever epidemic." "There must be some mistake. I saw those bodies, Vachon would never..." She realized how ridiculous her rationalizations sounded even as she spoke. She remembered what he was like that night, wild and out of control in some ways, still so much Vachon in other ways. "No mistake, Tracy. I went to the spot where you buried him." There was no other way to say it. "He's gone." "Oh my God, Nick." Tracy sprang to her feet, the anguish written across her face. "I buried him. I buried him and he wasn't dead. All this time..." "Tracy, Tracy, calm down. It's not your fault, you didn't do anything wrong. You didn't know." Nick grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. How could he explain this to her without totally repulsing her? Of all the choices she could have made, burying him was not the worst thing she could have done. A soft moaning sound abruptly drew Nick's attention away from Tracy. There, standing across the room, at the bottom of the stone steps was the object of all their concerns. Javier Vachon stood before them, his eyes glowing softly in the darkness. He was barely recognizable to Tracy or Nick. His clothes were thoroughly encrusted with mud and debris, his hair matted with a substance that Tracy realized could only be blood. In his arms he held the body of a young woman, at least Tracy thought it was a body until she realized that that was the source of the soft moaning she could hear. She felt Nick's fingers tighten on her shoulder in silent warning. Tracy held perfectly still for a moment, stunned by the sight before her. Vachon had always responded to her in the past, no matter how desperate the situation had seemed. She fervently hoped that this would be the case now as well. Tracy slid herself free of Nick's grasp and took a step toward Vachon. "Vachon...," she spoke his name softly, hoping not to startle him. Vachon had been standing motionless as well, taking in the sight of the two interlopers. There was something familiar there. He inhaled deeply . His posture softened as he struggled to recall the significance. The figure in his arms shifted suddenly and moaned, again diverting his attention. Vachon felt his hold on her tighten, the pounding of her heart calling to him. This was his prey, his place, the place were he could vaguely recall a feeling of safety. Now there were others here, others who would take her from him. Vachon's eyes flared red and his fangs descended with a stunning swiftness. Her blood called to him and he responded, savagely tearing into her throat. He felt the warmth of her blood enveloping him and he drank deeply from her, her life played out before him, a medley of joys and sorrows. Tracy heard herself screaming before she was even aware that she had opened her mouth. She felt, rather than saw Nick fly past her, instantly pinning Vachon to the concrete wall behind him. The body of the young woman fell to the floor with a sickening thud. Nick's hand reached out and grasped the handle of the shovel which had stood resting against the stairwell. He raised it swiftly, shattering the bowl of the shovel against the wall. The shaft snapped cleanly in two and Nick pressed the hard, jagged edge of the handle against Vachon's chest. Nick looked up into the face of his one time friend and was stunned to find the eyes that stared back at him were brown. "...Knight..." Vachon's lips struggled to find the memory, the words. "Do it, Knight. I...can't...stop myself. You have to...please." Nick felt himself hesitate. This was not the same monster that had just brutally killed right in front of him, but someone for whom he had once felt at least the beginnings of a friendship. Someone who had been a victim in this as well. Still, there seemed to be little choice, whatever evil or insanity Divia had managed to inflict upon him was still there, largely controlling Vachon's actions. He could not allow this indiscriminate killing to continue and he knew of no other way to stop it, other than by destroying Vachon. Nick tightened his hold on Vachon and prepared to thrust the makeshift stake into Vachon's heart. "Forgive me..." Nick whispered. "NO!" Tracy screamed as she launched herself at Nick's back. "Don't, Nick, please. Listen to him. He's still in there. There must be something we can do. I can't lose him again, not like this. Please." Nick was scarcely aware of the blows that Tracy was raining upon his back in a futile attempt to dislodge him from Vachon, but her words tore at him. She had been through so much lately, it was awful that she had to be here to witness this. Nick turned his head to look at her, to offer some explanation. "Tracy, stay out of this. I have no choice. I have to do this." Nick saw Tracy recoil as he spoke and realized belatedly that his own eyes glowed and that his fangs had dropped. Hardly the picture of comfort he wanted to present to her. The first blow caught Nick in his midsection, forcing him to double over from the impact. The second, a vicious upper cut to his jaw sent Nick sprawling backwards, taking Tracy down with him. Nick was on his feet and halfway up the stairs in seconds, but it was seconds too late. He could hear the crash of glass as Vachon exited through the nearest window. With no idea as to which way Vachon was heading, there seemed little point in trying to follow. There was no way he would catch him now. Tracy was still on the floor, sitting in stunned silence, her hand covering her mouth. "I'm sorry, I distracted you. It's my fault he got away. I didn't think..." Nick walked over and helped Tracy to her feet. "It's not your fault Tracy. I hesitated too. I should never have given him the opportunity that I did." "But you would have killed him?" "Yeah, Tracy. I would have." Nick looked at her closely, trying to gauge her reaction to all of this. Well, we're not quite back to square one, but close enough. I still have to find him, hopefully before he kills again." Tracy looked over at the body of the young woman and felt her stomach sink. "I guess we better call this in," she started weakly. She felt her knees begin to buckle and she sat down hard on a convenient crate. "We're not going to call this in Tracy," Nick stated firmly. "How would we begin to explain this without causing more of a panic than there already is? I'm going to take care of the body, then I'm going to find Vachon and do what needs to be done." "Take care of...?" Tracy started. The look from her partner stopped her cold. No questions. "Well, I guess I better get into work, before Reese puts out an APB on the both of us." "Maybe you should book off Tracy," Nick suggested, his tone soft. "You've had a hell of a night already." "No," Tracy replied, pulling herself to her feet. "It's going to look really strange if one of us doesn't make an appearance." She glanced again at the body. "I'll be all right." "Tracy," Nick called to her as she started up the stairs. "What brought you here tonight if you didn't know about the blood?" "He was at my apartment last night," she explained, her voice threatening to break. "I could tell when I got home this morning. The window was open, some of my things had been moved around. I didn't know whether to hope I was right or wrong." The tears started to slide down her cheeks as she spoke. "Whatever you do Trace, do not go back to that apartment until this is over. Do you understand me?" Nick didn't wish to frighten her, but he found this to be a very concerning development. "Don't worry Nick, I promise." Tracy managed a wan smile. "I'll catch up with you later." Liam O'Neal sat silently watching as Tracy departed the church and slid into her car. Now, just what business would Detective Vetter have in an abandoned church in the middle of the night? He had had a feeling that she knew quite a bit more than she had let on. It was beginning to seem like he might be right. He briefly considered venturing into the church, but decided against it. Better to stick with the original plan to follow her, at least for the time being. O'Neal started his car and began following Tracy at a discrete distance. end part 8 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Mon, 3 Feb 1997 21:36:36 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (09/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: Please see part one for standard disclaimers and acknowledgments. A bit of clarification to those who have not read my earlier stories. This was written with the premise that LaCroix staked Nick in Last Knight and left Nick and Nat for dead. This is their first encounter since Last Knight. Unfinished Business part 9/19 by Kathy Whelton Nick sank into the overstuffed chair and drank deeply from the open bottle that he held in his hand. The events of the evening had taken more of a toll on him than he would care to admit, even to himself. It was hard enough to see someone he had once thought of as a friend killing savagely right in front of him, but he had felt drawn to the sight as well. The victim's blood had called to him, in ways he did not care to acknowledge. Nick stood abruptly and walked over to the fireplace. He would not let himself give into this, he still had too much ahead of him tonight. He cursed himself for being so careless in dealing with Vachon. Turning his back on him, even for a moment had been foolish. He knew that Tracy held herself to blame, but if he hadn't hesitated, if he hadn't given Vachon the opportunity to get away, it would all be over now. Tracy may have hated him for it, but how was she going to feel if Vachon killed again before he could stop him. It had been his responsibility and he had let everyone down, again. Had he been wrong in disposing of the young woman's body? The answer had seemed so clear to him at the church, but now he was uncertain. Nick looked at the bottle and drank from it once again. The discovery of her body so near the others would have raised a whole new set of questions; questions that neither he nor Tracy would have been able to answer truthfully. Still, he had compromised himself and Tracy by moving the body out of the city without notifying anyone. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the body was found, he would see to that, but it was not enough. How many hundreds, how many thousands of families had he destroyed this way through the years--leaving them with the uncertainty of never knowing what had become of a beloved wife, sister, child. "What a refreshing change to find you here like this, Nicholas, blaming yourself for events over which you have no control," Lucien LaCroix stated in a voice laced with sarcasm. Nick remained silent, staring into the fireplace. LaCroix's sudden appearance had stunned him, but he had learned from experience that it would be wiser not to let LaCroix know that. "I had some small hope when I saw you earlier this evening, disposing of that unfortunate girl, that somehow things had changed. I see that's not the case." LaCroix paused. "Surely you were aware of my watching you?" The lack of a response told LaCroix all he needed to know. "Really, Nicholas, how disappointing." Nick leaned into the fireplace and let the mantle support his weight. He had known that this day would come, when they would have face each other. He had fooled himself into believing that somehow he would be ready when it did. Nick felt his eyes fill with tears, and was shocked to find how close to the surface his feelings were. He struggled to follow what it was that LaCroix was saying. Something about a girl--the girl from the church tonight, of course. Nick found himself absently rubbing his chest and immediately stopped. Maybe LaCroix was right. Maybe it was safer this way. Nick turned slowly and faced LaCroix. "What I did tonight was wrong, LaCroix. I had no right to take the knowledge of her death away from that girl's family." "Don't be ridiculous, Nicholas. Would she be any *less* dead? You did what you had to do. This little matter has received far too much attention in the press as it is," LaCroix paused. "Other parties are becoming interested in this situation as well." Nick shot LaCroix a questioning glance. Involvement of the enforcers was never good news. "What's their interest in this? There've only been two kills, they usually don't get involved quite so quickly." "There have been two bodies discovered, Nicholas. There have been more deaths. There is also the added complication of O'Neal," LaCroix stated cooly in response to the surprise on Nick's face. "Yes, I am well aware of Liam O'Neal's presence here in Toronto. Another one of your little mistakes. One that may very well come back to haunt us. Just how much does the good Inspector know about this little situation?" "I'm sure he suspects that it's a vampire behind the killings--beyond that, I'm not sure," Nick stated evenly. "I've been doing my best to avoid him." Nick stood watching LaCroix still standing stiffly by the piano. It was obvious from his words that LaCroix had been in Toronto for several days at the very least, watching him and he had been totally oblivious to it. "You do realize that it's Javier Vachon doing these killings, and that he is totally out of control." Nick paused, reluctant to open an old wound. "I assume that he is still under the influence of whatever it was that Divia passed on to him." "Yes," LaCroix stated softly, his face betraying little of the pain that his own words caused. "I do know that what has happened is because of...my daughter," he paused. "The enforcers want Vachon destroyed immediately, as does O'Neal. It would appear that you are in agreement with them." Nick felt his anger flare for the first time since his master's arrival. "Do you think I want to do this, that this is easy for me? Vachon was my friend." Nick stopped. Losing his temper with LaCroix would do no one any good at this point. "The fact that this was all caused by Divia makes it even worse, makes it even more our responsibility. We have to destroy him--there is no other way." "Perhaps." LaCroix had noticed Nick's reference to Divia as 'our responsibility.' Was it some true vestige of family loyalty,or merely a manifestation of Nicholas' all encompassing guilt? "On the other hand, perhaps there is something that can be done." "Is there another option?" Nick looked intently at LaCroix. "There is a chance--not without some degree of risk, I'm afraid," LaCroix proceded cautiously. "There is a chance that by cleansing his blood, he may be restored." "What exactly would we need to do?" If there was some small hope that they could help Vachon, it would be worth the risk. "He would have to be completely drained, a process for which he would need to be immobilized, quite obviously," LaCroix paused. "Then he would need to be replenished with blood, *human* blood. I trust that would not be too much of a problem." Nick stirred uneasily, but nodded his agreement. "It is a process not unlike the one I undertook when I had the misfortune to drink from our Barber friend." "Except," Nick countered. "That 'the Barber' was a mortal, no matter how evil. Divia was a very powerful, two-thousand year old vampire. What are the odds that this will be successful ?" "I told you, Nicholas, it's a chance. That's exactly what it is, just a chance," LaCroix replied wearily as he slowly wandered more closely towards Nick and the fireplace. Nick eyed LaCroix warily. "If you are so much in favor of trying this, why are you here? Why haven't you done it yourself?" "Vachon's movements have been totally random, at least they have seemed that way. Totally unpredictable." LaCroix hesitated, uncertain as to how he should broach the remainder of the idea. "You, however, may be in possession of the one thing that may prove invaluable in capturing him." Nick shook his head as he slowly realized what LaCroix was suggesting. Tracy Vetter. "No, LaCroix, I'll have no part in this. I will not ask her to risk her life to save his." Nick turned his back to LaCroix and stared once again into the fire. "Still making decisions about other people's lives, Nicholas?" LaCroix took a step closer, bringing himself right up behind Nick. "I would have thought that you'd have been *cured* of that by now. Especially after you most recent failure at making the right decisions for even your *own* life! It's obvious that there is a strong connection between them, no matter how misguided it may be. Let the girl make up her own mind." LaCroix's words had their intended effect, Nick spun and faced him directly, barely controlling his anger. "I said no." "Really, Nicholas, do you want to help your *friend* Vachon or not?" LaCroix mocked. "I'm willing to try this, LaCroix, but I am not going to ask Tracy to get any more involved with this than she already is." Nick stared evenly into the face of his master. "Are we agreed?" "Very well, Nicholas, we are agreed." LaCroix turned and began stepping away from the fireplace. He stopped suddenly, his eye caught by a long gnarled staff lying against the side of the fireplace. He reached down slowly and picked it up, holding it lightly, almost reverently. "I do realize your fondness for collecting momentos, Nicholas," LaCroix managed, his voice thick with emotion. "But I would have assumed that you had gotten rid of this." "I kept it as a reminder." Nick's own voice was barely a whisper. "What is there about that night that you can possibly consider worth remembering?" "I kept it as a reminder that life is a precious gift," Nick paused. "That it's not something to be carelessly tossed away, no matter how dark things may seem at the time." It was a belief he had always clung to, even in his darkest moments when it would have been so easy to walk out into the sun. He would never die by his own hand, let alone ask another to do it for him. How he had managed to stray so far from that conviction was still difficult for him to understand. Nick's voice gathered strength as he spoke. "I need to thank you for reminding me of that." "I wasn't quite sure what my reception would be here this evening, considering our last encounter," LaCroix stated honestly. "You only did what I asked you to do," Nick replied softly, a touch of a grin on his lips. "Besides, you missed. For which I will be eternally grateful, even if I was more than a little surprised." "Apparently I'll have to work on my aim for the future." LaCroix turned and began to step away, the staff still balanced in his hands. Nick stepped over to him and reached out, firmly placing his hand between LaCroix's on the shaft. "I meant what I said that night. No matter what else happens, I'd still like to think we can hold on to that." Their eyes locked for a few long moments in silence before Nick dropped his gaze to their hands. "I am sorry for putting you in that position. I know how...difficult it must have been for you." LaCroix slowly loosened his grasp on the staff, releasing it to Nicholas. "Indeed..." LaCroix exhaled slowly, his voice for once failing him. He felt his eyes sting with emotions that simmered far too close to the surface. Could Nicholas possibly know what that moment had cost him? Or just what these words meant to him now? He cleared his throat sharply. "Just see that it does not happen again, Nicholas." LaCroix turned away, allowing the tight mask to fall into place once again. "Neither one of us might be quite so lucky." Nick turned and placed the staff back into place. LaCroix had moved into the kitchen and was pouring generously from one of Nick's bottles. He winced slightly at the taste, but managed to refrain from any comment. "Dr. Lambert is well I presume?" "Natalie is fine," Nick paused. "She still has some residual effects, but she is coping well, considering everything." "If I had known...," LaCroix stated softly. "I know LaCroix. None of us were thinking clearly that night. Natalie would be the first one to admit that. I know you would have helped her if you thought it would do any good." Nick shook his head in disbelief, it was still beyond him how things could have gotten so out of control that night. "We were all extraordinarily lucky that Joe Reese turned up when he did--that we were given a second chance." "And just what have you done with that second chance, Nicholas?" LaCroix queried. "I'm not sure what you're driving at LaCroix." "You know very well what I am referring to Nicholas. You are in love with her." It was a statement, not a question, and Nick dreaded hearing it. He had hoped that somehow LaCroix was unaware of his deepening relationship with Natalie, or that somehow it would no longer matter to him. Nick felt a tingle of fear. Had he once again gambled unwisely with Natalie's life? What had he been thinking--that LaCroix would somehow relent on this anguish that he had carried around for almost eight centuries? Nick turned and faced LaCroix. There was little to be gained in playing this particular game any longer. "Yes, I am," he answered simply. "Is this going to be a problem?" "If by a 'problem' you mean will I harm Dr. Lambert?" LaCroix paused. "The answer is no. I have no intention of killing her. Despite the fact that I am well within my rights to do so, per our agreement." Nick exhaled deeply. He was sure that LaCroix could see the relief that washed over him, but he found it hard to bring himself to care if LaCroix did see it. He would not harm her. "However, if by a 'problem' you mean this relationship, then there most certainly is a problem. This relationship between you is totally unacceptable, Nicholas," LaCroix stated evenly. "I'm not sure that it should be any of your concern, LaCroix." "Of course it's my concern." LaCroix could feel the level of his voice, as well as his anger rising. "Everything you do is my concern. "You *cannot* live with one foot in each world, Nicholas--not for long. The price for doing so will eventually be too high to pay." Nick turned and walked over to the piano and began tapping randomly on the keys. He had heard this before, many, many times. It seemed that whenever he had managed to achieve some small measure of happiness, LaCroix was always there to comment, to criticize, to destroy. LaCroix strode across the room, taking a position on the opposite side of the piano, forcing Nick to face him once again. "For once, Nicholas, try to think of someone besides yourself. Don't you think that *she* deserves better than this?" Nick looked up from the piano. "Natalie loves me." "I have no doubt that she does." LaCroix stated, although in his frustration he was beginning to wonder why. "But the question was; don't you think she deserves better? You have made it abundantly clear that you will not bring her across, yet you continue to cling to her. " LaCroix eased his way around the piano, bringing himself closer to Nicholas. "Don't you think she deserves a normal life? Don't you think that she deserves a lover in her bed that can satisfy her, one that she doesn't have to be afraid will kill her in a passionate moment?" Nick slammed down the key cover. "I think you'd better go," he said tightly, his anger barely in check. "I'll go, Nicholas, I'll go. But not before I've finished what I have to say. This path that you are on can lead no where but to disaster. This time there will be no one there to pick up the pieces, there will be no second chances." LaCroix was gone, as quickly and as silently as he had come. end part 9 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Mon, 3 Feb 1997 21:36:52 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (10/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: Standard disclaimers and acknowledgments in part one. Unfinished Business part 10/19 by Kathy Whelton "I still can't believe you let him get away, Nick," Natalie remarked, the irritation evident in her voice. "I mean he has viciously killed two people in two days and you let him go." Nick rested with his back against the examining table. "I told you, Nat, it wasn't my choice. He just managed to get past me," he paused, "and there have been three killings." "Three? When?" Natalie looked up. "This office hasn't been notified. Nick, I need to be the coroner of record if I'm going to keep this under wraps. It's bad enough that Hernandez got a good look at the second body." Nick exhaled through pursed lips. He dreaded this, he knew how upset Natalie would be. Better that she hear it straight from him, rather than from Tracy. Somehow he knew she'd hear about it from Tracy. "When Vachon came to the church, he brought someone with him, a girl. He killed her right in front of us." "Oh my God, Nick." No wonder he had seemed so rattled when he first arrived at the morgue. "That's awful. But I still need to get to her first. Maybe..." The look on Nick's face stopped her midsentence. "I thought it would be better if we didn't have another body to explain. The press is having a field day as it is, and O'Neal..." Nick's voice slowly trailed off. "I disposed of the body myself." "Nick, you didn't," Natalie stated incredulously. Of course he did. He had done it hundreds, perhaps thousands of times. "This is too much Nick." Natalie slammed down the clipboard she had been holding. "This is where I draw the line. It's one thing to cover up the cause of death, it's another thing entirely to cover up a death. I don't care if he is your friend, you need to end this thing now." "Don't you think that I know that, Nat? I'm doing the best that I can, which never seems to be quite good enough, for you or for anyone else," Nick declared in frustration. LaCroix's taunting from earlier was still grating on him. "That's why I'm here. I need you to get me a few things." "I don't know, Nick,... I really don't want to have anymore to do with any of this." "This could have been me," he stated it softly, almost inaudibly. "No." Natalie closed her eyes,dull fear replacing her anger. The thought of Nick, roaming the streets of Toronto, killing like some wild animal, was more than she could handle. "Yes." Nick turned and faced her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pried her eyes open with his words. "It could have very easily been me. You know that. I was lucky. I was ready for Divia--Vachon never had a chance." Nick let his words sink in. "Help me to give him that chance now." Natalie's response was interrupted by the arrival of Tracy through the morgue door. She dragged herself over, collapsing in a heap into Natalie's desk chair. Lack of sleep and the dramatic events of the last twenty-four hours had taken their toll on her. Tracy was looking far older than her twenty-five years. "I'm glad I finally caught up with you guys," Tracy started. "I can't take much more of this, at least not by myself. Reese is going crazy, he wants to know where the heck you've been all night. And O'Neal, Reese just made me access our computer system for him. What is it with him anyway? He keeps asking me all these questions, and some of them are hitting a little too close to the mark." "O'Neal is a hunter, Tracy." Nick said it simply, his gaze wandering. "A hunter. Is that supposed to mean something to me, Nick ?" Tracy asked in an exasperated tone. She looked over towards Natalie. "Doesn't that make you *nuts* when he does that? I don't know how you can stand it. Okay, Nick, I give up. What's a hunter?" "A hunter," Natalie began in a strained voice, "is a mortal who has survived a vampire...attack. *They* have the ability to sense vampires, and generally make it their business to hunt them down and destroy them." Natalie desperately wanted to make some lame joke about future job opportunities to ease the tension that had escalated dramatically in the room, but it just wouldn't come out. Her feelings were still too raw. She knew that if she opened her mouth again she would lose it completely. Damn Nick for laughing at all those stupid vampire jokes over the years. Hell, he'd had eight hundred years to practice, she'd only had six months. "Oh," Tracy finally replied in a small voice, breaking the silence. "It's probably too much to hope that the floor will open up and swallow me right now, isn't it?" "Don't worry about it Trace, you had no way of knowing." Nick slid his arm around Natalie's shoulders as he spoke, and gave them a light squeeze. "Let's get back to the subject at hand." He paused, not quite sure how Natalie would react. "I have an idea that might let us help Vachon without destroying him." Tracy's face brightened for the first time since she entered the room. "Really?" She edged forward in the chair. "What is it?" Nick chose his words carefully. "We would need to drain him completely, discard that blood, then replace it." Nick was trying hard to ignore the look of revulsion that was creeping across Tracy's face. "Nat, what do you think?" Nick knew well the glimmer of scientific curiosity that had appeared in Natalie's eyes. "You might just have something there, Nick," she hesitated, lost in thought. "You'll need to subdue him." "That's what I need from you, curare, lots of it. And the equipment to do the exchange transfusion," Nick paused, "and blood, as much as you can get." "Gee, Nick, anything else?" Natalie grinned, she was beginning to feel that this might actually be worth a try. "A little luck would be nice. I think the hardest part is going to be finding him." Nick's brows furrowed. "I don't think he'll go back to the church, he won't feel safe there any longer." "What about Screed's place?" Tracy piped in. "Gone," Nick replied. "I checked. Some big sewer project. And the Raven has been locked up tight. He hasn't been there." "Which leaves my place," Tracy commented. "He got in and out of there, no problem. He may very well come back." "She does have a point, Nick," Natalie interjected. "It does make sense," Nick agreed. "I'll go there tonight. We'll just have to hope for the best." "Wait just a minute there." Tracy jumped to her feet. "You'll go? Not without me you don't." "No, Tracy, it's too dangerous," Nick stated firmly. "You'll just be in the way." "You have to let me help, Nick. It's my fault Vachon got away tonight. If he kills again..." Tracy closed her eyes, she still couldn't get the picture of him killing that girl out of her head. She probably never would. "Besides," she spoke more firmly. "Why would he come in if you were there? If anyone should go alone it's me." "Absolutely not!" Nick exploded. "Tracy, you have to promise me that you won't go back there by yourself." Nick stepped over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. This was just the sort of stunt she would have pulled in the past. "Only if you promise to let me come along," Tracy countered. "Come on Nick, think about it. The trap's not going to work without any bait." Nick had to admit there was a great deal of logic in her argument, and he sympathized with her need to somehow make amends for what had happened earlier. He truly hated to drag her any deeper in to this. This was going to be dangerous, there was no way around it. If this got messy she would undoubtedly be more of a liability than an asset. Still, they needed to finish this quickly before there were any more deaths, before anyone else had a chance to act. And Vachon was much more likely to make an appearance if he thought that Tracy was alone at the apartment. "All right, all right, you can come. Meet me at the loft after sundown. We'll go over together." "Tracy," Natalie remarked, handing her the keys. "Sleep at my place today, it'll save you the drive out to your Dad's." "Thanks," Tracy replied, truly touched by Natalie's consideration. "I don't think I could face him today anyway. I'll see you guys tonight." Natalie turned to Nick. "You should be heading home too. The sun will be up soon. I'm going to have to swing by a hospital pharmacy to get some of the stuff we'll need." She looked at Nick closely, she could see that there was still something he hadn't told her. "Nick, what is it?" she asked softly. "This plan, it wasn't exactly my idea," Nick paused. "I had a visitor at the loft tonight." The look on Nick's face told Natalie all she needed to know about the identity of the visitor. She felt a sinking feeling in the depths of her stomach. Had they been foolhardy in thinking that he could be dismissed so lightly? "LaCroix?" she questioned softly. Nick nodded. "He seemed genuinely interested in helping Vachon." "LaCroix? Helping someone? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?" Natalie asked bitterly. "Not when your talking about vampires," Nick commented. "Besides, I think he feels responsible. This all started because of Divia and her desire to hurt him, after all." "What about the rest of it, Nick? What about us? You can't tell me he's going to sit still for that." "The rest of it is...okay. We said some things that needed to be said," Nick paused, looking deeply into Natalie's eyes. "No, he is not too happy about us, but he did promise that he wouldn't harm you and I've never known him to break a promise. Now, I've got to run," he stated glancing at the clock. "I'll see you later." Nick kissed her softly on the forehead and was gone. ----- Liam O'Neal sat slumped at Tracy Vetter's desk. Maybe there was something to this computer age after all. It would have taken him hours, if not days in some dusty records room to come up with this little piece of information. He stared at the computer screen in front of him. The address of the abandoned church just happened to be the last known address of one J.D. Valdez. The same J.D. Valdez who supposedly died in the same plane crash that killed Det. Schanke and Capt. Cohen. No body ever recovered, no picture available. In fact, very little information available about Mr. Valdez at all. File last accessed by Det. Tracy Vetter, date... The day after the plane crash. The day after she became Det. Knight's new partner. Coincidence? The one thing his mother taught him before she died, never believe in coincidence until you've exhausted all your other options. He glanced at the clock, a few minutes after sunrise. He could explore the old church, with the proper precautions of course, without worrying about interference from Det. Knight. end part 10 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Tue, 4 Feb 1997 20:12:44 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (11/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: Standard acknowledgments and disclaimers are in part one. Unfinished Business part 11/19 by Kathy Whelton Liam O'Neal burst through the morgue doors looking for Natalie Lambert. His search of the church had proven to be inconclusive. There was some evidence of recent trespass, but no sign of the creature who had been committing these murders. It was time to get some answers, and it was quite obvious that Det. Knight had no intention of cooperating with him on this matter. Just where Knight's young partner fit into this, he was uncertain, but it was beginning to look like she may know a lot more than she was letting on. "Miss Balthazar," O'Neal greeted the engaging woman. "How good it is to see you again." "Inspector O'Neal," replied Grace. "Natalie mentioned that you were in town. Enjoying your visit?" "I'm not sure 'enjoying' would be quite the right word for it. Let's say I'm finding my visit to be enlightening," O'Neal stated flatly. "I'm supposed to be helping out on these two recent, brutal, murders but I seem to keep missing the rest of the team. I was hoping that Natalie would be here." "She worked the overnight shift, I'm afraid you missed her by a couple of hours," Grace informed him. "Did you try her at home?" "I did," responded O'Neal. "I keep getting her machine. When she does come in, would you let her know that I want to speak to her ?" "I'll be sure and give her the message, Inspector." Grace turned suddenly. "Did you try Det. Knight's place? If she's not here, that's the place I'd look for her." "Really," commented O'Neal, stepping back from the door. "Is that so? I had no idea they were so close." "They're pretty much inseparable, off duty that is." Grace smiled. "And about time too, I might add," she spoke under her breath. "Interesting, Natalie didn't mention it the other night when we went out," O'Neal stated. "I'm not surprised. Natalie's not one to talk much about herself. They had a major falling out about six months or so ago, but for the last two months they've made it pretty clear that they're a couple. There's been no formal announcements, but I keep hoping..." "Marriage? Really? It's that serious?" prompted O'Neal. "Couldn't happen to a nicer pair. Natalie's waited a long time for that one to come to his senses and settle down," Grace commented. "Good luck with your search. I'll give her the message when I see her." "Thank you for all your assistance, Ms. Balthazar. You've been most helpful." Most helpful indeed, O'Neal thought to himself. He was beginning to understand why he was feeling like such an odd man out on this case. The deck had been stacked pretty heavily against him from the start. Question was, where should he go from here? ------ Natalie was sorely tempted just to ignore the incessant buzzing of the loft's security system. She had had an horrendous night at work, and had run into a number of difficulties at the hospital in obtaining the supplies Nick needed for that night. Only the thought that it might be Tracy with some important new development kept her from just turning it off and heading to bed. "Yes," Natalie said, into the speaker. "Natalie?" O'Neal questioned. "Natalie, I'd like to talk to you. May I come up?" Natalie considered her options. There didn't seem to be many. O'Neal wasn't simply going to disappear. It might be better to deal with whatever had brought him here, head on, than to wait and wonder what it was that he wanted. She briefly considered waking Nick, but decided against it. This one might be more diplomatically handled on her own. "I'll buzz you in, Liam. Take the elevator to the second floor," Natalie responded. "I trust that this is about the case," Natalie commented as he stepped off of the elevator. "I'm afraid Nick's asleep. I'm not so sure that waking him would be a great idea. "Actually, it's you I came to see." O'Neal looked carefully around. "I stopped at the morgue a little while ago. Ms Balthazar was kind enough to suggest that I try looking for you here," O'Neal paused. "I'm not very happy with the way this case is being handled. I wanted to get some input from you, see what you were thinking." "Nick wants this thing to end every bit as quickly as you do, Liam. I guess you are just going to have to trust that he'll take care of it." She shot a quick look at the supplies gathered on the dining table, and immediately regretted it. "Take care of it? With this?" O'Neal reached down and picked up the collection of blood bags and syringes. "This doesn't look like my idea of handling the situation properly." "There are ...complications...in this situation that make it different from the last case you were involved with here in Toronto." Natalie hesitated, fumbling for the right words to make him drop this and let them deal with it. "We need to handle things a little...differently." "I had thought after the last time that Knight was different, maybe I was wrong. I would remind you, Natalie, that you only *think* you know what you're dealing with here. They are different from us. Knight may have no intention of handling this at all." O'Neal spun suddenly, facing Natalie squarely. "Something different," he mumbled quietly to himself. He stepped over to Natalie and grabbed her firmly by the wrist. "Or do you know *exactly* what you're dealing with?" His voice was suddenly like ice. "What has he done to you?" "Nothing," Natalie returned his gaze defiantly. "Nick has done nothing to me." She attempted to free her wrist but O'Neal continued to hold her firmly. "You're lying," he hissed at her, holding her even more closely. "I knew something was different about you the first time I saw you again." "Let go of her, O'Neal." Nick stood at the top off the stairs,watching the scene below. "Now." He forced himself to walk slowly down the staircase and across the room, afraid that if he hurried he would lose the battle with the anger he could feel rising within him. "Nick...," Natalie started, a note of caution in her voice. O'Neal had released her wrist and stepped back as soon as he had seen Nick. "It's okay, Nat." Nick shot her a quick glance as he walked past her to face O'Neal. "What is it that you want here?" he asked, forcing himself to remain calm. "I came to talk about the case and why Natalie seems so reluctant to pursue this investigation. I think that I've found my answer--you're exerting some kind of control over her." Nick had to laugh at the path O'Neal had chosen to follow with this. The words 'control' and 'Natalie' shouldn't even be allowed in the same sentence. "You've been watching too many old movies, O'Neal. I assure you that everything that Natalie does is of her own free will. She's very determined that I put an end to this situation, which is exactly what I am going to do," Nick stated firmly. "Tonight." The rational part of O'Neal's brain told him to take the answer he was being given and run, get himself out of here while he still could. He was not prepared for a confrontation of any sort, and he would certainly be the loser here. Something deeper than that urged him forward. He knew first hand the horror that she had experienced, the agony. The attack on him had forever clouded his life. There could be no other rational explanation for why Natalie remained here. She was being compelled to. To see Knight pass it off lightly enraged him and he could not let it drop. "You're not going to get off that easily, Knight. I *know* that you've bitten her, that you drank her blood. I can sense it. I knew there was something different about her. I just didn't put it together before now. You can't deny it." O'Neal spat the words out at him. "I'm not denying anything," Nick said quietly. "What happened between us...what I did...was a mistake. It won't happen again." "It won't happen again. How comforting," O'Neal sneered. "The Natalie Lambert I met two years ago was working very hard to try and help you. Is this the reward she gets? To become your victim?" "Stop it! Stop talking about me like I'm not in the room," Natalie interjected angrily. "I am not anybody's *victim*!" She shot what she hoped to be an encouraging look at Nick. "What happened between us happened because we had faith and trust in each other," Natalie paused. "Because we love each other. Not that this is any of your damn business, O'Neal." "Love?" O'Neal questioned. "Him? I don't believe it." O'Neal turned and faced Natalie, disgusted by what he was hearing. "He is a monster, a cold blooded, soulless killer. I suppose you think that he loves you as well?" O'Neal stepped closer to Natalie and gripped her upper arms. "He's using you, Natalie, plain and simple. He is incapable of loving you." Nick could see the tears beginning to form in Natalie's eyes. "Okay, O'Neil. That's it, you're done here." Nick moved quickly to O'Neal's side and began shoving him towards the door. "You can say anything you want about me, it's nothing I haven't heard before. But I am not going to stand here and let you hurt Natalie like this." "Aren't you a little confused here, Knight?" O'Neal continued undeterred. "I'm only trying to get her to see the truth here. You're the one who has hurt Natalie. You almost killed her, didn't you?" O'Neal could tell by the look on Nick's face that he had struck a nerve. "That's the truth of it then, isn't it? You've hurt Natalie far worse than I ever could." Nick released the firm hold he had taken on O'Neal's arm. He had to give O'Neal credit for his persistence, if nothing else. Not too many men would stand here, calmly taking their life in their hands. "You want the truth, O'Neal? I'll give you the truth. If I could walk away from here and make Natalie forget the last six years, I'd do it in a minute." Nick stepped over to the fireplace and leaned against the mantle, looking down on the spot where he almost took Natalie's life. "I have hurt her, terribly. Every time she has had to bend the truth to cover for me, I've hurt her. Every time she has put a friend at arms length because of me, I've hurt her." Nick felt his anger at O'Neal abating as he spoke. It felt good to finally say this to someone, the things that he had never been able to bring himself to say to Natalie. "It took me a long time to accept the fact that Natalie could love me." Nick turned and smiled at her. "It took me even longer to accept the fact that she had the right to make that choice. Is this the life I would choose for her?" The question was directed at himself more than anyone else. "No, not in a million years. She has a lot to deal with right now," he conceded. "I happen to think she is doing pretty well with it. I only want the chance to make her happy, to give back a little of what I have taken from her." "Is this the part where I am supposed to get all warm and fuzzy and give my regards to the happy couple?" O'Neal snapped. "Well, it's not going to happen. I think this is an abomination, against God and man. It's unnatural." "I really don't care what you think, O'Neal." Nick felt his anger return in a flash. "I just want you off this case and out of Toronto as soon as possible." "I'm not going anywhere until I am certain that this thing has been settled," O'Neal replied. "And I better get some evidence of that soon, or I'll take matters into my own hands. I don't think you'd like to see your cozy little setup here disrupted." "Don't threaten me, O'Neal." Nick was in O'Neal's face in a flash. "Even I have my limits, and you've just about reached them. Now get out of here," Nick growled,"while you still can." O'Neal turned and fled the loft. Nick stood with his back to Natalie, staring at the loft door.He didn't know what was worse, losing control or having to face her after the awful things O'Neal had said. He felt Natalie's warm hands slide across his back. Nick turned and looked at her. He could see the remnants of her tears still on her face and he brushed them away. "Hey, try not to let what he said upset you too much." Nick kissed her softly on the forehead. "He doesn't know anything about us." "I'm not crying because of what he said," Natalie protested. "I don't give a damn what O'Neal thinks. I'm crying because of what you said." "I didn't mean to lose control like that. I don't know what came over me." "I meant the part about making me happy. It was very sweet." Natalie drew him closer. "But wouldn't it have been a lot easier to say it without the audience?" "Easy?" Nick smiled at her. "If you want easy, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong address." Natalie rested her head against his chest and held him even more tightly. She knew that she shouldn't care what O'Neal thought, or said, but his words echoed in her heart. "You don't think he'll do anything, do you?" she asked suddenly. "He was pretty upset." "No, I don't." Nick considered carefully. "His feelings on the matter are pretty strong, but he's no fool. He hasn't survived this long by being careless. Besides, who's he going to tell? No one would believe him. He knows that." "I guess you're right. Hopefully we'll be able to wrap this thing with Vachon up tonight. Then he'll have no reason to hang around here any longer." A touch of bitterness crept into Natalie's voice as she finished speaking. "But you really don't give a damn what O'Neal thinks?" Nick cradled her face softly between his hands, tilting her face upwards so that their eyes met. He stroked the side of her face lightly and smiled at her. "All right, you caught me," she conceded. "It did hurt. But it is his problem, not ours." "I just don't want to cause you anymore pain than I already have." Nick's eyes were full of unspoken regret. "I'm afraid no one is going to be very happy about this relationship of ours-- not O'Neal, not LaCroix, no one. I just want you to be prepared for that." "I am Nick. I knew what I was getting into when we started this. I guess we just have to take our happiness wherever we can find it. " Natalie wrapped her arms around Nick, melting her body into his. She clung to him tightly, needing to feel the reassurance of his arms around her. The harsh words that O'Neal said had echoed some of her deepest fears--was the gulf between them simply too large to overcome? Nick kissed her softly on the top of the head. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" Natalie smiled at him. "Maybe if you're good, I'll let you show me." Natalie slid her hand up under the top of his black, silk pajamas and across his back. She pressed her body into his and kissed him deeply. Nick felt his longing for her rise and with it the unspeakable hunger. He was tired and the scene with O'Neal had taken it's toll on his control. He let his fingers trace the gentle curves of her body, desperately wanting to give her so much more. Nick dropped his head onto her shoulder, his eyes already golden. "Nat..." "It's okay Nick. Don't worry about it." Natalie gently tousled his unruly hair and released him from her embrace. "We're both tired. We should get some sleep before tonight. I'll flip you for the couch." "You head upstairs, Nat. I'll crash down here." He swept her into a final embrace. "I do love you," he whispered into her ear. "I love you too, Nick. Get some sleep." Natalie turned and headed slowly up the stairs. end part 11 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Wed, 5 Feb 1997 20:00:43 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (12/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: See part one for standard disclaimer. Unfinished Business part 12/19 by Kathy Whelton Tracy glanced nervously into the empty apartment as she and Nick entered. Nothing appeared to have been disturbed since the last time she had been here, now almost two days ago. Still, she wondered if she would ever be able to feel safe in her own apartment again. "How did he get in the last time?" Nick asked gently. Tracy had been uncharacteristically quiet on the trip over here. He was beginning to regret letting her get so involved in this. Maybe this whole thing was just a little too much for her to cope with. "Bedroom window." Tracy remained firmly rooted in place, her face ashen, while Nick went off to explore the back room. "Still locked up tight." Nick glanced at her with some visible concern. "Tracy, you don't need to go through with this. I can manage alone. Why don't you go back to the loft and wait with Nat. You could even go to the precinct. It wouldn't hurt to have Reese see one of us at the station tonight" "No." As much as she would like to take Nick up on his offer, she couldn't. She knew that she was the key to this whole plan. If she wasn't here, Vachon was not going to show. More than that, on some level she wanted to be here. She needed to be here. She had not forgiven herself for the things that she had said to him that night; that he was evil. How those words had haunted her over the past few months. Even now, with all the things he had done, she never truly believed them. "I'll be fine, really. Where do you think we should wait? The bedroom?" Nick nodded his assent and followed her lead into the bedroom. It was more likely that he would be able to contain Vachon in the smaller area. After that he still needed to restrain Vachon long enough to inject him with the syringe of pavulon that he carried. Nick felt a twinge of doubt return at the fact that Natalie had been unable to obtain true curare. Pavulon was as close as you could easily get these days. It worked well enough on humans,hopefully it would do the same for vampires. Tracy unlocked the bedroom window and cracked it slightly, letting the cool night air rush over her. She felt a moment of awkwardness as she glanced, first at Nick, then at the bed. It only made sense for her to carry out some semblance of a normal night routine. Normal for some people anyway. Nick sat on the floor and leaned against the wall. "I don't think there is much that we can do besides wait, Tracy. You might as well make yourself comfortable." He checked the contents of his pockets yet again, firmly grasping the syringe of pavulon. He hoped that he would not need the stake that was concealed in his other pocket, but he found it's presence strangely reassuring tonight. Tracy slid into bed and turned off the bedside light. She felt a moment of panic as the darkness enveloped her. What had seemed like a perfectly reasonable plan in the light of day, suddenly seemed not quite so reasonable anymore. She was lying here, in the dark, as vampire bait, with another vampire standing guard over her. She felt her mouth go dry and wished she had thought to put some water by the bed. The vision of Vachon of killing that girl right in front of her eyes played over and over in her head, like some annoying song that you can't quite get rid of. The room around her was ominously quiet. It wasn't that she didn't trust Nick, at least that was what she kept telling herself. She had no reason *not* to trust him. So why did she suddenly have the feeling that if this was a movie, everyone in the theater would be yelling 'don't turn off the light.' "You can try and get a little sleep if you like," Nick whispered from the darkened corner where he sat. Sleep? How could he possibly think that she could even consider the idea? "You have got to be kidding." Tracy sat bolt upright in bed, annoyed at his casual tone. "Lie back, relax. I'll wake you if anything happens," Nick replied lightly. He was kidding. "Very funny." Tracy lobbed a well-aimed pillow in the direction of Nick's voice. "Good shot!" Nick laughed softly. He had easily dodged the projectile, but was glad that he had managed to ease a little of the tension in the room. "I didn't grow up in a house full of cops for nothing." Tracy flopped back down on the bed. All of a sudden the darkness seemed a little less threatening. "Thanks, Nick." "No problem. It was going to be an awfully long night if you were going to lie there holding your breath the whole time." "I feel like such a wimp." "A wimp? You're selling yourself short, Trace. I don't know too many people that would trade places with you right now." "What if he doesn't come?" Tracy had been so concerned with the idea of facing Vachon again, it hadn't occurred to her what they would do if he didn't show. Joe Reese was already quite impatient with their lack of progress. They couldn't put him off forever. "I think that the chances are pretty good that he will." Nick tried to sound more optimistic than he actually felt. Toronto was a very big city. "If he doesn't, we'll try it again tomorrow night, or we'll come up with another plan. No matter how this thing ends, Tracy, you should be proud of the fact that you've been a good friend to Vachon. Try to remember that." "I'll try, Nick. Thanks. Do you....?" "Ssshh!" Tracy was cut off instantly by Nick. "Tracy, did you leave the front door unlocked?" "I...I'm not sure. Why?" "Because someone just came into the living room." Nick strained to hear through the closed door. "Is it Vachon?" Tracy jumped to her feet and faced the door. "No," Nick paused. "Whoever it is, he's human." Nick turned and faced her. "Please tell me that it can't be your father." "It can't be my father." Tracy smiled. Getting caught in her bedroom with her partner was not high on her 'to do' list either. "He's out of town." "Good. I'll go check this out. You wait here." Nick stepped carefully into the dimly lit living area. "O'Neal! What in God's name are you doing here?" "Interesting choice of words, Detective. I was just about to ask you the same thing." Liam O'Neal stood with his arms folded, a crossbow balanced lightly in his hands. "I followed you and your lovely young partner from your loft this evening. Needless to say, I was rather intrigued by your destination. When you didn't emerge after an hour, I'm afraid my curiosity got the better of me. Imagine my surprise at finding the two of you holed up in her bedroom. And here I thought you were hard at work on this case." Nick stiffened visibly at O'Neal's implication. "We *are* working on this case. Your presence here can only serve as a deterrent for what we're trying to do." "So there is some connection between Detective Vetter and the monster who has been perpetrating these heinous murders, A certain J.D. Valdez, unless I miss my guess." "You are good, O'Neal, I have to give you that." Nick shook his head as he spoke. "But I'm afraid that's as far as you are going to get. J.D. Valdez died in a plane crash, just about a year ago, as a matter of fact." "I'm well aware of that. The same plane crash that killed Capt. Cohen...and your former partner. Interesting coincidence." O'Neil gave Nick a questioning glance. "I'm sure I can follow this further if I need to. Your kind always think that they've covered their tracks. There's always a clue, if you look hard enough. I just hope it won't be necessary for me to take this any further. I just want to put an end to this killing." O'Neal lifted the crossbow he held in an effort to make his point. "I want to put an end to the killing too, O'Neal. Believe me, your being here..." Nick broke off abruptly and looked towards the bedroom. "Tracy..." Nick arrived in the bedroom in an instant with O'Neal just seconds behind him. "Mother of God..." O'Neal uttered under his breath. He quickly crossed himself then raised his crossbow to shoulder height. Before them stood Vachon, his arms wrapped tightly around Tracy Vetter. Nick could see the abject terror in her eyes as Vachon rubbed his face up against hers. "Nobody move," Nick stated calmly but firmly. "Vachon listen to me." Nick tried to catch Vachon's glowing eyes with his own. It was difficult, if not impossible to hypnotize another vampire. For once in his life Nick regretted not paying closer attention to LaCroix. "You don't want to do this." Nick carefully pressed his will into his words and took a small step forward. "I don't want to do this," Vachon mumbled. No, he didn't want to do this, but his desires had nothing to do with the words of the other. He inhaled deeply and ran his fingers through the pale blond hair. He felt a warmth here that he had not felt in a very long time. "Vachon, it's Tracy." She hoped that the tremor in her voice was not as noticeable to him as it was to her. "Please try and remember--Tracy--we're friends. This is my apartment--you used to come here all the time. Tracy could feel Vachon's grip loosening ever so slightly as she spoke. "Tracy," he repeated back slowly. His mind sought to extinguish the insistent urge to kill this creature that he held in his arms. Vachon's eyes darted between the two men in front of him. He felt no threat coming from the other one of his own kind. Knight, that was it. That was his name. Vachon turned his attention on the man in the doorway. He did not know this man, this mortal who stood with his weapon raised. "O'Neal," Nick stated quietly. "It may help if you drop that thing." "Drop it! You've got to be joking," O'Neal erupted. "He's got to let go of her eventually, one way or the other. When he does, I'll have a clear shot at him." 'A clear shot.' The words registered perfectly. Vachon flung Tracy harmlessly to the ground and in a blur had pinned O'Neal to the wall. Impossibly strong arms smashed O'Neal's hand against the wall, sending the crossbow flying aimlessly across the room. With his free hand O'Neal searched his pocket in vain for the crucifix he had placed there earlier. His stomach churned at the smell of the cool, fetid breath upon his neck. How ironic, to have survived the attack that had killed his mother, only to die the same way fifty years later. At least he had the consolation that he would be with her soon. Abruptly, the pressure was gone. Nick Knight stood beside him, his own eyes glowing. Nick held Vachon firmly by the hair with one hand. In the other hand he held a syringe. Nick suddenly drew Vachon's head back dramatically and impaled the tip of the syringe deeply into his carotid artery, instantaneously depressing the plunger. Vachon struggled for a moment before sinking to the floor in a heap. "Are you all right?" Nick's eyes still contained flecks of gold and there was a deep, rough edge to his voice. "Yes." O'Neal's hand reached instinctively for his neck. "I'm fine, just a little shaken up." O'Neal looked down at Vachon's inert body. "Is he...?" "He's unconscious. For now. I have no idea how long it will last." Nick turned his attention to his partner, sitting transfixed on the floor nearby. "Tracy...Tracy." Nick was nearly shouting to get her attention. "Go bring the caddy around to the service entrance." Nick tossed the keys lightly towards her. "And open the trunk." Tracy nodded and headed out the door silently. "Is there anything I can do to help?" O'Neal asked quietly. "I think you've done quite enough, O'Neal," Nick replied, hoisting Vachon onto his shoulders. "Just do us all a favor, stay out of this from now on." end part 12 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Thu, 6 Feb 1997 21:49:39 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (13/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: Please see part one for standard disclaimers and acknowledgments. Unfinished Business part 13/19 by Kathy Whelton She felt him before she heard him, that was the worst of it. The sensation took Natalie totally by surprise as she stood making the final preparations for the procedure that they planned to perform on Vachon. She felt her knees buckle slightly as the sensation washed over her. Vibration was as good a word as any to describe it. In reality it felt like something in between a small earthquake and the sudden drop of an elevator descending from the fiftieth floor. "I'm sorry, Doctor. Did I startle you?" The question sounded so sincere that anyone who didn't know LaCroix would have sworn that his concern was genuine. Natalie gave herself a brief moment before turning to face him. "Not at all, LaCroix," she responded, not willing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her true reaction. "I was just busy getting a few things ready. Nick mentioned you were back. I've been half-expecting to see you." "Perhaps this will help." As he spoke the crushing sensation she was experiencing lifted until it was merely a dull buzz in the background of her mind. "So you did feel it," he commented, taking note of the change in her expression. "Good." "Nick never...I never felt anything like that before." Natalie found herself unable to keep up the pretense any longer. Since the night that Nick had bitten her, she had not been able to 'sense' anything different from him. She had managed to convince herself that nothing had changed in that regard--that the ability to perceive vampires had somehow passed her by. If this was to be a part of her life, she needed to find out more about it. "There are a number of talents that my son has allowed to lapse during this 'quest for mortality' of his. Indeed, even many of our own kind have some difficulty sensing Nicholas." LaCroix paused as if considering. "Then on the other hand, perhaps he had some reason for keeping this little piece of information from you. What do you think, Doctor?" "What is it you want here, LaCroix? You knew that Nick wasn't here. If you've come to threaten me..." Natalie squared her shoulders, determined to hold her ground against him. "Threaten you?" LaCroix cut her off. "My dear, I never *threaten* mortals, it's a total waste of energy." LaCroix stepped nearer to her as he spoke. "As I told Nicholas, I have no intention of harming you in any way. I have to say, I've even begun to grow a little...fond of you. It will truly be a shame when Nicholas does kill you, and he will kill you. You do know that,don't you Doctor?" "I know nothing of the kind," Natalie snapped. "I have a lot more faith in Nick than you do, apparently." "Perhaps, but then I have known Nicholas a great deal longer than you have. I've known, first hand, what a *passionate* individual he can be. Are you really willing to risk your life that way? Is it really worth it?" LaCroix leaned against the counter and was silent. It almost pained him to do this. She had proven herself worthy in so many ways. Still, it had been Nicholas's choice not to bring her across. He was not willing to take another chance of losing Nicholas, not for anyone. "Apparently he is worth it, or you wouldn't be here now, would you?" Natalie met his gaze evenly. "Nicholas has made it abundantly clear that he has no intentions of bringing you across," he paused to let the reality of his statement settle upon her. "I believe that leaves your death as the only way out of this little relationship." LaCroix reached out an ran a cool finger down Natalie's neck as he spoke. "It is entirely up to you whether that occurs later...or sooner. Think about it Doctor." "We don't need to do this," Natalie stated plainly. "We don't need to do what, may I ask?" LaCroix looked at her with a renewed interest. "This. This fighting over Nick like he's a carnival prize. You won't hurt me." Natalie looked him over defiantly. "You wouldn't dare. You'd lose Nick forever, and you know it. It's the one thing that you simply could not bear to have happen." LaCroix loomed over her, arching a brow, about to speak. Natalie put a hand up to stop him. "Let me finish. I know how much you care about him, in your own way. If he can't see that, it's your own damn fault for all the awful things you've done to him." "I believe you're digressing Doctor." LaCroix again leaned against the counter, intrigued by the direction this was taking. "Maybe I am. The point is that I trust Nick. I have faith that we can have this relationship, that we can be together. I don't want to die LaCroix. I don't think I have to. What we don't need is you, constantly interfering, making Nick doubt himself. We did screw up. I admit it, but I was as much at fault as he was." Natalie dropped her head, not wanting him to see her tears."You're not the only one who has spent a long time loving Nick without getting much in return." "And what about that little mistake, that little 'screw up' asyou so descriptively put it. He was willing to let you die, to let you both die, rather than bring you across. Tell me Doctor," LaCroix let the words roll slowly off his tongue, "how did that make you feel?" Natalie stiffened. This had been the hardest thing for her to accept, that Nick could possibly have seen this as the best decision for both of them. "He always told me that he wouldn't bring me across." "I didn't ask you what he had told you." LaCroix leaned closer, his face just inches from her. "I asked you how it felt." "Sad." Natalie answered slowly, but firmly. "Terribly, terribly sad. That he could so loathe what he is, he would rather have me die than join him in that existence." Natalie dropped her head as Nick's memories threatened to overwhelm her once again. "I never realized how strongly he felt until that moment. That's why I'll never stop trying to bring him back across." LaCroix stepped back, surprised that she would openly acknowledge this to him. "That's where we'll never agree, Doctor. As for the rest of it, well, we'll have to see, won't we?" LaCroix rose swiftly and departed through the skylight. For just an instant, Natalie felt a return of the stifling vibration that she had experienced earlier. "Is that how you end all your arguments?" she called after him. No wonder she could never get Nick to stay and finish anything. end part 13 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Fri, 7 Feb 1997 22:51:35 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (14/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU Please see standard disclaimers part one. Unfinished Business part 14/19 by Kathy Whelton Nick half-dragged, half-carried Vachon through the elevator door and into the loft. In his arms, Vachon had begun to stir restlessly. "Nat, do you have any more of that Pavulon handy?" Nick called to her as he easily lifted Vachon onto the couch. "I think he's starting to wake up." "You didn't use all of what I gave you already, did you Nick? That was a massive amount of drug." Natalie moved beside the sofa and began examining Vachon. "I certainly don't want to take the chance of him waking up in the middle of this. Do you?" Nick looked quickly around at the preparations Natalie had made. "I suppose you're right." Natalie prepared another dose of the medicine as she spoke. "You guys got back here pretty quickly How did it go?" Nick glanced at Tracy, who had silently entered the loft just behind him. She had managed only a few words since leaving her apartment, and he was beginning to worry about her. "It was a little rough," Nick conceded. "We had a visitor. Liam O'Neal showed up, just at the wrong time." "He didn't." Natalie was almost afraid to ask. "Is he all right?" "He's fine, just a little shaken. We left him back at Tracy's" "It must be a 'visiting' kind of night. I had some company here as well." Nick and Natalie's eyes met over the prone figure on the couch. Nick glanced upward at the skylight. Above them, he could feel the undeniable presence of his master. "Is everything all right? He didn't hurt you." The concern was visible in Nick's eyes. "No, he didn't hurt me. But his visit was rather illuminating, I must say." She and Nick certainly had a lot of talking to do, but right now she had a patient. That needed to take precedence over everything else. A low moan from Vachon brought their attention abruptly back to the matter at hand. Natalie quickly injected another 40 mg of the Pavulon into him. "That's the last of it, I'm afraid. We'd better get to work." "So what's the plan here, Dr. Lambert?" Nick smiled. It always intrigued him to see this side of Natalie. The consummate scientist who somehow always managed to be compassionate as well, no matter how difficult the circumstances. And he had managed to throw some pretty difficult circumstances her way over the years. "Well, I've given it some thought. I think the best option is to cannulate his femoral artery with a large bore angiocath and let the blood drain into the collection bag by gravity. It will probably still be slower than we'd like, but without getting a whole bunch of sophisticated equipment, I'm afraid it's the best we can do." Given all she knew about vampire physiology it seemed like this at least had a chance of working. "Um, guys," Tracy interrupted from the corner of the room where she stood. "I'm afraid you've lost me." "Nat's going to stick a big needle into him." Nick translated with a shrug. "You may not want to watch this." Without hesitation Nick unbuckled the belt to Vachon's pants and slid the filth encrusted jeans down over his hips. Natalie palpated his groin area. She was struck by how cold and waxlike the consistency of his skin was, even for a vampire. She hated to stick him blindly, but if she waited for a pulse to guide her, they could be waiting a very long time. Natalie pierced his skin with the needle, gratified by the instantaneous return of blood. She unclamped the tubing, allowing the blood to drain off into the waiting bag below. "You keep an eye on this," Natalie instructed Nick, "while I start to get things set up on the other end. Let me know when the bag starts to get full." Natalie walked around the couch and toward the fridge where she had stored the supply of human blood that she planned to use. She managed an encouraging smile for Tracy as she passed. Natalie didn't want to say anything that might falsely raise Tracy's hopes. The mechanical part of this was simple enough. God only knew if it would actually work or not. She didn't want to think about how she would feel if she was in Tracy's position. "I think this is about all we are going to get, Nat." The blood draining from Vachon's body had slowed to a trickle, then stopped. Nick looked down at six full drainage bags lying on the floor. It had taken the better part of an hour to collect the contents of the bags. Natalie knelt beside Vachon's still form, listening intently to his chest with her stethoscope. She had not heard a heartbeat in almost thirty minutes, nor had he taken a breath in that time. How long was too long? She had no way of knowing. Natalie looked down at the body in front of her. For all intents and purposes, he was clinically dead. There was nothing to distinguish him from her usual clientele. Two nights ago, she had glibly told Nick to take care of this, to destroy Vachon. What if she had just done that very thing, under the guise of helping him? It went against everything she had gone into the practice of medicine for. Natalie met Nick with her eyes and she shook her head from side to side. He didn't seemed particularly alarmed by Vachon's utter lifelessness, and she took some small comfort in that. "I think it's time we infuse him with the fresh blood." Natalie cleared the last of the air from the IV tubing as she spoke. "Are you going to put that in the same way?" Tracy asked, referring to the blood hanging from a makeshift IV pole. Natalie's quiet efficiency had managed to overcome much of the squeamishness she had initially felt. She would always be grateful to Nick and Nat for their efforts, no matter how this turned out. "Actually, I'm going to infuse the fresh blood directly into his stomach. It should be absorbed more quickly that way." Natalie noticed that Tracy barely reacted as she plunged the needle into Vachon's abdomen and began running in the blood. Maybe Tracy was finally becoming numb to all of this. "Do you think it would be all right if I sat next to him and held his hand?" Tracy asked in a small voice. She could see the concern on both their faces. She wasn't at all sure that this was going according to plan. If he was truly dead this time, she hoped that somehow he would know that he was not alone. "I think that would be just fine Tracy." Natalie stood and moved into the kitchen area where Nick was waiting. She felt a tug in her chest as Tracy slid in beside the couch and began cradling Vachon's pale hand in between her two. "I don't know, Nick. Are you sure we haven't gone overboard here? He looks awfully dead to me," Natalie whispered to him. "I've never heard of killing a vampire this way." Nick spared her the information that his main experience with draining another vampire to the point of near death was within a sexual context. "Then again, I've never heard of anyone doing something quite like this either." Nick brushed the back of his hand against his lips. The scent of human blood within the close confines of the loft was becoming overwhelming for him. He desperately needed to feed, but something was holding him back--some inexplicable need he had to hold on to a facade of humanity in front of Tracy. "Are you okay with this?" Natalie looked at Nick closely. She had gotten a little wrapped up in what she was doing and hadn't really considered the effect all this might be having on him. "For goodness sake, Nick, if you need to feed, feed." She touched him lightly on the arm. "No brownie points for abstinence tonight." She smiled. "If he wakes up anything like he was before, we're going to need you at full strength." Nick nodded silently in agreement and glanced over to where Tracy was sitting quietly with Vachon. "It's okay, Nick." Natalie spoke as if she could read his thoughts. "She'll be fine. I know you have trouble letting people in, but Tracy obviously understands a lot more than you give her credit for." Natalie walked over just as Tracy was replacing an empty unit of blood with a full bag. "That's four. I hope I'm doing this right." "Looks good to me," Natalie responded. "We'll have to get you a new job, if you keep this up." "Please, no. I've had more than enough of this medical stuff, thank you very much," Tracy paused. "When do you think he'll start waking up?" "We need to give it a little more time, Trace." Natalie had really expected some sort of reaction before this, as soon as the fresh blood became absorbed into his system. "He'll come around." "How we doing here?" Nick walked over and handed the remaining two units of packed cells to Natalie. In his other hand was a half empty green bottle. "I'm not sure," Natalie responded hesitantly. "How much more of this stuff do you think we should give him?" "His body will absorb all that it needs and nothing more. Keep hanging it until the bags stop infusing." Nick wandered over to the window. Outside the sun was beginning to rise. Another night gone, with no plausible explanation to give Reese for these murders. He wondered what O'Neal had done after leaving Tracy's. Had the attempt on his life enraged him to the point that he might seek to reveal what he knew? What if they were all running out of time. end part 14 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Sat, 8 Feb 1997 00:08:00 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (15/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU Unfinished Business part 15/19 by Kathy Whelton "I don't think that this is working, Nick." Natalie stepped up behind him and spoke in hushed tones. "The last unit of blood won't run, and still there's nothing. No heart rate, no respirations and his pupils are non-reactive to light. I don't know how to break this to Tracy, but I think he's gone." "Could it still be the effect of the drug?" Nick turned to face her. "I don't think so. Pavulon has a really short half-life. Even without the exchange transfusion, it would have cleared his system hours ago. I just don't know what else we can do." "It's okay, guys," Tracy called to them from her seat next to Vachon. "You don't need to whisper. I realize things aren't going as we had hoped they would. " Nick finished off the bottle that he still held in his hand and walked over to the couch. "May I?" Nick quickly slid into the seat vacated by Tracy. He could sense no sign of life, physical or otherwise, coming from the body in front of him. Vachon's body was cold, even to his touch. He was beginning to think that Natalie was right--they had miscalculated. "I'm sorry, Tracy." Natalie could see the tears begin to slide down the younger woman's face. "I'm afraid I'm all out of magic tricks." "It's okay, I know you tried your best. We all did. He wouldn't have wanted to continue the way he was, killing indiscriminately." Nick sat silently by Vachon's side. He only hoped that this ember was not too far gone. Nick pushed the sleeve of his shirt up to the elbow. He hesitated only a moment before biting deeply into his own wrist. Nick felt his fangs drop as his teeth made contact with his skin. He began sucking softly until a brisk flow of cool blood was established, then raised his arm to meet Vachon's still lips. On the periphery of his vision, he sensed movement, but did not turn around. He had no desire to see the look on either of the women's faces just now. The blood at first spilled uselessly down the sides of Vachon's face, pooling on the dark surface of the leather couch, a mere trickle reaching it's intended target. Slowly he became aware of some feeble swallowing efforts on the part of Vachon. Nick was just considering pulling his arm away when it was seized violently and bitten. It was only then that Nick considered what a vulnerable position he had put himself in. If this little process had failed to rid Vachon of the madness, he had placed himself at a grave disadvantage. He felt the strong pull of his life's blood being drained, a feeling somehow frightening and exhilarating at the same time. He felt flashes of Vachon's life passing before him. Old memories, as a soldier of Spain in the jungles of the New World. Memories of his many kills as a vampire. Newer recollections: bringing Urs across, his feelings for Screed, and for Tracy. All of these thoughts paled in comparison to the madness, the uncontrollable urge to kill inflicted upon him by Divia. Just as abruptly as his arm had been seized, he was released. Nick walked into the warm darkness of Vachon's eyes and tried to decipher what he saw contained in them "If you think this means we're going steady, Knight, I'm afraid you have another thing coming." Nick smiled broadly. If he'd had the energy he would have laughed out loud. It had worked. Vachon was back. "I'm afraid my dance card's all filled up right now, Vachon, maybe some other time." "Don't." Nick cautioned as Vachon struggled to achieve an upright position. "I wouldn't do that right now if I were you." "Maybe your right." Vachon settled back onto the couch. He looked around, trying to make some sense of his surroundings. "Where...?" "You're at my place," Nick paused. "Vachon, it's October. A lot has happened." "Yeah, I know." Vachon struggled to make some sense of the images he had received from Nick's blood. His senses were suddenly attuned to the presence of humans in the room. "Who is ..?" "Natalie's here...and Tracy." Tracy, of course. He inhaled deeply--how could he have missed it? Vachon glanced down at his disheveled state. "I don't want her to see me like this, Knight. Get her out of here." "Vachon," Nick said softly. "She's been here the whole time. She's really worried about you." "Look at me." Vachon tried in vain to wipe the traces of Nick's dried blood from his face. "Would you want Natalie to see you like this?" Nick had to acknowledge that he would not. He stood up, staggering slightly, heady from the loss of blood. He needed to feed again, and soon. "Trace," Nick stated gently as he started towards her. "He's not ready to see you just yet." He began guiding her gently towards the door. "Why don't you head home, get some sleep.." "But..." she protested. "I don't care what he looks like. I just want to get the chance to talk to him." "I know, Tracy. I know how you feel, but I think we need to respect his wishes as well." Nick looked directly into her eyes. "Tonight. I promise he'll still be here when you get back." A look of resignation settled onto her face. "Okay," she agreed, "tonight." Without warning she threw her arms around Nick's neck and kissed him forcefully on the cheek. "Thank you." "You're welcome, Tracy." Nick put his arms around her and returned the squeeze. "Now get out." "I'm going, I'm going." She smiled and headed for the elevator door. Natalie met Nick halfway across the loft with a full bottle of blood. "Thanks," he managed before downing three quarters of it in one swallow. "You could've given me some warning before that little maneuver earlier." "I wasn't really planning on it either. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. " He looked at her soberly. "Did it shock you?" "Shocked is a pretty strong word. Let's say you surprised me. I have to admit, Nick, it looked damned impressive. I really thought he was dead." "It can be damned impressive, that's what's so seductive about it." Nick slid his arm around her and pressed her close. He kissed her softly on the temple. "You need to go too. This is no place for you today." "I know. I'm going. I just want to check on a few things, then I'll head home." Natalie walked over to the couch where Vachon lay. As she approached him, she was aware of a very subtle vibration that spoke to her unmistakably of his nature. "How are you feeling?" "I've felt better." He smiled at her. "But then again, I've felt worse. What are you doing?" he asked as she began to push his sleeve up. "I need to draw some blood. You're not afraid of a little needle are you?" "I'm not afraid,"he said, his tone becoming testy. "I'm a mess. I don't want you touching me. " "I'm a coroner, Vachon, all my patients are a mess." "She's relentless, Vachon," Nick called over from the window where he was shutting the blinds against the increasing light. "You might as well just give her what she wants, she's going to get it any way." Vachon relaxed as Natalie expertly drew the blood from his arm. She reached over and began to lift the light blanket that he had covering him. "Hey, now what...?" Vachon grasped modestly at the blanket, acutely aware of his lack of clothing beneath it. "I'm a doctor, Vachon. At least for tonight, I'm your doctor. I need to take a look at the puncture sites I made earlier." She looked at him evenly. "I don't take this kind of crap from Nick, and I'm certainly not going to take it from you. Now may I take a look, or do I have to get rough?" she asked with a wry smile. Vachon settled back into the couch and released the tight grip he had on the blanket. Natalie efficiently checked the puncture site on his abdomen, which was almost healed, and the larger one at his groin. She quickly changed the soiled cotton gauze that covered the puncture site in his femoral artery. "Just as I thought, you're not healing nearly as quickly as you ordinarily would. Take it easy for a while. If that starts to ooze, put some pressure on it. If it starts to really bleed, have Nick give me a call, it may need a couple of stitches." Vachon lightly caught her wrist as she rose to leave. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be difficult. I appreciate all you've done for me, really." Vachon relaxed the hold he had on her. "It's easy to see why Knight's stuck on you. Thanks." "You're welcome. Now get some rest. I'll be back to check on you tonight." Natalie stood and with a quick wave to Nick departed the loft. "Drink up." Nick tossed the single remaining unit of human blood in Vachon's lap and sat down on the chair across from him. "That's the last of it. After that I'm afraid you're stuck with the specialty of the house. Nick lifted a bottle of cow's blood to illustrate. Vachon grimaced. "You're sure we can't arrange for a delivery from the Raven?" "The Raven's shutdown. I told you, there have been a lot of changes around here." Nick looked intently at Vachon. "You could've come to me after Divia attacked you, maybe I could I have helped." "I wasn't sure. Things started to get pretty crazy right away," he hesitated. "Plus you never know how someone will react when it comes to matters involving family." "Not this time." Nick shook his head. "Not her. I...I had no choice but to destroy her." "And LaCroix? How does he feel about all of this?" "LaCroix feels very badly about what happened to you...and Urs. Not that I'd hold my breath waiting for him to tell you that." Nick smiled. "Actually, this whole blood exchange thing was his idea." Nick paused, there were few secrets between them at this moment, but it was best to acknowledge it with words. "I was ready to destroy you. You have a lot to thank Tracy for as well." Nick's words came as no surprise to him, but that made them no less difficult to hear. "So Urs is gone." Vachon had been searching for her through their link in vain. "I'm afraid so. I'm sorry. She was on her way here when it happened. She didn't quite make it." "I just hope that wherever she is, she manages to find some small measure of happiness. She certainly didn't find any on this earth." Vachon drank deeply from the unit of blood he held in his hand. "We should both get some sleep. I'll leave some clothes and extra towels in the downstairs bathroom." Nick stood to go. "I can sleep down here with you, if you need me to." "No, that's okay. I'll be fine. Thanks Knight." "Goodnight, Vachon." end part 15 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 00:35:59 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (16/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU Please see part one for standard disclaimers and acknowledgements. Unfinished Business part 16/19 by Kathy Whelton Tracy apologized as Nick buzzed her into the loft late the following afternoon. "I'm sorry. I know it's early. I just couldn't wait any longer." "Don't worry about it. We were up." Nick smiled. "Look, Vachon, she brought us bagels. How thoughtful. Cream Cheese too." "You can be a real jerk sometimes, Nick, you know that." Tracy smashed the bag she was carrying into his chest. "They're for me and Nat." "Nat's not here. I kicked her out too. She should be along pretty soon though." Vachon rose stiffly from the chair in front of the TV. His wiry formed diminished somewhat by the Toronto P.D. sweats he wore. "Hi." "Hi yourself." Tracy walked the short distance across the loft to where he stood. "Your hair--you cut it." Vachon ran his fingers through his still unruly locks which now reached just below his collar. "Yeah. I couldn't get all the knots out. Don't worry, it'll grow back. "Actually, I think it looks kind of nice that way," Tracy paused. For one of the first times in her life, she felt at a loss for words. There didn't seem to be too many words that covered what they had been through. "How are you?" "I'm okay." Vachon moved closer towards her. "Thanks in no small part to you I'm told." "I didn't do much, really. It was mainly Nick and Natalie who deserve the credit." "Deserve the credit for what?" Natalie stepped through the doorway leading from the back steps. She brushed quickly past Nick and made her way over to Vachon. "How's my patient doing tonight?" Natalie held her hands up in front of her. "Don't worry, I come unarmed. I'm not going to do a thing to you." "I'm much better. Thank you." Vachon grinned "Although I am glad to hear that you come in peace." "I'm just glad that every thing worked out as well as it did." Natalie touched his arm lightly as she spoke. "You're not totally off the hook yet, though. I'll want to do some follow-up with you, but I'll cut you some slack for today." "Anything, anything you want. I'm very grateful for everything you've done." Vachon looked around at his friends. "All of you." "Nick, let's get out of here." Natalie turned suddenly towards him, her expression tightening. "Let's go to my place." "Get out of here?" Nick glanced skeptically out of the half shuttered window. "Nat, it's still pretty light out there." "We'll manage." "I don't want to manage, I'm fine right here." Nick shrugged and began to move slowly towards the living area. "Nick," Natalie grabbed his arm and dragged him forcibly into the kitchen . "They need some time alone, and so do we. We have a little unfinished business we need to discuss. Natalie dropped her voice a little lower. "You do think it's okay to leave them alone, don't you?" "I'm sure it's fine," Nick sighed. "Okay, you win. Your trunk or mine?" "Let's take my car. That way Tracy can take the caddy into the station later." "Well, I guess we're leaving," Nick called to Tracy and Vachon as he stepped reluctantly through the elevator door. Don't forget, Tracy," Nick indicated his watch as he spoke. "We have work tonight. I'll see you there." "They make quite a team," Vachon commented as the door to the elevator slid shut. "Yes, they do." Tracy turned, the smile disappearing from her face. "I don't think I have that kind of courage," she said simply. "They've chosen a difficult path to follow, or fate has chosen it for them--I'm not sure which it is." Vachon looked over at her and shrugged. "I'm sure they appreciate your friendship." "I don't know. It seems to me that I still annoy Nick more than anything." Tracy smiled wryly. "But what about you, Vachon, what does fate have in store for you now?" "I'm not sure, Trace." Vachon sat down at the piano and began absently fingering the keys. "I haven't even decided if I'm staying in Toronto yet. I know I can't go back to the church--even without the hunter to worry about. There are too many bad memories there. Nick did say I could stay here for awhile, until I get things sorted out." "Vachon, about that night...." The words caught in her throat as Tracy tried to speak." "I'm sorry that I dragged you in to all that. I guess I wasn't thinking too clearly right from the start." "You're sorry. I think that I'm the one who should be apologizing here. "Tracy looked at him in utter amazement. "Apologizing for what Tracy? For killing me?" Vachon stood and slowly approached her. "First of all, you didn't. I drove myself onto that stake. Second of all, it didn't work," he shrugged. "I'm still here." "But I buried you, and you weren't even dead." Tracy quickly brushed away the hot tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. Vachon lightly placed his hands on her shoulders. "Is that what's bothering you so much?" Vachon closed his eyes and rested his head against hers. He basked in her warmth, desperately trying to dispel the memories of the cool, moist soil cloying against his skin. She didn't need to know that, she never needed to know that. He met her eyes once again and he smiled "That was nothing--forget it. Now, taking the stake out, that's where the whole plan started to go down the tubes. What's the matter with you? Didn't you ever go to horror movies as a kid? You never take the stake out." Tracy smiled in spite of herself, her eyes still puffy from her tears. "I was always too afraid. I kept my eyes closed the whole time." "We'll just have to do something about that now, won't we. As a matter of fact, Knight has quite a collection right here." Vachon shook his head in honest disbelief. "He has so many bad vampire movies, it's almost scary." "Thanks, I'll pass. I've seen enough in the past few days to last me a lifetime." Tracy turned and began walking away from him. "I'm sorry about that Trace. Truly I am." Vachon stood and took several steps in her direction. Tracy turned and faced him. "You're sorry that it happened, Vachon? Or that I saw it?" Tracy knew that he wasn't responsible for the things that had happened, for the people that he had killed. Still, she could not shake the sight of that young woman, falling lifeless to the floor. "I'm not going to apologize to you for this, Tracy. I'm not like Knight. I'm not ashamed of what I am. Yes, I regret the loss of innocent lives, but I'm not going to wallow in it. It's what I am, Tracy. I'm a hunter, a predator. If you can't accept that, then you were right. There never could be anything between us." Tracy faced him squarely. He did remember, despite everything that had happened, he still remembered her words to him. "I'm sorry that I called you evil. I didn't mean it. It's the one regret I've had these last few months. I didn't want that to be your last memory of me." "It wasn't." Vachon touched her arm lightly, tentatively. "It was my memories of you that kept me going somehow. Your warmth, your light." Vachon grazed his fingers across her hair. Tracy took a small step back away from him. "Vachon..." "I'm sorry, Trace." Vachon let his hand drop. "I didn't mean to dump this all on you. I know you've had a rough few months yourself." "You do?" Tracy grinned. "What did you guys do, stay up all day talking when you should have been sleeping?" "We didn't have to." Vachon's face was serious, carefully weighing his words to her. "Sharing blood is a very intense, very intimate form of communication. There aren't too many secrets left, afterwards." Tracy felt her face burning hotly. "I'm not sure I'd like that,not being able to keep... anything...private." Vachon leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. "You get used to it." He stepped back, gauging her reaction. "Then again, it's not for everyone." "So where does all this leave us, Vachon?" "I don't know, Tracy. You tell me. Where does this leave us?" Tracy hesitated, confused. This was what she had wanted, at least some part of her did. Now that he was holding the door open, she was uncertain. "I truly value your friendship, Vachon...I just don't think I'm ready for anything beyond that, at least not right now. I need a little time to sort this out. I need to be sure." Vachon loosened the hold he had on her waist. He brought his hand up and cuffed her lightly under the chin. "I can wait. Time happens to be the one thing that I have plenty of." He smiled sweetly at her. "Button." end part 16 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1997 23:04:32 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (17a/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU Please see standard disclaimers in part one. Unfinished Business part 17a/19 by Kathy Whelton "Now, do you mind telling me just what is so important that you needed to drag me out before sunset in order to discuss it?" Nick stood in the entryway of Natalie's apartment, vigorously brushing small bits of debris off his coat. "I really should have stayed at the loft with Tracy and tried to figure out how we are going to present this whole thing to Reese. And if you insist that I ride in your trunk, could you at least make sure that it's not full of kitty litter first." "Don't even think about taking that tone with me, Nicholas B. Knight. You have some serious explaining to do." Natalie turned abruptly and faced him. Her anger had been simmering the entire drive over to her apartment. Now that the business with Vachon was settled, she needed to get a few things clarified. "Explain? Explain what?" Nick looked at her questioningly. He had no idea where this sudden change in attitude was coming from. "I thought everything went pretty well. I admit we still have to deal with O'Neal, but I don't think it will be too much of a problem..." "I'm not talking about the case, Nick. Why don't we start with LaCroix?" "LaCroix?" Nick looked at her closely. "What did he want? What did he say to you?" "He didn't *say* anything. He didn't have to *say* anything. That's the point." Natalie slammed her bag down on the table. "I felt him, Nick, loud and clear, before he ever said a word. I got a similar feeling from Vachon this morning. Would you care to offer a little explanation as to why I've never felt anything like that from you?" Nick slumped suddenly against the door frame. "Oh." "Oh. That's what you have to say. You've been hiding this from me for six months now and all I get is 'oh.'" Natalie paused and rested her fingers against the bridge of her nose, trying desperately to keep her anger in check. "How dare you? Don't you think that I have a right to know what's going on with my own body? Didn't you realize that eventually I'd find out?" "I would have told you eventually. I was waiting until you seemed a little more...ready... to deal with it." Nick approached Natalie slowly. "Until *you* thought I was ready. Do me a favor, Nick, let me make my own decisions." "That was the point." Nick rested a gentle hand on her arm, attempting to gauge her response. "I didn't want you to think that there was some weird, metaphysical connection going on between us, or that I could be influencing your decisions in any way. You needed to know that the choices and decisions you were making were of your own free will." Nick dropped his eyes to the floor. "You told O'Neal that you weren't anybody's victim. I don't think I could stand it if you ever thought of yourself as my victim." Natalie brought his chin up so that their eyes met once again. His admission had really surprised her. "I don't feel that way, Nick. Really, I don't. I just wish you'd come to me sooner with this. I didn't appreciate finding out about it from LaCroix." "I know. I kept meaning to talk to you. I guess I was afraid." "And I guess that I better start accepting the fact that I'm never going to be quite the same as I was before." Nick brushed the loose tendrils of hair away from her face. "I'd give anything to take back what happened." "I know you would, Nick. But you can't. It is just something that I need to learn to live with. I think I can do that now." "You mean it's something that *we* need to learn to live with." Nick rubbed her shoulders gently. "No, Nick, I mean me." Natalie looked at him squarely. "With or without you in my life, chances are that these changes are here to stay. That means that *I* need to learn to cope with them." She looked up at him. "Tell me there's nothing else. Please tell me there's nothing else." Nick smiled down at her. "There's nothing else, not that I know of anyway. You could check with LaCroix though, if you'd like." "Ah, no thanks." Natalie wrinkled her nose. "I'll take my chances." She slid an arm around Nick's waist. "Let's go sit a bit before you need to go." Natalie snuggled under Nick's arm as they sank into the couch. As they sat in comfortable silence, she began nervously fidgeting with the buttons on his shirt. "Nat, what are you doing?" Nick turned his head to look down at her. "Well, you made some pretty impressive claims about making up the other night, and, as I recall, you never managed to deliver on those claims. I just thought I might collect." "Nat, I can't. You know I can't." Nick shifted his weight slightly away from her and removed his arm from her shoulder. "There's blood in the fridge," she whispered before leaning into him and covering his mouth with her own. "There's blood in the fridge?" Nick echoed her words with his own question. Natalie nodded her head in the affirmative. "I brought some over from your place the other night." Natalie smiled. "Does that change your mind?" Nick slid his arm around her shoulder again. "Nat, I think we need to talk." "Talk?" Natalie continued to shower his lips with small, delicate kisses. "Nick, we don't have much time before we need to leave for work. Maybe we should keep the talk for later." "I'm serious, Nat." Nick gently removed her arm from around his waist. "I think we need to reconsider this aspect of our relationship, at least for awhile." Natalie shifted until she was facing him directly, all joy gone from her face. "You are serious. Is this because of what happened the other night? It is, isn't it?" "You were badly frightened the other night. You were frightened of me." Nick caught her by the arms, cutting off her objections before she could make them. "And you have every right to be. I just don't want it to be that way between us. I think maybe we should take a break for a bit." "You're right about the other night," Natalie stated plainly. There was no point in trying to deny it. "I was afraid. There will probably be other times I'll be afraid as well. It's a fact of our life that I am willing to accept. I promise that next time I'll say something. Trying to bluff my way through was not a good idea," Natalie paused. "You just finished saying that you wanted me to make my own decisions; this is my decision too, isn't it? Nick nodded silently, suddenly fascinated by the small circle that he was slowly rubbing into the back of her hand. "There's more to it than that, isn't there?" she prodded him gently. She knew him better than this. "Come on, out with it." "You deserve better than this," Nick stated quietly. "You deserve someone who can satisfy you in ways that I simply cannot." He continued to stare downward, still not meeting her eyes. "I know you've waited a long time to have a relationship like this in your life. I'm sorry that it's turned out to be such a disappointment." "A disappointment?" Natalie struggled to maintain the calm in her voice. She was beginning to come to the conclusion that men were men, it really didn't matter whether they were 800 years old or not. She cradled his face tenderly in her hands. "Let's see,you're considerate of my needs and feelings. You are always gentle with me, even when I'm not being particularly gentle with myself. What more am I supposed to want in a lover?" Nick turned her hand over and gently kissed her palm. The slightest twinkle returning to his eyes. "You don't really want me to answer that, do you?" Natalie let out an exasperated sigh. "We're making love, Nick, not playing football. We're not supposed to be keeping score. I don't care how this ends, even if it's with a polite handshake." Natalie sank back into the couch, frustrated. "It's being close to you that's important to me, knowing that you care enough to try. Don't you think I know how hard this is for you?" His subdued silence was doing nothing to satisfy her concerns about getting her point across. "Come on." Natalie stood abruptly and grabbed Nick by the front of the shirt. "We're going." "Going? Going where?" Nick stood and followed her lead. "Into the bedroom. I'm seducing you." Nick had trouble controlling his smile. "*You* are seducing *me*?" "That's right. It's my house for a change. You have to play by my rules. I've had quite enough of this. I'm seducing you." Natalie made a brief detour into the kitchen and past the refrigerator before heading into the bedroom, still dragging Nick behind her. End part 17a. Part 17b will be sent out with both an adult and PG version. If you are not subscribed to Adult and would like a copy, let me know. Please send an age statement with your request. Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 00:07:03 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: ADULT: Unfinished Business (17b/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: Warning: This section of Unfinished Business has been sent with an Adult header. It contains mature themes and sexual situations. Please read the PG version if you are likely to be offended. I apologize to all who receive the double posting. Unfinished Business part 17b/19 by Kathy Whelton Nick closed the door silently behind them. He drank deeply from the bottle he was holding, then set it down on the bedside table. Now that she had him here, Natalie felt a little uncertain. He had come willingly enough. In fact, he was beginning to seem a little amused by the whole thing. Now it was up to her to make good on her promise. Natalie swiftly unbuttoned the front of Nick's shirt and let the smooth silk slide off his shoulders and onto the floor. She ran her fingers through his unruly mop and pressed her lips against his cool, still mouth. No response. Apparently he had no intention of making this easy on her. That was fine, two could play at that game. She tugged at his belt, struggling briefly with the buckle. "Do you need some help?" Nick asked. The amusement in his voice was undeniable this time. "I'm fine. Thanks," she answered tensely. Natalie finished undoing his pants and let them drop freely to the floor. Damn, the shoes, she had forgotten the shoes. Natalie stooped down and began untying them. Above her, she could hear Nick chuckling. He was laughing at her. She could feel her cheeks warm with embarrassment and hot tears sprang to her eyes. What had she been thinking? How many times had he done this? What countless number of desirable women had he made love to? And here she was, undressing him with all the finesse of a...of a medical examiner. And one that had spent far too many hours at the morgue in the last few years. No number of bad haircuts or piles of clothing could hide his innate sexual attractiveness. He could have any woman he wanted. Natalie stood slowly and looked at him. "I'm quite the seductress, aren't I? I must seem pretty ridiculous to you, after all the lovers that you've had." The merriment that danced in his blue eyes faded as her words sank in. "Nat, I'm sorry. I was just playing. I thought you were too." He slid his arms around her and squeezed her tightly, nuzzling her chestnut hair with his lips. "I'm very flattered. Besides, we're not keeping score--about anything--remember." Nick lifted her effortlessly and deposited her on the bed, still holding her tightly. He began to play aimlessly with the long strands of her hair. "Please don't be upset. I'm here now, with you, because you are the most important person in the world to me. I want you to remember that." "I'm not upset. I just had a momentary lapse of self-confidence. If I questioned how you felt, even for a moment, I wouldn't be here." Her voice began to take on a teasing tone. "Now, just how flattered are you?" Nick grabbed her hand and slid it into the front of the briefs he was wearing. Natalie's blush deepened at the cool firmness she felt within. "That's pretty flattered, I'd say." She grinned wryly. "But this is supposed to be my seduction, remember." Natalie grabbed the briefs and slid them down and off, before returning her attentions to Nick. He lay before her, completely unclothed and she shamelessly reveled in the view. Too often, in the past, their couplings had been laced with a nervous anxiety which prevented them from enjoying one another completely. He was a totally gorgeous creature, there was no doubt about that. She ran her hand lightly across the soft hairs of his inner thigh and delighted totally in his reaction. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Nick's voice had begun to take on the throaty quality that she always associated with the vampire, but his eyes, for the moment, remained blue. He brought his hands back behind his head, and attempted to relax into the bed. He tried to crush the tiny glimmer of embarrassment that he felt, lying there so exposed before her. She deserved to play this little game any way she chose. "I am, very much." She moved her hand and gently engulfed his firmness completely. "Just let me know if I'm moving too fast." "You're doing great." He pulled her closer to him, desperately needing to feel the warmth of her body as she pleasured him. Her soft rhythmic strokes were bringing him to greater and greater levels of arousal. He felt his fangs aching to descend, but with great effort manage to push away the thoughts that were beginning to filter into his consciousness. He kissed her softly on the top of the head. Natalie pulled away from him, working her way downward with a trail of gentle kisses. She heard his sharp intake of breath as she encircled his firm shaft with her lips. She paused briefly, waiting for his reaction. When none was forthcoming she proceeded, slowly taking all of him into her mouth. Natalie felt her teeth brush against him and knew that she had pressed her luck too far. "Nat." His voice was ragged. "Too much?" Natalie rose from her position and looked at him. Nick's eyes glowed amber in the dim light of the darkened bedroom, the sweetest look of sadness on his face. "Just a little." Nick took her palm and pressed it to his cool lips. "But thank you." Natalie could feel the hard outline of his fangs against her hand as he kissed it. "Do we need to stop?" Natalie asked without prejudice. She could encourage him all she wanted. In the end the decision had to be his. "That depends." Nick looked at her carefully. "How are you doing?" Nick clasped her hand and intertwined his fingers with her own. None of the anxiety that had crept over her the last time seemed to be present, but he wanted to be sure. He needed to be sure. He knew how difficult this was for her, for a variety of reasons. He had spent the better part of the last six years telling her that this simply could not happen, that he was too afraid of killing her. Then he had very nearly done just that. Now she was desperately trying to put those fears aside. "I'm doing fine," she answered honestly. "How about you?" "I'm doing great," he smiled. "But are you ever going to get undressed, or am I going to be out here alone all night?" "Nick Knight! Are you embarrassed?" Natalie laughed softly, looking at him closely. "I do believe you're blushing." "I am not." Nick grinned sheepishly. "Well, maybe a little. Come on, off with them." Natalie efficiently pulled her top over her head and tossed it to the floor. She looked down, slightly dismayed at the sight of her own body. She kept meaning to pick up one of those ab sculptors or something, she just never seemed to be able to make the time. "You're perfect," Nick commented gently, reading her look. "I'd like to hear you say that in twenty years or so." "You will. I know that's hard for you to believe right now, but you will." Nick sat up and enfolded her in his arms. "My feelings for you aren't going to change just because a few years go by." Nick helped her finish undressing and threw her clothes into the pile on the floor. "That's a little more like it." He explored the gentle curves of her body with his cool fingers, marveling as he always did in the beauty and the warmth that he found there. Nick kissed her, softly as first, uncertain of his own limitations. Placing his mouth on her was always a gamble, the taste of her could be so overwhelming for him. He knew how important this simple gesture of affection, of trust could be for them. Natalie responded, cautiously exploring his mouth with her own. Suddenly, without warning, Natalie swung one leg over him, straddling him and pinning him to the bed in one smooth motion. "Nat..." Nick protested feebly, uncomfortable with the sudden sensation of being trapped. She answered without moving. "Remember, it's my place. I get to be in charge." She smiled mischievously. "I know...if I get dumped on my ass, it's my own fault." Natalie paused, then continued with a greater seriousness in her voice. "You're always asking me to trust you, Nick, maybe it's time that you trusted me a bit more." Natalie placed her hand against his cool cheek and waited for him to respond. Nick turned his head and kissed her fingers, nodding his head almost imperceptibly. Natalie guided him into her, slowly letting her weight sink down around him. She felt his body tense dramatically as she took his entire cool length within her. A soft growl rumbled in his chest. She waited patiently for him to relax, letting him gradually become accustomed to the sensation. "Are you okay with this?" Natalie questioned carefully. As much as she was enjoying this, she didn't want him to push his limits too closely in an attempt to please her. "I'm okay with this," he responded cautiously. Nick reached out and began rubbing his hands softly up and down her thighs. "I'm more than okay with this. You're wonderful." Natalie balanced her hands lightly on her thighs and began carefully moving up and down, gently accepting and releasing him as she went. She delighted in the sense of power and control she felt, letting her body find a rhythm all it's own. Natalie glanced down at Nick, his eyes closed, his face a tight mask of control. She wondered, not for the first time, if she was just being selfish, pushing him into this for her own sake. It was easy to see how great the cost to him was, and at what return. She knew from their conversations how vitally important blood- sharing was to a vampire's sexual response, intercourse was merely frosting on the cake to them, and Nick didn't even get to have the cake. Nick moaned softly and Natalie's body responded with a new found urgency of it's own. The rhythm of her thrusting increased as she felt a growing tension within. Natalie gave herself over to it completely and allowed the powerful, almost violent sensations to cascade over her. The sensations gradually abated and Natalie's body slowed and rested gently on top of Nick's chest. She felt his cool, strong arms surround her and she felt the slightest glint of fear. "Thank you, Nat, that was great." Nick's voice was still coarse and rough with the vampire, his eyes glowed brightly. Inside of her, she could feel him, still firm. "Liar," she countered. "Besides, I was just resting. Some of us are only mortal, you know." Natalie began moving against him with an even greater intensity than before." "Nat, stop. Please, I don't want to hurt you." Nick's voice was almost a growl. Nick could feel the tension rapidly building within him. He really had no desire to throw her onto the floor, but she was leaving him with little choice. Nick felt his fangs drop and with it an almost overwhelming desire to posses her totally. He felt his control move ever closer to the edge as she moved around him. Natalie froze when the silence of the room was shattered by an almost unearthly roar that could only have emanated from Nick. The sound was cut off as abruptly as it started and Natalie realized that Nick had bitten deeply into his own wrist. She felt a cool flow of moisture between her legs and realized that he had climaxed within her. Natalie slid off and rested carefully beside him, uncertain of how to proceed. "Nick," she started softly, bringing her hand up to rest against his cheek. "Is everything okay?" Nick was lying silently, his hands covering his face. "I can't believe I made that noise. Someone is going to call the police." Natalie slapped him lightly on the chest. "No one is going to call the police. You wouldn't believe some of the things that go on in this building. You did give me a bit of a start though, I have to admit it." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Nick lovingly brushed the errant locks from her face, a sadness in his deep blue eyes. "You didn't scare me, you startled me. I didn't forget who I was in bed with. I was expecting something a little...different, I just wasn't sure what it would be." "Don't you mean *what* you were in bed with?" Nick turned his face away from her abruptly. "No I meant *who* I was in bed with." Natalie caught his chin and brought him around to face her again. "You're not going to do this Nick. I'm not going to let you. I couldn't be happier, you're supposed to be happy too." "I am happy. You are wonderful to put up with me." Nick slipped his arms around her and drew her closer. "Just wonderful?" Nick grinned broadly. "Wonderful, incredible, beautiful, talented...," "Enough, enough. You'll turn my head." Natalie shifted, allowing his body to shadow her own. "That was some neat trick with the wrist, by the way. Is that standard operating procedure?" "Umm," Nick paused. "Only in the hardest of times." "I see," Natalie stifled a giggle. Oh you see, do you?" Nick tickled her abdomen lightly. "Then why do I suddenly feel like I'm twelve years old?" "I'm not criticizing," Natalie protested innocently. "Whatever works." "Work," Nick groaned. "We have to go to work." Nick kissed her softly on the shoulder. "Why don't you hop in the shower first, I'll put some coffee on for you." "You could join me if you like." Natalie let her hand linger against his arm. She glanced down at her body. "You are relentless. Go on, get going." end part 17 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 20:03:05 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (18/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: Please see standard disclaimers in part one. Unfinished Business part 18/19 by Kathy Whelton Nick quickly pulled his trousers on and headed into the kitchen. Coffee was one thing that Natalie had no sense of humor about and Nick carefully measured the water before dumping it into the coffee maker. He had no desire to mess this up like he had the last time--that had not been a pretty sight. He smiled as the shower began to run and thought longingly of the time when they would not have to treat one another quite so carefully, when he would be able to casually hop in there with her. Tonight had been a fine start, one step closer to that end. "A domesticated vampire, how quaint." Nick stiffened at the words, but commented without turning around. "LaCroix, don't you have anything better to do with your time than to watch me make...coffee?" "But, Nicholas, my boy, you do it with such style. One would almost believe that it was something that you were meant to be doing." LaCroix leaned casually against the kitchen counter. "I think it's called consideration for others, LaCroix. Now, what is it that you want?" Nick turned and faced his master squarely. "No need to be so defensive, Nicholas. I actually came to compliment you on the fine job you did with Vachon. I see that he is back to himself, with no apparent harm done." "I certainly can't take all the credit. It was your idea." Nick nodded his head deferentially in LaCroix's direction. "Tracy and Natalie had a lot to do with it as well." "Ah yes, the good doctor and her modern technology. I must give credit where credit is due. She proved herself quite useful once again, I must say. She really is quite capable, as far as those capabilities will take her." "What is that supposed to mean?" "What it means, Nicholas, is that without you, Vachon would be dead." LaCroix moved swiftly across the kitchen until he stood only inches from Nick. "It is this, this power that we have, that you have within you, that brought him back to life. All of Dr. Lambert's technology could have done nothing for him. It took a spark of life from you to reignite that flame. How you can even contemplate throwing away that power for some mundane human existence, is totally beyond me." "So you were there, at the loft." Nick had not been entirely sure he had felt anything. LaCroix shrugged. "I just wanted to be certain that you were going to make the right decision, Nicholas. Your judgment in the past in such matters has not always been sound." "And what about the consequences of that decision, LaCroix? Am I now responsible for Vachon's actions, as well as my own? What if he decides to go back to the kill, will I have those deaths on my conscience as well?" "You are only responsible for your own actions, just as you have always been," LaCroix stated, a faint tone of exasperation in his voice. "I'm afraid that extends to being responsible for your mistakes as well." "Meaning?" "The Irishman." "O'Neal? What about him?" Nick pressed more closely to LaCroix. He had been careless in leaving O'Neal alone at Tracy's. O'Neal had been left unattended for far too long, anything was possible. "It may interest you to know that while you have been here, living out this illusion of domestic bliss, O'Neal has been at your police station, engaged in a rather lengthy conversation with your Captain." The slightest hint of a smile crossed LaCroix's lips. "What has he been telling Reese?" Nick asked with some intensity. "Now how would even I know that, Nicholas? I simply came to warn you. I don't want you walking in on any nasty surprises," LaCroix paused. "The simple fact is that O'Neal has become too much of a problem. He is a threat to you and he is a threat to this community and I will not have it. You made the mistake of not dealing with him appropriately the last time. Don't make that mistake again. Take care of it, Nicholas, or there are others that will." "How's that coffee coming? My caffeine level is dangerously sub-theraputic." Natalie entered the kitchen vigorously drying her hair with a towel. Nick glanced around at the now empty kitchen. "All done. Look, Nat. I've got to run." Nick kissed her quickly on the cheek and headed for the door. "Is everything all right, Nick?" "Everything's fine." Nick stopped and turned around. "Everything is not fine. Liam O'Neal's at the station, talking to Reese." "Nick, you don't think he'd say anything? He was pretty angry the other day." "He was no happier last night, believe me. I don't know what he might be capable of doing, or saying. I need to go find out," Nick paused. "Nat, if anything happens, if I have to leave suddenly, I'll call you as soon as I can." Nick wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. "I'm not going to disappear on you. I promise." Nick released her and once again started his journey towards the door. "Nick," Natalie called after him. "Please be careful." Nick smiled at her and stepped out of the door. "Don't worry, I will." "Knight!" Joe Reese called as Nick stepped across the floor of the bullpen. So much for easing into this. "It's about time you showed up. I was beginning to wonder if you had found employment elsewhere. And where is your partner?" "Well, Cap. It's like this..." "It's okay, Nick, I understand." Reese shook his head slowly. "You do?" Nick asked warily. "Sure, Inspector O'Neal just brought me up to date. The smartest thing I did was have him work with you and Tracy on this case." Reese clenched his teeth tightly. "I hate it when someone thinks he can kill in my city and walk away clean, but I suppose that if the evidence supports him crossing the border, there's not much I can do about it" Reese turned and faced Nick. "Did you fax all our findings to the F.B.I.?" "I'm about to do just that Captain." "At least you and Tracy managed to stick together on this one. Next time, though, Nick, please keep in touch a little bit better." Reese shook his head as he turned away. "I swear, sometimes I think you have a secret life that I know nothing about." "A secret life, that's funny Captain." Nick exhaled slowly. "I promise, next time, by the book." Nick walked slowly toward his desk where O'Neal was seated. "You didn't need to do that. I could've taken care of it." "I have no doubt you could, Detective. I just thought it might simplify things a bit. I do hope that little matter has been taken care of." "It has," Nick replied evenly. "There'll be no more killing." "No more killing. I trust that means the fiend is still among us." O'Neal spoke with a surprising lack of passion. "He's not a fiend." Nick sank wearily into Tracy's chair. He had no more energy left for this. "In fact, he's a pretty nice guy. He was as much a victim in this as the people he killed." "Somehow I doubt that," O'Neal replied, his tone cool. "I do suppose the important thing is that the killing has ended, at least for now." "If that's how you feel, O'Neal, why did you keep quiet about this? Why did you cover for me?" "I might ask you the same thing, Detective. You could have easily let him kill me last night, but you didn't," O'Neal paused, "despite the rather unpleasant things I said to you yesterday." "You're entitled to your opinion." Nick shrugged. "I can't even tell you that I disagree with everything that you said. But you were wrong about one thing, I do love Natalie." "I know." O'Neal leaned back into the chair. "After I cooled off, I did some thinking. I may not agree with what you're doing, but it's obvious that your feelings for one another are genuine. I guess the bottom line is, this is none of my business." "No, O'Neal, it's not." Nick rose slowly. "It would be a good idea for you to leave Toronto, as soon as possible." Nick rested against the desk. "You might even consider spending the rest of the night here. Call the hotel, they can send your luggage over. You can get a flight out tomorrow morning," Nick continued, his tone conversational. "I wouldn't necessarily go to Dublin, you do look like you could use a bit of sun. "All right, Knight. I get your message. I'll go. Perhaps it would do me some good to see a bit more of the world. My perspective on things seems to be getting a bit narrow." "Take it from me, O'Neal, it's never too late to change." "I guess I'll just have to take your word on that." O'Neal stood until he was face to face with Nick. "I would like a chance to see Natalie again. I think I owe her an apology." "I'm not so sure that would be such a good idea, she's still pretty upset with you. I will pass it along to her though." Nick started slowly away from the desk. "One last thing, Knight." O'Neal reached out and grabbed Nick firmly by the arm. "If you ever hurt that girl again, I'll track you down. There won't be a hole on this earth deep enough for you to hide in." "Don't worry, O'Neal," Nick replied, his tone soft. "That's one promise you won't have to keep. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a job to do." end part 18 comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 19:42:22 EST Reply-To: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Kathy Whelton <103045.2473@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: Unfinished Business (19/19) To: FKFIC-L@PSUVM.PSU.EDU X-Status: Nick and Co. belong to J.P. and Co. I'm returning them now, in slightly better condition than when I first borrowed them. Unfinished Business part 19 Epilogue by Kathy Whelton Nick tossed another log on the fire, then quickly scooted back to the space on the floor where Natalie was sitting. Sydney purred softly as Natalie stroked the soft fur between his ears. "This is nice." Natalie leaned back against the couch and took another sip of tea. "I keep waiting for my beeper to go off. I can't believe that for once we actually have the whole night off together." "The whole night off, and no company, at least for the time." Nick looked around the empty loft as if to verify his own statement." "Tell me again why Tracy needed to go with Vachon while he looks for a new place to live." "I'm not sure, but I do believe that I heard her mention the words 'electricity' and 'running water.'" Nick smiled. "It doesn't matter, as long as he finds something soon." "I thought you liked having him here." Natalie turned to look at him. "I do. He's just getting way too attached to the stereo, and the TV. I'm afraid if he ever finds my stash of Humphrey Bogart movies, he could stay... well, he could stay a long time." Natalie's brow wrinkled with some concern. "I hadn't thought of that." The eternal houseguest. "Besides," Nick slid his arm carefully around her shoulders. "I miss my old roommate." "You do?" Natalie brightened at his statement. "How much?" "A lot." Nick stated plainly. "A lot? Is that the best you can come up with?" "Oh, I think I can do a little better than that." Nick leaned towards her and began kissing her softly. "Speaking of the stereo, how about a little music?" Nick groped blindly for the remote control and clicked it on. Tonight, fellow nocturnes, the Nightcrawler is reflecting on love and friendship. They cause us the most joy. They bring us the most pain. What pain has the friendship you cherish like a carnival prize brought to you, my children? What joys in the love that has ...consumed you so? Or have you sunk into the depths of a forbidden love with a passion that blinds you to all the warning signs? Just how long do you think you can go on with this passion wrought charade, one foot in this world, one in the realm of a love that can only bring you to a tragic end? "Oh, no." Natalie sat back against the couch in dismay. "Umm. I think I forgot to mention that," Nick started slowly. "Yeah, Nick, you did. I can't say that I'm surprised. I guess that it was too much to hope that he would just leave Toronto again I suppose. Why do I always feel like he's talking directly to us?" "Because he usually is," Nick whispered, nudging her nape. Natalie's tone softened. "I know how much you mean to him. Do you really think that things can change between you?" "I have to, Nat." Nick stared intently into the fire before him. "I can't live with things the way they were any longer. I don't think that he can either." "He'll never be willing to let you go, Nick. You know that." "A few years ago, I never would have thought that he would have been willing to give me back my mortality. That is, in essence, what he did." "I'm sure you don't mind me saying that I'm not interested in that kind of mortality." Natalie gently rubbed her hand against Nick's chest. Nick took her hand and kissed it lightly. "I don't mind, but just how likely is it that we'll ever be able to achieve any other kind?" "Actually, this whole blood-exchange thing with Vachon has given me a few new ideas." Natalie's brows furrowed in thought. "Well, that looked *really* attractive, where do I sign up?" Nick grinned broadly. Natalie punched his arm lightly. "I wasn't planning on anything quite so dramatic. But with Vachon willing to act as a control, there are some things I'd like to try. That is... if you still want this." "You know I do." Nick replied soberly. "It's just a little hard for me to believe in at this point. I just don't want either of us to get so tied to the search for a cure that we lose sight of what we have right here, right now. And this," he squeezed her lightly,setting his face aglow with a warm smile, "is far too wondrous to risk losing." Nick reached over towards his wineglass, then stopped abruptly. The fact that his blood consumption was way up since they had become intimate lie unspoken between them. Would this thing that allowed them to be together, ultimately be the thing that kept him from coming back across? "I know, Nick, I know," Natalie responded as if reading his thoughts. She took his hand lightly. "I'll look at the data and we'll make some decisions. If it looks like the amount of blood consumption is part of the problem, then we'll deal with it. Even if it means that we need to stay apart for awhile." Nick slid his arm around her shoulders again and pulled her tightly to him. "Speaking of dealing with things, is it my imagination or do things seem a little better with you since O'Neal left?" "Yeah, I think they are. I seem a little more at peace with everything that's happened. The anger certainly seems to be less of a problem." "You don't know how glad I am to hear that, Nat." "And just what was that supposed to mean?" Nat faced forward, hiding her smile from him. "Nothing, Nat, really. I just meant..." Nick shifted to face her. A slow smile dawned on his face as he realized she was joking. "Very funny. I just meant that I'm very relieved that things are better," Nick kissed her tenderly on the lips, "and that I love you just the way you are." The End comments welcome Kathy 103045.2473@compuserve.com ^@