Date: Wed, 23 Oct 1996 19:31:46 -0300 From: "D. L. Powers" Okay, I was a little bored, and a little tired, and I found this rotting in my hard drive, so I thought I'd post it, using a title, that has been over-used as of late. But anyway... Disclaimer: They're not mine, you know they're not mine, if they were mine, they wouldn't have all died at the end. (except Natalie) (I hope that's kosher, if not...well) "A Tale of Two Nataies" by D. L. Powers (Unedited version) "Hey Nat!" Nick called out as he was approaching his car. He noticed her walking down the sidewalk, and thought it strange that she didn't stop to see him. Even when he called out her name, she didn't acknowledge him. "And now she's ignoring me," he muttered. "What did I do now?" He stared after her as she turned the next corner withoug so much as a turn of her head. Caught in a moment of indecision of whether to go after her or to continue with what he was doing, which was fast exiting his mind, his decision was made for him when Tracy appeared behind him. "Come on Nick! What are you doing anyway?" Her voice made him jump. "We've got ten minutes to get to the bus station before the bus leaves." "Yeah, right." Nick looked once more at the spot where he last saw Nat, hoping she would reappear and smile at him, revealling the joke. She didn't. He found the handle to the door and glanced over at Tracy. She wasn't getting into his car, she was getting into her own car. "Tracy?" She turned to look at him. "What are you doing?" "I thought we might take my car for a change. I never get to drive. I'd ask to drive yours, but...I know you. You have an unusual attachment to it." "But..." "Fine. You want to act big and macho and drive that thing? Great. I'll meet you at the bus station." Saying no more, she got into her car and began to drive away. With a slightly petulant scowl, Nick swallowed his pride and stepped up to the passenger side of Tracy's Pontiac LeMans. She was polite enough to stop for him. "Her name is Lila," he muttered after he closed the door. "What?" Tracy looked at him as she squeeled out of the parking lot. "Did you say something?" "Never mind." Nick, not having anything in particular to look at, since he wasn't driving (not that he paid much attention when he was driving) examined the interior of Tracy's car. It was very nice. Almost as nice as his own. It looked almost new, or more acurately, unused. "Say, this is a nice car. I didn't know you had such a nice car." Nick ran a hand lovingly, somewhat jealously, over the red leather of the front seat. "I bet it's got great trunk space." "Yeah," Tracy said, excited that Nick finally had taken an interest in something of hers, rather than spilling his guts about his problems. "One time I took this trip up north, and I fit almost three quarters of my wardrobe in it. I had to put the rest in the back seat, but...." She trailed off, noticing that faraway look in Nick's eyes again. "Okay, Nick, spill it. I know you're dying to." "What?" He looked at her, as soon as he returned to the present. "Oh, it's nothing. Just that...well, have you noticed anything odd about Natalie, lately?" "No, why? Is she acting strange? I hadn't really noticed. Maybe it's her birthday or something. That always depresses me." "No, her birthday isn't for three...no two more months. But thanks for reminding me. Actually, I just noticed tonight. I saw her, but she just walked right past me, like she didn't see me." "Well, maybe she didn't see you." "Maybe, but..." "Here we are. We better hurry, the bus is leaving." Tracy got out of the car before Nick could conclude his 'soul exposing' bout. "...Lambert, Neil...Lambert, Nerian...Lambert, Natalie. There you are. I knew I'd find you." Sharon Lamond circled the name in blood red ink, severely marring the page in the phonebook. She jotted down the address and added it to the file on the desk in front of her. She was almost ready to step into her new life. Just one or two more details and she would be set. One of these details was finding out more about Detective Knight. He was someone she knew nothing about. Why would Natalie be seeing a cop, yet not really seeing him. It didn't make sense. But she would make sense of it very soon. "Nick, I'm telling you, I wasn't walking down the street last night. I was sitting at my desk, nose deep in paperwork. I did not see you." Natalie suppressed a grin at seeing Nick pop out of the papers on her desk. It kind of reminded her of one of those cakes where the stripper jumps out at you. In her fourth year at medical school, her friends got her one of those magical cakes, and the stripper was more than helpful to relieve the stress from finals. "I could've sworn it was you." "I don't know what else to tell you. I didn't get to work until 9:30, and I stayed until five o'clock." She carefully selected a cookie from her purse, and, of course, offered one to Nick, who automatically refused it. "Well, I'm glad it wasn't you. Only because I thought you were mad at me," he quickly added, seeing her expression change to one of insulted ire. "Don't worry Nick, you will *know* when I'm mad at you." Nick paused in his pacing to look at her to see if she was joking. She smiled at him, but not like she meant him to take it as a joke. She was serious. "Yeah," he submitted, "I know." "Excuse me, Detective Vetter? I have this call...they're asking about Nick, but I don't know if I should be giving away that much information. You're his parter, I thought maybe..." "Yeah, what line?" The desk sergent looked pleasantly relieved as she picked up her phone. "Thanks, line three." Tracy smiled as he tottered off back to his desk, but really she was concerned about Nick. If there was someone asking about him, why wouldn't they ask for him? "Vetter," she said into the phone. "Can I help you?" "Who's this? Knight's partner?" "Yeah, is there something I can help you with?" "Well, gee, I don't know...Do you know where Knight is?" The voice seemed impatient, even rude, but that could have been Tracy's thinning nerves. It had been a long tiresome night. "I need to find him. It's important." Tracy glanced at her watch. Six-thirty. "He's probably at home. Have you tried him there?" There was a deep sigh at the other end of the line. "If I knew where the guy lived, I wouldn't be calling his place of work, now would I?" That was definitly not Tracy's imagination. She was definitly a crack-pot. "Well then, how did you know his place of work, if you don't know him?" Tracy lost any desire to be polite to this person and tore right into the snappy come-backs. There was silence on the other end of the line. "Would you like to leave a message for him?" "Uh...would it be okay if I just called back tomorrow night?" The voice changed to a tiny subdued squeak. "I'm sorry to have bothered you." "Yeah, sure, no problem." Tracy hung up the phone, shuddering slightly. The phone call was soon forgotten, having been made at a very early hour in the morning, late for the nightshift people, and anything taken after three am that didn't concern a homicide, floated right out of Tracy's mind like a cloud on a southern breeze. So she didn't mention it to Nick when she saw him again. The next evening strolled by without incident, as the last week had been relatively slow, so they both caught up on paper work from the last three homicides that had yet to be filed. Nick's phone rang for the first time that evening at midnight. He was expecting Natalie, since if they were slow in work, then so was she. It wasn't Natalie. "Knight." "Nicolas Knight?" "Yes?" "I need to talk to you." "Well, go ahead. I'm listening." Nick frowned. "No, not now. You're at a police station. The phones might be wired." He tried to keep the laughter out of his voice as he drew circles with his finger to indicate to Tracy that this caller was less than stable. She smiled, and listened in on this end of the conversation. "I want to meet you." "I can assure you, my phone is not wired." "Well, you can understand my concern. I didn't expect you would want to discuss this over the phone. You have limited control this way." "Control? What do you mean?" "I think you know what I mean. I know who you are, Knight. I know who you are, and I know what you are." Nick froze at those words. What could this mortal think she could do, expose him to the public for what he was? Kill him? Perhaps, but not if she warned him first. "And, what exactly am I?" Or she could be talking about something completely different. "Don't be stupid, I am not going to be drawn into that trap, you vampire. I know what you are doing, and I'm not going to let you do it. I'll be at Eaton's Center, outside of Sam's, in half an hour." There was a loud click as she slammed the phone onto the hook. The sound gouged into Nick's ears, as he was too stunned to speak after what she had said. "What is it Nick?" Tracy looked at him, concerned. Nick didn't looke amused anymore. "I don't know." Nick didn't elaborate on the phone conversation, not wanting to involve Tracy. "Nothing I guess. She was just some crazy looking for a good prank phone call." He smiled lightly, hoping that would sate his partner's curiosity. It seemed to, Tracy was already concentrating on her paper again. "Hey, Trace, I'm going over to see Nat for a minute, okay?" "Yeah, sure," she mumbled. Nick didn't really need her permission, but he was just making sure she knew, or thought she knew, where he was going. Little did Nick know, that Tracy wasn't lying when she said that she knew him. She knew damn well he was lying to her. "Liar," she muttered, as she snatched up her coat, following him out the door at a safe distance. Tracy's suspicions were confirmed, as she followed Nick's car past the coroner's building. She glanced in the parking lot, and saw Natalie's car parked where it always was. Nick wasn't going to see her. Nick felt a sinking feeling in his gut as he walked through the brightly lit mall. For starters, he had no idea where Sam's was, and secondly, he couldn't help but feel that someone was watching him. He assumed it was his stalker. Never once did he consider that Tracy had been following him for half an hour. Finally, the big red sign declaring Sam the Record Man came into view. No one in particular was standing in view of the store, and Nick glance quickly around. The only woman he saw look at him was the petite blond who smiled coyly at him just before she entered the store. He was staring after her when he heard someone say his name. "Nick? Is that you?" He turned to look. "I thought that was you." She was smiling at him. There was something different about it. "Nat? What are you doing here? What's wrong?" "Oh, I was just taking a little break. Working too hard depresses me. Does there have to be something wrong for a girl to take a break now and then?" "Really? I always thought that you enjoyed your work." To this, Natalie had no answer, but she changed the subject readily. "So, what are you doing here? Looking for some killer/stalker?" Nick looked sharply at her. "Why?" "I don't know, I was just wondering. Geez, Nick, switch to decafe." Nick stared at Natalie. Is she going through a mid-life crisis? Tracy looked longingly at a blue dress hanging in a window of a store called Rafael's. She loved the fabrics this place carried. So comfortable. But, out of the corner of her eye, she watched Nick. He was staring at some blond woman. Typical. She looked back at the dress. Maybe I have time to go in and try it on. She really wanted to buy it. But then she remembered why she was there. Looking back at Nick, she was shocked to see him talking to Natalie. Without thinking, she blatantly stared at them. So much for undercover work (not that it hadn't already been decided that she wasn't cut out for that kind of work). Thankfully, they didn't seem to notice her, and she managed to arrange her self so she could look at them inconspicuously. A window display was set up so she could look through and see Sam's clearly. What's Natalie doing here? Wait, that's not Natalie...Tracy's thought was cut off as she felt a distinctivly gun shaped object press into her side. Looking over slowly, she saw a big, burly man smiling at her. If it hadn't been for the fact that he now held her at gun point, she would have considered dating him, as she gazed at him from afar. "Nat? I'm leaving now. I left those blood test results for Adams, Garcia, and Doe on the desk in the small office, and the DNA results have been sent to your computer. And Nat?" Grace waited for her to look up from the screen. "You have a visitor." Slightly annoyed that she was interrupted, but somewhat thankful for the distraction, she gazed one last time at her report. It sucked, but it would have to do. If those guys down at the station didn't like her grammer, they could just write the things themselves. She saved it one last time, having had some experience with a power failure and a computer. They don't mix. Getting up out of her chair had proved to be more of a challange than she had anticipated, as her knees cracked in protest, and her ankle, the one she had been sitting on, refused to pop back into place, so she limped out of her office and down the hall, noticing that it was three am. Again. "Can I help you?" She said to the back of a woman's head. "Are you looking for someone?" She wore a burgandy scarf over her hair, hiding it completely from view. And as she turned, Natalie saw that she had big concealing sunglasses on. It did not bode well. The glasses came off and Natalie found herself looking into the face of herself. She stared at the face so long and hard, that she didn't notice the gun until it was placed in her face. *************Break************* Oh, by the way, if this doesn't come out as well formatted as it looks in my 'mail out going box', then I apologize. I used an unfamiliar, untrustworthy wordprocessor. If this happens, and you actually want to read the thing, let me know, and I can send it to you, 'kay? Disclaimer in part one, etc, etc. "A Tale of Two Natalies" by D. L. Powers (Unedited Version) again "Knight, have you seen your partner tonight?" Reese's brow was furrowed deeply. A little too deeply for Nick's liking. It meant that something terrible, like a tornado, was about to strike. It was as good a predictor of weather as an old man's knees. "No. I assumed she was off with a lead or something." "Well you know what they say, when you assume..." "Yeah. I'll go look for her." Nick got up, interrupting another notorious speech. He knew the drill. Reese had been watching too many movies. First place Nick looked was Tracy's apartment. Her car wasn't in the parking lot there. He thought he'd check her apartment anyway. The lock was a small obstacle. He made a mental note to write a real note to Tracy to promise to replace her lock. Someday. The apartment was neat. Too neat. Nick shuddered when he saw the army of teddy bears lined up like sentries, around the potted plants and her desk. They all wore little t-shirts declaring that they 'wuv you'. Other than that, there was nothing to fear, or help, in the present situation. Tracy's clothes were still in her closet, so she hadn't skipped town. Nick almost gagged at the sight of the pretty pink flowered little princess room that Tracy called home. Well, he almost choked on his laughter, anyway. Nick left the apartment slightly more concerned than when he had arrived. The next place he thought to look was with Vachon. Instinctively, Nick went to the Raven to find him. The blaring music greeting him, as usual, and Vachon was no where to be seen. He noticed Urs sitting at the bar. Seeing no alternative, he approached her. "Urs," Nick began, as he sat next to her. "Nick." She mimicked his tone. "Where's Vachon?" She smiled, secretively. "He's on a mission." "A mission? What kind of mission?" "I don't know, he wouldn't tell me." Her smile broadened, and Nick knew it would be a very long night. Tracy rolled her eyes as she realized that she had come to yet another impasse. Those blasted ropes were not coming untied. She closed her eyes to rest for a while. It had been at least a day since she'd been kidnapped, but her forceful host was good enough to keep her in food and water. He didn't want her dead anyway. A noise from the corner caused her to snap her eyes open. Nothing in the immediate vicinity caught her eye, but she looked around, suspicious of the cobwebs behind the chair across from her. The noise came back, and she realized, with dismay what it was. The rat moved from behind the couch and slowly, almost like it knew Tracy absolutly *hated* rats, crossed the rug and sat before her, putting one tiny paw on her shoe. With her lips sealed with duct tape, her scream came out like a little high pitched squeak, and unfortunately for her, the rat took that for an open invitation. It began to gently claw at the hem of her pants. She squeezed her eyes shut, so she didn't know it was climbing the chair, until it landed in her lap. She yelped, and tried to stand up. The chair was not giving, so the rat looked up at her, with a questioning look in its eyes. Tracy was just on the verge of passing out when the door to the right of her position opened, and the man who had kidnapped Tracy stode in. He was carrying someone else, who appeared to be unconscious. Another person was behind him, closing the door. Tracy couldn't see her face. When she turned around, Tracy forgot that there was a rat on her lap. She did not expect Natalie to be there. With him. "Hmmhmmm?" Tracy mumbled Natalie's name, forgetting that she couldn't speak. Then, she realized it wasn't Natalie, but it was the same person who Nick had been talking to in Eaton's centre. She looked almost exactly like Natalie. They could have been sisters. "Oh, I see you found a friend." The Natalie-look-a-like found a piece of wood big enough to push the rat off the chair. It rolled away and scurried under the couch. Tracy watched it, and then looking up saw that Natalie was indeed there. Lying unconscious on the couch, where the man had put her. Tracy looked at the Natalie-look-a-like, then back to Natalie. "Yes, she's my sister." The Natalaie-look-a-like said when she turned back to Tracy and saw her astonished expression. "She's my incredibly naive, estranged twin sister. She hasn't met me yet." She smiled, with a chilling hint of wickedness that made Tracy shiver. "James," Natalie-look-a-like turned to the man. "You are going to do me a huge favor now, aren't you?" She inticingly went over and fingered his collar. He looked coldly at her. Like her teasing didn't affect him. Maybe it didn't. "What?" He spoke with a similar coldness. "You're going to make sure that Nick gets my invitation. Right?" He frowned at her, but she smiled. "It will all go according to plan. I will see you at the airport in three days from now." He took one last look at Tracy, giving her a half-smile, and then headed out the door. Sharon looked pleased as she turned back to her work. First, she studied Natalie for a minute. "Make-up," she muttered, examining herself in her compact. "She as no taste in makeup, am I right?" She addressed Tracy, but went on, not expecting an answer. "I guess it will have to do. I fooled him once, I can do it again." She proceded to remove her coat, and sat down next to Natalie on the couch. Nick almost sat down and cried. He would have if Vachon hadn't been standing there. First Tracy disappears, then Nat doesn't call, and Nick didn't know if she disappeared or just took off somewhere. She had been planning a tentative trip and wouldn't give any details to him. But now his problems had escalated beyond reasonable expectations. Even for a vampire. "Vachon..." Nick began, unable to finish the sentance he had planned. "What...how...why..." He stopped and began pacing back and forth between Vachon and the edge of the roof. At every turn, he gave Vachon a glance and shook his head. It was like dealing with a child. He almost felt like LaCroix must have at times, dealing with him. "You forgot when and where." Vachon said, like an impertinent child, but grinning as he said it. Nick glared. "This is stupid. You can't do it. I mean, who's going to believe..." "Anyone who sees me." "Vachon, you are not some kid who can go around playing superhero. If the enforcers found out..." "Yeah, but no one would know I'm a vampire?" "Vachon, you can't." "Why not?" Nick ground his teeth noisily. "Vachon, don't make me go get LaCroix." "Tattle tale." Nick ignored the comment and headed for the door. "Coming?" He turned to make sure Vachon was still there. He was staring longingly out at the city. "Vachon!" "Yeah, I'm coming." Reluctantly, he followed Nick. "If any one asks, you were at a masquerade party. Face it, no one would ever buy it. Superman is a comic book hero, not a real person." "I would have made him real, that's the point." Vachon argued. "Superman could go out in the day light." "Yeah, but kryptonite won't hurt me." "Aren't you even concerned about Tracy?" Nick decided to switch tactics. "What's wrong with her. She's great. For a mortal." "Of course. But, she's a missing mortal. And so is Natalie. I didn't see this one coming. I have no leads, and no suspects. For all I know, they're out having a slumber party, but I don't know who's house they're at." "So, what do you want me to do?" Vachon smiled at a passerby who looked at him like he'd had two heads. The costume was actually drawing quite a crowd. Nick was having a difficult time keeping the younger vampire's attention. He hurried him along to his car, thankful that the roof was up. I don't want you to do anything. This is police business. I just thought I'd ask you first if you knew where Tracy was. Obviously, you don't." He drove with out too much harrasment from the pedestrians, but Vachon was flapping his cape out the window. That is, until Nick jerked him aside and he was forced to close the window. "Did she say anything to you?" "No, not in person, but she left a message with Urs, last night. I didn't understand it. Does she have a dog?" "Not that I know of, but then, we're talking about Tracy." "Well, she told Urs to tell me to feed her dog Sparky." "Sparky?" Nick grimaced at the mention of the name. "Wait a minute, Sparky is the name of the dog she had as a kid. Why would she ask you to feed a dead dog?" "You're the detective. Wait," Vachon mimicked Nick's serious tone of voice, "maybe the dog isn't dead. Maybe a carouche..." "Vachon!" Nick snapped. "I don't think this is the time for jokes. It was probably a hint as to where she is." "What could it mean?" Vachon ran his hand through his hair, getting a fistful of grease. "Ugh." He started to wipe it off on the seat, but a look from Nick changed his mind, and he wiped it off on the cape instead. "I don't know. Sparky...Sparky...Spark. Sharon grunted as she tugged Tracy, chair and all, closer to her own. Tracy was helpless to move one way or the other, so she neither helped, nor hindered the movement of her position. Sharon sat down and wiped non- existant sweat off her forehead. A muffled noise from her other side indicated that Natalie had awakened and Sharon smiled knowingly at Tracy. Tracy didn't react to the smile. "Well, it's about time, eh Trace?" She spoke like they were all good friends and this was a sleep over. "Wakey, wakey," she cootchie cooed Natalie under the chin, and ignored the annoyed, yet undeniably astonished, look on her sister's face. "Goody, now we can begin." It wasn't until Tracy watched Sharon tie her own feet together that she realized her clothes were identical to Natalie's. She was planning a ruse far more delicate and cunning than simply kidnapping Natalie and herself. She was planning to adopt Natalie's life. Or, at least that was the first thing off the top of Tracy's head. The door opened and James walked in. Sharon was busily wrapping rope around her legs, tying them to the chair. James come closer and helped her with her hands. "Ow! Not so tight," she complained. James rolled his eyes, but Sharon couldn't see it. Sharon was finally silenced when James, at her instruction, taped her mouth shut. Nick answered his phone on the third ring. He had to hunt for it first. "Knight," he answered, aware of how anxious he sounded. "Knight, I have a message for you," the gruff voice said. "I know where Vetter and Dr. Lambert are..." Nick kicked the door in, like every other superhero in the world. He saw Tracy first, tied to a heavy wooden chair gagged and blindfolded. But as he quickly surveyed the room, he saw Natalie beside Tracy, and...Natalie was also sitting in the next chair. Nick would have claimed double vision, but he only saw one Tracy. The second Natalie was trying to say something, but he was looking at the one in the middle. She was unconscious, and he believed her to be Natalie. First Nick went to Tracy and pulled the blindfold down a bit, but then decided that Natalie was in more need of assistance. Glancing at Tracy and giving her a reassuring look, he strode over to the unconscious woman. Carefully, he removed the tape from her mouth and undid the ropes binding her to the chair. She didn't move. Vaguely, he heard Tracy and the other person making high pitched sounds in an almost desperate fashion. He ignored them for the moment, first making sure that Natalie was all right. At least Tracy was conscious. Now, while he lifted Natalie from her chair, he looked at the other Natalie. She glared at him, and almost seemed to threaten him with several muffled words. He looked at her eyes. They looked really familiar. "Nick?" Natalie in his arms looked up at him. "Oh, thank goodness you've come." She reached her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. Nick set her down, but she didn't let go. "Natalie?" "Of course," she said, "Nick, that's my twin. She was separated at birth, I had no idea...I don't think anyone did." "How do I..." he paused, not wanting to ignite a bomb if this really was Natalie. "She looks so much like you." "Have no doubts Nick. I am Natalie." The other Natalie violently shook her head and silently threatened Nick again. "Nick," she saw that he was having doubts anyway, "Nick, look at me. Don't untie her. *I* am Natalie." Nick was clearly torn. He looked at Tracy for some help, but she only shrugged at his questioning glance. She didn't know which was which anymore. "Nick!" Natalie snapped. "Don't even consider the possibility that I'm lying." Okay, that sounded like Natalie. "If you untie her, she'll sweet talk her way into getting you to believe her." "OKAY!" Nick snapped. "I'm not a mind reader." A muffled noise that sounded like a laugh, came from Natalie who was still tied up. "I don't know, which one of you is the real Natalie. Nat, whoever you are, I'm sorry." He went to the one tied up and pulled the tape off her mouth. "No!" The first Natalie cried, trying to stop him. "Ow!" The second Natalie exclaimed after the tape came off. "Watch it!" "Nat?" "Yes! Nick, don't listen to her." "I told you." Natalie behind Nick spouted. "Now, you're really in a fix." "I know," Nick said, suddenly struck with an idea. "What did Natalie give me for Valentines day last year?" "A pill box," they both said in unison. Nick groaned. "Nick," the Natalie who stood, said in a calm voice, "She did her homework. She probably researched us and found out everything." "Everything?" He paused at that. "Everything." He smiled. "Then, tell me something," he looked at Natalie standing, and looked deep. Natalie couldn't be hypnotized, but maybe her twin could. "Tell me what your name is," Nick's voice resonated in her mind. "Who are you?" "I'm..." She blinked. "Nick, I'm Natalie. Don't do that." Nick looked towared the other Natalie. "Nick, don't." Natalie said. "It won't work." He looked skeptical. "I know what you'll believe. Since you brought it up, last year, on Valentines day. I remember what happened. At the restaurant." Nick looked sharply back at the other Natalie. She looked calmly back. "I don't want to talk about it," was all she would say. "I know what LaCroix would have done. And I know what you would have done. I'm glad you didn't, but I understand what you gambled. And I know there was no other way." Nat, who was sitting said. "Nat." He approached her, having every confidence in the world that he had chosen correctly. the end... ------------========================================------------ D. L. Powers | "For God's sake madam, help me. Even your -=-=- | passive support would be appreciated." R1YS@unb.ca | --Petronius ------------========================================------------