Return-Path: cd397@torfree.net Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 21:26:54 -0500 (EST) From: Susan Bennett Subject: Countdown (1/2) To: Fan Fiction cc: N&N Loop , archiver This is my Nick & Nat Christmas story for this year. It's a year after "Winter Wonderland" for N&N as well , so there are some references to what happened "last Christmas" in this one. COUNTDOWN (1/2) by Susan B. based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. ------------ Nick crept stealthily down the corridor to Nat's office at the morgue. He stopped at the doorway and covertly peeked in. She was sitting behind her desk, a pile of folders in front of her and a pen in her hand; but she was leaning so far back in the chair that all she could possibly be focusing on was the ceiling. Nick smiled faintly as he watched her unconsciously slip the end of the pen into her mouth and start rattling it between her teeth. He knew what she was thinking about; he had been having the same thoughts since the end of September, when the first leaves started to fall. And here it was, five o'clock in the morning on Christmas Eve. Nick stepped brazenly into the office. "Getting nervous?" he asked. Nat fumbled in her chair, almost choking on her pen in the process. With a fast hand, she made a speedy recovery of the pen and slapped it on top of her paperwork. "You startled me!" she scolded him. "Doesn't look like you're getting much done," Nick announced as he approached her, a giant grin plastered on his face. He slowly leaned over the desk towards her. "What on earth has you so distracted?" he taunted. Nat stood up and stretched over to meet him with a quick kiss on the lips. "As if you didn't know," she replied in a whisper. She stepped around the desk to stand with him. "And yes," she admitted. "I am nervous. Scared really. Scared that what we had last year won't happen again." They had never discussed that possibility. They had never really talked about last Christmas at all. It was like a dream. A pleasure to remember when they were apart; but when they were in the same room together and unable to touch each other, it became a nightmare. Three weeks ago things had started to change. Natalie would hum a few bars of Jingle Bells, Nick would mumble about taking some time off over the 'holidays'. They skirted around the issue for four days. Nick was the first to break, that fourth night at the loft. He was sitting in the chair while Nat was stretched out on the couch. They caught each other in a mutual longing stare when, bold as brass, Natalie started to sing. Halfway through her rather sultry rendition of 'It Came Upon A Midnight Clear', Nick relented, "Alright! Enough!" he had exclaimed. "Do I want to see if the house is there again this year? Of course I do. I bought the land it was on. That lot and every one around it. Last January. Four hundred and fifty acres of prime cottage country real estate." He didn't just want to see it again, he prayed that he would see it again - the house they had taken refuge in last Christmas Eve during a blinding snowstorm. The mysterious house that had allowed Nick his mortality as long as he remained within its rigid stone walls. The house that let them finally be together, make love to each other - at least until it disappeared into thin air at midnight on Christmas Day. He and Nat had left the house shortly before midnight to investigate what sounded like a car crash. When they returned, all they found was their overnight bags half buried in a blanket of untrodden snow. "Nick?" Nick blinked his eyes as he returned to the present. "Sorry, Nat. What were you saying?" Natalie shrugged, wondering how many sentences she had had to repeat over the last few years due to his zombie trances. 'Bad choice of words,' she reprimanded herself. "I said I was scared that it might not happen again." Nick pecked her cheek lightly. "But we can't think like that, can we?" "No," she replied, smiling a little, "we can't." Nat quickly retrieved her long winter coat from the countertop and slipped into it. "I'll be by your place around seven tonight," she told him, as they made their way out of the building. * * * * * Nat had been tossing and turning in her bed for four hours after she arrived home. Anxiety over whether the 'pleasure palace' was even going to be there was soon replaced with anxiety over what kind of condition the lack of sleep would leave her in. A few minutes after moaning, "God, I'm never going to get to sleep," she had finally succumbed. She woke at five-thirty that afternoon, climbed out of bed, and showered and dressed. Too nervous to eat, Nat packed up her toiletry and clothes. "No flannels this trip," she muttered as she yanked two brand new delicate silk teddies from her bottom drawer and stuffed them into the overnight bag with the rest of her things. She zipped up her bag and headed briskly towards the door, then stopped. "How could I forget the card!" she exclaimed, dropping the bag and running back into the bedroom. Nat jerked open the top drawer of the dresser and started to rifle through it, then the next drawer, and then the next. She hurried over to the night table and checked that drawer too, but it wasn't there either. The Christmas card that their mysterious benefactor had left for them last year, was missing. * * * * * Nick was waiting for her at the elevator door when she arrived at the loft around six-thirty. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the worry on her face. "I can't find the card, Nick," she said dismally. "The Christmas card from last year. The message. Our message, 'Where there is love there is hope.' God, Nick, how could I lose that?" A few unbidden tears slipped from her eyes and Nick moved quickly to hold her. "Don't cry," he whispered. "Tonight's the night for miracles. You'll find the card, Nat. That's always the way, isn't it? When you need something, you can't find it. And then one day when you're looking for milk or peanut butter or something, lo and behold, there will be the card." She couldn't help but smile. "Milk or peanut butter, Nick? I don't think I would have put the card in either the fridge or a kitchen cupboard." "Ach, you know what I mean, Nat. It'll turn up." He gathered up his bag from the floor. "Is that a lack of confidence I hear?" Nat asked when she heard the muffled sounds of bottles clanking together. Nick winked at her. "Replenishment for our return trip," he explained. No amount of torture would have been enough to drag any other explanation out of him. * * * * * There was no snow when they left Toronto. There was no snow during the hour and a half long drive north. And here they were, parked in the very same spot where they had pulled off the road last year, and still there was no snow. Not in the air, and not on the ground. "It's not snowing, Nick," Natalie commented bleakly. "It's not even nine yet," he consoled her. "We didn't arrive here until midnight last year. We just have to wait." The waiting felt like an eternity to both of them. It started to snow lightly when the hour neared eleven, but nothing like the blizzard they had experienced last year. They held hands in eager anticipation as the last twenty minutes dragged by. Nick could feel Nat's trembling when midnight struck. But the hour came and passed without incident. No house appeared, and Nat's shivers of excitement gave way to shudders of dread. "This can't be happening," she moaned. "It just can't be." But it was. They sat in the car staring at the dark vacant lot for almost two more hours. "Maybe we should drive around a little," Nick suggested. "Disappear for a bit and come back." "There's an idea," Natalie agreed, trying desperately to sound hopeful, but not quite being able to. They drove around for an hour and then returned to the spot, but still there was no house. Natalie started to cry, and Nick hugged her. "Oh, Nick," she sobbed, over and over again. Fighting off his own anguish, he simply held her in his arms and comforted her with soothing caresses, feather kisses, and loving words. His desire to ease her pain, to make love to her, was overwhelming; but this was all he could do. He held her for nearly an hour, until they had to leave in order to make it back to the city before sunrise. The ride home seemed very, very long; and was very, very quiet. Susan B. (Cont'd. in 2/2) cd397@torfree.net Return-Path: cd397@torfree.net Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 21:28:58 -0500 (EST) From: Susan Bennett Subject: Countdown (2/2) To: Fan Fiction cc: N&N Loop , archiver COUNTDOWN (2/2) by Susan B. based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. --------------------------------------------- It was almost dawn on Christmas morning when they arrived at Nick's apartment building. Totally disheartened, they stepped out of the elevator and into the loft. "Wait a second," Nick blurted out, "something's happening here." Nat just stared blankly at him, her face stained with the tears of disappointment. The silent stress of the last two hours was unbearable. She felt like she had aged two years. "The bags," Nick continued, "they feel heavy, like they did last year when I stepped into that house." "Please don't tease me, Nick," Nat lamented with a heavy heart. "This is your loft. There's no magic here. Maybe... maybe last year was all we're ever going to have." "I'm telling you," Nick proclaimed. "I feel exactly how I felt last year when I stepped into that strange house. The vampire is *gone*." Nat shook her head sadly. "You're imagining things." Nick suddenly released both bags, allowing them to fall haphazardly to the floor. He grabbed Nat's hand and held it to his chest. "Am I imagining this?" he asked in a firm voice. He wasn't imagining it. She could feel the warmth emanating from his skin, and the pounding of his heart beneath his shirt. Nat gasped and looked at him quizzically. "Nick?" "We've been given another Christmas miracle, Nat," he whispered as he embraced her. "Another miracle not to be questioned, and not to be wasted." He followed his words with a passionate kiss, almost lifting her off the ground in his fervour. "Let's go upstairs," he said. He held her hand snugly in his and started leading her towards the stairwell. But as they passed the sofa, Nick eyed something unfamiliar sitting on the coffee table. He stopped abruptly, released Nat's hand, and spun around. "What's wrong?" Natalie begged, as Nick marched towards the couch. "Someone's been in here," he replied. Nat followed him to the coffee table and they both glanced down in surprise. A colourful Christmas card leaned against the side of a small round clock. The clock was about three inches in diameter, with a white background on the face, and four little white peg legs. The slender hour and minute hands were black, as were the numbers. "The clock's spinning backwards," Nick said. "That's our card!" Nat exclaimed. Nick snatched up the card and flipped it open. "Another line's been added to the message." He read it aloud, "Reflect on this... when there is love there is hope." "But what does it mean?" Nat asked curiously. "We've been reflecting on hope for the past year." Nick looked at the clock again. "I think it's a clue," he replied. The clock is running backwards. Somehow, we've been transported back in time, back to how I was last Christmas. Maybe even back to... before. Before. When I was..." He couldn't finish the sentence. He never could. Nat squeezed his hand tightly. "Only you've gone back in time," she said. "Everything around us is the same, I'm the same. Our benefactor has given you a piece of your past, and given us another message not to give up hope for the future." "And the clock is not only a clue to that, but a countdown to midnight," Nick surmised, suddenly unable to look at it. He dropped the card to the table and turned to Natalie. He touched her cheek and kissed her softly on the lips. "Let's go upstairs," he whispered. "I don't want to think about midnight, Nat. I just want to make love to you. Until I can't anymore." "And I you," she whispered back. Holding hands, they continued their trek to the stairs. This time, Nat unexpectedly let go of Nick's hand. "Wait a minute!" she wailed, "I need to get something out of my bag." She hurried over to the elevator where the bags were and dug out one of her silk teddies. Holding it discreetly behind her back she returned to Nick. "What's that?" he asked, teasingly reaching around as though to grab it. "A mood enhancer," Nat replied, a sly grin on her face. Nick chuckled and took her free hand in his. "Absolutely not necessary," he commented as they started up the steps, "trust me." Nick was standing in his black pyjama bottoms when Nat emerged from the ensuite. Her hair was loose, flowing in a soft mass over her bare shoulders. She was wearing the royal blue teddy with a delicate shoestring lacing threaded through the bodice, lacing that ended in a casual bow at the top. Nick advanced on her in stunned silence. He kissed her lightly on the lips, then the cheek, and then nuzzled her ear with his lips. "You're beautiful," he whispered softly, "and I love you." "And I love you," she whispered back, the warmth of his lips on her skin already taking her breath away. Nick smiled and took both of her hands in his. Tugging her gently along, he backed up slowly, stopping abruptly when he reached the side of the bed. He drew her tightly against himself and kissed her passionately. Nat could feel the pounding of his heart against her breast; it was racing and thumping just as vigorously as her own. Nick slowly loosened his hold on her, creating a conducive gap between their bodies. He teasingly caressed her with the tips of his fingers and she returned each gentle touch in kind. When he started to plant tender kisses on her trembling skin, Natalie started to slide her fingers through his hair. She applied gentle pressure to the back of his head, forcing his lips and tongue ever deeper into her skin. By the time his hands had started working at the bow of her teddy, even her legs were quivering. And just when she thought she would collapse right there in his arms, he finally pulled her down into the bed. * * * * * Apart from two short meal breaks, Nick and Nat spent the entire day and evening in bed; making love, napping, and just enjoying the physical closeness they both craved, but couldn't normally risk. Their last passionate kiss ended at ten minutes before midnight. Nat donned Nick's robe, and Nick slipped back into his pyjamas. He reached over to the nightstand and turned around the alarm clock so they wouldn't have to look at it. And then they just held each other. "Making love with you was everything to me," Nat said soothingly as she toyed with his hair. "And I know this end is much harder for you because you weren't just making love, you were mortal." But even with that knowledge, she was still the first one to start crying. She didn't want to, but the tears poured out in a hot stream just the same. Nick's soon followed. Not as hot, nor as steady, but filled with more pain than he had ever thought possible. "I don't think I can go through this again, Nat," he whimpered, as he felt the heart numbing onset of change. He clung to her in a potent grip of love and agony. And then his tears turned to blood. Caught in the mire of frustration and need, it didn't take long for the vampire's bloodlust to surface. "I have to leave you now," Nick whispered softly, his eyes awash in gold. He kissed her hair softly and left her alone in his bed. The bed suddenly seemed so cold. Nat rolled over and buried her face in his pillow; a pillow still damp with his mortal tears, still laden with his mortal scent. She cried heavily, until the only scent that remained was that of her own tears. Nick was on the couch watching television when she finally came downstairs. She went over and sat beside him. The clock had disappeared from the table, but the card was still there. "The clock?" Natalie asked. "It was gone when I came down," Nick replied glumly. Nat picked the card up from the table and opened it. She muttered the message, "Reflect on this..." Nick suddenly snapped the card out of her hand and stared at it. His gloomy frown instantly turned into an enormous grin, and then he started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Nat demanded, somewhat annoyed at his untimely burst of glee. "Reflect on this," Nick replied. "Now I understand what it means!" Natalie was totally confused. "What on earth are you talking about?" she demanded to know. Nick sprang up from the couch. "Come with me and I'll show you." He marched her over to his desk, pulled a wristwatch out of the top drawer and then dragged her into the bathroom. "The clock didn't represent a countdown to midnight or a voyage into the past, Nat. But it was the most important part of the message." They stood in front of the mirror as Nick held his watch up to it. "See!" he exclaimed. "Look at the second hand. In the mirror, it looks like its running backwards." Nat studied the reflection in the mirror, and then looked at him dubiously. "So?" He laughed again. "The clock was running backwards, Nat. In the mirror it would appear to be running forward. *That* was the reflection we were supposed to see." Nick's elation was contagious. Nat broke into a wide grin, "Do you mean..." "That's exactly what I mean," Nick interrupted. "*I* didn't go back into the past, Nat. *We* went into the future." --The End-- Susan B. cd397@torfree.net