Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 21:14:20 -0500 From: Susan Bennett Subject: Daddy Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Sequel) (1/8) To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU This is the promised sequel to my recent 9-part N&N Valentine's day story of the same title. The original should really be read first for background. If you want to read that one and don't have it, please e-mail me --------------------------------------------- Daddy Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Sequel) (1/8) by Susan B. March 7/99 based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. --------------------------------------------- Natalie spent a long time luxuriating in the shower, letting the scented lather and hot water cleanse away the last twenty-four hours. After towel drying her hair and slipping into a short champagne tinted silk chemise, she opened the ensuite door. A cloud of hot steam washed into the warmly lit bedroom. She walked through the haze towards her bed. It was immaculately made up and a salvaged red rose lay invitingly on her pillow. Natalie smiled and picked it up. "The eternal romantic," she murmured as she fingered the soft red petals. After setting the rose back in its place, she headed for the bedroom door and opened it a crack to peer into the living room. Nick was sound asleep on the couch with his hands neatly folded over his chest. "I thought as much," she whispered, stepping back to her bed to retrieve a knitted afghan. She carried it into the living room and covered Nick, despite knowing he didn't really need it. Nat then knelt down on the floor next to him and spent a few minutes simply admiring his peaceful countenance, the one that only sleep could give him. She kissed him lightly on the forehead before returning to her own bed. Nat woke in the middle of the afternoon and slipped into a pair of worn black jeans and a bright yellow tee-shirt. Making a little more noise than necessary, she put together a late lunch, ate it, and watched a video before Nick even stirred. "Ahh... you're finally up!" she said. "Barely," Nick mumbled as he sat up. "What time is it?" "Five-thirty," Nat replied. "I think I'll get ready now. By the time I'm finished it'll be sunset and we can swing by your place." She disappeared into her bedroom. Nick took the opportunity to raid the fridge for replenishment, the last remaining bottle of cow blood was only half full. He grabbed it and a glass and went back to the couch to watch the news while he waited for Nat. She emerged some thirty minutes later wearing a calf length long sleeved burgundy party dress with matching shoes. "So, what do you think?" she asked him. "This one or the red gown you saw earlier?" Nick quickly rose and walked over to her. "You would look beautiful in anything," he told her as he reached into his shirt pocket and extracted her locket. "But you are missing something. I fixed the chain, but you'll have to replace one of the photos." Nick hesitated for a moment to garner a more serious expression. "Nat. I'm sorry I never asked you what was inside. I'm even sorrier that I never even wondered what was inside." "Don't worry about it," she reassured him as she gratefully accepted the locket. She gently pried it open and noted her picture, now coated in a thin film of dried blood. "What happened?" "It's a blood tear," Nick confessed. "And I'm sorry for messing that up too." Natalie felt a few tears of her own threatening to spill over. She closed the locket and tenderly touched Nick's face. "You didn't mess anything up," she said, "and I can't think of anything more precious to keep." She handed the necklace to Nick. "Would you do the honours?" She turned around and swept her hair up off her neck. "That's very nice perfume," Nick remarked of the pleasant spicy scent she wore. He completed his task and gently spun her around to face him. He smiled broadly. "Will you stay with me for a few days?" he asked hopefully. "I don't want you to be here alone." Natalie winked at him. "Staying with you could be far more dangerous." "I won't hurt you," Nick promised. "You can have my room." He grinned coyly and added, "I'll even make the bed for you." Natalie laughed. "And my cat?" "He can come too," Nick told her, "if that's what it takes." * * * * * Later that evening, back in Chicago, Mark was patiently waiting in a boarding lounge at O'Hare for Beth, his apprentice. The tall green-eyed brunette soon joined him. "How bad do you think things are there?" she asked as she slipped off her brown leather gloves. With a stoic expression, Mark focused his calm grey eyes on Beth. "Bad," he replied. "Until now, Steven has always proven himself. Things were moving smoothly. He had the lead two days ago and the goods yesterday, but he missed his morning check-in today and I still haven't heard from him." Beth unzipped her rust coloured jacket and sat down next to him. "Do you think either of them made it?" she cautiously inquired. Mark shrugged his shoulders. "Doubtful," he muttered. He remained quiet for a moment and then glanced at his watch. "Where have you been anyway?" he asked with a twinge of irritation. "You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago." Beth smiled warmly, hoping this little affront to his penchant for punctuality wouldn't blemish his report on her progress. Although Mark was a thorough and patient teacher, he did have a very big bug up his butt about time. "Sorry," she apologized. "It took a little longer than I thought to clean up the paper trail." "Not that it would have mattered much, I expect," Mark contended. He leaned back and idly ran his hand through his thick saffron coloured hair, smoothing it. "We've been working this city for a month and haven't found a thing." "Maybe they're all in Toronto," Beth teased. But Mark's expression immediately turned sour. "That's what I'm afraid of," he said grimly. He stared off into the distance and added in a barely audible tone, "So much for the killer germ." The practised vampire hunter and his young apprentice sat in silence until their flight to Toronto was called. * * * * * Sydney had settled into the loft unexpectedly well. Being used to living in a comparatively small one level apartment, he relished exploring both stairways. The entire time that Nick was upstairs readying for the Valentine's dance, Sydney was racing up and down the treads like a frisky kitten. He scooted away to find a suitable dark corner when Nick finally emerged from his room and descended the steps. "How do you do that?" Nat bluntly asked him when he joined her in front of the fireplace. "How do I do what?" Natalie cast an appreciative gaze over his attire, a soft charcoal suit. "Always manage to look so damn good," she declared. "You make everything new that you wear look better than anything before it." Nick flashed her an embarrassed grin. "I'm sorry," he teased, "should I go back upstairs and change? Some ragged old jeans and a greasy tee-shirt perhaps?" "As if you had either," Natalie quipped, pecking him on the cheek. "Besides, it wouldn't make any difference. You'd still look gorgeous and I'd still force you to take me dancing." Nick repaid her compliment with a lingering kiss on the lips. "You're the most beautiful half of this party," he cooed. "I'll be so busy keeping other men away from you, we may not make it to the dance floor." Natalie blushed. "I suppose we should call an end to the mutual admiration society meeting and get a move on," she said. ----------------- Susan B. (Cont'd in 2/8) cd397@torfree.net Daddy Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Sequel) (2/8) by Susan B. March 7/99 based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. --------------------------------------------- The dance had already started by the time they arrived. The main ballroom was decorated appropriately with red and white helium filled balloons that hung in great strands from the domed ivory ceiling all the way down to the gleaming hardwood floor. Nick and Nat made their way over to an unoccupied table, and Nick pulled out a chair for her. Nat sat down and admired the table setting. It was nicely laid out with a white linen tablecloth, a red topper, and a small posy of miniature red and white roses in a tiny white vase. "At least we didn't miss dinner," she remarked, eyeing the pristine china and the empty crystal goblets. "I'm starved." "Good," Nick said as he sat down across from her. He leaned forward and added impishly, "Then you can eat mine too." "And I'll probably be able to," Nat admitted. The music stopped a moment later to provide an opportunity for mingling before dinner. Nick and Nat made a round of the room as a couple before separating to exchange words with their individual acquaintances and co-workers. They met back at the table just as the wine was being served. "Mmmm, it's sweet," Nat commented after taking a sip of the red wine. Nick lifted his own glass and cautiously took a taste, then teasingly raised an eyebrow. "Is it?" "Well, you didn't spit it out, did you!" she playfully rebutted. Over the next hour they were served a dinner of salad, roast chicken with tiny potatoes and asparagus, and chocolate mousse. Nick entertained himself by covertly feeding Natalie his food rather than resorting to his usual tactics of mashing and moving things around his plate. By the time she had finished all of her own and half of Nick's meal, the music started again. Nick smiled, stood, and escorted her to the dance floor. They spent their first slow dance together in silence. It had been so long since Nick had danced with anyone that he was having difficulty simply concentrating on leading. Nat was too preoccupied basking in the love and security she found in his arms to engage in conversation. Nick finally found his tongue during the second dance. "I just can't tell you how good this feels, Nat," he whispered as he contentedly led her around to the romantic music. They were so close to each other, he could actually feel her heart pounding against his own chest. Natalie snuggled even more deeply into him. "I think you're doing a fine job of expressing yourself," she whispered, "and you're fulfilling one of my long time fantasies." Nick simpered. "One of them?" he asked mischievously. But Natalie wasn't abashed by his prodding. "I'm saving the rest of them to celebrate your mortality," she brazenly announced. She sealed her proclamation with a soft sensual kiss on his lips. Immediately after their kiss, Nick whispered desperately into her ear, "I love you," he said, "and there's nothing I want more than to spend the rest of the night holding you, but I'm already losing it." Natalie felt the sharp tip of a fang graze her ear lobe and reluctantly eased herself from his arms. "That's okay," she consoled him, "we'll go home now." Once in the Caddy and on the way back to the loft, Natalie turned to Nick. "Do you mind if we stop off at the morgue on the way?" she asked. "Do I have to remind you that you're off work for a few days?" "This has nothing to do with work, well, regular work anyway. It has something to do with the work I'm doing for you. It's a two step injection procedure I want to try. I was going to explain it all to you the other day, but with everything that's happened..." "You do remember what happened the last time you tried drugs," Nick reminded her. "I had two demons inside my head instead of just the one." "Believe me, I've learned my lesson," Nat professed. "You've already been exposed to both the elements I want to use, so it will be much safer." "Oh?" Nick said, "what elements would they be?" "You remember what I told you before, about why garlic makes you sick? That once ingested, its sulphur compounds react with the chemicals in your body to produce an antienzyme that destroys the digestive enzymes in your blood." Nick nodded his head. Nat continued, "What I've more recently learned is that these antienzymes will also attack the extra nucleotides on your DNA if given the opportunity. It's why you're repulsed by garlic, Nick. The vampire element protects itself from destruction by keeping you away from the thing that can destroy it." "But I've taken garlic pills before and the sickness only lasts for a few minutes," Nick said. "It's not a cure," he added with a hint of cynicism. "Under normal circumstances, no, it isn't," Nat conceded. "That's because the nucleotides are strong enough to fend off the attack." Nick winced. "It sounds like you're leading up to a very long and very unpleasant garlic treatment, Nat." Natalie laughed. "I think I've found a better way," she said. "Thanks to that omnipotent microscope an anonymous citizen donated to the Coroner's department to assist in their battle against crime, I've discovered that if I weaken the nucleotides first, they *do* become susceptible to the antienzymes." Nick's interest was piqued. "How did you weaken the nucleotides?" "Curare," Natalie replied. "It acts like a narcotic because it breaks down the nucleotides. Enough of it renders you unconscious while your body heals itself." She folded her hands together in her lap. "The antienzymes were able to attack the weakened nucleotides, but they couldn't completely destroy them. Tiny nodes remained, but there was no regeneration." Nick's mind backtracked to the garlic. "And only if I ingest a substantial amount of garlic in the process?" He didn't even like thinking about this one. "It's not really all that much garlic," Nat advised him. "Besides, you would already be unconscious. I'm planning on liquifying and injecting it. It's possible that the vampire element will be so busy trying to regenerate itself after the shot of curare, that you won't have any reaction at all. Or you may have a very violent reaction, but will be safely immobilized by the curare." "And where does the 'partial' part of curing me come in?" Nick queried. "That's where the risk lies," Nat replied. "In the tiny nodes that remain. What I'm afraid of is where exactly you might fall between vampire and mortal when we're done." Nick looked a bit confused and Natalie offered him further explanation. "For example," she said, "maybe you won't be able to fly but you will retain your strength. Maybe you'll lose all of your strength or your extraordinary vision. Maybe you will desire blood, but be unable to digest it." Natalie studied his face for a reaction. "There's just no way to know," she said, "but I can offer you an 'out' if the results prove unacceptable." "What kind of an out?" Nick asked. "When I added a drop of your unaffected blood to the treated sample, the entire sample regenerated. If I take an extra pint beforehand, and things don't work out, I can transfuse it back into you and..." "...And I'll regenerate," Nick said, completing her sentence. >From what he had heard, the strategy sounded promising. It was something, anyway. He quickly got out of the car and after opening Nat's door, they went to her office to collect her things. * * * * * Shortly after settling back in at the loft, Nick laid down on the couch to try the treatment. Natalie drew the first pint of blood from him and then brought him a bottle of cow blood. "Drink some of this and rest for a bit," she said. "I want to get another pint just to be safe." Once she had Nick's untreated blood safely stored in the fridge, she gave him the injection of curare. "Let me know when you start to feel anything," she told him. "I'm already a little woozy," Nick replied. Natalie smiled and leaned in to kiss him lightly. "That's good," she whispered. She meekly stroked his forehead until he fell asleep and then injected him with the liquified garlic. She drew blood samples every ten minutes and prepared slides that she could study further when she returned to the lab. An hour into the process, Nick began to stir. "How do you feel?" Nat asked him when he fully woke. "I'm sorry, Nat," Nick replied sluggishly. I don't feel any different than I did before we started. A bit hungry, but that's all." "I just don't understand it," Nat lamented, shaking her head glumly. "It should have worked. You should have felt some kind of change. Something. Anything." "I didn't feel a thing, literally," Nick confirmed. Heeding the discouragement in her face, he fully sat up and reached out to her, tugging her down on the couch with him. "Don't give up," he said reassuringly. "We can try again. Increase the dosage." "No. This would have been more than enough to do the job if it was going to work. I'm missing something. I must be missing something." Her eyes were full of sorrow as she gazed at Nick. "I'm sorry for getting your hopes up again, Nick. I really thought we had a shot with this." "There's nothing for you to be sorry for, Nat," he whispered as he embraced her. "And having my hopes up even for a little while is worth far more to me than you could possibly imagine." He heard her muffled sobbing into his chest. "And I'm not disappointed," he added. "Not in the least." ----------------- Susan B. (Cont'd in 3/8) cd397@torfree.net Daddy Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Sequel) (3/8) by Susan B. March 7/99 based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. --------------------------------------------- Thanks to a much delayed flight and a sudden blast of freezing rain in Toronto that turned the streets to ice and slowed their taxi ride downtown to a crawl, Mark and Beth didn't arrive at the Hilton until two in the morning. Mark registered for both of them and handed Beth her room key. "You're in 607 and I'm in 609," he said. Come by in half an hour." Beth leered at him flirtatiously. "To discuss our plan of approach," Mark countered harshly. 'Make that two bugs up his ass,' Beth thought to herself as they drifted off towards the elevators. Sometimes she just couldn't figure this guy out. She knew he was both attracted to women and attractive to women, but somehow the connections were never made. And it wasn't simply a matter of the teacher/apprentice edict either. She had seen it time and time again with Mark since they had been in Chicago together. There was always a telling sparkle in his eye whenever an attractive woman approached him, only to be shrouded over in a veil of detachment before the conversation got past the word 'hello'. Beth vaguely confronted him once about his lack of a social life and was met with the curt remark that he didn't mix business with pleasure. The difficulty was, he was always 'on business'. The couple got off the elevator at the sixth floor and walked down the corridor to their respective rooms. "I'll see you in thirty minutes," Mark told Beth before disappearing into his room. He flicked on the twenty-four hour news channel and quickly unpacked his small black suitcase before heading for the shower. Fifteen minutes later he was washed, dried, and sitting at the modest round table in a blue terrycloth hotel robe; trying desperately to quell a peculiar sense of uneasiness that had plagued him ever since their plane landed. Beth tapped lightly on the door separating their rooms before entering and approaching him. "You're already making plans?" she asked, noting the pad on the table and the pen in Mark's hand. "A list," Mark said. "Places to go, people to see..." Something on the news suddenly distracted Mark and he went to turn up the volume on the television. Beth glanced at the set and gaped at the mug shots of both Michelle and Steven. "My God!" she exclaimed as the news announcer spoke. "...still no positive identity on the couple using the alias of Anderson who were arrested early yesterday morning for the kidnapping of an identified woman. Detectives Tracy Vetter and Nicholas Knight, the arresting officers, refused any further comment on the case..." * * * * * Natalie woke at noon from a restless sleep, haunted by visions of Nick switching between mortal and vampire personas. One minute he would be laughing and joking with mutual friends in the sunshine, and the next he would be in a dark alley ripping out those same friends' throats. Even her best friend, Grace, wasn't immune to his savagery. The visions were so jarring that they stayed with Nat for several minutes after she woke. Finally, the images began to fade and she fell to calm. She rolled over onto her stomach and hugged Nick's pillow, enjoying the feeling of being in his bed, caressing his sheets, wallowing in his scent. After several minutes, she reluctantly chased away her pleasurable thoughts of him and pursued those surrounding the partial cure. Something in Nick's body was able to counteract what couldn't be counteracted in the lab. "No!" she exclaimed. "Some *thing* in Nick's body was able to counteract it." The vampire. The metaphysical part of his condition that her rational mind had flatly refused to embrace throughout all these long years of working with him. The unseen entity that retreated when he suffered a head injury, facilitating his mortality for a short time. "Too short of a time," Nat muttered sadly, recalling how content and loving Nick had been when he was unaware of the wretched truth. That short glimpse of Nick's true self, bereft of outside influence, only made her love him all the more. She had seen so much proof of the duality of vampirism, and continued to refuse to accept the reality. Nick's experience with Marion should have been her first clue. Whatever the thing was that Marion took from Nick, he not only remained a vampire physically; but was able to take it back without any blood exchange. Running opposite to Nick's experience was that of Janette. Janette became mortal physically, but the 'killer' entity had lingered for a time. Ellen's case was even more conclusive. Two of Ellen's personalities were human, but the third was a distinctly separate personality. A vampire. An invisible force that made physical adjustments to her human body to suit its own nefarious needs. Natalie finally acceded that she would have to deal with both of these aspects of vampirism if Nick was ever to permanently regain his mortality. No cure, not even this one, would ever work unless both problems were tackled simultaneously. In order for the tangible to succeed, the intangible *had* to be dealt with. And next to destroying it, weakening it was the only other option. If the entity remained too weak to commence the physical change, the partial cure *would* work. A new hope suddenly dawned on Nat that maybe, just maybe, if the entity was weak *and* afraid, it would flee altogether. She hurriedly got out of bed, showered and dressed, and then went downstairs to wake Nick. * * * * * Mark woke from his agitated sleep early in the afternoon. He had been plagued the entire night by savage vampire visitations. The scenario itself wasn't unusual for him of course, but these dreams were quite unique. Because in these particular dreams, *he* was the vampire. And rather than waking in the cold sweat of fear after each kill, he woke engulfed in the pleasure of it. Mark quickly got out of bed and went into the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. The newscast had been a real shock for him. He couldn't believe how careless Steven was. He would have to visit both Steven and Michelle to find out exactly what happened. The trepidation he had been feeling since his arrival in Toronto eased up a thread as he pondered the possibility that his cohorts' disappearance had nothing at all to do with vampires. "Perhaps it was simply the plain dumb luck of the police department," he muttered. His hopes of that scenario were dashed after his visit with Steven that afternoon. After renting a car, he and Beth headed out to Metro West to visit Michelle and Steven respectively. Mark's visit was made on the pretence that he was Steven's lawyer, in order that they could have a privileged conversation. He knew almost immediately that Steven had been whammied. Steven's speech had been natural and flowing until Mark asked if he found any evidence of vampires in Toronto. At that point, Steven's tone would inevitably become flat and monotonous. "There are no vampires here," he would say. "We haven't seen any vampires. No. No vampires." Mark asked him three times over the course of their conversation and Steven would inevitably reply with exactly the same phrase, word for word, in the same tedious voice. Mark learned when he met up with Beth outside the detention centre that her experience with Michelle went exactly the same way. He listened patiently to her story and then paused in thought for a minute. "I think you better go home," he finally told her. "What's going on here could be much bigger and more complex than anything I've dealt with." "But I can help!" Beth protested. Mark sighed heavily. "Not this time," he said. "Two of us poking around could endanger the entire operation. Someone here probably has access to the police department and definitely has access to the coroner's office." Mark stared at her. "Just imagine how valuable that kind of access would be to a vampire population." "What do you plan on doing?" Beth asked curiously. "First I'll be talking to the officers that arrested her and then I'll be investigating one Dr. Natalie Lambert," Mark replied. "I'll see where things lead from there." * * * * * The sun had barely set when Nick and Nat left in the caddy and headed for the church. "The priest was more than happy to give us some private space for the evening," Nick informed her as he made a sharp left turn onto King Street. Natalie chuckled. "And I suppose it wouldn't have anything to do with that rather generous endowment you had couriered over there today?" "Sometimes you're just too sceptical, Nat," he replied. "I'm sure he would have been accommodating even without that." Nick veered over and parked the car parallel to the front of the imposing beige brick church. Numerous small steeples adorned the various entrances down the sides of the two hundred year old structure. At the front entrance, an immense clock tower jutted skyward. Its lengthy spire was finished in copper, now coated in a powdery bluish green patina, and was topped off by a large cross. Massive stained glass windows decorated the walls on either side of the front entrance, and their intricate multi-hued beauty was currently illuminated by a soft golden light emanating from within. Nat gazed out the passenger side window. "It's beautiful at night with the lights on," she uttered quietly. She turned her head to glance at Nick who was also staring at the church. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" she asked. For several seconds, Nick continued to stare thoughtfully at what he hoped would afford him a way out of hell. "I've never been so certain of anything in my life," he finally declared. They emerged from the car and made their way through the entrance alcove to the heavy wooden doors of the church. Nick started to feel weak the moment he stepped inside, although it wasn't nearly as bad as the last time he had been here. Carrying her medical bag in one hand, Natalie wrapped her free arm snugly around Nick's waist and walked him to a starkly furnished private room in the back. She locked the door behind them, and they both took off their coats. Nick staggered over to an old grey couch and clumsily sat down. "I'm already feeling weak, Nat," he said. Natalie took her black bag over to the sofa and knelt down on the floor next to him. "That's what we want," she said, "now lay down." Nick complied, and then abruptly grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "What if it only works while I'm in here?" he asked curtly. "Don't worry," Nat reassured him. "If we're able to rid you of the vampiric entity, history proves that it won't be able to return unless *you* let it." She earned a grin from Nick when she grimaced at him and added sternly, "And you're not going to let it... are you!" Nat readied the syringe of curare and was about to inject Nick when she suddenly blurted out, "Oh! Wait! I forgot something!" She sprang up and retrieved something from her coat pocket. It was a simple hand crafted pewter crucifix on a long silver chain. "I want you to wear this, Nick," she said, dangling the inch high cross in front of him. "It looks very old." "It is very old. And don't even ask how much I paid for it." Nat smiled and slipped the chain over his head. She cautiously positioned the cross on his chest, on top of his shirt. "Does it hurt?" "It is a little warm." Nat reached over to remove it, but Nick seized her arm. "No," he said. "Leave it." She smiled at him again and quickly returned to her task. Once he slipped into unconsciousness, she injected the garlic. With nothing left to do for the next ten minutes, Nat allowed her emotions some free rein. She draped her arm over Nick and gently laid her head down on his chest, pondering the silent hidden war that was now taking place in his body and praying for success. "Now all we have to do is wait," she murmured as she started stroking his hair. She only intended to rest there for a few minutes before beginning the periodic blood sampling, but the rhythmic stroking of his hair combined with her lack of sleep lulled her into slumber. Thirty minutes later, Nick woke with a start. He bolted upright, spilling a drowsy Natalie off his chest in the process. "It's gone!" he shouted. "That can't be," Nat mumbled groggily, shaking her head. "It couldn't have happened that fast, and I would have heard your heart beating." "You didn't hear it because you were sleeping," Nick briskly informed her. "I can *feel* my heart beating." He grasped Nat's hand and held her shaking palm tightly to his chest. "You don't feel this?" "My God, Nick! It's true!" she exclaimed, revelling in the throbbing vibration of his heart beneath her hand. "And not only that," she hastily added, "but I can feel the warmth of your skin." Nick wrapped his mortal arms around her in a solid hug. "You could never imagine what this is like, Natalie," he whispered, "to know that the only life pulsing through my veins... is my own." And then he cried. ----------------- Susan B. (Cont'd in 4/8) cd397@torfree.net Daddy Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Sequel) (4/8) by Susan B. March 7/99 based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. --------------------------------------------- Mark dropped Beth off at Pearson airport three hours before her nine o'clock departure on British Airways. He gave her stringent instructions to keep what they had discovered confidential, fearing that some of the more radical of their kind would descend on Toronto and at best impede or at worst annihilate his investigation before he unearthed the full extent of the problem. Withholding information from his superiors was not an uncommon practice, particularly for him; it was their preference that the more complicated cases be fleshed out under an umbrella of discretion. The only information she was to relay was that the germ turned out to be only a rumour, and that he had not yet finished his investigation. After leaving the airport, Mark headed north towards the cottage where he originally met Steven and Michelle. It would have to be a quick turnaround, he mused, in order not to miss his appointment with Detective Tracy Vetter at the 96th Precinct at eleven o'clock that night. Apart from a few articles of clothing, there was nothing incriminating against either Steven or Michelle in the cottage. Mark was confident that the police department would never connect Steven to the cottage. He wasn't as certain about Michelle though, she being green and therefore more vulnerable to being pressured into talking. But there were enough false trails leading from the property's owner back to their employers in England that the only inconvenience would be in writing the place off as a safe-house. Mark started up a fire in the fireplace and then slipped on a pair of latex gloves. He cleaned up the dirty dishes, then stripped the beds and laundered the sheets. Wiping down anything either Steven or Michelle might have touched was his most time-consuming task. With that done, he gathered up their loose clothes and tossed them into the now blazing fire. It was twenty minutes before ten when he finally left the cottage and headed back to Toronto. Mark arrived in the 96th precinct's public waiting area just in time to keep his appointment with Detective Vetter. He had only been sitting for a couple of minutes before the tall bleached blonde strutted over and introduced herself. "Mr. Morrison," Tracy said airily as she offered her hand. Mark stood up and shook hands with her. "It's good of you to see me this late." "I work nights," Tracy chuckled. "What is it I can do for you?" "Steven Anderson." Tracy immediately frowned. "That case is still under wraps," she said. "Your office told me you were working on a story about the Rideout case." "I'm sorry," Mark replied sheepishly. "That was last week." He shuffled his feet as though embarrassed. "There must have been some mix-up." Tracy wasn't buying his act. She loathed reporters who stooped to such tactics to try to obtain information. "Nothing has changed since our press release," she firmly advised him. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can tell you that your paper doesn't already know." "What about the other detective who participated in the arrest? What was his name?" Mark scratched his head, feigning forgetfulness. "Knight. Yes. Detective Knight." "He's off for a few days," Tracy said, "and you won't get any further with him that you're getting with me." Fuming, she leaned her face menacingly towards him. "In fact," she said, "you won't be treated so politely, either. Goodbye." Tracy pivoted about and marched off. Mark studied her retreat with a satisfied grin on his face. If there was a vampire connection to this precinct, he was certain it wasn't through her. She just wasn't the type. "One down and one to go," he muttered on his way out. * * * * * Nick and Nat spent a few hours in the Church before returning to the loft at eleven-thirty. Natalie thought that Nick might have spent the entire night there meditating on both his newfound mortality and his belief that God had finally forgiven him by putting an end to his torment. Nick still carried a heavy burden of guilt over the things he had done in his past. He had told her that he must and would carry it until the day he died, that he would be remiss not to. But the burden was much more bearable to him now, with the knowledge that at the end of his mortal lifetime, God would lift it from him forever. From his position on the couch, Nick studied Natalie as she fed Sydney and then prepared a pot of tea. She glanced at him occasionally and smiled brightly. He couldn't remember ever seeing her so happy. Her smile was so natural, it always had been. So genuine. So beautiful. She was so beautiful. With a sudden jolt, Nick realized that all he wanted to do right now was to see the rest of her. He was grinning broadly when Nat carried out two cups of tea and joined him on the couch. "Your first cup of real tea," she said. "Enjoy." Nick took a cautious sip before setting his cup back down on the table. "It's good," he muttered. He abruptly stood up and faced her, reached for her hands, and gently tugged her to her feet. He kissed her lips softly and she returned his kiss. "Your tea will get cold," Nat whispered, somewhat distractedly. "Let it," Nick suggested, as he initiated a more lingering kiss. Their kiss deepened in intensity and when their tongues met, he became inflamed with passion. His heart was so engulfed in desire for her, both spiritual and physical. He had always wanted her with an innocent love, and now with a blazing passion too. The need to make love to her, and to be loved by her, turned into a surging, relentless hunger. His breathing grew urgent and heavy, and his heart thumped hard and fast. He hadn't felt so alive in eight centuries. Nick ended the fevered kiss and breathlessly whispered, "I love you." "I love you too," Nat murmured back to him, her body tingling with such desire for him that she thought she might explode. She massaged his slightly flushed cheek with a feather touch. Nick shuddered as her velvet fingers floated over his skin. It was pure euphoria for him to be enslaved by this dazzling passion of his own and not by the savage passion of a demon. He placed his trembling hand over Nat's and guided her palm to his mouth. After tenderly kissing her palm, he clasped her hand in his. "Let's go upstairs," he uttered softly, his lips barely touching hers. "We should wait just to be sure," Nat muttered absently. But her words were immediately laid to waste when her own lips desperately lunged for his. She crushed her body into his, and was met with equal force. When their fervent kiss ended, Nick starting kissing her left earlobe, taking equal pleasure in the taste of her skin as he did of her lips. He revelled in the earthy taste of her, and in the spicy fragrance of her perfume. Even his nostrils, now unencumbered by the vampire's compulsion to smell only blood, had awakened to the intensity and uniqueness of her scents. "No more waiting," Nick murmured, "we've both been lonely long enough." Melting into his captivating embrace, Natalie returned another of his warm intermittent kisses. "You're seducing me with your voice," she whimpered. "With more than that I hope," Nick replied coyly. He again briefly kissed her lips, and then delicately explored them with the warm tips of his fingers. "Let's go upstairs," he pleaded, "let me make love to you." "Yes," Natalie finally whimpered. * * * * * It was mid-morning when Nick started to wake. On realizing Nat wasn't in bed with him, for a moment he feared the previous night had only been another taunting dream. But his skin was warm and his heart was beating. It was no dream. Nick reached over to the night table for the shutter remote and opened the shutters, allowing the sunlight to stream into his room for the first time since he had lived here. Natalie picked that moment to walk into the bedroom, and he marvelled at how wonderful she looked bathed in sunlight. "I was wondering where you were," Nick said as he sat up. "What time is it?" Natalie stepped over to the bed and admired the healthy tone of his chest. "It's nine," she said. She plunked herself down on the bed next to him and started to toy with the pewter crucifix. "I think it's safe to take this off now." Nick tugged her closer to him. "Being human again, being able to love you like this is a gift from God, Nat," he solemnly told her. "It's never coming off." Natalie thanked him with a fleeting kiss. "Do you want to help make breakfast?" she asked in a whisper. Nick grinned. "Breakfast?" "Breakfast. You know. Toast, cereal, orange juice, coffee." She chuckled lightly and added, "Especially coffee." "Well I might have the coffee around here someplace, but as for the rest of it..." "We have everything we need. I just got back from the grocery store a minute ago..." Nick cut her off with an urgent kiss. "Come back to bed," he pleaded. "We can have breakfast later." ----------------- Susan B. (Cont'd in 5/8) cd397@torfree.net Daddy Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Sequel) (5/8) by Susan B. March 7/99 based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. --------------------------------------------- It didn't take Mark long to make the connection between the Police Department and the Coroner's office. A visit to the Toronto main branch library and a search of local newspapers told him the connection was Vetter's partner, Detective Knight. Detective Knight, shining star of the MTPD night shift. Not only did his multitude of speedy and often unusual arrests indicate either exceptional good luck or extraordinary abilities, but the most bizarre homicide cases in the city over the past few years always led back to him. And the coroner on those cases was, more often than not, one Dr. Natalie Lambert. Mark was ecstatic. He had found his connection and now the only thing left to find was the uncommon detective. There would be no risk at all in determining whether or not Knight was a vampire. His open involvement in the mortal world made him totally accessible. Mark rescanned the news items more closely this time, looking for any information that might be useful in finding out where Knight lived. Being a cop, it would impossible to find out through his workplace, which was Mark's normal route. He was considering tracking Knight through Dr. Lambert when he suddenly came across a promising, though slightly baffling lead. Knight had been shot a few months ago and hospitalized. Mark's hopes that he found his vampire were quashed, but only momentarily. He continued reading the article to discover that the detective had made a 'miraculous' recovery after being shot in the head. Mark noted the date and name of the hospital and with a sated grin on his face, returned the microfilm to the library desk and left. Within the hour, he arrived at the hospital and gained access to their computer records by masquerading as a technician. "101 Gateway," Mark muttered under his breath when he found Knight's hospital records. He chuckled at the last entry. "Prematurely released from hospital to the care of Dr. Natalie Lambert." * * * * * Nick and Nat spent the entire day enjoying the sun, food, and most especially each other. By the time late afternoon rolled around, they were discussing plans for the future. "Well," Nick said, "now that we've decided on a few treed acres near a small town, all that's left to decide is where and what we want to do there." Natalie nodded. "You know," she said, "this might give me an opportunity to do something I've wanted to do for a long time. Research." She paused in thought for a moment. "That is, if the 'small town' is large enough to have research facilities." "We could locate near a larger town," Nick said. He grinned and added, "Or I could just give you what you need to buy your own equipment." Natalie considered his suggestion. "That's not such a bad idea. Besides, with today's technology and courier services, there's no real necessity to be that close to a city. I could probably work from home for the most part." The more she thought about it, the more enthusiastic she became. "Perhaps I could set up privileges with a local hospital in exchange for helping out at a clinic or something." She glanced at Nick. "What about you? Small town cop? Forest ranger? Firefighter?" "I'm not sure," Nick admitted. "But whatever I end up doing, I will get there on my own merit." He flashed a sunny grin at Nat. "I think I may eventually like to work with kids," he confessed. "Make a real difference in their lives when they're still young enough to benefit from it." "A teacher?" "Something like that, maybe. Something that will help people. I want to contribute. I want to spend the rest of my life contributing." He offered Nat a serious expression. "And it's not out of my guilt," he assured her. "I want to do it because I want to do it, not to assuage a guilt that could not, should not, and never will be forgotten." Natalie found his hand and squeezed it firmly. "I always knew it was more than your guilt propelling you," she said softly. "Your compassion is just one of the reasons that I love you." Nick smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. "The only thing I want right now is to get out of this city," he said. "To never know who might be a vampire, or where they live, or what club they fritter away eternity in. I want to be surrounded by nature, Nat. By life. To live the way God intended, not like another ant in an overpopulated and overgrown anthill." "I'm ready whenever you are, Nick," Nat declared, her own eagerness for change growing along with his. "That's good," Nick said. "We should go as quickly as possible, at least within the next few days." "Few days?" Nick glanced around the loft. "And I'm not taking anything with me but you," he added. "This is all in the past, and it all gets left behind." "Even your car?" "The car too," he replied without hesitation. "There is one connection with the past I want to break tonight though. I will have to say goodbye to Janette." He felt Nat's hand tense up. "What's wrong?" "I'm afraid that she'll misunderstand your intentions, that she'll think you went there to gloat," Nat admitted. "That is what she thought the last time and now, after Robert and everything." Natalie paused for a moment. "Oh, Nick!" she cried out in a voice laced with fear, "I don't know what she'll do!" "She forgave me for bringing her back across, Nat," Nick reassured her. "I believe she considers us even now, for having had LaCroix bring me across in the first place. For not telling me what becoming a vampire would cost me. For leaving me after promising an endless parade of nights that I assumed would be spent with her. Even for centuries of mocking me, I suppose." He patted Nat's hand reassuringly. "I just want to say goodbye," he said. "Janette has no one else left. She lost Robert. LaCroix is gone." "I know," Nat maintained, "but I can't help being nervous about it." "Come with me," Nick suggested. "You know she doesn't harbour any ill will towards you. That won't change when she realizes I'm mortal." He noticed Natalie's hesitation and taunted her, "It will be your last chance to ride in the Caddy," he added. Natalie laughed. "I'll go," she finally agreed, "but I'll wait in the car. You two should be alone when you talk." Nick and Nat pulled out of the garage at seven-thirty that night and headed downtown towards the Raven. Neither of them noticed the black sedan that followed. * * * * * True to her word, Natalie remained in the car when Nick went inside to bid farewell to Janette. She felt a bit sorry for him, knowing what Janette had meant to him in the past despite the cruelties she inflicted on him. Nat often pondered Nick's predicament in LaCroix's odd familial delusion. She couldn't imagine the emotional pain he must have suffered spending all those centuries outside the world he craved, and inside a world rife with humiliation and manipulation, the only mitigating factor being the degree to which it was perpetuated. Natalie leaned back into the seat and closed her eyes. She flushed away all thoughts of Nick's past, and fantasized about the things their future might hold. Mark parked his car half a block north of the Raven just in time to see the blond detective enter the club. He got out of his own car and walked south. When he arrived at the club entrance, Mark discovered that the old green convertible was parked too far away to determine whether anyone was inside, so he went directly into the Raven. His skin tingled as an unusually intense current of awareness raced through his veins. 'There must be a lot of them in here,' he thought. Normally, he would have to be face to face with a vampire to experience that affect, but there was no one within a ten foot radius. Mark immediately spotted Knight in animated conversation with a slim dark haired woman at the bar. Her back was to Mark, so he couldn't make out her face. Mark strolled over to an empty table and sat down, unaware that there was a vampire sitting at the table directly behind him who held an even greater interest in detective Knight than he did. "I think he's become mortal," Serena swore under her breath as she gaped at Nick. She was unable to detect his heartbeat at this distance, but she had no sense of their connection at all. She watched him the entire time he was there, and followed him with her eyes when he left the bar. "Now it makes sense to me," she muttered absently. Mark was in absolute shock when the slim brunette turned around to see Nick off. She was beautiful. She was elegant. She was a vampire. She was Janette. The one who had bitten him ten years earlier and left him for dead. The one who decided his fate. The reason his blood was teeming with electricity at this very moment. Panicked beyond reason, Mark scrambled madly for the doors. He had to get out. Now. He raced out into the street, only to bump smack into detective Knight. "Are you okay?" Nick asked the shaken man. "I'm... I'm fine," Mark declared, his current shock momentarily overcome by his realization that Knight was mortal. Not only were Knight's hands warm, but he had traces of scratches on his neck like those made by a cat, or perhaps someone's fingernails. And the proximity rush that Mark experienced inside the club had disappeared the moment he tumbled out the door. If Knight was a vampire, he would still be feeling it. Nick removed his hand from Mark's shoulder. "Maybe you should go a little easy on the drinks, eh buddy?" "Sure. Sure thing," Mark grumbled. He practically ran down the street towards his car and almost dived into it. He had to get away from here. He had to think. ----------------- Susan B. (Cont'd in 6/8) cd397@torfree.net Daddy Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Sequel) (6/8) by Susan B. March 7/99 based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. --------------------------------------------- "I was watching in the mirror," Nat told Nick as he climbed into the caddy. "What was that all about?" "Someone had a little too much to drink," Nick said. "Looked a little frightened too actually," he added, wondering if the man had bumped into Alma. Both Alma's name and Nick's recent visit to that church, immediately brought back memories of Schanke and Schanke's 'confession'. "What are you grinning at?" Nat asked. "I was just remembering Skank," Nick replied, "and that confession he made to me when he thought I was a priest." Nick's smile was quickly doused by a wave of sadness. "I miss him." "I know," Natalie said, "I miss him too." She snuggled in close to Nick as he put the car in gear. The two of them consoled each other with cheerful memories of Schanke all the way back to the loft. "I think Skank would be proud of me," Nick said as they got out of the car. "Finally finding a woman who would have me. He did tease me a lot about that you know." "Yes, I remember," Nat giggled. "Say, how about a movie tonight? Like the old days?" "Sounds good. I wouldn't mind trying a cup of that hot chocolate you were always raving about either." Natalie winked at him. "Won't be a problem," she said. "How about 'King Kong'?" Nick laughed. "Yeah, but don't expect me to cry over it just because I'm mortal." Two hours later, Serena arrived outside Nick's loft. She focused her vampiric senses and picked up two distinct heartbeats followed by two distinct voices. The first voice she heard was that of a woman giggling, and an entirely insincere, "Stop tickling me there." "I know you like it, Natalie," she heard Nick whisper back. That was the woman's name, Natalie. "Actually, I love it, but sometimes less is more. Especially when it's less tickling and more..." The voice was suddenly muffled and then, "...yes, more of that, Kiss me like that again." Serena's rage intensified as she stood and listened to nothing more than several minutes of accelerating throbbing heartbeats. Her master *was* mortal. He had achieved the very thing that he stole from her. Life. Furious, Serena tore up into the cold black sky. * * * * * "I hope it's going to be mild out today," Nat remarked as she and Nick stood by the bedroom window waiting for the sunrise. Nick had slept right through it the previous morning. They both had. Last night, he set the alarm clock for five in order not to miss it again. He stood behind Nat and held her close. She could feel his body heave in contentment when the first timid rays of daylight appeared on the horizon. She could hear his muffled sobs and feel his hot tears on the back of her neck, but it was an experience that she would not distract him from. She cried her own tears of joy for him, but apart from that, she remained still and quiet until the sun was a brilliant yellow ball of fire. Nick gently spun Natalie around and held her. "Thank you," he said, "for giving this back to me." "I'm certain that God had more to do with it than I did," Natalie replied, "but you're very welcome for my...." Her sentence was interrupted by an involuntary yawn. "I think we better go back to bed and finish sleeping." * * * * * Mark wasn't prepared to sleep until after the sun rose. His mind was a mass of confusion ever since he had seen her. He should have been thinking about killing the devil woman, but all he wanted to do was get close to her and have her finish what she started ten years ago. The dark secret part of his soul, the one that had scorned all other women since he met his Janette, was burning with the same hellish desire for her now that had tempted him to vampirism in the first place. She was supposed to bring him across. She promised him eternity, fed on him, and then left him for dead. Like a bolt of lightning the truth of his incessant craving, of his overwhelming need to hunt vampires, came crashing into his brain. His blood was not boiling for their blood. It never was. It was boiling for her. His life was going to change tonight. One way or the other. He placed a call to England and informed his superiors that the Toronto problem had turned out to be quite minor and had been extinguished. He then explained that Steven and Michelle's incarceration was totally legit, that Steven screwed up and a civilian witness was the one who tipped off the police. Finally, he told them that he himself was going on indefinite leave. His employers were baffled at first and a little leery, but Mark was one of their best. Their fears were allayed when he told them that he met someone, a woman, and that he wanted to make a go of it. "It's about time," was the reply. "Come back whenever you're ready. There will always be a place for you here." * * * * * The day did turn out to be mild, and Nick and Nat decided to walk over to Natalie's to pick up her car. Afterwards, they drove to the morgue so she could clean out her papers, particularly anything relating to Nick. They had a leisurely lunch with Grace, who made Natalie promise to call once she settled in her new home, wherever that might be. The rest of Nat's friends and co-workers were surprised by her sudden resignation, but not shocked. She did seem to have a penchant for ending up in trouble and they assumed this latest kidnapping was simply the last straw. After Natalie said goodbye to all of her friends, she and Nick returned to the loft. Nick had already called Reese the previous night and explained that he wouldn't be coming back to work, but that he would be coming to the precinct the next evening to tender his official resignation and to say goodbye to Tracy. Reese didn't seem surprised by his decision. Reese knew that he had recently lost Schanke, and that Natalie had just been through another one of too many harrowing ordeals. "Yeah, Knight, I'd get the hell out of town too," were his exact words. Nick spent the afternoon sorting his vast collection of memorabilia, dividing it into various piles for the museum, the art gallery, charity, and the fireplace. Joan of Arc's cross was earmarked for the Catholic church. He chuckled at the thought of the controversy that little item would brew up. Even his photograph albums were targeted for destruction, an act that unexpectedly caused him more comfort than distress. Nick knew in his heart that the mortals in those photos would understand and that they would be happy for him. It was time to move on, and this time he wouldn't drag his past along with him. The only things he kept were the things he had amassed since he arrived in Toronto. It wasn't much, but his future began when he arrived in Toronto, and he felt honest about keeping them. "Dinner's ready!" Natalie eventually shouted up the stairs. Nick came down the stairs with yet another box of stuff. "What new and incredible taste sensation do you have for me tonight?" he asked. Natalie motioned towards the table, now cluttered with little take-out boxes. "Chinese," she announced with enthusiasm. ----------------- Susan B. (Cont'd in 7/8) cd397@torfree.net Daddy Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Sequel) (7/8) by Susan B. March 7/99 based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. --------------------------------------------- Summoning up all of his courage, and struggling to maintain some kind of decorum in the midst of his raging blood, Mark walked confidently through the doors of the Raven. He immediately spotted Janette at the bar, dressed in an elegant emerald green gown. Her glorious dark hair was piled neatly on top of her head, exposing the pale beauty of her exquisite neck. He headed straight for her. "Janette?" She gracefully swivelled around on her barstool. A brief look of shock registered in her face, and then she did something totally unexpected. "Ma cher!" she cried out as she stood up and embraced Mark. "But I thought you were dead!" "Not yet," Mark replied with a wry grin. "I've missed you so much," Janette swore. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of my handsome Mark." She eyed his physique and his rugged face appreciatively. "And he is even more handsome now than last we met," she purred. Janette started running her fingers through his soft thick hair. "I am so sorry, darling," she lamented. "I believed I took too much. A filthy habit of mine." Mark felt electricity when Janette kissed him. His entire body turned to fire and he returned her kiss vehemently. "I've missed you too," he gasped when their lips finally parted. "All these years I've been searching for you and I didn't even realize it." "Come, mon amour," Janette urged as she tugged Mark along to the back room. "We have lots of catching up to do, you and I." * * * * * A short time after dinner, Nick and Nat headed over to the precinct. Tracy was getting out of her own car when they pulled into the parking lot. Tracy ran over to them as Nick was climbing out of Nat's car. "I can't believe you're leaving just like that, Nick!" she exclaimed. "Reese told me last night." "It's time," Nick said. "We've both been here long enough and we're both ready for a change. We want to get away from the city." "You're quitting *and* moving?" Tracy asked, entranced by Nick's use of the word 'we' and all that it entailed. She hadn't been wrong about them after all. Nick nodded his head, "We want to see less artificial light and more starlight. Haven't chosen a place yet, but it will be far north of here." "I really can't blame you," Tracy contended. She had heard enough about the high ratio of burnout in this line of work not to be too surprised, and both Nick and Nat had seen enough gore to last them several lifetimes. "I know we didn't work together very long, but you've taught me a lot and I'll always be grateful for that." Tracy leaned forward and pecked Nick's cheek. "Thanks for everything," she said, "and don't forget to invite me up to a barbecue this summer." Nick grinned. "I won't forget," he promised as he started walking towards the building. "I'm just going to say goodbye to Nat," Tracy called after him. "I'll probably see you inside and get a chance to say goodbye again!" Tracy chatted with Nat for a few minutes and wished her the best. Then she also disappeared into the precinct while Nat waited in the car. Fifteen minutes had passed by the time Nick said his goodbyes to his fellow officers. His friends told him they were disappointed they couldn't throw a party for him, but his leaving was too last minute to arrange anything. Nick made a special trip into Reese's office where Reese and Tracy were waiting to say their final goodbyes. Nick left his resignation, gun, and badge with Reese, and then he strolled out to his desk. He checked his desk drawers only to find nothing worth keeping. After taking a last look around, he slipped out the front door. He wasn't ten feet into the parking lot when a sudden whoosh behind him startled him. "Where is your big green car?" the familiar sultry voice asked him. Nick spun around and gasped, "Serena?" "It is me," she said. "The car?" "In the shop. My partner gave me a lift in," Nick lied. It took all of his concentration not to dart his eyes towards Nat's car. Serena's venomous expression alone told him that Nat would be in danger if Serena knew she was there. He only hoped that Natalie was safely oblivious to what was going on and would stay put. "Then we go another way," Serena blurted out. A quick burst of vampire speed and she knocked Nick unconscious. She scooped him up off the ground and flew away with him. Minutes later, she was poking at his shoulder. "Get up!" she exclaimed. Nick's head hurt. His face hurt. He shook the grogginess away and glared at Serena. "What do you want with me?" he asked, realizing that his feet and hands were bound. He was in a small room in a basement somewhere. The walls were concrete block and there were no windows. The only furniture was the chair he was tied to and a dilapidated armchair and table on the other side of the room. "I saw you at the Raven last night," Serena replied, "I saw you and I didn't feel you. My suspicions were confirmed when I later stood outside your loft and heard you and your lover. You are mortal." "A recent convert," Nick spat. "Release me. You know I never intended to do you any harm. You know I misunderstood what you wanted. Why are you doing this?" He believed he knew the answer already, he had been a vampire for nearly eight hundred years after all. It was retribution she sought. She was going to kill him. "You know what I want, Nicholas. I want my mortality back!" Serena bellowed. "I can help you if you let me go." Serena chuckled malevolently. "You will help me right where you are," she said. "I do not intend to use whatever method you used to become mortal. The one I have in mind is much more... satisfying." She glided over to the table across the room and picked up a book. Flipping through the pages, she returned to Nick. "This is a very old book of cures," she said. "It took me some time to learn the language, but I did find the answer." Nick caught a glimpse of the cover and recognized it immediately. It was the Abarat that he himself had spent decades searching for. "There is a cure for vampirism," Serena continued. "It didn't make sense to me until last night." She stopped turning the pages at the one she sought. "But it was a chicken and egg dilemma, you see. I was quite furious, naturally, but now the way is clear." "What way is clear?" Nick asked. "I'll read it to you," Serena said. She began to read, "Bloodlust affliction. Free those souls who suffer eternity caught between life and death. Destroy the receptacles of evil, for the evil fights for itself with a fear that weakens their resolve. There is but one other way -- the afflicted may, at sunrise, return the curse to their mortal master." * * * * * "I wonder what's taking him so long," Nat muttered to herself as she waited in the parking lot for Nick. She finally got out of the car and went into the precinct to find him. "Hi Nat!" Tracy exclaimed as Nat walked towards Nick's old desk. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you again this soon!" Natalie glanced around. "Where's Nick?" "He left about fifteen minutes ago," Tracy replied. "I saw him go out the door." Natalie started feeling uneasy. "Thanks," she said. "He must be out in the parking lot talking to someone. I must have missed him." She turned around and went back outside, but there was no one in the parking lot. Her stomach started to tighten with worry. She knew that even as a mortal, Nick would have no trouble defending himself; but over the years she had also learned that Nick's foes more often came from the vampire community. And in that community, he was now defenceless. "Nick!" she cried out. "Nick!" Her heart started to thump heavily in her chest, and her throat started to dry up. Nat raced around the entire building searching for him. No Nick. In a state of near panic, she ran back to her car and sped off to the Raven. Nat ran directly over to the bar when she arrived at the notorious club. "Where's Janette?" she asked the tall dark haired bartender. "In the back," Miklos replied gruffly. He saw Nat start for the back room and called out after her, "You can't go back there!" Natalie spun around. "Please get her for me!" she begged. "This is an emergency!" Miklos studied her for a moment and then nodded. "I'll see if she can see you." "Thanks," Natalie mumbled. She followed right behind Miklos to the back room, and waited as he knocked lightly on the door. "Busy," Miklos grumbled after waiting for a minute. "I have to see her now," Natalie declared. She reached out and pounded hard on the door. Moments later, Janette opened the door, an irritated expression on her face. "I told you I was... Natalie, I didn't expect to see you again." Janette peered back into the room for a moment and then came out and closed the door softly behind her. She nodded at Miklos, who immediately returned to the bar. "I can't find Nick," Nat blurted out. "We were at the precinct and he disappeared." "Well, he isn't here," Janette said. "I don't expect to ever see him again." Natalie could feel the blood rushing from her face and her knees weaken. She visibly paled. "What?! What does that mean?! What's happened to him?!" Janette laid a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, dear," she said soothingly. "I simply meant he came to say his goodbyes to me. He told me you two were starting a new life together somewhere else." Natalie relaxed a bit. "Will you help me find him?" "Nicola doesn't want anything to do with our world anymore, Natalie, and I promised to never interfere in his new life." "Please," Natalie begged. "No mortal would have been able to take Nick this way. Please." "I suppose I do owe him one more for ridding me of a master," Janette said. "Freedom is so... exhilarating." She paused for a moment and then sighed. "Very well. I'll help you." Janette briefly glanced over her shoulder at the closed door. "Although your timing could have been better." "Thank you! Thank you!" Natalie exclaimed. Janette's tone suddenly became more serious. "But this *will* be the very last time," she declared. "Go back to Nicola's and wait." ----------------- Susan B. (Cont'd in 8/8) cd397@torfree.net Daddy Doesn't Live Here Anymore (Sequel) (8/8) by Susan B. March 7/99 based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. --------------------------------------------- Janette had left Mark asleep in her private room at the Raven and spent the next several hours searching for Nick. Rather, she spent the next several hours searching for vampires and then determining that they didn't have Nick. It was less than an hour before dawn when she finally found him. She honed in on a female vampire and a mortal heartbeat in the basement of an abandoned cement plant on the waterfront. Janette flew closer and landed outside the factory. She listened intently until she heard Nick's voice. But in the back of her mind another voice suddenly cried out. It was Mark. He was waking and he was hungry. Janette immediately flew to Nick's loft. When Janette arrived at the loft alone, Natalie let out a wail. Janette immediately pacified her, "I found him," she said, "he's alive. But you must continue yourself. I must get back to the Raven. Now. And dawn is almost here." She told Nat exactly where Nick was. "I wish you luck," she said. And then she vanished. Natalie raced downstairs and got into her car. * * * * * "We must go upstairs to catch the sunrise," Serena said as she started to remove Nick's ties. He started to struggle against her. "Don't waste your time, Nicholas," she hissed. "Co-operate, or your warm sweet Natalie back at the loft dies." Nick submitted, and once unbound, he followed her up a concrete stairwell to the main floor. They were now in a huge vacant area with banks of windows along two of the walls. They walked over towards an eastern window. "You just stand there at the edge of the glass," Serena ordered him. "We've less than ten minutes to go." The words had barely escaped her mouth when they both heard someone pushing through the outside door. "Natalie!" Nick screamed when he saw her. "Get out!" Natalie gaped at Serena who was racing towards her, and then at Nick who was standing by the window, "Nick?" "GET OUT!" he screamed again, but Serena already had her hand clutched tightly around Natalie's wrist. "No. Come and watch," Serena said. "Come and see what he did to me. What I am going to do to him." "What are you going to do to him?" Natalie gasped. "I am going to regain my mortality, and he will become a vampire... again." "No!" Natalie exclaimed. "You don't need to do this. I can help. Nick and I. You can become mortal without doing this. Please!" she begged. Serena tossed Natalie over to Nick and they immediately clung to each other. "I'll give you a few minutes to talk," she said. Nick wiped the tears from Nat's face. "I love you, Nat," he said, "but I can't go back to being what I was. I couldn't suffer us being apart again either." "We can use the cure again, Nick," she sobbed. Nick shook his head dismally. "I've had two chances already to go into the light," he said. "And the last time, I chose to defer judgement of my soul." He looked at Nat imploringly. "The next time, it will be judged," he said. "If I choose again to return as a vampire, my soul *will* be damned forever. I have no doubt of that at all, Nat. No doubt at all." "Oh, Nick. You can't," Natalie cried. "You can't leave me like this. Not now. We just started a life together." Nick kissed her softly. "I want you to live your life, Nat," he said. "I'll be waiting for you when it's your time." Serena suddenly interrupted their conversation by ripping Nat away from Nick. "The cure will not work unless you return as a vampire!" she roared. "If you don't return, Natalie dies." Serena emphasized her warning by running a sharp fingernail down Nat's cheek and tasting her blood. Nat struggled unsuccessfully to free herself from Serena's firm grip. "I don't want to live without you, Nick!" she screamed. "Don't come back. I won't see you suffer and I won't see your soul damned. I couldn't live with the knowledge that we could never be together, not even in the afterlife. She can kill both of us and we'll go through the door together!" Serena hesitated in thought for an awkward moment, and then looked directly at Nick. "If you don't come back," she said, "you won't only be signing her death warrant, but your child's as well. Will you not damn your soul for the life of your child?" "No!" Nat screamed. "It can't be true! Oh, Nick! Don't listen to her!" Serena put her free hand on Nat's abdomen and started to rub it. "It's true," she said, "I tasted it in her blood." Still holding Natalie by the arm, she stared at Nick. "Take that off," she ordered, gesturing to the crucifix dangling outside his shirt. Nick complied and gently placed the cross on the cement floor. "It's time," Serena said. She released Nat and stepped over to Nick. Natalie immediately collapsed to her knees, weeping profusely. Serena stood next to Nick and glanced at Natalie. In an effort to stave off the mounting sympathy she felt for the mortal woman, she resorted to a taunt. "I will be the last woman to kiss these *warm* lips," she said. Serena kissed Nick's clenched lips, but her cruel action only made her feel worse. "I'll hunt you down and kill you when I return," Nick spat, but even as he spoke the words of cold revenge, hot mortal tears streamed down his cheeks. "You'll never find me," Serena whispered back. "The sun will be high before you awaken. I will be mortal and lost in a sea of billions." She bared her fangs and prepared to strike. Natalie screamed out in bitter agony as she watched Serena plunge her teeth into Nick. Seconds later, Serena withdrew her fangs and staggered backwards. Nick fell to the ground, splayed out on his back. All of Nick's emotions coursed through Serena. His love for Nat, his eternal anguish, the guilt he bears even as a mortal, including that of bringing her across. He did truly believe that she wanted immortality. Even Nick's cure was apparent to her, both the physical remedy and his ethereal faith in God. "It's too late," Serena lamented, "It's no good." Blood tears dripped from her eyes as she retreated from the rising sun, and the room. "You took too much!" Natalie shrieked. "You killed him!" She bolted over to Nick and threw herself on his prone body. Natalie was racked in sorrow, her body shuddering with each heaving sob. And then she heard it. A faint heartbeat. Getting stronger. Stronger. Natalie desperately started shaking Nick. "Nick!" she shouted. "Nick! You're alive! Wake up! Wake up!" He started to stir beneath her and slowly opened his eyes. "Nat? What happened? Where is she?" "She's gone," Nat whispered as she stroked his hair. "She didn't do it, Nick. I don't know why, but she stopped." Natalie leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. Nick felt her warm tears dripping onto his face. He put his arms around her and held her tightly to his chest. "Be the only woman to kiss these warm lips," he whispered. Nat let loose another volley of tears. They held each other for a long time, until they both stopped crying, and for some time after. Natalie eventually helped Nick up to his feet and then bent down to retrieve his crucifix. She carefully put it around his neck and tucked it down inside his shirt. "Come on," she said, "let's go home." * * * * * Two days later, Nick and Nat were packed up and ready to leave Toronto for good. Apart from Sydney, and some plants and breakables, the bulk of their belongings were already in a moving van on the way to their new home. They decided to wait until dark to leave. Nick drove part way up the 400 to a modest rise, and then pulled over. They both got out of the car to take a final look at the lights of Toronto and the lives they were leaving behind forever. "Do you have any fears of life becoming a little dull after this?" Nat asked. Nick smiled. "None at all," he declared. "I've had quite enough of culture. I want to experience life." "Well there is plenty of that out in the woods," Nat acknowledged with a grin. "There's a whole world out there to see, Nat." Natalie laughed lightly. "I think you've seen it all already." "Not in daylight," Nick said. "The rocky mountains, the Grand Canyon, glaciers, the redwood forest... hell, I've only ever seen Niagara Falls under artificial light. No, Nat, I haven't seen the world at all the way it was meant to be seen. Everything will be for the first time." He stepped over behind her and wrapped his arms snugly around her. "After being dead for eight hundred years," he whispered, "raising a family and growing old with you will be the most exciting thing that I've ever experienced." Natalie leaned her head back into his chest. "After not quite so many years working with the dead, it will be exciting for me too," she quipped. Nick kissed the top of her head and then gently started massaging her belly, spellbound by the reality that after eight hundred years, he had finally contributed to the creation of life, rather than to its destruction. -- The End -- Susan B. cd397@torfree.net