I thank my beta readers Wendy, Shannon, and Jody for all of their efforts. The 
many helpful suggestions they made and the patience they showed is greatly 
appreciated. Without them this story wouldn't have been possible. I'd also like 
to thank the gang on IRC for their support and for being test subjects for 
various sections of this story. 


Disclaimer:  As always, the concept of FK, as well as Nick, Nat, and all the 
others, belongs to Sony, James Parriot, Paragon, and the rest of TPTB not to me, 
and I am not attempting to make any type of profit from them.  All new 
characters are mine. 


Permission to archive this at Mel Moser's FKFanfic and the FK FTP site is 
granted.


THIS IS THE ADULT VERSION OF THE STORY.  If you are not 18 years of age or do 
not like sexually explicit stories DO NOT READ this. If you would like a PG 
version of this story, please contact me at: forevrnite@usa.net and I will be 
glad to send it to you. 



Farewells and New Beginnings 
By Nightlady 
(c) 1998 




Nick slowly opened his eyes. Beside him, her body molded against his own, Nat 
still slept. Even though he had, over the past several months, become use to the 
feel of her in his arms, this was different. This morning she wasn't merely his 
lover. She was his wife. A soft smile formed on Nick's face as he savored the 
sound of that word in his mind. He let his eyes drift to where Nat's hand lay 
upon his chest, the gold wedding band glinting in the small amount of light that 
seeped into the bedroom. Nick could feel the weight of the matching band on his 
own hand and allowed his thoughts to drift back to their wedding, only the night 
before.  The memory of how beautiful Nat had looked in her wedding gown, regal 
as a queen and ethereal as a vision of an angel, warmed him. He still felt the 
intense joy that had suffused him during the ceremony and, in the depths of 
whatever soul he could claim, knew that joy would never diminish but would only 
grow as time passed. 




So lost was Nick in his thoughts, he didn't realize that Nat had awakened until 
he felt her lips planting small, soft kisses on his chest. He slid his hand 
under her chin and, lifting her face, sought her mouth with his. As their lips 
met in a soft and tender kiss, Nick felt his body respond to Nat's nearness.  
Carefully, he deepened the kiss. Nat made a small sound of contentment then met 
his growing passion with her own.  Nick could hear the increase in her heart's 
rhythm as she met his questing tongue with her own.  It was several minutes 
later when they finally broke the kiss. 




"Thank you." Nat said, as she gazed lovingly into his eyes. 




Nick gave her a questioning look. "For what? If anything, I should be thanking 
you." 




Nat smiled. "For what you did last night," she explained. "I know how hard it 
had to be for you to allow me to taste your blood." 




A small knot of fear, that Nick hadn't realized existed until he heard her 
words, relaxed in his chest. He looked at the love in her eyes and heard the 
sincerity in her voice. "You know that I never wanted to condemn you to my world 
of darkness." He said, caressing her face.  "But, since that is what is 
happening, I wanted to make our wedding night special. I wanted to share all 
that I am with you."  He spoke quietly, praying that she would understand. 




"You succeeded. Last night was more wonderful than anything I ever imagined, 
even in my wildest dreams. I felt as if we were not two people, but two halves 
of one person." Nat's voice trembled slightly as the memory of the blood 
exchange flooded her mind. 




Nick stroked Nat's hair. "I was afraid that when you finally knew, really knew, 
the horrible things that I've done in the past you would never want to be near 
me again." He confessed. 




"They don't matter to me, Nick. They never have. All of that was long ago and 
you are not the same person that you were then." Nat met his eyes, watching as 
he slowly accepted the truth of her words. "The only thing that matters now is 
today and the future. Together, we will someday find a cure, for both of us." 




Nick kissed her forehead. "I must have done some good in my existence. Having 
you beside me is proof enough of that for me." He gazed into her eyes. "I love 
you with every fiber of my being, and that love will never fade." 




Nat smiled and slid her hand down his chest, drawing small circles along his 
nipples with the tips of her fingers.  "I don't suppose I could talk you into 
showing me just how much you love me?" she said, her eyes sparkling. 




Nick gave a small chuckle. "Your wish is my command, my love." He pulled her 
into a tight embrace, his mouth seeking hers. He tasted the sweet nectar of her 
lips, and plunged his tongue deep within her open, eager mouth. Her own tongue 
met and caressed his. Nick moaned with pleasure as he felt a deep tingling in 
his groin. Burying his hands in the wild, fullness of her hair, Nick deepened 
the kiss. The small sigh of pleasure that Nat made brought a sense of joy to his 
heart. He let his hands drift over the soft fullness of her body. First the 
delicate curve of her throat, then down to the proud swell of her breasts, 
farther down across the smooth skin of her stomach to the wiry mass of hair that 
covered the core of her femininity. His touch was soft, the territory familiar 
to him now. He caressed her there, with a touch that was almost ethereal and 
smiled as she pressed against him desiring more. At a leisurely pace, he brought 
his hands back up to her face, cupping it between his palms. 




Nat shivered with delectation and anticipation as Nick traced his hands along 
her body. She could feel every nerve ending they touched burst into exquisite 
pleasure. Over the past months her body had finally come to know the exultation 
of Nick's caresses. Caresses she had dreamed of, and for so many long years, 
feared never experiencing. She willingly gave herself to them, while at the same 
time she began her own exploration of him. She ran her tongue languidly across 
the backs of his teeth, paying special attention to his fangs. As she felt them 
grow against her tongue, she thrilled at the sleek feel of them. She smiled as 
she felt his cock hardening against her. The knowledge that Nick could 
experience their lovemaking with the full extent of his vampiric senses brought 
her a feeling of peace. 




Nick gasped as he felt Nat tease his fangs into descending. The emergence of his 
beast meant that all of his senses were intensified and he inhaled deeply, 
letting the rich scent that was uniquely Nat fill him. He was not in the least 
surprised to feel his manhood throbbing in response to this stimuli.  He felt 
Nat's hands as they kneaded and stroked the muscles of his shoulders and back. 
When she moved to graze his nipples with her slender fingers, he found that he 
was almost panting with the pleasure this produced. Breaking their kiss, he 
dropped his mouth to one of her full, inviting breasts and began to kiss and 
lick his way toward the darker center of it. Nat encouraged him with small 
sounds of arousal and arched her back to more easily enable him to find the 
sensitive nipple. As he reached his goal, he swirled his tongue in lazy circles 
around it, feeling the nipple pucker and tightened into a small hard nub. Only 
then did he take it fully into his mouth, still caressing it with his tongue 
even as he began to suck on it. After several minutes, he released one breast 
and repeated his actions on the other. 




Nat could feel her heartbeat accelerating as Nick suckled and toyed with her 
breasts. She felt has if she were going to explode from the wonderful waves of 
pleasure that were coursing through her. She could feel a slick moistness in 
between her legs and an aching feeling of longing for Nick's now hard cock to be 
inside her. She moaned at the feeling of ecstasy that was sweeping over her and 
marveled at Nick's ability to carry her so slowly and wonderfully to the heights 
of pleasure. She ran her hands over his muscled back, feeling the cool 
smoothness of his skin as she did so. She slid her hand down and across his 
thighs, until her questing fingers found and encircled his swollen, turgid 
shaft. Delicately she caressed the tip of it, feeling the slickness of his 
readiness. A grin formed on her lips as her action caused Nick to thrust his 
hips forward and draw in a shuddering gasp of air. Meeting his passion filled 
gold eyes with her gold flecked blue ones she whispered his name in a voice 
filled with passion and love. 




Nick luxuriated in the feel of Nat's touch on him. The mild pressure she exerted 
on his penis as she stroked him caused him to feel as if a molten fountain of 
energy ran from his manhood throughout his entire body. He dropped his lips from 
her breasts, nuzzling the softness of her abdomen as he worked downward. He 
licked the small depression of her belly button and heard her quick intake of 
breath. Turning so that he could explore her innermost folds, while still 
enabling her to continue her gentle exploration of him, he shuddered with 
delight as he felt her tongue deliberately trace the contours of his shaft. 




Nick carefully parted the folds of Nat's most intimate area to reveal the rosy 
slickness of her. First kissing the softness of her mound, he then stroked the 
outer lips with his tongue before allowing himself to taste her copious juices. 
That she was this eager for him only increased his own raging desire for her. 
Nick ran his tongue inside her, his head filled with the scent of her sex and 
her blood. His fangs ached to penetrate the honeyed sweetness of her flesh and 
release the bountiful goodness of her, but Nick resisted the urge. He wanted to 
prolong the experience; to ensure they were both fully satisfied. 




Nat eagerly lapped the lubricating juices that flowed from Nick's cock, the 
taste reminding her vividly of Nick's blood. She closed her eyes, and taking him 
into her mouth, rolled her tongue around him. She felt him harden further and 
began to softly suck on him, as well. She felt him twitch, slightly, as his body 
demanded more. She obliged by increasing the intensity of her actions. 
When Nick began to explore her innermost folds with his tongue, Nat could not 
control the shudders of intense excitement that flowed from her womb. The aching 
desire to hold him, not in her mouth but within her very core, intensified with 
each passing second. The need for release built until Nick held her teetering on 
the very edge. She could tell from the feel of him in her mouth that he, too, 
was at the brink. Releasing him she entreated, "Nick, please, I need you inside 
of me!" Her voice was ragged with need. 




Nick felt as if the whole universe had narrowed to the sound of Nat's blood 
rushing through her veins, the scent of her sex as it called to him and the 
fountain of lava that ran through his body. At Nat's words he turned, and 
positioning himself between her opened legs, entered the snug cocoon of her 
vagina. He felt her thrust up with her hips, seeking to take him farther into 
her, but he held her down as he gradually eased his fullness into her. When he 
was totally inside her he leaned forward and captured her mouth. For several 
moments he didn't move until at last he could no longer resist the insistence of 
his body for completion.  Slowly at first he began to thrust inside her, but his 
own burning fires, and her need for him, soon caused him to speed up. 




Nat writhed, as Nick seemed to take forever to penetrate her. Her body wanted to 
feel him completely and the slowness of his movement was a form of exquisite 
torture and delight.  At last, he was inside and for a moment it was enough to 
just feel his hardness within her. She welcomed his lips on hers and, when Nick 
again began to plunder her mouth with his, her desire and need for release 
skyrocketed. She ground her pelvis against him, seeking fulfillment. The first 
of his thrusts within her brought a cry of exaltation to her lips, and she felt 
her whole existence center on the source of such pleasure. As she felt herself 
reach the acme of her ecstasy, she arched her neck baring the pulsating vein to 
her love. "Nick, take me now!" She gasped as she urged his mouth to her throat. 
Just as she felt his fangs release her blood to his thirsty mouth, she cried out 
wordlessly as her orgasm broke over her. At the same, to her joy, she realized 
that she was feeling all that Nick felt too. The force of his climax met hers 
and merged with it. Nat once again screamed out in utter bliss, as this new 
pleasure ravaged her. She felt the overwhelming protectiveness, desire and, most 
of all, the love that came from Nick through their bond. 




Nick drew the sweetness of Nat's blood into his mouth and shuddered as his 
climax ripped through him. He could feel his cock pulsing as he ejaculated over 
and over in Nat. Her orgasm washed over him, the knowledge that he had given her 
such pleasure intensifying his own elation. The absolute peace of her soul and 
love for him that her blood showed him soothed him like nothing before ever had. 
He removed his fangs and kissed away the few drops of blood that lingered. 
Raising his head, he looked, with his now blue eyes, into the deep pools of love 
that shone in Nat's eyes. Sliding his now limp penis from her, he slid his 
weight off her and snuggled her into his arms. 




"Was that a good enough demonstration of how much I love you?" He asked with a 
mischievous twinkle in his eyes. 




Nat smiled back at him. "It'll do, for now." She said teasingly, "But I do plan 
to ask for further demonstrations." 




Nick hugged her against him. "That will be my great pleasure, for the rest of 
eternity, if necessary." He kissed her softly on the lips. 




"Please tell me that we don't have to get up yet?" Nat said as she burrowed 
against him. 




Nick chuckled. "No, we have several hours before then." He looked at the 
satisfied smile this news brought to Nat's lips. "Rest for now, we have a long 
night ahead of us." 




Nat raised an eyebrow, "You know, you still haven't told me where we're going 
for our honeymoon." She eyed the smug look on Nick's face. "And you're not going 
to tell me now, are you?" She said. 




"Nope, I want it to be a surprise for as long as possible." Nick replied. 




Nat shook her head then kissed his jaw. "All right. At least I know that it's 
somewhere warm!" She said as she settled in to sleep. 




Nick grinned to himself; he had made the travel plans with the idea of Nat 
needing to wear as few clothes as possible in mind. He closed his eyes, and 
drifted back to sleep. 




Nat reached out and turned off the spray of the shower. Stepping out of the 
stall a wisp of cool air caused her to shiver slightly. She grabbed a towel and 
began to briskly rub herself dry. 'I should have shared a shower with Nick,' she 
thought, 'then he could do this for me.' She smiled as she recalled other shared 
showers. 'Of course,' she mentally added, 'we'd never be ready to leave when 
Tracy got here if we had showered together.' Moving quickly, she shrugged into 
her warm, fuzzy robe. She wrapped a towel around her head turban style and 
stepped into the bedroom.  She paused, smiling as she watched Nick. He was nude 
from the waist up, the muscles in his back rippling beneath his pale skin. The 
snug fitting jeans he wore accentuated the taut firm shape of his butt. Sensing 
her behind him, Nick turned and met her eyes. Nat could swear that a current of 
electricity seemed to flow into her with his gaze. 




"You need to get moving," Nick said in a teasing voice. "Tracy is going to be 
here in less than thirty minutes." 




Nat glanced at the clock. "Yikes, I hadn't realized it was so late." She moved 
quickly toward the closet. As she passed by him, Nick reached out and pulled her 
into his arms. "Nick!" She said, as his lips found hers. It was several minutes 
until she was able to speak again. "If we're late now, I'm going to tell Tracy 
that it is all your fault." She teased. 




"Tracy, who?" Nick said, laughter sparkling in his eyes. At Nat's raised eyebrow 
he continued, "Oh, that Tracy." With a reluctant sigh he released Nat, patting 
her lightly on her rump as she hurried to the closet. 




Nick finished putting on his clothes and enjoyed watching Nat dress. He knew 
that the sight of her was one of which he would never tire. 




They had finished dressing and Natalie was munching on a piece of rye bread 
toast when Tracy arrived. Nick buzzed her up and, as the lift rose, began to 
collect their suitcases. 




"I can't help but feel like I haven't packed enough clothes." Nat said as she 
looked at the three bags and one carry-on piece of luggage Nick had assembled 
near the lift door. 




Nick laughed. Two of the suitcases were his, and he knew that most of Nat's was 
filled with an empty soft-sided bag. "I thought all women loved shopping?" He 
teased. "This way you even have a good reason to shop." 




Nat made a face at him. "I don't dislike shopping, I just feel odd leaving for a 
two week trip with only three changes of clothing." 




Nick hugged her. "I know, but you can buy an entire wardrobe once we get to the 
island." 




Nat perked up, "Island? We're going to an island?" She said with a smile on her 
face. She gave him a playful punch on the arm. "I don't suppose you'd like to 
tell me where this island is located?" 




Nick laughed and hugged her tighter. "No, not just yet. I think I'll keep you in 
suspense for a little longer." 




Nat looked into his eyes. "I really don't care where it is, so long as you're 
there with me." 




Nick bent his head and found her lips just as the lift stopped and Tracy stepped 
into the loft. 




"Nice to see the honeymoon is well underway." Tracy said chuckling. 




Nat blushed, but Nick just laughed. "Definitely well underway," he said. 




Tracy laughed, "Glad to hear that! After all both of you have been through, it's 
about time something nice happened." She glanced at her watch. "What time did 
you say your flight was?" 




Nat chuckled. "Don't look at me, I still have no idea what our destination is, 
much less what our flight is.  All I know is that it leaves during the 
daylight."  She flashed a concerned look a Nick. 




"The plane leaves at 3:10," Nick responded. "We need to get to the airport an 
hour before that." He smiled at Nat. "Which is why Tracy is giving us a lift to 
the airport. I can manage in her backseat with a blanket over me for the drive 
there. Once we get inside the parking garage, I'll be all right." He reassured 
Nat. 




"I can't help it, Nick. I worry about you." Nat said quietly. "How are you going 
to handle those huge windows in the waiting area?" 




Nick stroked the side of Nat's face with his hand. "I've made arrangements to 
deal with that." He could see that she was still concerned. "I've had to leave 
during the daytime before, Nat. I promise it will be okay." 




Nat managed a small smile. "Okay, I won't fuss anymore about it." She stood 
watching as Nick began to assemble the items that he'd need to survive a trip 
outside of the safety of the loft during the daytime. 




Tracy stepped over to Nat's side. "It's a very cloudy day. That will help won't 
it?" 




Nat gave a sigh of relief. "That will help a great deal. Thanks, Tracy." She 
reached out and the two of them embraced. 
  




Tracy watched as Nick began to dress for his excursion into the daylight. By the 
time he finished, only a small portion of his face was left exposed. "It's a 
good thing that you're doing this in the middle of winter. You'd look rather 
strange going out like that in the middle of July." She teased. 




Nat laughed. "Yeah, the sunglasses would work then, but the rest." She indicated 
the heavy coat, gloves, muffler and hat that Nick was wearing. "You would look a 
bit out of place." 




Nick nodded. "True, but if it meant that I got to spend two weeks alone with 
you, I'd take that risk." 




He lifted the bags. "Where exactly are you parked, Tracy?" he asked. 




"Just to the side of the garage doors." 




Nat spoke. "Why don't I go down, pull my car out of the garage, and let Tracy 
pull hers inside? That way we can load the car and get you settled without 
having to worry about the sunlight. After we're sure everything is ready, Tracy 
can pull back out and I'll repark my car." 




"Good idea," Nick agreed. "It will make things easier. I'll wait here until I 
hear the garage door close, then come down with the bags." 
  




As Tracy pulled her car into the underground parking facility at the airport, 
she let out a breath she hadn't been aware of holding. The drive to the airport 
had, thankfully, been uneventful. Nick had looked a little silly slouched under 
a blanket in the back seat, but that combined with the cloudiness of the day, 
had enabled him to make the trip without any real discomfort. 




"Here we are." She said as she turned off the car's motor. 




Nick let the blanket drop around him and got out of the car. He paused to offer 
his hand to assist Nat out of the front seat. Closing the doors, Nick took Nat's 
hand and they joined Tracy by the trunk of her car. Nick removed the bags, 
taking the three large ones, while Nat retrieved the carry-on bag. 




"You two have a wonderful trip!" Tracy said as she hugged Nat goodbye. "I'll be 
here to pick you up when you get back on the 22nd." She was meeting Vachon in 
just under an hour, and the two of them planned to go to the movies later in the 
evening. 




Nat returned Tracy's hug. "Thanks for all your help." 




Nick gave Tracy a quick hug, too. "Yes, thank you. You have our return flight 
number?" 




Tracy nodded. "Sure do. I have all the information hanging on my fridge door. 
Don't worry about a thing, just have a wonderful honeymoon." 




Nick gave her a smile that would have melted any woman's heart. "With Nat, 
there's not even the possibility of it being anything but wonderful." 




With a final wave, Nick and Nat headed for the check in area. 




Just over an hour later, Nat was seated in a very comfortable first class chair 
on board Air Canada flight 918 enroute to Miami, FL. Nick had been correct in 
that the windows in the waiting area proved to be no difficulty.  They had spent 
the time waiting to board in a private lounge area. 'Just one of the perks of 
flying first class.' Nat thought.  Another perk seemed to be the fact that there 
were few others in the first class section of the plane. Nick and Nat had seats 
in the front row, a benefit as it gave them more than ample legroom. The row 
across the aisle was empty, as was the row immediately behind them.  Nick had 
raised the armrest between their seats and Nat sat with his arm around her, 
resting her head against his shoulder. 




"Nick," she said, running her hand along his arm, "now will you tell me exactly 
where we're going?" 
  




Nick looked at her sparkling eyes. "We'll be catching another flight in Miami, 
to Kingston, Jamaica." He smiled as he saw the excitement in Nat's eyes. "We'll 
be staying at a private villa. It's a short drive from the city, the house is 
carved into the side of a mountain." 




"You've been there before?" Nat asked. 




Nick looked a little sheepish. "The property is technically owned by the 
deBrabant Foundation." He explained. "I oversaw the construction of it. I fell 
in love with the site, the view is spectacular, and decided that it would make a 
nice retreat. When we became possible, I knew that this was where I wanted to 
take you for our honeymoon." He noticed the somewhat dazed look on Nat's face. 
"What?" 




Nat shrugged. "Nothing, I guess that even thought I knew you didn't depend on 
the salary you get for being a detective, it hadn't really sunk in that you're, 
well, wealthy." 




Nick kissed the top of her head. "I know, one of the many things I love about 
you.  I've had plenty of money for centuries, Nat, but I am wealthy only because 
I have you. Money doesn't matter to me, your love does." 




Nat smiled softly. "Then know that you are very wealthy, because I love you more 
than anything in the world."  She raised her lips and they shared a tender kiss. 
When they drew apart, Nat looked at him. "I can't wait until we get to the villa 
so I can show you just how much I love you." 




Nick's eyes flecked briefly with gold. "Good, and I'll show you how much you are 
loved, too." He sighed with contentment as Nat snuggled against him. They talked 
of the layout of the house, and Nick enthusiastically described it to Nat. 




Several hours, one plane change, and a short drive into the base of the 
mountains later, they arrived at the villa. Nat marveled at how the house seemed 
to be a part of the mountain, and smiled up at Nick. "It's as beautiful as you 
said it would be." Nick took her arm and led her up the short flight of stairs 
to the wide porch that ran along three sides of the house. Nat turned around and 
made a sound of pleasure as she took in the view of the city lights below them.  
Nick opened the door and they stepped inside. 




"There is a staff that comes in to clean and cook," he explained as he pulled 
her into his arms. "They live in the smaller houses we passed on the way here." 
At her questioning expression he added, "No, they don't know about vampires." 
Nat nodded then asked, "How will we explain the hours we'll be keeping?" 




Nick laughed, "Don't worry about that! They're used to the idle rich that party 
all night and sleep half the day away." He nuzzled her neck, just below her ear. 




Nat pressed against him, "If you say so. Mmmm, I love it when you do that!" 




Nick found her lips with his own and effectively silenced any other questions. 
As he explored her mouth with his tongue, he slid his hands along her body, 
caressing and fondling her. Nat moaned in pleasure as he rubbed his thumb across 
her nipples and her passion inflamed his. He scooped her up in his arms, 
intending to carry her to the master bedroom. He had just passed the doorway to 
the living room, when a sound from the darkened room froze him in his tracks. He 
sensed another vampire.  Nick placed Nat on her feet, making sure he was between 
her and whoever had made the sound, and turned toward the room. A dark-haired 
man emerged from the room, smiling at Nick. Nat saw Nick relax as the man came 
into view. "Michael, you might have let me know you were here." Nick said as he 
held his hand out in greeting. 




"Sorry, Nick. When I realized you weren't alone, I'd planned to slip out and 
call you tomorrow." Michael said, smiling. He turned his gaze on Natalie. "I'm 
sure you would much rather be with this lovely lady than me." His eyes swept 
down the length of Natalie's body. "Very nice indeed," he commented. He reached 
forward, as if to touch Natalie on the cheek, only to find that he was prevented 
from doing so by Nick's firm grip on his arm. 




"Allow me to introduce you to my wife, Natalie." Nick said in a calm voice. 




Michael raised his eyebrows. "Your wife?" he asked, surprise and puzzlement 
clear in his voice. 




Nick nodded. "Yes, we were married last night, in Toronto. This trip is our 
honeymoon." He released Michael's arm. "Before you ask, Nat is fully aware of 
what I am." Nick added as he drew Nat to his side. 




Nat smiled and leaned against Nick. "Hi, I take it you and Nick are old 
friends?" she asked. It had only taken her a few seconds to realize that the man 
she spoke to was a vampire. 




"Indeed," Michael responded, "Nick and I have been friends for a very long time. 
Please excuse my behavior a few moments ago." He cast a concerned look at Nick. 
"While I wish you both nothing but happiness, I do hope you realize the risk 
you're taking, Nick." 




"You mean from the Enforcers?" Nick asked. He saw Michael nod in agreement. 
"Nat's been aware of the Community's existence for about six years now. She's 
the one who managed find a cure for the virus that nearly destroyed us." He 
explained. "LaCroix got word from the Enforcers following that incident that 
because she had aided us, she would be left alone." 




Michael smiled, "I'm glad to hear that. I am going to assume that you, that is 
when...umm... that she's also safe from you?" He finally finished a bit 
awkwardly. 




"Don't worry, Michael. I plan on being married to Nat for the rest of my 
existence." Nick replied. He glanced at Nat, wanting her consent to tell Michael 
of her situation. When she smiled and gave him a small nod, he continued. "Nat 
has been helping me to try and find a cure for our condition. She has identified 
extra cells in our blood that seem to be what makes us vampires. She has this 
same vampire element in her blood and the amount of it present is slowly 
increasing. According to LaCroix something like this happening is rare, but not 
unheard of, and it means that eventually she will have to be completely brought 
across." 




Nat could hear the pain in Nick's voice as he spoke. She knew that he regretted 
that his loving her had caused this to happen. She slipped her arm around his 
waist and hugged him as she spoke. "I was fully aware that becoming a vampire 
was a possibility when I made the decision to love Nick." She said to Michael. 
"I have never and will never regret that decision. To be with him, to love him 
and to be his wife is worth it." 




Michael looked at her with respect. "I can see why he fell in love with you." He 
looked at Nick. "You are very fortunate, few of us can hope for someone like you 
have found." 




"I know," Nick said, gazing a Nat with love. "Believe me, Michael, I know." Nat 
raised her eyes to meet his and the look of love she gave him calmed his soul. 




Michael, observing them, suddenly felt very much out of place. "Nicholas, I'll 
leave my phone number on the front table. If you find time, call me, but if I 
don't hear from you I will completely understand."  He took Natalie's hand and 
placed a kiss on the back of it. "I am glad to have met you. Nicholas has always 
been a good friend, and I am pleased that he has you."  With a wave, he left 
them standing in the hallway. 




For a moment Nick and Nat just stood there, comfortable in one another's 
presence. 




Nick leaned forward and kissed Nat softly on the lips. "Where were we, before we 
were interrupted?" 




Nat grinned wickedly at him. "You were carrying me into the bedroom, where we 
were going to make wild, passionate love." She let her hands roam down his chest 
and past his waist, finding and gently squeezing the bulge of his manhood. 




Nick inhaled sharply as her touch inflamed his desire. "The hell with the 
bedroom," he said lifting her, "there's a nice wide couch in here and it's 
closer."  He heard her giggle as she nuzzled his neck. Their eager hands quickly 
stripped off one another's clothing and they fell onto the couch in a passionate 
embrace. The buttery leather of the couch squeaked softly as they explored the 
heights of their love and cradled them as they rested afterwards. 




Nat stood in the patio doorway of the kitchen, a light robe wrapped around her, 
drinking a glass of juice. She gazed out at the pool area, watching the sunset, 
a soft smile on her lips.  It had been three days since she and Nick had arrived 
in Jamaica and Natalie had never in her life known such happiness.  Nick, 
through his friend Michael, had arranged for a small fashion show at the house 
on the day after their arrival. Nat had been hesitant to buy much, she still had 
an intense practical side that questioned spending money for clothes she 
wouldn't be wearing to work, but Nick had taken over buying a complete wardrobe 
for her to enjoy. She had to admit that he had excellent taste in choosing 
clothes for her. 'He must have picked some of that up from all those centuries 
around Janette.' She thought with a silent laugh. 




They had gone into Kingston for dinner the past two nights, and Nat had 
delighted in all the new and varied tastes that Jamaican cuisine offered. So far 
this evening, they hadn't managed to get out of the house. Nat blushed slightly, 
remembering why. 'Well it IS my honeymoon.' She thought. 




Nick stepped silently into the kitchen.  He wore only a short robe, his eyes 
searched the room, and immediately found Nat as she stood framed in the light 
from the setting sun. He glanced at the angle of the light, and knew that it was 
low enough in the sky for him to be able to safely approach her.  Moving behind 
her, he slipped his arms around her waist, causing her to turn a smiling face to 
him. "Have I told you today how much I love you?" He said as he nuzzled her 
neck. 




Nat leaned against him. "Mmm, I think so, but I never mind hearing it again." 
She replied. 




Nick tightened his embrace. "I love you beyond anything else in my existence. 
You are my existence." He said. 




Nat turned in his arms. "And you are mine. Oh, Nick, I was just thinking that 
I've never been as happy in my life, as I have since our wedding."  Her eyes 
shown with her love for him, and she saw it answered in his. They stood for 
several minutes, watching the last of the sunset's colors fading from the sky, 
content to just be with one another. 




Nick looked at the now dark sky. "How about a swim?" he asked, indicating the 
pool. 




"Sure," Nat said, "just let me go get my suit." 




Nick hugged her. "Why? There's no one here but us." He gave her an impish grin. 
"We can go skinny dipping." 




Nat met his grin with one of her own. "Okay, but I am going to go get some 
towels. YOU might not feel chilled when you get out of the water, but I still 
do." 




Nick nodded, "Okay, I'll meet you outside." He watched her pad barefoot toward 
the linen closet then went outdoors. He paused to turn on the underwater lights 
then stripped off his robe and dove into the warm water of the pool. 




  
Natalie stepped out into the warm tropical night and laid the towels on a 
poolside table. The air, scented with the aroma of countless tropical blossoms, 
caressed her skin. She slipped off the light robe that she wore and let it fall 
to the ground. She paused for a moment, nude, before moving gracefully toward 
the heated pool. 




Slowly, she slid into the water, luxuriating at the feel of it on her breasts.  
She moved through the water to where Nick was waiting for her.  As she slipped 
into his arms, her hungry mouth found his. She laced her fingers through Nick's 
hair, as he plunged his tongue deeply into her mouth. 




She felt his hands as they slowly caressed first her back, then moved farther 
down to cup her buttocks. As she pressed against him, Nat could feel his arousal 
against her abdomen. She gave a small gasp of surprise as she felt Nick lift her 
into his arms. 




"What are you doing, Nick?" Nat panted. 




"I just happened to think of a wonderful use for that." Nick indicated a 
floating lounge chair. 




"Um, Nick," Nat said, eyeing the chair, "I don't think that will hold both of 
us." 




Nick smiled, his eyes sparkling. "It doesn't have to. For what I have in mind, 
it only has to hold you." 




Nat looked at him and smiled back. The past few days had been spent mainly 
eating, sleeping and making love. 




'The perfect honeymoon!' Nat thought. 




Nick carried her over to the float, and gently placed her on it. "Just lie back, 
and leave the rest to me." He whispered. Kissing her, he slowly made his way 
down her body. His cool lips caused her to shiver with pleasure as he teased her 
nipples and moved down her abdomen.  Lying on the float, Nat had a sense of 
weightlessness. There was nothing to distract her from the wonderful sensations 
that flowed through her body. 




She felt the float rock slightly and opened her eyes. Nick had pulled the float 
into the shallow section of the pool. As Nat watched, he ducked briefly 
underwater; coming back up with his head and shoulders in the section of the 
float that was open to allow the person using it to dangle their feet in the 
water if they wished.  This placed him between Nat's legs, with his face on a 
level with her mound. 




Nat's smile widened as she suddenly realized just how Nick planned to use the 
float. She moved down in the chair to more easily enable him to reach her. 




Nick planted kisses along the inside of Nat's thighs, licking his way toward her 
core. As he reached the curly hair that covered her soft, sensitive center, he 
gently parted it with his fingers. Moving his mouth to her, he began to slowly 
trace the outline of her labia and to circle her clit with his tongue. He heard 
Nat gasp with pleasure as he softly sucked on her most sensitive area. 




Nat lay back in the float and closed her eyes. The waves of pleasure that were 
emanating from Nick's actions rolled through her and made her feel as if she 
were flying. She moaned as he teased her clit with his tongue, while at the same 
time sliding his fingers into her vagina. 




Nick began to slowly move his fingers back and forth in Nat, while at the same 
time gradually increasing the speed and pressure with which he licked her. He 
massaged her thighs and abdomen with his other hand, feeling the gradual 
tightening of her muscles as she rose toward her climax. Nick didn't rush, he 
slowed his movements slightly and when he felt her relax a bit, only then did he 
renew his attentions. 




Nat sighed and gasped as Nick brought her to the very edge of orgasm. When he 
slowed his movements, she moaned in frustration. As he once again renewed his 
attentions, she felt herself rising to a climax that was stronger than any she 
had ever experienced. 




Nick smiled as Nat cried out his name, and he felt her body shudder with wave 
after wave of contractions. As her muscles finally relaxed, he eased himself 
from between her legs, and slipped back out to the side of the float. 




Nat lay still, trying to catch her breath. She sensed Nick beside her and opened 
her eyes.  "That was wonderful." She said, breathlessly. As Nick picked her up 
in his arms, she wrapped her arms about his neck. "Do you know what I'd like to 
do now?" She asked. 




Nick raised an eyebrow. "No, what?" 




"I'd like to return the favor and make you feel as wonderful as I do right now." 
Nat said. 




Nick smiled and carried her toward the house. "What about getting you some 
dinner?" he asked as he walked. 




"You are all the dinner I need." Nat replied with a wicked smile as she lightly 
nibbled Nick's neck. His look of eager anticipation caused her heart to feel 
full of joy. She loved to be able to give Nick the pleasure and love that he had 
so long denied himself. She lay her hand against his face. "I love you so much." 
She murmured as he carried her into the house. 
  
Nick set her on her feet, his arms pulling her against him. Her love made him 
feel as though nothing else mattered, not his vampirism, not LaCroix, and not 
any of the rest of the world. He wanted only to be with Natalie, to hold her and 
to share their love for one another. Her happiness was his only concern and an 
idea came to him of something that he was sure would please her. As Nat led him 
back toward their bed, he smiled not only because of the pleasure he knew 
awaited him there, but also in anticipation of Nat's reaction to his newly 
thought of surprise. He made a mental note to set the wheels in motion for this 
in the morning, then gave himself over to Nat's loving hands. 




The sun had been up only a few hours when Nick carefully eased out of the bed. 
Nat was deeply asleep, her hair fanned out on the pillow, one hand tucked 
beneath her cheek. Nick smiled as he recalled how they'd spent the just ended 
night, relishing not only the physical pleasures of their lovemaking but, even 
more important, the shared emotional commitment to one another. Nick had long 
despaired ever knowing that type of closeness and was still in awe that he had 
been so blessed in finding Nat. Nick could not resist planting a soft kiss on 
her cheek and murmuring a silent prayer of thanks. Nat sighed and smiled in her 
sleep as Nick silently left the room and headed for the phone in the front 
parlor. 




Tracy Vetter mumbled as she reached for the phone. A glance at the clock told 
her she'd only been asleep for about an hour and she was less than pleased at 
the interruption. Normally, she would still be awake but, with Nick away on his 
honeymoon, she had to take care of all of the paper work for their cases. 'Not 
that Nick ever does that much paper work anyway.' She thought with a grin. She 
sighed. Nick did a lot more of the other work than Tracy had ever realized, or 
given him credit for doing.  Lifting the receiver, she muttered a sleepy, 
"Hello?" into the mouthpiece. 




"Tracy, did I wake you?" Nick's voice asked. 




"Nick! Yeah, but it's okay. Why are you calling? Is something wrong?" Tracy 
babbled, startled to hear his voice. 




Nick laughed. "Nothings wrong, I just need to ask you to do me a favor and I 
didn't want to take the chance of Nat overhearing." He smiled as he pictured 
Nat's reaction to his plan.  "I want this to be a surprise for her when we get 
home."  He quickly explained what he had in mind and was pleased to hear Tracy's 
reaction to it. 




"Nick that sounds wonderful! Nat will love it, I'm sure." Tracy said, all 
thoughts of sleep gone. "When do you need me to let the workers into the 
building?" She listened, and noted the times on a pad she kept near the bed. 
"I'm glad to be able to help," she told Nick, "and you will let me use it too?" 
She laughed as she heard Nick's quick assurance. They chatted for a few more 
minutes, the pleasure in Nick's voice telling Tracy just how much he was 
enjoying being a married man, then hung up.  Tracy looked at the clock. She 
could get a few more hours of sleep before going over to Nick's. Pulling the 
covers over herself, she smiled wistfully as she thought of how lucky Nat was to 
have someone love her as deeply as Nick obviously did. 
  




March 21-about 3:15pm (Jamaica) 




Nat placed the final items in her suitcase and closed the lid. She looked around 
the room smiling even as she listened to the rain pounding out against the roof. 
An unexpected strong storm was headed for the islands and, as a result, she and 
Nick were cutting their official honeymoon short and returning to Toronto a day 
earlier than planned.  Nat didn't mind, although the trip had been wonderful she 
knew that it didn't matter where she was with Nick, for them the honeymoon would 
never end. Hearing Nick's footsteps in the hall, she walked over to meet him at 
the door. 




"I've changed the reservations and we're booked on Air Canada flight 982 leaving 
at 5:50 this afternoon." Nick said. " This storm means it will take us at least 
an hour to get there, so we'll have to leave soon." He smiled. "The good part is 
that it will make it dark enough, that I shouldn't have any problems." 




"I've got everything packed," Nat said, looking around the room. "It'll be good 
to be back home, but I am going to miss that pool." Nat sighed. "We did have 
some wonderful times in there." 




Nick nuzzled her neck. "Indeed we did," he said with a smile. "We could always 
have a pool like that installed at the loft. There's plenty of room on the 
ground floor."  He watched carefully to see her reaction. 




"Really? I hadn't thought about that." Nat said. "Do you think we could look 
into it when we get back? And find a float chair exactly like the one here?" She 
added with a seductive glance, her hands softly caressing Nick's chest. 




"Oh, definitely the same kind of chair." Nick said, as he planted light kisses 
on her lips. He was looking forward to Nat's reaction to the surprise he had 
waiting for her in Toronto. He hoped that everything would be finished, although 
Tracy had assured him in their last conversation that everything was going 
according to schedule. 




"I guess we're all set." Nat said. "We'd better start loading the car." 




Nick nodded and picked up several of the suitcases. "I think we should come back 
here every year for our anniversary." Nick remarked as they left the room. 




Nat smiled, "That would be wonderful!" She kissed his cheek. "You are spoiling 
me, you know?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with happiness. 




"Good! You deserve to be spoiled and I love seeing you looking this happy." Nick 
said. 




Nat's expression softened into a look of pure love. "So long as you are with me, 
I'd be happy in a shack." 




"Maybe, but it's just as easy to be happy with a few comforts." Nick said. 
"Although if you really want to live in a shack..." He teased. 




"Hmm, now that you put it that way, I think the current arrangements are fine." 
Nat said laughing. They paused in the front hall to put on rain gear, then 
headed for the car. 




The drive to the airport was, thankfully, uneventful. The majority of the people 
on the island were busy with making sure that their homes were secure against 
the storm heading their way. The storm clouds made the afternoon dark enough 
that Nick was comfortable driving, even if he did look a bid odd in dark 
sunglasses. Nat was glad to let him handle the vehicle; the heavy rain made 
visibility difficult and she had no desire to try and negotiate the narrow, 
unfamiliar streets.  She gave a small sigh of relief when they pulled into the 
covered parking area provided by the car rental company. 




Despite the weather, the flight departed on time. 




"Is Tracy going to meet us at the airport?" Nat asked, sipping the glass of wine 
provided by the flight attendants. 




"No, I thought we'd just hire a cab." Nick said, slipping his arm around her. 
"If she has to work tonight, I'd hate to make her feel bad about not being able 
to get us." He explained. 




"Be sure that the cab has a good working heater," Nat said chuckling. "I left my 
winter coat with Tracy, remember?" 




Nick pulled her closer to him. "I will personally make sure that you stay warm." 




Nat raised an eyebrow. "I think I like the sound of that. Maybe I'll just let 
Tracy keep my coat permanently." 




Nick chuckled and kissed her. They spent the rest of the flight talking softly, 
taking joy in the mere fact that they were together. Shortly before 10:00pm the 
plane landed in Toronto. After claiming their bags and clearing customs, Nick 
secured a cab, making certain it was very well heated, and they headed home to 
the loft. 




Tracy Vetter stood with her hands on her hips and surveyed the room around her. 
She gingerly rotated her shoulders, sore from moving several heavy planters 
around. A satisfied smile formed on her face as she took in the amazing change 
in the area. 




"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" She said to her companion. 




"It really is." Vachon replied. "You feel like you're in the tropics here, not 
the middle of snowy Toronto."  He inhaled deeply enjoying the variety of scents 
from the collection of night blooming plants that surrounded them.  "Knight will 
be very pleased. You've done a nice job, Trace." 




Tracy grinned. She'd spent virtually all of the free time in the past week 
overseeing the final work on Nick's surprise for Natalie.  A once dark, barren 
area of the ground floor of the building that housed Nick's loft was now a 
tropical paradise of vines, flowers and small shrubs.  Hidden growth bulbs would 
provide ample light for them and the moisture from the newly installed pool and 
spa would help to keep them healthy. A small artificial waterfall tumbled down 
moss covered rocks, making an almost musical sound.  The overall effect was one 
of peaceful comfort. A new lift had been installed to enable Nick and Nat to go 
directly from the bedroom area of the loft to the pool.  Flanking its doors were 
wickerwork cabinets already stocked with large towels and an armoire that held a 
number of dark blue, thick terrycloth robes. 




"You wouldn't believe it, but the hardest part of all this was finding that 
floating lounge chair." Tracy said shaking her head. "I'm not sure why, but Nick 
was very specific that it had to be THAT model." 




Vachon eyed the chair in question for a moment before grinning. 'Knight is more 
imaginative than I've given him credit' He thought. 




"What?" Tracy asked, seeing the look on his face. "Do you know why it had to be 
that one?" 




"Let's just say I can make an educated guess." Vachon said. "After all, they 
were on their honeymoon." 




Tracy looked back at the chair, a blush clearly spreading over her face. "You 
don't mean...I mean Nick?" She stuttered. 




Vachon laughed. "He's a man, and he's most definitely in love." He leaned closer 
to Tracy. "You want to try it?" 




Tracy's blush deepened. "Don't be silly. I do have to admit that the hot tub 
looks very inviting." 




"So why don't we give it a test run?" Vachon asked. 




"I don't know," Tracy said, hesitating. "I mean, what if someone came in or 
something?" 




"Who? The Knights aren't due back until tomorrow night." Vachon smiled and 
reached out to stroke Tracy's cheek. "Come on, you don't have to skinny dip. You 
can leave your bra and panties on."  He gently rubbed her shoulders. "Just think 
of how soothing that nice warm water will feel on your poor, sore muscles." 




Tracy glanced at her watch and saw that it was just a little after 11:00pm. If 
she went home now, all she'd have to look forward to was an evening alone. The 
water did look inviting and, in a manner of speaking, she felt like all her hard 
work had earned her the right to use the pool.  "Okay, it does sound good." 
Tracy relented. Her bra and panties would provide as much coverage as most 
swimsuits, more than some of the more revealing styles. She walked to the 
cabinet, removed two towels then paused by the armoire. "Do you want a robe?" 
she inquired of Vachon. 




"No, I'll be fine." Vachon's voice was slightly muffled as he pulled the sweater 
he was wearing over his head. His boots and socks were already off. 




Tracy paused, admiring the sleek lines of his body. Her eyes widened as he 
stripped off his jeans she realized that he wasn't an underwear person. 
"Vachon!" She exclaimed, quickly averting her eyes. 




"I said you didn't have to skinny dip, Trace, not that I wasn't going to." 
Vachon laughed as he slid into the water. "Oh this is nice. Hurry up and join 
me." 




Feeling somewhat self-conscious, Tracy removed her clothes, neatly folding each 
item before stacking it on a table. From the corner of her eye, she could see 
Vachon watching her every move and the look on his face told her he liked what 
he saw.  At last she eased into the water. "This is more than nice, this is 
heavenly." She sighed as the warm water eased the soreness of her muscles. 




"It sure is" Vachon said quietly, noticing that the water had made Tracy's bra 
and panties virtually transparent. He moved over close to her and eyeing the 
float asked, "You sure you don't want to give that a try?" 




A part of Tracy was tempted to say yes but instead she responded, "I don't think 
so, at least not tonight." She smiled, a little sadly at Vachon. 




Vachon reached up to stroke her face, then moved closer.  "But one day?" He said 
as he gently kissed her. 




Tracy felt herself respond to Vachon's kiss, the warmth of the water relaxing 
her. She leaned into, him enjoying the feel of his body against hers. She felt 
her heart speed up as Vachon's hands softly explored her body, easily slipping 
beneath the light bra she wore. She moaned softly and gave herself over to the 
sensations. 
  
  




"Brrrr! I'd forgotten how cold it is this time year." Nat said as she and Nick 
rode up to the loft in the lift. "I can't wait to get in front of a nice fire 
and warm up." 




Nick hugged her to him. "At least we're here and we really made good time. It's 
only 11:15." He smiled to himself as he thought of how pleased Nat was going to 
be with the new pool. A nice dip in it should warm her up very well.  He kissed 
her on the temple. "I think I know of an even better way than a fire to help you 
warm up." 




Nat looked at him, "Oh? Well I'm certainly willing to try it." 




"Good, but you have to do exactly as I tell you. Okay?" Nick said, grinning. 




"What are you up to?" Nat asked, smiling. "You look like a cat in a creamery." 




"If you promise, you'll find out." Nick said. 




"Okay, okay, I promise!" Nat laughed. "What do I have to do?" She asked as the 
lift came to a stop. 




Nick opened the door and held it for her. "First wait here while I do start a 
fire and turn up the heat a bit. Then, we'll go upstairs." 




Nat waited as Nick got a blaze started in the fireplace. Taking his hand she 
climbed upstairs. "Okay, what's next?" 




"Now you close your eyes and no peeking before I tell you to open them." Nick 
said sounding like an excited little boy. 




Nat could see that Nick was positively bursting with excitement, so she 
obediently closed her eyes. She let him lead her toward the bedroom, but instead 
of finding herself on the bed as she'd imagined she could tell from the feeling 
of motion that they were in another lift? "Nick?" She started to ask. 




"Only a few more moments, Nat, then you can look." Nick stood with his back to 
the lift door. He wanted to see Nat's face when she saw the pool. The lift came 
to a halt and he heard the door starting to open. "Okay you can look now. 
Surprise!" As he said the words, Nick became aware of a second mortal heartbeat 
and the sounds of more than one person in the room behind him. He saw Nat's eyes 
widen, first in delight then in some other emotion. Nick started to turn. 




Nat opened her eyes to a tropical paradise. Warm air wafted against her face as 
she looked around, and spotted two people whom her and Nick's arrival had 
obviously interrupted. Nat fought back a wave of laughter as Tracy and Vachon 
realized they had company. Vachon just smiled, somewhat sheepishly, but poor 
Tracy turned red as a beet and looked like she wished the earth would open up 
and swallow her. Nat realized that even though she was still technically wearing 
a bra, and Nat suspected panties, Tracy would be less than happy for Nick to see 
her in her current condition. A slight movement from Nick caused Nat to grab his 
arms. "Trust me, you do NOT want to turn around right now." Nat said, barely 
able to speak so great was the urge to dissolve in laughter. 




"Why? That's Tracy's heart beat. What's wrong?" Nick asked concerned. Nick heard 
what was definitely Tracy's voice, give a small cry of dismay. 




"Nothing, that I can see, except I don't think she and Vachon were expecting 
company." Nat said as Tracy's head disappeared under the surface of the water. 
Nat gave Nick a meaningful look. 'If he were mortal, it might be a contest to 
see whether he or Tracy could blush the most.' Nat thought as Nick's expression 
clearly showed he understood what she had implied. 




"What do we do?" Nick asked. 




"Hold on." Nat said quietly to him.  In a louder voice she called out, "Tracy, 
Vachon, we're going back upstairs. You're both welcome to join us." A concerned 
look passed over her face. "Vachon, try to see that she surfaces for air? I'd 
hate to have her drown herself for no reason."  Finally unable to hold it in any 
longer, Nat punched the up button and burst out laughing. 




Nick looked at her, upset that his planned surprise had been interrupted, and 
extremely grateful that he'd decided that they could disrobe poolside instead of 
upstairs, then caught the humor of the situation and joined Nat. 




"I'm sorry Nick, but the look on both your and Tracy's faces..." Nat had to stop 
speaking as another bout of laughter overtook her. 




"When I wanted you to be surprised, that was NOT what I had in mind." Nick 
confessed. 




Nat got herself under control. "Nick it's beautiful, I love it, and I love you 
for thinking of it." She told him sincerely. "Thank you, it's like we have a 
little part of our honeymoon here with us."  She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. 




"I just want you to be happy." Nick said. 




"I am happy, whenever I'm with you." Nat replied. "Well, I'd better see about 
making some tea for Tracy and myself. You can find that bottle of bloodwine that 
Vachon left here at Christmas."  Arms around each other's waists, they went 
downstairs. 
  




"Come on, Tracy, time to get some air." Vachon said as he lifted Tracy up out of 
the water. 




Tracy gasped for air, then looked around. "Are they gone?" She asked, 
plaintively. At Vachon's affirmative nod, she buried her face in her hands. "How 
am I EVER going to live this down, never mind explain it?" She moaned. "Nick 
must be furious with me! I spoiled his surprise for Nat." 




"I don't know she looked pretty surprised to me," Vachon said. 




Tracy glared at him. "This is YOUR fault. You're the one who talked me into it! 
How come you didn't sense that they were there?" She closed her eyes. "I'm 
sorry. I didn't mean that." She apologized. "It's just that I know this was 
important to Nick and I feel so bad about ruining it." 




"I was otherwise occupied at the time." Vachon said grinning. "Besides, they 
weren't suppose to be back until tomorrow night, remember? If it's anyone's 
fault it's theirs for coming home a day early." 




Tracy knotted her brow, "I wonder why they did come back early? You don't think 
they had a fight or something?"  She watched as Vachon got out of the pool and 
wrapped a towel around his waist. 




"No, they didn't look like people who'd been fighting," Vachon said. He 
shrugged. "Why don't you get out, dry off and then we'll go on upstairs and find 
out why they're here early." He saw the panic in Tracy's eyes. "Look, you're 
going to have to face Knight eventually. Would you rather do it in the squad 
room?" Vachon picked up a robe and held it open for Tracy as she got out of the 
pool. After slipping it on her he nuzzled her neck. "I'll be there with you and 
I'll even take the blame." He said in her ear. 




Tracy leaned back against him, the feel of his arms around her calming her. "No, 
I'll explain to Nick." She said, then turned to face him. "It was worth however 
angry he might be." 




Vachon smiled and kissed her softly. "Somehow, I don't think he's going to be 
angry." He reassured her. He released her and she finished drying off. They both 
dressed then, deciding that entering through Nick and Nat's bedroom might be a 
bit too much, went through to the main lift and went upstairs. 
  




A short time later, a vastly relieved Tracy and Vachon departed. Nick had 
finally convinced her that he wasn't at all angry and then he and Tracy spent 
several minutes apologizing to one another, while Nat and Vachon watched in 
amusement. Nat finally put a halt to it by bringing out the presents she'd 
bought in Jamaica for Tracy and Vachon and soon all lingering awkwardness was 
gone. 




When the lift had closed behind Vachon and Tracy, Nick turned to Nat. "Feel up 
to taking a closer look at the pool?" He asked. 




Nat grinned, "I thought you'd never ask." She paused and then chuckled. "I saw 
the float chair, at least they weren't trying that out." 




Nick put his arm around her and led her to the stairs. "What do you say we go 
inaugurate that?" The passion-filled kiss Nat gave him told him her answer. 




(Three months later) 




Joe Reese paused in the door to his office watching Miller walk down the hall. 
He glanced down at the slip of paper in his hand and a look of sorrow crossed 
his face. "No point in putting it off," he muttered. "Damn, I hate this sort of 
thing!"  Reese walked into the squad room, silently noting the air of calm 
efficiency, and headed to where Nick and Tracy were working at their desks. 
They both looked up as he neared them. 




"Nick, I need to see you in my office." Reese said. 




Nick nodded and stood. He shrugged at Tracy's questioning glance, having no idea 
of what was wrong. Nick was sure, by the look on Reese's face and the general 
mien of the captain, that something was wrong. 




Once in Reese's office, Nick sat down in the chair indicated. "What is it?" he 
asked. 




"Nick," Reese said quietly, "Miller just took a call from the Vancouver PD. They 
have two car wreck victims in the hospital there and need us to notify the next 
of kin." 




Nick looked at Reese's face and a cold sense of dread filled him. "That's 
usually a task given to an uniformed officer. Why do you need to see me because 
of this?" 




Reese grimaced, "The next of kin that the Vancouver PD is trying to locate is 
Natalie." He saw the look of shock that crossed Nick's face. 




"Nat?" Nick said, shaken. He knew that it had to be Sara and Amy. Sara was the 
only child of only children. Her parents had died shortly after she'd married 
Richard, leaving her without any other relatives. Upon Richard's death, Nat had 
become the only family she had. Hoping that he was mistaken, he asked, "Is it 
Sara and Amy?" 




Reese nodded. "I'm afraid so. Miller, of course, recognized Natalie's name and 
came to me." He handed Nick the piece of paper with a phone number written on 
it. "That's the number for the hospital. Nick, from what the Vancouver police 
said it sounds bad. I figured that it might be easier for Natalie to hear this 
from you. Go ahead and book off for the night. She's going to need you." 




Nick stood. "Thanks, Captain. I think I'll try and see if the hospital will give 
me some details before I talk to Nat."  Nick sighed. "If it's as bad as it 
sounds, I know she'll need to go out there." 




Reese looked up at Nick. "Tell her that we all hope everything works out okay." 




"I will," Nick assured him and left the office. 




"Nick? What happened?" Tracy asked as he returned to his desk. 




"Sara and Amy have been hurt in a car wreck." Nick told her, "I'm going to see 
if I can get some details, then I'm going to go tell Nat." 




Tracy covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, no!  Is there anything I can do to 
help?" 




"If you could arrange to have someone bring Nat's car to the loft, that would be 
a great help." Nick said. 




"I'll bring it myself. I'll get a patrol car to give me a lift back here." Tracy 
said. 




Nick gave her a small smile and picked up the phone. 
  




Nick sat in his car outside the Coroner's building, dreading he pain he was 
about to inflict on Nat.  His conversation with the hospital in Vancouver had 
yielded little help, except to underscore how seriously Sara and Amy had been 
injured. Nick knew how much Nat cared about her sister-in-law and niece, 
especially since Richard's death. He sighed. Sitting here wasn't going to change 
the situation.  A movement beside him reminded Nick that he wasn't alone in the 
car. 




"Thanks again, Tracy." He looked at her with sad, haunted eyes. "I guess I'd 
better go get this over." 




Tracy reached over and gave Nick's arm a squeeze. "Tell Nat how sorry I am." 




Nick nodded, got out of the car, and headed toward the door. He waited, holding 
the door open for Tracy, then entered the building.  As they walked down the 
familiar corridor, Nick dampened his emotions. As the vampire element in Nat's 
blood multiplied, the bond between them was steadily strengthening. Nick didn't 
want her to sense his turmoil, much less the reason for it, before he was 
physically with her. He could tell from his many prior visits here that she was 
in her office. 




Grace looked up from her desk and smiled seeing Nick and Tracy approaching. The 
smile faded as she took in the grim expressions on their faces. "Nick. Tracy." 
She said uncertainly. Tracy stopped at her desk, but Nick didn't even pause. 
"Tracy, what's going on?" Grace asked her friend. 




Nick heard Tracy's murmured explanation, and Grace's subdued expression of 
dismay, as he headed toward Nat's office. He'd have to apologize to Grace later. 
She had always been a good friend to Nat, and he regretted not being able to 
personally tell her what was wrong, but right now all he could think of was 
reaching Nat. 




He paused in the doorway, watching silently as Nat finished writing up some 
notes on an autopsy chart. As always when he looked at Nat, Nick couldn't help 
but feel somehow blessed that she loved him. He drew a deep breath as she looked 
up and saw him, her face breaking into a smile. 




"Nick!" Nat said as she looked up and saw her husband standing, watching her 
from the doorway. The smile that lit her face at the sight of him suddenly froze 
as she both saw the sadness in his eyes and sensed it through their bond. 
"What's wrong, Nick?" She asked, her mind going back to the last time she'd seen 
such a look on Nick's face; the night he'd told her that Cynthia's body had been 
found. She stood up as he walked into the office and took her hands in his. 




"Nat, I..I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you." Nick began. He could hear 
Nat's heartbeat increase and he gripped her hands gently. "There's been an 
accident." Nick paused and swallowed. "We got a call from Vancouver. Sara and 
Amy have been hurt in a car wreck." 




Nat listened in disbelief to Nick's words. "Do you know how badly they've been 
injured?" She heard herself calmly say even as her mind was screaming in 
rejection of the news. 




"I called Vancouver General, that's the hospital they're at, and spoke to a Dr. 
Kraft." Nick said. "He wouldn't tell me much, I'm not technically the next of 
kin." Nick paused, then added, "But from what he said, it's very serious." He 
felt a lump forming in his throat as he saw the devastated look in Nat's eyes. 
Nick couldn't help but remember seeing that same look the night he'd had to tell 
Nat that they'd found the body of her Goddaughter, Cynthia, and when Richard had 
died. 




Nat forced herself to stay calm. "Do you have his number? I want to hear exactly 
what their conditions are."  She took the slip of paper Nick handed her and 
picked up the phone. After she had to start over dialing the number for the 
second time, Nick quietly reached over and dialed it for her. She welcomed his 
nearness and the calming hand he laid on her shoulder. 




After several minutes, Nat was connected with Dr. Kraft. She quickly explained 
her relationship to Sara and Amy and the fact that she was also a doctor. As Nat 
listened to this stranger describe what had happened, her heart sank. When he 
described Sara's injuries, Nat could feel her entire body start to tremble. Sara 
had been brought into the trauma center in a coma with several broken bones, and 
serious internal injuries. In addition to all this, and of far greater concern, 
she had suffered a severe closed head injury. At the present time, she was in 
critical and unstable condition and efforts were being made to stabilize her 
enough to attempt the surgeries she needed if there was to be any hope of her 
survival. 




In a voice that was barely controlled, Nat asked, "What about Amy?" Nat felt her 
heart relax a little as she learned that her niece, though critical, was stable. 
She, too, had suffered a head injury but hers did not appear to be as severe as 
Sara's was.  Amy was semi-conscious, and did respond to stimuli. She, like her 
mother, had some broken bones, but Amy did not appear to have any serious 
internal injuries.  Dr. Kraft added that both of the women had been wearing 
their seat belts, as evidenced by the bruising that the restraints had inflicted 
on them. 




"Will you be coming to Vancouver?" Dr. Kraft's voice asked. 




"I.." Nat hesitated. She wanted to be there for Sara and Amy but wasn't sure how 
Nick would react to her leaving for an extended period. It was only a second 
before she heard Nick's soft whisper in her ear telling her that he'd already 
booked her a seat on the first flight out in the morning.  "Yes, my husband just 
told me that he's already arranged for me to fly out in the morning." She told 
Dr. Kraft. 




"I'll see you then, I hope that I'll have better news for you then." Dr. Kraft 
replied. It seemed to Nat that he was about to say more; but instead, he merely 
said goodbye and hung up. 




Nat stood for a moment holding the silent receiver in her hand. Her mind was 
spinning, still unwilling to accept what she'd just heard. She felt Nick gently 
pry the phone from her hand, then wrap his arms around her. Turning in his arms, 
Nat laid her head against his chest, hugging him to her in a desperate need to 
feel safe. She didn't allow herself to cry, half-afraid that if she started she 
might not be able to stop. 




Nick could feel Nat's turmoil through their link, and tightened his hold on her. 
He stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. He wished with all his soul that he 
could have spared her this pain, for now all he could do was try and comfort her 
as best he could. "When you're ready, I'll take you home," he told her as he 
laid his cheek against the top of her head. 




Nat looked up at him. "Thank you for understanding that I need to be out there 
with them," she said in a shaky voice. 




"Of course you do." Nick replied, stroking the side of her face. "Sara and Amy 
are part of our family. I only wish that I could go with you in the morning." 




"Nick, from what Dr. Kraft said, there is a strong probability that Sara is not 
going to make it." Nat shut her eyes, but not before Nick saw the pained, 
haunted look in them. "I can't believe that this is happening." She laid her 
head back against his chest. 




Nick kissed her hair. "Let's go home." 




With a sigh, Nat let go of him and gathered her things. "I need to tell Grace 
what's happened." She said. 




"She knows," Nick said, "Tracy is waiting at her desk to drive your car back to 
the loft." 




"Oh, I hate to put her to the trouble. I can drive." Nat said. 




"Nat, please, ride with me." Nick said. "It will make me feel better and Tracy 
doesn't mind bringing your car. Reese has already arranged for a patrol car to 
pick her up at the loft and bring her back to the station."  He relaxed as he 
saw Nat nod in agreement. 




After receiving Grace's sympathy and once again thanking Tracy, Nick and Nat 
were soon headed back to the loft. During the drive home, Nick could tell that 
Nat was reaching the end of her control. It wasn't until they were alone, on the 
lift that the held back tears began to flow down her cheeks. In an instant, Nick 
had his arms around her holding her fiercely as she at last broke down and 
sobbed. When the lift stopped, he lifted her and carried her into the loft. 
Crossing to the leather couch he sat, holding her on his lap, and rocked her 
gently as one would a small child.  He could feel her hurt, pain and anger over 
what had happened and sought to soothe her, while at the same time allowing her 
the much needed release of her emotions.  Some twenty minutes later Nat's tears 
had slowed to an occasional ragged sob. 




She raised her head, her face swollen and puffy from the tears she'd shed and 
looked at Nick. "I'm sorry." She started to say. 




"Nothing for you to feel sorry about, my love." Nick said. "You've had a 
terrible shock and you needed to cry." He eased her from his lap. "Sit here, I'm 
going to make you some tea," he said as he handed her a box of tissues. He was 
just pouring the water into the teapot to steep, when Nick felt LaCroix's 
presence.  Turning, he saw his father standing near the staircase, regarding 
Nat, who was unaware of him, with an expression of concern.  Not wanting her to 
be startled by LaCroix, Nick spoke quietly. "What are you doing here, LaCroix?" 




"I couldn't help but sense that you, BOTH of you, were dreadfully upset. It 
caused me concern, so I came to find out what the problem is," LaCroix said, 
never taking his eyes from Natalie. "Have you suddenly regretted your situation, 
my dear?" He inquired. 




Nat gave him a sharp look. "My relationship with Nick is something that I not 
only do not regret, but for which I am more thankful every day." 




Nick spoke. "Sara and Amy Lambert, Nat's sister-in-law and niece, were in a car 
accident earlier tonight. They're both in critical condition."  It pleased Nick 
to see that his statement managed to make LaCroix look somewhat embarrassed. 




"Indeed. I do apologize." LaCroix said. 




"Fine," Nick said, "now if you don't mind, we'd like to be alone." 




LaCroix looked coolly at Nick. "Of course." He turned to face Nat. "If I can be 
of help to you, in any way." With a nod to both of them, he was gone. 




Nat sank back against the couch as Nick carried the tea things over. "Don't 
worry, Nick. I'm not going to make the same mistake with Sara that I made with 
Richard." 




Nick sat beside her. "I never thought you would." He handed her a cup of tea. 
"Drink this, then I'll help you pack. After that's done you should try and get 
some sleep." 




Nat accepted the tea. "I don't think I can sleep." She sipped at the hot liquid 
then laid her head on Nick's shoulder, drawing strength from his presence. They 
sat quietly while she finished the beverage then together they climbed upstairs. 
It only took a few minutes for Nat to pack. She automatically filled her 
suitcase, unable to forget the last time she had packed it and how much happier 
an occasion that had been. She was glad that Nick had come up with her; she 
needed his closeness. When she had finished packing, Nick lifted the suitcase 
from the bed and sat it near the bedroom door. 
  




"Nat, you should lie down for a while. It's only a little after midnight and 
Tracy won't be coming to pick you up to take you to the airport until after 
6:30am." Nick said, looking at her with concern. "Even if you don't sleep, at 
least you'll get some rest. You'll need your strength tomorrow." 




"You're right." Nat agreed. She looked at him. "Stay with me a while?" 




"I hadn't planned on doing anything else." Nick said. To his dismay, he 
desperately wanted was to make love to her knowing that Nat would be gone until 
the situation in Vancouver was over. 'She's worried sick over Sara and Amy and 
all I can do is think of my own selfish pleasure.' Nick mentally chided himself. 




Nat gave him a small smile. "Good." She dropped her eyes. "Nick, I know that 
this may sound terrible, but I want, no I need, you to make love to me." She 
raised her eyes to his. "I know that I should only be worrying about Sara and 
Amy right now, but a part of me is missing you already." 




Nick tilted her face up to his and softly kissed her lips. "I need to make love 
to you, too." He told her. He gently captured her lips and bestowed a deep, 
passionate kiss of great tenderness upon them. 




Nat sighed as Nick embraced her. Her body ached for the feel of his and the 
profound love that his kiss imparted to her brought tears to her eyes. She 
returned it with a matching passion. 




Nick lovingly undressed Nat. His hands sure and gentle as he removed her blouse 
and bra. He cupped her breasts in his hands; tenderly squeezing them as his 
thumbs found the sensitive nipples. He slid his hands down to the waistband of 
her skirt, undoing the button and zipper so that it fell in a pool at her feet. 
Nick lifted her onto the bed. First slipping off her shoes, he then removed her 
panties and hose.  He paused to remove his own shoes and clothing, then joined 
his wife on their bed. 




Nat lay still as Nick's hands softly caressed her body, his cool touch igniting 
waves of pleasure. His mouth placed loving kisses along her jaw and throat, 
causing her heart to beat faster in anticipation of what was to come. She felt 
her body responding to his delicate caresses; ever so slowly beginning to build 
toward the intense pleasure that she knew awaited her. Although Nick was never 
hurried in their lovemaking, tonight he seemed to be lavishing extra time and 
attention upon her. 




Nick plied his skillful hands and mouth upon Nat's body as he sought to savor 
each step of their lovemaking. In the months since he had first dared to fully 
express his love for her, instead of familiarity with Nat's responses to his 
attentions causing this act to be less intense or pleasurable, it had only 
increased his enjoyment. Nick unabashedly worshipped everything about his wife. 
His desire for her grew daily and he exhilarated in pleasuring her. Tonight, 
knowing that it would be days, or more likely weeks, before they would be 
together again, he wanted to prolong their mutual enjoyment as much as possible. 
He had already decided, for only the second time in their relationship, to share 
his blood with her. He wanted to be certain that she knew not only the depth of 
his feelings for her, but that she was not alone during this time. 




Nat writhed and moaned with enjoyment as Nick moved to lightly stroke and suck 
at her clit with his tongue. Her body began to tense as his actions caused 
lightning-like bolts of sensation to emanate from her sensitive core to every 
nerve in her body. The firm but tender manner in which his hands were 
manipulating her breasts added to her pleasure. She felt as if her entire body 
was one large orgasm waiting to burst upon her, like a crashing breaker bursting 
on a beach. Her fingers were entangled in Nick's hair, the silky feel of his 
golden curls adding to her excitement. As the powerful orgasm washed through 
her, she cried out his name, tears running from her closed eyes. Her entire body 
was tensed and then slowly relaxed as the waves of pleasure slowly abated. 




Nick felt Nat's body tense and tasted the change in her juices as she achieved 
her orgasm. His own body was eager for release, his cock hard and dripping. As 
he felt the intensity of her sexual bliss begin to ebb, he shifted from his 
position between her legs. Covering her now flushed body with his cool, pale 
one, he once again began to slowly carry her up the spiral of pleasure. 




To Nat's intense satisfaction, Nick was once again slowly, lovingly arousing 
her. As much as her orgasm had been euphoric in its power, she ached to feel 
Nick inside of her and to share the ultimate intimacy that only came when he 
drank from her. She also wanted him to enjoy his own release. She could feel the 
hard, thickness of his shaft against her abdomen and, reaching down, encircled 
it with her hand. She smiled as she felt the slickness of his pre-climax juices 
and slowly stroked him causing Nick to murmur her name in a deep hoarse voice. 
Nat gazed up into his golden eyes, and saw that his fangs had already descended. 
She wanted to take him into her at that moment, eager for the unique release 
that his drinking from her provided. Nick, however, had other plans and 
refrained from entering her hot, dripping core until she, too, was once again 
panting with the need for release. Only then did he slowly slip his cool, firm 
shaft into her. Even as Nick sighed as Nat's warm, moist vaginal muscles 
surrounded him, she gasped as his hardness filled her completely. 




For several moments they were still, then Nick slowly started to move in her. As 
she met his movements with her own, Nick felt his climax start to pulse deep 
within. His pace increased, as he slid almost totally out of her before plunging 
deep within her welcoming center. As they both reached the verge of their 
climaxes, Nat pulled his head down to her freely offered throat. Nick kissed and 
licked her skin, the sound and scent of the ambrosia he so desired filling his 
head and driving him to ever more intense thrusting. At last, he slid his fangs 
into her pliant skin and drank.  He felt her love for him, always the most 
prevalent of her emotions, as well as the comfort that he had been able to 
provide her this night. Her fears for Sara and Amy were also present and Nick 
sent his reassurance to her through the link they shared.  As his climax surged 
through him and he spurted his seed into her, he slipped his fangs from her neck 
and opened his own wrist offering it to her. 




Nat trembled on the edge of climax when Nick offered his blood to her. She 
remembered how intense, how totally one with him, tasting his blood on their 
wedding night had made her feel and, giving him a look of purest love, covered 
the oozing wound with her lips. The increased presence of the vampire element in 
her blood intensified the impact that this taste of Nick's essence had upon her. 
The power and depth of his love for her was almost overwhelming. Nat's eyes lost 
focus as she retreated inward to fully appreciate the increased acuity of the 
mental bond. Where the last time she had experienced this, the most she'd been 
able to receive was generalized emotions, now she was capable of finer 
discernment. Nat felt his sorrow over Sara and Amy, and his desire to be able to 
somehow give her the strength she needed. "You have my dearest heart." She 
thought and to her joy, she was able to feel his peace as he received the 
message. As the small wound ceased bleeding, the bond faded, but not as much as 
it had the first time. A sudden, complete sense of contentment washed through 
Nat and she was only vaguely aware of Nick sliding from on top of her. She felt 
his arms pull her against him and heard his soft, "Rest now." as she fell into a 
deep, dreamless slumber. 




Nick lay awake the rest of the night, cradling Nat in his arms and watching her 
sleep. He was pleased that his effort to ensure that she'd rest by using their 
bond to influence her had worked.  Shortly before dawn, he gently awakened her, 
knowing that soon Tracy would arrive to take Nat to the airport. With Nat's 
departure, they would have only the memory of the previous night to sustain 
them. 
  




Vancouver, BC 




Nat pulled the rental car into a parking space and sat looking at the hospital 
building before her. She wished that Nick were beside her to give her the 
strength she needed to face what lay ahead. She looked at the gold and ruby ring 
on her left hand and lifted her hand so that the coolness of the jewel was 
against her cheek. Closing her eyes, she remembered the feel of Nick's arms and 
the intensity of their love. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and 
walked into the building. She stopped at the information desk and got directions 
to the critical care unit and soon was sitting in a small room waiting to talk 
with Sara and Amy's doctor. 




The door to the room opened and a tall, dark-haired man entered. 
"I'm Dr. Kraft. You must be Dr. Lambert." He said, extending his hand in 
greeting. 




"Actually, it's Lambert-Knight now. I married several months ago..." Nat broke 
off as she recalled how lovely Amy had looked in her wedding and how happy Sara 
had been.  Steeling herself, she asked, "How are my sister-in-law and niece?" 




Dr. Kraft's face was solemn. "As I told you last night, your niece, while still 
critical, is likely to recover without any serious impairments. She's still only 
semi-conscious, but she is improving. The rest of her injuries, the broken ribs 
and arm, aren't going to be problems." 




Nat said a silent prayer of thanks, then looked back at Dr. Kraft. "And Sara?" 




Dr. Kraft sighed. "Mrs. Lambert has suffered a very severe head injury. She came 
into the ER in a deep coma and thus far, has shown no signs of improvement." He 
sat down and took one of Nat's hands. "We had to do surgery on her last night to 
relieve some of the pressure in her skull. The results were not good. There was 
extensive tissue damage to the brain." 




Nat fought back tears as she listened to Dr. Kraft. She knew from what he was 
saying that even if Sara somehow survived her injuries, the likelihood was that 
she would never be able to take care of herself, much less Amy, again. She was 
aware that Dr. Kraft had finished speaking. "I'd like to see both of them if 
that's possible." She told him. 




"Of course." Dr. Kraft stood and held the door for Nat. He couldn't help but 
admire not only her beauty, but her strength as well. He wondered just how 
married she was? "Since you're a doctor, I'll arrange it so that you can visit 
anytime, not just during the normal hours," he told Nat as they walked down the 
corridor. He would also be sure that he was around to be a comfort to her when 
the inevitable happened with her sister-in-law. 'Who knows? With luck, maybe 
she'll be very grateful to me,' he thought as he allowed his eyes to ogle the 
fullness of her breasts beneath the light blouse she wore. Aloud, he asked, 
"Would you like to see your niece or her mother first?" 




Nat hesitated for only a second. "I'd like to see Amy." Kraft indicated a door 
on the right and Nat moved toward it. Noting that Kraft seemed intent on 
following her, she gave him a small smile. "If you don't mind, I'll go in alone. 
If you'll just point out where Sara is, I won't take up any more of your time."  
She noticed a brief flash of what seemed like disappointment and anger cross his 
face, but he politely told her how to get to Sara's room and then left. 




Nat took a deep breath to calm herself, she could feel her heart racing with 
anxiety, and opened the door. Amy lay on the bed in a pool of light, her pale 
blonde hair spread over the pillow. A bright blue cast encased her right arm. 
A quick glance at the various machines that surrounded Amy reassured Nat that 
her vital signs were strong and steady. Nat quietly walked closer, seeing the 
ugly bruise that ran down the right side of Amy's face from her cheekbone to 
hairline. Nat bent and gently kissed Amy on the forehead. "Amy? Sweetie, can you 
hear me?" Nat said softly. Even though Amy didn't open her eyes, she did stir 
and moan slightly. Nat took Amy's left hand in her own. "Amy, it's Aunt Nat. 
You're going to be okay. If you can hear me squeeze my hand." Nat said. She was 
rewarded a moment later by a slight movement of Amy's hand.  Pulling up a chair, 
Nat sat beside Amy's bed. For nearly a half-hour, she quietly spoke to her niece 
trying to reassure her that she would be all right. Finally, Nat rose. "You must 
rest and get better. I'm going to go check on you mom for a minute, but I'll be 
back in a little while." Nat told her. Fighting back tears at seeing her vibrant 
niece lying so still and pale, Nat kissed her again and headed for the door. 




Once in the hallway, Nat leaned against the wall dreading what she knew she 
would find in Sara's room. Shutting her eyes, she couldn't help thinking of Nick 
and longing for him to be here with her. To her surprise, even as far apart as 
they were, she could still feel the faintest hint of their bond. This mental 
touch, slight as it was, comforted her. She pushed all her love for him into the 
link on the hope that somehow Nick would sense it and know that she was thinking 
of him. 




Nick lay on the couch trying to rest. He chuckled wryly. 'She's been gone only a 
few hours and I'm already in this shape, how am I ever going to manage until she 
gets back?' He thought to himself. Having lived for so many centuries 
emotionally alone, even when he'd been in the physical presence of LaCroix and 
Janette, had made Nick cherish the intimacy and love that he'd found with Nat. 
He closed his eyes and concentrated on the link between them. To his pleasure, 
he found that it was stronger than he'd dared to hope. He wondered if Nat's 
abilities were developed enough to allow her to sense the link? Nick relaxed as 
the familiar, beloved sense of Nat's essence lapped against his consciousness. 
Closing his eyes, he gradually fell into a light sleep. The last thing Nick was 
aware of as sleep claimed him was Sidney's warm, furry body snuggling against 
him. 




Nat opened her eyes, the light contact with Nick having given her the strength 
she needed to face and accept what her intellect told her awaited in Sara's 
room. She walked calmly to the half-shut door and entered. Despite knowing what 
awaited her inside, unbidden tears flooded Nat's eyes as she looked at her 
sister-in-law. 




Sara lay unmoving beneath the stark white hospital sheets. Her head was covered 
in a bloodstained bandage, her face partially obscured by the ventilator that 
was keeping her breathing.  Dark bruises encircled her eyes in vivid contrast to 
the paleness of her skin. Tubes seemed to be everywhere as machinery and other 
medical tactics maintained Sara's life. 




When she reached the bedside, Nat saw small pieces of tape holding Sara's 
eyelids closed. She knew that this meant that even the reflex that causes a 
person to blink, thereby keeping the surface of the eye moist was no longer 
functional.  Any doubts that Nat may have had about Sara's chances of recovery 
were laid to rest.  Nothing less than a miracle would be needed for Sara to 
merely continue in her present condition and any hope that she would 'recover' 
from the accident would be ill founded. 




"Oh, Sara." Nat said, her voice filled with pain. She stood staring down at 
Sara, remembering the gentle, shy girl that Richard had married, as tears flowed 
silently down her cheeks. "Don't worry, Sara, I'll take care of Amy for you." 
Nat whispered to the still form on the bed. Looking at the readouts of the 
monitors above Sara's head, Nat could see that already there were some small 
irregularities in Sara's heartbeat. The tracing showing brain activity was even 
more distressing. While there was still some electrical activity occurring, it 
was vastly less than in a normal, healthy brain.  Nat wondered if there had been 
any change since Sara had been admitted to the hospital and if so, how much? 




She also wondered how, given her own situation, she was going to be able to 
fulfill her promise to Sara. What sort of reaction Nick would have to her having 
given it? Even though it was unlikely that Sara had any awareness of Nat's 
promise, or even that she was there, Nat was determined to somehow find a way to 
take care of her niece. At last, with a sigh, she left the room and returned to 
keep vigil at Amy's bedside. 




It was early evening when Nat finally checked in at her hotel. She walked 
wearily down the hallway to the room she'd been given. Opening the door she 
walked in and smiled. The room itself was lovely, and a large bouquet of roses, 
white, red, yellow and pink, waited on the round table at one end. Sitting her 
bag down, Nat went to the table and picked up the small white envelope in front 
of the vase. Opening it, she read the note inside. 




'I know that this has to have been a difficult day for you. I wish that I could 
be there with you, I hate that you have to face this alone.  I miss you and love 
you. Forever, Nick' 




A smile was on her lips as she finished reading. Leaning forward Nat inhaled the 
rich scent of the flowers, their lush aroma filling her head and raising her 
spirits. She blinked rapidly to clear her eyes of the tears that filled them, 
tears of happiness this time. Glancing at her watch she decided call Nick, 
hoping that he'd already be awake and getting ready for work, She crossed the 
room to sit on the bed and reached for the telephone. She needed to hear his 
voice before she attempted to rest. Dialing the loft's number, she leaned back 
against the pillows of the bed as she waited for the phone to be answered. 
'Probably get the answering machine," she thought as the phone began to ring. To 
her amazement Nick answered on the second ring. 




"Knight." Nick's voice said 




"Hi, I wanted to call and thank you for the beautiful roses." Nat said. "They 
are exactly what I needed tonight." 




"Nat!" Nick's voice was soft, his love and concern for her evident in his tone. 
"I was hoping that you'd call. How are things there?" 




Nat sighed. "Not good. Amy is doing better. I think she knew I was with her, but 
Sara..." She paused, her throat tight with emotion. Taking a deep breath she 
managed to continue. "I don't think she'll make it and even if she does, she'll 
never be more than a breathing shell of a person." Nat went on to tell Nick 
about the additional surgery that had been performed on Sara. 




Nick listened, his heart aching to be able to hold Nat and comfort her. He knew 
how much she cared about Sara and Amy. His mind began to figure out where it 
would be easiest to have a room and bath added to the loft's living area. Nat 
hadn't said anything, but Nick realized that Amy would almost certainly have to 
live with them. Even though the knowledge of what he was, and what Nat would 
soon become, presented a difficulty, Nick couldn't help but smile a little at 
the idea of having a surrogate daughter.  As Nat finished her recitation of the 
day's events, he turned his full attention back to her. 




"You sound exhausted. Are you planning on going back to the hospital later?" 
Nick asked her. 




"I am exhausted, and yes, I don't want to leave Sara alone." Nick could tell 
that Nat was either crying or on the verge of it. "Nobody should die all alone, 
Nick. I want to be there, when..." Nat stopped, unable to go on. 




"Nat, promise me that you'll sleep a few hours before you go back?" Nick said. 
"I understand and agree that you should be with Sara, but I don't want to worry 
that you'll have an accident, either."  Nick closed his eyes. "I love you. I 
couldn't bear it if something were to happen to you." 




"I'll be careful. I promise." Nat's voice was soft. She wanted to tell him how 
much she missed him but hesitated, knowing that it would only add to the 
frustration she could hear in his voice. She was too tired to attempt to explore 
what options, for Amy's future care, were open to them. "I'd better eat 
something and get some rest if I'm going back tonight. I'll try and call again 
in the morning before you go to sleep." 




"I'll be waiting to hear from you. Call anytime you can. I need to hear your 
voice." Nick admitted. "I love you, Nat. We'll get through this together." 




"I love you, too. I couldn't do this alone, Nick." Nat said. "I guess I'd better 
try and get some rest." 




"Yes, you should. Goodnight, my love." Nick said, wishing with all his soul that 
he were there with her. 




He heard her murmured response and the click as she hung up the phone. Sighing, 
Nick sat down his phone and headed for the door and another long night at work. 




(10 days later) 




Nat walked into the hotel room, and headed for the bath. She'd spent the day, as 
she had every day since arriving in Vancouver, at the hospital. Amy had 
continued to improve, she was awake and alert now, and would be ready to be 
released in the next day or so. She'd be wearing a cast for a few more weeks on 
her arm, but there didn't appear to be any lasting physical effects from the 
accident. What emotional scars there would be from it were still to be seen. Nat 
had accompanied Amy to see Sara, and held the sobbing child afterwards.  Nat 
sighed; she still hadn't approached Nick concerning their role in Amy's future. 
When she did get time to talk with him, she hadn't had the energy to attempt to 
discuss it. Nat had talked with Sara's attorney, and knew that Sara had named 
her and Nick as guardians for Amy.  Nat's eyes filled with tears as she thought 
of her sister-in-law. 
  




Sara's prognosis was a different story. Even though her body was healing from 
the injuries suffered in the car wreck, her brain was not. Everyday brought a 
decrease in electrical activity on the EEG and Nat knew that it was only a 
matter of time before Sara died. 




The wreck itself had been a freak accident. Sara and Amy had been on their way 
home from a movie when the car had been broadsided by a tractor-trailer that had 
suffered a failure of its airbrakes. A very thorough investigation had shown 
that a small clamp had broken off causing the brakes to fail.  It had hit on 
Sara's side of the car, explaining her far more severe injuries. The driver of 
the truck had an excellent record and was not in any way negligent; the truck 
had passed a safety inspection only the day before the accident. He'd come to 
the hospital twice since the accident, once the same day that Nat had arrived 
and later after Amy had regained consciousness. Nat had been unable to feel any 
animosity toward the man; his own grief over what had happened was evident. 




Fighting back her tears, Nat stripped off her clothes and turned on the shower. 
As the steam from the shower filled the bathroom, Nat stood beneath the spray, 
trying to ease some of the tiredness and tension from her muscles. She was 
mentally and emotionally exhausted as well as physically worn out from her 
vigil. Overlaying it all was her need for Nick. It haunted her like the dull 
ache of a tooth that has just undergone extensive work. It wasn't just an 
emotional need, but a physical one, as well. Her body craved his touch, his 
scent in her nostrils, and the taste of him. Their nightly chats, while soothing 
to her emotionally, only seemed to increase her physical longings. She shook her 
head, feeling weariness overcoming her. Turning off the shower, she dried off 
and slipping into a nightgown, headed for the bed. As she reached for the phone, 
it rang. Picking up the phone, Nat listened as the nurse on the other end 
informed her that Sara had taken a sudden turn for the worse. Her condition was 
now unstable and, although the nurse did not say it, Nat understood that the end 
was near. "I'll be right there," she said quietly. 




After a moment's consideration, Nat realized she was too tired to risk driving. 
She called the front desk and had them call a cab for her.   She dressed, and 
then called Nick, only to get just the answering machine. Disappointed, she left 
him a brief message, so that he wouldn't worry should he try to reach, then 
headed back downstairs. She paused briefly to thank William, the night clerk, 
for getting the cab, then hurried out the door. Sitting in the back of the cab, 
watching the darkened city pass by, Nat missed Nick at her side more keenly than 
ever. 




  
Nick walked swiftly through the Vancouver airport terminal. A half smile formed 
on his lips as he thought of how he would soon be holding Nat in his arms again.  
He sighed; he had missed her so much. He should have come to Vancouver sooner, 
but he'd waited to be sure that the new bedroom and bath for Amy were at least 
ready to be occupied before leaving Toronto. He'd had the painters do the walls 
in a cream color, figuring that Amy could choose a different one later if she 
wished. He quickly grabbed his luggage from the carousel and hailed a cab. In 
just a few minutes the cab was pulling up in front of the hotel, just as another 
cab was leaving. 




Nick went in to the front desk. Showing his identification to the clerk, he 
asked for a second key to Nat's room.  The clerk, after checking the 
registration for the room and verifying that Nick's name did appear on it, 
handed him the key saying, "You just missed your wife. That was her cab that 
pulled away as you arrived." 




"Do you know where she was going?" Nick asked. He was afraid that he knew the 
answer, but hoped that maybe Nat had gone somewhere other than the hospital. 




"Yes, sir. She said that she needed to go to Vancouver General." The clerk 
responded. 




Nick thought for a minute. "If she took a cab, then her car would be here. Did 
she by any chance use the valet parking?"  Nick knew that if she had, the keys 
for the car would be at the hotel. 




"Let me check," the clerk said, picking up the phone.  A few minutes later he 
confirmed that Nat had indeed used the valet parking. Nick decided to put his 
bags in the room, then take the car and go to the hospital to find Nat. 




Going upstairs, he unlocked the door to the room and smiled. The room, to Nick's 
vampiric senses, was redolent with Nat's familiar scent. Putting the bags down 
out of the way, Nick moved to pick up the nightgown Nat had tossed on the bed. 
He brought the silky fabric to his face, feeling his body automatically respond 
as he inhaled the orange and spice odor that was Nat's essence. A quick glance 
at the bed made it clear that she had already retired for the night when the 
hospital had called, a fact confirmed by the still damp towels he found in the 
bathroom. Nick sighed. He knew that Nat would have not returned to the hotel, 
much less gone to bed, had there been any hint that Sara's condition was 
deteriorating. The fact that whatever had happened must have occurred suddenly 
did not bode well. 




Nick hastily left the room. It was imperative that he get to the hospital 
quickly, as he suspected that both Nat and Amy might need whatever comfort he 
could give them.  A few well-placed words ensured that there was no argument 
over releasing the rental car to him and Nick headed to Vancouver General.  He'd 
checked on the address for the hospital before ever leaving Toronto and it was 
only a few minutes drive before he arrived at the building at Oak and 12th 
Avenue. He parked the car and hurried through the front doors of the hospital. 
  




Nat stood beside the chair in which Amy was seated, watching as Sara slipped 
from life.  Nat had her hand comfortingly on Amy's shoulder and, as the end grew 
closer, she knelt beside her niece encircling Amy with her arms. When Amy spoke, 
it was in so soft a whisper that Nat nearly didn't hear it. 




"What's going to happen to me now?" The question tore at Nat's heart. She wanted 
to tell Amy that there was nothing to worry about, but hesitated, unwilling to 
promise something she might not be able to deliver.  Silently Nat berated 
herself for not having discussed this very matter with Nick. She knew from the 
blood sharing, that Nick had tried and failed to raise his nephew, Andre. The 
pain Nick had felt when, discovering what his uncle was, Andre had rejected him 
was still fresh in Nick's heart. She wasn't sure that he would be willing to 
risk that kind of pain again.  Stroking Amy's hair Nat murmured, "Don't worry 
about that, sweetie." She grimaced at how inadequate that sounded even to her 
own ears. Just how inadequate was shown as Amy turned tear-filled eyes on her. 




"I'm scared, Aunt Natty. Where am I going to live? Will I have to go to an 
orphanage?" The words all but tumbled from Amy's mouth. 




'And why shouldn't they?' Nat thought. 'Her whole world has just collapsed 
around her.'  "Shhh, Amy.." Nat began to say when a voice from the doorway 
almost caused her to faint with relief. 




Nick stopped only briefly at the front desk to obtain a pass allowing him up to 
the ICU.  He could sense Nat's presence in the building and her distress. He 
stepped off the elevator on the floor the ICU was located; he instinctively 
turned in the direction that he sensed Nat to be. His progress was swiftly 
halted by a nurse who insisted on knowing what he was doing there at this time 
of night. 




Nick only had to say Sara's name and the nurse's expression changed from one of 
challenge to one of sympathy.  "I didn't realize Mrs. Lambert had other family?" 
she said, raising a questioning eyebrow. 




"Sara's late husband, Richard, was my wife's brother. In fact, I believe that my 
wife is here now, Natalie Knight?" Nick explained. 




Dr. Kraft looked up from the chart he was working on when he heard Natalie's 
name mentioned. One glance at the blond man at the nurse's station quashed any 
hopes he's had concerning her. Not only did the man radiate masculinity, but 
there was something about him that made Dr. Kraft sure he did NOT want this man 
angry with him. With a sigh of disappointment, he turned back to his work. 




The nurse nodded. "Yes, she's in Mrs. Lambert's room, along with Mrs. Lambert's 
daughter." She gave Nick a small, sad smile. "I'll show you where they're at." 




Nick followed, his keen hearing picking up Amy's questions as he arrived at the 
room. "You'll come back to Toronto with your aunt and I." Nick said softly as he 
walked into the room. "I promise you, Amy, you'll always have a home with us." 
Even though he was addressing Amy, Nick's eyes were fastened on Nat. 
  




Nat turned toward the sound of Nick's voice, her face a mixture of sorrow, 
relief, and joy.  Still kneeling beside Amy, Nat reached out her hand to Nick in 
a silent appeal. 




Nick crossed to the bedside, and clasped Nat's hand in his own. The contact 
intensified the emotions he was getting from her. He saw the questioning look in 
her eyes. He knew she was unsure of how they would handle explaining to Amy what 
he was and Nat was soon to become. She silently mouthed 'How?' to him. In reply 
he mouthed, 'With faith and love.' The glow of trust and love that filled Nat's 
face at this meant everything to Nick. 




Nat smiled at Nick's silent answer and laid her cheek against his hand. For the 
first time since news of the accident had reached her, she felt hopeful. Nick's 
presence was a balm for her ragged nerves. Somehow, with him beside her she felt 
as though there was a future to look forward to. 




Amy looked up at Nick. "Really?" Her voice shook slightly. She lowered her eyes. 
"I mean, you've just gotten married. I...I was afraid that you wouldn't want 
me." 




Nick gave Nat's hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it so that he could kneel 
down on the other side of Amy. He lightly caressed her hair before tenderly 
lifting her chin so that she was looking at him. "I mean it, Amy." Nick said 
softly. "I wish with all my heart that the circumstances requiring this had not 
happened, I know that Nat and I cannot possibly replace your mother." He wiped a 
tear from Amy's cheek. "Since it has happened, I want you to know that we aren't 
taking you because we feel we have to; we want you to be with us. We love you 
and we will do our best to always let you know just how much you mean to us." 




Amy looked into his eyes and saw the truth of his words. She managed a small 
smile. "Thank you. I think I already know." 




The sudden buzzing of the alarm on the cardiac monitor drew all of their 
attentions to the still figure on the bed. As the doctors and nurses entered, 
Amy leaned forward and took one of her mother's hands in her own. Tears rolled 
down her cheeks as she gently rubbed her thumb across the back of Sara's hand. 




Nat laid her arm around Amy's shoulders and Nick quietly moved to Nat's side. 
She felt him encircle her waist and leaned gratefully against him.  Together, 
they watched as the lines on the various monitors slowly flattened. 




As if she had waited to ensure that her child would be taken care of, and now 
knowing that was assured she could depart in peace, Sara Lambert died. 




After allowing Amy a few minutes alone for her final goodbye to Sara, Nick and 
Nat took Amy back to her room.  They sat by her bed, staying with her the 
medication prescribed by her doctor took effect. Only when they were certain 
that she was deeply asleep did Nick at last guide Nat from the room. It was 
after three in the morning and he could sense that Nat was staying awake by 
sheer force of will.  A small smile passed over his face as he thought of just 
how well he knew the strength of that will. 




Nat leaned against Nick as they walked down the dimly lit hospital hallway. 
Approaching the elevator, she managed to rouse herself. "We'll need a cab. I was 
too tired to drive," she said softly. 




Nick kissed her hair. "I stopped at the hotel first. I've got your rental car 
here."  Nat nodded her understanding as the elevator doors opened and they 
stepped inside joining several hospital employees. They rode down in silence, 
Nick never releasing his light hold on Nat. 




"Do you want to wait here while I get the car?" Nick asked as they entered the 
lobby area. 




"No. I don't want to be away from you even for a few minutes." Nat replied, 
looking up at him. 




"Okay. It's not parked very far away." Nick said.  As they exited the hospital, 
Nick looked quickly around and, seeing nobody watching, lifted Nat into his 
arms. 




"Nick!" Nat started to protest, then sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. 
She was exhausted and in all honesty was glad to not have to walk even a short 
distance to the parked car. She closed her eyes, relaxing in Nick's arms. 
Once they were in the car and heading back to the hotel, Nat turned to Nick. 
"Thank you for what you told Amy. I know how hard it was for you to offer that 
sort of commitment to her." 




"I meant it, Nat." Nick responded. "I'm not the same person I was with Andre. I 
think, I hope that we can make Amy understand." 




Nat looked at his profile, her love for him bringing tears to her eyes. "I KNOW 
that we can," she said, conviction ringing in her voice. Her tone softened as 
she continued. "Nick, I don't think I've ever loved you any more than I do right 
now. You may not be mortal, but you are more human than ninety percent of the 
people in this world." 




Nick smiled. "I will do anything I can to make sure that you never think any 
less of me. If I'm more human, it's because of you and your love." He said 
pulling into a parking space at the hotel.  He got out of the car and went 
around to help Nat. Together they went up to the room. 




Once inside, with the door locked, Nick pulled Nat close to him and kissed her 
softly, but passionately on the lips. He knew that she was far too exhausted, 
both emotionally and physically, to make love tonight but he wanted to be 
certain that she knew how much he loved and needed her. 




Nat felt her whole body relaxing as Nick's lips found hers. The empty ache in 
her heart vanished as she felt Nick's love. His kiss, while passionate, was not 
demanding but rather a promise of their future. She smiled as she felt the 
hardness of his manhood against her thigh. 




Nick broke the kiss looking into Nat's face. "I know that you're exhausted, but 
I can't help my body's reaction to you." He said, softly. "All I want tonight, 
is to hold you in my arms while you sleep." 




Nat smiled back. "I hope you never stop reacting like that, and I need you to 
hold me tonight."  She leaned against him as he swiftly undressed her and then 
slipped her nightgown over her head. In less than ten minutes, she was snuggled 
under the bedcovers, her head on Nick's chest and his arms cradling her against 
him. She barely remembered trying to murmur, "Good Night", before sleep claimed 
her. 




Nick lay awake for a short time savoring the scent and feel of Nat being once 
again in his arms.  He knew there would be many things to do here before they 
could return to Toronto, but they were together and together Nick was convinced 
they could do anything.  Shortly before dawn, he closed his eyes falling into a 
deep sleep. 
  




Nat opened her eyes, automatically reaching her hand out to find Nick. She 
sighed as she encountered nothing more than the empty space in the bed next to 
her.  Nick had left several nights earlier to return to Toronto. He'd been her 
and Amy's main support through the week that had immediately followed Sara's 
death. They'd switched from the room Nat had occupied to a two-bedroom suite 
following Amy's release from the hospital. Nat and Amy had gone over to the 
house and sorted through what items Amy wished to take with her to Toronto, and 
those which needed to be disposed of in order to settle the estate.  Nick had 
arranged to have the actual removal of the latter done after Nat and Amy's 
departure from Vancouver in order to spare Amy the stress of the process. Nick 
had returned to Toronto after that week in order to ensure that the furniture 
and other keepsakes that Amy had chosen would all be in place and waiting for 
her upon her arrival. Thankfully, Sara's estate was neither large nor 
complicated and now, three weeks following her death, Nat and Amy were ready to 
depart. 




Amy had either not noticed, or not mentioned, the fact that Nick never took a 
meal with them, but Nat knew that this state of affairs would not last long. She 
and Nick had already had several long discussions on what the best way to inform 
Amy of the situation would be, and had decided that unless Amy asked, they would 
postpone revealing what Nick was for a short time. Nat wanted Amy to adjust to 
Toronto a bit first before finding out that she was living with a vampire and a 
soon-to-be vampire. 




Getting out of bed, Nat showered and dressed. She could hear Amy moving about 
already. They had several last minute things to take care of, including one last 
stop at the attorney's office, before their evening flight to Toronto. Nat was 
organizing the day in her mind when a soft knock at the door caught her 
attention. "Come in," she called out. 




Amy opened the door and peeked inside. "Is it okay if I come in?" 




Nat turned to her niece and smiled. "Of course it is!" She said as she walked 
over and embraced her. She was grateful that, with the natural resiliency of 
youth, Amy seemed to be recovering from Sara's death but Nat was also very aware 
that full recovery was going to take months. 




Amy smiled back at her. "I don't want to be a bother to you." She said in 
explanation. 




"You are not a bother, Amy." Nat said. "I don't ever want you to think that. 
Nick and I love you and we're just glad we can be here for you." Nat cupped her 
niece's chin in her hands. "Nick and I can't have any children of our own, Amy. 
Your coming to live with us means that we will at least have a family." 




Amy looked at Nat. "Oh, Aunt Natty, I didn't know. I'm so sorry." 




Nat hugged her. "It's okay, Amy. I would give anything for your mom to still be 
here with you, but since she's not, I am very grateful that I'm going to have 
you."  Giving Amy's shoulders a final squeeze; Nat released her. "So, what do 
you say we see about getting some breakfast?" She inquired as they exited the 
room. 
  




Nat sat down in her seat aboard Air Canada flight 100. Even though they were 
leaving Vancouver at 2:15 in the afternoon and the flight only took a little 
over 4 hours, the time differences meant that they would arrive in Toronto at 
9:30pm. Even in the middle of July that was late enough for Nick to have no 
problem meeting them at the airport. 




The thought of Nick and of being with him in their home and their bed brought a 
smile to Nat's face. She had, if anything missed him even more these last two 
weeks than she had during the earlier ten-day separation. As the plane took off, 
Nat leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. With any luck she'd be able to 
catch a nap, the last thing she wanted was to be exhausted tonight. 




It seemed like she'd only shut her eyes when Amy's voice sounded in her ear. 




"Aunt Natty? I think we're getting ready to land." 




Nat opened her eyes to see darkness outside the plane windows and a glance at 
her watch told her that they were indeed less than ten minutes from landing. 




"Oh, I must have been more tired than I thought!" She said to Amy. "I'm sorry, 
here I went and slept and left you sitting all alone." 




Amy flashed her aunt a quick grin. "That's okay, I'd brought a book with me and 
I almost got it finished." She held up a romance novel. 




"Mmmm, good looking guy on the cover." Nat teased. 




Amy glanced at the bare-chested man depicted. "He's okay, but I think Uncle 
Nicky is better looking." 




Nat laughed. "You know, I think you're right. Besides, Uncle Nick might get 
jealous if I swooned over this fellow." 




Amy giggled. "Nah, all anyone has to do is watch the way you and Uncle Nicky 
look at each other. This guy doesn't stand a chance." 




The PA announcement of the landing instructions saved Nat from having to reply. 




Nick paced in the small waiting area, eager for Nat's plane to land. He'd been 
restless all day, anticipating her return and now the last few minutes seemed to 
be dragging out unbearably.  Finally the large Air Canada 767 pulled up to the 
gate and the doors opened. Nick watched as passengers entered the terminal and 
then broke into a grin as he spotted Nat and Amy.  As she stepped through the 
door, he caught Nat up in his arms, kissing her soundly then turned and hugged 
Amy, kissing the top of her head. "You don't know how good it is to have you 
both home." Nick said, still grinning. 




Nat looped her arm through his. "Oh, I bet I do. Let's get the bags and go home. 
I want to see what Amy's room looks like." 




"Oh yes! Me too!" Amy agreed. "But I'm sure I'll love it!" 




Nick smiled at her. "I hope you will, but if there is anything you want done 
differently, all you have to do is tell me." 




Amy smiled and nodded her agreement. 




To Nat's relief, the airline had managed to get all of the bags to Toronto and 
less than thirty minutes after landing; they pulled out of the airport parking 
lot in the Caddie. 




"It's a good thing this land barge has such a big trunk," Nat teased Nick, "or 
we'd never have fit all the luggage inside." 




"Land barge? Is that anyway to talk about a classic auto?" Nick responded. "Be 
glad it does have plenty of trunk space, otherwise you'd have to sit in the back 
seat with suitcases piled on you while Amy got to ride up front with me."  He 
glanced in the rearview mirror, catching Amy's eye, and winked. 




Amy giggled. "That's right. I couldn't hold the bags because I'm just a child." 
She chimed in. 




Nat rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh great, the two of you are going to gang up 
on me!"  She slid her hand over to Nick's leg and gave it a squeeze. She 
appreciated the fact that he was trying to not only include Amy as a part of 
their family, but to lighten her spirits as well. Not for the first time did Nat 
give a silent prayer of thanks for whatever force had brought Nick into her 
life.  As the Caddie pulled into the garage at the loft, Nat could feel herself 
relaxing. She was home. 




It was nearing 3am before Amy finally went to bed. With her body still 
functioning on Pacific Time and the excitement of a new home, Nat was not 
surprised that Amy had been unable to even think of sleeping earlier. Nat walked 
into the kitchen having just left Amy's room. She'd sat and talked with Amy for 
a few minutes before sleep overtook the young girl. Nat smiled as she thought of 
how Sidney had made himself comfortable by curling up near Amy's head. Making a 
cup of tea, Nat joined Nick on the couch, snuggling against him. 




"I think Amy liked the room." Nick said, after they'd sat in comfortable silence 
for several minutes. 




"She loved it. Shipping her bedroom furniture here was a good idea. It makes the 
room feel less strange for her."  Nat said. She finished her tea and sat the cup 
on the table. 




Nick slid his arms around her, pulling her across his chest. Nat laid her head 
on his shoulder, her forehead touching his jaw. She felt his lips as he placed 
soft kisses on her skin. Closing her eyes, Nat allowed herself to not think 
about anything and just enjoy this moment of quiet closeness.  She could feel 
her heart thumping as Nick ever so gradually began to explore her body with his 
hands. She raised her own hands and began tracing small circles against Nick's 
chest.  At last she raised her face toward Nick's and his mouth found hers. All 
of the pent up passion of the past several weeks was unleashed in the kiss that 
ensued. When she once again had a chance to breathe, she murmured, "Why don't we 
take this upstairs?"  In moments, they were in the bedroom, the rest of the 
world for the time being, forgotten. 




Across town, LaCroix smiled as he felt the onset of Nick and Nat's lovemaking. 
Carefully tapping only into the physical sensations, he soon lost himself in the 
ghostly pleasures of their bliss. 




He stood looking at her, admiring the way her hair formed a wild halo about her 
face. As he reached out his hand to touch her, the warmth of her skin radiated 
through his body. He could feel his penis hardening as he anticipated the 
pleasures that would soon follow. Slowly he let his hands trace the curves of 
her body, pausing only to undo the fastenings on her blouse and skirt. As the 
full ripeness of her body was revealed, his fangs began to ache and he could 
feel his beast emerging. He pulled her roughly into his arms, his mouth covering 
hers. He plundered her mouth with his tongue, bruising her lips against the 
hardness of his teeth. The small sounds she made only served to enflame his need 
for her. His tongue probed deep in her mouth, tasting every hidden crevice. His 
hands caressed and fondled her body, feeling the swell of her breasts and the 
soft fullness of her hips. Cupping her butt, he pressed her tightly against him, 
the heat of her warming the steel like fullness of his manhood. 




He could hear the pounding of the blood in her veins and smell her unique scent. 
These called out to the beast, tempting and promising fulfillment. He growled 
deep in his chest. The beast would get its due, but not until the man had found 
his pleasure. He released her mouth leaving her breathless and panting for air. 
With vampiric speed he removed his clothing and grasping her once again, pushed 
her backwards and down upon the bed. As he stood above her, he saw the soft, 
slightly unfocussed look that her passion brought to her eyes. He inhaled 
deeply, luxuriating in the rich, musk smell of her sex. Leaning over her, he 
undid the front clasp of Nat's bra baring the pale globes of her breasts. As she 
slipped the straps down her arms, he nuzzled the softness of her breasts, 
licking each of them. He smiled, as she sighed his name and reached to hold his 
head against her bosom. Tenderly, he fondled and toyed with each breast causing 
the darker nipples to pucker and harden. 




With both hands, he eased the filmy panties she wore over here hips and off. At 
last that which had haunted his dreams was before him. Joining her on the bed, 
he started at her forehead, kissing and tasting each section of her skin. She 
met his explorations with her own. Her tongue tasting him, while her hands slid 
down his firm muscles to find and encircle his now dripping shaft.  Her touch 
seemed to echo in all of his nerves and he trembled with the effort to control 
his need for her. 




As he traced trails of icy fire down her body, Nat moaned with her own need. Her 
hips twitched as she sought to rub her swollen clit against him. When he at last 
reached the wiry tangle of her pubic hair and the sensitive nub hidden there, 
she trembled with anticipation. The first lap of his tongue against her clit 
caused her to gasp and press his face to her. Exercising the greatest of 
patience, he very slowly drew her higher and higher toward the pinnacle of her 
pleasure.  The scent of her now copiously flowing juices filled his head and he 
lapped at them. The taste of her desire was finally too much and he quickly 
positioned himself between her legs. Lifting her hips, he found the warm, moist 
opening he desired and entered her. 




He felt Nat's entire body shake as she felt the cool hard fullness of his shaft 
enter her, filling her completely. She tightened her muscles around him, as if 
she wanted to hold him in her. When he started to slowly rock in her, he could 
feel all of her muscles tightening as she was swept toward the edge of her 
orgasm. Through the link he felt warmth building in her womb exploding through 
her body. She cried out in ecstasy as her body spasmed in release. 




He felt her vagina contract around him, and he gave into the force of his own 
climax. His fangs slid into the soft flesh and found a large vein. At the sweet, 
ghostly taste of her blood, LaCroix pushed into the link he had with his son, 
tasting the faintest echo of the richness, before retreating completely. He'd 
only shared the link to Nick's physical feelings, not his emotions. He chuckled, 
congratulating himself on having had the foresight to never teach this ability 
to Nick. Now that he was safely away, there was no way for Nick to even tell 
he'd been there as there would have been with a mental link.  LaCroix gulped the 
now bitter tasting blood from his 'private stock' and shuddered as he, too, 
attained climax.  As he lay alone on his bed he smiled as he carefully reached 
out to her mind. "One day Natalie, I shall taste your fullness for myself." He 
whispered both aloud and mentally. 




Nat was relishing the sensations that making love with Nick always produced. 
Eyes closed, she reveled in the total intimacy that they shared when he drank 
from her. This experience never ceased to fill her with awe. She was unprepared 
for the sudden overwhelming feeling that it was NOT Nick with her. Her heart 
began pounding in terror and her eyes snapped open as she instinctively tried to 
flee the unknown danger she sensed. 




Nick felt Nat suddenly stiffen and heard her gasp. Concern was etched on his 
face. "Nat? What's wrong?" He pushed her hair away from her face, noting that 
she looked pale. 




The familiar sound of Nick's voice caused some of the tension to ebb from Nat's 
body. "I...I don't know." She looked into his face, puzzlement clear in her 
eyes. "For just a moment I had the weird idea that you weren't you." She shook 
her head and managed a small smile. "Pretty strange, huh?" 




Nick rolled to the side and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He 
could feel her shivering slightly. 'Whatever it was has really upset her,' he 
thought. "Tell me what happened." He said softly. 




Nat burrowed against him. The feel of his body, his scent and the calm sound of 
his voice were comforting and she could feel her fear fading. "Just at the end, 
when you were drinking from me, I had the strangest feeling that it wasn't you. 
That you were someone else, someone who didn't love me but only wanted to 
possess me."  She raised troubled eyes to Nick's face. "I could feel your love 
for me, but it was like there was another person beneath that." 




Nick nodded, what she was saying made sense with what he'd suddenly tasted in 
her blood and felt through their link. Link? Nick silently cursed himself for 
having told LaCroix when Nat would be back home. Carefully, Nick concentrated, 
searching for any hint of LaCroix. To his relief, that link seemed to be silent. 
Even though he hate