Date: Thu, 23 Nov 1995 06:47:44 -0600 From: D Echelbarger I must be insane, doing this so soon after a War, but I *promised* Dianne De Sha I'd post this before Thanksgiving.... it was started before War4, y'see.... so it predates the 'Auction' thread on FORKNI-L by a LOT! :) This is an INTERACTIVE FK story. Read the stuff at the end CAREFULLY! "For A Good Cause" A Forever Knight Story by Diane Echelbarger This takes place immediately after Be My Valentine, second season. Prologue "Gentlemen, your attention, please." Captain Cohen's voice projected easily over the babble in the squadroom. She waited until she had everyone's undivided attention. "The annual fund-raiser for the Metro Police Scholarship Fund is next month. As a committee member, I've been asked to help recruit participants for this year's event." She paused to glare at Schanke, who had muttered something under his breath. "The committee has chosen a rather unusual format this year," she continued dryly. "A date auction, to be exact." "A what?" Knight asked. His partner just looked relieved. "A date auction." Cohen explained, "That means that unattached men and women volunteer to-- ah-- *escort* a companion on an excursion. A picnic, a dinner, whatever. The privilege of being escorted is then auctioned off to the highest bidder, and the money goes to the fund. I don't expect to have any trouble recruiting participants from this precinct." She swept the room with one of her patented glares, making a point of skewering every single, unattached officer in the room. Last on the tour was Detective Knight, who squirmed and looked decidedly uncomfortable. "I know all those eligible to participate will want to insure that college scholarships are available for their fellow officers' children. So when you've decided what you want to do on your auction date, let me know. That's all." ---------- LaCroix was selecting the music for that night's show when the station manager approached him. "Hey, Nightcrawler," the mortal said, "what'cha think of this? Something you'd be interested in?" He handed the DJ a letter. LaCroix scanned it quickly, picking out relevant phrases. Metro Police Scholarship Fund. Charity auction. Black tie. Participants needed. He handed it back to the mortal with a lifted eyebrow. "And why should I be interested in this?" "Well, it'd be good publicity," the manager elaborated, edging away from his tempermental late-night star. "For the station, I mean. That is," he hedged frantically, seeing *that* look in the Nightcrawler's eyes, "*your* show gets great ratings-- couldn't be better!-- but some of the *other* DJs... I figured, you're so popular, people'd probably buy tickets to the auction just to find out what you looked like." He swallowed nervously and added with a sour smile, "Besides, it never hurts to do the cops a favor. And the station would pick up the tab for your date, of course." LaCroix almost refused, but stopped as a thought struck him. Nicholas was a police officer. Presumably, he would be at this "auction". He smiled slowly. Nicholas' reaction to the situation might be amusing. And acting as escort to a mortal for an evening-- and letting him or her *survive* the experience-- would be a novelty. After almost two millennia, novelty was hard to come by. "Very well," he nodded, "in the interests of the station, I will participate." The mortal, wondering again *why* he had ever hired this guy in the first place, collossal ratings or no, thanked him, turned, and fled. LaCroix smiled. ----------- "Read this." Miklos handed Janette a form letter. She took it, and scanned the text quickly. "So?" she asked, taking a drag on her cigarette. "Nick is with Metro," Miklos pointed out. "So in a way, we would be doing him a favor. And it would be a novelty, would it not?" "Attending a charity auction?" She raised a disdainful eyebrow. "Boring, perhaps, but hardly a novelty." "Not attending," Miklos corrected, "participating." He grinned. "How long has it been since you spent the evening socializing with a mortal? They can be quite amusing sometimes." Janette frowned and re-read the letter, paying more attention to the details this time. When she finished, she studied Miklos a moment, then asked, "And who, exactly, were you thinking of for this-- charitable duty?" "Myself," he responded promptly. "And you. It would be good publicity for The Raven, as well. We could, perhaps, buy tickets for some of the others to come and watch." He smiled. "Perhaps even bid ourselves, if the right person proves available." Janette had a brief vision of herself outbidding Natalie for an evening of Nick's company. That the coroner would be there was certain, if her favorite patient was participating. And Nichola's reaction when he realized that Janette would, in effect "own" him for a night.... She smiled. "It sounds like a very worthy cause. I leave it in your hands, Miklos." --------- "No. Oh, no." Natalie waved both hands in a warding-off gesture. "Forget it. Absolutely not." "Aw, come on," Grace urged her. "It's for a good cause. And it'll be fun." "Fun?" Nat pulled off her autopsy coveralls and crammed them into the biohazard bag. "You call being sold like a side of beef fun?" "It's only a date," her assistant pointed out, "and you get to pick what you do on it. Make it a dinner date in some nice restaurant. What could happen?" Nat shook her head, remembering-- or rather, *trying* to remember-- her last dinner date. "I don't think--" "Nick's doing it," Grace grinned, playing her ace. "What? *Nick* is involved in this?" "Yeah, Detective Schanke just told me," her assistant confirmed. "He's all signed up and ready to go." "Well--" Nat hesitated. "I'll do it if you do." "Me? I'm not exactly the glamorous type." "Oh, and I am?" Nat demanded. "I'm not doing this alone, Grace." Grace sighed, and gave in. "OK, we'll both do it." ------ Joe Stonetree checked his list of 'eligible suspects' against the stack of volunteer forms for the TMPS fund-raiser. Three of his people still hadn't filled out forms. Sergeant Kraziewicz. Well, he *was* still in the hospital; guess they had to let him off. Detective Rohwer. Joe frowned, nagged by a memory, and pulled out his vacation schedule. Oh, yeah, that was right. Rohwer was on vacation that week-- her honeymoon, in fact-- so that let *her* out. Which left only... A knock on his door made him look up, and the officer he had been thinking of stood in the doorway, smiling rather nervously at him. "May I come in, Captain?" "Officer Vetter," he nodded. "Have a seat." "Thank you, sir." She perched nervously on the edge of her chair, a plain manila folder clenched tight in both hands. "Uh-- Captain-- It's about the auction, sir. For the scholarship fund?" "I was just noticing you haven't signed up yet," he commented, tapping the stack of papers in front of him. "Uh-- Yes, sir. That's why I'm here." The slim blond, whose father Stonetree had cordially loathed since they were in the Police Academy together, stared down at the folder in her lap. "I-- uh-- know I've said this before, Captain, but I really appreciate that you don't give me any special treatment because of my father. That-- well, it doesn't happen as often as I'd like." She glanced nervously up at Joe, who nodded understanding. He was aware that most of his predecessors had tempered their reviews of the young officer with an eye to her father's position-- a practice he had no intention of emulating, no matter how much Vetter, Sr. blustered. The young woman deserved a chance to make it on her own merits, and he intended to see she got one. "Well, you see Captain, the reason I haven't signed up yet is... well..." Tracey hesitated, the brought the rest out in a rush. "I don't want my father to find out I'm doing this until it's too late for him to stop it." At Stonetree's slightly startled look, she elaborated. "See, he's always so protective of me-- it's ridiculous! And if he found out, he'd probably arrange for me to go to a seminar in Saskatoon, or draw a double shift that night or... or something," she finished lamely. "I mean, just the *idea* of me going out with a total stranger would be enough to give him fits." "So you want me to keep your application secret until it's too late?" Stonetree reiterated calmly. "Until, say, the catalog's printed and distributed, so it would look bad if he made you back out?" He had to work at keeping a smile from his face. *That* would put sand in Sam Vetter's shorts for certain-- and it was exactly what the overbearing idiot deserved, in his opinion. "I think I can do that," he nodded. Tracey's tension dissolved into a smile. "Thank you, sir. I *really* appreciate it. Here it is, Captain." She handed him the folder. "Always glad to help one of my officers," Stonetree assured her, and added the final sheet of paper to his pile. ------ Exerpts from the catalog for the Toronto Metro Police Scholarship Fund auction: Miklos Akilides: Assistant Manager of The Raven, his interests include Renaissance art, Mozart, and modern dance. Join him for dinner at one of Toronto's neighborhood restaurants, followed by a performance of the Toronto Ballet. Grace Belthazaar: Coroner's Assistant, she likes swing dancing, gardening and modern art. Enjoy a delicious Cajun dinner for two, then dance the night away at the annual Big Band Dance Marathon. Janette DuCharme: The owner/manager of The Raven, one of Toronto's most unique nightclubs, enjoys dancing, music, and fine wines. Enjoy a performance of "Kiss of the Spider Woman" with this charming lady, then return with her to her club for drinks and dancing. Nicholas Knight: A homicide detective, his interests include archaelogy, history and oil painting. Detective Knight will pick you up in his vintage '64 Cadillac convertible and drive you to the Factory Theatre, where you will enjoy an evening of avant-garde entertainment, followed by dessert and coffee in a small downtown bistro. Lucien LaCroix: Known to late-night Toronto as The Nightcrawler, this radio host's interests include music, art history, and philosopy. The evening begins with a concert of Baroque chamber music, followed by a late supper in one of Toronto's leading restaurants. Natalie Lambert: Coroner for the city of Toronto, she likes old movies, sunny walks and cats. Enjoy a day with her on Toronto Island. Relax aboard the ferry; stroll beneath the trees. Enjoy a sunny picnic, then hop aboard the antique carousel or ride a bicycle built for two around the island's many paths. End the day with an ice cream cone before your ferry returns you to the city. Tracey Vetter: Officer Vetter is active in the RSPCA and Amnesty International, and enjoys sailing and modern rock. Join her for a dim sum lunch in Chinatown, a sailboat ride on Lake Ontario, and a picnic supper on the beach. ------------------------------- OK, folks, this is the set-up. If you want to be written into the next scene- - the 'auction'-- and have a chance at buying a date with your favorite character, e-mail me OFF LIST at the address below, with the subject line AUCTION. I'll send you a 'bidding packet' and a 'ticket'. I'm setting up some rules for the auction, so it's fair, but this is the fun part: if you win the bidding, YOU get to write (or have someone else write) your 'date' with-- well, whoever. I'll sell 'tickets' to the auction until Dec. 1, and post the auction segment on the 15th. All winners must post their 'dates' no later than Jan 15, 1996. There are only 100 'bidding numbers' available (Hey, I'm gonna have to JUGGLE all you folks!) so call now, operators are.... Oops! Sorry! Too many late- night TV ads.... ;-) Any takers? # D Echelbarger gryphon@earth.execpc.com # # http://www.execpc.com/~echelbar/ # # "I think you'd better leave... by the door." #