From: "Rebekah Henderson" To: FKarchiver@fkfanfic.com Subject: submission Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1999 01:39:52 PDT Hi, I have a story that I would love to submit! I just love FK!! Keep up the wonderful work!!!!! Thanks ~Rebekah Title: The Ides of March Date: um.. I think I made it in March. I'm a little late sending this!! By: Rebekah DISCLAIMERS: The Forever Knight characters belong to Columbia Tri/Star. No copyright infringement is intended. I only wish they were mine! ? Well this is my first attempt at a FK story so please understand if it is really bad. I got the idea after having a very very bad week. I am sure everyone has them!! Thanks go out to Amy, wow, what a sis!! Please enjoy and email me please on what ya think!! trixie21@hotmail.com The Ides of March The evening sun is setting, and bright orange and purple hues fill the Toronto sky. Slowly, one by one, lights turn on as the darkness overcomes the city. Big skyscrapers, once busy with activity die down to a calm nothingness. Busy people hurry home from a long day at work, but the night is just the start of many jobs. Dr. Natalie Lambert was one of them, and dead bodies wait for no man, or woman in this case. She lay asleep in her warm bed, with nobody but Sydney, her cat for company. Bundled up in the sheets, covering her like a cocoon, she mumbled a something about putting the keys somewhere. Sydney opened one eye to check on her as she continued to mumble. The quiet was soon shattered by a loud beeping, coming from her side table. Groggily, she lifted her head, and hair fell into her eyes as she tried to make out what time it was. Once her eyes focused, she saw it was only a little after eight. "Damn!" The beeping continued as she stretched her legs in her warm bed. She still was not ready to get up. Managing to sit up in bed she yawned and placed her feet on the floor drowsily. "What the ?" Looking at the floor in disgust, she lifted her left foot only to find a nice juicy hairball. She stood carefully, not allowing her foot to touch the floor completely. She glanced at Sydney, who only smirked. Then she tried to stand with the hairball still smooshed between her toes. "Thank you, Sydney," she muttered sarcastically, thinking to herself that Sydney looked happy with himself. She picked up her pager from her side table and tried to read the message. All she could make out was "low cell". "Just great!" She could tell where this morning was heading. No sooner did she think that then the pager went dead. "Sheesh, I didn't even get to see who paged me." She hobbled to the bathroom, being careful not to put her left foot on the floor completely. She managed to get to the bathroom without a flaw. "Well, since I am up early, I might as well pamper myself a little." Nat starts running the tub. She added some scented salts and oils to the water as the whole room filled with the sweet smell of roses and fruit. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed her body and tried to push out the little unhappy incidents of the morning. "Maybe today wont be as bad as I thought." As those words left her mouth she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. "Ugh! I need the extra care today!" A person stared back at her in the mirror. She didn't even look like her. Her hair was tangled and standing on end, an imprint of a seam went across her right cheek, and mascara from the night before, made her look like a raccoon. She tried wiping the mascara off, but it only made her mascara smear and her face redden from the rubbing. "Thank goodness Nick has never seen me like.." A knock at the door interrupted her thought. "Just a minute." She yelled to the door. Quickly she tried to make herself presentable. She brushed at her matted hair, only to get it tangled up within the knots. "Maybe if I don't answer the door they will go away!" She smiled at that idea hoping that it would come true. But the knocking continued, and with renewed determination. She frowned and threw on a frumpy housecoat and started to walk towards the door, only to be interrupted by the sound of water running over the tub. She ran to the bathroom as fast as she could. The knocking still continued at her door. She ran into the bathroom and found an overfilled tub, with a pool of water growing on the floor. Not wanting to get wet, she tried to step over the puddle and reached for the faucet handle. The wet floor made it hard to keep her balance, and she slipped into the tub. Now she was drenched from head to toe. Lifting herself from the tub she turned off the water. "I don't care who is at the door. I'm not answering it!" Her face red with anger she grabbed all the towels she could get, and started soaking up the water on the floor. Backing up to get a full view of the mess, she mumbled under her breath, "Why can't I have a normal life?" Squeezing the water out of the housecoat, she decided she had had enough for one evening. Water still dripping from her housecoat, she walked to the kitchen and put two slices of bread in the toaster. Leaning against the counter she closed her eyes. "Nat?" The voice jolted her awake. She lifted her head off the counter. "Nat, I think you burnt your toast." Looking at the toaster, she could see two black pieces of what used to be bread. She doesn't even look back as she listened to Nick. "I hope you don't mind that I let myself in." Nat stood up and turned around to face Nick. "And.. uh," He stopped in shock as she lifted her head to look at him. "What?" She almost growled at him in anger. "Um, I just wanted to see if you were okay? Uh, you didn't answer your pager, so I thought I would come over. Then you didn't answer your door, uh and." She watched him carefully place his words down, as if each were fine china. "Uh, are you okay?" He asked the person he thought to be Natalie. Nat let a pause fill the air, and smiled a look of "you-asked-for- it". "Do I look okay to you Nick." In her mind all, the thoughts of that morning were taking over. And who caused all of this? Nick! He was the cause. This was all his fault. And now he's asking me if I am okay?! Those thoughts circulated through her head while Nick tried to think of a response. His mind raced trying to come up with something sympathetic to say. He couldn't think of even one thing. But he knew she deserved an answer, and finally and old saying came to him. "Well," she looked him with a curiosity. She knew he had to think hard for this one. "Well, in my 800 years, I've learned that the best way to answer this is with silence." He flashed her a boyish grin hoping it would work. Hoping that Natalie would brighten up. Nat only stood, looking at him with no emotions on her face. This really worried him. Quickly he tried to find way to deter the conversation. So he looks around the room for a distraction. The calendar caught his eye. He laughed to himself that tomorrow's date, March 15th, was marked. He thought of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, and the quote, "beware the Ides of March". Nat could see the amusement on Nick's face and wanted to find out what was so funny. And she hoped, for his sake that it wasn't her. "Nick, I'm going to go get ready for work, you can wait here, if you want." She pinched the bridge of her nose hoping this whole morning would just go away. Nick looked away from the calendar and gave her a sly smile. "Sure Nat, I can wait," he couldn't resist himself, "but beware the Ides of March." "What?" she stopped confused at that statement. "What do you mean, beware the Ides of March?" She looked at him suspiciously. "You know, March 15th. That's the Ides of March. You know, the middle of March. You have it marked on your calendar. So, why do you have it marked?" He asked it as if he was knew, and that made her a little bit annoyed. "Nick, don't even ask." She really, really, didn't want him to ask. But Nick had to be silly this morning. "Woooh, beware! Beware the Ides of March." Now she was full-blown annoyed. She had no patience at all for this. And this was it! "Nick, if you are going to leave, you'd better do it now." She said it as if it was an order. Confused, Nick looked at her. "Uh, Nat, is it something I said? All I said was." "Yes, you said `Wooh, beware the Ides of March' ". She made a face and waved her arms in a movement that mimicked his. "And what's so bad about that? It's not like the Ides of March pertains to you." It was ironic in a way, March 15th did pertain to her. And she had to give him the benefit of the doubt, he didn't know. How could he ever know? He was a man. She pinched the bridge of her nose again. A headache was building up. "Nick," she lowered her voice in embarrassment. "March 15th is when my monthly "friend" comes." She didn't have the time or patience to explain. She just hoped that he would understand. He was quiet, then he looked up at her. "Who? Who have you been seeing every month?" That was the last straw for Natalie. She just couldn't deal with him anymore that morning. "Nick, just leave." She left for her room and started to get ready for work. Going through her closet she heard the front door close she felt bad that she couldn't tell him. Then she started to get angry. Well, he was a man, and men would never understand! But you would think that in 800 years that he would have had to at least had to deal with this once. And if he really knew he shouldn't have teased her and taunted her. Of all the nerve, MEN! Nick sat at his desk trying to go over what had happened at Natalie's apartment. He couldn't understand why she got so mad, and WHO was this monthly friend of hers? He looked at his watch; he had time to go for a break. So he grabbed his jacket and headed for the Caddie. Why did women have to be so moody? He wasn't doing anything wrong! Of all the nerve to order him to leave, WOMEN! Natalie was working on a new "patient", taking out body parts and weighing them. She was trying to bury her thoughts in her work. But little flashes of this morning kept popping in her head. "Nat, are you okay?" No, she mumbled as she plopped a liver in the scale. I'm not okay, I'm having the worst night of my life! She looked at the dead body on her table, a dead male, in his late 30's. "So buddy, your wife finally couldn't tolerate your stupidity either, huh? I bet you deserved it then too!" Grace walked in just as Nat was talking to the corpse. "Rough day? I know that by the time I'm talking to these guys," she pointed to the dead body, "that nothing right seems to happen for me." Natalie took the scalpel and started cutting at a tough spot she was working on. She tried to ignore the fact that Grace was right. "Take it easy!! The guy is already dead!!" Grace laughed, although she was pretty concerned about Nat. She could tell that something was eating at her. "You know, I have had plenty of bad days sweety, so why don't you tell me about yours, and we can compare?" Nat stood up and sighed, she knew that Grace wouldn't leave her alone unless she poured her heart out. So she might as well, besides she needed to talk to someone with a pulse. Nick pulled the Caddie up to the curb of the Raven. He unknowingly drove there out of habit. But he decided that while he was here he might as well go in. Nick opened the door, people were dancing and loosing their sorrows in their drinks. Sounded good to him, but he had promised Nat that he would limit his intake of blood. Promised Nat! The promise had meant something to him, even though he was angry and couldn't shake the thought that why should he listen to her. "Yes, poor Nicholas, listen to the good doctor. Be a good boy and follow her orders like any good test subject." LaCriox grinned, he knew his son was being tormented, but it bothered him that it wasn't his doing. "Women, are they not the beautiful butterflies, that tease us in the wind? When I know what they truly are, are ugly little caterpillars that would destroy the best crops." LaCriox new that he had Nick now. Whenever the lovely "couple" got in a spat, poor Nickie would come crawling to him. "LaCriox, I don't need your cynicism!" Now Nick regretted coming in, he really didn't need to be tormented by two people now. Nick grabbed his jacket to leave. "Oh Nicholas, you don't appreciate me," LaCriox added the feeling of hurt to his words. "Perhaps I can clue you in on a little mystery you have been pondering." "LaCriox, any mystery of mine I can figure out myself." He started heading for the door. LaCriox took a sip of the "house special" and whispered the words, "Its about Natalie, dear Nicholas". Nick stopped in his tracks, he knew that LaCriox could draw him in his web this way. He started to leave again. LaCriox chimed in "About her monthly friend.." With vampire speed Nick was by LaCriox eagerly waiting for the answer. LaCriox took another sip to draw out the moment. He savored Nick needing him. A grin pierced his lips again, "Ah yes, her monthly friend.and you still have not figured this one out. You never could understand matters concerning females." Nick was growing impatient, he didn't want to waste his time with LaCriox's criticism. "Tell me LaCriox!" Nicks voice sounded angry. "Tsk tsk Nick, it is no wonder she gets so mad at you! Dear boy, this is something that you should have learned a long time ago, although, I have no time to tell you now. I have a show to run. Stick around and listen, perhaps you may learn something." LaCriox left for the booth and lights awakened inside. LaCriox glanced up and smiled at Nick. In anger Nick left the Raven and took off, driving in the Caddie. He couldn't help himself though, and he turned on the radio. A voice filled the chilled air and drew him in. "Good evening gentle listeners. Tonight we shall talk about the matters of women. Now listen well my children, for I am the Nightcrawler.," after a brief break LaCriox's voice was once again filling the airwaves. "Ah women, where would we be without them! Definitely not standing or sitting here, now would we?? They are the mystery of men, the goddesses of beauty, and the embodiment of temptation, and yet each one has a curse brought down upon them from the very first woman. Eve's Curse. " So the legend goes, because of the unfaithfulness of Eve she was banished from the Garden of Eden. And from that first day of banishment women from then on were to suffer. They learned the pain of being a woman! The pain of childbirth, and who can forget their monthly friend." Nick was drawn in by those words, he was listening and LaCriox knew it. "Ah yes, their monthly friend. Eve's curse. Each month so women can live in the reminder of how Eve betrayed them, they have their monthly cleansing. And we men, know well enough, or should know well enough not to bring on their scorn. For like a snake, we should listen to the warnings, or lest they strike you down with their venom." Nick's mind went racing over all the clues Nat gave him, and then it hit him. The realization of how stupid he was! It was no wonder that Nat was acting the way she was!!! And he now realized how much trouble he was in with her. Nat was looking for Nick. She didn't find him at his desk, and he sure didn't tell anyone where he was going. "Typical!!" she thought. And then she spotted him. He was taking off his jacket. He glanced up and then they made eye contact. He could hear her heartbeat race, and he knew she was still mad. She walked briskly up to him and looked him dead in the eye. "Nick, we need to talk!" Nick motioned to a separate room where they could talk in private. Nat walked in and turned to Nick, "Nick, about March 15th." He put his finger over her mouth so she couldn't say a word. "Yes, about March 15th. I think that on March 15th Doctor Natalie Lambert should be taken out and spoiled. And about your monthly friend," Nat looked at him suspiciously, "I completely understand." Nick looked at her and thought "It is amazing that this morning this creature, Natalie could be totally different, and yet he wouldn't change her in any way. Women." Nat looked in his eyes and thought one thing.. "What an enigma. Men." So please, tell me what you think! I am curious.email me at trixie21@hotmail.com ?