***************************************************
 Webmistress Note:  This story contains some adult 
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Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:35:54 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One (Part 1/20)

Hi! I'm back again. This is the fourth installment of the series I started
with "Forever is Ours".  If you have not read that story or the two which
followed it, "Night Terrors", and "Discoveries and Deceptions", you can
find them at Mel's FKFANFIC sight at http:/www.fkfanfic.com. While they
will provide a good deal of background information, I think that this story
will also stand on its own.  PLEASE NOTE: THESE STORIES ALL CONTAIN ADULT
MATERIAL OF A SEXUAL NATURE.

As with the previous stories, "In All Ways, One" will be posted to both the
regular and adult settings of FKFIC-L and to both the N&NPackers list and
Endlessknight list. If you are only subscribed to FKFIC-L and are not set
to adult settings, you will only receive the PG version of this story.  If
you subscribe to only the N&NPacker list you, too, will receive only the PG
version. If you are over 18, but not set to adult on FKFIC-L or subscribed
to Endlessknight and want the adult versions, SEND ME AN AGE STATEMENT and
I will send the Adult parts to you. For those of you who are on all the
above lists, boy are you going to get tired of seeing these posts <G>

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.  I am only borrowing them for a while and I have no intention of making 
any type of profit from them.  All new characters are mine.  Permission to 
archive this story is granted. 

THIS IS THE ADULT VERSION

In All Ways, One (Part 1a/20)
by Nightlady
(c) 1997



(Christmas Night)


Sometime since the sun had set, it had started snowing.  Large, lazy flakes
drifted past the windows, silently accumulating on the outside sills.
Inside the brick building, the couple, snuggled on the couch, listened to
the final strains of a Vivaldi violin concerto and watched the snowflakes
reflecting the multicolored lights of the Christmas tree. Though the night
outside might be bitterly cold, they were warmed, not only by the heat from
the fireplace; but by an inner warmth that came from the intensity of the
love between them.

'I have never know more happiness than I have right now.' Natalie thought
to herself. She smiled slightly as she felt the weight of the ruby ring
that she wore.  The ring had once belonged to Nick's mother and earlier
this evening he had given to her.  Turning slightly, Nat looked at the man
she had agreed to marry. For the first time in the six years she had known
him, he looked at peace with himself.  Raising her hand she caressed his
face. He caught her hand with his own and pressed a kiss into its palm.  As
always, the feel of his lips against her skin sent a shiver of pleasure
down Nat's spine.

"Mmmm, I could stay like this forever," she whispered as she met his gaze
with her own.

Nick pulled her closer to him. He slipped his hand inside her robe, gently
caressing her breast.  "I was just thinking how right this feels and how
happy I feel."

Nat laid her head on his shoulder, "Me too. Especially what you're doing
now," she teased.

Nick laughed. "Does it?  How about this?"  He covered her lips with his
own, delighting in the way she met his questing tongue with her own. He
allowed his hands to roam farther along her body, savoring the feel of her
warm, soft flesh. No one, in all of his existence, had ever fulfilled him
the way Natalie did. He had loved Janette, and in a way would always love
her, but in all their time together Nick had never felt the sense of
completeness that he did with Nat. With Nat there was far more than a
physical attraction, there was the sense that she was the other half of
him.  Breaking the kiss for a moment Nick looked into her eyes. "You are my
existence, Nat and I will never allow anyone or thing to come between us."
He heard his voice break slightly with the depth of his emotion, and the
love he saw in her eyes fired the desire in him.

"Nick..." she whispered hoarsely, and pulled his lips back to her own.
Nick felt the answering desire in her both from her actions and in the link
between them that was growing stronger with each passing day.  No longer
afraid that he would accidentally harm her, Nick gave into his need for her
and concentrated on the woman he loved.

Natalie gasped as she felt Nick's skillful hands on her.  The caress of his
mouth as he kissed her added to her joy. For six long years she had craved
his touch, and now she found to her slight embarrassment, she seemed unable
to get enough of it.  She could tell from his breathing that he had allowed
himself to release his beast.  She looked at his now golden eyes, and
rejoiced that he could experience to the fullest their lovemaking. She
loved the way his fangs, gliding ever so lightly across her skin, made her
tingle with anticipation of the ecstasy she knew would come at their mutual
climaxes. As Nick's hands slowly removed the robe and thin nightgown she
wore beneath it, Nat writhed in pleasure as he traced the path of newly
exposed skin with his mouth. When he took one of her breasts in his mouth,
a groan of excitement escaped her and she turned slightly in his arms,
enabling her to reach beneath the silk fabric of Nick's pajama bottoms and
enclose his manhood with her hand.  Feeling the ripple of his muscles as he
reacted to her touch Nat smiled and began to slowly stroke his engorged
member.

Nick closed his eyes, as he enjoyed not only the warmth of Nat's hand on
him, but the feel and taste of her skin as he played with her breasts.  The
scent that was uniquely Natalie filled his nostrils and his desire to taste
of her blood, to know her entirely, grew and enflamed his own passion.  At
last releasing her breasts, he lifted her briefly into his arms before
laying her back on the couch. Looking at her face, flushed with passion,
Nick knew he had never seen any woman as beautiful.  Slipping out of the
pajama bottoms, he stood for a moment admiring the perfection of her body.  

Even though they had made love only a few hours earlier, their need for one
another was as strong as if they had been apart for years. As Nat lay back
upon the couch, her legs slightly parted in welcome, her hair cascading
around her head, she gazed up into Nick's eyes.  Smiling, she raised her
hand to him.

"Nick, please, I need to feel you inside me." Her voice was husky with desire.

Nick eased himself between her warm, smooth legs. Lifting her hips, he slid
into the moist heat of her core, relishing the feeling as she pushed toward
him, taking him fully inside her.  He heard the increase in her heart rate
as he slowly began to move inside her. Covering her with his body, he felt
her mold herself against him as her mouth sought his.  The feel of her
tongue as ran it across his sensitive fangs nearly drove him into a frenzy
of ecstasy and he met her tongue with his own.

Nat trembled as the first waves of pleasure flowed through her and she
could feel Nick tremble as he too built toward his own release.  Arching
against him, she ran her hands along the strong muscles of his back and
down along his buttocks and thighs.  She could feel his hardness filling
her and she tightened her own muscles upon it.  Her breathing became ragged
as Nick kissed first the curve of her jaw and then the nearly healed wounds
on her throat. She heard him whisper her name. "My love," she murmured into
his ear. Gently he turned her head enabling him to nuzzle the other side of
her neck. As Nat reached the peak of her pleasure and felt her climax rock
her body, Nick nipped the still new wounds of their prior lovemaking and
allowed the taste of her blood, rich with her feelings of love for him and
her own physical release, trigger his own explosive orgasm. Holding himself
deep within her he felt the pulsating pleasure of his release. Through her
blood and the psychic bond that was now between them, Nick experienced her
contentment and joy in their union.  

Still inside her, he shifted slightly to remove his weight from her.
Stroking her hair, Nick saw flickers of gold deep within Nat's blue eyes.
He knew that the gold was fading from his own eyes, as for now, both his
beast and the man were sated.   

"Penny for your thoughts." Nat said as she snuggled into his embrace.

Nick laughed softly. "I was thinking that doing this with you forever
sounds like a very nice future."  He kissed her gently on the forehead. 

Nat smiled, "I certainly like that idea. Eternity spent making love with
you...Yes, I very much like that idea."  Gazing into his eyes she
continued. "I wasted so much time trying to deny what I felt for you,
building walls between us, when all I needed to do was accept what my heart
was telling me."

"We both did Nat.  I was afraid that my love would destroy you.  That if I
didn't kill you, I would be forced to make you what I am and, if that
happened, you would hate me for all eternity." Nick closed his eyes for a
moment at memory of that possibility.  Opening them he continued. "Either
way, I would have lost you and that thought was unbearable." 

Nat saw the haunted look in Nick's eyes. "Well, I am still very much
alive." She said stroking his cheek and snuggling closer.  As her stomach
growled, she giggled. "And apparently still quite mortal." 

Nick smiled back at her.  "As nice as this is, I guess we really should
think about getting dressed and getting some nourishment into both of us."
He reluctantly released his hold on her.

"Yeah, I guess that would be a good idea, but only if you promise to hold
me later when we go to sleep."  Nat rose from the couch, and picking up her
discarded robe and gown, headed toward the stairs.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Nick said, joining her.


As Nat finished washing the dishes from her meal, she glanced at her watch.
 Noting that it was nearly 11pm, she laughingly said to Nick, "No wonder I
was so hungry. I'm not used to being up for close to five hours before I
have breakfast." She flashed him a wicked grin of pure happiness, "Or to
making love twice in those five hours...but I think I can get used to THAT
very quickly."

Nick laughed back, "Good, I plan to hold you to that."  He encircled her
waist with his arm as they made their way back to the living area.  "So,
what do you think Grace will say when she sees this."  Nick indicated the
ring on Nat's hand.

"Oh boy, she is going to be thrilled." Nat replied. "You know she's been
playing matchmaker for years now." Nat shook her head as she considered
what her friend's reaction would most likely be.  Nat sobered for a minute
as she thought of how happy Richard would have been to know that his big
sister was getting married.

Nick noticed the look of sadness that crossed her face.  He knew her well
enough to know that she had to be thinking of her brother. " You know, it's
only 8pm in Vancouver.  Why don't you call your sister-in-law and wish her
Merry Christmas?"

Nat looked up at Nick. Hugging him, she said, "Just another reason I love
you. You always seem to know what will make me feel better."  She felt
Nick's arms tighten around her in return and allowed herself to relax in
his strong embrace.

Picking up the phone, she dialed Sara's number.

End Part 1a, continued in Part 2

All comments to: cstar@pdq.net

Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:37:18 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One (Part 2/20)

Disclaimers: Please See Part 1

In All Ways, One (Part 2/20)
by Nightlady
(c) 1997

"Hello?"

"Hi, Sara. It's Nat. Merry Christmas!"

"Nat!!" Oh, I'm so glad you called. Merry Christmas to you, too.  How are
you? Is everything going well for you?"

Nat laughed, "I'm fine and everything is going wonderfully. How are you and
Amy?"

"We're doing well. Amy is growing up so fast. She reminds me more of
Richard every day. You won't recognize her, she's gotten so big."

"Send pictures!"

Sara laughed, "I will.  So, what's new? Are you still seeing that good
looking detective?"

"Yes, I'm still seeing Nick."  Nat glanced up at him, knowing that he could
easily hear both sides of the conversation. "As a matter of fact, I'm going
to be seeing a lot more of him."  Nat smiled at Nick as she added, "We're
getting married."

"Ohmygosh! Nat!  That's wonderful!" Sara exclaimed loudly enough that Nick
would have heard her even without vampire enhanced senses. "When's the
wedding? Have you set the date yet?" Sara continued.

"No, we haven't set a date, but it's only been a little over five hours
since he proposed." Nat said, her voice filled with happiness. "Soon
though, I don't think either one of us wants to have a long engagement."
Looking at Nick she saw him nod in agreement.

"Five hours?  Is Nick there with you?" 

"Uh, yes, I'm calling from the loft."

"Would you mind putting him on the line for just a minute? I'd like to
congratulate him too."

"Sure, Sara, hold on."  Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, Nat turned
to Nick. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," he said reaching for the phone. "I think I deserve
congratulations too, don't you?" He teased.

Eyes sparkling, Nat teased back.  "Well...I guess so." She handed him the
phone.

"Hello, Sara. Merry Christmas."

"Hello, Nick. Merry Christmas to you and congratulations. Natalie is a very
special person. You're lucky to be marrying her." The affection Sara felt
for her sister-in-law was evident in her voice.

"Thank you, Sara.  I agree, she is special and I am more than lucky to have
found her." Nick's gaze never left Nat's face as he spoke. "I'm looking
forward to seeing you again."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Sara spoke. "Nick,
I want to be at the wedding, but I'm not sure I'll be able to manage it." 

Nick could hear the longing in Sara's voice. "We won't take any excuses,
Sara. As soon as we set the date I'll send plane tickets for you and Amy."
Sara started to protest, but Nick gently cut her off. " I want it to be the
happiest day of Nat's life," he said. "It won't be that if you and Amy are
not here to share it with us."

"Thanks, Nick. Sounds to me like Natalie's getting a pretty special person
too. We'll be there." Sara said happily.

"Great. I'll let you talk to Nat now. See you soon."

 As he handed the phone back to her, Nat smiled at him. Taking the phone,
she leaned against him and took his hand in her free one. Nick kissed the
top of her head as he put his arm around her shoulders.

'I'm back, Sara," Nat said.

"Nat, I hope it's not going to be too much of a burden for Nick to pay for
two plane tickets. If it is, I can probably arrange for Amy to stay with a
friend while I'm away."  

Nat thought of the little she knew of Nick's considerable wealth.  "Trust
me Sara, two tickets won't be a problem.  You can stay at my place, so it
won't cost you anything for a motel."

"Nat, Amy is going to go nuts with excitement when she hears about this." Sara
sounded like the lighthearted young woman she had been before the tragic
events of four years ago. "Thank Nick again for me, will you?  There's no
way we could have afforded to come without his help."

"I will. Where is Amy? I had hoped to talk to her."

"She's next door visiting her friend and comparing presents."  Sara said
laughing.  "She's going to be so disappointed when she finds out she missed
your call."

"Tell her not to feel too badly.  I'll be calling again soon with the date
and then she'll be coming here!"  Nat could feel her own excitement
building.  She hadn't seen her sister-in-law and niece since Richard's
death and looked forward to seeing them under much more pleasant conditions.

"I'll tell her but she's still going to be sorry she missed your call."
Sara paused.  "Nat, I'm so happy for you.  I know Richard would be too."

"Yeah, I think he would," Nat replied.  "Sara, I never thought I could be
this happy."

"You deserve it. Nat, I've got to go. Call me as soon as you have a date set."

"I will, Sara. Bye."

Nick took the phone from Nat and placed it back on the table beside him.
For several minutes neither he nor Nat spoke, content just to enjoy being
together. 


It was just past dawn when Nick carried a sleeping Nat up the stairs and
laid her gently in the bed.  They had decided on March 7 as the wedding
date.  That would allow time to make all of the needed arrangements, but
was not too far away.  Later, they'd snuggled on the couch and watched a
couple of old movies.  As often happened, Nat had fallen asleep during the
last one. Always before, afraid of harming her, Nick had covered her and
left her sleeping on the couch while he sought his bed to lie sleepless,
aching for the feel of her in his arms.   With that no longer a concern,
Nick smiled as he slipped into the bed next to her. As Nat stirred slightly
in her sleep and snuggled up against him, Nick's last thought as sleep
claimed him was that this arrangement was infinitely more to his liking.


Natalie brushed the snow from her coat as she hurried into the warmth of
the building that housed her offices. Just inside the door, she turned and
waved as Nick pulled the Caddy away from the curb.  The snow, which had
begun so gently the night before, had turned into a full-blown blizzard.
Nick had taken one look at the weather and insisted that she ride to work
with him.  A smile spread over Nat's face as she recalled how he had put an
end to her protest that she could drive herself to work.  She could still
feel his touch, as he cradled her face in his hands.

"Please, Nat," he had said, "the Caddy is heavier than your car and will be
easier to handle in this weather.  I'll know that you are safely at work,
and won't worry all shift about you."  He'd paused and then continued with
a grin.  "Besides, you have to admit that I have had a few more years of
driving experience than you have."  

She had laughed and agreed with him, realizing that even though it would
mean having to arrive an hour before she was due for her shift, it felt
very good to have someone wanting to take care of her for a change.  The
kiss that followed her agreement did nothing to lessen this feeling. 
                                                           
 Now inside, the familiar odors of formaldehyde, blood, and industrial
strength disinfectant assailed her nostrils.  Barely detectable beneath all
of these was the odor of death. Usually, she did not even notice the
accustomed odors, but having been away for several days the contrast of it
with the crisp, snow-filled air outside caused her to wrinkle her nose.   
 
Moving down the hall, Nat nodded greetings to several of the technicians
and other personal that she passed. Reaching her office, Nat went in and,
seeing the pile of paperwork on her desk, groaned.  'I should have had Nick
bring me in two hours early.' She thought shaking her head. 'I forgot how
fast this stuff piles up.'  Hanging up her coat, Nat sat down and reached
for the first folder.

Just over an hour later, Nat laid down the latest folder and stretched.
She had made a sizable dent in the pile of work and, if the snow kept the
criminals indoors, she might manage to get most of it done tonight.  She
had just gotten up and headed for the coffeepot when Grace stuck her head
in the doorway.  

"Natalie!  I didn't know you were here!" Grace exclaimed as she wrapped Nat
in a hug. "I didn't see your car outside, but with all this snow I might
not have recognized it."

Nat returned the hug. "I didn't drive tonight. I caught a ride with Nick."
She laughed at Grace's very pleased expression.  

"Lucky you!  I wouldn't mind having someone like that play chauffeur for
me." Grace teased.  "You know, if you ever get tired of Nick, do me a favor
and point him in my direction."

"I'll remember that," Nat replied with a grin, "but don't hold your breath
waiting for it to happen."

Grace smiled at her. "Good, sounds like the two of you may finally be
coming to your senses and realizing what the rest of us have known for years."

"Oh, and that is?"

"That the two of you belong together." Grace eyed Nat thoughtfully.  "Um,
where did you spend Christmas? I called your place twice yesterday and got
your machine both times."  As she saw the faint blush spread across
Natalie's face, Grace raised both eyebrows. "Have you been home since that
incident with Roberts?"

"Well, not really.  I did go by to collect some clothes and Sidney, but
yes, I've been staying with Nick."  Nat said.

"And did you have a nice Christmas?" Grace asked hopefully.

"Extremely nice." 

"I see.  Are you going to tell me what Santa brought you, or do I have to
threaten you with more paperwork to get it out of you?"  Grace's eyes were
sparkling with merriment.

"Oh, lots of nice things." Nat saw the look in Grace's eyes and quickly
continued. "But to answer your question, Nick gave me a lovely silk blouse." 

"Well, I guess that is a step up from flowers." Grace said. looking
slightly disappointed.

Deciding to have pity on her good friend, Nat held out her left hand, where
the ruby and gold ring seemed to almost glow on her third finger. "He also
gave me this."

Grace's eyes grew wide as she saw the ring. "Please tell me that you are
wearing on that finger for the reason I hope you are.  Don't say that it's
the only finger it'll fit."  She looked at Nat, scarcely breathing as she
awaited an answer.

Happiness clear in her voice, Nat answered. "Yes, Grace. Nick asked me to
marry him and...I agreed."

"How wonderful!  I can hardly believe it!" Grace again hugged Nat. "I just
know that the two of you are going to have a perfect marriage."

"Thanks, Grace," Nat said, "I think we will."

"So when's the wedding? Please don't tell me that you are waiting a year or
two."

"Nope, we've waited enough already." Nat said with a grin. "We are trying
for March 7, if we can get the arrangements made."

Grace nodded as she again looked at the ring. "I'm sure that everything
will work out." She chuckled, "Leave it to Nick to find an unusual,
gorgeous ring like this for you.  I don't think I've ever seen a stone that
seemed to have so much inner fire."

Nat gazed at the ring with pride. "It's sort of a family heirloom," she
explained. "It was Nick's mother's engagement ring."

Grace smiled broadly. "That makes it even more special." Glancing at the
clock, Grace turned to the door.  "I'd better get back out to my desk.
Let's hope that this weather will keep our business down tonight."

"If it does, I just might get caught up." Nat said with a sigh, as she
returned to her desk.  

"Now, THAT would be a first!" Grace called over her shoulder as she headed
down the hall.


End part 2 

All comments to: cstar@pdq.net

Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:38:34 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One (Part 3/20)

Disclaimers: Please see Part 1

In All Ways, One (Part 3/20)
By Nightlady
(c) 1997

Tracy sat in her car bracing herself for the walk from the parking lot to
the precinct building.  She was already tired and her shift hadn't even
begun. She'd spent Christmas Day with her parents.  As usual, Barbara
Vetter had drunk her way through the day. The effort to maintain some sort
of cordial behavior, as her mom slowly became more incoherent, had left
Tracy exhausted. The drive to work in the storm had not helped matters.
Opening the car door, she stepped out into the howling blizzard. Fighting
the wind she at last made it to the entrance, and once inside spent a
minute brushing the snow from her coat.   As Tracy headed toward the back
of the building where the detective's desks were located, Miller greeted
her with a smile. 

Tracy returned the greeting and as she turned toward her desk, spotted Nick
already at his and busy with a file.  As she approached, he looked up and
smiled.

"Please, don't tell me we have a new case already." Tracy said as she sat
down.

Nick sighed, "No, I have just been finishing up the paperwork on our cases
from last week."

Tracy gaped at him. "What! You are actually doing paperwork without me
having to scream at you about it! I can't believe it."

Nick laughed. He did have a tendency to put off doing his paperwork for as
long as possible. "Careful," he teased, "or I just might decide that this
is a bad idea after all."

Tracy grinned back. "Well, you have to admit this is a bit unusual for
you."  She was glad to find that she could still joke with her partner.
Knowing, as she now did, that Nick was an 800-year-old vampire had left her
unsure of just how she felt about him.  She had told him that she was okay
with the situation, but she admitted to herself a certain uneasiness.  'Too
bad I had to deal with mom and dad's problems yesterday.' She thought. 'I
could have used the time better adjusting to this situation.'  Even though
she was attracted to Vachon, Tracy had always felt that she could sense an
aura of evil about him.  Having met LaCroix, she had no doubts that he was
capable of great evil.  But Nick had always seemed to be goodness
personified and Tracy was left wondering if, perhaps, preconceived notions
had colored her opinion of Vachon.  Sighing, she reached for a folder.  

She had just opened the case folder when Reese's voice interrupted her
train of thought. 

"Vetter! Knight!  My office." Reese called out as he strode past their
desks.  

With a glance at one another, the two rose and went after him.  Entering
Reese's office, Nick took his usual position, leaning against the
doorframe, while Tracy dropped into a chair facing Reese's desk.  They
watched in silence as the Capt. removed his overcoat and hung it, along
with a scarf and hat, on the hall tree that stood in the corner.  As he
turned and sat in his chair he focused his attention on them.

"Glad you're back Nick. IA's final report on the Roberts' case just came
out. You are cleared of any misconduct. As a matter of fact, they recommend
that you be given a commendation for your actions."  Reese smiled with
satisfaction as he spoke.  "You too, Tracy." He nodded toward her.  

"I'm just glad it's all over." Nick said quietly. "The only thing I cared
about at the time was making sure no harm came to Nat."  

Reese nodded, "Yeah, she's a pretty special lady."  He paused for a moment,
then continued. "Knight, you can tell me to mind my own business, but I'm
going to say this anyway.  I know you and the doc seemed to be having some
problems a short while back, but I saw the two of you the other night at
your place.  Nick, I know what two people in love look like and you two fit
the picture perfectly. Take my advice, work out whatever has been bothering
the two of you and put us all out of our misery by asking her to marry you."  

Tracy slowly turned to see Nick's reaction to Reese's speech.  To her
surprise, Nick had a large grin on his face. As she caught his eye she
suddenly knew what he was about to say.

"I have, and she said yes." Nick said with a grin.  

Reese, caught off guard by this, sat dumbfounded for an instant before
rising and moving around his desk to clasp Nick's hand.   "Congratulations,
Nick!"  Reese said as he shook Nick's hand.   "Have you set a date yet?"

"Thanks, Capt. and we've tentatively picked March 7."  Nick glanced at
Tracy, who was still sitting in her chair, a slightly stunned expression on
her face.

Feeling Nick's eyes on her, Tracy smiled. "That's wonderful news, Nick."
She said quietly. She was stunned by this news. She knew that Natalie was
in love with Nick; indeed, she and Grace had done all they could to insure
the recent reconciliation between the newly-engaged couple. At the time she
had done so, however, Tracy had no idea that Nick was a vampire.  Now, she
wasn't as sure that the relationship between the two was such a good idea.
Even though Nick gave every appearance of being in love with Nat, Tracy
still had questions as to whether a vampire could truly love.

Nick could see that Tracy was uneasy with the news of his and Nat's
impending marriage.  He also recognized that her uneasiness was the result
of her knowledge that he was a vampire. The middle of Reese's office was
NOT the place to talk to her about his situation. Nick decided he would
have a talk with Nat about Tracy's reaction.  Maybe it would be better if
Nat talked to Tracy. 


It was almost 3:30am when Nat pushed her chair back from her desk and
sighed.  The pile of papers that had awaited her signature, or other
attention from her, had been cleared and it was with a degree of
satisfaction that she surveyed her accomplishment.  Nat had just finished
stretching to relieve the kinks in her neck and shoulders that all the
paperwork had produced, when a rich voice spoke from behind her. 

"Good evening, Natalie. I trust that you have recovered from the events of
the other night?"  

Natalie stood and turn to face the speaker.  "Yes, LaCroix, I'm quite
recovered.  By the way, have you ever heard of knocking on a door before
you enter?"

LaCroix gave her a small smile. "My apologies, I didn't mean to startle
you. I tend to forget that your senses are so much weaker than a vampire's.
 I merely stopped by to assure myself that you were well."

Nat narrowed her eyes slightly. No matter what LaCroix had said to Nick,
she still did not trust him. She was also suddenly very aware of the ring
on her finger. Keeping her face and voice calm, Nat said, "Thank you for
your concern." She paused, then continued. "Actually, I'm glad to have a
chance to speak with you, privately."  She smiled inwardly as LaCroix
raised his eyebrows. "I am fully aware that you don't care very much for me
and I'm sure that you realize that you are not my favorite person.  We do,
as you have pointed out have one very important thing in common. We both
care deeply for Nick."

LaCroix allowed a small smile to show on his face. "Yes doctor, I will
admit that you do care for my son.  I question the wisdom of such feelings,
if you intend to remain mortal, but not that the feelings exist. I am
pleased that you will allow that I, too, care for Nicholas."

Nat nodded.  "Don't worry about the wisdom of it.  Since we do have this
much in common, I'd like to propose that we try to get along with one
another.  We don't have to like each other, just so long as we can be civil."

LaCroix regarded her for a moment before answering. "Agreed."  He had to
admire the nerve of the mortal female. Very few vampires would try to
dictate terms to him, much less mere mortals.  'Yes, my lovely Natalie, you
will indeed make a good addition to our little club,' LaCroix thought. He
glanced at her with the penetrating look that had brought lesser souls to
their knees and she merely seemed to strengthen. Yet he could tell, from
the sounds of her heart and her breathing, that she was nervous about
something. At that moment he saw the ring. A ring he had last seen over 700
years ago.

Reaching out his hand, he lifted Natalie's left hand. "A most unusual piece
of jewelry.  Is it new?"

Nat could feel a sense of dread well up within her.  Being the one to tell
LaCroix that she and Nick were planning to marry was NOT something she
wanted to do, as she was not at all sure of what his reaction might be.

"Natalie's had it since Christmas night." Nick's voice came calmly from the
doorway. "When she did me the honor of consenting to be my wife." Nick
crossed over to Nat and placed his arm around her shoulders.

Nat felt relief rush through her as soon as Nick spoke. As he approached,
her she greeted him with a welcoming smile. The feel of his arm around her,
and his body close to her own filled her with a sense of safety.  

"What are you doing here, LaCroix?" Nick's voice was calm, but Nat could
hear the undercurrent of worry in it.  

"He just stopped by to make sure I had recovered, Nick."  Nat said
reassuringly to him. 'I might as well show LaCroix that I meant it when I
said we should try to get along.'

LaCroix nodded in Nat's direction. To Nicholas he said, "I wished to
reassure myself that the good doctor had suffered no lasting effects from
the other night. And now it appears that congratulations are in order." He
raised Nat's hand to his lips and lightly kissed the back of it. "My best
wishes to you both."

Nick looked hard at LaCroix before replying. "Thank you. We plan on
marrying on March 7th."  Nick looked at Nat and seeing her smile and the
slight nod of her head continued. "We would be pleased if you would attend.
In fact, I hope that you will consider being my best man."

LaCroix had not missed the silent communication between Nick and Nat. "I
would be honored, and I thank you both."  He did not wish to admit how much
the invitation did mean to him.  With a nod of his head, he addressed them
both. "Now, however, I must be leaving.  It will be sunrise soon and I do
not wish to spend the day here.  I will speak to you soon about your
wedding, Nicholas."

With that LaCroix crossed to the doorway and departed.

As soon as he was gone, Nat leaned against Nick and sighed.  Nick gathered
her close to him and raising her chin so that he could see her eyes asked,
"He didn't try to hurt you, did he?"

Nat reached up and caressed his check. "No, he was extremely polite." She
laid her head against Nick's chest. "But I have to tell you, I'm glad that
you showed up when you did." She felt Nick's lips brush against her hair
and smiled. "I wasn't sure how he was going to react to the news that we
are getting married."

"I wasn't sure either," Nick admitted.  "And I'm still a little stunned
that he took it so well."

Nat pulled away from Nick. "Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth." She
glanced at the clock. "We'd better get going, or you are going to end up
riding in the trunk."  

Nick laughed and, after helping her with her coat, took her arm as they
headed home for the day. 

LaCroix watched as Nicholas and Natalie walked from the building to where
Nick's Caddy was parked.  He smiled to himself as he anticipated the
changes that would soon be felt by Natalie.  He knew that neither Nicholas
nor Natalie had expected his reaction to their impending marriage. Even
though LaCroix felt that such conventions as marriage had no real place in
the vampire world. If Nicholas wished to go through with such a ritual, it
would have no effect on the final outcome.  Soon, within a year at the
most, Natalie Lambert would be a permanent part of the vampire community.
After waiting over 760 years, he would at last have his revenge.


End Part 3

All Comments to: cstar@pdq.net

Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:39:37 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One  (Part 4/20)

THIS IS THE ADULT VERSION

Disclaimers: Please see Part 1a 

In All Ways, One (Part 4a/20)
by Nightlady
(c) 1997

Tracy unlocked the door to her apartment and went in.  It had been a long,
and because of the weather, boring night and she was feeling extremely
tired. She had spent most of it, while appearing to go over her old case
files, examining her feelings about Nick and Nat's plans to marry.  

Dropping down on her sofa, Tracy sighed.  She knew that a large part of her
ambiguity toward this marriage was colored by her confusion over her own
feelings toward Vachon and her upbringing that had always viewed vampires
as imaginary creatures of pure evil. Chuckling to herself, Tracy admitted
that obviously at least the part about them being imaginary was an error.
As for Vachon, there was something about him that drew her while at the
same time causing her to fear him.  The confusing part was that she had
never felt that way toward Nick.  Even now, knowing what he was, Tracy
could not feel the 'evil' that she had convinced herself she felt from
Vachon.  

"Why couldn't he have told me himself!" She exclaimed out loud.  She
sighed, remembering the short talk she and Nick had after she had
discovered his secret.  She had told him that the knowledge that he was a
vampire would make no difference in their working relationship and, at the
time, had meant it.   It was only later as the full implication of the
situation sank in that the doubts had begun to surface.   And then tonight,
when he had announced the upcoming wedding, all Tracy could think of was if
Nick planned to make Natalie into the type of creature that he was.

She knew that Nat was deeply in love with Nick, or at least appeared to be,
but how much of that was real and how much might be induced by some form of
hypnosis?  Deciding that she would call Nat later in the day and arrange to
see her privately, Tracy headed toward her bed and much needed sleep.


Natalie opened her eyes slowly, still slightly foggy with sleep. She could
feel the warm lump that was Sidney curled up in the hollow formed by her
knees and the soft feel of the satin sheets against her skin. Her head was
resting on Nick's chest and his arms held her gently against him.  Smiling,
she shifted slightly to look at his face. 'He looks so relaxed and at
peace,' she thought. Looking at his profile, feeling his body next to hers,
Nat felt her heartbeat increase. As she had no memory of getting into bed,
she knew she must have fallen asleep downstairs last night.  They had
arrived back at the loft after work and it wasn't until Nat had eaten a
light meal and tended to Sidney's needs that she had at last gone upstairs
and taken a hot shower.  Donning her nightclothes, she had returned down
stairs to curl up next to Nick on the couch with the intention of
discussing Tracy's reaction, which Nick had mentioned on the ride home, to
the announcement of their plans to marry.  'Apparently, I was a lot more
tired than I realized.' Nat mused. 'Of course with all that has happened
recently, I guess I'm entitled.' She smiled again as she remembered how
nice it had been listening to Nick talk as she'd sat snug in his arms on
the couch.  Making a mental note to call Tracy and try to arrange a time
that the two of them could meet, Nat slipped from beneath the sheets and
padded across the bedroom to the bath.

Nick had awakened when Nat eased herself from his arms.  He lay still,
feigning sleep and watching her as she crossed to the bath.  He knew,
thanks to his vampire's senses that it was still several hours before
sunset. He smiled as he thought of how pleasantly they could spend those
hours. As he lay there, Nat returned from the bathroom and crossed back to
the bed. She stopped and petted Sidney, who stretched and jumped down off
the bed.  Nick could hear the soft sounds of the cat's footsteps as it left
the room. As Nick watched her, Nat slipped off the long tee shirt she had
slept in and Nick inhaled silently as he watched the nipples of her breasts
pucker and become erect as the cool air of the bedroom touched them.  The
sight of her creamy body, with the darker areas of her nipples and the
triangular patch of hair between her legs, caused Nick to want her
desperately.  The fullness of her breasts with their now erect nipples
awakened Nick's memory of the taste and feel of her warm flesh.  He could
feel his own body's reaction to her nearness, and slipped out of the silk
pajama bottoms he was wearing.  Already his penis was hardening with
desire. Opening his eyes fully, Nick called her name softly, as he sat up.
His need to feel her against him and to bury himself in her warm, slick
moistness raged through his body as she walked over to him. 

"I'm sorry, Nick, I didn't mean to awaken you." Nat said, noticing the
rather clear evidence of his manhood beneath the sheet.  The knowledge that
he wanted her, and of just how wonderful it felt to have his hands on her
and him deep within her, caused her own juices to flow. Nat could feel a
sight blush run through her, as she became aware of just how much she
wanted to feel him in her.

"You can awaken me like this anytime you want to," Nick said with a grin.
He laughed as Nat pointedly looked at where his manhood was forcing the
sheet away from his body and then, meeting his eyes, slowly licked her lips.

Throwing off the sheet and swinging his feet to the floor, Nick reached out
and pulled Nat to him. As she stood between his knees, her breasts were at
the perfect level for him to softly envelop one nipple in his mouth, as he
massaged the other with his hand.  He heard Nat's intake of breath she
laced her fingers in his hair, encouraging his actions with a light
pressure.  He teased the now hard nipple with his tongue, feeling the
shivers of pleasure that ran through her body and hearing the quickened
pace of her heart and breathing.

When he released the breast he had been playing with, Nat made a small
sound of protest, which swiftly died as he began to enjoy her other breast.
 She could feel the moistness between her legs, which was growing along
with her need.  Lost in the wonderful sensations his mouth was producing,
her knees nearly buckled as Nick's fingers sought and found her sensitive
mound.  As he began to rub and caress her, Nat could feel her legs begin to
quiver, his actions causing a delightful build of tension throughout her
body. She dropped one hand from his hair and found his stiff, throbbing
member.  The feel of his moisture, seeping out due to his own arousal,
added to her pleasure.  Grasping him carefully, she began to stroke the
length of him, smiling as he, too, groaned with pleasure. Just when she
knew that she could no longer stand, Nat firmly pushed Nick onto his back
and smiling wickedly, straddled his body.  

Nick gasped with pleasure as Nat slowly lowered her warmth onto him,
surrounding his member in a moist slickness even as she found his mouth and
enveloped his tongue in her own.  As she accepted his plunging tongue, she
began to slowly slide up and down his shaft, as her tongue ran lightly over
his fangs, causing them to drop and his eyes to shift to gold.  Nat smiled
down at him and began to increase the speed of her rhythmic rise and fall.
He cried out as the sensation built within him, the musky woman scent of
her along with her unique blood scent calling to both his man and beast.
He could feel himself growing harder and knew that he would have to find
his release soon.  

Nat could feel Nick deep in her very core, the cool hardness of him filling
her completely. She felt him twitch as he rose toward his fulfillment and
she increased her speed. Her own pleasure was so intense that she could
scarcely bear it. As Nick gave an inarticulate growl, she looked at his
golden eyes and on impulse, leaned forward to allow him access to her
breasts. As he closed his lips around one, she began to pant in short,
quick gasps as her whole body cried out for a release from the tension.
Nat felt Nick's teeth sink in to the sensitive flesh of her breasts and, at
the same time, felt him come within her in several long pulsing spurts of
cool fluid. The combination of sensations, along with the new and ever
stronger feelings she was receiving from his drinking of her blood,
triggered her own orgasm. The shudders ran through her body, as she cried
out in ecstasy. At last, she felt herself collapsing as she fought to
regain her breath.  

Nick's climax shook him and the feeling of Nat's breast in his mouth as he
tasted her blood, and in it her own pleasure, amplified it beyond any he
had ever before experienced.  He felt Nat shudder as she too came and
sensed through their link her need for physical support. Raising himself
slightly, he gathered her in his arms, and still within her, lowered her to
the bed.  As she gasped for air, he kissed her softly on her eyes,
forehead, and cheeks ending with a short, feathery kiss of her lips.  He
looked into her eyes, and knew that the love he felt for her was reflected
in her own love for him.  "Good thing we don't have to be at work for
another 5 hours," he whispered softly, as she snuggled against him. 

"Mmmm," Nat replied contentedly, "but I do have to get up in a minute.  I
want to phone Tracy and see if she can meet me before work, maybe have
'breakfast with her."  Nat looked up into Nick's now blue eyes.  "I do
remember you saying that she seemed upset about our plans, before I fell
asleep last night."

"She definitely did not react with the enthusiasm I would have expected,
especially since she and Grace did everything in their power to ensure that
we were together."  Nick said with a slight grin.

"That's the truth! And Grace certainly reacted exactly the way you would
expect." Nat chuckled as she remembered how excited her friend and coworker
had been.  "Of course, Grace doesn't know as much as Tracy does. Nick, I
suspect that despite telling you she was okay with learning what you are.
Tracy is really quite confused about it."

Nick sighed, " You're probably right. She didn't find out in the easiest
way, and I know that she is still adjusting to the knowledge that vampires
even exist at all."  He stroked Nat's face.  "I really haven't had a chance
to talk with her, just those few minutes on Christmas Eve..."

Nat smiled, "Don't you dare start feeling guilty about that!  You weren't
the one who managed to miss seeing her car at Vachon's. It's my fault that
she found our at all. That night, she seemed to be okay about it."  Nat
giggled, "She even asked me what it was like."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and what did you tell her?"

Nat looked lovingly into his eyes. "I told her it was the most incredibly
intense experience I had ever had, and that the purely physical stuff
wasn't bad either."  

"Just wasn't bad?" Nick asked with a twinkle in his eyes. 
"Well, I guess I did underplay that a little." Nat returned with a grin.
"I was slightly distracted at the time."  She sobered, "It was before we
found you."  The memory of the terror she had felt when the hunter had held
Nick captive was something that Nat suspected would not fade quickly.

Nick hugged her against him. "It's over now and I'm all right, thanks to you."

"I know," she answered, "and I could never have done it without Tracy's
help, and LaCroix's and Vachon's."  She pressed against him and returned
his embrace.  
For several minutes, they lay holding one another, silently thanking
whatever powers had allowed them to be together.  At last, Nat pulled away
from Nick. 

"If I'm going to meet with Tracy, I have got to get up."  

Nick frowned, "I know, but that doesn't mean I like it."  

Laughing over her shoulder, Nat headed for the shower.


When Nat came downstairs some twenty minutes later, she found Nick seated
on the couch, talking on the phone.  Nat started to go to the kitchen in
search of a cup of coffee, when Nick motioned to her to join him on the
couch. Pointing to the phone in his hand, Nick mouthed, "Tracy."  As Nat
headed to the couch, she heard him say, "Here's Nat now.  I'll let you talk
to her while I fix a cup of coffee for her."  Handing the phone to Nat,
Nick moved toward the kitchen.  

"Hi, Trace, I was going to call you in a few minutes." Nat spoke cheerfully
into the phone. "I was hoping you might join me somewhere for a bite to eat
before our shifts start."

"Actually, I was calling to suggest that very thing." Tracy replied. "How
about that little restaurant over on Yonger, the one with all the potted
plants in the window?"

"Sure, that sounds fine. How does 6pm sound? That should give us plenty of
time even if they're busy."

"Sounds good, Nat. I guess I'll see you then."

"Tracy, is anything wrong? You sound a little upset."  Nat asked.

"No, I...I don't know. I do need to talk to you, Nat."  Tracy paused then
added, "Alone."

"Sure, Tracy.  Nick isn't real big on eating in restaurants anyway."  Nat
said trying to keep the tone of the conversation light.

"No, I guess he's not." Tracy's reply was quiet and Nat knew her suspicions
about Tracy's reactions to all which had happened in the past several days,
were probably correct.  

Well, I have to finish up a few things here before work, so I'll see you at
six."  Nat waited until she heard Tracy agree and saying goodbye hung up
the phone.

Nick sat back down beside Nat and handed her a cup of coffee.  Since Nat
had taken to setting up the pot in the morning, before they got ready for
bed, he had learned how much sugar and cream she liked in hers.  The simple
act of being able to bring her a cup of coffee when they got up in the
evening, was something Nick treasured.  Although she smiled as she accepted
the cup from him, Nick could see that Nat was concerned about her brief
chat with Tracy.  After waiting for a few minutes, he raised his eyebrows
and prompted, "So? What's up with Tracy?"

Nat sighed, "She wants to talk with me, ALONE, but wouldn't go into details
on the phone."  Glancing at Nick she added, "And yes, I do think it has
something to do with what she found out about you and us."  Putting her now
empty cup on the table, Nat stood. "I told her I would meet her for a bite
to eat before work.  I had better get going or I'm going to be late."  

Nick stood and followed Nat as she went to collect her briefcase, and coat.
 As she finished putting on the coat, he gave her a quick hug.  "I'm sorry
that you are having to deal with what should be MY problem."

Nat smiled lovingly up at him, "I don't mind, and besides I think of it as
OUR problem."  The soft smile her words brought to Nick's face warmed her.
Kissing him softly on the lips, she opened the lift door and headed down to
her car.


End Part 4a, continued in Part 5

All comments to: cstar@pdq.net

Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:40:39 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One (Part 5/20)

Disclaimers: Please see Part 1a 

In All Ways, One (Part 5/20)
By Nightlady
(c) 1997

It was a few minutes before 6:00pm when Nat pulled into an open parking
space a half block from the restaurant.  Although the snow had stopped and
the streets were now plowed, the temperature had dropped.  The icy wind
quickly caused Nat to wish that the restaurant had a parking lot next to
it.  By the time she had reached the front door she was shivering in spite
of the warm clothes she had on.

Entering the restaurant, Nat immediately spotted Tracy in the waiting area.
 With a smile, Nat headed over to the younger, blonde woman.  Nat noted
that Tracy managed a half smile in return, and saw a slightly dazed
expression in Tracy's eyes.

"I went ahead and put our name on the waiting list. I hope you don't mind."
Tracy said as Nat reached her.  

"No, that's great.  Any idea how long of a wait we have?" Nat replied.

"They said only about ten minutes, and I've been here about five already."
Tracy said.  "Thanks for meeting with me, Nat."  Tracy's eyes widened
slightly as she saw the ruby ring gleaming on Nat's hand. "Oh, Nat, that
ring is beautiful.  It looks like an antique." Tracy exclaimed.

Nat smiled happily as she looked at the ring. "Thanks, Trace. I love it. It
originally belonged to Nick's mother. It was her engagement ring. Nick had
it refurbished for me."  Nat watched closely as Tracy realized just how old
that made the ring.  She could see the conflict in Tracy's expression.  

"Nat," Tracy began just as the hostess came over and announced that their
table was ready.  Nat and Tracy spent the next few minutes placing their
orders and making small talk about the weather. It wasn't until their meals
had been placed in front of them, that they returned to the reason for this
meeting.

"Nat, are you really sure you know what you are getting yourself into?"
Tracy asked, her voice full of concern.

"Tracy, I love Nick. I have never felt this way about anyone in my life."
Nat spoke softly and reassuringly.  "I told you the other night, that Nick
is everything I have ever wanted or needed."  Nat paused to allow Tracy a
chance to respond.  She knew that in her heart, Tracy understood.  It was
the difficulty of reconciling what she felt with what her background told
her she should feel that was the problem.

Tracy's next words confirmed this. "I know, and that night all I could
think of was how wonderful it must be to love and be loved like that.  I'm
sorry, it's just that when I had a chance to think things over on Christmas
day, I ... I started wondering if it was you talking or something that Nick
had hypnotized you into thinking."  She looked anxiously at Nat. "I know
that they can do that sort of thing."

Nat smiled.  "Yes, I know that too, but I can assure you that Nick has not
done that to me.  He tried to make me forget that what he was that first
night in the morgue, but it didn't take."  She saw relief flood into
Tracy's eyes.  "Tracy, I can assure you that what I feel is the result of
nothing but love."

"Nat, please understand that I had to be sure..." Tracy began.

"I do understand and I am grateful that you care enough about me to feel
that way." Nat said as she reached across the table to touch the other
woman's hand.
"I know how hard it is just to accept the existence of Nick and Vachon. I
understand what a shock it had to be to you to find out that someone you
trusted with your life, was not what you believed him to be."  Nat paused,
"I wish that you had found out a different way, but you didn't."

Tracy could feel tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.  She looked at
Nat, and saw the concern in her face. Taking a deep breath, Tracy squeezed
Nat's hand. "Nat, can you really be sure that Nick loves you?  I mean
are...are what he and Vachon are capable of loving?"  She felt a tear slip
from the corner of her eye.  

"Of course they are capable of love, Tracy."  Nat said softly.  "I will
admit that I had the same doubts in the beginning that you are having.
After all, everything we ever saw about THEM, always portrayed them as evil
personified."  She smiled, "It's a natural reaction.  But as I got to know
Nick, to see the 'measure of the man' to paraphrase Shakespeare, I realized
that he was not evil.  The closer I allowed myself to get to him, the more
I realized that Nick is the most decent, honest, and loving person I have
ever known.  I won't say that all of THEM are like that, but neither are
all of us."  Nat saw that Tracy was starting to accept what she had said.
With an inward sigh of relief, Nat continued.  "I don't really know Vachon
all that well. As a matter of fact, I had never met him before that day at
the church but I knew that he had to be someone decent or you would not
have continued to see him."  Nat smiled at the slight blush that colored
Tracy's cheeks.  "I will always be grateful to him for his willingness to
help me find Nick. I can see why you like him, in a lot of ways he is like
Nick."  

Tracy couldn't help but chuckle at this.  "Nat, how can you say that!  I
can't think of any two people less alike than Nick and Vachon."

Now it was Nat's turn to chuckle, "On the surface, maybe, but down deep
where it really counts they are very much alike."  Nat sobered as she
looked into Tracy's eyes. "The fact that we are sitting here having this
conversation is proof of that.  They have both put their necks on the line
by allowing you and me to live."

Tracy felt a chill run through her, "Vachon said something that day at the
church about Enforcers?"

Nat nodded. "Yes, according to their laws, any mortal who finds out about
their existence is to either be made to forget or to be killed.  Nick tried
to make me forget and it didn't work, just as I am sure Vachon tried to do
with you."

"Yes, I remember, for a minute it was as though he were inside my head,
but..."

Nat nodded, "Same here. Nick bumped into me on the street the next night,
trying to be sure that it worked.  When I recognized him, according to
their rules he should have killed me."  She smiled, "But Nick is not a
murderer, any more than Vachon is."

Tracy looked puzzled, "Nat, I know that Vachon has killed in the past."

"As has Nick," Nat said calmly. "But they don't anymore. Remember Tracy,
they have to have blood to survive. Nick has drunk animal blood, instead of
human blood, for a very long time, and he still agonizes over the deaths he
caused in the past." Nat hesitated, searching for the words that would
convey her meaning to Tracy. "They are human Tracy, in spite of the fact
that they are for all intents immortal.  They made mistakes, did things
that they regret, just like all of us.  I do not believe that either Nick
or Vachon ever killed for fun, they killed because, at that time, they had
to do it to live." Nat sat back in her chair and waited for Tracy to think
through what she had just said.

Tracy sat silently for several minutes.  She wanted to believe what Nat had
said.  She thought of the many things in her life she had done and now
regretted, and she thought about Nick.  Tracy realized that, if she were
truly honest with herself, Nick was indeed a very good person, or at the
very least someone who would always try to do the right thing. She also
realized that there was no one who she trusted more. Suddenly her reaction
to his being a vampire seemed a bit silly.  He hadn't changed just because
she knew what he was; only her perception of him had been colored by her
new knowledge.  A warmth grew inside her as she realized that if it were
possible for a vampire to be good, to love someone as much as her heart
told her Nick loved Nat, then perhaps there was a chance, no matter how
small, for her to have a future with Vachon.  Tracy at last admitted to
herself: she was in love with Vachon.

Nat watched the emotions that played across Tracy's face.  'Please, let her
understand what I was trying to say,' she thought.  When Tracy at last
looked at her, Nat felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
She could see in Tracy's eyes that her common sense had overcome the
childhood conditioning that automatically equated vampire with evil.

"So," Tracy said as she smiled and reached for Nat's hand, "let me have a
better look at that ring. And I am going to be invited to the wedding,
aren't I?"

"Of course you are!"  Nat replied happily. "How would you feel about
helping me pick out my wedding dress?"



Nick found that he was somewhat nervously awaiting Tracy's arrival as he
sat at his desk trying to do yet more paperwork.  He heard her familiar
heartbeat approaching and tried to look casual.  "Hi, Trace. Did you and
Nat have a nice meal?"

Tracy sat down opposite him. "Nick, I'm sorry for the way I behaved
yesterday.  Nat and I had a good, long talk.  She made me realize what I
knew all along." She paused awkwardly before continuing, "I'm glad that you
are my partner, and I hope that you will forgive me for ever doubting you."

Nick felt a knot in his stomach ease at her words. "Tracy, there is nothing
to forgive. I'm glad that you are my partner, too."  He knew that he was
grinning like a little kid, but he had come to like this young woman and to
value her friendship.  The ring of the telephone on his desk stopped any
reply from Tracy, but Nick knew that this time she was indeed okay with her
new knowledge.

"96th, Knight." Nick said as he picked up the phone.  His brow furrowed as
he listened to the voice on the other end. "Okay, we're on our way."
Hanging up the phone, Nick looked over to his partner. "Come on, Tracy.
That was a uniformed officer. He just came across a body in the park." 

Tracy was on her feet and quickly followed Nick to his car. "Did you get
any details?" She asked as she opened the passenger side door.

"Not really, victim is female and the ME has been notified." Nick said as
he started the Caddy and put it in gear.  "We'll just have to wait until we
get there."

A few minutes later, they pulled up next the several patrol cars. As Nick
and Tracy were getting out of the Caddy, Nat pulled in behind them.  They
paused and waited for her to get out of her car before heading up a slight
hill.  Near the top of the hill, several police officers, as well as a
police photographer, were standing looking down at the corpse.

"Either of you have any information on what we have here?" Nat asked as
they started up the hill.

Tracy shook her head and Nick answered, "No, the officer that called it in
only said female and the location."

"That's about what we got." Nat said, as she concentrated on maneuvering up
the snowy hillside with her medical bag. She smiled as she felt Nick gently
take a hold of her elbow, helping her balance.  The smile faded as the trio
drew close enough to see the victim.

She lay half way on her left side, her short hair shining gold in the
emergency lights that had been erected on the scene.  She was partially
dressed in a torn sweater and what appeared to be a skirt. Nick sighed, she
couldn't be much more than twenty-four. Beside him, he felt Nat give a
small shudder before she stepped closer to the body to begin her
investigation.  "Let's have a talk with whoever phoned this in," Nick said
turning to Tracy. "His name is Berhens."  Tracy nodded her agreement and
they set off to find the first officer on the scene.

Nat looked down at the young woman who lay before her.  Slipping on a pair
of latex gloves, she carefully attempted to move the victims hand, with no
success.  Either she had been dead long enough for rigor mortis to have set
in, or...  Reaching into her bag she removed a long thermometer. Raising
the sweater, Nat pushed the instrument into the woman's side and into her
liver. This would give her an idea of how long the body had been out in the
subfreezing temperature. While she waited for the thermometer to register,
Nat started to examine the body for any obvious signs of trauma.  She
quickly spotted a dark bruise at the base of the woman's skull and
indications that she had been bound, hand and foot.  Taking plastic bags
from her case, she placed them over the dead woman's hands and fastened
them above the abrasion marks with tape. Removing the thermometer, Nat
noted that had not registered at all, meaning that the body had been
outside long enough to cool past 70 degrees. The stiffness in the hands was
do to freezing, not rigor mortis.  It also meant that determining the time
of death would be impossible.  Sighing, Nat stood and indicated to the
waiting morgue technicians that they could remove the body.  Looking
around, Nat spied Tracy and Nick talking with an uniformed officer and
headed in their direction.

Nick looked up as Nat approached; the conversation with Officer Berhens had
produced little helpful information.  Nick hoped that Nat would have found
something that he and Tracy could use in their investigation.  He gave a
silent sigh of disappointment as Nat caught his eye and gave a small
negative shake of her head.  Finishing the conversation with Berhens, Nick
turned to Nat.

"Sorry, you're going to have to wait until I get her back to the morgue
before I can give you any idea of what killed her." Nat said. "I can tell
you that she has abrasion marks on both wrists and ankles, but the killer
removed whatever was used to tie her up." Nat paused, "And I can tell you
that she has been out here long enough for some freezing of the body to
occur."

"That means that you won't be able to even estimate the time of death,
doesn't it?"  Tracy asked.

"'Fraid so.  There didn't seem to be any sort of identification on her
either." Nat said, frustrated.

"So we had better start checking the missing person files and hope that we
find a match." Nick shook his head.  "She didn't strike me as looking like
a street person, maybe we'll get lucky."

"And whoever reported her will have suddenly gotten unlucky." Nat said,
sadly.  "I'm going to head on back to the office. I'll try and have a cause
of death for you before the end of shift."  She flashed both Tracy and Nick
a smile as she turned to leave.  

Nick stood for a moment watching until Nat was back at her car.  With a
slightly sheepish smile, he turned to find Tracy watching him with amusement. 

"Come on," Tracy said, "all those wonderful missing persons files await
us."  She laughed at the face Nick made and then headed down the hill.

End Part 5

All comments to: cstar@pdq.net 

Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:59:02 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One (Part 6/20)

Disclaimers: Please see Part 1a.

In All Ways, One (Part 6/20)
By Nightlady
(c) 1997

It was only an hour before their shift ended, when Nat arrived at the
precinct with her report.

"Cause of death, internal hemorrhage from a ruptured spleen."  She handed
copies of the report to both Nick and Tracy.  "There was also indications
that she was gagged, as well as bound. I found fibers in her mouth. No
indication of any sexual assault." Nat shook her head. "It's my guess that
she's been dead for at least two to three days but, given how cold it's
been the past few days, I could be off by a day or so."

Nick quickly scanned the information on the victim's height, weight, and
other identifying characteristics. He picked up a missing person's report
and handing it to Tracy said, "Three days would be about right. I think she
might be Anna Hutyera, reported missing Christmas Eve."  

Nat looked over Tracy's shoulder at the report. "You may be right, that
scar behind the right ear is the same and the other data fits, too."  

Tracy frowned, "So now we go see her family and make their worst nightmare
come true. This is one part of this job I hate."

Nick nodded as he reached for his coat. "I know, Tracy.  It never gets any
easier, either."  He kissed Nat on the cheek. "If it looks like getting
home is going to cut it too close, I may have to call you to come and drive
the Caddy."

"Oh boy, I wonder which streets have the most potholes!" She said
teasingly.  She laughed at the surprised expression on Tracy's face. "Don't
worry Tracy, I'll be kind."  


Nat had been home for a little more than two hours when she heard the lift
motor start.  She picked up the remote and closed the window coverings,
shutting out the rapidly brightening sky. As the door to the lift opened,
one look at Nick's face told her that the young woman had indeed been Anna
Hutyera.  Moving swiftly to him, Nat put her arms around him and hugged
him.  She smiled as she felt Nick's strong arms encircle her, holding her
tightly against him. At last, he loosened his hold on her. "Thank you," he
breathed against her hair. "I agree with Tracy, having to tell families
that someone they loved..." Nick broke off and sighed. 

"A positive, visual ID?" Nat asked, as she stepped away from Nick.  She saw
him nod. With a sigh, she went into the kitchen and, after a moment's
hesitation, reached for a wineglass. 'He can drink the protein shake
later,' she thought as she opened the fridge and removed one of the green
bottles of cow blood. She sat the glass on the counter and prepared to open
the bottle.  

"Let me do that, Nat." Nick said as he joined her in the kitchen.  "I know
you can't like handling this stuff."  

Nat smiled, as she relinquished the bottle. "Not really, but I would guess
that you are not too fond of fixing coffee for me either." She was glad to
see him smile at her remark.

"Touché." He kissed her softly before pouring a glass of blood from the now
open bottle. Picking up the glass in one hand, Nick put the other around
her waist and they walked over to the couch.  

"Her parents were the ones who reported her missing.  They were supposed to
spend Christmas Eve together and, when she didn't show up, they went to her
apartment.  According to them, nothing appeared to be out of place, but her
car was in the garage and her purse on the kitchen table. That's when they
called the police." Nick said, the sorrow he felt clear in his voice. "She
was engaged and supposed
to be married on January 5th." 

"The fiancé?" Nat asked.

Nick shook his head, "No, he has an airtight alibi.  He's in the military
and currently doing duty in Bosnia.  His leave doesn't start until January
2nd." Nick sipped from his glass.

Nat thought. "If her apartment was undisturbed, then she must have known
whoever killed her."

"It would seem that way.  We'll start checking out any old boyfriends
tonight."  
He looked over at Nat. "On a brighter note, I gather your meeting with
Tracy went well?" 

Nat smiled. "Yeah, she was just having a bit of a delayed reaction to this
latest crinkle in her reality.  We had a nice talk and I think she's going
to be okay."

"So she said tonight." Nick went in the kitchen. When he returned, he had
refilled his wineglass and also carried a tumbler filled with the latest
version of Nat's protein shakes.  Sitting the wineglass on the table beside
him, he took a swallow of the shake.  "Hey, this one doesn't taste quite as
bad as the others." He said, pleasantly surprised.

Nat laughed, "Oh, is my 'cooking' improving?"

"Either that or my taste buds have become immune to the taste of these
things." Nick said, ducking the pillow she swatted at him. "I forgot to
tell you earlier. I was able to reserve the banquet room at the Four
Seasons, for our wedding."  

"Nick! That's wonderful! Now I can find out what the airline schedule is
and call Sara."  Nat exclaimed excitedly.

Nick reached into his pocket and removed a folded sheet of paper.  "I
already checked the schedules," he said handing it to Nat. "I was lonely
without you this afternoon, it kept me busy."  The radiant look on Nat's
face warmed him like the remembered feeling of sunshine.

Nat looked at her watch, "Hmmm, only 6, that means it's only 3am there.
I'll wait until 9:30 and then call her."  She snuggled into Nick's arms,
her head on his chest. "I can't believe we are actually planning OUR
wedding."  

Nick hugged her. "Believe it, my love."


Shortly before 9:30am, Nat dialed Sara's number. Nick had gone on upstairs
a few minutes earlier.  She smiled to herself as she listened to the
ringing of the phone.  When Sara answered, Nat quickly told her that the
date for the wedding was confirmed and that she would send the tickets
within the next few days. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Nat
hung up the phone. 

"Everything all set with Sara and Amy?" Nick inquired, as Nat entered the
bedroom.  

"Yes. As it turns out, Amy is on spring break from school that week, so
it's just a matter of Sara being sure of when she can get time off from
work."  Nat yawned as she finished speaking.  She was tired and quickly
moved to change into a nightgown.  Nick was folding back the comforter and
the sheets on the bed. As he finished, he slipped between the sheets; his
head propped up on one arm as he watched Nat finish getting ready for bed.

"Come here, you look like you are exhausted."  Nick said, holding the
covers open for her.

Nat slid in beside him, sighing as she curled up against his side. "Oh,
this does feel good. I didn't realize how tired I was until just now."  Nat
laid her arm across Nick's chest, her head pillowed on his shoulder.  She
loved the feel of his muscles under her cheek, and the mixed scents of his
after-shave and soap that wafted into her nostrils, made her feel relaxed
even as the gentle embrace of his arms around her made her feel safe.  She
could feel herself starting to drift into sleep and smiled slightly as she
recalled the many times she had lain, alone in her bed, trying to find rest.

Nick inhaled the spicy, floral scent of Nat's hair. He could hear her
breathing and heartbeat slow as she drifted into sleep.  After all of the
years of dreading the daylight, of struggling to quiet his conscience so
that he could find some semblance of rest, Nick luxuriated in the peace
that he had now attained.  In the course of his long life, Nick had held
many women in his arms, but none had ever soothed his soul the way
Natalie's presence did.  Even Janette, with whom he had been the longest,
had not given him the comfort and solace that Nat, by just being in a room,
provided.  Nick thought of Janette. He realized that he had been more in
lust with her than in love. The love that he did feel for Janette, was due
more to the fact that she represented the life he had known before LaCroix
had cursed him with immortality, than the merging of souls he had with Nat.
 "Thank you, for allowing me to find Nat." Nick murmured in quiet prayer to
whatever god might listen, before he too, fell into a restful sleep.

End Part 6 


All comments to: cstar@pdq.net 

Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:42:07 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One (Part 7/20)-Adult Version 

THIS IS THE ADULT VERSION

Disclaimers: Please see Part 1a

In All Ways, One (Part 7a/20)
By Nightlady
(c) 1997

New Year's Eve found Nat busy in her office.  She was checking to be
certain that there were plenty of supplies on hand and that the extra
staff, that had been called in for the holiday, was ready for what
experience had shown to be one of the busiest nights of the year for the
Medical Examiner's office.   Nat sighed, the loss of life tonight would be
due more to stupidity than actual malice.  Too many people, who thought
that the laws against driving while under the influence were meant for
someone else, would end up here tonight.  Even worse, they too often
destroyed the lives of others.

Shortly before midnight, Nick walked swiftly down the hall to Nat's office.
 For the first time in centuries, he found himself looking toward the New
Year with anticipation rather than apathy. He wanted to share the ringing
in of this year with Nat, for her love was the reason for this change of
attitude.

Nat turned as he walked into the office. The smile on her face, as she saw
him, was reflected by his own.  "Hi, I was hoping that you'd manage to get
by here." Nat said.

Nick crossed to her and took her in his arms.  "There was no way that I was
going to miss being with you to ring in what looks to be the happiest year
in my life."  He smoothed a stray lock of hair from her face, "Especially
since you are the reason that it is the best time of my existence."  

Nat smiled up at Nick, "It looks like the best year in my life too." she
whispered as he lowered his lips to hers.

The old year had passed, and the new one was several minutes old, before
they reluctantly broke their embrace.  Nat could sense Nick's desire for
her, indeed it matched her own. She also knew that fulfilling those wants
was, for the moment, impossible.  As she eased herself away from him, Nat
grinned. "Just wait until we're back at the loft, I have definite ideas of
how we should celebrate the holiday."

Nick met her grin with his own, "Really?  I had planned to spend the day in
bed."  He gave an exaggerated yawn.  "But if you have something else in mind?"

"No, the day in bed is JUST what I had in mind." Nat said, as she playfully
swatted his shoulder, "Just don't think for one minute that you are going
to spend the entire time sleeping."  She turned away and headed for her desk.

Nick wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Sleeping? Who said ANYTHING
about sleeping?"  Nat's giggle was cut short by the sudden, shrill ringing
of the phone on her desk, followed an instant later by the sound of Nick's
cell phone. Instantly sobered, they both answered their respective phones.

Some twenty minutes later, they stood together in the strobe-like glow of
the various lights from the police and emergency vehicles that surrounded
the crime scene.  Natalie had just finished her 'at scene' examination of
the body that lay at the center of the commotion.  

"Be glad that it's so cold out here," she said to Tracy, as the latter
shivered in the bitter, cutting wind.  "She looks like she's been dead for
at least 4 or 5 days. I'm not looking forward to the odor when she starts
to thaw."  Nat sighed, "And I've got more good news. I won't know for
certain until I get her back to the lab, but the rope marks on her wrists
look like they might have been made from the same kind of rope that was
used to bind Anna Hutyera."

Tracy looked at the grotesquely bloated body and felt her stomach churn.
It was bad enough to see, but the thought of being in a closed room with
the smell of it was enough to make her feel as if she would never want to
see or even think about eating again.  Glancing at Nick, Tracy found that
he looked as sick to his stomach as she felt.  

Nick forced himself to look at the body, and managed to keep from
flinching. He could smell the sickly, sweet odor of death that rose, like a
foul miasma from it, even in its current nearly frozen state.  It was a
scent he had become far to familiar with in his long life, and one that he
would be happy to never again encounter.  He stepped slightly closer to
Nat, seeing the sadness in her eyes, as she gazed on what might have been a
lovely woman before death and decay had claimed her.  'Who are you?' Nick
wondered. 'Who is missing you and how did you end up here?' Nat's last
words cut through his musings. "You think it was the same killer?" 

"I can't say for certain, but I think that you might have to consider that
possibility." Nat met his eyes. "I'll start on her as soon as she warms up
enough." The distant sounds of emergency sirens could be heard where they
stood huddled together. "Now that the drunks have hit the road, I'm sure
that I'll have enough to keep be me busy until then." She knew from
experience that there would be far too many victims of car crashes this
night.  Catching the attention of the waiting attendants, she motioned for
them to remove the body.

"You mean we might have a serial killer?" Tracy asked.  

Nat shrugged, "As I said, I can't be certain yet. And until we find out who
she is, we won't know if she and Anna were connected somehow.  It could be
that she is a friend who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Or Anna could have been." Nick added. "Let's get out of here and head back
to the station. We can start checking the missing persons listings."  

As they headed for their cars, none of them spoke. The possibility of a
serial killer meant, that unless they got lucky and found him quickly, they
were likely to see more bodies like these.


It was almost dawn when Nat pulled her car into the garage next to Nick's
Caddy.  As she had suspected, there had been more car wreck deaths than her
office usually saw in two weeks. Even with the additional help, the
workload had been horrendous.  She had been right, too, about the
unpleasantness of working on the unknown woman.  Even though Nat had
showered after doing the procedure, it still seemed as if she could smell
the odor of decay clinging to her. In fact, it seemed like all of the
normal odors of the morgue, that she had felt herself inured too, had
seemed overly strong tonight. That the woman appeared to have been killed
in the same manner as Anna Hutyera didn't help, either. The idea of more
women ending up on her examining table in the same condition chilled Nat to
the core.  With a sigh, she got out of her car, and headed for the lift.
"What you need, Lambert, is a long, hot shower, some food and Nick," she
muttered to herself as the lift rose. 

Stepping out of the lift into the loft, Nat was disappointed to not see
Nick anywhere on the bottom floor.  She headed for the kitchen, but paused
uncertainly at the refrigerator. Although she was vaguely hungry, Nat
realized that until she did something about dispelling the memory of the
scent of decay, she would not be able to eat.  She was so lost in her
thoughts, that when Nick wrapped his arms around her from behind, she gave
a small shriek and jumped.

"Easy, Nat." Nick said, turning her to face him. He looked at the tired
expression on her face and smiled. Kissing her gently on the forehead, he
held her against him for a moment as she laid her head on his chest.  Still
smiling, he picked her up in his arms and carried her toward the stairs. 

"Nick..." Nat began. 

"Shhh, just relax." He said softly. 

At the top of the stairs, he walked not into the master bedroom as Nat had
thought he would, but instead, carried her to a door on the other side of
it.  Holding her easily with just one arm, Nick opened the door.

Nat had always assumed that the door led into a storage area, or some other
room and a gasp of surprise escaped her as she looked around the room they
had entered.  The flicker of dozens of candles lighted the room.  The main
feature of the room was a large, claw foot tub into which a stream of water
was pouring. The steam from the tub filled the room with the delicate scent
of roses, and other flowers. 

"I thought you might need a little pampering after last night." Nick
explained as he set her on her feet.  

Nat stood with her eyes closed. The warmth of the steam, rising from the
scented water in the tub, seemed to be calling to her.  Smiling at Nick,
she nodded. "This looks wonderful. Thank you!"  She stepped out of her
shoes, and began to undress. 

Nick watched as Nat rapidly stripped off her clothes. The flicker of the
candlelight on her skin and hair was intoxicating. Nick decided that if he
could spend eternity looking at, holding and loving Natalie, he might find
that it was not such a long time after all. As the tub had filled, he
reached over and shut off the water.

With a sigh of pure pleasure, Nat eased herself into the water. The scent
of the bath oil, wiping away the odors of the morgue, and the warmth were
the most heavenly things that she could imagine at the moment.  Sliding
down so that the water was up to her chin, she leaned her head against the
high back of the tub and closed her eyes allowing her senses to luxuriate
in the atmosphere that surrounded her.  She didn't hear Nick quietly leave
and was slightly surprised, when she opened her eyes after several minutes,
to see him seated on a small stool beside the tub. He had changed from his
shirt and trousers, and now wore a silken robe, without an undershirt.  She
looked at him, so full of love for him that she felt her heart would
explode with happiness. 

"Nick, this is exactly what I needed this morning."  

Nick leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'm glad. There's
more, though."

"More! I can't wait!" Nat said, laughter bubbling in her voice. 

Nick reached to the side, and produced a plate containing slices of her
favorite cheese, some crackers, and several of the largest strawberries
that Nat had ever seen. She felt her mouth moisten with anticipation as she
noticed that the bottom halves of the strawberries were covered in dark,
shining chocolate.  Nick selected one and fed it to her. The acidic tang of
the strawberry, contrasting with the sweetness of the chocolate, caused a
shiver of delight to run through her body. "Oh, how wonderful," she sighed.

Nick smiled; he could see the tension and tiredness easing.  Slowly, he fed
the morsels to Nat, while sipping his own glass of nourishment.  When the
plate was empty, Nick set the tray aside.  "Are you ready to get out yet?"
Nick asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

Nat nodded, the water had begun to cool. As she stood in the tub, water
running in rivulets down her breasts and tracing the curves of her body,
she could feel new warmth inside her that had nothing to do with the hot
bath.  Nick, held a thick, soft bath sheet for her and she stepped out of
the tub and into his waiting arms. As he began to first pat her skin dry,
then to caress her with the towel, she found her heartbeat was increasing.
Without a thought, she brought her arms around his neck, and standing on
tiptoe, sought his mouth with her own. 

Nick traced the curves of Nat's body with the towel. When their lips met,
he felt the desire for her that had been growing throughout the past hour
burst into flame.  Dropping the towel, he pulled her tightly against him,
the scent of her blood, close to the surface from the heat of the water,
filled his head. He could taste the sweetness of the mouth and her hair
between his fingers was a silken cascade.  He knew that she could feel the
pressure of his manhood against her through the silken boxers he wore
beneath the robe.  Deepening the kiss, his tongue found hers, and he felt
his eyes change.  The steady thump of her heart called to him, reminding
him of the wonderful taste of her blood. 

Nat reached down and undid the belt that held Nick's robe together. Pushing
it open, she pressed her warm, flushed, breasts against his cool, firm
chest. Nick released his hold on her briefly to shrug the robe off,
allowing it to fall unheeded to the floor. As his arms again closed around
her, his hands sliding along her back, cupping her breasts, and moving
along her buttocks and thighs, Nat slid her own hands down across his firm
stomach.  When she reached the waistband of his briefs, she slid on hand
down into the front of them, clasping his manhood in her firm, but tender
grip.  The other hand pushed the briefs over his hips.  Falling to her
knees, she took him in her mouth, feeling him grow even harder as she
slowly licked and sucked on him. His sudden intake of breath as she played
her tongue in circles around the head of his firm member brought a smile to
lips. Looking up at him, she could see the tips of his fangs as he revealed
in the sensations that her actions brought him. When she felt him urging
her to her feet she did not resist, for she knew that without her blood he
would not find his release. As she rose to her feet, she found her mouth
captured by his, as he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. 

There he laid her on the bed, never breaking his kiss. As his body covered
her, Nick's hand dropped between her legs, and he began to caress her
moist, slippery warmth. She felt her breath start to come in short gasps as
he moved his lips from her mouth to the firm mounds of her breasts.  The
sensation of his tongue as he played and toyed with her already erect
nipples, sent thrills of pleasure throughout her body.  Moaning with
desire, she once again found his manhood with her hands and continued to
stroke and fondle him.  Just when she thought she could stand no more, he
eased himself from her grip and slid into her dripping moistness.  The cool
feel of him as he filled her, caused her to cry out with joy.

Nick relished the warmth that surrounded his penis. He paused for only a
moment, before he began to move within Natalie. Neither the man nor the
beast would be denied any longer, and it was with a sense of wonder that he
felt Nat's hand pressing his head to her neck as his fangs broke into her
flesh. The taste of her blood filled his mouth, and the sure knowledge that
it gave him of her love for him, enabled him to stop himself from draining
her.  As her orgasm gripped he heard her cry out his name, and he found his
own climax shake his body.   


Natalie lay still in Nick's embrace, wonder filling her as she realized
that their bond had grown to the point were she was now starting to receive
some of his thoughts and feelings as he drank from her. The sudden, almost
overwhelming sense of his love that had swept over her as he drank filled
her with contentment.  She felt tears spring to her eyes as she thought of
how fortunate she was to have found, in Nick, someone who loved her with
the same intensity that she did him.  The feeling of loss she felt as he
withdrew his fangs from her throat suddenly clarified her thoughts.  She
knew, with certitude, that they were meant to be together forever, and that
she never wanted to be parted from him.  If that meant becoming a vampire,
she was willing to do so and would find some way to convince Nick that it
was what she truly wanted.  Still held in Nick's embrace, Nat felt the
exhaustion of the previous night claim her. 

Nick smiled as he listened to the slow, even breathing of the woman he
loved with a passion beyond anything he had ever experienced in his
existence.  He had felt, through her blood, the moment when she had become
partially aware of the depth of his love for her. That she could love him
with the same intensity, despite what he was, would never cease to be a
source of wonder to him.  He knew that he could never stand to lose her,
that without her, existence would be meaningless for him. He allowed
himself to consider the time, when as all mortals do, she would die and
realized that he was unwilling for that to ever happen.  "How can I ask you
to allow yourself to be condemned to my world of darkness?" He whispered as
he tightened his embrace and brushed his lips against her satiny skin. "But
how can I ever bear to let you go?" With a sigh, Nick closed his eyes and
sought sleep, but the sun was high in the sky before he finally found it.

End Part 7a, continued in Part 8

All comments to: cstar@pdq.net

Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:43:10 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One (Part 8/20)

Disclaimers: Please see Part 1a 

In All Ways, One (Part 8/20)
By Nightlady
(c) 1997

(January 25)

Natalie looked at the body of the young woman on the autopsy table.  She
frowned as she examined the discoloration on the wrists and nodded. Turning
to the man who stood watching her, she sighed. "I wish you had been wrong,
Mike, but I think that we definitely have another victim. The rope marks on
the wrist appear to be identical to the others."

Dr. Mike Bryce nodded sadly. "If you hadn't sent that email asking for the
other districts to keep watch for this type of victim, I would never have
thought to call and ask about it.  The press, thank heavens, hasn't gotten
hold of that information."

Natalie looked at the older man, "I don't want to think what will happen if
they do find out.  This is the fourth victim in as many weeks. As much as I
hate to admit it, I think we have a serial killer."  She thought for a
moment before continuing.  "The worst part is that so far, there doesn't
seem to be a common denominator among the victims."

"Except that they are all female," Bryce said.  "What about age range? How
much of a difference in years is there between the victims?"

"The first victim, Anna Hutyera, was 26; the next, Shanna Mills, was 19,"
Nat said ticking off each name on her fingers.  "Victim number three, Carol
Martin, was 47, Susan Perez was 30 and this one looks to be in her mid to
late 20s."  Natalie shook her head. "That makes an age span of 28 years
from the youngest to the oldest. The other baffling thing is, we know that
they were all abducted from their homes, but in each case the is no sign of
forced entry."

Bryce's brow furrowed, "Are you saying that they let the killer in?"

Nat nodded. "It looks that way. Nothing was disturbed, and they weren't
killed at either their home or where their body was found." 

"Meaning that they either knew the killer, or he seemed to be someone that
they felt was safe to let into their home."  Bryce gave a low whistle. "Did
they shop at the same place, or work near one another?"

"The first four worked several miles from one another. As to shopping, I
doubt it, Mike. In addition to a broad range of ages, we have an even
broader range of incomes."  Nat looked at her watch. "Have this body sent
downtown, and I'll do the post on her tonight." She flashed Bryce a smile.
"Again, that was a good call in noticing those marks on the wrists."

"Thank you for coming down on your time off, Natalie.  I'm sorry I had to
call you in the middle of the day like this, but I thought you'd want to
know as quickly as possible." Bryce apologized.

"I did!  Don't worry about having awakened me, I had to get up early,
anyway." Nat and Mike moved out of the examining room. "I have a fitting
this afternoon."

A wide grin crossed Bryce's face. "That's right, you're getting married on
March 7th, aren't you?" He laughed at the stunned look on Natalie's face.
"You ought to know by now that we have one of the best departmental grape
vines in the world!" He said, teasingly.

"I know it, but it still never ceases to amaze me." Nat said, laughing
along with him. "Yes, March 7 is the date, and that is only six weeks from
now."

"I wish you nothing but happiness, Natalie." Bryce kissed her gently on the
cheek.

Natalie hugged the older man. When she had first start working in Toronto,
he had been of great assistance to her.  She had been only twenty-seven and
there had been some of the older doctors who had resented her being in a
position of superiority.  Mike Bryce, however, had never done anything but
encourage her. "Thanks, Mike.  I am already so happy I don't think I can
get any happier," she said hugging him.  "Tell Elizabeth to watch for your
invitation. I hope the two of you will be able to attend."

"We wouldn't miss it for anything.  I don't think I've met the lucky groom."


"He's all that I ever dreamed of, and more." The glow of joy in Nat's eyes
told Mike that this was indeed a woman in love. He waved, as Natalie walked
through the snow to her car. 

Nat thought back to the afternoon, just over a week ago, when she, Tracy
and Grace had gone wedding gown shopping.  She could smile about it now,
having at last found the perfect gown, but at the time she had almost
despaired of ever finding anything that was suitable. 
**********************************************************************

'Oh no,' Nat thought as the sales clerk brought out yet another gown
covered with flounces, lace, pearls and other frippery.  She listened with
a set smile as Tracy and Grace exclaimed with delight over the dress. 'I am
not going to look like I belong on the cake, not cutting it!'  Patiently,
she explained, once again, "I'm really looking for something a lot simpler
than this. Something a bit less 'cluttered'." The blank expression on the
clerk's face made Nat want to shake the woman. 

"Natalie, maybe you should at least try it on." Tracy urged.  

"Yes," Grace chimed in; "sometimes a dress that you think looks bad on the
hanger will look great once you put it on."

Sighing, Nat gave in and a few minutes later emerged from the dressing room
feeling like an extra in a civil war movie.  She looked at herself in the
mirror, and although the gown was not quite as awful as she had expected it
to be, it just wasn't what she had in mind.

"Isn't she just lovely!" gushed the clerk. It didn't help Nat's mood to see
Tracy and Grace nodding enthusiastically in agreement.

"I feel like an idiot in this! I'm just not the frilly type."  Hastily, Nat
headed back to the dressing rooms.  

As they left the shop, the fifth one they'd been to today, Grace put her
arm around Nat's shoulders.  "You do know that brides are supposed to have
all sorts of fancy gewgaws on their dresses?" 

Nat nodded wearily, "I know, but none of the dresses seem right." She
offered her two friends a weak smile.  "I promise, one more shop. I will
find something there, even if it isn't my dream dress."  

Tracy and Grace glanced at one another. "We won't hold you to that," Tracy
said smiling, "no matter how tempting it might be.  You should have exactly
what you want for your dress, or a least as close to that as possible."

As they entered the sixth shop of the day, Nat suddenly knew that her dress
was here.  She paused for a moment, said a silent prayer that she was
right, and turned to face the sales lady that was approaching them.

"Hi, I need to find a dress that can be ready for a March 7th wedding. I
want something very simple, without a lot of frills. Do you have anything
that might be suitable?"  Nat asked.

The clerk looked at her; "I have just the thing. Why don't you ladies have
a seat over there and I'll bring it out."

A few moments later, the clerk emerged from the back room carrying a dress
with a skirt about one quarter of the size of the other gowns that they had
seen today.  Nat could feel her heartbeat speed up; it was as though this
dress was calling to her. She stood up and went closer to examine the gown.
 It was made of sueded velvet, long sleeved with a sweetheart neckline.  A
delicate, patterned lace insert provided cover to the upper chest and ended
in a beaded collar. Where the lace attached to the velvet, pearls and small
rhinestones outlined the pattern of the neckline, providing an accent to
the cleavage of the wearer's breasts. The bodice flowed softly and the
skirt widened into a small train. The sleeves were fitted and ended in
small points on the back of the hands.  "I'd like to try this on, please."
Nat said quietly.

When she emerged from the dressing area, she saw Tracy and Grace both gasp
slightly. 

"Nat! That dress is you!" Tracy exclaimed.

"Yes, you look like a queen in that." Grace agreed. 

Nat stood in front of the tri-view mirrors.  There were a few small
adjustments that needed to be made, but she loved the way she looked in
this gown.

"I feel like a queen." Nat sighed.

"If you like it, we can order it from the manufacturer, and have plenty of
time to make the few alterations that you will need." The sales clerk said
helpfully. 

"Yes, I do want it." Nat said happily.
****************************************************************************
****

Pulling her car into a parking space, Nat hoped that the dress looked as
good as she remembered it.  As she entered the store, she realized that she
had butterflies in her stomach. The clerk remembered her and Nat soon found
herself standing very still, as a variety of pins were placed in very close
proximity to her skin.  But the dress did look as wonderful as she
remembered it.  She hoped that Nick would think that it was as lovely as
she did.

"Have you given any thought to what type of veil you are going to wear?"
The sales clerk's voice cut through Nat's musings.  

"Um, not really. I'm not sure I want a veil."

The clerk nodded, "A lot of women choose not to wear a traditional veil.
How are you planning to wear your hair?"

Nat smiled; there was only one answer to that question. "I'm going to wear
it down. My fiancé likes it that way"

The clerk smiled back, "Most men do.  Let me show you something you might
like." Without waiting for an answer, she disappeared into the back of the
shop.  When she returned, she was had a smallish box in here hands. "This
is a nice alternative for a veil." The clerk, said opening the box.

Nat looked at what the clerk held in her hands. Multiple strands of pearls
and rhinestones, about 18 inches in length fell from a small cluster of
white silk roses and baby's breath. The flowers covered a small comb that
the clerk fastened into the back of Nat's hair. Nat could see in the mirror
how the pearls and rhinestones, cascaded down her hair, sparkling and
glinting in the light.

"That is perfect. I'll take it!" Nat said, loving the added touch of
elegance that the headpiece provided.  

After being assured that the dress and the headpiece would be ready in
ample time for the wedding, Nat left the shop and headed to her next stop,
the florist's. 

As she entered the florist's, a slight, drab looking man gazed at her from
behind the counter.  "I'm Natalie Lambert," she said to him. "I have an
appointment with Mr. Bako." 

The man looked closely at Nat then, nodded his head and without speaking,
stepped into the back room. A moment later, a much friendlier looking man
emerged. 

"I'm Charles Bako, Miss Lambert. If you'll step this way, we can discuss
what type of flowers you are going to need for your wedding."

As they headed to Bako's office area, Nat noticed that the first man was
watching her with an intense gaze.  'Come on Lambert,' she silently chided
herself, 'he's not done anything unpleasant.' As she entered the office,
she put the small man out of her mind.

End Part 8

All comments to: cstar@pdq.net

Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:44:09 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One   (Part 9/20)

Disclaimers: Please see Part 1a 

In All Ways, One (Part 9/20)
By Nightlady
(c) 1997

Nat hurried from her car to the coroner's building. The meeting with the
florist had taken a little longer than she had expected it to, and she'd
also had to stop and pick up something to eat.  That, combined with the
rush hour traffic, had resulted in her being uncomfortably close to being
late.  Carrying her take out food, briefcase, and assorted files, she
managed to get the door to the building open without dropping anything.  As
she walked rapidly down the corridor, she noticed again that the normal
odors that permeated the building seemed stronger than usual. 'Might want
to have maintenance check out the air filtering equipment.' Nat thought.
As she approached her office, she smiled as Grace appeared in the doorway.  

"Well, there you are," Grace said teasingly as she looked at her watch. "I
was starting to think that you had abandoned us tonight."

Nat stuck her tongue out at Grace. "No, just had one appointment too many
this afternoon.  I never dreamed that getting married was so much work!"

Grace laughed, "It's a labor of love, for sure.  Who did you see today?"
She followed Nat inside the office.  

"I had my fitting for the dress, picked out a headpiece, and managed to
choose the floral arrangements." Nat collapsed in her chair. "Tomorrow, I
have to see the caterer, and meet with the musicians. Thank goodness Nick
is handling the arrangements for the restaurant, the licenses, the judge,
and the honeymoon!"

"Any idea where you're going for that?" Grace asked. 

"Not a one, Nick won't even give me a hint!"  Nat smiled. "He says he wants
to surprise me."

Grace hugged Nat. "Don't worry, something tells me that you'll be happy
wherever the two of you go."  

Nat smile, "Yeah, I wouldn't even mind just holding up in the loft for two
weeks, as long as Nick was there."

"As long as I was were?" Nick's voice came from behind the two women.
Turning their heads, they saw him standing in the doorway.  

"Anywhere," Nat said, "as long as we were together."

Grace saw the look that passed between them. "Sounds like my cue to find
somewhere else to be." She said as she stepped past Nick.

As soon as Grace had left, Nick crossed to Nat. Bending, down he kissed her
softly on the lips. "How was your day? Did you get everything you needed to
done?"

Nat nodded, "Yes, I will have a dress to wear and there will be flowers."
She leaned back in her chair and looked at Nick, who had perched on the
edge of her desk.  "I also saw Mike Bryce this afternoon." The smile
dropped from her face as she handed Nick the file that Mike had given her.
"South got a body in last night. It looks like the same killer."

Nick frowned as he glanced over the file. "That makes at least five victims
that we know about." He closed the file and shook his head. "And we're
still no closer to knowing who our killer is than we were on New Year's."
He looked at Nat. "Is he sending the body over to you?"  

Nat nodded. "There wasn't any ID on her, so for now she's a Jane Doe. Maybe
you'll find her in missing persons."  Nat found the log sheet for the day
on her desk and studied it. "According to this, she arrived here about 20
minutes ago.  I'm going to have a bite to eat, and then I'll do the post on
her.  I should have something for you in a few hours."

"Tracy and I will try and stop by later then."  Nick rose to his feet. "I'd
better get on over to the precinct or Reese will be after me for being late."

Nat stood too, and wrapped her arms around him. "I'll look for you later
then," she said kissing him.

After watching him leave, Nat opened the tray containing her dinner.  She
was hungry, but somehow, the food didn't really appeal to her. Deciding she
was just tired from the busy day, she forced herself to start eating, but
after finishing barely half the food, dumped the rest in the trash.
Rising, she headed for the changing room and her scrubs.


Tracy looked up from her computer screen as Nick sank into the chair behind
his desk.  She smiled at him; "You're in luck, Capt. Reese's over at
division HQ, in a meeting." 

Nick gave her a small smile in return. "Let's hope that it's a good omen.
Nat thinks she has another victim, from South." He saw the smile fade
quickly from Tracy's face.

"That would make number five, in just over 3 weeks." Tracy sighed. "We're
lucky that the press hasn't caught on by now."

Nick nodded, "But that's part of our problem, none of the victims seen to
have anything in common.  They are all across the board in age, coloring,
build, location, income, even race." He paused as he considered his next
words. "If it is a serial killer, and I admit that it does appear that way,
what is the connection between these victims?"

Tracy looked at him, she could see that the inability to figure out who
might be the next endangered woman was disturbing to him. "Nick, there has
to be some sort of connection. We do know that the women appear to have
willingly let their killer inside their homes. All we have to do is figure
out why."  The look that she received for these words of wisdom caused her
to chuckle.  "Yeah, I know 'Is THAT all'."

Nick began to smile back when he spotted Reese coming down the hall. One
glance at the Captain's face told him that whatever the meeting at HQ had
been about, it was NOT good news.  "Uh oh, last time I saw someone looking
as angry as the Reese does, a major war broke out." 

Tracy glanced over her shoulder. "Let's hope that it doesn't have anything
to do with us."

"Vetter, Knight! NOW!" Reese's voice boomed across the room.

"So much for that thought," Tracy muttered as she rose from her chair. 

Wasting no time, they entered the office just a few steps behind Reese.
"You know," Reese said as he sat down behind his desk, "sometimes I think
the upstairs brass have forgotten everything they ever knew about real
police work."  Seeing the eyebrow that Tracy raised at him he added, "And
for your information, I am including your father in that statement."

"Problems, Captain?" Nick asked quietly.

"It seems that the last victim, Susan Perez, was engaged to the cousin of
Commissioner Gremes' wife.  Turned up missing just 11 days before the
wedding." Reese saw the look that Nick and Tracy exchanged. "Don't tell me
there is another victim."

"Natalie isn't positive," Nick said, "but she got a call from South earlier
today. They had a Jane Doe that seemed to have the same type of binding
marks on her that the others did."  

"Great. How long before she can say for certain?" Reese asked.

"She's probably doing the post now. She said that she would try and have
the information for us in a few hours." Nick replied. 

"Look, you two. I know that you both have been doing everything you can to
catch this person, but the brass seem to think that it's not enough." Reese
massaged his temples. "They are going to be even less happy when I have to
tell them that there is a fifth victim. Do you have anything that I can
give them?"

"Sorry Captain. Except for the fact that the victims were all female and
seem to have let the killer in, there doesn't seem to be anything else that
connects them."  Nick admitted.  

Reese sighed, "Okay, as of now, the two of you are off any other cases. I
want this killer caught and I want him caught quickly."  He glared at them
for a moment. "What are you waiting for? Go on! Get to work!"

Tracy and Nick didn't wait for him to tell them a second time. Back at
their desks, they pulled out the files on each of the victims and once
again began to go over them trying to find something, other than their
deaths, which tied the four women to one another.  Two and a half-hours
later, with no real progress having been made, they grabbed their coats and
headed to the Coroner's building.


Nat pulled the latex gloves off and dropped them into the disposal bin.
The young woman on the cold, steel table had been in perfect health when
she had been killed.  A frown creased Nat's forehead as she looked over her
notes.  She turned her head toward the door as she heard it open. 

Nick stuck his head in. "Nat?"

"Just finished. Hi, Tracy." Nat greeted them. "It is my opinion that this
is victim number five."  At the looks on their faces she added, "Sorry."
She managed not to sway as a sudden wave of dizziness swept over her.  "Why
don't we go down to my office and I'll tell you what I found."  The odors
in the room seemed overpowering to her.

Nick eyed Nat closely, but she gave him a reassuring smile. "I've been
standing for almost three hours and I'd like to sit if you don't mind." She
said in explanation.

"Won't get an argument from me!" Tracy said as she left the autopsy suite.

Nat laughed as she and Nick followed Tracy down the hall to Nat's office.
Once inside, they found seats and Nat, looking down at her notes, began to
speak.  "The pattern on the wrists matches that found on the previous four
victims that we are attributing to the same killer.  In addition, for the
most part, the method used to kill this victim is consistent with the
previous four, too."

"For the most part?" Nick interrupted, "What are the differences?"

Nat frowned. "Unlike the other four, there is an indication that the killer
indulged in mild torture before killing her." Nat noticed that Tracy was
looking slightly green at this news.  "It's possible that the injuries were
accidental, but I don't think that is the case."

"What kind of injuries are you talking about?" Tracy asked.

"Three of her fingers were broken, each in two places. In addition, there
is what appears to be a stress dislocation of one hip." Nat looked at Nick
and Tracy. "If we ARE dealing with a serial killer, he's accelerating.
Just beating his victims to death is no longer satisfying to him and if you
don't catch him soon, it's only going to get worse."  She heard the hard
note in her voice and immediately regretted it.  

"I'm sorry." Nat said in a softer tone.  "I know that both of you are doing
everything you can to find whoever is doing this."

Nick gave her a gentle smile. "It's okay. You were a lot kinder than Reese
was a little while ago."

Seeing the puzzled look on Nat's face, Tracy explained what had happened
earlier in the evening.

"And then I jump down your throats, too." Nat stood. "I wish I had more to
tell you, but I don't even have an ID on her yet." 

"I've run the description you gave me earlier through the computer listing
of missing person files." Nick said, also standing. "Right now, I've got a
list of over seventy-five possible matches for her."  He turned and grinned
at Tracy. "At least day shift will have to make all those phone calls."  

"Thank heavens for department policy," Tracy said fervently. She shook her
head. "The one thing I can't figure out is that if we're dealing with the
same killer in all of these cases, why can't we find some sort of a pattern?"

Nick nodded his agreement. "I know.  None of the victims were acquainted,
the age range is too large to be counted, and they don't even seem to come
from similar economic backgrounds."  He ran a hand through his hair in
frustration. "Even the killings themselves don't seem to be occurring in
any sort of a pattern."

"Just because you haven't found a pattern yet," Natalie spoke quietly,
"doesn't mean that there isn't one."  She stepped closer to Nick and laid
her hand on his arm. 

Nick met her eyes, and giving her hand a squeeze, sighed.  "Let's hope we
figure out what the connection is soon. It's bad enough that the brass is
breathing down our necks. If the news media catches on that these are all
the work of one killer..." Nick closed his eyes briefly. "Tracy, let's go
back over the files on each victim and set up a chart for each one listing
everything and anything at all that we know about them."

"Nick, we've already gone over those files with a fine tooth comb," Tracy
began to protest. 

"Then we'll just have to go over them again." Nick's expression was grim.
"Maybe if we put it all on a chart something will show up that we've missed."

"Maybe," Tracy conceded.

End Part 9

All comments to: cstar@pdq.net 

Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:45:19 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One  (Part 10/20)

Disclaimers: Please see Part 1a 

In All Ways, One (Part 10/20)
By Nightlady
(c) 1997

Nat pulled her car into its space in the garage. After struggling for over
an hour to complete one report, she'd left work early, unable to
concentrate.  'I have got to have that air filtering system checked out.'
She thought, as she gathered her briefcase and headed toward the lift.  Her
office had seemed inundated by the various odors that were an inescapable
part of any morgue.  

As she entered the loft, Nat shrugged out of her coat and laid her
briefcase on the dining table. Glancing around the large downstairs room,
she smiled when she finally spotted Sydney curled up on one of the
bookshelves near the radiator.  He opened one eye and gave a faint meow
before going back to sleep.  Nick had noticed that Sydney liked to sleep in
high spots and, after observing the cat's choices for several days, had
surprised Nat by carefully padding what seemed to be Sydney's favorite
shelf.  While Nat had teased him about trying to win Sydney over, the fact
that Nick did care if Sydney accepted him just made her love him more.  She
smiled again, as she recalled Nick's response. "Let's just say that I've
slept on more than my share of hard surfaces and I know that padded is
always better."  Nat knew that Nick had been pleased when it became evident
that the padded shelf was Sydney's favorite sleeping area.

Checking the time, Nat decided that she had more than enough time to take a
hot shower and get comfortable before Nick would arrive home.  Slipping off
her shoes, she climbed upstairs.  Soon, she was relaxing under the steamy
spray of water, letting the water sooth her muscles and wash away the
lingering odors of her job. 

After drying off and donning her nightgown and robe, Nat padded barefoot
back down to the main living area of the loft.  She lit a fire in the
fireplace and sat watching the flames until she heard the lift motor kick
in.  Rising, she went into the kitchen and, taking two goblets from the
cupboard and a bottle each of blood and wine from the fridge, poured a
glass of each.  She looked at the deep reddish color of the bloodwine and
slowly lifted it. As she stood staring at the contents of the glass, she
was only vaguely aware that she suddenly felt hungry. She only tore her
eyes from the glass when she heard the lift door opening.

Nick paused by the door surprised to see Nat. "I thought you had to work
until six?" He said as he crossed to where she stood. 

"I did, but I think there's something wrong with the ventilation system at
work. I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing, the odors in my office
were so bad." Nat said.  "So, I decided that I'd come on home, and finish
up my reports here."
She noticed the sudden smile on Nick's face.  "What?" She inquired.

"You said you'd decide to come home." Nick explained. "You have always
referred to this place," he said indicating their surroundings, "as the
loft. I like hearing you call it home."

Nat returned his smile. "Did I? I guess I must be 'settling in' because it
does feel like home."  She handed him the glass she was holding. "Here, I
know you must be hungry and I know you'd rather have this than a nice,
healthy protein shake." She teased.
Nick took the glass from Nat and wrapped his other arm around her
shoulders. As she leaned against him, he could smell the scent of her hair
and the unique blood scent that was Natalie.  "Thanks, I don't think I
could manage a protein shake right now, no matter how good it was for me."

"No luck with charting the cases?" Nat asked, sympathetically. 

"Didn't even get a chance to start." Nick replied. He smiled as he felt her
arm encircle his waist and hug him. "Looks like we're both laden with
'homework' tonight." 

"I just have to finish up a report. Let me do that and I'll help you with
your stuff." She pulled back from him and nodded toward the empty glass on
the counter. "But first, let me pour myself a glass of wine and we'll take
a few minutes rest before starting."

"Pour your wine, and I'll put on some music." Nick said releasing her.

A few moments later, they were snuggled together on the couch listening to
the soft sounds of a Mozart concerto. They didn't talk, but just enjoyed
the nearness of one another, the strains of the music and their drinks.
When the concerto ended, Nat sighed and rose from the couch.  "Come on,
let's get the work finished." She said as she took Nick's hand.  Nick
groaned, but also rose and together they went to the table and the tasks
that awaited them. 

Without the distractions that had plagued her at her office, Nat was able
to quickly finish the report.  As soon as she finished sending it via modem
to Grace, she put away her computer and moved to sit beside Nick.  

Nick smiled and handed her a marker. "I'll read off the information and you
can mark it down here." He said, indicating the chart he had started on a
large piece of poster board.  "Hopefully, we'll find something that matches
up."

Nat looked at the categories on the chart. The victim's age, coloring,
height and other physical characteristics were provided for as well as
socioeconomic factors that they might have in common. Nat saw that Nick had
included education, employment, and marital status in the latter instance.
He had been very thorough, and the result was over twenty different labeled
columns and another half dozen blank ones. She nodded her approval at what
she saw. "Look's like you've covered everything. Let's get started."

It was several hours later, and the sun had already risen, when Nat made
the last notation on the chart.  She sighed with relief and rolled her head
to loosen the tightness in her shoulder. Looking at the chart in front of
her, she could not find any column that contained the same information for
each victim.  The age range was too wide; there were no similarities in
physical appearance, nor any of the other categories. The closest match was
that three of the five known victims had been engaged to be married.
"Nick, I can't remember, do you know if Shanna Mills or Carol Martin were
engaged?  The closest thing to a match we have here is that Anna Hutyera,
Susan Perez, and our Jane Doe were definitely engaged." Nat saw the
questioning look that Nick gave her.  "Okay, I'm assuming she was engaged
because she was wearing a diamond solitaire on the ring finger of her left
hand."

Nick looked back at the files on Mills and Martin. "Nothing in either of
these indicating that they were engaged, only that they weren't married at
the time of their deaths." He looked at Nat and could see how exhausted she
was. "Why don't you go on upstairs and get some rest. I'll try and contact
Mills' and Martin's family and see what I can find out."

Nat yawned. "I think I will." She kissed Nick. "Don't be long, I never
sleep as well when you aren't holding me." 

Nick pulled her against him. "I'll be up in just a little while. I don't
like to sleep without you in my arms, either." With a final kiss, he
released her and watched as she climbed the stairs. When she had
disappeared from his view, he picked up the phone and began dialing. 

A short time later he slid into the bed and smiled as Nat, without
awakening, snuggled up against him.  Kissing her softly, not wishing to
disturb her sleep, he lay his cheek against her hair. His eyes drifted to
where her hand lay on his chest, the ruby and gold ring he'd given her
gleaming softly in the small amount of light that seeped through the
shuttered windows.   A look of concern crossed his face. Nat's guess had
been correct. Both Shanna Mills and Carol Martin had been engaged.  The
Jane Doe now had a name too, Robin Mickelson.  She had been positively
identified by her fiancé.  Nick gently stroked the back of Nat's hand with
his thumb. Five dead women and the only thing that they had in common,
aside from being the victims of the same killer, was that they were all
engaged to be married.  Unreasoning fear for Nat swept through him. "I'll
keep you safe, my love." He whispered softly. Listening to the calm, steady
beat of Nat's heart, he at last slept.


Tracy unlocked the door to her apartment wanting only to have this night
end. She was exhausted, her eyes gritty with the need to sleep.  As she
stepped into the apartment, she froze as the soft sound of an acoustical
guitar reached her ears.  She could feel her heart speed up, knowing the
likely source of the music. Softly closing the door, Tracy walked into the
living room and smiled. Vachon was seated cross-legged on the floor, his
eyes shut as he lost himself in the music. As she watched, he held out his
hand toward her and she crossed to where he was and sat beside him. As his
arm slipped around her, she laid her head against his shoulder and she
started to relax.  

"I've missed you," Vachon said softly, as the last notes of the music faded. 

"I've missed you, too." Tracy admitted softly. "Thanks for letting me have
some time to think. Finding out about Nick made me have to take a long,
hard look at my preconceptions about...you know." She finished lamely.

"About vampires?" Vachon asked grinning. "You still have a problem with the
word, don't you?" He teased.

Tracy blushed, "Yes, about vampires." She looked into Vachon's wide brown
eyes, and saw the sparkle of mischief in them. "You will be pleased, I
hope, to know that even though I still think I'm going to wake up and find
that all this is just a dream, I have to admit that just being a vampire is
not necessarily the same thing as being evil."  

Vachon smiled and pulled her into his lap. "Good, because I would hate to
do this," he kissed her softly on the mouth, "and have you think there was
some nefarious reason behind it."

Tracy relaxed in the strength of his arms. "Oh, darn," she replied as she
raised her hand to stroke the side of his face, "and here I was getting the
idea that you might be trying to seduce me."

"Ah, but who says that is a bad thing?" Vachon responded. 

"True, I don't think it is such a bad thing at all." Tracy slid her hand
behind his head and pulled his willing mouth down to meet her own. 

When their lips finally parted, she leaned her head against Vachon's chest.
"Vachon, I think I'm falling in love with you."

"Tracy, I have feelings for you too, but we have to go slowly. I know that
somehow Knight has managed to have a relationship with Dr. Lambert, but
their situation is unusual."  He lifted her chin so that he could see the
clear blue of her eyes. "In most cases, when one of us tries to make love
to a mortal, either the mortal dies or ends up being brought across."  He
watched closely to see her reaction to his statement.  

"I know," she whispered, "but I want to believe that if Nick and Nat can do
it, there is at least a slim hope for us."

Vachon kissed her forehead. "We don't dare chance that just yet." He saw
the sadness that filled her expression. "There is a lot that we can do
though," he said and proceeded to demonstrate.

It was close to dawn before he finally left her apartment.


Nat groaned as the shrill sound of a beeper going off cut through her
dreams. Forcing her eyes open, she glanced at the bedside clock, which read
3:00pm.  She fumbled around on the nightstand, finally locating the
offending beeper when she knocked it to the floor.  Cursing softly under
her breath, she picked it up and looked at the page.  Behind her, she could
hear Nick chuckling as he watched her, an exercise that was cut short as
the phone on his side of the bed began to ring. 

Nat picked up her own cell phone and dialed her office, as Nick reached for
his phone.  The fact that they were both being called at the same time
might be a coincidence, but a dull ache in Nat's stomach made her think
otherwise.  

"This is Dr. Lambert." She said as the phone on the other end was answered.
"I just got a page?" As she listened to the voice of one of the day
workers, Nat heard Nick say, "No, I'm glad that you did call me. I won't be
able to get to the scene for a little while, though."  

"I'll be there within the hour." Nat said.  She hung up and turned to Nick. 
"I gather that someone thought to call you about the body that was just
found in Riverdale Park?"

Nick nodded, running a hand over his face. "Yes, I left word that if any
female victim who appeared to have been dumped was found, I was to be
notified at once."  He indicated the faint light visible around the
windows. "Not that I can DO anything for at least another two hours." 

Nat reached over and laid her hand on his arm. "You can call Tracy and have
her meet me there. That way you will at least have the information you need
waiting for you."  Nat grinned, wickedly, "Besides, it's only fair that if
we have to get up, she does too."

Nick laughed, "You are vicious when you first wake up, aren't you?"  He
kissed her. "But you're right, Tracy can get the field work started until I
can safely get there."  Releasing her, he reached for the phone as she
headed to the bathroom.  

End Part 10

All comments to: cstar@pdq.net

Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:46:25 -0600
To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com
From: CLone Star Software <cstar@pdq.net>
Subject: In All Ways, One  (Part 11/20)

Disclaimers: Please see Part 1a .

In All Ways, One (Part 11/20)
By Nightlady
(c) 1997


Nat pulled up at the crime scene just seconds before Tracy arrived.  She
waited until the young, blond detective got out of her car and the two of
them walked down the slope to where the body lay.  Nat couldn't help but
notice that even having been awakened in the middle of sleep didn't seem to
dampen the perkiness of the younger woman. 'The advantages of youth.' she
thought.

As they approached the body, Nat felt her stomach churn.  It was obvious
that this latest victim had been undiscovered for sometime following her
death and Nat was glad that she had skipped eating before coming to the scene.

Thankfully, the cold weather had slowed decomposition, but it was evident
that animals had gotten to the corpse.  Nat hoped that there would be
enough left to determine the cause of death.   

Tracy stopped several feet from the body. After the pleasant hours she'd
spent with Vachon, the sight of the ravished corpse in front of her seemed
even more horrible.  She watched as Nat took a deep breath to steady
herself, and then bent to examine the woman more closely. After several
minutes, Nat rose and walked back to where Tracy was standing.  

"It's definitely our killer." Nat said. "And this time he got sloppy." She
held up a plastic bag in which several ecru-colored strands of material lay.  

"What are those?" Tracy asked.  

"Pieces of whatever he used to tie her up." Nat replied. "Hopefully, we can
get a match to a brand name or manufacturer from these."  Nat sobered, "But
that is about the only good news I have for you. She's been here too long
to get any sort of accurate time of death on, and the postmortem damage may
have destroyed any chance of knowing just how she was killed." 

Tracy sighed. "I guess I'd better see if I can talk to whoever found her."
She looked around. "What time do you think Nick will get here?"

Nat looked at her watch. "Sunset is in another forty minutes so, knowing
Nick, he'll be here shortly afterwards."  She suddenly chuckled and at
Tracy's questioning look explained, "I was just thinking that yesterday at
this time I was standing in my wedding dress, afraid to even breath deeply
because of all the pins in it. I'd have hated to had to have gotten out of
that in a hurry."

Tracy smiled. "You are planning to take some time off before the wedding,
aren't you?"

Nat nodded, "Yes. Sarah can't get away until late on the fifth of March,
but she's sending Amy here on the first so I'l