Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 20:54:54 -0400 From: Cuzin Lu Subject: Sorry: LaCroix part 1 of 10 Sorry guyz, I don't know how that happened. I am trying again to see if this way is okay.. please let me know if it is not... I originally wrote this story for someone to use in a fanzine, but since I have never been told that is was either accepted or rejected, ownership is still mine and since possession is 9/10 of the law...... here goes. The characters of the Forever Knight show do not belong to me, I will just swipe them for awhile. All other characters are people in my *real life* and cannot be controlled by anyone. They are totally out of control... But, then again, what are friends for??? LaCroix is brought across.....AGAIN!!! - A Forever Knight Story - By Cousin Lu (cuzinlu@snet.net) Part 1 of 10 Wednesday Night - The Raven LaCroix sat in a back booth in the Raven scanning over the commercial ads that had to be read during the=20 Nightcrawler show. As he quickly leafed through them, Janette quietly came up behind him and covered his eyes=20 with her chilled hands. =20 "Ahhhhh LaCroix, I see that you are reading over those, now what did you call them?", purred Janette in a deep husky voice, "Commercials or something like that?" =20 "Yes Janette darling, these are what the station owners call the 'bankroll' which they need to keep the station running financially."=20 "But darling", Janette queried, "Why don't you just buy the station, it's not like you don't have the money stashed away" =20 "Because darling, I still need mortals to keep tabs on the station during the day, and if it means having to read a few of these 'commercial ads' every night, then so be it."=20 "Oh let me see an interesting one, if there is such a thing, please?" begged Janette, eager now to see one of the papers. =20 "Well, let's see what we have for tonight, shall we?" LaCroix slowly leafed through the papers for a second time. =20 "Oooohhhhh..... that one..", cried Janette, "the one printed on the pretty pink paper!" Janette tore the pink paper from LaCroix's grasp and hungrily began to read it. It said: C.F.A. CAT SHOW This Saturday Night Pajama Party! Purebred Cats & Kittens Cat Paraphernalia For Sale Starting time 9:00pm The Hotel Toronto Toronto, Ontario, CN "Ohhhhhh LaCroix," squealed Janette, her voice high pitched and excited, "Can we go, PLEASE?????"=20 "To a CAT SHOW??" replied LaCroix, "Are you mad???" =20 "No really, please take me to this Cat Show" begged Janette, "I've always wanted to see cats on parade......."=20 "Ahhhhhhh......NON!" LaCroix said sternly, "I will not go to a hotel filled with flea-bags!!!" =20 "But LaCroix", purred Janette ever so sweetly, "I REALLY want to go to this cat show and you promised me that the next function that came up you would escort me too after that last fiasco........."=20 "All RIGHT, all right, all right", LaCroix said in a huff, "ANYTHING to make you stop badgering me about the Red Cross Dinner that we missed..." =20 "Oh THANK YOU, Thank You, thank you LaCroix" Janette said in a slightly elevated tone of voice, "You will enjoy this, I just know you will!!!" =20 "Now go away and leave me be, don't you have money to count or paying guests to see to???" =20 Janette scurried away with a definite leap in her step. Lacroix thought as he watched his favorite daughter scurry away happily. LaCroix sighed to himself and returned to=20 reading the other advertisements for that nights show. went the phone at Nick's place. The answering machine picked up, "Hi, this is Nick Knight, I'm either sleeping or at work, please leave a message and I'll be sure to return your call!" =20 "Nichola....Janette.... Please call me as soon as you receive....."=20 Nick practically flew across the room and snatched up the phone cutting Janette off in midsentence. =20 "Janette!!!", Nick cried happily, "How good it is to hear....."=20 "Nichola, I have THE MOST exciting news to tell you!" Janette said cutting Nick off this time.=20 "What is it THIS time Janette..... a new boy-toy???" =20 "Ahhhh, Nichola, you know me too well, but non, it is not, but I could sure use another if you have a spare...."=20 "Touch=E9 Janette, no 'spares' around here, but maybe Nat could recommend a few of her ex's..." =20 "Nichola, I have no use for Natalie's throw away's... Non... LaCroix is taking me to a 'Cat Show' at The Hotel Toronto this Saturday night and I thought maybe if you weren't working, that you might care to join us.."=20 "Janette, I would love to go with you, but unfortunately, I already promised Schanke that I would accompany him on a secret mission for his daughter's upcoming birthday." =20 "Ohhhh Nichola, I am so disappointed that you cannot join us" Janette said unhappily, "Maybe next time??" =20 "Most definitely next time, just give me a little more notice so that I can be sure not to make other plans, o.k.?" =20 "Allright Nichola, I'll let you get away with it this time......but not again!! Au revoir my Nichola!!" and not waiting for a reply, Janette hung up, leaving just a dial tone in Nick's ear. =20 and with that thought, Nick grinned. end part 1 Cousin LuDia - The Multi Studded One - 7/13/21 Cousin@Heart - Immortal Beloved, Vamp@Nyte - Valentine cuzinlu@snet.net or LuDia@aol.com disclaimers available in part one. LaCroix is brought across.....AGAIN!!! - A Forever Knight Story - By Cousin Lu (cuzinlu@snet.net) Part 2 of 10 Thursday Night - The Raven "Janette", cried LaCroix in exasperation, "Will....you....puhleessssse.... let me get on with my work?" Oh I am sorry darling, it's just that I am so excited that I can barely think of anything else!!! Imagine..... cats parading!! They do parade, don't they?" the thought suddenly coming to her mind that she really didn't know what a cat show was. "I do not know my dear" replied LaCroix, "I guess that we will just have to wait and see. Now be a good little girl and run on and leave me to my work..." Janette walked away slowly, deep in thought as to what she might possibly see at the cat show. LaCroix thought as he watched Janette walk away at a snails pace. Janette settled herself in her chair at the bar, folding her hands under her chin, thinking of every possible scenario that she could possibly see at the cat show. She envisioned cats, hundreds of cats, parading around in circles, tails held high. she thought, the thought of cats doing tricks swirled around in her mind. Cats fetching, climbing ropes, chasing mock cars, catching the most mice in a given time, and maybe, just maybe, trapeze cats!!! she thought to herself, . Now she sat envisioning owners with their prize cats on diamond studded leashes, running around in a wide oval ring, being watched by the elegantly dressed judge standing in the center. she thought happily, her thought of prancing kitties on diamond leashes was interrupted by Miklos. "Madame???? are you still with us?" Miklos asked in a gentle tone that sounded more like the caress of silk than that of a vampire's voice. "Ahhhh, yesssss, Miklos darling, I was just lost in deep thought over this 'cat show'." replied Janette, shaking her raven haired head a bit to clear her thoughts, "What is the problem?" "No problem Madame, I just thought that you might like a little refreshment" offered Miklos. "How thoughtful of you dear, yes, that would be very nice indeed!" Janette said as she reached forward and lightly caressed the left side of Miklos's face stopping at the cleft in his chin, "You are so good to me, what would I ever do without you???" "Always my pleasure to serve you Madame" Miklos said with a blush as he placed the wine glass containing Janette's special house blend down on a Raven coaster in front of her. Janette slowly lifted the glass to her mouth, delicately wrapped her full, pouty lips around the rim and took a deep swallow. Miklos turned almost crimson watching her lips wrap around the glass, he couldn't bear the sweet torture of watching her drink, so he turned and quickly walked down to the far side of the bar to refresh a patron's drink. Janette sighed with a small evil grin beginning to take shape on her full pouty lips, . Friday Night - The Raven "Ohhhhhhhhh....non!!! LaCroix stood with his arms outstretched, palms facing the rushing Janette, "Not again, not tonight!" "Ohhhhhhh but darling...." purred Janette in her deep sexy voice, "I can barely stand the anticipation....." "Well my dear, you will just have to find a way to entertain yourself.....how about reading a book?" LaCroix said in a teasing voice. "Ohhh LaCroix, you are so cruel to me! I will go amuse myself elsewhere, but don't you forget....." a hint of warning creeping into her voice. "How, could I possibly forget???" LaCroix said exasperated, "What with the constant reminders??? Post it notes left on my coffin lid, my wash mirror, and even my B.V.D.'s???" "Weeellllll....." Janette said subdued just a little, "I wanted to make sure you didn't forget.....again!" "But my B.V.D.'s Janette??? Isn't anything sacred with you???" "Non mon cheri, remember, all is fair in love and war!" sang Janette. "Yes, yes, yes, I know" LaCroix replied, "And almost only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades.....I know....". With that parting comment, Janette left LaCroix to his work, trying to decide whether or not to torture Miklos again. LaCroix sat in his booth, wondering how he ever got in this situation in the first place. he thought to himself, he shuddered at the thought. Saturday Night - The Raven "Come Janette, let us go and get this cat show over with" snapped LaCroix, adorned in a black velvet lined tuxedo, regretting already the trip that they were about to embark on. "Just another moment darling, I have to be presentable you know" Janette sang from her dressing room, "I'm almost ready!" "Janette dear, you would look absolutely stunning in anything you wore, now let's go!" LaCroix said, hoping to coax her from her dressing room. "In old rags?" Janette asked in a questioning voice. "In a burlap bag" replied LaCroix sincerely. With a sudden whoosh, Janette appeared by his side dressed to the hilt in an emerald green ball gown, complete with thick rustley taffeta underskirts and crimson red velvet collar. Diamonds glittered around her slender wrists, twinkled at the hollow of her throat and dazzled brilliantly from the lobes of her ears. "Am I presentable?" she queried in a worried tone of voice. "Ummmmmm, I have to say Janette, you look absolutely stunning!!!" LaCroix replied in awe. Janette's wardrobe never ceased to both amaze and excite him at the same time. Blushing madly, Janette grabbed her black antique lace shawl and handed it to LaCroix who then proceeded to wrap it around her shoulders. He took her begloved arm in his and walked towards the back door of the club. Once they reached the parking lot behind the Raven, Janette and LaCroix joined hands and flew off towards The Hotel Toronto. end part 2 LaCroix is brought across.....AGAIN!!! - A Forever Knight Story - By Cousin Lu (cuzinlu@snet.net) Part 3 of 10 The Hotel Toronto Landing behind the hotel, Janette and LaCroix brushed the dust off their clothing and proceeded to walk around towards the front of the hotel. The sign at the front gate read: 'Cat Show - Tonight' Admission '$5.00 for adults; $3.00 for children and senior citizens; $4.00 for programs'. "Come to see the kitties?", asked the man at the ticket table. LaCroix stepped up to him, handed him a $20.00 bill and said, "I'll have two adult tickets and two of those programs." The man gave LaCroix two programs, two dollars in change and held a rubber stamp poised to mark their hands. LaCroix had a disgusted look on his face and started to pull his hand away, when Janette stepped forward holding her hand out, palm down, to receive her stamp. The man applied the rubber stamp to the back of her hand and when he removed it, a smiling cat face, in deep crimson red, appeared. Janette grabbed LaCroix's right hand and thrust it, palm down, towards the ticket seller who quickly stamped LaCroix's hand before he could pull it away again. "How revolting," LaCroix snorted, shaking his hand with the offending stamp mark. "Come darling", Janette purred to her master, "let us go into this show and see the kitties before they all go home!" "Yes my pet", LaCroix said in a resigned manner. They entered the 'Grand Ballroom' and looked around in awe. Gone was the dance floor, the tables and chairs, replaced by cages, chairs and people. The ballroom was set up into twenty straight rows of back to back cages with one cage turned sideways at the end of each row so that spectators could see a kitty wherever they were. Every cage had at least one person in front of it, some cages had small carpeted tables in front of them, some cages were empty. Most of the cages were decorated grandly, some with theme designs, some with designer sheets and some with plain old towels. There were decorations galore around the ballroom giving the room the look of Hawaii since the theme of the show was 'How About A Hawaiian Cat Show'. There were imported potted palm trees scattered around the room and the hallway, paper honeycombed pineapples hanging from some of the palm trees, paper birds, coconuts on the floor, and a small kiddy type plastic pool filled with sand. Many of the people, who had cats entered in the show, were dressed in Hawaiian shirts, shorts, sandals, straw hats and plastic flower lei's around their necks. As they looked around the room in amazement, Janette exclaimed in a high pitched giddy voice, "Ohhhhh, darling, just look at all this!!! Have you ever seen such work put into making a place feel like a Hawaiian Island??? It looks like soooo much FUN!!!" "Yes Janette my pet, I must admit that I didn't expect even half of the grandeur that I see before me. Let us walk into those smaller rooms across the hallway and see what is going on in there." LaCroix spoke softly into her ear. "Ah, non my darling" Janette replied in an excited rush of words, "I simply MUST look at all these decorated cages and the people and the cats and the,........" "All right, all right," LaCroix snapped, cutting Janette off in midsentence, "I shall take my leave of you and go across the hallway and see what there is too see over there. Have fun my pet." And with that, Janette and LaCroix parted, she heading towards a cage with a mini surfboard on top and he towards the nearest open door, into the hallway where he could see a group of mortals standing close together in the small room directly ahead of him. Stepping inside the room, he saw four separate sets of twelve cages, one set against each one of the four walls in the room, carefully placed so as not to block the exit doors, yet giving plenty of room to walk around. He walked towards the first grouping of cages and saw a table set about four feet in front of the cages and chairs set four feet from the front side of the table. He walked to the front row of chairs and took the center seat directly in front of the table. There was a paper sign hanging on the wall above the cages and it read: The Cat Fanciers Association - The Worlds Largest Purebred Cat Registry Judge: Sharon Roy - Allbreed Ring 7 Sitting at the opposite side of the table, directly facing LaCroix, was a woman who appeared to be in her late thirties. She had a pretty face, short blond hair and twinkling blue eyes which brightened considerably as she started to laugh when the girl sitting to her left finished talking to her. he thought to himself, . The woman talking to Sharon appeared to be in her late twenties, with very short dark brown hair, <'almost as short as mine' he thought>, big brown puppy dog eyes that also sparkled with excitement and an oval shaped face with a cute pixie type nose. The dark haired woman stood up, walked over to the microphone and made the following announcement, "Shorthair Cats in Premiership, numbers 221 through 225, to ring 7 please". She returned to her seat and opened her program to page 35. LaCroix opened his program to the same page and read the headings of Siamese, Somali and Tonkinese. The Siamese were numbers 221, 222 and 223; the Somali, number 224 and the Tonkinese, the last cat, was number 225. The owners of the cats quickly came to the ring and put their cats into the judging cages with the number on top that corresponded to their catalog number. LaCroix noticed that the dark haired woman put cat number 225 into the last cage. He looked in his program and saw that her name was Diane. Sharon stood up, pushed her chair to the side out of her way and walked over to the first Siamese cage with the number 221 on top. She opened the door, removed the cat, walked back to the table and placed the cat on the table. She ran her hands over the Siamese cat's back and started her speech. end part 3 disclaimers available in part one. LaCroix is brought across.....AGAIN!!! - A Forever Knight Story - By Cousin Lu (cuzinlu@snet.net) Part 4 of 10 "This is the 'Premiership' class which is for neutered and spayed purebred cats. All of the cats entered in this class are of the same quality as are the cats entered into the 'Championship' class except that they are altered and are not being used in a breeding program." She stood the Siamese up on his hind legs and continued stroking his body which resembled a slinky sausage. "This particular cat has a small protrusion just under his breast bone commonly called a 'zyphoid', it feels like a little coat hanger. You might be able to see it as I turn him to face sideways." LaCroix looked at the cats chest area and did indeed see a very small protrusion of about a quarter of an inch to which he exclaimed softly, "How small it is!", unaware he said it outloud to which Sharon replied, "Indeed sir, it is small but it is what makes this cat unfit to be in a breeding program, as the 'zyphoid cartilage' protrusion is an undesirable feature in the both the Siamese and Oriental Shorthair breeds." LaCroix's face reddened slightly as he became aware that his comment was obviously overheard. Sharon continued, "This boy is a Chocolate Point Siamese Neuter, he is 2 years old, has a very long body and a long whippy tail." "He is entered in the 'Open' class which means this is probably his first show as an alter. Since he has no competition of his color or sex, he will get a 'winners' ribbon. Once he receives six 'winners' ribbons he will attain the title of 'Premier'. From there he will possibly go on to try and defeat 75 other 'Premiers' to attain the title of 'Grand Premier'. He may go on from there to try and get as many 'points' as he can by defeating other 'Grand Premiers' and possibly attain a 'Regional' or 'National' win at the end of the show year. The cat fancy is like the dog fancy and many other competitions, where he or she who has the most 'points' at the end of the year 'wins!'" With that she brought the Siamese back to his cage, and closed the door securely. She walked back to her table, sprayed both her hands and the table with disinfectant, wiped them both thoroughly dry, wrote in her book, picked up three ribbons and walked back to the cage of cat number 221. As she prepared to hang the three ribbons on 221's cage she explained, "This red, white and blue ribbon is his 'winners' ribbon, this blue ribbon is his 'first place' ribbon and this black ribbon is his 'best of color class' ribbon. The black ribbon means that he is the best in the 'chocolate point' class, not the entire Siamese class". She then proceeded to take out and handle Siamese 222 and then 223. "These two cats are both Seal Point Siamese, one is a boy, the other a girl. Because they are the same color but different sexes, they each get a blue 'first place' ribbon, they are however, competing for the 'best of color class' ribbon and today in my opinion the female is in better condition overall so she gets the black 'best of color' ribbon while this young little male will get the white 'second best of color' ribbon. Now I have to decide of these three Siamese, which one is the best representative of it's breed and which is second best." Sharon waved a feather attached to a stick in front of the three Siamese looking intently at them as they responded to the toy. She then took out the female Seal Point, checked her nose profile, her body length and put her back into her cage, fastening the door tightly. Sharon walked back to her book, marked it and picked up two ribbons, one brown and one orange. She walked back to the cages where the Siamese were, stood in front of the Chocolate Point number 221's cage and said, "Today this long guy is my 'Second Best Siamese'" she placed the orange 'second best of breed' ribbon on his cage, then turned and walked to the cage of the little Seal Point female and said, "Today this beautiful little female is my "Best Siamese'" and hung the brown 'Best of Breed' ribbon on her cage. The short haired woman sitting to Sharon's left also marked her book as the ribbons were hung on the cages, then stood up, walked over to the Siamese cage's, turned down the numbered cards on top, and said, "These cats may go back." As the owners of the Siamese all stood up and went to retrieve their cats from the cages, LaCroix read the Siamese pages and noticed that the winning Siamese was co-owned by a woman named Lucinda and the owner of the Tonkinese, Diane. Diane stood up, stepped out of the ring and stopped to talk to a tall blond woman who appeared to be in her late thirties, early forties and very attractive. LaCroix mused as he read the page, . He watched as the Siamese owners took their cats and returned to the ballroom where their benching cages were. Sharon then went on to judge the Somali, hung the same type ribbons on his cage and then turned to the last cat, number 225, the lone Tonkinese. "I know you don't I big guy" Sharon said as LaCroix was just starting to stand up to move on to the next ring. "Awwwww, you're purring already you big hunk of sweetness, aren't you......" she said in a loving voice. LaCroix sat back down slowly as his eyes locked with the most stunning pair of big roundish aqua colored eyes that he had ever seen. Never before had he seen such an eye color, anywhere. The deep richly colored aqua eyes were set in a roundish face with a milk chocolate colored mask fading gently into a fawn colored neck with a whitish chest. This cat resembled the Siamese in coloring, but that was where the similarities ended. He was stocky and shorter bodied, where the Siamese were slim and long of body. He sat lower on his legs, whereas the Siamese were set high on their legs. He had smallish ears set as much on the top as on the sides of his head, whereas the Siamese had strikingly large ears set on the sides of their heads forming a wedge shape. He had a small nose with a slight break in his profile, whereas the Siamese had a long nose that ran flat from their forehead to the tip of their nose. He had richly fawn colored fur that looked as smooth as silk. His tail was not long like the Siamese, instead it was round and thick. "This is a Champagne Mink Tonkinese Neuter that I have seen many times before at other shows" Sharon started her speech about the cat sitting in front of her on her judging table, "He is a 'Grand Premier' and he is 3 years old. I saw him first as a baby, just four months old, and have had the pleasure of watching him mature throughout the years. He just looks better and better as he gets older, whereas some other breeds of cats tend to 'fall apart' with age. But not this guy. He is as well muscled as he has ever been. For those of you who know me, you are aware that I have been breeding Tonks for almost 20 years and it is always a pleasure when I get to handle such a fine example of the breed as this guy. He has a wonderful temperament and is calm and relaxed at all times. Watch this......" With that she laid him on the table, rolled him onto his back, letting his head hang upside down off the front edge of the table. LaCroix could hear him making a sound that seemed to emanate from the area of this throat. As he looked even more intently at the cat's throat he could see it vibrating. Sharon put her hands under the cats head and lifted it slightly so that instead of hanging upside down, it was now level with the rest of his body. LaCroix could see that the cat's eyes were closed and the sound intensified as Sharon held the cat's head in her hands. The Tonk then opened one eye and looked directly at LaCroix. LaCroix felt the overwhelming presence of this cat that almost screamed of love. He had to touch this cat. Had to feel the warmth and silkiness of his fur. Had too... Sharon started talking again. "This guy is my only Tonkinese today and he is my best Tonkinese" and with that she picked him up and cradled him in her arms like an infant. The Tonk closed him eyes again and purred more loudly than before which LaCroix thought would not have been possible. Sharon turned and placed him in his cage ever so gently on his side where he stayed. He opened his eyes, looked directly at LaCroix and winked seductively, once, than twice. end part 4 Cousin LuDia - The Multi Studded One - 7/13/21 Cousin@Heart - Immortal Beloved, Vamp@Nyte - Valentine cuzinlu@snet.net or LuDia@aol.com All the non-FK people in this story have given permission to use their names including myself and my cat. disclaimers available in part one. LaCroix is brought across.....AGAIN!!! - A Forever Knight Story - By Cousin Lu (cuzinlu@snet.net) Part 5 of 10 Diane stood up, walked over to the Somali's, then the Tonk's cage and turned down their numbers as she had done before with the Siamese. She waited by the Tonk's cage until Sharon had left the ring to go the ladies room and opened the door to the Tonk's cage. The Tonk slowly stood up, stretched languidly and stepped out into the Diane's waiting arms. She then turned and started walking away towards the ballroom. LaCroix quickly stood up and followed her. She went through the door and stopped at a cage with the number 225 on it. "Excuse me, Diane is it?," LaCroix said. "Yes?" Diane replied as she opened the door, put the Tonk in his cage, and closed the door securely. "Uhhhh, is that your cat?" "Yes, he is my cat, his registered name is Grand Premier 'Connacht's Michael Fitzpatrick of Lu-Dia' but we call him 'Tonk-baby' or 'TB' because he acts like a spoiled baby and he's so cute. Mr..... ummm..... errrrr.....?" "LaCroix, Lucian LaCroix, at your service. I must tell you that he is the most amazing cat that I ever have seen. I simply must have him." LaCroix said in an excited rush of words. "Oh" Diane said, "I'm afraid he is not for sale, you see, I breed Siamese Cats and have only this one Tonkinese which is my pet. He is my baby. I could never part with him." "Nonsense," LaCroix said, "Everything is for sale for the right price" "Not this cat" Diane replied, "Not for ANY price!" "I'll give you five million dollars for him right here, right now.....CASH!!!" LaCroix said nervously as he saw people starting to stare at him, especially that Lucinda woman who was seated at the next cage, "You don't understand, he LOOKED at me, he WANTS me, I know it!!!" "He looks that way at lots of people, he is a very friendly guy. But I am afraid that as I said before, he is not available at any price whatsoever!" Diane said rather tensely. "10 million dollars" "Not a chance" "20 million dollars" "Not in your wildest dreams pal" " Fine" LaCroix snapped, "Well then, how about...... 100 million dollars?? That's all I have on me..... I can get more..... Name your price....." LaCroix growled. To which Diane replied, "There is not enough money in the world to make me sell this cat. Why don't you go see someone with kittens, buy your own Tonkinese....." "B-B-B-But...but....but..... you simply d-d-don't understand, he W-W-WANTS to go home with me" LaCroix was so upset he started to stutter. "Look buddy," Lucinda said, standing up, rising to her full height, looking LaCroix straight in the eye. "LaCroix" he corrected. "What-EVER, this cat is not, I repeat NOT for sale at any price, at any time, get the picture?" Lucinda's face was just inches from LaCroix's. "Yeah LaCrotch, why don't you make like a windstorm and BLOW before Lucinda gets really mad!" Diane taunted him. "FINE!!!" LaCroix shouted, "Fine, but be sure that you have not seen the last of ME!!!" LaCroix turned and stomped off in search of 'the judge' Sharon Roy. He found her sitting on a couch in the outer hallway just outside the ladies room writing in her notebook. "Madam" LaCroix said in the most polite voice he could manage, while he fumed inwardly. "Yes, can I help you sir?" asked Sharon looking up at him from her paperwork. "Madam, I would like to converse with you about that Tonkinese cat I saw you judging a short time ago. I simply must have him. Do you have any influence over the woman who owns him??" "You mean Diane? No. I don't have any influence where her cat is concerned, you see she adores him, he is the love of her life, aside from her husband and children of course." Sharon replied. "But I could set you up with someone who breeds Tonks, as I don't have any kittens available of my own breeding at the present time." "Thank you madam, but no, I don't want another one, I want THAT one!" LaCroix replied tersely. "Tell me madam" "Sharon, please", "Allright then, tell me, Sharon, are you using that lovely boy in your top ten cats?" "I think so, but I'm not sure what place I will put him in, maybe 7th or 9th, I haven't decided yet." LaCroix was shocked, "Sharon," LaCroix crooned into her ear as he lowered himself onto the couch next to her, "Sharon, look at me, look into my eyes". Sharon turned to face him and looked straight into his eyes. "Sharon, repeat after me" LaCroix spoke softly and soothingly, "He is the BEST CAT, he deserves to be the BEST CAT, nothing but the BEST is good enough for him" ...... "Best for him" she repeated still looking into his eyes, seemingly locked there, "Best for him, he is best" she repeated again. "You will not remember this conversation" LaCroix spoke gently. "Not remember" Sharon whispered. With that, LaCroix stood up and said, "Thank you for your time Ms. Roy, I will be sure to see your friend about those kittens." She shook her head and said, "Wha--What.... Oh yes.... Of course... kittens.... You are most welcome sir, glad that I could help." LaCroix walked away and Sharon looked back at her page and saw her final all filled out with number 225 in 7th place, 220 in 2nd place and 223 as Best Cat. She picked up her pencil, erased the three numbers, rewriting the numbers with number 220 in 7th place, 223 in 2nd place and 225 as Best Cat. she thought, . She stood up and walked back towards her judging ring. end part 5 Cousin LuDia - The Multi Studded One - 7/13/21 Cousin@Heart - Immortal Beloved, Vamp@Nyte - Valentine cuzinlu@snet.net or LuDia@aol.com disclaimers available in part one. LaCroix is brought across.....AGAIN!!! - A Forever Knight Story - By Cousin Lu (cuzinlu@snet.net) Part 6 of 10 When Sharon got back to the ring, she saw that Diane had already returned and had set up her rosettes for her top ten finals. She handed Diane her list of ten numbers and sat down, still trying to shake the fuzziness from her head. Diane quickly pulled out the ten numbered cards from the massive pile that corresponded to the list that Sharon had given her. She noticed that both the Siamese that she and Lucinda co-owned and her Tonkinese, number 225, were on the list, but didn't know what places they were in as the judges always gave the ring clerks just the numbers, not the order in which they would be placed. Diane double checked the numbers, handed the paper back to Sharon, stood up and placed the cards on the judging cages, being careful not to put two males next to each other which would be a violation of the show rules. When she was satisfied that they were correct, she went over to the microphone, turned it on and spoke, "Judge Sharon Roy, in ring 7 is pleased to announce her Allbreed Premiership Finals, Congratulations to the following cats and their owners, 198, 201, 202, 207, 212, 215, 217, 220, 223 and 225, that's for the Allbreed Premiership Final in ring 7 please". Diane turned off the microphone and went to get her cat for the final. She saw LaCroix standing with a raven haired woman near Sharon's ring as she went to the ballroom to fetch Tonk-baby for his final. "Come on tough guy" Diane purred as she woke Tonk-baby up from a deep sleep, "Time for your final tough guy". Tonk-baby winked at her, yawned a big yawn, stood up, stretched languidly as was his way, stretching out his left paw, and sashayed out of the opening onto the chair in front of his cage. He yawned again and winked as Diane picked him up and put him onto her shoulder like a child, supporting his behind with her left arm and he hung his paws and rested his head on her left shoulder as she and Lucinda walked together towards the judging ring. As they passed LaCroix, Tonk-baby looked right at him and winked his seductive wink. "See Janette, see, there he is, isn't he exquisite?" LaCroix said with more excitement than Janette had heard since the World War II battlefields. "Well, he is kind of cute.... I guess...." "Cute?? CUTE??? He is the most exquisite thing that I ever have seen Janette.... I simply MUST have him!!" "Allright darling, allright, just calm down and let us think of a way to get him for you. We already know that money is out of the question, imagine turning down 100 million dollars for a cat..." Janette said with a smirk. Sharon started speaking and LaCroix hushed Janette. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Toronto Cat Club for asking me to come and judge their show, I have had a wonderful time here. I would also like to thank the owners and breeders of all of the wonderful cats they brought here for me to judge this weekend. Unfortunately I can only bring up 10 of them, I had to eliminate quite a few that deserved to be up here too. Thank you also to my stewards, Marshall and Tory who kept the cages clean at all times, you guys did a spectacular job. I would especially like to thank Diane, who clerked for me this weekend and kept me on the straight and narrow, right on schedule. She is a wonderful clerk and I enjoy working with her. Let's have some applause" The crowd around the ring burst into applause including LaCroix and Janette. When the clapping ceased, Sharon turned around and pulled out a Persian cat, and started talking about him. Uninterested, LaCroix said to Janette, "After this final, Diane will bring him back to his benching cage and will have to come back here to this ring. According to the schedule, Sharon will be judging her 'Allbreed Kittens' next. Tonk-baby will then be alone and unguarded, ripe for the taking." "Are you sure you want to do this Lucien?" Janette asked of him, looking into his eyes and seeing such desire, desire that he never had for her, for an animal, or anyone for that matter. She actually began to fear for Diane if LaCroix did not get his way. "Yesssssssss", he hissed back at her, "That is my one true wish". As they turned their attention back to the finals, they discovered that all the cats had rosettes on their cages except for Tonk-baby. Sharon walked over to his cage and opened the door. Tonk-baby stood up, stretched languidly, winked that wink of his and stretched his left front paw out to Sharon. Facing his cage, she bent over and scooped him up into her arms, rolling him onto his back, cradling him like a baby. She walked around to the front of the table, and started speaking to the audience gathered before her. "This is a 3 year old, Champagne Mink Tonkinese Neuter, 'Grand Premier'. He is a veteran of cat shows, as you can see. But this is the first time that I have made him my best. He is an excellent example of his breed, with the characteristic deep aqua eyes, that are rounded on the top, yet almond shaped on the bottom. Ears set as much on the side of his head as on the top. Notice the gentle break in his profile, his massiveness of bone, his hardness of body. Not an ounce of fat on this boy, he is in superb condition. His fur as smooth as satin, not too tight to his body, with a great feel and a shine that says 'Mink!'. Today, this boy was my only Tonkinese in Premiership, my Best of the Tonkinese Division and my Best Cat in Premiership!!!" She held him up high over her head and he winked right at LaCroix. Everyone cheered and clapped, Janette put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly, LaCroix shouted, "Bravo - Bravo". As she put Tonk-baby back in his judging cage, Sharon spoke once more to the audience, "Thank you all for letting me handle all of your lovely cats. These cats may all go back." The owners all stood up and went to claim their cats, stopping to thank Sharon, one by one, for giving their cat an award, some asking her to sign their rosettes. Diane waited until everyone, except Lucinda, was gone, went over and took Tonk-baby out of his cage and went over to Sharon, joined by Lucinda. "Sharon", Diane said with small tears of joy in her eyes, "Sharon, thank you soooooo much. This is the first time that you have ever made him Best Cat." "Ohhh, don't thank me... He deserved it, he deserves only the best, only the best for him!" Diane gave Sharon a quick hug, careful not to squish Tonk-baby between them. Lucinda stepped forward, "Sharon, a great big thank you from our beautiful little girl, you just gave her the remaining points she needed, so she is now a 'Grand Premier'!" "Oh Lucinda, you're very welcome, I'm glad that I could finish her for you guys, she's so pretty." Lucinda gave Sharon a quick hug, also careful not to squish her girl between the two of them. Diane and Lucinda hurried off to put Tonk-baby and the Seal Point girl in their respective benching cages. As soon as they had left, LaCroix stepped forward. "Sharon, it was a wonderful final, I was so pleased that you decided to make the Tonk your Best Cat, he is the best in my book, and this is my first cat show!" Sharon looked at him and smiled, "I'm glad that you enjoyed the show and my final. Tonk-baby, that is his call name, is best in my book too." With that, LaCroix thanked her again, took Janette by the hand and walked out the door heading down the hallway towards the exit. "LaCroix, I thought we were going to get that cat" Janette asked. "Not THAT CAT, Tonk-baby, don't you call him 'that cat' again. Yes we are going to get him, but I want that Diane woman to think we are leaving so that she will lower her guard and not worry about us." LaCroix growled softly so as not to be overheard. end part 6 Cousin LuDia - The Multi Studded One - 7/13/21 Cousin@Heart - Immortal Beloved, Vamp@Nyte - Valentine cuzinlu@snet.net or LuDia@aol.com disclaimers available in part one. LaCroix is brought across.....AGAIN!!! - A Forever Knight Story - By Cousin Lu (cuzinlu@snet.net) Part 7 of 10 LaCroix stood behind the door, peering through the crack until he saw Diane turn and head back towards her ring. He heard her voice over the P.A. system calling for longhair kittens to ring 7. He turned to Janette and told her of his plan. "Now Janette, I want you to talk to that Lucinda woman sitting next to where Tonk-baby is caged and make sure she is totally distracted so that she can not possibly notice me, she knows that I want him, but she does not know you." "No problem, Lucien, If there is one thing I do best............it's distraction......" giggled Janette. "Come, let us go now!" whispered LaCroix. The two of them entered through a side door into the ballroom and leisurely strolled down the aisles until they were in the aisle that Tonk-baby was in. LaCroix projected the thought into her mind. Janette sent her thoughts back to her master. Janette quickly struck up a conversation with Lucinda, sitting next to where Tonk-baby was, easily taking up all her attention, talking about her beautiful Seal Point Siamese female that was 2nd Best Cat in Sharon's Premiership final, totally enthralling Lucinda. LaCroix seeing this, smiled slyly and sat in front of Tonk-baby's cage. He spoke ever so softly to the sleeping cat, so softly that no mortal ears could possibly hear him, but a cat could easily. Tonk-baby opened his eyes slowly, looked at LaCroix, winked his wink, as was his way, and yawned widely. LaCroix unhinged the cage door and Tonk-baby immediately stood up and stretched languidly, extending his left paw to touch LaCroix's hand. When his paw came in contact with LaCroix's skin, LaCroix thought he felt a powerful surge of pure love running up his arm, straight to his black heart. Tonk-baby stepped out of his cage right onto LaCroix's lap, turned around twice in a circle and plunked himself down starting to purr. LaCroix looked on in surprise as Tonk-baby started ever so gently kneading his leg with both his paws, never sticking a claw in, just gently moving the toes on his paws back and forth in motion akin to the kneading of bread dough. LaCroix has seen many a scullery maid do the daily kneading of dough in years past, early in the morning, before sunrise. It was a pleasant memory, brought back by this wonderful cat. Tonk-baby was purring so hard and so loud that he literally vibrated with joy. LaCroix scooped him up in his arms as he had seen both Sharon and Diane do, tucked him underneath his cape, where he could not be seen, and shut the cage door securely. LaCroix slipped out the door and sent a message to Janette. was her reply. Janette said good-bye to Lucinda, quickly exiting the ballroom. She met up with LaCroix in the hallway and together they walked, nonchalantly, out the back door. They took to the air and flew straight back to the Raven, where they celebrated with some of Janette's best vintage. Lucinda opened the cooler, where her leftover roast beef sandwich was, and pulled some of the beef out. She put in on a plate and opened the door to Tonk-baby's cage. She called to him and expected to see him leap out of his bed as roast beef was his favorite treat. When he didn't respond to her calls, she leaned over to get a better look into the cage. She placed the plate onto the floor of the cage when she realized that Tonk-baby was not in there. She walked into the judging room and went over to where Diane was clerking for Sharon. "Diane, is Tonk-baby in a ring right now?" "No, he's in his benching cage, isn't he?" "No he isn't, I just went to feed him and he isn't there, I thought maybe you had put in him a ring while I was talking to a strange woman." Diane's eyes widened, "Strange woman?" "Yes, a very beautiful raven haired woman in, get this, an emerald green ball gown, she said her name was Janette." "Was that guy, LaCrotch or whatever around? He was dressed strangely too, imagine that, a tux at a cat show." "I don't know, I was so busy talking to Janette that I really wasn't paying attention to anything but her, if he was there, I didn't see him." Lucinda said. "Let me make an announcement and see if maybe he just got loose" Diane said worry creeping into her voice. She walked over to the microphone, while Lucinda briefly filled Sharon in on what was going on. Diane turned on the microphone and made the following announcement, "Attention exhibitors and spectators, we seem to have a missing cat, please close all the doors and look around your feet. The cat is a Champagne Mink Tonkinese who answers to the name Tonk-baby. If anyone sees him, please raise your hand, don't be afraid to pick him up as he is super friendly. Thank you" She put down the microphone and started looking around to see if anyone had their hands up. Lucinda, Sharon and Diane started walking around, calling for him and still watching to see if anyone raised their hand. A blond haired man walked up to Lucinda and said, "Excuse me, my name is Nick Knight and I am a Detective with the City of Toronto and this is my partner Detective Don Schanke." "How 'do" Schanke nodded. "Pleased to meet you Detectives Knight and Schanke, we seem to have a missing cat that belongs to my best friend Diane and I really must get back to looking for him, so if you will excuse me......." "That's why we're here ma'am", Schanke replied, "We thought since we were here looking to purchase a Siamese kitten for my daughter Jenny, that we would help you look for the missing cat.." "That would be very nice of the two of you, thank you, and by the way, Detective Schanke, I happen to have a few Siamese kittens for sale, you can take a look after we find Tonk-baby." "Tonk-baby?" queried Nick, "What kind of a cat is a Tonk-baby? My girl friend... I mean good friend Natalie has an alley cat named Sidney." "Detective Knight, here in the cat fancy, we do not say 'alley cat' we like to use the term 'domestic shorthair or longhair' Tonk-baby is a Champagne Mink Tonkinese, they look kind of like a rounded Siamese" Lucinda answered. "Wow, a fancy name for alley cats, wait'll I tell Nat she has a fancy cat, she'll be so excited," said Nick. "Come on guys, are you going to help search or what???" Lucinda was getting worried about Tonk-baby and felt antsy just standing there. "Lead the way to where he was last seen ma'am." end part 7 Cousin LuDia - The Multi Studded One - 7/13/21 Cousin@Heart - Immortal Beloved, Vamp@Nyte - Valentine cuzinlu@snet.net or LuDia@aol.com disclaimers available in part one. LaCroix is brought across.....AGAIN!!! - A Forever Knight Story - By Cousin Lu (cuzinlu@snet.net) Part 8 of 10 Lucinda lead them to Tonk-baby's cage and showed them the picture of him that was on top of the cage. Diane came over when she saw Lucinda chatting with two strange men at her cage. "Detectives Knight and Schanke, I would like to introduce you to my co-breeder and best friend, Diane. Tonk-baby belongs to her and as you can see, she is greatly upset." "Pleased to meet you both" Diane spoke in a quiet voice. Nick could see that she was more than greatly upset, her big brown eyes were red rimmed and swollen, her nose red from crying and her lips quivered ever so slightly as she tried to hold back the flood of tears that threatened to spill forth. Lucinda spoke again, putting her arm around Diane in a comforting gesture, "These two are Toronto Detectives and they were here shopping for a kitten for Detective Schanke's daughter, and they graciously offered to help look for TB even though they are off duty." "Thank you both ever so much" sniffed Diane. Lucinda then proceeded to tell the detectives about the raven haired woman named Janette, and the strange way in which she was dressed. Diane then gave her description of the man named LaCrotch or something.. Nick wondered, . But nevertheless, the descriptions and names that Lucinda and Diane gave, no matter how butchered, perfectly matched Janette and LaCroix. "Uhhhhh, Schank....... why don't you look around in here and I'll check around outside and see if maybe he followed someone outside and is scared, possibly hiding somewhere....." Nick looked at Schanke as he spoke. "Sure partner, I'll stay with Lucinda and Diane while you go out in the cold and search.... No problemo!!" Schanke replied, not really wanting to go back out in the cold, when he could stay inside and keep warm while he searched. Nick went out the back door, looked around to make sure no one could see him, and took to the air, heading straight for the Raven. Meanwhile at the Raven "What do you think cat's eat nowadays Janette?" LaCroix asked... "I really don't know darling" Janette replied. "Meat" came a response from the end of the bar, "Meat, you know, roast beef, steak, hamburger, meat!" Janette and LaCroix looked over to see Vachon sitting at the end of the bar sipping at one of Janette's House Special of the Night. "Ahhh, Javier" purred Janette, "And how is it that you know so much about cats??? Have you ever had a cat??" "No my dear Janette, I watch alot of t.v. especially the Discovery Channel, they have frequent specials about animals, including cats. They also like milk and commercially prepared cat food." "Commercially prepared food" LaCroix spat, "There will be NO commercial anything for MY cat! He shall have nothing but the best that money can buy!! Janette, call up the best restaurant in Toronto and have their chef prepare some steak tartar for my cat." Janette hurried over to the phone and made the call. "They will deliver in 15 minutes master" Janette said as she hung up the phone. Tonk-baby walked across the bartop sniffing the wood, sniffing each person inquisitively as he strolled by, finally stopping in front of Vachon. He sniffed cautiously at Vachon's hair, backed up and sneezed right in Vachon's face. "Yukkkkkk, he snotted in my face", Vachon said in disgust, wiping off the snot with his shirt sleeve. LaCroix rushed over, picked up Tonk-baby lovingly, cradled him in his arms and turned to face Vachon. "Javier, my boy, obviously your lack of personal hygiene has upset the delicate senses of my cat. Either that or he is allergic to you. Anyway, it matters not, from this point further, you are to keep a distance from my cat, understand?" LaCroix's face just inches from Vachon's, eyes glowing gold, fangs bared. "Sure.... no problem boss. I'll be more than happy to stay away from your 'flea-bag' of a cat." Vachon said with a snicker. LaCroix walked over to Janette, put Tonk-baby down in front of her on a velvet pillow and walked back to where Vachon sat. Vachon was still chuckling to himself and murmured to himself, "Flea-ridden mangy cat at that". LaCroix tapped Vachon gently on the shoulder, and when he turned to face the other vampire, LaCroix motioned for him to stand, which he did somewhat reluctantly. When he was fully standing, LaCroix said, "You will NEVER" *back-handing Vachon in the face* "EVER" *Punching Vachon in the stomach* "EVER" *slamming Vachon on the back with balled up fists* "Call my cat anything.... I repeat ANYTHING at all" *kicking Vachon in the groin as he lay twitching on the barroom floor* "Do you understand me?" "Purr...fect....ly sir" Vachon managed to squeak out with his teeth clenched in pain. LaCroix brushed off his Tuxedo and returned to where Janette stood guarding his cat. "I think it is time for my cat and I to go to the station, it's almost time for my show to begin. Janette, my dear, have the restaurant delivery boy bring TB's dinner to the station." "Of course LaCroix, as you wish." Janette said, a hint of worry about Vachon, creeping into her voice. Janette knew better than to tend to Vachon while LaCroix was still present. Especially when he was in one of his moods. LaCroix picked up his prize, cradled him in his left arm, draped his cape over him so he wouldn't catch cold, left the Raven and flew over to his radio station to begin his shift. end part 8 Cousin LuDia - The Multi Studded One - 7/13/21 Cousin@Heart - Immortal Beloved, Vamp@Nyte - Valentine cuzinlu@snet.net or LuDia@aol.com disclaimers available in part one. LaCroix is brought across.....AGAIN!!! - A Forever Knight Story - By Cousin Lu (cuzinlu@snet.net) Part 9 of 10 No sooner did LaCroix leave by the back door, Nick arrived through the front door. Seeing Vachon lying on the floor in obvious pain, Nick rushed over to him and asked, "Vachon, Vachon, who did this to you, tell me, can you speak, tell me who did this...." Vachon could barely breath, nevermind talk. "LaCroix did it" said a voice that did not belong to Vachon. Nick saw a satin clad foot by Vachon's head and looked up to see Janette standing there, worry evident on her face. "Why would LaCroix do such a thing to Vachon? Janette, tell me, I don't understand what is going on here?" "I'm afraid I do not know what set him off Nichola" Janette lied expertly as she shrugged her shoulders. "C-c-c-c-attttt" Vachon managed to squeak out in a voice barely louder than a whisper. But to Nick's vampiric hearing, it was loud and clear. "Cat? Is that what you said Vachon?" "Y-y-y-esssssss" hissed Vachon through his clenched teeth, "C-c-c-atttt". "Janette, what do you know of this cat?" "A Cat???" Janette looked at Nick in complete amazement as if Vachon had just said elephant instead of cat, "I know nothing of any cat, you know LaCroix hates cats, Vachon is just delirious darling Nichola" Janette purred in her sexy voice. Nick thought for a moment, looked at the form of Vachon on the floor still twitching in pain, looked to Janette, ever the innocent looking Janette, and recalled the description that Lucinda had given to him back at the cat show. He saw that Janette was dressed exactly as Lucinda had described her. He knew for sure that she was lying. "Where is he now Janette" Nick asked her, looking straight into her eyes. "Where is who Nichola? The fictitious cat??" Janette responded. , Nick thought. "No Janette, where is LaCroix". "How should I know Nichola, I've been here all night, I haven't seen him, he's probably out somewhere hunting down his breakfast" Janette said in a I-could-care-less voice. "Never mind Janette, I'll find him myself.", turning to Vachon, "Can I help you up? Or would you like me to call whats-her-face to help you?" "Thanks dude, just a helping hand up will suffice for now," groaned Vachon, "and her name is Tracy dammit, not 'whats-her-face'," Vachon said in a gruff voice as he accepted Nick's hand. Nick pulled him up from the floor easily with his vampiric strength, then set off to find LaCroix. As soon as he closed the door, Janette was on the phone to CERK to warn LaCroix of Nick's impending arrival. Nick stood right outside the door and listened to Janette's conversation with LaCroix. He knew she would warn their master right away. Now he also knew exactly where LaCroix was. Off he flew into the air towards the CERK building.....straight to LaCroix..... CERK Station LaCroix hung up the phone and looked at his cat, sleeping happily on his lap after having eaten some of the steak tartar. he thought as he gazed at Tonk-baby with love in his eyes, softly stroking the satiny fur on his back. mused LaCroix, as he switched on his microphone. "Welcome once again gentle listeners, this is CERK radio and I am the Nightcrawler. Tonight's topic is love. Not your average run of the mill love, but deep unconditional love. Remove all thoughts of lust from your minds and just imagine having someone who loves you no matter what you are, no matter what you do, no matter how bad you think you are. That my dear friends is what we all search for at some point in our lives. Some can spend their entire lives searching and never find it. And some may just turn around, look into someone's eyes and see it there, bright as day. We all must do whatever is within our own power to hold on to that feeling, no matter what the cost. Hold it dear, nurture it and it will be yours - forever." LaCroix spoke these words while looking at the sleeping cat on his lap, hearing the soft purr emanating from the white throat, hearing the tiny cat heart beating fast, blood coursing through his veins. LaCroix thought as the bloodlust quickly faded from his mind. LaCroix put on a new recording from a local vampire group, "Fangs for the Memories" by the Cryptkeepers, sat back relaxing, stroking his cat contentedly. Nick arrived at the CERK station and crept quietly up the stairs towards the studio where LaCroix broadcast from, putting up as much of a mental shield as he could, even though he knew LaCroix would know instinctively that he was near. Nick peered through the tinted glass and could see LaCroix's back as he sat in his control booth chair, facing the window, looking out over the sleeping city of Toronto. Nick was very surprised that LaCroix didn't turn and face him, certain that he could sense Nick's presence. Nick silently opened the door and stepped into the room, slowly approaching LaCroix. "Stop right there" LaCroix said softly but quite sternly, "Do not come any closer to me Nicholas." "LaCroix, where is the cat?" Nick asked gently. "He is right here, contentedly sleeping on my lap, and he is not 'the' cat, he is 'my' cat." LaCroix gently, but again sternly, corrected Nick. "No LaCroix, that cat belongs to another, who's heart is broken by his absence." "I offered her whatever she wanted for him, I offered her wealth beyond her wildest dreams and still she refused. She offered me another one, but I wanted THIS one, I love THIS one," hissed LaCroix. "LaCroix, give me the cat, I must take him back to his rightful owner, you know deep down inside that this is wrong," Nick said soothingly. "Never" spat LaCroix, "He is mine now, and I care not about that mortal woman, SHE can get another, this one is mine!" he hissed menacingly. LaCroix slowly turned the chair around to face Nick, eyes ablaze in golden brilliance, fangs bared, fully prepared to take on his son. Nick took a step backward in shock, not since Fleur had he seen LaCroix so passionately angry. This was not just anger in the elder vampires face, this was passion, love, protective anger. Realizing this, Nick took two steps towards LaCroix, thinking that he could make a quick grab for the cat and that LaCroix would not have time to react. "How wrong you are my Nicholas, how wrong you are" LaCroix hissed at Nick, "Next time you had better guard your thoughts more thoroughly." LaCroix sat, a blood tear in the corner of his eye, the painful thought of yet again losing his beloved penetrating deep into his memories, visions of Fleur....... end part 9 Cousin LuDia - The Multi Studded One - 7/13/21 Cousin@Heart - Immortal Beloved, Vamp@Nyte - Valentine cuzinlu@snet.net or LuDia@aol.com disclaimers available in part one. LaCroix is brought across.....AGAIN!!! - A Forever Knight Story - By Cousin Lu (cuzinlu@snet.net) Part 10 of 10 Then without a second thought, he turned Tonk-baby's head to the side, exposing his silky fur covered neck and quickly sank his fangs in. Drawing out the mortal cat blood until the heart beat slowed almost to the point of death. "Stay back Nicholas" LaCroix hissed, another blood tear running down his face, "I will not be refused my true love again.... you took my Fleur away from me, you owe me this now... Do not attempt to stop me or he will surely die.... and if that were to happen, I would never forgive you....." Nick cautiously took a step towards LaCroix. "STOP Nicholas," LaCroix hissed through his fangs, "Think of your precious Natalie before you take another step forward.... I will not hesitate to make her my life's quest if you are to interfere now." Nick stood helpless, watching the pain of love on his masters face. He could almost feel the intense suffering that was ripping through LaCroix's body and mind. LaCroix bit into his own wrist and held it over the dying cat, dripping it into his open mouth. Tonk-baby opened his aqua eyes and reached up with his paws to grasp the wrist of his 'new master' and pull it closer. LaCroix lowered his wrist towards the cats mouth and watched through blood-tear filled eyes as 'his cat child' sank his fangs into his wrist to draw the nourishment he so needed at this crucial moment. LaCroix withdrew his wrist at the appropriate time and drew his cat to his breast, hugging him and singing softly, "In Dublin's fair city, where you'll be so pretty, singing Cockles and Muscles, Ah-live-a-live-oh." Nick was left speechless at the sight of this ancient vampire, cradling and singing to a cat. He could see the love as one looked at the other. He could feel the love in the air. He knew he could do nothing now. He turned silently, and left, a single blood tear trailing down his face. The Hotel Toronto Nick arrived back at the hotel, and went inside after making sure that all evidence of his blood-tear was removed from his face. Diane saw him and ran towards him, the tears streaming down her face, her eyes and face puffy and swollen. "Detective", she cried, "Did you find my baby, my Tonk-baby?" Nick stared down at her, and for the first time in his life, lied, "No, I didn't. I'm sorry. I looked everywhere. If he turns up, I'll be more than happy to let you know." Diane crumpled to the floor in tears at which point Lucinda came to her and sat on the floor, crying with her. Schanke came over holding two kittens in a blue plastic carrier. "Look Nick, look what I got for Jenny, won't Myra be surprised!!" "Great Schank" Nick said in a whisper, patting him on the back, "We should really be going now" he motioned with his head towards the door, then down to the two bereaved woman. "What? Oh.... yeah, we really should get going, we'll ummmm... be late for work, yeah, that's it, late for work." "C'mon Schank, they won't even notice that we're gone" Nick said in a whisper. As the two detectives walked towards the exit, Sharon, the judge, stopped them. "Don't worry too much about Diane, I plan on replacing Tonk-baby with a really cute Champagne Mink female from the next litter I have. I know that whatever I give her won't be the same, but it will be something." "You are truly a good friend, Ms. Roy" Nick said, "Everyone should have a good friend - Diane has Lucinda and you, I have Schanke and Natalie. It was nice to have met you." "You too detectives, good-bye." Sharon said as she turned and walked back towards Diane and Lucinda who were still sitting on the floor. *Epilogue* CERK Station "And so gentle listeners, this is the Nightcrawler, bidding you good day and au revoir til tonight. And remember - love is what you make it. You must take care of it and constantly nurture it so it will never die. Remove all thoughts of lust from your minds and just imagine having someone who loves you no matter what you are, no matter what you do, no matter how bad you think you are. That my dear friends is what we all search for. We may spend our entire lives searching and never find it. Or we may just turn around, look into someone's eyes and see it there. We all must do whatever is within our own power to hold on to that feeling, no matter what the cost. Hold it dear, nurture it tenderly and it will be yours - forever. This is CERK radio and I am the Nightcrawler, signing off for another day." The End. yes? no? maybe? let me know! Cousin LuDia - The Multi Studded One - 7/13/21 Cousin@Heart - Immortal Beloved, Vamp@Nyte - Valentine cuzinlu@snet.net or LuDia@aol.com