Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:21:51 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 1/32 To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu This is the sequel to Never Cry Wolf. Hopefully those of you that have read my first story will enjoy this just as much if not more. Any and all comments are welcomed. Those of you who have not read the first one but would like to, please let me know and I will send it to you. I would like to thank my beta reader Heather Poinsett and everyone that helped me write this story, to all of you thank you. The only characters in this story that are not mine are the Forever Knight cast, though I wish they were. I'm also giving my permission for this story to be archived. Now on with the story. Nowhere To Hide Pt 1 He came out of the apartment building and closed the door behind him. He had a suitcase in one hand and a travel bag thrown over his shoulder. Colt stopped and scanned the neighborhood. It was a quiet, moonless night and everything was cast in shadows. The only thing that gave off light was the street lamp, thirty feet away, and that wasn't very much. He knew he should not leave but he just had to get away. He needed time to think and to grieve for his sister. Too much was happening all at once. First the stranger had come to town and began putting crazy ideas into his sister's head. Then she started to convince some of his friends to start breaking the rules. He had known his sister to well and knew she would not have done something like that normally. When she had died the stranger had disappeared and his friends had come to him wanting him to lead them. True, he did not care much for the vampires or the rules but things had stayed in balanced, at least until now. He shook his head and sighed. He definitely needed to get away for awhile. He knew his friends wouldn't do anything stupid until he got back. He had made them give their word and he knew they would not break it. He started down the steps and froze in mid-step just as headlights cut into the night. A taxi turned the corner and drove past him, the tail lights disappearing as the darkness engulfed them. He went down to his car, opened the trunk and placed the bags inside. When he closed the trunk a chill went up his spine. He had the feeling he was being watched. He extended his senses out into the shadows, searching the doorways and alleys. The only things he found were rats rummaging through the garbage and a passed out wino. 'You're on edge guy', he thought to himself. He got in the car and took a minute to admire the interior. It had taken him along time, but he had finally finished restoring the 73 Dodge Challenger. It was bright banana yellow with black rally stripes running down the sides. It had a slapstick shifter with real wood on the console. The only thing that was not original was the am/fm cassette player. He had just put in the new black leather bucket seats in last week. He put the key in the ignition and started it up. The engine came to life with a rumble and then quieted down to a purr. He loved to hear that sound and to prove it he gave it some more gas. Before he could start doubting again about leaving, he turned on the headlights, pulled the shift into drive and drove away. As he headed out of town he opened the console compartment and pulled out a cassette. He looked at it to make sure it was the one he wanted and popped it into the cassette player. The speakers came to life as he drove out into the night. When the car had disappeared around the corner a rat emerged out of the shadows in the alley way across from the apartment building. Its black nose twitched back and forth as it looked after the car and then it turned and went back into the shadows. A moment later a tall figure walked out of the alley and headed in the opposite direction that the car had gone. He knew the boy had sensed himself being watched, he had felt the boy probing, looking for the intruder. He had also felt fear but only for a second, before the boy's mind became crowded with other thoughts and the fear was pushed aside. This should work out nicely he thought to himself and a smile creased his shadowy face as a new plan began to take shape. Jack closed the door behind him and turned on the light. The small motel room did not have much in the way of furniture other than a double bed, nightstand and a small dresser. The curtains and rug looked clean but the place smelled of cheap deodorizer that was loosing the battle at trying to cover up the moldy, mildewy smell. He placed his bags on the bed, walked into the bathroom and turned on the light. The smell was worse in here. He stared at himself in the mirror. He hadn't slept in three days and he looked like death warmed over.. His face and hair was streaked with dirt and blood. He was only twenty-eight, but looked thirty-five. He stood five foot nine and weighed a solid one eighty-five. He had a rugged look to him hidden under all the blood and dirt. He turned the water on in the shower, and started undressing. Once he was out of the shower and dried off he went to his jacket and pulled out a bottle of Furacin ointment. He applied it to the gashes on his upper left arm and the one across his ribs and then bandaged them. He had just finished the job in Montreal. He had been lucky that those were the only injuries he had received. She had been a tough old hag, with a lot of dirty tricks, but he had made sure that she would never terrorize anyone again. Now he was heading for Toronto. He didn't have to be there for another couple days and that would give him plenty of time to rest and replenish his supplies. He was really getting tired of this line of work. He kept telling himself he would quit this job, and get a really nine to five normal job. He went over and sat down on the bed and opened up his smaller satchel. He started laying everything out, taking stock of what he needed to replace. He pulled out several boxes of silver coated ammunition, several vials of holy water, baggies containing foxglove, mandrake, hemlock, broom, nightshade, and snakeroot, matches, a couple of crosses, 10 wooden stakes, a mallet, seventy-five feet of nylon rope, a couple of smaller vials that had the skulls and crossbones emblem on them, hypodermic needles, a bag of square and circular talismans, and a few other odds and ends. He made a list of the items he needed and packed everything back in the satchel and set it on the floor. He then turned his attention to the larger satchel and upon opening it pulled out a sheathed 12 inch bowie knife, 5 leaf bladed throwing knives, a crossbow with 20 silver shaft arrows, a 9mm Sig Sauer P226, 2 Beretta 92F's, two 45 caliber Smith & Wesson double action revolvers, a 38 snub-nose revolver, Steytr-SSG 70 with laser site, a Czech ZKR 551 target pistol chambered to take .38 rounds, a 357 Colt Python and a 44 magnum. The last thing he took out was a cleaning kit that he sat next to the 357 and 44. He checked each weapon, with an expert eye, before replacing them in the satchel. He then set to work quickly breaking down and cleaning the 357 and 44. His hands flowed over the guns like he was caressing a woman. He could tell exactly how many bullets were left in a gun just by the feel of it. They had saved his rear more times than he cared to remember. Once finished, he replaced the cleaning kit and Colt into the satchel and closed it up and placed it on the floor next to the bed. He placed the 44 under his pillow, turned out the lights and got into bed. Within minutes he was fast asleep. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:25:26 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 2/32 To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu NOWHERE TO HIDE PT2 Colt walked into the club and looked around to see a lot a familiar faces. Mostly everyone in here had at one time or another been in his sister's shop wanting some type of remedy. He headed down to the bar and ordered a beer. The bartender gave him his drink and walked away. He took a sip and turned around to watch the crowd. On the bottom floor people were laughing and drinking, having a good o'l time. Dance lights were flashing and the fog machine was constantly spitting out fog. He watched one girl on the dance floor. The way she was moving she looked like she was double jointed. He never recalled seeing those kind of dance moves in the old days. His eyes wandered from her up to the second level of the club. The people up there were talking amongst themselves. That was where any and all business took place. He was looking for a person in particular when a big hand fell on his shoulder. Colt jumped with surprise and turned around to look directly at a chest. He followed the chest up passed the monstrous shoulders to finally see Lucan staring down at him with a smile on his face. Lucan and him had grown up together. When they had been kids, Lucan had been teased a lot because he had been so much smaller than the other kids. His parents had tried all kinds of medications, steroids and potions, without any luck. The doctors had said he would never grow any taller and that his parents would just have to accept it. All that had changed though when he hit puberty. He started growing again and things were going very well for him. He reached a height of 5'8, made the football team in his sophmore year of high school and had started dating. He had become a typical teenager, that was until his senior year, when he started growing again. Apparently all the stuff he had taken as a child finally kicked in and did not stop until he was 8 foot. He was the tallest person ever in the history of the clan, or so they said. Lucan had gotten a job here at the club as a bouncer. Since he had started working they very rarely had any trouble. "Hey Colt," Lucan said in a deep husky voice. "I thought you went up to the mountains?' "Well, I started to but changed my mind. I'd rather be here with my friends." "Listen. I'm real sorry about your sister. She was like my sister too ya know. I'd like to find the guy that did it and have just two minutes with him. I'd rip him to shreds." The hand that was still on Colt's shoulder suddenly started squeezing. Colt flinched in pain. "Sorry, Colt," Lucan said as he removed his hand. "I keep forgetting my strength." "That's ok, Luke. I miss her too. I always imagined she would outlive us. Just thinking about how she died and by who, makes my blood boil." Lucan gave him a serious look, "You know who killed her?" "I think so, but if I'm right and you're thinking revenge, we may have a problem on our hands." "What kind of problem?" "I think the person that killed my sister is a vampire." "A BLOODSUCKER?!!" Lucan said a bit to loudly. The people closest to them turned to look at them. Colt smiled and they turned their attention back to their drinks. "Keep quiet. I'm checking into it and won't know for sure until later on tonight." "You'll let me know when you find out, won't you Colt? I don't care who or what it is, I'll tear them to pieces." The anger dripped like venom from his words. "Don't worry. I'll let you know as soon as I find out. Ok?" Before Lucan could answer an arguement broke out at the other end of the bar. "I gotta go break it up," he pointed a finger at Colt, "You tell me the minute you find out." "I promise. By the way, have you seen Phelan?" Lucan pointed upstairs in the far corner. "Thanks. Now go pound some heads," Colt said with a smile. Lucan gave him a half grin and headed for the other end of the bar. Colt heard someone yell out, "Get'em Luke." before he picked up his drink and headed for the stairs that lead to the top floor. He spotted Phelan, Buck, Xenos and Sloan sitting in the corner booth and walked over to them. They all wore leather biker outfits with chains hanging from their wallets and spiked wristbands. None of them had tattoos, which wasn't surprising, because the clan hated needles. Sloan stopped talking as Colt came up to the table. "Hey guys, can I talk to you for a minute?" "Colt, good to see you, man," Xenos said as they shook hands. Xenos had a sinister look to him, which made him all the more menacing. He had dark, shoulder length hair that he kept back in a ponytail, and dark, soulless eyes that looked out over a nose that was shaped like a curved beak. It was said that the only time he would smile was when he had been out hunting and had made a kill. Colt knew some friends that had gone out hunting with Xenos. Upon returning, they had not said much but did say that nobody in their right mind would want to see him smile. "What can I do for you, Colt?" Phelan asked. He looked like he should of been in a three piece business suit instead of leathers. He was handsome and had aqua blue eyes that would melt any woman's heart and collar length blonde hair that slighlty curled at the end. "I need you to do something for me. I need you to deliver a message." "What kind of message?" Xenos asked. Colt set his beer down on the table and placed both hands on either side of it. "A very personal one........to a bloodsucker." Buck gave a big grin and looked at the others in the group. "Any guidelines?" Phelan asked. "Give it to the first one you happen to run across. Make sure he lives long enough to deliver the message. That's all." He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to Phelan. Phelan looked at it and thought for a moment. "Are you saying a vampire killed your sister?" Colt nodded yes. "Well, that changes things. I was going to charge you the regular fee, but since it's for your sister, it's on the house. Besides, it would be our pleasure to deliver your message." He smiled and asked, "How soon you want this done?" "Say tomorrow night. That way you guys can think up a real good way to deliver it." "Done." Phelan said as he reached over the table and closed the deal with a hand shake. Colt left the bar and started walking home. He would wait a day or two after the message was delivered to see if they would agree to his demands. It would give him time to plan his next move. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:26:58 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 3/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT3 It had been a little over a week since Nick had killed the werewolf. Things were finally back to normal but Nick still felt uneasy and decided to stop in at the Raven to see Janette. He didn't know why but he had this feeling that was eating away at him, telling him something was wrong. It was still fairly early when he arrived at the club and when he walked in it surprised him to see it as busy as it was. Normally it wasn't this busy until midnight. He spied Janette sitting at the bar and headed towards her. She was sipping her drink and watching her clientele. Nick slid up behind her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Hi," he said as he took a seat next to her. "Nichola," she said as she sat her drink on the bar. "I have not seen you since you got rid of that troublesome werewolf. I thought you had forgotten all about me," she said with a slight pout on her lips. She had on a beautiful black satin and lace dress that showed quite a bit of cleavage. Lace ran along the bottom of the dress and it was cut to show off her long legs. "Never. I've been busy with work but tonight I had some free time and decided to come pay you a visit," he picked her hand up and kissed the back of it. "Really," she said with a hunger in her eyes. "I thought you would prefer to spend it with your doctor friend. That is what you normally do, isn't it?" "Well, tonight I needed a change so, I thought I would come over and spend it with you." "I see. So in other words you needed to get away from the human side for awhile.....ymmm?" she said as she took a sip. She sat her drink down, reached over and ran her fingers along the side of his face and then down over his lips. He grabbed her hand and stared into her eyes as he kissed her fingertips ever so gently. He then turned her hand over, her wrist exposed, and breaking eye contact started kissing and running his tongue over it. Her gleaming eyes grew wide as she inhaled sharply and was about to suggest they go into her private quarters, when the front door to the Raven burst open. Two young men stumbled in and fell down the stairs. The music died and the room became quiet as everyone turned their attention to the intruders. They got up and staggered through the crowd until they could go no further and collapsed in the center of the room. Janette had death showing in her eyes because the mood had been spoiled. Nick and Janette pushed through the crowd to get to the two men. As they drew closer to them, they could see that their clothes had been torn to shreds and that they were covered in blood and deep gouges. The cop in Nick took over as he knelt down by one of them. Janette watched him and wondered if he would ever come back to their side and give up the silly notion of becoming mortal again. "What happened? Who did this to you?" The young vampire closest to Janette was having a very difficult time breathing since his face and throat looked like ribbons, but he was the first to answer. "We were down.....by the docks......when we ran into.......these four guys. It was hard to make out what he was saying because of the dislocated jaw. He scrunched his face in pain and had to wait a moment before continuing. "They started......following us, so we thought.......we'd have some.....fun with them. We turned a corner....and waited....for them but they didn't show. We.....went back....... around........the corner......and they.......were gone. His eyes went big as he let out a hiss and said, "Oh damn," before he gave a small sigh and died. Janette and Nick both looked at each other with shock on their face. Nick jumped as the vampire he was kneeling by grabbed his jacket. "Werewolves. Those guys were werewolves that attacked us. They said that we served as examples of what would happen to the rest of the vampires if the one that killed, some one by the name of, Luna didn't accept the challenge to a one on one match that is to take place three days from now at the old abandoned warehouse. Please," he whispered, "Take it out. Don't let me die." He made a feeble attempt at his heart, but his arms were already slowly falling to the floor as his life force left him. A moment went by before Nick reached out to the still form and pulled what was left of the clothing away from the dead man's chest. They had left the chest unmarked except for a half-inch hole that was directly over the heart. He moved over to the other body only to find the same thing. "Janette, can you put them somewhere? I want Natalie to look at them." Janette motioned for a couple of employees to remove the bodies, as Nick got on his phone and called Natalie. When he got off the phone Janette said, "Follow me," and lead the way through the crowd to her office. She said something to another one of her employees that was waiting by the office door, and he took off into the crowd. Nick followed her into the office and she shut the door behind him. "It would seem, Nichola, that we are not done dealing with your werewolf problem like we thought." She walked over to her desk, turned around and leaned against the edge of it. "Can't the Enforcers do something about this?" Nick asked. "Not unless there is a risk of being exposed to mortals. You know that." Nick paced the floor in front of her with a concerned look on his face. "I had a feeling something was wrong. Don't the werewolves have Enforcers or whatever they call them?" "I don't have that information, but I do know someone that does." Nick shook his head. "All this because one girl was killed. And why just me, I mean LaCroix and Vachon were there with me, why don't they want them too?" "I don't know. Maybe it was because you were the one that actually ended her life. They follow different laws than we do, or so I'm told." Janette was interrupted when her phone began to ring. She picked it up and listened. "Thank you," she said as she hung up. "Your friend is waiting at the bar." She went over to Nick and walked him to the door. "I'll tell you what. I'll make some phone calls and see what I can find out." "Thanks, Janette. I really appreciate this." "Nichola. Please be very careful. I would not be happy if anything happened to you." She ran her fingers over his chest. "Besides, you owe me for tonight and I intend on collecting it." She had a concerned look on her face as she leaned over and gave him a kiss. It lasted a moment longer than it should have before they pulled apart. He gently stroked her arm. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." he said and opened the door and walked out into the crowd. He saw Natalie standing by the bar with a nervous look on her face. When she saw Nick, relief washed over her and some of the tension left her body. He walked over to her. "Hi Nat. Thanks for coming." "What's this all about? You know this isn't one of my favorite places," she said as she rubbed her arms as if she were cold. "I know but bare with me. I need you to look at something for me." He took her arm and lead her back into the storage room where the two bodies laid. She stared at them and then looked at Nick. She walked over and knelt down beside one, placing her bag next to her. She opened her bag and pulled out some latex gloves, putting them on she proceeded to examine the body. After a moment she looked up at Nick, "I'd say they're dead." "I know that, but I want to know how. One of them before he died, asked me to remove something and reached for his chest. I found a half-inch hole over his heart." Natalie was examining the area Nick had just described. With one hand she reached in her bag and pulled out a hemostat. She probed a little more at the opening and then grabbed on to something and pulled. She held up the foreign object for Nick to see. "I would say, with my limited knowledge about vampires, that this is what killed him." Nick looked at the object Natalie held with the hemostats. It was a three inch miniaturized wooden stake. She placed it in a baggy and laid it on a shelf next to her and got up and went over to the other body. "It was pushed so far down into the heart that there was no way he could have taken it out," she said as she examined the other body. In a moment she pulled out the twin to the first one. "Same thing here. Nick, what's going on? Who could something like this to a vampire?" she asked as she stood up. "I mean, it looks like a animal attacked them but how could a animal do this?" She held the hemostats up that still had the stake clasped in its jaws. She walked over to him. Nick turned away from the bodies. He knew what had killed them but was not yet ready to tell her. He had tried to convince her about Luna but still wasn't sure whether or not she believed him. "Nat," he said as he looked at her, "Why don't you go on home and I'll fill you in about what's going on later after I find out a few more things." Nat could tell he was hiding something from her but it wouldn't do any good to try to pry it out of him. When he was ready he would tell her. "Ok." she said hesitantly. She went over as picked up her things and walked back to Nick and handed him the baggy. "I'll walk you out." "Thanks," she said and smiled at him. He escorted her out of the club and to her car where she got in and drove off. He looked after her as he stood in front of the caddy. When she was out of sight he turned around and got in the car and headed for the station. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:28:14 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to hide 4/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT4 Claudis was heading home fast through the forest. As he traveled his mind kept going back to the guard. He had been on the east tower when the guard had approached him. He had never seen him before and assumed he was new. Strange was the only word to describe the fellow. He had been tall and very pale, almost sickly looking, but he had a air about him like a leader, and when he had spoken he spoke softly but his words carried a lot of power behind them. The guard had told Claudis that he had come to relieve him because word came that his wife was very sick. He had left not asking any questions. She had been fine at dinner, before he had left for work. Something terrible must have happened. He had met Larissa four years earlier when she had come to his home and had asked him if there was any mending or housework she could do for him. She was a widow and the only way she was able to survive was by doing housework and sewing for people. They had fallen in love and married. When he reached the edge of the clearing, he saw light coming through the open door to his house and a figure was knelt down over his wife, placing her hands on her chest. His mind yelled, "She's dead! He's killed her!" as he unleashed a soul wrenching scream and rushed forward. The stranger looked up at Claudis in surprise and then rose to his feet. Claudis struck with the force of a raging bull, and carried the murderer fifteen feet before both fell to the ground. He grappled with the intruder, and tried to reach for his throat to rip it out, but the man was so incredible strong that he threw Claudis off of him. Claudis rolled and jumped to his feet to face the killer. He paused and stared into glowing red eyes and the fiend let out a hiss that exposed his fangs. A demon from hell he thought. Well he would rip its throat out and send it back from whence it came. He let out a howl that echoed throughout the valley, as he charged foward and leaped into the air. The demon caught Claudis and threw him twenty feet into a tree, where he crumpled to the ground hurt and stunned. He looked up through tearing eyes to see the stranger standing close by, his eyes no longer glowing red. "I did not kill your wife, it was another of my kind that did it. She was dead when I found her. I'm sorry, there was nothing I could do." "What are you?" "I could ask the same of you," said the stranger. "She was the only woman I ever loved....," he hit the ground with his fist in frustration, "Do you understand. The only one and you took her from me. I will hunt you down and kill you if it's the last thing I do, this I swear." "Take my advice, bury your wife and then leave this place. It has been fouled by a monster and no longer has the beauty it once had," the stranger said as he took to the air and disappeared. Colt woke up with tears running down his face. He had never loved another. She had been his one and only true love, only to be taken away from him. Anger replaced sorrow as he wiped the tears away and got up and went to the phone. He picked it up, dialed and listened as it rang twice before someone picked it up and said, "Hello." "Hi. It's me Colt. Listen, I need you to get as many of us together as possible. Have them meet at the warehouse, the one we use to play in, by ten o'clock tonight." "Did you find out who did it?" the voice on the other end asked. "Yea, I did. You gotta promise me you won't do anything until you hear what I got planned." A moment went by. "All right. You have my word." "Good. The guy who killed my sister is a vampire cop named Nick Knight." Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:29:13 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 5/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT5 Jack looked at the directions again. Almost there he thought to himself. Dusk had already begun as he made his way to meet his contact to get the information he needed for his next case. In fifteen minutes he pulled up to an old abandoned house that sat on the outskirts of town. He parked the car and looked at the run down house. The four-foot high weeds had taken over the yard and had engulfed what once had been a picket fence. The house was in sore need of stripping and repainting and all the windows in the front were either broken or completely gone. The roof sagged in many spots and a lot of the shingles were gone. He imagined at one time it had been a nice little home for someone but now it would be kinder just to bulldoze it to the ground. He walked through the open gate, up the pathway to the porch. He placed his foot on the first step and it let out a creak. The rest of the steps complained as well as he climbed to the porch. He crossed the porch to the front door and opened it. It made a sound like fingernails down a chalkboard that tweaked every nerve in his body. The inside was covered in layers of dust and dirt and he could smell decay. The house was empty of furniture except for an old worn kid's mattress that lay over in the corner in the shadows. He walked through the house and checked out each room to make sure there wouldn't be any surprises, not that he expected any, but it was hard to break the habit. As he entered the kitchen he could sense someone in it. A counter that had cabinets running above it divided the kitchen and breakfast nook. He could make out someone standing behind the counter but with the growing darkness, all he could see was the torso, the cabinets hid the person's head. He had met his contact. In all the years of working for these people he had never seen his contacts face. They had always met in the shadows. "Congratulations on your last assignment," a seductive voice said from the shadows. "Here is your new assignment." A hand that had long, manicured nails, that looked more like claws, came out from the shadows and laid a folder on the counter and pushed it towards him. Jack went over and picked up the folder, he noticed it was thinner than usual. "You will receive more information as it comes in." "I'm tired of risking my butt for your satisfaction. I just want to live a normal life and have a normal job like everyone else. What if I just toss this down, refusing any more assignments and walk out?" Soft laughter floated out from behind the cabinets. "I love your sense of humor, Jack. Although, if you were serious about leaving us, you would be dead within twenty-four hours. I'm afraid that's the only way out of your position. You should know you can't just quit, we won't let you. You know to much and besides we want your services. As long as we pay your salary you work for us." A moment of silence went by. "Accept it Jack, you will be with us until the day you die, literally." She laughed again only this time more heartily. "It seems I have caught some of your humor. I must say you are one of my more favorite contacts." Jack being thoroughly disgusted turned around and headed for the front door. Laughter followed him out of the house and down to his car. Once in his car he sat and stared at the manila folder, debating on whether or not to throw it out the window and drive away or take the assignment. Minutes went by before he threw the folder on the seat, started the car and headed back to his motel room. The next day found Jack in the grocery store in front of the frozen dinners. He had followed her here and was waiting for the right moment. He saw her turn the corner and head down the isle, towards him, reading her grocery list. Natalie read the next item she needed off her list as she pushed the grocery cart. Not seeing Jack in front of her, she ran into him and looked up in shock as her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, I'm terrible sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you alright?" She took a good look at him and was suddenly attracted to him. "I'm fine. No harm done," he said in a deep, soft voice and gave her a smile. "I'm normally a lot more careful than this." "Hey, look at it this way, at least we weren't in our cars when it happened." She gave him a big smile. Something about his voice made her want to melt in his arms. "I've done some clumsy things before but never this. All I can say is I'm sorry." "You could say you'll have dinner with me tonight." She was surprised by his forwardness and didn't know quiet what to say. "I don't even know your name." "My name's Jack and I'd much rather take a beautiful lady out to dinner than spend and evening eating a tv dinner alone." He flashed her another smile, "After all, you ran into me." She had heard about guys who picked up women in the supermarket, but never thought it would happen to her. She thought for a moment. He was very handsome and she did have the night off. "Well Jack, my name's Natalie and I'll accept your offer." "Great, say around six thirty?" "That'll be fine." " Where do you want me to pick you up?" She flipped a page on her note pad and scribbled down her address and phone number, then tore it off and handed it to him. "You can pick me up at this address." "Ok," he said as he glanced at the address. "Well, I'd better go and let you get back to shopping, so I'll see you later tonight." "Ok," she said and smiled. "I'll see you tonight. Bye." "Bye." He turned around and headed out the store to where his car was parked. Once inside he pulled the manila folder out from under the seat and opened it. Inside was a picture of Natalie. "Tonight Dr. Natalie Lambert, I get to know you a little better." He closed the file and laid it on the seat. He had reservations to make. Inside Natalie was arguing with herself about giving a complete stranger her address and phone number. She had never done anything like that before, but there was something about Jack..........she just couldn't put her finger on it. Then she thought of Nick and their relationship. She would love to be able to go out to dinner and maybe some dancing afterwards with him. She knew he felt the same way about her but until she could find a cure for him, that kind of relationship would never happen. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and looked at the next item on her list. She had shopping to finish. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:30:15 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 6/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT6 Later that night, Jack pulled up in front of Natalie's apartment building. He was wearing a deep blue turtle neck sweater with light tan slacks. He parked the car and as he got out he saw that Natalie had been waiting for him. Natalie came down the stairs and he went around the front of the car to open the door for her. She looked beautiful in a pale chiffon dress that had spaghetti straps. She had fixed her hair so that it was pulled back and held in place by decorative combs that had tiny flowers hanging from them. When she walked up to the car, Jack could smell her perfume, which smelled like wildflowers on a summer's breeze. "You look fantastic, Natalie," Jack said as he opened the door for her. "Thank you. So do you," she said as she got into the car. Jack shut the door and walked back around to his side and got in. As they drove to the restaurant, Natalie still had a funny feeling about going on this date, but put it off thinking she just didn't get out enough. Jack took his attention away from the road long enough to give her a smile and say, "I hope your ready for a night of wining, dining, and dancing." "It's been a long time since I've done any of the three so I may be a little rusty." "Well, we'll see if we can't make up for some of that lost time. You mind if I turn on the radio?" "No. Not at all," she said. Jack reached over and turned on the radio. "Good evening, gentle listnerers. Tonight is about lost loves." Before Natalie could ask him to change the station he reached over and flipped the station. Classic rock and roll came out of the speakers. "This ok?" "Yea. This is fine. I haven't heard this song in a long time." They made small talk on the way to the restaurant. Once there he parked the car, got out, went around and opened her door and escorted her inside. They were early so they went into the lounge to wait for their name to be called. "Would you like anything to drink while you wait?" the cocktail hostess asked them. "I'd like a strawberry dacquiri," Natalie said. The hostess turned to Jack. "I'll have Irish creme over ice." "I'll bring these to you in just a moment. She walked off to get a few more orders and then headed to the bar. They had received their drinks and were sipping on them when Jacks name came over the loud speaker. They went up front and was escourted to a candle-lit table. The waiter handed them menus and told them what the specials were for the evening. He told them he would be back in a few minutes to take their order. They looked over the menus and when the waiter came back placed their order. As the waiter left Jack watched the light, from the candle, dance over Natalie's hair. She is the most gorgeous woman I have ever met Jack thought to himself. "So tell me Natalie, why hasn't some lucky guy swept you off your feet yet?" She looked slightly embarrassed. "I don't get out much. I guess you could say I'm a workaholic." "Really. What kind of work is so important that it keeps your beauty hidden from all of us eligible bachelors?" She smiled and hoped it was dark enough that he couldn't see her blush. "I'm a medical examiner." "Well, I have to admit that is pretty important work. I imagine you see all kinds of bizarre cases?" She gave a low chuckle, "Believe me, I've seen more than my share." She thought back to some of the weird cases she had encountered. She was lost in thought when she realized Jack had said some- thing to her. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" "I said I think it's great, the type of work that you do. It shows your intelligent, caring and you love a challenge." "She gave him a big smile, "You can tell all that just by my job?" "Uh-huh." Before either one of them could say anything more, the waiter walked up with their food. As they ate dinner they made small talk about where they had grown up, schools, etc. Once they were done and the waiter had cleared the dishes, Natalie asked, "So Jack, what do you do for a living?" He thought a moment before replying, "Well, I guess you could call me a bounty hunter. I go out on the road and hunt down bad guys." "That sounds pretty dangerous." A hard look came to his face. "Believe me, it is. Nobody should have my job. You deal with a lot of monsters." "So why don't you quit and get a job like a private eye or detective or something?" "You could say this job had run in my family. My father, grandfather and great-grandfather all did the same thing I'm doing, but it will end with me. I've been seriously considering quitting." The waiter came back and they ordered desert with a after dinner drink. As the waiter rushed off Jack stood and took Natalie's hand. "May I have this dance?" She smiled as they walked out onto the dance floor. They danced several slow dances and then returned to their table to find their desserts and drinks waiting for them. Once done with dessert they decided to call it an evening. Jack paid the bill and they left. When they pulled up in front of Natalie's building, Jack parked the car and walked Natalie up to the front door. "I had a great time tonight. It's not often that I get to have dinner with a lovely lady." "So did I. I really enjoyed myself. Thank you for a lovely evening." "You're welcome, it was my pleasure. You won't mind then if I ask you to dinner again tomorrow night." "I'd love to." She didn't have anything planned so why not? "Great. I've got some things to take care of so how does seven thirty sound?" "That would be fine." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "I'll see you tomorrow night then." "Good night." "Good night." He walked back to his car and waved to her. She returned the wave and felt like a schoolgirl again, getting all giddy inside. As Jack drove off he started making plans for tomorrow night. That night Natalie fell asleep thinking of Jack. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:31:09 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to hide 7/32 To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu NOWHERE TO HIDE PT7 Colt peeked through the window of the warehouse and saw people milling about. He overheard one guy that stood next to the window brag about what he had done to vampires in the past. His buddy next to him, commented on what he wanted to do if he ever got a chance to get a hold of one. They started laughing as he pulled back away from the window, unnoticed. Let them get a little worked up, it would do them good. These younger ones were just itching for a reason to fight the vampires. He didn't think he would have trouble convincing them to go along with his plan. All they needed was a person to lead them and he was that person. His revenge was all that mattered. He turned the corner and headed for the side door. A couple of late comers slipped through the door ahead of him. Once inside he proceeded towards the platform at the end of the building. Lucan was standing next to the platform and Colt walked up and slapped him on the back. "You did a great job. I never imagined so many would show up. Let's get this thing started." Lucan went to turn on the two floodlights that were aimed at the platform. Colt climbed to the top of the stage and looked out over the crowd, he realized that there must be close to three hundred people that showed up tonight. He could feel the intense energy that came from the crowd and enjoyed the feel of it. This is the way it should be he thought to himself. He could well accomplish what he wanted with this many followers. Sure a lot would get hurt or killed but that was the chance these people were willing to take. All for his revenge, though they didn't know it yet. When the lights came on everyone quieted down. Colt took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Time to get the show on the road he said to himself. He looked over to Lucan who gave him the thumbs up gesture. If I had forty like you I would have my army he thought, which began another plan forming, but he pushed it back on the back burner. He walked to the front of the stage into the lights and began his speech. One thing at a time. "Most of you if not all of you know who I am. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Colt, and I've asked you all here tonight because a serious matter is at hand. You all know the laws by which we must live by. Our parents started teaching us these laws as soon as we could walk as did their parents before them. They were branded into our memory over the years so that when we grew up we would abide by them and teach them to our children. These laws that our families have lived by and taught us are centuries old. Times have changed. We have changed. Now it's time the laws were changed. The bi-laws that our forefathers lived by can no longer apply to us. They were not meant for us." A murmur went through the crowd. "Listen to me," he said as he held up his hands for silence. "Does any one here know who made the laws that we live by today?" Someone from the crowd on the left side of the stage yelled out, "The elders!" Colt pointed a finger in that direction and yelled back, "Your wrong! Our Elders did not make our laws. They only agreed to them once another group made them up." He looked out over the crowd. "The ones that made OUR laws were....vampires!" Everyone started talking at once. He raised his hands again for silence, although it took a little longer this time. When it was quiet he continued, "We outnumber them three to one, yet we have to live by their rules. We can not do this any longer. The time has come that we make our own rules and live by them." A roar filled the warehouse. When the noise had died down he asked,"How many of you are still willing to continue to live by their laws?" The warehouse was deadly quiet. "How many of you would like to eliminate the bloodsuckers?" The response was overwhelming. The crowd was so worked up they wanted blood. Colt was happy by what he saw. He raised his hands for silence. "I'm sure most of you know that I just recently lost my sister, Luna. You also probably read it in the paper. They said she was attacked and killed by a burglar. They lied. I have found out the true story. She was murdered, beheaded, by a cop. They tried to cover it up and make it look like someone else did it." Someone yelled out, "So what if it was a cop. Ain't nothing we can do about that." Many in the crowd nodded their heads in agreement. "That's true. Under normal circumstances we wouldn't be able to do anything about it, but.....this is not a normal circumstance. What if I told you, from the information I found out, that the cop that killed my sister, in cold blood, was a vampire!" Angry outbursts erupted from the crowd. He yelled out, "We must fight back! We must show them that we will not be pushed around or be like sheep waiting to be slaughtered! That's why I called you all here tonight. I have a plan but I need help from everyone here. Are you with me?" The sound was deafening. Every one of them wanted blood and revenge. "Ok. Listen up. Here's the plan......" Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:32:34 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to hide 8/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT8 "Nick, do you have the Henderson file?" Tracy asked as she shuffled the papers around on her desk. "I can't find it." When he didn't answer, she stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "Nick. Nick!" "What?" he said as his thoughts came back to the present. "I asked if you had the Henderson case." He sorted through the few papers on his desk. "Uh, yea. Here," he handed the file to her. "Thanks," Tracy said as she took the file from him and skimmed though it. "Why is it that I do all the paper work. We're suppose to be a team. You know, work together, share the paper work." She looked up only to find that she was being ignored again. "Nick!" "What?" "You haven't heard a word I've said the whole time you've been sitting there. What gives?" "Sorry Tracy. I've had a lot of stuff on my mind lately." "So I've noticed," she said as she compared the small pile of paperwork on his desk to the large pile on hers. Then she said on a softer note, "Is there anything I can do to help?" He started to tell her no but then changed his mind. "As a matter of fact there is." He got up out of his chair and took his coat off the back of it. "I have to go check on something, so if you could cover for me ..." He gave her that puppy dog look that he knew she couldn't say no to. She looked into those sorrowful eyes and knew what she was going to say. "I don't know why I do it, I must be a glutton for punishment. Yea, go ahead," she said as she waved him away, " I'll cover for you until you get back." "I shouldn't be long. Thanks," he said as he squeezed her shoulder and headed for the door. "You owe me though," Tracy yelled out. Seems like that's all I'm doing lately he thought to himself. There was no one around as Nick's feet touched the ground. He looked around to make sure no one had seen him and then entered the Raven. The club had only been open for a little while but there were already quite a few of the clientelle there. Everybody was socializing, since there was no music playing yet, until Nick walked in. The talking stopped as everyone turned to look at him. He looked around the room and saw Janette sitting at the bar going over some papers. People stared at him and moved out of his way as he headed towards the bar. They acted like he had the plague or something. When Nick walked up to the bar and sat down next to Janette everybody started talking again. Janette acted like she didn't even notice him sitting next to her. Nick noticed she looked very frustrated as she shuffled papers around in front of her. "Janette, have you found out anything yet?" he said with some hope in his voice. She was absolutely stunning in a red and silver dress with her hair done up in pearl clips and a few wisps of hair that hung loosely down her neck. Even when she was frustrated she was gorgous. "Yes. From now on I'm going to have someone else prepare my taxes. Subtract line B from A only if line D is more than A. Arrgh! I hate doing taxes. You would think as many years as I have had to do them, that I should have no problem filling out their forms, but just about every year they have to go and change things," she said as she stuffed the papers into a manila folder and set it aside, giving him her full attention. She saw a very haggard looking Nick stare back at her. "Nichola, you look terrible! You need to take better care of yourself." "Well, with this problem I'm facing I haven't had much sleep. How can I? Everything is riding on what I do. Have you found out anything?" "Not yet. I should hear from my informant sometime tonight. I'll call you as soon as I get something." "Ah....my children. What a sweet picture for a fathers eyes." Both Janette and Nick turned to see LaCroix walking up to them. He kissed Janette on the forehead and turned to look at Nick. "My, my Nicholas, you look a bit under the weather tonight. Perhaps that stuff that you drink has finally caught up to you." "What do you want LaCroix?" Nick said in a tired voice. He didn't feel like dealing with him much less going back and forth with insults. "Nothing. I just stopped by to try Janette's new vintage and see how things were going." "Won't they miss you at the station?" asked Nick. "No. Tonight I'm playing a tape of a previous show." Janette motioned to the bartender to bring LaCroix a glass of the new vintage. In a moment the bartender sat a full glass of the red liquid, down in front of Janette and left. Janette picked up the glass and handed it to LaCroix as if it were an offering. LaCroix swirled it, smelled it and then took a sip. "Ah, my dear. This is excellent! I hope you don't run out of it too soon." Janette, like a little girl hearing praise from her father, smiled with satisfaction. "It is now part of my private stock." "It tingles ones taste buds and is a delight to the palate." He turned to Nick, "You should try some Nicholas," he said as he lifted the glass and took another sip, "It's really alot better than the stuff you drink and it might make you feel better." "No thanks." Nick got up off the stool and looked at Janette. "Let me know as soon as you find out anything." He glared at LaCroix and turned around and walked out. LaCroix sat down on Nick's empty stool. "Touchy tonight, isn't he?" "Why do you have to push him? You know he is, especially with all that's been happening lately. You just make it worse when you try to insult him. So, what are you going to do about this situation? You're not going to let him fight are you?" LaCroix took another sip from his glass. "I'm not sure. I haven't decided yet." Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:33:36 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 9/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT9 Jack and Natalie pulled up in front of her apartment after a wonderful evening of dinner and dancing. He turned off the engine and put his arm across the back of the seat, as he turned to look at Natalie. She looked at him, smiled, and said, "I had a wonderful time tonight, Jack." "Me too. I have to say you're pretty light on your feet for someone who doesn't get out much." She flashed him a huge smile. "You're not so bad yourself." A moment went by before she asked, "Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?" "Sounds good to me," he replied. "Great. I'll wait by the steps while you park the car. There's usually some open spaces around the corner." He started to get out to go around and open her door for her when she grabbed his arm. "I'll open the door this time." "Ok, if you say so." He gave her a smile as she got out and shut the door. He started the car, drove around the corner and pulled into the first open space he came across. He shut the engine off, leaned over and opened the glove box. He pulled out a bottle half full of pills, Ruffies. He popped the top and spilled two tablets out into his hand. These ought to do the trick he said to himself as he replaced the top and stuck the bottle back in the glove box. He got out of the car and placed the pills in his shirt pocket. When he rounded the corner he saw Natalie waiting by the steps for him. He held the door open for her as they entered the building. They rode the elevator up and got off on Natalie's floor. The thick creamy, tan carpet that ran the length of the hallway muffled their footsteps. Jack smelled a faint odor of either orchids or gardenias in the air, he couldn't tell which. Must be something they put in the air ducts he thought. He noticed that each door had a type of porch light coming out of the wall next to it. They gave off a faint glow and didn't really do much to light the hallway. Neither one of them had said more than two words on the way up. Both of them were nervous but for different reasons. They reached Natalie's apartment as she fumbled in her purse for her keys. Finding them she unlocked the door, opened it and reached inside to turn on the lights. "Well, here it is. Home sweet home," she said as they walked in. Jack saw that everything was nice and neat and that the room was well decorated. "Make yourself at home. I'll only be a minute," she said as she went over and laid her purse and coat on the table and disappeared into the kitchen. Jack noticed a large bookcase, by the fireplace, that held a assortment of books, records and some pictures. He walked over to it and started thumbing through the records. Most of the artists he had never heard of. About that time Natalie came out of the kitchen and said, "If you don't mind, I'm going to change into something more comfortable." He turned around and looked at her. "Not at all. Go right ahead." "If you see something you like stick it on the stereo," she said as she headed towards her bedroom. "I'll be out in a second." He turned his attention back to the bookcase and started looking over some of the book titles. She must be an avid reader to have this many books he thought to himself. Seeing nothing of interest he started to turn away when a title caught his eye. He looked closer thinking he had misread it, but it was there in bold letters, "The Truths and Myths of Vampires." Interesting. He read the title of the other books next to it. "Vampires of Yesterday versus Vampires of Today," "Vampires and Their Victims," "Vampires." Boy, here was a good one, "Human and Vampire Relationships." He chuckled to himself and then thought that maybe Natalie knew more than he thought she did. He would find out soon enough. He walked over at the other end of the bookcase and picked up a picture of Natalie and a blonde headed man. Both were smiling for the camera and seemed like they were having a good time. He looked at the writing down in the right hand corner, "All my love, Nick." He sat the picture down and picked up another one of Nick alone, "To my favorite Doctor." He put it down just as Natalie walked out of the bedroom. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and blue jeans. "Feel better?" he asked. "Absolutely. I'll be right back with the coffee," she said as she headed into the kitchen. He walked over and sat down on the couch and heard dishes clanking and then a moment later Natalie emerged carrying a tray with two cups on it. She sat the tray on the coffee table and sat down next to him. "I hope you like decaf. I forgot to pick up the regular stuff when I was at the store the other day." She handed him his cup. "Not at all, but could I trouble you for some sugar?" "I knew I was forgetting something," she said as she got up and headed for the kitchen again. As soon as she was out of sight he quickly reached into his pocket and brought out the two little pills, dropping them in her coffee. She came back carrying a bowl of sugar and a small pitcher of cream. "I'm sorry. I usually drink mine black and I forget about the sugar and cream, she said as she sat down next to him. "No problem. Thanks," he said as he took a spoonful of sugar and dumped it in his cup. She sat back against the couch and pulled her legs up underneath her getting herself comfortable. She looked at Jack, "So how long are you going to be staying in Toronto?" she asked taking a sip of coffee. "I'm not sure really. Maybe another two or three days, could be a week, depends on how fast things come together." "Can you tell me what you're working on?" He thought for a moment before answering. "About all I can say is that I'm investigating the murder of a extremely dangerous woman that I was after. I'm now looking for her killer." Natalie took another sip. "If she was that dangerous I would think you would be glad that someone else took care of her for you." "Well, in a way I am. She was a very powerful lady that I really didn't want to mess with, not saying that I couldn't, mind you, but whoever killed her is more powerful and more dangerous than she was. Because of that they have brought themselves to the attention of my employer. That's about all I can tell you." "I hope things work out for you," she said as she took another sip. "I'm sure they will. Enough about my work, tell me more about yourself. What's your favorite color? What do you like to do on your days off? Stuff like that." He took a sip of coffee. "Delicious," he said. "Thank you," she replied as she sat her cup on the tray. Jack noticed that it was a little more that half gone. "Well," she said as she laid her arm up on the back of the couch and ran her hand through her hair. "I like candle lit dinners, walking on the beach on a moonlit night, camping, curling up in front of a fire with a good book." She yawned and covered her mouth with her hand. "Excuse me. I guess these last couple of nights have worn me out. I'm not use to going out every night." He could see Natalie's eyelids getting heavy."A man would be foolish not to want to take you out," he commented. "You're a very beautiful lady." She gave him a sleepy smile and started to nod off. "Natalie." She brought her head back up, her eyes almost closed and said, "Where was I?" "You were just getting ready to tell me about some of the books you've read." "Oh yea. I've read all of them," she said in a groggy voice and pointed to the bookcase. "I do a lot of reading." "I see you have a bunch of books on vampires. I use to read about them when I was a kid. When did you start reading about them?" Her eyes were closed as she laid her head on her arm. "I really like the romance novels, but it wasn't until after I met Nick that......that I started reading about vampires. He changed my mind." She giggled. "Seeing's believing they say." Jack looked over at the picture of Nick and her together and thought interesting, very interesting. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:45:38 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 10/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT10 "Nick's your boyfriend?" "I wish, but....we're just close friends. Did you know he is a detective?" "No, I didn't know that." "Yea, well, we spend time.....together when we can. Just when I think things can work out between us...." "When was the last time you saw Nick?" "I haven't seen him in...about a week, ever since that shop owner was killed. Hey, did you read about that?" "Wasn't her name, Julia?" "No.....It was.......Luna. She was the one....that Nick kept insisting....was a werewolf. Isn't that silly?" Jack's eyebrows went up. "How did he know she was a werewolf?" "Because.....he said he couldn't sense her." Her head dropped down to her chest. Jack knew he didn't have much time left. "Nat. Did you ever see her turn into a werewolf?" When Jack said her name Natalie lifted her head for a moment before it fell over on her arm that was lying up on the back of the couch. "The only time.... I saw her....was when I performed.....the autopsy. She didn't have....a head." She giggled in her so-called sleep. "That's one way to solve your problems. I wish I could.... solve Nick's problem." On a hunch Jack said, "I hear Nick's problem is pretty bad." She spoke so softly that Jack had to lean towards her to hear what she was saying. "It wouldn't be if...he would just coop....cooperate. It's like....he doesn't want to change." "Well, change is a big thing to some people. Sometimes you have to take it slow." "Yea....but I don't have...800 years to work.....on it like he does." "The way you talk it sounds like he's a werewolf." "Don't be ridiculous. Vampires can't be werewolves." "I could go and talk to him, maybe help change his mind. He's probably listen to me but I don't have his address. Could you give it to me?" "If you... think it....would work. He....lives.....at....." Jack caught her as she fell forward, sound asleep. "Damn," he said as he thought for a moment. He stood up and picked her up in his arms and headed down the hall to her bedroom. As he walked in the bedroom he noticed it was done in pastel colors. He walked over to the four-post canopy bed that had a teddy bear sitting up against the pillows, and laid her down. He took off her shoes and covered her up with the blanket that laid at the foot of the bed. Funny, he didn't picture her as the type that would like this style. There was a small bookcase and desk against the far wall under the window. Her dresser was against the opposite wall and she had a nightstand on each side of the bed. On the left nightstand sat the lamp, phone and alarm clock. He started to leave and then decided to search the room. He found nothing out of the ordinary. He walked over to the chest that sat at the foot of her bed and squatted down and lifted the lid. She had some old handmade quilts that lay on one side along with a graduation gown from either high school or college. He found pictures, some small cards, like you would put in a bouquet of flowers, from Nick, and a book. He picked it up and looked at the leather cover. There was nothing written on it so he flipped it open to discover that it was a log. He thumbed through it not really seeing much, when he came across her entry of when she had first met Nick. He read the following: "Something unbelievable happened today! I'm still trying to get over the shock of it. Henry wheeled in a body today and said it was a bomb victim. I cringed when he said that and was half tempted to get someone else to do it but decided to face my fears and do it myself. I prepped everything and tried to prepare myself for the worst as I unzipped the bag. Instead of a bomb victim I found someone that had only minor abrasions. Henry had goofed again. Boy was I relieved! I turned around to get something off my desk and when I turned back around the victim was standing on the other side of the gurney looking at me!!!! I almost died. At least I would have been in the right place. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and to top it off the reason why he wasn't dead was because he was a VAMPIRE!!! Drained a whole pint of blood right before my eyes. I tried talking to him and I guess at one point I said something he didn't like because it seemed he was ready to rip my throat out but he didn't. There was something about him.....he couldn't do it. He explained to me that he had tried to help someone evacuate before the bomb went off. They made it out, he didn't." Jack skimmed through some more entries reading here and there: I think I may have found a cure for Nick! It's call Litovuterine-B. It bonds on a molecular level with the virus in Nick's system. I'm not sure what kind of side effects it will have on him, so I've planned to start him out on low dosages -1cc- to see what happens. I gave the first injection to Nick today. He was doing fine when all of a sudden he doubled over and fell to the floor in what looked like severe abdominal cramps. It passed as quickly as it started and then he jumped up off the floor and ran outside before I could stop him. All I can say is it works! We were both so happy and to see the joy on Nick's face.....words could not begin to express how I felt. I gave him instructions to go home and rest and take it easy but he said he had to go see Janette and dragged me with him. I guess he thought she wanted to be human too because when he got there he told her what we had done and she refused to have any part in it. They began arguing and Nick got so mad that we left. He dropped me off at the morgue so I could finish running some more tests. I'm glad Janette turned him down. Things have been happening to fast. Nick came to me wanting more Litovuterine-B. It seems everytime he injects himself he's having to use a larger dose than before. He started acting irrationally, like a junkie that needs a fix, ranting and raving when I refused to give him more. I locked it in my cabinet but he came back later when I was gone, broke into the cabinet and stole it. When I found out what he had done I went to Schanke and explained what Nick had done and we headed over to Nick's place to try to reason with him. He wasn't there but we did find a message on his recorder, from a guy Schanke and him were investigating for murder,wanting him to meet them down by the docks. Schanke became afraid of what might happen to Nick going down there alone and being high on this stuff. When we arrived at the docks everything was over with. We found Nick standing next to the criminals car, which had hit a tree, and he gave me a quick smile showing me his fangs. Oh god! I was so relieved." Jack stopped reading as Natalie moaned softly and turned over on her side. He watched her for a moment as he took in her soft features. She could make some man extremely happy if he would just let her. He wished that he was that man but it wasn't meant to be, her heart belonged to another even if the other was to blind to see it. He flipped through a couple more entries: "Got the surprise of my life tonight. Nick came by with Janette. Something about her gets my blood boiling. I guess I tolerate her about as well as she tolerates me. Maybe it's because she sees me as part of the food chain. Anyway, she had been shot, can't remember how many times I've had to remove bullets from her, but this time was different. I reluctantly took a look at the wound in her shoulder and was probing the area when she let out a gasp. It caught me off guard. She had never made a sound before, it never seemed to phase her. That's when Nick told me she was human again!!! That was a hard thing to swallow and I was so shocked I didn't know what to say. To think, all this time I've been trying to help Nick become human and who should wind up with the prize but her. Nick told me how she had become human. Apparently when Janette left Toronto she met a mortal and fell in love. After a time she told him that she was a vampire, but it didn't matter to him what she was, he still loved her. She explained that ever time they had had sex she would feed on him, only taking enough to satisfy her hunger. After awhile the hunger became less and less until finally she became mortal again. I told Nick that I was willing to try it if it meant the two of us being together and having a normal relationship, but he said no. He was not willing to risk my life so he could be mortal again. He can be so damn bullheaded at times!" Jack skimmed through the rest of the log. He started to believe this Nick fellow really wanted to become human again. "Too bad they're not all like you," Jack said to himself out loud. He closed the book and put it and the other things back where he found them and closed the lid. He got up and walked over to Natalie and gave her a kiss on the forehead then left the room. Once in the frontroom he found a pen and a notepad by the phone and left her a brief message, placing it on the table where she would find it. He left, locking the door behind him. He needed to talk to his contact. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:48:11 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 11/32 To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu NOWHERE TO HIDE PT11 Janette's informant closed the door behind him as he slipped out the back. Janette picked up the phone and punched in Nick's number. She waited a moment then said, "I have your information," and hung up the phone. She paused for a second and decided to wait at the bar for Nick. At the bar she sat in her normal spot and watched the people out on the dance floor. She was extremely troubled by what her informant had told her. It didn't look good for any of them. Vachon walked up to her with a drink in his hand. "Why the troubled look?" he said as he sat down next to her. "I have just received some disturbing news. Something that may well affect all of us." He took a drink from his glass, "Like what? Another virus that can kill vampires." he said jokingly. Janette turned her head and gave him a seriously look. "Yes, something along those lines." The smile disappeared. "Hey, I was only joking. I wasn't serious." Before she could answer him Nick walked up and said, "Janette, what did you find out?" Janette turned so that she faced both of them before she began. She took a sip of her drink, "You will not like what I have to tell you, Nicholas. It is rather bad news, I'm afraid. This not only concerns you but all of us. Apparently, from what I'm told, that this one on one match you are to participate in is a trap, not only for you but also for any of us that shows up. They intend to kill everyone there. It seems that the clans are tired of living by the rules and have decided to make their own rules, one being to eliminate us. If by chance they win over us at this match, they will begin a massive search for those that did not show up and will hunt us down and kill us. Once they have so called "cleansed" the city of us, showing that it can be done, others will join in from other cities until we will be eliminated. It seems the leader has this plan to wipe us from the face of the earth." Both Nick and Vachon were silent, shocked by what they had just heard. "What about the Enforcers? Can't they do something about this?" asked Vachon. "Even the Enforcers are in danger this time. I do need to inform a few people about this situation, if they don't already know about it. Maybe they can come up with a solution." Nick asked, "How do they know they will win? I mean what if we win?" "They outnumber us by 3 to 1so our chances are not good." "Doesn't sound like fair odds to me. We either die now or die later," said Vachon. "All this is happening because of me. I should have never killed her." "Hey, it's not your fault," Vachon said as he laid a hand on Nick's shoulder. Nick glared at him and Vachon quickly removed his hand. "I mean, it could have happened to any one of us. It sounds like they were just waiting for a excuse to start this." "He's right, Nicholah. If it hadn't been you it would have been someone else and we would still be in the same situation. We can not change what has already happened, so stop blaming yourself. Let's work on finding a answer." "Yea, I guess you're right. Thanks Janette." He turned and started to walk away. "Where are you going?" she asked. He turned back around, "I'm going to see if I can find the answer," he said as he headed for the door. After Nick left Vachon drained the last of the red liquid in his glass and sat the empty glass on the bar. "I need to go to. Got to check on someone." He got up and left as well. Janette picked up her glass and made her way to her office. She had business to take care of. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 20:22:34 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide12/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT12 The minute the elevator door opend Nick could tell something wasn't right. He stepped out of the elevator and slowly scanned his surroundings, as the elevator door closed behind him. Someone had been here, he could feel it. They had entered his home, his territory and he was furious. He didn't think LaCroix would of done it. He had no reason to and besides this feeling he had didn't feel like LaCroix or anyone else he knew. He walked into the living room as he kept his anger in check and looked around only to find nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was in it place, nothing was missing. He continued to walk around the couch and into the kitchen, as he examined everything. He saw it on the kitchen table, propped up by a candleholder. He walked over and looked down at the object. He paused a moment before he reached down and picked it up. It was a artist sketch of a beautiful woman. The face seemed familiar to him as he tried to remember who it belonged to. Suddenly it came to him, he realized who he was looking at. It was Larissa. He remembered back to when they had first meet. LaCroix, Janette, and him had split up when they had left the inn that they were staying at. Each had decided to hunt by themselves on that dark night. Nick had just passed a clearing to his left when he heard humming come from that direction. With the night being so quite and his excellent hearing the humming seemed to erupt from the clearing and leap out at him. The sound was beautiful and had a hypnotic effect as it lured him to the clearing. He landed behind some trees and brush on the south end of the clearing as he listened to the mystical tune. He peered into the clearing and there saw a woman kneeling by a plant, tending to it, by torchlight. While she hummed she worked around the plant, sprinkling something into the soil and tilling it under with a small shovel. He stood back in the shadows and watched her for several minutes. Finally, with her task done, she stopped humming and stood up, brushing the dirt from her skirts. She reached over and picked up a bucket and poured the contents of it around the plant. "That should hold you for a couple days," Nick heard her say. She then placed her tools in the bucket, picked up the torch and left the clearing unknowing that Nick followed behind her in the shadows. They had not gone far when they soon came to another clearing only this one had a small cabin in the center of it. Nick watched her set the bucket next to the door and extinquished the torch before going inside the cabin. This went on for several night until one night when Larissa came home a stranger was waiting for her. "Excuse me kind lady." came a voice out of the shadows. Larissa being startled, let out a small gasp and turned around, holding the torch higher to see who had spoken to her. "Do not be afraid, I won't hurt you." "If that is so why do you hide in the shadows," she said as she tried to make out the figure. Nick stepped from the shadows into the light and stopped. Up close the torch light only enhanced her beauty more. "Come no further. What do you want?" she asked. "I was only passing by when I heard someone humming a beautiful melody and had to investigate where it was coming from. I saw you tending to some plants back there in the clearing." "Those would be the moon vines. The only time I can admire their beauty is at night when the blooms open." "May I say that they can not compare to the beauty that stands before me." "Thank you kind sir, but do not expect to win me with flattery. It will get you nowhere." "Forgive me if I have offended you for that was never my intent. I am Nicholas de Brabant," he bowed, "At you service. I was only curious as to why a beautiful young woman would be living out here by herself? Are you not afraid of the danger the woods bring at night?" "Well, Mr. de Brabant, I am Larissa Dubonnet, and I do not live alone. My husband works at night as a castle guard and as far as the forest is concern I know it like the back of my hand." Nick moved closer to her and she noticed how pale he looked. "My goodness! You are ill!" She forgot about being cautious as she reached over and placed her hand on his. "Please come inside and warm yourself by the fire while I fix you a bowl of stew." She ushered him into the little cabin before he could object. Nick looked at the picture again and turned it over to find writing on the back. In bold print it read, "HER DEATH WILL BE AVENGED." Nick had to sit down at the table, since his legs would not support him at the moment. It could not be. Not after all these years. He thought back to the last night that he had seen Larissa. Nick had waited at the normal rendezvous for Larissa. When she had not shown he had become worried that something may have happened to her and headed for the cabin. It was possible she was ill or just running late but as he got closer to the cottage he sensed a presence he knew all to well. He raced towards the clearing only to stop at its edge to see a tall figure embracing her in the doorway. He became furious and yelled out as he flew towards the couple. LaCroix sensed Nick before he had reached the clearing and looked up from his meal when Nick had yelled his name, blood covered his lips and ran down his chin. He released Larissa and she fell to the ground. He met Nick's fury with his own and they grappled for some time. Nick realized he was getting nowhere with LaCroix and flung him from him, and then raced back to Larissa. Nick knelt next to her cold, lifeless form as LaCroix came up behind him. "Why LaCroix? Why her?" he said with pain in his voice. LaCroix was straightening his jacket out when he replied. "I must say her essence was exhilarating.....like the rush you get during a hunt. I haven't had one like her in quite a long time. You should of taken her the moment you saw her, but instead you befriended her, became fond of her, you even...cared for her." Nick turned around and looked over his shoulder. "That is a weakness you need to overcome. I did it to remind you of who you are, of.... what you are. They are prey to us, nothing more. It would be well for you to remember that." LaCroix disappeared into the night sky. Nick cursed LaCroix's name as he watched him depart. He looked back to Larissa and as he gazed on her pale face he thought of how vibrant she had been, of how much inner beauty she had had. In a way she had reminded him of his sister. He reached over and placed her arms on her chest and was saying a short prayer when a scream broke the silence and Nick looked up to see a man running at him. He stood up and the man hit him with such tremendous force that it carried them back quite a distance before they fell to the ground. Both men picked themselves up off the ground. Nick came up hissing, eyes glowing, fangs bare. The man looked at him and let out what sounded like a howl before he launched himself at Nick. Nick watched as the man, in midair, transformed himself. Nick was stunned by what he saw. He estimated the thing must of stood 7 feet high and weighed about 300 pounds. It looked very similar to that of a wolf, having fur covering its entire muscular body. The creature knocked Nick to the ground, instantly going for the throat. Nick managed to grab hold and keep the animal away from his throat while he brought his feet up underneath the creature. With all his strength he heaved the thing away from him. It flew through the air and smacked into a tree where it slumped to the ground. Nick walked cautiously over to the man that laid at the base of the tree. He kept his distance, just in case he needed to move fast. The man looked up at him in pain, tears streamed down his face. Nick was the first to speak. "I did not kill your wife. Another took her life. I'm sorry but she was dead when I found her. There was nothing I could do." "What are you? Some demon from Hell?" the man asked. "I could ask the same about you." "She was the only woman I ever loved...." he hit the ground with his fist, "Do you understand, the only one and you took her away from me. I swear...I will hunt you down and kill you if it's the last thing I ever do!" Nick had been through this to many times before. "Take my advice. Bury your wife and then leave this place. It has been fouled by evil and the beauty it once had is no more." Nick came back to the present and realized who it was that was out to kill him. He noticed writing on the back of the sketch. It read, ''You have two days left." Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 20:23:53 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 13/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT13 Natalie pushed a strand of hair out of her face. It had been a long night and all she wanted to do was relax in a nice hot bath, maybe take a bubble bath. She had thought about Jack all night. The note he had left her said that he had business to take care of and that he would call her in a day or so. So far she hadn't heard from him. She was thinking about this as she made her way to Reese's office to drop off a report. She ran into Tracy as Tracy was getting ready to leave. "Hi Natalie, working late?" she asked as she placed her purse strap on her shoulder. "Yea. All I have to do is deliver this report," she held the report up, "And I'm outta here." "You mind if I ask you something?" Tracy had a concerned look on her face as she crossed her arms. "Not at all, what is it?" "Have you talked to Nick lately?" "No. I haven't seen him in....a guess about a week. Why?" "Well," Tracy began, "He's been acting real funny lately, you know, jumpy. He's not able to keep his mind on his work and just about everything I say to him I have to repeat myself. It's like he's here physically but mentally he's somewhere else. I've hardly seen him at all except for when he tells me he has to go somewhere to check on something and I'm ending up doing all the paperwork. I don't know how much longer I can cover for him, the captain is starting to get suspicious." "Nick has been known to space now and again," she said with a smile. "I wouldn't worry about it to much, he'll snap out of it soon. As far as the paperwork is concerned, he use to do that all the time to Sckanke. He hates paperwork and if he can find a way out of it he will." Natalie didn't tell Tracy that she was worried about him to. Usually the only time he would act like this was when something was really bothering him. She thought about stopping by his place before she went home. "Have you tried to talk to him about it?" Natalie asked. "I've tried, but every time I bring it up he says there's nothing wrong and for me to stop worrying." "Tell you what. I'll stop by on my way home and if he's there I'll talk to him. Ok?" Tracy uncrossed her arms, "Ok. Thanks Nat." A smirk appeared on her face. "You know if you don't mind me saying, there's something different about you. Kind of a glow." Natalie got a sly look on her face. "There could be. I've been seeing this guy that's a absolute gentleman. Maybe I'll introduce you to him, but remember, I saw him first," she said teasingly. "Anyway, I need to get this report to the captain before he comes looking for it. See ya," Natalie said as she headed for Reese's office. "Yea, ok. I'll talk to you later." Tracy acted like she was going to say something else but decided against it. She finished getting her things together and left. Nat walked out of Reese's office with a worried look on her face. She had been thinking about Nick too, and she was glad that she had run into Tracy since that would give her a good excuse as any to find out what was going on. She headed for the door. Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 20:25:04 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 14/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT14 Tracy left the police station and headed for her car. She couldn't wait to get home. As she approached her car she noticed someone sitting in the front seat. She looked around to see if anyone else was close by in case she needed help, but she was the only one there. She slowed down and walked more cautiously as she neared the car. She leaned over to get a better view of who was in the front seat, nobody. The seat was empty. She scanned the parking lot again and seeing no one around shrugged her shoulders and said to herself, "I'm definitely ready for a vacation." She unlocked the door and slid in behind the wheel, throwing her purse on the seat next to her. She reached out and pulled the door shut. "You know you shouldn't talk to yourself. It's a bad habit." Tracy jumped and let out a small squeal, at the sound of the voice, and looked over to see Vachon sitting in the front seat. "God I wish you wouldn't do that," she scolded him as she waited for her racing heart to slow down. "How else am I going to keep you on your toes?" he said with a smile on his face and mischief in his eyes. "Wait and see, someday you'll thank me for doing it. So, when are you going to take your vacation and where are you going?" "Argh. You are impossible. Do you know that? Really impossible." "Ah, come on, you wouldn't want me any other way, now would you?" She looked sheepishly at him. "No. I guess not, but no more sneaking up on me like that." "I'll consider it. By the way, have I told you that your eyes sparkle when you're jumpy?" She ignored that last part and asked, "What brings you by?" "Nothing really. I was in the neighborhood and thought I would come by and see how you're doing." "I'm fine. I'm a little tired but I'm doing ok." She saw what she thought was worry on Vachon's face but it was had to tell because of the poor light. "Why the concern?" "No reason. Just thought I'd ask." He quickly changed the subject. "Those bad guys are keeping you busy, huh?" "I'll say. It seems like lately everything has gone crazy. We're getting between five and seven cases a night, all with the same m.o. Some crazed killer is out there mutilating people and we can't find him. We can't even get a lead on this guy." As Tracy talked Vachon looked out the window into the darkness. . Since the plane crash she had become someone special in his life and when he thought about the possibility of never seeing Tracy's smile or hear her laughter again it made him sick to his stomach. He was worried about the outcome of the match and what the future held not only for him but for Tracy as well if the vampires failed to defeat them. His life had begun to get dull until that night the airplane that carried him over Toronto exploded, and later on that night while he was searching for his hand she had come up behind him. When she had gotten over the initial shock of him being a vampire, things had gone pretty smooth. He enjoyed the time they spent together, talking about a case or what she wanted in life of just needing a friendly ear to listen. She had a way about her that would not let her stay depressed for too long a time . She would always bounce back all bubbly and "perky" as ever. Tracy looked over at Vachon and saw him staring out the window. "Vachon....are you listening to me?" "What?" he said as his mind came back to the present and he turned to look at her. "I didn't hear what you were saying." "I said you don't seem like yourself tonight. What's bothering you?" "It's nothing." "You sure? You look worried, as if something is about to happen." She could definately see worry on his face now and that bothered her. "Really, I'm fine," he said as he gave her a false smile. She looked at him and knew he wasn't telling her the truth and the hurt showed on her face. "What? What are you looking at me like that for?" "If you don't want to tell me what's wrong that's fine, just don't lie to me about it." Vachon swore to himself and they sat there for a moment in silence. He was thinking things over and decided to tell her the truth. Just as she was going to say something he said, "All right. If you must know, something has come up that my friends need my help so I will be gone for awhile." "See. Now why couldn't you just come out and tell me this in the first place? It's really not that hard. How long will you be gone?" "I'm not sure. There may be a possibility that I won't be able to come back." "Oh, I see." Why did it seem like the whole world was crushing down around her. Vachon heard confusion, anger, and sadness, all in those three words. He couldn't leave her like this. She deserved to hear the rest. "Was it something I said or did that makes you not want to come back?" she whispered as she stared at the steering wheel, trying to fight back the tears. If it was something she had done she promised herself she would never do it again if it meant him leaving her. "No," he said softly as he reached over and gently turned her head so that she looked right at him. "There's nothing in the world that you could do to make me leave you. It's just that this is a vampire matter and it's a little complicated." He wiped away a tear that ran down her cheek. "If I don't help, things might become very ugly for others." She stared to say something but he put a finger to her lips. "Let me finish. There's a possibility that if we get enough of us together we can take care of this problem. The more people the better our chances but there is still a great risk involved. I have to say though that some of us won't make it back." "Is there some way I can help out?" she asked. "No!" Vachon said sternly. "I don't want you involved with this at all. It's too dangerous and besides, like I said, it's a vampire matter. Humans are no match for what we are going up against. Tracy believe me when I say I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't really important." What in the world was more dangerous than a vampire. "I believe you," she said softly as another tear trickled down her check onto Vachon's thumb. He wiped it away. "Hey, come on. Don't do that. You're not going mushy on me are you?" he sat back and placed his arm on the back rest. She let out a small laugh and smiled at him. "Maybe," she answered shyly. "I'll be back before you know it. Once this thing is over wild horses couldn't keep me away." He looked deeply into her eyes and saw concern and affection. "Just be careful. You're a special friend." She reached up and laid her hand on top of his. "I will." He leaned over and caressed Tracy's face then gave her a kiss on the cheek and then was gone. Tracy sat there for a couple of minutes feeling like someone had just slapped her in the face. How could he do this to her. She had only known him for a short time but since she had met him somehow her life had changed. She couldn't really put her finger on it, but she felt.... secure maybe, that she had someone to talk to, someone that she could really be able to open up and show her feelings. That's not saying she didn't have friends, she did, but none really close enough that she could open up to, not even Natalie. Whenever she spent time with Vachon she felt at ease, relaxed, safe. She knew he would protect her. Was that what she wanted? Someone to protect her? She pondered that thought as she headed home. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 20:26:07 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 15/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT15 There was no lights on in the room and everything was still except for the silhouette of Colt's form rocking slowly back and forth. He had just come from Nick's place. He had wanted to wait around to see how Nick would react to the gift he had left, but decided not to. He would not take any chances. Everything was going as planned and he would not jeopardize it. He had made sure to cover all possible option Nick might have available. He had watched Nick for sometime and had come to realize that the vampire cared for the people of Toronto and was close to a couple of vampires, one in particular, a brunette that hung out at the Raven. After he had buried his wife he had set out after Nick. He had followed him endlessly from town to town, country to country, always one step behind him. He would enter a town, stay for a few days and listen to the town folk gossip to see if anyone mentioned anything about monsters stalking the night . Over the years he was able to tell which stories were true and which ones were from someone's wild imagination. The ones that were true lead him from one place to the next. He would follow relentlessly, never giving up. He had decided long ago that he would take it upon himself to eliminate the foul things, wiping them off the face of the earth. A few times he had come close enough and had the opportunity to kill him only to be fouled up by one thing or another. While following Nick over the centuries he had run into and killed many vampires. He learned from each encounter, increasing his knowledge and improving his skill on how to hunt and kill them. He had learned to be extremely cautious when dealing with these monsters. They were very sensative to their surroundings and seemed to snese when something was amiss. The death of Nick was for his Larissa, dear, sweet, gentle, loving Larissa, and for all the anguish and pain her death had caused him. Once Nick was dead his promise to his wife and himself would be completed. "Your time had run out, Nick Knight. In just a few days I will have my revenge on you." Nat opened the elevator door and walked in to find Nick sitting on the sofa with a bottle of red liquid in his hand, almost drained of its contents. "Hi Nick. I haven't seen you in awhile and thought I'd stop by and see how things were going," she said as she took off her coat and laid it up on the piano along with her purse. He had not moved or gave any indication that he had heard her. She walked over to him. "Hello. Nick?" She was almost standing next to him before he realized she was even there. "Hi Nat," he said in a toneless voice. She sat down next to him wondering what could put him in such a depressed state. "Boy, Tracy was right when she said something was bothering you. You wanna talk about it? It might help if you talked to someone." She had a concerned look on her face as she watched his face for any reaction. He finally turned his head and looked at her with sorrowful eyes. "Someone from long ago, someone who I thought was dead, is very much alive and had found me." "Well that sounds like good news. Who is it? An old girlfriend maybe?" she said teasingly, trying to get him to take the bait. "No, nothing like that. This person...wants to kill me." He took a sip from the bottle in his hand. "I've been thinking about everything that has happened in the last two weeks and I'm sure he is behind all of it. He wants me and because of me alot of vampires are going to die." He took another sip and shook his head from side to side. "I should of never killed her." "Nick, I'm not sure I'm following you. What do you mean you shouldn't of killed her, killed who?" He dropped his voice down to a whisper, ashamed by what he was about to say. "Luna, the owner of that herb shop." Natalie remembered back to the night she had performed the autopsy on the woman. The woman had come in decapitated. She couldn't believe Nick had been apart of something so ghastly, and it showed on her face for Nick said, "Yes, Natalie, I did it. LaCroix and another held her down and I killed her." "LaCroix and you? Come on Nick, they found the murderer lying next to her. Everything matched." "No. Somebody made it look like he did it so it would be easy to explain and no questions would be asked." Before Nick could explain further Natalie, becoming angry at the thought of Nick killing someone in cold blood, asked, as her voice went up a couple of octaves. "Why? What gave you the right to kill her in cold blood like that?" "Because she was the one that committed those murders and we were the only ones who could stop her." Natalie was furious now as she yelled at Nick. "Oh come on Nick!" She jumped up off the couch and walked behind it. "There's no way she could of killed those people. It was physically impossible for her to do what was done to those people. They were ripped apart, for God sake. I did the autopsy report on them and her, remember?" Nick stood up and turned around to face her. "I know you did, but it was a set up, that man never killed her, I did." "Well then, may I congratulate you and the person that set it all up, because you both did a great job of fooling me. Gives me a hell of a lot of confidence in my ability as a coroner. Boy, I feel really thrilled about hearing that one. Ya know, I came here because your partner was worried about you and so was I, but if you're going to stand there and try to convince me that you killing someone in cold blood was the right thing to do, well then, I'm outta here. I've been made a fool of enough today." She turned around and headed for her coat and purse. Nick rushed over to her and grabbed her by the arm, spinning her around to face him. He grabbed both of her arms. "Natalie, at least listen to what I have to say. Let me explain." "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?" she said as she looked down to where he held on to her. Nick released her and walked away. Natalie was fuming when she crossed her arms and said, "All right, let's hear it. I'm listening." Nick started at the very beginning and told her about how he had met Larissa, about LaCroix killing her and the confrontation he had had with her husband. How he had watched her husband change in mid air and of the threat he had made. Thinking that after all these centuries the man was long dead only to find out that he was still alive. He handed her the picture of Larissa. He then went on to explain about Luna and the attacks she had made, even the attack on LaCroix. About how she was able to see into his past with just a touch and had offered to help him. How they had figured out it was her doing the killings and how they had set her up. He told her about how she had transformed in front of him . He went on to explain that now some of the werewolf clans had turned rebellious and wanted to eradicate all the vampires in Toronto and how he thought that Larissa's husband was behind it all, using Luna's death as a excuse. He also told her about the fight that was actually a trap. He left out the part about what the vampires chances were of winning the fight. Natalie listen as Nick told his story. She remembered back to him telling her about his suspicions of Luna being a werewolf. She had thought he was joking at the time but realized now that he was telling the truth all along. She told herself if there were vampires in Toronto, why not werewolves. By the time he was done explaining all the anger had left her. "So what happens if you don't show up for this fight?" she asked. "If I don't show up they will take their revenge out into the streets of Toronto. A lot of innocent people would be hurt or killed. No, I have to go and finish this, it's the only way." "Ya know, this is all really hard to believe. It was hard enough knowing vampires were here in the city but now I'm told werewolves are here too. What's next, mummies?" Nick gave her a smile, "I know this is hard for you to accept but you must believe what I've told you." His smile faded as he added, "I also have to ask you to stay away from me for the next few days until this is over. I don't want you getting hurt because of me. These people wouldn't think twice about killing someone who gets in their way, and if Larissa's husband is behind this he will stop at nothing to get to me. When it's over I'll come see you." Natalie looked into his eyes and saw nothing but pain and sorrow. She didn't want to ask him what would happen if he didn't come back, instead she said, "If this thing is as big as you say then no one is really safe from them." "We've got alot of people working on this, so I'm sure we'll come up with something soon." "Well then," she turned and walked over to where her coat and purse laid, "I guess I'll go home and wait to hear from you. I hope everything works out for you and the others." She headed for the elevator door. Natalie loved Nick deeply and they had been through so much that it was tearing her apart inside to think that in a couple of days he could be dead, and that this might be the last time she would ever see him again. It was just to much for her. Natalie had just opened the door when Nick came up behind her and held it open. "Natalie," he said in a soft voice. Natalie turned around with tears in her eyes. "Be careful," she whispered. A tear ran down her cheek and Nick gently wiped it away with his finger. There was so much he wanted to tell her, like how much he really cared for her, or how much he hated to see her cry. How he hoped one day she would find a cure for him so they could both grow old together, but only words that came out were, "I will." Natalie stepped into the elevator and waited for Nick to release the door. She stared at him and etched every feature about him into her memory, not that it wasn't there already. She told herself that this would be the last time she would every see him. She continued to stare at him until he released the door and it slide shut, cutting him off from her. The tears began to flow harder as the elevator made it's decent. Nick turned around and leaned against the door and wondered if he would come out of this alive. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 20:27:06 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 16/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT16 Jack opened the door to his room and as he walked in his foot landing on a manila envelope. He reached down and picked it up, as he shut the door behind him. He tossed his keys on the table and went over to the bed and sat down. Taking a sip from his big gulp he sat the cup on the nightstand and leaned back against the headboard, getting comfortable before going over the information. He opened the envelope and pulled out several papers, tossing the empty folder on the bed. He read the first page and half of the second one before he reached for the phone and dialed Natalie's number. Not getting a answer he hung up and finished reading the material. He told himself that if this information was correct, and he knew it was, Toronto was in for some serious shit if he couldn't stop it. His assignment had taken a turn and just became a lot bigger than he had planned. He picked up the receiver and dialed another number. After several rings someone picked up on the other end but didn't say anything. "This is a Jack. I need to talk. Same place in two hours." He waited a moment to make sure there was no reply before he hung up the phone. His message had gone through, he would meet his contact in the same little run down house as before and after that was done he would go talk to Natalie about Detective Nick Knight. Nick hung up the phone. The captain had not been happy that he called in sick. He knew it would put a heavy workload on Tracy but if he didn't find Larissa's husband soon and stop him, the police would have more to worry about than just paperwork. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. Nick entered the Raven to find that hardly anyone was there yet. He walked down the stairs and headed towards the bar, looking around to see if he spotted Janette. The bartender saw him and pointed towards her office. Nick knocked on the door and heard her yell, "Come in." He walked in and shut the door behind him. He found Janette lying on the couch with a cloth over her eyes. "What do you want, Nichola?" she asked in a tired voice as she sat up and removed the cloth. "What's the matter?" "Another attack has taken place. It happened about an hour ago. A friend of mine found the body down in the park. She was to meet that person there but when she arrived the attack had already taken place and it was too late to do anything. She took care of the remains and then came to inform me." She got up off the couch and walked over to her floor to ceiling shelves lined with her private stock. She looked at several bottles before she selected one and returned to her desk. She didn't even ask Nick if he wanted any of the red substance, not that he would have accepted, as she poured herself a glass. "Everyone is on edge and tempers are starting to flare. If we don't resolve this soon we will be fighting each other," she took a sip from her glass. "Janette, I think I know who is behind all of this." He walked over and handed her a drawing of Larissa's husband. He had stopped off at a friend of his that happened to be a artist and had him draw the sketch. "I believe he is the one we need to find, if we can stop him I'm hoping it will stop the others." Janette looked at the drawing as he went on to say, "I was thinking we could make copies and hand then out, see if anyone recognizes him and if so, they could contact me." Janette set the picture down. "Why not just have them dispose of him. I'm sure a lot of people would be more than willing to do it." "Because he is a very dangerous man. He's out to get me and if anyone gets in his way, he'll kill them. No, I'd rather deal with him myself. I only have two days before the fight and I want to find him while he's not expecting it." Janette thought foe a moment before answering. "All right, Nichola, I will have copies of this made and have them handed out if you think it will help stop this. Is there anything else I can help you with?" "Just one thing, Be careful and watch your back." Nick didn't tell her that there was a good chance that the Raven was being watched. If this guy knew where Nick lived then he probably knew about the Raven and its members. "If the need arises, I will take the necessary action to protect myself. I am more worried about you, since it is you that he his after." Nick looked at her a moment and then without saying another word, turned around and left. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 20:28:07 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 17/32 To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu NOWHERE TO HIDE PT17 Natalie walked out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of cereal. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying she had done earlier and she still had the sniffles. She had just sat down at the table when there was a knock at the door. She pulled the sleeve of her fluffy blue robe up so she could look at her watch. Who could be here at this hour, she wondered as she headed for the door. Maybe it was Nick coming to apologize.....or maybe he was hurt and needed her help. She fumbled with the lock and swung the door open fast to find Jack standing there with a shocked look on his face. "Do you greet everybody that knocks on your door like that?" he asked in a jokingly manner and then saw her red eyes and nose. "I'm sorry," she said as she raised her hand up into her hair, trying to make in look somewhat presentable. "No, I don't. I thought you might have been someone else. Please come in." Jack walked in and she shut the door behind him. "Excuse the way I look, I just got up a little while ago." "Don't apologize, I wasn't sure if you would be up yet or not. Natalie what's wrong?" She headed for the table a Jack followed behind her. "Oh, it's nothing. Would you care for some coffee?" "Yes, thank you." "Go ahead and have a seat," she motioned to the table, "I'll be back in a second," as she dis- appeared into the kitchen. He sat down and was trying to decide how he was going to tell her what he needed to say. She reappeared and placed the cup of coffee and the sugar down in front of him, before she sat down. Jack started to say something but she cut him off. "If your here about the other night I want to apologize, I don't know what came over me. I've never done that before." Jack sat his cup down and looked at Natalie. "I'm not here about that. I need to tell you some- thing and then I need your help. I'm not sure how to begin. I don't want you to get the wrong impression, so please hear me out first." Natalie had a confused look on her face. Jack stood up and started pacing back and forth. Not a good sign, Natalie thought to herself. She didn't know if she could take any more bad news right now. What was he going to tell her, that he had some kind of terminal illness or maybe something along the lines like, he's had a great time but he was gay. "I haven't told you all about me and I think it's time you knew." Oh God, I was right, he's gay. Ok, brace yourself kid, she told herself. "You know that I hunt people that have gone bad," she wondered why he had said it that way, "But I never told you what....kind of people I hunt." What kind of people? Was he a racist? What was he talking about? "The type of people I hunt can not be classified as human. Monsters, yes, humans, no." "I'm not sure I'm follow you, Jack? What do you mean, can't be classified as human?" Jack stopped pacing and held on to the back of his chair. "All right, I'll come right out and say it, I know with your experience you can handle it." What the hell is he talking about? He said, "I hunt.....witches, ghouls, ghosts, werewolves and.....," he looked directly at her when he said the next word, "Vampires." VAMPIRES! Sirens went off in her head and she tried to hide the shock by giggling. She got up from the table and walked over to the window, where she looked out over the city. Was this some kind if sick joke? Did he know about Nick? No she told herself, he couldn't possible know about him. He was here for some other reason. Werewolves. That must be it, he was here because of the werewolves. She turned around and looked at Jack. A smile appeared on her face as she said, "Here I thought you were going to tell me you were gay or something. I have to say you had me going there for a minute. Chasing ghosts and goblins, you have a real sense of humor Jack." "Gay?" a smirk appeared on his face. "Nobody's accused me of that before. No. I'm very much attracted to the opposite sex." The smirk disappeared when he said, "But the other stuff is true. That's why my job is so dangerous. I'm fighting for my life every time I take on a case." Jack had an idea of what was going through Natalie's mind. Natalie raised her hands and walked back over to her side of the table. She wanted something between the two of them. "You really are carrying this joke a little to far, Jack. I mean, why come to me and tell me this. Who in their right mind would believe in.....in werewolves and witches, an..... an vampires." She only stuttered when she was scared. She was trying to hide the fact that she did believe in vampires and just recently, werewolves, but she knew she was doing a poor job of it. "They are nothing but myths and legends.....like the bogeyman, make believe told to scare little kids. There's no such thing as monsters. The only monsters that exist are psychopathic killers and rapists." He decided to tell her everything and hope for the best. "Natalie, I came to Toronto to hunt down a werewolf. Before I got here she had already been killed, supposedly by a burglar from what the newspapers printed. I know that to be false. I also know that you were the one that performed the autopsy on her. I'm sure you remember her, she was the decapitated corpse. She owned a herb shop downtown and her name was Luna Windwalker." There, he had said it, Natalie thought, he had come here to hunt a werewolf, not a vampire but a werewolf. That put her mind a little more at ease. She also realized that what Nick had said was true....all of it. She decided to play along with him. "Yes, I remember performing the autopsy on her and her killer. She had inflicted a fatal wound to him before he killed her." "Yes, I read your report as well as the police report." She had started to ask him how he had gotten that information, but he cut her off. "I also know that the other body found at the scene was not her killer. He wasn't strong enough. She could of snapped his neck in seconds. The person who killed her was a lot stronger that the dead person they found and the only one I can think of that could come that close in strength is a vampire. Natalie, I know a vampire killed her and I think you know it to." In a shaky voice Natalie said, "You're really starting to scare me, Jack. I don't know what you're up too or what you're on but I had a really bad night and quite frankly I don't need any of this. So please, if you don't mind, I'd like you to leave." She stood there hoping he would let himself out and that she would wake up from this bad dream. He just stood there and looked at her. "Jack, please leave, now." "Natalie, I know about Nick being a vampire." Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 20:29:04 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere to Hide 18/32 To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU NOWHERE TO HIDE PT18 She stood there in shock. Her bad dream had turned into a nightmare, one that she couldn't wake up from. She didn't know what to do. Somehow Jack had found out about Nick. Was it possible that this was the man Nick had thought was after him? Nick had told her that he was dangerous and that he would stop at nothing until he had made good on his threat. Had she in some way unbeknown to her helped him locate Nick? No that wasn't possible. She was getting carried away and just grasping at straws, she had to calm down and start thinking straight. "Do you really expect me to believe all this? I mean, yes, I know Nick as you can see from the pictures on the bookcase but to say that he's a vampire, and if what you say is really true about that shop owner then why are you still here? Why haven't you left on another case? "I am on another case. As soon as it was verified that Luna was killed I was sent another assignment. It seems that since her death her brother has started a rebellion against the vampires here in your fair city. Her brother must be stopped at any and all cost. Not all the werewolves have turned rebellious, but those that have have set a trap for the vampires and unless I help them everyone of them will die. The werewolves outnumber them at least three to one and with odds like that they don't have a chance. I have to stop it or all of Toronto will be in the middle of a blood war like the world has never seen before, because they won't just stop there. They'll go throughout Toronto killing every vampire they can find and if a few people get in the way, oh well, no big deal. You'll have so many bodies coming in that you won't be able to keep up with them. It will be like a plague that has hit the city. That's why I need your help. I need you to convince Nick I'm here to help and get him to talk to me." "Really, Jack. Werewolves fighting vampires? Sounds like some bad horror movie if you ask me. If this is going on," she pointed to the window overlooking the city and noticed her shaky hand. She quickly withdrew it, hoping Jack had not seen it. "Where are they?" "They don't look any different then you or me. You know that. The only way you would be able to tell is by taking a blood sample or have one of them change in front of you, and believe me, you don't ever want to see them change. Vampires aren't so bad, but werewolves.....you never forget the sight of them. They etch themselves in your mind so that when you're asleep they can come back and haunt you." Natalie thought furiously on what she should do. That tiny little voice inside her told her that Jack was not the killer, that he was there to help, and that he was the only chance that Nick had of walking out of that trap alive. She would do anything to have Nick with her. Jack watched her, giving her the chance to let everything he had said sink in. After a moment, he said, "Natalie, I know about your special relationship with Nick. I know you're trying to help him become human again." She stared at him in shock, this was to much for her. Her knees started to buckle as she sunk down in her chair. All her fears were coming true. Not only had someone found out about Nick but that person happened to be a vampire killer as well. She had cared about Jack. How could he be doing this to her. The fear of dicovery showed on her face because Jack said, "I'm not here to hurt him, I'm here to help him. I know how much he means to you. You must believe me Natalie. Will you help me?" It was more a plea than anything else. He had to convince her to help him. Natalie thought hard about all that Nick had told her and about what Jack had just said. It seemed that with or without his help the fight was still going to take place and that if Jack didn't help, Nick had no chance of coming out of it alive. She couldn't see how one man could make such a difference but then again he did this for a living. She didn't really have much of a choice, and she knew Jack knew this, otherwise why come to her for help. After thinking things over she looked up a Jack and said in a defeated voice, "All right. I'll call Nick and try to convince him to meet with you, but I can't guarantee anything." Jack sat down at the table and reached out to take her hands in his. A smile appeared on Jack's face. "I'm sorry I had to do this to you, but I couldn't think of any other way. Thank you for trusting and believing in me. You're doing the right thing, Natalie." "I hope so, I really hope so." She pulled her hands out from under his, got up and went over to the phone. She dialed Nick's number and looked back over her shoulder at Jack. Nick had only been up for a little while when the phone rang. Thinking it was Janette with information on Larissa's husband, he grabbed it up quickly. "Knight here." Natalie noticed right off that he sounded tired. "Hi, it's Natalie. Listen, I need to talk to you." "Natalie this isn't a good time...." "I know, but I may of found a solution to your problem." "What are you talking about?" he asked. "I've got someone here, his name is Jack, and I think you should meet him. He can help you with your problem." "I don't follow you Nat. How can he help and how does he know about my 'problem'?" "He does this sort of thing for a living. He's a bounty hunter, in a sense, and knows about the werewolves and the trap they are planning for you and the others. He told me everything you told me last night and then some. He's dealt with this kind of thing before and is very capable of taking care of himself." "What do you mean, he knows about me! How did he find out?" Nick asked in a harsh, angry voice. "If you want the details you'll have to ask him, because I don't have them, but Nick, I didn't say a word. He told me everything. I think you should listen to him." Silence hung in the air. Finally Nick said, "I'm sorry Nat. It's too risky. I can't take the chance." "What's at risk? He already knows about you and what you're up against and there's a good chance he can help you win this thing. Please, Nick.....talk to him." Her voice was pleading him to listen to her, to let her help in anyway she could. The line was quiet and Natalie wasn't sure if Nick was still on the other end. In a moment she asked, "Nick? You there?" "Yea, I'm here. I don't like the idea of him knowing about me, but I'll agree to meet him and hear what he has to say. Tell him to meet me in the park on the southeast corner in half hour and make sure he comes alone. Oh, and Natalie, I'm sorry about putting you through all this." "I'll let Jack know and hey, it's ok. I understand. You're under alot of pressure." She gave him a half smile even though he couldn't see it. "Just make sure you come back to me in one piece." "Bye," he said and hung up. "Bye. She hung up the phone, turned around and walked back to the table and sat down. "Did he agree to meet with me?" "He said for you to meet him on the southeast side of the park in a half hour and to make sure that you came alone." Jack looked at his watch and said, "Well then, I better get going." He got up from the table and headed for the door as Natalie followed behind him. At the door he turned around, reached out and took Natalie by the shoulders. He could feel her tense up underneath her robe. He looked down at her and said, "I want to thank you and to reassure you that you're doing the right thing. Not only for Nick but for everybody else as well." "I really hope you're right." He released her and opened the door. "When this is over and we've won, maybe I can see you again." He didn't wait for her to answer him, as he kissed her on the cheek and walked out the door, heading for the elevator. She watched him until the elevator closed behind him, then she turned and went back in inside. She sat down to her soggy breakfast and realized that she had lost her appetite. She got up and went into the bedroom to get ready for work. She'd pick some- thing up later at work. Return-Path: Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 20:30:09 -0700 Reply-To: Shirley Davis Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Shirley Davis Subject: Nowhere To Hide 19/32 To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu NOWHERE TO HIDE PT19 The street light, at the edge of the park, cast just enough light into the park to give it a eerie and gloomy look. Jack sat on the park bench and looked at his watch. He had arrived twenty minutes ago, on time, and still no sign of Nick. He wondered if Nick had changed his mind and decided not to show after all. He hoped that wasn't the case. He decided to wait another fifteen minutes. Nick stood by a tree, behind and off to the side of where Jack was sitting. Nick wanted to make sure he had come alone and had been watching him ever since he had arrived, twenty minutes ago. Being confident no one else was around he slowly walked away from the tree and silently made his way tow