Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 22:58:22 -0700 Reply-To: clark Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: clark Subject: Ogle me that, Fang Boy (01/01) To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU Status: Thanks to the IRC nuts for giving an early listen on this one. Thanks, also, to Jody for giving me the idea for the title. Permission given to archive at fkfanfic website and the FTP site. No other permission is granted to repost/reprint/reuse. If you're interested drop me a line. As always, feedback is welcomed. This story is based on characters and situations that aren't mine. Thanks to TPTB for their use. "Ogle me that, Fang Boy" by S. Clark As Natalie arrived at the loft she could tell Nick was in an awful mood. At least three wine bottles had been broken against various walls, their contents covering both walls and floor. 'What is it this time?' she thought, realizing she'd just walked in on another Nick angstfest. "Thank you for coming over." "I was worried after your call." Natalie made another point of scanning the damage. "And it looks like I had reason to be." Nick shook his head. "LaCroix has done some pretty desperate things in the past but this," Nick held out a letter, "this is beyond his usual depravity." He set the letter on the table and walked to the refrigerator. Nick wrenched open the door and grabbed a bottle of blood from within. He pulled out the cork with his teeth and spit it into the fireplace before taking a big swig of the blood from within. "They want you to be in a magazine, Nick." Nick nodded. "FQ." Natalie smiled. "FQ?" She began to laugh. "FQ, Nick?" "Yes, FQ, Natalie," he snarled. She shrugged. "I guess I'm missing something here. What's so bad about a magazine. Although I must admit I thought you folks were pretty shy about publicity." "It's a vampire-only publication. 'Fangs Quarterly.'" "There is such a thing?" Nick nodded. "Printed in small numbers. You need to be over a hundred to subscribe. Can't trust the kids with anything, you know." Natalie nodded as if she understood. She didn't. "That's wonderful, Nick. I think you'd be a good model." She looked him over, and then took a generous second look. "Very good." Nick walked back to the table and slammed a magazine down on the table. "This is it. This is what they want." Natalie began to thumb through. The first three pages were scantily clad individuals. She looked at a picture, then back at Nick, then back at another picture. "Doesn't seem so bad to me," she said. "Uh, Nat, that's the human section." He quickly fanned to the back of the magazine. "Here, this is it." The picture was of a man with dark coloring, very distinguished looking, dressed in formal evening attire. He appeared to be in his mid-30's, but Natalie was relatively certain this was not his true age. "And?" "I didn't want you to see this before. But now, turn the page," Nick advised, gesturing towards the magazine. "You'll see soon enough." Natalie flipped to the next page. It was the same man but this time with bared fangs. Natalie raised an eyebrow. He was an engaging man, she had to admit. And the fangs gave him a dangerous, feral look she found oddly attractive. "It's disgusting," said Nick. "I can't believe LaCroix would have me be a party to this." Natalie started flipping through the pages. "And it's just men?" The next couple pages showed the same man, first posed with golden eyes, then with red. "No," Nick admitted, sounding a little sheepish. "There's women, too." Natalie kept turning and sure enough, a female vampire. Also fully clothed but in various states of 'vamping out.' She kept turning until she found another man. This one appeared to be older, yet seemed to possess an extraordinary amount of charisma. "Not bad," said Nat. "He's cute. What's the problem?" "Cute? Cute!" Nick grabbed the bottle he'd just opened and flung it at the lift door. "Natalie, this is vampire erotica." "Excuse me?" she said, beginning to blush. "I thought this was just, umm...." "Our fangs serve one purpose with humans, but totally another with other vampires." "Oh," Natalie mouthed. Nick shook his head. "It's so demeaning." Natalie looked at the man in the photograph, then at Nick. And she started laughing. "This isn't funny, Natalie. This is my reputation on the line." She smiled. "I think something like this could make your reputation, Nick," then winked. "I don't want to be just objectified," he protested. "Stared at. Ogled by all of those women." Nick's voice trailed off, and his eyes took on a glassy look. "Nick?" said Natalie, trying to interrupt his reverie. "Nick?" she repeated, louder. She rolled up the magazine and smacked the back of his head. "What?" he said. "You were busy being an object of lustful admiration." "I wath noht," he argued. He covered his mouth with his hands. "Oopth." Natalie rolled her eyes and dropped the magazine on the table. "Methinks you protest too much, Nick." Her words were short, clipped. "I'hm noht gohna do iht, Naht," he said. "Sure you're not," she said. "But after you don't do it, do me a favor?" "Waht?" "Buy me a copy for my birthday," she said, giving him a wink.