Date: Sun, 5 Dec 1999 09:40:13 -0500 From: Korasia Subject: Old Friends and New Beginnings [1/3] To: FKFIC-L@lists1.cac.psu.edu The usual disclaimer applies to the characters of Forever Knight who are owned by The Powers That Be. I'm simply borrowing them for a little while. The non-FK characters are mine. Please treat them nicely. I started this story in March of 99, edited a lot of it in May, but haven't been able to finish it until now. It continues the thread of my first piece of fiction "This night didn't turn out so bad after all". Why such a short story has a long title is beyond me, but it's a lighthearted story with NN tendencies. Hopefully this story stands on it's own, but I do make teeny-wheeny references to my previous one. Like my first story, this has NN tendencies. One last thing I need to mention. Various people have read the different incarnations of this story and for the life of me, I've forgotten your names, so I'm sorry about that, but without your encouragement and thoughts, I wouldn't have been able to keep going and finish. Thank you. Send me blessings or curses at: korasia@cloud9.net Archival permission granted at www.fkfanfic.com and anyone else that would like to archive it. "Old Friends and New Beginnings" Part 1/3 C 1999 By Korasia Spotting Natalie across the living room, Schanke crossed the plush oriental carpet. "What have we got?" "Margaret Marcel, appears to be 75 years of age, no forced entry, no signs of a struggle, nothing stolen. It looks as if she died of natural causes. Time of death is inconclusive since her body temperature contradicts surrounding evidence. I'll know more once I do a full examination," Nat said as she pulled off her pair of latex gloves. "What does your partner think?" "I don't know, he is still in the library 'meditating'," Schanke mockingly said as he held up his hands gesturing quotation marks. Shelves covered the library walls from floor to ceiling laden with books. In many areas, scenic paintings and display cases filled with antiques replaced shelving. With interest, Nick examined each piece noting the authenticity of them. As he approached the final display case, an audible intake of breath echoed throughout the room. A small, silver and gold shield used for display purposes rested inside the case and etched on it was the Brabant family crest. A million unanswered questions invaded his mind. Taking long strides he quickly exited the library and headed towards Nat and Schanke. "Any witnesses?" Pulling out his notepad, Schanke flipped a few papers. "No witnesses, but Ruth, Edna, and Mary called it in." He signaled towards the three old women talking to the uniforms. "They were coming over for their weekly bridge match, but found the body instead." Nick glanced at the body and caught the glimpse of a necklace around her neck. At that moment, he fell to his knees clutching his head. Intense pain like hundreds of needles piercing skin permeated his head and with the pain came the memories......... _______________________________________________________________________ Through the roaring wind and crying sky, Nick roughly dug his heels into the sides of his horse, demanding it to canter faster. He was desperate to find shelter before the oncoming sunrise. As the black sky turned to dark blue, Nick caught the aroma of a smoldering fire. He turned his horse in hopes of finding shelter. Just as the sun's arms were about to reach over the mountains, brightening anything in their path, he was rewarded by the site of a home nestled in a cliff, against a small glade. Before he could knock on the door, a man wearing leather knickers and a linen shirt, opened it, "come inside quickly," he said and shut the door as abruptly as it was opened. Nick's first instincts were to get away from the windows, but relaxed as he noticed the closed curtains. Even though they weren't thick, they sufficiently blocked the sun's rays. The house was sparingly furnished, yet comfortable. In front of the hearth, a small, rectangular, wooden table flanked by two chairs was set for a meal. Nick noticed the man closely watching him. Their eyes met. Nick felt hazel orbs burrow deep within his soul, studying him. He turned away suddenly, unable to hold his gaze and finding himself looking at a woman attending a pot of stew cooking in the hearth. She wore a linen blouse and a long, navy woolen skirt. Nick noticed the heart shaped pendent nestled between her breasts. She looked up at the man with an unspoken question. The man nodded at her. "Katherine, fetch one of the jugs from the cellar and attend to your quilt." The harmonious beats of the mortal's hearts sounded like a symphony in Nick's ears. Immediately, he regretted not having fed before his unexpected journey. In a reassuring tone, more for himself then the couple, Nick said, "Thank you for allowing me entrance. Once the sun sets, I'll be on my way." He extended his hand in a friendly manner. "I'm Nicholas de Brabant." The man firmly grasped it for a hardy handshake, gestured towards the table and replied, "My name is Thomas. Sit and eat. You are hungry." "Thank you, but I will be fine." As the man filled his wooden bowl with stew, he spoke bluntly. "Your sustenance will be brought shortly." While Thomas sat and began eating, Katherine returned with a two liter sized jug in her hand. After placing it on the table, she left the room through an opposite door from whence she came. Fascinated, Nick watched him uncorked the jug and pour the thick red liquid it contained into a ceramic mug. His nostrils instantly flared from the scent of fresh blood. Thomas set the mug down in front of Nick and continued with his meal. "Once I learn of your intentions, you are free to go." Nick looked back at Thomas and was afraid for the first time in his vampiric years. What he saw was the eyes of the man sitting before him glowing red, but what he felt was power....... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "You ok Knight? You don't look so good." "I'm fine," Nick snapped and briskly walked away towards the three women, leaving Schanke trailing behind and Natalie looking at him worriedly. Because of Nick's reaction, she knew there was something more to the woman's death then it seemed. Walking across the living room, the partners approached the women. "I'm detective Knight and this is detective Schanke. Do you know anyone that would want to harm Miss Marcel?" "You think Margaret was murdered?" Ruth replied astonished. "She was loved by everyone she met." "She would baby-sit the Johnson's' children in emergencies," Mary chimed in. "And walk the Berman's dog. Why would someone want to kill a nice old lady like Margaret?" Edna continued. "Under the circumstances, it is unclear of how she died. We are going to do everything in our power to figure it out." Nick said reassuringly. Once the women were away from hearing range, Schanke eyed Nick skeptically. "All the evidence points to a natural death. What are you not telling me?" "I've got a feeling on this one Schank, trust me," then hypnotically suggested, "Why don't you question the neighbors and I'll notify the next of kin." With an unknown feeling of urgency, Nick swiftly maneuvered through the crime scene, only to be stopped by Natalie at the front door. "What is going on Nick?!" He brushed by her, "I'll tell you later," then launched himself into the sky as he heard Natalie yell his name into the night. End of part 1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading my story. Comments are always appreciated. Korasia@cloud9.net See part 1 for disclaimers "Old Friends and New Beginnings" Part 2/3 C 1999 By Korasia Making sure the address was correct, Nick entered the tall apartment building. As he rode the elevator to the nineteenth floor, he concentrated on any signals of a vampire's presence. He had come here alone to make sure he wasn't going to have an unexpected meeting with another vampire. After his memories had returned, he felt a distinct vibration of a vampire. He didn't know why he hadn't felt it previously, but was certain Margaret's murder was connected to it and her relatives would be in danger. Even though he felt no presence he was surprised who answered the door. "Nick!" Kate beamed. "This is a nice surprise, please come in." Closing the door behind him she motioned towards the couch then walked to the kitchen. "Where is Nat? Is she coming upstairs?" Nick quickly surveyed his surroundings making sure they were alone while confirming his senses. In the living room, a braided, light-blue, yellow and green rug covered the wooden floor. A nineteen inch television and VCR on a rolling cart faced a beige couch, while a variety of paintings, drawings and photographs decorated the cream colored walls. Most of the empty tabletops were covered with papers, books and other objects, but each was placed in a meticulous pile giving the apartment an overall tidy feeling. "I was just about to have a drink, would you care for a glass?" Kate asked as she grabbed an unmarked green wine bottle from the refrigerator and smiled at him. Startled, Nick asked, "Where did you get that?" "Relatives in Europe make it from an old family recipe." She opened the bottle and poured him a glass. Nick caught the faintest aroma of blood mixed with the wine as the liquid poured into the glass. He looked quizzically at her and was sure she wasn't aware on its contents. As he took the glass from her hand, he saw Thomas' hazel eyes peering at him. He knew why Kate seemed so familiar the first time he met her.......... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nick hesitantly reached for the mug offered to him and drank. As the cool liquid slid down the back of his throat, intense pain engulfed him. He fell to the floor grasping his stomach in pain and screamed. Soon, feelings of his life and family overwhelmed him. Nick experienced his life as a mortal as if for the first time. He felt the love he shared with his family and the joys he felt growing up with renewed intensity. For once in his vampiric existence, he felt at peace. He looked up at Thomas surprised. "Many have perished with the first drop on their tongue," Thomas stated as a matter of fact. "It's produced by a holy ceremony and it lets your true desires surface. Now that I know your kind heart, let me properly introduce you to my wife." Without a call to her name, Katherine appeared before him. He grasped her hand in a loving caress to ease her tension then gestured towards their guest. "This is Nicholas de Brabant. He will be staying for the day." Thomas stood and let his wife take his place at the table. "How is this possible? Your heart beats, you eat food, but you are not human?" "I'm neither a vampire, nor am I human. It has taken me thousands of years to cross a bridge from vampiric life into human life and live in both worlds." "How?" Nick asked with earnest. For years he embraced his vampire nature, and thought he enjoyed the power it gave him and the companionship that Lacriox and Janette provided, but as time passed he realized he didn't want his life to continue as a vampire. As a result, he suddenly left the village near dawn in hopes of gaining distance between himself and Lacriox. Thomas regretfully walked to Nick and placed a steady hand on his shoulder. He let the ancient vampiric part within him surface as he captured Nick's gaze, taking hold of his conscious. "I'm sorry Nicholas, but you can not remember ever being here. Sleep." As Thomas's hypnotic voice commanded, Nick slumped in his chair, asleep. He easily picked Nick up and carried him into the bedroom like a child. "Rest my friend. Perhaps your questions will be answered when we meet again." "He was different from the others," Katherine noted. "Yes he is, but his heart is still conflicted. You saw what the blood did to him. In time, he may be able to learn, but for now, the risk is too great. The others would come........." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hellooooo, Niiiick, anybody in there?" Kate said as she waved her hand in front of his face. "Kate" he said in a sad tone, "I'm here from metro homicide. Margaret is dead." He brought the cup to his lips and expected the pain he remembered. Instead, he felt feelings of kindness and love through the brief images of Natalie that the small percentage of blood in the wine evoked. The glass that Kate held shattered as it hit the kitchen floor, splattering the red wine that it once contained. She shook her head in disbelief and whispered, "no". Slumping to the ground, Kate covered her now teary face and cried. After her sobs slowly subsided, she stood and looked at him, with strength she didn't know she had. "I... I need to see the body. Please." Nick thought about it for a minute and decided it wouldn't be a problem. "Would you mind driving? I umm, was in a rush to get here so I didn't take my car." Grabbing her coat from the front closet, Kate looked at him befuddled. "You were in a rush to get here, so you didn't take your car.... Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" She asked to make sure she heard correctly, but noticed Nick's meaningful glare. "I don't think I want to know." She chuckled while locking her apartment door. * * * Without looking up, Nat picked up the set of keys on her desk, extended her arm and addressed Nick. "I used your spare key to drive the caddy back. You know Nick, one of these days someone is going to notice when you take off like that. And what's going on that you had to hyp...." She abruptly stopped speaking when she looked up at Nick and noticed he wasn't alone. "Kate?" "Hi Natalie. Its nice seeing you again although the circumstances could be better." Realizing the reason for Kate's visit, Nat's expression turned from surprise to sympathy. "I'm sorry about your grandmother." "Actually, Margaret was my great grandmother. She looks a lot younger for her age." Remembering their first encounter, Kate winked at Natalie. "She also has poor circulation like I do." "That would explain the difficulties with determining her time of death." Nat replied as she wrote down a few notes. "We found a pot of tea freshly brewed and a half a sandwich in the kitchen indicating a time of death to be shortly before we arrived, but her body temperature was as though she had died a day before." Natalie guided her towards the cold storage area to allow Kate a final word with her loved one. Leaning over the table and head bowed, Kate squeezed Margaret's hand for the last time and spoke quietly. "She didn't die of natural causes. Even though she was over a hundred years old, she was in perfect health." She looked up at them with new tears falling down her face. "Why do you think she didn't die naturally?" Nick asked as they left the storage area. "Because...." Kate trailed off when she thought of the only possible answer to Margaret's death. Nick watched and listened to her attentively. He heard an increase in heart rate when she stopped midway through her sentence and noticed the look of acknowledgment then fear in her eyes. "What is it Kate? Who could have done this?" "Its 'Them', but...." She trailed off, looking at the floor and then raised her head. "Can we go somewhere to talk? This might take some time to explain. How about a bite to eat? My treat. Its the least I can do for you both." Once the restaurant was mentioned, Nick saw the gleam in Nat's eyes knowing that she will probably make him eat something, but also agreed that going to the restaurant was the best plan. He hoped he could choke down a few bites in order to see the smile it brought to Natalie's face. They pulled up in front of a late night Chinese restaurant fifteen minutes later. Kate really wanted to repay Nick and Nat for their help with her injured leg. After settling into the booth that was in a secluded section of the restaurant, they ordered their food. "So... where to start explaining. Do you want the long version or the short version?" "Does the long version include a flashback?" Nat asked. "Yeah." "Hmm, how about the short version. Its bad enough that Nick zones out," Nat mused, rolling her eyes and giving Nick a nudge with her elbow while Nick feigned innocence. "Ok," Kate giggled, giving Natalie a knowing look. At first, she was reluctant because most people never believed her, but for some reason she knew it was important for them to hear her story. She cleared her throat and began her tale..... "During the holidays, my great grandmother would always tell the family about the importance of love, faith and hope. Her pendant represented all of these because of how it came to be. She would tell us a story about a being that lived isolated from the world. He lived during the night and roamed the earth for centuries until he met his heart. He fell in love with a women and through his love for her, and her love for him, he was able to live in the light again. With the birth of their first child, he gave a heart shaped pendent to his wife telling her that she owned his heart.... " As she finished her tale, she noticed Natalie, with a questioning expression, look at Nick for answers. "The pendant has been passed onto the next generation for centuries to a special family member. I know this sounds like a romance novel, but its true. I didn't believe it at first until the traits started showing up." "What type of traits?" Nick asked while turning his head around to look at Kate in the eye. After seeing her in her apartment and hearing her tale, he realized that Kate didn't know her ancestor, Thomas, was a vampire. "The circulation for one, I sunburn really easily, and sometimes I get feelings about people, like a premonition. I don't know if there are others because they surface as I get older. Margaret was helping me understand what they are and how to cope with them. Since everyone in the family was different, the traits were always a mystery until they become apparent and sometimes they wouldn't show up at all. Kate thought. Their conversation was interrupted when the waiter brought them their dishes. Natalie and Kate eagerly dug into the pile of food on the table while Nick simply picked at it. After a few gulps of food, Kate broke the silence with an audible sigh. "I think Margaret knew something was going to happen to her." "Why do you think that?" Nick asked. "About a month ago, she called me late one evening wanting to discuss something important. Now that I think about it, it was only a few days before I met you both............" ______________________________________________________________ As Kate was poised to knock, she heard Margaret through the open living room window. "Come in Kate. I know you are out there." Kate lowered her hand and turned the knob, opening the front door. As she closed the door behind her, Kate heard the television being switch off and her great grandmother approaching. "Hello dear! Its so nice to see you," Margaret cheerfully exclaimed as she hugged Kate. "Lets go to the kitchen and chat. I have your favorite juice and baked chocolate-chip cookies for you." "Thanks grandma," Kate replied while returning Margaret's hug. In the kitchen Kate sat on a squeaky, wooden chair and put her elbows on the smooth table surface wondering why her great grandmother was worried. "Don't worry Kate," Margaret quietly said, repeating Kate's thoughts. In silence, Kate watched her open the cabinet above the dishwasher to grab a glass, a mug, and a small plate and set them on the table. With her eyes, she followed her great grandmother's movements to the refrigerator where she took out a bottle of cranberry juice and placed it on the table. Then to the stove where she set a kettle of water to boil and the oven to remove the cookies from within. She let them remain on the counter to cool then sat down at the table with Kate. "What is wrong grandma?" Looking at her, Margaret smiled reassuringly. "Whatever happens Kate, don't be afraid." "Afraid..... afraid of what?" Kate hesitantly replied. She took one of Kate's hands into her own for a comforting squeeze. "Don't be afraid of the changes that you will see develop within you. When the time is right an old relative named Thomas will come and guide you. In the mean time, I'll be here to help, but if anything were to happen to me then you must contact a distant family friend. He is the only other person you can trust." As the teakettle started whistling she stood, walked across the kitchen then removed it from the stovetop. After pouring herself a cup a tea she returned the kettle then sat with Kate at the table. "I don't understand Grandma." She patted Kate's hands and smiled briefly at her. "You will when the time is right........" ________________________________________________________________ "I'm not sure what Margaret meant, but I'm hoping it will become clear when I contact the friend she spoke of," Kate sighed. "Do you know his name?" Nick asked. As the name began to form on Kate's lips, time seemed to slow down. Slowly, the syllables formed the words "Nicholas de Brabant" and at that moment, a glass of water sprayed all over the table that Nick had knocked over while trying to comfort Natalie who was suddenly having a hard time swallowing her dinner. They looked at one another astonished then faced Kate with blank expressions. "Uh, did I say something wrong?" End of part 2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading my story. Comments are always appreciated. Korasia@cloud9.net See part 1 for disclaimers "Old Friends and New Beginnings" Part 3/3 C 1999 By Korasia The rest of the night remained uneventful for the two detectives. Nick and Schanke were able to complete the report on Margaret as well as a few other cases they had been working on. Luckily Margaret's case was easy to finish, as there wasn't any evidence that pointed to her death as being unnatural. Nick felt guilty for being thankful for his ease, but it did make life a lot easier not having to cover up anything out of the ordinary. He sighed deeply and paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts then stood, reached for his coat and put on his sunglasses. "Sun's coming up," he chirped then briskly left. As the elevator door closed behind him, Nick placed his coat on the arm of his couch then headed for the refrigerator. He yanked the door open, grabbed a bottle, and pulled the cork out with his teeth. He studied the bottle for a second then drank deeply, emptying it. He reached for another bottle, but saw a protein shake instead. "Natalie...," he whispered longingly then feeling guilty for drinking the blood in the first place. Knowing he couldn't stomach the vile concoction right now, he slammed the refrigerator door and headed for his bedroom. Nick woke the next day with blood sweat on his brow. His dreams were full of distorted images of Thomas and the shield. Disgusted, he got out of bed and went to take a shower. As he finished dressing, he heard the lift engage. He smiled knowing that the heartbeat he heard belonged to Natalie. Entering the loft, Nat called his name. She walked to the dinning table to place her grocery bag on top then unpack it. Her heart jumped as she felt cool breath at her throat. "Hi Nat," Nick whispered in her ear. "Don't do that! You scared me half to death," Natalie scolded him as she slapped him playfully on the shoulder. Nick strolled to the refrigerator grinning then opened it. He hesitated a moment as he reached for his usual bovine preference, but opted for the protein shake instead. As he drank the shake he noticed Natalie's approving smile in his peripheral vision. Trying to ignore his unsettled stomach, he sat down at the table with Nat and watched her unpack her lunch. "The tox reports came back and nothing out of the ordinary was found. Since forensics wasn't able to find anything, Margaret officially died of natural causes, but I did do a blood volume count and it confirmed what we suspected although I am not sure why she didn't have any scars." After washing down a bite full of tuna salad with a long drink of cold cola, Nat double checked the time on her watch to make sure they had plenty of time before work. Knowing Nick wouldn't be able to use work as an excuse to avoid answering she asked seriously, "Nick, why does Kate's family history seemingly include a vampire and how do they know you?" He hated involving Natalie into vampire affairs, but Nick also knew she, like himself, was connected personally to the case. Nat deserved to know what little information he could tell her. Nick stood, walked over to the fireplace, and stared at its dancing flames. After a minute he sat on his couch and gestured to Natalie suggesting that she join him. Once she was settled he began to tell her about his newly returned memories. "Incredible" She whispered, thinking about the impact they would have on Nick. Her toned lightened, giving evidence to her excitement, "Is Thomas still alive? Maybe he knows how to cure you." "I don't know," Nick simply stated. * * * As Kate drove home from work, her thoughts drifted to Margaret and their conversation prior to her death. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes then slowly fell down her cheeks. She parked her car in her usual space and headed for the elevator. Kate laughed out loud at her own pun. She was glad her thoughts about Nick lightened her mood She unlocked her apartment door, opened it and was glad to be home. Kate exhaled deeply as she kicked off her shoes, sat down on her couch and switched on the television. Once her daily routine was in effect, her body responded automatically. Like a mechanical robot, she went to the bathroom to freshen up then to the kitchen for a snack, and finally to the living room to plop down on the couch again. Her mind was elsewhere for the moment, making her unaware of the open balcony glass doors and the figure in the shadows watching her. * * * "What are you going to tell Kate?" Nat asked concerned. "I'm not sure yet. From what I gather, she doesn't know who Thomas really is and her relatives don't want her to know right now. I'm not even sure what's going to happen to Kate since I've never heard of anything remotely similar." Nick sighed. "All we can do right now is let nature take its course." He was interrupted as the phone rang. He picked it up. "Knight" "Hi Nick. This is Kate. I was wondering if you gave what Margaret said any thought and was hoping that you could clarify it for me." As Nick was about to answer, he heard a growl through the phone then Kate's scream abruptly stop by the sound of the phone being disconnected. He quickly replaced the receiver and opened the shutters. It only took a moment to decide to go outside despite the rays of the setting sun still in the sky. He knew that the vampire responsible for Margaret's death was in Kate's apartment now. Nick only hoped he was fast enough to reach her. * * * Sitting on her couch, Kate reached over the cushions for her phone. As it dialed, she got up to put a new 'Forbidden Kind' video into the VCR. "Hi Nick, this is Kate. I was wondering if you gave what Margaret said any thought and was hoping that you could clarify it for me." She turned to sit on the couch but saw a tall man with glowing yellow eyes and bared fangs approach her. Kate screamed as loud as her lungs would let her and tried to run. She didn't realize she was still clutching the phone and as a result, the cord was yanked out of the wall socket. She started for the front door, but was instantly blocked by the vampire. Instead, she ran to her bedroom and locked the door. Just as she heard the 'click' of the lock falling into place, the door was ripped from its hinges and tossed aside. The vampire continued to slowly walk towards Kate. Trembling, Kate slowly walked backwards until her back was against the far wall. Unknowingly, the only thing that prevented the vampire from further pursuing Kate, was the cross hanging on the wall above her head. Even though she wasn't religious, she had hung it there because Margaret insisted. "Come here my precious," the vampire intoned. Kate felt a slight tug on her conscious, but remained where she was. The vampire growled in anger while his eyes changed from yellow to red. In a blur of motion he grabbed her wrist and forcefully pulled her away from the wall, which caused Kate to stumble through the broken door into the living room. With his long arms, he grabbed her around her midsection and lifted her off the ground, effectively immobilizing her. As she struggled violently against her captor, she felt strange. Her vision suddenly turned red. * * * As Nick landed on the balcony, he was preparing himself for an encounter with an ancient vampire older then three thousand, but when he entered Kate's apartment, he saw her kneeling next to a staked vampire, crying. In a moment, Nick realized the vibration was emanating from Kate. Nick quickly knelt besides Kate and placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "I don't know if I'm happy or sad," Kate whispered. "I finally understand what Margaret was trying to tell me. I'm a descendent of a vampire and this encounter has awaked the vampiric part in me." She turned her head around to look up at Nick. "You knew him, didn't you?" Nick nodded. "We can talk about it at the loft, but for now, we need to clean up and take care of the body." After straightening out her apartment with Nick's help, she packed a few of her belongings. The last thing she wanted to do was spend another night here after her encounter with the vampire. She noticed Nick looking at her with one raised brow. "I'll stay at Margaret's house for a while." She set her belongings aside and moved to help Nick place the body outside. "The sun will take care of the body. By morning, nothing but ashes will remain," Nick stated. Making sure she had what she needed, Kate checked her apartment once over then strapped on her backpack and grabbed her jacket and keys. Giving Nick a knowing look she smiled and said, "I better drive." * * * Nat worriedly paced around Nick's loft. She tensed when she heard the lift engage, but relaxed when she saw Nick and Kate exit the lift smiling. "What happened?" Nat asked. After setting her backpack down and hanging her jacket, she joined Nat on the couch and began telling her about the vampire. She was happy knowing she could confide in Natalie about her vampiric past. On her way over to the loft, Nick told her about how he and Natalie met and that she has been helping him since. Before he could join Kate and Nat, he dialed the precinct. "Schank, I think I'm coming down with something," Nick coughed to prove his point, "I'm taking tonight off and let the captain know." "Sure Knight. Just make sure you feed Natalie some chicken soup. See you tomorrow. Hasta la bye-bye." As he asked Schanke what he meant, he realized he was talking to a dial tone. He hung up the phone and went to sit on the couch. Before he could ask Natalie, she answered his question. She smiled. "I called in sick about five minutes ago." Nick sighed inwardly knowing how much Schanke will be pestering him about his relationship with Natalie tomorrow. An audible grumble emanating from Nick's stomach demanded attention. He stood and walked to the kitchen. While pouring himself a glass he offered something to drink to Nat and Kate. He drank the contents in one long swallow then refilled his glass before placing the bottle back into the fridge. As he was about to sit on the couch, the buzzer on the intercom startled everyone. When he saw who was standing outside, he immediately unlocked the door. The gears of the elevator stopped as the passenger reached his destination. When the sliding door opened, the man entered the loft. He gave Nick a friendly swat on the back and smiled. "Good to see you again old friend." With a broad smile on his face he walked to Natalie, grasped her hand, kissed it and bowed. "An honor Dr. Lambert." He then turned towards Kate and gave her a tight embrace. "Kate." "You apparently know all of us, but who are you?" Kate asked, skeptical. He bellowed with laughter. "I'm here to help you. My name is Thomas" End ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading my story. Comments are always appreciated. Korasia@cloud9.net