Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 17:59:41 -0500 From: Robbi Egersdorf Hey guys: I got another one going. This time I'm gonna start sending it out before it's all written. This one has Schanke in it and happens sometime after Be My Valentine and Before Black Buddha (of course!). I have wanted to write Schanke for some time now, but haven't felt confident enough to do it. Well either my confidence is up or my sense is down. Read and let me know. As always these characters belong to Tristar and Sony. I am just borrowing them for a time. No copyright infringement is intended. Comments, virtual roses or chocolates and requests for missed parts to egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 1 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 He loved the serenity of the wilderness. That was why he made it a point to take time at least once a year to visit this place, to commune with Nature. He needed time away from the constant beat of city life. He had taken up residence in a less populated part of town. Even so, the daily hub-bub of life constantly invaded his senses in an unnatural way. The heightened perception of hearing brought to him the triumph and despair of the people around him. At first, he had looked upon it as a way of experiencing their lives. As time had passed, the sound of life became a thing to be filtered out, ignored, or simply lived with. Yes, he had become accustomed to it after living around so many humans for so long. Even at that, there were times when it became too much and weighted a little too heavily on his mind and senses. It made him feel the desperate loneliness of his existence. Many of their experiences were not for him to ever have as his own. He had suffered and sought and worked for a cure for years, centuries even. Still he lay under the curse of his existence. Here in the quiet, so far from mortal existence, he could find some rest, some solace in the simple, gentle ways of nature. He sat high on a rock, looking down on the crystal blue of the water below. A gentle, fresh breeze blew, giving the illusion of the earth rocking under him. Tendrils of his hair blew unchecked about his face, giving the illusion of an untamed lion sitting there in the center of his kingdom. The surface of the water rippled and moved in intricate patterns that intertwined and separated in their rush to extinction. Below the surface, his sense of light and sound would be muted. On entering the water, he left one world behind, while becoming a part of another. It was easy to explore this underwater world with his small need for oxygen. The chill of the water did not give him pause as it covered the chill of his flesh. There was something about this place that made the more quiet calm places inside himself accessible. There he found a place to hide from the guilt and pain of who he was and all that he had done. As a creature of the night, his memories lay just below the surface, ready to be awakened by any slight association with everything he did, heard, and felt. One of the curses of this immortal life of his was the clarity of memory. The death and long parade of years with its experiences both pleasant and painful were too easily recalled, too easily triggered. There was no merciful forgetting, no blunting of the memory over time. Things that happened centuries ago, were as vivid as yesterday's events. He leaned back his head and attempted to find a pleasant memory while gazing up through the water at the stars. He thumbed through the memories of lives and loves past. Rising back out of the water, he reached the rock above where he had left his towel. Laying in his swimming trunks, he "sunned" himself by the light of the moon. His ivory skin seemed to glow in the reflected sunlight, sunlight that was diluted sufficiently so it was not a danger to his vampire constitution. He lay in the wilderness, far separated from the human population, yet they still dominated his consciousness. * * * 1888, Aboard a steamship, heading from London to America. He stood at the railing, gazing at the green water of the ocean and the light of the moon shining back from its surface. He had left his master and Janette behind in London. He was having more and more difficulty stomaching Lacroix's amoral attitude towards human life. Then there was his resentments of Nicholas' attempts to have any relationships or even dealing with mortals. "Mortals die. What does it matter when or how," Lacroix's words echoed through his mind. How many times had he heard those very words used by his master in an attempt to rationalize the killing. There would never be words to make the killing of an innocent acceptable to him. His thoughts were pulled back to the ship's deck with a hand on his shoulder . "Are you on your way to Boston?" came a rich resonant voice from behind him, that was unmistakably feminine. He turned to face the questioner and was greeted by the sight of a slight blond with her hair fastened up in the back. Stray locks were whipping about in the sea breeze. She was warmly clad in an ivy green traveling dress. The woman looked to be in her mid-twenties, yet her bearing carried the burden of maturity beyond her years. There was a hint of sadness behind the expressive smile that graced her full, sensual lips. The set of her jaw bespoke a strong resolve that comes through facing life's adversities. Her sheer beauty took his breath away and Nicholas was unable to reply to this woman's question for a moment. Self-consciously, she looked down at the deck. It was then that Nicholas realized he had been staring. "Excuse me my manners. I did not mean to stare." He smiled and a total change came over her countenance. She repeated the question, "Are you traveling to Boston, kind Sir?" "That is my destination." He tore his eyes from her visage and turned back to the ocean. "Have you been there before?" He turned to her, just as a toss of the waves and movement of the ship caused a loud creak to rip from the structure of the vessel. It startled the woman, frightening her into his arms. He encircled her automatically with a fear she would fall over the railing. He could hear her heart quicken. He laughed, "Whoa. There is nothing to be frightened of." Pushing herself from his embrace, she replied, "I just can't seem to get used to that sound." She gave a nervous laugh and folded her arms in front of her. She stepped back, further widening the distance between them. "Nicholas deBrabant at your service." He gave a slight bow. She relaxed some at the familiar use of manners. "Catherine Sedgewood." She held out her hand to him. He took the offered member and placed a soft, lingering kiss on the back of her pale hand. Slowly he pulled the scent of her warm, living blood into his lungs. Her special perfume was delicate and intoxicating to the vampire . Sensing he was toying too near the edge, he abruptly released her hand and backed away until he was up against the rail. Nick returned once again to the twentieth century. He could still taste her fragrance on his tongue after more than a century had passed. He shook his head in an effort to rid himself of the memory. He could do nothing for her now. He had passed up his chance so long ago. Now it was lost to him forever. end part 1 Robbi Knightie Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 2a By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 Nick stood up from the towel he had been stretched out on and began to dress . He caught the dancing beam of a flashlight out of the corner of his eye as he bent to pull on his jeans. Quickly he gathered all his things and stepped into the bushes. "Nick, Nick. Where are you?" The course voice of his partner came to Nick's ears. A half-smile graced Nick's lips and he rolled his eyes. "Nick, come on buddy, help a guy out will ya?" Nick watched and listened quietly from his hiding place as the source of the light neared him. Schanke started to walk across the rock where moments earlier Knight had been lying. He showed no sign of stopping. Instantly, Nick was there, physically restraining Don Schanke from taking another step. "Don't do that, Knight. You almost gave me a heart attack. Whew." He held his hand to his chest and could feel the pounding of his heart as it threatened to escape its confinement. "I wouldn't keep going, if I were you." Nick whispered low and deadly. The frantic pounding of Don's heart echoed in the vampire's ears. Schanke shined the light in front of him and there was nothing but dead air. As the beam of the flashlight lowered to the water below, the realization of what he had been about to do hit him like a sledgehammer between the eyes . He wavered and would have fallen over the edge if Nick had not still held him steady. Slowly, Schanke sank to the ground as his knees grew weak under him. "Man, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man. I could have walked right off into oblivion." He rested his head in a hand. "You shouldn't go walking around here in the dark if you don't know where you're going," Nick whispered again, with a smile. He sat down by his partner who was just catching his breath. "What are you doing up here, anyway?" Schanke took the hand from his face and leaned out over the precipice. "I could have... " "But you didn't." There was no reaction to his words. "Schanke!" Nick shouted as he grabbed Schanke by the shoulders. "You're all right. Now, why did you come up here?" "Nick, honest, I wouldn't have come up here if Captain Cohen wouldn't have insisted." "Schank, it's okay. What does she want?" They both stood and Nick led the way to his camp. "You wouldn't believe it. The precinct has turned into a zoo since you left . Half the roster is out sick, flu or something, and there's been a fifty percent increase in the homicide calls. I'm tellin' you, every time you go on vacation, I get jinxed. Next time you go somewhere, promise me you'll take me with you." Nick laughed at his partner as he began to stow his gear. He had set up camp in an easily accessible cave. It had been convenient to hang a drape over the entrance during the day to shut out the sun's rays. The shelter was one of the reasons he had picked this location, the other being the incredible view. "How did you find me?" Nick asked as he rolled up his sleeping bag. "Natalie. I bribed Natalie into telling me where to find you. Said you gave her directions in case of emergencies. I tried to raise you on your cellular, but you were out of the service area." By this time, Nick had all of his supplies and equipment packed into his hiking pack. After strapping the pack onto his back, all that remained was a heavy shoulder bag which he handed to Schanke. "You carry this. Let's go ." "What ya got in here, lead weights?" Nick picked up the kerosene lamp and made one last check of the cave. Satisfied he had everything, he headed out into the open air. "Whatever you do, don't drop it. You'll a real tough time getting the stains out of your clothes." Schanke lumbered after Nick, trying hard to balance his flashlight and the bag. There were no mishaps and they arrived back at their cars in just under 45 minutes. Schanke leaned his back up against the caddy after carefully placing his burden on the seat. "Whew, that was some workout." He looked up to see his partner and noticed that Nick didn't appear to have worked up a sweat in the least. "How come you're so cool?" "It's called staying in shape, Schank. I'm surprised Myra hasn't let you know about that concept." "Don't be smart. Of course she has. If I were to exercise, I would be too wore out to do my job. Gotta save my energy, be ever alert and ready." "Yeah, sure." Nick pulled off the pack and lay it on his back seat. He climbed into the caddy and yelled out the window, "See ya back at the station." Schanke stood there watching his partner's taillights disappear. The homicide detective was stunned at the suddenness of his partner's departure. Don couldn't believe Nick hadn't argued about coming back early. He had prepared several different answers on the drive up, but now wouldn't be using any of them. He threw up his hands, got in his car and followed the caddy back down to Toronto. * * * Nick had driven home, unloaded his gear, cleaned up, and headed for the precinct. He still had a couple hours' work he could get in. Nick went straight to Cohen's office, passing Schanke, who was busy writing up a report. Don saw him go by. "Howdy, _pard_ner_." Knight continued on after nodding in response to the greeting. Amanda Cohen looked up from the work on her desk. "Am I glad to see you. We'll have to play catch-up later. I need you out there, now. We just received a call. Three people were found shot to death at the the Hillcrest Motel, 2143 Lakeshore Road West at Parklawn Ave." He turned to leave. "Oh, Knight, you look good... rested." Nick turned back to the Captain and smiled. "Wish I were still on vacation. " He slapped his partner on the back as he passed him. "Come on, Schank. We've got a hot one waiting for us. No rest for the wicked." They drove up to the scene and parked. All the regular players were already present including one Dr. Natalie Lambert. She looked up from her clipboard and smiled as the two detectives entered the motel room. "Nick, I didn't think you were coming back for another week." She winked at Schanke. "You just had to tell him. What did he bribe you with?" "A girl never tells," she replied, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Never mind, I'm back now. What do we have?" Nick asked, pulling on a pair of latex gloves. "We have a triple gangland-style execution here. All three victims appear to have been bound and gagged then quickly dispatched by a single gunshot to the back of the head. I would say that they were killed where they were found according to a preliminary examination of blood spatter patterns. Looks like the two men were surprised in their sleep, judging by their dress . The woman appears to be the only one who had a chance to struggle. She pointed out the abrasions on the victim's wrists and ankles. This is the only one who was dressed. No ID on any of the bodies and no personal items. The only thing we found was a suitcase of clothes. A young uniformed officer entered the room and went to report his findings to Nick. "The dumpster out back had been set on fire recently. It's still burning. We have officers out there with fire extinguishers attempting to put out the fire before any more of the evidence is destroyed." "Thanks LeRoy. Have they found their vehicle, yet?" Leroy nodded negatively then handed the detective a clipboard for his signature. Nick signed the form while addressing Schanke. "I'll bet you the perp burned all their personals." "I'll bet you're right," Schank replied then moved off to see what else had been discovered. The dresser in the room had a vanity mirror that was smashed. He went and stood before it. "Looks like someone had some fun smashing mirrors and left us a gift." He pointed out the drops of blood that were left on the broken shards. Nick looked over to the mirror. It triggered a memory and he got a faraway look in his eyes. end part 2a Robbi Knightie Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 2b By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 1888, Aboard a steamship, heading from London to America. Nick lay in his state room on board ship, his hands laced behind his head. From the experience of numerous sea voyages, Nick knew that it would take him a few days to adjust to the roll of the sea. He had not yet had a chance to adjust. A scream split the air, then the sound of glass breaking came from the next room. It startled him out of his waking dream. Nick rushed out into the hall and pounded on the door. "Are you all right in there? Open up!" He could hear the lock click and the door slowly opened to reveal the woman, Catherine. She stood there in her nightdress, her hair dissheveled. Catherine's eyes were red and swollen from crying and her face was tear stained. The expression on her face was one of profound sorrow and touched a chord in Nicholas. He rushed into the room and searched, finding no one else. The only thing amiss in her room was the shattered hand mirror he found up against one of the walls. He picked up the frame and turned to question her . She could see the question on his tongue and turned away from him, freezing the question there forever. "I am grateful for your concern, Mr. deBrabant. As you can see, I am in no danger. Please leave." Nicholas started to argue with the woman. He could sense a great turmoil roiling inside her and the need for someone. He reached for her, but stopped his hand in midair. If he were to offer her solace before she was ready, she would not accept it and she was not ready. He was unable to do anything more than to walk back out into the foyer. When he was out of her room, she closed the door and locked it behind him. He stood there for a long time, staring at the locked door, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The mystery of the beautiful, but melancholy woman wrapped its way around his heart one more time. He had to know what drove this woman, where she had come from, and where she was going. There he would find the key to what event had occurred in her short life that had so wounded her. He walked to his door and gave the other door one last look. It was none of his business what problem this young lady faced. If that was how he really felt, why did it intrigue him so? No, he would not let it rest at that. Somehow, somewhere, against his better judgement, he would know. * * * Present day. "Earth to Nick, are you there?" Nick came back to the present to find Schanke snapping his fingers in front of his face. "Where did you go, Nick? Mars?" "I was just thinking." He looked around and found a uniformed officer had just walked in the door. "Who called it in?" He pointed out the door then continued on with his assigned task. Nick followed her point while Schanke continued to nose around inside. He found a younger woman being interviewed by a uniformed officer. Nick approached them and flashed his badge for the woman to see. "Detective Knight. I would like to ask you a few questions, ah... " He looked to the officer to supply the name. He looked at his notes and read, "Claire Minton." "Claire," The detective used his most gentle, soothing voice. The woman was obviously distressed. "How did you discover the bodies?" "Ah... I was on my way over to the ice machine to get some ice and the door was open. I'm the manager and I knew there was a group in that room. I looked in and... Oh God! There was so much blood." She folded her arms over her chest and put a hand over her mouth. Nick gave her a few minutes and gave her time to compose herself and continue. She took a deep breath and went on, "Well, you saw what it looks like in there. It was then that I called the police. It's funny, I didn't even hear the shots." She had been nervously pulling and twisting her long, red hair as she spoke. "Can we see their registration?" "Sure. Follow me. Anything you need." She turned and walked back to the office, leading the way across the parking lot. When they arrived she pulled out her registration book and opened it to the page. "There were three of them, two men and a woman from out of town, says Vancouver." Nick took out his notepad and wrote down all the information. "Did they all come in to the office, did you see all three of them? "No, just one of the men, the one who signed the register. The others stayed out in the car. It was a blue Chevy Nova, I believe. I had to go out and read the license plate. I didn't bother to look at their faces when I did. I didn't think I needed to." "That's all right. Thanks for your cooperation. We may need to get a hold of you again." She nodded and he left her there, standing behind the counter. Nick returned to the room just as Natalie was zipping the last victim into a black body bag. He went over to one of the beds where the suitcase sat and opened it. A familiar odor came to his extremely sensitive nose. "I'd have these clothes checked for the presence of cocaine. I have a feeling they're carrying quite a load. If that's true, the motive wasn't drugs or money." He turned to his partner. "Maybe the killer wasn't aware of the valuable merchandise they were passing up." "Or maybe they didn't care," Nick finished Schanke's sentence. By the time they were finished at the scene, Nick had no time to go back to the station. As it was, he barely made it into the garage with the caddy as the sun began to peek over the artificial horizon of the city. end part 2b Robbi Knightie Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 3 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 When he entered the loft, Nick made straight for the refrigerator and pulled out one of the bottles there. Pulling the cork with his teeth, he downed a good portion of its contents. "Welcome back to the real world," he spoke to the empty room that was the main living area of the loft. "Nothing like diving right in on your first day back." He turned to see Natalie step off the elevator and cross the room to him. She kept her eyes on the bottle the whole time. Nick looked at the bottle of blood in his hands, recorked it, and placed it back in the fridge. When he turned back to Natalie, he noticed the grocery bag she had been carrying. "Don't you have work to do... I mean with the case tonight and all. Schanke said the murder rate had doubled since I've been away." She had gone over to the counter and began unloading her burden. "I think Schanke exaggerated just a bit. I took a break. I had the feeling you needed me a little more than the stiffs at the morgue. Besides, they're not going anywhere." She started placing different items in the blender jar; powders, herbs, and several things he didn't recognize. "I'll probably end up working a double shift today. I've come up with a new combination for a protein shake I want you to try." He wrinkled his nose at the thought of drinking another one of her special recipes. He thought it better not to watch Natalie prepare it and went to find the remote to close the blinds. He stood and stared out the window, standing safely out of the sun's direct rays. The scenery from his window was sharpening in the strengthening light of day and he longed to bask in its life-giving warmth. He engaged the blinds then turned back to watch Natalie at her task. She was so persistent. Sometimes he wondered why she did it, why she kept at him when it seemed the object of her efforts wasn't cooperating. He smiled as she began to hum. It was a lucky twist of fate that he had been brought into her morgue, on her shift, in her city after suffering the traumatic effects of a pipe bomb explosion. What curiosity, what sheer strength and confidence in science did this woman have that allowed her to look on him without fear, but a desire to know and understand? He heard the familiar whirring of the blender as she mixed up one of her famous protein shakes. He enjoyed Natalie's company. There were times when he felt like he could tell her anything. Theirs was a comfortable kind of friendship that had been a rare and shining light in his 800 years of darkness. Yes, he would try it her way, again. She poured the milky, thick liquid into a glass she had pulled from the cupboard. Natalie approached him and held out her offering to him. "You need to quit drinking the blood all together. It's what keeps you from coming back over. Now, down the hatch with it." He took the cup from her and sniffed the contents. The look of repulsion left his face and was replaced by a smile. "This smells good. What did you do different?" "No questions, just _drink_." He put the cup to his lips and began drinking, not stopping until the contents were gone. "It's not bad, not bad at all. By jove, I believe you've got something here." They both laughed. He grabbed her up in his arms and held her. "I have a feeling this could really be it. What did you say is in this stuff?" "I didn't." Nick laughed again and pulled back to look at Natalie. "I guess it really doesn't matter, just as long as you're here to mix it for me." He pulled her close. "This is wonderful, but I've got to get back to work, I don't want to keep my patients waiting too long. They have a tendency to pile up on me. You, go get some rest and I'll see you tonight." He looked deeply into her eyes and the smile faded from his lips. She stood there, captivated between one minute and the next. He reached a hand up and placed it on her chin with his thumb resting on her lower lip. Slowly, he drew it across her mouth as a tingle ran up his arm. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensuality of the moment. Drawing her close, he softly placed his lips on hers then drew back to study her face. He could see no resistance there. A smoldering desire he had not noticed before gazed back at him from behind those deep brown eyes. He kissed her again, this time harder and more demanding in urgency and desire. He turned her against the wall and pressed his body full against hers, pinning her there. Her heartbeat quickened and she could feel a warm rush pulse through her. The strength of her desire frightened her. She had held it inside, secretly knowing that it would never happen between the two of them unless they were able to find a cure. Now her feeling threatened to escape her control. She brought her arms up and pushed against his chest, but couldn't move him. With fists, she began to pound on him to get his attention. Snapping out of whatever force that held him, he looked at Natalie with something akin to shock and confusion. Withdrawing from her, he turned to hide from this woman. "Natalie, I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from. I guess I was just so happy, I... " "That's probably it." Self-consciously, she straightened her hair and clothes. "I think I better go now." She walked quickly to the lift and pulled open the door. Pausing for one last look, she reached a finger to her lips where they still burned with the passion of the moment now passed. Nick stood, unmoved from where she had left him. She let the door slide shut then pushed the button. The motor engaged and lowered her to the ground floor. Natalie's thoughts remained in an undecipherable jumble for the rest of that day. She performed her duties automatically with a minimum of thought. When she lay her head on her pillow that morning, she was still unable to understand or even accept how she felt about what had occurred earlier that morning. end part 3 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 4 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 When Nick arrived at the station that night, there was quite a pile of files stacked on his desk. Schanke sat on his side of the work station, leaning back in his chair with one of those cat-who-ate-the-canary grins on his face . Nick stopped before reaching his desk. "What?" "Yours truly gets the dubious honor of, let's see, how did she put it? 'Give him the rundown on what's been going on around here while he's been away, having a good time.'" Nick had been glancing over the files, waiting for Schanke to finish ranting . The phone on Nick's desk rang. "Knight." He looked at Schanke. "We'll be right there." He hung up the phone with a smile on his face. "Your briefing is going to have to wait. Natalie wants to see us at the morgue." They walked in as Natalie was weighing some unnamed organ in a plastic baggie. "Glad you're here. I'll be with you in just a minute." She recorded the weight and placed the baggie in refrigeration. Natalie turned to face the pair of expectant detectives as she pushed the cooler shut with her back. Her eyes fell on Nick. She felt an uncomfortable flush creep up from her neck to color her cheeks. She looked down at the floor and walked past Nick to her desk. "What? Am I missing something here?" Schanke looked back and forth between Nick and Natalie. "Ah... Schank... it's nothing," Natalie replied. She definitely was not going to talk about this morning, certainly not with Schanke. "Yeah right, and pigs can fly." Nick lay a hand on his partner's arm. "Let it go, Schank. We're here on business, remember?" He had lain awake most of the day trying to understand what had happened with Natalie. It was almost like something else had taken over his will. "All right, but if it's something between the two of you, Myra's gonna want all the details." The dangerous look in Nick's eyes quickly put a stop to his line of questioning. Schanke put up both hands. "Okay! I surrender, but Myra won't be too happy about it." "I have a feeling you're not happy about it, either," Nick fired back at his partner. "Can we cut the chatter. I've got one too many bodies lying around, waiting for me. Can we get this done?" There was no amusement in her voice. The whole affair made her grouchy, heck she'd been working such long hours the last week and she was tired and that made her grouchier. Her caffeine level was getting low and when that happened, it made her _real_ grouchy. "I've gotta have a cup of coffee." She dropped the file she had picked up from her desk and stormed out of the room. When she arrived a few minutes later she was visibly calmer with the now full coffee cup in hand. Schanke carefully avoided the previous subject all together. "Nice scrubs you're wearing, Dr. Lambert. That shade of green becomes you." "Why thank you, Don Schanke... I think." She looked at Nick, puzzled. He just shrugged his shoulders. She went over and sat at her desk. After setting down her cup, she opened the folder and continued as if nothing had ever happened. "There were traces of ether around the mouths and in the sinuses of the male victims. There were no evident signs of struggle after the cords were tied to their hands and feet. It is plausible that this was pulled off by a single individual. As for the woman, I believe she was tied elsewhere and brought to the room where she was shot. I found fibers between the ropes and her skin. The fibers don't match the carpeting in the room. I was also able to obtain samples of skin cells from under her fingernails. No evidence of rape, but I did find contusions about the body suggesting a physical struggle before and/or after she was bound. That suitcase, forensics confirmed the clothing carried maybe half a kilo cocaine . I hear you guys got positive IDs on the fingerprints." "Two of them, anyway. They had prior narcotics convictions, a Danny Martin and Gregory Essex. The woman was clean," Schanke volunteered. "I'm afraid dental impressions aren't an option on her. Most of her oral cavity was blown away, you saw how she looked. Guess she'll have to remain a Jane Doe for now. "Whoever's out there did our jobs for us." "Come on Schanke, are you trying to say waking and shooting someone in the head is justice. We don't even know if the woman was involved in the drugs. She could be innocent." Natalie closed the file and stood from her desk. "Well, when you put it that way... " Schanke looked to Nick for some support and all that he got from him was a raised eyebrow. "Fine, guess ole Don Schanke's put his foot in his mouth once too often for one night. I'm outta here." He walked out and the door closed behind him. "What about the remains from the fire that were found when we arrived?" "I don't have anything on that, yet. The guys are still sifting through everything. Who knows if they'll find anything." She turned from him and started to pull the white sheet back from the body on the table. "Natalie, we need to talk... about this morning." Nick was nervously playing with his fingers. Natalie replaced the sheet over the cadaver. She took in a deep breath with her eyes closed and slowly exhaled. Opening her eyes, she turned to look into his eyes. They threatened to suck her under again. She couldn't afford to let her emotions control her at this time and not with a vampire. "I'll be at the loft in the morning. Is that good enough for you? By the way, did you have any more blood tonight?" He smiled. "I was a good boy. I drank the rest of your witches' brew when I got up and I feel great." Natalie felt safe in returning his smile. "Go on, get out of here." end part 4 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 5 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 He drove home that morning after his shift, exhausted both emotionally and physically. He had a hard time recalling the last time he had been so tired . He made it off the elevator to the table where he took off his jacket and holster. After unburdening himself of these, he went to the fridge. All the bottles of blood were gone. "I took the liberty of emptying them, then I made you a fresh batch of my wonder medicine," Natalie's voice sounded in his ear as she walked up behind him with a glass of the pink, milky concoction in her hand. Nick had been so tired he hadn't even realized she was there. He took the glass from her and downed the contents quickly and smiled. "Just what I needed." She returned his smile then moved away from him back to the kitchen. He leaned up against the fridge with his eyes closed. He could feel the strength spread through him, beginning at his stomach and radiating out to his limbs. When he opened his eyes, they were golden and his fangs had descended. Nick reached up and felt them with his fingers. He felt rather strangely that minute, rather like he had just fed... on blood. He fought to force down the vampire in him before he approached Natalie. She was busy cleaning up her mess and putting her supplies away in her bag. "Nat... " She jumped and spun around. Putting a hand to her chest, she sighed, "I guess my mind was elsewhere. I didn't hear you." "Nat, what is in this? What are you feeding me?" He held up the empty goblet. She couldn't let him know what she was using. The idea had hit her while reading the paper one day. It was brilliant, yet simplicity itself. At the time, she had wondered why she hadn't thought of it before. The whole success of this experiment hinged on Nick being naive as to the main ingredient she was using. "I found this ancient Chinese herbalist, my god, he must be at least 120. He was such a wrinkled and shriveled man. I asked him what he would recommend... I didn't tell him details. He would have thought I was crazy. I just told him I had someone who had a disease that made them want to drink blood. He was familiar with the condition and told me about some ancient legend... well, you don't want to hear about that. Anyway, he mixed me up this powder and gave it to me. I thought I'd see what it could do to help. You know how useful herbs have been in medicine. in fact a lot of the medicines that we use today have plant origins and were used... " Nick reached up and put a finger to her lips to stop the parade of words from her mouth that seemed to be coming faster and faster. She was speaking a little too loudly, the pitch of her voice was too high to be normal. "I get the message." Natalie was nervous about something. He dismissed it as a reaction to him frightening her or maybe it was what had happened between them the last time they were alone together. Her lips felt moist and inviting under the touch of his finger. He felt an almost overwhelming desire to sample their sweetness... Abruptly he turned away. He couldn't allow himself to get out of control as he almost did the last time. "You better go, Nat." His voice echoed in his own ears, emotionless and flat. She reached for him, her fingers closed around his arm and it was as if he had been physically shocked. The electricity ran up his arm and he closed his eyes against the desire. "What's going on?" He didn't respond to her question in fear that he would lose the tenuous hold he had on his passion. "Nick? Talk to me." He replied in a bare whisper, "Unless you want to see me out of control, _leave_." His words were soft, yet they vibrated into her very soul, triggering a shiver of excitement that ran through her. She was torn between a desire to stay and sample the danger of his mood or run for her life. She did neither . "I'll see you tonight." Releasing his arm, she walked slowly to the door , her shoes punctuating each step. When she was gone, he turned to watch the door. How he wanted to have her, to feel her in his arms. He needed to feel the heat of her body, the beat of her heart. He needed to taste her passion and her fear that ran in her blood. Nick had to fight the urge to go after her, to take her. "This isn't right! " He decided the best thing for him to do was to get some rest. After taking a cool, relaxing shower, he slipped into his black pajamas. Sliding between the smooth black silk sheets on his bed, he drew some comfort from the cool fabric. It had a soothing effect on him and he was lulled to sleep almost immediately. Natalie didn't feel safe until she was in her car and on her way home. His words repeated in her mind with such force, he could have been sitting beside her, whispering them in her ear, "Unless you want to see me out of control... see me out of control... out of control... " Shaking her head, and taking a deep breath did little to calm her. She had never seen him out of control in all the time they had known each other. She had only seen him with tight rein on the vampiric passion that raged inside him. Even when it seemed he had lost control, it was still there under it all denying the one part of him he could not _be_ -- the killer. "But, do be careful. Have you never considered the possibility that Nicholas' so-called 'condition' is the very quality in him that you adore." The words replaced Nick's and were spoken in her mind by Lacroix's voice. She had heard him on numerous occasions during his Nightcrawler monologues, but she couldn't remember where she had heard him speak those specific words . Where had she heard them? Maybe these mysterious words were true, at least partly. The thought of Nick being different, being immortal, somehow excited her in many different ways. He excited her curiosity and desire to know the unknown. He excited the woman in her with the knowledge that they would be playing with fire to make love. She had held everything back from Nick and longed to give it to him, to give her whole total self to him. The thought of death or a life of darkness wiped away all her thoughts of becoming intimate with him. There it was again, that wall that stood between the two of them -- the vampire. No. Vampires are fascinating creatures in and of themselves. That was what she felt. Natalie would have to be content to live out her days with Nick by her side as a mortal man and she was now beginning to believe that it could really be happening. For some reason, that was a very frightening prospect to her. There was just one pesky little problem, somehow her wonder medicine acted as a strong aphrodisiac on Nick relatively soon after ingestion. So far, it had not been that big of a problem. It might even clear up after a while. It was definitely something that bore watching. What was it her Pharmacology teacher had said, "All medications have side effects; it's just a matter of balancing that against the positive effects, are they worth enduring the negative for?" So far, the answer was a resounding _yes_. She really hadn't really lied to Nick earlier about the ingredients, she had just omitted one important fact. She _had_ gone to the Chinese herbalist and he _had_ given her the powder, but there was still her secret ingredient that he could never know about. She had closed the curtains in her bedroom, making it dark as midnight. Natalie lay her head on her pillow, sinking into her soft sheets. She reached an arm over to the opposite side of her double bed and wished with all her heart, that there could be someone to fill the emptiness. Not just any someone, but one certain someone. end part 5 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 6 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 "Man! I hate cases like this!" Schanke threw down the pile of papers he had been sifting through. Nick looked from his computer screen and smiled. "I thought you liked the 'research' part of our job. I mean, you do it so excellently. You should be homicide research detective of the year." "Cut the crap, Knight. I've looked through so much information I'm getting blisters on my corneas and we still haven't positively IDed our Jane Doe. That partial driver's license they pulled out of the fire matched, but it doesn't match. She could be the Helena Woodrow the license belongs to or she might not be. The description on the license matched close, but what if it isn't her? There are no fingerprints to go on. She hadn't lived at the address listed for sometime now and there wasn't enough of a face left for anyone who knew her to identify her." Schanke had been pacing back and forth between the adjoining desks that made up the partners' work station. Nick stood and pulled on his jacket. "You sound like your stomach is doing most of the talking. Let's go get something to eat. I'm buying." Schanke stopped his manic pacing dead and stared open mouthed at his partner . This was the partner who had not bought him a mean in all the time they had spent together as a team! "And will the good detective be joining me in a little repast?" Schanke asked with his best formal tone of voice. Nick clapped him on the shoulders. "I think I could manage to eat a little something with you." A wide smile lit Don's face and Nick returned it. Schanke snagged his coat and followed Knight out the back door to the caddy. The partners stopped at Schanke's favorite souvalaki stand. They ordered three orders, one with no garlic for Nick. Sitting in the caddy, they ate from the to-go boxes in order to be near the radio. Schanke dug right into his food while Nick sat and looked at his. Nick had a desire to eat something and it did smell good, even with the garlic he could smell from Schanke's food. "Come on, partner, you're really in for a treat." Schanke encouraged Nick with his mouth full. "I wish I had some catsup." Nick looked at Schank who was just about to take another bite. "I'll get some for you." Schanke was halfway out the door before Nick called him back. "Never mind, I'll eat it like this." He had kept up with the protein shakes Natalie had been feeding him. Over a week and a half had passed since returning from vacation and he hadn't taken any blood in all that time. He had had a craving for blood that never seemed to die, but he could drink Natalie's creation and it would somehow sate his hunger enough that he could resist. Now he was beginning to have a desire for regular food. Nick was a little excited and a little scared. If he could eat this food and enjoy it, it might mean he was on his way to a cure. A cure. He had felt it was possible on so many occasions, just to have his hopes dashed on the cruel rocks of reality. He was a little leery of getting his hopes up too high. Nick was also just a little afraid to believe that maybe this could be it. It always hurt so badly every time his dreams came crashing down around him. He raised the souvlaki to his mouth. Closing his eyes, he took a bite. Nick slowly chewed the food as he savored the taste. He opened his eyes in surprise and looked over to Schanke. "You're right, this is great!" He said with his mouth full. "Delicious." Nick wore the biggest grin on his face as he took a second bite. He had been afraid to tell Natalie about the craving for food that had been growing over the past few days. Nick had to be sure first. He could see her poo-pooing the notion as wishful thinking and caution him not to get his hopes up. Now he had something solid to share with his cohort. As for the aphrodisiac effect of the concoction, even though the feelings weren't intensifying, they weren't diminishing. He had found it easier to control himself if he was alone when he drank his meals. It was a small price to pay for the potential he had to gain, to be able to walk out of the darkness and back into the light. Nick finished all of his single order about the same time as Schanke finished his two. Nick turned to his partner. "Now that your stomach has been fed, I'll bet you can think more clearly, clearly enough to be able to discuss this case properly." Nick continued, starting with the known facts, "Okay, let's go over what we know. We know the three victims, well at least the male victims, signed into the motel using assumed names. We have yet to determine if Sally Winfield was the woman's name or if it was Helena Woodrow from the driver's license, or neither. The vehicle was registered to Gregory Essex, one of the victims and it hasn't been found. The men were heavy into drug trafficking, but the woman had no priors," Nick recounted, "I think we need to talk to someone who knew Gregory Essex and Danny Martin. If we could just find someone who knew them well enough to be able to tell us what woman they were hanging out with at the time." "81 kilo, 81 kilo, respond." The radio in the caddy blared, snapping them out of their pondering. Nick reached for the mic. "This is 81 kilo responding." "81 kilo, proceed to the Lakeside Industrial Park. We believe the car from the Hillcrest Motel slayings has been found." "81 kilo, out." Nick replaced the mic in its holder. "There's your car. Maybe it'll give us a few answers." They dumped their garbage in the waste receptacle and headed for the park. A blue Chevy Nova was just being lifted out of the water when they pulled up . The water gushed from the windows and made a trail as the huge crane swung the vehicle over to solid ground and lowered it to the pavement. Schanke approached the car. "That's it all right. The license plate matches the one the motel manager gave us." He peered into the window, careful not to touch anything. Even after nearly two weeks below the surface of the lake, there was still a possibility he could spoil evidence. The level of cloudy water in the vehicle was steadily lowering as it leaked out at his feet. There was really nothing to see, only various articles of debris floating on the water and a thin layer of silt left behind on everything as the water receded. "The lab boys are gonna have a party with this one." "Let's hope they can get something usable." Nick's voice sounded from behind him as he walked around to the back of the car. The trunk had been pried open and the lid flopped up to reveal nothing more than more articles of garbage floating on the water. "At least there are no more bodies," Nick stated, relieved at the news. "You thought we might find someone else?" Nick thought back to the smashed mirror they had found in the motel room. "I believe our killer is a suicide risk as much as a risk to kill again." Nick looked his partner in the eye. "Where do you get that notion? We don't even have a motive at this point." "Call it a hunch, Schank." Nick got a faraway look as his thoughts went back over 100 years ago. * * * 1888, Aboard a steamship, heading from London to America. Nicholas stood at the rail of the ship as he often did. Now that he had become accustomed to the roll of the sea, he quite enjoyed it. The rocking motion had a soothing effect on him and great powers to assist him into temporary forgetfulness of his present regrets and self-recriminations. His enhanced sight could see dolphins playing in the distance jumping and cavorting with each other. How he longed to feel such freedom from his cares and worries. He would always be a prisoner of a lifestyle he abhorred. With this voyage, he was leaving his warden behind him in London. They would be united again at some future date, he had no doubts about it. When he saw Lacroix again, it would be too soon for Nicholas. He did miss his lovely Janette. When he had last left her, she was greatly distressed at the illness of their master. She had said he had been poisoned and Lacroix had said it was by the blood of a barber. Lacroix had asked Nicholas to make sure the barber was dead. "Let him suffer, Janette," he had said, "I'm leaving for America tomorrow night." Then he had turned his back on the both of them, refusing to fulfill his master's request to finish the job. Nicholas had gone to the alleyway behind the barber's shop and seen the man lying there, but had not deigned to take his life. "Why won't he leave me alone? Why won't he allow me to live my life?" He shouted to the sea and the wind, pounding on the railing with clenched fists . Closing his eyes, he allowed the wind to wash over him and cleanse him of his frustrations and anger. As he stood there, facing out at sea, listening to the wind and the waves, the faint sound of crying and praying came to his sensitive ears. The sound was so piteous, so profoundly desperate, that he could not help but be drawn to its origin. He moved to the stern of the ship and witnessed Catherine standing at the rail, her head tilted towards the sky, her eyes closed in the attitude of fervent prayer. She was so heartwrenchingly beautiful as she stood there in the moonlight. He caught the last snatches of her words, "... I commend my soul into thy hands, amen." Then she began to climb over the railing. He was there at her side in an instant, restraining her from throwing herself into the sea. She struggled to be free of his hold. "Please, sir. I am not worthy to live. Let the sea take my life." She cried mournfully as her struggles abated and she slumped against him, broken and sobbing. He swept her up in his strong embrace and her arms went around his neck, clinging to him, the only stable and steady influence in the raging storm that had become her life. Nicholas took her to her room and lay her on the bed. "Don't leave." She begged in barely a whisper as he tried to disentangle himself from her. He nodded and gently removed her shoes from her feet and placed her under the covers. He then removed his own shoes and sat on the bed next to her. Gently, he stroked her soft hair with one hand and held her hand with the other. Nicholas sat there through the night, riding the torrents of her emotions until, spent, she slept in his arms. "Sleep, now, sweet angel. I will watch over your dreams." He whispered to her then placed a gentle kiss on her brow as he marveled at the peaceful expression Catherine wore in the throes of sleep when only moments before, her features had been contorted with such pain and torment. * * * Present day: Nick turned to the officer who had come up behind him and talked with him for a while, giving further instructions and getting information. "I believe we're done here, Schanke. Laferty gave me the name and address of the woman who reported it. end part 6 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 7 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 The address Laferty had given Nick was in one of the poorer neighborhoods of Toronto. The house itself was pretty rundown and there was no vehicle parked out front. The lights were on in the house so they approached the house and Nick knocked on the door. A woman in her mid twenties with short mousy brown hair answered the door. Nick flashed his badge at her. "Metro Homicide. I'm Detective Knight and this is Detective Schanke. We would like to ask you a few questions about the car you reported in the lake." "Sure." Her voice was quiet and unsure. She wore a sweater which she kept pulled about her with one hand. When the other hand wasn't on the door, she was hugging herself. Her eyes kept darting from the detectives to the floor . She moved aside to let the officers in and then closed the door behind them. "Ms. Osborne, how did you know the car was in the lake?" Schanke started the questions as he pulled out his notepad and began to write. "Well... I was driving, must have been about ten days ago, looking for an address." She put a hand up to her neck as she spoke. There was a tremor in her voice. "I guess I got lost and ended up by the lake." "You guess you got lost?" Schanke broke in. "Either you got lost or you didn't." "I got lost," she said firmly. She turned away from the detectives and walked over to a shelf and started fingering a portrait of a young woman, probably a graduation picture. The clean, shiny face shown with all the promise and dreams of youth. "Go on." Schanke prompted as his partner stood silently watching the non- verbal messages this woman was conveying. She turned back to face the men. "That's when I saw someone drive the car into the lake." "Why did it take you so long to report it?" "I thought for sure someone else would report it. I kept watching the papers." At this point, Nick stepped forward and pulled a picture from his breast pocket and handed it to the woman. It was a blow up of the photo from Helena Woodrow's license. He handed it to the woman who grasped it at the bottom right corner. "Have you seen this woman?" She studied the photo then handed it back to Nick, who took it carefully by the edges. "It was dark and I didn't see the woman's face." "So it was a woman?" Schanke picked up the questioning again. "Yes. That's all I could tell. A woman drove the car into the lake and walked away." She folded her arms in front of her again and hugged herself. "I don't know anything else, officers. I can't help you anymore." She reached up to brush a stray strand of hair out off her face and behind an ear. "Thanks, Ms. Osborne. I think we've got what we need. We'll be in touch if we have any more questions." Schanke started to protest. There were a few things he still wanted to ask this woman. She had actually seen their killer. Nick gave him a look that said "Let's go." Schanke let out a sigh and acquiesed to Nick's lead. "Thank you, Ms. Osborne." When they were back in the caddy, Nick carefully placed the picture in an envelope and labelled it. "She's not telling us everything. She's just too nervous." "I agree with you, Schanke." "You do? You do." Schanke was overwhelmed. It wasn't often Nick agreed with him. Nick handed the envelope to Schanke. "A fingerprint sample. We can compare it to the ones lifted at the scene. I don't think we'll find a match, though. She doesn't come across as being capable of such brutality." When they arrived at Natalie's lab, Nick greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. Schanke got a twinkle in his eye and raised an eyebrow. "Don't say it," Natalie wagged a cautionary finger at the detective. "Don't worry." He raised his hands in surrender. "The topic is taboo. Won't mention it." Then he winked at Nick. Nick was the first to turn the conversation to the business at hand. He pulled out the evidence envelope that contained the photo. "Fingerprint sample from one Megan Osborne. She's the one who informed us where the car was. There's a good thumbprint on the front and maybe more on the back, if they didn't get smudged. If you can, get this to forensics and have them lift any latents they might find to compare with those found at the murder scene." She took the packet and set it on the counter. "I finally got my partner here, to try some of that souvlaki I've been telling him about for so long and he liked it." Natalie stood there, stunned. Dazed was a better word for what she felt. It had now been twelve days since she had started him on the regimen of protein shakes with the protein supplied by a dehydrated blood product. She had hypothesized that Nick's system would accept that protein it recognized and needed for nourishment ie -- blood protein. She had been slowly decreasing the amount of powdered blood and replacing it with protein from other sources. So far, he had shown no side effects other then the sexual arousal and no further uncontrollable desire to take blood from any other sources. Natalie had now reached the point where she was mixing the proteins half and half. Now Nick had voluntarily eaten real food. She turned to Nick. "You ate souvalaki?" He smiled and nodded his head, confirming what she had hoped would eventually occur. It was happening much quicker than she had imagined it would. Eating was a small step and Nick had reached that point before, but it was progress nonetheless. She mentally cautioned herself not to get her hopes up too high. This could just be another failure. She laughed aloud and threw her arms around Nick. "Now you're going to have to take me out to dinner." She looked into his dark blue eyes. "Let me think about it." She raised an eyebrow. "I'll get back to you tomorrow, I promise." She looked deeply into his eyes and was ready to be swallowed up in them, those eyes that had seen the world grow and evolve for nearly 800 years. Schanke loudly cleared his throat. Nick and Natalie looked at Schanke and realized where they were and what they were about to do. Natalie blushed profusely and they both looked around rather embarrassed. They backed away from each other. Natalie self-consciously adjusted her scrubs. "Well, that's all I have, if you don't have anything for us." Nick looked from the floor to Natalie. "Ah, no. Nothing on the car, yet. The lab boys are working on that as we speak." Nick braved planting a kiss on Natalie's cheek before he and Schanke left the Coroner's Building. "I can't wait to tell Myra!" "Schank!" Nick's tone was sharp with an implied warning. "Don't worry. Not a word to Natalie. I got it." An irritated tone laced Schanke's statement. "What, do you think I have a death wish?" They exited the building. Nick clapped Schanke on the shoulder. "What do you say we see if we can knock off early tonight. I think you're suffering from toasted brain syndrome. We both are. We'll be able to come at this fresh tomorrow. What do ya say?" "I'm with you, buddy." end part 7 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 8 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 Nick and Schanke both begged off that night and Captain Cohen hadn't seen anything wrong with their going home a little early. Since this case had broke, they had been putting in a lot of extra hours. When the detectives had first come to her precinct, she was skeptical of their skills, regardless of what the records said. She had to see the results for herself to be convinced. Now a little OT didn't bother her, she knew it would all pay off in the end. She watched the receding backs of her star homicide team, laughing and joking on their way out the door. She smiled as she thought about how well they had been working together as partners lately. Maybe Nick Knight had finally matured enough as an officer to truely understand the meaning of "partner". She knew this was only his second year with a partner. Previously, he had demanded to work alone and Captain Stonetree had allowed it until he found a way to ease Nick into a situation where he would have to accept someone. At first, it was only at the end of his shift that they had worked together with Schanke being on the day shift and Nick on the night. Slowly, Schanke began pulling more and more OT and before Nick realized what happened, he had a full-time partner. When they had been transferred to her precinct, Stonetree had warned her how hard it would be to keep the pair working together. Mostly, it was Nick who had a tendency to run off and do his "Lone Wolf" thing. She had noted a tendency for the two to exhibit the behaviors of a couple that was married as they settled more into their relationship, but that had passed quickly and she had been very grateful for it. She had had to take a constant vigilance to assure they worked together, but it had been worth it. This detective duo had the highest ratio of solved cases of all the homicide teams in Toronto. She turned and went back to her desk and the work that waited her there. * * * Nick stepped off the lift into his apartment. After ridding himself of his jacket and gun, he sank into a chair. He had been working extra the past couple of weeks and could feel the fatigue deep in his bones. He lay back his head and closed his eyes, relishing the delicious sensations of his body as he unwound. Something stirred about him and he jerked awake. He opened his eyes to see Lacroix sitting on the couch. Nick sighed, "What are you doing here?" "Can't a friend come to visit in times of trouble without being suspect?" Nick stood and paced away from the couch. Lacroix followed, stopping just behind Nick to whisper in his ear, "You may believe you are slowly slipping through my fingers. You are sadly mistaken. The more you are convinced of your 'freedom', the tighter my grip will become. Not a threat, really; just the truth." Nick spun around to face his tormentor to find the room absolutely empty. Lacroix would never change, regardless of whether Nick ever found the cure for this curse that was his life. The master vampire would always be there to speak doom to all his hopes and dreams. * * * Both Nick and Schanke arrived simultaneously on Natalie's "doorstep" bright and early the next night. They were eager for any news forensics might have been able to glean from the car. "I've been waiting to see you guys. I've got lots of news," Natalie greeted them as they walked through the door. She had been busy looking at some slides under the microscope. After writing something on the clipboard, she turned to face the pair. "My, don't you two look rested. I wish I felt that good." She walked past Nick, to her desk and picked up the folder laying there and handed it to Nick who opened it and began to peruse its contents. "They were able to lift some pretty good prints from the car by using SPR, small particle reagents, to develop the latents. Isn't modern technology wonderful? They found prints of two of the victims -- the men, inside the car. Strangely, prints from our Jane Doe were missing. That in itself doesn't mean a whole lot until you consider none of her prints were in the motel room, either. Remember those fibers I found under the ropes she was tied with? They were of the same type and color as the carpeting from the floor and trunk of the car." "Man, this is getting stranger by the minute!" Schanke burst out as he crossed the room to stand. "Wait, there's more. They found another set of prints in the car and on the trunk. These prints just happen to match a set of prints that were found at the murder scene and hadn't been eliminated as belonging to staff. It's a good bet they belong to our killer." Nick pulled out the sheet that displayed the prints, their only real link to the killer along with the blood that had been left behind on the shattered mirror. "How about the picture I brought by this morning? Were they able to lift any good prints?" "Yes, the thumbprint was perfect, but no match to any of the other prints. "Damn!" Schank swore, "That lets her off the hook, our only promising lead. " "She'll still be useful to us, I just have this feeling. She's connected somehow." "Maybe you're right, partner. I'll see you at the station. I've got doughnuts to meet, or is that eat, and reports to write. Hasta la bye bye." Schanke waved as he walked out the door. "I'll catch up with you in a little bit." "So Nick, have you eaten anything since last night?" "No. I think I better take it easy on the food. I was rather uncomfortable all day." He rubbed his stomach, feeling the ghost of activity where none had been for centuries. "You should expect some strange sensations as the parts of you that have been lying around dormant, start to wake up." She went to the fridge, removed a tray of specimen tubes and set them on the counter. "Yeah, I guess you're right." There was something in his tone of voice that caught her attention. She stopped looking through the tubes and turned to look Nick in the eye. "You're not having second thoughts about this, are you?" "You know I want this cure, Nat." He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Yes, I know. You still didn't answer my question. Are you having second thoughts?" Nick looked down at his hands as he fidgeted with them. "Lacroix came to see me after I got home this morning." "Ah, that is what this is about, Lacroix. What did he have to say?" She leaned up against the counter and folded her arms in front of her. He looked into her eyes. "Essentially, he said I would never be free of him . The more I slipped away, the stronger his hold would be." Natalie raised an eyebrow. "Exactly what I'd expect him to say." She walked towards Nick and stopped when she came face-to-face with him. "You don't have to listen to him. We can win this this time. We _will_ win." Her voice was tinged with fear. There were times Nick got the distinct impression Natalie Lambert was acting like she had a lot more to lose then a medical experiment, a lot more than losing a friend. Maybe they had started out with a platonic relationship, but it had grown and developed into a warm, companionable friendship, then into love. He still carried the memory of Valentine's Day with him while her's lay buried from her consciousness. He had been ever so careful to stay at arm's length from her since then, but the effect of these protein shakes made it difficult to ignore the growing desire he felt for her. So often in the past two weeks, he had fantasized making love to this woman in a mortal way, without the fangs and without the blood. Somehow, this was a very strong turn-on in and of itself, to do the impossible with her, to engage in a normal coupling with a woman in a way that had been denied him for centuries. He could feel the passion spread throughout his body as the warmth of it leaked into every facet of his being . He reached up and brushed a stray lock of hair out of Natalie's face. Their eyes had locked and they were moving together, unawares of the physical world around them. "The PCR results... " Grace burst into the room and looked up from the reports she carried and to the couple. She realized what she had interrupted. She had known what deep feelings these two had had for each other for a long time now. She had never been able to understand why they never did anything about it. "I'll just leave you two alone." She started to back out the door. Natalie's face flushed a crimson red. "I'll be right with you, Grace." "Uhh, I'll be leaving anyway." His eyes had not left Natalie's, even though she had been looking all around the room in discomfort. "Azure, tomorrow night. We're both off. I checked," Nick whispered. "What?" Natalie snapped back from her thoughts. "Dinner, Azure, tomorrow night. Pick you up just after dark?" Nick repeated. "Oh, dinner. Yes, tomorrow night would be great." Nick walked by Grace as he made for the door. She elbowed him as he passed. "Don't let her get away this time." Her words followed him through the rest of the night. end part 8 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 9 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 1888, Aboard a steamship, heading from London to America. Softly she stirred beside him as the tendrils of sleep fell from her consciousness. Catherine sat up with a start when she had come awake enough to realize she was not alone in her bed. Her heart raced in her chest and pounded in Nicholas' ears. He could smell the sweet scent of her blood as it rushed through her veins, calling a strong hunger to stir in him. Catherine took a deep breath and willfully tried to calm herself, but the shaking inside her would not go away. The events of the night before came crashing down on her senses, pinning her heart down and leaving a hollow, dark feeling in her chest. Tears sprang to Catherine's eyes and trailed down her cheeks. Nicholas reached up and cupped her jaw in his palm and wiped a tear with his thumb. "Why the tears? And why the mad rush to end such a beautiful life as yours?" This kind gentleman had shown her such compassion and caring for a total stranger. She suddenly had an overwhelming desire to share her sorrows with him. "I... " She turned her face away from his. It wasn't easy giving voice to her shame. "I am not worthy to live. You should have let me die," she stated, flatly. Her tone was too emotionless for Nicholas. She had shut him out again. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him. "You need to share the burden." He stared into her eyes, focusing on the steady echoes of her life's pulse. "Tell me of your sorrow." "I killed them just as surely as if I had stabbed them through the heart. They lie, cold in their graves because of a careless young girl's fancy." Her voice trailed off as her mind was lost in the events of the past. It had not been often he had the displeasure to witness such a profound sorrow in one so young. "What happened?" "I was left to tend the wee ones, my brothers and sister. They were so small and innocent. If someone had to die, why couldn't it have been me? They were so innocent," She wailed. Leaning forward, she put her head on his chest to draw from his care and concern for her. "I was only out of the house for a few short minutes." Her voice had gone flat and emotionless again. "When I returned, the house was afire. It was too late for me to enter to rescue my charges. I can still hear their screams as they died." He was so stunned by her revelation, he just sat there, unable to respond. He could have said, "It wasn't your fault," but it might not be true. She would not believe him anyway. He could have said, "Everything will be all right," but the words froze in his throat as he remembered the guilt that he had carried inside for 660 years. The words would ring hollow and meaningless over such a deep wound. Instead, he pulled her face back and lowered his lips towards hers. She met him with a boiling passion that carried with it the guilt and the energy of her short life that may not burn much longer. When he pulled back to look into her eyes, she spoke, her voice husky with desire, "Make love to me, Nicholas deBrabant." She moved to kiss him and he barred her way. * * * Nick awoke with a start, not sure what had disturbed him. He wiped his sweat-drenched forehead and looked at his hands. Instead of the deep red blood sweat that usually appeared, it was a clear light pink sweat like blood diluted with water... Could it be? Could he be making the change? Just then the banging on his door repeated itself and he heard the familiar voice of Schanke, "Wakey, wakey, wakey Nicky-boy. Time to get up. This is Schanke your partner. Do not, I repeat do not come out shooting." He chuckled to himself as he entered the living area of the loft. Nick smiled and shook his head as he sat on the edge of his bed. "I'll be down in a minute, Schank. Keep your shorts on," Nick called back. He ran a hand down his face and blinked his eyes a few times in an effort to get the sleep out of them. The clock read 10:42 am. No use putting it off any longer, he was curious as to why his partner had come to his place this time of day. He stood from the bed. Nick, still wearing his black silk pajamas, padded down the stairs in his bare feet. Halfway down the stairs he looked over and saw Schank sitting in the black leather chair, sprawled out with a leg hooked up over an arm rest. "Make yourself at home." Schanke stood up. "You're up." "Thanks to you. What do you want? If Cohen needs me to work... " "No." Schanke cut him off, "I just had something I wanted to discuss about the case. I was doing a background check on our Ms. Osborne. You said you had a feeling about her. Well, you're right... sometime, anyway. I thought I'd check her out." "Ah, Schanke appreciates my superior deductive reasoning." Nick had continued down the stairs and was about to sit on the couch. He motioned for his partner to do the same. "Don't get a swelled head, Nicky. I said you're right 'sometimes'." "Ah," Nick well understood the compliment that wasn't. "So, what did you find out?" Schanke slapped the folder with the information he had gleaned from his computer down in front of Nick. Nick reached for it and thumbed through the pages. "I need a drink. You got any of that red wine I know you keep around?" Nick looked up from the papers and smiled, "Yeah, over on the counter. Corkscrew's in the drawer." He returned to reading the report. Nick had bought a couple bottles of wine just for this sort of occasion. "Good French stuff, I see." Schanke examined the label before uncorking the bottle. "What else?" Nick didn't look up from his reading. Schank returned with two glasses, poured one and handed it to Nick who accepted it and took a sip. "Says here she has a sister, a Brenda Osborne. In '93 the sister had an 18-month-old die under suspicious circumstances. After dropping the baby at the hospital, she disappeared. Toxicology revealed massive amounts of cocaine in the little body." Nick looked to his partner who was now sitting and sipping his wine. "Exactly. Could it be possible her sister could have had something to do with the killing?" "You know Schanke, I do believe you've got something here. Run with it." He handed the papers back to his partner. "Why, thank you. Could it be that the famous Nicholas Knight is beginning to appreciate my superior deductive reasoning?" Nick looked at Schanke and began to laugh, "Now, don't you get a swelled head." They both laughed. "If you'll excuse me," Don downed the rest of the wine in his goblet, "Ahh, good stuff. It's been real, but I better get home and get some sleep. Myra probably thinks I got lost or something." Nick watched Donald Schanke walk onto the lift and give him a last wave good -bye before the door slid shut. After recorking the bottle and putting the glasses in the sink he went back up to his bedroom to try and get some more sleep before his date with Natalie. It wouldn't do for him to show up unrested. Everything had to be perfect for tonight. end part 9 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 10 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 After dressing and coming down the stairs, he went straight to the refrigerator out of habit. When he had pulled the door open, he remembered. The only occupant of the fridge was a container of the milk pink substance Natalie had made up for him. He pulled out the container and looked at it for a time then replaced it on the shelf, closing the door. He decided not to take the chance that drinking the protein shake would prove disastrous for the night he had planned. Besides, he was going out to a restaurant to eat. He smiled at the thought. How much more "normal" could you get then to go out on a date and eat dinner? It almost felt as though he had slipped on someone else's skin. It felt different inside. He was going to make it to mortality this time, he could just feel it. Throwing caution to the wind, he could not deny it any longer; he was becoming mortal. He stopped on the way to Natalie's apartment and picked her up a bouquet of flowers, a mixture of wildflowers. It wasn't the cost of the flowers that made the choice for him. Natalie knew he could afford to buy her a truckload of roses in every color of the rainbow. Nick bought Natalie wildflowers more for who he was and where he had come from. He had enjoyed living in the wild, more than any other lifestyle he had known. He loved the wildflowers for their simplicity, a simplicity that made them so much more beautiful to him than the rose. When he got to her door, she answered in the same dress she had worn to Azure when she had met Lacroix there. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, maybe he was taking too many chances that something might trigger Natalie's memory. Would she understand and be able to accept the events that occurred that night? Would she understand that he had sworn to Lacroix that he did not love her in order to protect her? How would she accept the fact that he had taken her in his arms with the "intention" of bringing her across. She would not understand that he would rather kill her than to bring her into a world of darkness. He was still plagued with nightmares of that night. He considered himself very lucky his desperate plan had worked and Lacroix had not required him to kill her. If that had happened, this life would have been over. How could he have lived with himself after killing the closest friend and confidante he had had in all his 800 years? She smiled, but he couldn't return her smile. The more he looked at her, the more nervous he became. Nick wanted to turn around and run, but a sense of honor and duty to a promise he had made her, kept him glued to the spot where he stood. His discomfort was obvious to Natalie and the smile left her face. "Are you going to stand in the hall all night?" "Oh..., no." He looked down at his hands and remembered the flowers he held . "These are for you. He held them out to her and she took them. "They're beautiful. Let me put them in some water, then, I'll be ready to go." She turned and was halfway to the kitchen when he spoke. "Nat... " She stopped dead in her tracks. "Well, here it comes. You can't do this because you don't think you're ready yet." She turned to face him, an eyebrow raised. "Am I right?" "You know, well... " "Am I right?" "Well... Yeah." She made a huffing sound. "What is there to be afraid of? Are you afraid someone will see you with me?" "No." "Are you afraid to eat again? If that's the problem, then go easy this time . You don't even have to eat." "It's not that, Nat." "If that's not it, then what is it?" He opened his mouth, but there was nothing to say. Nothing he could say. "It doesn't matter. We'll go." "Are you sure, because if there's a problem I want to know it now, not when we get out in public and you embarrass me 'cause I really hate to be embarrassed..." "It'll be fine. It's just a big step for me," he lied trying to gloss over his hesitation. He could see there was no way she would ever let him back out of this one. Nick was regretting setting it up. He should have known better in the first place. All he could do now, was to make the best of it. She stood watching, unsure of what to do next. "I know what it is, it's what happened on Valentine's Day, isn't it? I made a fool of myself and you were too much of a gentlemen to tell me." "That's not it. Quit worrying and go put those in water so we can go." He forced a smile for her. They drove through the city in silence. Nick looked at Natalie, trying to read her. She just sat, staring forward not really seeing any of the sights of the city at night. "Table for two for Nicholas Knight." "Aw, yes," the Maitre d' looked down his list. "It will just be a minute, sir. If you would like to wait at the bar, I will come and get you." They both took seats at the bar. "You're being awfully quiet, Nat." She took a sip of her drink before answering. "I was just thinking, it's a shame I don't remember the last time we were here. You didn't lie to me when you said we had a really good time, did you?" "Why would I lie? If you made a fool of yourself, I would never let you live it down." She laughed. "You wouldn't, would you?" He laughed with her, hoping that would be the end of it. Just then, they were informed their table was ready. The Maitre d' showed them to their table. "Nice to see you again, Madame." "Thank you." Nick stopped when he realized they were being led to the exact same table where he had found Natalie and Lacroix that day. He waved the Maitre d' over. "Is there any way we could get another table?" "Sorry sir, all the other tables are occupied. There is nothing I can do." Not only were they eating at the same restaurant, she was wearing the same dress and now they would be sitting at the same table. He looked down at his own clothes and realized he was generally wearing the same thing himself . He would be lucky to get through the evening without triggering her memory. Lacroix had been able to make her forget, but that knowledge was still there somewhere hidden until someone gave her the key to unlock the experience. Nick _really_ hoped he had not given her the key. There would be too much to explain that he really didn't want to talk about and he certainly didn't want to face her knowing the real danger she had been in. He wished he knew how she would react. If there was something he had learned about women in all his years, it was that the only sure thing about women was there was no sure thing. The Maitre d' pulled out the chair for Natalie and she was seated in the chair she had been seated in, facing the same direction. "Your waiter will be with you in a few minutes. Would you like something to drink while you wait?" Natalie turned to Nick, "How about some champagne? We really do have something to celebrate, don't we?" "No." His answer was abrupt. "I mean, yes we do have something to celebrate, but not with champagne. How about wine? Yes, wine would be better. I don't like the idea of bubbles in my nose." "What? You've never had champagne before, have you?" "I watch TV." "Okay, that will fine." Natalie puzzled what he had said. Why would Nick avoid champagne? "A good wine, whatever you recommend." He looked to Natalie for her approval, which she gave. "I hear the food here is exquisite," Natalie commented while they waited for the wine. Nick sat opposite her, nervously fidgeting with the silverware, with the tablecloth, and with his water glass. Finally, he overturned the waterglass and immediately sprang out of his chair and started mopping up the water with his napkin. Natalie sat calmly watching the whole spectacle. Suddenly, as she looked across the table, she could see a rather distinguished looking gentlemen standing to greet her. She could hear him say, "I'm certain Nicholas has spoken of me at some point or other... Lucien Lacroix." Nick sensed her heart rate quicken. He looked at her face and saw a faraway look in her eyes. Natalie blinked and shook her head. Her eyes lit upon the concerned look on Nicholas' face. "What did you see?" He had to know if her memory was coming back. If it was, they had to get her out of the restaurant right away. "I saw a tall, older man with a crew cut right where you are." "I don't think this night is working out at all like I planned. Nat, I'm sorry, I just can't relax and enjoy myself. If you don't mind..." "I think you're right. We should leave before this night gets any worse than it already is." Nick turned to go around the table just as a waiter walked by with a large platter of food. The two collided and Nick went sprawling along with the waiter while food went flying everywhere. There was a loud clatter of noise followed by a scream from a woman at the next table as a glop of something landed on her chest and dripped down her cleavage. Natalie squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with a hand. "Too late, " she stated matter-of-factly. "And I was afraid I was going to embarrass you." She looked down at Nick who was struggling to his feet and got a vision of him being knocked across the room. Nick caught the look of horror on Natalie's face. He turned to the server who was also struggling to his feet. "I think we need our check." "That would be an excellent idea," the waiter said as he attempted to wipe the food from his suit. He made a gesture to an approaching staff member who scurried off about some business. "He will help you." Nick surveyed the mess, then scowled. He waded out of the broken dishes and food, over to Natalie. "I haven't done this in a long time." She looked at him, puzzled. "It was before I was brought across," he whispered. "Had a little too much to drink." The other diners, who had fallen silent as they watched the events unfold were now turning back to companions, conversations and eating. Nick paid the tab which included cleaning of the waiter's suit, the lady's dress, and the spilled dinners and they left the restaurant. end part 10 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 11 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 Nick and Natalie stood outside of Azure, waiting for the caddy to be brought around. Natalie studied Nick's face carefully for any clues as to the strange turn of events that had transpired that evening. She reached up and wiped a spot of sauce from his neck and licked her finger. "Mmm, this is good. This is damn good. Those people aren't going to appreciate waiting longer for their food." She started laughing and he followed suit. "Oh, my . The look on your face!" The intensity of the laughter increased and Natalie bent over, she was laughing so hard. Nick caught his breath. "And that poor woman!" They cackled with even more intensity, if that was possible. "And that waiter... " They howled some more at the thought of their embarrassment. When the valet finally arrived with the caddy, they had calmed down considerably. "I'll take those," Natalie grabbed the keys from Nick. "I would rather not ride with you like this, you can't even walk." Nick chuckled as he walked around to the passenger side and got in, content to let Natalie drive. There still remained that nagging thought in the back of his mind. What else had she seen as she looked at him getting up from the floor? They drove to Natalie's apartment in silence, each consumed by their own thoughts. Natalie mostly by Nick's strange behavior and the weird, disjointed memories that had assailed her. After parking and turning off the engine, Natalie turned to Nick. "What the _hell_ happened tonight, Nick? Talk to me." Nick became somber. Staring out the front window of the caddy, he began. "I made a mistake. I never should have taken you back to Azure." He turned to see Natalie watching him. "What did you remember when you saw me on the floor?" Natalie looked down at her hands. "I saw Lacroix slap you and send you across the room." She looked to Nick. "I have a right to know. What happened on Valentine's Day?" "Can we talk inside?" "You're not getting out of this." Nick held up his hands. "I promise, I'll explain what I can." "All right." They entered her apartment and she turned on the lights. Sydney was immediately brushing up against her legs, meowing for attention. She reached down and picked up the gray and white cat and absently rubbed his head. "I need a drink, do you want anything?" "I better not." "Do you want me to fix you a protein shake? I'll bet you didn't eat anything tonight, did you?" "I better wait until I get home." "Right." Natalie had forgotten the one little quirk. Nick had been hiding it so well from her. She supposed that was a necessity, considering the nature of the reaction. Nick wandered around the room looking, but not seeing anything. As he was lost deep in thought. What could he tell her? He couldn't lie to her. He had to tell her something. Nick was hit by the thought that he should stay clear of anyone of the female gender. It seemed that no matter what, he didn't think clearly around them all the time and it always meant trouble. "You think I'd learn," he said aloud to no one in particular. "You think you'd learn what?" Nick spun around to see Natalie seating herself on the couch. Nick shook his head. "Oh, I was just talking to myself." "Okay." She patted the sofa next to her and Nick sat down beside her. She downed the shot of scotch she had poured for herself and shuddered as it burned on the way a path of fire to her stomach. Placing the glass on the coffee table, she turned to Nick. "I'm listening. What is it you haven't told me? And why don't I remember?" Nick hesitated, then started slowly, "Lacroix, the man with the crew cut, was there with us at Azure that night." This would be tricky. He would have to tell her enough to satisfy her curiousity, but not enough to give away what really happened. "I remember that. Go on." "We got into a fight over you. He has always worked to ruin everything when he sees I'm getting involved with someone." "Are we getting involved?" Nick reached up and caressed her cheek. "If I were to... come back across.. . Oh God, this is so hard to say." He took a deep breath and continued, "If we were to find a cure, I would want you to be... " No, he couldn't say it. To say it would be a curse to the future. As long as the thought remained unspoken, it could live on, untainted by reality. "What am I talking about? We don't even know if this is going to work." He left the couch and went to stand in front of her fireplace. He leaned on it with one hand while facing away from Natalie. He felt her hand on his arm and turned to face her. "You're so beautiful. I thought you were beautiful the day I met you. " He toyed with her hair as he thought about that night when he had awoke from the dead laying on a cold, hard stainless steel autopsy table. Nick had jumped up off the table and found a bag of blood which feed on as he watched her. She had stood there, stunned, watching him. She smiled at his words. They made her feel good. "You changed the subject on me, again. You and Lacroix were fighting? What happened then?" "For some reason, he backed down. I haven't been able to figure that one out, yet. He had a sharp stick." He laughed, "I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't left when he did." He recalled fangs so near Natalie's life pulse. The thought both repulsed and excited him at the same time. "So why don't I remember any of this? I get the distinct impression it wasn't the wine and you couldn't... " Nick shook his head. "Then Lacroix...?" He nodded. "How... " "I don't know. If I knew the answer to that, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now, would we?" "I'm glad you don't," her voice was a barely audible whisper. Her rich brown eyes seemed to shimmer as she gazed into his deep blues. Both were caught up in the moment. He pulled her gently to him and pressed his lips to hers. "So am I." And he kissed her again. He pulled out of the kiss fully aware of the strong desires he had been storing away lately. They had not gone anywhere, they were just laying in wait to be fanned into a flame that would consume the both of them. "I better go," he whispered, his voice thick with desire. He kissed her quickly, "Or I might do something we will both regret." He turned to leave and Natalie pulled him back by the lapel of his jacket. "You're feeling something, aren't you? I mean feeling some changes?" Of course she had been monitoring the physical signs of his transformations, but had no idea what was going on inside the man. He smiled at her. "I have to go." She let him go this time, unimpeded. Natalie stood there watching him walk out the door, the whole while wishing he would stay, could stay. She bit her lip to keep from calling him back all the while knowing there was something he wasn't telling her. end part 11 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 12 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 Nick got off the lift and walked over to the fridge. He had a strong desire to feed on blood right then and it wasn't for cow. He opened the fridge, knowing there would be none of what he wanted. He pulled out the jar of protein shake Natalie had made up for him and took a long drink without stopping. Nick hoped it would mute the hollowness within him that characterized his hunger. It did help some, just not enough. He had to find something to get his mind off the hunger. Nick sat down at the piano and plinked for a few minutes. Seeing that his mind wouldn't focus on the playing, he moved on to another diversion after downing more of Natalie's miracle mix. He went up onto the roof of his building and sat looking out over the city of Toronto. There was a lot of activity in the city still, but he didn't sense it like he had before. Slowly, by small degrees, his sensitive hearing was fading and he hadn't once tried flight since starting on this regimen. Yes, Natalie had been right, he was feeling the change happening. The vampire inside seemed to grow more distant daily. He just wanted to be sure about it before sharing it with her. It might be all in his imagination, wishful thinking. He turned his thoughts back to the world around him and concentrated on the sounds of the city. It all seemed so "lifeless". He had felt the loneliness before as the sounds of life went on around him, without him; now , the loneliness felt so much more stifling in the growing silence of his world. It was something akin to becoming deaf to a world you know intimately. To someone used to sampling the range of sound that he was used to, it was devastatingly isolating. Even in the solitude and silence of the wilderness, the silence still contained the beat of life. The isolation of nature was nothing to compare with the experience he was now facing as he slowly slipped from immortality. With the beat fading, it almost felt to his senses as if death were coming upon him, but his conscious mind knew better. There were many strange stirrings inside his body. He knew his heart rate was up to around once or twice a minute. He had lain awake during the day just waiting and listening for its comforting lub-dub. These were times when the loneliness was deepest and he felt a strong need to have someone close to share his life with. He now wanted a relationship akin to the one he had had with Janette, but different. He not only wanted, but needed to share his life with a mortal woman in a mortal world in the only way a mortal man could. Inevitably, his mind wandered back to Catherine and the ocean voyage they shared once, very long ago. * * * 1888, Aboard a steamship, heading from London to America. He pulled back from their kiss to look into her eyes, she spoke, her voice husky with desire, "Make love to me, Nicholas deBrabant." She moved to kiss him and he barred her way. His expression had become hard, all traces of the gentle man had disappeared . How could he explain to her that making love with him would not be the healing experience her soul needed nor the one he longed to give her? How could he make her understand that he desired nothing more than to make her forget that horrible experience and replace it with the light of his love, but he could not? His love could only bring darkness and death. Nicholas did not save Catherine from the sea just to drain the life from her. No, she deserved so much more. She deserved a long and happy life. "I'm sorry... " He wanted to say more, but the words would not come. He got up from the bed and went to the door. This time when he looked back to her, the pain showed on his face. "I'm sorry." She did not watch Nicholas go, just heard the door open and close behind him . He entered his own room and stood with his back against the door and his eyes closed. Why did he have to be a vampire? Why couldn't he just be able to give her what she wanted? Any human male could have done it, but not him . He was no longer human and subject to an entirely different set of rules. * * * Present day: The sun would be coming up soon and he decided to seek the shelter of the loft. The idea struck him that he should see just how much of the sun's rays he could tolerate now, but decided that could wait for a time. He wanted to experience his first sunrise with Natalie. He wanted to share that triumph with her because it had been her that had made it all possible. That day, as he slept, he was once again plagued by the nightmares of Valentine's Day, the achingly beautiful face of Catherine Sedgewood, and the thought of making mortal love to a woman named Natalie Lambert. end part 12 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 13 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 "Nice of you to join the living, partner." Schanke greeted Knight just arriving for his shift. Schank was exiting Cohen's office. "Seems today, there was an attempt made on Megan Osborne's life. We have her in protective custody as we speak." Nick looked at Schanke. He wasn't all that surprised by the revelation. "You were right this time. Maybe she isn't our killer, but she knew more than she's saying, like the identity of The Hillcrest Motel Murderer." "And we need to talk to her. I've got a few questions that need answering." "You read my mind, buddy." * * * Nick flashed his badge for the officer who was guarding Ms. Osborne's hospital room. She was at Scarborough General, recovering from her beating injuries. "We have a few questions we need to ask regarding another case." The officer took their names, wrote them in his logbook and allowed them entrance to Megan Osborne's room. When the duo saw her, they both stopped and looked at each other. Someone had really done a number on this lady. She had a cut and swollen lip, black eyes and various contusions and bruises about the head and shoulders. Her nose was taped and her right arm was in a cast. When she saw the detectives enter her room, she turned her head away in shame. It was as if she felt her injuries were because of some evil she had committed. "Megan, we need to ask a few more questions about the car you reported in the lake." "I remember you." She continued to stare out the window. Her voice had a swollen, packed sound to it. "I told you before, I don't know anything more ." "She has taken the lives of at least three people and today she was going to do the same to you." Nick stepped up to the bed. "Why are you protecting your sister?" Megan turned back to see the kind face of an officer of the law. She saw something in his face that told her he understood the depth of suffering she had endured. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. "I did the best I could to raise her after our parents died. She deserved better than I gave her. She's a really smart girl, graduated a year ahead of her class. She even won a scholarship to the University. She was so smart. I was never that smart." "What happened?" Nick was gentle with his tone of voice as he asked the questions that would lay the shames of this woman's family out to public display. Megan turned away from the officer who kept his hand on her shoulder. There was warmth and caring in this man's touch and she drew comfort and strength from it. "She fell into the wrong crowd, got pregnant and dropped out of school. She moved in with a bunch in the tenement housing. It was there her baby lived his short little life. He was the sweetest... " She choked with her grief and the tears started anew. "I did what I could... " "How did the baby die?" "It's not what you think." She was quite adamant. "She loved that little boy. Brenda would never hurt him. It was those other's who lived with them ." Megan's eyes flashed with anger. "Those animals got what they deserved. " Schanke, who had been watching, stepped forward and asked, "And what was that, Ms. Osborne?" She looked at him, startled, realizing what she had insinuated. Megan turned away from the detectives and ignored the question. Just then an older, heavyset nurse scurried into the room. "You gentlemen are going to have to leave. Ms. Osborne needs her rest." Nick and Schanke stood and watched the nurse go over to Megan's bed and start fluffing her pillow and straightening her linen. She stopped and turned back to the detectives. "What are you waiting for?" She had one of those brisk, sergeant-type voices that could intimidate anyone and Nick and Schanke were definitely intimidated. "Come on, let's get outta here. We can come back later for answers." Nick led the way out of the room. * * * "How are you two coming on the Hillcrest Motel case?" Amanda Cohen had just come out of her office to witness Nick and Schank returning to their desks. "We're pretty sure that it was Megan Osborne's sister, Brenda, who did the killing. She's probably the one who assaulted Megan as well." Nick settled into his chair. Captain Cohen placed the folder she had been holding onto Schanke's desk. "The crime scene report from the attack. It confirms the killer was also Megan's attacker. We matched the fingerprints with those from the Hillcrest Motel and from the car they fished out of the lake." She tied the sash on her coat. "Good work, guys. I've had a long day and I'm going home to soak my feet." "Good night, Captain," Nick said. "G'night, Cap," Don looked up from the report to see his captain leaving then back to Nick. "Okay, now that we know who-dun-it, how we gonna collar her?" "There's a few more things we need to find out, first." Nick followed in Cohen's tracks. "Nick, where are you going?" Schank shouted across the squad room. "Great! I get stuck with the paperwork while he gets all the glamour, again," he said to himself, then he started pulling out the proper forms and proceeded to get started on the mountain of paperwork that faced him. Nick got the address where Brenda Osborne had been living when her son died from the hospital records of the baby's death that were contained in the official investigation record. Megan had called it "the tenements". Nick drove up to the address and found it to be a rundown housing project. Nick went to the building marked "office" and knocked. The light was on, so he felt confident there would be someone up and ready to answer the door. An obese man with two days' growth beard and a smelly cigar sticking out between his teeth opened the door. He wore a dirty white t-shirt and a pair of jeans which his belly hung over. "What do you want?" he asked in a gruff angry tone. Nick pulled out his badge and flashed it at the man. "Detective Knight of Metro Homicide. I need to ask a few questions about some renters that you had back in '93." "What's this about?" "We have reason to believe someone's life may depend on us finding them. Can I come in?" Nick started for the door, but was blocked by the man's large arm barring his way. Nick tried to focus on the sound of the man's heartbeat. He could faintly hear its labored beat in the man's chest. Nick fixed the man's eyes, trying mesmerism. "Let me in." "I don't care if you're Mother Teresa, you don't get in unless you have a warrant." He was losing it. There was no flow that came with an attempt to hypnotize a mortal. It was gone or greatly weakened. "I'll be back." He turned and went back to the caddy, frustrated. He had a sneaking suspicion that the three people that had been killed in Hillcrest Motel, were living with Brenda Osborne in '93. There was also a strong possibility at least one more of them were alive, if not more. These were the people Brenda blamed for her baby's death and she wouldn't stop until they were all dead. Nick needed to find them before Brenda Osborne could get to them and now he had to wait for a telephone warrant to get at the records. end part 13 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 14 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 There was one more possible source to obtain the information he needed. It hadn't occurred to Nick earlier, but the reports and background information gathered in 1993 could conceivably reflect the names of Brenda's roommates. "Why didn't I think of it before?" He chided himself aloud as he put the caddy in gear and pulled away from the curb. He had been overly distracted lately, especially after the fiasco of two nights ago. Natalie, thankfully, hadn't remembered any more of her Valentine's Day dinner with Lacroix and she had been satisfied with his answers to her questions about that night. Still, he worried about it. Nick wished there was some way to reinforce her forgetting, to assure no more memories would surface in the future. He was helpless to even do what he had previously been empowered to do in that respect. There was no way to do it without going to his master for help. That was not an option at this time. Lacroix would not be his master for very much longer, if things kept going as they had been. It was all slipping away and he was becoming mortal again . That was what he had wanted, wasn't it? Of course he wanted mortality. He wanted his mortality and redemption more than he wanted life itself. Oh, he had to admit there were a lot of advantages to being a vampire -- the acute night vision, the sensitive hearing and smell, the ability to hypnotize, the superhuman strength and speed, the near invulnerability to injury, an immunity to disease and aging, and the ability to will oneself into flight. These were all desirable traits, but came at too high a price. He could not continue to pay the price of living in darkness, of drinking blood, or of being denied his love, never to have a family. He would gladly give up the positive aspects of his vampirehood to be rid of the negatives. He stopped the caddy, put it in park, and turned off the engine. It was then that Nick realized he had driven to where he could sit and think in the fresh salt air of Lake Ontario. He got out of the car and started walking along the shore with his hands in his pockets and the breeze whipping through his sandy blonde hair. All thoughts of the urgency he had felt earlier in reference to the case, were forgotten. He picked up a flat rock from the gravel at his feet and threw it in a way that it skipped several times along the surface of the water before sinking out of sight. He felt like that stone, tired of skipping along the surface of life in fear and now anxious to immerse himself in the rich diversities and pleasures of mortality. Now that the vampire was leaving, the fear was going with it. Could he dare think he would be brave enough to sink into a life of normalcy with Natalie? He sat down on his heels. looking out over the lake and tossing stones into the water. "You may believe that you are slowly slipping through my fingers . You are mistaken. The more you are convinced of your 'freedom', the tighter my grip will become." Lacroix's words resounded in his mind. He grabbed up a handful of pebbles and, after standing, pelted the lake with them. "He'll never let me be happy. Never." He brushed the dust from his hands, turned away from the water and walked back to the caddy. Nick sat on the hood of his car and stared into the darkness, a darkness that was so much more encompassing than it had ever been before. It was strange that on the eve of his transformation, the darkness he had lived with for so long would turn its back on him as well. Why couldn't he have been more accepting of who he was? He had endured all those wasted years of pain and regret; all those years of dealing with the hopes and desires of a mortal man while trapped in an immortal body. Now, by the grace of God or whatever power that watched over the Universe, those times would be behind him. The silence of the night was split by the chirping of his cellular phone. "Knight." "Nick, where have you been? We've been trying to contact you by radio." Schanke's voice came over the telephone. Nick walked around the car and saw he had forgotten to turn on his police radio. "Sorry Schanke, I just forgot to turn it on." "You're gonna love this. We got a call a few minutes ago. They found another woman bound, gagged, and shot in the back of the head just like the others. Get this, she was one of the tenants that lived with Brenda Osborne when her son died." Schanke had already had the presence of mind to check the records. He had always been the part of the team that was good at sifting through records and finding information when it was needed. Nick felt the sharp dagger of regret knife through him at the pronouncement of the murder. Instead of being preoccupied with himself, he should have been out looking for this woman. He had missed the chance of saving this woman's life while being self-absorbed. "Okay... Schanke, are there any other names on the list that haven't been murdered?" There was a pause as Schanke looked through the papers on his desk. "Yeah, there's a Stephanie Martin and a Zachary Clarkston." "I'm willing to bet money that Stephanie Martin is our Jane Doe. Let Natalie know and see if you can locate this Zachary Clarkston. He'll be the next victim. He needs to be in protective custody until we can get Brenda Osborne safely behind bars. I've gotta go." "Wait Nick. Where are you going? Nick?" Schanke was answered by the dial tone engaging after Nick hung up on him. He pulled the receiver from his ear and looked at it, thoroughly disgusted. "He's done it to me again." Hanging up the phone, he grabbed Officer Lapinsky who was just walking by. Quickly Schanke scribbled the information on a sheet of paper and handed it to the officer. "Lapinsky, do me a favor, find this man for me. I've got to go conduct a murder scene investigation.. . by myself." He threw on his coat and was out the door. end part 14 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 15 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 Nick pushed the off button on his cellular phone, hanging up on his partner. He looked to the sky. If this had been a few weeks ago, he would be flying to the hospital to see Megan Osborne as he normally did when he was in a hurry. He thought better of it. It wouldn't be a good thing for him to take off flying and end up in a freefall halfway there, or worse yet, not even get off the ground in the first place. He was used to failure when trying to hypnotize a mortal, but he was not ready to face losing his flight , yet. Nick's ability to fly was nothing special to him, he just did it. It was like breathing air or walking, what he had come to know as "normal". He got into the caddy and drove to Scarborough General. He had a difficult time getting the nurses to let him see one of their patients at such a late hour. He had to impress upon them the urgency of the situation. Megan smiled to see Detective Knight enter the room. She could still remember the caring and understanding attitude he showed her the last time he was there to see her. "How are you, Megan?" Nick went over to her bed and sat on the edge as she had beckoned him to do. She held out a hand to him and he took it in his. "I'll be all right. I'm getting help, you know." He smiled. "That's wonderful, Megan. Now we need to get help for Brenda. She needs our help desperately right now. You want to help your sister, don't you?" Megan nodded. "We need to know where to find her before we can help her. Can you help me find her?" "She told me not to tell, just like she told me not to tell about the car." "But you told anyway." Nick reached up and stroked her cheek. "Because you knew it would hurt Brenda not to tell. You knew, didn't you?" Megan nodded again. "Brenda will forgive you when she learns it was for her own good that you told me where she was." "She said she would hurt me again. She said she would kill me. I don't want to die, Detective Knight." "I won't let her hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you anymore." Megan was content with that and smiled. "She went back to live at the tenements. I told her not to go there. She could stay with me. I would take care of her again." Nick stood from her bed. "Oh, please don't go." "I need to go help Brenda now. You need to get your rest so you can get better and go home. I promise I'll come back to visit you." Nick leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled up at him. "Thank you, Megan. Brenda should be proud to have a sister like you. Now, go to sleep." She snuggled under her covers and Nick straightened her blankets then turned to leave. "Good night, Detective Knight." "Good night, Megan." Nick walked out the door. Looks like he was going to need one of those warrants for the housing project after all. He used his cellular phone to make arrangements to have the warrant waiting for him to pick up at the station before heading out to the projects. * * * This time the murder had occurred in a residential area. Schanke wasn't surprised to see a broken mirror in the entrance hall upon entering the house. Natalie looked up from the body as it lay on the couch. The TV was playing some old black and white film. "Where's Nick?" "I was able to reach him on the blower. The last thing he said to me was, "I gotta go." How do ya like that? I think he had a lead on Brenda Osborne's whereabouts. It was just too much of a hassle to treat me like I was, I don't know, his partner or something." Natalie had learned from experience, the best thing to do was just listen; so that was what she did as Schanke went on about how badly Nick treated him as a partner. She knew underneath it all, Schanke liked and even admired Nick. Nick had a bad habit of ignoring some of the protocols Schanke had been taught were necessary for survival on the streets. That kind of behavior puzzled and maybe frightened Schanke a little. She didn't blame him for being worried about Nick when he went off by himself like he often did. If she didn't know him so well, she would be worried as well. She was going to have to sit down and have a little talk with Nick before he became mortal and vulnerable. He would have to start getting used to everything that being mortal meant, like a bullet can mean injury or death, not just some minor annoyance. "Oh, Nick wanted me to tell you he had a possible ID on the Jane Doe from the Hillcrest Motel. He believes she was one Stephanie Martin." "Just a minute." Natalie pulled out a sheet from her bag and put it on her clipboard in front of the report she had been working on. "Stephanie Martin . Thanks, Schanke." She turned away from the detective and returned to examining the body. Schanke wandered around the house looking for any possible evidence with his hands in his pockets. There was less of a chance of him spoiling the crime scene that way. * * * Across town Nick arrived at the housing project and waved the warrant under the nose of the man who had refused to help him earlier. This time he was more than helpful. Nick was able to locate the apartment where Brenda lived and the key to gain entrance. After finding out that he was in the right place and before approaching the apartment, he called for back-up. Nick walked up to the door and drew his gun in anticipation of trouble. Knocking on the door, he yelled, "Police, open up." There was no response to his greeting and without his sensitive hearing, he couldn't tell if there was anyone in the house. Nick was about to unlock the door and enter when a thought crossed his mind. What if he was vulnerable to a gunshot? What if he could be as easily killed as a mortal? These were questions that he had no answer to and no way to find out the answer. It would probably have been prudent not to enter until back-up arrived, but Nick had never been known for his prudence. He made a mental note that he would have to take more care for his safety now that he was becoming vulnerable and then he entered the house. end part 15 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 16 By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 Nick approached the house where Brenda Osborne had been living. No lights were visible through the windows. Carefully, quietly he unlocked the door while standing off to the side. He winced at the click the lock made when it released. Turning the knob, he pushed the door open. Withdrawing to safety, he waited for any reactions. The only sound was that of the hinges creaking as the door moved inward. After the door stopped, there was only dead silence. Taking his flashlight in one hand and his gun in the other, he rested his wrists together and entered the door. Slowly, he advanced through the apartment using the safest technique he had learned to secure an area. Upon entering the living area he was greeted by an excess of dirty ashtrays, empty cans and clothes as well as garbage strewn about the room. There was no one in this room so he advanced into the kitchen/dining room area. Here, he could see where the disagreeable odor that had hit him at the front door had come from. His flashlight startled several rats who were eating out of dirty pans and dishes with partial meals still in them. Their squeals of surprise startled Nick. The trash can in the corner of the kitchen was full and overflowing. A shiver went through him. Silently, he moved, listening all the while for tell-tale sounds of any kind. He didn't pick up anything with his near human hearing. There was no one in this area, nor was he able to discern any recent signs of occupation. He advanced down the hall to the first door and looked in the bathroom. Dirty clothes and garbage were piled against the walls and on the floor. There was no one there either, and no one in the shower behind the curtain. Nick stepped back out into the hall and listened. He wished he could hear as well as he was accustomed to. From now on, he would have to learn to do with what was humanly possible. The next room was a bedroom. Here he found more piles of dirty clothes as well as dressers with the drawers open and clothes hanging out. He checked in the closet, under the bed and behind the curtain, no one. There was only one more room, the bedroom at the end of the hall. He walked back out into the hall. The perspiration was beading on Knight's forehead and he wiped it with the sleeve of his jacket as it had started to drip down into his eyes. As he slowly took steps towards the back bedroom, the floor creaked in protest. Nick hesitated to listen again. He still heard nothing, but silence. He entered the bedroom and as he began surveying it, he heard footsteps in the hall. Spinning around, he was hit with a blinding beam. Someone turned on the lights in the house and Nick could see he was facing a uniformed officer with his gun trained on him. He let out his breath which he had been holding and pointed his gun up at the ceiling. The officer recognized him and lowered his gun. "There are officers securing the area outside, Detective." "Thanks, Simmons," Nick replied. Two other officers had pushed past Nick and were going through the room behind him. Everyone came up empty-handed. When he was finished, Nick obtained the location of the murder scene from dispatch. He arrived after Natalie had finished and was loading her equipment to leave. "Hi, Nat." "Hello, yourself." The medical examiner stood with her hand on her car door . "Schank's awfully put out with you, taking off after the killer on your own. I have to say I'm a little put out myself, Nick. What good will it do us to succeed in regaining your mortality, if you just run out right away and get yourself killed? I mean... " Nick held up his hands in surrender. "I've been thinking about that very thing, myself." He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I'll try to be more careful. See you later?" Natalie nodded, then shook her head. She pulled her car door open. "Oh, I need another supply of your liquid gold. I'm all out." She smiled, then got in her car. Watching him, she saw him pass the guard at the entrance to the crime scene, then disappear inside the house. If he only knew what she had been doing to him... if he only knew, her little plan wouldn't be working as well as it had been. He had progressed to the point where Natalie was putting almost no blood powder into the protein shakes and Nick had been tolerating them excellently. She decided right then that the next batch she made would have no blood in it. That would be the real test. Schanke looked around just as Nick entered the house. "The great Nicholas Knight took pity on poor little ole me and decided to show up to work. Too bad the work's all done." He walked past Nick and out the door. "Schanke, wait up," Nick called after him and followed. His partner just kept on going, heading for his own car. "Look Schank, if it's the paperwork, I'll do it. I'm sorry." Schanke reached his car and spun around to meet Nick who was right on his tail. "You don't get it, do you? And Myra says I'm dense." "No, Schanke, I don't get it. Explain it to me." "You should look the word 'partner' up in the dictionary. You don't act like you know the meaning of the word. Partners stick together, look out for each other. You never give me the chance." Schanke brought up a finger and pointed it at Nick's chest. "One of these days, you're gonna run off and get yourself killed. Don't expect me to cry for you." Nick stood there, stunned. Don shook his head with a disgusted, angry look on his face. He turned his back on his partner. Getting into the car, Schanke left Nick staring at his taillights as they disappeared into the night. "I didn't realize he cared so much," Nick pronounced aloud to the night sky then headed for the caddy and to the precinct. When Nick arrived back at the station, he walked in to find Schanke at the coffee machine in animated conversation with one of the vice detectives. He stopped talking abruptly when he saw Nick approach. "I'll talk to you later ," was all that Nick caught of the exchange. Schank moved off to his desk with his full coffee cup. Nick caught up with him as Schank was pulling his chair out from the desk. "Did you ever find Zachary Clarkston?" Schanke turned to face Nick. "How many places do you think I can be at one time? Go ask Lapinsky." Then Don turned back to his desk, pulled out the forms he needed and started filling them out; summarily dismissing Nick without another word. Nick opened his mouth to speak, but thought better. He wanted to ask, "Did you want me to pass up a chance to nail the killer?" He wanted to ask, "How can I make it up to you?" but he knew with experience that Schanke wouldn't talk until he had a chance to work off his anger and frustrations. Nick longed for a time when he had been without a partner. He never had to worry about getting someone else hurt or killed. He didn't have to worry about how someone else would feel or how they would want to do things, he just did what he felt necessary for the situation. Nick had been extremely against having a partner in the beginning. Stonetree had given him no choice, but to take a partner. After Stonetree's announcement, Nick had followed his captain to his office and was greeted there by his new partner, Donald Schanke with his famous, "Howdy partner." Nick could remember asking, "Would somebody shoot me, please?" Nick smiled to himself as he looked around the squad room for Lapinsky. Actually, if he was honest with himself, it hadn't been nearly as bad as he had first imagined. Working with a partner was just a little more confining . Through the time he had spent with Donald Schanke, Nick had grown to respect and care about him as a partner and a friend. Nick really did care about how Schanke felt and what he thought. Sometimes it didn't show, sometimes Schanke got the wrong messages from Nick's behavior. All things considered, it had been a good move on Stonetrees part to pair him with Schank. "Lapinsky, did you ever find Zachary Clarkston?" he called to officer Lapinsky who was sitting at the front desk. "Oh yeah, Detective Knight. Here's the address." He handed Nick a sheet of paper with the address. "Thanks." Nick turned back to his partner. No use in putting this off any longer. He put on his biggest smile and walked over to his partner. He slapped him on the back and used his best 'everythings okay' voice, "Hey Schanke, you want to come with me to pick up Clarkston?" Slowly, Schanke turned to him. "You mean, you can't do that alone?" "Come on. Are you going to stay mad at me all night? We can pick up some lunch after bringing him back to the station. Anything you want. How about it?" Schanke hesitated again. He didn't want to seem too eager. "All right. Guess you found my price." end part 16 Robbi Knightie With Dark Tendencies Long Live the Knight egersdor@magiclink.com The Power in the Blood Part 17a By Robbi Egersdorf c 1996 Before departing the station, Nick contacted Zachary Clarkston to explain the circumstances. Schank stood by waiting as he listened to Nick's half of the conversation. "Zachary Clarkston?... This is Nick Knight of Metro Homicide. We have been investigating a case where we believe you know the killer and are more than likely the next target... Sit tight and don't answer your door. We're on our way. We want to bring you into protective custody until the suspect is safely behind bars... Brenda Osborne... Zachary, are you still there?... I understand. We'll be over in fifteen minutes or less." Nick hung up the phone and headed for the back door of the precinct. Schanke followed closely. The drive across town was in silence. There was still a tension apparent between them plus something more. It was sort of like a deadness in the air , the deadness that you feel just before some life shattering event occurs. The closer they got to the apartment building, the tighter his stomach became. Nick found himself wondering if Schanke felt it too. There was no indication Brenda would even be there. The gnawing feeling he had had at her apartment, had not gone away, but was becoming more intense. The thought he might be facing a gun for the first time it could take his life, worried at the edges of his mind. He looked at Schanke as Schanke watched the buildings of the city fly by. How did he do it? How did he face the possibility that he might die in the line of duty? Nick was suddenly jealous of his partner, the happiness he had had in his life with a loving wife and child, a job in which he was really making a difference in a lot of peoples' lives. He sure had made a big difference in Nick's life since they had become partners. Schanke had taught him a lot about what mortality really was as well as a lot about himself. They drove up in front of the apartment building and Nick stopped the car. Schank started to get out of the car then realized Nick hadn't moved so he waited. "Schank,... I just wanted to tell you... well, I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate everything you do. I really do notice, even though it doesn't seem like I do." Right that very minute it felt right and good to have his partner there with him. Schanke kind of shrugged off the compliment. It was a little uncomfortable. He was unused to such show of feelings from his partner. "Come on, Nick. Don't get soft on me now, partner. We got a job to do, now let's get to it. " "Are you expecting trouble, Knight? You haven't exactly kept me up to speed on this," Schanke asked, his hand on the front door to the apartment building. After having a few minutes to let Nick's behavior sink in, he was becomeing increasingly suspicious. Nick just raised his eyebrows and Schank understood. They both checked their guns before entering. Zachary's apartment was on the sixth floor. They rode the elevator up. The building looked like it had been posh 30-40 years ago, but now it was obvious it had seen its better days. Oh, it was clean and freshly painted, glossing over the deeper defects of age until it would eventually be condemned. They reached the door, apartment #613. Schanke reached to knock and Nick grabbed his arm. They looked at each other. "If I have to be here, I'm glad it's you backing me up. I just wanted you to know." Nick's behavior just hit Schanke as very strange. What was going on? His partner had been one of the most private persons he had ever met. Even though they had spent a lot of time together in that old beater of h