Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 11:36:10 -0400 (EDT) From: Korasia To: fkarchiver@fkfanfic.com Subject: new addition, thanks The usual disclaimer applies to the characters of Forever Knight. They are owned by The Powers That Be and I'm simply borrowing them for a little while. The non-FK character, Kate, is mine. Please be nice to her. Authors note: I never thought I would be writing a fic, but here is my first attempt! Its a bit of a NN story and contains an element of cheese. Sorry, I can't help it 8 -) I hope someone finds this entertaining. Send me blessings or curses to: korasia@cloud9.net I also want to thank A. McMullen and Juan Chacon for their help with editing this story. Archival permission granted for Mel's great fiction site. Everyone else please ask. "This night didn't turn out so bad after all " c March 1999 by Korasia Chilly wind caught her straight, brown, shoulder-length hair as she exited the convenience store. She had impatiently waited for a new employee at the store to ring- up her items: seedless-red grapes, wheat crackers and cranberry juice. The perfect snack to accompany her favorite television show. "Why is it when you're in a rush, something always gets in your way, and when you aren't nothing does," she muttered to no one in particular. Walking briskly towards her car, she glanced at her watch and realized she only had ten minutes until it started. Knowing that today was her favorite episode, she pressed onward, practically running. She looked into the depths of her burgundy bag groping for her keys, trying to optimize her time. '-- Now is not the time to loose them, --' she thought, paying little attention to her surroundings. Nick inwardly cringed when he heard what movie Nat wanted to rent tonight: Interview with a Vampire. He hated the memories of LaCroix and his past that Lestat's treatment of Louis evoked, but thinking of being close to Nat quickly outweighed his discomfort. Nick pocketed his cell phone and was about to get into the caddy when someone crashed into him. "Aaaahhheeeii," was the only sound she could vocalize as she staggered backwards, juggled her bag and finally tripping over her own feet. '-- Oow, who put a pole in the middle of the sidewalk? --' Nick turned around to see a young woman wearing a short, black, woolen coat with a fur collar and jeans sprawled on the cold, cement sidewalk with the contents of her bag spilled on the ground. He looked at her with furrowed brows in thought for a moment and felt as though he had met her before and yet he knew she was a total stranger. "Are you alright?" Leaning on the palm of her hand she sat up, groaned and realized what happened. "I'm so sorry Mr.!" she bellowed distractedly while gathering her things from the sidewalk. "I was in a rush to get home and looking for my keys in my bag and wasn't paying attention," she said so rapidly that Nick had a hard time understanding her, even with his vampiric hearing. Nick offered her his hand. "It's quite alright and you have nothing to be sorry about. I'm Nick Knight." She looked up at him, grateful for his concern and reached for his hand. '-- Good going... run over a cute guy and make an ass out of yourself. --'. "Kate... My name is Kate." Nick unconsciously licked his lips when he saw the blood ooze out of a deep gash in her leg. Her heartbeat pounded in his ears and her sweet scented blood beckoned him, promising ecstasy. His fangs ached to descend while his eyes danced between gold and blue. Kate noticed the intense look on Nick's face and suddenly felt the burning sensation in her leg. Wincing, she inspected it and sighed. '-- Oh great, further embarrass yourself by bleeding everywhere. I guess this means I'll miss FK. At least programming changed so I'll be able to watch Forbidden Kind tomorrow--' Kate smiled at her thought, but was brought back to her present state as a shot of pain traveled up her leg. Quickly, she grabbed some tissues from her bag and applied them to her wound. Once he realized how much medical attention she needed, the cop in Nick took over. He thought of Nat and dialed his loft. "I'm either in bed or incommunicado, leave a message.., beep. Nat, its Nick... pick up." "Nick? Is there something wrong?" "Sorry Nat we will have to postpone the movie tonight. Can you come to 333 Main Street? There is a young women here who needs medical attention." Nat sighed in frustration. "Be right there," and hung up the phone. Another night spoiled. Last time it was a case he was working on, before that it was Schanke needing a favor, before that it was the community, before that she had an emergency. "It'll be another month before we both have the night off," Nat grumbled as the lift's door closed. "A doctor will be by shortly to take a look at that wound. She is a close friend of mine." Kate immediately froze upon hearing of a doctor's visit. "No!" Kate spat a little too forcefully. "I mean its ok. Look the bleeding has stopped. I'm fine really." Trying to convince Nick, she stood, but collapsed from pain into him. "Maybe its a bit worse then I thought," she moaned. Ten minutes had passed when Natalie pulled up in front of Nick's caddy. Nick walked over and opened the door for her. "She was adamant about not receiving medical help, until she tried to stand." Nat regarded him questioningly, but Nick simply shrugged. "What happened?" Nat inquired while approaching Kate. "I wasn't watching were I was going and bumped into Nick, stumbled and fell on top of some broken glass. I can be such a klutz sometimes. I'm so sorry for bothering you both." Kate replied sheepishly. "Kate, this is Natalie. Nat this is Kate," Nick smiled as he made introductions. Nat knelt down to examine Kate's leg and slowly removed the wad of tissues to see blood flow freely from a deep cut. "I hope these aren't your favorite pair of jeans Kate, since I'm going to need to cut the fabric away from the wound. You might require a few stitches and I want to make sure I clean the wound carefully. There might be shards of glass embedded in your leg as well. Do you want to call your parents and tell them?" As Kate burst into a fit of giggles, Nick and Nat looked at each other dumbfounded. "I'm sorry, but I can't help myself sometimes. I still find peoples regard to my youthful face amusing. I'm 24, which is older then you expected, yes?" "I guess you can never tell how old people really are, right Nick?" Nat replied winking at him. "Its ok doctor. Don't feel embarrassed." "Please, my friends call me Nat." While squeezing Kate's hand reassuringly, she felt something unexpected. Her hand was cold, very cold, and almost as cold as Nick's. Nat thought for a moment, "I'm going to get my medical bag from the car. Be back in a minute," and motioned Nick to follow her. As they turned towards the car, Kate rolled her eyes. '-- Its always the doctors that notice--' "Nat?" "Nick, her hand is cold and I don't mean chilly from the weather cold. In fact, she does look a little pale. Are you not telling me something?" "If she was a vampire, I would have sensed her presence and besides, I can hear her heartbeat." Trusting Nick, Nat nodded, grabbed her medical bag and returned to her patient. "About my cold touch.... Its poor circulation... runs in the family," Kate stated frankly. Natalie hesitated for a moment and looked at Kate. "Isn't that what you were thinking?" "How... how did you know?" Kate grinned. "Most people don't notice, but the doctors always do. I hope I didn't startle you too much." Nat gave her a reassuring smile, relaxed, and tended to the task at hand. Once the fabric was carefully removed, she cleaned it thoroughly. "It's not so bad actually. Three stitches should do the trick." Kate leaned back and let Natalie work on her leg. She was surprised how painful it was at first, but she hardly felt it anymore. '-- At least one family trait was good for something. --' Watching the people before her, she realized how much she liked both of them. She knew they could be trusted. It had been awhile since she met a doctor that was kind, considerate, and respected her privacy. '-- And what is it about Nick that feels so familiar? --' After packing her bag with the excess gauze and other medical supplies, Natalie stood, helped Kate up and handed Kate her phone number. "A little swelling is normal, but if the wound is very sensitive to the touch, please give me a call. I'll have to make sure there isn't an infection. Oh, and try to keep it dry." "Will you be alright getting home?" Nick inquired. Kate started to speak as she turned to face Nick, but stopped once she caught sight of his blue eyes. '-- A kind soul struggling with a heavy burden. --' She grasped his hand for a hand shake, but instead held it tenderly, leaned in close, and whispered to Nick, "Don't let your dark burden conceal your kind soul. Natalie's love will help. Do not be afraid." After quickly speaking to Nick she faced both of them and smiled. "Thanks for everything. If you ever need a favor, please ask. " Waving good-bye, she turned to slowly hobble to her car, leaving Nick speechless and Natalie watching whatever color he had on his face, drain. Kate buttoned up her coat against the cold wind and felt a bulge in her inner breast pocket. Expecting to find some old candy wrappers and other scraps of paper, she reached inside to find her keys then laughed. She tossed them up, caught them and glanced back at the couple she just met smiling. "This night didn't turn out so bad after all!" ----------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading my story. Comments always appreciated. korasia@cloud9.net