Date: Fri, 2 Apr 1999 05:31:44 -0600 From: Cindy Ingram Subject: What Goes Around, Comes Around (01/02) To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU I had hoped to get this one finished and posted yesterday, but Real Life just wouldn't cooperate. So here it is, hopefully better late than never. This story is based on the "Forever Knight" TV series to which I, alas, own absolutely none of the rights. And I have no claim to the characters of Nick, Natalie, LaCroix and Janette. I'm just grateful for the opportunity to take them out and play with them from time to time. Permission granted to archive this story on Mel's FK fanfic site and the ftp site. Hope you enjoy. ====================================== What Goes Around, Comes Around (01/02) By Cindy Ingram April 1999 ====================================== "Damn you, Nicholas!" The stake plunged into his back, and Nick fell forward as an involuntary cry of pain was wrenched from his lips. Hands braced against the floor, arms struggling to support his weight, he balanced precariously for a moment above the motionless body of Natalie Lambert. Then, with a last, gasping moan, he sank down beside her, his head falling forward onto her breast. LaCroix stood frozen, staring silently at the still forms now joined in death as they had never been in life. He drew in a deep, ragged breath. The shock was still too fresh for a stronger reaction. Or perhaps it was the only outward sign of distress he would allow himself. The sound of shattering glass filled the loft, and an instant later, Janette stood beside him, staring down at the bodies of Nicholas Knight and Natalie Lambert. "Nicolas, non!" She turned to LaCroix with anguished eyes. "What have you done?" she whispered, then inhaled sharply at his almost imperceptible flinch. Gazing again at the figures on the floor, a look of comprehension crossed her face. For someone who had known Nick as well as she had, it wasn't difficult to deduce what had taken place. Janette turned her back on the sight, moving quickly into LaCroix's embrace. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she rested her head on his chest. Though his own arms rose to enfold her, his expression remained cold and aloof, his emotions under tight control. "Forgive me, LaCroix," she entreated, her voice muffled in the folds of his jacket. "I did not mean it. I know this was not your doing. Nicolas ... he wouldn't listen to reason. It could not help but end badly." Janette fell silent, waiting, but there was no response. She pulled back slightly to gaze into LaCroix's face. He stared resolutely ahead, refusing to meet her eyes. "LaCroix ... I knew something was wrong, terribly wrong," she told him. "I came as quickly as I could, but --" She broke off, unable to continue, then struggled to regain her composure. "It will be daylight soon. You must go ... now. I will take care of things here and meet you at the Raven tonight. We can ... we can talk more then." She expected a protest and was surprised when she received none. She wasn't even certain her words had registered with him. "I'll take --" She broke off as her voice faltered, then continued. "I'll take Nicolas to the roof ... to meet the sun. Then tonight I will see that his Natalie also disappears. There will be questions, LaCroix, but they'll find no answers. I promise you." Several moments passed as the older vampire stood gazing into space. But at last, his eyes focused on hers. When he spoke, there was a strange finality to the words. "There is no need, Janette," he said quietly. "I will finish what I have started." "LaCroix, please, the sun is almost up," she protested. "If you don't leave now, you will be trapped here for the day. Nicolas will be ashes, and you will be here ... with her. You do not want that." His gaze followed hers to the still form lying next to his son's body. "Please, LaCroix," Janette pleaded. "Let me do this. For you ... and for Nicolas." She stood silently as LaCroix's somber gaze searched her face. Then, much to her surprise, he relented. With a slight nod, he took a step backwards and was gone. For several seconds, Janette stood motionless, staring up at the open skylight as if she could follow his progress through the night skies of Toronto. But a muffled sniggering that gradually increased in volume intruded on her thoughts, drawing her attention back to the bodies sprawled on the floor. "Quiet, Nicolas!" she hissed. "We must be absolutely certain he is gone!" The previously still form of her brother-turned-father stirred as he raised his head to look at her. His eyes danced with an unholy glee. "He fell for it, Janette! Can you believe it? He actually fell for it! Did you hear him? 'I will finish what I have started.' Hah! We got him! We got him good!" The sniggering dissolved into something dangerously close to a maniacal giggle. "Nicolas, please! Get hold of yourself!" Janette glared at him. "I can't help it. Do you *know* how long I've waited for this? To actually put one over on LaCroix?" He chortled gleefully. "Nicolas, I'm warning you ... if he hears us now you will ruin everything!" Blithely dismissing her concerns, Nick pushed himself upright, careful not to jar the massive stake still protruding from his back. "He's gone, Janette. Trust me. We were totally convincing, if I do say so myself. He never suspected a thing." A wicked grin crossed his face. "In fact, I -- Ow! Ow! Ow!" He broke off as the stake shifted unexpectedly and grabbed at his back, trying to steady it. Unsuccessful, he stared pathetically up at Janette, mouth open and chest heaving from his efforts. She stared back, unimpressed. "You really should be more cautious, mon amour." "Janette, please," he gasped, "you can lecture me later. Just get this thing out of me, okay?" She sighed, shaking her head, but moved to do as he asked. Circling behind him, she grasped the stake firmly with both hands, waiting until he had braced himself. Then, planting a dainty foot squarely in the small of his back, she gave a mighty tug. The stake pulled free with a horrible slurping sound, one that was all but drowned out by Nick's deafening roar of pain. He slumped forward. Ignoring the pitiful moans now wafting up from the floor, Janette headed for the kitchen. She returned to Nick's side with several bottles of blood in hand -- human blood -- and Nick wasted no time in guzzling it down. Halfway through the third, he came up for air, squeezing his eyes shut as he took several deep, shuddering breaths. "Really, Nicolas, must you be so theatrical?" He opened one eye to squint up at her. "What are you talking about?" "I *mean* don't be such a baby," she scolded. "It's not the first time you've been skewered." The other eye popped open as he regarded her with a baleful glare. She ignored it. "In fact, your whole performance tonight was over the top. I can't believe you didn't give it all away. 'My closest friend,' indeed. Hmph!" she snorted. "And that *death* scene! Quite amateurish, Nicolas." "Now wait a minute!" he protested indignantly. "There was nothing amateurish about it! You think it was easy to dodge a stake through the heart, especially when you can't even see it coming? And to do it without tipping him off? Not to mention having to make sure I didn't fall on top of Nat. I practiced that maneuver all week!" Rising to his feet, he took another swig from the bottle and wiped his mouth on his sleeve as he muttered petulantly, "I'd just like to see *you* try it." Suddenly, Nick froze, his frown deepening as something niggled at him. "Nat ... Nat!" He whirled around, falling to his knees beside the unconscious coroner, and gathered her into his arms. "Janette, get the antidote ... hurry!" When there was no response, he glanced over his shoulder to find her staring down at them, a dubious expression on her face. "Oh, Nicolas, must we? I find her so pleasant this way." "Janette!" He scowled threateningly until she responded with an exasperated sigh. "Oh, very well." Crossing to the kitchen again, she returned with a small pill. "Here." Grabbing it from her, Nick gently placed it beneath Natalie's tongue. No sooner had it dissolved, than she began to stir. "Wha ... Nick?" "Shh, Nat, it's okay." He stroked her hair tenderly. "You're going to be just fine." She stared up at him, slightly dazed, as a tiny frown creased her brow. Sluggishly, her hand rose, coming to rest on the side of her neck. She winced slightly, then stared at him in disbelief. "You bit me!" she accused. His face fell. "Well, yes, but Nat --" "I can't believe you actually *bit* me!" "Nat, don't you remember? I was *supposed* to bite you. I didn't drink from you, though. Well ... maybe a little. I couldn't help it. But your blood was so bitter, I couldn't manage more than a mouthful or two." His reassuring smile faded as he met her incensed gaze. "Bitter? My blood is *bitter*? What the heck is *that* supposed to mean? If my blood is so crummy, then why have you been mooning over my neck these last few years, huh, buster? Answer me that!" "No, no, no! Your blood isn't crummy," he assured her earnestly. "Your blood is wonderful! The best blood I've ever come across, and I've come across a lot. It was that drug Janette gave us. You remember, the one that simulates death? That's what gave it such a bitter aftertaste. That was the whole idea. To make you look dead and to keep me from getting carried away." Seconds ticked by as Natalie stared at him blankly. But just when Nick was about to give up hope, something clicked. "The drug." Nick nodded and smiled encouragingly. "The drug ... and the stake." Nick nodded harder. "The drug ... and the stake ... and ... LaCroix!" Nick beamed as Nat twisted in his arms to look wildly around the loft. "LaCroix ... where is he, Nick? What happened?" "It worked," he said proudly. "The whole thing, Nat. Everything worked just the way I said it would." Natalie finally gave up looking for phantom vampires and turned back to Nick. "You mean he really fell for it?" "Yep. Hook, line and sinker!" "I don't believe it. I thought sure he'd be able to tell you were faking." Nick grinned. "Seems to me you don't have enough faith," he teased. "I told you, Nat, thanks to that book Janette found in Europe, from now on we can shield ourselves from LaCroix whenever we want." At Nick's smug expression, Natalie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Well, excuse me for being skeptical about a book called 'Fifteen Ways to Outsmart Your Master!' " she replied acidly. "I obviously neglected to keep up with the vampire bestseller list." Janette, who had retreated to the sofa, spoke up. "The book was meant for a select audience, Natalie, not for general circulation," she explained, her tone more than slightly condescending. "It was only by sheer chance that I came across it. It was quite ... educational, I must say. Thanks to it, many of the lessons LaCroix neglected to teach us have now been revealed." Natalie turned and shot her a withering glance. "Yes, Janette, I got all that the first time you explained it, thank you very much. But to tell you the truth, I didn't think you had what it took to pull it off." Janette's eyes narrowed dangerously as she glared back at Natalie. Nick decided a distraction was needed before things got out of hand. "Hey, Nat! I almost forgot to mention, that was a really nice touch you threw in there. About Tracy dying and all. It really helped set the mood." Natalie stared at him. "Uh ... Nick. I don't know how to tell you this, but that wasn't an act. I'm afraid Tracy didn't make it." Nick looked stunned. "You mean she ... she died? She really died?" Tears welled up in his eyes, and his lower lip started to tremble. "No, no, no, Nick." Quickly throwing her arm around his shoulders, Natalie hastened to reassure him. "I was just kidding. Trying to lighten things up a bit, you know? She's fine ... really! The doctors say she'll make a complete recovery. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Nick's forlorn expression changed to one of immense relief. "That's okay, Nat." He smiled his instant forgiveness. "I'm just glad to hear she's all right." Behind Nick's back, Janette's eyes asked a silent question. Natalie answered with a barely perceptible shake of the head. In perfect accord, they turned to Nick, swiftly changing the subject before it crossed his mind to call the hospital to check on Tracy. "So, what do we do now?" Natalie asked. Nick's grin returned full force. "Now we wait until the sun goes down, then we go over to the Raven and let LaCroix in on the joke. I can hardly wait to see his face." It was Natalie's turn to be flabbergasted. "Are you insane?" she demanded. "We should catch the first plane out of here and never look back. You waltz over to the Raven and let him know what a good laugh you've had at his expense, and he'll kill you! You realize that, don't you?" Nick snorted. "Don't be silly, Nat. Oh, sure, he'll be a little pissed off at first. He'll probably throw me across the room a few times, might even shove my head through a window, but he'd never do anything permanent." Natalie stared at him in disbelief. "To you, maybe, but I'm not so indestructible. Need I remind you that I, unlike some people around here, only have one life to live, thank you very much?" Nick's expression softened, and his voice was tender as he gathered a tense Natalie into his arms. "Nat, I'd never let anyone hurt you, least of all LaCroix, don't you know that? He won't even try. He's already had a taste of what could happen if I lost you." Nuzzling her hair, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Besides, it's no fun playing an April Fool's joke on someone if he doesn't even know about it." Natalie refused to be convinced. "I still can't figure out what possessed you to do this," she said, shaking her head. "Well, it was partly for his own good," Nick reasoned. She looked at him, nonplussed. "And how do you figure that?" "He's been in such a funk since Divia died ... again. He just hasn't been himself. This is sure to snap him out of it. He'll be so furious with me he'll forget all about that mess." "Ah-hah. So this is strictly to help out LaCroix?" Natalie raised her eyebrows, and Nick nodded. "And you don't even get a teeny twinge of satisfaction from this whole thing?" "Well ... I wouldn't say that," Nick hedged. Natalie stared at him hard for several seconds but finally relented. "Oh, all right," she said, smiling faintly. "I still say I'm an idiot for letting you talk me into this in the first place. But if it makes you happy ... " Her voice trailed off, and they stood there, gazing dreamily into each other's eyes until Janette made a disgusted noise, rudely breaking the spell. They turned to look at her. "It's several hours before we can visit the Raven, n'est-ce pas?" Janette reminded them. "Just how do you propose we pass the time, hmm?" Natalie pursed her lips. "Let's see ... one bed, one couch, three people." Several beats passed as the trio exchanged looks. "So, anybody wanna play gin rummy?" ============= End Part One Comments, complaints and lavish words of praise to: "Cindy Ingram" ======================================================== My FK fiction page: http://people.mn.mediaone.net/nancykam/cific.html ======================================================== What's another word for thesaurus? ("Say good Knight, Gracie." -- G. Burns) *See Part One for disclaimers. ====================================== What Goes Around, Comes Around (02/02) By Cindy Ingram April 1999 ====================================== It was early evening when they entered the Raven. Natalie had set aside her earlier misgivings and was having quite a good time reliving the whole episode. "Honestly," she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes, "did they even *have* peaches when he was alive?" Nick and Janette dissolved into another fit of the giggles, which gradually faded away as they glanced around the dark and deserted club. "I don't think he's here," Janette said, a puzzled frown marring her face. "But you told him you'd meet him here tonight," Natalie reminded her. "Where else would he be?" "I don't know, but she's right," Nick replied. "I can't sense him anywhere." Natalie's lips curled into a smirk. "Nick, he's probably shielding himself, doncha think?" "But why would he, Nat? He thinks I'm dead, and he's expecting Janette. Why would he bother?" Natalie shrugged. "Ya got me. Why does he do *half* the things he does?" She squinted as she peered into the club's darkened interior. "I say we turn on the lights and take a look around. He's probably off brooding in the back somewhere. Unless, of course, you'd like to forget the whole thing and head for the airport?" she asked hopefully. Nick merely smiled and shook his head. Just then, the lights came on, and they turned to find Janette standing behind the bar. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked. "Let's go find him." Deciding that LaCroix would no doubt have made himself known by now had he been in any of the nearby rooms, they opted to start with the wine cellar in the back of the club and work their way up. It wasn't long before they reached the suite of rooms that served as LaCroix's living quarters. As Janette entered the main room, she gasped loudly and stopped short. Nick narrowly avoided running into her. "Non!" she cried in an anguished voice, then whirled and buried her face in Nick's chest. Alarmed, he looked first at her, then over her shoulder at the sight that had caused her such consternation. His face lost what little color it had, and he staggered backwards, pulling Janette along with him. "Hey! Watch it!" Natalie yelled, scrambling out of the way. Frowning at the two vampires, who were now locked in a tight embrace, she turned and looked into the room. It was immaculate, with the kind of austere yet tasteful decor she would have expected of LaCroix. The shutters on the far wall were open to the night sky, and on the floor in front of the double windows lay a large pile of ashes. Natalie looked back at Nick's stricken face. "Oops." She bit her lip. "Nick --" Janette, distraught with grief, started to sob uncontrollably. Nick stood frozen, his arms still around her, unable to do anything but stare helplessly at the ashes on the floor. "Non, it can't be true!" Janette wailed. "Nicolas, tell me this is some terrible mistake!" She looked up at him with pleading eyes. When he failed to respond, she pulled free from his embrace and struck him hard on the chest with her fist. "This is all *your* fault!" she cried, grief turning to anger. "You and your stupid joke! I *hate* you!" With a loud "whooshing" sound, Janette disappeared. "Janette, wait!" Jarred out of his self-induced trance, Nick started after her, then hesitated, looking uncertainly at Natalie. "Nat?" "It's okay," she said. "Go find her before *she* does something foolish. I'll catch up with you back at the loft." "Thanks, Nat." He kissed her softly on the lips. "You're the best." "Mmm. That's what all the vampires say." He smiled briefly, but quickly sobered as he cast a last sorrowful glance toward the pile of ashes. He turned to go. "Nick?" He stopped. "Keys?" "Oh ... right." Digging into his pocket, he pulled forth the keys to the Caddy and handed them over to her. Then he was gone. Natalie gazed down at the keys for a moment or two, then turned and moved to the window. Halting beside the ashes, she studied them carefully. Then, slowly, she started to laugh. "My demise amuses you, Doctor?" The voice came from behind her. She turned to find LaCroix staring at her, eyebrows raised. "Sorry," she said, fighting to suppress her grin. "Just indulging in some wishful thinking, you might say. No offense intended." He flashed a shark-like smile. "None taken. Consider it my concession to you for services rendered." He paused. "Perhaps now you'll tell me why you chose to warn me about my son's little plot?" Natalie smiled ruefully. "My mother was a wise woman, LaCroix. And there were three things she always taught me -- don't play with matches, look both ways before crossing the street, and never, *ever* piss off a two-thousand-year-old vampire if you can possibly avoid it. I don't know what those two have been sniffing lately, but *I* knew you'd never fall for a stunt like that. I did my best to talk Nick out of it, but when he wouldn't listen ... " She shrugged. "You surprise me, Doctor. I confess I find myself quite impressed with your practical nature. It's a shame Nicholas won't be equally appreciative. I fear he will be quite put out when he discovers the truth." "You let me worry about Nick. You'll have your hands full with Janette. I strongly suspect 'put out' won't come anywhere close to describing *her* reaction to all this." LaCroix favored her with a dangerous smile. "You may be right, Doctor. But rest assured that I know how to handle my Janette. I'm not convinced you can say the same about Nicholas." Without waiting to see how she would react to his barbed comment, LaCroix continued. "Be that as it may, I'm prepared to do you a favor in return for the one you did me. I will tell Nicholas that I coerced you into betraying him. That I ... what is that quaint term you use ... 'whammied' you into it?" "That's a very tempting offer, LaCroix. And surprisingly generous, too, which worries me a *lot*. All things considered, I think it's healthier in the long run not to get too chummy with you. Sooo, I'll take my medicine like a grownup. Nick will be a little miffed at first, but he'll get over it. Especially considering the ... *special* ... apology I've got in mind. After all these years, I'll finally be able to give him what he wants most." She grinned smugly as LaCroix's eyes narrowed. "And what might that be, Doctor?" he asked blandly. Her grin widened. "You're a smart vampire, LaCroix. I'm sure you can figure it out." "Doctor, I'm warning you, it would be most unwise to cross me --" "Ah-ah-ah," she cautioned, wagging an admonishing finger under his nose. "Don't even think about it. Unless, of course, you want a repeat of last night's performance -- only this time, for real." Turning her back on the fuming vampire, Natalie moved toward the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet Nick. We wouldn't want him to come looking for me just yet, now would we?" With an airy wave of her hand, she disappeared into the hallway. But almost immediately, she stuck her head back inside the room. "Oh, and LaCroix ... " He glared at her as she smiled sweetly. "April Fool's." ========== Finis ========== Comments, complaints and lavish words of praise to: "Cindy Ingram" ======================================================== My FK fiction page: http://people.mn.mediaone.net/nancykam/cific.html ======================================================== What's another word for thesaurus? ("Say good Knight, Gracie." -- G. Burns)