Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 15:28:05 -0500 From: "Alanna J. Patrick" Subject: STORY: WIRE SNAGS (1/1) To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU Comments, critiques, Earl Grey, or Uncle in a toga are all welcomed! Thanks to ListMommy for letting me repost this. Permission is given to Mel to archive at the fic site, all others please ask. Disclaimers: I don't on FK. I never did. I'm not making money off this, I write 'cause I have to. WIRE SNAGS (1/1) By: Alanna J. Patrick APatr29003@aol.com "But Nat, I promised the Captain I'd have this report on his desk by the time he returned from his trip," he pleaded, pointing to his laptop and the small steno pad full of notes that needed to be deciphered before they saw the light of day. "And you will. For Heaven's sake Nick, you've got *all day* and tomorrow evening to do it. Please just take just a couple of hours off and watch this with me. I had to pull a few strings to get a copy of this before they put it out on the shelf and I've got to have it back by two this afternoon," she pleaded, holding up a copy of what kind of movie Nick could only guess. Knowing it was useless to argue and not *really* wanting to stare at either a computer screen or decipher his notes while she was sitting so very close to him, he compromised. "Give me thirty minutes so I can get my notes in order, okay?" he asked, deftly taking the video out of her hand and sitting it on the coffee table, unsuccessfully trying to sneak a look at the title. "I know you. Thirty minutes will turn into 'Just let me finish this sentence.' and I'll be stuck with a late charge and a peeved rental clerk," she retorted, reaching over to take the note pad out of his hand. "Damn it!" she breathed, jerking her hand away as if she'd been bitten. Nick watched in rapt attention as she quickly stuck the end of her finger into her mouth. Before he could catch himself, he clutched her wrist and pulled her hand to his mouth, the smell of the sweet ambrosia trickling out of the wound inflicted by the wire binding changing his eyes from blue to gold. He closed his eyes and inhaled through his mouth, almost able to taste her blood from the scent alone as it drifted over his tongue. Without thinking, he began to run his tongue along her finger, retrieving each drop of her life as it led his lips back up to the source. He suckled the wounded tip, utterly lost in a sea of emotions and images. Nick opened his changed eyes and found her watching him, her eyes dancing with light, the light that now crept it's way into his veins. She didn't hate him, she loved him more than anything in the world. This beautiful creature of the light *loved* *him*, a creature dammed to walk in darkness for eternity. That realization made crimson tears well up in his eyes. He needed to pull away before he cursed her with his darkness, before things got out of hand, but her hand reached over to cup his cheek, stopping him. Feeling the gentle suction on her finger waver, she scooted closer to him, gently sliding her fingers along his cheek and through his cornsilk curls, never breaking contact with those warm, golden eyes. This felt so right, so *good*. How could she ever have been *afraid* of this part of him? He reluctantly moved his lips away from her hand and sighed, resting his forehead against hers. For the first time in ages, he felt at peace, total peace. As the red tears slowly ran down his cheeks, he wrapped her in a tight embrace, softly brushing his lips against hers. "Thank you," he whispered in a voice shaky with emotion. Nat slipped her arms around his neck, drawing him even closer, returning his kiss. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, the flashes of his feelings still running through her mind along with the images of strange places and times. "Why didn't you tell *me*?" he asked in return, as he traced a path along her temple and cheek with his cool lips. "Nick?" she whispered, not wanting to break the soothing silence between them. "Mmmm?" he replied, to engrossed with the scent of her hair to manage anything more than single syllables. "I saw...felt things," she murmured against his temple. "What did you see?" he asked, slightly pulling back to look into her warm brown eyes. "I heard metal clanking and felt this searing pain. There," she said, lightly running her hand along his side. He closed his eyes, luxuriating in the touch of her hand and the warmth it generated as it slid across the maroon silk. "The crusades," he sighed, wondering if his touch did the same things to her as her touch did to him. He reached down and caught her fingers with his, drawing her palm up to his lips. Closing his eyes again, he could hear the steady beat of her strong heart. His minds eye once again saw the fragmented images that her blood had given him, she'd been hurt too. The image of an older woman, sounds of someone yelling in Russian and the feeling hitting something very sharp made the anger well up inside him. Someone had hurt *her*, his Natalie. "You were hurt too," he whispered against her wrist. "There," he murmured, looking into her beautiful light filled eyes, running the tip of his finger along her temple, tracing a line into her hair. She gazed into his eyes and watched as a red ring began to creep around the beautiful gold orbs. He was angry, not at her, but at someone who was long dead. Dead except in Natalie's memory, in her blood. Quietly nodding in answer, she began to run her fingertips over his eyebrows, hoping to wipe the red anger from his eyes. "My grandmother... she...she had a short fuse," Nat answered, trying to smile, but not quite succeeding. Nick drew her close and began to rain kisses along the path his finger traced, wishing his touch could eradicate the scar and the memory of how it got there. "Nick, make love to me again," she breathed in his ear, gently massaging the back of his neck. Her request made him pull away from his ministrations to her scar with a start. "What? *Again*?" he asked, his voice nearly failing him completely. "Yes again. I would call what we just did a form of love making, wouldn't you?" she asked, her eyes still dancing with the light that lingered on his tongue. He took her hand back in his, touching her wrist with his lips and tongue in a manner that was anything but chaste. She was right, to a vampire sharing blood *was* lovemaking. "Yes we did," he softly answered, tilting his head down as if to hide a blush. "But we...I don't want to take the chance I'd hurt you." he finished. "You *didn't* and you *won't*," she quietly stated, moving her legs around so they were now laying across Nick's lap. She wound her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss that let him know in no uncertain terms that she wanted him in what ever way they could figure out. He crushed her body against his, returning her kiss with all of the passion and desperation he had held in his heart for the last six years. The same passion and desperation that caused his canines to break free from their hidden home. He broke their kiss and looked once again into her eyes, looking for some sign of fear or apprehension. All he found in those mesmerizing depths was the same desperation and love. Without a word, Natalie tilted her head to give him access to the vein hiding just under the surface of her warm flesh. It had taken her six years to grow out of her fear of this part of him, but thank God she finally had. If this was the only way he could make love to her, so be it. She was tired of walking on eggshells, tired of being afraid. "Please," she whispered in his ear, moving her head until it rested on his shoulder. "Not here," he murmured, his fear being quickly burned off by his rising passion and need coupled with the knowledge that she loved him, *all* of him, no matter what. In motions too quick for the human eye to see, he flew them up to the landing and into his bed room, gently laying her on the soft ocean of black silk at his knees. He stood there for an eternity, just watching her watch him. She held up her hand, inviting him to join her in the middle of the peaceful ink tinted ocean but he shook his head. Smiling at the look of total surprise on her face, Nick held up his finger, and in an instant, had disappeared from the room, leaving Natalie to wonder if he had second thoughts. Just as she was about to call out to him, he reappeared at the side of the bed wearing nothing but the dressing gown she'd seen a thousand times before and carrying two glasses and a bottle. Not to be out done, Natalie smiled at him as she slid across the silk to the foot of the bed, having two things on her very determined mind. At his questioning look, she smiled and held up her finger as she made her way to the door. Nat headed for the bathroom and to the spare dressing gown he kept there. She swiftly shucked her sweat pants and shirt, leaving them where they fell on the cold tile and wrapped the aftershave laden silk around her, tying the belt as she jogged down the stairs toward the stereo. A minute more to rummage through Nick's extensive CD collection and set the player and Natalie was back up the stairs, hoping and praying this wasn't a dream. The low thud of the bass emanating from the speakers below mirrored the beating of her heart as she stepped through the door way. He was stretched out on the bed, hands behind his head, watching her. All of the gold had faded out of his eyes, leaving the blue that she swore could melt stone. He had taken her temporary absence to light candles all around the room and poured two glasses, which were sitting on the table beside the bed. At her presence, he sat up and watched her as she walked toward the edge of the bed, never taking his eyes off her as he softly patted the spot on the mattress beside him. With a smile as her answer, she retrieved the two glasses, handing one to him as she knelt beside him on the soft bed. "Enigma huh?" he teased as she snuggled up against his chest. "I thought Gregorian chants seemed apt somehow," she chuckled softly, watching the wine as she twirled it around in its' crystal container. The expression on Nick's face grew serious at the mention of a holy thing in relation to what they were contemplating. "Nat, are you sure you..." he began, searching her face again for signs of trepidation. Nataile quietly took the glass from his hand and set it on the nightstand with hers and turned back to face him. She studied him for a moment, seeing the concern in his eyes made her love, and want, him even more. Tightly wrapping her arms around his chest, she leaned in closer and brushed her lips against his, teasing them with the tip of her tongue. " I want *you*, *all* of you," she whispered against his parted mouth, deftly slipping her hand inside his robe to caress the cool, taut skin along his chest. Tears welled up in his eyes again as she pressed her lips tightly against his. Cradling her head with his palm, he hungrily nibbled and sucked her lips, trying to ignore the fangs that were pressing their way out of his gums, even though the need to feel her flowing inside his body was fast overtaking him. Reluctantly breaking their kiss, he reached around to capture the errant hand that had made its way down to his hip and thigh, entwining the fingers with his. Guiding her wrist up to his lips, he laid a path of feather kisses up her forearm and back down again, lost in the feel of her warm skin against his cool lips. Natalie closed her eyes and sighed. This is how it was suppose to be, how she'd dreamed it would be for them, no fear, only love. Her free hand skittered across his silk clad back and up to his soft hair, her fingers playing among the golden curls as she planted feather light kisses on his temple and cheek, tasting the salty blood sweat that had beaded along his hair line. He lightly nipped at the tender flesh of her pulse, wishing the moment could last just a little while longer, even as his passion drove his fangs toward her essence resting under the paper thin flesh. Caressing the vein with the tip of his tongue, he finally allowed his fangs to enter her. The blood rushed up out of her body and into his, warming him, filling him with the light from her heart and soul. Every memory, feeling, and thought she had ever had, slid across his palate, flooding his brain with disjointed images and sounds. For the first time in nearly eight centuries, his heart and soul were at peace. Natalie rested her head against his shoulder, tightening her grip on the cornsilk tresses in her fingers as Nick teased her with his teeth. Funny, she thought the initial bite would hurt. It didn't. In a strange way, it was soothing, the feeling of his smooth, hard fangs effortlessly gliding into her wrist and the insistent suction of his mouth drawing the blood out of her body. Hearing muffled groans, she opened her eyes and saw him, his golden eyes half closed as if he'd been drugged, slowly sucking on her wrist in a state of complete bliss. The onslaught of images in the back of her mind forced her eyes shut and a rent a gasp from her throat. All the lives he led raced through her mind, filling her with knowledge of places and people she had never known. She saw a bright light and smelled blood, his blood...dear God the pain was excruciating! As fast as the image appeared, it was gone, replaced by a calm peace. Her blood had given him this. He loved her. He would never hurt her, the knowledge made her want to cry. Nick thought he was sitting in the sun, the pain was so damned horrific. With a start, he pulled Natalie's wrist away from his lips, gasping for air. In an instant she was there, wiping the blood sweat away from his forehead, locking her arms tightly around him, whispering that everything was all right. He shook himself to clear the jumble of images in his brain and get rid of the last bit of pain in his limbs. He had relived the pipe bomb six years ago, when they first met. The images, the sensations he had given her she had returned to him, through the blood. It had made him stop in time. He didn't have to kill, he could sip. They *could* be together, vampire or not. Pressing his lips against her temple, he gently slid them both down on the soft bed, drawing the comforter up around them as they wrapped themselves in each other's arms, lulled into slumber by the soft thud of two heart beats that, for the moment, beat in perfect time.