From v4s@FKFANFIC.COM Fri Jun 5 22:13:42 1998 Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 22:01:04 -0400 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu Subject: V4S: Obsession (01/13) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #15 Episode Title: "Obsession" "Air" Date: June 4, 1998 Author: Carrie Krumtum Alpha Readers: blitherer2@aol.com, Wendy Rigney, Beth Washington, John Folden Beta Readers: Wendy Rigney, Marci Cheeseman, Angie Lasher, Valerie Gilson, Stephanie S. Babbitt", Wrdea@aol.com, Jean Simon, Sandra Gray Part 1 of 13 The Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season is a project whereby a group of Forever Knight fans are putting together a series of stories continuing from where Last Knight left off. Participation is open to all. For more information, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. Comments should be sent to the author or to the FKV4S-L mailing list. This story will be available in its entirety from . This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1998 Carrie Krumtum -------------------------- OBSESSION The blood had already coagulated, but lividity wasn't too advanced. Natalie hated the fact that there was so much blood on the ground. Thanks to Vachon, she had managed to do better with the blood and other aspects of her current situation as well. That wasn't true for everyone. The blood would make it harder for him. Nick... Finally, she had come to recognize her 'sense' of Nick as something she could use. It would help her to help him. At least, that was the current lie she preferred to tell herself. Doing so made the discomfort only marginally more bearable. Nick was coming to investigate the scene as a homicide detective. The body lay at the bottom of the fire escape in the alleyway. Though the alley was cluttered with debris, as back entrances to large apartment complexes like this one often were, there was very little doubt as to the cause of death. She stiffened as her sense of Nick became more acute; the strumming of some internal thread that had lain dormant until she had been bitten by a vampire. He neared the scene from behind her, through the alleyway entrance that let out onto Charles. His partner was with him. She could hear Adam's voice. "All I'm saying is that she could be a little more flexible, that's all. This IS supposed to be MY wedding, too," his partner reiterated for the...how many times was it now? Nick sighed. He turned his attention away from his partner and focused it on the figure kneeling before him. Her back was to him, yet he could sense her discomfort. It was stronger now than it had been in the recent past. Last week had caused it, he was sure. Last week hell. *He* had caused it. The larger dose of garlic had been too much. He hadn't been able to handle it. But instead of trying to explain it to her, he had just stopped taking the tablets. A simple, "So that's the level of your commitment to this. Well, now I know," was all the verbal reprimand he had received. Then came the silence. How long would this studied tolerance between them last? How long before either their relationship broke down completely or the barriers they had erected began to crumble? He didn't know. What was even harder was the fact that he felt completely powerless to alter any of it. Maybe that was a little bit of what Adam was feeling with Kelly and the wedding plans. Powerless. He would have to mention that to his partner...later. Right now, there was a murder to deal with. The fact that his senses had been assaulted immediately on getting out of the Caddy at this scene told him how bad the scene was even before he approached Natalie and the corpse. For a long time, Nick had been able to stand the sight, smell, and draw of human blood at crime scenes. The work he and Nat had done had helped him with that aspect of his job. Nearly all of that seemed to be gone now. The scent of the blood was strong and his hunger gnawed at him. The fact that he could still, after months, taste the sweetness of Natalie's blood in his mouth wasn't helping. "What have you got, Nat?" he asked quietly. Even though she knew that he was behind her, that he would speak eventually, she found she jumped, ever so slightly, anyway. Damn! Natalie had promised herself she would get better with this. More lies. Facing Nick, dealing with him, had become the single most difficult aspect of her position as coroner. Since their last argument, she and Nick had agreed to work on his condition, to work toward conversion. But, now, without his compliance, it was inordinately difficult. Natalie had tried to emotionally distance herself from the effort, tried to work on the problem as a scientist; purely science for science's sake. If she could face the problem, look for a solution, try to realize and define variables, remain dispassionate... Who was she fooling? For more reasons than she cared to count -- foiling LaCroix's arrogance, figuring out just what the hell was happening inside of her, bringing Nick into her mortal world -- to list just a few -- she was invested in the effort. Every time Nick didn't try or couldn't handle it or wouldn't communicate with her concerning this, Natalie felt betrayed. And the betrayal hurt, deeply. She wanted their efforts to succeed. Natalie knew that Nick did as well but she couldn't shake the feeling, especially now, that there was a part of him that had given up. How dare he!? How dare he give up? Nick owed this to her. He owed her a great deal and, damn it, this was important to her. The swift flaring of her anger had stopped surprising Natalie months ago. She always felt anger, of some sort or another, when she thought of Nick. Especially after... Taking a deep breath, Natalie mentally shook herself. There were too many factors to debate right this second, and he was standing right behind her. She was going to have to face him, to see those apologetic and guilt filled eyes. Pulling her professionalism around her, she rose and turned to face the two detectives, giving the run down almost mechanically. Just get through it and get out of here, she told herself. "Male, Caucasian, twenty-six... I checked the ID. He was done in by a blow to his left temple. I'd say death was very nearly instantaneous and it happened less than an hour ago. The weapon was a brick in a sock. Effective, if a bit crude." "A brick in a sock?" Adam asked as he glanced down at the body. "Now there's a new one." "For me, too," Natalie responded, pointedly not looking Nick in the eyes. Nick was still standing directly in front of her and had yet to look at the corpse. "Apparently, the girlfriend was trying to teach him a lesson. Message: come home late, get hit with a brick. I'd say she left a permanent impression on him." The dark tone of Natalie's voice belayed any humor in her remarks. Nick searched her face for any sign that she felt more comfortable with their proximity. He found none. Finally looking away from Nat, he moved around to the other side of the body and crouched down to see the man's face. The corpse, at least in death, looked much more comfortable with the scene than either he or, he suspected, Natalie felt. "Man, I hope Kelly doesn't get it into her head to try and solve our arguments this way," Adam was saying from his vantage point over the corpse. "I'd hate to go like this." After twenty minutes of interview with the girlfriend, it became very apparent that not only hadn't she understood the likelihood of killing the victim when she hit him, the woman didn't understand that she had done anything wrong. The case, as far as who was responsible and who would pay for the crime, was open and shut. The circumstances were sad. Adam wondered about a world in which a brick in a sock was a normal activity for arguing spouses. In his heart, he knew he was lucky. Very lucky. Kelly was the most precious gift he had ever been given. He only wished that this silly wedding were over. If the planning didn't kill him, he had every chance of living through the rest of the relationship. What was so important anyway? Sheesh.... The ebb and flow of traffic happened around Adam as he rode in the passenger seat of his partner's archaic vehicle. Nick insisted on doing the driving. That's insisted with a capital 'I'. Man, between his wife-to-be and his partner, he was surrounded by people who didn't find it easy to compromise. His ruminations were cut short when the Caddy came to an abrupt halt and his partner nearly vaulted from the front seat. Nick didn't even turn around as he said, "I'll be right back." Back? Back from where? This disappearing act of his partner's was getting to be irritating. Adam didn't know how Vetter or Schanke handled it, but he was finding the routine increasingly annoying. He hadn't been unaware of Nick's discomfort at the last murder scene. Dr. Lambert had been plenty unsettled as well. Whatever was happening, or not happening, between those two was making Nick harder to deal with. That made being his partner even more difficult. Up to now, Adam had been willing to cut Nick some slack. Losing two partners couldn't have been easy but, as an excuse for solitary forays into the wonderful world of police work, it was getting old. He sighed. As Adam looked around him he realized that they had stopped at the curb of a local sleaze club and that his partner was headed for the back alley entrance. Either Nick needed the head really bad or there was a lifestyle problem he hadn't known about. Not that Adam knew anything of consequence about his partner. Heaven forbid Nick should confide in him or anything. *** The scream had been one of sheer terror. Nick may not have known what was causing it but he sure as hell knew what that scream meant. As he rose above the buildings, having launched himself into the air the second he was out of eyeshot of his partner, he followed the sound of that cry for help a few short blocks. Below him, a large man had a struggling woman by the throat and was pinning her to a wall. "Let her go," someone said from behind him. He didn't bother to turn around. The woman he had in his grasp went completely still. "Get lost!" "I don't think so," Nick told the mugger. "How can I do my job if I walk away from a crime? You see, I'm a cop." Shi... He never had a chance to complete the thought. The mugger turned around and felt the fist hit his face immediately. The lights went out. The man who had pulled her off the street and into the alley let her go as he fell to the ground. The other man, the man who said he was a cop, let her attacker drop before stepping over the unconscious form. He had saved her. "Are you okay?" Nick asked the frightened woman. Gretchen looked up into the face of her savior. She began to cry. "It's all right," Nick told her as the woman fell into his arms. "You're going to be all right...." (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. From v4s@FKFANFIC.COM Fri Jun 5 22:13:47 1998 Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 22:01:13 -0400 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu Subject: V4S: Obsession (02/13) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #15 Episode Title: "Obsession" "Air" Date: June 4, 1998 Author: Carrie Krumtum Part 2 of 13 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1998 Carrie Krumtum -------------------------- OBSESSION "Look, why don't you and your mother just handle this then? If you don't like my ideas, then why ask me?" Adam was saying, none too softly, to the receiver he held up to his ear. "Yeah, Kel...well...yeah, yeah I get that...but..." Nick tried not to smile too obviously at his partner's problem. He rounded the desk and set the cup of coffee down in front of the victim of the mugging he had broken up. Thank goodness for rocky wedding plans, Nick thought. After a long lecture about the true meaning of teamwork, the textbook definition and technical functions of a cellular phone, a recitation of at least a half dozen regulations, Adam had wound down enough to allow Nick the chance to explain a plausible scenario. Adam was more preoccupied than usual and Nick's story about needing the washroom and then spotting the perp as he ran after the victim seemed to satisfy his perpetually inquisitive partner. "There you are. Better?" Nick asked as he gave a reassuring smile to Gretchen Ferris. "Yes, thank you." Gretchen looked up at her knight. He nodded to her as he moved off to go back to his desk. He was very dedicated and it showed. He had saved her. Didn't that make him her knight? He must be. Her mother had told her about knights and princes. Her mother had said that one day one of them would ride into her life. So far, that story had been wrong. But this time, well, this time her mother had been right. Even his name was right. Knight, Nick Knight. "So what *were* you doing out so late in that neighborhood?" inquired Nick. The area was notorious for crime and he had to wonder what would bring someone like Gretchen Ferris there after dark. She took a quick sip of her coffee and found she had to hurry and swallow while it was still a bit too hot to respond to him. She began with a sputter. "I ... kaa ... I, I ... kaa...." She had to stop and cough a few times to catch her breath. In doing so, she began to feel really embarrassed. This was no way to act in front of her rescuer. Nick placed a light supportive hand on the woman's shoulder. She seemed nervous and a bit awkward. He suspected that she felt those things. It's not an easy thing to be assaulted in a dark alley and even though she was unharmed, she had been badly frightened. "It's all right. Take it easy," he soothed. Ms. Ferris caught her breath and looked up at him with obvious embarrassment. "Are you all right?" "I'm fine," she said sheepishly. "I'm sorry. It was the coffee," she hastened to explain. "Don't worry about it." Nick offered her an easy and reassuring smile. "About this evening?" he redirected. He really was curious to know what exactly she was doing there tonight. "This evening," Gretchen began nervously. She set her cup of coffee down in front of her to prevent any more mishaps and quickly dropped her hands into her lap. It wouldn't do for her to act anything other than the lady he deserved for her to be. She cleared her throat. "I was on my way home from work and that terrible man grabbed me by my jacket and pulled me right off the street and into that alley. He was very strong." "You work in that neighborhood?" She shook her head. "Not really. You see, I'm Mr. Ronco's personal assistant." "Mr. Ronco?" asked Nick, obviously not making a connection with the name. "He's an entertainment investor," she offered. Nick sat back in understanding. Gretchen's boss managed nightclubs. From the area where she was attacked, Nick guessed that the clubs in question where not of the upscale variety. "Ah." Gretchen found she was blushing. She knew that Mr. Ronco's business wasn't commonly thought of as a 'good' business, but she had never been asked to do anything wrong and her boss treated her well. She was a secretary and assistant, period ... no funny stuff. Still, she found the recognition and disapproval on her knight's face distressing. Up to now, she had never thought about what another person might think of her because of her job. She would have to change some things now. "So you had to work late?" asked Nick into the silence of her pause. She must still be a little jittery after her ordeal, he thought. "Ye ... yes. I usually walk home." She shrugged. "But, we finished up at one of the clubs and not in the office where I usually work so I decided to walk to the nearest subway station. I didn't get that far. If you hadn't been there I don't know what would have happened to me." "I'm glad I could help, Ms. Ferris. You should have called a cab or gotten a ride, though. I'm sorry to say it but there are areas of the city that just aren't safe for a woman alone after dark. You'll use better judgement next time, won't you?" he gently asked. Gretchen looked down at her hands and nodded briefly. Giving her a pat on the shoulder, Nick stood up and moved back toward his desk. At least there was a lesson learned tonight. Things could have turned out very differently and Gretchen Ferris' contact with the police could have consisted of a body bag and a case number. As it was, she would have to wait here until the assault guys got back and took her statement. All Nick had to do now was type up a report, file the necessary force documents, fill out the witness statement form, complete the 'first on scene' account... "But, Kel.... Kel? Kelly?" Adam nearly slammed down the phone and looked up at his partner. The complete exasperation in his voice was barely contained. "Can you tell me why we have to worry about the birds?" Nick snickered in spite of his attempts to reign in his amusement at Adam's predicament. "Birds?" "Yeah, birds," Adam continued, disgusted. He sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. "Kelly's obsessed with them. She says her mom told her that if you throw rice at a wedding and the birds eat the rice, when the birds drink water the rice swells in their stomachs and the birds explode. I mean, how long have people thrown rice at weddings?" Adam stopped when Nick exploded ... in laughter. (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. From v4s@FKFANFIC.COM Fri Jun 5 22:13:53 1998 Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 22:01:17 -0400 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU Subject: V4S: Obsession (03/13) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #15 Episode Title: "Obsession" "Air" Date: June 4, 1998 Author: Carrie Krumtum Part 3 of 13 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1998 Carrie Krumtum -------------------------- OBSESSION Finishing up the last few notes, Natalie hit save and waited for the main menu so she could close down her computer terminal for the night. The autopsy was routine and she finished in record time. She had wished that there were something unusual for her to investigate. Something ... anything. Anything to keep her mind busy. She didn't want to think about it anymore. Think about him. Her anger had just about burned itself out. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that her anger, though real, wasn't solving anything. Nick had lied to her. He had broken his promise. He had made a choice she didn't approve of. Same old story, same old problem. They would just have to work on his cure and let everything go at that. But he wasn't working on it. Working together would make it tolerable. But how could *they* work on anything if *he* wasn't vested in the effort? What else was there? There would never be anything else between them. Never. Liar. Working together wasn't tolerable. Not now, not after.... Why should she keep doing this? Nick simply didn't want to be mortal again, no matter what he said. What else could she think? This was an old argument, one they had dealt with even before.... Each and every time she encountered Nick at a murder scene she felt the same tug. She was pulled toward him by a link that she couldn't break. Deep down, she really didn't want it to break. Deep down, she still.... NO! Damn it! You told yourself you wouldn't do this. Natalie shook herself and returned her attention to the computer screen. She logged off, waited to be sure her terminal was down, and rising, headed for the door. Time to go home. A very human, mortal type home. *** Mallory typed a little and then turned to the victim. When he had returned to the precinct that evening, Knight had a present waiting for him. The victim was a middle- aged, conservatively dressed, heavy set woman who had been assaulted by a mugger. Knight had interrupted the assault, nailed the perp and dropped the whole neat little package on Mallory's desk so that he could tie up the bow and snip all the loose ends. The perp was in holding after being taken to a clinic for a particularly nasty bruised jaw and the victim looked to be completely unharmed, only shaken. The golden boy of the precinct house strikes again, Mallory thought dryly. Why the hell isn't it ever this easy for anyone else? Mallory wondered, exasperation and envy getting the better of him. To top everything off, he was having a hard time getting the victim's statement. "Ma'am?" he asked again. "Miss Ferris?" Following her gaze, Mallory realized that Miss Ferris was staring at Knight, the wonder boy. Yeah, Knight was handsome, he guessed, by female standards. He had the blond hair and everything, but he wasn't Mr. GQ either. Knight wasn't buff enough for that. But then, homicide wasn't exactly the place for a buff cop to hang. Now assault, that was another department all together. "Is he a detective?" Gretchen asked, not taking her eyes off Nick. He must be, she thought. He wasn't wearing one of those dreadful uniforms the constables she had seen before did. "Who, Knight?" Mallory said. "Yeah, he's in homicide." She didn't turn to the nice detective who was taking her statement. She didn't want to lose sight of her knight. "Homicide. That's about murders and such, isn't it?" "Yeah, yeah. Now, Ms. Ferris, about your attacker... can you tell me if you've ever seen him before tonight?" "I bet he's good at his job. The best." Mallory looked over at Knight again and frowned. What is it with blond guys, anyway? "Yeah, whatever." He turned back to the report and his victim. "Miss Ferris? Please, Miss Ferris, I really need you to answer my questions. It's for the report. Miss Ferris?" *** Nick put the finishing touches on the last of the murder scene reports and placed it in the folder. Rising, he picked his jacket up from the back of his chair and looked over at his partner. He was on the phone again. "Can't we just talk about this later?" Adam was saying. "Yeah, I know I'm going off but I'm not off yet. I'll be home in a little while.... I promise.... Kel, I said I promise, okay?" Grinning, Nick headed into the captain's office to drop off the file. Nick understood Adam's frustration. Women could be so frustrating... especially when they wouldn't let something go. Especially when they wouldn't even try to understand someone else's point of view.... >>--------> Warwick, England 1551 "You can't!" "Why not?" she replied, her voice laced with thinly veiled contempt. He paced to the window before turning back. "Hasn't he been ill-tempered enough? This will only anger him more." "Oh, Nicholas, why must you always worry? But, mon cher, you are not worried for me, are you?" She stood before the fireplace and was framed by the marble of the structure, chin up in accusatory defiance. Despite his irritation, Nicholas softened his tone. "Janette, he said to leave it alone." "And when have you ever been so concerned about what *he* says, hmmm?" Janette was dressed in the finest silk. A deep lavender silk with black lace trim. She was breathtaking. Not only to him but to every man she had met that night. The lord of these lands, especially. LaCroix had made plans with this lord. Plans he did not deem it necessary to discuss. As always, LaCroix cared not at all for the human ramifications of his meddling. Janette was determined to take their host. Neither of them were concerned for the people of the land or what would happen after their plans were carried out. Nicholas remembered the young lady he had met early that evening. The servants were lighting the lamps in the large hall when he encountered her. Their host had mentioned something about the lady and her company but Nicholas had not seen her until that moment. What struck him, more than anything, was her overflowing joy. She was not a pretty woman, physically. Her face and frame were plain by the standards of the day. She would have been more suited for the kitchen or the nursery than to the hall or the library. Her father was the Earl of Warwick and the match was designed to solidify Lord Leycester's control over this landholding. Despite that, she seemed completely happy to be his betrothed. She very nearly glowed with her love and admiration for the master of the house. "Oh, Nicholas. It is wonderful to be so loved," Phyllis told him after they had talked a little while. "I had never thought it would be so for me." He smiled at her, "How so, my Lady?" Phyllis beamed, "Have you not seen the way my lord looks at me? The way my lord calls my name? Is it not love that you see in his face, hear in his voice?" A nod was all Nicholas could manage in acknowledgment. Did she really have so little understanding of the usury? Of her station and purpose in this house? Was she that blind? "So, he has plans," Janette continued. "He doesn't see fit to share them with us. Why should I care about them then?" Coming back to the room, he turned his attention to the conversation at hand. "Because," Nicholas said sternly, "he will make you wish you had." <---------<< (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. From v4s@FKFANFIC.COM Fri Jun 5 22:14:00 1998 Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 22:01:21 -0400 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: FKFIC-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU Subject: V4S: Obsession (04/13) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #15 Episode Title: "Obsession" "Air" Date: June 4, 1998 Author: Carrie Krumtum Part 4 of 13 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1998 Carrie Krumtum -------------------------- OBSESSION This whole thing had gone beyond ridiculous. It was the damnedest thing he'd ever investigated. Time after time he had stood there and watched as others stepped up and obtained what he had tried, and failed, to obtain. At first, he was angered, now he was curious and determined. It didn't seem to matter if it was late or early, cold or warm in the building, whether he pushed hard or not ... the outcome was always the same. He came away empty-handed. Or was that empty-cupped? Joe Reese stood in front of the water cooler and scratched his head. He was about to attempt another assault on the machine when he heard the desk sergeant call him from across the room. "Captain?" "Yeah?" he said over his shoulder, reluctant to walk away from the battle at hand. "They're on the way in, sir," the sergeant informed him. "Okay," Reese turned, but not before giving one more stern look to the opponent and silently promising to be back for another round. "Neile?" he queried without looking back, headed for his office. "Yeah, Cap?" "Tell them I want to see them the minute they get in." "Sure thing." *** He pulled the Caddy into the parking space beside his partner's car and behind the precinct building. The night sky was just turning to a midnight black. One thing, at least, had begun to return to normal for him since.... Nick had gained back much of his tolerance to the sunlight, though not all. Until recently, he hadn't been able to leave his loft until well after dusk. The margin of light he could now comfortably tolerate was noticeable. He had Natalie to thank for that. Not for the first time, he wished he had the words to tell her that. The chill that had settled between them was like a gag to him. Shaking his head, he stepped out of the car and closed the door. Pocketing his keys, Nick headed into the building completely unaware of the scrutiny he was undergoing. *** She managed to snap several more shots before he disappeared into the building completely. Gretchen dropped the camera from her eye only after she couldn't see him any longer. The photography classes she had taken in college hadn't proven to be very useful to her until now. She was really beginning to understand her mother's wisdom in suggesting the classes now. *** The body arrived just after she started her shift. Natalie picked up the paperwork and placed it on a clipboard. She noted that the victim was brought in from the 96th. That would mean that she might have to face Nick again, soon. As sure as she stood there, Nick would want to try to explain, to apologize, to get things back to normal. Whatever 'normal' was. But things weren't normal, were they? And they weren't going to be... were they? Without realizing it, Natalie had sat down at her desk and was tracing the edges of her notebook with her fingertips. How many pages within held tried and failed attempts to cure Nick? How many margins held the notation ... 'subject noncompliant'? The garlic pills were just the most recent incarnation of Nick's unwillingness to work with her on this. Her anger turned to a deep and burning sorrow. Natalie realized that just nearness to Nick was painful. She had to find a way beyond it, beyond the mixed up emotions that she barely kept pent up inside. What? The investigation gave her a reason to ignore the real issues, to lie to herself. She feared that without the efforts to bring Nick back across the relationship would crumble completely. Was that a bad thing? Their current efforts seemed all that remained between them. *** Reese looked up at the sound of a knock at his office doorjamb. "You wanted to see us, Cap?" Nick Knight said as he leaned in the doorway. "Yes I did," Reese said as he nodded to his detective. He frowned. "And where's your partner?" he asked, a bit peeved that Sakai wasn't standing in the doorway along with Knight. Nick tossed his head back over his shoulder to indicate the bullpen. "He's on the phone." Reese relaxed a little. "His intended again?" Nick grinned and moved into the office toward a chair. "You got it." "Figures." Joe was about to tell Knight not to bother taking a seat but to go out and drag his partner into the office if he had to. The order was unnecessary since Sakai chose that moment to come jogging into the office, apologizing. "Sorry I'm late, Captain," Sakai told him. "I had to handle something." "You're going to have to handle her for the rest of your life," Reese told the young detective, "and, let me tell you, you just never get used to it." Adam paused and looked, for all the world, like a deer caught in the Captain's headlights. He slowly lowered himself into a chair. Joe allowed himself a small grin as he continued. "After twenty-five years of marriage I still can't tell you who is handling what at my house, but if you ask my wife she'd tell you she did. Sometimes, I wish she was right." Knight was smiling and doing a bad job of covering it up with his hand. Sakai just looked haggard. "So," Adam decided to say, in an effort to change the subject from his not-so-private life that seemed to amuse his partner and now his captain no end, "what's up, Captain?" Attempting to pretend he didn't notice Knight's grin and picking up a file folder from off the top of his desk, Reese leaned over to hand it to Nick. "I've got a new case for you two. It appears to be another domestic. The neighbor claims that she's heard arguing and fighting between the victim and the boyfriend a lot lately. I want you to check it out. We've got a body in the morgue and the suspect in holding." "Are there any prior complaints against the boyfriend?" Nick asked as he opened the file in his lap and took a preliminary look. "None that Westin and Alvarez could bring up in the system. They didn't have time to cross check it in records before the end of their shift." "Why not let them handle this?" asked Nick, still looking over the file. "Alvarez goes on vacation tomorrow and Westin won't be back for two days. I don't want this to just sit around. The public defender's office already has an attorney on the case." Nick looked up. "Let me guess...." Reese nodded, "You got it." "Shepherd," they said simultaneously. Adam was about to ask why they both held such obvious disdain for one of the PDs, but was interrupted before he could get a syllable of it out. "This just came in, Captain," Neile said as he stepped up to the door with a box. "Just put it on my desk." "It's not for you, Cap," the sergeant replied. "It's for Nick." Adam, the captain and the sergeant all looked at Nick as Nick looked up in surprise. "Who's it from?" asked Adam, looking away from his partner and up at the messenger. He had managed to beat the captain to the punch in making the inquiry, but just barely. They both took no pains to hide their curiosity. Neile looked down at the box and read the name on the return label. "Gretchen Ferris." "Isn't that the woman you rescued from the assault last night, Nick?" asked Adam, glancing back at his partner. Nick nodded in response. The sergeant placed the package on the corner of the captain's desk nearest Nick and moved to leave. "Thanks, Neile," Nick told him. "No prob." "Well, aren't you going to open it?" Reese asked as soon as the sergeant was out of the room. Nick shrugged. He pulled the package into his lap after handing the file on their new case to his partner. The tape on the box pulled free easily and Nick raised the flap on the top of the box to reveal: a bottle of wine, a box of fine chocolates, some gourmet crackers and brie. He enumerated the items to the captain and Adam. "Good taste," said Adam. The comment elicited a look from Nick. "Isn't there a note or something?" he continued, fascinated and pleased that it was someone else's turn to be the center of attention. Adam was perfectly aware of the departmental regulation against accepting any form of gratuity and found the captain's curiosity amusing. "Yeah, I think this is it," Nick replied as he pulled an envelope out of the box. Setting the box back on the corner of the desk, he opened the envelope and pulled a card free. (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. From v4s@FKFANFIC.COM Fri Jun 5 22:14:06 1998 Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 22:01:46 -0400 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu Subject: V4S: Obsession (05/13) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #15 Episode Title: "Obsession" "Air" Date: June 4, 1998 Author: Carrie Krumtum Part 5 of 13 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1998 Carrie Krumtum -------------------------- OBSESSION Coming to the precinct made perfect sense for Natalie. Nick wouldn't have as much of an opportunity to talk to her in privacy this way. Natalie just wasn't ready to deal with him one on one tonight. His apologies and his noncompliance had annoyed her to the point of nausea. There was a part of her that just wanted this part of her life to be over and another part of her that knew she was in so deep that ultimate freedom might well be beyond her reach. In for a penny, in for a pound, she told herself. Well, not this shift, she insisted. This time, all Nick would be getting were the two-penny thoughts of a Toronto Metro Police forensic pathologist. She entered the front precinct doors and became immediately aware of Nick's amusement. She had spent months trying to ascertain exactly what was happening to her that gave this sense of Nick's emotional status and why that sense seemed more acute with close proximity. The efforts had afforded her veiled suggestions and half helpful comments from LaCroix and guilty looks and avoidance from Nick. Vachon had helped her to accept the changes that had occurred inside of her and to practice skills that made coping with those changes easier. Following Vachon's advice had helped her to get on with her life. Natalie had settled for just accepting her sense of Nick and trying to use it to some advantage. Of course, doing so was dependent on Nick's willingness to comply with their efforts to bring him back across and since THAT didn't appear to be high on Nick's things-to-do-today list, Natalie was simply stuck with it until she could figure out something else that it could be useful for. As she rounded the corner, Natalie saw both Nick and Adam standing at Nick's desk. After a moment's hesitation and a deep breath, she headed for them. "The captain said it was okay," Nick was saying as he handed a box to Adam. "Go on, take it. Just be sure that you enjoy it with Kelly. After all you've both been through lately, you could use a quiet evening." Reluctantly, Adam took the box from Nick. "I'm not sure that's going to help anything right now." "Are you two still arguing about the wedding plans?" Natalie asked as she approached the desk. When Adam turned toward her, the look on his face told her volumes. She didn't glance in Nick's direction. "Yeah," Adam told her, dejected. "It seems this whole thing has somehow been blown all out of proportion. I can't seem to rein it in or find a way around it." Sighing, Adam set the box down and pulled the bottle of wine out of it to inspect. He decided to change the subject. He didn't much like the fact that EVERYONE knew about his problems with Kelly. Well, not exactly problems. Complications would be more precise. Of course, he had been none too subtle about any of it. Life under a microscope, he thought. Turning to face Natalie, Adam asked, gesturing with the bottle of wine, "Is that the autopsy report on the Schultz case?" "Yep. It's only the preliminary findings. I'll have the final report to you as soon as all the lab stuff comes in," Natalie said as she dropped the file she had carried in with her on the desk. "Do you have a suspect yet?" Natalie was aware of Nick's apprehension. Since her arrival at their workstation, she hadn't given him so much as a glance. She didn't want to prolong her contact with Nick, but her report would be more complete if she had a few answers. "The boyfriend," Adam told her. "Why?" Natalie crossed her arms and leaned back against the end of Adam's desk. She could feel Nick's eyes on her and didn't want to give the impression that she felt moved in any way by the attention. "I found evidence of several old injuries of varying ages. The victim had been hurt before, severely." Adam nodded. "That fits. The neighbor's statement to the first officers on site corroborates a pattern of abuse." He shook his head. "I'll never understand it, though." "Understand what?" asked Natalie. Nick's increasing discomfort was forgotten as she tried to follow where Adam was headed. "Why would someone, this woman, continue in a relationship that resulted in repeated injury and finally death? I mean, I know that this stuff happens but I just don't get it." Natalie attempted to prevent her sudden surprise at her own feelings of self-consciousness from showing as she straightened. She could feel Nick's instant sense of overwhelming guilt hit her from behind. "I'm not sure I can answer that question," she replied shakily. She attempted the reply as much for her own benefit as an attempt to give Adam an answer to the question. Clearing her throat nervously, she made a concerted effort to ignore the emotions radiating from Nick. "Anyway," she continued, returning to the subject of Kelly and Adam. She preferred that discussion over the case because it afforded her continued respite from the prospect of dealing directly with Nick. "Why not throw confetti?" Natalie suggested. "Huh?" asked Adam, obviously confused by the rapid change in the conversation's direction. "At your wedding," she clarified. "Why don't you and Kelly have your guests throw confetti?" "Oh." Adam shook his head, "No good. I mentioned the same thing. Kelly says that little birds and animals will eat the foil or paper flecks and strangle on them. We've talked about blowing bubbles...." "That sounds like a fun idea," Natalie offered. Nick had moved to sit down at his desk. He looked, to the naked eye, to be reading a file, preferring, anyone would surmise, to let Natalie deal with his partner's troubles for now. Nick had probably already heard this story multiple times. Natalie could tell that his thoughts were far from either the current case or Kelly and Adam's battle over the wedding details. She could sense his growing wariness at her continued emotional distance. At this point, she was beyond caring. "Yeah, right," Adam was saying. "Can you see a group of hardened cops blowing bubbles at a wedding?" Natalie smiled. "Maybe not. You may have a point." "Tell that to Kelly." There was a pause and Natalie realized that she would be giving Nick an opportunity to say something, a prospect that she didn't like. She pulled out a box of crackers that sat on top of some brie in the box and handed it to Adam. "By the way, where did you guys get this stuff?" she asked Adam, attempting to prevent that very thing. Adam nodded toward Nick. "Nick has a fan." Setting the bottle of wine down on the desk, he picked up a small white card and handed it to Natalie. He didn't seem to notice Nick reaching for the note just a moment too late. Natalie dared a quick glance at Nick before reading the note. The look of disapproval on his face seemed to jive with her sense of him. Whatever was in the note was something he didn't want her to see. She opened the note anyway. It read: "To my 'knight' in shining armor, Thank you for saving me. A damsel no longer in distress, Gretchen." "Cool, huh?" Adam commented on noticing that she had finished reading the note. He could tell that Natalie didn't find it at all cool. As a matter of fact, the coroner hadn't done a single thing to so much as acknowledge Nick's existence on the planet since arriving at the precinct. Talk about your cold shoulders, Adam thought. Without waiting to be sure he hadn't just stepped in a deep pile, Adam headed toward the copy machine with the autopsy report. He decided that the best thing to do was to leave Nick alone with Natalie. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they weren't dealing very well with their own friendship. The precinct rumor mill had it that they had been a hot item not that long ago. Adam had stopped being surprised at the knowing glances and expressions the two of them shared. Whatever was going on with Nick and Natalie was their business, he decided. He had problems of his own. After Adam had moved away, Nick rose and moved toward Natalie. "Nat...." She held the note out to him. "At least you've managed to be a knight in shining armor for someone." With that, she turned on her heals and headed out of the building. All of a sudden, Natalie realized that looking at Nick and seeing his face was making her feel things she simply preferred to not feel. The ache in Nick's heart seemed to spread and engulf him as he watched her go. >>--------> Warwick, England 1551 The valet entered the room and moved directly toward the lord of the manor. The library of the manor, in which they now sat, was appointed sumptuously with fine tapestries and heavy curtains. The shelves were lined with a modest, if unremarkable, collection of literature and the fireplace was set in with a high mantle boasting, above it's marbled surface, a portrait of their host. Leaning down, the valet whispered his message in the lord's ear. Of course, Nicholas and LaCroix could hear the supposed arcane message clearly. Lord Leycester nodded to his valet, who then retreated from the room. "I'm terribly sorry, gentlemen," their host informed them as he rose to his feet, "but I must take my leave of you for the evening." "Your lady is in need of some attention," LaCroix remarked dryly as his host rose. Lord Leycester regarded his guest with a disquieted look. There was no possible way that the gentlemen present could have understood his valet's remarks nor had his own behavior, to his knowledge, been telling. "I beg your pardon?" their host asked, a little too hurriedly. LaCroix raised his glass and inspected the color and clarity of the wine held within the crystal vessel. It was as if he had not heard his host's remark at all. Nicholas shifted in his chair to run his fingers over his mustache. LaCroix would be in his usual form tonight. "Sir?" Lord Leycester insisted. Turning the wine glass in his hand as if admiring the craftsmanship, LaCroix didn't bother to look up at his host when he replied. "That is where you are going, is it not?" "I don't see that that is anything that need concern you, sir," their host declared. "Ah, but you see," LaCroix continued in the same languid tone, "that is where you are wrong." Setting his glass of wine down, LaCroix looked up to meet the lord's glare. "Anything that could cause a potential, shall we say, delay in our plans IS my business. I would be most displeased if this," LaCroix grinned, "love interest of yours were to cause a problem in any way." The lord of the manor stood to his full height. "Surely you don't think I take the girl seriously. She is a means to an end. I would think a gentleman who has traveled as extensively as you claim to have done would understand the necessity of my marriage to her and the good such a union can bring to our business. "Her father has sent me a gift and I must acknowledge it this evening with her before the earl's arrival tomorrow. If you gentlemen will excuse me." Lord Leycester whirled without bothering to wait for their response. As soon as he had left the room, Nicholas turned to his master. "What is this business you have with Lord Leycester?" LaCroix gave him a cold stare in response. "The Lady Phyllis' father will prove most useful in the upcoming vote." "What vote?" His master smirked. "You never pay attention where attention is due, Nicholas. I have tried to teach you the importance of maintaining an understanding of the human world. You spend far too much time worrying about the trees and forget the forest, my boy. "The monarchy of this fair land is about to rip itself away from Mother church. It seems that the king wants a divorce." Nicholas was confused. "What has that got to do with this house?" "You really are ignorant, Nicholas," his master stated, petulance and impatience evident. "The good earl sits on the council that will vote for or against the king's desire to found a new church. One headed by the monarch, of course." "A church without a clerical leader?" "Intriguing, don't you think?" He looked away from LaCroix to consider and then turned back to the ancient, resolved to voice his concern. "Lady Phyllis is being used." "Of course," LaCroix responded with a self-satisfied smile. "The earl will be much more amenable to vote with the monarchy if he has a bad taste in his mouth for deity. Kings are much easier to train." "She will be unnecessarily hurt," Nicholas said angrily. LaCroix's expression did not change. "Does it matter?" <---------<< (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com.