Disclaimers: Nick, Nat, Tracy, Vachon and all FK
characters don't belong to me.

Cehri, Christophe, Jillian and Larson are solely my
creation.

This story is written as a birthday gift for my beta
reader, Cheri and the character of Cehri is created
with her written permission. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR
HELP.

A BIG BIG thanks to Patty C for beta reading this one
for me.

Permission granted to archive at the FTP sites and the
fanfic site if desired. Anyone else, contact me.
======================================================
Artistic Eye
Part 1
Kristen Fife
4/2004

Tracy got home and logged on to her computer to check
her email. It had taken her a few years to finally
break down and buy a PC for her personal use, but now
she couldn’t remember how she had survived without it.
Her email inbox downloaded. What a difference the
broadband made! She grinned at the tolerance on Nick’s
face when she had started extolling the virtues of the
new technology. Finally Nick had admitted he’d had
broadband for almost a year. She had grumpily avoided
him for two nights.

Finally, as her email started filing onto the screen,
she suddenly sat up straight. An email from Cehri? She
clicked on the email. The subject line was “Invitation
to an Installation”. She scanned the email excitedly.
Cehri was going to have an art installation HERE? In
Toronto? She followed the link to the Art Metropole
gallery and scanned the list of upcoming exhibitions.
Wow…Cehri had been chosen as one of 10 North American
women representing contemporary art in an
American-Canadian joint venture to further interest in
young girls to pursue contemporary art careers.

As she read the bio for her American friend, she felt
a bit guilty for having kept in such poor touch with
her. They had met when Tracy had gone to Seattle for a
special course in new law enforcement technologies at
the University of Washington for a quarter. She and
Cehri had both attended a book signing by the
world-famous spiritual paranormalist, Uri Geller. They
had stood in line together for over two hours waiting
for their respective turns to have their books signed
and actually meet the celebrity. Tracy had made some
cryptic comment about the people waiting in line; most
of them seemed to be over 40, and had a distinctive
air of overage hippies. She and Cehri were the only
women under 30 in the whole group. Cehri had laughed
and joked back with her about the Seattle natives; she
had only been in the area for two years, having moved
out to the West coast from Wisconsin. They started
talking, and after the long wait and the thrill of
meeting Uri, they had decided to go get coffee
together. They had hit it off, and Tracy was
fascinated by the woman. She had never heard of
digital art, and made the mistake of lumping Cehri in
as a graphic artist. She had been firmly corrected
about the nuances of the graphics art world. They
found that they had a lot of similar interests and
background; for the three months she had been in
Seattle, they had become good friends and stayed in
touch loosely.

Apparently Cehri had succeeded, despite some lean
years as a “starving artist”. Her work had been seen
by an agent from New York and she finally managed to
get the exposure and recognition she needed.   Her
agent had entered her works into the juried
competition for the international show, and apparently
she had blown the panel away. The tour had started in
LA, and gone across the states to New York. Now it was
making the Canadian circuit. Toronto was the first
leg, then Montreal in Quebec and finishing in
Vancouver BC. Cehri would be coming to Toronto to set
up the installation in a month, and of course wanted
to not only see her old book-line buddy but also to
send her an invitation to the gallery opening.

Tracy checked the clock. For once working the night
shift was problematic. Darn. She would be fast asleep
by the time it was reasonable to call Seattle with the
three-hour time difference. She sent a quick reply to
Cehri, letting her know she would try calling her
early that evening, west coast time. She hit the send
button, and then finished perusing the rest of her
mundane mail before going to bed. It was getting on
towards 8 AM and she had to be up by 3 PM for a
dentist appointment. As she slipped into sleep her
dreams became collages of bright lights and giant
walls of flat screen monitors.

That evening, Tracy picked up the phone and dialed the
number Cehri had listed in her email. The answering
machine picked up, and just as she was about to hang
up, Cehri’s voice chimed on, “hold on…let me turn this
thing off.” There was a “beep” and then a frustrated
“hello?”

“Cehri? Hi, it’s Tracy Vetter from Toronto. I got your
email, I cannot believe how fantastic the news is!”

Cehri’s voice was warm and Tracy could hear her smile
in it. “Tracy, I’m so glad to hear from you! Yeah,
crazy about the show, huh?”

As the two women caught up on their lives for the next
hour, Tracy arranged with Cehri to pick her up at the
airport when she arrived the following month. With the
promise of an emailed itinerary, Tracy hung up the
phone with a warm feeling inside. Although they had
followed vastly different paths, it seemed as if the
two women still shared a lot of common interests and
values.

Cehri had always had an interest in the paranormal and
things beyond the physical world, and Tracy mused on
what she would say if introduced to Vachon. She
chuckled and resolved to introduce her exceedingly
sensitive friend to him and see if she had any
comments or insights about the vampire. Still smiling
at herself, she got ready to go to work.

Later that night, Nick noticed Tracy’s good mood, even
while filling out paperwork, and finally put his pen
down.

“So, what’s got you in such a good mood tonight?” He
quirked his eyebrow at her and gave her his famous
lopsided grin.

She looked up at him and a big smile cracked her face.
“An old friend of mine from the States is coming into
town next month for an art show. I haven’t seen her in
almost four years, and I talked to her on the phone
before I came in to work. I’m really excited for her
and can’t wait to see her.”

Nick became intrigued. “She’s coming to Toronto to
attend an art show?”

“No, she’s exhibiting. Do you remember that joint
Canadian-American educational program that showcases
women from North America? She is one of the artists
that were chosen to represent the States. She’s a
digital artist, and has a huge installation going in
at the gallery for three months. She’s coming to
supervise the installation.”

Nick’s eyebrows raised. “Wow, she must be good. I’m
acquainted with one of the panel members that juried
the entries, and he told me it was really stiff
competition. What’s her name?”

“Cehri Amista.”

Nick whistled. “Wow, I remember Christophe mentioning
her. She blew everyone else in that category away.
Maybe you’ll introduce me when she is here? I’ve
dabbled a very little bit with graphics. I’d love to
get some insight from a true professional.”

Tracy looked at him in surprise. Not only had she not
known her partner was so well connected in the art
community, she also didn’t realize he was that
interested in computers. He never mentioned it.

“Well, I’m planning on going to the opening reception
of the show, and Cehri said she could get me a few
invitations. I’ll see if she can get you one or two;
do you think Nat would like to come a well?”

Nick smiled. “That would be great, I’ll ask Natalie
about it.”

Later that night as Nick was in the morgue checking
out the report from a case, he broached the subject
with Natalie.

“Hey, do you like modern art? Tracy has a friend from
Seattle exhibiting at Art Metropole as part of a joint
Canadian-American project. She invited me along and
wanted to know if you might be interested as well.”

Nat looked at him. “When is it? I’m swamped for the
next couple of weeks while Jerry is on vacation.”

”Tracy said she’s coming in to town next month, so I’m
guessing it will be then. I’ll check it out.” His eyes
twinkled. “I’m also going to see if someone I know
from the Ontario Arts Commission is going; he was on
the jury panel.”

Natalie’s jaw almost dropped open. The chance to meet
someone in Nick’s life that she didn’t already know?
She wouldn’t pass THAT chance up in a million years.
“As long as I can get off of work for that evening,
I’m there.”

Nick leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “Art
reception it is. I’ve got to get back to the precinct,
I’ll see you later.” And he was gone.


Arstistic Eye 2/10
Kristen Fife
4/2004

Part II
One month later, Tracy stood at the baggage carousel
at the airport waiting for Cehri. They had talked
several times in the intervening weeks, and Cehri
seemed excited to be in Toronto. She had admitted to
Tracy that it was her first time outside of the
States. Tracy was shocked; she had always assumed
Cehri was extremely well traveled. She had promised to
show her the sights of Toronto.

As bags began sliding down the shoot, Tracy looked
around for Cehri. Finally she saw her, and grinned.
She didn’t look like she had aged a day in the last
five years. If it weren’t for the fact that it was
broad daylight on a sunny spring afternoon, Tracy
might have suspected ANOTHER undead creature in her
life. She chuckled at herself; Vachon had accused her
of seeing vampires everywhere since they met. She had
even entertained the thought of Nick as a vampire over
the last two years.

Cehri walked toward her, and Tracy hugged her. She
stood back and looked at the pretty woman before her.
Her heart-shaped face was framed by a halo of brown
hair and her large dark eyes were sparkling.

“How was the trip?” Tracy asked.

“LONG! I had no idea customs was such a pain in the
rump!” Cehri rolled her eyes.

Tracy laughed. They waited for the carousel to circle
around and Cehri grabbed her luggage. Tracy led the
way to her car, and they traded stories back and
forth. Each woman was amazed at the other’s career
path.

“So, Tracy, now for the girl talk…are you seeing
anyone special?” Cehri’s voice was teasing. When she
had been in Seattle, Tracy had been VERY popular with
the men in her classes. Being only one of three women
in the program of 50 had meant she had a full social
life. Cehri had gone out with her several times and
had found the personality types in the students a
refreshing change from the techies she knew from
working in the software field.

Tracy blushed. “Well, sort of. We’ve known each other
a couple of years, but we are very different. His name
is Vachon. Maybe I’ll introduce you to him.” She
quickly changed the subject. Cehri was intrigued but
knew better than to push.

Tracy asked her questions about the art exhibit as
they drove to the hotel. Tracy had offered her
apartment, but the Arts Council was providing a hotel,
and Cehri wasn’t sure of her schedule and didn’t want
to put Tracy out at all. She did get a promise from
Tracy to show her around the police precinct as well
as some social activities during the two weeks she was
scheduled to be in Toronto.

They arrived at the hotel and a valet came out to get
Cehri’s bags. She went to check in while Tracy parked
the car. They were going to grab a late meal at the
hotel bistro. Lunch for Tracy, dinner for Cehri who
was still on west coast time.

Tracy met back up with Cehri in the lobby after she
had dropped her bags off in her room. They walked to
the restaurant, and were happy to note that they were
the only patrons. They were seated, ordered their food
and drinks, and started talking about Cehri’s art.

“So, where do you get your inspiration?” Tracy felt no
artistic urges and was fascinated by anyone who did.
She was amazed at the art she had seen Nick produce in
HIS spare time, and she loved listening to Vachon play
and sing.

Cehri sighed. “You know, that’s the one question that
no artist seems able to answer consistently. I get it
from everyday occurrences, or a conversation, or an
article I read. It all depends. One of my friends in
Seattle is a writer, and she and I have discussed
this. It just…happens. I’ll get an image or partial
image in my mind, and then spend days or weeks waiting
for it to reveal itself to me. For example, the image
I submitted to the juried competition was something I
got based on seeing my niece at Christmas. I only see
her once a year or less, and I’m amazed at how fast
she is growing. I started thinking about the stages a
girl goes through to become a woman, and that
metamorphed into the piece I gave my agent Jillian to
submit.”

Tracy was fascinated. She had seen the image when she
had received the email about the show from Cehri
originally. It had been stunning yet simple. The
central figure was a female form in silhouette walking
on a beach next to a red ocean, and in the dark sky
was a collage of rather abstract images ranging from a
birthday cake, to a dollhouse, to an image of a knight
on a horseback, to vague figure of a baby carriage.
All the images were discernible but yet more suggested
than fleshed out. The lines had been simple and clean
yet very subtle and interpretive.

“Wow. I think I’m just too analytical for that sort of
thing. I can’t even draw a straight line without a
ruler. My partner, Nick, is an artist. You’ll meet him
at the reception on Thursday night. He actually knows
one of the members of the jury board, Christophe
someone-or-other, and knew your name as soon as I
mentioned it.”

Cehri perked up. “A friend of yours knows Christophe
LeBlanc? Wow. Do you have any idea how much I’d love
to meet HIM?” Her enthusiasm piqued Tracy’s curiosity.

“OK, spill. What’s so special about this guy?” Maybe
this whole show would be interesting to watch beyond
just the art work…

Cehri blushed. “Um, I’m an admirer of his. He is an
acknowledged artist in his own right; you should see
his photography.”

Tracy wasn’t convinced. “And?”

“OK, OK, he’s one of the best looking straight, single
male artists in North America.”

Tracy laughed. “Oh, I think this reception is going to
prove to be VERY interesting.”

They both laughed and continued their conversation as
they finished their meal. They talked a little about
the paranormal, and Tracy introduced the topic of
fantastical life forms. She started with the recent
book that had been published about fairies by Brian
Froud. She wanted to see if Cehri was open to the
possibility of other intelligent humanoid life forms
sharing the world with mankind.

Cehri hesitated talking about some of her views and
experiences, even with someone she knew shared her
belief in the paranormal. Finally, she responded.

“Well, to be honest, I personally believe in fairies.
There is too much folklore and too many common beliefs
around the world to discount the idea. If you study
any legend or myth, there is generally a basis for it
in real life. And in our jaded world, the resurgence
in things like nature religions and even pop culture
proves that the human psyche still has a deep-rooted
belief in things beyond the visible world. Both good
and evil. Fairies, elves, werewolves, vampires,
dragons, unicorns, all of them have a place in world
culture and history. We’d be fools to say that such
creatures are extinct or non-existent, just because
science hasn’t found them.”

Tracy smiled to herself. And resolved to make sure
that Cehri met Vachon at least once while she was in
town. As long as she didn’t KNOW what he was, it
should be safe enough.

Finally looking at her watch, Tracy got up to go to
work. She and Nick had a large case they were
investigating, and she wanted to be sure she wasn’t
distracted on Thursday during the reception. She
hugged Cehri and got up to leave.


Artistic Eye
Part 3
Kristen Fife, 4/2004

Tracy stopped by to see Vachon before going in to
work. As she entered the old abandoned church, she
called out to him. “Vachon? Are you around?”

She felt a sudden chill on the back of her neck and
she turned around to find him standing behind her. She
squeaked.

“WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DO THAT?”

He laughed.

They walked to the area that Vachon had made into his
living quarters, and sat down. He casually picked up a
green bottle he had been drinking from when she came
in, and offered her some Diet Coke. She took it and
sat down.

“What brings you here, Trace?” He asked her as he took
a swig from the bottle.

Tracy watched in fascination, knowing there was human
blood in the bottle. She was always morbidly entranced
when she saw him with blood in his hands.

“Oh, just to remind you that Thursday night is the art
reception I invited you to come to with me. I’d really
like it if you could make it. I want my friend Cehri
to meet you. She’s in town for a couple of weeks. I
also want your opinion of her art. Nick and Natalie
are coming too.” Her answer was distracted; she was
still staring at the bottle in his hands. He took
another swig, just for effect.

“Sure, I’ll go. What’s the attire, and should I meet
you there?”

Finally Tracy looked up at him. His casual acceptance
puzzled her. It was so hard to tell what he would be
inclined to say “yes” to. He constantly surprised her.
And, she admitted to herself, that was one of the
reasons she was so attracted to him.

“Semi-formal. Basically no jeans. This is a modern art
crowd, so I’m guessing leather is ok. It’s at Art
Metropole. Do you know where that is?” He nodded. “I
promised to pick up Cehri, so I’ll probably be there
fairly early. It starts at 8 PM. Here’s the invite”.
She handed him the postcard that was the invitation to
the reception. “Just meet me there when you can. It
isn’t supposed to be a huge reception, so you should
be able to find me fairly easily.” She stood up to
leave, and he did as well. He walked her to the door,
and placed a cool kiss on her cheek as she left.


Part 4
Kristen Fife
4/2004

Part IV

The evening of the reception, Natalie walked into
Nick’s loft just as the sun set. He had offered to
take her out to dinner before the reception, and she
had jumped at the opportunity. Her short blue cocktail
dress was simple yet elegant. The square neckline and
cap sleeves made a nice frame for the gold heart
pendant she wore, a Christmas gift from Nick the year
before. She had worn mid-heel pumps, since she knew
she would probably be standing most of the evening.
Nick was walking down the steps just as she stepped
through the door and she smiled in appreciation. He
had decided to wear a definitely modern look for the
occasion. His suit was dove grey with a subtle
iridescent weave to it. The jacket had a standing
mandarin collar and eastern flair to it, buttoning
off-center down the front and falling a bit longer
than she was used to seeing on him, almost to
mid-thigh. The material begged to be touched and as he
came over to her, with a grin on her face, she reached
out to caress his arm. Unsurprisingly she found a
smooth silk under her fingertips.

His eyebrows quirked upwards in amusement while a
smile played around his lips. “Do you approve? You
look lovely, as usual.”

Still wearing a grin, she replied. “I wanted to see if
the jacket felt as good as it looked like it should.
And it does; I do like this look on you. And thanks.”

Nick grabbed his car keys and wallet and they headed
out the door to the restaurant he had made
reservations at.

Across town, Tracy was just pulling up in front of the
hotel to pick up Cehri. She was wearing a maroon
velvet pantsuit, an impulse buy from two years before
that she had never had the nerve to wear. She figured
a modern art reception was just enough out of her
normal routine to qualify for the outfit. As she rang
up to Cehri’s room she was unaware of the admiring
looks she was getting from the men sitting and walking
throughout the lobby.

Just as she set the phone down, Cehri walked into the
lobby. Tracy grinned at the outfit she had on. It was
definitely NOT conservative in the least. The olive
green silk pants she wore had slightly flared legs,
and the long-sleeved dark purple paisley velvet
burnout t-shirt was revealing without being too much
so. She had on some sort of metallic camisole
underneath, and the pewter color showed through the
dark mesh of her shirt to create a striking effect.
Her dark hair was loose around her face and shoulders
in a cap of curls. She grinned when she saw Tracy, and
they spent several minutes complimenting each other.
Finally, laughing, they          headed for Tracy’s car.

When they arrived at the gallery, they walked down a
narrow, dark hallway into a decidedly
industrial-looking concrete room. Tracy’s jaw dropped.
Every wall, including the ceiling, had huge flat
plasma screens forming a giant grid everywhere except
the floor.  All the screens were currently dark save
for the ones on the ceiling which showed giant star
fields and gaseous nebulae playing along the screens.
They actually WERE moving, very slowly. They didn’t
look like photos, but they were very realistic. She
couldn’t describe them. Cehri was watching her
reaction.

Tracy turned to her. “Wow, this is incredible. How
long did it take you to do this?”

Cehri smiled. “It took me about 9 months. Let me
introduce you to Jillian and Paul.” She took Tracy
through the room into a smaller one which was set with
tables bearing appetizers, and a bar in the corner.
Tracy could smell coffee and looked about, finding an
espresso cart in the corner behind her. Cehri
continued walking, and Tracy noticed a man and woman
standing talking to what appeared to be the caterer.
She followed Cehri over.

“Tracy Vetter, this is Jillian Clay, my agent. And
this is Paul Larson, the gallery manager.” Tracy shook
hands with each of them. Jillian was tall and slender,
with short dark hair. The black sheath she wore had a
definite east coast feel to it. Paul Larson was a
fairly non-descript middle-aged man with twinkling
green eyes and a broad smile. They exchanged chit chat
for a few more minutes before Paul excused himself to
confer some more with the caterer. Cehri caught Tracy
glancing wistfully at the coffee cart and laughed.
“Tracy, get some coffee for heaven’s sake. If I’m not
mistaken, this is the equivalent of 4 AM for you.”

Tracy grinned sheepishly. Jillian looked askance at
her. “I’m a police detective, and I work third shift.
I’m usually not awake until closer to 8 most nights.”
Jillian grinned with the explanation and took her over
to the cart and smoothly ordered her a triple shot
latte.

Cehri excused herself to continue checking on the
installation. It was just after 6:30, and guests were
due to start arriving at 8. The timing for the
installation had to be just right. Jillian and Tracy
found themselves talking over coffee.

“So, what division do you work in? It must be
fascinating to be a woman in a mostly male dominated
field.” Jillian’s remarks caused Tracy to bristle just
a bit, but she finally realized the other woman was
trying to make conversation.

“I’m a homicide detective. All the men in my family,
and several of my female cousins are all in law
enforcement. It was pretty much second nature for me.
In fact, I met Cehri five years ago when I was in
Seattle taking a special law enforcement class at the
University of Washington.” Jillian nodded absently as
if her answer put several questions to rest.

“Homicide? What an interesting division of law
enforcement. What made you decide to get into that
particular field?” Jillian’s interest seemed fairly
genuine, although Tracy got the impression that she
was truly only trying to make conversation to be
polite, and was using her professional attributes. She
didn’t mind, as this woman was responsible for Cehri’s
recognition.

They continued talking for a few more moments before
Cehri came back and invited Tracy back into the main
installation room to see a demonstration. She
gratefully followed. As she did so, she noticed that
each wall seemed to be representing an element. One
was water, one was air, one was fire and the final was
earth. Each wall held images which coalesced and
merged one screen into another. The images were
distinctly separate but each one flowed seamlessly
into the next. And the focus seemed to flow from one
element to the next so that no single element fought
for notice with another, but each took precedence one
after another. It was truly awesome, and the images
were vivid but strangely not overwhelming.

Tracy didn’t realize that she had been watching the
fire wall expand from a scene of sparks to a raging
forest fire for over half an hour. The eeriest part of
the entire experience was the silence. There was no
sound or music accompanying the cascade of images.
Overhead, the universe continued to form, reform and
coalesce. Cehri had left her alone to view the
display, but finally walked up to her as Tracy looked
at the door to the reception area.

Cehri stood watching her expression, a small grin on
her own face. “Well, do like it? The installation is
called “The Phoenix Cycle” to reflect the birth and
rebirth of the physical world.”

Tracy turned toward her, the blues of the water wall
reflecting on her face as it became the dominant
element in the display. “Cehri, it’s amazing. I cannot
even imagine how much effort went into this, creating
each image and animating it. I really have to tell you
I have newfound respect for your art! Thank you so
much for making me a part of this.” Her humble thanks
touched Cehri and the smile on her face was enough to
light up the entire room on its own.

“I’m so glad you like it. This is definitely the most
complex set of images I have ever created. Come on,
let’s go get some food before the press arrives and I
don’t have a chance to do anything but answer
questions.” She took Tracy’s arm and led her back into
the reception room.  They managed to each get a plate
of food and sit in the gallery office before the press
started arriving at 7:30, half an hour before the
public.


Part V
Kristen Fife 4/2004

At precisely 8 PM, Nick and Natalie arrived at the
outside of the gallery. Nick glanced at his watch.
They were waiting for Christophe LeBlanc, Nick’s
friend from the Art Commission. Natalie finally
understood that Nick knew him from the de Brabant
Foundation. She had asked him innocently what name
Christophe knew him by. His expression told her it
wasn’t as Nick Knight, homicide detective. She teased
him gently for a few minutes before a figure arrived
in the darkness. As he approached Nat smiled
appreciatively. He was about 6 feet tall,
mid-thirties, with hair so blonde it appeared white.
His skin was as pale as any vampire, but Nick had
already told her he was human. As he stepped into the
bright light of the gallery, Nat did a double-take.
One of his eyes was bright blue, the other a pale leaf
green. Rather than look odd, it was completely
balanced. His face was strikingly handsome. He carried
himself with a grace and assurance that let her know
he was self-confident, although not cocky or overtly
arrogant. When Nick introduced her, he took her hand
and bowed over it and kissed it, his soft French
accent belying his European background. She blushed,
and hoped he didn’t notice too much.

Finally, as they glanced around, they realized that
other guests had started to arrive. Christophe opened
the door for them and they entered the gallery. An
usher stood just inside the door handing them
programs, urging them to proceed through the main
gallery into the reception area when they had finished
viewing the display. Natalie gasped when they entered
the main showroom and she saw the silently moving
images. She became completely engrossed in the images
of water that caught her attention. She felt Nick slip
his cool hand into hers. The sheer enormity of the
display took her breath away. She could feel
Christophe on her other side, wandering over to the
wall of Earth. He seemed to be deliberately ignoring
the water, the element currently showcased.

Finally, not knowing how long she had gazed at the
images, she felt Nick tug her hand gently. She shook
herself and looked around. The gallery was filling up
quickly and there seemed to be a line outside the
front entrance. Ruefully, she pulled away and let Nick
lead her to a doorway in the far corner. Christophe
was right beside her and smiled at her warmly. They
walked through the doorway into a softly lit room
which had a table of appetizers, a bar, and a coffee
cart in one corner. Servers in white jackets and black
pants were circulating throughout with wine on trays.
She gratefully grabbed a glass of white wine from a
passing waitress. Nick still held her hand, and she
squeezed it gently. He looked at her and smiled. They
started talking about the display when suddenly Tracy
appeared next to them.

“Nick, Natalie, I’m glad you could come.” She turned
to look at Christophe, then stopped. Nick grinned and
introduced them.

“Truly a pleasure. I hope you’ll allow me to introduce
you to the artist later; she’s a friend and mentioned
an interest in your photography earlier.” She smiled
and dimpled at the attractive man. He smiled easily
back at her.

“It would be an honor to meet Cehri. Her work is
superlative. I’m amazed and gratified that she has
even heard of me.” They continued bantering for
several more minutes. Finally, Tracy turned to see if
she could find Cehri.

“What a delightful woman, Nicholas. You seem to
surround yourself with beautiful and amazingly vibrant
women.” He winked audaciously at Natalie, almost
causing her to choke on her wine.

At that moment, Tracy returned with Cehri. As they all
turned toward the artist, Nick heard her heart
increase when she saw Christophe, a slow blush
creeping up her cheeks. Nick smiled to himself as
Tracy started the introductions with Christophe. Cehri
dragged her eyes away from Christophe to smile at
Natalie, her heart once more beating regularly. When
she turned to Nick, her heart rate increased again,
and all the blood drained from her face. Her eyes
widened and Nick could detect fear emanating from her.


She shook his hand reluctantly and turned to Tracy
with what seemed to be a desire to bolt. Nick frowned,
unsure what he had done to alarm her. Her hand was
shaking as it shook his. She dropped it as soon as she
could politely. She mumbled something about seeing to
her other guests, and turned around with one quick
look over her shoulder at Christophe.

Tracy had a confused expression on her face. “If
you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back.” She hurried
after Cehri.

Christophe and Natalie turned toward Nick together,
both of them with puzzled looks on their faces. He
smiled and tried to interject a comment about the
artist and her work. Both his companions seemed
relieved at the chance to resume polite conversation.
Natalie stood close to him and rested her hand on his
arm, in an attempt to reassure him. The only problem
was, neither of them were sure what he needed
reassurance about.



Part VI
Kristen Fife, 4/2004

Tracy hurried after Cehri, who was heading straight
for the ladies’ room. She caught up
with her just as Cehri was washing her hands in
steaming hot water.

“Cehri, are you ok?” Tracy asked with concern of her
friend.

The artist turned to look at her with a haunted look
on her face. “Who WAS that guy with Christophe?” She
demanded.

Tracy frowned. “That’s my partner, Nick. We work
together. What’s wrong? You look like you saw a
ghost.”

Cehri gazed intently at her. “You work with him? Every
night?”

Tracy nodded. “Of course every night. We’ve been
partners for just over two years. He’s also a good
friend. Why are you acting like this?”

Cehri took a deep breath. Finally, she seemed to make
a decision. “I’m sorry. He just…struck me the wrong
way, I guess. I assume he is the one that you said
knows Christophe?” She tried to gain her equilibrium
and calm herself down. Tracy wasn’t sure what was in
her head but she nodded.

“I’m a little nervous tonight, I guess. Thanks for
coming after me, I should be all right.” She smiled
weakly at Tracy. “I should probably get back out
there.” She nodded toward the door. Tracy still wasn’t
sure what was going on, but had no choice but to
follow her.

As they walked back into the reception room, Tracy saw
Vachon. With a quick look of concern at Cehri, she
left and walked over to him. Cehri followed her with
her eyes, but turned as someone approached her to
congratulate her on her exhibition and compliment the
installation.

Tracy got a smile on her face as she neared Vachon. He
was wearing black leather pants and a leather suit
jacket over a blood-red silk shirt. His dark hair was
pulled back. He didn’t sport his usual biker look, but
instead looked much more subtly sinister. If she
didn’t know his true nature, she might have thought of
him as a mobster. As she approached, he got an impish
grin on his face.

“Hi Tracy. Wow, that first room is amazing! And the
artist is a personal friend of yours? She is very
talented! I almost got lost in that water wall!” His
eyes sparkled as he leaned forward to kiss her on the
cheek. Suddenly he noticed her outfit and his grin
became quite appreciative. “And you look delicious.”

She laughed and swatted him. “I’ll take that as a
compliment, but I do NOT intend to be a midnight snack
for you tonight, mister! So just keep your appetites
to yourself.” She laughed again at his look of
chagrin.

Just then Nick, Natalie, and Christophe wandered over.
Christophe was introduced to Vachon. He noted the
subtle interplay between the Spaniard and Tracy, and
realized that although she had flirted with him
earlier, she obviously was interested in the dark man
in leather. He sensed a subtle danger around the man,
and decided that it wasn’t worth pursuing. Besides
which he had barely had time to meet Cehri, and his
interest in her was much more personal than even
Nicholas knew. He had seen a picture of the lovely
artist when her entry had been submitted, and he had
been haunted by her face for months. Finding out that
Nicholas was able to get him a personal introduction
had seemed like a godsend to him. As the rest of the
Toronto natives bantered among themselves, obviously
all well known to one another, he quietly excused
himself and went to get a drink. As he approached the
bar, he saw the object of his interest just shaking
hands with someone who was starting to walk away. He
veered toward her instead, and her face lit up to see
him.

“Ms. Amista, I must tell you that your work is
stunning. I thought your juried entry was inspired,
but this work is beyond words. It’s truly an honor to
meet you.” He smiled, and the answering smile on her
face touched him deeply.

“Please, call me Cehri. And thank you. Your opinion
means quite a bit to me. I’m a big admirer of your
photography. I saw your show on Moroccan architecture
and the use of color was visually captivating.” He
blinked in pleased surprise. The Moroccan exhibit had
been small but one of his favorites.

As they started to talk quietly, each felt a growing
connection to the other, and a current of subtle
electricity seemed to flow between them. Finally,
after about 20 minutes, Cehri ruefully realized that,
as the host, she needed to mingle some more. As she
started to reluctantly turn away, Christophe caught
her hand.

“Do you have plans after the reception is over? Would
you do me the honor of having a night cap with me if
you don’t have a prior commitment?” His words were
polite, but the intensity of his voice froze her in
her tracks. She smiled and nodded her head.

“I’ll find you, just hang around. Most people should
be leaving around midnight if not before.” She smiled
and finally turned to walk away.

She saw Tracy standing in line for the coffee cart and
grinned to herself, knowing her friend’s caffeine
addiction. None of her earlier companions were around,
so she quietly walked over to her. Tracy noticed her
out of the corner of her eye and turned toward her.

“So, I saw that you were talking to Christophe.
Anything interesting?” Her attempt at subtlety caused
Cehri to snort, then grin.

“Well, if you call a date for a night cap interesting,
then yes. I know I do.”

Tracy laughed and walked up to the barista to order
another latte. As soon as she had it in her hand, she
steered Cehri over toward Vachon, who was talking to
one of the other guests. As they approached and Vachon
turned to look at them, Tracy introduced Cehri to him.


If possible, Cehri’s reaction to Vachon was even more
spectacular and disturbing than her reaction to
meeting Nick. She barely managed to stammer out a
greeting before she DID bolt away. Tracy stared after
her.

She looked back at Vachon. He had a slight frown on
his face. “Do you have any idea what that was all
about?” She asked him.

He sighed. “Off hand, if I was to guess, I’d say she
is one of those rare humans that is sensitive to my
kind, and recognizes us for what we are
instinctively.” He answered, trying not to say
anything that could be misconstrued by any listening
ears.

Tracy frowned and looked after Cehri. She could buy
that theory in relation to Vachon, but not Nick.
Something had to be going on. She turned back to
Vachon and excused herself. He wandered back over to
Nick and Natalie.

“Nick, did you meet Tracy’s friend, the artist?”

The elder vampire nodded.

“Did she act…oddly to you?” Vachon’s leading questions
immediately got Nick’s attention.

“Yes, did she with you?” At Vachon’s nod he moaned.
Vachon kept nodding.

“I think she’s a Sensor. I sort of explained it to
Tracy, but I don’t think she believed me. I take it
she was there when Cehri reacted to you?” At Nick’s
nod, Natalie finally chimed in.

“What are  you two talking about?” Her voice was low
but demanding. Nick turned to her. He looked about
carefully to make sure no one was within hearing
distance, then decided to guide her outside the
building.

They passed back through the display room, and it took
firm self-control from all three of them not to get
enthralled with the brightly glowing screens. Finally
they made it out the front door and Nick took them
over to the parking lot. They stood next to the Caddy
while he explained.

“Some mortals are psychically sensitive and can
recognize a vampire immediately. We call them Sensors.
Depending on their personality type and sensitivity,
often times they become Hunters.” He sighed and looked
at Vachon, who just returned his look.

“I don’t think she is someone that would ever be a
Hunter. But she is VERY sensitive. We should probably
leave soon. All our presence will do is upset her.
Since Tracy has seen  her reaction to both of us, and
Vachon told her about Sensors, she * might * put two
and two together and come up with a vampire partner.”
There was a resignation in his voice and he frowned.
Vachon was nodding in agreement with him at this
point.

Natalie just sighed as well. “OK, I’ll go in and say
good night to Tracy for all of us. I’ll tell her Nick
and I aren’t feeling well and that Vachon offered to
drive the car.” She turned to leave.

Nick turned to Vachon. “Are there any Enforcers in the
city that you know of? This could get ugly. Although,
Tracy said she’s only supposed to be here through the
end of next week.”

Vachon frowned. “I haven’t heard about any.  Tell you
what, after we leave I’ll go head over to the Raven
and ask around. We’ll probably be OK since she’s
leaving soon. I’ll see if I can convince Trace to keep
her away from me, and you should probably do the same.
She mentioned something about Cehri wanting a tour of
the police station.” Nick groaned, but agreed with
Vachon.

Natalie walked back out just then, and they all got in
the Caddy, with Vachon driving, when she told them
that Tracy was watching from the doorway.



Part 7
Kristen Fife, 4/2004

After Vachon, Nick and Natalie drove away, Tracy
returned to the reception. It was only 9:30, but she
had promised Cehri a ride back to her hotel when the
show was over. And she sincerely wanted to talk to her
friend alone about what her problem was.  As she
entered the reception room, she saw Cehri deep in
conversation with Christophe. Tracy walked toward
them, noticing that the crowd had started to thin
quite a bit. As she approached, Cehri looked at her,
then nervously looked past her shoulder, then seemed
to relax visibly.

“Tracy, Christophe and I are going to go out after the
show for drinks. You don’t need to stick around.
You’ve been great with your help, and I really
appreciate it.” Cehri was trying to be polite and seem
to give Tracy an out for the rest of the evening, but
Tracy also knew how much the artist wanted to spend
time alone with the tall Frenchman.

Deciding on the better part of discretion, she smiled
and leaned in to hug Cehri. She congratulated her,
shook hands with Christophe, and decided to leave.

As she drove home, she mulled over the artist’s
reaction in her mind. It had been fear, she was sure
of it. If it had just been Nick OR Vachon, she would
have just attributed it to coincidence. Her reaction
to Christophe wasn’t the same, so she was pretty sure
it wasn’t due to the fact that they were male, either.
She just couldn’t figure out what it was about Nick
and Vachon, a common thread that would have set her
off.

Finally pulling into her building, she sat in her car.
She looked at her watch; it was just after 10. She
thought about going to the church to see Vachon but he
probably wasn’t home yet. He had to drop off Nick and
Natalie, and then go back for his bike to the gallery.
He probably wouldn’t be about for at least an hour or
so. She started the car again and on a hunch headed to
the Raven.

As Nick and Natalie headed up to the loft, with Vachon
with them, they tried to figure out the best course of
action for Nick to avoid Cehri. Not coming to any new
conclusions, Vachon took off to go to the Raven,
leaving by the skylight.

Natalie stayed with Nick. She could tell he was upset.
Finally, she asked him if he wanted to go for a drive.
It was still early, and she knew that sometimes when
his nature was bothering him it helped for him to get
out and be distracted. He looked at her gratefully,
pulled her into a hug for a moment or two, then took
her hand and led her back down to the Caddy. They got
in and set out for a drive along the lakeshore.



Part 8
Tracy arrived at the Raven and walked in. As she
passed through the crowd, she tried not to imagine
which of the patrons ate vegetables and which didn’t.
She knew that Toronto’s vampires hung out here, and
that she wasn’t supposed to know that tidbit. She
sidled up to the bar and ordered a drink to calm her
nerves.

As she sipped her drink she turned to see Vachon
walking in the door. He unerringly turned right toward
her and sighed. He walked over to her, still looking
dangerous in his leather suit. He got to the bar and
ordered the “house special” wine. Tracy was just
looking at him over the rim of her glass, a
speculative look on her face. Finally, when his drink
came, she broke the silence.

“So Vachon, what are you doing here? Are Nick and
Natalie OK?” Her voice was dangerously neutral.

“Yeah, the doc was a little green around the gills and
Knight wasn’t doing too well

either. They said they must have had something wrong
to eat at dinner. They mentioned going to a sushi
place before they came to the show.”

Tracy’s expression relented. “I hope they’re OK.”

Vachon shrugged. “They’ll be fine, I’m sure. So, what
are you doing here?”

Tracy sighed. “Hoping to run into you and find out
more about the conversation we had earlier.”

Vachon looked at her. “Well, I’m here for the same
reason, and it would really make my life a lot easier
if you left. I need to talk to some specific people,
and they wouldn’t appreciate you being here with me.
If you want to meet me at the church, I should be
there in about an hour.”

She frowned, tossed back her drink, then leaned
forward to kiss him on the cheek. “OK, I’ll do that.
But you have one hour before I come looking for you
again.” She walked out the door and Vachon heaved a
huge sigh of relief.

He turned back to Miklos. “Is LaCroix around?” Miklos
nodded toward the sound booth. The “ON AIR” sign was
on, which meant that LaCroix would be busy until 4 AM.

He turned back to Miklos. “Have you heard whether or
not there are any Enforcers in town right now?”

The burly bartender looked at him intently, trying to
fathom the reason for the question.

“Is there a reason they SHOULD be in town? Something
LaCroix should know about?” His question was an answer
in itself, but Vachon needed to make sure.

“I take that as a ‘no’. And no, there is no reason
Enforcers should be in town right now.” He answered as
carefully as he could. Just because Cehri existed was
not a reason for the Community to worry. If she only
stayed a week or two, and didn’t run into or seek out
any more vampires, everything should be fine. That
being reasoned out, he needed to talk to Tracy and
stress the importance of keeping Cehri away from the
Community. And trying to figure out a way to do so
that didn’t alert her to Nick’s true nature. He tossed
back his wine then left by the back door so he could
take to the air unnoticed.

As she left the Raven, Tracy headed to the church to
wait for Vachon. She was still bothered by something
about his pat explanation, but she couldn’t put her
finger on it. As she was driving, she kept replaying
the scenes of Cehri meeting her friends in her mind.
Suddenly she compared the reaction to Nick and Vachon
both. The first meeting with Nick had seemed almost a
recognition of some sort. Her partner had looked very
debonair, his good looks classic, and his charm had
been very genuine. Her reaction to Vachon was more
understandable. Vachon in black leather radiated
“threat”. She had seen the look on Christophe’s face
when he had sized up the Spanish vampire, and she had
a feeling that Christophe was worldly enough to
recognize danger when he saw it. It was Cehri’s
reaction to Nick that was bothering her. What had she
sensed from Nick that had set her on edge?

She pulled up to the church and kept the engine
idling. She had a small frown on her face as she
puzzled over the entire incident. Finally shaking her
head, she turned off the motor and got out of the car
to slowly pace up the walk to the old church and
shivered involuntarily. The church was eerie when it
was dark and deserted. She realized she had never been
here at night alone. Vachon was always there when she
entered, or she came while it was still daylight out.
Mentally knowing it was de-sanctified and the home of
a vampire played games with her active subconscious.

She opened the door. It was never locked. Vachon had
few possessions, and no need to worry about his
personal safety; who would bother a vampire? She found
the light switch for the hallway and walked into the
main congregational. She plopped down into one of the
overstuffed chairs, absently chewing at her lower lip
as she continued mulling the entire evening in her
head, yet again.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, but Vachon
soon appeared. He didn’t sneak up on her, but she was
so lost in thought he may as well have. As he walked
toward her, she looked up, startled. She glanced at
her watch, and saw that it was just before midnight.

“Did you find out anything?” She asked worriedly.

“There aren’t any Enforcers currently in town, so your
friend is safe. But she MUST stay away from any of the
Community. That means me, and especially the Raven.”

“No problem there. Cehri isn’t into the whole Goth
scene. She wouldn’t even go with me to a club I heard
about in Seattle, so I won’t have any problem keeping
her away from the Raven. She’s only here another
week.” Tracy’s reply reassured Vachon that it would
only be a matter of keeping her away from Knight and
then things could get back to normal.

He sighed. It was too bad; he really liked her art and
would have enjoyed learning more about her. He often
sought the company of artists, writers and musicians.
They somehow seemed more alive than most mortals, and
saw the world differently. And their blood was sweeter
than wine with the elixir of their creativity.

He started, seeing that Tracy was watching him. He
grinned at her, but she knew him well enough to be
suspicious.

“What are you thinking?” She asked as innocently as
possible, not fooling him one bit.

“Oh, just about artists and the creative process.”
True enough. He walked over to the small refrigerator
he kept and pulled out a familiar green bottle.
Opening it, he took a swig. Tracy got that intense
look on her face that signaled her fascination with
his diet.
He continued to drink in silence, enjoying the look on
her face. Her heart danced in his ears, but he ignored
it.

Finally shaking herself out of her reverie, she
sighed. “OK. Well, there’s not much more we can do.
Did you have any plans for the rest of the night? We
both look pretty swanky and I’m not ready to go to
sleep yet.”

Vachon grinned. “Funny you should ask. There’s this
new club over on Front Street I’ve been thinking about
going to. Let’s go.”

Tracy grinned back and they got up to head on out.



Part 9

Cehri shook hands with the last of the guests to
leave, and Jillian stood waiting for her, a huge smile
on her face.

“Well, I’d say that this installation is a BIG hit.
I’ve gotten several requests for meetings with local
galleries interested in talking about your work.”

Cehri hugged her. “Jillian, I cannot tell you how much
I appreciate all your work on my behalf. Why don’t we
get together tomorrow afternoon? Call me at the hotel
tomorrow morning and we’ll meet for a late lunch or
early dinner.”

Jillian nodded, and went back to talk to Paul Larson
about the rest of the show. Cehri turned around and
saw Christophe waiting for her, a smile on his face.
She smiled back and walked toward him.

He took her hand and kissed it, causing her to blush.
“Are you by chance free for that nightcap?” His eyes
were sparkling with anticipation.

“Yes, let me just talk to Paul Larson, the gallery
owner, and get my purse.” She walked away, feeling the
French photographer’s eyes on her back.

She stopped in the office, retrieved her purse, and
agreed to return to the gallery the following day in
the early afternoon, before her meeting with Jillian.
She said her goodbyes and walked back to Christophe.
Silently, he held out his arm, and she slipped her
hand through the crook of his elbow. They walked out
and he led her toward his car, a black Mustang
convertible. She smiled at the car as he opened the
passenger side door for her. She slid in and waited
for him to come around to the driver side and get in.

“I like your car. So, did you have any ideas about
where you’d like to go?”

“I used to live in Toronto before I moved to Montreal,
and I know of a nice little bistro over on Yonge
that’s open late. Is that acceptable? I’ll be happy to
drop you off at your hotel whenever you’re ready.”

“That sounds lovely. I actually could use a little
something to eat. I was so nervous I didn’t really get
anything to eat.”

Christophe pulled out of the parking lot and headed
toward Yonge, and they talked animatedly the entire
time about art, cultural differences between Canada
and the US, and Christophe’s travels. Cehri was
especially interested in his trip to Morocco that had
resulted in the photographic show she had seen several
years earlier.

As they pulled up to the small restaurant, Cehri’s
heart was pounding. Christophe was even more
fascinating than she had thought. Although he had
obviously traveled around the globe and was worldly,
he didn’t make her feel in the least naïve. He had
asked her about her own art, and he had known a
surprising amount about her work.

As Christophe opened her door and held out his hand
for her to get out of the car, she noticed that his
hand was shaking just a bit. She wondered if he was
nervous as well, and if so, why? He shut the door
behind her, but didn’t relinquish her hand as they
walked into the restaurant. Her heart was beating
fast. She couldn’t believe that she was with someone
she had had an interest in for several years. And it
appeared that he actually had an interest in her as
well. It was unbelievable!

As the host seated them at a small table near the
window, she looked at her menu and realized how hungry
she truly was. She finally decided on a chicken Panini
sandwich. She put her menu down and looked at
Christophe. He continued scanning the menu and finally
put his own down, then smiled. “What are you going to
have?”

“I think I’ll have the chicken Panini sandwich with
pasta salad.”

“That’s a good choice. I’m going to have some soup and
salad. Did you want some wine?”

Cehri hesitated. She had had a couple of glasses of
wine at the gallery, and didn’t really have a good
head for it. Finally she shook her head. “No, I think
I’ll just stick to water.”

He smiled at her. The waiter came back at that moment,
and they ordered. When the waiter had left, Christophe
restarted the conversation.

“So, how do you like Toronto so far?”

“I haven’t had much of a chance to see it, but what I
HAVE seen so far has been very vibrant. There seems to
be a lot of diversity in the city. Seattle is similar,
although I think Toronto is a lot cleaner. And
flatter! Seattle is all hills and mountains. It’s one
of the things I do like about the area. Have you ever
been there?”

“I’ve been through it once or twice, but I’ve never
stopped. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the
city, and I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Vancouver,
which I hear is similar, at least the terrain around
it. Why did you choose Seattle?”

The conversation continued for the next two hours,
each one learning more about the other. The food was
good, but neither one really tasted it as they were
engrossed in their talk. Finally, at 2 a.m., Cehri
looked at her watch and realized how late it was. She
sighed.

Christophe paid the check, and they walked back to the
car. As he opened the door, he lifted his hand to her
face and stroked her cheek. She turned to look at him,
a streetlight illuminating her features. She smiled at
him, and he leaned forward to kiss her gently. Both of
them felt a jolt of electricity pass through them and
the gentle kiss quickly became more passionate. As
they wrapped their arms around each other for several
minutes and explored their mutual attraction, the
night continued on around them silently.

Finally, Cehri broke away for some air. She looked up
at Christophe, her face aglow and a huge smile on her
face. “Wow. That was incredible.”

He smiled back. “I’ve been wanting to do that all
night. You have no idea how enticing you are. I have a
confession to make. Ever since I saw the photo that
accompanied your entry to the show, I’ve wanted to
meet you.” He took her hand and brought it to his
lips. “Not only are you extremely gifted as an artist,
but you are a beautiful and fascinating woman. I hope
you’ll let me get to know you better while you are in
Toronto.”

Cehri’s eyes had gone huge as he spoke. She had no
idea what to say. That this man, worldly,
sophisticated, and complex was interested in HER
seemed almost unreal. Finally she managed to stammer
out, “I’d like that very much. The attraction is
mutual.” Not trusting herself to say anything else,
she gently pulled back. “I hate to say it, but I
really do need to get some sleep.”

He kissed her forehead and opened the door for her.
She got in, still dazed by the turn of events.
Christophe walked around the car and got into the
driver’s seat and started the engine. As they drove
back to her hotel, he picked up her hand in his and
held it. Neither one knew that the other’s pulse was
racing.  As they pulled up to the entrance to the
hotel, a valet came forward to help Cehri out of the
car. He asked Christophe if he needed the car parked.
Christophe shook his head, but got out of the car and
walked around to hug Cehri.

“What room are you in? I’d like to call you tomorrow
if I may?”

“Room 124. I should be back by early evening.” Still
not sure how to react, she smiled at him.

“I’ll call you around 6:30. If you don’t make any
plans, I’d like to take you to dinner.”

She gulped. “That would be great. I’ll plan on a late
dinner. Thank you, and good night.”

Once more kissing her hand, he winked at her and got
back in the car to drive away. Cehri stared after him,
wondering if she really WOULD be able to get any sleep
with all the sheer wondrous events of the evening
swimming through her head.  She had a small smile on
her face as she passed through the lobby, and stayed
on her face the entire way to her room.



Part 10

Tracy woke up the next afternoon and remembered back
to the night before and smiled. She and Vachon had
danced until almost dawn. The club they had gone to
was playing amazing music, and she had needed to work
off some of the stress from the evening. She had had
NO idea Vachon was such a great dancer. Just one more
layer of attraction to him. She sighed in disgust with
herself. “Tracy Vetter, why do you ALWAYS have to fall
for the most unobtainable man for a million kilometers
around?” She shook her head, avoiding the thoughts of
her high school boyfriends, the rebellion she
exhibited by dating them. Oh well, maybe she just
needed to accept the fact that she was drawn to the
bad boys. She got out of bed and went to take a long
hot shower. As she washed her hair, she started
thinking back to Cehri and her reaction to Nick and
Vachon. She didn’t understand it. What did the two men
she spent most of her waking hours with have in common
other than her?

As she got out of bed and started making coffee and
some breakfast, she tried putting pieces of the puzzle
together. Vachon and Nick seemed to know one another;
maybe there was something about the Raven? She knew
they both spent time there. She wasn’t sure what it
was about the dark club that attracted her partner.
She knew he was moody and went through bouts of
depression, maybe the club’s atmosphere appealed to
his broody nature. Then of course there was the fact
that they were both musicians. She had heard Nick play
the piano a few times, and he was truly gifted. If it
weren’t for the fact that he was one of the best
detectives she had ever met, she would think he’d
pursue music or art full-time.

Still turning the facts over in her mind as she got
dressed, she looked at her watch. Not quite six. Nick
might still be asleep but Natalie should be awake. She
wanted to find out if they were both feeling better.
She picked up the phone and dialed Natalie’s number.

“Hello?”

“Hey Nat, it’s Tracy. I just wanted to see how you’re
feeling after the food poisoning you got last night.”

”Oh, I’m doing a lot better. Thanks for asking. How
about you? How late did you stay at the show?”

“I left around midnight. Vachon and I went dancing at
a new club across town. We danced the night away! I’m
glad you’re doing OK. How about that partner of mine?”

”I don’t know, I haven’t talked to him today, but he
should be awake in an hour or so. I need to run. I’ll
see you tonight, I have some laundry I need to do
before work.”

”OK, Nat. See you later.”

”Bye”.

As she hung up the phone, she thought to herself that
Natalie sounded awfully chipper for someone that
supposedly had spent a miserable night with
gastrointestinal distress. She hated the fact that she
doubted her friend, but something was going on, and
she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

She decided to call Cehri at her hotel and find out
how her date with Christophe had gone. As she was
patched through to Cehri’s room, she decided that
maybe the best thing to do would be to ask outright
about her friend’s reaction to her partner. It was
very odd. As the phone rang a third time, there was no
answer and the voice mail kicked in. Since she didn’t
trust hotel voicemail, she decided to go on by the
hotel before she went to work and drop a note off for
the artist.

She got dressed and sat down to pen a note to Cehri.
She put her work number at the bottom and asked her
friend to call her whenever she got in. Putting the
note in her purse, she decided to call Nick. She
picked up the phone and dialed the loft. He picked up
after two rings.

“Knight here”

“Hey Nick, it’s Tracy. How are you feeling?”

“Uh, hi Tracy. I’m doing better. Still a little under
the weather, but I’ll be in tonight.”

“Are you sure? Food poisoning can be pretty nasty.”

”Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll leave if I’m not feeling well.
So, I’ll see you at the precinct?”

“No problem, see you then.”

She hung up the phone, a frown on her face. First
Natalie, now Nick. She was having a really hard time
believing they had gone home sick last night. But why
the big charade? What were they hiding?  She shook her
head, perplexed and disappointed. She checked her
watch and saw it was just after 7:00 PM. She grabbed
her keys and purse and headed over to Cehri’s hotel.
She parked the car and took the elevator up to the
lobby. As she exited and headed for the front desk,
she saw Christophe LeBlanc standing there, and a grin
appeared on her face. She walked over to the handsome
Frenchman. He turned as she approached and a smile
appeared on his face. He held out his hand.

“Detective Vetter, wasn’t it? So nice to see you
again.”

She took his hand and shook it. He turned it over and
brought it to his lips, causing her to blush.

“Yes. It’s good to see you too. Are you waiting for
Cehri?”

He dropped her hand and inclined his head. “Yes, we’re
going to dinner. She should be here shortly, were you
looking for her?”

“I just wanted to drop off a note for her. I was going
to leave it at the front desk, but maybe you’d be
willing to give it to her?”

”I’d be happy to, but if you wait just a moment, she
should be right here. I just spoke to her.”

Tracy thought for a moment then nodded. “OK, thanks.
So, where are you going to dinner?”

They started chatting for a few moments, and then
Cehri appeared. She was surprised to see Tracy, but
her greeting was warm. Tracy handed her the note.

“Hi Cehri. I was going to leave you a note to see if I
could get on your busy calendar.” She grinned to let
her friend know she was teasing. Cehri blushed and
giggled.

“Yeah, I seem to be much more popular here than at any
of the OTHER shows.” Her eyes were sparkling and she
cast a sidelong glance at Christophe. He caught the
glance and winked at her.

Tracy coughed. “Well, my work number is in the note,
I’ll be there until 5 AM if you want to give me a call
before you go to bed, or you can call me at home
tomorrow. I’m off on Tuesday and Thursday next week,
and I usually go in to work around 9 or 10 PM.”

Christophe was listening intently. “Ah, so you are a
night owl, Detective Vetter?”

She shrugged. “I’ve always been more of a night
person. Working the graveyard shift suits me. Anyway,
it was good to see you again, Mr. LeBlanc.” She held
her hand out again. He took it and shook it.

“Please, call me Christophe. And tell Nicholas that it
was good to see him again.”

“I will. And call me Tracy.” She grinned at him,
turned to hug Cehri, and then left to go to work.

After she was gone, Cehri turned to Christophe, a
puzzled look on her face.

“Christophe, you know Tracy’s partner?”

He nodded.

“How long have you known him?”

“Oh, about five years. He is on a few of the
charitable boards I’m also on. We’ve been acquainted
through them. He volunteers his time quite a bit. He
is also an artist and musician, although only as a
hobby. Which is surprising, as I’ve seen his work  and
heard him play; he is quite good. I had no idea he was
a police officer until last night; it truly surprised
me.“

“Really? Why?”

“Nicholas is a very complex man. He has a rather
broody nature, but he is very generous with his time
and money to very worthy charities, and I didn’t know
his occupation. I guess I assumed he was a
businessman.” He shrugged.

“Hmmm. He volunteers and donates money? He just gave
me the creeps, I don’t know why. But you and Tracy
seem to like him and think highly of him. Maybe I was
just nervous. Anyway, shall we get going?” She grinned
at him and he took her hand to lead her out to his
car.



Part 11

As Tracy pulled into the precinct parking lot, she saw
Nick’s caddy sitting in his “usual” spot. She shook
her head and sat in her car for a few minutes puzzling
over the previous night, Cehri’s reactions, Nick and
Natalie’s “food poisoning”, her conversations with
Vachon. Finally, she came upon one conclusion,
something she had thought about in passing that she
had dismissed as ludicrous. She thought about it, and
the more she thought the more it fit. She got out of
her car and slammed the door behind her. She marched
into the precinct, her temper on a very tight leash.
As she approached her desk, she saw Nick’s back to
her, his blond head bent over a file, pen in hand. She
stopped, trying to cool her boiling anger. Finally,
she approached the desks.

Nick looked up and smiled at her. “Hi Tracy.”

She looked at him carefully. “Hi Nick. Are you in the
middle of something important?”

“No, just doing paperwork.”

She looked at the file on his desk. “Would you be
willing to go over to the morgue with me? I want to
ask Natalie some questions.”

He frowned. “Sure. Now?”

“Yes, I think it’s important.”

He shrugged and pulled his coat on, then stuck his
head into Reese’s office. “Hey Captain, Tracy and I
are going over to the Coroner’s office for a bit.”
Reese mumbled something that Tracy didn’t hear and
Nick turned back to her. He pulled his keys out of his
pocket and they headed out to the Caddy and pulled out
the parking lot, heading toward the Coroner’s office.

After a few minutes, Nick started talking. “So, what
case is this about?”

Tracy stared icily out the window for several seconds,
then turned to face her partner.

“Nick, could you please pull over? I want to ask you
something.”

Nick frowned, glanced at her, and then pulled the car
over into an empty parking lot.

“What’s up, Tracy?” He turned to face her, a look of
curiosity on his face.

“Nick, we’ve been partners for, what, 2 years now?”
She watched his face.

“Almost, yes. What’s going on?” He was starting to
feel unsettled as she stared at him.

Finally she started talking again, and her voice was
rough with emotion. “Nick, every night I trust you
with my life. And I had hoped that over the last
couple of years we had become friends. I know you are
an extremely private person, and I respect that. And
Lord knows, I have my own secrets. But you know what?
I just figured out something tonight that really
explains a lot to me. So, I’m going to ask you
something and I want a straight answer. Are you a
vampire?”

Nick’s eyes grew wide. It was one of the last
questions he had expected from her. His heart beat
quickly in his chest twice. He looked at her, and a
half dozen lies and flip answers flitted through his
mind. Then he saw unshed tears glistening in her eyes,
and a surge of guilt swept over him. He knew she was a
resistor, so he couldn’t just make her forget the
whole incident. Finally he looked away.

After several seconds he sighed and answered, still
without looking at her. “Yes, Tracy, I’m a vampire.
Like Vachon.”  He heard her swift intake of breath and
finally looked back at her. Tears were pouring
silently down her face. She was staring at him, the
hurt and anger plain on her face. He reached inside
his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and handed it
to her. She knocked it away.

“You bastard!” She hissed then got out of the car,
slamming the door behind her. She started walking away
from him through the empty parking lot.

Nick got out of the car and shouted. “Tracy, wait!”
She ignored him and kept walking. Suddenly she ran
into something and looked up into the face of her
partner, whom she didn’t even know at all.

She backed away. “Stay away from me, Knight. I don’t
want you around right now.”

He didn’t move. “Tracy, we need to talk about this.”

She shook her head and turned around and started
running the other direction. Again, he was right in
front of her. “So Nick, what are you going to do?
Chase me all night? Pretend I’m a mouse that you are
chasing and toying with before you EAT it?” His cold
stare chilled her to the bone, and suddenly his eyes
began glowing the feral amber she had only seen on
Vachon’s face a few times. He opened his mouth in an
evil grin and showed her his fangs.

“Is that what you want? To be chased until you are so
exhausted your legs cannot hold you up anymore? To
feel the terror of cornered prey, knowing death is
just around the corner? Is that what you want, Tracy?
IS IT?” Slowly his eyes returned to normal and his
fangs retracted.

She was shaking in terror. Until she had seen Nick’s
transformation, she hadn’t really believed it could be
real. She stumbled backwards, shaking her head.
“No…no.” Nick quickly walked toward her and grabbed
her arms in a gentle, but vise-like grip.

“Tracy, I’m sorry I frightened you. But we NEED to
talk. I owe you an explanation, and you need to
understand some things.” He stared intently at her,
his eyes seeming to bore into her soul. She was still
shaking violently. Finally she dropped her eyes and
nodded. Nick could still hear her heart racing in
terror. He felt worse for frightening her than he
could ever believe possible. Slowly, he released her
arms and stepped carefully back. He waited until he
could tell her heart was slowing down before he even
thought of speaking again.

“First of all, I know that no amount of ‘I’m sorry’
will even begin to make amends; but I truly AM sorry.
Believe me, I have thought about telling you many,
many, MANY times, but the laws of my kind are very
harsh. I know Vachon has told you about the Enforcers.
But it isn’t only the Enforcers that I have to contend
with.” She looked up at him, anger and resentment
still flaring in her eyes.

“Then what, Nick? Or should I say “who”?” He sighed
and glanced away from her, off into the distance.

“First of all, I’m a bit of an outcast from the rest
of the Community. Very few vampires have any respect
for me at all, and many of them hold me in contempt.
One of the few reasons I’m tolerated at all, other
than my age, is the fact that my sire is the head of
the Toronto Community, and won’t put up with what he
terms as ‘insolence’ from the ‘youngsters’.” He
sighed.

Tracy’s face furrowed in puzzlement. “Nick, I don’t
understand. What are you talking about?”

He turned back to look at her. “I’ve been a vampire
for almost 800 years, Tracy. And for the last 150 of
those years, I’ve been trying to regain my mortality.
I hate what I am, what I’ve done over the centuries.
For that, I’ve been almost completely ostracized from
my kind.   Those in the Community who despise me and
my way of life, including my sire, would think nothing
of using the people in my life to make me miserable.
THEY are even more of a threat to you, and anyone I
care about, than the Enforcers.” His eyes held
infinite sadness and suddenly Tracy understood some of
his moodiness and depression.

“Nick, let me get this straight. You’re trying to
become MORTAL again?” She tried to sort through what
he was saying.

He looked at her. “Yes. I made a huge mistake based on
false pretenses 800 years ago, and I’ve had to live
with the consequences of that decision. Tracy, I’m a
cold-blooded killer. I’ve killed and ruined thousands
of lives. I dream about all the faces of my victims,
I’m haunted by the ghosts of all the men and women
I’ve ruthlessly drained of blood and life. I have been
trying, for the last 150 years, to do some small bit
of good in the world. But it will never be enough to
make up for all the evil I’ve done in the past.” He
looked away from her, pain clearly etched on his face.


Compassion for him flooded through her. “Oh, Nick. I
had no idea.”

He turned back to her. “Tracy, believe me when I say
that I didn’t tell you because I wanted to protect
you. I have felt horrible for lying to you, especially
since you already know about my kind. Vachon has put
himself in grave danger by letting you continue to
EXIST. Your life would be in even more of a risk if it
was found out that you know about me, as well. You
cannot let ANYONE know that you know about me.
Including Vachon. I’m not saying this to try and run
your life, I’m saying it to try and SAVE it.” His eyes
were pleading, imploring her.

“Natalie knows about you, doesn’t she?” She asked
quietly, trying not to sound accusatory.

He sighed, again. “Yes, she knows. She’s been trying
to help me regain my mortality for the last six years.
The only reason SHE is in no danger is because my sire
thinks I’m just using her for my own ends.” A look of
intense pain crossed his face. It was something she
hadn’t seen often, but every now and then she had seen
it when he watched Natalie leave a room. Suddenly some
pieces clicked into place.

“You love her, don’t you? And she loves you.”

He whipped back around to her. “Whatever Natalie and I
might or might not feel for each other is immaterial.
We are * just * good friends. That’s the way it has to
be.” The harshness of the statement startled Tracy.
Whatever else he felt badly about, apparently that
subject was not open for discussion.

“OK Nick. But I need to think about all this. It’s a
lot to take in all at once. I just wish you had
trusted me. I want to talk about this again later. But
right now we should at least put in an appearance at
the morgue in case anyone is asking about us.” He
nodded and they headed back to the Caddy and continued
the drive in silence.

When they got to the morgue, they went inside and
found Natalie in the middle of an autopsy. Tracy
wrinkled her nose and paled almost as much as Nick,
but she didn’t say anything. Natalie looked up and
smiled at them.

“Hi guys. I’ll be right with you.” She finished the
task she was working on, then snapped off her rubber
gloves and turned toward them. Her smile faded as she
saw the tension between the two blond detectives.

“OK, what’s wrong? Spill it.” Her business-like candor
made them look at each other. Nick nodded at Tracy and
then went to make sure the door was closed and locked.

Quietly, Tracy declared, “I know about Nick”

Natalie gasped and looked at Nick, who continued to
stand guard at the door. He nodded to her, resignation
written on his face.

Natalie looked back at Tracy and heaved a sigh. “Well
it’s about TIME you knew. I’ve
been telling him for years that he should have told
you up front, once he knew you knew about Vachon.”

Her reaction stunned Tracy. “You have? You did?” She
glanced back over at Nick, the anger creeping back
into her face. Nick looked at the floor, avoiding the
gazes of both
women.

“Yes. However, I know some of his reasons for not
telling you, and if he explained them to you, he
wasn’t overestimating the danger.” She looked from
Nick to Tracy, trying to gauge how much Nick had told
her.

He looked up at her. “I told her about my quest and
how the Community has taken it. And I also told her
about LaCroix. Maybe hearing it from you will
reinforce the gravity of this whole situation.”

Tracy’s brow furrowed. “LaCroix? The tall creepy guy
that owns the Raven?” She gasped. “HE’s your master?”
Nick nodded. She whistled. “He makes MY overbearing
father look like Santa Claus.”

Both Nick and Natalie chuckled at the comparison,
knowing how apt it was. Finally, Natalie spoke up
again.

“Tracy, I’ve met a few members of the Community, and
believe me when I say that Nick really is different
from them. To my limited knowledge, he is the only
vampire that has ever felt guilty about what he is and
what he’s done. The person you’ve known the last two
years is STILL the same person, regardless of what
he’s done in his past. If I know him, he’s probably
wallowing in guilt and shame for having lied to you
the past two years.” Both women turned toward Nick,
who was fidgeting with downcast eyes, and would have
been blushing if it was possible for a vampire to
blush.

Tracy rolled her eyes. “Nick, give it a rest. It’s
over and done with. We’ll deal with it. You still owe
me a LOT of explanations, but give me a break! I’m
still your partner.”

Nick looked up, hope in his eyes and smile on his
face. He looked so much like a puppy that had been bad
that Tracy finally laughed. So did Natalie. Nick
didn’t even get offended that they were laughing at
him, so relieved was he that one more person in his
life knew about him and still accepted him.

Finally, after the laughter subsided, Natalie turned
back to Tracy. “Tracy, I’m very serious about the
Community. If ANYONE, including Vachon, finds out you
know about Nick, your life really will be in serious
danger. Please, promise you’ll think about what we’ve
both said?” The look in her blue eyes finally made
Tracy think that perhaps there was some truth to the
danger they had been presenting.

“OK, I’ll THINK about it. But Natalie, you and I are
going to sit down and have a serious discussion about
this. SOON.” Natalie nodded, thinking to herself how
much of a RELIEF it would be to be able to talk to
SOMEONE about all the bizarreness that had entered her
life the night Nick sat up on her table. Someone that
also had feelings for one of the Undead…

Nick cleared his throat. “Nat, do you have any reports
for us? Anything that might justify our coming over
here?”

She thought about it. “Yep, I have the DNA report from
the Abernathy homicide.” She went over to her desk and
pulled a file out of her tray, and handed it to Tracy.
The two detectives walked out the door to return to
the precinct.



Cehri had just gotten in from her wonderful dinner
with Christophe. It was just after 2 AM, and she
remembered the note that Tracy had given her. She
opened it up and debated calling her friend, still
somewhat ambivalent about the company Tracy was
keeping. Finally, she picked up the phone and called
Tracy’s work number. After two rings Tracy picked up.

“Detective Vetter, Homicide.”

“Hey Tracy, it’s Cehri. Is now a good time?”

Tracy chuckled. “Oh, fine for me. Are you JUST getting
in from your dinner with Christophe?”

The teasing note in her voice made Cehri blush. “Yes,
well, we had a great dinner and took a drive along the
lake.”

“I see. How about we get together tomorrow for an
early dinner or late lunch and you can tell me ALL the
gory details?”

Cehri sighed silently in relief. She had been afraid
Tracy was going to invite her over to her place of
work. She had originally wanted to see what the police
precinct was like, maybe to get some inspiration, but
she didn’t want to run in to Tracy’s partner again.

“That would be great. Do you want to meet at the hotel
again?”

“Sure. How about I swing by around 4?”

“That sounds good. I have to go over to the gallery at
1. I’ll meet you in the lobby at 4. Have a good night,
Trace.”

”Yeah, you too. See you tomorrow.”

Cehri hung up the phone and started getting ready for
bed, a bubble of happiness still inside of her.

Tracy put the phone down and stared thoughtfully at it
for a few minutes. Nick glanced at her, but didn’t say
anything. He was still hesitant about how to talk to
her, not sure how much forgiveness she actually felt
for him and what to say.

She looked at him. “Nick, come with me for a walk?”

He nodded and got up to follow her. They went to the
break room, where she got a cup of coffee. They walked
out in the hallway and over into a corner that was
empty. She started speaking softly, knowing that he
could hear her every word with his acute hearing.

“Nick, I’m worried about Cehri. Vachon told me she is
what he called a ‘sensor’, and it was her reaction to
you and Vachon that actually started me thinking
about…what we discussed earlier. Do you think she’s
safe?”

He looked at her, then started speaking. “She’s fine
as long as all she has are feelings of unease
about…us. As long as she doesn’t try and pursue
anything from it, and never knows what it is she was
uncomfortable about, she’s fine. Vachon already
checked and there aren’t any Enforcers in town. Unless
she stays in Toronto and starts poking around, no one
is going to bother her. But you have to make sure she
stays away from us, and especially away from the
Raven.”

Tracy nodded. “I get the impression that she’s just as
happy to avoid you and Vachon. She isn’t the
confrontational type, and truth be told, she seems so
busy with Christophe and her show that I’d be
surprised if she really has much more time to spend
with ME.”

Nick nodded, then grinned. “So she and Christophe have
hit it off, huh? That’s good to hear. I’ve known him a
few years, and apparently when his wife died about ten
years ago, he threw himself into the art world,
volunteering on top of being on the Canadian Arts
Council, and traveling around the world. He’s really a
good person. If Cehri is intriguing him that much, I
hope something good comes of it.”

Tracy nodded, relieved to hear that her friend was
apparently in good company. She finished her coffee
and they went back to their desks to finish up the
slowly diminishing mound of paperwork.

The next day, as Tracy waited in the hotel lobby for
Cehri, she watched all the businessmen and women go
about their daily lives. She felt somewhat alien in
the daylight world, especially after finding out about
Nick last night. Her world seemed so incredibly
surreal since she had met Nick and Vachon. She
wondered what would happen when they both left her
life; would it seem dull in comparison?

Cehri walked into the lobby at that point, and came
over to give Tracy a big hug.

“Hi, are you hungry? I’m starving!” She led the way to
the same dining room they had eaten in before.

Tracy laughed. “Yes, I’m hungry.” They were seated and
looked over the menu, then ordered when the waiter
came by.

Finally, ice teas in hand, they started talking. Tracy
had decided to keep the conversation focused as much
as possible on Cehri, hopefully in an effort to keep
her distracted.

“So, how’s the show going?”

“Oh Tracy, it’s unbelievable! Jillian has got offers
POURING in for work for me! I have no idea how I’m
going to find the time to DO all of them! This city
seems to have something … magical about it.” Her eyes
sparkled, and Tracy could tell she wasn’t just talking
about the art world.

“So, has Christophe been able to help you make any
additional local connections?” She smiled at the
artist, teasing her.

Cehri blushed. “Well, yes, he has brought a few
potential clients to the gallery. He’s also lined up
some meetings for me in Montreal, since he knows a lot
more people there. He lives there, did you know?”
Tracy shook her head. “Anyway, I’m sure his
introductions will be invaluable.” She stopped,
cleared her throat, and took a drink of her iced tea.

Tracy grinned at her. “So, have all your meetings with
him been strictly professional?”

Cehri’s cheeks flamed even redder. “Well, actually,
no. Most of our time together has been social.” She
looked up at Tracy. “Tracy, he’s AMAZING. I’ve never
met anyone like him. And, to be honest, I can’t
imagine I would ever want to.”

Tracy spent the rest of the meal asking her questions
about Christophe, and was pleased to know that Cehri’s
time was, indeed, going to be spent mostly in his
company. They did make plans to go to the museum and
Tracy promised to take Cehri around town on her next
day off, show her some of the touristy and local
sites. She was very careful to make plans during the
day, so there was no chance of running into any of the
local creatures of the night. Assured that her friend
wouldn’t be running into any of the Community, and
that her time was well occupied with Christophe, she
left Cehri just as the sun was setting, and thought
about Cehri’s comment about the city being a magical
place. She realized that Cehri was more right than she
knew. Magical and dangerous, but home just the same.
She headed toward Nick’s loft to sit down and get some
more answers from him about his life, his origins, and
to better understand this added “magical” dimension of
her own life more fully.
FIN
========================================

*Yes, I'm planning a continuation. No, I don't know
when.

Soon, very soon, my website will be up and runnning
with all my fiction on it...I'll let you all know when
:)







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