All For a Good Cause

Time frame: Somewhere between The Scent of Darkness and my next
serious sequel, which is not yet finished.

Part 1/1

Disclaimers: I do not own Forever Knight or the characters associated
with it; they are owned by Sony/TriStar and James Parriott. No
copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This story has not
been beta read. Permission is granted to archive, for Mel and anyone
else.

By Emily Hanson

* * * * * 
Nick rolled his eyes as he read the e-mail that listed him as having
been nominated to put on a rubber suit and Sumo wrestle for charity.
He was at the top of the list, followed closely by Don Schanke and Joe
Reese.

"I can't believe this," Schanke grumbled, having just read the same e-
mail. "I put my name down, but I didn't seriously think anyone would
vote for me."

"Hey, just be glad you weren't nominated for the clown suit," Nick
replied. 

"You volunteered?" 

"Yeah, against my better judgment." 

Schanke chuckled at the image of his partner in a clown costume.
"When's the wrestling contest?" 

"At 11:00." Nick sighed. Hopefully the vampire community wouldn't find
out about this. Janette and LaCroix would never let him live it down.
It was a good thing his sire was out of the country. 

"Trace," he said as she and Vachon walked by, "please tell me you
didn't vote for me." 

Detective Vetter grinned. "I've got twenty dollars riding on you,
Knight. You'd better win." 

He sighed. "Not much chance of me getting out of this, is there?" 

"Nope." Tracy grinned. "Hey, it's all for a good cause." 

As she left, Nick wondered if Natalie had voted for him. He checked
his watch. Where had the time gone? Another e-mail arrived to announce
the finalists. By the sound of Don's groan, the vampire surmised that
he was among them. 

"Looks like its you and me, pal," Schanke remarked. 

"Sure, Schank. I promise I'll go easy on you." 

Don laughed. "More like the other way around." 

"There's no full moon tonight," Nick observed wryly. "And I don't
think they'll let us cheat." 

"Who says I need to cheat? I made the wrestling team back in high
school." 

"Sumo wrestling?" 

"No, regular. Sheesh." 

The two captains of the Paranormal Investigations department found
their way to a large conference room that had been totally cleared
out. There were mats on the floor and large rubber suits made to look
like Sumo wrestler bodies. They were completely hilarious. Nick
laughed out loud. 

Schanke wrinkled his nose. "Those things stink." 

"I don't think they're easily washable," Nick replied. "It's all for a
good cause, anyway." 

"Yeah. Right." 

The three ladies from human resources were gazing wide-eyed at them.
Finally, one of them smiled. "Go ahead and pick a suit, guys." 

"Uh . . ." Schanke looked at Nick. "You first." 

"Okay." One of the rubber suits had blue shorts and the other had red
shorts. "I'll take the red one." 

Nick winced at the smell as he stepped into it. The costume was very
much oversized and he needed help from Schanke to put it on. Once the
Velcro fastenings in the back were closed, the odor wasn't so bad. He
took a step and then another. Waddling was the only way to move around
in the huge rubber suit, unless he flew. Then he'd look completely
ridiculous, like a hot air balloon floating about the ground. 

Captain Reese entered the room and cracked up when he saw his former
detective. "Ah, Knight, Schanke . . . you look great." Joe was wearing
a black and white referee shirt. 

"I can imagine," Nick replied. 

"Seriously, in 800 years, have you ever done anything like this?" 

"No. This is definitely a new experience." 

As he spoke, other people filed into the room. Natalie and Grace were
among them. 

Nat started to giggle. "Oh, Nick, if LaCroix could see you now." 

He grinned sheepishly. "Hi." 

"Hello." 

He bent down awkwardly to kiss her. "Now I know how the dough boy
feels." 

Natalie grinned and poked him in the heavily padded stomach of the
rubber suit. "Good luck," she said. 

"Thanks." 

"Phew, that smells." Reese remarked as he helped Schanke get into his
costume. "How can you stand it?" 

"I've smelled worse. Not by much, though." 

Tracy gaped at Nick and Schanke in the highly padded costumes for a
couple of seconds and then giggled. "You guys look great, really." 

Vachon snickered. "Yeah, Knight. This is a moment I definitely will
not forget." 

After everyone else was seated around the room, Reese announced,
"Okay. The very first Toronto Police Sumo wrestling contest is about
to begin. Please remember that this is for charity, and if anyone
would like to make a last minute bet on one of the contenders, do so
now." He waited for a few people to write out checks. "First one to
knock the opponent down three times is the winner. You are not allowed
to use your hands. Ready, set, go!" 

Nick and Schanke faced each other from across the mat. It was Don who
broke the standoff, rushing - as much as he could in the bulky suit
without tripping over - towards the vampire. Knight stepped aside and
Schanke had to turn quickly to avoid falling off the edge of the mat.
He nearly lost his balance then, but didn't. Nick approached steadily.
If anyone could manage to look graceful while waddling in a padded
rubber costume, it was a vampire. But even he couldn't move very
quickly in those circumstances without cheating. Nick got the first
knockdown by turning as Schanke approached from behind. 

Don got up, amazingly without assistance. He'd broken a sweat and the
costume stank even worse. But this was all for a good cause, he told
himself. 

"Whew. It's getting hotter than blazes in here," Schanke said. 

"Yeah," Nick agreed as they faced off again. 

Don moved out of the way as Knight advanced. Schanke turned, took a
couple of steps forward, and headed straight for Nick. The vampire saw
his partner moving out of the corner of his eye, but the costume was
unwieldy and he couldn't dodge. Knight went down. He wasn't hurt, of
course, though it was difficult to stand up. Reese gave him a hand. R 

ound three. Schanke and Nick got a knockdown at the same time. They
charged each other, and neither could get out of the way. Sprawled on
the mat, both of them laughed until Schanke was red in the face. 

"I can't get up," the vampire said. "At least, not without cheating
somehow." 

Captain Reese hauled Don to his feet. Then they pulled Nick to a
standing position. 

"You two okay?" Joe asked. 

"Fine," Schanke answered. 

"Great," Nick added. 

Round four. The two partners faced off again. This time, they waddled
around each other, neither one wanting to rush his opponent and fall
flat on his back. Schanke was getting annoyed. He wanted to get of the
rubber suit and into the showers as fast as he could. What was Nick
waiting for? It must be uncomfortable for him, too. The heat and the
smell of the costume were getting to the werewolf. He growled. A look
of embarrassment flashed across his face. Tired of playing the waiting
game, Schanke charged. 

Nick heard him coming and waddled out of the way. The vampire took a
defensive stance as his partner advanced again. The force of the
impact was enough to send him flat on his back. 

"We have a winner!" Reese said. 

Don, still reeling from the impact, took a step forward and lost his
balance. This caused quite a stir among the gathered audience. 

"Knight? Schanke? Are you two all right?" 

"Wonderful," Nick responded. "Just get me out of this suit." 

"Me too," Don said. 

"Just keep in mind, it's all for a good cause," Captain Reese
answered. 

"I'm trying to," Schanke replied with a laugh. 

***THE END***