FOREVER

by

Barbara Sheridan

(Originally appeared in 'On the Wings of the Knight' A Forever/Nick
Knight Zine under Barbara Parker)


Captain Stonetree showed Nick the fax that came in. It was a copy of
an aggravated assault report, complete with photos of the victim
after the attack. Nick grimaced. The woman's own mother probably
hadn't recognized her in the hospital, schanke looked over the
report. He shook his head and put the papers back on the captain's
desk.

Stonetree gave Nick the address. "We don't even know if Vaaguez is
in the city/ but I'm putting you two on this now."

In the car, Schanke looked at the complainant's name. "Leigh
Michaels -- I wonder..."

Nick glanced over at his partner. "You wonder what?"

"I just wonder if she's the same Leigh Michaels who wrote Forever
Yours. It's one of those historical romances. Myra read it and gave
me all the gory details."

Nick suppressed a grin, guessing that Schanke, himself, had skimmed
more than a few pages. "Did she tell you the plot by any chance?"

"Yeah. It's one of those star-crossed lovers things. The heroine,
Brigette, is lost in a card game by her father when she's fifteen and
forced to marry a real sadistic SOB named Victor. At the wedding she
meets one of the neighboring plantation owners, Alain Devereaux, and
it's love at first sight..."

Nick gripped the steering wheel so tightly that he felt it begin to
bend as Schanke continued his synopsis of the novel. He knew this
tale and all the little details Schanke overlooked because he had
been told this story over a century and a half ago by the woman who
lived it -- Brigette Devereaux.

"...and, of course, Alain and Brigette live happily ever after."

"Not quite," Nick muttered.

"What?"

"I said, it's the next house on the right." Nick parked the caddy
and stared at the brightly lit house set back from the curb. When the
front door opened, would he be greeted by a ghost from the past?

Schanke rapped on the hood of the car. "Come on."

Nick breathed a sigh of relief when an unfamiliar face peered out
from behind a lacy curtain window. She opened the door after Schanke
showed his badge. The detectives entered the house and introduced
themselves.

"I'm Danielle Curtis. I filled your captain in on Cisco." She led
the way to the living room. "Leigh was pretty shaken by the call so I
told her to go upstairs and try to rest."

"By 'Cisco', you mean Vasquez?" Nick asked as he watched the petite
brunette cross the room.

"His full name is Francisco Enrique Vasquez de Portillo, but I
always called him 'The Cisco Kid', mainly because it pissed him off."

Schanke took out his notepad. "Have you known him and Miss Michaels
long?"

"Leigh and I grew up together back in the States. She met Cis --
Frank when she was a student at Pitt. I knew this guy was trouble
from day one, but she wouldn't listen because he fit her dream man to
a 't'."

Schanke looked up at her questioningly. "Dream man?"

Dani shrugged. "It sounds crazy, but when we were in high school,
Leigh started having these weird dreams about some tall, dark-haired,
blue-eyed guy who adored her and spoke with some kind of foreign
accent."

"French," Nick mumbled absent-mindedly.

"What?" Dani asked. 

"Nothing. Go on."

"Leigh put up with Frank's possessiveness and jealousy for about two
years. Her breaking point came the night he slapped her around after
she decided to move to Toronto when she graduated." She paused while
Schanke took down the information.

"All Leigh could do was get a restraining order which did no good.
Frank stalked her from afar until the day her friend from work gave
her an innocent kiss on the cheek after driving her home. Frank broke
into the apartment, tied her up and beat her so badly that she was in
a coma for a month."

Schanke spoke, "Was Vasquez arrested?"

Dani shook her head. "No. The cops tried to bring him in for
questioning
but couldn't locate him, and by the time Leigh could identify him as
her
attacker, he had already skipped town."

"What exactly did Vasquez say when he phoned earlier?" Nick asked.

"He said that if I didn't go back to Spain with him, he'd kill me
and take
my corpse because I am his forever."

Nick turned and stared at the tall, attractive blonde who stood in the
doorway. It was impossible and yet here she was not fifteen feet
away -- the ghost of Brigette Devereaux.

Danielle gave Leigh her seat then introduced the detectives.

Schanke questioned her. "Were those his exact words, miss, that he
would kill you?" Leigh nodded. "We can pick him up for questioning
then notify the department back in Pittsburgh. If they have an
outstanding warrant, he'll be extradited in no time."

"If you could find him," Leigh flatly said.

Nick forced himself to stop staring at her. "He'll be found. In the
meantime, we'll have a patrolman stationed in the neighborhood, and
we'll install call trace on your phone in the morning. Do you have an
alarm system?"

Danielle frowned. "I've been on the waiting list since I closed on
this place last month. The guy from Secur-Tech said that business is
so heavy this year that it will be another three more weeks."

"We'll see about that," Schanke said as he put away his notepad. He
asked to use the phone. He returned to the room a few minutes later.
"Your system will be installed the day after tomorrow," the detective
grinned. "And as a special favor, they're waiving the installation
charge."

Nick now found himself to be the object of Leigh's staring. The hint
of recognition in her olive-colored eyes made him uncomfortable. He
stood up. "I think we have all the information we need."

He had taken two steps toward the door when Leigh called to him.

"Detective Knight, do you need a picture of Frank? I think I have a
news article with a small photo. If you could help me move a few
boxes in the cellar, I'll get it."

Nick hesitated but accompanied Leigh, unnerved by a feeling of deja
vu. He pictured himself following her through the townhouse in New
Orleans. Apart from the clothing, everything about her was the same --
the regal bearing, the golden highlights in her hair, and the deep-
set eyes that seemed to look straight into his soul.

When they reached the basement, Leigh removed a yellowed news
clipping from the pocket of her jeans. "I brought this from my
bedroom because I thought you might need it." She gave Hick the
paper. "I'm sorry for the ruse, but I had to see you alone for a
minute." She paused and looked deep into Nick's eyes. "I was watching
from my window when you arrived, and I recognized you as soon as you
got out of your car because I've seen your face countless times in my
dreams." She held Nick's left hand in both of hers. "I lived another
life in another time and was once a vampire as you are now."

Before Nick had a chance to respond, Danielle called from the top of
the stairs, "Can't you find it, Leigh?"

Leigh smiled warmly and caressed Hick's cheek before turning towards
the stairs. "I have it. We were just on our way up."

# # #

Frank Vasquez stood deep in the shadows, watching the house where
Leigh and the Curtis bitch were entertaining their lovers. He
transferred a large, smooth stone from hand to hand as he wondered
how many men she'd had in the four years they had been apart. Leigh
would deny it as she always did, but he had ways to get the truth out
of her.

He stopped toying with the stone when the men left the house.
Prank's anger began to rise when he saw the look -- the thoroughly
satisfied look -- Leigh had on her face as she gazed at the man in
the leather trenchcoat. His grip on the stone tightened as he
imagined Leigh and her lover engaged in various sexual acts.

The stone began to crack as Frank's thoughts turned to revenge.
Leigh would pay for her infidelities. She'd pay dearly.

# # #


Nick went home after the shift ended where he relived his past in
his dreams.

He, Janette, and LaCroix arrived in New Orleans after escaping death
at the hands of a group of vampire hunters. Nick kept to himself
after that, feeling guilty that he had savaged their would-be
attackers, yet knowing that he had no other choice. While on one of
his solitary walks, he was overpowered by the scent of freshly
spilled blood, and he followed it until he came upon a female lying
in the street.

"Don't stand there watching the girl bleed to death, you fool! Get
out of the way so that I may help her!"

Nick stepped aside and watched in admiration as the blond Creole
deftly bound the injured prostitute's neck and facial wounds with
strips torn from her petticoat, then she lifted the bleeding girl
effortlessly and carried her in her arms as though she were a child.

Nick followed at a distance until they came to a makeshift hospital
near the Rue Royale. He peered in the window and watched the blonde
and an older, dark-skinned woman tend to the prostitute and other
patients. Hick did not noticed that the blond woman had come up
behind him.

"Did you do that to Helena?"

Nick spun around. "Of course not. I just happened by..."

"And thought to help yourself to her blood," she hissed and bared
her pointed canine teeth.

Nick stood his ground. "No, but if I chose to drink from her, it
would have been to end her suffering, not for some perverse
entertainment."

The woman gave Nick an appraising look before regaining her mortal-
like composure. "I am Brigette Devereaux. Come. I would like to speak
with you."

Nick liked Alain and Brigette Devereaux from the start. They
understood his inner struggle between the vampire's need for blood
and the guilt at having to take human life to survive.

"I chose this life to be with Alain and will do what is necessary to
survive, even if it means playing God's role in deciding who should
die and when, " Brigette said to Nick one night at the little
hospital where he was helping her. "Perhaps I am mistaken. Perhaps
our kind are damned for eternity. However, I prefer to believe that
by helping those I can and by taking blood only from those who are
beyond hope or whose sole desire is to inflict harm upon others that
I am redeeming myself in some small, small way."

Nick felt a deep purpose to his existence as he helped Brigette with
her patients. It brought him peace to minister to those whom others
shunned for fear of contagion and to ease the misery of those
terminally ill. He was especially comforted by hie many talks with
Brigette in which he shared the experiences of both his mortal and
immortal lives. The recounting of events seemed to make the happy
memories happier and the unhappy memories less painful. He knew that
the same held true for Brigette.

Nick wanted nothing more than for the Devereauxs to continue as they
had for so long -- in love with each other and safe in their corner
of the mortal world. How he wished that Alain had never walked in on
his conversation with LaCroix .

"We have been here far too long, LaCroix. The time has come to move
on."

LaCroix smirked. He derided the Devereauxe behind their backs at
every opportunity. "Move on so soon? Janette and I have taken a fancy
to New Orleans. "

"It isn't safe for so many of our kind to be in one place. Have you
forgotten what happened two months ago? Brigette and Alain have shown
us kindness, LaCroix. Let us not repay them by disturbing their
peace."

"Nonsense, Nicholas," Alain Devereaux said ae he entered from the
balcony. "You have disturbed nothing. We have enjoyed your company.
If you and your friends prefer not to be in the city, you are
welcomed to stay at my plantation upriver." He looked a LaCroix. "All
is asked in return is that you hunt with the same care you have shown
here. The freed slaves who work Mont Clare for me are quite loyal,
and I respect their lives as I would have them respect mine."

LaCroix beamed a false smile of friendship as he placed his arm
around Alain 's shoulders. "Thank you. Monsieur Devereaux. you have
been a gracious host. Janette and I will accept your generous offer."
He turned towards Nick. "What of you, Nicholas? Will you join us or
will you stay here to minister to the wretched?"

Nick glared at LaCroix. "I will remain here."

LaCroix 's reply was a smirk.

# # #

Although he woke later than usual, Nick felt physically drained. He
was glad to be off duty this evening because he needed time to think.
He went for a long drive then stopped at The Raven.

Janette was sitting alone at a table in the corner, staring down
into the half-empty glass before her. She looked up and smiled as
Nick drew near. The smile faded as soon as he asked if she remembered
Brigette and Alain Devereaux. She returned her attention to the
glass. "I remember them," she said flatly..

"What Of it?"

"Why. Janette?"

She looked up but did not answer.

"Why did you betray their trust?"

"I betrayed nothing. Devereaux told LaCroix not to hunt those at
their plantation. We didn't."

Nick frowned. "You knew how they chose to feed. They didn't think it
necessary to tell you to stay away from the neighboring plantation as
well." He paused and looked at Janette staring into her glass again.
He would not let her shut him out. "You and LaCroix killed their
mortal daughter and her family -- slaughtered them all in their beds."

Janette quickly drank the remaining blood in her glass as if to
fortify herself against Nick's accusations. "I didn't know who they
were until later." She looked at Nick; it was obvious he did not
believe her. "It is the truth, Nicholas. I didn't carefully plan it
or savor every drop of their blood. I only said those things because
Brigette attacked me and because you left me lying there while you
went off to comfort her." She looked down at her empty glass and ran
her fingertip around the rim. "I regretted it, especially after you
left me and LaCroix and went off with them." Janette sighed. "Why are
you bringing this up now? I can't change what happened, and I can't
make amends."

Nick caressed Janette's cheek and tilted her head up to look into
her eyes. "Perhaps you can make amends," he said quietly.

After leaving Janette, Nick drove through Leigh Michaels' neighborhood
where he spoke to the officer on foot patrol. All had been quiet and
no
suspicious persons had been seen. Nick parked the caddy when he saw
Danielle Curtis rushed from the house with a small suitcase. She
fumbled with her car keys and, after much foul language, managed to
unlock the door, but not before turning off the car's alarm.

Nick silenced the alarm and dismissed the patrolman who came
running. Danielle gave him a quick thanks then sped away.


Nick grinned at Leigh when she came outside. "I should give her a
speeding ticket , but I'm off duty."

Leigh laughed. "Dani isn't usually so reckless, but the guy who was
promoted ahead of her made a major blunder in accounting, and she had
to fly to England to straighten it out."

Nick accepted her invitation to stay and visit awhile.

Leigh smiled at him with the same warmth and deep friendship that
Brigette had. "It feels great to talk to someone who doesn't think
I'm losing it. As far back as I can remember, I have always felt out
of place, like I didn't belong with my family, but I didn't
understand why until the dreams started. Dani thought my past life
memories were just imaginary, and later when I came out of that coma,
the doctors pushed it all aside because they didn't want to deal with
anything so unscientific.

"I wrote Forever Yours because I needed to get it out in the open
without getting all those 'there she goes again' looks."

Nick nodded. Keeping a part of oneself locked away was a difficult
thing to live with. Natalie and Janette understood in some ways, but
no one truly understood -- except Brigette. "Do you have memories of
Brig--, your death?"

Leigh nodded. "After we left you, we went on to Paris and had the
great misfortune to run across Stephen Florescu at his wax museum,
the Musee du Mort. He was a contemporary of LaCroix's so I suppose
you've heard of him." She continued after Nick nodded. "For some
reason, Alain was fascinated by the devil, and he, in return, fancied
my husband. Unfortunately, I was in the way.' Leigh got up and began
to pace back and forth as she remembered. "Alain and I had a terrible
argument that ended with him leaving. Three nights later I received a
message..."





Brigette read the note for a third time.

Ma petite,

I have been a fool. As Maman Odette 
proclaimed, we were meant to be together

always. I wish to make things right, 
cherie. Please come to the museum after 
' closing.
forever yours,
Alain.


She rose from the settee and paced back and forth, the note crumpled
in her fist. The handwriting was Alain's and the words sounded like
his, but Brigette was suspicious. Why a rendezvous at the Museum of
Death instead of here?

The reason is in front of you, an inner voice replied.

Brigette stopped pacing and threw the note into the fireplace. She
looked up at the framed child's drawing above the mantle. This was
her answer. Alain would not come here because this house and its
memories were a part of their problem. Brigette touched the drawing,
tracing the lines with her fingertips. She remembered when her
daughter, Anne Louise, drew it at the age of six. Though out of
proportion and slightly off-center, there was no mistaking what the
picture represented. It was Alain and Anne walking hand in hand
beneath a bright, full moon in front of this very house.

Brigette wiped the tears from her eyes. Anne Louise was gone, and
she was responsible in Alain's mind. Responsible for ever inviting
the three vampires into their lives.

Brigette kissed her fingertips then touched them to the drawing of
her daughter before setting out for the Musee du Mort.

Seeing Stephen and a mortal woman leave the museum without so much
as a backward glance helped ease Brigette's fears, but only a little.
It bothered her that Alain was not waiting in the lobby when she
arrived. She entered and quietly called out to him. There was no
reply, only a rustling sound from the direction of the exhibit area.

"Alain?" Brigette called again. Like before, there was no answer,
only the sound of movement in the distance. She turned to leave but
hesitated. Even with his heightened hearing, Alain might not have
heard her from within the recesses of the cavernous museum. If she
left now, she would surely lose him for all eternity, and she could
not bear that.

Brigette pushed through the velvet hangings and walked quickly
through the twisting exhibit area, keeping her eyes towards the
floor. She disliked the gruesome tableaux depicting murders and
executions and did not want to see them again, especially in the
sputtering candlelight.

The door to Stephen's private room was ajar. The bright light from
within was warm and inviting. The sound of footsteps crossing the
thick rug brought a smile to Brigette's lips. She hurried through the
threshold. "Alain--"

Brigette spun around as the chamber door slammed shut behind her.
Stephen Florescu threw the bolt on the door. "Why, Madame Devereaux,
how good of you to accept my invitation."

Everything about him was black -- his velvet suit, his shoulder-
length hair, his drooping mustache, and the eyes which mocked
Brigette's gullibility.

Brigette stared at the vampire before her. "Where is Alain?"

Stephen laughed and crossed his arms in front of him. "He is no
doubt dining upon one of my workers. Didn't you see them leaving when
you arrived?" he asked innocently.

Brigette took a step back when her gaze fell on Stephen's
distinctive red cloak that had a dried mud stain on the hem. The
cloak she thought she saw him wearing a few minutes ago was spotless.

Her momentary distraction was all the chance other vampire needed.
Brigette gasped as Stephen jerked her head back and sliced her
throat. She fell to the floor, trying to stop the flow of blood with
her left hand. With her right, she made a feeble attempt to recover
the garnet necklace from Alain that had fallen.

Stephen kicked it out of reach and laughed as Brigette dragged
herself toward it. He picked up the broken necklace and dangled it
like a prize. He laughed as Brigette reached for it. She tried to
pull herself forward again, but her arm slipped in the pool of blood.
Stephen then threw the necklace into a far corner of the room.
Brigette 's anguished cry was nothing more than a gurgle.

"Poor Madame, you are in such distress. Let me put you out of your
misery." With that, Stephen grabbed a lighted oil lamp from his desk
and hurled it at Brigette 's voluminous skirts. They ignited
instantly.

Brigette screamed as the flames began to consume her. It was so
very, very hot, so excruciatingly painful. She felt her skin begin to
bubble and melt as the flames reached higher. She tried to close her
eyes, but could not.--Her eyelids were gone, burned away. She prayed
that the spurting blood from her neck wound would douse the fire, but
it was too late.

Suddenly, the pain ceased, and Brigette found herself aloft. She
looked down and saw only red-orange flames and thick dark smoke. The
smell of roasting flesh was everywhere. Brigette looked up when a
familiar voice called out to her. It was her dead twin, Louis, who
held out his hand. "Come, Brigette. You are done here . "

Brigette took her brother's hand and shielded her eyes as a
blindingly bright doorway opened behind him. Louis turned and began
to lead Brigette through. Brigette stopped short of entering. She
needed to go back down into the inferno, but Louis held fast. The
corner where here necklace lay was not yet burning. She needed to get
it, but still Louis would not let her go. "No. Brigette. I'm sorry."

Brigette kept her eyes on the glittering red stones as her brother
pulled her through the light. She called to her husband, "I will find
my way back to you, Alain. Please wait for me..."

# # #


Nick looked at Leigh as was reminded of Jeanne d'Arc, burned at the
stake
for a heresy she did not commit, and of Erica who chose to immolate
herself in the rays of the sun when she tired of her life as a
vampire. Had it been like that for them? Where were they now?

"Do you remember what happened when you entered the Light?" he asked.

Leigh shook her head. "No. I had a feeling that I'm not allowed to
remember."

There was silence until Leigh noticed something on the floor behind
the sofa. She picked up the small handbag, looked inside, then turned
to Nick. "Dani's passport and insulin are in here, and I'll never get
it to the airport in time."

Nick stood and held out his hand. "I can get it there -- air express."

# # #

Frank Vasquez's blood began to boil when he saw Leigh's latest lover
exit the house. He reached down to remove the razor-sharp hunting
knife he had concealed in his boot. He was stunned when he looked up
a few seconds later and did not see the lover in his car or on the
sidewalk. The man simply vanished.

Frank thought of his next move. Although he wanted to deal with
Leigh's lover now, he would take care of Leigh's punishment first.

# # #

Nick landed behind some high hedges across from Leigh's house. From
his left came the sound of the beat officer's walkie-talkie, he left
the bushes but turned back when the patrolman did not respond and was
called a second time. He found the officer lying unconscious and
naked to the waist with a gash on his head, but it was not too
serious. Nick radioed for backup, requesting that no sirens be used,
then rushed to Leigh's. He crouched near the living room window and
listened to pinpoint Leigh's and Vasquez's position in the house.
There were no voices, and Nick prayed that Leigh was not already dead.

Nick closed his eyes for a moment and listened again. Now he could
hear sounds from the opposite end of the house below ground level. He
dug one of the barred windows free from its frame with his hands,
then lowered himself through the opening. The only light was that of
a single bulb across the basement where Vasquez was holding Leigh.
The sound of fabric tearing was followed by Leigh's muffled cry and
the accented voice of a man.

"You will always be mine. I'll show you what happens when you are
unfaithful." Fabric tore again.

Nick inched around to see behind the partition that separated the
laundry area from the rest of the cellar. Vasquez had Leigh standing
on the table with her arms above her head, tied together and tethered
to a ceiling beam while her legs were apart and tied to the table
legs. Her clothing was nearly torn off, and blood trickled from
beneath a cloth gag. Vasquez picked up a large wrench. "You won't
have any more lovers when I'm through." He then pulled up Leigh's
skirt and leered.

Nick took action. He drew his gun and stepped forward. "Drop it and
back
away, Vasquez. You're under arrest."

Frank dropped the wrench but spun around and threw his hunting knife
straight at Nick's heart. Nick dodged the knife and was on Vasquez
in an instant. He bared his fangs and would have torn out Frank's
throat if Leigh had not worked the gag free in time.

"Nicholas, no!"

Nick kept his hold on Frank while forcing his anger away, then he
handcuffed Vasquez to one of the stabilizing legs of the clothes
dryer before freeing Leigh. He gave her his jacket and comforted her
while they waited for the backup officers to arrive.


# # #

Nick welcomed Leigh into the hotel suite with a broad smile. "Alain
has been as nervous as a mortal schoolboy preparing for his first
date."

Leigh tried to laugh, but her own nervousness prevented it. She took
off her coat and set it on the sofa. Nick grasped her hands in his.

"Be happy." He kissed her gently, then left.

Leigh looked out the window. She turned around when she heard the
connecting door to the bedroom open. The sight of the tall vampire in
the doorway exiting frightened her. Her heart raced, and her mouth
became dry. It was still hard to believe that she was finally with
the man who had only been a picture in her mind, a longing ache deep
within her heart..

Hesitantly, she reached out, touching her trembling hand to the
vampire's smooth cheek. Lovingly, she traced the familiar, handsome
features with her fingertips. She ran her fingers through his thick
black hair as she gazed deep into his brilliant blue eyes. "Alain, my
Alain," she whispered.

When Alain enfolded her in his arms, Leigh clung to him, thrilled to
be
where she belonged at last.

# # #

Nick noticed the change in Leigh the moment she entered the squad
room with Alain Devereaux. She crossed over and was now a vampire. He
was happy for her and knew that his own world would be a little
brighter with such a good friend in it once more.

Alain clasped Nick's hand. "Thank you, my friend, for bringing her
back to me."

Nick smiled. "You're welcome, although I don't think I can take
credit."

"Hey, Miss Michaels, it's nice to see you," Schanke said merrily as
he walked over from the coffee station. He quickly ate the last few
bits of his fourth doughnut.

Leigh smiled. "I just wanted to give you this before I left." She
handed
Schanke an autographed copy of her book.

The detective beamed. "So, where are you going? On vacation?"

"Sort of. I'm going to New Orleans with Alain to write my next book.
It's an historical vampire novel. I'll be sure to send each of you a
copy." Leigh kissed Schanke on the cheek and Nick on the lips.
"Goodbye, and thank you -- for everything."

Nick knew she was referring to his having Janette locate Alain. He
acknowledged that with a nod of his head and a smile. He returned to
his desk when Alain and Leigh left.

Schanke looked out of the window and watched the couple get into a
waiting taxi before sitting at his own desk. "That guy with Miss
Michaels was familiar, but I can't place him. Did she say his name
was Alain?"

Nick imagined the wheels turning in Schanke's head. "Uh huh, Alain
Devereaux." He looked up and grinned as his partner's jaw dropped.

"But, but--" Schanke gestured to the book on his desk.

Laughing, Nick turned back to his work. "There are more things in
heaven and earth, Schank..."