Pictures From Hell Story by StormyNite Idea by Katherine Robert/Inspired by Jeanine Hornby's. Beta Read by Katherine Robert and MaryLou Manzie Written in November of 1999 Posted to Mel's Fiction Page and StormyNite's Fiction Page Only Chapter 1 Nick sat quietly filling out the report as his senses began to burn and the blood link between him and his father hummed. Nick dropped his pen and pushed into the link briefly. LaCroix had opened the connection for a purpose. The question was...did he really want to play? Deciding it might prove useful in the future; Nick relaxed and pushed into it. Violence and anger washed over him to the point he gasped for air. "What's the matter, Nick?" Schanke watched his partner gasp loudly and clutch the desk in a death grip. Nick lunged to his feet in horror. "I've got to go, Schank. Log me off sick. I've got something to take care of." Nick didn't wait for an answer as he grabbed his coat and fled the precinct. ------------ Parking the caddie at an angle, Nick ran into the Raven. Only Miklos remained behind the counter cleaning up as Nick virtually tore the door off the hinges. "Where is he?" Nick growled in a blur as he swept into the room. His black leather duster billowed around him as the gold tinged his eyes. Miklos smiled innocently. "He's expecting you." His eyes traveled to the back room. He turned back to an empty space and began to whistle as he finished the last of the glasses and turned out the lights. ---------- Her beautiful blonde hair draped around her lithe form like a cloud enhanced by the low light. Her lips were painted red along with her nails as her still form lay quietly in LaCroix's lap. "She's such an exquisite creature. Don't you think, Nicholas? I've saved the last little bit for you. It's a shame she wasn't more malleable. I would have considered bringing her across, but alas she was tedious. So like most of the modern women today." His cold blue eyes met Nick's. "What have you done, LaCroix? Are you out of your mind?" He knelt down beside the beautiful girl who lay dying in his master's arms. Her heart failed as he spoke. Without interference she would be gone from this world permanently. "Why, Nicholas, I am only doing what I was meant to do." He let the gold return to his eyes before he continued. "What you were meant to do...to hunt and to kill. As I remember correctly, you always preferred blondes. She's actually quite good." Nick growled in rage. "You're insane!" Her jerked the girl free from his master as her heart beat its final farewell. Nick groaned as he felt her slip away. "Pity...and I saved the last little bit for you as she was searching for you in the first place." LaCroix rose gracefully, wiped his lips with relish and smiled evilly. "I was just a fill in." He laughed hysterically as he continued to goad his son. He squatted down before Nick. "When are you going to give in to your true nature, Nicholas. This is your destiny! She wanted you after seeing you only once. She wanted to be possessed, devoured and enslaved by what you possess and you would have thrown it away. After all she is nothing but an animal ready for slaughter. They all are." Nick flew at his master, knocking him off his feet and slamming him to the floor in one swift movement. "You killed her because she wanted me. You disgust me!" He slammed him back to the floor and jumped to his feet. "It is YOU who is the animal! You would throw away everything the community has done here because she made you angry and wanted someone else. You're sick, LaCroix and you need help! If the Enforcers get wind of this your life isn't work dirt." Nick felt himself flying through the air. The hard impact of the wall knocked the wind out of him and he grunted in pain, as his head was smashed roughly into the nearest post. "You're wrong, Nicholas." LaCroix grabbed him by the throat and squeezed to get his attention. "She is but the tip of the iceberg. I will no longer have them talking behind my back that my son is a weak willed sympathizer...a pawn to the mortal world...one who insults his own kind by protecting our prey." Jerking Nick roughly, he tossed him across the room hard enough to put him through the nearest wall. The studs caved from the impact as the sharp snap sounded like a gunshot in the darkness. LaCroix appeared beside him and jerked Nick to his feet. "You need a reminder of your past! What you really are...AND who you were meant to be. This is your immortality!" He hissed as he planted his fangs deep within Nick's neck and held him forcefully against his chest. He drank deeply and pushed the images of another time into Nick's mind. Nick struggled against his grip to no avail as LaCroix crushed his ribs and pushed them upward into his lungs. Pain washed through him and LaCroix reveled in the feel of it. Craving more, he tore the flesh of Nick's abdomen until the warm taste of his son's agony caressed his cold heart as he drank in the cold blood of his insolent child. Pain ripped through him as LaCroix fangs slid deep into his neck. He couldn't let him make the mind connection or he was lost. Images of his past began flying through his mind. Blood, lust, power, evil, cravings of the vampire all cascaded through his subconscious. He tried to escape, but the images assaulted his mind. The power he'd felt at the kill, the thrill of the hunt and the sweet victory tasted coppery on his lips. The vampire within reacted. The blood was everywhere. Theirs mixed with his and the power of the vampire gave into the evil within him. He both loved it and loathed it until finally something stronger overcame him. He pushed into it immediately. LaCroix sensed it and opened the wounds in his stomach further. Sheer agony tore through his battered body as LaCroix pushed the images faster between their link. Nick fought, but to no avail. The pain and loss of his own blood pulled him deep into the dark abyss that claimed him the very creature he loathed. "I am no longer...I cannot...will not...I am NOT an animal!" Nick hissed as his body failed him. Nat's image floated before him and he reached out to her for strength. A howl of rage escaped LaCroix's lips as he tossed his hardheaded son away from him. Nick crumpled to the floor in a heap. Trying to support his own weight, but failing, he finally used the chair next to him for leverage and managed to regain his feet. LaCroix seethed in anger as he let the images flood his own mind. It was always the good doctor who gave him strength. What was between them was stronger than any power LaCroix possessed, but this too would end. "You have sealed her fate, Nicholas. Your love for her will be the cause of her death and you can live with it for eternity." He grabbed Nick to support him and stared into his pain-filled eyes. "She will be mine as I see fit in payment of your debt. No lie will disguise what is in your blood. We shall see what she chooses when the time comes. Eternal life with power or death in the name of love." A sharp pain coursed through him and he stared down at the chair leg now sticking in his chest. LaCroix stepped back and laughed even though the pain brought him to his knees. All the while watching the hatred burn in his son's eyes. Nicholas would protect the good doctor to his last breath. Somehow that bothered him more than it had in the past. He could feel the resolve in his son even now as Nick fought the pain and anger that flooded his body. Yet, the vampire was not free. LaCroix stared in amazement. This was unacceptable. "I WILL KILL YOU if you touch her!" Nick growled oblivious to the pain and loss of blood. He stalked his father, letting the vampire free for only a brief moment. He picked LaCroix up and tossed him across the room as blood poured from his own side and mixed with his father's. "This is over. I am not like you nor will I ever return to what I was." "Very good, Nicholas. Give into the hatred, the anger. Regret is a weakness for mortals not for us." He coughed blood, yet didn't struggle with the stake in his chest. It touched his heart, but would not kill him. Nick picked up the bloodwine on the table behind him. "I am more than this." He stared at the blood in disgust. "I want more from my life." He stared into the cold darkness that surrounded them both, then tossed the bottle onto the floor untouched. "This is not immortality, this is Hell!" He turned and walked out the door. ---------------- Nat paced the floor of the loft. She'd called the precinct and Schanke said Nick went home sick, but for some reason Schanke didn't really think it was the truth. He was going to swing by and check on him on his way home, but Nat talked him out of it. She was certain it wasn't anything drastic and she'd call him if there were a problem. In the meantime, she worried. It was near dawn and still no sign of Nick. As the sun began to crest the horizon her worry became dread until she heard the lift kick on. She whispered a prayer of thanks. She'd been staring out the window and hadn't seen the green caddie make the corner, so he must have opted for the faster mode of travel. She rushed to the door and virtually tore it off the hinges, both angry and relieved. She gasped at the first sight of him. "Nick!" She screamed in anguish as she took in his blood soaked clothes and the deep holes in his neck, still seeping his own blood. His head lay against the corner wall while he sat on the floor in a heap. His eyes remained closed and the rattle in his chest told her his lungs were injured and trying to heal. "Nick?" She knelt down beside him and switched into doctor mode. "Nick, talk to me." She gently probed the wound in his stomach, causing him to moan. His eyes flared gold and his hissed in anger as the images continued to assault his mind. The smell of a warm beating heart enticed the vampire and his fangs dropped in preparation. Her voice echoed in the small chamber of the lift. "It's okay, Nick. It's Natalie. I'm right here. Let me help you." She gently touched his face, hoping the contact would bring him back. He growled and grabbed her hand. The bright red eyes of the vampire greeted her. She should have been afraid, but she wasn't. Instead of backing away, she raised her other hand to calm the beast. Slowly she caressed his face. "It will be okay, Nick. He's not in control anymore...you are. The Nick Knight I know is in there...in control...He is the one I trust...the man I'm in love with. Fight for him, Nick." Her soft voice enveloped him like a blanket as her words played on the fringes of his mind. He pulled her toward him and she didn't fight. Each inch put her closer to death and she went willingly if it would save his soul. When his lips touched hers, pure lust washed over her. She gasped at the intensity as the wave of pleasure shot through her very core. Pulling her deep into his embrace, his tongue delved every corner of her mouth and she fell into the abyss. A moan escaped her lips as her heart raced to the sweet touch of his hands on her body and the pull of his lips on hers. Desire screamed through the small link between them and she pushed into it. Who wanted her more...the man or the vampire? At this point she didn't care. This was Nick and he needed all of her to heal. Boldly she shoved her tongue into his mouth and caressed his fangs with her tongue. Slicing it gently, she let her blood flow into his mouth and he sucked greedily. She let the love she felt for him warm his soul and fill him with the faith she had in the man. Images flashed in her mind. Blood, desire, anger, need all laced together flooded her senses and she screamed in terror and pulled away. Nick growled in anger from the loss of the warmth he craved. The images of death were now replaced with something much stronger as the warmth and love in Natalie's blood overwhelmed his senses. Throwing himself back into the corner he screamed in torment. "I am not an animal...I am not an animal...I am not an....." He held his head and repeated it to convince himself as he rocked back and forth on the floor in pain before her. More than his wounds tortured his soul. "Nick!" She moved to comfort him. "You're not that creature anymore...you are more than that." Terrified blue eyes met hers. "I'm so sorry, Nat. I didn't...I couldn't hurt you...I never meant to scare...Please don't be scared of me." He screamed and grabbed his head once more as the images of death LaCroix had planted in his mind overwhelmed him. "Nooooo! I am not ... I am not that...I will not kill...I will not kill..." Nat wrapped her arms around him as the pain within his mind tortured his whole body and he fought for his very soul. "You're not an animal. You never were. I love you, Nick. You can fight this. We can fight this." She pulled his head to her shoulder and caressed his limp form as the battle waged within his mind. "Feel what's in my blood, Nick. Push into what you felt. Hold onto it, let what you feel guide you." She whispered as she ran her fingers through the silky blond hair now matted to his head from the bloodsweat. "Hold onto what you are, Nick. Let me love you as you deserve to be loved." Tears flooded her face as she rocked his wounded body and spirit in her arms in the cold metal lift. "Please...please forgive me, God. Please...I am so sorry..." He whispered and fell into the blissful darkness. Natalie rocked him and caressed his wounded body as the tears flooded her face and she prayed. "Give him strength, dear God. Let him see that he too can be forgiven...that he has a choice. Help me show him the way." Her voice broke as she tried to hang onto her own faith. She laid him down gently and ran back into the loft to get her bag and some blankets. When she returned, she put a pillow under his head, sliced her own wrist, then his. With one arm she joined them together in blood as she pulled the blanket over them, then she wrapped her body around his and lay down to wait. Chapter 2 LaCroix sat the glass of blood on the bar and gave into the pain he felt from his son. There were changes that had to be made. The good doctor was the first of many. Suddenly the link was lost. The small hum that vibrated through his very soul told him Nicholas was still alive, but something had changed. In anger he swept the wine bottle off onto the floor in one swoop. She had to die! He stood and grabbed another bottle from behind the counter wincing in pain as he twisted around the area that had been injured earlier by Nicholas' weak attempt at rebellion. He must think this through. Nicholas was too unpredictable as of late to rush into a plan. He would not have his stubborn son throwing away his gift by walking into the sun. Maybe an outside suggestion from one not so close would help. Quickly, he walked into his private quarters, sat down at his desk and flipped open his laptop. Within minutes he was online and composing a message. He smiled in satisfaction when he hit the send button. He stared blankly at the screen as the small mailbox icon began to blink. With a click of the button he retrieved the message. The address was blank. Only an attachment appeared in the message window. He clicked on the attachment and the picture slowly covered the screen. When it was finished, LaCroix stared in fascination, then began to laugh hysterically. "You'll have to do better than that Nicholas." He hit file, then print and listened to the printer create the image on paper. When it was done, he tacked the picture of himself draining the young blonde earlier that evening on the wall behind his computer. He sat back to admire his handiwork. "Very clever, Nicholas, but you forget how much I enjoy my work." He flipped off the light and headed for a long overdue sleep. ------------------- Nick floated on a warm sea and the sun felt good to his skin. For the first time in centuries he wasn't afraid of its lethal rays. He rose on his elbows and saw that he was lying on a small raft floating freely in the crystal clear ocean. He felt wonderfully alive unchained, free from all his torment as he looked down. Natalie lay beside him with her wrist still wrapped around his. Joy flooded his senses as the feelings and images of the two of them together drifted through his mind. Peace, love, contentment all wrapped in warmth, cradled his very soul and he knew instantly it was her love. Slowly, he touched her soft face as she slept and knew he could never leave her. He marveled at her strength and bravery in the face of what she'd seen from the images of his life, but he could feel no hesitancy. He leaned over and kissed her lips softly. She moaned and rolled over breaking the blood bond between them. He awoke to find her body still wrapped around his in the lift, his body healed and his heart filled with great peace. He stared at the cut on her arm and looked at his own wrist, knowing full well that it would have healed by now. Shocked, he found the wound still present and his blood still flowing freely. His first instinct was to rejoin their wrists and regain that feeling that he'd craved all his life, but he knew the consequences for her. She'd used her blood and her faith to heal him and he would not curse her to what he despised the most. He loved her too much for that. He caressed her face gently, then finally stood and picked her up. In the blink of an eye, he laid her on his satin sheets and wrapped her deep in his embrace. She had saved his body; it would not cost her soul...or his. With a sigh of regret, he drifted back into deep slumber as the slow rise and fall of Natalie's chest in his arms gave him strength and comfort. --------------------- Several days later: LaCroix went to the computer as if he were drawn to it somehow. He cursed himself as he anxiously flipped open the cover. He hesitated briefly, but once again gave into his own curiosity. He'd had Nick watched for the past 3 days as well as the good doctor. His son seemed fully recovered, yet the link between them had not returned. It was beginning to get more than a little annoying. When he touched the mousepad, the computer instantly started downloading his mail. He checked the connection quickly and found the computer had been left online for the day. Odd, he was certain he had logged off after returning Darius' response to his question. Seconds later pictures started automatically downloading to his server. They were all different, yet all alike. First the woman he'd killed less than a month ago, then the man in the alley who'd pulled a knife...each one the same...each one different. It showed him in his finest form. The pictures were increasing in age with each mailing. Each face bringing the memories of the victims vividly to his mind as if he'd just completed the kill. At first it was exhilarating and now they were becoming a bit disturbing as the victims aged. The final picture was signed simply...'The Bookkeeper'. LaCroix turned off the computer and unplugged it from the wall when the printer kicked on and the pictures became concrete proof of what he was. What was happening? He stared at the piece of electronics like it was a foreign object, but the pictures became alive as the ink painted the pictures of death and drew the memories of the victims once more to his mind's eye. He turned and walked out the door into the bar. For the first time in many centuries, he was unnerved. He went directly to the bar and poured himself a full glass, then grabbed the bottle from Miklos' hand and retreated to the corner of the bar to think. ----------------- Nat unlocked the door of her apartment and carried the groceries to the counter. It had been three days since she'd awakened in Nick's arms. He responded to every move she made as if they were connected...and somehow they were. Of course he was frightened that sharing blood with him would make her start the change, but it had only created an undeniable link between them. She could feel it even now and she pushed into it. He was at a crime scene, domestic violence in which the husband lost control. Disgust washed over him until he felt her. He calmed immediately, smiled and pushed into what he felt from her. Warmth and acceptance passed between them, as both of them finally came to terms with their relationship. He loved her and was only trying to protect her from himself and LaCroix. His greatest fears were of her rejection of the man because of the vampire. They were gone with the first touch of her lips to his. ******* flashback******* "No more secrets, Nick. If keeping me safe denies me your love, then I'd rather be dead." She ran her hand over the hard planes of his chest and rubbed her warm body over his. "You know what's in my blood, Nick. Love me or let me go because I can't go on like this. Nothing you have done means anything to me. You aren't that man anymore. I love the one before me and I have to know what I feel from you is real. I have to know that it's what you want too." A single tear ran down her cheek and he wiped it away gently with his thumb. Need, love, hope and disbelief were all written on his face. Pulling her lips close to his, he whispered the words she'd longed to hear since the day he'd awakened on her morgue table. "I'll love you forever, Natalie." He kissed her softly at first, then released her trembling lips. "You have saved my soul and given me hope in a future for the first time in my life." He kissed her nose, her eyes, then her forehead and wrapped her deep into his arms. "I don't know what our future holds, but I know it's for us to discover together. I have loved you since that first night we met. You saw the vampire before the man and didn't run away. You have no idea how much that meant to me." He caressed her back and ran his hands into her lustrous mane of hair and let himself give into the man within. "I'm terrified of what LaCroix will do to you because I love you, but I'm not strong enough to walk away. My heart is yours for as long as you will have me." He kissed her lips softly at first then gave into the passion he'd kept at bay for so many years. Every fiber of her being responded to his and they were lost to the emotions, needs and lusts that bound them together. Slowly, he let his hands drift to her breast as his lips worshipped hers. Each kiss was an invitation, each touch a promise as the mound under his hand hardened and responded to the primal need within each of them. She opened her mouth and let him taste every inch as her tongue dueled with his and his hands quickly removed her clothing. The first touch of his cool fingers on her hot skin made her gasp and reach out to him. Desperately she wanted him naked beneath her. "Nick?" She moaned as he rolled her nipple between his skilled fingers until it hardened to the point of pain. Ever so slowly he kissed his way to the inviting mound and sucked it gently into his greedy mouth. First softly, then harder his mouth worked her breast until she thought she'd go mad with pleasure. She panted and squirmed beneath his touch, until in frustration she pushed his head lower. Needing little encouragement he licked and kissed his way to the enticing mound between her thighs that beckoned to him with both sight and smell. Her juices flowed freely and the scent he'd craved so many times before and had denied himself...was his tonight. Running his hands slowly over her naked body, he memorized every inch, each spot that made her want him more until he couldn't resist any longer. With a delicate touch he separated her labia and licked the inviting nub before him. "Nick!" She groaned in frustration and grabbed his blond hair. Not ready to be rushed, he licked once more, letting the taste of her flow through him into every pore, then he sucked gently. "Nick...." She panted and tried forcing him back for more until he grabbed both hands and locked his fingers around hers. "No! I want to taste you...all of you." Her buried his face in her mound and sucked harder until she screamed and bucked beneath him. He slid his tongue inside her wet core in rhythm to her movement retreating only to suck once more on her clit that became engorged with blood. She was riding the edge. He could feel the tension in her loins but he wanted to bring her like this, screaming his name as she came to him. He released her hands and pulled her tighter around his face. Slipping one finger inside her made her lunge harder onto him. He savored every moment as he drank deeply of the essence that was only Natalie. He nipped the engorged clit and sucked hard as he plunged two fingers deep within her now. Pure carnal lust engulfed him as he drank the sweet blood. She screamed his name and fell over the edge into that pool of sheer pleasure as her body contracted around his fingers. He lapped and sucked the juices from within her until she began to come back to the world of reality. Only then did he release her and stand to remove his own clothes. Nothing in her life had ever felt so good. First warmth, then desire followed by such passion she thought she had died and gone to heaven. That was replaced by something stronger as her body gave into the link between them and the need to be one with the man she loved. Pure pleasure engulfed her until she couldn't breathe, then it got better. He was inside her, around her, comforting, teasing, enticing until she thought she'd go insane if he didn't release her. The sharp pain from his fangs didn't slow the process, but made it stronger as he sucked her blood deep within his mouth. The pleasure became need as he opened the bloodlink between them and her body craved a union with his beyond all things reasonable. Each stroke of his finger brought her closer to what she sought until finally she abandoned herself to pure sensation and gave into it. When she opened her eyes, he stood before her gloriously naked. He was beautiful and she fell in love all over again. His hard shaft glistened with precum on the tip and cried out for her attention. She reached for him but he stopped her hand in mid-air. "Natalie...I..." She stared into golden eyes, but she needed to taste him. Seeing the same need in her eyes as he felt from himself earlier, he gave into the inevitable and prayed he had enough stamina to hold out. He placed her delicate fingers around his hard shaft and let her give into the desire within her. Ever so slowly, she raked her fingertips down his long shaft until the growl from his lips told her not to push him too far. The pink fluid glistened in the low light and she had to know what it tasted like. It was a part of Nick that she'd been denied too long. Her tongue wet her lips in anticipation and he growled again as her fingers worked him slowly making him harder with each stroke. She licked him slowly from the base of his shaft avoiding what she craved most. He was breathing erratically now as he moved his hips to give her better access, but she refused to take him into her mouth. His hands ran through her hair as he tried to pull her closer. "Please...Nat... I need you to..." His words were cut short as she finally sucked the end of penis into her hot mouth. "Nat!" He screamed as she deep throated him. Moving faster, she sucked more forcefully as he pushed into her mouth. Each stroke made him harder to the point of pain and still she wanted more. She wanted him to come inside her mouth. She wanted to drink the essence of what he was just as he had her. She kneaded his ass as she worked him into a frenzy of need beyond anything he'd ever known. "Oh, Nat.... Don't bring me like this." He whispered as he watched her work him skillfully. Pleasure swept through him and the vampire's appetite flared for something more than the pleasures of the flesh, but she paid him no heed and continued to drive him over the edge. Unable to stand it any longer, he pulled her free and pushed her back on his satin sheets. "I want to be inside you when I come." He buried his shaft deep within her willing body in one swift stroke, then began to pump slowly. He cradled her head between his hands as his body worked hers and she responded with each touch, each slight movement. "I want you to come to me as a man and let me watch your face. I need to know the man can satisfy you more than the vampire...that its my body you crave above all else." Each stroke was harder and deeper as he buried himself inside her and she met him stroke for stroke and wanted more. "Love me, Nick and let me love you. The way we were always meant to be." He saw no hesitation only love as he plunged deep inside her. When he touched her cervix she gasped, but the pain turned to pleasure as he ground the head of his penis into her g-spot and felt her begin to contract around his hard shaft. Intense pleasure washed over him when he felt her begin to slide into the sweet oblivion they both craved. He retreated, then drove back hard into her once more to make the orgasm more intense. Such peace and contentment flooded her face when she gave into her body's needs. It was the man she craved not the power of the vampire. It was the man that created the need within her and now maybe he could accept them both. "Come with me, Nick. Share it with me. Share yourself with me." She whispered as the pleasure began to overtake her. He retreated and plunged deep within her in one final stroke as he planted his fangs gently into her neck. With the first taste of her blood, his body gave into the primal urge in his loins and exploded inside her. All that she was, all that they could be together caressed his very soul and he finally knew what it meant to be loved. He released her neck and wept. *********End flashback********* Nat started unloading the groceries into the fridge and noticed the envelope on her kitchen table. Odd, that wasn't there earlier in the evening when she'd left for work. Maybe the manager had left her a note. Carefully she opened the end and let the contents fall on the table. The first photograph was Nick breaking Spark's neck in her apartment. The anger and hatred in his eyes was overwhelming. The second was a picture of Nick draining a woman in a dark alley. She looked to be in her late 20's, blonde, very beautiful. Natalie examined the photograph closer and noted the clothing. It had to be late 18th century dress, maybe earlier. She wasn't sure. The next picture was more of the same. Each one showing the vampire in his natural state, each one showing the death of an innocent. A single tear ran down her face and she wiped it away with a brush of her fingertips. With a deep breath, she scooped all the photo's up and walked into the living room. She leaned over and hit the gas jet on the fireplace. Seconds later, a bright burning fire graced the room. Without hesitation, she tossed the photographs into the blazing fire and returned to the kitchen. Chapter 3 Nick finished the last report and tossed it into the out pile. Schanke was making a run to South to get the evidence from lockup that had been mistakenly sent to the wrong precinct. "Detective Knight?" Adams, the desk officer for the evening approached. "There's someone here to see you." He motioned with his head at the tall dark man standing in the shadows out of the direct light. Nick stared into the shadows and pushed into what he felt, but met nothing but cold silence. "Thanks, Adams. I'll take care of it." Whatever was up couldn't be good if LaCroix was here. His heart lurched and he picked up the phone to call Nat first. He started to dial, when he realized he didn't need too. His link to her was growing. He relaxed and pushed into it. She was saddened by something, but otherwise okay. She felt him instantly and pushed back into their connection. He smiled in relief and went over to LaCroix to find out what was going on. "Do we need to take this conversation elsewhere?" Nick asked quietly as their eyes met and he searched the near vacant room for listening ears. LaCroix's stoic features never changed as he reached out mentally to size up his insolent son. He let his power wash over them both to remind Nick who was in charge. Nick fought it, but gasped for breath in spite of his efforts. "I get the message, LaCroix." He whispered between the intense images flashing in his mind and stepped back. LaCroix immediately stopped. "Just a reminder, Nicholas, of what I'm capable of if provoked." He waited to see if he understood the meaning. Nick shook his head to clear the images and catch his breath. "I believe these belong to you." LaCroix handed the manila envelope to his son with cold indifference. Nick opened it quickly. There were at least 20 photographs, each different, yet each the same. He felt his father probe him once more, only this time more subtly. "If the intent was to make me feel remorse in an effort to cancel your debt, you are wasting your efforts." LaCroix stepped forward and placed his hand over Nick's wrist. "Guilt is for mortals, just as pain and remorse are." He snapped Nick's wrist and watched him wince in pain. Within seconds, he felt the blood in Nick's veins come to repair the damage at an incredible rate. He smirked when he realized Nick didn't attempt to slow the process. "I am immortal and YOU are my son. The petty problems and morals of these creatures don't affect us..." He picked up the pictures and stared at them briefly. "...nor do their deaths. In fact I found your little project invigorating. Your pictures made me relive the events and the pleasure each of them brought me." He smiled and raised one eyebrow, then handed the photos back to Nick. "In fact I should probably relieve you of your debt for such pleasure...but I think not. The good doctor is worth more than all these put together. I shall enjoy tasting the fear in her blood and knowing you will not have the one thing you crave most. Only then will our debt be canceled." He headed for the door. Nick stared at the photos and the look of pleasure in his master's eyes. "If you cannot regret any of this, LaCroix, then I pity you. This isn't immortality...this is hell." LaCroix stopped and turned slowly before he responded. "Regret is a frailty of humans. It means you fear death and retribution for your actions. Let me assure you, Nicholas. I fear neither. I do not need pictures to remind me of what I am capable of." He walked back over to his son and lowered his voice. "What WE are capable of, Nicholas." Disbelief registered on Nick's features, then disgust. He shoved the photos back into LaCroix's chest. "I am NOT your son!" Nick growled softly. "I am NOT like you and I did NOT send you these photographs. Apparently you have an admirer, someone who loves your work. Why don't you go find HIM and stay out of MY life." Nick turned and walked away. When he sat down at his desk, LaCroix was gone. --------------------- It was almost 2 hours before his shift was over. He pushed into the link between he and Natalie and found her asleep. A smile crossed his lips when he realized she'd gone to the loft after finishing her errands. He needed to log off early and find some way of getting her out of town until this was finished with LaCroix. He doubted LaCroix would act tonight as it was not his style. He wanted to torture Nick as long as possible with not knowing when he would strike. There was time, but something wasn't right. LaCroix had placed a cold wall of indifference in place between them. He only did that when he was hiding something. Was it a plan to destroy Natalie or something even more diabolical? Obviously, the pictures had affected him or he wouldn't have shown up here. There was more to this than he was letting on. Nick flipped on the computer, then picked up the phone to call John in computer services. John answered on the 2nd ring. "John Castle...Tech Services." "John, it's Nick Knight over at Metro. I need to know how to track information being sent to a certain email address. Can you do that?" After a quick conversation, Nick hung up the phone and grabbed his coat. Now it was time to convince Nat she had to leave. This was not going to be easy. ------------ Nick slipped under the covers and spooned her warm body into his. She sighed in contentment and the part of him that craved her blood seemed to disappear. He wanted nothing more than to wake up with her in his arms every night for eternity. He buried his head in her lustrous mane of hair and breathed in the sweet smell of jasmine from her shampoo. She had remembered his comment as they walked by the flower cart the other night. He had picked out the jasmine just to smell it...just one more night with her in his arms...tomorrow was be soon enough. It was better to have her completely awake to make her see the logic in leaving town. Almost as if she read his mind, she rolled over in his arms and wrapped her body around his, letting her head rest comfortably on his chest and mumbled. "Tomorrow is better. I'm so tired." She snuggled closer and drifted back into deep slumber. He kissed the top of her head, wrapped his arms around her and gave into the fatigue that surrounded him. --------------- LaCroix walked the streets. Around each corner he found life teaming with energy, anger, passion and desire. It would have been so easy to choose one, and savor the feelings for himself, but a part of him hesitated. He shook his head in disbelief. Humans were here for his pleasure. That had not changed. He walked through the park and spotted a slow walking figure dressed in black with flashes of white that caught the moonlight. He was hungry now and maybe the sweet taste of one of the lost souls prowling the woods would solve his little lapse of conscience. She was but 50 feet away when she turned suddenly. The white cloth surrounding her face made her features appear to glow in the moonlight. She smiled and he stopped. She was familiar...but where? He glanced at the ground for a moment and tried to remember. Where had he seen her face? It seemed to be on the tip of his mind, when finally he noticed...she was gone. Chapter 4 ------------- Natalie calmly placed the grounds into the coffee maker and hit the start button. Finally satisfied her caffeine addiction would be taken care of shortly, she returned to the living room and watched Nick poke angrily at the dying embers. "You know adding a log to the fire will generally keep it going much better than trying to poke it death." Angry eyes met hers. "Nat, this is not a joke. He will kill you to hurt me." He walked to her side and placed her face between his hands gently. "This is all my fault. I should have left a long time ago. We should have never gotten this close. If I don't kill you in a fit of passion, he will simply because I..." "...love you!" She finished the sentence for him. "Say it again, Nick Knight. Tell me you love me and you can send me away never to see me again. Tell me that what we feel for each other is not worth fighting for." She waited for him to understand. He pulled her into his arms and all the anger was gone, replaced by love and a need to be with her. "I love you, Natalie Lambert, and nothing will ever change that." "Nick, to love someone takes pain and sacrifice. To make a relationship work takes more than passion and sex. It takes unity and commitment based on something stronger than just one person's desire. I love you, Nick Knight, lock stock and barrel. That means I accept all the baggage you carry with you and you accept mine. We are in this together or we have nothing. I'm frightened of LaCroix but I'm terrified of losing you. Given a choice, I'll take on LaCroix anytime." She smiled sheepishly. "Guess I'm an old fashioned girl after all. I want the man I love with me all the time, not just part of the time." He kissed her lips softly, then rested his forehead on hers. "I love you just the way you are. I just hope you feel the same way when you get to see all my dirty laundry. My baggage is a little heavier than most." He chuckled, then kissed her gently. "I'll let you know when I need a hand." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately until they both gave into the needs within them. "So much for being on time for work." She mumbled between kisses as he laid them gently on the couch and let his hands have free roam of her body once more. ------------------- LaCroix awoke to the sound of the printer humming away as it printed picture after picture. The floor in front of his desk was littered with photographs, each one older than the one before. He stared closely at the last picture dating back to 12th century. It wasn't possible. Film wasn't invented, a camera didn't exist, yet here was a photograph of him draining the wife of an Earl to the King of France after he'd bedded her. The look of contentment on his face made him relive the event like it was yesterday. Pleasure coursed through him, followed by a strange new sensation he'd never experienced before. It was at first warm, then it became hotter as he pushed into the pleasure he felt from reliving the kill. Finally, the pleasure turned to pain as hot flames licked the surface of his skin, then ceased when a tortured scream abruptly escaped his lips. He lay panting in the middle of the floor littered with the images of his past. He stumbled to his feet and grabbed the laptop, smashing it into a thousand pieces before he finished. Next he tore the printer from the wall a tossed it across the room. Still his eyes gravitated to the pictures on the floor. He picked up another one, dating back another 200 years earlier. He screamed in agony when the flames once more touched his skin as he tried to relive the pleasure. Finally the picture burst into flames before him and dropped it instantly. Quickly, he moved to the window and fled into the night. ------------ Nat pulled her car into the only vacant spot on the street and ran up the steps two at a time. There was just enough time to feed Sydney and grab her bills before work. She unlocked the door and the manila envelope lay silently on the floor before her. She tore it open, to find more pictures, only 5 this time. She marched to the fireplace and turned on the gas once more. Not waiting for the flames to reach their peak, she tossed the whole group onto the flames, but one slid free and danced across the floor out of the blaze. She walked calmly over and picked it up. It was face down and she refused to turn it over. She headed back to the fire when the word 'faith' appeared in bright red letters on the back. "What the..." She turned it over and gasped. The bright blue eyes of a 5-year-old little blond boy greeted her. She sat down to stare at the picture. He was Nick's son. Every bone in her body recognized him. The eyes, the nose, the boyish grin, were all Nick's as the child's curly, blond hair took on a slight reddish tinge when she turned the picture to the light. A tear slipped out of her eye as she touched the picture reverently, then held it near her heart as she looked up to the heavens. "Yes, I have faith!" She whispered. ---------------- Nick walked down the university hallway until he found the room listed on the paper. Twisting the doorknob, he found it locked. He double-checked the sheet John had given him one more time. Apparently a good number of messages had been sent from the computer inside this lab. One of the students walked down the hall and eyed him closely. "Can I help you, Sir?" The pretty blonde said as she eyed Nick closely as if he were naked. In any other circumstances, he would have been flattered, but things had changed and he wasn't looking for entertainment at the present. "Actually, yes you can." Nick pulled out his badge. "I'm Nick Knight with Metro Homicide and I'm checking on a lead. Can you tell me who uses this lab." She smiled coyly. "Well actually, lots of people do. You have to have a key of course. You could go down to the Dean's office and get a list of who has keys. I see lots of people using it. It has an electron microscope in it, so they keep it locked at all times. They can't afford to have it disappearing on them." She smiled coyly and waited for a response, but got none. "The Dean's office is two floor up...room 1227." She smiled and walked off putting a little too much sway in her walk. Nick ignored it all and headed for the Dean's office. Thirty minutes later he walked out of the building with a complete list of keyholders and a sign in sheet. He scanned the list quickly and only one name caught his eye...Dr. Natalie Lambert, Coroner's Office. He noted the times she'd signed in and out in the past month, then tossed the paper into the seat beside him in the caddie. He needed to talk with Nat. "81 Kilo?" Dispatch blared loudly over the speaker. "This is 81 Kilo." "Dr. Lambert wants to speak with you at the morgue. She said it was urgent." "On my way, thanks Georgina." ------------------ Nat stared at the picture in her hand as she paced the floor of the morgue. It was a slow night and Grace wasn't coming in. She'd logged the whole night for bookwork unless she was called out, but she couldn't think. So she paced and waited. Only a small breath of air announced his arrival. "It would appear, Doctor, you are agitated about something." LaCroix's soft smooth voice filtered across the room making her heart skip a beat. He was by her side instantly before she had time to react. "You are such a bewitching creature. It is no wonder my son finds you so fascinating." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled the hair free from her neck as he licked his lips. "I don't know how Nicholas has done this, but it will not stop the inevitable. When you are gone, this nonsense will be done. Once more things will be as they should be." He kissed her neck and she jerked away from him. It brought a smile to his lips. "Good...fight me. I love the taste of rebellion and fear just as Nicholas used to, but not here. He must witness your demise. He must feel the last beat of your heart, know that there is but one choice for him." "He is NOT like you, LaCroix!" She ground out angrily as she struggled. "You may kill me, but it will not make him your son. No matter what you do, or how long you live...YOU will never have a child." Her angry eyes met his in defiance. "Children are created in love, not evil and deep inside you know that. Every living creature on this earth wants to create in his or her own image, but you aren't alive. The evil inside you has destroyed any humanity you had left, but you still want to continue the line. You want Nick to be that child you can't create, to be the image of what you are and pass it along. You will fail. Nick has a heart and a soul and nothing you can do will ever change that." His hand snaked around her throat. "Bravely put, Doctor, but I know what will crush that." He squeezed slowly until she passed out in his arms. Tossing an envelope on her desk, he disappeared into the night. ------------- Nick walked into the morgue. "Nat?" He listened for her familiar heartbeat and panic washed over him. The link between the two of them opened wide as he felt her fear like it was his own. He noticed the note on her desk addressed to him. "I have something you want...something that belongs to me. You are invited to watch or participate. The decision is yours, but she is now mine." He crushed the unsigned note and tore through the window into the night. Chapter 5 Her long auburn hair glistened in the lamplight as he watched the slow rise and fall of her breasts as she lay on his satin sheets. She was a beautiful creature, one of substance, tenacity, passion and faith. It was no wonder Nicholas had fallen in love with her. She had been his destiny from the beginning. He knew that now, but he would not surrender the prize. Nicholas was his son and nothing would ever change that. A slow hum caught his attention as he noticed the smashed printer on the far side of the room come to life on its own. Drawn to it like a moth to a flame he watched the picture print slowly onto the paper still jammed into the machine. When it finished the picture shot out onto the floor before him. It was a picture of Nicholas sitting on a dock in the moonlight. In his arms sat a small blond haired child of about 5 leaning up against him. The resemblance gave no doubt as to the child heredity. Great joy was etched into their faces as they watched an owl sweep low over the water. "NOOOOOOOO!" LaCroix howled in anger. He snatched the picture off the floor and started for the small woman lying unconscious on his bed. He pulled her into his arms just as the door exploded. Nick tossed him hard against the wall. Natalie fell to the floor as both men gave into the anger within them. Fear made Nick stronger than usual, but LaCroix's advanced age and stature gave him the upper hand. Crashing through walls, driving anything wood into each other's bodies in an effort to slow the other down, the battle waged for over 30 minutes. Blood flowed freely from Nick's side as he removed the chairleg and launched it at his master. LaCroix sidestepped it and barreled into his son. Smashing Nick to the floor, he noticed the damage to his side and aimed the palm of his hand to his ribcage. Nick gasped for breath, but refused to stop fighting. In an effort to gain the upper hand, LaCroix tossed him quickly across the room and snatched Natalie's limp form off the floor. Jerking her head to the side, he prepared to drain her. "LaCroix!" Nick yelled from the far side of the room in pain as the wounds and lack of blood took its toll. "Anything! I'll give you anything...I'll leave with you...I'll stay with you and do what ever you ask...Just don't do this. Don't hurt her." He gasped as he struggled to his feet, but failed and collapsed to the floor instead as his blood flowed freely from his side and head. "I swear it. I'll be your son...I'll stay by your side...anything...please...I beg you." He coughed blood as he spoke, willing to sacrifice his own life and his freedom to assure Natalie's safety. The pain was becoming overwhelming now as the welcome darkness beckoned him, but he couldn't give into it. He would lose Natalie forever and that was unacceptable. "No, Nick!" Natalie whispered as she regained consciousness and listened to the pain and desperation in Nick's voice. "It would appear you have finally broken him." The soft voice said from the shadows. LaCroix turned to see the dark flowing robes billow in the wind from the broken window. She stepped forward into the moonlight and let it cast an iridescent glow over her face. The white piece of cloth surrounding her face and head denoted her faith and choice of lifestyle. She stared at Nick bleeding on the floor, then at LaCroix who still held Natalie's neck inches from his extended fangs. "He is willing to sacrifice everything of value to him for another. That is an incredible step for one of the undead, but then I knew that when I met him the first time." She smiled and the glow around her face encompassed her entire body now. The light flowed across the room and touched Nick's battered body. It healed immediately. She then turned her attention to LaCroix. He released Natalie as if commanded. She never hesitated and ran to Nick's side. "And here I thought you'd had a change of heart after the other night." She waited patiently as her cross and rosary flashed in the moonlight through the window. LaCroix stepped back and covered his eyes from the blinding light. "You...you were the one in the park the other night. I know you." LaCroix stated bewildered as he searched his memory. "Yes, you know me. I am now the Bookkeeper. I am here to show you an accounting of your file. I was sent to see if there were any deficiencies or errors that should be corrected. There are many types of immortality and the choices we make along the way determine how we spend eternity." The printer magically switched on once more and started printing. She walked over to the electronic device and removed two photographs. In the blink of an eye one appeared in Nick's hand supported by Natalie. She smiled at them both. "It would appear her trust in you along with your willingness to sacrifice yourself for her has given you a different type of immortality. One far different than the one you chose many centuries ago, Nicholas. I was not wrong about you. There is goodness inside you." He stared at the picture before him. It was the picture of him and his son sitting on the dock in the moonlight. Her French accent was more distinct now as she lifted the thin veil that magically clouded her facial features. Nick recognized her instantly and fell to his knees at her feet. "Forgive me, Sister. I did not know." "You are a good man, Nicholas, and my trust was not misplaced. I knew that then and my opinion has not changed. You are on the right path just as you were when we first met." She smiled at Natalie. "She never once doubted the change within you. Destiny has finally brought you together. Do not waste it my friend." She turned to LaCroix as the other picture she held in her hand appeared in his. He stared in horror at the picture of his body erupting in the bright red flames of hell. Agony was etched into his features in the photograph that he held shakily. As if by command, more photos began to spit out of the printer and sail across the room. Each one depicting a future of pain and torment more gruesome than the one before. "There are many types of immortality, Monsieur LaCroix. Some are more painful than others." Another picture appeared in his hand. He gasped and fell to his knees in torment. "If you truly have no regrets, then you have nothing to fear. Your immortality may be everything you deserve…and more." She raised an eyebrow knowingly and smiled. "Then again, I only keep the books, the pictures come from elsewhere." She raised her arm and the white light that engulfed her earlier flooded the room. The pictures disappeared from the floor and appeared in her outstretched fingers. Only the one in Nick's hand and the one in LaCroix's remained. She smiled, brought the pictures to her breast and stepped back further into the light. "It is important to keep everything for accuracy. I am quite sure you wouldn't want any mistakes, Monsieur." She smiled sadly as her words faded and she disappeared. Nick stared at the photograph in his hand. It had changed. Natalie's auburn hair flowed in the wind as Nick's arms wrapped around her and their son. The sun cresting the horizon had replaced the moonlight dancing on the water. Its warm rays basked their faces in a soft glow of happiness. Nat reached over and kissed him softly on the neck. "Faith has gotten us this far, Nick. Let's not stop now." "Never!" He wrapped her in his arms, marveling at the warmth and love she radiated with each breath. "I will never stop believing in us." He smiled and kissed her forehead, then looked at the picture once more. "He looks like both of us." He said in awe. Then turned when he heard LaCroix rise from the floor quietly. A great sadness washed over the room. Nick felt it instantly. LaCroix walked to the mantle, sat the picture above the hearth and stared intently at the image before him. Nick approached slowly and laid a hand on his shoulder in comfort. He looked at the picture for the first time and saw his creator cutting the head off a young girl. Anger, fear and regret were etched into his face in the picture. "Who is she, LaCroix?" The silence was almost deafening as they continued to stare at the photo. "It would appear I have done you an injustice, Nicholas." LaCroix said quietly as his eyes remained focused on the gruesome scene before him. With a sigh of resignation, he came to terms with feelings he thought long dead. "I release you from your debt and wish you and the good doctor well." He removed the picture and placed it in his jacket pocket. The cold wall of indifference he'd practiced for centuries fell in place. Once more he shut out the world as well as his son…without answering the question. "It would appear your trust and faith in others has its own reward." He stared out the window into the darkness with a look of uncertainty, then disappeared. Part 6/Epilogue Nick and Natalie walked down the university corridor and stopped at the lab entrance. "You thought I was sending the pictures?" Natalie said a little surprised. "Your name was the only one on the list that meant anything to me...until now. But the photos I saw were before the invention of photography. There had to be another explanation and I'm still not sure I know the answer." She turned the key in the lock and they walked into the lab. The computer screen was in sleep mode, but the scanner and computer were still on. He touched the keyboard and the screen came to life. He lay the sheet of paper with the keyholders names and log-in dates on top of the scanner. The words: 'The Bookkeeper's Archives' appeared in bold black letters across the screen. He clicked on the words and the computer switched to an archive file. Clicking it open, he found it empty. A gust of wind blew the list of names off the scanner. Behind the scanner sat a plain wooden music box. The wood was smooth from years of adoration and use. He recognized it instantly and flipped open the lid. 'Moonlight Sonata' by Beethoven flooded the room. Natalie sat down beside him. "It's beautiful. Do you think she left it behind for a reason?" "Yes." He whispered and pulled Nat into his arms. "It's to remind me that we all need someone to trust. That trust and forgiveness starts with yourself first, then and only then can you give it to others. That evening in the cellar she said there was goodness within me. LaCroix killed her later that same night. She forgave me then, but I couldn't forgive myself until now. I wasn't responsible for him or the things he had done, only myself. I think I've known that all along. I just needed someone to trust me in spite of what I had been. Someone to love me for who I am now instead of who I was." He stared at Nat's bright blue eyes, then kissed her nose. "Thank you!" He placed the music box on top of the computer reverently. "Thank you, too, Sister Marise. I shall watch over it and treasure it as I did your trust in me so many years ago." He hit the off button to the computer and watched 'The Bookkeeper's Archives' disappear into cyberspace once more. "Let's go get Syd and see if he'd like living at the loft." He stared at her hopefully. "Hmm...There will be some conditions." She smiled and raised one eye mischievously. "Such as?" "I get first dibs on the shower and Syd sleeps on my side of the bed." She said without hesitation. "Deal...but you sleep on my side of the bed with me and I keep the remote!" He grinned and pulled her into his arms. Her soft lips on his gave her acceptance and the promise of a lifetime. The End. All comment to: ****StormyNite at: nitewind@plantnet.com**** **NN Packer** Light Cousin**MadNatter** X-File DieHard**Xenite**GWDFC** >http://www.plantnet.com/~nitewind/Fiction2.html StormyNite Fiction >http://www.plantnet.com/~nitewind/Main.html Stormy"s Main FK Page ************NO feedback IS feedback*************