Disclaimers: None of the characters portrayed in this little bit of
fluff belong to me. No infringement is intended on any rights.
Permission is given to archive at Mel's FKfanfic site, Anita's
FKfanfic2 site, the N/Npack site and the ftp archives. Anyone else,
just tell me where you're putting it, first.

This is the next in my Nick/Nat Romance Rendezvous series, but it
should stand alone. Warning: Serious Nick/Nat fluff ahead! Mush,
mushy, mushy! :-) You have been warned!

 

Picture This

by KC Smith
June 2002

Natalie sat tapping her pencil against her teeth, thinking about the
last few weeks and the way Nick had been behaving.

It's not that she had any complaints~ quite the contrary~ she loved
the romantic things that Nick had been doing. She just wanted to do
something special for him, in return.

Grace entered the morgue and found Natalie sitting there lost in
thought and smiled. "Thinking about a certain blonde haired Detective
again?" She asked.

Natalie startled and then smiled ruefully. "You caught me."

Grace perched on the edge of Natalie's desk, fingering the latest
bouquet of flowers that Nick had sent the previous evening. "So, what
has Mr. Romance done this time?"

Natalie smiled secretively. "Well, each of the flowers in that bouquet
represent a letter of my name *and* has a special meaning."

"Really? Okay girl, share." Grace said, intrigued.

Natalie pulled the card from her desk and read from it. "Okay, we'll
do Natalie first. N is Nastrum; it means 'our love will be
victorious'. A is Ambrosia; it means 'your love is reciprocated'. T is
the red Tulip; it means 'believe in my declaration of love'. A is
Azalea; it means 'I'm passionate about you'. L is Lily of the Valley;
it means 'you've made my life complete'. I is Iris; it means 'faith
and hope in our love'. And E is Erica, which is the botanical name for
Heather. The lavender colored one means 'I deeply admire you'."

Grace smiled broadly. "That's beautiful. What do the others stand
for?"

Natalie grinned. "My last name. L is Lilac; it means 'you're
beautiful'. A is Arbutus; it means 'Thee only do I love'. M is Morning
Glory; it means 'deep, abiding affection'. B is Baby's Breath; it
means 'purity of heart'. E is Erica again. The white one stands for
'I'll protect and cherish you'. R is the thornless red Rose; it means
'love at first sight'. And the T is the yellow Tulip; it means
'there's sunshine in your smile'."

Grace placed her hand over her heart and sighed. "Too bad he's already
taken. I'd snatch him up in a heartbeat if he wasn't."

"Don't even think about it." Natalie said, grinning. "He's all mine."

Grace laughed. "Don't worry. I know when I'm out of my league." She
watched as Natalie stood up from her desk and gathered her belongings.

"Did you ever think of something to do for Nick? I know you've been
thinking about it for days."

Natalie sighed. "No, not yet. But I'll tell you all about it next
week, if I come up with anything."

"I'll see you Monday night then." Grace said, smiling. "Have a good
weekend."

"You, too." Natalie said, as she headed out.

 

Nick walked down the stairs and ran his fingers through his still damp
hair. He'd showered and dressed, as was his custom, before heading
downstairs for the evening. He pulled a bottle of steer blood from the
refrigerator and poured some into a crystal goblet and drank it down,
idly wondering what time Natalie would be over to return his car.

She'd called the day before, wondering if she might be able to borrow
the Caddy for the day. She said she had a number of errands to run,
but her car would be in the shop all weekend.

The sound of a horn honking drew him to the window, and he peered out
into the fading light and smiled at the sight of the Caddy sitting in
front of the warehouse.

He'd just finished rinsing out his glass when the lift ground to a
halt and the door opened. Natalie stepped out and walked over to him,
placed his keys in his palm and wrapped her arms around his neck and
kissed him. "Thanks for loaning me your car." She whispered.

"Mmm. If this is how you thank me, you can borrow it anytime you
like." Nick said, as he leaned in for another kiss. "So, what'd you do
today?" He asked, as he disengaged himself from her embrace and moved
towards the table behind the sofa to retrieve his watch. She had a
definite tan, which added to his interest.

"Why don't you come downstairs and see?" Natalie asked, giving him a
mysterious smile.

Nick's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Downstairs?"

"Uh-huh." Nat said, taking his hand and leading him towards the lift
door. "Come on."

Nick just grinned as he followed her into the elevator and let the
doors slide shut.

 

Nick stepped out of the lift and opened the garage door, smiling to
see a big red ribbon laid across the hood and windshield of the Caddy.

"What's this?" He asked Natalie.

"Go on; you'll see." Natalie told him, smiling.

As Nick moved closer, he could see that the Caddy was clean~
sparkling, really. It had been washed, waxed and polished... chrome,
tires and all.

"You had my car washed!" Nick said in surprise, turning to look
atNatalie.

"Look inside." Nat encouraged.

Nick unlocked the door and slid inside. He smiled as he detected the
scent of mink oil mixed with the slight scent of cleaners. The entire
interior had been completely detailed, until it was like brand new
again. He looked at Natalie and grinned. "I don't know what to say."

Natalie leaned in and kissed him lightly. "That's still not all...
look in the trunk."

Nick climbed out of the driver's seat and went around to the back of
the car, with Natalie close behind. He opened the trunk and found a
box wrapped in gold paper with a silver ribbon tied around it. He
looked quizzically at Natalie, as he lifted the box from the trunk and
closed the lid. "What's this?"

"Open it and see." Nat said, still smiling.

Nick became even more curious, when he heard Natalie's heart rate and
breathing increase. He could tell she was definitely nervous. He
removed the ribbon and wrapping paper before carefully setting the box
on the trunk of the Caddy and lifting the lid. 

Inside the box, he found a scrapbook and a video tape. He lifted the
scrapbook out and opened it, smiling broadly at the first photo.

"You did this today?" He asked Natalie.

Nat nodded. "I have this friend that does photography as a hobby. She
helped me out."

Nick nodded, as he stared at the picture.

Natalie was lying across the sparkling hood of his Caddy, dressed in
cutoffs, a tank top and red high heels. The sun was shining down on
her, bringing out the highlights in her hair and making her skin glow.

As he turned the pages, he found photos of Natalie in various poses in
or around the Caddy, all in the sunshine. The last page was blank, but
was obviously ready for a photo.

"What's this for?" Nick asked, indicating the final page in the book.

"That's for the last picture we took. We didn't have time to get it
developed before I came over, so I have to give it to you later." Nat
explained.

Nick nodded as he closed the book. "I don't know what to say... I love
it." He set the book on the trunk of the Caddy and wrapped his arms
around her, kissing her deeply. "And I love you~ more than I think
you'll ever know."

Natalie smiled, her eyes misting over. "I love you, too." She
whispered, before meeting his lips again for another deeply passionate
kiss.

When the kiss ended, they stood quietly in one another arms for
several minutes, just content to hold onto each other.

 

They went upstairs and Nick set the scrapbook on the table, before
putting the tape in the VCR. He was curious as to what else Nat had in
store for him.

He took a seat beside Nat on the sofa, placing his arm around her
shoulders and kissing her temple, before pushing 'play' on the remote.

The screen flickered a bit and Schanke's face appeared. He was
grinning broadly and he waved at the camera. "Hmm... what do I like
most about Nick?" Schanke gave a huge, playful grin. "Not one damn
thing!" A big laugh, and then, "Just kidding." His face became
serious. "He's a true friend. Sure he gives me a hard time and he
*always* has to be the hero, but he's always been there for me. I
don't know how many times he's saved my neck by risking his own, and
he does it because he knows that I have a wife and child to go home to
at the end of every night and he wants to make sure that I do. He's
stuck by me through some really tough times~ the time that maniac was
out to kill me, the time Myra and I almost split up, just to name a
few. He puts up with my annoying habits~ which Myra says should earn
him a medal of honor~ *and* he lets me eat souvlaki in his car! Nick:
I love ya, buddy!" Schanke said, saluting the camera.

The next person on camera was Captain Cohen. She praised Nick's work
ethic, arrest record, compassion and the way he often volunteered for
shifts so that others could spend time with their families. Next came
Captain Stonetree, then a few coworkers and Grace. All with something
good to say about Nick.

The last person to come onto the screen was Natalie. She was smiled at
the camera and then began speaking. "If I had to come up with one word
to describe you, Nick, it would be human. You are one of the most
human individuals I know. You are loving, compassionate, caring,
generous and conscientious. Your past mistakes disturb you, and you
try very hard to learn from them and not repeat them. All of these
things make up the wonderful, funny, intelligent man that is you...
the man that I love."

The screen went blank and Nick sat there with unshed tears in his
eyes. He looked at Natalie and reached over to caress her face. "Thank
you." He whispered.

Natalie smiled at him. "You're very welcome."

 

The next night, Nick was getting into the elevator to head off to
work, when he noticed a large package sitting on the floor of the
lift. He picked it up and carried it to his dining table, curious as
to what could be inside.

There was a card on top and he opened that first, immediately
recognizing Natalie's elegant handwriting. "Nick: Here's the other
photo I promised. Hope you like it. Love, Nat."

Nick smiled, but wondered why Natalie would have placed such a small
photo into such a large box, and why it would be so heavy. He got his
answer when he unwrapped it and opened the lid.

Lying on top was the photo that was supposed to go into the scrapbook.
It was a picture of Natalie wearing a red satin Teddie, lying across
the hood of the Caddy at sunset. It was spectacular.

Swallowing hard, Nick set the photograph aside and moved the tissue
paper. There lay the same photograph, only *much* larger. It was
framed in a lovely natural wood frame, and was at least 60.96
centimetres long by 50.8 centimetres high (24 x 20 inches).

Nick smiled broadly. He knew *just* where to hang this...

 

Natalie went over to Nick's after her shift ended and climbed
wearilyinto the elevator. Nick had left a message for her asking her
to come byhis loft after her shift. Although she had worked three
hours overtime, she was curious to know what it was he wanted.

When she got to the top floor loft, she opened the lift door and
walked over to the table, setting her things down. "Please tell me you
havecoffee?"

Nick stood up from his chair, chuckling. "Already made. Come sit down
and I'll get you a cup."

Nat smiled, kissing Nick gently as she passed him. "Do I smell
cinnamon?" She asked, as she flopped tiredly onto the sofa.

"Yes. I ordered some cinnamon rolls for you from that donut place
Schanke's always going to. That's also where I bought the coffee."
Nick told her.

"Bless you!" Nat said, as she kicked off her shoes and rubbed her
tired feet.

Nick brought her a cup of coffee and a plate with two cinnamon rolls,
along with a napkin and a fork. He set them on the table beside her
and then sat at the opposite end of the sofa from Nat, stretching her
legs out towards him. He then took over the task of rubbing her
stockinged feet.

Nat took a sip of the coffee and sighed. "This is heavenly."

"The coffee?" Nick asked.

"And the cinnamon rolls, and the foot massage... you really know how
to spoil a girl." Nat said, as she stuffed a bit of warm pastry into
her mouth with the fork.

"Well, I try." Nick told her, smiling.

They sat in silence for several minutes, as Natalie finished her rolls
and coffee, and Nick continued to rub her feet. Finally, Nat sighed
and looked at him. "So, what did you want me to come over for?"

Nick carefully set her feet on the ground, before standing. Then he
held his hand out to her. "I want to show you something."

Nat took his hand and stood, letting him lead her up the stairs. 

When they reached his bedroom door, Nick paused. "I wanted you to see
where I hung your picture. I loved it so much, I thought it should be
the first thing I see when I awaken, and the last thing I see before I
go to sleep."

Natalie smiled shyly, as Nick led her into the bedroom.

There, on the wall opposite the window, was the picture Natalie had
given him, surrounded by special 'natural' lights.

Nick looked at her and was surprised to see that she was blushing
furiously. "What's wrong?"

Natalie looked at him, and then quickly averted her eyes. "Nothing."

Nick took her hands in his. "Natalie. Don't ever be embarrassed. You
are very beautiful, and this portrait is perfect for showing that
off."

Nat smiled. "Thank you." She said, softly. "I wanted to do something
special for you, since you've done so many wonderfully romantic things
for me."

"This was perfect." Nick told her, leaning forward and kissing her. He
released her and went to his closet, retrieving a box from it. "I want
to give you this, but you can't open it until Saturday."

Nat looked at him. "Saturday? Nick! The suspense is gonna kill me!"

Nick laughed softly. "I hope not. I have big plans for us this
weekend."

"Really? What?" Nat asked him, smiling.

"Not until Saturday..." Nick said, grinning.

Nat pretended to pout, before she suddenly yawned. "I'm sorry. I guess
I'm more tired than I thought."

"It's okay. Would you like to stay the day?"

"Mmm... I'd love to. But Sydney is probably having a conniption fit
right about now, so I'd better go home and feed him." She said,
smiling.

"Will you be okay to drive?" Nick asked, concerned. "I can call you a
taxi."

"I'll be fine." At his look, she placed a palm on his arm. "I
promise."

Nick reluctantly nodded and walked her to the elevator, holding the
door for her. "Be careful." He said, kissing her. "I love you."

"I will." Nat promised. "I love you, too."

Nick let the lift door close and waited until he heard her car pull
away, before heading up the stairs to bed.

As he lay there waiting for sleep to claim him, he stared at the
portrait of Natalie and smiled. 'Someday,' he vowed to himself.
'Someday we'll take a portrait in the sun *together*.'

End