Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, I'm just borrowing them. They
belong to James Parriott and Sony. I wish they were mine. This is my
first post to the list serve, but I have been reading fanfic on Mel's
site for over two years now. Constructive comments are welcome. Flames
will be promptly doused. Virtual chocolate is very much welcome.
Anyone who wants to archive this story is welcome to do so. 

* * * * * 

SCHANKE'S RETURN 

By Emily M. Hanson 

CHAPTER ONE

The telephone call came just after Nick had gotten home from work. He
barely recognized the gruff, hoarse voice on the other end. "Hi,
partner." 

"Schanke?!!" If he'd been human, Nick thought, he might have suffered
a heart attack. "What in blazes happened to you? Where are you?"

"I will be at the airport tomorrow night. I'm taking a red-eye flight,
so you should be able to meet me. I don't want a media circus, Nick,
I'm telling you."

"Okay. But what happened?"

"It's a long story, Nick. Too long to tell over the phone."

"Why haven't you called sooner?" 

"That's part of the story."

The automated telephone operator came on. She spoke in German. "Your
calling card has reached its maximum limit. Please either use another
calling card, or deposit [a lot of Deutschmarks] into the coin slot.
You have thirty seconds to end this phone call."

Schanke grumbled before the message was repeated in English.
Interesting, Nick thought. Either his former partner had learned
German, or Don had guessed what the message meant. 

"Can you meet me at the Toronto airport at 3:15 am tomorrow, Nick?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Schanke."

"Great! Tell Myra I love her, and I missed her, and I missed Jenny
too, and I love them both and I would have come sooner if I could
have." 

"I will." 

"Hasta la bye-bye!" 

Nick waited until 6:00 in the morning to call Myra, knowing that she
was not on graveyard shift hours. 

"Detective Knight, this had better not be your idea of a joke."

"It's no joke! It was him, I swear." Quickly, Nick related the details
of the telephone conversation, including what Schanke had told him to
tell her, and the fact that Schanke had probably called from a foreign
country.

"I believe you. Oh, Jenny is going to be so excited!" 

There was a muffled sound in the background. Nick, with his vampiric
senses, could barely pick up the sound of Jenny's voice. "Mom, who is
it? What are you so happy about?" 

"It's Nick, sweetie. Dad's partner, remember? He says . . ." and Myra
got a little choked up . . . "your father's alive." 

"What?" Jenny sounded just as shocked as her mother had been. "Where
is he, and why on Earth hasn't he called before now?" 

"I don't know. Nick says it's a long story, and he doesn't know yet,
either. We're going to meet him at the airport tonight. Late tonight.
It's a good thing it's Saturday, so you can get some sleep this
afternoon."

"Is Nick still on the phone?" 

"Yes."

"Can I talk to him?" 

Myra couldn't quite keep the surprise out of her voice. "Sure, honey."


"Nick-how-long-did-you-talk-to-my-dad?" The words were all rushed
together.

Jenny's excitement was very understandable, Nick thought. 

"Not very long. I barely recognized his voice, but it may have been
just a bad connection."

Jenny took a deep breath. "And is he okay?" 

"I don't know." 

"Why didn't he call before?"

"I don't know that either. He said the story was too long to tell over
the telephone." 

"But he sounded okay?" 

"Yes." 

Under her breath, Jenny whispered, "Thank you, God."

Nick smiled. He was thinking the same thing. "One more thing, and this
is important. We have to keep this a secret for right now, do you
understand? Your dad said he didn't want to talk to any reporters when
he got off the plane." 

"Yeah, that sounds like my dad. Thanks for calling, Nick."

"No problem. Can I talk to your mom again?" 

"Sure." 

Nick told Myra the details of when Schanke's flight was supposed to
get in. That was it. Then he called Captain Reese at home. Joe Reese
was ecstatic, and not the slightest bit skeptical. "Don Schanke's
okay? He's in one piece?"

"As far as I know, yes." 

"Give me details, Knight. I want details." 

Nick gave the captain as much information as he could, and repeated
Schanke's wish that the media not be there. 

"That can easily be arranged. Nick, this is the best news I've heard
all year!" 

"Same here." 

"I need to make a few phone calls. Take care, Knight." 

"Will do." 

Finally, Nick called Natalie. She'd been about to hit the sack, but
she more than forgave him for calling at such an annoying hour, when
she found out why. "That's great, Nick! That's wonderful!" 

"Yes," he agreed. 

"Have you told Myra yet?" 

"Yes, in fact, she was the first person I called." 

"Good. What about Tracy?" 

"I haven't called her yet. I called the captain." 

"Okay. You should call her, too. Nick, this is really great." 

"Yes, it is." Nick told Nat about Schanke's wishes for no media
present, and she agreed. "I can see why he would want that. All right,
I'll try to keep it quiet. Nick, seriously, this is the best news I've
had in a long time." 

"Me, too." He chuckled. "Good night." 

"Good night." 

For once, Tracy got the phone before her father. She saw who it was on
the caller ID box. "Hello, Nick." 

"Hi, partner. I've got some good news to tell you." 

"Okay." 

Nick took a deep breath. 

"Don Schanke called me just after I got home this morning." 

"You're kidding." 

"Nope." He told her the details of the phone conversation. 

"That's amazing! Um, my dad will probably want to talk to you." 

Nick heard the muffled sound of the telephone being transferred. 

"Detective Knight." 

"Commissioner." 

"So what's this all about?" Nick repeated, for what seemed like the
umpteenth time and would undoubtedly not be the last, what Schanke had
told him. 

"You're absolutely positive it was him?" 

"Yes. Why would someone make a prank call like that, after so long? It
wouldn't make sense." 

"Good point. All right, Detective, I appreciate your phone call." 

"No problem. I appreciated making it." 

"Yes, I'm sure you did. I believe Tracy wants to continue her
conversation with you, so I'll let you go. Good bye." 

Tracy also had a lot of questions, most of which Nick couldn't answer.
She did want to know if he wanted to have Schanke as his partner
again, and Nick replied that it depended on what Schanke wanted to do.
The most important people had been notified, and that was what
counted. It was time to get some sleep. 

Nick and Nat arrived at the airport to find Myra and Jenny sitting in
the lounge area. Jenny was playing a handheld computer game with the
sound turned off, mainly because the blips and bleeps annoyed her. It
was 3:05 in the morning. 

"Hello, you two," Myra said with a grin. "I was wondering when you'd
show up." 

Nick grinned. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world!" 

Jenny hit the pause button on her game and set it down. "Hi, Nick. Hi,
Nat. "Long time, no see." Her face was practically glowing with
happiness. If they turned off the lights, it would brighten the room,
Nick thought. 

"Yeah," he said. "Too long."

"My dad didn't call again during the day, did he?"

"No."

"Bummer. Mom, can I go get a cappuccino from the coffee place? It
won't take long." 

"All right. But get a small one. You're almost bouncing off the walls
as it is." 

"Since when have you been drinking coffee?" Natalie asked. 

"Since my last birthday. My friends and I went to Reindeer Café." 

"Ah." She grinned knowingly. "The mochas are my favorite." 

"I like the cappuccinos the best," Jenny said. She switched off her
computer game and all but ran to the coffee shop, clutching a few
dollar coins in her hand. 

"She's been like this all day. I tried to convince her to take a nap
this afternoon, since she would be staying up so late, but she was too
excited." Myra smiled. 

"I don't blame her. I feel the same way." Nick smiled. "Me, too. If
only it was dignified for a homicide detective to bounce off the walls
like that, I'd be doing it, too." And an 800-year-old vampire, he
added silently. 

Myra laughed. "I dare say we all would." 

Nick and Nat took a seat.

"So, I haven't heard from you two for a while. What's going on?" 

Natalie knew all too well what Myra was implying, without trying to
imply anything. 

"Oh, not much. We're still very good friends." 

Myra covered up her disappointment. She was hoping that by now, their
relationship had moved on to the next stage. "That's good to hear. So,
did you catch that bit on the news the other week, about L.A.?" 

"You mean, the one about vampires living in the sewers?" Natalie said,
startling Nick. 

"Did they debunk it?" Nick asked. He'd heard that too, and knew what
Myra's answer would be. The Elders had gotten together and disbanded
the Enforcers, because the Elders had gotten weary of the Enforcer's
growing intolerance for very minor infractions. There had been a large
battle. LaCroix had nearly lost his life, fighting on the side of the
Elders. Nick had not been able to assist, since he was on duty at the
time. 

"No, actually. Some famous scientists working at UCLA took a few of
them in, did some tests, and proved that they were real vampires. Now
they're working on a cure." 

"I'd have thought it would be all over the news, certainly more than
it has been so far." 

"It probably is, in the States. You know how they hype everything up."


"Yeah." 

"You know, I thought about you, Nick, with your sun allergy and how
Don said you were also terribly allergic to garlic." He tried not to
let his nervousness show. 

"Really?"

"I remembered some of those wild tales Don told me. I never actually
believed any of them, until now." 

"Uh, they were probably exaggerated." 

"That's what I thought at first, too. Nick, I won't tell Jenny if you
don't want me to. You're a vampire, aren't you? That's why you and Nat
haven't gotten together yet, isn't it?" 

Luckily, there wasn't anyone else in the lounge area, and there were
no airport employees within hearing range. Jenny was still waiting for
her coffee at the coffee shop. Then Nick felt like an idiot when he
realized Myra must have thought about that, too. She wasn't stupid. 

"Yes, I am," Nick answered, surprising both himself and Natalie. 

Myra looked at him with awe. "Did you ever tell Don?" 

"Not specifically. I couldn't. We have very strict rules . Had, I
should say. The ones who enforced the rules no longer do so, otherwise
I wouldn't be telling you this right now."

"Let me guess, it was sort of like the mafia? Do anything out of line,
and your leg gets broken? I suppose in your case, it would be a stake,
or bullets filled with garlic."

Nick gaped at her. Myra had guessed in less than a minute what his
existence had been like for over 800 years. "Uh, yeah, that about sums
it up." 

"Don't look so surprised. You don't live for over two decades with a
very good detective, without learning a few things yourself," Myra
replied. 

"I guess not. So, who wins the bet? You or Don?"

"Now what makes you think we placed a bet on your being a vampire?"
She answered, but her eyes were twinkling mischievously. 

"You don't live for over eight centuries without learning a few
things," Nick replied without missing a beat. 

Myra looked shocked, but she recovered quickly. Natalie was grinning,
and trying very hard not to giggle. "Don won the bet, of course. But
he doesn't know that yet, unless he's been paying attention to the
news lately."

Jenny finally returned with the coffee and set it in the cup holder
attached to her seat. She glanced up at the clock. 

"Where's the plane? There are only a few minutes to go."

"It's coming, sweetie." 

"Yeah. The last plane Dad was on came all right, too. It just didn't
take off so well." 

Jenny fought back tears as the memories of seeing the pictures of the
plane exploding in the newspapers, and having to attend her father's
funeral returned. No kid should have to go through that, she thought.
Myra offered her arm, but Jenny shrugged it off. "It's okay, Mom. I'll
be fine. Nick, I haven't seen you for a while, but there's something
I've been dying to ask you. Well, not dying. Forget I said that." 

He looked amused and pretended to be whammied. "I will forget you said
the word that as you say, Mademoiselle." 

"Nick!" Jenny protested. 

Natalie giggled. She couldn't keep a straight face any longer. Nick
pretending to be whammied was just too funny. 

"Well, I have to admit your sense of humor is pretty strange, Nick.
But that's okay, considering. At least, you have a sense of humor." 

He pretended to look confused. "Considering what, Jenny?" "I saw this
news show on TV when I was at my friend's house the other night. Nick,
uh, this is going to sound really weird if I'm wrong, but . . . are
you a vampire?" 

"Is it that obvious?" He asked aloud, gazing upward. 

"Well, you're allergic to both garlic and sunlight. I know that
doesn't prove anything, and I wouldn't have thought about it, except
for the TV show. You're not mad at me for figuring it out, are you?" 

"It's okay, Jenny. You're a very bright girl. I'm not mad. Just a
little worried, that's all." 

"Why?" A thought suddenly sprang to Jenny's mind. "If I can figure it
out, so can someone else." 

Nick nodded glumly. 

"Attention," the voice over the loudspeaker made them all jump except
for Nick, who had heard the slight crackling of static that indicated
the loudspeaker had been turned on. "Flight 41 will be landing
shortly. Anyone meeting guests should report to Gate 007."

Nick blinked. Then he heard the sound of the airplane engines. "The
plane sounds fine," he said without being aware that he had spoken out
loud. 

"You can hear that?" Jenny asked, amazed. "Would you know if there was
a bomb?" 

"Maybe. I'd know if there was engine trouble, for sure." 

The teenager looked relieved. Her dad was coming home, this time in
one piece. Myra looked relieved, too. Mother and daughter held each
other's hand as the plane landed. Natalie put an arm around Nick. 

Now everyone could hear the airplane's engines as they shut down. It
was several minutes before the first of the passengers were allowed to
disembark. Schanke was one of them. He had lost a lot of weight, Myra
thought. In fact, he looked a little too thin. But otherwise, it was
Don Schanke. She'd recognize him anywhere.

"Dad!" Jenny exclaimed, and ran straight for him. 

"Hey!" Don replied, setting down his carry-on bag. "How's my girl?
Geez, you've grown!" Tears were streaming down his face by now. "You
won't believe how much I missed you!" He gave her a big bear hug. 

"I missed you, too." Jenny was crying as her dad kissed the top of her
head. 

There was something different about Schanke, Nick thought, and it was
nagging at him. Don wasn't a vampire. That was the first thought that
crossed Nick's mind. Schanke's heartbeat was normal. No, it was the
way his blood smelled. There was a quality to it that he couldn't find
the words to describe. Schanke smelled like sausage, cheese, beer, and
sauerkraut, of all things. That proved Nick's theory about Schanke
having been to Germany. But there was something else in his blood, and
it wasn't like anything Nick had ever sensed before. Had Don's captors
drugged him? Nick would have to ask when he got the chance. 

"Myra," Schanke said, as soon as he'd finished hugging his daughter,
"I love you so much." A lump formed in his chest and worked its way up
to his throat. "There are so many things I have to tell you." 

"All in good time." They kissed. 

Nick and Nat shared a knowing glance. "Partner, I'm just as happy to
see you, but don't expect me to kiss you." 

Nick laughed. Tears were forming in his eyes, but they were tears of
joy. "I wouldn't dream of it, Schanke." He wiped the tears away so he
wouldn't scare the passengers coming off the airplane, but not before
Schanke noticed them. 

Don nodded. "Good." He slapped Nick on the back. "I was right, I see.
I think you probably have more questions for me than I do for you.
Shall we head home, and then we can play twenty questions? I don't
have any suitcases or anything like that."

"Sure. Uh, your place, I assume?" The sense of strangeness about
Schanke was beginning to overwhelm him. What is going on? Nick
wondered. 

"Yes." 

CHAPTER TWO 

Myra put on a pot of coffee. "Jenny, do you want to go to bed?" She
asked, knowing what the answer would be. 

"Are you kidding? Besides, it's not like tomorrow is a school day." 

"There's church." 

"Mom," Jenny said in an exasperated tone. 

Don chuckled. "I don't think any of us will be getting enough sleep to
go to church in the morning, anyway. And I don't think you'll be able
to sleep after you hear what I'm going to tell you. Jenny is old
enough to hear some of it, but not all the details." 

"Please, Dad?"

"Sorry, honey, but I don't want you having nightmares. Not as bad as
the ones I'm having, anyway." 

Jenny didn't actually pout, but she felt like doing so until Nick
said, "I've had my share of nightmares, myself." 

"Yeah, I'll bet," Don answered. "Mine probably won't top your worst
ones, but they're bad enough." He shivered. 

Myra brought them all coffee, except for Nick, who declined and Jenny,
who still had some of her cappuccino left. 

"Okay. Here's my story." 

Don Schanke told a story so bizarre and filled with many details that
Nick knew he had not made it up. Apparently, he had been kidnapped
just before the airplane took off, and hauled onto another plane,
which safely took off and landed - in Germany. For months, Don was
kept in a locked cell with only meager food to sustain him, until one
day his captors took him out and brought him before their leader. He'd
been told, in no uncertain terms, that his captors had been watching
him for some time, and wanted to make him one of them. He had no
choice in the matter if he wanted to live. What he did afterward was
of no concern to them. Schanke's first thought had been that his
captors were vampires, but they weren't. They were, get this,
werewolves. 

Even Nick looked skeptical. "Werewolves, Schanke? I've never seen or
heard anything proving their existence, and I've been around for a
long time." 

"I'll prove it. Jenny, sweetie, don't be afraid. Or maybe you should
go into the other room." 

"Don, what . . ?" Myra looked concerned. 

"No way! Dad, if you're a werewolf, I'm not scared. I'm not afraid of
Nick, either." 

"You haven't seen me with glowing red eyes and fangs," Nick said. 

"I'm a kid. I have a very active imagination." 

Sadly, the vampire shook his head. "It's not the same." 

"I know you won't hurt me." 

Don looked at his partner, and then exchanged a glance with Myra. 

"Well, maybe," Myra said. "But I don't want her having bad dreams." 

"Mom! It's not like I've never seen a Stephen King movie before. And
I've seen Dracula. I'm not a baby." 

"Sometimes, real life can be much scarier than the movies, because you
know it's real," Nick said softly. 

"Are you like Angel?" 

"Huh?" 

"You know, Angel on Buffy: the Vampire Slayer." 

Nick still looked confused. 

"He's a vampire who was cursed by a gypsy to have a soul." 

"Interesting concept, though I wouldn't consider it a curse." 

Jenny smiled. "Neither does he." 

"Whether or not vampires have souls is debatable," Nick admitted. "But
some people debate over whether or not humans have souls, too. I was
raised Catholic, so of course I believe in them." 

Jenny sipped her coffee. "So, Dad, when are you gonna show us your
fur?" 

Schanke laughed, and looked slightly embarrassed. He was happy that
Jenny wasn't freaking out, as she liked to call it. 

"Soon enough." 

Myra smiled. 

"Schanke, isn't is possible you were drugged by your captors?" Natalie
asked. 

"I thought that's what you'd say. Ask Nick about the weird vibes I'm
sure he's getting from me." 

Natalie looked at the vampire, and he nodded. 

"I'm definitely getting some very weird vibes, as you call them,
Schanke. There is something very different about Don, and I've never
run across it before. I've never sensed any drugs or illnesses like
this." 

"I'll take your word for it," Natalie responded. 

There was a brief moment of silence. 

"Everybody ready?" Don asked. "I don't want anyone fainting or
anything." 

"I will try not to faint," Myra said, "but I won't make any
guarantees." 

Jenny squeezed her mother's hand. "It'll be okay. Dad won't hurt us. I
bet he wouldn't have come home otherwise." 

Schanke nodded. How had his kid gotten so smart? Slowly, he began to
change. There was a slight but noticeable ripple in the air around him
as his form shifted. Myra gasped. Jenny looked fascinated, and so did
Nick. Natalie was slightly nervous, but also amazed. It was all over
in a heartbeat. 

"Wow!" Jenny exclaimed. "Dad!" 

Schanke still fit his clothes, but they looked a little tight. He was
covered in dark brown hair, of course, and his eyes were red. He had
claws and fangs and everything. Nick didn't know which of them was the
most astonished. His disbelief had given way to amazement. He didn't
think he had ever seen anything so incredible, aside from when he'd
first learned that vampires were real. 

"Schanke? Can you understand me?" 

"I'm not deaf," he growled slightly. "And despite what Hollywood would
have you believe, I haven't lost all of my brain cells, either." 

"This is incredible," Nick said. "How long can you stay like that?" 

"Oh, probably for as long as I wanted. I don't think I'd want to for
very long, though. I got that hint real good. The longer you stay in
this form, the more it gets to you. Stay in it for too long, say for
years at a time, and you start losing it up here." Schanke pointed to
his head with a very sharp claw. 

"Makes sense." 

Jenny had recovered from her initial shock much faster than her
mother. "Dad, this is so cool!" 

Don grinned. He was obviously relieved. "I'm glad you think so. Myra,
dear, are you okay?" 

"Yes." She was smiling, and tears started to well up in her eyes.
"Yes. I'm so happy you're here. It doesn't matter to me what you look
like. You're alive, and that's what counts." She walked over to her
husband and courageously put her hand over his furry one, being
careful not to touch his claws. 

"Thanks. I'm glad to be home in one piece. Nick, you and I need to
talk." Just then, the telephone rang. Don shifted back to his normal
human form quickly as Myra grabbed the phone. 

"Yes, Captain Reese. Just one moment, please." She covered the
mouthpiece. "Are you up to this?" 

"Yes." 

"He's here, Captain." 

Schanke talked to Captain Reese, whom he had only met once, at a
policeman's ball. They talked for several minutes before Don agreed to
come to work on Monday. 

"What are you going to tell them?" Myra asked, when her husband hung
up the phone. 

"I don't know," he admitted. "That's what I need to talk to Nick
about, among other things. I don't know if I can tell them the truth."


"They wouldn't believe you," Jenny agreed. "Or if they did, they might
fire you." 

"I don't know for sure that they'd fire me, but it's a definite
possibility. Jenny, honey, why don't you go to bed? Nick and I need to
talk." 

"Okay." She hugged her dad. "Good night. I mean good morning.
Whatever." 

Don chuckled. "Good night, kid." 

"Good night," Jenny said to everyone else in the room, who answered
back. Nick and Schanke went into the kitchen, and Myra and Nat stayed
in the living room. 

"You're more experienced at deception than I am. Any suggestions?" Don
asked. 

"We need to make up a cover story." 

"I was thinking along the lines of I never saw the bad guys, they had
me blindfolded most of the time. From the language they spoke and
their accents when they spoke English, I gathered I was in Germany." 

"Not bad for starters. How did you finally escape, by the way?" 

Schanke looked troubled. He spoke in a very soft whisper, lest his
voice carry into the other room or through the heat duct into Jenny's
room. "I ended up having to kill my guard one night. He didn't put up
much of a fight. I couldn't believe how easy it was to sneak out after
that. Maybe what they said was true; after I joined them, they really
didn't care what happened to me. I found my original carry-on bag in
an open locker, with my passport and everything. Even my cash and
traveler's checks. They were using an old, run-down school as their
hideout. I'd been locked in an empty closet in the locker rooms near
the swimming pool." He shuddered. "There were corpses in that empty
pool, Nick. I'm surprised the smell didn't drive the other werewolves
up the wall. I wouldn't have wanted to stay in that room for any
length of time." 

"Schanke, you did what you had to." 

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." 

"I'd be concerned if you had enjoyed it. What we need to do is figure
out a plausible escape scenario." 

"We could try the classic one - I called for help, and knocked out the
guard when he came in." 

"You watch too many old movies," Nick replied, but he grinned. "So
what happens when there's a full moon, and you have to go to work?"

"Good question." Don sighed. "I might have to tell them, after all."

"You're not seriously considering that, are you?" 

"Why not? They'll figure out that you're a vampire, sooner or later,
if they haven't already. They'd figure out that I'm different, if I
worked day shift or not. I have too many weird quirks now." 

"Like what?" 

"Like, I get these cravings for raw meat. Specifically, thick and
juicy steaks." 

Nick laughed. "That's it?"

"No. My sense of smell is about a hundred times stronger than what it
was. So is my hearing. I'm a lot stronger, even in human form. I'm
faster, too. And I can see in the dark." 

"Okay. But what's the down side, other than the fur?" 

"I'm allergic to silver now. I had to buy a new watch because my old
one had a silver clasp. My skin itched so bad after I took that watch
off, but I had to try not to scratch it. I was afraid I'd tear open my
wrist and bleed to death." 

"At least, you don't have to drink cow blood to survive." 

"True." Don took a deep breath. "I'll talk to Myra and see how she
feels about me going public. I still want to work the night shift with
you, unless your new partner has objections. They did assign you
another partner, didn't they?" 

"Yes. Tracy Vetter." 

"The Commissioner's daughter? What's she like?" 

"She's got a good head on her shoulders. I think she'll make a great
cop, if only she'd stop taking unnecessary chances. She wants to prove
herself so badly. She doesn't realize that takes time." 

Schanke nodded. Nick heard Myra and Nat talking in the other room, but
deliberately did not listen in on their conversation. He wondered if
Schanke had to make as much an effort. "So, you want to try and work
the night shift for a while? The next full moon is in three weeks." 

"Yeah. I might as well give it a shot. I can always transfer, if I
have to. Can I rely on you to uh . . . help out a little, if they
don't buy into my story?" 

"You mean, whammy them?" Nick looked amused. "Sure." 

"Thanks, partner. I knew I could count on you." 

"Anytime." 

Jenny stood up. She'd been sitting near the heat duct. She'd caught
enough of her dad's conversation with Nick to learn that her dad had
super powers now. This was so cool! Immediately, Jenny began writing
in her journal, using a flashlight so her parents wouldn't think she
was still awake. She didn't want to go to sleep and forget about the
details of the evening. She wanted to be able to always remember this
night, the most amazing night of her life, for as long as she lived. 

CHAPTER THREE 

Don broke out into a wide grin as he saw the WELCOME BACK, DET.
SCHANKE! banner hung over the outside door of the police station.
Waiting inside were many people he hadn't seen in months. There was
even a table set up with several boxes of doughnuts and a coffee pot. 

Captain Reese shook his hand first. "I've heard a lot of good things
about you, Detective. Welcome back to the land of the living." 

"It's good to be back, Captain. As someone once said, the rumors of my
death have been greatly exaggerated." 

"And I'm glad they were. I do have some questions for you. Grab a
doughnut and some coffee, first." 

"Sure thing. I haven't had a doughnut in about a year now." 

"That long without doughnuts?" Reese pretended to look shocked. "They
must have really deprived you." 

"Yeah, I had gourmet bread and spring water," Don said sarcastically. 

"Those little white things in the bread must've been some exotic spice
or something," the Captain said with equal sarcasm. 

"Actually, it wasn't quite that bad, but close enough. It was not
exactly a doctor-recommended diet. I lost so much weight, I had to
borrow some of Nick's clothes because mine don't fit anymore." Schanke
took a doughnut and some coffee. Deeply, he inhaled the scent of the
coffee. "Mmm. It's amazing, the little things that you take for
granted." 

"Did you miss the paperwork?" Nick asked jokingly. 

"Yeah, sure, Nick. I even missed riding in that old jalopy of yours.
Why do you keep that thing around, anyway?" 

"Trunk space," he answered honestly. 

Schanke chuckled. "I don't want to know how long you've had it, do I?"


"Not as long as you think. Just a few years is all." 

"Uh huh, sure. Just like all your other antiques." 

He probably thinks I've had the Caddy since it was new, Nick thought,
amused. "Schanke . . ." 

"Yeah, former partner of mine?" 

"Welcome back." 

"Thanks." 

* * * * * 

Captain Reese closed the door. "So, Detective Schanke, what happened
to you?" 

"I was kidnapped before I got on the plane." He took a deep breath.
"They blindfolded me and took me to another airplane. They thought I
was asleep when we landed, but I heard the pilot speaking in German. I
realized I was landing at the airport in Frankfurt." 

"Go on." 

"They took off my blindfold as we entered the airport, probably so I
wouldn't attract attention. As soon as we got into a car, they put my
blindfold back on. They drove for what seemed like hours. I could tell
when we got out of the city and onto the autobahn." 

Don paused to drink some coffee. 

"I don't know for sure how long they kept me locked up. Weeks, maybe
months. Every so often, they'd bring a bit of dried-up sausage or
cheese or bread and some water. That was it." 

"How'd you get out of there?" 

Schanke took a deep breath. This was going to be the hardest part of
the story to tell. Would Reese believe him? What would his reaction
be? Don and Myra had talked long after Nick and Natalie went home, and
decided that perhaps the truth wouldn't be as Earth-shattering as he
thought. What sort of example would lying be to Jenny? Now she knew
Nick had lied, constantly. True, she knew that Nick had not had a
choice in the matter. But her father did. "You know how sometimes life
throws you a curve ball, that you don't expect?" 

Reese nodded. 

"Well, it threw me a super-sonic fastball." 

"I can tell you're leading up to something big." 

"Yeah, you could say that." 

"Were your captors vampires?" 

Don chuckled. "No, but you're on the right track. Keep guessing, and
you'll probably get it eventually." 

"Aliens?"

"Nope." 

"Good. I'd hate to find out little green men were kidnapping Toronto
police officers for a hobby," Reese remarked. 

"Me, too," Schanke said. 

"Okay. Vampires, aliens, what am I missing?" 

"Werewolves." 

The captain's eyes got very large. "You're not serious, are you?" 

"I wish I wasn't," Don said a bit sadly. 

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" 

Schanke glanced around. He'd thought that Reese had closed the blinds
in his office, but wasn't sure. The blinds were closed. "You won't
shoot me or anything?" 

"Why would I?" 

The expression on Reese's face as Schanke shape-shifted was priceless.
Joe tried to grasp for words, but they failed him. He'd never seen
anything so incredible in his life. Even since he'd known Nick, who
constantly amazed him, the captain had never seen anything quite like
this. 

"Cat got your tongue?" The werewolf - Don Schanke, Reese mentally
corrected himself, spoke in a voice that was still recognizable, but a
lot more gruff. 

"That's the understatement of the year," the captain answered. 

"Don't worry, I won't bite." 

For some reason, that struck the captain as being absolutely
hilarious. He laughed until tears rolled down his face. "I was
expecting to hear that line from Nick. Everyone around here knows he's
a vampire. He just doesn't know that we know -- either that, or he's
in denial. Ever try talking to him about it? You'll end up with
nothing but cobwebs and fog in your head." 

"Yeah, I learned that the hard way, when we were still partners.
Speaking of which . . ." 

"You want to work with him again." 

"If you'll have me." Schanke shifted back to his normal form. "Look, I
know I gotta get used to a lot of new things. But I'll manage." 

"You're more than welcome to have your old job back, Detective.
Besides, I think we could use more than one expert in the paranormal
around here. You won't believe how strange things are getting out
there. I've seen things in just the past week that'd give anyone
nightmares." Reese shivered. "How did you escape?" 

Don told him the rest of the story, up to the point where he called
Nick from a pay phone. "And you know the rest." 

"Yeah." The captain sighed. "Have you seen the news since you've been
home?" 

"No. Why?" 

"Your partner's been up to his fangs dealing with a triple homicide
possibly linked to a cult, a double homicide, and five serial murders.
Nick told me that he suspects the serial killer is a vampire, and that
the killer didn't just take the victims for blood. Don't ask me how
Knight knew that." Reese shuddered. 

"Not all vampires kill, you know." 

"You think that Knight hasn't?" 

"I've been to his apartment. He keeps cow blood in his refrigerator,
and very little else. I didn't actually think he was drinking the
stuff before now. I think he keeps a few things around for Natalie, or
maybe to keep up appearances." 

Don took a deep breath and continued, "Nick is one of the good guys,
Captain. Even if he made mistakes in the past, he's not like that
anymore. He's saved my life, and countless others. He's done a lot of
good since he's been on the force. You can't deny that." 

"You're right, I can't. He saved my life once. Did he tell you about
that?" 

"No."

Reese told Schanke the story of how Nick nearly got himself blown up
by a box of chocolates, which he'd had to convince Reese to give up.
"I think he hypnotized me," the captain said. "He must have. I
wouldn't have let him risk his life like that." 

"You got the brainwashing treatment too, huh?" 

"So you know the feeling." 

"Oh, yeah. But you know, he did it to save your life. With me, he
really didn't have a choice. I'd figured out his secret. The vampires
used to have rules about that, you know - no mortals allowed. If they
find out, we'll drain them and stake the vampire who told them. That
sort of thing." 

"What about werewolves?" 

"I don't think they have rules. At least, not the ones I met." Don
shivered. 

"Okay. Tell Knight to get in here. I've got an idea, but I want to run
it past both of you." 

Nick looked up from his computer screen as Don Schanke approached.
"How'd it go?" 

"I told him the truth." 

"And?" 

"He didn't take it as badly as I thought he would." Schanke grinned.
"I can have my job back, if I want it, which I do." 

"Did you tell him all of the truth?" 

"Yeah." 

Nick gaped. "You really told him everything?" 

"Yes. Think about it, Nick. What kind of example do I set for my kid
if I lie about this?" 

"But it's not . . ." Nick stopped himself. He'd almost said, But it's
not lying. "I mean, it would have been, but it wouldn't necessarily be
the wrong thing to do. Not if you didn't have a choice." 

"That's what makes us different, partner. I have a choice. You didn't,
before. But you do now." 

"It's not that simple, Schanke." 

"Sure, it is." 

"No." 

"You're afraid that everyone will hate you if they find out, aren't
you?" 

"Of course, they will." 

"How do you know they haven't figured out your secret already?" 

"I haven't been treated any differently." 

"Nick . . ." Schanke took a deep breath. "They know." 

"What?!" Nick said, a little louder than he'd intended to. 

"I didn't say anything. I didn't have to. The captain told me." 

"Wait. Reese told you he knows?" 

"He told me that everyone knows." 

"You mean, suspects." 

"Nick, they know. There's nothing you can do about it, either. You
can't brainwash the entire precinct." 

"So what am I supposed to do, hold a bloody press conference?" 

"That's not a bad idea." 

"You just don't understand, Schanke. I'll have hunters at my doorstep
with crucifixes and garlic and wooden stakes. I could lose my job. I
could lose everything. You've never known what it's like to be hated
by someone so much that they want to destroy you." Nick knew he was
speaking loud enough for any potential eavesdroppers to hear, and for
once, he didn't care. 

"I don't hate you. Jenny doesn't hate you, and Myra doesn't hate you.
Neither does Natalie. If we're still your friends, despite the fact
that we know your secret, what do you think that says about the rest
of humanity?" 

"The rest of humanity doesn't know me. I've been hunted down before,
Schanke. I don't want to face that again." 

"You won't have to." 

Nick sighed. "There's no point in arguing with you about this. What
else did the captain say?" 

"He has some brilliant idea that he wants to run past us." 

"Great." 

* * * * * 

"So, what's this idea of yours, Captain?" Nick asked. 

"Sit down. Both of you." They sat. 

"All right. Have either of you ever watched an episode of the X-
Files?" 

"Once or twice," Schanke replied. "I never thought my life would be
like an episode of that show." 

"I saw one episode," Nick admitted. "It was awful! I mean, really
awful." 

"That wasn't one of the vampire episodes, was it?" Schanke asked. 

"Yeah, it was, and they used every cliché in the book." 

"Okay, so you've seen it," Reese said. "Nick, you know how weird
things are getting out there. Why don't you tell your partner about
some of the things you've seen within the past few weeks?" 

Nick took a deep breath. "Weird is probably an understatement,
Captain. Where shall I start? Uh, we've got ourselves a serial killer
who's obviously a vampire. There were five bodies in one night, and
all of the victims were under the age of eighteen. In fact, one was
only seven years old." He looked disgusted. "Harming children has
always been against the code, but there are no Enforcers anymore. I
guess the bad guy figured he could get away with it. There was a
triple homicide. There's some kind of residue on the bodies, but the
chemical was not any of the known elements. One of the victims was a
vampire, and she's dead. Her corpse didn't turn into ashes, and none
of the usual methods were used. Up until now, I never knew anything
else could kill a vampire. I'm thinking witchcraft, but then I don't
know a lot about that." 

"Knight, do you realize you just admitted you're a vampire?" Reese
asked, slightly amused. Nick shrugged. 

"I thought you knew anyway." 

"Yes, but you've never actually admitted it until now." 

"I couldn't admit it until now, Captain. Not without risking my life
and yours." 

Nick told him briefly about the Code. 

"Ah. That explains a few things." 

"Also, there was a double homicide. There were traces of a foreign
element in the victims' bloodstream. Get this: chemical tests detected
lots of sulfur. There were no marks on the victims' bodies, but
inside, their muscles and bones were burned away." 

"You're kidding," Schanke remarked. 

"I wish, if only because of what that implies. Before you ask, yes,
they're real. I was possessed once." 

"Not recently, I hope."

"Oh, yeah. It was a miracle I got through the night without killing
anyone." Nick shivered. "No one should ever have to face that
nightmare. And yes, Schanke, it was after you left." 

"So, things are definitely getting weird out there," Don replied. "As
weird as some of those TV shows." 

"Yeah." 

"Which is why I want the two of you to head up the new Paranormal
Investigations department," the captain said. 

"What?" Nick and Schanke said at the same time. 

"Now, come on, I'm sure both of you can hear better than me." 

"You're putting us in charge of the X-Files?" Schanke said. 

"I don't think I could find anyone better for the job. The
Commissioner has been breathing down my neck to do something like this
ever since the news about vampires broke. Knight, don't worry, I don't
think anyone's going to get on your case. A new law just got passed,
giving vampires immunity from prosecution from old cases as long as
they haven't killed in at least fifty years and can prove they've
reformed. I think it's eighty years in the States. There might be a
question as to whether you're actually a Canadian citizen or not, but
I'm willing to overlook that if you apply for legitimate citizenship."

"I hadn't heard about that law," Nick said. But he was grinning from
ear to ear. "That's one less thing to worry about." 

Don grinned, too. "Now all you have to worry about is me eating
souvlaki and pizza in the Caddy." 

"I can always get silver handles for my car doors." 

"You wouldn't." 

"Wanna make a bet?" 

Reese chuckled. "Does this mean you're accepting the promotion?"

Schanke and Knight exchanged a quick glance. 

"Yes, sir," Don said. 

"Why not?" Nick agreed. 

"Great! Knight, this doesn't mean you have to go public, but you can
if you want to. The same goes for you, Schanke." 

"We just might have to have that press conference," Nick said.

Don shuddered in mock horror. "Reporters. Ugh. They're almost as bad
as lawyers." 

"Tell me about it," Knight replied.

Reese hesitated for a second. "Nick, what year were you born in?" 

"Officially, 1965. Unofficially, I was born in 1193." 

The captain's jaw dropped. It took him several moments to recover. "I
had no idea . . . I thought 200 years, maybe. But eight centuries?" 

"I don't look that old, do I?" 

"Not even close. Just out of curiosity, what did you do back then?" 

"Fought in the Crusades, mostly." 

"I have a difficult time picturing you with armor and a sword."

"That's because you've only seen me in twentieth-century clothes.
There is a picture which still hangs in the castle where I grew up. My
father fought in the first few Crusades and was rewarded with land and
a minor title. If you go to France and visit Castle DeBrabant and go
upstairs to the library, you'll find a painting of me in full armor at
about age twenty, standing in the sunlight." 

Reese chuckled. "I take it Knight isn't your given name?" 

"No. My real name is Nicholas DeBrabant." 

"Nick, you never told me you used to be a real knight," Schanke said
with awe in his voice. 

"Well, now you know." 

"I'll call the Commissioner and schedule a staff meeting to make the
official announcement. Your promotions should go through just fine.
Officially, you'll both be captains, but you'll probably still end up
investigating a lot, until more officers gain experience in the area,"
the captain said. 

"Great," Schanke said. 

"Oh, and by the way, I'm glad I finally got a chance to meet you,
Detective Schanke."

"Same here, Captain." 

CHAPTER FOUR 

Nick had gone to the Raven in hopes that LaCroix would be able to help
him sort things out. 

"Hello, Nicholas." 

Nick looked up from his glass of blood wine. 

"LaCroix." 

"You wish to speak with me?" 

"Yes." 

Nick hadn't seen his master for several days. According to Janette,
the elder vampire had been resting for the past two days to allow his
wounds from the battle with the Enforcers to heal. LaCroix looked fine
now. 

He sat down. "I sense you are concerned for your mortal friends, and
one in particular. Your partner, who just came back from the dead, so
to speak?" 

"Yeah. What do you know about werewolves, LaCroix?" 

Lucien chuckled. "They don't exist." 

"Tell that to Don Schanke. He is one." 

"What?" Nick told his master about Schanke being kidnapped by
werewolves. 

"They sound like interesting fellows, don't they? A bit uncivilized,
though," LaCroix remarked, with more than a touch of sarcasm.

"A bit?" 

"All right, very uncivilized. No vampire in his right mind would treat
a prospective fledgling like that." 

"It's hardly the same thing." 

"Isn't it?" LaCroix asked. 

Nick shrugged. 

"So, Nicholas, what else is on your mind? Have you told your mortal
friends your secret yet? The new laws seem to favor your inclinations
towards humanity. I'm sure you won't have to worry about losing your
job." 

"Maybe not." 

"I have something to tell you, now. I will be moving to Rome in a few
days. I do not know when, or if, I shall return. I have been wanting
to go there for a while, and this seems like the perfect opportunity
to re-acquire a few possessions of mine that have been on display in a
museum. I have some property there as well. There are no Enforcers to
worry about any longer, and I'm sure you can deal with the media if
you have to." 

"Wait. You're leaving? You're not forcing me to go with you? What
about Janette?" 

"Janette wants to remain here and see that the Raven does not become a
tourist attraction, which it might if the media hears about it being a
safe haven for our kind. And I want some time to myself." 

"Oh." Nick couldn't think of much else to say, except, "I hope you
have a nice trip." 

"Thank you. I shall." 

* * * * * 

When Schanke came in to work that night, there was a rash all over his
arm. It looked very painful. 

"Okay, what happened?" Nick asked. 

Don shook his head. "I never knew there was so much silver in
everything until now." He sat down in the chair at his desk. "You
should have seen me three hours ago. My arm swelled up like a balloon.
I must've looked like a real freak." 

"What did you touch?" 

"Well, I was shopping with Myra, since none of my old clothes fit. I
bumped against the mirror in the fitting room a couple of times." 

"That's it?" 

"Yeah. It must've been silver." 

Nick winced. "Between you and me, we could keep the allergy
specialists in business for life." 

Don chuckled. "Yeah." 

"I'm sure the captain would understand if you didn't want to go to
that meeting tonight." 

"And let you get all the glory? Uh, uh. No way. So, did you have a
nice long talk with your evil vampire master?" 

"He's not entirely evil." 

"Sure, and I'm Count Dracula," Schanke replied sarcastically. 

"How did you know I went to see him?" 

"The nose knows, partner. It's strange, but I can tell now when people
are good and when they're bad. Evil stinks like nothing I can
describe." 

"That's amazing." 

"Not as amazing as the fact that you put up with him for over 700
years, and you still ended up as one of the good guys. So, what'd he
have to say?" 

"He's moving to Rome, and for once, he's not forcing me to go with
him. Not that I wouldn't have refused to go, but he is more than twice
my age." 

"And twice as strong, I take it?" 

"Yes." Schanke shivered. "I hope I don't end up living that long. I'd
hate to have to watch all my pals get old. Not to mention Myra and
Jenny." 

"Tell me about it," Nick replied. 

"What's it like?" 

"I always had to move before anyone noticed I wasn't getting any
older. After a while, you come back and see that your friends' kids,
or maybe their grandkids, are old enough to have kids of their own.
The people you once knew are gone. I hate losing the people I care
about." 

"But you always end up getting close to someone mortal, don't you?" 

"Yeah." Nick sighed. 

* * * * * 

Natalie stood up as Nick and Schanke walked into the meeting room,
followed immediately by the captain, who was carrying a box of
doughnuts. 

"Don, what happened to your arm?" Natalie asked. It was the first
thing she'd noticed. It looked like he had a horrible rash, but only
his left arm was red. 

"Oh, I had a little run-in with a mirror today." 

"A mirror did that to your arm?" 

"It was silver." 

"Your allergic reaction was that bad?" 

"Worse. You should have seen how swollen my arm was. I ended up going
to the emergency room. The first shot the doctors gave me didn't work.
The second one made my arm a little less puffy, but not much. I didn't
tell them why my allergy was so bad, but I overheard them trying to
figure out why the shots weren't working. They really had no clue." 

"Wait a minute," Reese said as he set the box of doughnuts on the
table. "Dr. Lambert, you know about Detective Schanke?" 

"Yes. And I know about Nick." 

"How long have you known about him?" 

"The whole time," she admitted. 

"And you didn't say a word." 

"I couldn't, because of the Code." 

"He mentioned something about that to me. I take it the Code was
pretty serious?" 

"Yes. Nick could have lost his life if he'd even given a normal human
a hint about his secret. I was an exception to the rule, and not just
because of my relationship with him."

Captain Reese winced. "No wonder you couldn't say anything, Knight.
What about now?" 

"The Elders decided that enforcing the Code was no longer necessary,"
the vampire responded. 

"When you say Elders, do you mean they're older or more powerful, or
both?" 

"Both. My master was born in Pompeii. That was over 2,000 years ago.
He's an Elder." 

"LaCroix?" Schanke guessed. 

"Yeah." 

"Wait, are you talking about the Nightcrawler? He's that old?" Reese
sounded amazed. 

"Yes. I've known him since the year 1228." 

"I can't imagine knowing someone for that long, much less keeping in
touch." 

"I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter," Nick replied. 

People started to come in. A lot of officers were out, so only about
half the Homicide department was there. 

"Okay, people, let's get down to business," Reese said. "I know a lot
of you have active cases you're working on, so hopefully this won't
take very long. I have an announcement to make. Detectives Nick Knight
and Don Schanke are both being promoted to Captain." 

He waited for the polite applause to die down, and continued, "They're
going to be in charge of the new Paranormal Investigations department.
I'm hoping a few of the more experienced officers will transfer over,
eventually. What this means to you people, is that when you get a case
and it starts getting really weird - I'm talking X-Files weird -
that's when the case goes to Knight and Schanke. There will be a
little extra paperwork, but not much. Are there any questions?" 

"Yeah, why those two in particular?" One of the more experienced
officers asked. "Schanke, I can understand, but Knight hasn't been
here that long. Not that there's anything wrong with that." 

"True, but he does have a lot of knowledge to offer. I think after he
makes his announcement, this will make a lot more sense. Any other
questions?" 

"Will there be a formal case transfer procedure?" Someone else asked. 

"Probably, eventually. Knight and Schanke have developed a working
list of criteria, which will get revised as time goes by. Are there
any other questions?" 

"Nick, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Natalie
whispered into his ear. 

He nodded. "I'm sure." 

"Okay," Reese said. "Captain Knight, they're all yours." 

"Thanks." Nick couldn't remember if he'd ever been this nervous. "As
Captain Reese mentioned, I do have an announcement to make. I have a
feeling that a lot of you have already guessed what I'm going to say.
I don't think this is going to be a complete surprise to anyone, but
who knows?" 

He tried to relax, but it wasn't working. The fear of mortals finding
out the truth of his existence that had built up over time, and the
fear of what they might do to him if they found out was not easily
brushed aside. Nick resisted the urge to flee. 

He took a deep breath. "I, uh, I'm a vampire." 

Nick was completely stunned when everyone in the room broke into
applause. 

"Not quite the reaction you were expecting, huh?" Schanke asked,
grinning. 

"No, but I much prefer it over an angry mob," Nick replied. "That's
less of a cliché than you think." 

"Captain Knight, it doesn't matter. Really," said one of the senior
officers. "I assume the new immunity law applies to you, or you
wouldn't have been promoted. So, it's not a big deal." 

Nick breathed a sigh of relief. "Aren't you going to tell us how old
you are?" Schanke asked with a mischievous look in his eyes. 

"Especially since today's your real birthday," Natalie added with a
grin. "The one that's not on your driver's license." 

"I was hoping you'd let me get away without mentioning that," Nick
said. 

"No way. Besides, when was the last time you celebrated your real
birthday?" 

"Um . . . I think during World War One." 

"My point exactly." 

"World War One?" A senior officer remarked. "Knight, how old are you?"


"I was born a long time ago . . ." 

"In a galaxy far, far away," Schanke quipped. 

There were a few laughs as Nick shot his partner an annoyed look. "Uh,
no, actually I was born in a village in Brabant, which is now part of
France, in the year 1193." 

There were a few gasps of astonishment.

"A.D. or B.C.?" Someone inquired jokingly. 

"I'm 807," Nick answered. 

Someone started to sing a verse of the "Happy Birthday" song, and
after that Nick answered a few more questions. Then, it was Don
Schanke's turn to make his announcement, which ended with a
demonstration. He convinced Nick to show everyone his fangs, and
someone took a picture of both of them together. The photograph ended
up on the bulletin board under the promotions announcement the very
next day. 

***THE END***