I wrote this after a late night working. I was coming
home, and the crescent moon was glowing, a single
bright star almost directly above it. There was a
slight wind rustling the leaves, and the scent of
flowers and smells of the lake were sharp and
stimulating. (I live on Lake Washington and grew up on
Lake Erie).

I admit a fascination with those single moments that
the show didn't capture. FK was, among other things, a
CRIME series. Isn't that why we all write, to fill in
the gaps? :)

Usual disclaimers. I don't own any of the rights to
the characters. Hope you enjoy.

==================================
Spring, 1993 - A Thursday Night
Kristen Fife, 4/2004

Nick and Natalie stepped out of the building into the
cool spring night air. They had just watched the Three
Muskateers, and although Nat had liked it, Nick
thought “cheesy” wasn’t even derogatory enough to
BEGIN to describe the writing and acting. But, when
they both had a Thursday night off and Nat had
suggested they catch a movie in the theater, Nick had
surprised both of them by agreeing. The 9:00 showing
was sparse, which was fine with them both.

Natalie breathed in deeply and sighed in contentment.
Nick looked over at her, a puzzled look on his face.

“Why the deep sigh?”

“I love springtime, and sometimes at night you can get
a much sharper smell of the daffodils and tulips.” She
glanced at him as they walked down the sidewalk, then
she looked up at the sky. “It must be amazing for you
to fly on a night like this. The sky is so black. The
stars are like diamonds and the moon looks like a
giant pearl. Sometimes on nights like this I feel as
if there’s another layer to life than just what we can
see and touch.”

Nick didn’t know what to say. Her observation was
so…poetic, and so much more accurate than she knew.
Just then, Nat stumbled on the sidewalk as they were
walking and she was looking up at the sky. Nick caught
her under the elbow and helped steady her. She flashed
a smile at him, then tucked her hand in the crook of
his arm.  They continued walking, a bit more slowly.
Meandering in the dark streets, a gentle breeze
rustling the new leaves on the maple trees lining the
sidewalk.

Neither said anything else. Natalie was in a fey mood,
and felt that her life was quivering on the verge of
some sort of a change. Every now and then she got
feelings like this, and she had learned that if she
just lived one moment at a time, she sometimes caught
a piece of the wonder that still existed in the world.
Her 28th birthday had been proof of that.

For his own part, Nick was lost deep in reflection on
Nat’s words and images. He had lived for so long in
the dark, and craved the daylight so ferociously that
he often forgot that for mortals that lived in both,
perhaps the night DID offer some sort of wonder.  One
of the things he had learned over the centuries from
mortals was that with their shortened life spans,
sometimes things that seemed mundane to him were
almost magical for them. And, he honestly admitted to
himself, vice versa.

For all of her grounding in science and medicine,
Natalie had a fanciful side to her multi-faceted
personality, and Nick enjoyed whatever little
observations he was privileged to see from her. It had
been so long since he had allowed any mortal to get
close to him that he forgot some of the smaller
pleasures in life, like companionable conversation and
time spent with a friend. Vampires, as a whole, were
vastly cynical and detached from the world around
them. “Everyday” life for them consisted of either
elaborate mental scheming, or else the endless search
for diversions. Diversions which were often cruel and
petty.

Nick wasn’t certain why his views and priorities had
changed over the last 100+ odd years. He had played at
those games for centuries, and had enjoyed them. But
somewhere along the line, he had decided to rejoin the
daily life of the mortal world, as well as to give up
the predatory lifestyle of the vampire. He had had
occasional interactions with co-workers or students,
but had never had a friendship such as he shared with
Natalie. He glanced at her sideways from the corner of
his eye, watching her absorb the beauty of the spring
night. He could hear her breathing, smell her blood,
and see the light from the streetlamps glinting in her
hair. Her lips curled slightly in the sheer pleasure
of being alive. He wondered if he would ever be able
to just enjoy existing like she did.

They continued to wander, two friends sharing an early
spring night. Light from the moon, the stars and the
street lights illuminated internal observations for
both of them. Someday, maybe they would share their
musings. But for now, companionable silence and the
shared comfort of a friend gave them each a small
measure of peace.

===========================
Copyright Kristen M. Fife, fenix23fyre@yahoo.com