Temptation Jarvinia This story takes place sometime during the second season, near the beginningif I remember right. :P No infringement is meant by this story. If you'd like to use any of the original characters or this 'universe', ask me first, please. This has not be beta-ed, as far as I'm aware. Mostly written in early 2004...finally posted August 2005...yes, I know...pretty bad, even for me. May not be archived without permission--bascially, ask first. :) Read and enjoy! ~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~ Temptation - (01/13) Several cuts and bites graced a woman's neck and shoulders, her skin torn, blood staining both it and her ripped shirt. Each slice in the skin struck Natalie as being forced and unnatural. She stared down on the victim, trying to deduce the cause of the woman's injuries. Some of the wounds appeared to be from a blade, but others.... Others had to have been caused by very sharp teeth. Odder yet, she was almost possitive that all of the wounds were inflicted sometime after the woman was shot twice in the chest. Initially, Natalie had believed many of the wounds were the work of the wolf-like dog found at the scene. But upon seeing the animal, she knew it wasn't possible. The animal was injured--including at least two bullet wounds--and there was no sign of blood around the dog's mouth. No dog could shoot a gun, which meant a third party was involved. She didn't think the killer was human--the bite marks were wrong for that. For the same reason, neither was it a canine. She knew what the wounds reminded her of. Fangs. A vampire's fangs. But the wounds weren't quite right.... And what reason, really, would a vampire have to fire a gun? Or even own one? And then why shoot the dog as well? She abruptly turned sideways and approached the dog, which was amazingly still alive. As of yet, no one had been able to get close to it as it warned back anyone with the intentions of moving him with a frightened growl. She stopped just out of reach of the animal. It didn't react to her at all, perhaps unaware someone had even approached. It didn't have a collar, tags, or any other identification, and by her guess was a stray. Knelling next to the dog, Natalie reached out, planning to stroke its ruffled grey and white fur. "Nat, that's probably not a good idea." She pulled her hand back and the dog turned partially toward her, its expression as startled as hers. Standing, she turned around. Nick was right behind her, concerned. "Nick, it's okay." "They can be unpredictable," Nick stated, locking eyes with the animal. "Particularly when injured." He watched it put its head back down, resting much like it had before, although not as calm. "One of the officers mentioned--" "Nick, this animal was shot, just like the victim. And there is no sign that it attacked her. Whoever or *whatever* killed the woman is also probably responsible for this," she said, giving a glance to the dog, which stared back, its eyes more frightened than before. Nick took Natalie by the arm and led her away from the animal. Once back over to the victim, he knelled, pulled Natalie down next to him, and gestured to the wounds with his free hand. "Are you trying to say you think one of my kind did this?" he half-hissed in low tones. "We don't mutilate our kills. And the wounds are scratches, not punctures." "Yes, well...I-I'm not sure what did this. But it wasn't an animal, and couldn't have been a human. Which doesn't leave many options. True, she wasn't drained, but the cuts around her neck.... Nick, I'm sure you see what I mean." He didn't answer her. "Okay. If you have a better explanation, I'm all for hearing it." Nick looked away. However much he wanted to state with certainty that no vampire could have done this, he couldn't. He had looked carefully at the wounds, and they were both completely different and far too similar to ones a vampire would inflict to rule the possibility out. "No. No, I don't." "Don't what?" Schanke asked. The two stood and turned around. Nick managed a half smile, even as he stiffened. "Have an idea how this happened." "Maybe some guy let his own dog out on the woman, and then he shot the other dog when it got in the way." Nick sent a glare at Schanke, who shrugged. He then left his partner standing there, confused, as he walked away. "What's with him? I thought that was a decent explanation." "Uh, he didn't like my suggestion on what did this." "Which was...?" "Uh...it wasn't a serious thought. Doesn't matter. Really." She slipped away before he could ask again. Schanke, left standing over the victim, shook his head. "Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?" he said to himself. Then, hearing movement, he turned to the dog lying on the pavement, its fur matted with blood from its injuries. "Excuse us." Schanke turned to the voice, moving out of the way as two men stepped forward and kneeled by the animal. Almost everyone else had already left the scene, and Schanke saw Nick waiting by the Caddy for him. "What are you going to do with him?" "He's going to an animal hospital to be assessed." "He'll probably be put down," the second spoke. Schanke stared at the dog, its eyes looking up at him, sad and tired. And frightened. Nothing like the vicious animal the initial officers on the scene had described. He didn't say anything, but walking away he knew there were two victims tonight. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Natalie approached her car after stopping by the precinct, only to slow upon seeing the back door ajar. Cautiously, and after quickly glancing to see that no one was possibly setting her up, she stepped forward and peeked through the window. Inside, wrapped in the blanket she kept over the back seats, was the dog from the crime scene. Nick had just mentioned to her that it had gotten away from animal control before they could do anything; amazingly mock attacking the two men and then running off while they were still trying to decide what to do. But now the question was how it got in her car and, for that matter, why her car and why here? Natalie pulled open the door, the animal shifting with difficulty to look at her, clearly in pain. She wasn't surprised at this, but she could barely believe it was still alive. The dog, its ears swivelled back and away from her, stared at her, almost pleading. Again she wondered how and why it was there. Could it have gotten in on its own? Or had someone put it there? It seemed like too much to be a coincidence. Managing a forced smile, she spoke, "I'll be right back," the words more to get her to move than to reassure the animal. She closed the door, locking it, and then headed back to the precinct a bit quicker than necessary. Once inside, she walked straight to Nick's desk where he was preparing to leave. "Nat, what is it?" Seeing Schanke watching them, she told him, "Remember that one thing I wanted to show you...?" She watched confusion flash on his features for a second, and then received a nod. She turned and left, listening to Nick's footsteps behind her. As they exited and crossed the parking lot, he asked, "What's wrong?" "That dog, the one from the crime scene? Somehow it got in my car." She stopped by the back door, unlocked and opened it, startling the animal once again. Nick stared in, but what looked back at him was not the wolf-like dog he had seen before. For an instant his eyes locked on a dark- haired teenaged boy. And then they locked on the dark brown eyes of a dog. He shook his head, wondering if what he had seen was real or not. Again focusing on the animal, he saw it tense and try to move away, only succeeding in dragging itself a few more inches toward the opposite door before giving up. As the dog lay back down, exhausted from its attempts, Nick again saw the boy, curled up on the back seat clearly in as much pain as the animal. This time, the image remained. He stepped back, pulling Natalie with him. "What do you see?" he demanded in a sharp whisper. "The...dog from the scene. Why?" He shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he stared back at the car and the human-looking boy within it. "Whatever that is, it is not a dog." "Nick, it..." she started, but trailed off. "Okay, what is it?" "I don't know, but what I'm seeing is...human. A boy in his mid to late teens." "But you saw a dog before, right?" "Yeah, and that's what I saw just a moment ago. But it's not a dog." Nick turned back to the car and stepped closer. He had never seen anything like this before. But considering he could see the boy and Natalie couldn't, it had to be some kind of illusion. Leaning closer, he asked, "You're hiding from Natalie, aren't you? I've seen you. Let her see you." He waited, and when the boy looked at him again, his gaze met silver eyes. Definitely not human eyes. "She's a doctor. She can help, but she needs to see what you look like, what you really are." Natalie watched the dog again lay down, but this time she watched the form fade into that of a human boy in torn clothing. Her jaw dropped down. "How...how can.... Nick, it's not physically possible." "It's a trick of the eyes. An illusion, and a very good one at that." "Some kind of hypnosis?" "Something." Nick stepped closer, but the action caused the boy to pull away from him and the soft glow to return to his eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you." "You saw me," the boy stated, his voice soft and quivering. "You saw me, and you shouldn't have." He turned to Natalie, at which he asked, "You can help me?" "Yes." "Then tell me why I should let you, why I should believe you," he demanded, his attention starting on Natalie, but settling firmly with suspicion on the other. "Well, I suspect you were in my car for a reason. You thought I could help, didn't you?" Natalie asked, diverting the other's attention to her. "Isn't that reason enough?" "Fine. But I want your friend to stay away." Nick's eyes again locked with the boy's. "I'm not leaving Natalie alone unless you explain what you are." He waited, but the boy didn't respond. "We'll go to my place." "Nick, perhaps it would be best if--" His hand wrapped around Natalie's arm, pulling her closer as he shook his head, telling her, "My place, Nat. I don't trust him without knowing what he is. He's not human. That much I know." Turning back to the other, he added, "If you like, I will keep my distance unless your actions warrant intervention." The boy closed his eyes, relaxing once more and lying down again. "Fine," he spoke and then went silent, paying them no attention. Natalie faced Nick, and as he started for the passenger side door with a look of determination, she told him, "Nick, it's okay, you can just follow me." She watched him stop and stare blankly at her. "I doubt he'll hurt me, Nick. And, if by some chance he does, you'll be right behind me." She waited, but he didn't move from the other side of the car. "Go on, I'll be fine." Reluctantly, Nick headed toward the Caddy. Natalie then got in her car, started the engine, and then looked back in the back seat. The boy--certainly not what she had first believed--appeared to be resting. But he was eerily still, and that bothered her. He had spoken without much difficulty, but if his injuries were the same as or even similar to the dog's, she wondered how he was handling this. Fastening her seatbelt, she pulled out of the parking spot. Temptation - (02/13) Nick carried the boy, now unconscious, up to his room at Natalie's insistence. She had said something about she would have a more direct source of light in there without needing to open the shutters-- something he was silently pleased at. He laid the boy down on the bed and took a step back to let Natalie approach, stethoscope in hand. He watched her pull the blanket down a few inches to listen to his pulse and breathing, at which he asked, "What do you make of it?" "His pulse?" she asked and received a nod. "It's slow, six or seven beats a minute. Far too slow for any human. However, his breathing is about human normal. It's ragged, but I think his injuries are the cause of that." "Do you think he'll live?" "I think so. His pulse is slow, but it's also surprisingly strong and steady. He at least seems stable." She leaned forward, pressing the back of her hand against the boy's forehead. The skin was a little cool, but certainly not cold. Nothing like Nick. Again, roughly human normal. It was just the pulse that didn't fit. What was he? Pulling her hand away, she watched his eyes flutter open and focus on something behind her. She turned to find Nick's gaze locked with the other. "Nick...I think it might be better if you go for now." He stiffened and reluctantly nodded. "I'll check in later," he told her, hesitating a moment before leaving. Natalie watched the boy relax and couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you like Nick?" "He shouldn't have seen me. And because of that I don't feel comfortable around him." He shifted, trying to roll on his side and curl up, wincing with every movement. "How did you get these injuries?" The boy glared at her, eyes flashing with silver. "Are you going to help, or just ask me questions?" "I want to help, but I would like to know how you were injured. I know you have several bullet wounds and cuts. I want to make sure I get everything." "And you'll take the bullets out?" "If you let me. Will you?" He nodded and, unbuttoning what was left of his shirt, pulled it from his shoulders, making the first bullet wound visible. Natalie switched instruments as he shifted, but before she began, she asked, "Are you ready? This might hurt a bit." "As long as they're taken out, I don't care," he mumbled. As gently as possible, Natalie went about the process of removing what turned out to be a total of three bullets. One was the one in his shoulder, and had been simple to both remove and get at. The other two had taken coaxing before she even knew where the wounds were. One was in his upper thigh and had been causing quite a bit of pain. The last was worse--it was in his abdomen and he had lost a lot of blood from the wound. At first, he hadn't even let her near the wound, and then, once he had allowed her to get the bullet out, he wouldn't let her dress the wound or get anywhere near him, even though the wound now bleed more freely. And every single one she had removed had caused pain, even with being careful. He wasn't like Nick, that was for sure. Natalie stared at the boy, who had now resolutely distanced himself from her and her offer of help. Why, she wasn't sure. As far as she knew, she had done nothing that might make him nervous. She had done nothing but try to help. "Please," Natalie said, trying once more to approach and help him. "Please, you're still bleeding." She watched him shake off dizziness, adding, "And I can see that you need rest. More than rest." "I'm fine!" the boy snapped, his eyes burning a bright silver. She backed up a step at the sudden change in the other's eyes. More startling to her, however, were the sharp teeth she had received a glimpse of. All four of the boy's canines were as sharp as a vampire's fangs; the upper teeth a little longer than Nick's and the bottom ones were a little shorter, but still quite pointed. And remembering the victim's wounds from earlier that night and her attention shifting to some of the cuts on the boy, she now knew what caused the wounds. It was another of his kind--whatever he was. Natalie watched the boy catch himself again. However, this time his weakness forced him to sit fully on the bed instead of crouching. "Please. If you won't let me clean the wounds, rest. I won't hurt you, and neither will Nick." She waited, but received nothing more or less than a glare from his still shining platinum eyes. "Better yet, tell me what you are. Tell me what you need, and I'll try to get it." "I don't trust either of you enough to tell you that. And it's not as simple as you think. You wouldn't understand. You couldn't." Natalie again stepped closer, examining him. She had seen the boy in the form of a dog--a wolf-like dog, if not truly a wolf. She had seen his teeth, fangs if they could be called such, again somewhat like those of a dog. Then, there were his eyes--silver--the colour of the moon. Slowly, she put forward, "From what I've seen and observed, the closest thing that comes to my mind is a werewolf." The boy looked away and shook his head. "I am no wolf. No werewolf, either." "Then what are you? My mind isn't as closed as you might think." "And that doesn't matter." He again faced Natalie. "But I am *not* a werewolf. And my kind consider being called such an insult." His eyes, once silver, took on a violet hue, both vibrant and violent. Now Natalie at least knew, for sure, that he was certainly something separate from human. And he wasn't just an oddity--there indeed were more like him. "I have to ask--did you kill that woman? Or did those that hurt you do it?" She pursed her lips when he simply glared at her, his eyes burning brighter. "The one or ones that killed her are like you, aren't they? Others of your kind." "What does it matter to you? You want me to tell you who they are so you can kill them? Is that it?" "I don't want to hurt anyone--I don't want to kill anyone." "How do I know that? Your people kill my kind just because of what we are, nothing more. We avoid humans for that sole reason." "And what are you? You won't even tell me." The boy snarled at her, baring his teeth at her, trying to scare her back. When it didn't work, he resumed his glare. Nick entered abruptly, ceasing his listening from the balcony. His entry startled both Natalie and the boy--especially the latter. He stared into the other's violet eyes, his own glowing a threatening orange-gold. In an instant, the boy, wide-eyed at what stood before him, at the shining eyes staring at him, moved forward and grabbed Natalie from behind. He held her in place, one hand prepared to snap her neck if need be, his attention fully on Nick. "You're not human," he stated in a whisper. "That's why you saw me. You're no more human than I am." "Let go of her," Nick hissed, his fangs visible with his steady words. The boy only became more frightened, and he pulled Natalie back, holding her closer and tighter. "What are you? Tell me!" He tightened his grip on Natalie ever more, even as she struggled against the hold. But his grip was too strong for her to budge. His muscles tensed even further when Nick moved closer, the other's eyes darkening into a deep red. "Tell me what you are or I'll kill her!" At the words, Nick flew forward, breaking the boy's grip and freeing Natalie with little effort. As Natalie staggared a few steps away, Nick pinned the other to the bed, watching as the boy tried, unsuccessfully, to struggle free. "You first. Natalie asked what you are, and I would like to know as well." The boy looked away, closing his eyes as he breathed hard, trying to catch his breath. He was tired and had lost a lot of blood. He needed to rest, but...he couldn't, not with this one, this man, this...whatever he was. "Nick, let go of him." Nick turned at his name, his eyes still glowing. "He tried to hurt you." "Yes, and he tried because he's frightened of you, Nick. Please, just let him up," she urged, approaching and putting her hands on his back and arm as he turned back to the boy. "Let him up, Nick. He didn't hurt me, and I don't think he wants to." Nick closed his eyes, then released the other roughly, shrugged away from Natalie's touch, stood, and walked away. Natalie went to the bed and reached out in an attempt to comfort the other, but the boy pulled away from her, hissing as he wrapped himself in the comforter and curled up. She pulled her hand back, but sat on the edge of the bed anyway. She watched as he again struggled to remain conscious, his eyes fluttering closed and snapping back open several times before he spoke. "Please. If there's something we can do, tell us. That's why we want to know what you are. If we know, maybe we can help you." "I...I'm...it won't help. You wouldn't help if you knew. You wouldn't even be able to help." "We might be able to. And why wouldn't we help you?" "Because...of what I am. I'm...I...." "What?" Nick demanded, moving closer. The boy focused steadily on him, his eyes burning white-silver. "Why would anyone want to help a vampire?" Natalie's lips parted, and she turned to Nick. The statement had one effect for sure--Nick now looked as human as she, and just as stunned. Looking back down on the boy, she whispered, "How?" "I told you," he said, pulling his body into as small a ball as he could manage, not wanting to see the surprise, or worse, the horror on their faces. Nick, finally gaining his voice, stated, "You need blood, don't you? That's why you're weakening." "What? Are you an idiot?" the boy managed, half-mumbling his response. "Of course I need blood. Think--vampire." "Nat...go downstairs, the fridge." Then, just as she was leaving, he turned to her. "And Nat? Maybe...look in the meat drawer." "The meat drawer? What's in the--" "Just look. I'll...explain later." At that, it hit her of what was waiting in the meat drawer. Nick was probably hiding human blood in there. But, setting her jaw, she left. Downstairs, she pulled down a glass from the cupboard, then, setting it on the counter, went to the refrigerator, pulled a full bottle of blood off the top shelf, then bent over to open the meat drawer. Inside were two units of blood--human blood. "Damn it, Nick," she muttered, grabbing the two bags, shoving the drawer shut, and slamming the refrigerator door. Then, after grabbing the glass from the counter, she went back upstairs, her hands full. She walked up to Nick, and he took the glass and bags of blood. He ripped a hole in the end of one, then flipped it, letting the blood fill the glass. He glanced at the boy, finding violet eyes attentively watching the blood flow into the glass. Handing the glass to Natalie, he watched the boy struggle into a sitting position, the eyes still locked on the glass. "Here, this should help," she said, holding the glass out. The boy reached out, but retracted his hand. He then reached forward again, slowly, cautiously, still uncertain if he should trust this or not. But he needed it. He took the glass, bringing it unsteadily to his lips. With the first sip he felt stronger, and he held the glass firmer in his grasp. He took several more sips of the cold liquid, watching the other two for their reaction. When they weren't surprised or disgusted, he upended the glass, drinking the rest in long, large swallows. Natalie reached for the glass as it was lowered, taking it from him. "Do you want more?" The boy simply nodded, his now silver eyes locked on the remaining bag of blood, which is where they remained as it was again filled, passed to Natalie and then him. This glass he drank quickly until he neared the bottom, where he again turned to sips. Once it was gone, he looked down, staring through the bottom of the glass. "Thanks," he mumbled, not meeting either of their gazes. Then, after Natalie took the glass, he looked up at Nick, his eyes fading to their natural dark brown. "I want to know what you are. And I want to know why you're helping me." Nick shook his head. "Not now. I think you should rest." "I will rest later," he protested weakly, his voice tired and becoming rapidly sleepy. "Please, I want to know. I've told you what I am. Now I want to know what you are." "We'll explain after you've slept, after you've rested," Nick said somberly. Then, seeing the other still waiting for an answer, he added, "It might be difficult to explain now. It might...take a while, and you need to rest and heal." "How do I know you won't hurt me? Kill me while I sleep?" "Because when you wake I think we're both going to have questions we want answered." Nick turned, guiding Natalie to the door. Looking back, he met the boy's eyes once more. "Sleep and rest for now. We'll be downstairs." Leaving the room, he pulled the door shut behind them. "Nick--" "Not now, Nat. I...need a moment to think. Or...something." He walked past her and down the stairs, his steps slow and almost aimless. Temptation - (03/13) Half an hour later, Natalie stared at Nick across the kitchen table. He was slowly drinking a glass of vodka, and she was stunned at his flat expression. The alcohol didn't seem to bother him, either in that it was vodka or that it wasn't blood. "Isn't that, well, hard?" "What?" he abruptly said, looking up at her. "Drinking that. I've never seen you drink anything that wasn't blood without at least some difficulty." "I...I'm still a little stunned, I think." He looked down at his glass. "You know, right now I really can't taste this. It could be carrot juice for all I care. The alcohol at least seems to be helping some." "Nick, you're taking this awfully hard, you know." "Why do you say that? He's claiming that he's a vampire, Nat." "Exactly. *Claiming*. I don't know about you, Nick, but I'm not sure he's telling the truth." "I didn't sense any deception." "But can you sense the difference between deception and nervousness in him? Nick, his eyes glow violet and silver, and the rest.... He doesn't sound like a vampire to me. And if I had the choice of being stuck with a werewolf or vampire.... Nick, I'd pick the vampire as I'd much rather be drained than ripped apart. Wouldn't you?" "So you think he's lying to protect himself?" "He might be. I'm just saying we don't know for sure." "Perhaps not, but I've never met either a werewolf or another species of vampire, nor heard of one existing. *Never*. Either way, this is a bit of a surprise." He looked up to the upper floor, where he could hear the other's heartbeat bumping along slowly, its owner sleeping. "However, I agree that there's something wrong with this. He's practically mortal." "Yes. Other than a super slow pulse, he seems human. Mortal, as you said." "I don't like his eyes," Nick stated, taking a drink from his glass. "Something about them makes me uncomfortable. And Nat, I'll say this much--whatever he is, he's not one of my kind." "Could he be...I don't know, something new that's just emerging?" "No." He shook his head. "He is sure of what he is. Too sure if his kind was new." "So what he is has existed for a while? Perhaps he's something as old as your kind, perhaps older?" Nick set his jaw. "I know it's somewhat unsettling, but could it be possible?" "Perhaps. One thing's for sure--I couldn't sense anything odd about him at first. He did manage to trick me, initially. And if he hadn't been struggling to keep consciousness, I doubt I would have seen his true form and felt that he was different." He abruptly looked up, sensing the other waking. A few minutes later, the boy stood on the landing, the comforter draped around his shoulders. "I...I was wondering if I could take a shower or something?" Natalie stood, and seeing Nick nod, walked over and up the stairs, explaining that she would get things for him. Glancing down at Nick as she got a towel and led the boy to the bathroom, she saw Nick sitting much has he had been--unmoving and still trying to get a hold of what he had been told. She kept walking, and told him that she would get him some clothes and put them outside the door. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Natalie managed a smile as the boy came down the stairs, the t-shirt and sweatpants drooping from his thin frame. The boy moved closer, until he was standing feet from Nick. But the older man wouldn't turn to him, even as he waited. "You said you would tell me what you are." Nick turned, and quickly noticed that any signs of the other's injuries had vanished. "I have told you what I am, and I want to know what you are. It's only fair." Nick hesitated. Did the boy really want to know what he was? But he had to know more about these other kinds of vampires. He couldn't just leave it be. And to do that, he had to gain the boy's trust, even if it might be difficult. Eventually, he answered, "I'm...a vampire." "Don't mock me." "I'm not. Why do you think I had human blood just lying around? And cow's blood in bottles? Or the shutters on the windows?" The boy turned to the windows, noticing for the first time that they were closed over by panels of metal. "I'm...but I'm a vampire. I know what I am. And you're not like me." "No, I'm not." The boy stiffened, turned, and walked over to the couch, sat on one corner and pulled his legs up on the cushions. "How?" he asked to no one in particular. "I don't know." Setting his jaw, the boy considered what to say. Then, abruptly he proclaimed, somewhat nervously, "I didn't know other vampires-- different vampires--really existed. I've thought about it, figured they had to at some point, but this is just.... Do your kind...er, have a problem with garlic and...holy objects, wild roses and all those things?" "Just the first two." "And mirrors?" Nick didn't like the prodding questions, and tentatively answered, "It depends on the mirror. But I don't always show up." "So that's where that comes from." "What?" "The bits about garlic and holy water. They're...they don't affect my kind. Neither do mirrors." He looked away for a moment. "My kind...we don't match with entirely with the myth." "What about the werewolf myth? Did that come from your kind?" Natalie asked, curious. The boy's eyes glowed silver, but quickly faded back again. "We think we're the source of that myth, or perhaps just one source of it. But we are not werewolves and we match their myth no more than you do. We're vampires--very much vampires. We know we are. We have to drink blood and the sun is...lethal. Stakes kill us. We're vampires as far as we're concerned." He turned away for a moment, and then glanced back to Nick. "And so are you, apparently." Getting up from the table, Natalie walked over to the couch, sitting next to the boy. "Where we found you...what happened to you?" "I have been marked with death. I'm the same age as another, and I have been unjustly accused with a crime. Conflict of power, I suppose you could say. The other boy's father is very influential, and I have no parents. My official guardian is too old to fight back against them. As such, it's a simple matter for the other to try and take over, try and build his power and influence further, at the cost of others." "And the human woman?" "She got in the way." He paused, then explained further, "Those loyal to my opponent beat me and dumped me in the city. I didn't have much choice but to make the humans think I was an animal until I was healed. I didn't want to draw the humans' attention. They would have seen me and fussed over me, trying to find who had done that to me. The woman, I was trying to hide when she saw me. I tried to make her leave me alone, but she wouldn't. That's when the others found me. And they killed her when she refused to leave me to them, when she dared try to help me." Natalie looked to Nick, who seemed deep in thought. Apparently he was having as much trouble believing all of this as her. "Uh, don't your kind have laws? Laws that protect against exposure? The woman's murder is raising questions that would probably be better off unanswered." "As far as they need know, she was killed by a dog." Nick shook his head. The woman was shot, too. "However, I'm sure this will be in the news. They'll be looking for the killer, and it'll be in the papers." At that, the boy nervously asked, "What are you going to do with me?" "I'll help you if I can," Nick quickly answered. "Seriously. But we would like to know more. Starting with your name." "I'm...Luka. Luka, son of..." he said, but stopped before finishing. They didn't need to know more. He averted his eyes for a moment before turning toward Natalie, the more approachable and familiar of the two, even though he rarely interacted with humans. "And...I'm hungry." Nick glanced to the refrigerator. "I don't have any more human blood, just cow's blood." Luka turned to Nick. "That's fine. My kind doesn't drink human blood often. It's too difficult, too dangerous to drink it for anything more than special circumstances." Natalie took that in, but remained silent. Nick's kind did drink human blood, and from what she knew, they certainly didn't think it dangerous or just for special occassions. They would go as far as killing for it, if it didn't draw too much attention. "If you want more, I can get more," Nick told Luka. "It wouldn't be difficult." Luka shook his head. "No. Cow's blood is fine. The source only matters if we wish to heal quickly. Then human blood is better. But it's all blood and it all tastes the same." "There's glasses in the cupboards and the blood's in the refrigerator--help yourself." "Are you sure?" Luka said, standing. "It's fine." Luka headed quickly over to the kitchen, past Nick, and randomly opened one of the cupboards. "It's one more to the right," Nick said, watching the boy turn toward him, then go to the next cupboard. "Thanks." Luka grabbed a glass tumbler identical to the glass he had been given earlier, and then went to the refrigerator and pulled out one of the bottles of blood. He filled the glass and, putting the bottle back, went back to the couch. Natalie reached forward, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. Her action was met with a silver-tinged glare, and she apologised. "I'm sorry, I'd just like to see how you're healing. May I?" Luka tensed, but putting the glass on the table, he pulled his shirt off, letting her look at his skin, ivory pale except a slight pinkish hue where his injuries had been. When she seemed concerned, he told her, "It'll go away completely eventually. There won't be any marks left." "How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Natalie prodded as he put his shirt back on. "I do mind. But...I will tell you if he tells me how old he is." Nick nodded. "I'm twenty-four, almost twenty-five. And you?" Nick looked Luka over at the number, a bit surprised, but answered, "Roughly eight hundred." Luka's eyes went wider than they had until now. He was completely taken aback. "Eight hundred...? But, how? Are your kind truly immortal?" "I was mortal once. But yes, we do not age." "Mortal once.... What was it like?" "Weren't you once mortal, too?" Natalie asked, turning his attention to her. "No. No, I was born like this. All of my kind are. And we die of old age. Not as fast as the mortals--we age slower--but...we will die just as they do." Nick stood and turned to face the boy. "We should get some sleep. I...hope your schedule is nocturnal." "It is." Nick waited, and once Luka was upstairs and out of sight, he asked, "Natalie? If you wouldn't mind coming by tonight for a bit, I would appreciate it. I want to talk to someone before work." She nodded. Who he was going to talk to, she didn't have to ask. It was assuredly LaCroix. And however unsure she felt about his decision, she doubted there was any way she could change it. Temptation - (04/13) "This is rather...unexpected," LaCroix said from a stool at the bar as his son crossed the club floor. "I asked you to meet me here." "Yes. As I said--unexpected." He paused and turned to meet his son's gaze. "You must be desperate, but for what? An answer to something, perhaps? Something that involves the mortals, and therefore does not concern me." Nick walked right up to LaCroix, ignoring the tinge of disgust in LaCroix' tone. "I want to know about the others." "What others?" "Others. Other vampires, other kinds not like ourselves." LaCroix chuckled lightly at the absurdity. "I can hardly believe you're asking this. *You* are a vampire, Nicholas. *We* are vampires, as are those like *us*. There is no such think as other...kinds." "Do not lie." "I'm not," he retorted in an instant. He stared at Nicholas, but the other's stare didn't waver in the slightest. "I am unaware of the existence of any 'others' as you call them." "What about werewolves, or other mythical creatures." "Like the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus?" Nick set his jaw. LaCroix' expression was once again barely short of laughing, and a chuckle was almost audible. "I'm serious, LaCroix." "As am I." He stood, his expression turning stone cold. "I have never seen another mythical 'creature' besides our own kind. They do not exist, Nicholas. I thought you knew that, but perhaps--" "I believed it until I was confronted with something that puts that knowledge in question." Now, LaCroix' curiosity was genuinely piqued--something that didn't happen often. "Confronted with something? With what?" His son remained silent. "Nicholas. You came here with something specific in mind. Ask your question." Nick swallowed. LaCroix was right and it was too late to back out. "What do you know of myths regarding other vampires? Or of werewolf- like vampires? Those not like us?" He waited, but his father said nothing. "Are there myths? Or is there really, truly, nothing?" "There are myths, of course. There have always been myths. But that's all they are. *Myths*." "What if I told you I'm pretty sure they're more than myths?" "And why is this?" "There is a...boy," Nick began, uncertain what LaCroix' reaction would be, uncertain what he should say. "And what about him?" "His eyes are similar to ours, but glow silver and violet. His teeth are also much like ours, but he has two sets of fangs--both upper and lower. The first time I saw him, I saw a wolf-like dog, but that image faded." "Sounds like a werewolf--certainly not a vampire. I shouldn't have to tell you this, Nicholas." "He needs blood to survive, LaCroix. Blood, and he heals much like us. Sunlight and stakes are harmful." Nick took a step toward the other, not dropping this. "Anything, LaCroix? Anything on others like us that can trick others into believing they are animals? Specifically wolves?" "As I said...there are *myths* about werewolves...but I seriously doubt I can tell you anything about them that you can't find out on your own. As to other kinds of vampires.... I would like to see this creature of yours, this boy." Nick shook his head. "No. No, I came here for your knowledge, not to ask you to come see him." "So, he's at your place, is he?" LaCroix smiled, standing. "If you will not take me to see him, I will see him on my own." He started toward the back exit. Nick grabbed the other's arm, halting LaCroix in his path. "You cannot stop me, Nicholas. You know that," he hissed, his anger clearly visible. He pulled out of the grip and flew for the exit, leaving the building before his son could again try to stop him again. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Luka flipped through the channels on the television quickly, but none of the flitting images caught his attention. There were plenty of channels--that wasn't the problem. And plenty of things to watch, too. He justcouldn't focus on any of it. Having hoped to find something to calm his nerves, he flipped the television off, aware he was bothering Natalie by her silent watching expression. "Sorry," he told the human and put the remote on the table. After a moment, he glanced nervously up at the open skylight above them and asked, "Where did Nick go?" "He wanted to talk to someone before work." "About me," he said, his tone cold and judgemental. "He went to talk to one of his kind about me." Natalie didn't answer, unsure of either where Nick had really gone or what would be best to tell Luka. "You don't like Nick much, do you?" "I don't trust him." Turning to glare at Natalie, he let his eyes turn silver. "I'm not sure I trust you, either. You know who he's talking to." "I have a suspicion, but I don't know for sure," she clarified. "However, I don't think Nick would do anything that would hurt you." "Why? He has no reason to be kind to me. I've heard things...." Luka halted mid-thought, glancing away. But he had already said more than enough to pique Natalie's attention. "What things?" "Nothing specific. They're myths. Rumours, really. Folklore. Stories to tell the little ones to make them behave. I'm...I'm just not sure what to believe, what to think now that I know other vampires actually exist.... How do I even know he's telling the truth?" "He's telling the truth, Luka. He is what he said. He has not lied to you." He studied her, looking for any sign she was lying, anything at all that would tell him whether her words were truth or not. "You're not lying, either of you, are you?" "No, we're not. But are you?" "I would like the answer to that as well," LaCroix spoke, approaching from behind. Both Natalie and Luka turned toward LaCroix, both startled at the other's presence. In an instant, Nick arrived, landing a few feet from LaCroix. As LaCroix was confronted with a striking violet glare and a hiss, he slowly walked around the couch, watching the boy's gaze follow him. "Quite...interesting. But just what are you, Child?" "Hasn't he told you?" "Yes...Nicholas tells me you're a vampire." "I am a vampire." "Really? I find that rather difficult to believe." LaCroix let his eyes brighten, darkening until they were scarlet. Then, his fangs clearly visible and with a target in mind, he stated, "Lying is a nasty habit and shouldn't be practised by one so young." LaCroix flew at the boy, but found his son preventing his passage. "Nicholas, I will find the truth--something you should have done yourself." "I will not let you harm him!" LaCroix snarled at the younger, breaking out of his son's grip and continuing to the boy. He jerked Luka to him, forcing the child's neck to the side and biting deep into the flesh and taking the warm blood. The flavour--different than anything he had ever tasted--was hard to ignore. Even more, it was difficult to stop draining the boy, but he had learned what he wanted to know and ceased the attack. Being released, Luka crumpled to the floor, the sudden blood loss too much for him to remain standing. "As far as the boy's mind is concerned, he *is* a vampire. But he resists." LaCroix glared down on the boy, his eyes crimson in rage. He grabbed Luka's arm, forcing the other to get up. "It is unwise to hide things from me, and I will not permit it!" LaCroix stated, assuring that the boy knew his threat was more than just words. He released Luka, shoving the other back and onto the floor. Natalie tried to go to Luka, but Nick stopped her, holding her back. "Nick, let go!" "Just wait," he whispered, and then walked up to his sire. "LaCroix, if you kill him, you won't learn anything." "At least he wouldn't exist, and this argument would be over. However, I am...hesitant to kill something with such nectar in its veins. And such a replenishable source, at that...." Luka scooted back across the floor as he watched the other smile down on him. A smile hungry for the satisfaction his blood would provide, and it made him feel sick right from the bottom of his stomach. Nick stepped in between LaCroix and Luka. "I will not allow you to touch him again!" "You think you could stop me if I tried?" "I will not allow it!" Nick hissed, grabbing LaCroix by the front of his shirt and pushing him back. LaCroix pulled his son's hands away, roughly released them, and then calmly straightened his clothes. "I will do as I please. Besides, you were the one that alerted me to this...curiosity of yours. I am merely investigating it. Getting the answers that you came to me for." He let his gaze slide to the boy's, silver staring back at him, frightened. "Now. You are keeping things from me," LaCroix began, stepping toward Luka with slow, even strides. "And I would like to know what they are." "I am hiding nothing from you. If you have questions, ask them. I don't have much option but to answer!" "You have thoughts on this. You know a little of us, of other vampires. Other kinds of vampires." "Only that your kind are different than me, and yet are vampires." "There is more." "No, there isn't." LaCroix' eyes flashed gold and flew forward and grabbed Luka by the arm, again pulling him to his feet. Not releasing his grip, he demanded, "You've heard stories...stories you were close to mentioning to Nicholas' mortal friend. Tell them, now." "They're merely stories." "Stories about other vampires." "Vampires, yes, but there was no mention of them being different...not really...." "Not really?" Luka averted his eyes, nearly zoning off until the other man shook him back to his surroundings. "In one story, there were a group of vampires that took several others hostage. They fed from them repeatedly. They kept them until they eventually could not recover and died. It is said the others didn't age because they fed off vampire blood, but when their source of blood died, they quickly withered to old age and died soon after. As I said, it's just a story. It has no mention of your kind in it!" Seeing his insistences were ignored, he continued, "Other stories tell of mortals that can kill with their bare hands or their minds! They are stories to tell the younger members of my kind so that they will not kill every warm-blooded organism they see, to prevent us from becoming cold-blooded killers and to protect our secret. Nothing more!" LaCroix let go of Luka and turned around. A child was telling him that he was being foolish. He did not like the implication. Forcing himself to remain as calm as possible, he closed his eyes and asked, "And what of the others?" He sifted through the already faded thoughts, but there was enough to continue, there was enough to question. "Of men--of vampires that can fly? I can see it. It is another of your stories. More stories relating to the one you told. I've seen hints of them from your blood." He slowly turned and glared at the boy. "And what is the origin of these stories? Were they told by one of your kind? Who? Do you know?" "I...." Luka shook his head. "The stories are traditional. They have been passed down from one generation to the next, one century to the next. There is no definite origin, except that the stories vary from family to family, but are relatively similar." "In what way?" Luka swallowed. "Same general content, different specifics. But the stories all, no matter their origin, serve the same purpose--to educate our children of proper behaviours and the consequences for disobeying." "Perhaps they once had a different purpose?" Nick asked before LaCroix could push it. Having caught Luka's attention, he reminded, "Stories do change with time. I've witnessed it." "Perhaps. But if they did, I do not know. Although I am not a child, as my appearance suggests, I am still young compared to the others of my kind. My knowledge is finite." "The others of your kind," LaCroix started, evenly, and then continued, "Where are they?" "I do not know," Luka stated, matching the other's first tone and meeting his eyes. "Answer." "I cannot! Nearby. That is all I can say." When the other still showed no indication of believing him, he explained, "They are somewhere near the city, but not in its heart--assuming they are even still in the area." Watching LaCroix' anger, Nick moved cautiously closer. "LaCroix, his kind wants to kill him. I doubt they'd be in a specific location Luka would be aware of." "Fine," LaCroix hissed at his son, then turned his golden glare to Luka. "However, you are still hiding knowledge of this, Child. I suggest you think deeply on what you are. Next time we meet, I will get the answers I seek." Luka closed his eyes when LaCroix flew out the skylight, feeling better with the other's absence. But, when he heard Nick's approach, he opened them, silver and frightened. "Why? That man, that vampire...." Luka shook his head, a visible shiver running through him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know he would come here. But then, I expected he would have knowledge he apparently didn't have. All I did was interest him in you, and I'm sorry." Luka set his jaw, turned, and walked away. Spinning back to face the other vampire, he half-hissed, "I do not trust you." Nick stiffened, but nodded. "I need to get to work soon, and you would probably like some clothes that fit." "What are you getting at?" "We'll take care of the second, and then you can come with me to work." "I can do what I want." "If I leave you here alone, LaCroix *will* take advantage of it. Do you seriously want him to come after you again, this time while you're alone? It would not be safe for you to remain here." "Fine. I will accompany you, but I am *not* a child. And I will leave here tomorrow night." Natalie watched the two, remaining silent even though she really wanted to talk to Nick about LaCroix. She had finally met Nick's maker, and she shivered at her newly imagined thoughts of him. Temptation - (05/13) "I still say Cohen is going to wring your neck for bringing him, and I don't think she's going to care that he's...uh...the son of a friend of a cousin? Come on, Nick, that's just, well, it's a stretch." Nick looked over at Schanke, then in the rear-view mirror at Luka, who was decidedly uncomfortable around his partner. "I mean...really, it's kinda odd, don't you think?" "I think it's fine," Luka said, turning the human's attention back on him. "It's midnight and we're driving around in the middle of the week with a kid--I think that's a bit odd." Luka shrugged. "Yeah, well, maybe there are things I'd prefer to be doing right now too." He sat back and glared at the back of the vampire's head. He didn't particularly like this, but at least he was away from LaCroix...and he was safe from his kind. "81 Kilo, respond." Schanke picked up the handset. "81 Kilo here. What do you got, dispatch?" "A scene in the 27th jurisdiction. Captain wants you to head over. Says it might have something to do with last night's case." Schanke looked back at Luka, but didn't answer. "81 Kilo?" Nick took the handset, getting the location and telling the dispatcher they were responding. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Cohen walked straight to Nick when she arrived. "I want to know what the kid is doing here," she said, nodding her head in the direction of Luka, who was kneeling over the victim's body, Schanke standing over him. "Schanke said you brought him." "It's...hard to explain." "This is no place for children, Knight." "I told him to stay in the Caddy." "And because he didn't it's not your problem? Get him off the scene before he destroys evidence. That's an order." Nick winced as she walked off, then approached Luka and Schanke. "Luka--go and stay in the car." "I am not a child," he whispered. "And I'm not going to destroy anything." "As far as Cohen is concerned, you are. We'll be there when we're done." Luka stood, facing Nick directly. He didn't want to go back to the car. There were others of his kind nearby, but with Nick's partner there, he couldn't say anything. Not only that, but he didn't really trust Nick to begin with. This vampire didn't need to know any more than he already knew. As calmly as he could, he asked, "How long will you be?" "Not long, hopefully." Luka shot a glare at Nick, but nodded and did as told. Schanke leaned closer to his partner, commenting, "I'm not sure whether he looks up to you or fears you, Nick." "Where did that come from?" "That last look, for one. Not something you see on a teenager's face often. Well, I'll take that back." Schanke thought a moment, and then said, "You know, you're probably more cut out for parenthood than most parents. You really should try it sometime, you know." Nick managed a quizzical look, but it vanished upon seeing the coroner. And, unexpectedly, it wasn't Natalie. "Yeah, well...not right now. We have other things to deal with." Schanke nodded toward the coroner. "Apparently they don't think the two are linked enough to call Nat in." "Well, they don't. Besides, the woman was shot." "And bitten as well. Two killings involving what appears to be some animal? Come on, Nick, it's got to be more than a coincidence." Nick set his jaw and stared toward the Caddy. "Nick?" He followed his partner's gaze, then turned back. "Earth to Orbiter Nick...." Nick snapped his attention back to Schanke. "What?" "Don't go weird on me now, okay? The last two nights have been bad enough as it is." *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Walking back to the Caddy after having dealt with the scene, Nick found it empty. Neither Luka nor his partner, who had headed back a couple of minutes before, were visible. Slowly, he walked away from the crime scene, away from the racket that was only now beginning to die down. Once shielded by a building, he heard a scream of pain. Nick was nearly positive belonged to Luka. It wasn't far away, but far enough the mortals would take no heed of it. He flew toward the sound, finding Luka being beaten by another man several streets away. The man then thrust something into Luka's shoulder, and another, louder scream wrenched forth. Nick flew right into the man, pushing him away. The man amazingly didn't lose his balance, and soon Nick found his gold eyes facing steady silver eyes. The silver turned quickly to violet as the man's emotions shifted from anger and hatred to what appeared to be confusion and a hint of an uncomfortable fear. He slipped off when Nick didn't immediately attack him again, running down the street, blending in to the dark shadows as his image took the camouflaged form of a black wolf. Nick turned back to Luka, but his gaze, still amber, locked on his partner's stunned expression--mouth gapping open, gun hanging loosely from his hand, eyes wide. "Schanke...." "My God...what are you? And what was that, that, whatever it was?" Nick's eyes faded to their natural colour, his own lips parting slightly. He nearly responded, but turned his attention back to Luka. The boy was lying still on the pavement, unconscious and bleeding worse than the previous night. He hurried closer, ignoring his partner's approach. Schanke stood off to the side as Nick knelt down, his eyes drawn to the piece of wood shoved through Luka's shoulder. "God.... I'll call for an ambulance," he said, putting his gun away and reaching for his cell phone. Before he had a chance to dial, however, Nick was standing in front of him, pulling the phone from his hand. "No, Schanke." "He needs an ambulance, Nick!" With Schanke's phone in hand, Nick turned it on and dialled Natalie's home number. When it was picked up after five rings, he immediately said, "Nat, I'm going to need your help again." He heard her start to speak, but cut her off, "Please, Nat--Luka's been attacked. Come to the loft and bring...supplies." He hung up, his gaze still on Schanke where it had sat since his last word. After being given his phone back and watching Nick again kneel, Schanke just stared. "What is going on?" "You don't want to know. Nor do you need to know." "I both want and need to know what I saw, Nick." Nick sighed. He listened to Luka's pulse, its still slow steady beat only mildly reassuring. It was even slower than the night before. He stood, but not abruptly. Turning to Schanke, he told the other, "*You will walk back to the scene and get a ride back to the precinct wi--*" "I'm not doing any such thing, Nick," Schanke said, shaking his head. "I want to know what's going on. What I saw." Nick reached into his pocked and tossed Schanke his keys. "Go get the Caddy so I can get him out of here." "Uh, Nick? Don't you think it'd be better if he weren't moved? I mean, I still think an ambulance--" "Schank--he's stable enough to be moved right now. Please, get the Caddy and bring it here." Schanke just stared at Luka. The only indication that the teenager was even alive was his increasingly desperate breaths. "Schanke...." "I'm going, I'm going...I just hope he's doing a lot better than he looks, Nick." He turned and started back down the street at a steady jog, muttering to himself about what he had seen, what was going on, and that he was the only one that didn't seem crazy, or maybe he was going mad...he wasn't sure which it was anymore. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Schanke watched as Nick laid Luka on the dining table and Natalie put her bag, along with several units of blood, next to Luka. He approached while she took his pulse, Luka's pale skin even paler than he had previously believed. Once she pulled her hand away, to check something else, Schanke reached out and felt his pulse as well, jerking his hand back after about ten seconds. "Uh, Nat...please tell me you're not as thick-skulled as Nick and are going to call for an ambulance. His pulse, it's...it's...how can he still be alive!?" Natalie halted as she pulled a few things out of her bag, one hand on a unit of blood. She turned toward Nick, received an ever so slight negative shake of his head, and pursed her lips. Starting a line of blood, she held the bag up and out to Nick, who took it and held it for her. "Schanke," she began, watching him calm slightly. "He'll live--which he may or may not if taken to the hospital. Now, either hold his shoulder down and help me, or switch with Nick. I need to get the...uh...." "Stake?" Schanke suggested. Natalie eyed him, but didn't think Schanke intentionally meant the vampire killing kind. "Er...wood out." She went over to the wound, commenting quietly, "It's not very deep." She looked up. "Schanke, are you going to help me or not?" "Yeah, yeah, I'm helping," he told her, stepping forward and doing as she had asked before. He looked away as she pulled the piece of wood out rather unceremoniously, cleaned the wound as best she could, and then covered the wound with a gauze bandage to slow the blood now seeping from it. "Hold that for me," Natalie said, then, while Schanke held it, she taped it over the wound. When Natalie stepped back and stood motionless, Schanke prodded, "Isn't there more to do? I mean...he's probably got a few broken ribs from the guy that was beating him." "What happened?" she asked, trying to get Schanke's attention off Luka, but it wasn't working. "There was this...I don't know. A man, I suppose, and that's who did all of that. And then Nick just showed up and pulled the man off. The guy had silver eyes. And, then, when he saw Nick, they turned a bright kind of purple. He took off, and all I saw was this black dog running away. Then Nick turned, and.... His eyes...." Schanke faced his partner. "Your eyes were glowing. Shining in the dark. Gold." He paused a moment, stiffening. "I want to know what's going on, Nick." Nick sat the bag of blood on Luka's stomach, and then, walking closer, he shook his head slowly from side to side, not letting his eyes stray from the other for a moment. "*No you don't, Schanke.*" "I...." "*You saw nothing out of the ordinary. The man ran off before I could follow. You saw nothing.*" "I saw no...no, no, uh-uh," he answered, shaking his head. "I saw that guy's eyes, Nick. Silver eyes. Then purple. And then he turned into some kind of wolf and ran off! Didn't you see it? Come on, Nick, I know what I saw. I saw the man that attacked Luka turn into a dog. You were right there, please tell me you saw it and that I'm not going crazy?" Nick just stood there. Had he or had he not hypnotised Schanke? "Schanke...." "Come on, Nick, I know you saw him run off. You saw his eyes too, didn't you? You were right there, right in front of him.... And you know what's going on, don't you? That man is like Luka, isn't he?" "What?" "Before you got there, he was yelling at Luka, telling him that he was no longer wanted among his kind and that if he didn't leave, he would be killed. 'No longer' means Luka probably knew the guy. Besides, that man was *not* human, and I can't think of anyone that could live after being beaten, stabbed, and have a more or less non- existent pulse on top of it." Nick and Natalie just glanced at one another. "You two know, don't you? You know what he is." Just as Natalie was about to say something, Nick cut her off, answering, "Yes, we know that Luka isn't human." "We just found out this morning," Natalie added. "This morning?" Schanke repeated, his thoughts running together. "Tonight, the attacker ran off.... He looked rather like that dog from the crime scene last night except darker. That was Luka, wasn't it? That injured dog from last night? The one that escaped?" Natalie wasn't sure what to say. Schanke was right, but how to start? "Uh, Schanke...." "Yes, that was Luka," Nick simply answered, giving his partner a nod. At this, Schanke began to become visibly nervous to the point he started pacing. "Then what is he? He's not human, but...what is he? And how can *anything* change what it looks like, change size and appearance?" "Schank," Natalie started, but realising the other wasn't going to stop, she explained, "I think the second is some kind of illusion, a mind trick or something. I'm not sure he actually changes. And as to what he is...yes, we know, but I think it would be best if you asked Luka when he wakes." Schanke stopped walking and stared at his partner. "He told you two fairly easily, I'd say. If I were in that situation, I'd get away. Why did he tell you?" "He was hurt and...needed something he couldn't get without telling us what he was," Natalie explained, fumbling along the way. "I don't think he planned on telling us, or would have if he'd been stronger. He came to us for help, and reluctantly." Nick stepped closer, took Schanke by the arm and turned him toward the elevator. Starting for it, he half-dragged Schanke along. "We'll come back after shift, okay? By then I think Luka will be awake, and if he's here, you can ask him, okay?" Nick glanced back at Natalie as they got in the elevator. Watching the elevator close, Natalie considered the last Nick said. 'If he's here.' Nick was giving Luka the opportunity to not answer, assuming she told Luka he could leave, that is. She would, and wondered what he would choose. And then there was Schanke...who no longer seemed to remember about seeing Nick. Or maybe he had just dropped the subject. She wasn't sure. Temptation - (06/13) Schanke stared at Luka in a state of near-shock. The other was wide- awake and the only indication he had been injured was the stiffness visible when Luka moved his left shoulder. There were no bruises whatsoever on the other's bare arms, nor his face. Luka's brown eyes stared warmly at him, waiting. "You're not human," Schanke eventually stated, still in awe from what had happened and what he could infer. "Natalie told me you saw what happened." "Do your eyes turn silver like the man I saw?" "Yes." "What are you?" "You don't want to know." "Yes, I do. I need to know what I saw." Luka swallowed. He knew Nick had tried to make this mortal forget what had happened. And it was clear this Schanke wasn't going to drop the subject until he had an answer. He was tempted to just tell the other he was a werewolf. Not only would it be a simpler explanation, but he also had the feeling Nick didn't want him to say what he really was. Oh well--he didn't care. "I'm a vampire," he stated, watching the other's eyes widen. He was surprised when the other actually calmed somewhat. "Does that mean you...have fangs and drink human blood?" "Fangs, yes. And yes, I drink blood. But human blood? Rarely." At that, Schanke let out a breath. "That's good to know. Especially that last one." His thoughts went back to the two crime scenes, trying to connect the pieces. "The man that attacked you tonight...is he who killed the victims from tonight and last night?" "Yes. Last night was an attempt to scare me away. Tonight was a further warning." Schanke's anger rose. "Who is this guy that he thinks he can get away with this!" "He was hired." "Then what about who hired him? And for what reason? There has got to be a motive somewhere." "He's a good friend of my sister's soon-to-be father-in-law. He's doing this on his friend's orders. He falsely believes I killed the other's daughter." Schanke's mouth dropped open at the far more detailed answer. "But...why? He's trying to kill a member of his future family, which is just.... *Why?*" "My family, my bloodline, it's the oldest surviving bloodline of my kind. Most of my family have been killed because of it. Out of the fear our name instills. I do still have distant relatives in other cities, but they are only alive because they have yielded. Both my mother and father are dead. I do have a great-grandmother, but she is both old and a woman. Among us, power and control are the domain of men, specifically those of age--which I am not. In my family, women have traditionally held much, much more power is customary. And my sister can carry on the name with its fear if she marries. However, I am roughly the age of my sister's future husband, and therefore am the head of my family. However, if I am dead, then it is my sister that carries the family name, our blood." "Why is that so important?" "My ancestors are the traditional leaders of my kind, which makes us targets of fear and hatred. It's rather archaic, really, but no one has been willing to change it. My family was having great success in ending the rule of one family by another. But it only resulted in my parents' deaths. I might try to continue the changes--if I had a say." "Why don't you?" Natalie asked. "I'm not old enough, to start with. I'm only twenty-four. Until one is thirty, pretty much everything one says is ignored." Again, Schanke found himself barely able to speak. "You're twenty- four? You couldn't be more than...fifteen or sixteen." Luka's lips twisted into a faint smile. "We...age slowly after our first few years. It is bothersome when around mortals at my age. But, for now, it also has its advantages." "Advantages?" Luka looked right at Schanke. "Do I look like a threat to you, Detective?" Schanke was about to respond, but ended up settling with swallowing and shaking his head. On appearances, Luka was a thin teenaged boy-- nothing particularly harmful about him. Rather pathetic looking, really. "Granted, it means old age is very long and boring, but...most of us die of something else, anyway." "Okay. Okay, so you're a...vampire or whatever." Schanke received a nod, and continued, "Then prove it." Luka's eyes narrowed. "You've seen me heal. A human couldn't heal like that. Isn't that enough?" "No, it's not enough. Show me your eyes, and your fangs. I want to see some proof that you're not human, that you couldn't be." Luka glared forward, his eyes easily shifting first to a bright silver, and then quickly to violet. He hissed at the detective and leaned forward, which made the other jump slightly. "Satisfied?" he asked, his fangs still out. "Yeah, yeah, I'm satisfied," Schanke said, turning, taking a few steps away, and starting to pace. He made several trips back and forth, then stopped, his attention now solidly on Nick. "Don't you find it a bit...well, odd? I mean, vampires?" When his partner just stared back, he turned to Natalie. "Come on, you've got to have some doubts, Natalie." She shook her head. "Whatever he is, he's not human, Schank. I cleaned his wounds and watched them heal. It's not a trick." Schanke turned back to his partner. There was something he wanted to ask, something more about what he had seen, he knew it, but couldn't remember what. "Is there something else I'm missing? I feel like I'm missing something." Nick shook his head, and just barely beat Natalie to replying. "No, there's nothing else." Schanke stood and thought for several minutes, then suddenly glanced at his watch, breaking the halt of conversation. "Geez! Myra's probably wondering where I am." He looked up at his partner, colour draining from his face. "Myra. What am I supposed to tell her?" "Anything as long as it's not what we told you," Nick answered. "Why not?" "Because one of my kind might kill you for knowing," Luka said, then further explained, "We usually do not interact with humans unless it's necessary. And, although we do not usually feed from humans, we have no qualms of killing them if circumstances warrant it as the best and simplest solution." "Schanke, go home to Myra and forget about this, okay? Pretend it never happened," Nick suggested, although he didn't dare push it as far as he could. Nick went and got his keys. Tossing them to his partner, he told him, "Take my car back to the precinct. I'll have Natalie take me to work, if needed." He looked to Natalie, who nodded in agreement. Perhaps later he would try to remove Schanke's memories, but not now. "I want to know what's going on, Nick. And there's still something else, I'm sure of it. And I'm going to find out what that something is." With that, Schanke headed for the elevator and took it down. Once the motor started up, Luka hissed at Nick, his eyes again turning purple, "You should have made him forget. Your kind can do that, can't they? Why didn't you?" "How do you know I can do that?" Luka glared at Nick, then glanced away for a bare second. "I didn't. But he saw you. I remember it just before I passed out. He saw you but doesn't remember, does he?" "He may or may not remember." "You should have dealt with it! And I shouldn't be here." Luka stood and started for the stairs, only for Nick to fly in front of him and block his path. "Out of my way." "No. LaCroix sensed you were hiding something. Tell me." Luka just stared forward, waiting for the other to move out of his way. "If you don't tell me and LaCroix finds you, he'll find out one way or another." Luka pushed by Nick, at which he found himself being pulled forcibly back. "Release me!" He tried removing Nick's arms, but they gripped tighter, one of them around his neck. Luka slowly ceased to struggle, at which the grip was loosened enough that he could again speak. "Release me." Nothing happened, so he added, "I won't try to run. It's somewhat useless, anyway, isn't it?" Without a word, Nick turned them around and, releasing Luka, gave him a light shove toward the couch. Luka stepped forward, but stopped before reaching the sitting area. "I lied to LaCroix. Somewhat. I am hiding something." "You made the stories up," Nick stated. "No." Luka turned around and faced the other man. "No, the stories are real. However, there's more. There are more stories about your kind, about other vampires. But you're not supposed to exist. These stories...they're incredible myths like we are to humans. To us, your kind are myths, incredible impossible stories and nothing more." "But we're not." "No, you're not." "You're afraid of me. Your kind are afraid of me, of other vampires." "Yes." Luka did his best not to shake, but he failed. "Your kind are stronger than my kind. Truly immortal. Your kind are better at blending in with the humans. We are discovered too easily. But you...you're able to bend a human's will to your own. It's a simple matter for one of your kind to kill us, or worse, keep us and feed from us. To your kind, our blood is...it is pure, it is different and addictive." "Why have I never heard of your people? Even LaCroix hadn't heard of you and he's nearly two thousand. I think he would have heard *something* considering what you've said." Luka quickly took in that information. LaCroix was older than he had expected, far older. Calming, he told the other, "The stories are millennia old. Many millennia. There is no record of their origin. And yet, we avoid the humans because of the fear that the myths just might be true. By avoiding contact with humans, we lower the possibility of running into your kind." "What could make you so afraid?" Natalie asked, causing Luka to look to her. "Haven't you considered that it could be just a myth? Granted, it's not, but...still. Couldn't the stories be exagerated?" "We've considered it. However, in the myths my kind were nearly wiped out. And this same event is part of our history. We were nearly destroyed by some unnamed force or people. Only a small handful of us had survived. By hiding, we've grown in size, but...I suppose you could say we've been endangered for quite a while." "How many of your people are alive?" Nick asked, prodding as he stepped nearer. Luka stiffened. "I don't know. How about your people? I have no reason to give you any information on us. I may be at present hunted by them, but I have no wish to destroy my people through this." "I have no wish to harm you or your kind." Luka laughed at that. "Really. And what about LaCroix? He'd be interested in doing so, I'll bet. Perhaps he's even heard the legends if he's as old as you say he is. Perhaps he's hiding even more than I was." Nick wished he could say something in defence, but there was nothing. He didn't know for sure whether LaCroix was playing a game or not. He suspected not, but he had seen LaCroix do this before. "I wish to leave here. And you will let me." Luka glared at Nick, but the other didn't budge. So, he walked pass, heading for the stairs again. Nick grabbed Luka's arm. "Do you really fear me that much?" "Yes. You and your kind. You are killers and nothing more. Now, let me go," he said, pulling at the grip with no result. "Let go of me!" Nick pulled Luka closer, then firmly, he asked, "What chance do you have of surviving another day with them after you? If they're afraid of my kind, you are protected here. And even if LaCroix does come back, I'm not going to let him hurt you." "Like earlier? He's stronger than you, I saw it. You could not keep him away from me." "You're still safer here." Luka shook his head. "No. I don't trust you." He glanced to the hand on his arm, then toward the door before again facing Nick. "Now, are you going to release me?" After several seconds, Nick did so. He turned and watched as Luka put distance between them, back in the borrowed, oversized clothes, which gave him the illusion Luka was even younger than he appeared. "If you need to, you can come back here," he said, Luka slipping into the stairwell at the last word. Temptation - (07/13) Andreas glared as his closest friend burst into the sitting room, not even knocking. It angered him as Sterling knew not to interrupt him, had in fact been explicitly told not to. "I have company," he emphasised, glancing at the four present--his wife and son, his son's betrothed, and the young woman's...grandmother, or whatever her relation was. He didn't even remember what he had planned to say. He waited, simmering, his eyes taking on a silver hue. "It is important." "I will speak with you later this morning. After my guests have retired." "Now, Andreas, it is important." Andreas' eyes glowed solid silver, platinum--matching his short and greying light blond hair. "I must speak with you now. It is urgent. I know you would want to hear this." He turned to his wife, calmly commanding, "Take the old woman and her charge and see them to their rooms." The old woman, her hair falling in white waves around her frail shoulders, set her jaw. Her own eyes matched Andreas' in colour. "My name is Adalia. Use it." "I will call you what I wish." "I am Lillian's guardian. Without my consent to the marriage, I will cut her off from my family and she will have nothing you want." "And if you refuse consent, I do have other options. Consider your dear Lillian's brother." Andreas nodded again to his wife. "Show them out." He waited, watching as the old woman stood and met his gaze defiantly. She was becoming a problem. The other left with the girl and his wife, at which he turned to his son. "Morgan, leave us." "I'm staying." Andreas suppressed his anger at the disobedience, but didn't argue. Not now, not with the way he felt. An argument would only end badly. "Fine. Now, Sterling, tell me what is so very urgent." "You let Luka get away," Morgan stated. "I know you were supposed to kill him this time. I want him to die for what he did." Sterling fidgeted and kept silent. "Did he escape you?" "He was helped. If the other hadn't helped him, hadn't gotten in my way, he would be dead by now. He still might have died." "What other? Do you mean a human?" Andreas demanded. "No, not a human." "It's not one of us, is it? Our people would know not to aid him if they wish to keep their own lives. Who has decided to defy me now?" "Not a human. But not one of us, either." Sterling shivered upon recalling the golden eyes. So like his own, but different. "The other, his eyes...his eyes were.... He was one of us, Andreas, but not like us. A vampire. I'm sure he was stronger than me. I could feel his true strength held back, even as he pulled me away from Luka." "And he's helping Luka?" "Helping, aiding, taking advantage of...keeping Luka alive, whatever the case." "And messing in our affairs." Andreas stood and walked over to the plain but polished wood fireplace mantle. "This man, this...vampire as you say...." "I think he could be one of the ancients. One of the others." "Myths!" Morgan exclaimed, his childish tone matching his still child-like voice. "They are characters in stories. None of us have ever seen them. Where are the stories of ancients meeting our kind throughout the years? Where are they, if they're real?" "This man was no myth, but he was old. Older than even the old woman. Much older. There is power in him, age in him. He could have easily killed me. I'm sure of it." "Where does this man live?" "Here in Toronto. I found his address. It's in a warehouse. When I saw him, there was a human with him. He saw me, and the other. He saw us both changed." "I wish to meet this vampire." "He's a detective at the 96th precinct." "Surrounded by the humans," Morgan hissed, drawing ever more attention to him. "Stay out of this!" Andreas turned to his friend, stating, "Sterling, tonight we will see this man." He turned sharply to his son. "And you will remain here. No arguments." Morgan crossed his arms. "Fine. He's probably just some odd human, anyway." "Tell your mother to retrieve our guests. We will continue with preparations." The young man left; somewhat annoyed at becoming a servant, but having little choice but to obey. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Luka's pulse quickened. Walking down a street shortly after sunset the following night, he could feel someone following him. The presence, familiar from the previous night, made him wish he had stayed at Nick's or that at the very least discover it was Nick following him. Slowing, he came to a stop on the empty street. Seconds later, a hand gripped his shoulder. It almost felt as if he was being pulled backward, but he knew the other was closing the distance. He wanted away, but the grip was solid and unmoving. "Release me, LaCroix." "You recognise my presence. Good. I'm pleased to see that you learn quickly." LaCroix guided Luka forward, and they continued down the street until they were obscured by shadows. He then restrained the boy tighter and lifted them both into the air, one hand muffling a startled and terrified scream. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Luka fell to the ground, supporting himself with his hands. A tinge of blood clung to his lips, but he had no wish to lick it away. He had bitten the other's hand and had received more than enough of a taste--a foul taste--and he now knew the blood was poison to him. He only wished it could have been the other way around. Upon entering this building, LaCroix had struck him and then drained him once more. This time he was having trouble recovering. Images and sounds blurred and bled into one another making his surroundings nothing but confusion. Janette came from her room, having heard a heartbeat intrude upon her home. She saw the boy trying to catch his breath on the floor, and immediately turned to her sire. "I am allowing you to stay here, LaCroix, not this." He smiled. "Are you not going to at least ask what this is?" "You have brought a mortal boy here, clearly with the intentions of killing him." LaCroix chuckled at that. "I do not intend to kill him, nor is he mortal." She met him with scepticism. "Look at him closely, or better yet, taste his blood." Janette turned to the boy. It was a teenaged mortal child, nearly drained to death. Nothing more. She took a step closer, watching the boy's muscles tense. Her lips parted slightly, aware she had made no sound. With another step, the boy turned and snarled at her. Fangs and violet eyes came at her, only for LaCroix to jerk the boy up and against him. "Take his blood, Janette." Gliding closer, Janette traced the creature's cheek with her fingertips. Warm flesh met her cold hands, a slow pulse pushing the boy's blood as effectively as a mortal's. He was not, as she had suspected, a mortal. "What is he?" "A vampire." LaCroix paused, forcing Luka's head to the side, even as he held the younger. "Of a slightly different breed." "And why have you brought him here? How did you find him?" "He hides things from me. As for how I knew about him...that was Nicholas' doing." Janette stiffened at that. So, that's what was behind this? The boy was somehow an acquaintance of her brother. "I seriously doubt he would have simply given the boy to you." "He didn't. He chose to leave Nicholas' protection. And I found him." She watched LaCroix' eyes sparkle with possession, sending fear through her. "Are you sure you don't want a taste?" he said, forcing the skin of Luka's neck even tauter than before. When Janette remained tense and made no move to approach, he smiled. "Very well." Turning to Luka, he simultaneously pulled the boy closer and bit into the pale, already-drained flesh. Janette watched the boy squirm in the grasp. In seconds, she saw him lose consciousness, at which LaCroix released him and let the boy fall to the floor. As her sire left, Janette's eyes burned gold. However, they faded as the slow but steady heartbeat regained her focus. One thing was certain--the boy was no human. She calmed, even as the crumpled heap angered her once again. LaCroix had simply left the boy there for her to deal with. After a moment, she knelt by the boy and cautiously pulled a hand closer. The other didn't move. She bit into the wrist--no larger than hers--and took just a taste of the blood. She nearly dropped the limp mass in her hands, but at the same time she nearly took a much larger sip. LaCroix had not been lying, or even teasing, with the blood. Abruptly, she stiffened. LaCroix had mentioned the boy had left Nicolas' protection. Protection from what? LaCroix? Or something else? Temptation - (08/13) Near the front of the precinct, Andreas leaned his head toward Sterling. "Where is he?" "The blond-haired man, there," Sterling answered, nodding toward Nick. "His name is Nicholas Knight. And the man in the desk across from him is the human that saw us." "Bring the human outside. Quietly." Sterling walked up to the desk and explained that he wished to speak with his target as Andreas slipped away. It took a moment, but he eventually convinced the desk sergeant that he was a friend of a friend and that he would leave if the detective, who he now knew the name of, didn't wish to speak with him. A few moments more and he saw Schanke starting toward him. Before the human could get a good look at him, he headed outside, where he pleasantly discovered he was alone. Continuing to face away, he stopped and listened to the approaching footsteps. Sterling turned with a smile and watched the colour drain from the other's face. So, the human had indeed seen him. Andreas silently came out from a shadow and stood behind the human. "You're involved in something dangerous, Detective." Sterling grabbed the human just as Schanke turned to the second voice, covering the other's mouth and easily holding the slightly taller, heavier man before him. "His name is Donald Schanke." "Good. Take him out of the other's sight." Andreas smiled at the human's panicking heart rate. "Don't worry--you will not be harmed. You will be our insurance, for the moment." He nodded, and once Sterling had guided the detective easily away, he went back inside. Andreas strode confidently past the front desk; no one stopped him. He reached Knight's desk and watched as the other turned around and stared at him with an odd sense of recognition. "I have something to discuss with you about a certain...matter of business." "Luka." "Yes. I suggest we go outside." He watched the other's eyes narrow with suspicion. "My friend has your partner. I'm sure he'd be grateful for your company and cooperation." Nick could not tell if the other was lying, but the slow heartbeat was surprisingly steady and Schanke had indeed left a few minutes earlier. "Fine. It will give me the chance to ask you some questions." "This isn't a game, Detective. You might play with the humans, but I play with no one." Andreas turned and headed for the exit. Nick followed until they had walked several blocks. Once the other turned around, he stopped and watched the man he had seen the previous night come out of a shadow with Schanke. "Detectives," Andreas began. "As a sort of introduction, my name is Andreas. You've already met Sterling, I believe." He glanced back at his friend, still holding Schanke, who was now gagged. "Remove the gag. I think we can be assured he'll remain silent considering his partner." Sterling untied the gag with one hand, and although he loosened his hold of the human, he still held one arm captive. "You made a mistake last night." "Yeah, well so did you and I know what you are, so stuff it," Schanke threw back, voice dry. "Schank--" "Why not let him speak?" Andreas grinned snidely at the creature before him. "He knows more than just what we are. He knows what you are as well." Nick turned to Schanke, only to find confusion. Now he at least knew what Schanke remembered. He had succeeded in getting Schanke to forget. "What do you mean? Nick's--" "A vampire. And not like myself. He could easily kill all of us. That's what his kind are. Killers. His kind feed off human blood, off humans *for* their blood. They kill your kind without a care, Detective Schanke." Sterling pulled the human back against him, whispering, "You've seen him. Gold, burning eyes, sharp, practical fangs built for feeding, existing to do more than frighten, as ours do." Schanke's mouth hinged open, and then slowly closed. He did remember seeing his partner, vaguely. And he also remembered being told that he had supposedly seen nothing. Yeah, right, but he had believed it. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything. Nick was his partner, and right now he was bait. "I don't kill for blood," Nick stated, hoping to reassure Schanke for the moment. "So he says. Point being, Detective," Andreas smiled again, "that you're our safety net. If he tries to hurt either myself or Sterling, we will hurt you." He turned back to Nick. "Got that?" "What I don't get is why you want to talk to me." "Because Luka is our business, not yours. He is not of your kind and you have no reason to help him. We want Luka back." "So you can kill him?" "Perhaps. What we do with him is for us to decide. Give him to us and we'll each forget we've met the other. We'll just be myths again." Schanke's brow wrinkled. "Myths? Now wait a minute...." Andreas diverted his attention back to the human. Perhaps the gag should have been left. "Vampires, Detective. I'm a vampire and your partner is a vampire. Different kinds. Much different. It's been so long since our kinds have met we don't know how long it has really been. Last time my kind were nearly wiped out." "And you're going to wipe yourselves out if you keep killing those like Luka." Andreas glared at Nick. "As I have stated--you have no say in my affairs. I know what you are, and I know how to kill you. If you get in my way, I'll make sure you can't again." By now, his eyes were a bright violet. "Now, I want Luka." "I don't have him. Nor do I know where he is." "You took him last night." "And he left tonight when the sun set. He doesn't like me any more than you do." "And what do you want with him? His blood?" Nick stiffened. "Legend has it our blood is sweet to the point of being intoxicating to your kind. Is that what you want? A replenishable wine-bottle that's easier to care for than a real one? You'd eventually kill him, and by then you'd be addicted to our blood. You'd hunt us." Andreas took a step closer to Nick. "And you think I'd give you that chance? To hunt us? Not even mortals hunt us anymore. We're invisible to them." "I have no interest in hunting you." "Whatever your interests, we want Luka. And if we don't find him, we will prod into your affairs until we do." Andreas turned away, glancing at Schanke a moment, his eyes a deep rhodolite. With a faint nod to Sterling, he left, the latter pushing Schanke forward and doing the same. Schanke turned, just in time to see the two slip around a corner. Then he spun back to face his partner. "I don't get this." Nick averted his eyes momentarily, before again focusing calmly on his partner. There was no sense denying it. "As he stated, I'm a vampire." "I get that part. It's just...this is so twisted. You're a vampire- -which kind of actually makes sense--and then there's these other freaky vampires that really don't, well, seem like vampires to me. And then, one of these others is some psychopath that apparently wants his son's brother-in-law-to-be dead. I mean, he essentially wants to kill a member of his family. And I thought humans were messed up." "You're doing as well with this as I am." "So...you guys...do you do the whole getting pregnant, having the baby, watching it turn your lives upside down, or...?" "No babies, Schanke." "Then how...?" "It's one of the things these are for," Nick answered, pointing with a finger at descended fangs. "To properly come across, a human must first be drained." Schanke saw them, and then they were gone. As his partner prepared to head back to the precinct, he grabbed Nick's arm, practically forgetting his question. "Do that again." "Schank...." "I want to see what they look like. Are they like Luka's?" "No, they're not. I just have the one set." Releasing his partner's arm, Schanke caught up to Nick as he headed back toward the precinct. "So what's with the blood? I completely missed that." Realising the calm questions sounded stupid, Schanke fumbled, "I mean the part about it being intoxicating or whatever. I mean, blood is blood, right?" Nick stopped, letting out a breath. "Schanke, I don't know anymore than what you do. I didn't even know Luka's kind existed until two nights ago. And as for the blood...it's not that simple." "How isn't it simple?" "Schank, look, it's not something that can be explained simply. And we need to get back before Cohen starts wondering what happened to us." Schanke didn't get the chance to reply. Nick had started walking again and clearly wasn't going to answer his questions. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Janette headed back into her apartments when one of the young ones said there was trouble. Entering, she found Miklos pinning the boy to the ground. "Release him, Miklos!" "He was trying to leave, and then he attacked me!" "Because he doesn't want to be here. Now, release him." Reluctantly, Miklos did so, backing out of the way as the other slowly stood. "Leave us, Miklos." Once they were alone, Janette glanced to the couch. "Sit." The other didn't obey, at which her eyes glowed softly. "Sit and tell me your name." Luka swallowed and did as told, sitting on the edge of the cushion. "Luka. What do you plan to do with me?" "Keep you here for now. LaCroix will not be pleased with either of us if you leave." Silently, Janette walked over to the bottle she had set out earlier that night, poured a glass, and took it to Luka, who stared back at her. "Take it. I'm sure you need it." "So you can drain me again?" "No. I tasted your blood. I see why LaCroix hasn't killed you." "Then you're offering this to help him." "I am not helping him. I would like to know how Nicolas came across you." "You know him." "Yes. We are both LaCroix' children. Be thankful it was Nicolas that found you." Luka cautiously took the wine glass. "Why don't you just ask him what happened, then?" "I'd rather listen to your version first. Besides, Nicolas is at work pretending to be one of his precious mortals...." She gave Luka a pleasant smile. "Now, drink and tell me why Nicolas is so interested in you." "First tell me about him. Then, maybe, I'll tell you about me." Janette smiled. "Very well." Temptation - (09/13) Lilly took soft steps down the hall, past one of Andreas' house guards. Certain rooms were blocked off, and when she continued the man ignored her. She walked until she reached Adalia's room. The door stood slightly ajar, and she approached and pushed it out of the way. Inside, Andreas pulled the comforter over the prone form under the covers. Lilly's eyes burned platinum and she ran forward, pulling the man's arms away. But by then he was finished, and her small body did nothing against his older, stronger, and larger form. Soon, he had her pulled against him, one hand painfully gripping the side of her neck. "Come, Child. I will take you to my wife. She will comfort and care for you." "Let go of me!" she hissed, attempting to break free but only being held tighter. "You killed her. I know you did." "She was old. She would have died soon, Lillian. You know that." Lilly screamed and tried to scratch Andreas, but nothing she did even budged his grip. Soon, she found Morgan's chilly grip pulling her away, a smile on his lips as he led her head to his shoulder. She continued to fight, and first slapped, then scratched Morgan across the face with her nails. When he tried to grab her again, she sliced the other cheek, eyes violet with rage. Morgan, too, was growing angry, and when she spun and ran down the hall toward her room, he attempted to follow, only to be held back by his father. "Leave her, Morgan. She will eventually accept what happened. It is better to leave her be than fight her. You will learn this in time." Morgan calmed quickly and shrugged away from his father's hold. He wanted her, but he wanted her without his father's rules and methods. The women of Lillian's family were supposed to be intelligent and outspoken. However, he liked those qualities, even if his father didn't. His mother was stupid and did nothing but follow his father's orders. She was weak. He wanted Lillian to be his, but of her will, not his father's. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Shortly past sunrise, Nick pulled the elevator door aside to let Janette out. "The sun is up What's urgent enough for you to come here like this?" She pulled back her hood. "A young vampire named Luka." He stiffened. If Janette knew about Luka...LaCroix must have found him. "Why your interest?" "Does it matter? Luka has kept things from LaCroix he shouldn't have. For one, the location of his people." "And how did you know this?" "We spoke. He calmed somewhat when I explained your obsession with the mortals. LaCroix left him at the Raven. Miklos is watching him right now." "Why are you interested, Janette?" "He's a stray. Perhaps not one of us, but a stray. You know I'm fond of them. His blood is quite interesting, too. Much like alcohol is to the mortals." Janette made an innocent expression when Nick prepared to comment. "I did not harm him. LaCroix made me curious, so I had a taste." "And you're here because...?" "His sister." "I still don't understand why." "She is being forced into her marriage by a father-in-law that wants nothing but her title and the power it will lend to him. She is nothing to him. It is something I can understand. I say we take the girl from them." The buzzer interrupted Nick, who was prepared to reply. He walked over to the security screen, clicked it with more force than was necessary, and found Schanke staring at him. "Let me up, Nick. I think it's time for a little chat. And Myra knows I'm not going to be home for at least several more hours, so don't even say it." With a sigh, Nick let Schanke up, the elevator sluggishly descending and returning with its cargo. Again, he pulled open the door, watching as Schanke's eyes locked solidly onto Janette. "Good morning, Detective." "Uh, Nick...is...is she...uh..." Schanke stuttered. If Nick was a vampire, then Janette one as well? Nick glanced back at Janette, who just smiled amusedly back. "Yes, she's like me. Now come in." Schanke exited, unintentionally giving Janette a wide berth. "I wanted to talk to you about, you know...well, of course you know, you just stated it." "Talk on the way." Janette stepped forward, eyes glistening. "Detective, you can drive us." Jaw dropped, Nick watched Janette fly up to the second level. "You can't be serious!" He walked until he could see into his room where she had vanished. "Janette, it's after dawn and--" "And they won't be expecting anyone, especially us," she said, appearing in the doorway with a cloak that looked like it had seen better days draped over her arms. "We will go, Nicolas." "Why is this so important, Janette?" "Because I once wondered what it would be like if another stood up for me before LaCroix found me, what would have happened if I had help before I was discarded like garbage by my husband." She came down the stairs and completely ignored Schanke as she walked up to Nick. "LaCroix was the only one that tried to help me. No matter his actions, I can never hate him because of his...generosity, such as it was. However, he will eventually kill Luka, at which his sister will have no one to help her." "Janette, this is...." "The girl will become a woman with no will of her own. She will be property, Nicolas. Would you wish something like this on your sister? Oh, wait, you already sealed her fate eight hundred years ago, choosing her future." Nick set his jaw. Janette never mentioned Fleur. She knew full well it hurt him to think about her, to remember. "H-how old are you, Nick?" Schanke stuttered, coming out of a slight state of shock and sensing the tension. "Roughly eight hundred." Nick pulled the thick pile of wool from Janette roughly. "Fine. We will go, but I hope you have a plan for what to do with her." Janette again feigned innocence, although it didn't work well. She had gone too far with her comment earlier. Nick grabbed her arm, leading them both to Schanke. "Tell him where we're going, and we'll go." Nick draped the wool around the cloak already on Janette's shoulders, hearing a protest. "Neither myself nor Schanke know their location. As Luka told you, you will guide Schanke. You will give directions to Schanke and I will ride in the trunk." Without a word, Nick went to the stairwell and started down on his own. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. After driving half an hour north of Toronto and parking along an oddly normal-looking street, Janette helped Nick out of the trunk, helping him put the extra cloak around him. "You two look rather..." but Schanke couldn't finish his thought once Nick turned an icy gaze on him. "Stay here, Schanke. We might need to leave quickly." Nick turned away without a response, and started off toward the house Janette indicated was their target, not waiting for her. Janette quickly caught up, grabbing Nick's arm as they passed a large tree in the yard. She forced him to turn around and look at him. With her free hand, she touched his cheek next to his angry eyes. "I'm sorry, Nicolas. I should not have mentioned Fleur. She had a good life and that was because of you. I only wish I had a brother that had cared so much for me, for my life and my lasting happiness, and not just my happiness for a moment." "Please don't mention her again." Nick pulled away with a jerk, heading to the back door of the large tan house. He had the door open by the time Janette arrived, and he slipped into the dark kitchen. The room appeared largely unused, much like his own. He continued through to a door on the far side of the room, looked around the corner, and saw nothing. "Upstairs, Nicolas. The child's room is up there," she said, nodding to the curving staircase to the right of the kitchen. They both lowered their hoods and started up the steps. About halfway up, she stopped and held Nick back with her arm. "One of them is awake." Nick nodded and continued upwards, streaking almost invisibly forward at sight of a man apparently guarding a door. The man was not human, and aware expediency was of utmost importance, Nick bit into the man's neck, taking the sweet juice and the answers it held. The man, stunned, made no noise. Drawing back, Nick closed his eyes, feeling the raw feelings the blood excited in him. Janette quickly broke the vampire's neck and laid him silently on the ground. Standing back up, she watched conflicting thoughts flitter across Nick's face. The blood, which to her was sweet and tempting, was pushing him to the edge. "Nicolas, the girl. Focus on our task. Forget about him." His breathing deep, Nick looked to the man, whose body was already attempting to heal, its heart slowly beginning to flutter. But it only intensified his thoughts. He wanted more. Janette placed her hands on either side of Nick's face, forcing his eyes to meet hers. "It's the blood, isn't it? Fight it and forget it. Now, where is she? What room?" "Second door on the right." Janette proceeded to the door, then looked back to find that Nick hadn't moved or even turned her way. "Nicolas, hurry before the whole house is awake!" "I think your warning is a little late, my dear," Andreas stated, now standing behind Janette, one hand pushing a cross from a rosary against her neck. Nick, now enraged through his sister's pain, flew forward, pushing Andreas easily away, pinning him to the wall as he yelled for help. "Get the girl, Janette." Somewhat stunned, she hesitated, only entering the room when he said her name again. As she crossed the room, she worried this had been a mistake. The girl was awake and hissed at her as she approached. Awed at the girl, no more than thirteen or fourteen by appearances, she cautiously came to the edge of the bed, explaining, "I'm a friend of your brother, Luka. Come with me, now, and we'll leave this place." "I-I can't go outside." Janette looked around the room, seeing a long jacket draped over a chair. She grabbed it and the pair of boots next to the chair, and then urged the girl out of bed, wrapping the coat around her shoulders. As the girl put on her shoes, she stated, "We must go now." Arms holding the girl by the shoulders, Janette led them to the door, where she had to restrain the girl from running off. In the hall, both the one that attacked her and another, this one merely a child to her, lay on the ground, and Nick stood there, blood-red eyes and blood-stained fangs glaring down on them. When Nick hissed at her, Lillian returned the action, shrinking back under the other woman's comforting arm. "Nicolas, come. We must get out of here!" She pulled Lillian along, and they headed back the way they came, down the stairs, and through the kitchen. By the time they reached the back door, she could hear others following, and putting the coat over the girl's head and her hood up as they went outside, she saw Nick drain another of them. She kept going, feeling snips of sunlight prick her, hoping Nick was close behind her, but afraid of just that, considering Lillian. The blood he wanted flowed in the girl's veins as well, so close to them both. When she reached the car, she watched from under her hood as Schanke prepared to get out. "Don't! We're leaving as soon as Nick--" She stopped as he flew up next to her, his golden eyes glowing from the shadow covering his face. "Nicolas, get in. There is enough room in the trunk for both myself and Lillian." "Come on, Nick," Schanke urged, his adrenaline running from Janette's statement and then his partner's sudden arrival. "Nick, you must calm yourself. Focus on something." She turned upon hearing others approaching. "We have to go, Nicolas. I'm sorry for doing this, I didn't know this would happen, but we have to go now." She helped Lillian into the dark safety of the trunk, only getting in herself when Nick turned and pulled the passenger door open. She closed her eyes, hearing the door shut, hoping he would be okay when the arrived back at the loft. Once they were on the road, driving back toward the inner parts of the city, Schanke kept glancing toward the still, black-wool lump in the other seat. Something told him to keep quiet, although he wasn't sure it was Nick's silence, or the hints of anger, frustration, or whatever it was that he had seen. Temptation - (10/13) Schanke paced in front of Nick's coffee table. Janette had practically shoved Nick into his bedroom and shut the door behind them. It had been several minutes, but she still hadn't come back out. Something was up, and considering Nick's silence all the way back here, it couldn't be good. "Could you please stop? Please?" He turned toward the girl sitting on the couch as he stopped walking. There the girl, Lillian, sat, legs pulled up against her, chin-length dark brown hair--the same colour as Luka's--framing her frightened features. She reminded him vaguely of his own daughter. But this girl was, for one, not human, and secondly, older than she looked, although he honestly wasn't sure how much older. "Where's Luka?" "Janette said he was on his way here." "How do I know you're not lying?" "You don't, I guess." She looked away, glancing up toward the second floor before again looking at Schanke. "I heard Morgan and his father talking about him. About what he is." "About Nick?" She nodded. "They said he's a vampire, one of the ancient ones. Their kind are older than ours. Compared to them, my kind are like mortals. It's why we don't run into one another often. We don't notice one another." She looked away again. Being around a mortal like this was new to her. Sure, she had occasionally mixed with them on the streets, but she had never held a conversation with one. "You're human, but you're not that much different than my kind, really." "Is that a good thing or bad thing?" Lillian shrugged. "Both. Neither." She shook her head, then frowned. "I guess what I mean is we are nearly mortal. Perhaps long- lived, but we can die of other things, too. If we have to recover from several severe injuries in a short span of time, eventually we won't recover." She swallowed, suppressing the almost uncontrollable urge to tremble with her fear. "Your friend and his kind...they aren't like us. They are monsters. They're not mortal, or even remotely similar to humans." Schanke stiffened at that. Every time that was mentioned, he felt uncomfortable. "Nick's pretty nice, really. A bit odd, but nice." "You didn't see him." Eyes silver for a second, they calmed, fading over the span of several seconds. "He has the capability of killing us for his own pleasure. He likes the taste of my people's blood. I saw it. He'll want more." The elevator started up, a nervous Luka and a disgruntled Miklos stepping out under the gazes of the other two. Seeing Luka, Lillian brightened and, getting off the couch and running over to him, she embraced him. "You did come." "Of course. These vampires aren't too bad...except the one named LaCroix. He is dangerous, but the others are not our enemy." Still gripping him tightly, she stood on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear, "And the one named Nicolas. He is dangerous as well." Luka showed his surprise in the comment as his sister pulled away from him. "Nick hasn't done anything to harm me, and neither has he drained me or even tried to taste my blood. He has only tried to help." "Perhaps, but now our blood is driving him mad." "Impossible," he stated, shaking his head. "Our blood intoxicates, not maddens. LaCroix is mad, but I think he already was before he ever saw me, ever drained me. Our blood is tempting, but not maddening." "It is to Nicolas. He frightens me, Luka." Miklos shifted, pulling a bottle of blood out from under his coat. Holding it out to the Schanke, he stated, "Give this to Janette, I am returning to the Raven." "No, Miklos, not yet," Janette said from the railing outside Nick's room. "Bring the bottle here, Miklos." She watched him pull the bottle back, closer to him, and start toward her, walking past Luka and Lillian. At that, her eyes stopped on the two children. "Wait." She considered the situation, quickly changing her mind. "Give the bottle to Detective Schanke and watch over them. Detective, bring the blood up here." Confused, Schanke's mouth hung open as Janette disappeared into Nick's room. When the bottle was handed to him, he snapped his attention away and took it. But, he didn't move, instead staring nervously at it, at the label adorning it's shiny surface. "Detective, I would do as told." "Yeah, yeah," he said softly, becoming somewhat more alert. He just wished he knew what was going on. And yet, he hesitated because that was exactly what he would be discovering when he went upstairs. Sluggishly, he approached and ascended the stairs. Once at the top, he inched along the wall toward the open door to Nick's room. Reaching it, he froze. Across the room against the wall was Nick, sitting on the floor, eyes closed. Janette was there, caressing his face. The touch was intimate enough that he felt out of place, but he could see that something was wrong--his partner was utterly still, and not a result of the gentle touches. Janette turned toward the mortal, demanding, "Come in and close the door. Bring the bottle to me." Nervously, Schanke pulled the door silently closed, his eyes not leaving his partner for even a second. He couldn't help but question if it were wise to have closed the door. As he started closer, Nick's eyes snapped open, glowing a hungry amber-orange, almost a red- orange. He stopped. "What happened, Janette?" "He tasted their blood at the house. One taste--just enough to get the location of Lillian's room--did this. Nicolas is very sensitive to our pleasures. And then he had more.... It was too much for him, even that first taste." She turned back to Nick, who had again closed his eyes. "Come. If he feeds, he will have greater control." Schanke didn't approach. Feeds on what? "Uncork the bottle and give it to me!" she softly hissed, snapping the mortal's attention to her. Within seconds she had the bottle in her hands, removed the cork, and guided the cool glass bottle--and its contents--to Nick's lips. Schanke watched as Nick eventually took the bottle, drinking deeply from it as Janette whispered soft and calming words to him. And, slowly, he watched his partner relax. Once Nick had finished the bottle, no one moved for several minutes until he abruptly looked to Schanke. Nick forced his eyes to return to their normal colour, then stated, "Go home, Schank." "Nick, I--" "Go home." His eyes flashed gold for a second, and he closed his eyes and willed it away. He again looked at his partner. "Go home and get some sleep. We'll talk at work." The other didn't move. "I promise, Schank. I'll explain this, and more if you want." "Tell me you'll be better tonight, first. I'll leave when I know you're going to be okay." Nick stared at his partner. Better? He felt a horrid mixture of wonderful and awful all at once, and had a feeling the feeling wouldn't be going away any time soon. He could still taste the inticing wine-like flavour from earlier; the deep, full-bodied tastes of blood he had taken. "I'll be a little better tonight," he whispered, truly not sure of the statement, something that was apparently quite evident with his partner's increased nervousness. "I'll be fine, Schanke." Schanke nodded and backed up toward the door. Turning away, he gripped the handle, but didn't turn it right away. "I'm going to hold you to that, Partner." He smiled nervously, and Nick returned it. He turned the knob and pulled the door open, only to find Luka standing, waiting. He first gave a glance to the boy, whose gaze seemed fixated on Nick, and then walked past him. Once the human was gone, Luka walked slowly into the room, practically ignoring Janette, even as she stood and looked between him and Nick. "Lillian told me what happened." "You shouldn't be up here," Janette said, approaching and standing in the boy's line of sight--and the other's too, she suspected. He spared her a glance, his eyes flashing deep purple. "I will do as I wish!" "You do not know Nicolas. In this state he could kill you." "I don't care." He started deeply up into her eyes. "Leave us." She shook her head. "Do as he asks, Janette. I will be fine for the moment." Janette spun. His golden eyes stared at her, through her. Yet he was otherwise in control. Unless Luka provoked the other in some manner, the boy would be safe. She closed her eyes, giving her brother a slight nod and leaving. Once they were alone, Luka moved ever closer. He watched the other vampire's eyes glow brighter, but he did not stop when half the room separated them. Nor when they were a mere man's length apart. He continued forward until his feet nearly met the other's form. "I want to know what their blood tasted like," he abruptly stated. "And I want to know who you drained." "Luka, please don't--" "I want to know! You drained Andreas. Lillian told me. What did he feel? What did you taste? I know from LaCroix that the blood is far more than just nourishment to your kind." The other looked away. "Please. Did he kill Adalia?" Nick closed his eyes. There was so much death in the other's blood, so much want for death he found it difficult not to lose himself in it. But focusing on the one name, he was able to quickly answer, "Yes. Andreas killed her." "And the others' involvement?" "I do not believe they are aware of the crime. They think she died naturally." Luka stopped in his preparation for a reply. "They don't know? But, how?" "Andreas is manipulating the situation to his wants. Killing you is one thing, but killing an old woman is another. The others can only suspect that he killed her, they can neither prove it nor dare speak of the possibility." Luka was stunned. "All of that is in the blood?" "Yes, it's there. And more." "Tell me more. Tell me things no one knows but them." Nick closed his eyes, concentrating on the fading memories and the emotions that made them, both fading but far stronger than any mortal's memories would be by now. The blood of these vampires was, in one word, amazing. He didn't want to do this, but the thoughts were drowning him. They were there, whether he spoke them or not. He stared toward Luka, but didn't quite meet the other's gaze. "Andreas' wife has no will of her own. Her every thought is controlled by him, and he likes it that way. Morgan has been disobedient in his father's eyes. He wants to marry your sister, but not for the same reasons his father wants." "And what does Morgan think of me?" "He thinks what his father has told him--that you killed his older sister. As do the others." "I didn't kill her." "Andreas killed her," Nick simply answered. Luka froze at the statement. "What?" Nick sighed. "Andreas killed her as a reason to go after you. That's what his blood told me. His hatred for you is tainted by greed." Luka watched as Nick took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. At least now he knew who the real killer was. But there was no way he could prove it. Not even with this vampire's help. And if no one else knew, he could see how Andreas was getting away with this so very easily. He noticed the other start to tremble slightly, take in another breath, and then calm again. "You're still being affected by their blood." "Yes." "Lillian said it was making you mad." Nick opened his eyes and forcibly focused on Luka. The boy's heartbeat drummed loudly, like deep timpani notes. He averted his gaze. "Not mad, just...hungry. Very hungry." His lips twisted unwillingly into a partial smile. "Because you're accustomed to cow's blood. And cow's blood is different, isn't it?" "I suppose you could say that." Nick looked up, any signs of his hunger vanishing, if only for a second from his eyes. Then it returned even stronger, a bright twinkle now visible amongst the amber. "I...fell off a boat into a vat of wine...and at present I'm back in the boat, but my clothes are still soaked in it...." Luka tensed at the words. They were calm, but not as steady as before. And not very serious, just like the half-smiling expression on the other's face and the beginnings of a deep chuckle. He slowly backed up, fully aware that he had pushed the other too far. He had made Nicholas' state worse than it already was with his questions. "I'm sorry, Nicholas." Nick's eyes remained locked on Luka until the door was shut, putting a physical barrier between them. Although not very strong and, for that matter, having the younger's heart beating just as loudly, Nick found himself just calm enough to close his eyes and shut everything out. He knew it wouldn't last, but it would help. Temptation - (11/13) As afternoon turned to evening and night fell, Nick left his room and a sleeping Janette to cautiously go downstairs. He had fed from Janette earlier, and her blood had calmed him greatly. But he was still hungry, and that was what was his sole thought as he focused his mind on the refrigerator and bottles of blood it held. In fact, he was so focused that he was halfway through a bottle before several things hit him. For one, Lillian was awake. She was sitting on the edge of the couch, looking back at him, seeming unsure if she should relax or bolt. Nick could hear her nervous heart, but only hers. Luka was gone. "Where is your brother?" "Gone." "Where?" Nick walked toward Lillian, stopping at the table behind the couch, setting down the bottle of blood, almost forgotten. "Where is he, Lillian?" Lilly turned away, so that her back was to the other. She closed her eyes when she heard him walk around the couch, not wanting to see his eyes, not wanting to answer him. "You know where he went. Tell me." "No, I can't, and I won't. Please, just--" Lilly gasped, opening her eyes as she was pulled to her feet, spun, a hand gripping her waist and another her neck, pulling it to the side. "Tell me where he is, Lillian," Nick whispered, torn between taking her blood and waiting for an answer. Her blood was so close to him and yet he couldn't take it, he didn't dare. He closed his eyes, his cheek resting close to the girl's. "Please, tell me. Tell me before- -" "Nicolas, no!" Nick looked up to the balcony and saw Janette staring down on them, surrounded by an amber haze. "Luka is gone, Janette. And she won't tell me where he went!" "Please, Nicolas. Let her go. I know you don't want to hurt her." "No, I don't want to hurt her." "You will unless you release her." Janette watched him close his eyes, but not loosen his grip. She flew down, landing just out of his reach. "You are hungry, Nicolas, I can see it. You must let go of her." Eyes still closed, Nick gradually relaxed his grip on the girl. He took in a long, slow breath as she slipped away, and then focused on Janette, now wrapping Lillian in her arms. "Luka's gone, Janette. If LaCroix finds him...." "Luka went to destroy the House of Andreas." The statement snapped Nick's attention somewhat from his hunger. "The House of Andreas?" Lilly turned around in Janette's grasp, backing up against Janette. Only when she felt the vampiress' hands on her shoulders did she answer, "He is the eldest male in the family. The-the family is his, and is identified by his name. Luka is going to destroy his family and take that away. He's going to kill Andreas for what he's done." Nick turned away, and then abruptly grabbed the bottle of blood from its position by the phone and took a long drink from it. Luka was going to walk right up to those trying to kill him and try to do the same to them. Luka--essentially a child--up against at least two men and all those in the house loyal to Andreas. "What are you thinking, Nicolas?" He turned to Janette, who had moved closer, leaving Lillian to back further away. His attention settled on the girl, who froze as his gaze settled on her. "When did he leave? When?" "Not long. H-half an hour, maybe." "How is he getting there?" "I-I don't know. He said he didn't know, just that he wanted to get started before the sun set. I don't think he would have gotten far...we're not good at travelling during the day. Sunlight can do permanent damage to us." Janette took a step closer to Nick, watching his thinking expression form again. "You're going to go after him." Nick picked up his jacket, put it on, and turned back to Janette. "I'm going to find him, hopefully before something happens. Stay here with Lillian and keep her safe from LaCroix. And perhaps call Schanke and tell him I might be late--his number's in the book by the phone." "Nicolas, you're...." she started, but trailed off at the slight crazed look to his eyes. "Nick...." "I'm what?" he snapped, eyes gleaming gold for a second. "Hungry? Of course I am. But I'm also in control." "Be careful, please," she told him, watching him fly to the stairwell and vanish behind the door without a response. "He's not in control," Lilly whispered. Janette turned, wishing she could tell the girl she was wrong, but she settled for giving her a silent nod. "No, he's not, but he won't kill Luka. I am certain of that." However, when Janette turned away she worried that she was wrong, that he could do harm. If he took more blood of these frailer vampires, she feared it would do irreparable damage and she would lose him. It was a possibility, and she couldn't help but consider it. "Don't worry, my daughter...you know Nicholas. You know his state of mind. Everything will go fine, I'm sure." Janette spun to find LaCroix smiling at her. "LaCroix...." He stepped closer, his eyes straying toward Lillian. "Another." "Get out." LaCroix turned sharply to face his daughter, eyebrow raised, his smile gone. "I may do as I wish, and I have no wish to leave." He returned his gaze to the girl, stepping closer to her, but keeping his distance. He circled her, glancing to Janette as she came into view. "This one is so very...interesting, isn't she?" he said when Lillian hissed at him, baring her fangs as she backed up into Janette. He forced a smile, almost laughing as Janette held the girl protectively in front of her, as if she could protect her. "Don't worry, I have no intention of harming her." "Then why are you here?" "I wish to visit our Nicholas." "Come back later." "And...why should I do that? Nicholas will return, I'm sure." He walked away from the two, smiling to himself. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Nick slipped in the back door of the house he and Janette had been in only that morning, finding it oddly quiet. He could hear very few heartbeats in the vicinity, and worse, the scent of blood was growing stronger as he headed up the stairs. His vision turned amber, and he closed his eyes, trying to focus on anything but the blood, anything but the remaining heartbeats luring him toward an edge he would rather not cross. And then, not far from the top of the stairs he found the one named Sterling, face down, a broken off stick thrust through his back and into his heart, which no longer beat. He was dead. The heartbeats were closer, much closer. He continued to the only open door, and glanced in. Just past the entrance was another body-- this time it was Andreas, and he had clearly put up a fight. He wanted to taste the blood strewn over the floor and the prone form, and even though he wanted to know how this happened, he couldn't look away, nor did he until he heard a muttered 'please' from nearby. Luka had a boy his age, undoubtedly Andreas' son, Morgan, pinned to the wall, a broken off chunk of furniture pressed into his chest, drawing blood with the point. "Luka, don't." "Why not?" Nick froze as Luka turned to him, angry, violet eyes burning with rage. "He's Andreas' son. And I'm rather enjoying this." "And from what I tasted in his blood he is not an enemy to you. Let him go, Luka. I can see that you disliked Andreas' methods, so ask yourself what you're doing." "I know what I'm doing." "Then stop!" Morgan yelled, turning Luka's attention back to him. "My father is dead, as is his only truly faithful friend. Spare me, please...I don't want to die like them, like my sister." "I did not kill her!" Luka said, pushing harder with the make-shift stake, the sharp wood digging deeper. "You did! I know what you did to her!" "I didn't kill anyone before now! I didn't. But I can't live like this; live constantly running in order to survive. And I won't." Luka pulled the wood away, preparing to bury it deep in the other. He struck, only for his arm to be halted as it started for its target. He turned, and glared at Nick, snarling, only to be pushed away from Morgan and shoved to the floor. He stared up, surprised to find Nick now pinning Morgan to the wall in much the same position. Nick stared into the younger's eyes, frightened and somewhat adamant. "He didn't kill your sister." "M-my father told me what happened, showed me what happened to her." "Do you know what I am? What the differences between our kinds are?" "Very little. Only...only what I've heard. That your kind will do anything for our blood." "Your blood is very tempting...but it also contains information. And among that information is the killer of your sister. It was your father. He did this to create hatred in you. He wanted you and everyone else to hate Luka." "Why should I believe you?" "Because we're going to leave you here. Alive." Nick released Morgan and stepped back, watching the boy back along the wall away from himself and Luka. "Why?" Morgan asked, continuing away, passing the doorway. "Get out. Get out of this house, out of *my* house!" he yelled, eyes silver. Luka hissed at the other and would have done more if it weren't for Nick stopping him, holding him back. "Morgan, Luka is staying with me at 101 Gateway Lane. I'm sure you will wish to talk to him." "Get out." Nick nodded and made to leave, but Luka didn't move. "Come on, Luka. Lillian is probably waiting for us." He didn't get a response, but Luka allowed himself to be lead from the room and the house. Once outside, Luka stopped and turned to face the other vampire. "You...you seem to be doing a bit better." "Somewhat." "Because of what I did?" "The taste of death is...not to my liking." "Is that why you stopped me from killing Morgan?" Luka asked, suspiciously. "No." Nick shook his head. "No, I stopped you from killing him because I don't believe you truly wanted to kill him. This will give you the opportunity to mend whatever is wrong between your families and help your people, if that's what you want." "I didn't particularly want to kill them. I didn't...like doing it. But I didn't have much choice." Abruptly, Luka's eyes widened. "Nicholas...Lillian." "She's still at my place, with Janette. She's safe." "I wish to return to her now. You can...fly us back? That's how you got here, isn't it? I didn't like it much when LaCroix...but it'd be fastest." Nick nodded. "We'll return." Luka closed his eyes, waiting. Soon, his stomach did a flip as Nick grabbed hold of him and his feet left the ground. Temptation - (12/13) "Well, well...Nicholas...." Nick slowed as he stepped out of the elevator, and glanced back to make sure Luka remained behind him. "What do you want?" "Just to visit. See how you are...doing." "Get out," Nick hissed, his eyes glowing a deep gold. LaCroix smiled at the reaction. "You've tasted their blood, Nicholas. And you like it. I can see it. I can feel it." Nick stiffened, his eyes locked solidly on LaCroix. "You want more, Nicholas. And there's more available to take, more so very close. You can take, and then take again." Nick closed his eyes as LaCroix stepped close to him. "Yes...you do want it, don't you? Yes...." He inched ever closer, walking around his son. Gently, he placed his hands lightly on the other's shoulders and gradually spun his son, whispering yet more temptation to the other. He stopped once Luka was in front of him, still standing behind Nick, and now guided the other forward, starting again, telling his son, "Have another taste...a long, deep drink of the pure nectar standing before you. Just thing what you're missing. Now, Nicholas! Take what you want! Now!" he said, pushing his son forward. Nick's eyes snapped open, everything before him bathed in red. Luka stood there, Janette approaching out of his peripheral vision, keeping Lillian behind her. His focus began to stray to them, something he couldn't allow. "No, Janette! Stay back. Please, Janette." LaCroix, too, eyed Janette, smiling when she stepped back, away from the situation. "Good girl, Janette," he whispered before again stepping up behind his son. The elevator clicked on, catching both of their attention. "Ignore it, Nicholas," he quickly said, hoping to distract the other just enough...and it worked. "Take the blood, Nicholas. Take it." Nick closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head from side to side. "No." "No?" As the elevator door slid open and Schanke walked out, and five pairs of eyes turned to look at him. "Uh...." "Schanke, leave now," Nick said, his eyes gleaming a blood red, his voice nearly normal. "Stay..." LaCroix countered, his tune silky and inviting. "Please stay." He smiled and turned back to his son. Even as Nicholas turned toward the mortal, LaCroix moved, placing himself between his son and Luka. Extending a hand, he turned his son's face toward the boy. "This is what you want," he said, again whispering. "The blood. The pure flavour that resides in his veins. It is the most satisfying nectar you have and, for that matter, will ever taste. Take it, Nicholas." Schanke just stared at the scene, stunned. The man he didn't immediately recognise, he knew by voice. It was the guy Nick listened to on the radio, and the two obviously knew each other well, especially considering he had never seen anyone get away with physically manipulating him this way, except perhaps Janette. And Janette was...nervous. "Nick, you're not going to, er...." Nick tried to turn to his partner, prepared to answer, but LaCroix prevented his head from turning, gripping him just under the ear. "I can see it, Nicholas. You want more of that precious nectar you tasted." He smiled as the eyes that met his glimmered with hunger. "And you can have it, Nicholas. You can have it now." LaCroix released his grip and walked smoothly over to Luka, who tried to back away even as he grabbed the boy's arm. In seconds, he was standing behind Luka, the younger now restrained to the point that Luka could barely struggle. Watching LaCroix move closer to Luka's neck, Nick started to slowly shake his head, his eyes fading to a bright, but far less insistent amber. "No, LaCroix. I will not. Get out." "Now, Nicho--" "Get out!" At the flashed fangs and anger, LaCroix lost his somewhat playful attitude. If his son would not take the boy's blood, he would not let it go to waste. Meeting his son's bright glare, he then bit into the boy's neck, taking freely what the other refused. Schanke's mouth dropped open, not when LaCroix bit Luka, but when Nick flew at LaCroix, pulling the older man off with relative ease. Granted, LaCroix wasn't very happy and Luka was now on his hands and knees, barely supporting himself, but to see his partner like this.... He shivered as he caught Nick's snarl at LaCroix as his partner practically threw LaCroix away from him and the others. LaCroix quickly gained his balance and glared back at his son. The younger moved between himself and Luka, ready to attack him again at the slightest provocation. "Foolish, foolish, Nicholas..." he hissed, and then flew straight up and through the skylight with a crash, glass sprinkling over those below. "Geez...who was that, Nick?" Nick glared back, eyes still shining gold. "You know him, and you know him well," Schanke stated, trying not to look directly into his partner's eyes. "Why are you here, Schanke?" "I...I came to see how you were doing." Schanke fidgeted as Nick stepped closer to him. "And, uh...well, how are you doing?" "My home is covered in glass," he hissed. "Lots of little slivers of glass." "I mean with the...you know...why you're so, well, touchy." Schanke took a step back as his partner's eyes flashed blood red. "N-not that you're touchy, you're just a bit...uh...." Nick stopped his advance, bowing his head and closing his eyes. "Detective, I think it might be better for you to leave," Janette told Schanke. "Nicolas is...." "I am fine, Janette!" Nick said, turning to his sister. Then, realising his response was less than satisfactory to either Janette or Schanke, he took a deep breath and added, "I just need more time." "You do know you're late for work, right? That's...uh, another reason I came. Janette called, and...I was a bit concerned something might be wrong." Nick again closed his eyes, nodding. "Yeah, I know. I know. Look, I'll--" He stopped, his attention snapping toward the elevator as it again snapped on. "Schanke...." "The alarm was off when I got here. I didn't turn it on." Nick suppressed his annoyance that yet another person was invading his home. He walked over to the elevator, pulling the door open as soon as the freight arrived. Inside stood a very frightened Morgan. "You said Luka was here. I wish to speak with him." Nick nodded, calming somewhat. "He's inside," he said, gesturing to Luka. "Take care of the glass." He kept the door open, turning to his partner. "Schanke, I think you should go." "But Nick--" "Please. I need to stay here and try to get some of this cleaned up. I'll be at work later. Tell Cohen about the skylight if you need to. We'll talk later, I promise." "Including about who this LaCroix really is and who just came in? Everything?" "We'll talk, I promise. Now go, Schanke." Schanke hesitated, but stepped inside the elevator. Seeing the other about to protest, Nick told Schanke, "I'll see you later tonight," and let the door slide shut. He turned back to the others, where Luka and Morgan were standing, staring silently at one another. At least they weren't trying to kill one another. He approached, causing Morgan to momentarily turn to him. "I wish to continue some of what my father started," Morgan said upon again facing Luka. "Nicholas said something about wishing to join our families, continue the work of your father. I would like to marry your sister and join your family. I wish to help you." "Why should I believe you truly wish to work with me, and not against me?" "Because I am not my father. And because I...." "What will you do to prove you would not betray me?" "I-I will pledge my life to you." Luka turned away, this not being what he expected. "You may do whatever you want with me. You may kill me, if that is what you wish. But I will also help you, if you allow me." "I accept your offer," Luka stated, bowing his head slightly. Nick was stunned at the apparent lack of hostility. "Luka, how can you--" Luka spun toward Nick, eyes silver. "Among my kind, to pledge one's life is a binding contract. If Morgan disobeys me or betrays me, he will be hunted down and killed, either by myself or another." "My father's friend, Sterling, had given his life to my father. He died for it, as he had pledged to. As Luka has stated, my choice is not a light one." Morgan turned away from Luka. "I will return to my father's house. Meet me there in an hour, and I will leave with you." Luka fumed at the suggestion and its commanding tone. He bent over and picked up a piece of glass, the sharp edge slicing into his hand. He then stood and turned only to find Morgan walking hurriedly toward the elevator. He broke into a run, grabbing Morgan around the neck, pulling his head back, and slicing the bloody edge of the glass across the other's cheek. He released Morgan and let the glass fall to the ground and shatter. "You are now mine, Morgan," he said as the other turned to face him. He held up his hand to reveal his own blood having been drawn. "We will leave now, and we will leave together," he hissed, fangs visible, eyes violet. Morgan touched his cheek, running his fingers along the length of the wound, his hand trembling as he did so. "I am sorry, Luka." "We will leave *together*." Luka glanced over at his sister and Janette. "Lilly, come here. We will go now." Lillian didn't go to her brother, but instead looked up at Janette. "If we leave, will LaCroix follow us?" Janette turned from the girl in front of her to the others. "If you leave the city, and leave it now, I do not believe he will follow. But you must leave immediately." Luka nodded. "Then we will. Now come, Lilly." He held out his arm, and hesitantly, she approached and stood next to him, allowing him to put his arm around her. Luka then focused on Nick, his expression softening. "You must not follow. And you must not search for us." Morgan stepped toward Luka, somewhat roughly pulling the other to him, and whispering, "Are you sure you can trust them, Luka?" "Yes, I'm sure. These two will not hunt us. We must do as Janette says and leave." He pulled Lillian with him toward the elevator. He pulled the door open, entered, and once his sister was inside, he called to Morgan, "You must come with us. You have made your choice." He continued to hold the door for the other, and once Morgan was inside, he let it shut. Nick closed his eyes. Still, his hunger didn't settle, even with them gone. But they were, indeed, gone. Janette flew over to where Nick stood and took a remaining couple of steps until she stood behind him. Resting a hand on his shoulder, she told him, "It will be fine, Nicolas. They will be safe." "You don't really care." "Not the way you do, but I do care for Lilly. She has her brother and a life to make her own choices." Janette moved her hand, reaching around to unbutton the collar of the other's shirt, at which she then pulled his collar down enough to brush her fingers against his neck. "And I have you back as well." "Back?" Nick tensed and pulled away from her touch. "You're just like LaCroix." "You know I didn't mean it that way...." "Do I? Janette, sometimes I really don't know. I thought you accepted my choices. But the hunger and the thoughts that came with the blood, I don't like what it's doing to me." "I know, Nicolas. I know." She forced a smile. "Nicolas...you will need to do something about your partner." "I'll make sure he remembers nothing." "It may be difficult if you've already tried to make him forget." "He'll forget." Janette again let her fingers linger on his cheek. "Please leave, Janette." She stiffened, but did as asked, angry that he would brush her off like this. Temptation - (13/13) "Okay, I got another question for you, Nick." Nick looked up from the form he was trying to fill out. Schanke hadn't stopped asking him odd things since he had wiped the other's memory. Not that it had been simple, as it hadn't. He had tried giving the other alternate memories, but the more memories he implanted, the more questions the other had. Half-way through their shift, he had resorted to simply removing the memories, and not bothering to fill them in. It had worked better, but he wasn't sure he'd say it worked well. "Who was the dark-haired girl? And that other kid?" "What?" Nick suppressed the urge to say more, to find out what else he knew, what else he remembered. Of everything, this was, so far, the biggest problem among all the differences in Schanke's memory. Schanke shouldn't even remember Lilly or Morgan. "You know, that one girl. Her hair was the same colour as Luka's, cut in a bob. And there was another kid. He was about Luka's age. Who are they? I remember seeing them, but I don't remember who they are." "There wasn't any girl. And Luka was alone, remember?" "No, I mean, yes, but I also remember other bits." "There isn't anything else." "Okay, then, tell me what I was looking for again?" "You didn't say." "Oh." Schanke sifted through the sheets of paper on his desk. "Because I can't remember that. Funny. I remember all this other junk, but I can't remember what I've done at work the last several days. Other than some of the night we had Luka with us...and I think I'm rambling again." "A bit." Schanke abruptly stood up. "I'm going home. I have this odd feeling I haven't spent enough time there recently. Myra called earlier before you got here." "What?" Again, he was taken back--Schanke hadn't mentioned anything to him about Myra having called when he asked about what happened before he got there. "Myra called?" "Yeah, asked if I was going to be home all day today. Tomorrow. Whatever. I think I need to get some rest. Maybe things will make sense then. See you tomorrow, partner." Nick winced once Schanke had left. But at least Schanke didn't say anything about vampires, fangs, or blood. That was a plus...a very big plus over his previous attempt. Nor was Schanke still mentioning Janette, or worse, LaCroix. Even the shattered skylight remained a silent topic. And yet, the silence on these made him wonder what thoughts were wandering around in his partner's thoughts that weren't being voiced. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. Nick returned home to find Natalie moving stuff around in his kitchen. "Nat?" She turned, shaking a bag of coffee in front of her. "How many times have I told you not to put the coffee under the sink?" Natalie walked over to the garbage and threw the bag in the garbage. "I find it under there again and I just might make you drink some of it." "What are you doing here? I'm sure you have better things to do than look under my sink." Natalie tensed at the somewhat rough tone. Nick was, obviously, still not himself. "Schanke called the morgue earlier. He mentioned what happened. Including that," she said, looking up at the still open skylight. "I'm somewhat surprised you don't have it covered or anything." "I have someone coming to fix it today. No point in covering it up." "Quick service. Wish I could get stuff done like that." She waited for him to continue, but he didn't seem too thrilled to have her there. "So, where's Luka?" "Gone. They left before I went in to work." "And Schanke?" "Dealt with. I think." "You think?" "I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember anything about vampires." "He told me some crazy stuff, Nick. About your and Janette's little rescue mission, and LaCroix' visit here last night." "Is that all?" "No. He told me that you apparently took the blood of some of these other vampires. He told me it was impairing your thoughts and decisions. Is that true?" "Yes. Their blood is...somewhat intoxicating. The effects are leaving." "Are they? Really?" "Yes." Natalie set her jaw and walked over to the refrigerator, opening it and pulling out a full bottle. "Then what is this?" She held the bottle out, the label facing toward Nick. She knew the bottles of cow's blood didn't have labels on it. "Human blood, Nick. I'm sure of it. Why, Nick?" Nick looked away. He had asked Janette to bring him several bottles over. No one was supposed to know but Janette, not LaCroix and certainly not Natalie. "Nick, I know these weren't here before." "Natalie...." "I can't believe their blood did this. You don't need human blood and you know it." "I need it, Natalie!" She took an involuntary step back, somewhat surprised by the abrupt anger, the abrupt change in Nick. Even Nick's golden eyes paled in comparison to the anger in his voice. "I need it," he said more softly, but the tone remained somewhat sinister. "It's not a matter of choice. I either drink human blood until my control is back, or...well, you've now seen a hint of the alternative." "Nick...." "I'll be fine with a little time, Nat. And the human blood is only until I can handle keeping my...temper, I suppose you could call it." She put the bottle away and walked over to Nick. "Schanke tells me LaCroix was trying to tempt you with Luka, with his blood." "Yes." "And were you tempted?" "Yes. Very tempted. Too tempted." "And you're sure you'll be fine?" He nodded. "But I need the blood if I'm going to work." "You could maybe take some time off...?" she suggested, but he didn't answer. "It might help a little." "No. I need to make sure Schanke's forgotten about what I am and about Luka's kind." He managed a half-smile. "If I'm not back to normal in a couple of days, I promise I'll take a night off, okay?" "Schanke was really concerned, and so am I. And not just about what the blood did. There's LaCroix, too." "He can deal with the disappointment on his own. He's dealt with a lot worse." Nick shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "You should probably go. People are coming to repair the skylight around dawn, and it's not going to be all that interesting." "Are you sure?" "I'm sure." "Okay, but you'll let me know how you're doing? And about Schanke's memories? I don't want to say anything that might contradict, or...something." Natalie slowly walked over to the elevator, keeping her eyes on Nick the whole time, waiting for an answer. "Please, Nick?" He nodded. "Yeah, I'll let you know." She nodded back and left. *+.*+.*+.*+.*+. "So, Schank, how are you feeling tonight? Did the rest help?" "Yeah...yeah, I think so," Schanke answered as he approached his partner, who was just sitting down at his desk. "I had the strangest dreams though. And get this--that NightCrawler guy was in it. And Janette. It was...weird." He watched Nick spot an envelope sitting in his in-box. "That there's kind of odd, isn't it?" Nick pulled the letter closer, quickly noticing that it had an address, but no name. He flipped it over only to discover it was sealed with wax. "Did you see who left it?" "No, it was there when I got here. I...glanced at it. Not too many people seal letters with wax, you know. They got the precinct address right, though. Postmarked in Buffalo. Know anyone from there?" "No, not that I remember." Carefully, ensuring Schanke wasn't spying on the contents, Nick broke the seal and pulled out the letter, immediately glancing to the end of the letter at the signature. It was Luka's. "Who's it from?" "A friend." He smiled and quickly scanned the letter. It was essentially telling him that Luka, Lillian, and Morgan were on there way to get far from Toronto and that they were safe. Nothing more, other than a thank you for letting them leave. His eyes darted over to the bottom corner, where a stamped seal showed a raven with the shape of a lion appearing in the feathers of it's wing, wondering briefly what it meant. He turned the envelope over and looked at the wax seal. It matched the inside seal. It must be something to do with Luka's family. "So, where's Luka?" Nick nearly dropped the letter. "What?" "You know, where is he? He left, remember? You never told me where he was going." "Uh...he left with family." "On vacation, to go home, where?" Nick smiled slightly. "I suppose you could say to go home." Stuffing the letter back in the envelope, Nick quickly put it out of sight in the middle drawer of his desk. "Here's another question--what does that NightCrawler guy look like, anyway? Tall, pale guy with short, blond-white hair? Menacing, icy- gazed?" Nick's eyes widened slightly, not daring to answer, hoping Schanke wouldn't notice his recognition of the description. "Uh, I thought you had sorted that all out?" "Well, mostly. I mean, it's just a dream, but just thought I'd ask." "I don't know, Schanke." "Don't know what?" "What he looks like." "Oh. Okay. Definitely just a dream, then. Probably completely wrong." Schanke shuffled some papers. "I'm going to get some coffee and see if getting some caffeine will help. I *really* need to get more sleep or something." Nick watched Schanke wander off, talking to the random uniform that walked by about sleep and advising about being deprived of a full night of it. Although he was somewhat disappointed in that Schanke's memories apparently weren't entirely fixed, at least the oddities were being filed away as a dream. And it was a dream he never wanted to hear after hearing the dead-on description of LaCroix. Never. ~finis~ I hope you enjoyed the story. :) Comments and the like to gryffon@gmx.net @>--,---`---