A Touch of the Past
By StormyNite
May/June 2000

Part 1

Natalie knelt over the body and examined the wound in the throat 
closely.  She checked the ground around the body meticulously, 
looking for any signs of blood or disturbance.  The officers behind 
her continued to chat with the woman who claimed to be a witness.  
Normally she wouldn't have noticed, but since the women were 
identical twins, she couldn't help but eavesdrop as the officers 
continued to check her story.

"I'm sorry, Officer.  I just didn't see his face clearly, but my 
sister had been seeing him for over 2 months.  I know how that 
sounds, but to be honest we were on opposite schedules and didn't 
chat much since she'd started dating him.  I'd only seen him from a 
distance, but I know it was him standing over her body when I yelled 
from over there."  She pointed to the far side of the street.  The 
body was lying by a tree in the shadows.  Natalie turned to look at 
the location where the woman stood when she claimed to see her 
sister slain.

"I know it's hard to believe, but he was behind her.  I screamed, 
"Anna," from across the street and he released her.  She crumpled to 
the ground and I ran to her side, but he was gone.  Just like that!"  
She stared at them as the shock began to set in and her hands began 
to shake.  The first tears began to slide down the cheeks of slender 
blonde woman who stood before them.

Natalie peeled her gloves off and walked to her side.  She noticed 
the bright blue in her eyes and the curls that gracefully touched 
her perfect high cheekbones.  She was about a size 4 with an 
expensive Donna Karan suit of dark burgundy.  Her gold necklace and 
bracelet bespoke money, as did her demeanor.  

"Can you describe him in better detail for us?  We need something 
more to go on than 6 foot and blond hair, Miss."  Officer Chandler 
scribbled another note to himself in frustration.  The woman fought 
her emotions bravely, but as she glanced at her sister's still form, 
she screamed in frustration..."bastard!" Finally, she collapsed to 
her knees on the ground weeping.

"It's okay, Tom."  Natalie motioned him away, knelt down beside the 
distraught woman and wrapped a comforting arm around her for 
support.  A few minutes later bloodshot eyes greeted Natalie's.

"Why?  Why would someone hurt her like that?  She said he was 
aristocracy...old line, French aristocracy.  He'd asked her to marry 
him and she'd said yes.  Why would he do this?  He said they would 
spend eternity together.  I thought it was romantic.  Anna would 
have done anything for him."  She sniffed and looked for a Kleenex.  
Natalie pulled one out of her pocket.

"It will be okay, Miss...?"  Natalie hesitated.

"Arisse DuChaise."  Her tear filled eyes glanced at her sister once 
more.  "My sister is Anna DuChaise."  She stopped and corrected her 
statement.  "...was Anna DuChaise,"  she said sadly as reality began 
to take its toll.

"I understand your loss, but anything you can remember will be 
helpful.  The detectives will be here shortly.   The more you 
remember, the faster we can bring this man to justice."  The woman 
shook her head in acceptance.

"I wish I could tell you more, but I just never saw his face close 
up.  They only saw each other at night and I'd only seen him at a 
distance.  He always wore elegant clothes, was very proper, and very 
much a gentleman from what I could see.  He was about 6 foot with 
wavy blond hair.  It was usually slicked back on the sides and Anna 
said he had blue eyes that could melt you with a glance.  Every time 
he was near me, he seemed to move Anna away.  At first I thought it 
was strange, but after awhile, I just assumed he was distressed 
around me because we were twins.  A lot of people are...especially 
men.  It's hard to tell us apart and it makes them uncomfortable, so 
I just assumed he was one of those and respected their distance.  He 
always picked her up in a limousine and delivered her before dawn.  
Never once did I see him in the daylight.  I asked Anna why and she 
said he was too busy with business during the day. She seemed happy 
with the arrangements.  Who was I to question it?  I was happy for 
her.  She seemed to have found her soulmate.  At least she said she 
had."  She stared at her sister's still form once more and the tears 
began anew.

"What makes you certain it was him if you couldn't see his face?"  
Natalie asked calmly, knowing full well Nick and Schanke would ask 
the same question.

"It's just a feeling I always got...even from a distance.  It was 
the feeling he was hiding something.... something of great 
importance he didn't want me to know and I always felt tingly when 
he was near."  She stared into Natalie's eyes waiting for her 
disbelief, but saw none.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I just was always nervous around him.  
I felt like an animal being sized up for lunch.  It even sounds 
weird to me, but it was the same tonight.  That's why I know it was 
him.   I know it was him!"  She screamed in rage, then began to weep 
all over again.

Natalie saw Nick and Schanke pull up and knew the woman was in no 
shape for anything intense.  "You go with the officers back to the 
precinct.  I'll send the detectives in to talk to you there.  I 
don't think you need to be out here right now."  She helped Arisse 
to her feet and motioned for the uniforms behind her to help.  They 
guided her to the patrol car as Schanke and Nick crossed the street.

"What's up, Nat?"  Nick watched the head of the blonde woman duck 
into the patrol car and got a strong sense of de ja vu.  A tingling 
sensation touched his skin like a warm familiar caress as she turned 
to meet his gaze.  He gasped and stared in awe.  It wasn't possible.  
He shook his head to clear the sensation, only to find the patrol 
car pulling away.  He started after it.

"Nick?"  Nat's soft familiar voice and the hand on his arm stopped 
him from using his vampire skills in public.  Nick turned 
questioning eyes to Nat's.

"Who was that woman, Natalie?"  Pure emotion registered on his face.  
Natalie stood shocked.

"She's an eye witness to her sister's murder."  She watched Nick 
closely as he approached the body. 

 He knelt down beside the fallen woman and turned her beautiful face 
toward his.  The gaping raw wound in her neck gave credence to a 
struggle until the very end. " No!"  Nick stumbled backwards and 
stared at the woman on the ground.

"What is it, Nick?"  Natalie grabbed his arm to keep him from 
bolting.  "Do you know her?"  She asked, already knowing the answer.

"This is some kind of sick joke."  He pulled his arm free and headed 
for the car.

"What the Hell is going on here?"  Schanke yelled as his normally 
quiet partner climbed into his car and roared off.  He turned to 
Nat.  "What was that all about?"

"I haven't a clue, Schank, but I'd love to know.  You'd better get 
back to the precinct before he does.  Arisse DuChaise is pretty 
shaken up and with Nick's current state of mind, I don't think he 
should be any where near her."  A note of sadness crept into her 
voice and Schanke caught it.

"You okay, Nat?"  He asked genuinely concerned.

"Fine, Schank."  She started to say more, but changed her mind.  As 
usual Nick was keeping something from her once more.  She sighed 
heavily and headed for her car.



Part 2



Nick drove the caddie straight for the precinct.  He would have 
answers.  His mind drifted back into the past once more as he 
stopped at the red light.

************flashback*********

"We shall be together for eternity, my love."  He gently caressed 
her lithe body under his fingertips and let his tongue taste the 
sweetness of the wine on her lips.  Her blood called to him as it 
had from the first night they'd met.  She was different.  She would 
be his mate for all eternity.  He kissed her neck and she moaned in 
response.  He ran his fingers through her rich mane of blonde curls 
and once again he marveled at the texture of it.

"Anything My Lord wishes."  Alyssa responded to his touch.  She 
caressed his face and gazed into the blue eyes of her new husband.  
He was filled with such power, such beauty and he had chosen her. 
The white gauze shirt accentuated his muscular chest as the tight 
pants gave credence to the man beneath.  Her heart skipped a beat 
and she smiled into his loving eyes.  It was her wedding night and 
she would deny him nothing.  She'd felt the love within him from the 
first moment they'd met and now they were one.  Whatever Nicholas 
wished was her desire as well.  "I am yours, My Lord.  Now and 
forever as we both know is our destiny."  She smiled and returned 
his kiss with fervor.

"Do you trust me?"  He asked huskily as he licked her neck.  Her 
blood called to him now and the vampire was taking control.

"Of course, my love.  I trust you with my heart and my life."  She 
watched the change overcome him and strangely enough she wasn't 
afraid.  It all made sense now.  The power within him surrounded her 
in a warm cocoon and she basked in the feel of it.  His teeth sank 
into her neck and the images flooded her mind.  Power, lust, the 
need to be loved overwhelmed her.  She gasped at the enormity of it.  
Her life's blood flooded his soul and he wanted more.  She could 
feel the pure need within him, but she wasn't certain she could 
fulfill it.  Slowly the images of his life caressed her mind and she 
finally understood what he really was...understood hat he wanted for 
them together and it frightened her.  For the first time since she'd 
met him, she was afraid.  Was it love or the need within him that 
called to her?  Could she satiate the hunger within him?  Could he 
love her in return, as she needed?  The doubts overwhelmed her as he 
drank deeper and she was lost to the pleasure he created.

She was his for the taking.  Her blood sang with love for him. Both 
the man and the beast savored every mouthful.  He pushed into the 
warmth she created within him and he wanted more, then he felt her 
fear... the doubt within her.  She doubted his love.  He started to 
withdraw, but the beast within him responded to the fear with pure 
power and he drained her life into his.  He would make her one with 
him and there would be no doubts.  Yet in his heart, he knew there 
would always be doubts within her.  She'd touched the man within and 
found him lacking.  He withdrew.  He stared at her lovely face lying 
on the pillow and once again was determined to make her feel how 
much he loved her.  He sliced his wrist and let his blood fill the 
glass.  

"Drink, my love, so we can spend eternity together.  Drink and be 
one with me and I will show you the great power within us both."  He 
forced the blood down her lips and massaged her throat until she 
swallowed.  Her heartbeat was gone now, but he was certain she'd 
heard his call.  "Sleep now, my love, and when you awaken we shall 
never part."

********end flashback*******

A horn honked bringing him back to the present.  His mind flashed on 
the woman's image in the car window and the confusion he'd felt 
earlier overwhelmed him once more.

--------------------

Nick pulled into the parking lot, then raced into the precinct.  He 
would have answers shortly.  He tossed his coat on his desk and 
headed for the interrogation room.  

"Knight!"  Cohen yelled as Nick grabbed the doorknob.  The tingling 
sensation he felt when others of his kind were around caressed his 
skin.  He released the knob and searched the room, eventually ending 
with the Captain.  What was going on?

"What is it, Cap?"  He tried to control the vampire that hovered 
beneath his practiced calm veneer.  

"I just finished talking with your witness.  You see what you can 
get, but go easy.  She's pretty shaken up.  I don't think she's 
involved.  Schanke is on his way."

"Right, Captain."  The sensation he'd felt earlier returned and he 
scanned the room once more.  He looked at his hand on the doorknob 
and realized it was coming from behind the door.  He took a deep 
breath and stepped in.

The sensation grew stronger, then turned into de ja vu.  The long 
curly blonde hair graced her shoulders like a halo as she turned to 
greet him.  When her bright green eyes met his, he gasped in 
recognition.  Warmth spread over him in response to a touch of the 
past, then she smiled.  He stood speechless staring into her eyes.  
The night so many centuries ago that changed his life flashed before 
his eyes in picture perfect clarity.  Finally, he closed his eyes, 
shook his head to stop the images and took a deep breath.  The 
vampire had flared in response to the memory and he fought for 
control.  When he opened his eyes his common sense had returned.  
She was not Alyssa.  Although the resemblance was extraordinary, 
they were not identical.  He realized now that neither was the 
victim, but with the feelings this woman emanated and the 
resemblance, it was no wonder he flashed back to the past.  What was 
causing it?

He was beautiful.  Just as she'd always imagined he would be.  The 
blue of his eyes, the curl of his blond hair windblown from the 
night air.  No wonder she'd fallen in love with him at first sight.  
A great warmth spread through her and she gave into the feeling of 
it.  It was a comfort now and she relished it because she knew the 
pleasure it would bring.  The feel of his lips on hers, the lust in 
her groin meant only for him washed over her.  Arisse gave into the 
erotic sensations she'd grown accustomed to feeling at the sight of 
him.  She stared into his eyes and knew instantly he felt the 
connection.  It was better than she'd ever hoped for.  The sweet 
sting of his fangs tingled on the side of her neck, as the memory 
flashed through her mind, then it was gone.  The connection broken 
just as quickly as it had come and she felt alone once more.  

She watched him close his eyes and wipe the past away once more.  
Odd he could control it that well.  She'd never been able to over 
the years.  When he opened his eyes, he saw her for who she really 
was.  Disappointment and something else shown on his face.  She felt 
the loss stronger than ever now.  It was time and she had to use it 
to her advantage or it would all be for nothing.  His voice broke 
her reverie, but she was thrilled to finally hear it first hand.

"Miss DuChaise, I am Detective Nick Knight.  I understand you've 
been chatting with Captain Cohen and she has asked me to go over 
your story once more to be certain we haven't missed anything."  He 
moved slowly analyzing the woman before him closely.  Finally, he 
sat down across from her.  She was exquisite, much as Alyssa had 
been, but there was something more hidden behind her eyes.  He 
couldn't put his finger on it and he wasn't certain he even wanted 
to at this point.  He'd already let the guilt from that night so 
many centuries ago begin to flourish once more.  The raw wound 
inside him began to bleed all over again.

"I don't know what else I can tell you, Detective.  I never really 
saw the man close up.  Heavens, even you could have been him."  She 
stared at him innocently, but opened the connection between them.  
His eyes widened and he stood immediately.  Wisely, she closed it 
and crossed her legs seductively before him.  He stared at her bare 
legs and she smiled.  She pushed out with an image in her mind and 
he stepped back even further.  Startled eyes met hers, but she 
wasn't ready to give him answers.

The image of Alyssa naked in his arms flashed in his mind and he 
gasped.  Questions flooded his mind, then anger at both himself and 
the woman before him.  He stepped forward and placed both hands on 
the table before he spoke.  "I have no idea what kind of game you 
are playing or what you are, Arisse DuChaise, but I WILL find out."  
His eyes flashed gold and this time she gasped, then bolted from her 
chair.

"You have no idea what you are playing with.  Believe me when I say, 
you don't want to see me really angry..." He turned and headed for 
the door.  When he pulled it open, he hesitated slightly.  "...but 
you already knew that...didn't you?"

----------------  

Natalie meticulously opened the wound on the neck.  It was obviously 
a cover up of puncture wounds.  She took pictures, then cleaned the 
jagged edges away and measured the puncture sights.  Something 
wasn't right about them, but she couldn't put her finger on it.  
Frustrated, she decided to move on to the toxicologies and the lower 
part of the body.  Several hours later she returned to the neck 
wound and it finally became clear.  More than a little excited, she 
returned to the lower body once more and delved deeper.

-------------

Arisse walked into the apartment and tossed her keys on the counter.  
Immediately, she headed to the refrigerator and picked up the artist 
sketch she'd left earlier on the table. She and Anna had placed it 
in a special frame for safe keeping.  Lovingly, she traced the image 
of his lips.  "Soon, my love, we shall be together for all 
eternity."  She sat the picture of Nick on the table and started to 
work on a salad.  She began to hum and let her mind drift back to 
several years earlier.

*******flashback******

Anna screamed and tossed her head in agony.  Arisse ran to her aid.  
"What is it, Anna?"  She clutched her twin sister in her arms as she 
moaned in agony.

"It's him.  She loves him, but he doesn't love her.  We have to help 
her.  We have to help her!"  Anna turned pain filled eyes toward her 
sister.  "The images are getting clearer.  She looks like me...like 
us."  She said breathless as she lay in her 14 year-old sister's 
arms.  "He hurt her and she still loves him.  He is so handsome, so 
powerful it takes your breath away."  Anna looked at her twin sister 
for understanding, knowing full well that Arisse had visions too.

"They will go away in time.  They always do, Anna.  We cannot let 
these visions control us.... We can't.  Mother and Father will have 
us committed if they think we are possessed.  We must keep it a 
secret."  Arisse warned.  It was always Arisse who made the 
decisions for them both.  Anna simply went along for the ride.

"This is different, Arisse.  She looks like us.  He is meant for 
us...for me...for you."  Anna rose in frustration and threw her arms 
in the air.  "I don't know anymore."  She turned to stare into her 
twin sister's eyes.  "I think we are meant to love him.  We must 
find him for her...love him and then she can be free."  A dreamy 
look crossed her young face.  "He is handsome," she smiled in 
teenage joy, " very handsome and I want him."  She clutched her 
hands over her breast, then glanced at them in disgust.  "He 
wouldn't want this." She then twirled around to make all the doubts 
float away.  "But this too will pass and we shall be one for all 
eternity.  I can feel it...I know it!"  She stopped and dared her 
sister to deny it.  "I shall share him with you, my sister.  
Together we will make him love us."  An evil smile crossed her lips, 
then she twirled once more and danced out of the room.

****end flashback*****

Arisse stared at the picture in her hands.  Anna had been right, 
except for one thing.  Nicholas would not be theirs now...only hers.  
Sadness washed over her and a single tear slid silently down her 
cheek.  She picked up the artist rendering they'd had done years 
before and held it reverently in her hands.  "I will make him love 
me for all of us.  It will be as it was meant to be from the 
beginning.  I shall see to it, my sisters...I made a promise and I 
shall keep it."  She grabbed her salad and headed for the living 
room.


Part 3


-------------

The images flashed in his mind like rapid gunfire.  He'd managed to 
put them away in a safe place for so long, but this woman drew them 
out of him.  She knew what he was…what he'd done.  He could see it 
in her eyes, feel it in the air and the warmth that had been Alyssa 
washed over him like a soft wool blanket on a cold night.  He could 
almost smell her scent on the woman.  It wasn't possible...or was 
it?  He'd seen so much over the centuries.  Maybe Alyssa had 
returned to seek her revenge upon him.  Maybe she'd come to make him 
finally pay for the evil within him that could not be controlled.  
She had every right. He stood and walked to the fireplace for the 
20th time since arriving home.  Only the heat from the fire seemed 
to remove the chill in his blood tonight.  Guilt overwhelmed him 
again.  He had snuffed out the light in his life for one brief 
moment of happiness, one brief night of ecstasy and she'd paid the 
price.

He stared at the blood in the glass on the coffee table before him.  
What gave him the right to play God?  Who was he to still be alive 
after all these centuries and not all those people he had killed?  
They were innocents.  Alyssa was an innocent filled with hope and 
love for a man who didn't exist.  Only the animal existed.  He 
snatched the glass and smashed it into the fireplace in anger.  He 
should have ended it that night.  If he had thousands would have 
lived.  Alyssa would have married a count or royalty and enjoyed a 
full life.  He had tried to damn her to eternal darkness in the name 
of love, but it wasn't love.

Nick paced the floor now.  No, he hadn't loved Alyssa, at least not 
in the way he should.  He wanted her love so much, he pretended to 
love her in return.  In fact, it was lust that had guided him and 
the need to feel wanted after Janette's numerous affairs.  He'd let 
himself believe Alyssa could be his eternal mate and they would 
spend eternity loving and lusting after each other… but he had been 
naïve.  The goodness and purity within her recognized the evil 
within him and rejected it.  A great sadness washed over him as 
Nat's face swam before his.  Her touch was so gentle, filled with 
something he craved more than life itself, but he wouldn't let it 
happen this time.  This time he wouldn't let the evil within him 
destroy the beauty and love she possessed.  He reached for the 
bottle on the end table and downed its contents in two swallows, 
then turned and smashed it into the hearth in anger.  Maybe this was 
just a reminder.  Maybe that's why he could almost feel Alyssa.  She 
was trying to tell him something even now.  The lift kicked on and 
Natalie stepped into the loft.

She stared into Nick's eyes with confusion and worry.  "You want to 
talk about it?"  She said softly as she dumped her coat on the table 
and headed for the couch.  She only glanced at the glass shards 
around the hearth before she sat down and curled her legs underneath 
her and waited.  The silence was deafening.  Finally he couldn't 
stand it anymore.

"It's nothing, Nat.  Just a reminder that some things never change."  
He turned and stared into the fire afraid to met her eye to eye, but 
she wasn't buying.

"Nice try, Nick Knight!"  She rose and positioned herself in front 
of him.  "She wasn't killed by a vampire, Nick.  If she reminds you 
of someone from your past, then it's purely coincidental."  She 
touched his cheek and he pulled back instantly.  The action hurt her 
more than she cared to admit.  Whoever this woman was, she had been 
special.  The thought only managed to make her feel worse.  She 
dropped her hand in resignation and headed for her coat without a 
word.

"Nat?"  Nick's soft voice, filled with regret, stopped her.  Her 
eyes met his.  Guilt flooded his face as the sadness he felt floated 
in the air like heavy dew on a fall morning.

"You must have loved her very much.  I shouldn't have pried."  The 
heaviness in her chest increased while she fought the tears and 
recognized the truth in her own words.  For the image of a woman to 
cause him this much pain, he had loved her and never let go.  She 
had thought the problem between them was physical, but she'd been 
wrong again.  Nick had loved and lost, but never let go in his 
heart.  The woman had been very lucky no matter how long it lasted.  
She headed for the door.

"She was my wife, Natalie." The pain in his voice took her breath 
away.  She turned to see a single blood tear sliding down his face.

He was so beautiful standing there in the firelight.  It was no 
wonder she loved him.  The emotion, the pain, the need to help 
others, the desire to right all the wrongs in this world made him 
more human than anyone she'd ever met, but he couldn't see it.  "She 
was a very lucky woman.  Whether you believe it or not, Nick, to be 
loved by someone even for a short period of time is a gift.  Some of 
us never manage it.  Some of us spend our lives searching for it 
only to find it belongs to another."  Her voice cracked with emotion 
as her heart broke into pieces.  The pain was so intense she 
couldn't breath, but she wouldn't cry...not now…not in front of him.  
Once again she'd been a fool.  Whoever said "It is better to have 
loved and lost than to have never loved at all", obviously had never 
truly loved anyone.  She pushed open the lift door and stepped in.  
She hit the down key and didn't look back.

Nick stared at the door and her back, knowing full well he should go 
after her, but why?  He could only hurt her more.  They had gotten 
too close and somewhere along the line, he'd let himself start to 
believe they could be together.  That what was between them could 
last and conquer the beast within him, but the evil within him would 
destroy her, too.  Her love couldn't vanquish the vampire anymore 
than Alyssa's could.  He would consume all that she was in the 
process.  He couldn't let that happen...not to Natalie.  She was too 
kind, too loving to throw her life away on him.  This was better.  
She would move on with her life and he would keep the love he felt 
for her locked in a safe place where it couldn't harm her.  The fire 
in his chest grew into a burning flame until finally he collapsed to 
his knees in pain.  Images of Alyssa flashed in his mind, then Nat.  
The similarities were extraordinary, but the emotions he felt so 
different.  Lust and regret filled his soul with the thought of 
Alyssa, while Nat only made him feel alive and loved.  Being with 
her filled him with the hope and faith he'd lost so many centuries 
before. Finally, he wept in agony on the floor.  If his heart were 
dead, then so was he, as the thought of never seeing Nat again tore 
him in two.

-------------------

The tears flooded her face as she ran for her car.  The sharp wind 
cut into her skin like fingers of ice, but she never felt it.  She 
felt only the pain in her chest grow with each breath, until finally 
she gasped and collapsed into the car.  He had loved enough to 
marry.  "She was my wife!"  His words tortured her soul like 
fingernails on a blackboard until she screamed in anger at herself.  
She wept uncontrollably as she clutched her sides in torment.  Why 
had she let herself believe in those words he'd whispered to her in 
the garden at the Azure?  He had been telling the truth.  He did not 
love her.  He was only humoring her for his own benefit.  Using her, 
just as he had so many others over the centuries.  It was obvious, 
now, he could commit to a relationship if he so desired.  She wiped 
the tears away as her chest heaved in anger.  He had used her...

She started the engine and pulled out into traffic.  Memories began 
to flash in her mind.  She and Nick at the picnic, the Christmas 
party, numerous times alone while they watched movies.  In the past 
6 months he'd become very attentive and after the little episode 
with Roger Jamison, she was certain he had feelings for her.  Up 
until Valentine's Day he'd proclaimed them nothing but friends.  The 
sweet taste of his lips on hers, the soft words and caress made her 
tremble with the thought, but it had all been a lie.

A horn blew behind her and she realized the light had turned green.  
Finally, she pulled over to the side of the road to think.  Nick 
cared for her, but he'd never said he loved her until Valentine's 
Day and the fiasco with LaCroix.  He thought he'd erased her memory, 
but he'd whispered the words she'd longed to hear as he clutched her 
body to his in an effort to erase the hateful words he'd spoken 
earlier.  If only for a brief moment, she felt truly loved.  He 
tried erasing her memory in an effort to protect her, but it hadn't 
worked. Or was that the real reason?

As the memories returned, she started to question him, but decided 
against it since he'd backed away carefully.  He was protecting her 
from LaCroix.  That much she knew, but now she wondered.  They'd 
gone back to the 'friends status,' only she knew what was in his 
heart.  She'd treasured the knowledge, nurtured it into a feeling of 
warmth that kept her hope alive, but she'd been wrong.  He had 
backed away out of kindness, not out of love.  If he had loved 
enough to marry, then obviously LaCroix's threat hadn't meant much. 

Natalie ran her hands through her hair in frustration and let more 
memories flood her mind.  He'd never acted inappropriate; never 
proclaimed to be anything more than a close friend with brotherly 
intentions, except for the one incident.  He had spoken the truth 
and she just didn't want to accept it.  More tears began to flood 
her face as she wept into her hands.  "You are such a fool, Lambert, 
so gullible, so willing to believe everything he told you except the 
obvious."  She raised her head and watched a young woman pushing a 
baby carriage across the intersection.  The woman hummed and cooed 
at the child as she pushed it safely across the street.  She was 
happy and obviously contented with her life.  "I deserve that too."  
She continued to stare at the young woman.  "Life is too short and 
I've wasted too much time already."  She dried her eyes, blew her 
nose, then eased back into traffic.

----------------

Arisse pulled the car next to the curb and watched the petite, 
auburn beauty that had comforted her the night before walk briskly 
into the morgue.  It was apparent Nick had said something to upset 
her.  She watched silently from a distance at the loft as the young 
woman broke down in tears in her car, then pulled over to the side 
of the road to cry once more in route to her destination.  
Obviously, they were more than friends or at least the woman thought 
so.  Arisse smiled in satisfaction.  Nick must have told her about 
them, about his feeling for her.  She turned her car around and 
headed back to the loft.  Several minutes later, she rang the buzzer 
on the intercom.

"Yes!"  Nick voice sounded gruffly.  He wasn't in the mood for 
visitors.  He had decisions to make and a case to rap up before he 
moved on.  

"Detective Knight, it's Arisse DuChaise.  I don't mean to bother you 
at home, but I need to talk with you."  She opened the link she'd 
become so accustomed to and reached out with it.

Nick stared at the image on the video screen and watched her 
expression change right before his eyes.  It was like she became 
another person, from another time, then he recognized Alyssa's pout 
and look of innocence as if it were yesterday.  Automatically, he 
released the doorlock and buzzed her in.  What was happening?  Was 
she the spirit of Alyssa or something else?  He tried to wait 
patiently as the lift kicked on, but downed a glass of blood 
instinctively to brace himself.

She opened the door and stepped in.  The walk, the look, the desire 
that washed over him was so familiar and he was drawn to it just as 
he had been centuries earlier.  She was in his arms in the time it 
takes to breathe.  He stared into her eyes confused.  "I don't 
understand any of this."  He touched her skin and let the memory of 
his wife flood his soul.  Alyssa was there, inside this woman.  He 
knew it as sure as he knew the sun would kill him.

"Don't fight it, Nicholas.  I am here.  We are here and we forgive 
you."  Her lips claimed his and he was lost.  Images flashed in his 
mind, the warmth he craved, the love she carried for him.  Her lips 
were like honey, her skin soft as a peach and he was drawn to it 
like a moth to a flame just as he had been the first time.  "Love 
me, Nicholas.  Make me one with you for all eternity as you 
promised."

Before he realized what was happened, his fangs descended.  Without 
hesitation, he sank them deep within her neck and drank deeply.  Her 
blood flooded his senses filled with her life, her memories, and the 
connection to Alyssa through her sister, but most of all…her desire 
for him.  She moaned in pleasure in his arms and gave into the 
pleasure he created.  He was lost to it, to the past, to what was, 
what should have been, then Nat's face swam before him.  The pain, 
the hurt she'd felt earlier, her faith in him, the love she'd always 
shown him without reciprocation on his part.  Alyssa touched him 
through her link with Arisse and Nick felt her doubt once more and 
the need to move on.  Finally, he understood and the connection was 
broken.  He released her neck after only two mouthfuls and stepped 
back.

Arisse protested and tried pulling him back.  "No, you must finish!  
We are meant to be together.  We were always meant to be together."

Her memories flooded his mind.  She and her twin sister were 
mediums.  Naturally gifted as children, they kept their talents 
hidden until they were adults.  Anna had been the strongest and kept 
having reoccurring dreams about his wedding night with Alyssa.  
Somehow Alyssa was channeling through her.  Anna believed herself to 
be Alyssa in some form and was determined to find him and make him 
love her enough to bring her across.  Arisse began to share the 
images with her sister after a kidney transplant 3 years ago.  Now 
both women were convinced he was their salvation, their soulmate, 
and their destiny.  He stared into Arisse's lust-filled eyes.

"You are not Alyssa, Arisse.  Alyssa died 7 centuries ago.  I killed 
her because I didn't love her enough.  What was between us was not 
enough.  I was young and inexperienced, but it would not have 
mattered.  Her doubts about the evil within me, and my doubts about 
her being able to love me would have prevented me from bringing her 
across either way.  You may be able to channel her, but you are not 
Alyssa.  She loved me enough to forgive me in the end, but I have 
never forgiven myself."  He pushed her toward the chair and made her 
sit down, then squatted in front of her.

"You killed your sister over a fantasy you'd both created.  I am not 
the man I was 8 centuries ago."

Arisse lunged to her feet in anger.  "Don't tell me we can't be 
together.  I know we can!  We are soulmates, just as you and Alyssa 
were.  I am she.  She is I and we shall join you in eternity and be 
happy. "  She reached for his face.  He clasped her hands in his 
gently.

"No, Arisse!  I don't love you and I didn't love Alyssa enough to 
control the vampire.  Let her go now.  It is time she moved on.  
It's time she was at peace with her decision.  She chose correctly 
not to step back from the light.  My love for her was incomplete and 
hers for me.  That is why it never worked.  Release her and move on 
with YOUR life."

"NO!!!!"  She screamed and began to beat his shoulders.  "It can't 
be!  We felt it, the love, the warmth, and the need to be with you.  
It has to be enough...you have to want us or it was for nothing!"  
Tears streaked her face as reality began to set in.  "I killed her 
to be with you."  She whispered then fainted and collapsed in his 
arms.

Part 4




Schanke cruised into the morgue on his way home.  He'd read the 
report on Arisse DuChaise and was even more confused.  Just a quick 
stop and maybe Nat had finished the autopsy before calling it a 
night.  A guy could get lucky.  Something just didn't fit.  No one 
saw or heard the blonde woman before the murder.  Lots of parked 
cars on the street and he'd checked each one.  Many of them belonged 
to the tenants who lived in the apartments across the street.  No 
one had heard or seen anything out of the ordinary until the police 
cars started showing up…no screams, no squealing tires, no loud 
voices.  It just didn't fit.  If Arisse DuChaise saw her sister 
being murdered, why didn't she scream and for that matter, why 
didn't Anna DuChaise scream.  It was a public park.  No, the pieces 
just weren't right.  Maybe Nat had something more concrete.  He 
pushed open the door to find Natalie emptying her desk.

Startled, Schanke forged ahead.  "Hey, what's this, Nat?"  He waited 
for her response.  Sad eyes met his.  It was obvious from the 
puffiness and the pile of Kleenex on her desk, she'd been crying.

"I'm moving on with my life, Schank!"  She said bravely and 
continued loading books in her box.  Finally, she reached the locked 
drawer and pulled out the key.  She tossed her notebook on Nick's 
condition on to the pile and the picture of Nick and herself at the 
picnic on top of that.

"What do you mean, Nat?  You and Nick get in a fight or something?  
I mean… what's this all about?  I thought you guys were..." He 
looked for the right word as she stared at him.  "...Well you know 
what I mean.  I thought you guys were closer than friends...I 
thought..."

"Apparently not, Schank.  For people to be closer than friends, they 
both have to want it to happen.  I need to start over and I can't do 
that here.  I've taken a teaching and research position in 
Vancouver.  It's been offered to me for years and I just wasn't 
ready.   Maybe now I am.  Maybe it's just what I need.  Who knows 
maybe I'll find the cure for AIDS or something."  She headed for the 
coat tree and pulled her labcoat, sweater and topcoat from the rack.

"By the way, if you're looking for the results of the Anna DuChaise 
autopsy, it's right there.  She was killed somewhere else 2-4 hours 
earlier and her body drained of blood through small holes under her 
toenails.  It was meticulous, slow and time consuming.  Arisse 
DuChaise could not have seen a man with her sister at the time she 
claimed because her sister was already dead.  I'd go looking for a 
motive for the sister if it were my case."  

Natalie put the lid on the box, turned and surveyed the room one 
last time.  "Five years is a long time in one place anymore."  She 
turned back to Schanke, then leaned over and kissed him on the 
cheek.  "I'll miss you, Schank.  Take care of yourself and tell Myra 
goodbye for me."

"Nat, you're not leaving now.  You can't...What about 2 weeks 
notice, a goodbye party, and farewells to everyone.  You can't just 
leave without saying goodbye to everyone."  He stared at her 
incredulously and desperately tried to think of a way to stop her.

"I have over 5 months of vacation time, Schanke.  I don't need to 
give 2 weeks notice.  I resigned an hour ago and it was accepted.  I 
don't think I could face everyone to say goodbye, so this is much 
better.  I want to make this as painless as possible for everyone.  
Trust me when I say, this is the best way."  She headed for the 
door.

"Nat...what about, Nick?  You can't leave without saying goodbye to 
Nick.  I mean, come on..."

"If the situations were reversed, he'd do the same thing, Schank.  
When it's time to move on, you know it.  He would be the first to 
tell you that.  He's had lots of practice.  Tell him I wish him 
well.  Bye, Schank!"  A tear slipped from her eye when she pushed 
the door open.  Slowly, she walked down the hall and out of the 
Coroner's Building for the last time.

-------------

Nick laid Arisse gently on the couch and picked up his cell phone.  
Schanke answered on the first ring.  "Schank, it's Nick.  You need 
to get over to my place.  Arisse DuChaise just confessed to killing 
her sister.  She's fainted and I can't bring her in.  It's after 
dawn."  Nick stared at the beautiful woman and let her memories 
flood his mind.  She believed she was in part Alyssa and her sister.  
Eliminating her sister's body would only make the connection 
stronger.  They both had agreed.  They had been in love with a 
fantasy.  He shook his head in disbelief.  She and her sister had 
fallen in love with a 13th century crusader who didn't exist 
anymore.  How could they have been so foolish?

"Nick!  Are you listening to me?"  Schanke yelled the second time in 
the receiver.

"What, Schank?  I'm not deaf."

"I said Natalie is leaving."  He repeated it again.

"Well of course she is, Schank.  She's tired.  She needs to get some 
rest.  She came by to tell me earlier about Anna and I was a bit 
distracted."  Nick replayed Nat's image in his mind and the sadness 
overwhelmed him again.  They had to talk and he had to let her go.  
It was the only way to keep her safe.  What he felt for her would 
only get her killed.

"You're not listening, partner!  I mean she's leaving town.  She 
resigned, packed up her desk and skee-daddled out of her early this 
morning.  She's taking some teaching position in Vancouver.  She's 
not moving across town, oh hard-headed partner of mine.  She is 
blowing this 'popstand' big time.  So what ever you said to her must 
have really hit a nerve."  Schanke snorted in disgust at Nick's 
silence.  "You are so dense.  You'd better go catch her before she 
leaves town."

"Just get over here, Schanke."  Nick flipped his phone off and threw 
it into the fireplace.  Natalie was leaving.  He paced the floor, 
then reached for the phone behind his couch and dialed her number at 
the apartment.  The machine kicked on referring all calls to the 
morgue.  No other number for personal messages was given and the 
answering machine was not recording.  He hung up and dialed her 
mobile phone.  The same message greeted him.  

"Damn it, Natalie!  You could have at least told me good-bye."  He 
slammed the phone down in frustration.

"Would you have told her good-bye?"  Arisse's soft voice floated 
across the room.  He'd forgotten she was there.  Her bottom lip 
trembled as she stared at him.  Guilt washed over her.  "I was a 
fool, wasn't I.  I fell in love with a man who didn't exist.  I 
killed my sister out of some stupid idea that together we could make 
you love us like you did Alyssa, but you don't even love her 
anymore.  You love that little auburn haired coroner...and she loves 
you."  She took a deep breath and sighed, seeing the truth in his 
eyes.

"She cried in her car, then pulled over to the side of the road and 
cried again after she left here.  I thought you had told her you 
still loved Alyssa…or you loved me and would make us all one for 
eternity.  I thought that was why she was so upset, but you let her 
leave because you love her.  You love her enough to protect her from 
yourself, from the animal within you."  Tears flooded her face and 
she let them fall silently to the floor, knowing his heart had never 
been hers.  He never would be hers just as Alyssa had tried to tell 
them so many times.  His heart belonged to another and he'd finally 
found her.

"True love is rare and shared by so few.  Don't waste it, Nicholas.  
Go after her, find a way to make it work."  Acceptance was written 
on her face.  The lift kicked on and they both turned.  Schanke 
pushed the door open and stepped in.

---------------

Natalie sat the final bag by the door.  She'd refused to answer the 
phone and turned off her mobile and pager.  This job was done.  
She'd drop them both in the post to return to the office.  She 
looked at her apartment one last time.  She'd called her landlord 
earlier and asked him to sublet it furnished or sell the furniture 
for what she still owed on the lease.  Either way, she didn't care.  
He was more than cooperative and hated to see her go.  She was 
taking her clothes and Sydney...that was it.  With a heavy sigh and 
a single tear, she picked up Syd's case, her final bag and headed 
for the car.  She couldn't stay any longer.

The pain in her chest was so intense and the tears just wouldn't 
stop.  "This is stupid, Lambert.  He's a guy and he used you just 
like all the others have during your life.  You should be used to it 
by now.  He was just a better actor than the rest of them.  Of 
course he'd had 800 years to practice."  Still she couldn't let go.  
She knew if she were ever to get on with her life, she had to know 
the whole story.  Maybe then she could move on.  Maybe she could get 
over him.  With that in mind, she turned west into the afternoon sun 
and headed for the Raven.  Only one other person, besides Nick, 
might give her the true story.

-------------

Natalie knocked on the door to the Raven.  It was well past 2 p.m. 
by the time she'd arrived.  Since making her decision 8 hours 
earlier, she'd accomplished a great deal.  Now she had to know the 
whole story before she left town and only one other person might 
have it.  As much as she detested going to Janette, she would debase 
herself for her own sanity and that's what this was about...her own 
sanity.

By the third knock, the door opened.  "Come in quickly!"  A gruff 
voice said.  

She stepped in to find a tall dark vampire with glowing eyes 
standing in the shadows.  "What do you want?"  He asked insolently, 
not bothering to hide his annoyance at being disturbed.  

"I wish to speak with Janette.  I'm Natalie Lambert.  I'm a friend 
of Nick Knight.  I need to speak with her."  Natalie said totally 
unafraid.

"I know exactly who you are or I wouldn't have let you in.  Janette 
is sleeping.  She won't be up for another couple of hours.  I'll 
tell her you're waiting when she gets up."  He turned to walk away.

"I need to speak with her now.  I have to be gone before dusk.  I'll 
make it worth you while."  She pulled out a twenty and handed it to 
him.  He looked at it and smiled.

"There isn't enough money in Canada for me to wake Janette.  She's 
not a nice woman when she doesn't get her beauty sleep.  This life 
may not mean much to you, but it's the only one I've got and I think 
I'll keep it for awhile."  He grunted.

"Wise decision, Boris."  Janette's silky voice floated across the 
room.  Her hair was wild while her black satin gown clung enticingly 
to every curve of her body.  "Leave us!"  It was a command and he 
disappeared right before their eyes.

"Amateur!"  Janette scoffed and headed for the bar.  "To what do I 
owe the pleasure, Doctor?"  She poured herself a glass of blood and 
a glass of white wine for Natalie.  Natalie took it and sat down on 
the barstool on the other side of the bar.

Natalie took one sip of the wine and watched the beautiful vampiress 
before her.  Even without makeup and having a bad hair day, Janette 
was a 10.  It was no wonder Nick had been enthralled with her.  
Self-doubt ripped through her even stronger than before.  What ever 
possessed her to think Nick found her remotely attractive compared 
to this or to a woman who had looked like Anna DuChaise.  The were 
both well-built, perfect size 4s with features that screamed wealth 
and good breeding.  She'd been fooling herself all along. She sat 
the glass down slowly and stood.

"I've obviously made a mistake.  All the answers were right before 
me all along.  I just wasn't seeing them clearly.  Forgive my 
intrusion, Janette."  She headed for the door.

Janette appeared before her in a blink of an eye.  She sized the 
mortal up one side and down the other.  "You have questions about 
Nicola that only I can answer, no?"  She raised one eye knowingly.  
"Come sit down, Doctor.  You've come this far and ruined my beauty 
sleep…why not entertain me as well?"  Janette watched the young 
mortal bravely fight back the pain that filled her soul.  She could 
feel it with every breath the young woman took.  What had happened?  
What had Nicola done to hurt her so badly?  It was puzzling.

Nicola could be such a dolt when it came to women, but he would 
never intentionally hurt Natalie.  He loved her, that much Janette 
knew.  It had been in his blood since the night on the wharf when 
he'd come to her in need.  It hadn't been her blood he craved to the 
point of losing control, but Natalie's.  That bothered her more than 
she cared to admit.  Until then, she had been certain Nicola would 
eventually return to her side.  After that night, she knew he had 
changed and regained his heart.  Natalie had seen him at his worst 
and not backed off.  She knew what he was and what he was capable 
of, but she hadn't given up hope...until now.

"What stupid thing has he done to cause you such pain, Doctor?"  
Janette returned to the bar and poured another glass of blood and 
sat down at the bar beside her.

Natalie watched Janette closely and admired her strength.  She used 
to think she had it as well, but now she just felt tired.  She 
sighed heavily and returned to the bar.  Picking up her wine, she 
downed the glass in one swallow.  She stared at the empty glass, 
then the blood in Janette's glass sitting delicately between her 
fingers.  Even now, at her worse she was classy.  Foolishness...it 
had all been foolishness on her own part. You'd think she would have 
learned by her age not to believe in fantasies.

She turned to the beautiful vampiress with acceptance in her eyes.  
"It was nothing he did.  It was just my foolishness.  I was wrong to 
come here.  I just thought if I knew the whole story, I could move 
on with my life, but I already know the answer."  She stood and 
smiled bravely.  "I'm sorry to have bothered you.  It won't happen 
again."

"You are leaving then, Doctor?"  Janette said surprised.

"It's time I moved on with my life.  What I want and what is reality 
are two different things.  Nick told me in the beginning I would 
only get hurt and he was right."  She headed for the door once more, 
then stopped and turned to ask one final question.  

"Yes, chere?"  Janette's soft voice floated across the room.

"Tell me one thing.  Did his wife love him as much as he loved her?"  
Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she waited for an answer.

But of course, Nicola told her about Alyssa.  No wonder she was 
upset.  "Obviously not enough, mon chere.  She did not return from 
the light.  She saw the evil within him and chose another path."  
She watched Natalie's change from acceptance to confusion.  "He did 
not tell you the whole story then.  That he was so obsessed with her 
he thought himself in love and married her...On their wedding night 
he drained her and she did not come back...He lost control and 
killed her."  Natalie walked back to Janette slowly, still in shock.

"He killed her on their wedding night?"  She asked stunned.

"Don't be so shocked, Natalie.  If he had truly loved her, LaCroix 
would have killed her in payment for Fleur, Nicola's sister.  Nicola 
was only infatuated and felt dejected by me.  He was looking for 
consolation and Alyssa was more than willing to fill his every need.  
At least she thought she was, until she saw the vampire beneath the 
man.  She was such an innocent...so naïve.  She could not comprehend 
what was within him, let alone accept it.  With that comes doubt and 
fear of possession.  The vampire feeds upon both and Nicola was way 
too young to overcome his baser needs."  Janette smirked as she 
sipped her blood before the young mortal.  She let her power free 
for a brief moment in an attempt to scare Natalie, but it didn't 
work.

"Very impressive, but you see I've met LaCroix...up close and 
personal.  Sorry for saying this, but you're a walk in the park 
compared to him.  You see I remember everything that happened on 
Valentine's Day at the Azure.  I only let them believe I'd 
forgotten.  Every word, every action is ingrained into my memory as 
if it were yesterday.  I just chose to cling to the wrong words 
because I couldn't face reality.  I'm doing that now.  If Nick had 
remotely cared about me, he'd have found a way for us to be together 
or at least tried.  He comes to you when he needs physical 
consolation; he grieves his dead wife as if it were yesterday, yet 
when we are together he pushes me away.  He didn't have to fool 
LaCroix that night in the garden.  He spoke the truth and LaCroix 
recognized it.  I was the one unable to see through the lies."  She 
reached for the wine bottle on the counter and refilled her glass.  

She stared at the golden fluid for a few moments in silence, then 
downed the glass.  "No, that isn't correct.  They weren't lies.  
Nick always proclaimed us friends, nothing more...except for that 
night.  I was the one who made it into more.  I have no one to blame 
for my current emotional distress but myself."  

She turned to Janette who sat silently beside her listening.  "It 
was a nice fantasy, but reality has set in.  Nick likes beautiful 
women."  She stared at Janette without envy, but admiration.  "He 
has good taste.  I can't fault him there.  I was just being 
foolish."  Nat arose from the stool and sat the glass down carefully 
on the bar.  She stared at her reflection in the mirror behind the 
bar and found it lacking.  She took a deep breath and smiled sadly.  
It didn't help the image she carried of herself.  Nothing could 
change that now.  
She turned and smiled bravely at Janette once more.  "Take care of 
him.  He needs you now."  Gracefully, she turned and walked silently 
out the door.

As the door softly clicked into place, a single tear slid down her 
porcelain skin.  "No, Natalie it is YOU he needs now...not me.  
Blood does not lie and I must accept the truth as well."  Another 
tear followed the first and she made no motion to brush them away.  
It was time she grieved for her loss.  It is as it should be...as it 
was meant to be from the beginning.  She was only a vehicle to get 
him to this place, this time.  Destiny was a strong force that could 
not be denied.  She poured another glass of blood and headed back to 
bed.




Part 5




The sun barely sank below the horizon and he was gone.  There was no 
time for the car.  Nick took to the air and used his best speed to 
Natalie's apartment.  It had been the longest 4 hours of his life.  
He landed softly on the doorstep of her building.  Listening 
closely, he reached out to her apartment. Only one heartbeat sounded 
clearly in his ears, but it wasn't Natalie's.  Fear gripped his 
heart as he pushed open the door and raced up the stairs.  Her door 
stood wide open as an older gentleman with a vacuum finished 
cleaning the living room.  Her furniture was here, even her plants, 
but the familiar heartbeats of Sydney and his mistress were gone.  
He didn't need the landlord to tell him that.  It was for the best.  
He knew it, but his heart just wouldn't go along with the plan.  He 
should let her go.  Let her get on with her life and be happy.  All 
he could do was hurt her more.  The fact he loved her would only get 
her killed.  He'd accepted that fact a long time ago.

So why was he here?  You'd think he'd have learned something in 800 
years.  Maybe he'd needed a reminder and that was why Alyssa had 
returned now.  She had come to save Natalie from his beast.  It all 
made sense.  He was getting too close and convincing himself he'd 
changed enough to let himself love her.  He leaned against the 
doorjamb and rested his head.  The pain in his chest grew to a 
flaming poker burning his heart out.  He gasped for breath, but it 
didn't seem to ease the torture within his chest.  Was this what it 
was like when he moved on?  Had he done this to others?  This was 
worse than a stake to the heart and deep inside he knew it wasn't 
short term.  He'd lost his other half.  He knew it now as sure as he 
knew the sun would rise in the morning.

"You must be lookin' for Miss Natalie?"  The old man who had been 
cleaning unplugged the vacuum and approached the distressed man.  
He'd seen him with Miss Natalie numerous times.  Apparently they 
were more than friends from the look on his face and Miss Natalie 
hadn't told him farewell.  It was so sudden.  Made him wonder if it 
weren't a lovers' quarrel, and now he was sure of it.  Sad shame as 
Natalie Lambert was pretty both inside and out and never knew it.  
He always wondered why she didn't date much, but from the look on 
this young man's face, she was loved very much.  He only wished he 
could help.

"I mean I wish I could help you, but she told me to sublet her flat 
or sell the furniture for the remaining 3 months on the lease."  He 
looked at the furniture.  "I mean I wish she'd given me a forward or 
something cause the furniture is worth more than 3 months rent.  I'm 
going to miss her.  She was always pleasant, always had time for 
everyone.  Everyone in the building loved her.  Never could figure 
out why she didn't have boys flocking around her.  She always said 
her heart was elsewhere.  I'm guessin' you are the elsewhere from 
the look on your face."  The old man smiled sadly, already knowing 
the answer.

"I hope you find her, son, and iffin' you do?  Don't let her ever 
leave your side.  She's a jewel in a crown that sparkles for 
everyone."  He walked into the hall, carrying the vacuum.  "I'll 
leave you alone for a bit.  You just lock up when you leave."  Nick 
stood stricken in the hallway, afraid to trust his emotions and walk 
into her apartment.  Rudy mumbled to himself and sauntered down the 
hallway to the manager's apartment and closed the door.

Images of Nat in front of the fireplace, both here and at the loft, 
flashed in his memory.  Her smile, the warmth she created when she 
was around, the feeling of being connected to someone made the pain 
in his chest increase.  How could he live without her?  He had to do 
this.  She had done the right thing.  He only hoped her memories of 
him wouldn't cause her pain.  The sadness he'd felt earlier from her 
still lingered in the apartment and he knew she wouldn't be that 
lucky.

"Nick!"  Schanke's voice echoed up the stairwell.

"Yeah, Schank."  Nick answered tiredly.

Schanke took the steps two at a time and stopped cold in his tracks 
at the look on Nick's face.  He could feel his pain from here and 
knew the cause.  Nat was gone and she hadn't even said good-bye.  
Whatever he'd done must have been a killer.  Natalie was the most 
forgiving woman he'd ever met and the most patient.  "Jeez, Nick, 
I'm sorry.  I thought she would have waited at least to say good-
bye.  I don't know what you did, man, but she was hurtin' when I saw 
her."  Schanke stared into the apartment.  "She didn't even take her 
furniture.  Damn!  She must have really been upset with you."  He 
turned accusing eyes on his partner.

"She did the right thing.  She did what I should have done a year 
ago."  Nick leaned over and pulled the door shut until the latch 
clicked.  He stared at the knob like it was a foreign object and let 
the empty cold space in his heart begin to grieve his loss.  A 
single blood tear slid from his eye and landed silently on the 
carpet below his feet.  He wiped his face and headed for the door.

"Wait up, Nick.  Let's talk about this.  You need to go after Nat.  
Tell her..."

Nick stopped and turned sad blue eyes on his partner.  "I don't 
deserve her, Schank.  This is better for both of us this way.  I 
couldn't give her what she needed.  All I could ever do was hurt 
her.  Maybe now she'll find some nice guy and settle down with 2 
kids, a white picket fence and a dog in the backyard.  She deserves 
to be happy."  He leaned back against the doorjamb for support and 
ran his hands through his hair in frustration as the thought of 
never seeing her again crushed the air out of his lungs.  He stared 
at the sky and said a silent prayer.  "God forgive me forever 
hurting her like this.  Let her be happy.  Don't make her pay for my 
sins.  She doesn't deserve it.  Take it out on me, not her."  He 
whispered.

Schanke watched and listened intently.  They had been a lot closer 
than friends.  The pain in his normally stoic partner's face matched 
the sadness in Natalie's eyes earlier.  For the first time since 
he'd met Nick, he was thankful not to be in his shoes.  He was human 
after all.  Schanke touched his shoulder in comfort.

"It doesn't have to be this way.  Go after her, Nick.  Whatever 
happened...fix it.  Life is too short to feel this way."

"That's where you're wrong, Schank."  Tired blue eyes met his.

Trying to think of something positive, Schanke opted for 
distraction.  "Let's talk on the way to the precinct.  That woman, 
Arisse DuChaise, asked for you.  She kept babbling about a message 
for you.  They are shipping her over to the nut house for an in-
depth evaluation.  She claims she's been possessed by her dead 
sister's spirit and some woman who was married to you."  Schanke 
snorted in disbelief.  "Get this!  She claims the woman was married 
to you 800 years ago and has a message for you.  Can you believe it?  
She's a real wacko if you ask me.  She told the Captain her sister 
agreed to let her drain her blood, so they could be united as one 
with your dead wife's spirit.  She said they were meant for you.  
It's no wonder you split the other night after talking with her.  
Talk about obsessed women.  Good thing they never saw you and Nat 
together or Nat would have been a prime target.  Some women are 
really scary these days.  Makes me thankful I'm not single."  
Schanke hoped into the car and jumped behind the wheel.  He looked 
around for the green bomb and didn't see it.

"Hey, Nick!  Where's the bomb?  How the Hell did you get here?"  He 
leaned over and opened the passenger door from the inside.  "Never 
mind...just get in.  We're going to take care of the wacky woman and 
then you got to go find Nat."  Nick slid into the passenger seat 
without a word.

--------------
Nick walked into holding with Schanke not far behind.  "She's really 
a weird one, Nick."  Johnson said as he slipped the key into the 
outer door to unlock it.  "I mean she has all the rest of them back 
there spooked.  The shrink left a couple of hours ago and signed 
papers for her transfer to the big house."  Nick said nothing and 
stepped through the door.  Johnson stepped in behind him, followed 
by Schanke.

"Oh, my God!"  Johnson yelled and scrambled for the right key.  
Arisse DuChaise swung slowly on the homemade noose that surrounded 
her neck.  She'd made a makeshift hangman's rope from bedsheets, 
tied it to the window bars and ended her life without anyone making 
a sound.  Nick glared at the prisoners in the other cell.  "Why 
didn't you yell or something?"  The cell door swung open and the 
three of them ran into the small cubicle.  Nick held her body as 
Johnson and Schanke cut the sheet.  Her body fell limply into Nick's 
arms.

"Man, this is bad!"  Schanke knelt down beside Nick, who checked her 
pulse immediately. "Is she?" Nick nodded affirmative and laid her 
down gently.  It was like having her die in his arms all over.  The 
guilt overwhelmed him.

"Hey, Nick!  This isn't your fault, man."  Schanke shook his 
shoulder.  "She did this to herself."

"Look at this, Nick.  She left you a letter."  Johnson pulled the 
letter out from under the edge of the pillow and handed it to Nick.  

Nick opened the envelope carefully.  The handwriting was Alyssa's.  
He would have recognized it anywhere.  So few women could write back 
then. She had been here, but she would never condone this.  He 
stared at Arisse's still form at his feet.

Dearest Nicolas:

I write this for all of us.  Alyssa has left for good.  We are alone 
now and can't bear it.  All this time Anna and I thought she wanted 
us to find you.  For us to tell you how much she loved you, even 
now...when she only wanted your forgiveness.  She blamed herself for 
not loving you enough.  She came to me this morning, one last time, 
to say farewell.  She is free now.  When you tasted our blood, she 
saw inside your heart, as did I.  It is as it was meant to be.  You 
have finally learned to love unselfishly.  In doing so, you have set 
us all free.  Anna and I have lived a fantasy in hopes of finding 
the perfect love who was meant for each of us.  It was not to be, 
just as Alyssa was not your destiny.  She blamed herself for not 
loving you enough to conquer the beast within you.  For centuries, 
she has watched over you and prayed for your redemption.  When she 
found us searching, she knew it was time for the past to be over.  
We join her now as Anna is with me always.  Maybe in the next 
lifetime our souls will meet again.  Don't waste the love that 
blossoms within you.  It is a gift to be shared with only her.  We 
all travel many roads in our lifetime, but the final destination was 
always a given.  Have faith in what is in your heart and everything 
else will fall into its rightful place.  Be happy for all of us!

Love Forever,
AAA

Nick took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the bed in 
shock.  Were they right?  Was it possible?  Could Nat and he be 
together after all?  Hope blossomed in his chest for the first time 
in 36 hours.  He glanced at his watch.  It was only 8pm.  Nat 
couldn't have been gone longer than 6 hours.  He had to find her.  
He had to find out or they were both lost.  He tossed the note on 
the hard mattress and headed for the door.

"Where you going, Nick?"  Schanke grabbed the note from the bed.

"Book me off, Schank.  I'm going to find Nat."  His words faded as 
he ran out the door.

Schanke read the note.  "I will never understand that guy.  The 
woman was completely loony tunes, but he believed her."  Schanke 
then smiled at Johnson and patted him on the back.  "On the brighter 
side, at least he saw the light of day and is going after Nat.  What 
ever works...right, Johnson?"  Schanke slapped him hard on the back 
once more.  "Women...can't live with em and can't live without em.  
Think I'm going to call Myra."  He headed for the door, then stopped 
suddenly and became professional once more.  "You'd better get 
forensics in here ASAP and don't mess with anything else.  Tell them 
I've got the suicide note."  He headed for the door and the phone.

Part 6



Natalie turned her car west once she'd cleared the city limits.  It 
was time to put her life in order.  Time to start fresh in a new 
place.  About an hour into the trip, she pulled over and ripped out 
her roadmap.  "If you are starting over, why not do it from the top, 
Lambert."  A wave of sadness washed over her, but she pushed it 
aside and turned to Sydney.  "What do you think, Syd.  How does 
Halifax sound instead of Vancouver?  I've always liked Nova Scotia.  
Maybe we can find an old lighthouse to live in and I can be the 
lightkeeper or something.  I hear they are always looking for people 
who like the solitary life.  Heavens knows I don't do well with live 
people..." she snorted at the remark,  "...for that matter I don't 
do well with the dead either.  Yes, maybe that's what we need."  She 
turned the car back to the east and plotted a new course.

----------------

Nick took the next flight to Vancouver.  It landed just after 
midnight.  He'd called in every favor he knew and got the address of 
the University and the position Natalie had accepted.  He didn't 
bother with a car and flew straight to the address they'd given him.  
She couldn't possibly be there yet, so he used the phone to find 
some supplies and settle in for the day.  If she drove straight 
through she would make it some time late tomorrow night.  Maybe he 
should check out the lab before daybreak and get the feel for it as 
well.  Then he'd decide what to say to her.  A thousand thoughts ran 
through his head, but there was one constant.  He loved Natalie 
without hesitation and if she loved him at all, they might have a 
chance.  He had to have faith she did or she wouldn't have left.  
After a few calls, he came up with the right lab.  Dr. Allen 
Farnsworthy answered the phone.

"Farnsworthy...make it quick...my tea is boiling."  He chuckled.  It 
was late and he was the only one he knew who worked such late hours, 
except Natalie Lambert.  He was disappointed; she'd called and 
changed her mind.  He'd been looking for some good company.  He 
smiled at the memory of the lovely young woman who'd captured his 
attention so many years ago.  Her tenacity and meticulous obsession 
for detail had made him want her from the moment he read her first 
report.  Up until 2 days ago, she'd constantly said no to his 
proposals of working with him.  Then out of the blue, she called and 
asked for the job.  He had been on cloud nine until a few hours ago 
when she called and told him she couldn't arrange it after all.  He 
was disappointed of course, but concerned, as she sounded so lonely 
over the phone.  She was in a phone booth, from the road noise and 
that wasn't good.  Where were those police friends of hers when she 
needed them?

"Dr. Farnsworthy, my name is Detective Nick Knight.  I'm a friend of 
Dr. Natalie Lambert and I was wondering if she'd arrived yet?"  Nick 
knew she couldn't have arrived yet, but it was better to check and 
make sure.

"Well, young man, this is a bit confusing.  I hope everything is all 
right.  Natalie called me a few hours ago and told me she wasn't 
able to accept the job after all.  She was in a phone booth and 
sounded quite strange.  I do hope everything is okay with her.  She 
is such a lovely woman.  The thought of her out there all alone 
scares me."  Genuine concern laced his voice.

Nick's heart beat twice in succession.  It wasn't possible, then he 
became concerned.  Maybe she'd decided to return to Toronto after 
all.  Maybe she was at the loft right now waiting on him.  His hopes 
soared.  "I'm sure it's nothing Dr. Farnsworthy.  Nat is a big girl 
and can take care of herself, but I'll check on her.  I'll have her 
give you a call when she gets settled in.  Sorry to have disturbed 
you."  Nick hung up the phone a bit apprehensive, but not certain 
what to make of the whole situation.  Doing a quick phone call to 
the airlines, he discovered the next flight back to Toronto wasn't 
until early morning, so he was stuck.  He slammed his hand on the 
endtable and watched it collapse under the force.  He was stuck 
until tomorrow night.  If he tried flying it himself, he'd be forced 
to find cover somewhere half way.  He was fast, but not as fast as a 
jet.  He paced the floor and finally gave into the frustration and 
took to the air.  Somewhere near dawn he found a small cave in a 
hillside.  Quickly ducking into the dark confines, he managed to 
escape the first rays of the morning sun.  Once more he said a 
silent prayer, only for Nat's safety this time.

----------------  

She'd driven all day and night without a break.  Under normal 
circumstances, she would have been more than just fatigued.  Her 
eyes had begun to burn from over use, so she pulled over to the side 
of the road, locked the car and dozed off.  Several hours later, a 
Mountie tapped on her window and asked if she was in distress or 
needed help.  She rolled down the window and smiled.

"Sorry, Officer.  I was just too tired to go much further and 
decided it was safer to take a quick nap than run off the road." 
Sydney howled loudly from his kennel in the back seat.  

The young Mountie smiled.  "I think someone in the back wants 
dinner.  There's a diner about 10 miles up the road and you'll be in 
Halifax in a couple more.  Take a break more often and you'll get 
there safely."  He tipped his hat and was on his way.  

Nat rubbed her eyes and glanced at her watch.  It was after 4pm.  
She'd been asleep for three hours.  If she were only a couple hours 
out of Halifax, she'd made good time.  Of course she'd have been 
there by now if she hadn't started west in the first place.  "Well, 
Syd my one and only man, why don't we get some lunch or whatever 
they are serving up the road."  Within an hour, she was back on the 
road again.

------------

Nick flew like a madman as soon as the sun fell over the horizon.  
Within a couple of hours, he was at the loft.  Another quick flight 
proved to be fruitless as he tried her old apartment.  Several phone 
calls later from the loft, he was still no better off than when he 
started.  Natalie had successfully disappeared.  He sank down into 
his leather chair with a bottle of blood at his side.  He drank 
without tasting and let his mind float back to happier times.  He 
couldn't give up now.  She might be in trouble.  He had to find her.  
In frustration, he tossed the bottle into the fireplace.

"Frankly, that is where it belongs, Nicola."  Her soft French accent 
floated across the room.  Nick held his head in frustration.

"It's where I belong as well."  He said succinctly without turning 
to meet her gaze.  The loneliness and pain surrounded him like a 
cloud and he didn't bother to disguise it.  "I don't need any 
lectures, Janette.  I'm not really in the mood."

"But of course, Nicola.  I just couldn't help but check on you, as 
our connection has done nothing but burn for over 2 days.  I just 
thought maybe I could ease your pain."  She said seductively as she 
appeared magically before him.

Raw pain greeted her when she met his gaze.  Never before had she 
felt such grief, such emotion from him.  He was both hurt and 
terrified at the same time.  How was this possible?  "What has 
happened, Nicola?"  She asked softly and traced his face lovingly.  
He leaned into her palm for comfort, but found little solace.  It 
was not her palm he wished the comfort from. 

"I'm an idiot.  You always said that when it came to women.  I've 
hurt Natalie and I don't really know how.  I hurt her bad enough for 
her to not just tell me off, but to run away from everything she 
knows."  He sat down in the chair and leaned his head back into the 
soft leather.  "I was going to tell her I was leaving because I felt 
we were getting too close and then this woman showed up."

"The one who looked like Alyssa?"  Janette finished his thought.  

He looked at her startled.  "How did you know that?"

Janette picked up the glass on the end table still filled with cow's 
blood.  She considered drinking it, then decided against it.  "I 
surmised as much.  Natalie came to see me yesterday afternoon.  She 
came for answers that she felt you would not give her.  She needed 
peace of mind before she moved on with her life.  I don't think she 
attained it."  Janette rose and moved to the fireplace and stared 
into the flames.  "She wanted to know if your wife had loved you as 
much as you loved her."  She turned knowing eyes to his.

"Of course, you hadn't bothered to tell her you'd been married 
before.  It came as quite a shock to her.  All this time, she 
thought you were distant to her because you were protecting her from 
yourself.  When she discovered you'd married a  mortal and still 
grieved for her, she realized she'd been played the fool."  Janette 
smiled.  "Of course, she didn't know you'd killed your mortal wife 
in a fit of passion.  You hadn't bothered to explain that to her 
either.  Her memory had returned from the night at the Azure.  She 
remembered all the hateful words you spoke with LaCroix and the 
tender words you whispered into her ear after he left.  She chose to 
believe the latter until now.  By the way, what did you say to her 
that night?"  Janette raised a knowing eye.

"The truth or a lie, Nicola.  You were convincing enough for LaCroix 
to make him believe she had not captured your heart, but I know 
different."  Janette returned to his side.  

"She knew of the times you came to me, and she watched you grieve 
for a dead wife of 800 years.  Her pride would not let her stay.  
She felt used and foolish for believing in something that never 
existed, yet she never blamed you.  She blamed herself for making 
the relationship into more than it was.  Her words...not mine.  She 
even wished you well and told me to take care of you."  She leaned 
over and kissed his lips gently.  

She released them slowly with a sigh of regret.  "But it isn't my 
lips you wish, nor my blood for that matter. You must find her, 
Nicola.  She is your other half, the one person in your life who can 
make you complete.  I used to believe it was I, but I was wrong.  
The passion, the emotion, the love she brings out in you is what 
you've always desired.  Don't throw it away. Happiness is such a 
fragile thing, as you know very well.  You must take it whenever you 
can.  Make it into something that will last forever."  

She stood and walked to the window now and gazed out on to the 
street.  "So many people, so much pain and misery...most of which we 
create ourselves."  She turned back to gaze at her lonely brother 
and felt his pain.  "Make the pain within you disappear, Nicola.  
Find her, tell her you love her and will never leave her side.  Beg 
her for forgiveness at any cost.  Make her into one of us for all 
eternity in the name of love.  Do not let a touch of the past 
prevent you from being the man you were always meant to be."  A tear 
slipped from her eye and he was at her side immediately.

He folded her into his embrace and she went willingly.  "I never 
meant to hurt you, Janette."

She raised her head and stared into his eyes amazed.  "It is I who 
should apologize, Nicola.  I wanted you out of sheer lust, then 
tossed you away.  Even then you forgave me and took me back until I 
did it again.  I didn't help with LaCroix as I should have…and many 
times I helped him manipulate you into doing his bidding.  If anyone 
should beg your forgiveness, it should be me.  I love you in a way 
that I will never be able to explain, but I know your heart belongs 
to Natalie.  I think it always has."  She smiled bravely.  "Find her 
and be happy, then I know you will have forgiven me for all that I 
have done to you."

Nick kissed her forehead.  "I shall always love you as well, 
Janette.  Never doubt that." He pulled her head back to his shoulder 
as he had so many times before in comfort.  "I only wish I knew how 
to find her.  She has disappeared without a trace."

"No one disappears without a trace, Nicola…not even us.  You are a 
detective…find her or die trying!"  She stared into his eyes and saw 
determination now.  She smiled.  "You see, I am good for something."

He kissed her again, on the cheek this time.  "You are good for lots 
of things, Janette, more than I can mention, but I thank you."  He 
walked over and grabbed his coat from the back of the couch and 
headed for the door.

------------  

Nick spent several hours as the computer.  He was technically booked 
off and asked not to be disturbed.  After several grunts and a 
growl, Schanke fled the area without answers, then it happened.  
Earlier in the day a Mountie had run her tags.  She had been about 2 
hours out of Halifax.  Nick glanced at the clock.  If he hurried, he 
could catch the last flight out tonight and be there by midnight.  
He ran a quick credit card check and found she'd checked into a 
small hotel near the wharf.  He wrote down the address and headed 
for the airport.



Part 7



Natalie couldn't sleep.  She'd been up for almost 48 hours. It 
seemed strange that sleep wouldn't come, but for some reason she 
wasn't surprised.  In her heart she knew the reason she'd driven 
herself so hard.  The driving had been a balm to her soul as well as 
made her physically exhausted.  Maybe she'd find sleep somewhere in 
the early hours of the morning, but the water was calling to her.  
Her hotel sat on the edge of the wharf and she'd been lucky enough 
to get waterfront view.  Of course, they'd charged her extra for it, 
but the balcony was nice and the breeze off the water had a calming 
effect on her soul.

She'd spent the hours driving going over the last 5 years of her 
life.  She realized about 2/3 of the way here no one was at fault, 
least of all Nick.  They were closer than friends, but his lack of 
faith in himself made him back away from commitment.  Natalie leaned 
out over the rail and let the cool breeze catch her hair.  It was a 
bit early to be sitting out on the balcony, but she didn't seem to 
notice.  Nick had cared for her, but not the way she loved him.  He 
was capable of it.  The fact he had married once told her that.  A 
single tear silently worked its way down her soft cheek as she 
talked to herself.

"I'd have probably walked away too, Nick, if I'd killed my husband 
in the name of love.  The fact we got as close as we did amazes me, 
but you could have told me.  You could have let me know why you 
pushed me away, but then maybe you were just being nice.  You didn't 
want to hurt my feelings.  Let's be honest here, Lambert…You are not 
a size 4 and you don't have that elegant European look that Janette 
has or Alyssa had."  She sighed with regret.  Sydney walked out and 
wound his way around her legs in comfort.  He could feel his 
mistress' distress and wanted to take it away.  She leaned over and 
picked him up.

"Alone again, Syd.  You'd think I'd be used to it by now.  I'm so 
tired, Syd, so tired of trying to do it all by myself.  I thought 
Nick was different.  I thought he was interested in the whole 
package, but I was wrong again."  Tears began to flow steadily now 
as she gave into the loneliness and hurt that crushed her very soul 
into a dark corner.  "I let him touch my heart because it felt so 
right."  She sobbed into Sydney's furry coat as she clutched him in 
her arms.  

"How could I have been so wrong?  I don't want to do this anymore, 
Syd."  Her heart broke and she began to sob harder.

Strong arms surrounded her and pulled her into his willing embrace.  
"You weren't wrong, Nat."  Nick whispered into her ear and pulled 
her head to his shoulder.  "I was a fool, Natalie."  

Startled at first, she froze.  Then…more than willingly, she fell 
into his arms and wept harder.  If he was a dream, she didn't want 
it to end, but she couldn't stop the tears.  The pain tore her heart 
in two.  She dropped Sydney and wrapped her arms around him.  The 
smell that was only Nick touched her senses.  She was lost to the 
feel of him beneath her fingertips and the need within her very soul 
to be with him.

He caressed her mane of hair and let her cry.  "I never meant to 
hurt you, Natalie.  I love you."  He pulled her away from his 
shoulder and made her look him in the eyes.  "Do you hear me?  I 
love you beyond life.  You never have to be alone again if you don't 
want to be.  We'll find a way to be together.  I swear it."  He 
rubbed her face with his thumbs as his heart broke to see the pain 
he'd caused her. 

"I was so scared I'd lose control I backed away.  I am terrified 
LaCroix will come after you if we got too close or I'll destroy your 
life just like I did Alyssa's."  He sighed with regret and guilt.  
"I wanted someone to love me for who I was, not the power within me.  
She had no idea what I was and it frightened her.  I was young and 
hurt and needed more than she had to give.  I could never forgive 
myself for giving into my own needs…until now. My guilt kept her 
here and I was afraid if I loved you, I would destroy you, too."

He leaned his forehead to hers.  "I tried to walk away, to not love 
you…but I couldn't.  You gave me hope.  You made me feel alive 
again; you filled me with something I'd craved all my life.  Tell me 
what you feel."  He whispered softly.

She wrapped her hands around his and said a prayer.  He was real.  
He was here, telling her how much he loved her, how much he wanted 
to be with her.  Couldn't he see how much she loved him?  Couldn't 
he feel it?  She stared into his uncertain eyes and saw fear.  He 
was just as uncertain about how she felt about him as she'd been 
about his feelings. She stepped back without saying a word and 
marveled at the courage it took for him to be here.  For 800 years 
he'd been searching, risking his life and his heart to find what we 
all sought.  She walked into the bedroom and returned moments later.  
She sliced the palm of her hand and offered it to him.

"Nat, you don't know what..."

She grabbed his hand and sliced it deeply, then placed their 
bleeding palms together.  "My blood never lies." Her lips sought his 
and he crushed her to him, never letting the blood bond between them 
break.  Her blood flowed into his and his into hers.  She let him 
see her doubts about his love and the certainty in her heart that 
she could never love anyone else.

He deepened the kiss and tasted every corner of her mouth as the 
connection was made.  The warmth that had always been hers, she now 
shared with him.  In return, he gave her his heart.  The images of 
his life flashed slowly into her mind along with the need to be with 
her both body and soul.  She let it caress her heart and mind, 
bringing peace for the first time in her life.  With a deep sigh, 
she broke the kiss.  "Make love to me, Nick.  Trust yourself as I 
trust you and we can be together.  Love me as I have always loved 
you."  His bright blue eyes filled with tears of happiness.  He 
picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.  

Slowly, by the light of the moon through the window, he undressed 
her.  The cool breeze kissed her skin, as she stood before him naked 
in the moonlight.  Gently, he touched her neck with his fingertips 
and reverently traced her breast with a feather light touch.  "You 
are so beautiful, Natalie.  I have waited all my life to make love 
to you.  You are in my dreams every day and my thoughts every night.  
I can't live without you.  Be one with me.  Be my eternal mate and I 
promise to love you beyond this life into the next."

She placed his hand over her breast and stepped closer.  "I am 
yours, Nick Knight, for now and forever.  Make us one as we were 
meant to be."  His lips found hers as he pulled her hard against his 
swollen groin.  Her hands had a mind of their own as she began to 
undress him.  Impatiently, he stepped back and shed all of his 
clothes in seconds, then sought her lips once more.

His cool skin against her hot body excited them both and they were 
lost to the feel of each other's needs.  She trailed kisses down his 
neck causing him to groan in response, as he rubbed his swollen 
member into her groin filled with need.  She responded by pulling 
his buttocks hard into her pelvis while she continued to taste every 
inch of him.  His hands weren't idle either, as he caressed and 
pulled her pelvis into his, matching the rhythm she'd set.  She 
became wet and he sensed it immediately.  

He pushed her gently down on the bed and stretched his hard body 
over hers.  Each caress was meant to entice while each stroke of his 
tongue worshipped the inside of her mouth.  She moaned in response.  
He slipped two fingers inside her and pulled the sweet juice of her 
body to the edge of her clit.  He teased it slowly until she 
squirmed beneath his touch before plunging his fingers deep inside 
her once more.  She moved against him and moaned in pleasure until 
his lips moved to her breast and worked their magic all over again.

Warmth spread through her like a burning flame as the fire within 
her groin began to grow, filled with a need for only Nick.  His lips 
and tongue worked her breasts into hard nubs as his hand teased her 
body with future things to come.  "Nick...please!"  Natalie moaned 
as she reached for his swollen shaft.  She wanted him inside her 
both body and soul.  Golden eyes met hers.

"Tell me you love me once more, Natalie.  Tell me you trust me with 
your life.  Tell me you have no doubts."  He breathed heavy and she 
could see the struggle within him for control of the vampire.  He 
pulled back and held her face between his hands now and waited for 
her answer.  If she said no, he would stop.  Somehow, he would find 
the strength to stop because he loved her.

Her eyes melded into his as they waited on the edge.  With her palm 
still bleeding slightly, she placed it to his lips.  "I shall love 
you forever, Nick.  Make us one."

Her blood begged him for release as her heart was committed to only 
him.  He buried his shaft deep within her.  She gasped, then moaned 
as he began to move deep within her.  Each stroke was slow and 
deliberate as he let his hard manhood bring her to the edge of 
release.  Feeling the need within her, he resliced his own palm 
again and placed it in hers.  "Together, my love, as we should have 
always been."

Pleasure washed over her as their blood mingled and he pummeled her 
body with his hard cock.  Each stroke deeper than the next until she 
thought she would go mad with need.  Unable to stop the sensations, 
she fell over the edge and gave into her body.  As she began to 
contract around him, she screamed his name in release and he was 
lost.  Her blood gave him strength and her love gave him faith.  He 
pushed deep inside and planted his fangs gently into her willing 
neck.  With the first drop of her blood, he exploded inside her.  
Grinding his penis into her cervix, he brought her to climax and 
made them one for all eternity.

Each drop of her blood was filled with love for him, with no doubts.  
She reached out to him through their blood link and touched his 
heart.  Once, twice, his heart beat in succession with hers and they 
were no longer two but one.  As her heart slowed, he released her 
neck.  "Stay with me, Natalie.  I can't live without you."  He 
rolled them both over until he was on the bottom and she lay limply 
on top of him, fading away into the darkness.  He sliced his neck 
deeply and brought her lips to his blood.  "Forever, Natalie...I 
shall be with you forever."

Her heart beat ever so slowly and the darkness beckoned, but Nick 
was calling her.  The need in his voice, laced with love left her no 
room for doubt.  The salty taste on her lips was a part of him she 
needed desperately.  First she licked, then began to suck until 
finally her heart was healed and she fell into a deep slumber.

The sweet pull of her lips on his neck gave him great joy.  
Happiness washed over him as he gave into the need within her to 
become one with him.  With each mouthful of his blood, he touched 
her heart with a love meant only for her.  He let his power become 
part of her as well as his soul and they fell over the abyss into a 
world neither had ever known.

End Part 7
-------------------
Epilogue:

Several times she awoke, filled with a need she couldn't describe 
and each time his blood filled the void.  The loneliness was gone 
replaced with a warmth filled with love and hope.  Finally, she 
awoke refreshed, filled with a happiness she'd never known existed.  
She caressed his face in the sunlight that drifted across the bed 
they both slept in.  His skin was warm and his heart beat slowly 
under her fingertips.  Bright blue eyes greeted hers.  Slowly he ran 
his fingers through her riotous mane of curls in the sunlight.  It 
was alive with color just as the woman in his arms.  Finally, 
reality set it and he became confused.  He touched her neck and the 
marks were gone.  Her steady heartbeat throbbed under his 
fingertips. 

"It's okay."  She held her hand up in the sunlight without harm.  
"...and so are you.  Our hearts beat Nick and the sun has not harmed 
us, but I feel different.  I don't understand this."  She 
concentrated for a moment.  When she looked up her eyes were golden 
and her fangs had dropped.  "What are we?"

Nick touched her face in amazement as the sun kissed his pale skin 
as well as hers.  He reached out to the vampire within him and it 
responded.  Golden eyes matched hers as his fangs elongated…but it 
was different.  "I don't understand this, Nat.  The vampire is still 
here, but it has changed."  He pushed into the new feeling within 
him and felt warmth where there had been cold.  He felt love where 
there had been need.  His heart beat slowly pushing this new emotion 
throughout his body…and for the first time in 800 years, the 
loneliness was gone.

He kissed her lips in sheer joy.  "Maybe being a vampire is not just 
physical, Nat, but something deeper."  She stared at him confused as 
he jumped out of bed and pulled her to his side.  He wrapped her in 
his arms and basked in the sunlight for the first time in centuries.  
" Don't you see?  The vampire required human blood to fill its need 
for warmth and love in order to survive even in the darkness."  He 
kissed her soundly and twirled her in his arms in the sunlight,  
"...but you filled that need within me with your love and my love 
for you has made us whole.  Reach out to me with your mind."  He 
smiled anxiously filled with new hope.

She closed her eyes and thought of making love to him all over again 
to banish the loneliness forever.  When she opened her eyes, his 
lips were not a hair's breadth away from hers.  

"I will make love to you for eternity and I promise to make each 
time as memorable as the first.  It does not matter what the future 
brings because we are together and you shall never be alone again."  
His lips crushed hers to his as he picked her up and carried her 
back to the bedroom.  Today they would make love in the sun and 
tonight they would find more answers.

The End

Author's Note:

If you enjoyed the story, why not read some more?
Come join the fun and visit my Fiction page at:
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Better yet go UNDERCOVER & enjoy the ride with my new novel!
Available NOW in paperback, pdf & CD versions: See my webpage above!
Or go direct to the sources at:
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>http://www.amazon.com   Type in B.W. Starmer or UNDERCOVER
>http://www.barnesandnoble.com  Type in B.W. Starmer  

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