----------------------- WARNING -----------------------------
NOTE:  There are ADULT passages in this story and it should
not be read or downloaded by anyone under 18 years of age.
If you do not meet the age requirement to read this story, please
exit this document now. I take no responsibility for unlawful
downloading and reading by a minor.
-------------------------------------------------------------

     This is posting only on my web page, just to see how many of
you actually visit here. All comments are welcome, but please be
gentle. This is a very different style from my usual.

CONTAINS ADULT MATERIAL: violence and rape; explicit m/m sex
(Nick/Lacroix) and m/f sex (Nick/Natalie). If these subjects
disturb or disgust you, do not read any further. 

DISCLAIMER:  The characters of Nick and Co. are not mine.  They
were created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and are owned by
Sony/TriStar.  No copyright infringement was intended.  


The Assault
  by Nancy Taylor
  nat1228@home.com
  (c) Jan. 1999

Chapter 1 --

     Nick Knight didn't know what hit him. In the dark alley,
just a few hours before dawn, he had come to meet with an
informant. The caller had told Nick that he had information on
the Hansen case, and to come alone. Frustrated by lack of
material evidence in the case, he had left Tracy with the
forensics report and headed out on his own.
     Now he lay in the dirt of the alley, the back of his head
throbbing like the beating of a bass drum. He felt himself being
dragged into a grassy area, but was too dazed to struggle. The
next instant, a searing pain pierced his chest as a stake was
driven through it and deep into the ground, pinning him down.
Fortunately, the instrument had missed his heart, but the pain
was excruciating nonetheless. Nick struggled in a vain attempt to
loosen the stick from the ground, but he was held firm.
     Weakened by the loss of blood, he eventually ceased to
fight. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen, and
he could do nothing to stop it.
     Clawing fingers ripped at Nick's clothing, tearing it from
his body, exposing his alabaster flesh to the cold night wind. He
moaned, trying to fight back by kicking feebly at his assailant,
but without success. The effort merely caused new pain to course
through his body by moving the stake that pinned him in place.
     "Faggot!" A voice spit the word in his face. "I know who you
are. I know *what* you are! You ain't gonna do no more fucking
around, you hear?"
     Nick felt as though he was no longer in his body. He heard
the words, but they didn't register in his brain. He felt hands
lifting his buttocks, and a searing pain as something penetrated
his anus. He was floating, detached from the pain that ripped
through his flesh. One final excruciating pain tore through him
before he totally lost consciousness.
     "That done it." The voice crowed with pride as he stuffed
the severed penis into Nick's mouth. "Suck on that, fag!" But
Nick could no longer hear....

     Blue and red flashing lights lit the scene of the homicide.
The medical examiner was first on the scene after the officers
who had responded to the call. Natalie knelt next to the covered
body and carefully pulled the sheet back from its face. Her voice
caught in her throat, and for a moment she couldn't breathe. She
knelt, frozen in place by horror, next to the victim.
     "Nick!" she gasped, when she finally found her voice once
more. "Oh, my God, Nick!" Natalie's scream of recognition tore
from her strangled throat.
     "You know him?" The officer was a stranger to her. Just a
boy, fresh out of the academy by the look of it. His face was
as pale as a sheet. She could feel the horror and revulsion
exuded by the young man.
     "He's one of *yours*!" she spat at him. "Detective Nicholas
Knight of the 96th."
     "Oh, my God," the officer whispered, backing away from the
corpse and the coroner. He looked as though he needed to find a
good place to puke and get it over with.
     Natalie laid a warm hand against Nick's face, stroking him
gently as tears ran down her cheeks. She noticed something in his
mouth, and gently pried his jaw open and retrieved the severed
organ. Holding it in the palm of her hand, she shook with grief.
Taking a clean hanky, she wrapped the amputated penis, tucking it
surreptitiously into her pocket.
     Carefully, she uncovered the rest of Nick's body to examine
the extent of the damage. The rape was obvious, due to the amount
of blood under his buttocks. Rolling his body slightly, she
observed the tearing of the delicate tissue around the anus.
<Thank God they removed the stake> Natalie thought as she
carefully rolled the body back to its original position and
covered it with the sheet.
     She looked up just as Tracy and Captain Reese arrived on the
scene. "Any identity on the body, Dr. Lambert?" Reese asked.
     Mutely, she pulled the sheet away from Nick's face. Natalie
watched as Reese blanched despite his dark complexion and Tracy
covered her mouth to contain the sudden rise of bile in her
throat.
     "Cause of death?" Reese asked, falling back on protocol to
cover the pain of the grief he felt at the sudden loss of one of
his most valued detectives.
     "He isn't dead, Captain," she whispered.
     Reese walked over to where Natalie still knelt beside Nick,
and helped her to her feet. "It's going to be all right," he
comforted, wrapping an arm around her waist for support and
guiding her away. "We all want Nick back with us," he assured
her, "but we have to learn to go on. I'll get another coroner to
take this case. You're too close."
     "No! You don't understand!" Natalie shouted through her
tears. "He's NOT dead!" She struggled to free herself from the
confining arm and darted back to where the technicians were
preparing the body for transport. "Leave him there!" she
demanded, turning back to a shocked Reese and Tracy. The techs
stopped their work and looked questioningly at the captain.
     Reese waved for them to back off, and he once again
approached the grieving doctor. "Come on, Natalie," he coaxed.
"I'll drive you home. I'll get someone to stay with you, if you
like."
     "No, Captain," she repeated, finding some shreds of control
deep within herself. "He's not dead. I know how to help him."
     Captain Reese exchanged glances with Tracy, and shook his
head. Tracy frowned, considering the coroner's adamant stand.
"Is there something you haven't told us?" she asked.
     Natalie sidestepped Captain Reese and walked over to Tracy.
Wiping at her brimming eyes with the back of her hand, she leaned
over to whisper into the detective's ear. Tracy's eyes grew wide,
and her mouth formed a small pink "o" of surprise. The women both
eyed the captain and came to a simultaneous agreement.
     Walking over to the perplexed man, the women each took an
arm and guided him away from the crowd of police and bystanders.

     "...And that's why we have to get him back to the loft,"
Natalie argued. "The hospital's no place for Nick, it would kill
him. He wouldn't get the care he needs and he might be exposed to
the sun."
     "But what about the rest of the officers on the scene?"
Reese asked.
     "Send them away. Tell them we have this under control,"
Natalie told him. "We can take Nick back to the loft, then tell
everyone he's at the hospital with a 'no visitors' restriction."
     "That might work," Reese mused.
     "Cap, we have to hurry," Tracy urged. "The longer Nick goes
without the care he needs, the more dangerous he becomes."
     Reese turned to dismiss the officers and then dispersed the
crowd. Once they were alone, he hefted the body and placed it in
the back seat of the Caddy. 
     Natalie tossed her keys to Tracy. "Would you please drive my
car back to the loft?" she asked. 
     Tracy nodded and walked over to the blue Ford Taurus and
unlocked the door. "Take good care of him, Nat," she begged as
she slipped behind the wheel of Natalie's car.
     "I will," Natalie assured her.

     "Upstairs," Natalie ordered, as she pulled open the lift
door and hurried to the staircase. Reese followed with his
burden, and Tracy trailed in behind, loathe to leave until she
knew that her partner was going to be all right.
     In Nick's bedroom, Natalie turned down the sheets, allowing
Reese to place him comfortably in his bed. 
     "You sure he's alive?" Reese asked dubiously.
     "Oh, yes," Natalie breathed, brushing a stray lock of golden
hair from Nick's forehead.
     "Is there anything else I can do?" Reese wondered.
     "There's an IV stand in the back of the closet," she
informed him. At the captain's confused look, she explained.
"I've done this before."
     "Oh." Reese turned to comply with her request, as Natalie
hurried down to the kitchen.
     Retrieving the five bags of human blood from the freezer,
she set about thawing them quickly. Tracy stood in the middle of
the loft, looking useless and forlorn as she watched the doctor
prepare the blood.
     Noticing Tracy's plight, Natalie turned to the young
detective. "Can you run by the morgue and grab me some more blood
packs from the refrigerator?" she asked.
     "How many do you need?" Tracy perked up immediately.
     "As many as you can smuggle out. The more the better."
     "I'm on my way!" Tracy practically flew out of the loft,
relieved to be doing something useful.
     Natalie took the warmed blood packs upstairs and hung one
unit on the IV stand. Perching on the side of the bed next to
Nick, she expertly slid the needle into a vein in his arm and
taped it down. She started the blood flow and watched with
amazement as his vampiric physiology drained the pack in just
a few minutes.
     "What was that?" Reese asked from his position in a chair
next to the shuttered window.
     "Nick's body craves the blood. He requires it for healing,"
Natalie explained. "The vampire can literally suck the life blood
back into itself, even when the victim is unconscious." She waved
a hand over Nick as she spoke. "He did this the first night he
showed up in my morgue," she continued.
     "He showed up in your morgue?" Reese asked, stunned.
     "Yeah," Natalie responded as she hung another blood pack on
the stand and started the flow once more. "On my 28th birthday.
They brought in this pipe bomb victim. Before I could get to the
autopsy, the phone rang. While I was talking, the body sat up and
jumped off my table." A soft smile graced her lips for the first
time that night. "He was incredible. I knew from that moment
there was something very special about Nick."
     "That's the moment you fell in love with him," Reese
astutely noted.
     "Oh, no, it's not like that!" Natalie protested. "He was a
challenge. A challenge to my scientific skills. A puzzle to be
solved."
     "Puzzle, my ass," Reese muttered. 
     Natalie blushed brightly at being caught in her lie. "Yes, I
love him," she whispered.
     "Have you told *him*?"
     "I don't have to," Natalie said. "We can't be together, so
there's no reason for me to burden him with my feelings."
     The captain gave Natalie a sidelong glance. "*He* loves
*you*."
     "No." She refused to listen. "We can't be together, so
there's no use even considering it." She reached up to remove yet
another empty blood pack and replace it with a third. "I hope
that Tracy gets back soon," she muttered.

     The sun had risen on a new day. Captain Reese and Tracy had
left for the time being, promising to check up on Nick the next
evening. As soon as they left, Natalie withdrew the hanky from
her pocket, unwrapping the contents. Tracy had told her about how
Vachon had reattached his severed hand, but she had no idea how
to go about the task herself. She carefully uncovered her
patient, being mindful not to disturb his rest. Positioning the
organ over the spot where it had been amputated, she held it in
place. 
     Despite her resolution, Natalie soon became tired. Laying
down next to Nick on the bed, she rested her head on his
shoulder, holding the penis in place with her left hand. She was
just going to close her eyes for a minute, she had told herself,
but now she awoke with the sense that it was midday.
     Shaking the last wisps of sleep from her head, she glanced
down at Nick's groin. The reattachment appeared to have worked.
She breathed a sigh of relief and gently replaced the covers over
his nakedness.
     As she was hanging a fresh blood pack, Nick stirred. A moan
of pain escaped his lips as his head tossed back and forth on the
pillows.
     "Nick?" Natalie whispered, capturing his face softly between
her hands. Eyes blurred with pain gazed back at her.
     "What happened?" his voice was hoarse and low, a mere
whisper that she had to bend down to hear.
     "We were hoping you could tell *us*," Natalie countered.
"How do you feel?"
     "Like hell," he croaked. Closing his eyes against the
onslaught of pain, he grimaced.
     "Get some rest," she ordered. "We can talk when you're
stronger."
     Nick nodded silently, keeping his eyes shut. He soon drifted
off into an uneasy sleep as Natalie kept watch at his bedside.


Chapter 2 --

     Nick had spent the day in restless sleep. Natalie replaced
the blood packs, as needed, and periodically checked on the
healing of his wounds. She was concerned that the injuries were
not healing as quickly as she had thought they might. She had no
inkling of the time it might take him to recover from such
wounds. Somehow, she had thought it would be quicker than this. 
She ran her fingers through blond waves, brushing an errant lock 
of hair from his forehead.
     A low moan escaped his lips, and his eyes fluttered open.
"Hey, Nick." Natalie greeted him with a soft voice. "Feeling any
better this evening?"
     "It hurts," he complained, in a whisper almost too soft to
be heard.
     "What hurts?" Natalie was almost afraid to hear the
response.
     "Everything," he moaned, tossing his head from side to side.
"Make it stop."
     "How, Nick? How?" she asked in desperation. "My drugs don't
work in your system. What can I do to help you?"
     "Blood," he murmured.
     "But you're getting a constant supply," she told him.
"How can more blood help?"
     With great effort, he lifted an arm and placed one cool
hand atop her fingers. He toyed with her fingers for a few
moments, lifting one and then another in a slow and sensuous
rhythm. Taking a deep breath, he willed himself to bring her hand
to his mouth, and softly kissed her palm.
     Natalie sat mesmerized by Nick's unexplainable actions,
blushing slightly as his cool lips brushed the sensitive skin of
her palm. A soft shiver ran through her as an idea dawned in her
mind. Slipping her hand from his loose grasp, she placed her
wrist close to his mouth.
     "If this is what you need," she whispered, "then drink."
     There was a pause which felt like an eternity, during which
time everything in the room became still and quiet. Then Natalie
felt a twin prick at her wrist, and held her breath as Nick
licked the ruby droplets that formed in the wounds. A second
shiver traced its way down her spine as she felt cool lips engulf
the wounds and a gentle suction form across her wrist. She kept
an intense watch over him and saw the tension lines begin to
recede from his brow. With a sigh of relief Nick released her, a
small smile curving the corners of his mouth.
     "Better?" she asked, stroking his cheek with her hand.
     He nodded, but did not open his eyes. Exhaustion was still
plainly written in every line of his body, despite the healing
blood. Natalie bent to kiss the unresponsive lips before she rose
from the bed to attend to getting herself some dinner.
     Just as she was sitting down to eat, the door buzzer
sounded. Rising, she pushed the button to the security camera and
saw Captain Reese and Tracy standing at the entryway.
     "Hi, Cap. Hi, Tracy. Just a second and I'll buzz you in."
Natalie hit the button that unlocked the door and soon heard the
lift engage. 
     "How's he doing?" Captain Reese inquired as he entered the
loft.
     "Better," Natalie answered cautiously. "He's still in a lot
of pain and sleeps most of the time."
     "Is he up to answering any questions?" the captain wanted to
know. Tracy stood silently behind him, her eyes darting nervously
around the room.
     "I don't know." Natalie's response was guarded. She knew
they were working on Nick's case, but she was loathe to put him
through any questioning at the moment. "Could you come back
later?"
     "It's really important, Nat," Tracy pleaded. "We've got zip,
nada, nothing to go on. We really need any information Nick can
give us."
     "Okay," she agreed. "We can go see if he feels up to it."
She turned to climb the stairs, with Reese and Tracy following
closely behind.
     "Nick?" Natalie walked across the room and sat on the edge
of the bed. She lifted one cold hand from the blanket and rubbed
the back of it soothingly with her thumb. "Nick? Captain Reese
and Tracy are here. They'd like to ask you some questions." Nick
stirred and opened his eyes. "Feel up to it?"
     He turned his head to see his captain and partner standing
next to Natalie, looking expectant. "Ask." His voice was no more
than a whispered croak. Tracy grimaced at the sound, so different
from her partner's normally melodic speech.
     "What do you remember about that night?" Reese began.
     "Not much," came the soft response.
     "Tell us what you *do* remember," he coaxed.
     "Getting hit. Being dragged. The stake." Nick grimaced and
clutched involuntarily at his chest.
     "Do you remember what your assailant looked like? Anything?
Anything at all?"
     Nick shook his head. "I remember the pain. He tore my
clothes. Pain. I don't remember anything else." He shook his head
adamantly. "I didn't see him." That little discourse seemed to
exhaust him, and he closed his eyes.
     "I really think that's all for now," Natalie pleaded. "Nick
needs to rest."
     "We understand," Reese told her. "I just wish we had more to
go on." He turned to leave and ushered Tracy out the bedroom
door.
     "Nat." The soft calling of her name caught her by surprise.
     "What is it, Nick?"
     "It might help if they could observe the wounds," he
suggested. "I don't mind. Really."
     "What good would that do?" she asked.
     "I don't know," he whispered, "but it's all I can offer
right now."
     "Are you sure, Nick?" Natalie was worried and a little
embarrassed for him. "Your wounds are very, well, personal."
     "I don't mind, Nat," Nick assured her.
     "Captain? Tracy? Please don't leave yet," Natalie called to
the two retreating down the hall.
     "What's up?" Reese asked, sticking his head back through the
bedroom door.
     "Nick thinks it might be of some help if you were able to
see his injuries for yourselves," she explained.
     "It might," Reese agreed, "considering we don't have a
forensics report to help us." He walked back over to the bed,
Tracy trailing closely behind. "You sure about this, Nick?" he
asked. Nick nodded, but did not open his eyes.
     Natalie pulled back the sheet to Nick's waist, revealing the
ugly and slowly healing hole in his chest from the makeshift
stake. Reese bent to examine the wound, while Tracy backed up a
step and blanched. She had seen many horrible things in her few
months on this job, but it was different when it was your partner
who was the victim.
     Natalie gently rolled Nick over, so Reese could see the exit
wound, then pulled the sheet lower so he could observe the damage
from the rape itself.
     Tracy flushed a deep pink and an embarrassed giggle escaped
her lips. "Nice butt, partner," she whispered, then clasped her
hands over her mouth in horror. "I can't believe I just said
that!" she exclaimed from behind her hands. Her color deepened
even more.
     A muffled chuckle issued from the pillow. "Thanks, Trace."
Nick responded with an unexpected sense of humor.
     Natalie threw the blankets back over him, covering all but
his head. "I think that's enough for now," she told them.
     "You're right, Natalie. We have enough to get started now."
Reese turned to go. "Thanks, Nick."
     "Okay," a voice hoarse with pain answered softly.
     Once Reese and Tracy were on their way back to the precinct,
Natalie went back up to the bedroom and sat on the bed once more.
"You okay?" she asked, rubbing Nick's back with the palm of her
hand.
     He shifted slightly, apparently enjoying the gentle massage.
"I'm fine, Nat," he told her.
     "Fine is the one thing you are *not*." A velvety voice
issued from the hall.
     "How did you get in here?" Natalie asked, anger tingeing her
voice.
     "How do I *ever* get in?" Lucien Lacroix countered.
"Nicholas is my son. I come whenever I please. He needs me."
     "I doubt that very much!" she spat back. "If he needs you so
badly, why didn't you come *last* night, when he was attacked?"
     "I wasn't in town," he answered calmly. "And I can't travel
by day. Believe me, it pained me to not come sooner, but this was
the best I could manage."
     Lacroix strode into the room and over to the bedside. He
brushed Nick's cheek with the back of one hand and was pleased
when his son didn't pull away from the touch. "Oh, Nicholas,"
he crooned. "However do you manage to get yourself into these
predicaments? What have I told you about involving yourself
in the affairs of mortals?"
     Nick's eyes remained closed, but Lacroix knew his son was
not asleep. "Haven't I warned you of the pain involved when you
get too close?"
     "What...do you...want?" Nick was almost too tired to bother
which speech anymore, but he knew his master would not leave him
alone until he responded.
     "Just to care for you," Lacroix responded. "To heal your
wounds and bring you home."
     "I *am* home!" Nick hissed through gritted teeth.
     "Ah, Nicholas, but you are not with those who could help you
the most."
     "I am with the ones I *want* to be with!" Nick countered,
his blue eyes flecked with gold as he finally opened them to look
at his master.
     "I think you'd better leave," Natalie said forcefully. "Nick
needs to rest now."
     "Nicholas *needs* what I have to offer," Lacroix insisted.
Biting into his own wrist, he presented the bloody arm to Nick,
who could not resist the siren call of the ancient vampire's
blood. He suckled eagerly until, at last, Lacroix withdrew his
gift. "Enough," he announced, "for now."
     Nick's head dropped back to his pillow, and he let loose a
moan that spoke of pain and contentment combined. A satisfied
smile curled the corners of his lips, and he quickly dropped off
into a deep, healing sleep.


Chapter 3 --

     Natalie had not spent 40-some-odd hours on her feet without
sleep since medical school. Her only rest since Nick's assault
had been one unintentional nap. While she wasn't certain she
trusted Lacroix's motives, he didn't appear to have any devious
plans in mind either, and Nick didn't object too strenuously to
his presence. She took that as an omen--it was time to get some
rest. Curling up on the couch with a pillow and a spare blanket,
she closed her eyes to sleep.

     Upstairs, Lacroix, too, was feeling a weariness deep in his
bones. The stress of his son's anguish was taking its toll on
the ancient vampire, emotionally, if not physically. 
     Nicholas was sleeping as Lacroix climbed onto the bed to lay
down beside him. Propping one elbow on a pillow, he rested his
head on a fist. With his free hand he stroked the side of Nick's
face, trailing fingers down his son's neck to his shoulder,
brushing away the blankets as he went.
     The coverings fell away from Nick's shoulder to settle near
his waist. Lacroix trailed probing fingers down to the partially
healed scar on his son's back. He traced the jagged outline of
the wound with feather-light touches. Nick stirred slightly, and
a soft moan escaped his lips.
     Lacroix paused in his ministrations until he was sure that
Nick was still asleep. He then allowed his seeking hand to brush
down Nick's side, to the slight dip of his waist, and finally
settling upon a hip. The blankets fell away before his gentle
strokes, exposing his son's ivory-white skin and the damage
inflicted upon it.
     <Why, mon fils?> he wondered. <Is this my fault?> The
thought lingered like a noxious odor in the air. <Could I have
driven you to this?> In the recent weeks and months master and
son had grown closer. He savored the feeling of excitement that
stirred within him as he recalled how Nicholas had come to him
after the demon possession. His son had come of his own free
will, not because Lacroix had forced his hand. <I see now that
the harder I compelled you to return, the farther I pushed you
away...away to your mortal world, and to...this.>
     His wandering hand slipped down to cup Nick's scrotum in its
palm. Kneading the testicles with his fingers, he stroked at the
injured penis with his thumb. <How long has it been, Nicholas?
How long since we were close? How long since we shared a bed?>
His gentle strokes caused Nick's cock to swell in his hand. Each
stroke of his thumb, each caress of his fingers, caused the organ
to grow until it was a firm, hard shaft.
     Still deep in exhausted slumber, Nick moaned in response to
Lacroix's gentle ministrations, and rolled over onto his back. A
small grin quirked his lips, but he did not awaken.
     <Oh, my beautiful golden son. It is *she* you dream of, is
it not?> Lacroix looked with saddened eyes upon the face of his
favorite creation. Nick's penis jerked in his grasp, and a
glistening pink fluid exuded from the tip. <She for whom you grow
hard? Not for me. Alas.... Perhaps someday, mon fils, you will
return to me...of your own accord.>
     He bent to lick the gleaming fluid from Nick's glans,
reveling for the moment in his son's sexual fantasies. Another
groan issued from Nick's lips as he turned once more, pinning
his erect organ between his body and that of his master. An arm
flung over to embrace Lacroix, who laid back on the pillows with
a theatrical sigh. <So be it, Nicholas.> He wrapped a protecting
arm around his son, and closed his eyes to sleep.

     Natalie awoke early the next evening, badly needing her
caffeine fix. She walked into the kitchen and retrieved the
coffee from where Nick kept it under the sink. <Ugh,> she
thought. <I've got to teach him to store this in the fridge.> She
started the coffeemaker, then poured herself a large, steaming
mug when it was ready.
     After a few sips, she wrapped her hands around the warming
cup and headed up the stairs to check on her patient. Pushing
open the bedroom door, she was startled to see Nick propped up
against Lacroix, drinking from one of the bottles of special
vintage his master had brought with him. He was dressed in his
black silk pajamas, and the slightest of flushes warmed his
cheeks.
     "Well, Nick," Natalie started, then paused, searching for
words that would not embarrass her or her patient. "You're
looking...better...this evening. How do you feel?" She walked
over to the bed and placed a doctorly hand across Nick's
forehead.
     "Hi, Nat," Nick greeted her. "Better, I'm feeling a little
better."
     "You *look* better," was Natalie's guarded response. She
glanced at Lacroix, who silently watched the proceedings. "Mind
if I take a look?" She perched herself on the edge of the bed and
began to unbutton Nick's pajama top. "When did you get dressed,
anyway?"
     "I dressed him," Lacroix answered flatly. "In deference to
his 'modesty.'" Natalie was not quite sure how to interpret the
look the master vampire gave to his son. Nick had the decency to
blush. She decided she probably didn't want to go where that look
was leading.
     As the final button was loosened, Nick shrugged the
nightshirt from his shoulders, allowing Natalie to examine the
staking wound. Her fingers probed the scarring around the edges,
pleased with the progress of the healing. There was still a raw
area near the center of the wound, but he was mending more
quickly now, and that was a very good sign.
     "Well, I must say your wound is healing very nicely. A few
more days and I suspect that you'll be as good as new." Natalie
paused and gave Lacroix a significant look. Turning back to Nick,
she said, "I'll need to examine your other injuries as well." A
slight blush colored her cheeks, but she drew her professional
mantel around herself and tried to sound stern. "Alone." This
last comment was directed at Lacroix, who smiled charmingly as he
rose from the bed.
     "As you wish, doctor," Lacroix replied. "I have some errands
to run and duties to perform, Nicholas. I shall check up on you
later." With that, he disappeared from the room faster than the
human eye could follow.
     "What happened today?" Natalie asked as she unsnapped the
waistband of his pajamas. "What is Lacroix up to?"
     "Up to?" Nick looked confused. "He was here to help."
     "Just what kind of 'help,' Nick? He wasn't being
particularly open with me just now."
     "Don't worry, Nat, it's not what you're thinking," Nick
tried to assure her.
     "And just how do you know what I'm thinking?" she asked.
Tugging at the waistband of the pajamas, she looked up, catching
his eye. "You *could* be of a little more help here," she
suggested.
     Nick lifted his hips off the bed just enough for Natalie to
slide his pajama bottoms off. She prepared to return to her
examination, but was startled by what confronted her.
     "I guess that's one injury I don't have to worry about," she
quipped, indicating Nick's erect penis which stood proudly
against his belly. A slight scar line traced around the base of
the organ, but that was the only clue that anything unusual had
occurred.
     "It's not what you're thinking," he repeated, his blush
growing deeper.
     "And just *what* was it that I was thinking?" she snapped, a
little harsher than she had intended.
     "Lacroix..." Nick paused, sucking in a deep breath. "Lacroix
didn't...*we* didn't...." He was turning bright red, from the
tip of his nose to the tip of his penis. Natalie hadn't thought
that was possible for a vampire. She smiled.
     "Then what *did* you?" she asked with a suggestive lilt to
her voice.
     "Lacroix allowed me to drink from him," Nick admitted,
embarrassed. "As my creator, his blood was the first I ever
drank. It's far more healing than even a good human vintage."
     "Human vintage?" Natalie wrinkled her nose in disgust.
     "Look, Nat, I'm sorry, okay? I just don't know how to
explain this!" Nick stammered. His penis gave a nervous twitch,
and she reached out to tentatively stroke him.
     "You're very beautiful." Natalie whispered, unsure of
herself as a warmth spread up from the core of her being to flush
her cheeks. "I've never seen an uncircumcised man before."
     "Never?" Nick asked, curious.
     "I should have guessed," she continued in a nervous prattle.
"I just never really thought about it." She toyed with the
foreskin, pushing it back to expose the purple glans of his penis. 
Abruptly she pulled away, once again letting her professional 
mask settle into place. "Roll over, please. I need to check your 
backside."
     Instead of the cooperation she expected, Natalie found
herself locked in Nick's strong arms. "Don't stop," he commanded
her, placing her hand back on his rock-hard shaft. "This is for
*you*," he insisted, "not Lacroix." He crushed her lips with a
hungry kiss, devouring all that was the woman he loved.


Chapter 4 --

     "Nick!" Natalie pushed back, breathless. "Nick, please!
What's gotten into you?"
     Golden eyes stared back at her, fangs glistening between
slightly parted lips. Confusion and hurt shown in those eyes as
Nick sagged back against the pillows. "I'm sorry, Nat. I don't
know what's gotten into me. Forgive me?"
     Her heart melted. She hadn't allowed herself to admit that
she loved him. Her conversations with Captain Reese made it very
clear that their ardor for each other was clear to everyone but
them. She wanted him, but not like this. He was hurt, suffering,
and she was caring for him. She felt that anything that happened
now could only be considered taking advantage of an injured man.
<Vampire,> she reminded herself.
     "Roll over?" she asked, patting his hip. Nick looked
disappointed, but rolled over to permit Natalie to examine the
injuries to his rectum and surrounding tissues. A moan escaped
him as he rolled onto his aching cock. 
     She spread his buttocks and probed carefully with her
fingers. The healing was progressing even better here than at the
chest wound. She smiled as Nick twitched and squirmed under her
gentle probing. <Serves him right,> she thought, smugly. "All
done," she said brightly, slapping him lightly to let him know it
was all right to roll back over.
     Blood tears stained his face. Silent drops followed trails
left by previous tears on his cheeks. "Nick? What's the matter?"
Natalie was worried, and a bit frightened, by this turn of
events. "Did I hurt you?"
     He shook his head and turned away from her scrutiny. "What
is it, Nick? Talk to me," Natalie insisted.
     "It hurts," he murmured. "It just hurts so much!" He tried
to roll away, drawing the blankets up to cover himself.
     "What hurts, Nick? You have to tell me what hurts if you
want me to help." Natalie placed a hand on his shoulder and tried
to turn him back toward her.
     He jerked his shoulder free of her grasp, and finished
rolling his back toward Natalie. Squeezing his eyes shut, he
pretended to sleep.
     She let her hand drop in despair. It was no use arguing with
him when he got this way. She rubbed his back briefly, before
standing up. "Sleep well, Nick. I'll come check on you in a bit."
     When he was certain Natalie had left the room, Nick bit into
his left wrist while masturbating his painfully swollen penis
with his right hand. The blood allowed his release, and he
finally was able to relax. He fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming
of a beautiful lady and a love that could not be.

     Natalie sat at the kitchen table staring at her Two Minute
Gourmet and stirring her coffee. She had just made a big mistake
upstairs, she just wasn't sure what it was. Did she love him? Of
course she did. At least she did when she was being honest with
herself. But did he truly love her? Ghosts of a Valentine's Day
past haunted her memories.... "I do not love this woman." Was
that real, or had she merely imagined it? She shook her head. She
wasn't sure of much of anything anymore where it involved her
feelings for Nick.
     The telephone rang, taking Natalie's mind off her self- 
reflections. "Hello?"
     "Nat? It's Tracy."
     "Oh, hi Trace. What's up?"
     "I was wondering if it would be okay for me to stop by for a
short visit?" Tracy asked.
     "Sure, I guess so," Natalie answered. "Have any leads on
Nick's attacker yet?"
     "I'll tell you about it when I get there. See you in a few!"
With that, Tracy hung up.
     "Bye," Natalie said into the dead phone. She wandered back
over to the kitchen table, and sat down to nibble at her cold
dinner. After just a few bites, she picked it up and threw it in
the trash. Picking up her mug of coffee she took a good, long
sip.
     The door buzzer sounded. She walked over to let Tracy in.
When the young detective stepped off the lift, she smiled at her.
"That was quick," Natalie commented.
     "Cell phone." Trace smiled, slightly embarrassed. "I was
hoping you'd let me come."
     "What's the news?" Natalie asked, anxious to get to the
point of the visit.
     "We think we may have him in custody," Tracy said, smiling
broadly.
     "Have who in custody?" A soft voice wafted down from the
balcony above them. The two women looked up to see Nick standing
at the railing, dressed in his pajamas and a red brocade robe.
     "We think we got the guy that attacked you," Tracy told him.
     "What do you think you're doing out of bed, Nicholas B.
Knight?" Natalie scolded in tandem with Tracy's reply.
     "I heard you two out here talking, and wanted to find out
what this was all about." He came scurrying down the stairs to
stand next to the two women. "You got him?"
     "We got a tip about this guy. Caught him stalking another
victim with a stake. Somebody saw him and called it in. We got
lucky." Tracy explained. "Is there any chance at all that Nick
might be able to come down to the precinct and try to identify
this guy?" she asked, turning to address Natalie.
     "I don't know, Trace. He's doing better, but he shouldn't
be out of bed," Natalie answered, favoring Nick with a withering
stare.
     "Yes!" Nick answered enthusiastically at the same time
Natalie was speaking.
     "Is there any chance you remember your attacker at all?"
Tracy questioned.
     "I don't think I saw him," Nick admitted. "At least I don't
*remember* seeing him, but maybe if I saw him in a lineup it
would jog my memory. Huh, Nat?" He turned to look at her
imploringly.
     "Are you sure you feel up to this, Nick? It *can* wait, you
know," Natalie told him.
     "The sooner we get a positive ID on this guy, the better,"
Tracy reminded her.
     "Your call, Nick," Natalie said with a resigned sigh. "Do
you feel up to getting dressed and taking a trip down to the
precinct?"
     "Yeah, I think I can manage that. Just give me a minute to
go up and get dressed." He turned to head back up the stairs.
     Natalie watched his progress. Nick wouldn't admit it, but he
was having trouble with the stairs. She could see it in his gait
as he pulled himself up the staircase.
     "Why don't you help yourself to a cup of coffee, Tracy?"
Natalie suggested. "I'll just head upstairs and see if Nick needs
any help."
     "Sure thing." Tracy walked to the kitchen and grabbed a mug
from the cabinet.
     Natalie followed Nick up the stairs, and rapped lightly on
his bedroom door. "Nick? It's me, Nat."
     "Come on in, Nat," he called to her.
     She walked into the bedroom, spying him sitting in his
underwear on the bed. Apparently, getting dressed was proving to
be more of a problem for him than he had expected it to be. "I'm
kind of stiff," he admitted.
     "Well, here then, let me help." She walked over to the bed
and took his jeans. After slipping the pant legs over his feet,
she helped Nick stand so that he could pull them up. She threaded
his arms through the sleeves of his shirt and while he was
buttoning, she assisted with his socks and shoes. Once he was
decently dressed, she led him back downstairs.
     "We're ready to go, Trace," Natalie announced. "We'll follow
you in the Caddy."
     "Super. Park around back. We're going to sneak Nick in so he
doesn't have to run the gauntlet with the rest of his
co-workers," Tracy explained.
     "Thanks, Trace." Nick smiled at her in gratitude. "Meet you
there, then."

     At the precinct, Tracy led the couple to one of the
observation rooms. Captain Reese showed up moments later.
     "Hey, Nick. You're looking better. How do you feel?" Reese
greeted his star detective.
     "I've been better," Nick smiled weakly, "but I'm doing
okay."
     "That's great," the captain replied. "I promise we won't
keep you here long. Why don't you send 'em in?" This last comment
was directed at Tracy, who quickly exited the room.
     Moments later, six men were walked into the interrogation
room and lined up against the wall. Natalie threaded her arm
through Nick's, pulling herself in close to him in silent
support.
     Nick studied the six men for what seemed an eternity to the
expectant Captain. "Do you recognize any of them?" Reese prodded.
"Even a 'possible'?"
     "There's one, maybe." 
     "Which one, Nick?" Reese asked anxiously.
     Nick turned his back from the lineup and hung his head in
thought. Finally, he looked up at his captain. "I really can't
say, Cap," he confessed. "The guy just looks familiar. Barely. It
could be someone I've seen on the streets. He could be anybody. I
just don't remember my attacker!" The final sentence was spat
with a vehemence that caused Reese to back off a step.
     "It's okay, Nick," Natalie soothed. "We can go now." She
started to guide him out of the room.
     "Please," Reese pleaded. "Look just one more time?"
     Reluctantly, Nick turned and once more observed the six men
standing against the wall. Inexplicably, he locked gazes with one
of them. It should have been impossible. The man couldn't
possibly see him through the two-way glass, yet he was staring
right at the mirror as though he could. 
     The look caused a shiver to streak down Nick's spine.
"Number four," he told the captain before allowing himself to be
led from the room.
     Natalie maneuvered Nick down the corridor and out the back
door to the waiting Caddy. Tracy met them as they were getting
ready to drive away.
     "Thanks, Nick," she told him through the Caddy's window.
"You were a big help."
     "Did I pick the guy?" He wanted to know.
     "Well, I'm not supposed to tell you...." Tracy hesitated.
     "Trace, I *know* police procedure," he reminded her.
     Tracy stared deeply into his eyes before making her
decision. Nick was her partner, and partners stretched the rules
for each other. "Yeah, he's the one we picked up," she told him.
     His eyes took on a golden tinge around the edges. "I thought
as much. I could feel him staring at me," he hissed.
     Tracy looked a little flustered. The perp couldn't have
possibly seen Nick. Natalie stretched across him to look out his
window at Tracy. "I'd better get him home, Trace."
     "Yeah. Okay. Well, bye, partner. See you soon," Tracy
stammered.
     "Bye, Tracy!" Natalie waved as she pulled the Caddy out into
traffic. Nick stared quietly out the window the entire drive back
to the loft.

     "You've been awfully quiet," Natalie commented once they
were safely back inside.
     "I'm tired, Nat," he told her. Walking over to the
refrigerator, he pulled a couple of bottles out, then headed for
the staircase. "I'm going back to bed."
     Natalie followed closely behind, closing the bedroom door
behind herself. Nick placed the bottles on the nightstand and
proceeded to shed his clothes. Although his movements were slow
and deliberate, she could tell that *un*dressing was considerably
easier for him than getting dressed had been. He perched on the
bedside in his underwear and tipped a bottle to his lips.
     "Need help getting into your pajamas, or are you going to
sleep like that?" Natalie asked, indicating his underwear.
     "This is fine," he told her between gulps of the thick red
liquid. When he finally drained the bottle, he swung his legs up
onto the bed and crawled under the covers.
     Natalie walked over to make sure he was completely tucked in
and comfortable. Sitting on the side of the bed, she looked
intently into his eyes for a few moments before speaking. "What
happened at the precinct tonight?" she asked. "Something clicked
between you and the perp. He couldn't possibly have seen you
through the mirror, but he sensed you somehow, didn't he?"
     "He's a hunter." Nick's eyes fastened on the bottle he still
held in his hands, trying to avoid eye contact with Natalie.
     "A hunter?" She seemed surprised. "Like Liam O'Neal?"
     "No. Not like Liam," he muttered. "This one is a dhampir,
son of a vampire and a mortal. They are born to hunt us. They can
sense when they're near one of our kind. I remember Lacroix
pointing this one out to me a long time ago."
     "A dhampir? Is that possible? I didn't think vampires could
impregnate mortal women." Natalie gave him an odd look as she
puzzled over the apparent mystery.
     "Sometimes. It's very rare, thank goodness." Nick took
another swallow from his bottle, trying to drown out his slowly
returning memories.
     "But why you, Nick? And why would he rape and violate you so
badly? Could he have mistaken you for someone else?" She felt
bewildered, as his answer presented her with only more questions,
but no solutions.
     "I don't think so, Nat," he mused. "He called *me*
specifically, to set up the meeting. He knew about the case I was
working on. He'd done his homework...well, most of it, anyway.
But in answer to 'why me?', I don't know. I just don't know.
Perhaps I was convenient, just in the wrong place at the wrong
time. Or maybe it's because I work for the police. Who knows?" 
     "Are you all right with this?" Natalie was concerned. Since
identifying the suspect, the little color that had begun to
return to his cheeks had drained away once again.
     "As okay as I can be, I guess," Nick answered with a
noncommittal sigh. "He's in jail, at least."
     "And he'll stay there, thanks to you."
     "Yeah." The comment was no more than an exhalation of air as
he set the empty bottle on the nightstand and settled down in the
bed.
     "You'd better get some rest." Natalie stroked his cheek
lightly with her fingers, passing them over his lips in a soft
caress. "Sleep well, Nick. It's been a rough night." She rose to
exit the room.
     "Nat?" His voice beckoned softly.
     "Yeah, what is it?" she asked, equally quiet.
     "Stay with me until I fall asleep?" He looked up at her
with his wide puppy-dog eyes, looking more like a frightened
child than an 800-year-old vampire.


Chapter 5 --

     Natalie found herself stretched out next to Nick in the
large bed. She put one arm around him, and cradled his head in
her breasts. Running her fingers through the spun gold of his
hair, she comforted him as he closed his eyes and drifted off to
sleep.
     It *had* been a long night. She fought to stay awake, but
found herself drifting into sleep despite the dangers of sharing
a bed with a vampire. Something felt very *right* about their
being together, and Natalie was too tired to question it.
     Early the next evening, the ringing of the telephone woke
her from her sleep. Unentwining herself from Nick, she got out of
bed and hurried to answer it before it woke him as well.
     "Hello?"
     "Dr. Lambert? Captain Reese."
     "Oh, hi, Captain. What can I do for you?" Natalie wondered
at the formal 'Dr. Lambert' Reese had used.
     "Where's Nick?" came the curt answer.
     "He's here with me," she said, confused. "He's asleep. I've
been with him all day." Natalie blushed slightly when she
realized how what she had just said might be taken. "What's the
matter?"
     "Our perp is dead in his cell," Reese told her. "Neck slit
from ear to ear...and very little blood."
     "Oh," Natalie answered. "Well, Cap, vampires don't kill by
slitting throats, and Nick has been with me the entire day." She
felt a little irritated that just because Reese now knew Nick's
secret, he would immediately expect this of his detective.
     "The cut could have been made to cover up bite marks," Reese
reasoned.
     "That could be, Captain, but it wasn't Nick. What are you
going to do now?"
     "Nothing, really," he sighed. "There'll be an investigation,
but this guy was going to spend the rest of his life behind bars
anyway. I doubt there'll be much fuss."
     Natalie sighed. "Thanks for letting me know."
     "Yeah, well...." he paused. "Sorry for waking you up" he
apologized. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything."
     Natalie blushed more deeply this time. "You didn't interrupt
anything, Cap," she tried to assure him.
     "Um-hmm," Reese commented dryly. "Good night, Natalie."
     "'Night, Cap." She hung up the phone. Wiping the sleep from
her eyes, she decided to warm up the leftover coffee and try to
start her day. <Ugh,> she thought to herself. <Remind me never to
heat up the leftovers. Brrrr.>
     Natalie looked up as a soft noise from the skylight above
drew her attention. Glowing golden orbs stared down at her
briefly before, with a stirring of wind, Lacroix stood in front
of her.
     "Good evening, Doctor," he greeted her.
     "Did you have anything to do with the death of the man who
attacked Nick?" she returned his greeting.
     "And what if I did? Is that any way to greet a visitor?"
     "Okay, then," Natalie countered. "*Why* are you here?"
     "To see Nicholas, of course. I assume he's doing well?"
     "He's been a bit upset since he identified his attacker in
that lineup," she admitted. "He slept through the day, however."
     "Good. Good. Now I wish to have a word with him." Lacroix
headed for the stairs.
     "Lacroix?" Natalie called after him. He paused briefly in
his climb up the stairs to turn and look her. "If he's
sleeping...let him sleep. Please," she begged.
     "I have only Nicholas' best interests at heart, my dear
doctor," he reminded her dryly.
     <In a rat's ass,> Natalie mumbled silently.

     Lacroix entered the bedroom to find Nick sitting up and
sipping from the spare bottle he had brought with him the morning
before. He looked a bit startled to see his master walk into the
room.
     "Lacroix! What are you doing here?" Nick asked, surprised.
     "Just checking up on my favorite, mon fils," he replied.
"And how are you this fine evening?"
     "I've been better." Nick grimaced as the scar on his chest
pulled a bit when he raised his arm to drink. "But, all in all,
I'm improving. Nat says she's very happy with my progress."
     "Good." Lacroix seemed pleased with the news. "Have you
heard the latest from the precinct?" A leering smile pulled at
his lips.
     "What news is that?" Nick asked.
     "Oh, it would seem that the man accountable for your
injuries died in his jail cell."
     "How?" Nick was visibly upset at the news, and Lacroix
reveled in telling him.
     "His throat was cut. Very messy. Not much blood, though."
     "You did this," Nick spat, his eyes growing golden around
the edges.
     "We protect our own, Nicholas," Lacroix told him by way of
explanation.
     "You denied me the opportunity to see him get what he
deserves for what he did to me!" Nick's anger was growing by the
second.
     "Life in prison?" Lacroix laughed. "He *got* what he
*deserved*, Nicholas. Why leave the 'justice' to mortals when
immortals are involved?"
     "Because that's the way *some* of us like to see it done!"
Nick spat back.
     "Calm down, Nicholas," Lacroix cajoled. "What's done is
done. At least there is some satisfaction that he *suffered*
before his death, as he would have had you do."
     Nick laid back on his pillows and sighed deeply. "And I
should thank you for this?" he asked, the anger draining from him
and leaving only exhaustion behind.
     "Thank me, or not," Lacroix replied noncommittally. "It
matters not to me." He sat on the edge of the bed next to Nick as
his son continued to sip from the bottle of human vintage Lacroix
had supplied for his healing.
     "Why me, Lacroix?" he questioned his master in response. "As
a hunter, a dhampir, I understand the staking, but why the rest?
Why the anger that I felt, the sense of revenge?"
     Lacroix sat silently for a while, studying his protege's
face intently. "There were rumors circulating through the
community about that one," he began slowly. "If they are true, he
was physically abused and raped by his father, a vampire. He has
been...less than kind," he picked his words carefully, "with the
male vampires that have fallen prey to his revenge."
     "But why me?" Nick continued to prod. 
     "Does it truly matter?" Lacroix asked. "He is dead. You are
not.... I am *glad* you are not." The last was no more than a
whisper of relief. "I have been thinking, Nicholas...."
     "Better watch yourself," Nick quipped, "thinking can be a
dangerous thing."
     Lacroix actually allowed a small smile to trace the edges of
his hard mouth at his son's banter. "You and I have been getting
along better of late." He paused. "I have been considering my own
actions, and have found them...wanting." At this, Nick raised his
eyebrows in surprise.
     "I have come to see that the tighter I hold the reins, the
more my golden stallion fights to be free. I have considered that
if I were to give him his head, he may return to me of his own
accord one day." Lacroix looked expectantly into Nick's eyes.
     "Perhaps," Nick conceded cautiously.
     "Well, then," Lacroix said, standing up abruptly. "I will
leave you to your mortal life and mortal love for now. I am quite
sure you will find her wanting...eventually. You will return to
your nature, Nicholas, but you will do it in your own time."
     "What of our agreement?" Nick asked to Lacroix's retreating
back. "What of Fleur?"
     "What of her?" Lacroix asked, a note of pain in his voice.
"She is gone. Dead and buried for hundreds of years." He looked
at Nick with sadness in his eyes. "You will know that pain soon
enough...without my interference. I release you from your
agreement." With that, he disappeared like a shadow in the night.


Chapter 6 --

     Natalie wasn't sure what to make of Lacroix's sudden
appearance and equally sudden disappearance. She decided that
whatever it was about, she was probably better off not knowing.
After all, what you don't know, you can't lie about. She headed
upstairs to check on Nick. One could never be certain of his
emotional state after a visit from his father.
     She walked across the room to the bed where he was laying,
propped up by pillows, with his eyes closed. "Everything all
right, Nick?" Natalie asked quietly. 
     He nodded silently, but didn't open his eyes. "May I take
a look at your wounds again?" she asked. It had been over 24
hours since she had last checked.
     In answer, Nick pushed the blanket down, revealing his bare
chest. Natalie stepped closer to take a good look and found
herself drawn in by two strong arms. Cool lips sought her own,
crushing their sweetness with his eagerness.
     Her first impulse was to pull away and ask what the heck was
going on, but her body was responding physically to Nick's
caresses and she found herself unable and unwilling to resist.
She opened her mouth to him and felt herself drowning in waves of
emotions she hadn't felt for years. Their tongues danced
together, each seeking and exploring the other--tasting,
devouring each other.
     Natalie felt a hand on her breast. Nick's fingers kneaded
her flesh through the layers of her clothing, causing her nipples
to harden under his touch. His mouth slid from hers and traveled
down her neck, lingering in the hollow of her throat. She felt
his tongue caress her, she felt the vampire's fangs scratch her
flesh, but she didn't feel fear. She felt love. Overwhelming
love, as he licked the droplets of her blood that formed in the
wounds.
     Looking up at her with golden eyes, he panted slightly as
he savored the blood that lingered on his tongue. Natalie was
totally perplexed at this behavior. Nick had always been so
remote with her, never favoring her with more than a platonic
peck on the cheek or forehead.
     "Nick? What's going on?" she managed to ask as he ripped
through the buttons on her blouse, exposing her breasts.
     "I love you, Natalie. I want you. I *need* you," he panted
as he reached around her to unfasten her bra. With her bare
breasts finally exposed, Nick captured an erect nipple in his
mouth and suckled gently, giving the other breast attention with
his hand.
     Natalie wanted to find the will to resist, to ask why the
sudden change, why the sudden ardor. This was a man who was
recovering from what should have been mortal wounds, as well as
one who had been severely sexually molested. But her body had
turned to jelly under his touch and her brain no longer had
control of her functions. She felt a wet rush between her legs
that signaled her readiness for him.
     What was she thinking? Nick was still a vampire...and she
was not. What had changed? This was still dangerous to her.
Mortally dangerous with an injured vampire. She finally found the 
will to pull just out of Nick's reach. He looked at her with eyes 
filled with wonder and hurt.
     "Nick, we can't do this," Natalie reasoned, trying to remind
him of what he was and who he was with. "You always told me you
couldn't risk me. That we couldn't be lovers while you remained a
vampire."
     "But not for the reasons you thought," he answered her
enigmatically.
     "What do you mean?" she asked, intrigued.
     "Back in 1229, when I had been a vampire for no more than a
year, I took Lacroix and Janette back to my home in Brabant.
There, Lacroix fell in love with my sister, Fleur. He wanted to
bring her across, to make her one of us." He paused to gauge
Natalie's reaction to his tale. She sat entranced, hanging on
every word. It wasn't often Nick shared pieces of his past life
with her. "I talked him out of it."
     "How?" she wondered, knowing Lacroix's stubborn
determination.
     "By telling him it was her innocence that he loved, and
would lose if he brought her across. It worked, but he exacted a
promise from me.... That if I ever truly loved a mortal, he would
take her from me, or me from her, in exchange for losing Fleur."
The pain etched in Nick's face made it plain that this agreement
had hung heavily on him for nearly 800 years.
     "So, what is different now?" Natalie prodded him to
continue.
     "Lacroix has released me from that promise. I am free to
love you as I have from the day that we met."
     "From the day...?" She was awe-struck. She knew, if she
only admitted it to herself, that she had been in love with Nick
from the day he sat up on her table. But it had never occurred to
her in her wildest dreams that he had felt the same way for just
as long as she.
     "I couldn't touch you. I couldn't acknowledge how I felt, to
either of us, or it would have meant your death." The emptiness
in Nick's eyes as he told her this bleak truth pierced Natalie's
heart like a wooden stake. Tears sprang to her eyes.
     "It was never a matter of control," he continued, "but I
had to make you think that. I'm sorry, Nat. I'm so sorry. I just
love you so very, very much, and now that I'm free of Lacroix's
threat, I want nothing more than to make up for all the time we
have lost."
     "But how? Why?" she stammered. "Why would Lacroix release
you now?"
     "Does it matter?" Nick asked, drawing her close. He captured
her mouth with his once more. As his tongue explored along her
teeth and gums, his hand guided her to the hardness at his
crotch. His shaft ached for her touch, and quivered with
excitement as she slipped her hand inside his boxers to grasp the
erect organ.
     His hands returned to her breasts, kneading the nipples
until they ached with their hardness. Natalie felt a shiver of
anticipation run through her. She wrestled her way out of her
remaining clothing while Nick explored each new inch of skin with
his clever tongue. Moist with her excitement, she pulled his
boxers down as well, freeing him from the last of his
encumbrances.
     Natalie pressed her body to his, rubbing her belly against
his hardened penis and causing a low moan of excitement to issue
from between Nick's lips. 
     With vampiric speed, he flipped her over so that he was on
top. He kissed her down the length of her body, tongue teasing
her bellybutton, until he got to the warm moist core between her
legs.
     His hands gently spread her legs apart, revealing Natalie's
swollen pink labia, hidden beneath a mound of chestnut curls. His
tongue probed the moistness, lapping at the fluids that flowed
freely in her excitement. His lips captured her clitoris and he
drew it in, sucking hungrily.
     Nick looked up briefly at her. Natalie saw gold-green eyes
staring back at her, and her excitement grew. She moaned and
writhed beneath him, stretching for his cock, which was
enticingly out of her reach.
     Suddenly, he was on top of her, his mouth seeking hers once
more. He rubbed his swollen and aching member against her body in
a rapid rhythm, trying to find some comfort or release.
Breathless, he whispered in her ear, "I need blood, Natalie. To
complete this, I need blood." Natalie felt his penis plunge into
the depths of her core. Her muscles contracted around him as he
thrust vigorously, hammering himself into the center of her
being.
     Natalie let out a cry as her orgasm rocked through her body.
Wave upon wave rolled over her as Nick continued his relentless
thrusts. When she was able to breath once more, she pulled his
head down to the pulsing vein in her neck. "I trust you," she
whispered. 
     What she felt next took her to new heights of lust and
wonder. Twin pricks at her neck, some pain, then roiling
emotions; pictures from Nick's past, image upon image assaulted
her. But above and around it all...was love. He loved her. His
lust and love filled her to every corner of her being. She felt
him explode inside her, releasing his seed deep within. With a
shudder, his body relaxed and he withdrew his fangs from her
neck.
     "Nick?" Natalie whispered when she had finally caught her
breath. "Is it always like this? Making love? I've never felt
anything like that before."
     "Always, my love," he told her with a warm smile. "Better
and better, in fact."
     "It gets *better*?!?" She couldn't believe it was possible.
     "Wanna try again and find out?" Nick teased with a leering
smile. He captured a nipple with his teeth and began to nibble.
Natalie felt his shaft begin to harden again within her. With
abandon, she gave herself to him, for now and forever.

THE END


Comments gladly accepted. Flaming stakes politely refused.

Nancy  --  NATaylor@teleport.com
Knightie/NNPack/GWDFC/FMFC/FkN/FPO  
     "He was, as always, all business.  After all, there is
      nothing funny about fanfic." Sue Clark
http://www.teleport.com/~ldt/fkfanfic.htm