From: 	Nancy Taylor[SMTP:taylorln@open.org]
Sent: 	Tuesday, January 07, 1997 4:41 PM
To: 	'Nancy Taylor'
Subject: 	For In Death

     This is one of those stories that just wanted me to write it.  If you 
don't care for stories involving a lot of faith and prayer and visions of 
angels, don't tread here.  It also takes LaCroix somewhat 
out-of-character, although I do believe there is a basis for his actions in 
this story based on series canon.  Please, no flames.  If you don't like 
this, just hit "delete" now.  You've been warned.  This also is the final 
story in a loose series starting with "A Knight to Remember" and 
continuing with "A Taste of Mortality" both of which may be found on Mel's
website and the ftp site.

Disclaimer:  These characters are not mine.  They belong to Sony/TriStar 
and were created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen.  I'm only 
borrowing them.  No copyright infringement was intended.


For In Death There Is Life
by Nancy Taylor
c 1997

Part 1 of 4


     Nick walked quietly through the back alley, stalking his prey.  This 
man, this *vampire*, had been murdering indiscriminately on *his* 
watch.  Nick and Schanke had been on the case for weeks now.  This 
one was a clever bastard.  Only Nick knew they were hunting a hunter. 
He had to take this one out before Schanke had a chance.  He was 
forced by circumstance to make this one an "unsolved" case on the 
books.
     A footstep sounded behind him and Nick spun around quickly.  He 
found himself faced by the man he was hunting.  His months of sticking 
to his protein shakes for Natalie's sake had taken their toll on his speed 
and reaction time.  He barely saw the stake in the vampire's hands 
before he felt the agonizing pain of the thing lancing through his chest 
like fire and ice, and then darkness....

     LaCroix, ever conscious of his son, felt Nicholas' pain as the stake 
was driven into his chest.  The jolt, the backlash, of that pain made 
LaCroix stop in his tracks.  With a bare hesitation, he was out of the 
Raven and launched into the night sky.

          *          *          *          *          *

     An anonymous call came in to the morgue for Dr. Natalie Lambert 
that night, "Come to the loft, NOW!"  Natalie recognized LaCroix's 
voice, despite the strangled tenor of it.  <Nick!>  Something was 
wrong with Nick, and it must be serious for LaCroix to be calling 
*her*!  She jumped in her car and drove like a madwoman over to the 
loft.  Without even waiting, she entered the alarm code and let herself 
in.  For the second time in as many months, she was stopped dead in 
her tracks by the scene before her.
     LaCroix was sitting on the couch, Nick's head and shoulders 
cradled in his lap.  LaCroix's hands looked as though they had been 
burned.  There was no movement or sound from Nick.
     "What's happened?  What's going on here?" Natalie hurried over to 
the tableau on the couch. " ... You're hurt ... Nick?  What's happened 
to Nick?"  Natalie was noting the torn shirt and the blood on Nick's 
chest when her eyes finally settled on the jagged wound and followed 
to the stake on the floor by the couch.  She let out a little gasp.  It was 
all she had the strength for at that moment.  "What happened?" she 
asked again, only slightly more calmly this time.
     "Isn't it obvious, doctor?  Nicholas has had a serious run-in with a
stake.  To judge by the burns I received when pulling it out, I would 
venture to guess that it had been dipped in holy water or blessed first."
     "Is he ... is he ... dead?"  Natalie's voice quivered and she wasn't 
even sure she wanted to know the answer.
     "Not quite yet," LaCroix sighed.  "The rogue vampire who did this 
to him as been dispatched to hell, at least."  With an uncharacteristic 
gentleness, LaCroix stroked Nick's hair, running his fingers through the 
unruly curls.
     "It was another vampire??" Natalie could hardly believe her ears.  
Just at that moment, Nick stirred slightly and let out a piteous cry.  
LaCroix was quick to bite his own wrist and offer the blood to Nick.
     "I've been trying to feed him, without much success," LaCroix 
muttered, softly, almost to himself.  Nick took two or three swallows 
from LaCroix's wrist before coughing feebly and pushing the wrist 
away.
     "Can't ... can't drink...."  Nick's voice was ragged and weak.  
Natalie knew that he needed the blood to heal and was seriously 
considering transfusing him again.  Unfortunately, Nick had not 
replenished his supply of blood packs, and Natalie, not expecting 
another serious need again so soon, had let it go as well.
     LaCroix noted her looks and quietly shook his head.  "Not this time, 
doctor ... not this time.  Perhaps it is time that both you and I leave 
Nicholas to his fate."
     Natalie began a frantic pacing, picking things up and slamming them 
down again as her anger grew.  "I can't believe this!  *You*, of all 
people, willing to let Nick go?!  *You*, the most manipulative son-of-a 
..." she sputtered.  "... You wouldn't let Nick go!  You've never done 
anything for Nick's good....  Only for your own!"
     LaCroix let her rant, knowing that it was merely her fear for Nick's 
life that was doing the talking.  
     "Nat?" Nick's voice broke through Natalie's rampage and she was 
at his side in an instant.  
     "Nick?  It's Nat ... Nick, talk to me," she pleaded, her eyes filling to 
the brim with tears.
     "Pray for me?  Say a prayer for my soul ... please, Nat...."  Nick 
coughed and bloody sputum dribbled from the corner of his mouth as 
he clutched at his chest.
     Natalie took his hand in hers; it felt so cold ... colder than usual.  
Her tears could not be held back as she knelt in front of the couch to be 
nearer to him.  "Oh God, spare him...."  Natalie's voice was choked 
with tears and almost too quiet for a mortal ear to hear.
     "Not for my life ... for my soul ... Please pray for me...."  Nick was 
losing consciousness again, but it was obvious that he was fighting it.
     LaCroix looked up at Natalie then and she could see that there were 
tears nestled in the corners of his eyes too.  He knew he was losing his 
son, the man-child he loved almost more than he loved himself, this 
fledgling of his that had caused him so much grief and had given him so 
much joy over the centuries.  "Help me, doctor.  Help me pray for 
him."  LaCroix's voice was so quiet that Natalie wasn't sure she had 
even heard him correctly.  
     Tentatively, she took both of LaCroix's hands in hers, bowed her 
head and closed her eyes.  As she began reciting the Lord's Prayer, 
LaCroix jerked his hands from hers and looked at her intently.  His
hands were smoking slightly.  Natalie stopped the prayer and looked
at him questioningly.  LaCroix went back to cradling Nick in his arms.
     "Continue doctor," he stated flatly.
     Natalie bowed her head once again and began the prayer over.
LaCroix looked briefly at her downturned face, and closed his eyes as 
well, emptying himself of everything but the words she spoke.  She 
proceeded to recite the 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall 
not want...." and continued with her own private words to wish Nick's 
soul godspeed on its journey.  Her tears were falling freely now and her 
voice was getting thicker with them by the minute.  When she finally 
got to the "Amen", LaCroix echoed her, "Amen.  So be it."
     Natalie opened her eyes again to look at Nick.  She felt so frustrated 
that there wasn't more she could do.  She thought that if a stake was 
removed quickly enough, the vampire should recover.  So why was 
Nick getting weaker by the minute?  Could it be that this was his time 
and Nick was ready to go?  Natalie didn't want to believe that.  She 
wanted to believe in their future together.  Just last week they had been 
discussing the wedding plans, despite the fact that they had decided not 
to get married until Natalie found the cure for Nick's vampirism.  How 
could all that be gone so quickly?
     At that moment, Nick chose to open his eyes again.  At first they 
looked dull, nearly lifeless, but then his face lit up, absolutely radiant, 
and he smiled.
     "Nick, what is it?  Nick?!"  Natalie shook him gently to get his 
attention.
     "The light ... I see it, Natalie ... Angels ... angels coming for me...." 
and he closed his eyes.  LaCroix bit into his wrist once more and 
pressed the bloody wound to Nick's mouth.  Nick sputtered and 
choked, gagging on the blood trickling down his throat.  He fought 
LaCroix with what minimal strength he had left, then he let out one 
deep shuddering breath and was still.  Natalie finally let go of all the 
pain she had bottled up since entering the loft mere minutes ago.  Her 
wracking sobs shook her whole body as she covered her face with her 
hands, down on her knees in front of Nick, crying for what they had 
lost.
     LaCroix felt the thread of his connection with his son snap, and with 
that moment felt an extreme emptiness in his heart that he had hoped to 
never have to feel.  He threw back his head and, fully vamped, let out a 
roar of anguish.

End Part 1


For In Death There Is Life
by Nancy Taylor
c 1997

Part 2 of 4


     As the worst of Natalie's tears began to recede, she again looked at 
Nick through tear-swollen eyes.  What she saw was a man finally at 
peace with himself.  Nick had a small smile on his face and he appeared 
to be no more than sleeping peacefully.  Natalie reached out to gently 
stroke his face with the back of her hand.  It felt warm....  <Warm?>  
Natalie looked closer and saw a slight flush to Nick's pale cheeks.  
When she saw his chest gently rising and falling, she was quite sure that 
she was seeing things.
     LaCroix had closed his eyes after the first of the shock had worn 
off.  He had refused to cry for this son of his, and he would not do so 
now.  Even so, he cradled Nick's head in his lap, unwilling in the end to 
let go.  He felt Natalie as she gently rested her hand on top of his.
     "Lucien," Natalie used LaCroix's given name to shock him out of 
his stupor.  "Lucien, look ... he's alive," she breathed, her voice 
sounding breathy and soft.  Putting her head to Nick's chest, she heard 
a thready, but regular heartbeat.  The heartbeat of a mortal man.  She 
looked up in amazement to encounter LaCroix's icy blue eyes staring at 
her.
     "He's not dead, LaCroix ... he's *mortal*."  Natalie almost could 
not believe it herself.  Realization slowly dawned on Natalie as she 
recovered from her initial shock that if Nick truly was mortal now, he 
wasn't out of the woods yet.  She jumped up to grab the phone and 
dialed 911.  As they waited for the ambulance to arrive LaCroix and 
Natalie both wrestled with the meaning of this miracle in their own 
hearts.
     LaCroix's first thought, after the tremendous relief that Nicholas 
was not *truly* gone, was to bring him back across posthaste.  But 
something stayed his hand.  He had already accepted that his son was 
lost to him.  Perhaps it was time to let Nick live out his fantasy of 
mortality.  There was always time to bring him back across again at a 
later date....

     The ambulance roared away from 101 Gateway, carrying its 
precious cargo to Toronto General Hospital.  Natalie was gathering her 
things to go there and be with Nick when he came out of surgery.  
LaCroix had begged off for the time being as it was nearly dawn.  He 
promised Natalie that he would check up on Nicholas the following 
evening.
     Natalie didn't trust herself to drive to the hospital, she was much 
too tired and overcome with rollercoaster emotions, so she called a 
cab.  She arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later and checked at the 
nurses' station about Nick's status.  He was currently in surgery, so 
Natalie settled down in the lounge to wait it out.  When the surgeon 
arrived to give her the news, she was asleep.  The doctor gently shook 
her awake.
     "Dr. Lambert?" he smiled down at her.  "I'm Dr. Simonson.  I was 
told you are Nicholas Knight's next-of-kin?"
     "His financee, yes," she answered.  "How is he?  Is he all right?"  
She sat up, feeling more alert than she had in days. 
     "He has three broken ribs, a punctured and collapsed left lung, and 
some damage to the heart muscle.  We've done what we can to repair the
damage.  He's a very lucky man to be alive at all," Dr. Simonson's voice 
held a small amount of awe.
     "He's always had an iron constitution," Natalie smiled slightly 
thinking to herself, <If you only knew....>.  "Can I see him now?" she 
asked.
     "He's still in recovery.  Be there for awhile yet, I suspect.  When 
he's recovered enough we'll be moving him into Intensive Care.  I 
guess you can go see him now; just don't stay long, he needs his rest."
     Natalie hurried off to the recovery room.  What she saw there made 
her heart skip a beat.  Nick was resting comfortably, but the myriad of 
needles and tubes sticking into him made him look like a puppet on a 
string.  A puppet without his puppetmaster.  Nick looked so vulnerable 
that Natalie had to fight back her tears again.  She was well aware of 
the fact that Nick might be able to hear her and she didn't want the first 
thing he heard to be her crying.  She walked over to the bed and gently 
lifted his hand and held it in hers.
     "I'm here, Nick.  I'll stay with you; you don't need to be afraid.  
Just be strong for me.  Hold on a little longer and we'll both come out 
of this okay, I promise."  She pulled up a chair next to his bed and sat 
there, holding his hand, until the nurses finally shooed her out.

          *          *          *          *          *

     A week had passed and Nick was making excellent progress.  He 
was finally moved to a private room and at least some of the tubes and 
needles were gone.  Natalie noticed the rosy glow to his cheeks as she 
popped her head through the door and offered a cheery, "Hi, Nick!"
     "Hi, yourself.  I was wondering if you were coming today," Nick 
smiled up at her.
     "Are you kidding?  Think wild horses could keep me away?  No ... I 
was just arguing with the nurses as to whether or not I'd finally get to 
feed you something today.  They insist you're not quite ready for solid 
food yet, but they allowed that this chicken broth might be okay.  
Wanna try?"  She offered up the steaming bowl of broth as she pulled 
the table across the bed.  Nick looked a little dubious.  He hadn't been 
out of ICU all that long and up until now and been fed solely by IV 
lines.  Remembering the *last* time he'd tried real food made him more 
than a little anxious about trying it now.  His chest still hurt like h**l 
and he didn't want to cause an unwarranted coughing spell.  It was bad 
enough that the nurses came in on a regular basis and made him cough 
to clear his lungs whether he liked it or not (and he definitely *didn't*).
     "Oh, don't give me that 'look'," Natalie smirked at him.  "The last 
time you tried food you were a ... well, you know...."  She looked over 
her shoulder to see if there was anyone within earshot.  "You're mortal 
now, so try it!"  She scooped up a spoonful and brought it to his 
mouth.  He sipped at it cautiously.
     "Hey, that's not so bad!"  Nick's face lit up with a smile.
     "Want more?" Natalie asked, handing him the spoon.  As Nick 
readily tucked in to his lunch, Natalie nattered on about her day and 
how things were going at the precinct; about how much everyone 
wished him well and wanted to see him back again soon.  The noon sun 
shown brightly through the windows, crossing Nick's bed.  Natalie 
marveled at how good, no, *great*, Nick looked in the sun.  She had 
brought him a huge bouquet of yellow coneflowers, because they 
reminded her so much of sunflowers, and Nick loved everything 
associated with the sun.  He positively glowed as he lay there, propped 
up by the bed, eating his soup.  

     Nick was a good little patient, with some prompting from Natalie, 
and was able to leave the hospital in record time.  The doctors 
marveled at his recuperative powers while Natalie secretly thanked the 
vampire in Nick that had healed at least the worst of his wounds before 
he ever came back across.
     The day was sunny and warm and Natalie had driven the Caddy 
with the top down to the hospital to pick Nick up.  When she arrived at 
the pickup area, she saw Nick in a wheelchair being pushed toward her 
by his favorite nurse.  The sun was glinting off his very blond hair.  
Why hadn't she noticed before just how blond he really was?  She 
smiled to herself.  There would be so many wonderful things to 
discover about this man now that he was freed from his dark prison.  
She looked forward to that discovery with relish.  She grinned.

End Part 2


For In Death There Is Life
by Nancy Taylor
c 1997

Part 3 of 4

     
     When they arrived back at the loft, Nick looked around in wonder.  
"Looks like you've moved in on me,"  he smiled at Natalie.
     "Of course.  You're still not that strong, and Dr. Simonson said 
you'll need a lot of rest.  I assured him that I would be your in-home 
health care to make sure you follow his orders to the tee."  Natalie 
gave him a mock-stern look that caused Nick to throw up his hands in a 
gesture of resignation.
     "All right, all right.  I can tell when I've been beaten.  So, what's 
up now, doc?"
     "Well, first of all, above all else you still need rest.  Get upstairs 
and change and get into bed."
     "But I just got out of bed!  Give a guy a little break?" he looked at 
her with what she always thought of as his 'wounded puppy' look.  It 
had worked every time before and it was working now.  Natalie knew 
she was going to have to build up a defense against that one or find 
herself shamelessly manipulated by the man who now stood in front of 
her.  Nick laced his arms around her waist and pulled her close.  She 
tipped her head up to look at him and found his warm lips pressing hers 
in the most passionate kiss he had ever given her.  Reluctantly, she 
gently pushed him away.
     "I don't think you're ... we're ... quite ready for that yet," Natalie 
replied.  "Maybe you'd just better go on upstairs and lay down for a 
bit."
     "Not without you."  That shameless 'wounded puppy' look had 
been replaced by a fire in his eyes that was nothing less than lustful.  
"I'm not going upstairs without you, Nat ..." and poking her gently in 
the ribs to emphasize each word, "and ... you ... can't ... make ... me."  
His eyes glittered with mischief and Natalie knew she had lost this 
round too.  She was really going to have to work on that, she thought.  
She wrapped her arm around his waist, and together they walked up 
the stairs to Nick's bedroom.

     Natalie made Nick change into his pajamas (and she marveled again 
at just how *good* he looked in black silk....) while she kept herself 
modestly dressed.
     "I'll just lay beside you until you fall asleep," she stated.  "I really 
have a lot of work to do...."
     "Later," Nick sighed into her ear, "later."

          *          *          *          *          *

     Natalie marveled at just how much Nick could pack away during 
meals.  She hadn't found a thing yet that he didn't like and didn't eat in 
copious enough amounts to feed an entire hockey team.
     "Look, Nick....  I'm really happy you like my cooking; and I'm 
really pleased that you seem to be enjoying new foods; but really, Nick!  
All things in moderation, or else you'll be as big as a house!"  Natalie 
laughed as Nick stuffed himself full yet again.
     "I've got a high metabolism," he said, looking up between bites.
     "Yeah, for how long?  You're developing into quite the couch 
potato, you know."  Natalie couldn't help but laugh at the look of his 
chipmunk cheeks.  "Don't you think you ought to slow down a little at 
least?  You're not immortal anymore, you know."
     Something about that statement made Nick choke on the bite he 
was trying to swallow.  Nat was up almost immediately and pounding 
on his back.  "See what I mean?  Take it easy!"
     Nick just sputtered and nodded.  His table manners and eating habits 
changed dramatically after that.

          *          *         *          *          *

     LaCroix had pretty much stayed away.  He had visited Nick several 
times during evening visiting hours at the hospital, but since Nick came 
home, LaCroix had made himself very scarce.  Natalie wasn't at all 
displeased by this, but she knew that even though he didn't speak it, 
Nick was missing the company of his former master, so she took it 
upon herself to invite LaCroix over for the evening.
     When he arrived, he was sporting a green bottle with the Raven's 
label and a bow around its neck.  Natalie was suspicious and wary of 
this offering until she realized that it was a high quality red wine from 
the Raven's private cellars.  This she accepted graciously.  Smiling at 
LaCroix, she gestured toward the couch.  Nick had just arisen and was 
coming to meet the master vampire.  He reached out and took 
LaCroix's hands warmly in his own.
     "Welcome, LaCroix, I'm glad you consented to come."  Nick guided 
LaCroix over to the couch.  LaCroix was hesitant, as the last time he 
had spent time on that couch it was anything but pleasant.  Still, he 
allowed himself to be led by this man whom, in many ways, he still 
considered his son.  Nick sat beside him and turned to him with a smile.
     "You know that Nat and I are going to be married soon?"
     LaCroix gave a little snort.  He was feeling a bit nonplused and 
wondered why he had even bothered to come.  But he knew ... yes, he 
knew why he was here.  He gave Nick that full head-to-toe look and 
sighed.  He missed this boy, more than even he cared to admit.
     "We want you to be a part of the wedding ceremony.  *I* want you 
to be a part of it.  Would you stand with me as my best man?"  Nick 
looked hopeful but unsure of his ex-master's reaction to the request.
     "Shouldn't you be asking Detective Schanke to stand with you?  
He'd be the better choice, you know."  LaCroix did his best to look 
disinterested.  "I can't stand with you in a church by any means 
anyway," he stated.
     "Oh, well, Nat and I plan on having the wedding here, in the loft.  
There's plenty of room.  We can have a Justice of the Peace perform 
the ceremony....  I want you there, LaCroix ... please?  This is the most 
important day of my life."
     "More important than the day I brought you across?"  LaCroix laid 
the sarcasm on thick enough to spread with a knife.
     Nick refused to rise to the bait.  "Yes, LaCroix.  But because of 
that, I lived long enough to meet Nat and fall in love.  I lived long 
enough to find a cure.  I want ... I *need* ... you to be a part of this."  
Nick was pleading his case as best he could, but LaCroix's stoic mask 
did not allow him to read the emotions behind the guise.  He sat back in 
silence and waited once more for LaCroix's reply.
     Finally, LaCroix nodded once and rose to leave.  He found the 
nearness of a mortal Nicholas, his heartbeat and the sweet smell of his 
blood, was more than he could endure.  He would do as Nicholas asked 
because, in the end, he stilled loved him; but he could no longer tolerate 
being close for any length of time without risking forgetting himself and 
bringing Nicholas across again.  Time.  Time would bring his Nicholas 
back to him.  He only needed his patience, and he had plenty of that, 
cultivated over the years of waiting for Nicholas to come around to his 
way of thinking.  He nodded to Natalie in passing and exited the loft by 
way of the elevator. 

End Part 3


For In Death There Is Life
by Nancy Taylor
c 1997

Part 4 of 4 -- Epilogue


    The loft was quite crowded.  White crepe paper streamers were 
strung across the room.  Flowers filled every spare nook and cranny.  
The furniture had all been moved into one small grouping at the far end 
of the loft leaving a large open area in the middle.  A large table 
occupied the window area next to the fireplace, a large white tiered 
cake stood as the proud centerpiece while the rest of the large table 
was filled with an assortment of buffet items.
     Nick circulated among his guests, an unusual assortment of his and 
Natalie's friends from work and vampires from Nick's colorful past.  
The vampires tended to stand apart and Nick was determined to see 
that they mingled, on their best behavior, of course.  Nick looked 
stunning himself in his black tuxedo with tails, but it was obvious to 
the more observant occupants of the room that Nick anticipated a great 
beauty soon to be in their midst.  LaCroix walked over to him, finally, 
and said in his best sotto voce, "Will you *please* calm down?  You're 
setting everyone's teeth on edge," and he tilted his head in the direction 
of a knot of vampires.
     At that point, the judge who was to perform the ceremony walked 
over to Nick and whispered in his ear.  Nick gathered up LaCroix and 
Grace, who had kindly consented to be Natalie's maid of honor, and 
went to stand in front of a floral-festooned archway.  The pianist that 
Nick had hired for the occasion began to play the wedding march and 
everyone in the room quieted and turned toward the stairwell.  Natalie 
appeared at the top of the stairs accompanied by Don Schanke, who 
had eagerly accepted the duty of giving away the bride.  
     Natalie was absolutely stunning in her regal white gown, studded 
with seed pearls and crystals.  She sparkled like a princess, and it 
wasn't just the gown....  The look on Nick's face was priceless.  The 
love that shown there was not to be matched by anyone else in the 
room, except, perhaps, by Natalie herself.  She flowed down the stairs 
and came to stand beside Nick as Schanke presented her to him.  
     The judge began, "Dearly beloved...."  Nick and Natalie floated 
through the ceremony as though in a dream.  Neither one would 
remember much of the specifics afterward as they were far too much 
lost in each other at this moment.  They both came out of their mutual 
fog with the judge's words, "I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. 
Nicholas Knight."  The room erupted in applause, but Nick and Natalie 
were too far gone into that "just wed" kiss to notice....

The End

Comments cheerfully accepted at:

Nancy      <TaylorLN@open.org>
Knightie, N&NPacker, JamiePacker
   Adoptive Bat Mom  ^^v^^  

If you are interested in more tales of Nick and Natalie's life of wedded 
bliss, I would point you toward Nancy Kaminski's wonderful tales, 
"Suburban Life" and "Sticky Wickets".  I'm sure you'll enjoy those as 
much as I have.  :)