Sweet Revenge
by Nancy Taylor
(c) August 11, 1998

In honor of Susan Garrett's birthday....


     He owed her.  Big time.  
     Natalie poked through her closet, pushing aside work
clothes, dresses and sweats.  She finally settled on a pair of
peach colored slacks and a white silk blouse, topped with her
cashmere sweater and finished off by a pair of matching peach
pumps.  A golden locket hung around her neck with *his* picture
inside.  If he thought that was going to make up for forgetting
again, he was dead wrong.

     She had "met" him on her birthday, of all days, when he was
rolled in as one of her clients and had proceeded to sit up and
walk off.  Their relationship had started out on a rocky
footing.  Nick was wary of getting his hopes up again.  He
hadn't wanted mortal entanglements at the time.  When he brushed
past her on the street, testing her, she was sure her heart was
going to leap from her chest.  Even cold and distant as he had
been at that time, he had touched a chord.  Natalie was smitten
from the very first day, loathe as she was to admit it.
     Their friendship had grown over the years.  Sometimes
Natalie dared to think it was more than mere friendship.  But
there had been times of hurt as well.  Times when the vampire
was too near the surface to risk more than a platonic peck on
the cheek.  Times when he was prepared to walk out of this life
without even telling her good-bye.  Times when words failed him
at just the moment that Natalie most needed to hear them.  Times
when he forgot her birthday ... like last year and the year
before and the year before that.  
     What *was* it about her birthday, their pseudo-anniversary,
that gave the normally able-minded vampire a temporary case of
Alzheimer's disease?  Natalie shook her head in frustration.  If
it weren't for Tracy's casual reminder, he would have forgotten
this year as well.  Admittedly, the locket was quite beautiful,
but Natalie knew that it had been a last minute thought.  Nick
*knew* he was in trouble again, he just didn't know how deeply.

     The Caddy pulled up outside her apartment promptly at
10:00.  Natalie peeked out through her curtains to watch a
certain blond vampire as he climbed the front steps of her
building.  Just as he was raising a fist to knock on her door,
she flung it open and swept through the doorway and out into the
hall.  Pausing only to lock the door behind her, she looked up
at her astonished date.  "Coming?" she asked as she proceeded
down the hallway.
     Nick let the bouquet of flowers he had been holding drop to
his side.  The cheery sunflowers bobbed in time to his steps as
Nick sprinted down the hall in pursuit of Natalie.  "Wait, Nat!"
he called after her.
     Catching up to Natalie at the front door of the apartment
building, Nick gently grabbed her arm, turning her to face him.
"Nat, what did I do wrong *this* time?"  He sighed in
exasperation.
     "Oh, nothing much," Natalie quipped lightly.  "Just forgot
my birthday again.  If it hadn't been for Tracy mentioning the
party was tonight, you would have gone blissfully unaware, as
usual."
     Nick hung his head briefly in acknowledgment of his crime,
then lifted it to give Natalie his best boyish grin.  "But you
forgive me, right?" he asked with just a hint of pleading in his
voice.
     "I *will* forgive you," Natalie answered with a wicked
gleam in her eye, "as long as you pay up as promised."
     "Aw, Nat, not that, *please*?" Nick implored her, his voice
clicking up a notch in pitch.
     Natalie was enjoying herself completely as she allowed Nick
to open the car door for her and settled herself in for the ride
to the club.  She chose not to answer until the Caddy was in
motion, enjoying the entertainment of watching Nick squirm.  "A
promise is a promise," she reminded him.  "Do this for me and I
won't bring up the subject again.  You'll be totally forgiven."
     Nick weighed the two choices carefully.  He wasn't all that
certain that her forgiveness was worth the loss of dignity this
bargain would entail.  Karaoke night at the Raven.  He shivered
and glanced briefly at Natalie, who was studying him intently.
"Well?" she prodded.
     Nick sighed.  It was answer enough for Natalie.  She
smiled.

     They walked into the club arm-in-arm.  Tracy waved to them
from a table over near the stage.  Capt. Reese was there as
well, along with Grace and several other of Natalie's close
co-worker friends.  
     As they arrived at the table, Capt. Reese popped the cork
on a bottle of champagne.  "Happy birthday, Natalie!" He poured
a flute of the bubbly for the guest of honor who accepted it
graciously.  "How about you, Nick?" the captain asked, pushing
the glass of sparkling wine into Nick's unresisting grasp.
     "Oh, no thank you, I don't dri..." Nick started to protest,
setting the glass on the table in front of him.
     "Nonsense, Nick!  You're not on duty," Reese interrupted,
sliding the glass back toward Nick. 
     With a resigned sigh, Nick lifted his glass in a toast.
"To Natalie, the sweetest, most forgiving woman I know."
     "Forget it, buster, you're not getting out of it that
easily!" Natalie laughed.  "To sweet birthday revenge!"  She
raised her glass for the toast, then tossed back the contents
and looked Nick defiantly in the eye.
     Reluctantly, Nick lifted his glass to clink with Natalie's
now empty one, and cautiously took a sip.  The way his face
screwed up in disgust made everyone at the table laugh.
     Just then, the performer on stage stepped down and handed
her microphone to Nick as if on cue.  "Go on!" Natalie urged.
Tracy patted him on the back as Nick stood.  Casting one last
pleading look at the occupants of his table, he saw Capt. Reese
shrug and smile.  Natalie made shooing gestures with her hands,
a huge smile on her face.  Everyone starting clapping as Nick
slowly climbed the stairs to the stage.
     With the spotlight shining in his eyes, Nick stared at the
TV while the music started and the words began scrolling across
the screen.  Hesitant, he began softly.

"When I fall in love, it will be *forever*
Or I'll never fall in love.
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun."

     Nick stared into the deep pools of Natalie's eyes.  While
he had been singing, she had grown quiet, listening intently to
the feeling behind the words.  Gathering all his love for her
into his heart and voice, Nick continued.

"When I give my heart, it will be completely
Or I'll never give my heart.
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you...."*

     Nick stepped down from the stage to thunderous applause,
but he didn't hear it.  Natalie met him at the stage steps and
gathered him in her arms.
     "See, I told you it wouldn't be so bad," she admonished,
looking up into Nick's adoring blue eyes.
     "Not when you have the proper inspiration," Nick whispered.
"Happy birthday, Nat."  His kiss spoke volumes to Natalie, who
forgave him his failings with all her heart.

~~finis~~

*"When I Fall in Love" as sung by Nat King Cole

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Birthday, Susan!!  You're the best!

Comments can be directed to:

Nancy   --    TaylorLN@open.org  
Knightie/N&NPack/FKXS/FkN/KoC/FPO
   GWDFC/FMFC/Bat Mom ^^v^^