I'm working on my Valentine's Day mood, so here's my
third season Valentine's Day story.  (This is your
fault, Katherine!) I'm placing this a couple of weeks
after "My Boyfriend is a Vampire" -- even if the timing
isn't quite right.

Please send comments! And, as usual, the characters
are not mine.
*************************************************


BE MINE (part 1 of 4)
by Sarah H. Baker (zeke@rt66.com)


"Hey, Nat," Tracey bounced into the morgue in front of Nick.
"Any news on the Bartlett case?"

"Jeez, Trace, I just got here," Natalie whined jokingly. "And
where *do* you get all that energy?"

"Dunno.  Guess it just comes naturally.  You know, some of us
got it ...."

Natalie rolled her eyes and yanked on her lab coat in mock
frustration.  Nick stood back with his hands in his coat pockets,
enjoying at the friendly exchange.  Natalie shot him a 'what's
up' look; Nick glanced at Tracey and back at Natalie.

"Well, I'll get the results on Bartlett to you as soon as I get
them.  They may be here already, buried in my in box."  Natalie
glared at the overflowing pile of papers.

"Okay," Tracey responded as she backed up onto the lab stool.

Natalie waited for a few seconds.  Nothing.  "Well, was there
something else?"

Tracey shrugged.  "I don't know.  It was Nick's idea to stop by."
She looked over at Nick, still standing near the door with his
hands in his pockets, and then back at Natalie.  They were both
looking at her expectantly.

"Ooohhhh, I get it.  Look, Nick, I'll wait for you outside.  But
do me a favor," she said, grabbing Nick's arm as she past him,
"don't be too long.  Your car wouldn't be warm at the equator!
And it's getting cold outside."

"Thanks, Trace," Nick called after her as she strolled out.  He
turned back to face Natalie.

"So what's up, Nick?" Natalie asked him.  She didn't like this
hesitation.  It usually meant bad news.  And Nick had a
tendency to redefine the term 'bad news'.

Nick took a deep breath and walked over to stand in front of
Natalie.  He looked into her eyes and smiled.  Such warm eyes.
He hoped that things were really back to normal, after the
terrible few days two weeks ago when Natalie had decided that
their relationship was over.  She assured him that she had
sorted out her feelings, but there was something still hanging
between them that Nick couldn't quite define.  Natalie was still
holding something back.  He hoped, with all his heart, that they
could work out the problems.  So many potential problems!
But her eyes were so warm, although, at the moment, they were
starting to squint suspiciously.

"Nat, will you join me tomorrow night for dinner?"

Natalie's eyes opened wide with surprise.  "You're asking me
out for Valentine's Day?"

"Yes."  Nick held his breath, waiting for her answer.

"Gee, Nick, you kinda waited 'til the last minute, didn't you?"
Natalie raised one eyebrow and returned his steady gaze.  What
was that she saw on his face?  Fear?

"Well, I didn't know how you'd feel about it," <after last year>
he added to himself.  Nick sincerely hoped that Natalie hadn't
remembered any of last year's 'celebration'.

Natalie smiled and punched Nick's shoulder.  "Well, it took you
long enough to ask.  What time are you picking me up?"

Nick grinned with relief.  "Eight?"

"Okay.  Good thing I have the night off," Natalie teased.

Nick leaned close to her face.  "I knew you did," he whispered
conspiratorially.

Natalie laughed.  "So where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise," he grinned again.  As an afterthought, he
added, "But dress comfortably."

"All right, but remember you asked for it.  Now," she said as
she turned toward her desk, "you'd better go rescue your partner
before she becomes my next customer."

"See you tomorrow at eight," Nick said as he turned and left.
'He sounds like a kid planning to run away from home,' Natalie
thought to herself.  She laughed out loud as she picked up the
first folder from her in box.

***************

"Well, I've about had it," Tracey sighed as she slouched into the
passenger's seat.  She was uncharacteristically dragged out.
The scene tonight hadn't been unusually bad, but it had been
outside.  It was really cold out, even for February.  Fighting the
cold had really done her in.  Funny, Nick didn't look tired at all.
For that matter, he didn't even look cold.  Jeez, how did he do
that?

"You say something?" Nick asked as he started the Caddie.

"I just said that I'm ready for this shift to be over."

"Yeah, me too," Nick responded, thinking about all the things
he needed to do before daybreak.

"So you're booked off tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Ahhh," Tracey teased, raising her eyebrows.

Nick shot her a 'back off' look, but it only made Tracey laugh.

"Well, I hope you don't have too much traveling planned.
There's a nasty storm headed in."

"Really?"  Nick was surprised at this.  He hadn't paid much
attention to the weather.  Oh well, the Caddie could make it
through almost anything.  As if on cue, snowflakes quickly
covered the windshield.  Nick flipped on the windshield
wipers.

**************

Well, this was an adventure.  Nick could count the number of
times he had been in a grocery store on one hand.  But he had
to admit, it was kind of exciting.  He decided to push the
grocery cart down each aisle, because he had no idea where to
find most of the items on his list.  The signs hanging from the
ceiling certainly weren't much help.

Nick stopped the cart as something caught his attention.  He
grabbed one of the small boxes from the bin and examined it.
Through the cellophane cover he saw a tiny yellow heart with
"Be Mine" printed on it.  Nick smiled.  These must be the
candy hearts Natalie had mentioned to him once.  He tossed the
box in his cart, and then added four more boxes.  Still smiling,
Nick started the cart in motion again.  He wondered where he
was going to run across butter and mushrooms.  Just have to
keep a sharp eye out.

End Part 1.

See part 1 for disclaimers and explanations.


BE MINE (part 2 of 4)
by Sarah H. Baker (zeke@rt66.com)


" 'lo," Natalie slurred, rubbing her eyes.  Did the clock really
say 1:15?  Who would be waking her up at this time of day?

"Dr. Lambert?  This is Captain O'Donald.  I'm really sorry to
wake you, but we need your help."

"What's up, Captain?" Natalie asked.  It took a second to place
O'Donald; Natalie spent so little time at the precinct during the
day.

"We have a multiple homicide, and we're without a Coroner.  I
hate to do this, but can we ask you to help out?"

"Sure, but what happened to Phillips and Anderson?"

Natalie heard a sigh of frustration on the other end of the
phone.  "Dr. Phillips was supposed to fly in from Vancouver
this morning, but the airport is closed.  And Dr. Anderson was
admitted to the hospital last night with pneumonia."

Natalie sat up in bed rubbing her forehead.  "I can be at the
station in about a half an hour, Captain."

"Well, actually, I have a unit ready to send over to your place.  I
guess you haven't heard yet, but most of the local roads are
snowed in.  The road crews are having problems catching up to
this storm."

"Oh.  You're right, I didn't know.  Okay, I'll be ready in twenty
minutes or so."  Natalie stretched.

"Thank you, Dr. Lambert.  I really appreciate this."

"No problem, Captain."  Natalie turned the phone off and
returned it to the cradle.  Oh great.  Having to work on so little
sleep was certainly not desirable, but this *was* an emergency.
Natalie slid into her slippers and worked on standing up.
Lovely way to start out Valentine's Day.  Well, she should have
time to get the investigation and initial reports done, and, if she
was lucky, sneak in a nap before eight o'clock.

"Sorry, Sidney," Natalie responded to the cat's protest at being
disturbed.  "Someone has to pay for your cat food."  Natalie
plodded off towards the bathroom.

*****************

Natalie squeezed the collar of her coat closed as she headed
into the snow.  What a snow storm!  She could barely make out
the vehicle that was less than three meters from her.  And the
snow was amazingly deep.  Natalie felt it sneaking into the top
of her boots as she reached the Suburban.  She opened the
passenger door, tossed her bag onto the seat, and climbed in.

"Whew!  This is incredible!" she exclaimed to the uniformed
driver.

"It is!  Dr. Lambert, I'm Sergeant Davis," the young officer
stated as he offered her his hand.

Natalie pulled off her glove and shook his hand.  It was
pleasantly warm.  "Nice to meet you, Sergeant.  And thanks for
the ride.  My car definitely wouldn't have made it in this."

"No problem," Davis responded as he put the vehicle in drive.
With the four-wheel drive engaged and chains clanging, they
pulled into the empty street.

*****************

Nick was not used to getting up quite so early.  When he
checked the clock, he realized the alarm had been going off for
thirty minutes.  "Loud enough to wake the dead," Nick said to
the alarm clock as he slapped it off.  He winced.  "Oh, that's
bad," he commented out loud.

After a sincere stretch, Nick climbed out of bed and padded
down the stairs.  He walked directly to the refrigerator and
pulled out the closest bottle.  First things first.  Nick pulled the
cork out and tossed it on the counter.  Upending the bottle, he
allowed himself to enjoy several large swallows.  Well, as
much as he could enjoy steer.

Feeling slightly more awake, Nick flipped on the kitchen light
and set the bottle on the table.  He pulled out a chair, sat down,
and took a deep breath.  Courage intact, he opened the book in
front of him to the first dog-eared page.  'Coq au Vin.'  Okay.
He needed to review the recipe one more time before he
actually started cooking.  How many years had it been since he
had tried to cook anything?  The canned soup he had fixed for
Natalie when she was sick probably didn't count.  Well, that
would make it about 750 years, more or less.  'Surely it will be
easier with all the modern conveniences,' he assured himself.
Nick took another swig from the bottle.

****************

Nick buttoned the sleeves of his red silk shirt as he walked
down the stairs.  He smiled.  The cooking had gone surprisingly
well.  Of course, he could only hope it tasted as good as it
looked.  Nick stopped in the middle of the room and did a
mental check.  The CD was poised in the player ... the seaside
sounds were perfect.  The picnic cloth covered the middle of
the floor.  Four big pillows, two candle sticks, one rose, two
wine glasses.   Nick walked into the kitchen.  White tablecloth,
candles, wine and water glasses, salad bowl, plate, silverware,
and one red rose.  He nodded approval.  And the food was as
ready as it could be.  Asparagus waiting in the steamer, spinach
salad and Hollandaise sauce were in the fridge -- must remember
to heat the sauce -- chicken was cooked and ready to be reheated.
And the chocolate- chocolate chip ice cream was in the freezer.
At least he didn't have to cook that.

Nick checked the clock.  Seven.  Everything was as ready as it
was going to be.  All he had to do now was wait.  No, there was
one more thing.  Nick darted to the cabinet and pulled out the
boxes of candy hearts.  He stuffed them into the pocket of his
coat so that he wouldn't forget them.

Nick returned to the middle of the room, trying to decide what
he was going to do for the next half hour.  He suddenly realized
that he had been so busy, he had forgotten to open the
shudders.  Picking up the remote, he hit the button and walked
to the window.  When the shudder reached eye level, Nick was
surprised to see nothing but white.  He strained to look out.
Nothing but blowing snow.  Wow!  Tracey was right ... this
was quite a storm.

Nick jumped when the phone rang.  "Hello."

"Nick?  Tracey."  Nick winced at the thought of being called in
to work.

"Yeah.  What's up?"

"Well, I know it's none of my business, but I assume you and
Natalie have plans for tonight."

"You're right.  It's none of your business."  Nick chuckled to
himself.

"Fine.  I just thought that you might want to know that Natalie's
stuck out in the snow."  There was a hint of annoyance in
Tracey's voice.

"What?"  Nick frowned.

"Yeah.  Nat was called in earlier to help out with a multiple
homicide, and is now stuck in a snow bank somewhere."

"What do you mean she's 'stuck in a snow bank'?" Nick almost
growled.

"Hey, relax!  She's in a car, but they ran off the road and we
can't get anyone out there to help.  This storm is unbelievable!"

Nick took a deep breath.  It didn't sound like Natalie was in
danger.  She was just stuck somewhere.  Of course, it was
really cold out.  And there was no telling how long she had
been stuck.  "I'm sorry, Tracey.  I didn't mean to snap at you.
Thanks for calling me.  I'll be down there in a minute."

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." Tracey was saying when
the phone clicked.

Nick grabbed his coat and took the stairs in three steps.  He was
shocked to find the top of the snow at mid-thigh just outside
the door.  No wonder Natalie was stuck!  And the Caddie
wasn't going to be much use.  Nick started to take to the sky,
then he realized there was no sky to take to.  The wind was
blowing so hard that he couldn't see more than a meter in front
of him. 'Good thing the station is downwind,' he thought as he
took off down the street.  He couldn't run at his top speed for
fear that he would hit something, but he was still making good
time.  He arrived at the station in just a few minutes.

"So where is she?" Nick demanded as he trotted into the squad
room.

"Jeez!"  Tracey almost fell out of her chair.  "How did you get
here so fast?"

"I ran," Nick replied.  "Where is she?"

"They radioed in that they were on the Parkway, but they
weren't sure where because of the visibility.  Best guess puts
them about ten kilometers from the station.  But in this stuff,"
Tracey said with a wave towards the door, "it might as well be
a hundred.  And there aren't any buildings or houses within
their reach."

"Okay.  Thanks, Tracey."  Nick turned and trotted out of the
room.

"Nick..."  Tracey called after him.  He was already gone.
"You're not going out there, are you?" she said to the air.
"Great!  My partner ... lost in a blizzard," she mumbled as she
returned to her chair.

End Part 2.

Please see part 1 for disclaimers.


BE MINE (part 3 of 4)
by Sarah H. Baker (zeke@rt66.com)


"You think we can turn the heater on again for a little while?"
Natalie asked through chattering teeth.

"Sure," Davis replied.  He crawled into the front seat and
cranked the engine.  For a moment, it threatened not to start,
but finally caught.  Natalie felt the cold air blow over the
top of her head. 'Oh please hurry and get warm,' she thought
as she pulled her legs up tighter to her chest.  After a few
miserable minutes, she was relieved to feel the warm air making
its way into the back seat.

Davis held himself in the driver's seat by wrapping his arm
around the headrest.  The Suburban was pointed downhill at
such a severe angle that it was impossible to sit in the front
seat.  Once they had realized that they weren't going anywhere
for some time, Natalie and the Sergeant had folded the back
seat down and retreated to it.  They sat leaning back on the
front seat.  About once every half hour, Davis started the
heater to warm up the interior.  They didn't want to leave it
running because they weren't sure how long they were going to
be there.  It had been at least four hours since they went off the
road.

"Better?" Davis asked as Natalie stretched out her legs and
opened her coat to enjoy the heat.

"Yes.  Thanks."

Davis turned the engine off and climbed over the seat.  He
looked apologetically at Natalie as he settled back into his
place.  "Not very comfortable, is it?"

"Not very," Natalie replied honestly.  "You sure there's no
food in here?"

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head.

"Oh, well," Natalie sighed.  "So where were we?"

"Your turn. S."

"Okay."  Natalie thought for a minute.  "Switzerland."

"Bern," Davis responded quickly.  He then stopped to think.
"Turkey."

Natalie thought.  "Ankara," she replied.

"Ankara?  I thought the capital was Izmir.  Are you sure?"

"Well, not a hundred percent, but almost."

"Great!  How are we going to find out which one is right?"
Davis asked.

"Well, we could vote."  It took Davis a second to realize that
she was kidding.  They both laughed.  Natalie decided that, if
she had to be stuck out in a blizzard for hours,  she was
fortunate to get stuck with Davis.  He was a nice guy, and
shared her interest in travel.  She was more than just a little
disappointed, however, at missing her Valentine dinner.
Nothing she could do about it now.  Natalie wiped a tear from
her eye as she finally stopped laughing.

"Eek!" Natalie screeched.  She jumped in response to the
sudden tap on the window next to her head.  "What the.. how
did someone get here without us hearing them?" she said as she
wiped the window with her glove.  Through the clear spot she
saw ... a snowman?

"Natalie!"  That was Nick's voice!

"Nick?" she asked with disbelief as she tried to find the handle
to open the door.  "Is that you?"

Nick sudden realized what he must look like.  "Yes," he
laughed with relief as he wiped the caked snow from his face
and brushed off his coat and hair.  He pulled the door open and
climbed into the back, settling cross-legged in front Natalie.
He grabbed her gloved hands.

"Are you all right?"  His eyes were dancing with delight at her
smile.

"I'm fine, Nick.  How'd you get out here?" She was thrilled to
see him, even if he was starting to drip all over the place.

"I ran."

"Ran?" Davis gasped.

Natalie suddenly remembered her snowbound buddy.  She
squeezed Nick's hands and released them.  "Nick, you know
Sergeant Davis?"

"Yes.  Davis, I hope you've kept the good doctor entertained,"
Nick said with a nod.

"I've tried, Detective," Davis replied with no small amount of
reverence in his voice.  Nick Knight had quite a reputation in
the precinct, but Davis had only worked around him a couple of
times when pulling night duty.  One of those times, though, he
had seen Knight upset.  Davis thanked his lucky stars that he
was happily married and had been nothing but cordial to
Doctor Lambert.  She was, after all, very attractive.  So, Nick
Knight and Doctor Lambert, huh?  He wondered how many
guys in the precinct knew about this.

"Well, now we're all stuck here," Natalie said.  "I don't suppose
you have any food on you?  I'm starved!"

Nick grinned.  He pulled a box out of his pocket and handed it
to Natalie.  She took the box and examined it.  Her jaw
dropped.  When she recovered, she beamed up at Nick.  "Thank
you," she smiled.

"Davis, are you hungry?" Nick asked, offering him one of the
boxes.

"No.  Thanks, though.  I had lunch."  Davis waved off the offer
politely.

"I have more," Nick said as he handed the second box of hearts to
Natalie.  She had almost polished off the first one.  "Anything
else?" he teased.

"Yeah," she mumbled with her mouth full.  "What's the capital
of Turkey?"

"Ankara," he replied, a bit confused.  Natalie flashed Davis a
victory grin.  He shrugged.  "I was thinking more along the
lines of dinner," Nick added, tilting his head toward her.

"Nick, in case you haven't noticed, we're really stuck.  And you
might be able to 'run' back in this blizzard, but I'm relatively
sure I can't make it," Natalie explained patiently.

"No problem," he grinned.  "Davis, start the engine and turn on
the lights."

"Yes, sir," Davis replied as he scrambled over the seat.

Nick leaned to Natalie's ear. "At your service, m' Lady," he
whispered.  He hopped back out into the snow.  Natalie turned
and leaned over the back of the seat.  She could just barely see
Nick in the headlights as he made it to the front of the
Suburban.

Nick positioned himself at the front of the vehicle.  The snow
was waist deep, and packed like concrete under the front
wheels.  With both hands on the hood, Nick lowered his head
and let the vampire surface.  He waited until he felt the strength
coursing through his limbs before leaning forward.  The giant
hunk of steel in front of him slid up onto the road so quickly
that Davis almost hit his head on the steering wheel.

"Wow!" Davis exclaimed.  He realized that he hadn't even
taken the Suburban out of 'park'.  Natalie grimaced as she
glanced over at Davis, and then looked back at Nick.  The vehicle
had stopped, but Nick was still standing in front of it with his
face hidden.

Nick was fighting the vampire, having trouble regaining control.
He had used his powers more tonight than he usually did these days.
The vampire called to him as if it was another being.  'Feel the
power,' it said.  'Relish in your strength.'

"No!" Nick yelled back.  With one great effort, he choked back
the beast.  Panting from the struggle, Nick suddenly realized he
was getting hungry. "Damn."

Natalie blew out the breath she was holding when she saw Nick
straighten up.  As he fought the blowing snow to get to the
door, Natalie climbed over the seat.  In the process, she
managed to smack Davis in the head with her elbow.

"Sorry," she apologized.  Davis didn't respond.  He was staring,
open mouthed, at Nick as Nick climbed in the passenger side.
Natalie slid to the middle of the seat to make room for him.
She was a little concerned by the serious look on his face.

"Are you okay?" Natalie asked.  She swiped at the layer of
snow on his shoulder.  Nick nodded with a half-hearted smile.

"How the hell..." Davis faltered again.  Nick sat forward on the
seat and leaned toward Davis.  He listened for the heartbeat.

"Davis," Nick began, his voice slow and low, "you didn't see
me push the car out of the snow bank.  You weren't stuck as
badly as you thought.  You shoveled out the tires and drove
out.  Do you understand?"

Natalie watched Nick's eyes.  They were flickering with
intensity.  She thought she saw flecks of gold.  She drew back a
little at the flash of a fang.

Davis stared back at Nick.  Slowly, he nodded his head.  "I
understand," he whispered.

Nick closed his eyes and leaned back on the seat.  "How about
we head back slowly, Davis, and we stay on the road this
time?"

Davis shook his head and shifted to 'drive'.  "I'll give it my
best," he said, the amazement completely gone from his voice.

Natalie slid her arm through Nick's.  "I'm glad we're back on
the road," she said.  "I'm really hungry!"

"Me, too," Nick whispered.  When she looked up at him, he
placed his hand over her gloved one and squeezed it
reassuringly.  He smiled at her with eyes completely returned to
normal.  Natalie smiled back.


End Part 3.

Please see part 1 for disclaimers.


BE MINE (part 4 of 4)
by Sarah H. Baker (zeke@rt66.com)


Davis pulled the Suburban to the curb in front of the door to
Nick's loft.  "You sure you don't need a ride home, Dr.
Lambert?"

"No, this is fine," Natalie answered.  She handed Davis her
clipboard before passing Nick her bag.  He held the door open
for her, trying to keep as much blowing snow out as possible.

When they had radioed in that they were back on the road, the
Captain had thanked Natalie again for her help and apologized
for the problems.  He had assured her that he would have one
of the Lab Techs type up her notes if she would send them in
with Davis.  The rest of the work could wait until her
replacement came on.  Natalie had happily agreed to this
arrangement.

Nick put his arm around Natalie as they fought their way to the
door.  They were both relieved to step out of the blizzard and
into the elevator.

Nick stood two steps from Natalie on the ride up.  He didn't
really trust himself to stand any closer in this state, and he
hated it.  Natalie understood his dark expression.  She tried to
reassure him.

"Nick," she smiled, "I'm really sorry your plans were messed up
by all this."

Nick smiled back.  "They aren't messed up, just delayed," he
said as he opened the door.

"Whoa... what smells so good?" Natalie's eyes lit up as Nick
slipped her coat off.

"Dinner," he answered as he walked past the table, headed for
the refrigerator.  Natalie's heart ached for Nick as she watched
him disappear around the corner.  She knew how badly he
wanted to hide his need from her.  She decided to examine the
contents of the pots that were waiting on the stove.

Nick opened the door to the refrigerator, gritting his teeth with
frustration.  He jerked the first bottle off of the shelf, pulled the
cork out, and closed his eyes as he quickly lifted the bottle to
his lips.  Half the bottle disappeared almost instantly.  Nick
lowered the bottle, eyes still closed, and dropped his head to his
hand that gripped the refrigerator shelf.  He felt the hunger
melting.  The effect made him dizzy for a moment.

"Nick, where did you get the Coq au Vin?" Natalie asked from
the kitchen.

Nick straightened, took a deep breath, and returned the bottle to
the shelf.  He pulled out the bowl of Hollandaise sauce.  "I
made it," he replied as he rounded the corner.  Natalie was
staring at him in total disbelief.

"Now," Nick said as he set the bowl down and took Natalie by
the shoulders, "you sit right here."  He pulled her away from
the stove and urged her into a chair.  Natalie was stunned into
silence as she watched Nick bustle around the kitchen.  A glass
of red wine appeared in front of her, followed quickly by a
plate of spinach salad.  Natalie stared at the salad, then up at
the stove where Nick was expertly turning dials and stirring
things.  With everything set, Nick carried his own glass to the
table and sat down.

Natalie finally thought to close her mouth.  "Where did you get
all these cooking utensils?" she asked.

"Bought 'em."

"I thought you didn't know how to cook!"

"I'm a quick study," he replied.  "Besides, you don't know how
it tastes yet."

Natalie shook her head.  She lifted her wine glass to Nick.  He
lifted his own.  The crystal clink rang out clearly.  They both
drank.  Natalie wasn't surprised to find the wine perfect.  It
tasted extremely expensive.

The salad was also perfect.  It was outdone, however, by the
Coq au Vin and asparagus.

"Nick, this is really incredible," Natalie said after the first bite
of the chicken.

Nick smiled.  "I hope you don't mind that I left out the garlic."

Natalie laughed.  "I think I can live without garlic."

"I'm really glad," Nick responded sincerely, shaking his head.
He looked at her more seriously.  "I also hope you don't mind
that we're having dinner here instead of going out."  Nick
wasn't completely sure that Natalie understood why he wanted
to cook for her.

"Mind?" Natalie looked at him with amusement that melted
into something more serious.  She reached over and grabbed
his hand.  "Nick, I'm touched."

They looked into each other's eyes.  Of course she understood.
It really amazed him just how much she understood.  "Okay,
then, eat," he commanded.

"Yes, sir!" she answered, releasing his hand and picking up her
fork.  "With pleasure!"

****************

"Oh, I'm soooo stuffed!" Natalie exclaimed as she set the empty
ice cream bowl on the coffee table.  She stretched her legs out
in front of her and leaned back on the pillows with a huge sigh.
The sounds of the surf breaking were so relaxing.

Nick carefully stepped over her feet and worked his way to the
other side of the candles.  He gracefully sat down cross-legged,
a glass in each hand.

"How do you do that?" Natalie asked with exasperation, as she
sat up to accept the glass he held out to her.  She stretched back
out on her side, her head propped on her fist, and sipped the
wine.

Nick held his own glass on the floor in front of him.  He
studied her face as she drank.  The candlelight danced on her
face and hair, and in her eyes when she looked up at him.  She
was so beautiful.  Nick reached over and gently stroked the
forearm that held her head, watching the strands of hair fall
across his fingers.

"Natalie..." he started.  Then he stopped.  What could he say?
He couldn't allow himself the luxury of telling her that he loved
her.  He couldn't tell her how much he wanted her.  That was
dangerous to admit even to himself.

"Nick," Natalie interrupted his thoughts.  "You told me a
couple of weeks ago that you didn't think I'd ever understand
how much you care."

Nick looked back into her eyes.  "Yes," he said.

"You know that works both ways."  His eyes questioned hers.
"Nick, I care a great deal for you."  Natalie looked down at her
glass and continued.  "We both know the limitations on this
relationship. Still, I can no more let you go than I can fly.  I
know, because I've tried."  Natalie looked up.  "To let you go,
that is."  Nick was watching her with a total focus and intensity
that she couldn't imagine from anyone else.  Natalie felt tears
welling up in her eyes.  She dropped her gaze back to her glass.
"What's going to happen if we never find a cure?  Are you just
going to sit around and watch me grow old?"  Natalie looked
into his eyes again.  She felt a tear break loose and run down
her cheek.  "I think it would kill me if you left."

Nick closed his eyes and tilted his face toward the ceiling.  He
fought back his own tears and tried to decide what to say.  His
heart ached so badly.  He knew immediately that he couldn't lie
to her.  Natalie was honestly telling him what she had held
back until now.  Nick opened his eyes and looked down at her.

"Nat, I can't leave you.  And that scares me.  There may come a
time when being close to you threatens your very existence."
Nick took a sip from his glass before continuing.  "I thank God
that there is no way for you to understand this, but for centuries
I've fought daily to keep the vampire under control.  You've
seen some of my weak moments, but there have been weaker."
The underlying evil in that statement sent a shiver through
Natalie.  Nick's eyes glazed over for a moment as he recalled
some of the battles he'd lost, and the mortals that had lost their
lives as a result.  He frowned as he pushed those memories
away.  "But, Natalie, you have given that struggle a meaning
for me that it has never had before."  Nick's eyes sparkled as
they met hers again.  "I realize we may never find a cure.  If I'm
allowed to spend the rest of your life near you, I will cherish
every minute of it.  And I will spend it trying to find ways to
make you happy."

"Like cooking me dinner?" Natalie smiled through her tears.
She was so touched by his honesty that she thought her heart
would explode.

"As long as I don't poison you," he smiled at her laugh.

Nick suddenly straightened out his leg and pulled a box from
his pocket.  He dumped the candy into his hand, looking for the
right one.  Finding it, he held the tiny heart up for her to read.

Natalie squinted to make out the words.  'Be Mine'.  Smiling,
she plucked the heart from between his fingers and popped it
into her mouth.

"Besides," Nick said, flashing her his most devilish grin,
"maybe we can find ways to change the limitations."

THE END