Date: Sun, 1 Jun 1997 17:59:31 -0600 Reply-To: Sarah Baker Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Sarah Baker Subject: The Night Shift (1/2) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu The time frame for this story is, well, obvious. I am only borrowing the characters; they are not mine. Please let me know what you think. I await e-mail with bated breath! The Night Shift (1/2) by Sarah Baker (zeke@rt66.com) All eyes were on Nick as he made his way slowly through the room. A female officer mouthed a 'whoa!' at her partner, who agreed with a nod. The two of them watched him longer than their male counterparts. Nick felt the stares following him, and tried to ignore them. He took in as many details of the room as he could ... soon, possibly, to be his 'home away from home' ... without being obvious. He easily located the captain's door, and knocked lightly. "Come in." Nick opened the door and closed it behind him. Hand extended, he walked formally to the desk. "Captain. My name is Nick Knight. We spoke on the phone." The captain rose and clasped Nick's hand. "Right. Knight. Have a seat." The man's hand was large and warm, and his grip was firm. Nick studied him quickly before ending the handshake. He was on the heavy side, his hair was thinning, and his features were thick. His Native heritage didn't escape Nick's notice, and reminded him of his introduction to a very different group of Natives, so long ago. - * - * - * - * - * - * - It had been months since Nick started his journey from New Orleans to Los Angeles. His path kept arcing farther and farther north, as he worked on the courage, and desire, to face LaCroix and Janette again. With any luck, they would be gone by the time he finally arrived. Nick had taken to the ground hours earlier in search of food. The winter wind seemed to have driven the game into hiding, and he was starting to worry at the lack of animal sounds. He stopped and took a deep breath, drinking in the smell of frozen evergreens. Above him, the Northern Lights were dancing in pale greens. Nick watched their merriment and wondered where he was. It could be western Canada, or even the Russian territory of Alaska by now. Well, it didn't much matter; his Russian was as fluent as his French and English. All that really mattered was finding shelter before the late sun finally peaked over the horizon. Nick scanned the closest mountains, looking for a cave. That would be greatly preferable to invading a cabin, and possibly meeting resistors, or, in the worst case, having to dig a hole in the frozen ground. Shelter was the only true drawback to traveling this way. Even though the hunger was starting to gnaw, Nick enjoyed the night majesty of the vast land. Spotting a shadow that looked promising, Nick walked toward the rock face, keeping his senses open for the presence of game. When he got within a few hundred feet of the rocks, he stopped, frowning, and turned his head to listen. That was definitely the heartbeat of a fairly large animal. A bear could present a bit of a problem in his weakened state, although it would be unusual to find one who wasn't sleeping at this time of year. Nick hoped for a moose; he had found that the large, fairly docile animal could provide a decent meal without actually being injured. Nick walked quietly in the direction of the sound, careful not to startle the beast in the dark. It was strange that he wasn't picking up strong animal smells by this time; he could tell he was getting close. Nick stopped again. No, this wasn't the heartbeat of a moose ... it was human. Nick pulled a branch slowly from in front of his face and spotted a dark mound on the ground in front of him. He advanced very slowly. Nick didn't need the lights from above to tell him that the mound was a human, wrapped in animal fur. As he approached, the heartbeat grew louder. Stopping just a few feet from the person, Nick turned in a slow circle, looking and listening for signs of others. He found none. Why would a single human be out in the wilderness on a night like this when they would surely die from the cold? Stooping over the body, Nick gently pulled it toward him. He was startled when the fur-wrapped person suddenly sat up. The woman in front of him had a very round, dark face, deeply lined with time. She looked almost Asian, but the sound she was directing at him was a mixture of clicks and guttural sing- song lines, unlike anything he had ever heard. He stood up, watching the woman with curiosity, as she shed her bear skin cover and rose, her arms outstretched. She was smiling as she spoke. The strange little woman walked to Nick and grabbed his face with her icy hands. Standing on tiptoes, she pulled his head towards hers and kissed him. Nick was startled by the action, and tried to back away as the woman wrapped her arms around his waist. It was obvious that she saw him as her savior. No wonder ... she would have frozen to death if he had not shown up. What was he supposed to do with her? Nick determined that the shadow he had spotted earlier was, indeed, a cave. He would take this woman to the cave with him, build a fire to warm her, and keep her there until ... until when? Until someone showed up looking for her? Nick looked down at the top of the gray head pressed to his chest. She had to be someone's grandmother, or maybe great- grandmother. Someone *must* be looking for her. Pushing the woman, who was still jabbering and smiling, away to arm's length, Nick pointed to the opening in the mountain. "We'll go up there," he said. "I'll build you a fire. You can stay with me until someone comes for you." The woman followed Nick's arm with her head and looked for several seconds. She turned back to him, silent for the first time since his arrival, and shook her head from side to side. Her smile had faded. Pulling out of his grip, the old woman walked back to her hide blanket and sat cross-legged in the middle of it. The action took quite a while, and required several small grunts. Finally seated, she spread her arms out and spoke. Nick stared at her, completely confused. Quiet again, she smiled and patted her fur invitingly. What on earth did she want from him? "I don't understand what you want," he said slowly, as if she would somehow understand him if he only spoke slowly enough. She didn't. She just smiled and waited. Nick sat down beside the woman, which seemed to satisfy her. She moved close to him and rested her head on his chest. Confused, Nick put his arm around the woman's shoulders and held her. They sat silently for an hour as the Northern Lights faded with the threat of the rising sun. Nick glanced anxiously at the brightening horizon. He knew that the sun wouldn't be up for very long, but it wouldn't take long for him to turn into toast. And even worse, the vampire was demanding to be fed. There was almost no time left to hunt. The old woman's heartbeat was echoing in Nick's head. He looked down at her with concern, as he realized it was growing steadily weaker. She must be getting hypothermic. Nick tilted her face up towards his, surprised by the layer of frost forming on her skin. She was still smiling, but the light in her dark eyes was fading. This was it. He had to get to cover, and he couldn't leave her out here alone. Nick turned to kneel beside the woman and scoop her into his arms. With a sudden burst of strength, she put up a surprising fight. Afraid that she would have a heart attack, Nick released her. As he sat back on his heels, the woman struggled to her knees and threw her arms around his neck. She held Nick tightly, as if in desperation. The sound of her weak heart filled his ears, summoning the Beast. Nick fought as hard as he could, but the Hunger was overwhelming, and her human smell and warmth were calling to him, luring the vampire out. Would it truly be murder if she was about to die anyway? His power of reason was leaving, chased by the desire for blood. Losing the internal battle, Nick wrapped his arms around the woman and dropped his head. His eyes were blazing as he sank his fangs into her neck, releasing the gently pulsing flow of blood. He heard the woman's soft groan, and felt her grow limp in his arms. As the old woman's life exploded in Nick's brain, he suddenly understood her strange language and lifestyle. There were endless days of drying salmon and skinning caribou, and there was love and joy and sorrow and children. He saw her carried to this spot by a large family, and understood that she had come here, after a long, hard life, to die. He understood her words to him: "Take me to the other side, Sweet Death, to be with my mothers." Nick released the old woman, laying her gently on the bear skin. He wrapped the edges around her, leaving only her quiet, smiling face exposed. Ironically, she had seen him for what he was ... death. Nick shrank in horror, first at the thought, and then at the searing ray of sunlight peaking over the mountain. With one last glance at her peaceful face, he left the woman for the shelter of the cave. - * - * - * - * - * - * - The Captain's slow, lilting voice brought Nick back to the present. "... without a thorough investigation, but this stuff from Chicago is pretty impressive. So why did you leave?" "Personal reasons. I needed a change." The lies were so easy. "Ah," the Captain replied knowingly, leaving 'because of a woman,' unspoken. Nick looked appropriately pained, allowing the myth to settle into Stonetree's brain. "Well, where I come from, we judge a man by his actions, not by what's on paper. We'll see if you live up to your reputation. When can you start?" Stonetree leaned forward onto his desk, covering the forged personnel files. Nick smiled cooly. "Tomorrow night." "Night? You want the night shift?" There was disbelief in the Captain's question. "Yes. I am ... allergic to sunlight. I can only work at night." Stonetree leaned back in his chair. "Well, I don't have anyone free for you to team up with on the night shift at the moment." "Captain," Nick said, wondering if he would have to be more persuasive, "I'd prefer to work alone." "I don't send people out on my shift alone, Knight." Stonetree's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "As you can see from my record, I do very well alone. What about a trial period?" Nick listened for the man's heartbeat, preparing to force the issue if necessary. The Captain continued to observe Nick silently for some time. Finally, he reached a decision. "All right, I'll start you out on your own. But as soon as I feel it's necessary, I'll assign you a partner. Got that?" "That's fine," Nick said with a nod, allowing the sound of Stonetree's heart to fade. The two men rose simultaneously. Stonetree smiled at Nick. "Welcome aboard, Detective Knight," he said, offering his hand. Nick accepted the handshake. "Thank you, Captain." End part 1. Date: Sun, 1 Jun 1997 18:00:38 -0600 Reply-To: Sarah Baker Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Sarah Baker Subject: The Night Shift (2/2) To: FKFIC-L@psuvm.psu.edu Please see part 1 for disclaimer. The Night Shift (2/2) by Sarah Baker (zeke@rt66.com) Releasing his grip, Stonetree led Nick to his door and followed him out. He grabbed Nick's arm to stop him from leaving. "Listen up, everyone," Stonetree bellowed to the room of working cops. Everyone stopped what they were doing. "This is Detective Nick Knight. I want you all to welcome him aboard. He starts tomorrow night." A chorus of 'welcomes' rose from the room, which Nick returned with a nod. He caught one female officer giving a 'thumbs up' to her partner and suppressed a grin. Stonetree stepped forward to the desk closest to him. "Schanke, you're off, right?" "Yessiree, Captain. Headed home to the little woman," Schanke responded with a chuckle. "Not yet. I want you to show Nick around before you leave." Stonetree left no room for argument. He turned to Nick, squeezing his arm. "I'll see you tomorrow night." Schanke was glowering at the Captain as he returned to his office. The frown changed into a resigned smile as he turned to Nick. "So you're the new kid on the block. Well, welcome to the funny farm." Nick immediately disliked the man speaking to him, but took his hand and tried to force a smile. There was something annoying about Schanke's mannerisms. Good thing he worked the day shift. "Come on," Schanke said with a wave, "I'll introduce you to the gang." They made their way through the station, where Schanke pointed out the coffee pot, the locker room, the men's room, and other points of interest. Nick's hand was artificially warmed by all the handshakes. "There's only one more place you need to be familiar with," Schanke said over his shoulder as Nick followed him down the hall, headed back toward the front door. "That's the morgue. It's in a separate building." "I know," Nick responded. "You already found it?" Schanke asked, mildly surprised. "I passed it on the way in tonight," Nick replied calmly. Schanke stopped. Nick, looking off to each side as he walked, nearly ran into him, and growled to himself with aggravation. Then he spotted the reason for Schanke's sudden halt. Natalie approached Schanke with a smile and a folder in her hand. Her hair was pulled back in businesslike fashion, and the deep purple dress she wore was very becoming. Nick stepped out from behind Schanke. Natalie's eyes widened a little, betraying her confusion. "Hey, Doc," Schanke said cheerfully. "What are you doing here?" "Um, I was on my way in and thought I'd drop the Walker file on your desk. I did a little work on it at home this evening. Why are you still here, Schanke?" Natalie glanced at Nick furtively as she spoke. He was watching her with an intensity that made her nervous. "Oh, I'm the *privileged* one who gets to show the new kid around. Guess the captain wanted to make a good impression. Doc, this is Detective Nick Knight. Knight, this is Doctor Natalie Lambert, our favorite Coroner." Schanke moved aside and gestured through the introduction. Nick stepped forward and took Natalie's hand firmly. "It's very nice to meet you, Doctor Lambert," Nick said with a slight grin. His eyes, which only Natalie could see, were dancing with amusement. "I'm delighted that we will be working together." Natalie's eyes darted from her hand, which Nick was still holding, up to Schanke, and back to Nick. Nick obviously had an easier time lying than she did, but she did her best. "Nice to meet you, too, Detective Knight. Please call me Natalie. We're pretty informal around here." She forced him to release her hand. "Nick," he corrected with a nod. He caught her eyes with his and held them. Schanke shifted uncomfortably in the ensuing silence. "Well," he said, "I gotta get going. Myra's expecting me to be on time, for a change." "I'll drop this on your desk," Natalie said to him, lifting the folder. She didn't dare to look at Nick again before leaving the two of them watching her walk down the hall. "Looks like you two hit it off," Schanke observed, a hint of jealousy peaking through his voice. "She's quite a lady, and a darn good Coroner." Nick didn't respond. When Natalie had disappeared, he turned back to Schanke. "Thank you for showing me around," he said stiffly. "Hey, no problemo," Schanke responded, slapping Nick on the shoulder. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other around." "Yes," Nick replied, adding 'unfortunately' to himself. He watched Schanke shuffle off, his hands shoved in his pockets. Nick stood alone at the end of the hall. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, analyzing the contents of the air. The scent of Natalie, which caused him to smile a little, still hung in the air. It was the only familiar smell. The rest, a combination of coffee, human sweat, fresh ink, and old paint, were smells he knew would become familiar in time. He also knew he would learn to tune out the invasion of human heartbeats the building held. Well, this was it. Nick felt a little apprehension at the thought of a new job, a new life started among mortals. There were so many risks, but the possibility of regaining mortality made the risks worth it. And he had found a way to be around Natalie without arousing suspicion. Their work could continue, if they were careful. Nick took one last deep breath and headed for the door. He nodded at the strangers watching him leave, and wondered what his new coworkers would be like. It wasn't that he didn't understand cops, but it had been awhile. One thought made him smile as he pushed the door open. At least he wouldn't have to work with the annoying mortal who had shown him around. Nick caught a glimpse of Schanke driving out of the parking lot. THE END