This is a FK/HL xover. All the FK characters and concept belong to 
TriStar, Inc. and the HL characters and concept belong to Davis/Panzer 
Productions, Inc. No infringement is intended. The rest of the cast 
and this story are created and copyrighted by me. This story follows 
my previous stories: Revenge Is Sweet?,  One Big, Happy Family? and 
Watch Her Not, which all can be found on my web page at: 
http://www.dlc.fi/~dce/fic.html
All and any comments are welcome.
And again, last but not least, I would like to thank my beta readers, 
Bob and Corie, for all of their help. It is truly appreciated. 


OLD FRIENDS, NEW FRIENDS
by C. Bart
<dce@dlc.fi>
(c)1997


"Tessa! What a surprise! How are you?"
"I'm fine. I just called to wish you a happy birthday", Tessa 
answered with her familiar, soft French accent.
"Well, thank you", Antonia had a broad smile on her face, "It's so 
good to hear from you! It's really been way too long, and letters 
just aren't the same..."
"I know, I know", Tessa laughed a little, "But we may be coming over 
there in a week or so. There is this big auction coming up and Duncan 
is planning on bidding on a few objects...."
"Oh, that would be great! And you could stay with us, we have plenty 
of room", Antonia said enthusiastically, "and if Mac or Lucien have 
a problem with that we can tell them to go stuff it." 

They both laughed as they imagined those two together, 
remembering the less than friendly meeting they had enjoyed in Paris.

"Oh, Mac says to say hello", Tessa said when she finally managed to 
stop laughing.
"Tell him thanks, and give my best to both him and Richie", Antonia 
said suppressing her giggles. 
"I will. We all hope to see you soon."

Antonia put the receiver down, still smiling, after they had finally 
said their good-byes. It was nice to know that she had such good 
friends out there. She really missed them. She was glad that she had 
kept in touch with them, and not let the distance to be an excuse not 
to.

Still in her thoughts Antonia took her earrings from the dressing 
table and checked her outfit in the mirror one last time. Well, 
she was as ready as she was going to get, she decided, smoothing down 
her dress a little.


LaCroix stopped at the bedroom doorway and watched Antonia as she 
stood before the mirror. She was wearing a long, pale yellow evening 
gown and matching high heels. Her hair was slightly curled and she 
had left it untied. Looking at her LaCroix didn't understand how he 
could ever have thought her to be merely pretty; she took his breath 
away.

Just then Antonia noticed him, and gave him a dazzling smile. 
"So, do you approve?" she asked turning around to face him. 
"You know that I approve anything you do, or wear, my dear."
"Anything I do, huh?" Antonia gave him a sly grin, "I'll remember 
that the next time we disagree on something."
LaCroix simply lifted his brow at her comment.
"Oh, Tessa just called", Antonia said then, "she and Mac are coming 
to Toronto next week. Isn't that great!"
Hearing LaCroix utter something slightly less enthusiastic, Antonia 
glanced at him, and hid her smile. 
"And I think this is the perfect time to confess that I invited them 
to stay with us. You don't mind that, do you darling?" she went on 
innocently. 

LaCroix looked at her. Her timing had been perfect. 
"Of course not", he then answered graciously. MacLeod would never 
agree to her plan, he consoled himself. 
Antonia knew exactly what he was thinking. She smiled as she walked 
over to him. Poor baby, he didn't know that the matter had already 
been decided.
"Thank you", she reached up and gave him a quick kiss, which he soon 
turned into a passionate duel of tongues.
"Happy birthday, my dear",  LaCroix smiled at her when the kiss 
finally came to an end. 
Oh, it is now, Antonia mused to herself, still out of breath. Then 
she saw a small box in LaCroix's hand. 
"For you", LaCroix answered to her questioning look. 
With that he gingerly opened the box. Antonia blinked a few times 
before she managed a feeble "Oh my...." 

There, against the black velvet lay a white-gold ring, with a large, 
dark red, pare-shaped ruby on it. Antonia glanced at LaCroix and 
then at the ring again. 
"It's beautiful", she finally sighed, "simply gorgeous."
"So, I take you like it?" LaCroix asked.
Antonia gave him a dry smile. As if he didn't know....
"I love it."
"Good. Now, lets see if it fits....", he said taking her left hand 
and slipped the ring to her ring finger. "Perfect."

Antonia's heart pounded like crazy and she felt a little dizzy. She 
tried to think of something clever to say, but her mind drew blank. 
Her mouth had suddenly gone dry, and she could just stare at LaCroix. 
"Damn him, he knows exactly what he's doing to me", she thought 
silently as she saw the amused look in his eyes. 

"I know this isn't the big ceremony you dreamed about while growing 
up, but this is no less meaningful if you want...."
"I do", Antonia cut his speech short.
She saw a most uncharacteristic grin spread on his face and she 
couldn't help bursting out laughing.
"Could you please, at least try, not to look quite so pleased with 
yourself", she asked, trying unsuccessfully to suppress her laughter. 

Instead of answering LaCroix drew her close to him again, and nuzzled 
down her soft neck. 
"I thought, since we're early, that we could do something.... useful 
with the spare time", he answered kissing her slowly. 
"Are you sure we have time for...?" Antonia breathed, her laughter 
all forgotten now.
LaCroix slid his hand through her hair.
"Yes, we have all the time in the world...."

*******

"Lucien, did you see where my... Ah, here it is", Antonia declared 
triumphantly as she pulled the missing high-heeled shoe from under 
the bed. 
She turned to look at LaCroix who was standing next to the dressing 
table. 
"What?" she asked as she saw the look on his face.
LaCroix simply smiled and arched his brow slightly: "Just admiring 
the view...."

Antonia rolled her eyes a little at that as she got up from the floor, 
and put on the high-heels. 

"We really should hurry, my dear, or we'll be late", LaCroix said as 
Antonia turned to look for her purse. 
"And whose fault is that Mr. 'we have all the time in the world'?" 
Antonia gave him an amused glance.
"I would say it was time splendidly spent", LaCroix answered with a 
satisfied smile on his lips.
"Mmmmm, that it was", Antonia agreed purring.
LaCroix grabbed her by the waist and whispered into her ear: 
"You know, we're not really *that* late... or we could just decide 
to go after the intermission..."

A low moan escaped from Antonia as his lips touched her earlobe, and 
she felt her body melt against his - again. 
With effort, she pulled back and sighed feebly: "I think you were 
right, we  really should be going...."
"Are you sure?", he asked as his hands roamed over her hips.
Antonia pulled back a little more and took a deep breath. 
"Yes. You were right. We gotta fly or we'll be late", she said 
determinedly. Then she saw the gleam in his eyes, and she quickly 
added, "And I did *not* mean that literally.

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

They made it to the ballet at the last minute. As soon as they had 
seated themselves, the music began. Antonia loved the ballet, and 
'La Sylphide' had always been one of her favorites, but tonight she 
found it hard to concentrate to the story. She smiled and glanced at 
her ring. Well, it hadn't exactly been an ordinary day....

*******

"Nicholas is here", LaCroix informed Antonia as they followed the 
crowd out of the hall during the intermission. 
"Where is he?"
"I can't see him yet, but I felt him as soon as we arrived." 

Just then they saw Nick standing near the windows, with Natalie. 
LaCroix noticed the delighted smile which came upon Antonia's face 
as she saw her. Despite of LaCroix's warnings, those two had 
befriended each other during the last few months. 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Flashback^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Four months ago

"Why? Well, why do people usually make friends with anyone?" Antonia 
answered LaCroix's question with a question. Then she admitted: 
"All right, I'm curious about her. But she is a smart, intelligent 
woman, and she seems nice. I like her, and I'd like to get to know 
her better." 
"And how long do you think it will be before this 'friendship' will 
crumble because you two do not see eye to eye on Nicholas and 
myself?"

LaCroix had asked his question quite seriously, but that was exactly 
what made Antonia chuckle: "As surprising as it may seem, there *are* 
other things for us to talk about. And you're not telling me anything 
we haven't already considered, which is exactly why Natalie and I 
have agreed on *not* to talk about the two of you."

LaCroix looked at Antonia, and he couldn't help but wonder what it 
was about Natalie Lambert that seemed to bewitch his family so.

"She will try to use you to find a way to 'cure' Nicholas", he tried 
to explain as if to a child, "I know the good doctor, my dear, and 
believe me, she will use anything and anyone to get to her goal."

"So would I if I was in her place", Antonia burst out, "Come on, 
I'm not stupid, Lucien. But it's not like I have that many friends 
over here, and it would be nice to be able to talk with someone who 
knows about... vampires." 

LaCroix said nothing but simply continued to gaze at her seriously. 

"Why am I trying to justify this to you, anyway? I'm not asking you 
to be friends with her, if that's what you're worried about", Antonia 
finally sighed in frustration. 

LaCroix slowly shook his head. He knew that sooner or later Antonia 
would be forced to choose between her new friend and himself. 800 
years worth of history would inevitably outweigh a few months. 

"She will betray your trust."
"Or maybe you're worried that she won't", Antonia replied quietly.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Hi Nat", Antonia greeted her. As she turned to Nick her smile lost 
some of it's radiance. "Nice to see you again, Nick."
Nick simply nodded to both her and LaCroix. 
"I didn't know you liked the ballet", Antonia cut the uneasy silence 
which had followed the greetings. 
"Oh yes, Nicholas has always been quite fond of the... ballerinas", 
LaCroix said softly before either Nick or Natalie had a chance to
say anything.

It was obvious that the women had no idea what he meant, but they 
both recognized a barb when they heard one. 

"I think I'm going to get myself something to drink. How about you, 
Nat?" Antonia had no interest in getting in the middle of one of 
LaCroix and Nick's 'discussions' again.
Natalie glanced at both men, and tried to determine whether it would 
be safe to leave them unguarded or not. Then she decided that even 
they wouldn't start anything in a place full of people.
"Yeah, a drink would be nice...." she answered, and followed Antonia 
into the crowd.


As soon as they were out of earshot, Nick turned to LaCroix: "What 
was that all about, LaCroix?"
LaCroix arched his brow as if surprised at his question: "I was 
merely reminiscing the good old days."
"I suggest you leave Sylvaine out of your reminiscing...." Nick let 
his voice reveal just a hint of the vampire.
"Or? Was that a threat, Nicholas?" LaCroix asked mockingly, "You 
really *are* out of practice. Maybe if you spent more time with your 
own kind...."
"My own kind?" Nick gave a meaningful glance towards Antonia.
LaCroix followed his gaze: "She may not be part of the Community, 
but she is one of us."
"Yes. She's a killer", Nick remembered the phony alibi LaCroix had 
provided to Antonia with the Garrett case.
"And yet, your doctor friend doesn't seem to mind her company", 
LaCroix taunted him.
"That's only because she doesn't know all there is to know about her. 
And maybe, if Antonia knew all there is to know about you...."
"What makes you think that she doesn't?" LaCroix asked softly. 


Their little chat was interrupted as the women returned. 
".... Tess is great. You'll love her", Antonia was just saying. 
"All right, I'll try to book off from work that night", Natalie 
agreed. 

*******

"Planning a girls night out?" LaCroix asked Antonia as they got back 
to their seats. 
"*Women's* night out, Lucien", she whispered and grinned wickedly, 
"but yeah, the basic idea is to hit the town without any *old* guys 
around."
LaCroix gave her an amused look, but said nothing as the curtains 
just rose.

*******

A warm evening breeze cooled down Antonia's cheeks as they walked 
towards the car. Her palms tingled from applauding, and she was still 
re-living the ballet. Sighing contentedly she pressed a little closer 
to LaCroix. He listened as she hummed quietly, and suffered stoically 
in silence; she couldn't carry a tune to save her life. 

"I really don't feel like going home just yet", Antonia said as they 
got to the car.
"Well, it is still early, and it's a beautiful night...." LaCroix 
said glancing first at the night sky and then at Antonia. 
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked her eyes sparkling.
"Great minds think alike." 
With that, LaCroix led her away from the lights of the parking lot, 
towards the shadows, and took them both to the air.
 
***********************

Two nights later


The radio show had been particularly excellent this evening, and 
LaCroix was in a good mood.

As he got home, the first thing that greeted him, was a sense of 
another vampire close by. Immediately after that, his acute hearing 
registered Antonia's heartbeat, which was way up there. Alarmed, he 
moved towards the gym, where Antonia and their 'visitor' were. 

"Who are you?" he heard Antonia's voice just as he arrived to the 
gym's doorway. 
"His name is Plato", he answered to her question, having now 
recognized their guest. 
He saw Antonia relax slightly as she saw him there. She had obviously 
been in the middle of her daily training session as her sleeveless 
T-shirt had dark sweat blotches over her chest and upper back, and 
her breathing was heavier than normally. She had her eyes fixed on 
the stranger, and she held her sword ready for action.

"So, you know him?"
"Yes. We're.... old friends."
"Well, maybe you should teach your friend how to use the doorbell", 
Antonia quipped lowering her sword. 

LaCroix looked at the other vampire to see how he would react to 
Antonia's flippant comment. While Antonia must have figured out by 
now that Plato was a vampire, she couldn't have known that he was 
also a high ranking Enforcer.

"Is this an official call, or...." LaCroix then inquired. 
"I am here merely to visit an old friend, my dear Lucius", Plato 
assured him.

*******

It had been over 300 years since their last meeting, but he hadn't 
changed of course. He looked like he was in his forties, but in fact 
he was about 200 years older than LaCroix. He was tall and well 
built, 'a Greek statue' was an often heard comparison. His curly 
brown hair was still cut short, but his brown eyes looked older than 
LaCroix remembered. He was one of those few LaCroix thought of as his 
equals and his friends. Of course, that only applied to Plato - the 
vampire, not to Plato - the Enforcer. It was a fine line, but so far 
they had been able to make the distinction.


After LaCroix had properly introduced Antonia and Plato to each other,
they left her to continue with her training, and retired to the study, 
with a bottle of his finest.

"So, it would seem the rumors are true", Plato said tasting the 
exquisite vintage.
LaCroix lifted his brow questioningly.
"LaCroix - involved with a mortal he seems to refuse to bring 
across....",Plato paused for effect, "or maybe there's more than 
meets the eye to this."
"Is there really?" LaCroix asked innocently.
Plato smiled at his performance: "Maybe. Knowing you, let's assume 
for a moment that you're not refusing to bring her across, but you 
are simply *unable* to do so."
"I thought you said this was supposed to be a friendly visit", 
LaCroix said dryly, "Let me just remind you that you are even older 
than I am, Plato."
"Yes", Plato laughed shortly, "but let's assume, for the sake of 
argument, that this inability has nothing to do with your.... skills."
"By all means, let's. You know, this is getting more and more 
interesting by the minute", LaCroix said sipping his drink.
Plato regarded the seemingly indifferent look on his face for a 
moment before he continued: "Now, it could be just a coincidence... 
fencing might be merely a hobby for her, but I don't think that is 
the case."
"Are you fishing, Plato, or do you know something for a fact?" 
LaCroix asked him politely.
"She is an Immortal, isn't she?" Plato replied looking directly at 
LaCroix, who didn't even blink at his statement. 
"Really Lucius, you're not the only one who knows of their existence", 
he finally said mildly amused. 

For a moment LaCroix considered bluffing, but it was obvious that 
Plato knew what he was talking about, so there really was no point 
to it.
"How did you find out about them?" he asked instead.
"Quite by accident", Plato grinned, " It was just after I had been 
brought across. I met this skinny, sword swinging man, who simply 
refused to stay dead, no matter how many times I drained him."
Plato was lost in his memories for a moment. Then he lifted his eyes 
to see LaCroix: "I had no idea though, that you knew of them too, 
Lucius."
"Yes, they are a well kept secret", LaCroix said.
"You do realize that this may cause problems. This -- interest, your 
family seems to have towards mortals...."
"Ah, but Antonia is not a mortal", LaCroix reminded him softly.
"No, but the others don't know that, and believe me, you don't want 
them to find out about her little secret", Plato warned him, "You 
know that even among those few who do know about Immortals, there 
are those who think that we should deal with them, permanently. Since 
they are neither humans nor vampires, but something in between, they 
are monsters, and they should be dealt with as such." 

LaCroix narrowed his eyes slightly: "And what do you think, Plato?"
"That skinny Immortal, I mentioned... Well, I befriended him, after 
it finally got through to me that I wouldn't be able to kill him", 
Plato answered smiling crookedly, "I know they're not monsters. But, 
as far as this problem you may be facing.... I'd suggest that you, 
at least try to, keep a low profile."

LaCroix knew that Plato had a point, but 'low profile' had never 
really been his cup of blood.
"I'll take it under serious consideration", he finally said.
"Lucius, you're not listening to me", Plato shook his head a little, 
"this may well compromise your situation within the Community. And, 
as you know, it is already undermined because of Nicholas' relentless 
quest for 'cure'."

LaCroix looked calmly at Plato. He would not be engaged into a 
discussion about Nicholas with an Enforcer. 
Still, he wanted to make sure there would be no misunderstanding: 
"You know me well enough to know that if I wanted  a position in the 
Council, or with the Enforcers, I would have it. As it is, I simply 
have no such ambitions -- I've never much cared for compromises."

Plato grinned inwardly; if nothing else, Lucius had always been 
self-assured. 
"So I recall", he said out loud, "and you are quite right, my friend,
but I'm afraid, no position is ever perfect." After a brief silence 
he continued: "It is true that compromises are annoying -- but should 
the situation come to require one...."
LaCroix arched his brow: "Yes....?"
"Since we could not easily dispose of Antonia without giving away 
her secret, I would be forced to choose Dr. Lambert...." Plato let 
his voice trail off.

LaCroix took a sip from his glass and contemplated Plato's words for 
a while. So, this was indeed a friendly visit, he thought to himself. 
Plato had come, not merely to check up on Antonia, but also to warn 
him. And in light of what Plato had just said, the situation had 
certain - potential. This might be the perfect opportunity to get 
rid of that tiresome Lambert woman. And the best part was that 
Nicholas couldn't possibly blame this on him. Then again, nothing 
ever seemed to go quite as planned where the Enforces were involved. 
If he wasn't careful, the whole thing could blow up on his face. 
 
"Yes.... as you said, Plato, compromises are annoying - but sometimes 
necessary", he finally replied with a trace of a smile.

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

Plato left a few hours later. Soon afterwards Antonia emerged from 
her office. Because of their daily rhythm they had set up a 
home-office for her in one of the rooms downstairs. She had an 
actual office downtown, but she had hired a secretary to run it 
during normal business hours. And as it was, she seldom had to visit 
the place herself. 

"Your friend left already?" she asked rubbing her eyes. 
"Yes. How's the case proceeding?" LaCroix asked pulling her into a 
gentle embrace.

Antonia's security consultant company, Twilight Security, had finally 
gotten a couple of assignments. They weren't exactly what she had 
had in mind when launching the company, but she wasn't complaining; 
everyone had to start somewhere. 

"My eyes feel like sandpaper - but, I finally managed to crack their 
third password", she sighed satisfied. 
"Which means...?"
Antonia smiled; he was so sweet to take an interest in what she was 
doing. "Which means, that I finally got into their system. And now, 
I get to present them a plan on how to stop that from happening 
again", she replied.

"You look tired", she then said, taking a closer look at him, "had a 
tough time on Memory Lane?"
"Something like that", LaCroix answered vaguely, and lead her into 
the living-room.
He went to sit on the couch, and pulled Antonia next to him. She put 
her head on his shoulder, and for a moment they just enjoyed being 
close to each other. 

Finally, Antonia broke the silence: "Lucien..."
"Mmmm?"
"Your friend...", she started, and stopped then. 
"What about Plato?"
"Well, I didn't want to ask this in front of him, but... he's not
*the* Plato, is he?" Antonia asked lifting her head. 
LaCroix glanced at her, amused: "No, that was a few hundred years 
before his time."
"Oh, good", Antonia sighed", I would have hated having to admit that 
I don't know the first thing about him."

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

One week later


"Tessa! It's so great to see you! You look great!" Antonia exclaimed 
as she hugged the taller woman. 
"You too!" Tessa smiled brightly.
Then Antonia turned to Duncan: "Oh, you look okay too, Mac."
Duncan grinned and gave her a bear hug: "Yeah, it's good to see you  
too, Nia." 
"How are you guys? Where's Richie?" Antonia asked after Duncan had 
released her.
"We're fine, and Richie volunteered to barge sit for us", Tessa 
answered. 
"Yeah well, I think his volunteering had something to do with that 
cute Monique he just met...." Duncan said dryly. 
Antonia's brows rose slightly as she smiled; that sounded like Richie,
all right.
"Well, if you guys have all your luggage with you, we...." she began 
when Tessa interrupted her.
"Ooh, what's this?" she asked inspecting Antonia's left hand.
"You mean this old thing?" Antonia asked innocently flashing her ring.
"Yes, that old thing", Tessa said, "You didn't... did you? Why didn't 
you call us?"
Antonia laughed. "No, we didn't. Well yes, we sort of did. I mean, 
not officially, but... I guess you could call it an engagement ring", 
she stammered slightly flushed. 
It was all still new to herself, and she didn't know exactly how to 
explain their situation, especially to someone who didn't know about 
LaCroix.
"Well you're certainly blushing like a bride", Duncan teased her.
Tessa hugged her anew: "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you both."
"Actually, it's LaCroix who should be congratulated", Duncan said, 
"you, on the other hand.... I just hope you know what you're doing."
"Duncan!" Tessa slapped his arm. 
"It's okay, Tessa. That's just Mac's unique way of congratulating us, 
right?"
"Yeah, right", Duncan didn't sound too sure of himself, "So, where's 
LaCroix? Or didn't my 'old buddy' bother to come to pick us up?"
Antonia gave him a dirty look. He knew perfectly well that Lucien 
couldn't be with her, since the sun was still up. 
"As I was saying", she continued, "the car is this way."

*******

"Lucien?" Antonia called out as she shut the front door. When there 
was no answer, she turned to Duncan and Tessa: "With the hours we 
usually keep, he's probably still sleeping...."
"And be a rude host?" LaCroix asked as he came down the stairs to the 
hall.
"Ah, there you are", Antonia smiled at him, "you remember Tessa and 
Mac of course?"
"How could I forget the lovely Mademoiselle Noel?" his silky voice 
purred as he planted a kiss on the back of Tessa's hand.
Well, somebody certainly has the charm turned on today, Antonia 
mused to herself.
However, the charm was dropped to the minimum as LaCroix nodded at 
Duncan: "MacLeod."
Duncan greeted him alike, and the women tried to hide their smiles. 
Antonia cleared her throat a little: "Well, you two are probably 
tired and want to rest for a while, so I better show you to your room."


As she returned downstairs, she found LaCroix in the kitchen, 
drinking his breakfast. 
LaCroix looked at her, but when she said nothing he finally asked: 
"What?"
Antonia regarded him for a moment before she sighed: "You do remember 
that you promised to behave, don't you?"
"I do, and I have", he answered somewhat surprised at her question.
"Then why does the temperature drop to zero every time you and Mac 
address each other?"
"My dear, you said you wanted me to be polite. Now, if you have 
changed your mind, and you want conversation instead..." LaCroix 
smiled a wicked little smile.
Antonia shook her head and said dryly: "No. I'll take polite. Just 
try and not embarrass Tessa."
"I wouldn't dream of embarrassing such a lovely creature", LaCroix 
said finishing his drink.
"You seem to be quite taken by her. Should I be jealous?" Antonia 
asked lightly.
LaCroix drew her close to him, and gazed deep into her eyes: "Never."
"You have such a way with words, Lucien...." 

*******

Tessa finished unpacking and watched for a while as Duncan tried to 
decide what should go to which drawer. Then she looked around their 
room, which was decorated in soft pastels. The furniture was tasteful, 
yet comfortable, and there was a beautiful, very bright, abstract 
painting on the wall. It was signed by 'Elaine'.
This must be one of Antonia's sister's works, Tessa realized. She 
studied the painting for a moment, and decided then that Elaine had 
been truly talented. 

After several more minutes Duncan was still folding and unfolding his 
socks, seemingly unable to get them just right. Tessa looked at him, 
and sighed inwardly. She knew he was having second thoughts about 
them staying there. 

"Duncan, why can't you tell me what's wrong with you and LaCroix?" 
she finally asked. 
"Nothing."
"Nothing", Tessa repeated, "and that's why you two can barely be 
civil towards each other?"

Duncan finally stopped folding his socks and turned to face her: 
"Look Tess, we just don't get along. It happens. But Nia's a friend, 
and I promised I wouldn't start anything, so relax. We're here to 
have a good time."
He gave her a reassuring smile, and even though she really wanted to 
know what had happened between him and LaCroix, she found herself 
returning his smile. Everything was going to be all right.

******

Later that evening they were all gathered at the living room. The 
conversation however, was somewhat limited since both LaCroix and 
Duncan avoided talking to one another. That left it mostly up to 
Tessa and Antonia to keep the evening alive.

"Do you want another cup of tea, Tessa?" Antonia asked lifting the 
pot. Tessa nodded her agreement, and savored the warmth of the cup 
in her fingers as it was being filled. 
"Would you like some honey with your tee, miss Noel?" LaCroix did 
his part at being a good host.
"No, thank you. And please, call me Tessa."
Antonia was pleasantly surprised at how hospitable LaCroix was being. 
Even if it was only towards Tessa. Maybe the evening wouldn't be a 
total bust after all.
"I would offer you some too, MacLeod", LaCroix said just then, "but 
having witnessed how you use honey, I want to spare the ladies the 
experience." He shook his head a little, and it looked as if he tried 
to suppress a shudder: "Believe me, it was not a pretty sight."
"But, Duncan doesn't like honey", Tessa said perplexed.
"And who could blame him after that unfortunate incident?" LaCroix 
sounded sympathetic.
Duncan said nothing, but he looked seriously pissed. Tessa and 
Antonia had no idea what was going on as they exchanged a look of 
utter confusion. 
"Okay, someone fill us in on the joke", Antonia finally demanded.
"It all happened during the...." LaCroix started.
"LaCroix!" Duncan's voice cut in with a warning.
"Well, it seems MacLeod doesn't want the matter to be discussed...." 


Shortly afterwards LaCroix decided that he had done enough 
entertaining for the evening, so he excused himself and left to the 
Raven. After he left Duncan became more at ease, and they chatted 
for a few hours. But then the jet lag took it's toll on the guests, 
and they called it a night. 

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

"So, what's she like?" Tessa asked as they waited for the elevator. 
"She's a coroner", Antonia started, then laughed a little at her 
friends' expression, "it's not as bad as it sounds, or so I've been 
told."
Just then the elevator arrived. Antonia selected the correct floor, 
and continued: "She's really nice and down to earth. I'm sure you 
two will get along just fine."
The elevator stopped, and they stepped out. 
As Antonia rang Natalie's doorbell Tessa whispered: "Does she know 
about you?"
"You mean about Immortals?"
Tessa nodded. 
"No", Antonia answered just as Natalie opened the door.


"Hi! Come in for a while", Natalie greeted them, "I'll just have to 
get my purse, and I don't want Sydney to run off."
As if in cue, Sydney appeared from the bedroom and began circling 
around Tessa's ankles. 
"Well, he's certainly taken by you", Antonia commented before she 
introduced the women to one another. 


Natalie shook hands with the leggy, blond woman. She was surprised 
that Tessa reminded her of Janette, somehow. They didn't look 
anything alike, but it seemed to her that they both had this regal 
air about them. Even Tessa's hairdo and the golden Charleston dress 
she was wearing struck to Natalie as 'Janette-ish'. But the woman's 
handshake had been warm, and so was her smile. Natalie shook herself 
mentally. This woman wasn't a vampire, and any similarities she 
might have with Janette were purely coincidental.

Natalie was brought back from her thoughts by Antonia.
"Earth to Nat."
"Sorry", she gave a small, embarrassed smile, "I guess I've picked 
some bad habits from Nick."
Antonia made an understanding sound; she knew all about the habit of 
zoning out.

"I was just saying that your dress is gorgeous."
Natalie glanced down at her royal blue silk dress. It had a rather 
daring neckline, and the flowing hem reached just above her knees.
"Thank you. I bought this ages ago but this is the first chance I've 
had to actually wearing it."
She turned to take her purse from the table. 
"Guess we're ready to hit the road."

*******

"So, where exactly are we going?" Tessa asked once they were in the 
car.
"Hmmm, I was thinking of the 'Snake Pit'", Antonia said keeping her 
eyes on the road, "I've never been there myself, but I hear it's 
great."
"I've been there a couple of times. It's okay", Natalie said, and 
continued with a crooked smile: "I mean, it's not the 'Raven', but 
it's okay."
Antonia laughed and glanced at her through the rear-view mirror: 
"Oh, come on. Lucien has cleaned up the act at the 'Raven' quite a 
bit since we came back from Paris."
"Guess I'll just have to take your word for it", Natalie replied 
dryly. Then she turned to Tessa: "Antonia told me that you're an 
artist. Do you paint, or...."
"I'm mainly a sculptor, but I do other things as well", Tessa 
answered. 
"Oh, you should see her stuff", Antonia chipped in, "She just had an 
exhibition in Paris, and it was a huge success."
"How would you know? You weren't even there", Tessa laughed at her 
friends' high praises.
"I read the reviews", Antonia answered innocently. "She really is 
very good", she continued more seriously to Natalie.
"An exhibition in Paris", Natalie repeated, "wow, I'm impressed."

They chatted about Tessa's work for a while longer, until Antonia 
noticed an ATM sign in a passing window.
"I have to make a quick stop before we go to the 'Pit'. I need to 
get some cash..."
"Yeah, me too", Natalie said, "there's an automatic right after that 
corner."

Antonia pulled over and took her purse. "What about you Tess?"
"I'm fine. I'll just wait for you here."
"Okay, we'll be right back."


"Now, lets see, how much are we going to spend this evening..." 
Antonia muttered as she tried to decide how much to withdraw.
"Just remember that you're driving tonight", Natalie grinned a little 
before she continued, "Tessa seems really nice."
"She is. See, I told you you'd like her", Antonia smiled. 
"I've been meaning to ask you...", Natalie hesitated a moment, "does 
she know about vampires?"
"Tessa? No", Antonia shook her head as she took her money.


"Not so fast. Give it to me! Your money, give it to me."
Both Antonia and Natalie froze for a second as they heard the voice 
behind them. Slowly they turned around, and saw a young boy, who 
couldn't be more than 13 or 14 years old, with a gun. His hands were 
shaking pretty badly as he had the gun pointed at them. 
"The money, bitch! Give it to me!"
He glanced around him nervously, and he was sweating.

This is not good, Antonia thought. The kid seemed like a nervous 
wreck, and he was probably high on something. That meant that he was 
more likely to pull the trigger no matter what they did. 
For a moment Antonia contemplated taking the kid on by surprise, but 
she thought better of it. While she couldn't get permanently hurt, 
Natalie was a whole different matter. 

"What, are you deaf or something?!" the kid was really nervous. This 
was taking way too much time. "Your money! NOW!"
"Okay, okay. Take it easy", Antonia said soothingly, "here's my money."

Afterwards, Antonia could only blame it on a really bad timing. 
Just as the kid was reaching for her money, there was a huge bang. 
It was just an exhaust pipe, but the kid panicked. Antonia could see 
his finger pull the trigger. She yelled something to Natalie, and 
moved in front of her. Then there was a burning pain in her chest, 
and she fell down. She heard running steps, and she thought she heard 
Tessa's voice but she wasn't sure. Then, there was nothing.


This isn't really happening, Natalie thought in horror as the kid 
fired. But it was all too real. She heard Antonia scream for her to 
get down just before she moved in front of her. It seemed to take 
forever before Antonia hit the ground, but she knew it actually took 
only a second or two. 
The kid was yelling something unintelligible and he looked as if he 
was going to fire again. Then Natalie saw Tessa running towards them. 
"Nia!" 
The kid hesitated only a moment before he took off, without the money.


Natalie kneeled next to Antonia to feel for her pulse. She found none. 
And then Tessa was there.
"Is she dead?"
Natalie thought that she looked remarkably calm for someone whose 
friend had just been shot at. 
"Not if I can help it", she said setting her teeth, "Tessa, I need 
your help. Do you know any CPR?"

When there was no answer she looked up and saw Tessa looking around.
"He's long gone. Now come on, I need your help."
Tessa came next to her and pulled her away.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"She's going to be all right", Tessa assured her, trying to stay calm 
herself. 
She had gone through this before, with Duncan, but it didn't 
make it any easier. She consciously had to remind herself that this 
couldn't kill Antonia, that she would wake up in just a moment. She 
wanted to tell Natalie about Antonia's immortality, but she knew she 
wouldn't, she couldn't believe her until she'd see it for herself. 

Natalie looked at Tessa, not believing her eyes and ears. How could 
this woman call herself Antonia's friend?
"If you don't want to help - fine! Now, get out of my way!" she said 
angrily as she struggled to get past her. 
"Natalie, listen to me..." Tessa tried again.
"No! You listen to me..." Natalie started, and stopped in amazement.

She looked past Tessa, and saw Antonia open her eyes. She forgot her 
struggle, and just stared as Antonia sat up. Natalie shook her head, 
this was like some insane deja vu. She couldn't help but remember 
another body that had gotten up....

"Hey, I could use some help over here", she heard Antonia's voice.
Natalie watched as Tessa went to help Antonia get up, and noted 
that the other woman wasn't a least bit surprised at what had just 
happened.


"Thanks", Antonia said after Tessa helped her to stand up again.
Then she looked at the front of her sleeveless, silver mini, and 
sighed: "This was one of my favorites..."

She saw Natalie's bewilderment, and exchanged a quick look with Tessa. 
Antonia sighed again: "Look, Natalie, there's something I have to 
tell you...."
"Yeah, I should say so", Natalie had gotten control over herself 
again. She looked sharply at Antonia: "But, you're not one of...."
"No", Antonia cut her off quickly, glancing at Tessa, "no. I'm 
Immortal."

*******

"But you seem so... normal", Natalie knitted her brows slightly, 
"I mean, I've seen you eat and everything."

They had gotten back to the car, and were now driving nowhere in 
particular. Natalie sat in the passengers seat, and couldn't help 
but staring at the tell tale blood stains on Antonia's dress. 

Antonia smiled a little at Natalie's comment. Since Natalie knew of 
vampires, it was only natural that she would compare her to them. 
"Well, I am just like a regular person. Only, I don't age, and I 
can't die", she explained. After seeing Natalie's expression she 
continued: "Of course, nothing's ever perfect, so there are a few 
setbacks, but that's basically it."

"So, how old are you, exactly?" Natalie was curious.
"Sorry to disappoint you", Antonia laughed a little, "but I'm a new 
one. So right now, what you see, is pretty much what you get."
"But you said that you can't die, so you could live to be...  what, 
how old?" Natalie persisted.
"There's no limit as far as I know", Antonia said, "but the oldest 
one I've heard of is about five thousand years old."
The look on Natalie's face was priceless.
"I know. I felt the same way when I found out about all of this."

Natalie felt overwhelmed. This was a lot to chew all at once. Five 
thousand years!? And she had always thought of LaCroix as an ancient 
one! Then she realized something else. 
"So *that's* why LaCroix hasn't..." she whispered.
"Yeah", Antonia had heard her.
Antonia knew that there was a lot of speculation and whispering 
about her not being brought across, and she was *really* tired of it.

Suddenly Natalie narrowed her eyes: "Does Nick know about this?"
"Well, he was there when it happened", Antonia said. She saw Natalie's 
questioning look, and explained: "I mean, he was there at the time of 
my first death."
Natalie looked thoughtful for a while. Then she turned to Tessa: 
"Are you Immortal, too?"
Tessa laughed a little: "I only wish."
"But you've known about this the whole time?"
"Yes", Tessa answered simply.

Antonia saw a look of hurt flash over Natalie's face before she 
managed to hide it. She knew that Natalie probably felt like everyone 
else had known about this, and that she was the only one left out.
Antonia sighed inaudibly. She wasn't sorry that she hadn't told 
Natalie about her immortality, she didn't know her that well yet, but 
she was sorry that she had found out about it this way. 
"It's not like we want to advertise this, or anything", she said 
however in a way of explaining. 
"No, of course not", Natalie understood. 
It seemed pretty much like the deal with vampires. They didn't want 
to advertise either.

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

"I'm sorry, Tessa. This wasn't exactly what I had planned for 
tonight", Antonia sighed tiredly. 

They had dropped Natalie off at her place half an hour ago. Now they 
were back at home, finishing off a bottle of white wine in the 
kitchen.

"It wasn't your fault", Tessa said, "and there will be other nights."
"You're right", Antonia sipped at her wine, "You know, I just wish 
that every once in a while I would have a choice of whether or not to 
let people know about my immortality. Now, it seems that it just 
happens, and I have no say in the matter."
Tessa smiled at her outburst: "You'll get your chance. Just give it 
time."
They looked at each other, and laughed at that. 
After a moment Tessa asked: "You do trust that Natalie will keep your 
secret, don't you?"
"Yeah, she's good at keeping secrets", Antonia answered, suppressing 
her smile.

Just then LaCroix appeared at the kitchen doorway, looking slightly 
alarmed. 
"Hi! I didn't hear you..." Antonia begun, then stopped as she saw the
flash in his eyes his. 
"What happened?" he asked carefully keeping his tone even.
Antonia had forgotten about the dried blood on her dress. When she 
and Tessa had returned, they had been too tired to bother changing 
their clothes. 

"It's getting really late, and Duncan should be back soon. I think I 
better call it a night", Tessa said getting up. She knew they'd want 
their privacy. 

As soon as she had left the kitchen LaCroix turned back to Antonia. 
"What happened tonight? Who did this?" he demanded.
"I'm all right", Antonia said calmly as she walked to him, "It's 
okay."
"This is hardly 'okay'", LaCroix said staring meaningfully at the 
blood on her ruined dress.


Antonia told him what had happened earlier that evening. 
"... but what really bothers me is that he was just a little kid, a 
child", she said quietly, "I mean, kids that age shouldn't even know 
what.... It's just so sad..., incomprehensible, really."
LaCroix had his arms around her as he listened to her. How she could 
feel sorry for the little brat was beyond him. 
"We will find him", he assured her.
"But how? It's not like I can go to the police and tell them that he 
shot me", Antonia said. She had already discussed this with Tessa 
earlier that evening, and she knew it was impossible.
She looked at LaCroix's face and saw the ice in his blue eyes. 
"Lucien, he's just a kid..."
"If he's old enough to kill, he's old enough to pay the price", he 
said in cold determination. 

Antonia calmed herself down before she spoke: "This really is a mute 
argument, since we have nothing to identify him with. I mean, we 
don't know his name, there are no fingerprints... We have absolutely 
nothing, zip. And even you can't find a ghost, Lucien"

The doorbell interrupted her reasoning.
"That must be Duncan", Antonia said as she headed to the door. 


Duncan had bumped into an old friend earlier at the auction. He 
hadn't wanted to stay at the house with only LaCroix around, so he 
had set up a meeting for that night. The reminiscing had obviously 
been fun since it was rather late already. 

The relaxed look on Duncan's face turned into concern as soon as he 
saw Antonia. It was the blood again. 
He looked around quickly: "Tessa?"
"Tessa is fine", Antonia assured him closing the door, "she's 
upstairs."
"Are you all right?" he asked then.
Antonia smiled at him; he knew she was. But then, he hadn't meant 
her physical well being. 
"I'm fine, too. Go on, she's probably waiting for you." 

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

It was well past dawn before they finally went upstairs. Antonia was 
really tired but as soon as LaCroix began to caress her, she decided 
that she didn't really need sleep that much after all. What she 
needed was to feel alive again. She shivered slightly as she felt 
his cold hands against her warm skin. He was being incredibly gentle 
this morning. Not that he had ever hurt her before, but they had 
played it kind of rough on occasion. 

LaCroix wanted her to relax, and forget about the incident. He also 
wanted her to forget about their different views on what that little 
brat deserved for his actions. But more than anything, he wanted her 
blood. The dried blood on her dress had teased his sensitive nose 
all night before she had changed her outfit. And besides the 
pleasure he got from drinking her blood, he wanted to see what was 
in her blood. 

Tonight, he wanted to see one particular moment of her life. Antonia 
had been wrong when she had said that they had nothing that would 
help them find the kid. She had seen his face. 

He sank his teeth into her beautiful neck, and began to drink. 
First he felt her love for him; beautiful, shiny images of them 
together. There was a memory of her first quickening, images of her 
time in Paris, and then he saw a gun. In the next second that was 
replaced by a picture of her family. Then the gun appeared again. 
He felt her pain, as the bullet tore her. The pain vanished, and he 
felt her love again. Somewhere behind all these different images he 
could see a young boy, holding a gun. 

LaCroix knew that he couldn't take much more, or he would kill her. 
Just one more drop. With it he saw a face. The image was blurred, 
and he couldn't get a hold of it. The only thing he could see 
clearly, was a pair of scared, fuzzy green eyes. 

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

The next evening


Nick stepped quietly into the morgue. He watched how Natalie carefully 
weighed a liver of her latest customer before he spoke up to let her 
know that he was there.
"Hi Nat."
Natalie looked up from her task: "Oh, hi Nick. You're here for the 
Chen file?"
"Yeah. But there's no hurry", he answered smiling.
"Just give me a second to put this away.... there", Natalie stripped 
off her latex gloves and went to her desk. 
"Now where did I put it... ah, here it is", she said and handed the 
file to Nick.
"Thanks. Now maybe we'll get somewhere with this case."
"Nick", Natalie said as he flipped through the file, "I need to talk 
to you about something."
Nick looked up from his reading: "Sure. What's up?"
"No, I didn't mean right now. And we can't talk here."
Nick looked curious, but said: "Okay. Can you drop by my place after 
your shift?"
"Yeah. I'll see you then", she replied with that all too familiar 
look which often caused him to dread what may lay ahead.

*******

Natalie arrived at Nick's doorstep along with the dawn. As she 
stepped into the loft, she was pleasantly surprised as Nick did not 
turn away to hide his bottle, but instead was drinking one of her 
special shakes.

"Hi Nat", he greeted finishing off the shake with a grimace.
"Good boy", Natalie smiled at his performance.

They went to sit on the couch, and Nick waited Natalie to say 
something.
"Nat?" he finally prompted as she sat silently.
"Sorry. I just don't know where to start", Natalie said.
Nick smiled slightly amused: "Why don't you try the beginning."
Natalie took a deep breath and fixed her eyes on Nick: "Why didn't 
you tell me that Antonia is Immortal?"
Nick blinked a few times, this wasn't exactly what he had expected.
"How did you find out?" he then asked instead of answering her 
question. 
Natalie explained shortly what had happened. Then she repeated her 
original question: "Why didn't you tell me?"
"It wasn't my secret to tell, Nat", he said simply.
"But Nick, you knew that there is another immortal ... race out 
there, and you never mentioned it?"
"It just didn't occur to me", he shrugged a little.
"It didn't occur to you?" Natalie couldn't believe what he had just 
said.
"Yeah. Antonia is the first Immortal I've ever met. To tell you 
the truth, I didn't even remember them, until that night... And 
afterwards, well, like I said, it was her secret."
"But if she was the first one, then how did you know about Immortals? 
Or is it common knowledge in the vampire community?" Natalie asked.  
Nick sighed a little: "LaCroix. He's met one or two Immortals during 
his time, and he told Janette and me about them. It wasn't much, 
just that they exist, and how we could 'take care' of them if we had 
to."
"But Nick, can't you see what this could mean to our research?" 
Natalie asked excited, "I mean, they're immortal, same as you...."
"Whoa, Nat. Yes, they live long, but they're not vampires. They are 
*born* immortals, we are made into what we are", Nick tried to calm her 
down.
"Yes, I know they're different, but think of the possibilities! With 
Antonia's help...."
"What? She's agreed to help us?" Nick asked in amazement.
"Well, not yet", Natalie said carefully, "I haven't had a chance to 
ask her yet."
That dropped Nick back to earth.
"Do you really think that LaCroix would let her help us?"
That snapped Natalie back to reality. She had forgotten all about 
Nick's master.
"Antonia is her own person. She can make up her own mind", she 
finally said trying to convince herself along with Nick about that.
Nick just looked at her skeptically.
"Well, it's possible. If I explain to her just what this could mean 
for us, I'm sure she'll come around", Natalie let her hope flare up
again.
Nick shook his head; he hated to see her bubble burst.
"Nat, she has much more in common with LaCroix than you think."
"Maybe, but I've got to try."

******

Nick sat on the couch, sipping cow's blood from a bottle. Natalie had 
left a few hours ago. He didn't know what to think of his earlier 
conversation with her. Slowly he put down the bottle, and licked 
the corners of his mouth.  

He couldn't honestly share Natalie's optimism, there was no way 
Antonia would ever agree to help them. And even if she did, Nick 
doubted it would result to a cure; vampires and Immortals were simply 
too different. He just hoped Natalie didn't let her hopes to get too 
high. 

He remembered how he had tried to warn Natalie about Antonia, when 
she had told him they had befriended. Now, that had been a waste of 
time. Nick twisted his mouth a little. Natalie couldn't understand what 
he had against Antonia, especially since she had been cleared from 
the Garrett case. Finally, she had politely told him to butt out of 
her business. She would be friends with whom ever she chose to, and 
she wasn't looking for his approval. 

Nick shook his head slightly. He had only tried to protect her from 
getting hurt. It was funny, in a weird kind of way, that when he and 
LaCroix finally actually agreed on something, it made no difference 
what so ever. Neither of the women would listen to their warnings, 
and the harder their had tried, the more set the women had become to 
prove them wrong. And now it was all bound to come tumbling down.

Nick looked at the empty bottle on the table. With a sigh, he got up, 
and headed upstairs.

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

It was still a few hours till sunset. Duncan and Tessa had left early 
that day to do some sightseeing, and they hadn't returned yet. 
LaCroix was reading the newspaper while having his breakfast. He 
looked up just as Antonia put down the receiver, deep in her thoughts.
"Is something wrong, my dear?" he asked.
Antonia came back to present: "No. That was Natalie. She wants to 
meet me before her shift begins."
"So, the good doctor doesn't waste any time", LaCroix said.

Antonia looked at him, but said nothing. She was not going to have 
the discussion about Natalie again. 

She was slightly surprised though, how reluctant she was about this 
meeting. She knew that Natalie would want to talk about her 
immortality, and for some reason that made her feel uncomfortable. 
She looked at LaCroix again, and admitted to herself that a part of 
her was also afraid that he'd be right.

"Well, there's only one way to find out", she muttered to herself, 
and went to look for her car keys.

*******

They had agreed to meet at a cafe near the morgue. Antonia spotted 
Natalie almost immediately as she got there.

"Antonia, I'm glad you could come", Natalie greeted her. 
"Well you made it sound pretty urgent", Antonia smiled.
"Do you want to order some breakfast first, or..." Natalie asked.
"Actually, I'm not really hungry", Antonia said, "maybe we could 
go for a walk. It might be easier to talk, not so many ears around 
listening."
"Sure", Natalie agreed.


"So, what did you want to talk about?" Antonia asked as they slowly 
walked towards a nearby park. 
As if it was hard to guess, Natalie thought to herself and gave 
Antonia an amused glance from the corner of her eye. 
"I wanted to talk about this immortality thing", she said out loud, 
"it's not exactly an every day occurrence to find out that your 
friend is Immortal, and frankly, I'm curious."
"Yeah, I guess I would be too", Antonia smiled slightly, "So, what 
do you want to know?"
Natalie looked at her, and gave a short laugh: "Everything."
"Well, that might take some time", Antonia said dryly. 

"How did it happen? How did you become Immortal?"
Antonia thought the question for a while before she answered: "I was 
born Immortal, but I found out about it only after my first death."
"What happened?" Natalie asked, finding it fascinating how she spoke 
of 'first death' as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. But then, 
to her, it probably wasn't.

Antonia told her about the night she had died. Natalie hadn't been 
kidding when she said she wanted to know everything. Antonia answered 
her countless questions as best she could. To some she had no answer, 
and to some she chose not to answer. 


The sun had long since set when Natalie had finally exhausted most 
of her questions. She glanced at her wristwatch, and she knew she 
was going to be late from work, but she had to finish this first. 
She had practiced how she would take on the subject of Nick and their 
search for cure, but now that the moment was at hand, she couldn't 
find the right words. 

"Antonia, I know we agreed on not to talk about Nick and LaCroix", 
she began carefully, "but, at that time, I didn't know about your 
immortality."
She paused waiting for the others reaction.
"What does one have to do with the other?" Antonia asked ,not 
understand where she was getting at.
Natalie swallowed, and tried to get her words out just right: "You 
do know that Nick wants to become mortal again, and that I'm trying 
to help him, right?"
"Yes. I asked about it once, and Lucien told me that", Antonia said. 

Natalie bit her lip. She could only imagine LaCroix's version of 
what they were trying to do. 
"Well, then you probably also know that we haven't been very 
successful, not yet, anyway."
Antonia nodded. 
"And to tell you the truth, I am running out of ideas. And this is 
where you come in", Natalie stopped for a moment.
"Yes?", Antonia wanted to hear where this was all leading.
"Since you're Immortal, you have certain things in common with 
vampires. If I could take some samples from you, and run some tests, 
I might be able to find a cure for Nick", there, she had finally 
said it. 

Antonia stopped to her tracks, and stared at Natalie. 
"You want to use me to find a cure for Nick?" she asked evenly.
"Yes", Natalie nodded.
"But I'm not a vampire. Immortals are totally different from them."
"Yes, there are a lot of differences, but there are also certain 
similarities. And, I hope there are enough of them for me to find 
a cure."

Antonia looked at her for a long while, expressionless, saying 
nothing. She didn't know what to say.
"Damn it, Lucien, do you always have to be right?" was all she could 
think of. Finally, Antonia took a deep breath, and continued with 
their walk.  

Natalie saw her blank expression, and she could only guess what was 
going on in her mind. She wanted to say something, to convince her, 
but she bit her tongue. Now wasn't the time to push the issue.

"Natalie", Antonia said feeling suddenly very tired, "this is 
exactly what we agreed *not* to discuss. Do you have any idea what 
you're asking from me?"

Natalie looked at her sincerely: "Yes, I do."
She really did. She knew that if Antonia agreed to help them, it 
wouldn't be easy for her. She would be putting her relationship 
with LaCroix on the line, maybe even her life. She knew she was 
asking a lot, but she had to try.


"Even if I agreed to this, you don't even know if it would actually 
work. I mean, what are the odds? Most likely it would be just a 
dead end", Antonia said evasively.
"Maybe. But it could at least lead us to new directions, and give us 
new ideas, which might eventually lead us to a cure", Natalie tried 
to suppress her excitement. At least Antonia hadn't just refused 
her straightaway.
"But if I did this, it could very well be for nothing. I would do 
the one thing Lucien could never forgive, because", Antonia gave a 
mirthless laugh, "trust me, to him, this would be the ultimate 
betrayal. Especially if I'd do it behind his back, and that would 
be the only way it could ever be done. And it might all be in vain." 

Natalie said nothing, she knew Antonia was right. It could be all 
for nothing, but if there was the slightest chance that it would 
work....

"You're asking me to help you kill Nick", Antonia interrupted her 
thoughts, "That's how Lucien sees it. You want me to help you to 
infect his son with a deadly disease."
"Mortality is *not* a disease", Natalie said angrily. What was it 
with these immortal creatures? 
"Nick doesn't want to become a mortal to die. He wants to become 
mortal, so he could live again, to be able to see the sun again, to 
be able to eat again, to have a family, and to grow old", she 
finished with passion.

"Yes, but in the end, he still dies", Antonia said softly.
"Yes, eventually he would die - as a *mortal*. That's what mortals 
do."

"He's been a vampire for almost 800 years. Do you think that he still 
remembers what it's like to be mortal? And I don't mean what he 
dreams and wants it to be like, but what it really is? Do you think 
that he could adjust to it after all this time? That he wouldn't 
regret *this* decision sooner or later?" Antonia tried again, not 
certain who she was trying to convince, Natalie or herself.

Natalie could see her waver, and pushed her case.
"He has wanted this for almost as long as he's been a vampire. Yes, 
he became a vampire on his free will, but he made a mistake. We all 
make mistakes. Does he have to pay for his forever?" her voice 
trembled with emotion. 
She would beg on her knees if she had to. What ever it would take.

Antonia thought of all the mistakes she had made during her life. 
Some of them small, some not so small. And then there were the ones 
she would give anything to undo, if only she could.

"No", her answer was but a whisper.

"Then, please, help him. Help us", Natalie pleaded, her eyes 
glistening with unshed tears.

Antonia could almost feel her desperation. This wasn't a doctor 
asking her to help find a cure for her patient. This was a woman 
in love, begging her to help her beloved.

Antonia felt her heart pounding as she tried to make her decision. 
There were no easy answers. She wished she knew what was the right 
thing to do.

Nick was a grown man who had a right to make his own decisions, 
regardless of what Lucien thought of them. What if it was Lucien? 
Wouldn't she give anything if there was someone who could help him 
get what he so desperately wanted?

Antonia sighed, and shivered slightly in the cool evening air. Why 
was life so complicated? She would give just about anything to get 
away from this situation. What should she do?

She glanced at her ring, and thought of Lucien. She remembered the 
discussion they had had shortly after she had met Natalie. She had 
asked him why things were as they were between him and Nick, and he 
had told her. Antonia smiled slightly as she remembered his 
explanation. She knew very well that his view of things was somewhat 
one sided, but she also knew that he had been as honest with her as 
he possibly could be. 

She could almost hear his voice now, as he had made his final 
argument: "What if it was Elaine? Suppose she had survived her 
assault, but she didn't want to live anymore. If she told you that 
she would be 'happier' dead, what would you do? Would you simply 
stand by and watch her kill herself, or would you do everything 
within your power to stop her?"

She had argued that the situation he had just presented wasn't 
exactly the same as the one with Nick, but eventually she had 
answered his question. She would do anything to keep Elaine 
alive.

"Why?" he had asked her.

"Because, I love her. Because, life is life."


Antonia looked at her ring again. Right or wrong, Lucien was Nick's 
father, and no matter what Nick or Natalie believed, he *did* love 
Nick. 

She looked at Natalie, and felt the grip around her heart tighten. 
There was no easy way to do this.

"I'm sorry, Natalie", she said gently, "I hope that you and Nick 
find a cure, I really do, but I can't help you find it."


A small whimper escaped from Natalie. She closed her eyes, and 
turned her back at Antonia. She lifted her hand to her mouth in an
effort to stop the sobs. 

"Nat....", she heard Antonia's voice.
She didn't turn, she couldn't face her, not yet. 
"Please, just go", she managed to choke out.
There was a silence, as if Antonia was debating whether or not to 
do as she had asked. 
"I'm sorry", she finally heard her say, and then she heard the rasp 
of the sand as she walked away. 

Antonia had taken less than a dozen steps, when Natalie's voice 
stopped her.
"What if you were in my place....?"
"I'd do exactly what you're doing. I'd lie, cheat and steal - what 
ever it would take."

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

Natalie sat on a park bench, staring blindly into the distance. She 
didn't know how long she had cried until the tears had finally 
stopped, but now all she felt was exhaustion. She knew she should 
call in to work, call in sick or something, but she just didn't care. 

She took a trembling breath, and made an effort to arrange her 
muddled thoughts. For a moment there, she had truly believed that 
Antonia was going to help them. And that, of course, made her refusal 
all the more bitter to take. She tried to think of what more she 
could have said or done to persuade Antonia. She came up with a 
million little things, but eventually, she had to admit to herself, 
that none of them would probably have made a difference. 

Maybe Antonia had been right, she thought tiredly. What were the 
odds that this would have been the answer to their prayers, anyway? 
Or, maybe Nick was right, and Antonia really had more in common with 
LaCroix than she had thought. Maybe....


Natalie wiped her eyes and blew her nose. 
"This isn't the end of the world", she told herself sternly. 
She straightened her posture, and took a deep breath. So what if 
this hadn't worked out as she had planned, she would just have to 
think of something else instead. What was it that Antonia had said? 
'Lie, steal and cheat. What ever it takes.'

She knitted her brows a little, she had a feeling she had forgotten 
something important. Cheat.... Natalie wrecked her brain to figure 
out what caused this nagging feeling. A sound echoed through her 
mind, and then it hit her. The dress! Her dress! The one she had 
worn the night Antonia had been shot. She blinked several times. Of 
course! 

Suddenly Natalie was full of energy. She nearly ran to her car, and 
raced back to her apartment. There she went straight to her closet 
and pulled out the dress in question. She turned the dress in her 
hands for what seemed like eternity, but finally, her efforts where 
rewarded. There, on the hem, where two tiny brown spots. Natalie 
let out a heavy sigh, and felt a ridiculous smile form upon her 
face. Those teeny-weeny spots had returned her hope. She had a 
sample of an immortal's blood.
 
********************

Antonia didn't really feel like going back home right away, but she 
knew she had to. Tessa and Duncan would have already returned, and 
she didn't even want to think what LaCroix might come up with to 
'entertain' them. 

When she got home a little later, she heard voices from the living 
room, and headed towards them. Before she entered, she forced on a 
happy face, and managed to greet Tessa and Duncan fairly normally. 

"So, you two are finally back. How was the sightseeing?"
"Oh, it was great!" Tessa smiled broadly, and proceeded to tell her 
all about their day. 
"Is Lucien still at home?" Antonia asked after Tessa had finished 
her story. 
"No", Duncan answered her, "he left a while back. Said he had some 
business to take care of."
"That's right, the radio show", Antonia said, trying to keep her 
thoughts focused. 

"Are you all right?" Tessa looked at her with concern.
"Yeah, of course", Antonia answered smiling brightly. Then she 
turned to Duncan: "You never told me how your auction went, Mac. 
Did you find anything interesting?" 
"Yeah, I found a couple of pieces...." 

******

It was almost dawn before LaCroix returned home. He found Antonia in 
the bedroom. She was sitting at the dressing table, brushing her 
hair. 
"Cutting it kind of close, aren't you?" Antonia asked as he bent to 
kiss her cheek. 
"Were you worried, my dear?" he asked lightly.
"I was getting there."

LaCroix moved behind her, and began to gently message her shoulders, 
feeling her muscles loosen to his touch.
"You look tired", he then noted, "I take it your meeting with Dr. 
Lambert didn't go well."
He felt her shoulders tense again.
"Yeah, you could say that", she finally answered with a sigh, "and 
please, don't tell me you told me so."
"My dear, I wasn't going to say anything." 

Antonia looked at him through the mirror, and was glad to find him 
serious. He wasn't mocking her or gloating. 
"Thank you", she said with a slightest hint of a smile, and leaned 
relaxed against him. 
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.
Antonia shook her head slowly. She knew he would find out about it 
anyway, through her blood, but she wasn't ready to talk about it 
with him quite yet. 

After a moment, Antonia took a deep breath, and got up. 
"So, how was your night?"
"Uneventful."

He had spent the night trying to unsuccessfully track down the  
green eyed boy, who had shot Antonia. Maybe she had been right; 
even he couldn't find a ghost.

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

The next day Antonia drove Tessa and Duncan to the airport. Along 
the way they  joked about the huge amount of luggage they had managed 
to pile up during the past week, made promises to visit again soon, 
and then they were gone. 

Antonia headed to the nearest exit, and smiled a little as she 
thought of her friends. It had been great to see them again, and 
they had promised to bring Richie along the next time. 

All of a sudden she saw a woman with curly auburn hair in the crowd, 
and for a moment she thought it was Natalie. But then the woman 
turned her head a little, and she could see it was someone else.
She stood in the middle of a busy airport, absorbed into her 
thoughts. She hadn't heard from Natalie, and since she knew she 
probably needed some time and space, she hadn't called her, either. 
Antonia gave a small sigh. She and Natalie would never be close 
friends, and she wasn't even sure if they could be friends at all, 
anymore. 
She smiled a little sadly as she remembered how they had joked 
about how of one mind Nick and LaCroix had seemed about their 
friendship. 

Figures, the one time those two agreed on something.... But there it 
was. A decision made 800 years before either she or Natalie had even 
been born still affected their lives. 
Life was bizarre. And even more so, when you were involved with 
vampires.


The End