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 one: 'Without You' which can be found on my web page at: 
http://www.dlc.fi/~dce/fic/index.html

Since I can't write a Nightcrawler monologue myself, I have quoted 
a part of one from 'Can't Run, Can't Hide'. 

All and any comments are welcome. 
Many thanks to Bob, for beta reading this for me. 



TIME TO MOVE ON
by C. Bart
<dce@dlc.fi>
(c)1998


December 26th

LaCroix took his warmed up breakfast from the microwave and savored 
the smell of blood before tasting it. *Excellent*, he mused. But 
then, his private stock usually was. He gently placed the cup on the 
kitchen table and sat down. 

It was still a few hours till sunset and the house was quiet. For a 
while he concentrated on the steady heartbeat coming from the master 
bedroom. Poor Antonia, these last few days had been exhausting for 
her. Twilight Security had finally gotten a proper assignment, and 
she had zestfully thrown herself into the work. The only problem was, 
that after the actual planning stage was completed, she could no 
longer work during the nights. So, she had re-acquainted herself 
with the day shift, and had gotten accustomed to it by now. For the 
past week she had worked like crazy so she could take a few days off 
during Christmas. But now, since they kept his hours at home, her 
daily rhythm had been totally screwed up; it was no wonder that she 
was sleeping like the dead. 

Thinking of Christmas, even though he had chosen to celebrate it only 
because of Antonia, he admitted that this year it had actually meant 
something to him personally. This year, he had had his family come 
together for the first time in decades. And they had all come 
voluntarily, too....
 
Even though his relationship with Nicholas had taken a slight turn 
to the better lately, he had still been surprised that his son had 
accepted their invitation. And although his visit had been a brief 
one, the gesture had not been lost on LaCroix. 

And then there was Janette. True, his daughter was curious of, and 
in want of, first hand information on Antonia, but that wasn't the 
only reason for her generous visit. Yes - his family might be united 
once again, much sooner than he had expected. 

*******

Still half-asleep, Antonia stretched self-indulgently and yawned until 
her jaw was almost dislocated. Once thoroughly relaxed, she opened 
her eyes gingerly, and peeked over the blanket's edge. Because of 
the heavy drapes, the room was dim and she couldn't see the alarm 
clock, but she knew that she had over-slept big time. The thought 
caused a contented smile to slowly creep over her face. This would be 
her last day off until she'd finish the Barkley assignment, and she 
was going to make the most of it. Over-sleeping was a perfect start. 
She tossed the covers aside and headed to the bathroom. 

She took a long, hot, leisurely shower and washed off the remnants 
of her sleepiness. As she stood under the spray she couldn't help but 
remember the bath LaCroix had given her two nights ago. She had been 
all wired up, but it hadn't taken him long to get her relax. *Talk 
about magic fingers*, she thought smiling slyly. The memory of that 
night still made her blush... 

"Okay Jones, time to cool off", she muttered to herself after a long 
while, and turned on the cold water. 

She stayed under the now nearly icy spray for as long as she could 
before leaping out of the shower. She was definitely awake now. 

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

December 27th

Back at work again, Antonia closed her eyes for a while as she sat 
down to eat her lunch. Her daily rhythm had changed once again, and 
it was taking it's toll on her. Luckily, there were only a few things 
left to do before the final check up on the security system, and 
then she'd get back to the night shift again. 

Taking a bite from her sandwich, she let her mind wander away from 
the work. Relaxing, she thought of Christmas. Unlike the year 
before, this one had been a family Christmas, albeit of a different 
kind. She and Lucien had invited both Nick and Janette over, and 
they had accepted. Nick had only made a brief appearance before 
going over to Natalie's to spend the evening there, but Janette had 
arrived a week before to help her with the arrangements. 

Antonia had been glad of the chance to get to know her 'step-daughter' 
a little better. They had met each other in France during that 
business with Joffrey de Vidal, but Janette had left shortly 
afterwards and they hadn't really had a chance to get acquainted. 

Now Janette's visit was almost over, and Antonia still wasn't quite 
sure what to think of her. True, she had been amicable enough, but 
she seemed to prefer to keep a certain distance. Since it wasn't 
that easy for Antonia herself to let people get close to her, she 
could understand it, and hadn't taken it too personally. So they 
hadn't befriended instantly, as she had done with Tessa and Natalie, 
but given time, perhaps.... Although, funnily enough, Janette's 
subtle accent sort of reminded Antonia of Tessa. But mostly, she 
reminded her of Lucien. They both seemed to have that air of danger, 
and a certain self-assertive superiority about them. Something, which 
declared to the world that they could do what ever they wanted, and 
no one better come in their way, or else....

Yes, she could easily understand why Lucien had chosen Janette. There 
was her obvious beauty of course, but there was also so much more;  
her strength and her intelligence... She wouldn't have survived this 
long with Lucien without those traits. 

Antonia reached for her bottle of mineral water and took a sip. She 
hadn't been exactly sure what she had expected this Christmas to be 
like, but it hadn't been too bad. Their holiday décor was a strange 
mixture of old and new, as Janette had made some very interesting 
suggestions, but still, somehow it all fit together. And, because she 
was the only one to actually eat, she hadn't really bothered with 
the food, so that had saved her a lot of time. Instead, she had 
called Mac, Tessa and Richie in Paris, and they had chatted for well 
over an hour. Good thing Lucien was filthy rich, so she didn't have 
to worry about the phone bill.

Antonia smiled crookedly as she thought of the Christmas presents. 
Lucien had gone overboard with them, as usual, but this time she 
hadn't really minded. He had given her a beautiful Persian shamshir. 
Even though Antonia knew full well that it was quite lethal, she 
couldn't help but view it simply as an amazing work of art. It's 
slightly curved, double-edged blade was made of watered steel, and 
the hilt was of carved pink jadeite. The silver pommel and tiger-head 
finials on the quillons were the finishing touches. The weapon was 
quite old, from the 17th century, but it was, along with the 
elaborately decorated scabbard, in mint condition. Antonia had no 
idea where LaCroix had managed to find it, or how much he had had to 
pay for it, but she loved it. She wasn't sure if she'd like to use 
it in an actual fight, even though it was a far superior weapon to 
her old sword, but she did plan on using it while practicing. 

Her own gifts to Lucien had been far less flamboyant of course. 
Amazingly, the one that he seemed to like the best was the one she 
had bought the last, on a whim. It was a small, silver sword pin she 
had found in a little shop downtown. She had merely planned it as a 
joke, but he seemed genuinely taken by it. 

And if she had found it hard to think of a gift for Lucien, it had 
been nothing compared to the difficulties she had encountered trying 
to think of something for Nick and Janette. Luckily, Lucien had 
come up with a few decent ideas. For Nick they had gotten a small, 
but original, Mayan statue. Antonia had thought that the thing looked 
hideous, but Lucien had assured her that Nick would like it. For 
Janette they had found a pair of exquisite, antique emerald earrings.

Over all, even if this Christmas had been a far cry from the 
celebration of the Christmases of her childhood, it hadn't been 
that bad at all. What had mattered in the end, was that she had spent 
it with her family. And what a family it was....


Finishing off her lunch Antonia turned her thoughts back to the 
work at hand. Wiping her mouth she got up and went to the hallway to 
check the latest installments. She looked around her with a critical 
eye, and was pleased to see that everything seemed to be going 
smoothly. If they kept up with this pace, they might just be able to 
finish ahead of schedule, she thought, feeling quite satisfied. 

"Ms. Jones!" a high-pitched voice cut the air, "ah, there you are!" 

Antonia grimaced: "Take back that thought."

She forced a smile on her face, and turned to greet her client: 
"Mrs. Barkley, how can I help you?" 

"Ah, Ms. Jones, I just thought I'd take a look around", the older 
woman smiled and turned her head from side to side inspecting the 
hallway.  

A small, thin woman in her early sixties, she reminded Antonia of a 
bird, and the image was further intensified with her constant, 
nervous movements. Having inherited a Renoir from her aunt, she now 
wanted to make absolutely certain that her house was ready for the 
said treasure and Antonia had welcomed the assignment. 

The house was old but well kept, and this would be it's very first 
security system, so she got the chance to design it from the 
beginning, instead of having to just update an earlier one. 
It would've been a dream job, had it not been for Mrs. Barkley.

"This doesn't look at all finished, Ms. Jones. Are you quite certain 
that everything shall be ready for my painting?" Mrs. Barkley asked 
somewhat alarmed. 
 
She was a lovely old lady, but her constant need for assurance was 
driving Antonia out of her mind. If they wouldn't be able to finish 
the job as scheduled, it was because Mrs. Barkley seemed to need 
someone to hold her hand at all times. 

Antonia firmly bit down her tongue, and counted to five before she 
answered. "Mrs. Barkley, I promise the system will be up and running 
by the 31st. Your painting will be quite secure from the moment it 
arrives here." 

"Yes, yes, of course, my dear, I am quite sure you have everything 
under control", Mrs. Barkley patted her arm lightly, "it is just that 
I can't wait to see everything ready." 

"That is quite understandable, Mrs. Barkley", Antonia managed a 
smile, "but I'm afraid that if I won't get back to work, we may not 
be able to keep up with our schedule..."

"Oh, of course! Don't mind me, Ms. Jones, I'll be out of your way 
right away. Believe me, I know how important it is to be able to 
concentrate on the task at hand...." 

Antonia sighed silently as Mrs. Barkley's reassurances went on and 
on. She knew from experience that the old lady would tag along for at 
least a half an hour, all the while telling her that she wasn't the 
kind of person to purposely get in the way of important work. 

It was going to be a long day.

*********

Home sweet home, Antonia thought as she tossed her purse on the 
table. She was exhausted. 

Mrs. Barkley had been more trouble than usual, and to cap it off, 
one of the workmen had fallen ill. They had already been working 
nearly impossible hours, but now they'd really have to bust their 
butts to get the job done in time.

LaCroix took one look at her as she stepped into the living room, and 
arched his brow knowingly: "I take it Mrs. Barkley was acting as 
paranoid as ever today?"

"Tell me about it!" Antonia exclaimed. Then she sighed smiling  
tiredly, "Oh, I guess I shouldn't complain. After all, paranoid is 
good, at least in my line of business. I just wish that she would 
have a little faith."

"Well, you'll be finished there soon, and then you don't have to deal 
with her anymore", LaCroix consoled her. 

"Right. With my luck the bloody system will probably malfunction on 
a weekly basis, just so that I have to keep going back there", she 
grumbled only half jokingly. 

At her tone LaCroix inspected her more closely: "You've really had 
a bad day, haven't you, my dear?"

Antonia closed her eyes for a second, and took a deep breath: "I'm 
sorry, I'm just really tired. This time change thing doesn't seem 
to agree with me."

She gave him a lopsided smile and snuggled in beside him on the 
couch. 

"So, what are you going to do tonight?" she asked him.

"Well, since this is Janette's last night here, we had planned on a 
quick stop at the Raven before she leaves. After that, it's time for 
the Nightcrawler again, but I guess I could repeat an old show, and 
go whammy Mrs. Barkley instead..." LaCroix let his voice trail off 
with an evil grin. 

"Ooh, that's very sweet of you," Antonia smiled tenderly, "but I bet 
that she's a resister."

She leaned forward to kiss him, but just then Janette entered the 
room, so instead, she straightened her posture a bit and moved a 
little further from LaCroix. She knew it was stupid really, but she 
didn't feel comfortable acting affectionate towards him in front of 
her just yet. 

LaCroix however, did not let his daughter's sudden appearance  
embarrass him in the least, and greeted her with his usual cool 
demeanor. 


The three of them spent the next few hours discussing a dozen 
different subjects, varying from art history:

"You mean you knew da Vinci? *The* da Vinci?"
"Was there another?"

to the justice of revenge:

"So, *that's* how you two met... Now I can understand... Poor Nicolas, 
having to let go another one..."

After they had talked a while about Antonia's business, and security 
in general, the subject then turned to Janette's plans for the near 
future. 

"Yes, I believe it is time to move on", she said, "I don't think 
Quebec is the place for me right now, after all." 

"And what do you think might be the right place?" LaCroix inquired.

"I was thinking Montreal..."

"Do you plan on opening a new nightclub there?" Antonia asked. 

"No, I think I've had enough of nightclubs, for a while anyway. I 
was thinking of fashion designing, but then, Cat Collection does a 
marvelous job with it all ready, so why bother", Janette said 
smoothing down the side of her exquisite gown, "Instead, I think I'll 
take up designing jewelry."

"Jewelry" Antonia repeated thoughtfully, "sounds exciting, and 
I bet with your taste you'd be quite successful with it, too."

"My thoughts exactly", there wasn't a hint of modesty in Janette's 
brilliant smile, "especially since some of the pieces they do these 
days are positively dreadful!" 

They talked of designing and jewelry for a while longer, until  
Antonia had to stifle a yawn in the middle of her sentence. 

"Excuse me", she apologized, "I guess if I want to be able to get up 
bright and early tomorrow morning I better call it a night. It really 
has been nice having you here, Janette, so once you get settled in 
Montreal, I do hope that you'll come and visit us again."

"Oh, I'm sure I will", Janette replied lifting her elegant brow, "it 
has been most -- interesting." 

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

December 28th

Antonia woke up with a start. Memories of John Hunter had invaded her 
dreams again. She shivered slightly as the image of him, ready to 
chop LaCroix's head off, came to her again. Talk about a name being 
an omen, she thought wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.

After her heart had stopped racing, she tried to go back to sleep, but  
it was no use. Finally giving up, she switched on the bedside lamp 
and checked her alarm clock. With a sigh she decided that she might 
as well get up. That way, she would at least get to spend an extra 
half an hour with Lucien, she thought, trying to find some positive 
notion.  


LaCroix was reading a report concerning a piece of property in Japan 
that he had contemplated on buying, when Antonia walked into the room. 

"Good morning, my dear."

"Morning", Antonia mumbled climbing on his lap. 

"You're up early", he commented smoothing down her hair. 

Antonia settled her head on his shoulder: "Couldn't sleep, and I was 
supposed to get up soon anyway."

LaCroix felt that she wasn't telling the whole story, but since she 
didn't elaborate, he decided to let it go. Besides, he wasn't about 
to complain about this pleasant surprise. Ever since this Barkley job, 
they had barely seen each other because of their different schedules. 
He was well aware that he had been the one to encourage her to start 
her own business, but now it occurred to him that if that business 
became truly successful, they might have a problem on their hands. 
For obvious reasons he couldn't adjust to her working hours, so that 
meant that she would have to be the one making the concessions. 

"Do you feel like practicing this morning?" Antonia said, 
interrupting his thoughts. 

"Of course, my dear, unless you are too tired."

"I'll take it easy", Antonia promised, "I'll just get something 
to drink first, and then we can begin."

LaCroix went to wait for her in the gym. He had began participating 
in her exercise sessions initially just to be able to spend what 
little time they had, together, after she had gotten the Barkley 
assignment. But, as he had discovered, their practicing had actually 
been useful for Antonia. By having him as a sparring partner, she 
had been able to build up her speed, and that would definitely be 
an advantage in the Game. 

He watched as Antonia took the shamshir and tried to get a feel of 
it's weight and balance. It would take her a while to make this new 
weapon a part of her, an extension of her arm, but that's what these 
practice sessions were for. 

"Okay, you're ready?" Antonia asked after she had done warming up. 

LaCroix bowed his head, and they began. He didn't use a sword, but 
simply moved around with a slightly inhuman speed, while she tried 
her best to slice him up. He knew that when they had began, Antonia 
had been worried that she might accidentally really take his head, 
since he didn't use his full speed, but that fear had subsided after 
a few sessions. So far, she hadn't managed to get a nick on him. 

They kept going for about an hour, and by the end of it Antonia was 
all wiped out, while LaCroix looked none the worse for wear. 

As Antonia hit the shower, LaCroix moved to the kitchen to make her 
breakfast. He wasn't overly fond of preparing food, but even he 
couldn't spoil fresh fruit by simply slicing them on the plate. 

*******

LaCroix looked around the large living-room, after Antonia had left 
for work, and realized that the house seemed so empty without her, 
without her heartbeat echoing close-by. 

Still in his thoughts, LaCroix picked up the earlier report from the 
table, and began to read it, only to put it down again a few seconds 
later. He couldn't help thinking about Twilight Security. Antonia 
loved her work, and she was good at it, but they would really have 
to do some adjustments. Something, that would allow Antonia to 
work during night time, and make these day-shifts unnecessary. But 
what would that something be? 

LaCroix sighed in frustration. 

After a few moments of fruitless pondering, he cleared his thoughts, 
and decided that they would think of something, later. Picking up the 
report again, he began to read it anew. It wasn't long until he found 
it necessary to actually place a call to Japan to clarify a few parts 
from the report. He became so engrossed with his work that it was 
nearly noon before he finally finished and headed upstairs. As he 
went to bed, his thoughts again turned to Antonia's company. Oh yes, 
they would definitely have to think of something, and soon. 
He hated sleeping alone.

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

December 29th

Plato looked around him curiously. He hadn't been to this house 
before, but it seemed to ring true to Isabelle's tastes. She owned   
several homes, each decorated carefully and with a different style. 
He thought that his favorite so far was the 'goth-house', as he 
called it, simply because it was such a cliché. The theme in this 
one was the rococo, which meant that the chairs were bloody 
uncomfortable, even for a vampire.

"Plato, stop marching back and forth, and sit down." 

He turned to look at the stunning red-haired woman, who had given 
him the order. She looked to be in her early thirties, but no-one 
knew exactly how old Isabelle really was. She was one of the more 
influential members of the Council, and not many people dared to 
object her. Those who did, usually didn't live long enough to regret 
it. She was also Plato's master. 

Silently he sat down. 

"That's better", Isabelle's low but melodious voice stated, "now, I 
asked you to come here because I wanted to discuss about this 
situation concerning Lucius." 

That picked Plato's interest. "So", he thought to himself, "the show 
is on. It's time to separate the Enforcer from the friend."

"Now, we both know that Lucius wouldn't do anything that would 
seriously threaten the Community", Isabelle was saying, "but the 
subject of how he and his family seem to be patronizing mortals has 
been brought up within the Council - again."

"Maybe Lucius has valid reasons for all of that", Plato suggested 
nonchalantly. 

"I'm sure he does", Isabelle said dryly, "but that's not the issue. 
Unfortunately, Lucius has made more than his share of enemies, and 
Draco especially has just been waiting for an excuse to wipe the 
floor with him. And it seems that he's about to get his wish." 

"Draco?" Plato snorted, "Trust me, Isabelle, he wouldn't last five 
seconds with Lucius."

"True, which is exactly why he has made his best to assure that this 
situation is one for the Enforcers to handle." 

Plato looked directly into her unemotional green eyes, and nodded in 
understanding. 

"And how does the Council want it to be taken care of?" 

Plato knew very well that the punishment for breaking the Code was 
death to everyone involved, but he also knew that the Code was 
broken far more often than anyone was willing to admit publicly, 
especially to an Enforcer. Most times these cases were simply  
overlooked - *if* they didn't pose a direct threat to the Community. 

"The Council simply wants to remind everyone that the Code is not 
something to be taken lightly. So, we will need to set an example 
which everyone will be sure to remember. How the Enforcers choose 
to make that example, is naturally up to them." 

Deep in his thoughts Plato nodded slowly. 

"And if the situation is taken care of, and therefore an example is 
made, before we have a chance to intervene...?" he inquired, just to 
be certain that he had understood his master's intentions correctly. 

"Well, that would make any further examples unnecessary, now wouldn't 
it?" Isabelle answered calmly. 

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

It was a slow night at the morgue, and Natalie was using the time to 
catch up on her paper-work. She signed the report she had been 
working on, and slapped it on the ever growing stack on her desk. 
She had been at it for hours, and she could really use a break, 
right about now, she thought. She put down her pen, and taking a 
deep breath, leaned back in her chair. A small smile which had 
played on her lips since Christmas seemed to be still firmly intact. 

Even though she had had to work on Christmas, it had still been a 
great one. After her shift, she and Nick had celebrated at her place 
for a change. Her smile broadened as she thought of their time 
together. The only thing she regretted about this Christmas was that 
she hadn't been able to give Nick the one present she had hoped to - 
a cure. 

She sighed as she thought of her research. It seemed as if the blood 
of an Immortal wasn't going to be the answer, after all. She had run 
every test she could think of, and hadn't come up with much. Then 
again, considering the minute amount of blood she had to work with, 
it shouldn't have been such a surprise. If only she could get a 
proper sample.... But, Antonia had made up her mind, so there wasn't 
going to be much of a chance for that. And Natalie could honestly 
say that she understood her reasons for refusing to help, but 
understanding it didn't make it any easier to accept. 

"What's with the gloomy face, girl?" Grace's cheerful voice 
interrupted her reverie. 

"Oh, hi Grace! How was your Christmas?" Natalie smiled at her 
assistant. 

"Wonderful..." Grace sighed with a dreamy expression. 

"So, I take it that Mike got back in time?" Natalie grinned. 

"Oh yes!" Grace giggled, "but let's talk about you. How was your 
Christmas with Nick?"

"It was nice."

"Nice? This is me you're talking to, Natalie, I want details, and 
lots of them", Grace smiled wickedly. 

Her little interrogation was interrupted by Nick, who chose that 
moment to enter the room.

"Saved by the bell", Grace whispered to Natalie. 

"Err, did I interrupt something?" Nick asked with a bewildered look 
on his face. 

"No", Natalie gave a poignant look at Grace before she turned to 
Nick, "You're here for the Loomis case?" 

"Yeah.."

"Well, I'm going to get a cup of coffee, or something", Grace 
informed them, backing out of the room, "I'll catch up with you 
later, Nat." 

Very subtle, Grace, Natalie thought amused, as she watched her 
friend leave. Then she turned to get the Loomis file from her 
desk, and handed it to Nick. 

When he didn't say anything, but just kept staring at her with a 
happy grin, she finally asked: "Was there something else you wanted 
to talk about, Nick?"

"No", he shook his head, "Well, yes, I just wanted to check that 
we're still on for tonight?"

Natalie smiled: "Yes, we're still on for tonight." 

"Okay, good", Nick looked as if he wanted to say something else, 
but then changed his mind, "Listen, I gotta go, Tracy's waiting 
for me in the car. I'll see you after the shift, then."

"Yeah, see you then." 

Hesitating just for a moment, Nick placed a quick peck on her lips 
before he finally left, leaving Natalie staring into thin air. 

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

December 30th

Antonia had curled up in a corner of the couch with a cup of hot 
cocoa. She was feeling particularly happy this evening, mostly because 
the Barkley job had finally been brought to a satisfactory end. Plus, 
she had a good feeling about the coming year. Yes, life was pretty 
great, she thought sipping her drink. She sighed contentedly as she 
listened to her favorite radio show. 

"...I am the Nightcrawler, I feel everything, come to me now. I can 
be your strength when you have none, I can be your wisdom, your truth, 
and all you'll need to share with me, is your soul..."

"A little greedy, aren't you, Lucien?" she mused, finishing off her 
cocoa. 

Listening to his voice, she closed her eyes, and soon drifted into 
peaceful sleep.

********

Plato thought of his conversation with Isabelle, and his subsequent 
plan as he strolled around in his garden. He had to admit that the  
plan was a master piece, and it would work - his plans always did. 

Oh, he hadn't forgotten his promise to Lucius. No, he would honor 
that agreement, but he had added a new twist to it - after all, he 
would have to honor the Council's wishes as well. The twist he had 
planned would force Lucius take the exact action that he wanted, and 
in the end that would make for a much better example for the Council. 
Killing off both Nicholas and Dr. Lambert would be easy, but 
ultimately a poor move. No, his plan would be so much more efficient. 
He would prove how even the mightiest would bend before the Code - 
and the Enforcers. 

********

Nick smiled to himself as he played out the final notes of Grieg's 
piano concerto. This piece had always been one of his favorites. 
He looked down at the piano's ivory keys, and let his thoughts 
wander. Maybe, when he would be forced to leave this present life 
of his behind, and move on to the next one, he might become a pianist. 
It was something he hadn't tried before, and he did enjoy playing. 
But, that wouldn't happen for quite a while yet, not if he could help 
it. He liked his life here in Toronto. 

Closing the cover of the piano, he thought of all the friends he had 
made in his present life. Some of them were very special to him, 
and he wasn't prepared to leave them just yet. And then, of course, 
there was Natalie. The thought of her brought a tender smile on his 
face. 

This Christmas had been special again, because of her. And even 
though she had told him that her research hadn't gone the way she 
had hoped to, he still had faith that one of these days they would 
find a cure for him - together. 

His smile turned into a grin as he thought of the surprise he had 
prepared for her for the New Year. Luckily, they both would have 
the night off, so it would work out perfectly. Yes, it would be a 
great way to begin the coming year.

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

December 31st

LaCroix and Antonia were just on their way out to a New Year's party, 
when the phone rang. 

"Ah, just one moment, my dear, that may be the call from Japan I've 
been waiting for", LaCroix said, heading for the phone.

"At New Year's Eve?" Antonia's voice revealed her disbelief.

"The business world never sleeps", LaCroix said, and continued, "not 
if one wants to stay under my employment, anyway."

Antonia rolled her eyes at his remark. She decided that she might as 
well wait for him in the living-room as he might be a while.

**

"Good evening, Lucius", a familiar voice greeted LaCroix from the 
phone.

"Plato?" LaCroix knitted his brows; there was only one reason Plato 
would call him.

"You recall that matter we discussed during my last visit?" Plato 
inquired politely.

"Yes."

"Just thought you would like to know that the show has began. Oh, but 
there has been a slight change to the script..."

"Yes?" LaCroix's voice was dangerously soft. 

While he waited for Plato's answer his mind raced with light's speed. 
Just as he had expected, nothing ever went according to plan when 
the Enforcers got involved. The only question that remained was: how 
much time did he have?

"The Council has, with compliments from Draco, decided that it wants 
to see a *permanent* example made. Two pets in one family _is_ 
unacceptable, Lucius. After all, the Code must be honored."

So, Antonia would be safe, but they were prepared to sacrifice 
Nicholas along with the good doctor, LaCroix translated the message. 

They would get to his son over his *permanently* dead body! He would 
take care of Draco later, all he wanted to know now was whether or 
not he would have to prepare for a full scale war.

"And should the matter be taken care of within the family...?" 

"The Council simply wants to see the Code honored, Lucius." 

**

LaCroix cursed under his breath. There was only one thing he could 
do, and for that he would have to find Dr. Lambert, but time was of 
the essence. Now, where would that woman be? 

He found Natalie Lambert's phone number, and dialed it. Hearing her 
answer from the other end, he killed off the connection without 
saying a word. 

"Antonia!" using his vampiric speed, he was in the living-room before 
he finished her name.

"Lucien? Wha..." 

"Something's come up, and I have to go. You go to the party, and I'll 
meet you there later on, " he said, cutting her questions short. 

She shouldn't be in any danger from the Enforcers, but it didn't hurt 
to play it safe. 

He watched as her eyes narrowed, and then she got that familiar look 
on her face. 

"Lucien, what's going on?"

He recognized that tone, as well. She wouldn't let go until she had 
the whole story, but he didn't have the time. The quickest way to 
handle this was to be brutally blunt.

"Your doctor friend has been targeted by the Enforcers."

He heard her heartbeat shoot up by the news.

"Now, I must go, or I'll be late", he continued, turning to leave. 

"No wait! How do plan on stopping them?" 

"I don't", his voice was icy calm, "I simply plan on getting to her 
first." 

Antonia took a sharp breath: "What?!"

He fixed her with a straight gaze, and said in a low voice: 
"Trust me." 

She stared at him for two burning seconds, before she nodded with 
only one question: "Where?"

"Her apartment, but you're not..." 

This time he was the one being interrupted.

"You don't have time to argue. I'll follow you with the car, now go", 
her voice was urgent, but perfectly calm, "GO."

LaCroix knew she was right, and he had already wasted valuable 
seconds. Without another word he flew out of the house.  

*******

LaCroix didn't bother with formalities when he arrived at Natalie 
Lambert's door, he simply broke the lock and entered the apartment. 

She was dressed in an elegant evening gown, hands behind her neck, 
fastening a necklace when he saw her. She really looked quite lovely, 
and was obviously waiting for company, Nicholas, no doubt. 

LaCroix flashed his fangs as he greeted her coldly: "Good evening, 
doctor."

Her fluttering heartbeat drummed in his ears, and he could smell her 
fear as she stammered his name. Her cat wasn't much more hospitable 
as it hissed and bared its teeth at him, but one growl from LaCroix 
sent it back to the bedroom, on the double. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing, barging in like this?!"
Natalie demanded to know after she recovered from her initial shock.

She tried to put on a brave face, even though she couldn't help the 
tremble of her voice. She watched in horror as LaCroix approached 
her with his eyes blazing. This wasn't the charming stranger she had 
met at the Azure once, nor a somewhat familiar husband of a friend. 
No, this was a vampire determined to get his pray. But what truly 
scared Natalie, was that there were no verbal threats, no subtle cat 
and mouse play what so ever. And that's what convinced her that he 
hadn't come here to scare her - there was no doubt in her mind, he 
had come to kill her. 

Just as LaCroix was about to reach her, Natalie heard a crash from 
the front-door. But instead of Nick, she saw two more vampires 
enter the room, looking every bit as deadly as LaCroix. 


LaCroix turned around at the crashing sound, and tried to control 
his rage. He was so close, and these two would not spoil his plan. 

"Your services are not needed", his voice was appropriately careful, 
"I will take care of her." 

The two Enforcers stopped their advance, but made no move to leave. 
Of course not, LaCroix thought to himself, they were there to do 
a job, and they wouldn't leave until it had been finished. 

Paying no more attention on the two of them, LaCroix turned back to 
Natalie. 

"For once, doctor, you're going to be of some use", he grabbed her 
roughly by the neck, and growled, "Now, you are going to help me 
save my son." 

Natalie heard his words, but they made no sense to her. She tried to 
speak up, but he gave her no chance of doing that.

LaCroix saw the terror in her huge eyes, and he pushed on: "If you 
love Nicholas as much as you profess, you won't even think about 
going into the light. Make no mistake, doctor, you *will* cross 
over."

So, he was going to bring her across. Natalie couldn't help but feel 
a huge sense of relief wash over her as she realized that she wasn't 
going to die that evening. Then the terror hit her again, as she 
realized that LaCroix would become her master. 

That was her last thought before she felt an excruciating pain as 
LaCroix sank his teeth into her neck, and drained her to the brink 
of death. 

LaCroix watched Natalie Lambert's limp form on the floor. There was 
still a small spark of life left in her, just enough to bring her 
across. But if he would wait, just for a while, that spark would be 
gone.... It would be all too easy. He thought of all the trouble 
this one little woman had brought to him, and he was dearly tempted 
to let the spark die. Then he thought of what he had tasted in her 
blood. Yes, she did love Nicholas, and maybe, when she was one of 
them, Nicholas wouldn't be so eager to try and find a cure.... 

LaCroix ripped his wrist open, and pressed the wound against Natalie's 
lips. Soon she began to suckle on his blood, gently at first, then 
more ferociously as her strength returned many times folded. 

*******

The Enforcers were long gone, when LaCroix lifted his new, sleeping  
daughter from the floor, and placed her on the couch. It seemed like 
hours had passed, but in reality it had only been a few minutes.

Sensing a familiar presence, LaCroix looked up. Nicholas. 
 
What little color Nick had, vanished from his face at the scene which 
enfolded before him. Voice breaking, he whispered Natalie's name. No, 
this couldn't be happening, he thought in denial - but the proof was 
right in front of him. 

LaCroix watched his son's reaction. The anguish which he felt through
their link did not come as a surprise, and neither did the rage a 
few seconds later. 

Nick's eyes burned with hatred as he launched himself at LaCroix's 
throat. 

"You'll pay for this, LaCroix!" he snarled, fully vamped out. 

His fury doubled his strength, and he was indeed a deadly opponent. 
LaCroix took quite a few blows from him, before he managed to throw 
his raging son against the wall. There was a sickening sound as Nick's 
cheekbone broke at the impact. 

"You had no right, LaCroix!" he hissed as he got up from the floor, 
blood dripping from his mouth. 

"Right?!" LaCroix growled, and flew to grab his ungrateful son by  
the throat, "I_ had_ every_ right,_ Nicholas." 

"She didn't want... You've made her...." 

Nick couldn't finish his sentences for his emotions, but LaCroix 
didn't need to hear the words, he knew exactly what his son was 
trying to say.

"I've made her what we are, Nicholas. What more could she ask for?!" 
he replied as he resumed control over himself again, "As for what 
she wanted... I couldn't care less what *she* wants. It is done."

"You gave her no choice", Nick said hoarsely, still pinned to the 
wall. 

"If she doesn't welcome my *gift*, there's always the sun... So, you 
see, Nicholas, she *does* have a choice. But I believe she already 
made hers when she chose to come back..." 


The two vampires were interrupted by a sound from the newly made one. 
Nick pushed LaCroix aside, and rushed to Natalie. He watched in 
horrified fascination as she opened her eyes which were now the 
color of glowing amber. 

"Nick, I'm hungry."

The very words he had dreaded! He could hear the confusion and fear 
in her quiet voice, but the look she gave him was one of trust. Not 
anger or blame, but trust. And in that moment, all he felt was an 
overwhelming desire to protect her from whatever might come.

*******

Antonia couldn't have chosen a worse moment to arrive. Almost before 
she had stepped into the apartment, she was greeted by a flurry of 
movement, and a pair of hungry, glowing eyes. 

Natalie got within inches of her target before LaCroix managed to 
yank her off. She let out a cry of frustration, and couldn't 
understand why they didn't let her feed. She was so hungry.... It was 
only when she heard Antonia's shaky voice, that she realized what 
had almost happened. 

Antonia's mouth had gone dry, and her heart was pounding as she 
watched this new Natalie. She knew that she couldn't kill her by 
draining her, but the total surprise of the situation made her nearly 
shriek out loud. 

With effort she swallowed that, but couldn't help snapping: "I'm not 
the official snack bar for this family, Nat."

She then waited for a few moments to let her heart calm down before 
she turned her eyes to LaCroix. Oh, she trusted him all right, but 
after this was over, the two of them were going to have a *long* talk. 

But when she spoke up, she only said: "I brought a few bottles with 
me, incase someone was injured... I'll go get them."


LaCroix watched her leave. He didn't need to be linked to her to 
read the message from her eyes, just now; it had been loud and clear. 
Lost in thought for a moment, he turned his attention back to his 
offspring. Nick was murmuring soft assurances to Natalie, who seemed 
to be quite shaken about her uncontrolled attack on Antonia. 

LaCroix sighed inwardly. He had brought Natalie across out of 
necessity, but now that it was done, she *was* his responsibility -  
and he had no intention of shielding away from that. But he did 
admit to himself, that it would be far better for everyone involved, 
if Nicholas was the one to teach her their ways. 

Tonight's events had really put a big dent on his plans. Whatever 
improvement he had achieved in his relationship with Nicholas, had 
been wiped out. And any ideas about a grand family reunion he might 
have had were best forgotten, for a while anyway. 

LaCroix's expression darkened as he thought of these setbacks - and 
the one who was responsible for them. 

Oh yes, he would definitely have to pay Draco a visit in a *very* 
near future. And he would have to be certain to teach him what 'a 
permanent example' *really* meant. 


Just then Antonia returned with the blood. Quietly LaCroix took the 
bottles and gave them to Natalie, who practically tore them from his 
hands. In silence, they watched her ravenously drink every last drop.

*******

"What now?" Nick asked acidly, "or was this just a whim, and you 
didn't bother with a plan?"

LaCroix flashed his eyes, but kept his tone calm: "No, there's no 
plan, Nicholas, but I do have a suggestion."

When there was no comment, he continued: "Since you have already 
stayed in this life for too long as it is, this might be the perfect 
time for you to move on, and for the good doctor to start over." 

"Of course", Nick's voice was sour, "and I'm sure you have a 
'suggestion' as to where we are to go?"

"You're a bright boy, Nicholas, I'm sure you can think of something 
suitable for the two of you yourself", LaCroix said politely. 

Narrowing his eyes Nick asked suspiciously: "Us two? So, you're not 
coming with us?" 

LaCroix had come to a point where he was almost enjoying this: "No, 
Antonia and I are staying in Toronto. Unless, of course, you would 
prefer for us to come along...?"

"No", Nick didn't bother with the bait, "but what about Natalie's 
education?" 

"Yes, there is that... but I'm sure Natalie would prefer to have 
you as her teacher", LaCroix paused for effect, "Just be sure to 
teach her *all* she needs to be taught, or else I may be forced to 
reconsider this arrangement. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal", Nick's answer was short, and not so sweet. 


There seemed to be nothing else left to say. LaCroix looked at his 
children for a moment longer, his face an unreadable mask, and then 
he headed for the door. As they were leaving Antonia glanced at her 
watch. It was already past midnight - a new year had began. 

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

January 1st

Antonia drummed the kitchen table with her fingers, and tried to 
decide what she should do. After they had left Natalie's apartment 
LaCroix had told her that he would have to go and take care of a 
'loose end'. She had thought that he just needed a little time for 
himself, after what had just happened, she had expected as much. He 
had returned home some hours later, and had sat in the living-room 
for the past hour. He hadn't said a word since his return. He just 
sat there, alone, with a bottle of blood wine. 

Gingerly, Antonia walked over to the living-room, but stopped at the 
doorway, unsure of what to say. She didn't want to push him if he 
wasn't ready to talk, but it killed her to see him like this. 

"Lucien?" she said quietly, asking.

She saw him turn his head slowly towards her, and for the longest 
moment he just looked at her. Then, he extended his hand to her. With 
a sense of relief she walked over to him, and took his hand into 
hers. Without releasing her hold she sat beside him, and waited. 

Finally, when it was clear that he wouldn't say anything, she softly 
asked him: "Did you take care of that loose end you mentioned 
earlier?" 

She saw a satisfied look flash over his face as he nodded: "Yes, it's 
been taken care of -- permanently."

Then he fell into silence again. 

Antonia squeezed his hand a little as she spoke again: "Do you -- do 
you think that you might be ready to tell me what tonight was all 
about?" 

He took a slow sip from his glass, and for a while Antonia thought 
that he might not answer her, but then he set his drink aside and 
spoke up. He told her everything. 

After he finished Antonia sat in silence for a moment, trying to 
absorb everything she had just heard. So, this had all began months 
ago when Plato had visited them. She would really have to talk with 
Lucien about 'sharing', and to remind him of his promise not to shut 
her out. But all that could wait. Right now, they needed to talk 
about Nick and Natalie. 

"Lucien, I know that Nick is -- upset right now", she paused as he 
snorted at her choice of word, "but once he has the chance to calm 
down, I'm sure that he realizes that what you did was for the best."

"I very much doubt that Nicholas will see it quite that way", he said 
distantly. 

"Come on, without you, they'd both be dead now!" 

She saw the look he got on his face, and she suddenly realized 
something. 

"You *did* tell him what you just told me, didn't you?" she asked, 
even though she already knew the answer. 

"I shouldn't have to explain myself to him", he said crossly.

The problem with those two was that they obviously didn't know how 
to communicate with each other.

"You know", she said smiling a little, "it is kind of hard for him 
to be grateful, when he doesn't even know that there's something 
to be grateful for." 

"Well he finally has his Natalie, that should be enough", he replied, 
not wanting to give in an inch. 

Antonia rolled her eyes: "That's not what I meant, and you know it." 

After a small silence, she ventured on: "Speaking of Natalie... 
You're not going to hold tonight against her, are you? I mean, she 
*is* your daughter, now." 

"You mean to ask that just because I was *forced* to bring her across, 
do I still consider her as part of the family?" LaCroix asked 
sarcastically. 

"Something like that", Antonia answered lightly.

"Considering that she *is* to blame for tonight...." LaCroix began, 
only to be interrupted by Antonia.

"Oh, really? And how's that, exactly?"

"If it weren't for her, tonight would never have happened."

"Oh, please..." Antonia groaned, "We both know that in that case 
this -- Draco, you told me about would've just thought of something 
else to throw on your way. Besides, if you want to blame this on 
Natalie, you might as well blame it on me.."

"Antonia, what are you talking about?" LaCroix was genuinely puzzled. 

"Well, as you told me, Plato mentioned something about two 'pets' 
being too much... So, that would suggest that I was the final 
straw, so to speak..." 

LaCroix shook his head, and against his better judgment, smiled,  
ever so slightly: "My dear, please remind me not to disagree with 
you again in the future." 

"I will", Antonia smiled sweetly, and gave him a tender kiss. 

After a while she spoke again: "Do you think they'll be okay?"

"Oh yes, they'll be fine. After all, I am keeping an eye on them."



The End