From owner-fkfic-l@PSUVM.PSU.EDU Sun Mar 17 19:21:12 1996 Received: from PSUVM.PSU.EDU by violet.berkeley.edu (8.7.1/1.33-960227) id TAA22525; Sun, 17 Mar 1996 19:21:10 -0800 Message-Id: <199603180321.TAA22525@violet.berkeley.edu> Received: from PSUVM.PSU.EDU by PSUVM.PSU.EDU (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 9998; Sun, 17 Mar 96 22:19:05 EST Received: from PSUVM.PSU.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@PSUVM) by PSUVM.PSU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 6035; Sun, 17 Mar 1996 22:19:04 -0500 Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 22:18:11 -0500 Reply-To: Susan Bennett Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Susan Bennett Subject: TOURIST TRAP (1/2) To: Multiple recipients of list FKFIC-L Status: RO X-Status: Thanks to all for your encouraging comments on my previous stories which I really appreciate. Don't let the crime stuff at the beginning of this one fool you, it's only a lead-in to romantic fodder for Nick&Natpackers. (I know it takes awhile, but I am an amateur) TOURIST TRAP (1/2) by Susan based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. some references to "Black Buddah" Nick was just backing his car out of the garage. It was late May and very cool. The rain had pretty much stopped, but the pavement was black and slick after the twelve hour downpour. He turned the wheel and shifted into drive. The cel phone rang and he answered, "Knight". It was Reese. "Nick, I know you're on vacation as of tomorrow, but get on down to the CN Tower, south parking lot. There's been another murder. Tracy'll meet you there. Doug's on his way too, he'll babysit Tracy while you're off." "Right, Captain." Nick headed south towards the Gardiner. He turned on the radio to hear LaCroix in the middle of yet another hypnotic monologue: "our home...our refuge. Removed from it we are disoriented, vulnerable. Within we are protected from the...obscure. It is our place...and we must all know our place. Mes amis, il n'y a aucune place comme chez nous." "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain", Nick muttered, as he turned the radio back off. Three patrol cars were already on the scene when Nick arrived. Tracy and Doug were busy questioning the parking lot attendant who discovered the body. Nick walked over to Natalie who was hovering over the victim in his car, "Nat?" She stepped back from the car and pulled off her gloves, "Female, forties, apparent asphyxiation...two hours maybe. I'll have more for you later, as usual." "Another one?" said Nick as he walked around and inspected the rear of the car. "Appears so," Nat replied. She took her clipboard from the roof of the car, shook off a few rain drops, and started to write. "First Casa Loma, now this - both strangled." "And both rental cars," Nick added as he came round to peer into the driver's side window. Nat finished her notes and turned to leave but suddenly turned back, smiled, and jabbed playfully at his arm, "Nick?" "Yeah?" "Well...have you thought about it?" she asked. "Thought about what?" "You know - vacation. You...me...us...?" Nick hesitated before looking at her, "I don't know...I just don't think...it would work out." "Come on Nick, "there must be somewhere we can go together for a couple of days. I'm not asking for a week in the sun." Nick groaned, "Let me get back to work, we'll talk later." Nat nodded agreement, but added firmly as she walked to her car, "We will talk later...after work...your place." Nick couldn't help a subtle grin when he heard that - Nat was never easily dissuaded from anything. Her strength was indeed his weakness. A moment later Tracy was standing beside him reciting from her notebook, "The attendant who found her is one Jason Talbot, been working here for three months, started his shift tonight at six. Never saw anything, never heard anything." "Yeah," said Nick. "Nobody ever sees or hears anything. Is forensics here yet?" "That looks like them now," replied Tracy as she eyed the blue van pulling into the lot. "Trace, have them release any ID that's left. I'll fill in Reese and meet you back at the station. * * * * * * Nat was at her desk finishing up her preliminary report when Nick walked into her office a little after 2:00. She looked up, "I've just finished this. The marks on the neck are identical to those of the Casa Loma victim." "And what was used?" asked Nick. "Well, the clean indent and unbroken skin suggest something soft and flat, like a leather strap. No other marks on the body to suggest a struggle. I'd say she was taken totally by surprise, by someone in the back seat." She handed the folder over to Nick, "Don't forget - after work." Nat watched him as he left the room. She started chewing on the end of her pen, wondering if she really was doing the right thing. She did feel a little guilty about it, but, hell, things had gone on like this long enough. Back in the squad room Nick found Tracy and Doug finishing up the comparison chart of the two recent murders. Tracy spoke, "Well, both women were from out-of-town, robbed and murdered in parking lots at popular tourist sites. No other connection - different cities, flights, car rental agencies, hotels. So...was robbery the motive or the afterthought?" "Sorry guys," said Nick, "It's your case for a week. Copy everything you come up with and leave it on my desk." It was tough for him to do, but if he became any more involved in this case, he'd be there until it was solved. * * * * * * * Nat was already sitting at Nick's kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee when he arrived. He took off his coat and got a bottle from the fridge. After pouring a glass Nick walked over to the table and sat across from Nat, "I'm probably going to regret this, but... vacation...let's hear it". "Well, I've got two ideas," said Nat eagerly. "Vegas - redeye flights, 24-hour town, black-out curtains at every hotel. We don't even have to leave the hotel if you don't want to. We can stay at the MGM - it'll take two days just to see the place." Nick pictured Screed running off to Vegas and winced. Nat tried to ignore his cynical expression and continued, "Glitter Gulch - daylight in the middle of the night, shows, buffets. "Forget I said buffets," she grinned. Nick dismissed the whole idea with a shake of his head. When he was in one place, he liked to stay in one place. He recalled LaCroix's little monologue and wondered if LaCroix was reading Nat's mind now too. "And...Option 2?" That was the one Nat liked, "...drive north, rent a cabin - fresh air, starry skies." "And..." said Nick. She felt another twinge of guilt for not telling Nick what she really wanted, but it simply wasn't the right time. "I just want us to do something 'normal' - get away from the city for a couple of days, from work, from people, from ...." "Vampires?" Nick interrupted. "Well...yes. I want it to be...just us." In her mind she knew it was really only one vampire she wanted to get Nick away from. Being out of LaCroix's peculiar telepathic range was the important thing, being out of CERK's transmission range would be a bonus. Susan Nick&Natpacker cd397@torfree.net From owner-fkfic-l@PSUVM.PSU.EDU Sun Mar 17 19:26:52 1996 Received: from PSUVM.PSU.EDU by violet.berkeley.edu (8.7.1/1.33-960227) id TAA22931; Sun, 17 Mar 1996 19:26:50 -0800 Message-Id: <199603180326.TAA22931@violet.berkeley.edu> Received: from PSUVM.PSU.EDU by PSUVM.PSU.EDU (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 0125; Sun, 17 Mar 96 22:24:55 EST Received: from PSUVM.PSU.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@PSUVM) by PSUVM.PSU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 6656; Sun, 17 Mar 1996 22:24:54 -0500 Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 22:23:59 -0500 Reply-To: Susan Bennett Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: Susan Bennett Subject: TOURIST TRAP (2/2) To: Multiple recipients of list FKFIC-L Status: RO X-Status: Okay. This is part 2. Now that we're past all that we can get down to the Nick/Nat stuff. TOURIST TRAP (2/2) by Susan based on characters from Forever Knight, etc. some references to "Black Buddah" "This feels...awkward," said Nick as he loaded the cooler into the trunk of Nat's car. "Well, Nick, thousands of people do it every Friday night," replied Nat, "We're just going to the cottage for a few days - normal, normal, normal." Nick mumbled unintelligibly as he closed the trunk, and they both got in the car. It took almost 2-1/2 hours to get to the place. It was a small log cabin, set well back into the woods. Nat found the key under the step where the owner said it would be, opened the door, and turned on the light. The living room was very rustic with wood plank flooring, scatter rugs, beamed ceiling, and a massive stone fireplace separating it from the kitchen. The extras were there too - TV, VCR, tapes, stereo, and - bonus - all of the windows had shutters. "Cozy," said Nick as he walked in. "Yeah, you certainly don't have to walk as far to get to things as you do at home." Nat carried her overnight bag into one of the bedrooms and unpacked while Nick started a fire. That done, he started rifling through the video tapes. Nat walked in and plopped down on the oversized, overstuffed sofa, "Any good movies?" "Nothing I want to see right now," said Nick. He turned on the stereo and went and sat beside her. They both sank back into the couch and listened to the music. Nick felt relaxed and let his mind wander. He thought back to Nat's talk of Vegas which reminded him of Screed, and then the Inca. He then found himself contemplating the vampire who brought both the Inca and Vachon across. She was a vampire who, 450 years ago, had empathy for mortals. He wondered about her master...was he, somehow, a lighter shade of black? Nat startled him from his thoughts, "Back in the past again Nick?" "Recent past," he smiled. "I was just thinking about the Inca." "The Inca?", said Nat. "Moreso about the one who brought him and Vachon across. She was different, Nat. She told them she wanted 'to stop senseless killing in the world'. She said, 'those that treasure life should live and those that don't should die'. Vachon never kept his promise to her, yet the Inca upheld it to the very end." Nat was beginning to see where Nick's thoughts were leading him. He had seen vampirism affect people in diverse ways time and time again, yet he consistently put all blame on the vampire. And how could she tell him different? His mind had already taken the concept of guilt to a whole new dimension. "Well Nick," Nat replied carefully, "Vachon and the Inca were two very different people when they were brought across. The Inca had a fervent sense of duty and a deep faith in his Sun God - what did Vachon have?" "What I had...," Nick replied sombrely, "restlessness, impatience, weakness." "Nick, you were a different person then. The Nick that LaCroix brought across...he doesn't exist anymore." "Doesn't he Nat?" She didn't really want to hurt him, but Nat grasped the opportunity to tell Nick what she had come to believe, "The ultimate master is not the vampire, Nick, it's the host. You've struggled for centuries to find the strength to conquer the vampire. You still fear it, because you don't have faith in yourself." Nick was irritated, "Don't try to make it sound simple. The killer is real, the blood-lust is real." "I know it's real, Nick, but I know you're stronger - you're the one who doesn't believe it. I understand only too well how difficult it is to resist, when surrender...is...so...seductive." On hearing herself speak Nat realized how terribly wrong her plan was and started to cry. Nick put his arm around her, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten angry." "Oh, Nick," she sobbed, unable to look at him, "It's not you. It's me. I wanted to get you here because, because I was weak. I need so much to be with you. I wanted to lure you into bringing me across." Her face was wet with tears as she lifted her head to look at him, "I'm so sorry, please forgive me." Nat was expecting to see some expression of despondency on Nick's face, but it just wasn't there. He gently wiped the tears from her eyes and said quietly, "Nat, I should be asking for your forgiveness. I have to tell you something. I've yearned for mortality for a very, very long time. Yet now, when it feels so near, it frightens me." "What are you trying to tell me Nick?", she whimpered. "I'm trying to tell you that I can't become mortal Nat, not now." Nat moaned between sobs, "Why, Nick?...Why didn't you tell me? I thought you...loved me, I thought you...wanted to be with me. Oh my God, Nick, what have you done to me?" Nick held her close and whispered, "Listen to me Nat. I do love you, and I want to be with you more than anything. Until I fell in love with you I thought only of myself, the consequences of my mortality would not matter to anyone else. Don't you understand, Nat. I'm afraid for us. It was safe to dream, but the dream is becoming reality; and the reality is, it wouldn't be safe for either of us, we both know too much." Nat saw the sorrow in Nick's eyes. She understood only too well. It was an impossible dream. In her heart she knew all along it would never work, could never work. Wherever they lived, whatever names they used, the prospect of being found out by unsympathetic members of the vampire community would always haunt them. There really was only one choice. She kissed him softly and whispered, "If you love me Nick, you must bring me across, without reservation. You cannot let your fear of what I might become keep us apart; and I cannot bear to go on without even the hope that we might someday be together." "I know" Nick whispered back to her. He kissed her eyes, her neck, her lips. She returned his kisses in kind. Nat had waited so long for this moment, for his love, she thought she would melt away. And as their passion intensified, Nick allowed his fears to slip into oblivion. Nat trembled as his fangs sunk into her soft flesh. Nick felt her flowing into him like a dream, her love filling his emptiness, her strength overcoming his weakness, her light penetrating his darkness. Nick took her to the edge and brought her back with his blood. Even as she opened her eyes the vampire was reduced to mere flecks of gold. He offered his blood but she had no thirst. Nick was at a loss, he had never seen a vampire borne without first hunger. "You're not hungry?" he asked. She smiled and kissed him, "Only for your love." And Nick knew this was his destiny, their destiny, and that it was right. And, for the first time, he revelled in LaCroix's words, "Destiny will not be trifled with". Susan Nick&Susa...uh...Natpacker cd397@torfree.net