Subject: Symbol Of Forever
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 14:27:55 -0500
From: Karen <khb@nobelmed.com>
To: "fkfic@fkvoyage.win.net" <fkfic@fkvoyage.win.net>

Symbol Of Forever - The sequel to Heart of A Knight.

In "Heart of A Knight", while sorting the contents of an old trunk,
Nick and Natalie 'share' a flashback of 1968. Natalie is a child, and at
the tender age of six finds herself in a distressing situation. Lost
from her family and alone, she is aided by a gentle stranger who gives
her his heart ... forever.

Standard Disclaimers apply.  The characters do not belong to me. Forever
Knight was created by James Parriot and Barney Cohen and belong to
Sony/TriStar.  Nathaniel is my own creation.  Any resemblance to persons
living or dead is coincidental.

Many, many thanks to Charlotte O for beta reading!

Permission given to archive at the ftp site.

"Symbol of Forever"  Part 1 of 5
Written by Karen H. Butt
Copyright February 1999

Toronto - Present day

Natalie awoke to find herself in a cold dark room.  Her head was
spinning, she felt so ill.  There were no windows, save a small thin
crack close to the ceiling.  A fine sliver of sunlight squeezed through
the slit.   She could feel the dampness and the musty air was heavy
around her.  She reached up and felt the back of her head; she had a
large bump on one side. Her memory was vague.  She remembered leaving
the lab, walking to her car, then footsteps, slow at first, then faster
and faster.  She remembered sudden fear and her heart beating in her
chest as though it would erupt ... then ... a sharp pain in her head and
... blackness.    Natalie tried to stand up, the room moving with her,
swaying back and forth.  There didn't appear to be any way out and there
were no signs of a light, not even one of those light bulbs often seen
dangling from the ceiling with a long pull chain.  As she fumbled,
edging her way along the cold damp walls she felt the frame of a large
wooden door... it was jammed shut and even if she had the strength to
push it, she knew the door wouldn't budge, it was firmly bolted.
Natalie slid down the wall and became a crumpled mass on the floor.
Fear was all consuming and she drew the stagnant air into her lungs in
great sobs of anguish.  Blackness enveloped her as she fell back into
unconsciousness.

Nick anxiously paced through the loft, he moved like a preprogrammed
robot from the windows to the stairs, around the kitchen and back to the
windows and with each round checking the time against the setting of the
sun.  He felt ... no ... he *knew*, without a doubt that something was
very wrong.  He had called Nat's apartment, called the lab, paged her
and nothing ... no answer anywhere.  She was coming directly to his loft
from the lab that morning; the sun rose high, the hours drew on, but she
never arrived. With each passing hour Nick's desperation and anxiety
grew to unbearable pain  <where could she have gone> he mumbled with
each pace through the loft as he waited impatiently for the veil of
darkness that would protect him.  He wouldn't be of much use to Nat, or
to anyone, if he were reduced to a smoldering little pile of ash.

With the last rays of sunlight quickly fading in the western sky, Nick
bolted and exited the loft through the skylight.   His course was
directly to Natalie's apartment; something nagged at Nick's heart,
something terrifying, something evil.  As he threw open the door to the
apartment, sudden terror ripped through his soul.    Nat's apartment was
disheveled, books thrown to the floor, cupboards open and their contents
strewn about, porcelain figurines dashed to pieces on the floor.  Not
one room was left unturned.  Whoever did this was desperate ... for
something, but for what?  Nick fell to the floor as his knees buckled
beneath him, eyes red and fangs fully extended, he lifted his head
towards the heavens, and a roaring wail of anguish welled its way from
the pit of Nick's stomach. A chilling cry of despair filled the air and
was carried with the wind into the darkening sky; the long wailing cry
of a soul whom had just fallen into the gaping depths of hell.

Natalie lay on the cold stone floor as she, for the second time,
regained consciousness.  She saw a figure in the room with her and
stammered.  "Nick?"  she called in a broken voice, hoping he had come to
her.  A deep cold voice answered her; it wasn't her beloved Nick.  "No",
answered the voice. Nat's head was throbbing, pain shooting through her
temples.

"Where is it Dr. Lambert?", the voice continued in quiet deep tones ...
almost in a whisper.

"Where is what?" Natalie managed to say.

"You know 'what'", said the man with growing impatience.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, or why you've brought me
here", Natalie pulled herself to her feet despite the throbbing in her
head.

"Perhaps you need your memory jogged", said Natalies captor as he tossed
some items on the floor at her feet.  Letters tied with a ribbon, a
child's toy sailboat, a quilted pillow, and the teddy bear with the
golden heart.

"The trunk Dr. Lambert ... the trunk that held these worthless items had
something else in it, something valuable, something rare ... what did
you do with it?"  He stood in front of her, breathing foul air into her
face.  She stood, now defiantly in front of him and said not a word.  He
turned and reeled from the room, slamming and bolting the door behind
him.  Natalie let out the breath she had been holding. Kneeling down to
the floor she picked up the precious items that had been tossed at her
feet.  She closed her eyes, clutching the teddy bear and prayed that
Nick would somehow find her.

"Man oh man oh man", Schanke muttered and shook his head as he entered
Nat's apartment.  Forensics had arrived within minutes of Nicks 911 call
and an APB had been put out on Nat. Uniformed police officers had
already started canvassing the neighbors for clues as to what had
happened.  Nick sat motionless, his expression empty, his soul lost. The
vampire seething to be released from captivity.

"Hey, Knight", Schanke was standing in front of Nick.  "Knight, you in
there?"

"KNIGHT!"

Nick shook his head and looked up to find Schanke staring at him with
tremendous concern.  "It's my fault Schank. ", Nick said lowering his
head.  "I should've ...."

"Should've what Nick?"  Schanke interrupted, "Been there? You can't 'be
there' all the time Nick. Schanke said as he made the proverbial quote
marks in the air. "I know you two are close, but you can't protect her
from everything, that's not humanly possible.  It's *not* your fault."

"Then it *should* be my fault", Nick snapped.

Schanke lowered his voice as he crouched down to meet Nick's eyes, "No
it is not Nick. You can't help Natalie if you let this swallow you."

"I've got to find her Schank", Nick bolted from the couch, nearly
knocking Schanke over.

"KNIGHT!

"WAIT!

... he's done it again, he's taken off without me *again*!", Schanke
mumbled into the air.

Natalie knew the sun had long since set. The meager sliver of light that
streamed through the crack in the wall had long since faded.  Her captor
had not returned.  She was certain it had been several hours.  At least
the throbbing pain in her head was easing up.  She felt some comfort to
have the teddy bear with her.  She felt as though she was a child again,
and lost in the forest as she had been so many years ago.  She had
'Bear', as she had called him, with her then too.  She also knew that
Nick would be out there looking for her, and knowing Nick, he probably
had the entire Toronto police force looking for her as well.  The
thought allowed a quiet giggle to raise slowly within her until it
audibly escaped. The night was long and silent.  No one came.  Not the
man who held her captive, not the police, not Nick.  And so the night
passed in silence and dawn grew ever closer.

Nick had searched the city from the most easterly points to the edges of
Mississauga on the West.  He flew from the lakeshore to the northern
limits of Toronto and beyond.  What he did find was Nat's car. It was
left abandoned at the Toronto Island Airport and it was in the same
condition as was her apartment.  The seats where shredded, the trunk
ravaged.  Every inch of that car had been searched. <Again, for what?>
Nick questioned. Forensics were unable to lift any prints other than
Nat's and Nick's.  Whoever had abducted her were 'professionals'.

Nick reluctantly returned to his loft as dawn crept stealthy forward. He
had no choice but to take shelter from the rising sun.  It was going to
be a long day.  The one thing he knew was that Nat was alive.  He could
*feel* her.  He paced the loft for hours after the sun had risen, like a
feral beast ensnared by a shrewd hunter's trap.  Horrors running through
his mind. <I have to find her, I'm not going to lose her, I *can't* lose
her ... > he repeated it to himself over and over again as if saying it
would help him in some way to find her. He finally collapsed on the
couch; strength ebbing from him as the day drew wearily on.

End Part 1

Part 2

The coroner on duty was just completing an autopsy as Nick walked into
Natalies lab.  "You alone?" asked the M.E.  Nick nodded to the
affirmative in response to the question.  "Take a look at this".  Nick
pulled back the sheet and shock spiraled through his body.  It was Nat.

He awoke with a start, sitting straight up, and finding himself on the
black leather couch where he had finally been overcome by sleep. "A
dream", he reassured himself, "it was a dream ... a nightmare." He
emphasized.

He reached up and wiped the blood sweat from his forehead with his
hand.   Headed to the kitchen and took out one of the many green
bottles, ripping the cork out with his teeth and spewing it towards the
general direction of the sink.   He lifted the bottle to his lips and
drank, long and hard, until he had completely drained the bottle of its
thick, rich contents.

It was still daylight.  He hadn't been asleep for more than a couple of
hours.  Nick glanced at the clock.  "Twenty-eight minutes until sunset",
he grunted as he closed his eyes trying to wipe the image of the dream
from his memory.   As he did so, another image encompassed his mind,
this one was not a dream, at least not a sleeping dream.

"Nat?" Nick slowly shook his head, as he furrowed his eyebrows.

Nick kept his eyes firmly closed and concentrated on the image. He felt
himself in another place, it was cold and dark; dampness enveloped him.

"Nick?"  He heard a voice calling his name.

Nick's eyes sprung open.   His vampiric strings were vibrating, but not
with LaCroix or Janette.

The ringing of the phone shattered any further images. The answering
machine kicked in "I'm either in bed or incommunicado ... ", Nick raced
for the receiver.  "Knight here."

"Nick, we've got a lead on Natalies abductor."  Said Schanke with a
shudder.  "It's a newspaper clipping. I'm at the station. You've gotta
see this!"

If Nick had been human, his heart would have been racing in his chest.
As it was, he seemed to have noticed an unanticipated extra beat. "Stay
there Schank."  Without waiting for another word from his partner, Nick
threw down the receiver disconnecting Schanke. Grabbing his coat and
keys he hurriedly descended to the parking garage.

Schanke stared into the dead phone and blinked <even on the phone he
takes off!> he uttered in disbelief as he hung up the phone.

Nick raced across Bloor Street to the precinct.  The radio meticulously
set ...

"This is the Nightcrawler, coming to you over the airwaves of CERK
radio.  Let's talk about legends tonight ... shall we?

Legend has it, that a long time ago, a very powerful and wealthy Roman
General had commissioned the finest craftsman to fashion an exquisite
golden gargoyle.  It was to be crafted using all the purest of metals,
deepest rubies for eyes, diamonds for claws, and a golden crown to adorn
the creatures head.

When the golden image had been completed, it was of breath taking
beauty.  Not large in physical grandeur, but grand in 'power'.  The
legend goes on to say that whosoever possessed the golden creature would
be endowed with wondrous and mystical powers."

LaCroix lowered his voice, and then continued with a remorseful sadness.
"The land, it's people and alas the gargoyle were all lost with the
eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD."

LaCroix paused as though allowing a moment of reverent silence in memory
of the lost treasures of Pompeii.

"Legends, fairytales and myths.  Stories that have the power to capture
imaginations and souls."

The pallor of Nicks face grew even weaker, if it could be said to grow
weaker, as Schanke handed him the newspaper clipping that had
mysteriously appeared at the precinct. It was dated 1975. Nick read the
headline "National Treasures Missing".  The article stated, "The
Antiquarium, Pompeii's museum, will close fearing security after thieves
broke in and escaped with several valuable artifacts leaving a wake of
destruction behind them.  Among the missing items were coins, jewelry
and a 2000-year-old gargoyle fashioned of gold. This is the second
occurrence that the ancient gargoyle has been stolen since it's original
discovery in 1878 by archeologist Dr. Nathaniel Zedicah Lambert. The
artifact vanished without a trace in 1879, and then mysteriously
reappeared in the museum 59 years later in 1938.  Its reappearance was
unexplained. The recent robbery has devastated citizens. The ancient
lost city is slowly being torn away again by another uncontrollable
disaster ... greed."

Nick stood motionless with the newspaper clipping in his hand.

>>>>>

1878:  The site of the lost city of Pompeii

It was a time of great excitement.  Excavations of Pompeii had begun.
Already an amphitheater and several houses had been uncovered.  The
ruins were remarkable and had been preserved almost perfectly intact.
Nicholas had a great passion and love for archeology.  It was history,
it was humanity, it was a symbol of hope.  His associate, Dr. Nathaniel
Lambert, was a renowned and very successful archeologist.  Nicholas was
more than honored to have been awarded the position to work with
Nathaniel.

Nicholas was deep in thought as he brushed away the dry dirt in the area
he was examining. An oil lantern cast a soft glow around him.  He
carefully marked each inch of the ground he surveyed.  "Nicholas?", came
a cold, inquisitive and familiar voice through the night air.  He looked
up to see the face of his master glowing in the dim light of the
lantern.  "Have I taught you nothing?   Have you not yet learned from
your mistakes? The past is *not* to be trifled with ...  you risk the
alchemy of ancient curses.  Nicholas rose slowly to meet the eyes of the
ancient vampire. "Am I not already cursed?"  he replied in a defiant
tone.  "Beware of legends and myths Nicholas, they are not always what
they appear to be." He warned his son. "You should know, if you do find
that which you seek, it will not 'cure' you." He spoke in tones exuding
of self-satisfaction, "There is no cure."  He said as his lip curled
into a self-pleasing grin.

LaCroix turned as if to leave, then added with power befit a mighty
roman general, "Be assured Nicholas, I do *know* what you are looking
for ... and I do expect that you *will* return it to its rightful owner
... should it emerge."  The faint glowing flame of the lantern flickered
as LaCroix vanished into the night sky.

<<<<<

Is it a coincidence Nick?

Nick?

KNIGHT! Schanke shouted.

Nick looked up.  "Coincidence?"  He motioned with his hand.  "Yeah",
Schanke continued, "that the guy in the article was a Lambert ... that
Natalie is a Lambert ... that Natalie LAMBERT...", Schanke paused after
emphasizing Natalies name and looked at Nick to be sure he wasn't
spacing out on him again, "that Natalie LAMBERT was kidnapped". He
concluded his sentence very matter-of-factly.

"No Schank, it's not a coincidence.  Whoever has Natalie believes that
she has the idol, it's got to be what they ransacked her car and
apartment for."

"What the heck would Natalie be doing with this gargoyle thing anyway?"
Schanke questioned.  "Must be one heck of an heirloom!"

"Come on Schank, I've got a hunch", Nick said has he headed out of the
precinct and rushed to the caddy.

Nick and Schanke sped across the city to Nat's apartment.  The yellow
police tape was still strung across the entrance. They pushed open the
door and slipped under the tape. "What are we looking for Nick?" Schanke
asked. Nick crossed the room stepping over and around the debris strewn
on the floor. "A clue that ties Nat to the newspaper article.  If it
fits, we're one step closer to finding her. It's already been over 36
hours Schanke, if we don't find the answers soon ..."  Nick stopped, not
allowing the rest of the sentence to escape.  Schanke knew exactly what
his partner was thinking.  This was a race against time; they'd both
seen this type of scenario before.

Nick spotted the trunk in the corner of the living room. It had been
tossed on its side, it's contents spilled on the floor, violated.  Nick
closed his eyes and pictured Nat. Just the other week they had sat in
this very spot, inspecting the items that had been sent to her in this
trunk. When she'd spotted the teddy bear included in its contents, she
had come so close to remembering that it was Nick who had found her in
the forest when she was a child.

Images flashed across Nick's mind as he remembered the angelic
countenance of the child he had cradled safely in his arms that night
years ago. He remembered how he gave his heart to her and symbolized it
by pinning his lapel pin in the place of her teddy bears heart.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Nick tipped the trunk back to its
rightful position, then began to empty it of the remaining contents.

"I was right Schanke", Nick said solemnly.  "Right about what?" Schanke
made his way across the room to where Nick stood staring into the now
empty trunk. He followed Nicks gaze.  There, on the bottom of the trunk,
a small brass name plate 'Property of Dr. Nathaniel Z. Lambert,
Archeologist.'

"Take my car back to the station", Nick said tossing the keys to his
partner, " See if you can find out what happened to Dr. Nathaniel
Lambert."

"And where are you going?" Schanke called back as Nick was hurrying out
the door.

"To see a man about a gargoyle!"  Nick called back as he sped down the
stairs.

"Great, just great", uttered the once again deserted Don Schanke.

End Part 2

Part 3

>>>>>>

1879:  The excavation site of Pompeii

Nicholas and Nathaniel sat in religious silence gazing towards the
ominous Mount Vesuvius and all it's glory. It was like a monstrous
ghostly image in the night as the glow of the moon and passing wisps of
clouds cast shadows that danced to and fro across it. Nick marveled at
the irony.  How could something so beautiful, so alluring also be so
very deadly? He was no stranger to beautiful and alluring temptations.
He knew that such things also bespoke of inevitable remorse. The two men
exchanged no words; there was a power between them that far exceeded any
vocal language.  Before them, cradled in a fine fabric and set in a
modest wooden crate, rested a small statue. The very statue that had
given birth to myths and legends that spoke of mystical powers.

Nathaniel knew what Nicholas was, and therefore knew of the significance
of this particular artifact.  It was a chance for Nicholas to regain his
lost humanity.  If the legend were true, Nicholas would cross over into
the world of the living by sunrise. All that remained now was to wait,
to hope, to pray.

<<<<<<

Natalie's lips were parched and cracked.  Her stomach racked with pain
from hunger.  She could hear her captor talking to someone, but he did
not come into the chamber in which she was confined. She was, in a
strange way, relieved that he did not come to her.  She managed to catch
words that drifted on the air and rested upon her ears.  Talk of golden
statues and great powers. He talked of what he was going to do with her
and what he would do once he gained possession of the statue.   She
could hear the rumbling of passing trains, revealing to her that she was
somewhere close in proximity to Union Station. "If only I could find a
way out of here", she mumbled.  She was becoming delirious from lack of
food and water and found herself constantly in and out of
consciousness.  She still embraced the teddy bear, feeling very much
like the time when she was lost as a little girl.   Her mind wondered to
her childhood, her family and to a stranger one frightening night.

"I was cold and I was scared  ...  <much like I am now>", she added to
her thought.  "Then the stranger came", she remembered how he held her
all night and how safe she felt.

The memory made Natalie feel warm and a smile slowly crossed her face.
For a time she forgot her physical discomfort.  She remembered the
incident with great fondness as she touched the heart shaped pin on the
teddy bear. She wanted to remember who the stranger was that had
comforted and protected her. Each time she closed her eyes, the face she
saw was Nick's.  "What was it that Nick had whispered when she had found
the teddy bear in the trunk?"  She had been so caught up in the moment
that she wasn't sure, but she thought he had said, 'I haven't
forgotten'.

Nick landed gently in the alley behind CERK radio and headed towards the
back entrance of the building. He suddenly stopped and froze in his
tracks.  It was happening again.  The connection, the vibration.  He
closed his eyes and listened.  Cold, dark, damp ...  a distant sound,
screeching metal against metal, wind ...  "Teddy bears?"  Nick said out
loud shaking his head and raising his eyebrows.

<<<<<<

1968: Algonquin Park

Nick held the lapel pin in his hand.  It was a tiny pin, gold, and heart
shaped, engraved with his first initial.   "Natalie, let me see your
teddy bear".  The child held the bear up and handed it to him.  He
placed the pin securely into the middle of the red and white gingham
heart sown on the bear's chest.

>>>>>>>

For a moment Nick smiled, it was Nat he was *feeling*.  Somehow, she was
communicating with him.  Suddenly he felt sick.  "How can she be if she
is a mortal?  Unless ... she had been brought across."  The thought of
Natalie being condemned to the same darkness that he was trapped in was
reminiscent of the terror one may feel as they gasped for breath after
having received a powerful blow to the abdomen and having the wind
knocked out of their lungs.  Nick shuddered. He recalled that there had
been another time when he had followed this same vampiric connection to
another mortal. A trick that LaCroix had used to lure him in an attempt
to 'reclaim' him.

The connection was severed ... again.  Nick pushed open the heavy door
at CERK and entered the building.  LaCroix sat at his sound booth,
looking up and seeing him, he adjusted some knobs, pushed a few buttons
and then motioned Nick to enter.

LaCroix looked up to meet his sons gaze. "I have perceived a most
disturbing sensation for the last two nights Nicholas. It emanates from
you like the rancid stench of rotting flesh, growing stronger with each
passing hour," said the ancient one with disgust.  "Oh Nicholas, how
many times have I warned you about the 'follies' of your desires to live
as a mortal ... trying to *be* one of them." He snarled, his icy blue
eyes could not hide the abhorrence he felt. He always sensed the pain
that Nicholas inflicted upon himself.  Their tie was an overwhelming
one. LaCroix had once called Nicholas his 'protege', but Nicholas called
himself LaCroix' 'slave'.

"No doubt, it is the *love* you have for the mortal doctor that causes
such great pain in you." He spoke chastisingly.  "I understand that the
good doctor is missing... that her disappearance has to do with the much
sought after 'trinket' of my mortal existence."

LaCroix' voice faded as Nick remembered the final outcome of his quest
at Pompeii.

>>>>>

1879:  The excavation site of Pompeii

The dawn ebbed ever closer as Nathaniel and Nicholas sat and waited for
the rising of the sun.  The first golden rays began to glimmer over the
eastern horizon.  Nicholas held his breath as he reached for the golden
image and grasped it in his hands.

The fiery sun rose in the eastern sky with brilliance.  Suddenly Nick
felt the scorching rays on his exposed flesh.  He screamed in anguish.
Nathaniel instantly hurled a heavy canvas over Nicholas as they sped
together towards the safety of the camps shelter. The only 'power'
Nicholas felt was the crushing power of defeat.

Nicholas watched as the charred flesh of his hands rapidly healed.  He
still held the statue, gazing upon it.  "It was only a legend Nathaniel
... ", he said as he lowered his head. "An empty folk tale." Nicholas
choked out the words.

"What will you do with the statue now?" inquired Nathaniel.

"Fulfill an obligation", answered Nicholas.

<<<<<

"What did you do with the statue after I returned it to you LaCroix?"
Nick spoke in a demanding manner as he leaned in towards his master.

"Is that all you would like to know Nicholas?"  LaCroix chided.

"I don't have time for games LaCroix, the clock is counting down, every
wasted minute increases the chances of not finding Natalie in time!"
Nick shouted. "Tell me what you did with it!"

"Very well", LaCroix said nonchalantly, "I kept it", he said and paused
a moment before he continued, "I had it 'reproduced' and sent it to the
museum in place of the original."  He spoke it all in one monotone
sounding breath.

"After all Nicholas, it *was* rightfully mine to begin with ... and I
*always* reclaim what belongs to me." He eyed Nicholas.

Nick ignored the 'reclaiming' statement that he knew referred to much
more than an old statue.

"The piece stolen from the museum in 1975 ...  it was a fake."  Nick
reiterated

"Very 'fake' indeed", LaCroix said as his lip curled.

Nick made the now more than obvious connection. "Whoever stole it from
the museum must have known it was a fake, thinking that Nathaniel kept
the real one and finally tracing him, and it, back to Toronto ... to
Nat."

Nick turned to leave.  LaCroix called after him. "I did give a part of
the statue to you Nicholas, to *remind* you that such foolish beliefs in
*certain* legends are nothing but nonsense."

"What do you mean 'you gave me a part of it' LaCroix?"  Nick shook his
head; he couldn't recall any such thing.

"I never really fancied that ridiculous crown on the creatures head ",
LaCroix said, "... I had it made into a lapel pin for you."   A twisted
smile crept across his face as he watched Nicholas' reaction. The look
in Nicks eyes was worth having waited so many years to tell him that,
and it just seemed to be the *perfect* moment.

End of Part 3

Part 4

Natalie sat shivering in the cold darkness. Her heart trembling, "Why
hasn't Nick come?" she spoke to the uncaring and mute walls that held
her bound. "Why hasn't *anybody* come?"  Her soul filled with silent
tears, she felt forsaken.  She looked at 'Bear'. "Well, this is all too
familiar isn't it? Although I prefer the forest to the current setting."
She spoke to the stuffed toy as if it could really hear her.  She
smoothed its tattered fur, one eye seeming to blink back at her.
Touching the golden pin, she reflected how she had never removed it from
the time the stranger had placed it there.  She could almost feel the
pin reverberating with *his* presence.  Feeling the clasp behind the
heart, she released it, and slowly pulled the pin out of its
resting-place.  Natalie closed her eyes and re-pinned the heart over her
own heart.  Tears filled her eyes and large droplets seemed to fall to
the cold stone beneath her in animated motion, as though time had
slowed.

Nick felt a ghostly chill course though his body, he closed his eyes
taut and *listened* to the feeling.

The door to Natalies 'prison' burst open smashing it into the wall.  A
man reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Get up!", he demanded as he pulled her into a standing position.

The teddy bear fell spinning to the ground  ... now heartless ...  and
unseen.

Natalie winced as he forced her into the narrow passageway and into
another room.

Nick stood motionless and in silence on the roof of the radio station.
His hair blowing back from his face as the gentle wind caressed his
features. Nick's eyes sprung open and he swiftly took flight into the
night sky. All in a motion too fast for human vision to perceive.

He rushed across the sky, all the while listening to the sound of the
vibration he could feel.  It was Natalie, and he knew it beyond any
doubt.  She was alive, but an ominous danger was threatening her very
existence.  He felt the fear she carried in her at that very moment.

"Dr. Lambert ... what did you do with the statue!", the man was shouting
at her.

"I don't have it, I *swear* I don't have it!" she deplored.

The wooden door fell crashing to the floor as though it had been made of
nothing more than rotting straw.

The man who held Natalie groped for breath as he beheld the creature
that stood before him.   Golden eyes turned to red as the beast growled
and lunged at him.

The man had no voice with which to speak for fear had become his
companion, but his eyes begged the beast to spare him.

"Tell me why I should allow you to live?" growled Nicholas as he held
the man. "What reason do you give me!"  Nicholas was enraged.  He fought
to bring the vampire into control as he pushed the now cowering man to
the floor.

Nick turned to see Natalie, standing in the corner, motionless, her eyes
brimming with tears. He held out his arms as he moved towards her and
she surrendered herself into the safety of his embrace.

End of part 4

Part 5

To Natalie, it seemed an eternity between the time Nick had burst into
the room and the time she heard the sirens.  In all truth, it had been
but mere minutes after Nick had called Schanke to notify him of their
location and send in backup.

Schanke lifted the suspect from the floor and began reading him his
rights as he handcuffed him and escorted him to the waiting uniformed
officers outside.

"Good work Knight!" Schanke called to his partner as he left the room
leaving Natalie and Nick alone.

Natalie looked up at Nick as he held her, "Don't let go of me Nick,
please, never let go", she whispered to him.

"Never Nat", he brushed back the hair from her face and kissed her tear
stained cheeks.

"Never." He repeated in a hushed tone as he led her outside to the
waiting ambulance.

Natalie gratefully accepted the cool water that the paramedics handed
her and insisted to them that she was fine.  What she really wanted was
to have Nick take her far away from this place and this nightmare she
had been in.

Schanke handed Nick the keys to the caddy. "How'd you figure it out
Nick?  I mean, how'd you know where Nat was?"

"I just knew Schank, somehow I just knew."

Nick helped Natalie into the car. "Nat?" Nick glanced at her as they
drove away.  She looked at him without saying anything. "There's
something I need to do before I take you home.  Would you mind?"  he
asked her softly.  She nodded her approval to him.

Nick headed out of the downtown area, his destination unknown to her;
she drifted into a peaceful sleep. Nick kept sneaking glances at her as
he drove, thankful for her safety, and that she was here with him.  Her
image reminiscent of the six year old little girl that had become the
woman he loved.

He pulled into the parking lot at Edwards Gardens and stopped.  Reaching
into the back seat he picked up a small bundle and got out of the car.
He walked around to Nat's side and opened the door. He touched her hand
and gently woke her, "Nat? We're here, I have something to tell you ...
to show you."  Nat looked up at him smiling.   He took her arm and led
her into the gardens.

It was a beautiful place to be.  The moon was full and cast a gentle
glow all around.  They walked along the bank of the creek that ran
through the gardens and stopped within the serene coverings of a grove
of trees.

Nick put his arms around Natalie and pulled her close to him.  She had
no idea as to why he had brought her here.

"It's not Algonquin Park", Nick whispered to her, "but it was the best I
could do on short notice."  Then he pulled out the little bundle he held
under his jacket and held it up for Natalie to see.

"My bear!", she said, pleasantly surprised.  Nick smiled at her, his
eyes twinkling with boyish delight as he handed it to her.  He reached
for the lapel pin, the golden heart that Natalie had pinned to her
blouse. Natalies own heart began to race, these images suddenly becoming
*very* familiar.

He held the pin in his hand.  "Natalie, let me see your teddy bear".
Natalie handed the bear to Nick.  He replaced the pin, once again,
securely into the middle of the red and white gingham heart sown on the
bear's chest. "This pin ...", he whispered softly to her, "... is my
heart", his eyes reflecting the emotion with which he spoke. He drew
closer to her, his face brushing against the warmth of her cheek. Then
tenderly allowed the rest of the words to fall upon her, echoing in the
silence of the night,  "I gave it to you a long time ago." Natalie
looked at the pin and then at Nick. The fragmented memories restored and
as vivid as they had been that very moment in 1968.

"It was you Nick ... ", Natalie's voice trembled as he tightened his
embrace around her, his kiss vanquishing any further spoken words.

                             ~  %%%%%%% ~

"Legends and myths ... is there truly any such thing as 'mystical
powers'?  Or is it simply the ancient mystery and power of love? 'Love',
... it binds our souls, breaths life into our hearts, conquers evil and
banishes impossibilities.

Any man may believe in empty myths, but a wise man knows when he truly
holds a treasure in his hands."

Fin

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